《The Love Of A Lycan》


 Chapter -1 - PROLOGUE

    In the astral world.


    A woman with ethereal beauty was standing on a white chariot. Her lovely, long, flowing hair adorned with a crescent moon crown. The golden dress that she wore shone on a dark night as her body radiated a hazy moonlight.


    She was Selene, the goddess of the moon.


    In front of her glowing eyes were three lycanthropes with very broad and muscular bodies marred with newly bad gashes, battered and bruised. Their eyes were the color of blood itself, red eyes tinted with hatred and anger. Even though their healing abilities were remarkable, poison slowed the healing process.


    "This is not the end¡­" The goddess of the moon''s voice echoed inside their head, ringing like a mystical instrument.


    Around them was the evidence of war, demon carcasses were strewn on the ground along with their flowing rivers of blood¡­ vultures flew in the air with their dark eyes complimented their feathers.


    "The seven demons are still alive out there, weak, but alive." The moon goddess continued.


    She looked down at the three brothers of lycanthropes who growled on the ground. In this time they had shifted back into their human form. Their faces were coated with blood and barely recognized.


    "We don''t care!!!" Jedrek Donovan hollered. He had enough with the celestial being before his eyes, goddess or not.


    "You will care." The moon goddess said solemnly.


    Torak Donovan stood up on his shaky legs. He pursed his lips into a devious smirked. "How bold." He remarked with his guttural voice. "We are done with this."


    The war between the lycanthropes and the demons that last for years, had brought enormous casualty between two parties and the other creatures in this entire terrestrial world.


    One of them was the extinction of those guardian angels, the frailest creatures with astounding spirit power. Their death was a sacrifice to seal the evil force.


    Jedrek has had enough with the moon goddess. He disregarded her presence by walking away from her. Looking Jedrek left, his two brothers, Torak and Kace Donovan, followed him.


    They stepped on the demons bodies beneath their feet, in order to remove themselves from the battlefield. The mixed scent of blood and death disgusted their sense of smell.


    Regardless their action and the distance among them, the moon goddess voice still echoed inside their head.


    "The Hydra will resurrect one day and you need to put them back into tartarus." Selene voiced hammered inside their ears, no matter how much distance their put.


    "Without the guardian angel you can do nothing." Torak snorted. It was those guardian angels power who sealed the beast away and now, since they had gone, nothing Selene could do to face the resurrected the beast.


    "The spirit of the guardian angel will breathe new life into human child. Three guardian angels will be born into terrestrial world once again and the three of you will be their protectors."


    "Protectors!!?" Jedrek snapped. In the end, he stopped walking and turned his back to look at the moon goddess from far distance away, his eyes glistening red with anger. His wolf was livid.


    "Why do you think we will help?" Kace asked while narrowing his black obsidian eyes, his wolf took control of him. He was the youngest among the three and the less temperamental among them.


    The three of them were cursed by Selene because of their ferocious action to gain supreme power and authority.


    The moon goddess didn''t bless them with a mate as a punishment of their atrocious way and forced them to involve in this deadly war with the demons.


    "You will turn us into a slave for those sickly creatures!?" Torak asked incredulously. "Aren''t you afraid that we will snap them into two?"


    The guardian angel was so fragile and they as lycanthropes didn''t appreciate the weaknesses.


    "No, you will not." Selene said patiently. "You will not be their slave nor hurt them, you will cherish them in every way possible."


    Jedrek laughed menacingly upon hearing this, they didn''t care about the resurrected of the beast, once they crossed their territory, with or without the guardian angel he would tear their body apart. "I will be the last person they will see, once I find them." He was referring to both the guardian angel and the demon.


    But, the next voice from Selene was laced with mirth when she spoke.


    "You will not hurt your mate."

 Chapter 1 - AT NIGHT

    So dark is the night


    With things crawling around.


    Noises come and fight


    With your mind with out a doubt.


    Footsteps are heard wherever you are


    It does not matter if they are far.


    -A scary night, by: Ivette Coranado-


    **************


    Hundreds years later.


    The little Raine was tucked into her bed after her mother done with her bedtime story. Her curly ink black hair scattered all over the white pillow as her cherry lips form a cute yawn and her eyes fluttered in attempt to fight the drowsiness.


    She still wanted to hear her mother''s voice, but her sleepiness got the best of her.


    Raine Tatum was an adorable eight years old girl who will turn nine the day after tomorrow. She was so excited for her birthday party that had been arranged by mother and father.


    "Good night Raine¡­" Her mother kissed her forehead before she stood up and turned off the light while walking out of the bedroom.


    "Good night mommy."Raine said, cuddling her teddy bear. The next second the little girl fell into a deep sleep.


    The night was silent, too silent.


    The unusual thick darkness felt like heavy mist which surroundings Raine. She had woken up when she felt a cold hand touch her legs, she tried to brush it away and went back to sleep, thinking it was only a dream.


    However, the grab tighten, only after that Raine''s eyes flew opened. She looked down at her leg and eyes as red as blood greeted her.


    In an instant, a chill started to creep on her body. That ''thing'' with red eyes was crawling on top of her.


    The place where a mouth was supposed to be there was replaced by a hollow with sharp teeth around it.


    It cold hands were moving from her legs toward her neck with intention to strangle her. That ''thing''s'' hot breath fanned Raine face, leaving the poor little girl petrified.


    In her shock she couldn''t even breath, let alone screamed asking for help. Her body was shaking uncontrollable.


    The air was sucked from her lungs, leaving her breathless. She didn''t know what would happen, but the pain because of lack of air made her uncomfortable. Her body convulsed, starting to give reaction.


    Raine tried to kick the ''creepy thing'' that strangled her in futile attempt.


    When she felt her vision turn blurry and darkness was about to pull her in, the door slammed open along with high pitch gruffy voice of a man.


    "Stop!" He yelled.


    The red eyes jerked away and released her.


    Raine took the opportunity to breathe air greedily as her body collapsed to the floor with pain.


    "Mommy¡­" She managed to call her mother weakly. "Mommy¡­" She called her again between her sobbing, however her small voice no louder than a whisper.


    Raine raised her head slowly to look at the man who was standing on the doorstep of her bedroom. He was wearing a black sweater and ripped jeans, his long black hair was tied on his nape, and his smile¡­


    His smile was so vicious, showing his elongated canines from his gums. Raine gasped loudly, before broke into a fit of cry.


    "Shut up!!!" He snarled.


    Raine was afraid and her cry became louder, calling for her mother. "Mommy¡­ Mommy¡­"


    "SHUT UP!!!" He roared. His right hand smashed the top of Raine''s drawer and it shattered into pieces.


    The little girl sucked in cold breath and crawled backward with her four limbs under her bed, she stay there while cowering in fear.


    "Shift!" He ordered the red eyes to transform back.


    With a grunt, that ''thing''s body shook strangely as its long and cold fingers shrunk into a normal human size. The hollow on his face replaced by lips that curled into a smirked and his body turned into a human, shirtless. The only thing that remained was his red eyes.


    "Why did you stop me?" He asked. That man intentionally sat on the top of the bed that made it dip down by his weight and Raine who was crouching down under it flinched and made a short shriek. "She is the girl that Lucifer had been looking for this past century."


    "How do you know it is her?" The man on the doorstep was narrowing his eyes dangerously at the red eyes man who shrugged his shoulder as he spoke.


    "She is able to see me when I shifted."


    For the fact that any other ordinary humans wouldn''t have been able to see shape shifter in their other form, thus Raine didn''t suppose to be able to see him before, but she did. The little girl saw him clearly.


    The other man eyes gleamed as he stroked his chin. "We will bring her to Beelzebub alive."


    When he finished speaking, the eerie chuckled filled the room from the red eyes man, the bed was shaking with the vibration of his voice and Raine whimpered.


    "Didn''t you hear me dead man? I said, I will bring her dead body to Lucifer." His hands started to shift back with threatening claws in the end of his fingers.


    "Lowly Shape shifter¡­" He muttered with mocking tone. "I found her first and I will get my bounty from Beelzebub."


    He had fully shifted when he roared, "In that case, I will make you taste a second death!" And he lurched forward his nimble body onto the other man.


    Both of them fought with each other. The sound of bones cracking and the roared were deafening.


    Raine pressed her knees onto her chest, wrapped her small arms around them and buried her face on it. Her body shivered violently and the anguish screamed from the red eyes man didn''t help her to feel better.


    Finally, after the long growled and cursed came silent.


    Raine scurried away when the man who was standing on the doorstep before hoisted her bed with one hand like it was weight nothing.


    "Come here you little brat." He said while panting. "Beelzebub has to pay me handsomely for this." He spitted to the lifeless body on the floor. The red eyes man dead with his blood pooled under him.

 Chapter 2 - AT NIGHT (2)

    Scary cry, fearful face covered with loam


    Surrounding the place were many beastly creatures


    The place looked haunted with grave yard nearby


    All creatures enclosed me, I gave a shout


    -A Scary Night, by: Kavitha Krishnamurthy


    ****************


    The man''s black sweater had torn into shred while his long black hair fluttering behind him.


    Raine whimpered when his bloody hand grabbed the back of her pajamas and whisked her out of the room.


    He dragged the little girl away along the hallway of her bedroom. She screamed once again on the top of her lung, calling her mother and father. But, there was no respond from them.


    Impossible¡­


    The scary man just past her parent bedroom, they should be heard her screaming, no matter how deep they had slept.


    She cried and tried to get away from the man''s tight grip.


    She stabbed her nails onto his hand, but his skin was like a marble. She tried to hit his leg, but he even didn''t seem aware of her effort.


    Lastly, she bit his hand which grabbing her pajamas.


    The man stopped walking as he raised Raine on his left hand. Her attempt to runaway annoyed him.


    With a low growled he shoved Raine toward the display cabinet made of glass, where her father put his miniature towers from the places that he had visited.


    The glass was shattering the moment her body collided with the display cabinet and in no time the tiny shards pierced her skin in certain places on Raine''s body that caused the little girl wailed in pain.


    The broken glasses scattered all over the floor.


    "Mommy¡­ Daddy¡­" She cried when the fragment cut her feet the moment she tried to stand up.


    But, her fear for the man in front of her turned her numb as she backed away from him and ran toward the open door in the living room.


    As Raine dashed toward the entrance direction, she caught a glimpse of two dead bodies laid on the floor. Blood was oozing out from their open wound.


    She knew them!


    "Mommy! Daddy!!" She cried in horror. The scene too terrified for her.


    Raine slumped on the ground as a loud ear shattering scream escaped from her lips. She was shivering and shaking uncontrollably.


    Covering her eyes with her hands, she felt that man approached her again and yanked her from the floor.


    Raine screamed when she felt her body flew in the air and crashed the wall, the pain was simply unbearable.


    However, it wasn''t only her who cried in pain, but that man also let out a high pitch shouted and cursed.


    Raine lowered her hand from her face and slowly raised her head to see what was happening to the man that caused him to scream in anguish.


    That man was holding his right hand as the bulging vein was visible to see. It showed how much pain that he needed to endure at that time.


    Seeing the opportunity to escape, the little girl dragged her aching body toward the door which connected to the front yard of their house.


    She would go to Uncle James who lived the next door and asked for help. With that thought in mind, Raine forced herself to ignore the aching pain from her feet that had bled when she moved as fast as her feet could go.


    Faster¡­ faster¡­


    Rained said to herself when she ran past the doorstep and landed her bare feet on the grass. The dew on the grass made the pain worse, as though she was running on top of thousand needles, yet she didn''t dare to stop and whined.


    When she had ran halfway through the yard and almost reached their main gate, something hit her back very hard. She yelped and arched her back in pain.


    Her breath hitched when his sharp and long nail dug the skin on her shoulder.


    "Stop or I will kill you!!!" He yelled on top of Raine''s face.


    However, his threat didn''t stop the little girl to fight him, she kept struggling to free herself until her bleeding hand touched his upper arms. The scary man screamed in pain once again and loosened his grip on her shoulder.


    The understanding dawn on her as she looked back and forth from her bleeding hand to the anguish expression of the man above her, apparently, her blood was the source of his pain.


    Without thinking twice, Raine put her bleeding hand to his bare chest and the moment their skin made contact he shrieked in anguish. "Bitch!!!"


    Before he could hit her, Raine wriggled her body and escaped from him. She stood up quickly, yanked open the gate and rushed to the direction of Uncle James''s yard.


    The scary man didn''t follow her and Raine didn''t have a gut to find out why.


    She ran across the empty street to the white house next her house. Fortunately Uncle James never locked his gate, otherwise Raine wouldn''t be able to enter his house. The moment she reached his terrace she opened her mouth to call out for him.


    But, there was no voice that could be heard, she tried a couple of time with no avail. Frustrated, she pounded her small fist against the wooden door and kicked it hard.


    Pounding and hitting, again and again until the commotion that she made woken up the people inside the room.

 Chapter 3 - BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

    Between two planes I still exist.


    Between two dimensions, I drift.


    Beneath two skies I watch and wait.


    Between two worlds I roam and waste.


    -Between Two Worlds, By: Enrico Orbita-


    **************


    The door swung open with a harsh tone from Uncle James. "What the hell is that!?"


    Raine slumped on the ground when the open door revealed Uncle James in his boxer with a baseball bat on his right hand.


    "Raine?" James looked down at his friend''s daughter. "What happened to you?" He crouched down to scoop her in his arms while his eyes wandered around his yard to look for any possibility of threat. But, none, there was nothing there, except darkness.


    "Honey, what happened?" He stroked her back, trying to calm her. "Tell me what happened?" Bad feeling crept in when James saw blood on the little girl body and Raine kept pointing out toward her house.


    James looked at the house across the street with narrowed eyes. "Ann, bring her inside and call the police." He instructed his wife who was crouching down beside him.


    James passed Raine to Ann and he stood up to approach his friend house with baseball bat on his grip.


    "Be careful¡­" She warned him worriedly and brought Raine into the house before she called police station.


    ==============


    Three hours later, Raine''s house had surrounded by many people who was curious to know what had happened to Tatum''s family. Police line could be seen, restraint the onlookers to step closer at a crime scene.


    Sirens from the ambulance car were so loud and deafening as the silent night turned to be a chaos.


    Inside James house Raine buried her face on Ann embrace. In front of her there were two police officers who were trying to get information from her.


    "We will come back tomorrow¡­" One of the police officers sighed deeply after failed to retrieve information from the little girl.


    "My condolences, little Raine." The older police officers walked toward her and stroked her head with sympathy. "We will find the perpetrator."


    Afterward both of them were looking for James again to ask another detail, for the fact he was the first person who had approached the house before the police came.


    Probably he had missed something that could lead their investigation to the murderer. The criminal scene was devastated if one could say, especially inside Raine''s bedroom, as though bunch of actors from WWF had performed there, except from that, there was nothing.


    Remembering the scene, not even a single drop of blood was there.


    Moreover, there wasn''t a single fingerprint in there! That was nearly impossible. Not a single fingerprint could be found in the entire house!


    James had repeated his statement, that he also didn''t see a single person when he approached the house.


    It was strange¡­


    The only person who knew the truth was only Raine Tatum, the only daughter of Tatum''s family, but she wasn''t in a good state for interrogation.


    "I didn''t see anyone when I came." James repeated.


    ==============


    8 years later.


    "Did I make myself clear?" Torak deep voice boomed inside the room that consisting of six people of his Board of Directors.


    While his gaze swept throughout the room, all of them didn''t dare to look at him in the eyes as they hummed in tone of agreement.


    "All of you can leave, except Mr. Ronan." Torak''s ocean blue eyes fell on the middle age man who was sitting on his right side.


    "Yes Sir," All of them answered in unison and hurriedly collecting their scatter papers on the table as though the next second they stay, their CEO would make their live more miserable than this.


    Everyone except Ronan left the room.


    The five of them were throwing their sympathy look on him, their common guessed was Ronan, as one of the shareholder, had done something that unacceptable that caused Torak Donovan needed to talk to him face to face.


    Since the beginning of the meeting, they had felt Torak wasn''t in his right mood. He looked more cold and sharp than before. It didn''t mean that usually he was cordial and warm with other people, but something must be gone very wrong if they could notice the irritated in his demeanor during the meeting.


    However, the thing that they didn''t know about their discussion was beyond their imagination.


    After everyone left, a young man in his late twenty came inside the room and Ronan stood up from his seat, bent his body slightly in respect. "Beta Supreme Raphael." He greeted Raphael, Toraks''s assistant.


    Raphael nodded his head in acknowledgement as he sauntered across the room and put a stack of doc.u.ment on the table in front of Torak. "Alpha Supreme Torak, you need to take a look at this." Raphael pushed an important doc.u.ment that needed Torak''s attention the most.


    Torak Donovan, the legendary name from Donovan''s sibling who was famous in both human world and supernatural world.


    He was the famous CEO from Donovan Enterprises Holding, Inc. in human world, not every soul were fortunate enough to see him. He ran the company behind the scene and only held an important meeting with important person while the rest would be handled by his Beta or Gama.


    Not all of his staff was human most of them were supernatural creatures, like Ronan. He was initially an alpha of the Crescent Moon pack, the pack that located in one of Torak''s businesses. Automatically, most of the member of the pack would work for him under his company.


    He was the sovereign in Human world for their kind, while Jedrek Donovan, his brother, ruled the supernatural world alongside with Kace. However, Kace had gone missing for almost a hundred year by now. No one knew where he was.

 Chapter 4 - THE SOUL

    The soul has been given it''s own ears to hear things mind does not understand. ¨CRumi-


    **************


    "The witches from northern coven will meet with the Vampires near our territory, based on the information that we get, both parties had arranged an affiliation." Raphael explained while flipping the doc.u.ment.


    Torak raised his hand, gesturing for Raphael to stop. "We will talk about that later." He said in cold voice. Afterward, he directed his attention toward Ronan. "Alpha Ronan¡­ I heard someone from your pack saw a Kanima inside our territory last week?"


    Kanima was a shapeshifter, mutation of werewolf gene. They were categorized as dangerous creatures as they could be used as an instrument of vengeance. This creature didn''t seek for pack or community instead they were looking for a master and would carry out whatever their Master bids.


    Alpha Ronan cast his head down. "Yes Alpha Supreme Torak." He admitted, to have other creatures had trespassed their territory was a humiliation for him. "Actually two days ago the other pack member recognized two Kanima, shifted into human form in our territory."


    Torak''s eyebrows scrunched up. "How bold they are¡­" A deep growled slip his lips.


    Torak lycanthropes territory scoped nearly 70 percent of human world with him as the supreme alpha while the rest was dominated by Demon, Vampire and other creatures. The supernatural creatures were mostly living among human, even though the latest didn''t realize about the former existence, and it mustn''t be changing.


    Torak put his elbow on top of the table and buried his face in his palm. He felt anxious recently and his wolf was on edge, he didn''t know what caused it.


    "Alpha Supreme Torak, are you alright?" Ronan''s voice laced with bewilderment while looking at the Beta who seemingly was in the same confusion.


    Torak wanted to discuss something with Ronan, that was the reason why he made him to stay. But, he was too antsy that drove him crazy.


    Something wasn''t feeling right, or he missed something?


    No one could tell¡­


    "Torak¡­" Raphael nudged his shoulder. Besides as his Beta, Raphael was Torak''s close friend. He had been on his side since the first time he built his power in human world and ruled all the lycanthropes. "Alpha Ronan, my apologize¡­ I think you should take your leave. Supreme Alpha Torak isn''t in good condition."


    Alpha Ronan didn''t say anything anymore as he stood up, nodded to the direction of Supreme Alpha Torak and Beta Raphael before he left the room.


    "Torak, are you okay?" Raphael took a seat beside him.


    Torak raised his head and open his eyes. However, the color of ocean blue of his eyes has changed into pitch black while he was staring to the distance.


    "Torak, your wolf is on the surface." Raphael pointed out the obvious.


    "I know." Torak said in his rough voice. He closed his eyes for a while before he opened it again and it returned to its initial ocean blue color.


    "What happened? You look restless recently."


    "I don''t know, my wolf wanted to take control."


    "It has been a while since you let your wolf out. Maybe he just need a little bit stretch out?" Raphael shrugged as he stretched his muscle arms. "Oh! I need to let my wolf out as well."


    "Calleb here!!!"


    The shouting voice along with the sudden creaked from the door made Torak and Raphael growled. When the door opened, it revealed a young man in his middle twenty stormed inside the meeting room.


    "Next time you do that again, you are fired." Raphael snarled at him.


    As Calleb made his way toward the chair near him, he gave Raphael a mischievous smirked. "From what position? As assistant or as Gamma?"


    Calleb was the supreme Gamma for Torak, the third in command, even though he has a reckless behavior, but he was one of the strongest and smartest wolves that Torak knew. Moreover, with that attitude of him, he could balance Torak reign in both world.


    Raphael didn''t answer his impish question and only threw him a glared.


    "What happened with our Alpha?" Calleb leaned forward and met with Torak pitch dark eyes. "Your wolf comes to the surface!" He repeated Raphael''s word and it only made Torak annoyed.


    "Shut up both of you." He snapped. "Let''s go."


    Torak stood up and walked out of the door. Their day was still long and Torak needed to figure out what happened with his wolf.


    ==============


    "Ahh! I want to know what my mate is doing now¡­" Calleb sighed and dropped his shoulder on the passenger seat.


    Apparently, gloomy night sky on the outside of their car has some side effect for Calleb''s mood as he turned to be more emotional.


    "You don''t have mate, Casanova." Raphael rolled his eyes from behind the wheel.


    "Keep your eyes straight on the street please, we don''t have car accident on schedule." Calleb scolded grumpily. "Ugh! Why I still don''t find my mate yet¡­"


    "You are only sixty years old, barely a pup." Calleb retorted.


    "Excuse me, I am seventy two." He felt offended by the mentioned of puppy. "I would have grandchildren if I was a human."


    "I would have my seventh generation if I was a human."


    "You would have died." Calleb corrected. "No human will be able to live for three hundred years."


    Because of their long lifespan, this became their private joke sometime.


    "Well, nobody can beat him." Raphael pointed Torak who was sitting on the backseat from rearview mirror.


    Calleb followed his gazed and looked at Torak who closed his eyes, seemingly had fallen asleep. "Indeed, if it was him, we are talking about centuries."


    "And you are complaining that you don''t have mate." Raphael reminded him in hushed tone that made Calleb grimaced.


    Almost every single soul in the supernatural world knew about the curse of the Donovan.


    They were cursed to live without a mate by the goddess of the moon, but no one knew about the prophecy that occurred after the war had ended.


    Mate was the most important phase in lycanthropes and werewolves live, like the essence for their existence. In many cases, male werewolves would have been gone feral if it required a long amount of time for them to find their other half, after all, their mate was the balance of their ferocious and animalistic side.


    In the other side, for lycanthropes that had longer lifespan, often they would find their mate very late that was why they were stronger to keep their mind straight compared to werewolves. Yet, it was still a miracle for them to live without mate for centuries even for lycanthropes.


    The street of Fulbright City was still alive despite it had passed midnight and the gloomy night sky had started drizzling when Raphael heard Torak''s guttural voice. "Turn right."


    "What?" Raphael thought he was misheard him, instinctively he looked at him from the rearview mirror and saw Torak''s dark eyes were looking back at him.


    Because of the sudden order, Raphael wasn''t responsive enough to change direction. He nearly missed it when Torak abruptly leaned forward and seized the steering wheel from Raphael.


    "Turn right!" Torak roared.


    "Shit!" Calleb cursed loudly when the car took a sharp turn toward the narrow alley on their right side.

 Chapter 5 - THE SOUL (2)

    Every time I see a couple holding hands, or just plainly sitting together I look away. It''s not that I hate seeing lovers. But because it reminds me of a question nobody can answer¡­ "Where''s mine?"


    -Anonymous-


    **************


    Many angry horns could be heard from the other cars that were forced to stop to avoiding consecutive traffic accident.


    "Torak!" Raphael snapped at him angrily. The scene before their eyes spun in dangerous way that made their vision blur for a while.


    "Call me properly!" Torak snarled in his alpha tone.


    Upon hearing the powerful voice from their alpha, Raphael and Calleb couldn''t help but lowered their head in submission.


    Alpha''s tone wasn''t a joke, especially from the powerful one. Wolf from lower rank wouldn''t be able to withstand it. The effect from denying an Alpha''s tone was equal like physical torment for them.


    "Yes Alpha¡­" Both of them said in unison.


    Torak leaned back against his seat and let Raphael took control of the wheel again. His eyes still black, as black as the pitch of night.


    The road that Torak chose was a long straight line of street, so along the way Raphael was saved from his attempt to grab away the wheel again.


    "Supreme Alpha Torak¡­ we have another meeting with Alpha Romulus in twenty minutes and this route..." Calleb tried to remind him in shaky tone. "¡­ is the opposite direction."


    However Torak didn''t heed his voice as his eyes fixed on the road before his eyes.


    Raphael knew very well if no one could talk otherwise if Torak''s wolf was in control.


    Their wolf was vicious, ferocious and most dangerous part of them, so they need to control their beast whole time. The only moment they would let their wolf on the surface was if they needed for protection or aggression.


    The last time Torak''s wolf took control there was a pack that shed with blood.


    "What should I do?" Calleb mouthed at Raphael. Since the Alpha refused to answer him, then asking the Beta was his next option.


    Once again Raphael looked at Torak from the rearview mirror. His stoic and aloof face showed a warning that said; he wouldn''t give a damn for anything at this moment.


    In the end Raphael shook his head and said in normal voice, so Torak could hear him. "Cancel it." He waited for a while to see if Torak gave an indication to say otherwise. But, when he remained unmoved, Raphael sighed and gave a sign to go ahead for Calleb.


    The noisy boy fished out his phone from his pocket and punched a number, on the third rings someone picked up the phone and Calleb talk in well- mannered voice that didn''t suit him.


    Hanging up the phone, Calleb stole a glance at Torak through the rearview mirror and landed his gaze to Raphael. "So?"


    Raphael only gave him a glance before focusing his attention toward the road in front of him.


    The atmosphere inside the car was thick with Torak''s wolf appearance, Calleb never saw Torak went berserk, however the stories that he heard about it was enough to make his hair stand on end.


    The long road brought them out of the city to the town nearby. They were on the narrow road when Calleb couldn''t help to keep his mouth shut any longer.


    "Supreme Alpha Torak," Calleb turned his head and called him timidly while scratching his nose. "Where we will go¡­?"


    He waited the answer expectantly, but when there was no answer from Torak, he sighed and turned back to look the almost empty dark road.


    The rain was drizzling when they made their way into more crowded street.


    "Supreme Alpha, could you tell us your purpose? At least I can prepare myself if we need to fight¡­" Calleb mumbled while propping his chin on his palm while looking at the stores that still open in this midnight.


    On the side Raphael glared at him, the last thing that he wanted was to provoke Torak. Only God knew what he would do if he really lost it.


    They thought Torak wouldn''t answer Calleb''s whinny question, but, for their surprise Torak''s rigid expression slightly turned soften as he said.


    "To meet my mate."

 Chapter 6 - THE SOUL (3)

    There is no such thing as a soulmate¡­ and who would want there to be? I don''t want half of a shared soul. I want my own damn soul.


    -Rachel Cohn-


    **************


    The mist crept down along with the drizzling rain that cascading on Raine''s face.


    The girl pulled her hoodie over her head to protect her from getting wet, even though it wasn''t much of help. She let her long straight black hair to flow on her side face, made people hard to see her pale complexion.


    Raine''s black eyes fixed at the street beneath her, avoiding bumping onto people around her by looking to their shoes.


    She didn''t dare to raise her head.


    No matter where she was, she would often see something that other people couldn''t see it. There were another creature around them and it terrified her since no one else except her was able to see it.


    She had been trying to pretend that she didn''t see any of them since a year ago when they discharge her from mental hospital, however it was harder to say than actually did.


    ''Those creatures'' were everywhere.


    Now she has developed a habit to staring down her shoes to save herself from seeing them. She had learned that those creatures wouldn''t pay any attention toward her if she acted as though she didn''t see them in the first place.


    It was a rainy night and Raine hated to wander around the street by herself, especially when the sun had been set long time ago, because those creatures that were roaming around at this time were creepier than ever.


    People in orphanage, the place that she lived now, would say she suffered from Agoraphobia, it was an anxiety disorder where the person perceived their environment was unsafe.


    Raine couldn''t argue with this, literary, and this was also an easier explanation for her panic attacks rather than had to explain what she saw.


    If it wasn''t to retrieve Mrs. Sullivan''s medicine for her asthma from the pharmacy because of she ran out of the stock, Raine wouldn''t have been outside and half wet tonight.


    She secured the medicine bag under her brown sweatshirt by hugging them.


    When she arrived at the pelican crossing, she pushed the button and raised her head slightly to see the traffic lights, when she saw it flashed green with walking person on it, hastily she walked across the street.


    At the same time, inside a black SUV.


    Raphael didn''t notice that the traffic light had turned red when Calleb and he whipped their head toward Torak direction who was sitting on the backseat.


    "What did you said?" Raphael surprised.


    "A mate?" Calleb chimed in. "Alpha, are you joking now? It is impossible for you to having mate¡­"


    Torak glared at Calleb that made the boy shuddered under his menacing stare, he often thought that his mouth would bring death to him faster, literary. He lowered his head, turned as submissive as he could and fiddled with his own fingers.


    Meanwhile Raphael still looked at Torak intently from the rearview mirror with gaping mouth, his lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but he couldn''t produce the right words for Torak''s statement.


    Beside him, Calleb saw the flash of the red light, but because he thought Raphael would see it as well he didn''t remind the Beta, he was the driver after all. Yet, when he realized the car didn''t slow down and a girl would cross the zebra crossing, his eyes turned dark in horror.


    "Shit!" Calleb cursed under his breath. With his lycan speed, he raised his leg, stepped on the top of Raphael feet and slammed the break.


    The tires ate the asphalt road with a screech that hurting their ears.


    "Damn." Raphael muttered when he saw a girl in brown sweatshirt was only an inch away before her body crushed against their car.


    "You are most welcome." Calleb gave him a nervous smirked as his eyes returned to the color of green.


    They couldn''t see the girl properly because of her hoodie and her messy hair, but with one looked they were certain that the girl was fine. Shock, but fine.


    It proved when the girl walked away from their sight hastily, she was running to be exact.


    "Stop sneaked a peek toward our Alpha my dear Beta. You almost got someone killed." Calleb snapped at him.


    When Raphael was about to retort his word, a sound of the door opened and slammed shut startled them, in the next second they saw their alpha dashed trough the rain.


    "What now?" Calleb glanced to Raphael.


    "Get down." Raphael ordered as he pushed the door opened, slid himself out of the car and chased after Torak.


    "Get down? Now? It is raining¡­" Calleb grumbled as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

 Chapter 7 - THE BEAST INSIDE HIM

    And suddenly, the monster in him falls silent as he rests his head on her lap.


    -Anonymous-


    **************


    The rain started pouring down when Raine reached out her arms to push opened the worn out black gate of the orphanage where she had been living for a year by now.


    She didn''t have another family member that could take care of her and no one that she knew wanted to take responsibility upon her after she was discharged from mental hospitality, so the system put her in this orphanage until she reached eighteen years old and could live by her own lawfully.


    When her hand was about to open the gate someone grabbed her shoulder and spun her harshly.


    For two second she raised her head and saw the man who forced her to face him and the first thought that flashed her head was; this man is beautiful. If it wasn''t for rain and her body started shivering because of the cold night, she would have blushed for her own thought.


    Not to exaggerate the description of that man, but his feature himself was able to put the body builder into ashamed, his enchanting eyes held her captive, it was pitch dark color. His height and weight were bigger and higher than her. His curly black hair was damp with the droplets of the rain that cascaded.


    Raine lips gapped open like someone who was screaming, but there was no sound coming out from her mouth. She dropped her eyes from staring at him and wriggled her body out of his gripped on her shoulder.


    Out of the blue, the mysterious man pulled her into his embrace. His big arm wrapped around her waist and his other arms held her shoulder tightly, but gentle enough to not crush her.


    "Mine." He whispered into her ears that sent indecipherable feeling down to her stomach.


    The rain was still pouring down when finally Raine regained her sense and tried to extricate herself from his muscle arms.


    Raine tried to push him and hit his side, but it seemed her effort wasn''t even enough to make him winched.


    He kept hugging her, oblivious to Raine attempt to free herself as he buried her head on her shoulder to breathe in her intoxicating scent.


    Her unique scent was able to calm his nerve and with his mate in his arms, he could feel the tranquility that he never been able to taste in centuries of his live. The sparked that lit up from the skin to skin contact with his half soul exciting his wolf and made him yearn more.


    He felt like he was reborn. Those centuries that had passed without his mate looked dull now, he started to wonder how he could live a single day without her.


    Is it the mate bond? He had never felt so helpless, yet powerful at the same time. He even scared with what he felt now. He scared with what this little girl, which the tip of her head only managed to reach his shoulder, could do to him.


    He cursed the Moon Goddess to spell a curse upon him, but grateful that he finally found his mate. The feeling was simply unbearable¡­


    Torak felt someone walked closer toward his direction, immediately his body turned rigid as he let out a low growled. A warning.


    About a hundred meter away, Raphael was standing with umbrella on his right hand. "Torak, it''s me¡­" He stopped walking when he heard his growl and defensive posture. "You need to release her."


    Instead of release Raine, he tightened his grip on her waist that made her winched in pain. He didn''t mean to hurt her, but in his state now, he couldn''t control his strength. For a moment he lost it, seemingly he didn''t recognize his Beta.


    "Torak, if you keep continue like that, you will end up kill her." Raphael took another step closer. "You hurt your mate."

 Chapter 8 - THE BEAST INSIDE HIM (2)

    I would fight of course. Oh, I would fight. Better destroy everything than surrender her.


    -Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita-


    **************


    Raphael final words seemed sinking in Torak''s sense as he looked down at his mate expression. Her brows scrunched and she bit her trembling lips while her obsidian eyes staring back at him, laced with fear.


    He closed his eyes, fighting his wolf for control and won the internal struggle.


    Torak''s jaw clenched tightly, he liked it when the other creatures feared him, it gave him a sense of control and every lycanthropes and werewolves loved being in control. But when his mate looked at him in the same way, he felt an urge to strangle anything who was daring enough to scare her, unfortunately it was him.


    He didn''t believe it, hundreds years ago he had said that he would have snapped his mate into two when he found her.


    Then now, the first moment he sensed her, he was utterly and desperately had a very strong desire to protect her.


    This stupid mate bond!


    Torak opened his ocean blue eyes.


    Raine''s eyes widened and her lips parted in shock. She was very sure that a minute ago the man eyes were black, not blue. But, now the eyes, that were staring back at her was this beautiful blue color, which could drown her in a matter of second.


    She stared at his eyes for a while before realized that his grip on her body had been loosen. She used this opportunity to escape, however, she wasn''t fast and strong enough to shove him aside.


    In the end she fell on his embraced again. "Don''t be afraid, I won''t hurt you." He said in tone like he was pleading.


    His voice soothed her ears and for a moment, somehow, she believed him. There was this odd tingling feeling, like there were butterflies in her stomach. Raine stopped struggling as she felt his strong arms held her steadily.


    But, her fear was still there, her body was trembling.


    Raphael walked closer toward them, opened the second umbrella and held it above Torak and Raine.


    "Is it her?" Raphael asked softly.


    "Yes, mine." Torak answered with sighed of relief and proudness.


    He brushed away her damp hair to have a better access to look at her face. The girl in his embrace has a beautiful pair of obsidian eyes, which avoiding his. She was biting her lower lips nervously that made him pulled her chin and freed her lips, her skin was so pale as though the sunlight had never been able to reach her.


    Her body was so small, but so right in his embrace. It wouldn''t be exaggerating if he said he was more than able to snap her into two in matter of second. Yet, even the idea to hurt her was dread him.


    "Raine what are you doing there? Where is the medicine?"


    A familiar voice snapped Raine''s sense. She turned her body and saw Madam Anne, the head nurse in the orphanage, was standing behind the steel bar of the gate. Her fat fingers work on the gate lock as her other hand was holding a yellow umbrella.


    At this time, the rain had poured down in torrents and none of the four of them were in good shape under the harsh wind.


    "What are you doing gentlemen?" Madam Anne shot an angry looked toward Torak who was still holding Raine in his embrace. "Let her go!" She demanded.


    The girl once again wriggled her body to free herself, but Torak refused to let her go.


    "Torak, you must let her go." Raphael whispered and he swore that Torak''s eyes for a moment flickered in red color before it turned blue again. Startling, he added hurriedly. "She drenches and cold, she will get sick if we stay longer here."


    Raphael pulled his tie nervously, red eyes for lycan wasn''t a good sign, it was mean the wolf inside was livid because of his suggestion to let her go.


    Torak looked down at Raine and only now he realized her poor condition. "We will bring her with us." He said succinctly.


    "No, we can''t do it that way." Raphael shook his head. "This isn''t your territory Torak, you can''t do as you please. Probably, she still has family here¡­"


    "For God shake Raph, she is an orphan!" Torak growled. "And yes! I can do as I please, I don''t give a damn who in charge here! They can complain after I bring my mate with me!"

 Chapter 9 - HER SILENCE

    We are all broken, that''s how the light gets in.


    -Ernest Hemingway-


    **************


    "Sir!" Madam Anne''s patient was getting thin as he put her free hand on her h.i.p.s. "I need you to release the girl now!"


    The disrespect of Madam Anne''s voice made Torak growled dangerously and it made Raine became more uncomfortable, she looked at Madam Anne with tears on the brim of her eyes, unable to release herself from Torak''s deadly grip.


    "Hold her." Torak snatched the umbrella that Raphael was holding for them and handed Raine toward him.


    Once Torak released her, she attempted to run toward Madam Anne, but Raphael held her shoulder firmly. "Please stay, we won''t hurt you." He said in low voice, enough for Raine to hear.


    However, she was so scare and determined to get herself free, turning around she bit down Raphael''s hand that was holding her shoulder.


    Surprised by what she did, not by the petty bite, Raphael released his hand from her shoulder. He looked helplessly toward Raine who was running toward Madam Anne direction.


    Yet, before the little girl could reach her savior, Torak grabbed her waist and brought her to his side, again, ignoring the shrieked from Madam Anne and Raine''s attempt to hit him.


    Turning around, the Alpha shot his Beta a dagger looked for failing his duty that Raphael reciprocated with nervous grin.


    "What do you want?" She snapped and tried to threatening him. "I will call guard if you don''t release her!" Madam Anne demanded.


    ''How many guards do you think that she needs to stop the Alpha?'' A grumpy voice echoed inside Raphael mind.


    Out of the blue, a big grey wolf with height around Raphael h.i.p.s appeared beside him.


    ''I told you to come'' He replied to the wolf through the mind link.


    Since wolves couldn''t talk, they would communicate with mind link when they were in wolf form.


    ''I am here'' Calleb answered mischievously while wagging his bushy tail like a puppy. ''You didn''t tell me specifically that I have to come in human form right? It is raining, I don''t want my thousands dollar suit got wet.'' He retorted smartly.


    For the shape shifter like them, once they were in their other form, it''s mean they were in another realm, no human was able to see them.


    The most benefit thing for them was, they could keep their clothes intact when they returned into human form, so they didn''t need to stark n.a.k.e.d or bit boxer brief for their change.


    Raphael didn''t say anything when he kicked him, however Calleb avoided his feet lazily.


    Both of them looked toward the direction of Torak and the fatty woman who was, finally, talking calmly despite the heavy rain that pouring down.


    ''It''s her?'' Calleb pointed his snout toward the girl who was cowering in Torak''s embrace. ''Our Luna?''


    ''Yes. It''s her.''


    ''Seriously? What is she? Fae? But, fae wasn''t a shape shifter.'' He mumbled. In another words, human couldn''t see them.


    Raphael glanced down at the grey wolf, puzzled. ''She is human of course.''


    The wolf raised the corner of his lips and showed his canine that Raphael assumed as a smirked. ''She was clearly seeing me a moment ago. No human could see me in my wolf form.''


    Raphael looked at Raine, but the little girl had buried her face in Torak''s arms, since she couldn''t get away from him.


    After five minutes of discussion, finally Madam Anne nodded to whatever Torak''s suggestion and let him went inside the orphanage as she open the gate and held it for him.


    Like on cue, Raphael approached them when a white plastic bag caught his attention. Bent his body slightly, he took the plastic bag with him as he continued to walk inside the building with the wolf tailing behind him.


    The orphanage building was very big and obsolete, it seemed the building had been built for centuries and had been a long time since the last time they renovated it.


    Madam Anne walked ahead with Torak and Raine, in his arms, followed her close closely. Meanwhile Raphael and wolf Calleb walked side by side three meters away from them.


    They walked along the hallway in silent before Madam Anne stopped in front of a blue door, she opened it. "Both of you can rest here for tonight. I will ask someone to deliver clean clothes for both of you."


    "I want to talk about her adoption now." Torak said right after Madam Anne finished talking. Immediately Raphael knew where this conversation would be going and he stepped closer.


    "Sir, we can discuss about this tomorrow morning." Madam Anne slightly frowned.


    "I will not wait until morning." Torak was talking with her, but his eyes never left the girl beside him.


    "Sir..." She fumed, but her word was cut briefly.


    From the side Raphael cleared his throat to get their attention and introduced himself politely. "Please let me introduced myself first." He stepped closer toward them and looked at the distaste expression that etched on Madam Anne face. "I am Raphael Lockwood, personal assistant of Torak Donovan." Raphael gestured at Torak beside him who was still holding Raine''s waist, knowing her attempt was futile, she didn''t try to escape again.


    Meanwhile, in a matter of second Madam Anne shrieked and closed her mouth with her big hand. "Are you¡­ Are you the multibillionaire Mr. Donovan?" She gasped and leaned forward to take a better look of the man who was standing mightily right in front of her.


    Who didn''t know Donovan''s name? He was the most famous bachelor among the businesswomen and women in general.


    The successful businessman who rarely appeared in public, but once people saw him it was hard to forget. His strong aura made his figure engraved in every mind.


    Madam Anne didn''t notice him before, because of lack of light and rainy night. But, now when Raphael mentioned it and she saw him with her own eyes. "It''s him!" She let out a stifle screamed.


    She was an unmarried woman in her early thirty, of course with a sight of Torak Donovan before her eyes with droplets water cascading from his hair, it was a heavenly view. "I am Anne¡­ Anne Julliane." She stuttered.


    Calleb snickered in his wolf form beside Raphael. ''You make the lady get heart attack.'' he jested.


    Raphael ignored him as he continued talking with her. "Good evening Ms. Julliane."


    "Anne please." She said sheepishly.


    "Anne." Raphael nodded politely. "We would like to talk about the adoption right now because this morning we need to return to the Redriver City and we need to bring her with us."


    Torak didn''t pay attention toward the discussion that was happening or reciprocated Anne smile at him.


    He was preoccupied by the girl beside him. Raine was looking her shoes, fretting in his arm, he could feel her body trembling. Now, Torak wonder, he hadn''t heard her voice from the first time he saw her. Why she didn''t talk?


    "What''s your name?" Torak asked softly, but Raine even didn''t raise her head.


    Ignoring her conversation with Raphael, it was Anne who answered him instead. "Her name is Raine."


    "Raine," Torak repeated and liked the way her name rolled on his tongue. "Beautiful name." He complemented.


    "How old are you?" He thought, she must be very young, a teenager at least.


    "She is seventeen years old sir." Anne answered him again with her overly sweet voice.


    "Did I ask you?" Torak raised his head to glare at her. He wanted to hear her voice, but this woman kept answering his question. It''s annoyed him.


    "No, sir¡­ but¡­" She stuttered. "But, she won''t answer your question."


    "Why?" Torak furrowed his eyebrows.


    "She didn''t talk." Anne glanced at Raine who still lowered her head.

 Chapter 10 - HER SILENCE (2)

    They hurt you then they act like you hurt them and because no one listens so she gives up.


    She just sits there in silence.


    -Anonymous-


    **************


    "I think Raine need to change before she catches a cold." Raphael pointed out Raine''s wet sweatshirt and jeans.


    Torak glared at Raphael who continuously sent his mate away, but agreed with his point. "Yes, you need to change." He grumbled.


    Torak reluctantly let go of his little mate who was shivering from fear and cold, swiftly she hid herself behind Anne''s back.


    Raine didn''t immediately go to change her clothes, but slightly tilted her head, asking Anne permission. Only after Anne nodded, she moved away.


    Torak didn''t like this.


    Why his mate needed to ask for permission to leave?


    "Raine, I think you forgot something." Raphael raised the white plastic bag that content with medicine that Raine brought before.


    Raine stopped and turned to look at him, but didn''t make any movement to come closer. Probably still afraid if Torak changed his mind and caught her again.


    Occasionally, she would glance at Calleb direction. This gesture confirmed Calleb''s conjecture earlier that mentioned she was able to see him.


    Torak snatched the white plastic bag from Raphael''s hand and strode toward her.


    Raine became tensed as if considering to runaway, but Torak briskly took her hand and handed it. "Change your clothes, we will leave immediately." He said.


    He could see the confusion and fear in her eyes as she clutched the plastic bag from him and ran away, cut off the sparks that Torak felt from skin to skin contact with her. He took a deep breath to calm his inner wolf that wanted so badly to chase after his mate.


    [Follow her] Torak said through mind link to Calleb who was chasing his own tail.


    The grey wolf stood on his four legs and began to walk lightly toward the direction where Raine had disappeared.


    ==============


    Inside the office Anne left an old woman with a round glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, before she left the room, saying she would check on Raine.


    The old woman looked grumpy because her good night sleep was interrupted.


    However, neither Torak nor Raphael paid attention to this fact. They needed to finish the matter here as soon as possible. It was already polite of them to deal with this paper of adoption and followed the rule instead of brought her away.


    Mrs. Lang, the person in charge in this orphanage, looked agitated when she handed all the paper that needed to be signed.


    "Mr. Donovan, you still have counseling meeting to attend." Mrs. Lang was holding Raine''s doc.u.ment when she explained the procedure of adoption.


    "I have to return to the Redriver City this morning and I will bring her with me, the following procedure will be handled by my people." Torak said with finality as he took the doc.u.ments in Mrs. Lang''s hand impatiently.


    He sat on the couch and let Raphael deal with the grumpy old lady. Both of them were talking about the process of adoption while Torak was flipping Raine''s doc.u.ment.


    "She had been in mental hospital for three years?" Torak voiced out his question while still holding the report.


    "Yes, she was just discharged a year ago." Mrs. Lang said. She pushed her glasses while she continued. "She never talks since the first time she was here."


    "What happened to her?" Raphael chimed in.


    "Based on the report that I received, in the age of eight she lost both of her parents, after that there was a close friend of her father that adopted her, but that family found something wrong with Raine and put her in mental hospital."


    "For what reason?" Raphael asked, although somehow he knew the answer.


    Mrs. Lang shrugged. "They said she kept talking about something that doesn''t make sense."


    "Such as?"


    "She kept talking about creepy creatures around her and there was one of them that wanted to kill her."


    Raphael glance at Torak who was tightened his grip on the paper, his jaw clenched tightly when he heard there was another supernatural creature hunted his mate and this fool human put Raine in mental hospital instead.


    "The family that adopted Raine didn''t want to take her back, so they put her in this orphanage." Mrs. Lang sighed. "May I know why do you insist to adopt her?"


    Raphael was about to answer, but Torak beat him to it. "I owe his father a great favor, so I intended to return the good deed." Torak lied smoothly.


    It seemed Mrs. Lang only asked that question out of curiosity, not even concerned to ask for more detail. Apparently, she was relief that there was someone else who wanted to take the girl.


    Honestly, she was a little bit scared by Raine''s behavior.


    That girl is creepy¡­


    Torak didn''t like the distaste looked that Mrs. Lang showed him when she talked about his mate as subconsciously he let out a deep growled that startled her.


    Raphael cleared his throat when Anne walked inside the room to save the awkward situation.


    "Where is Raine?" Torak stood up in alert when he saw Anne came alone.

 Chapter 11 - DARK SIDE

    And I don''t want the world to see me


    ''Cause I don''t think that they''d understand


    -Iris, by: Goo Goo Dolls-


    **************


    Anne gave the hot multibillionaire a sheepish smiled before she answered him. "She refused to come out from her room, I can''t persuade her."


    Without waiting another explanation Torak had taken another step toward the door, didn''t even bother to ask Anne the direction of Raine''s room.


    He could track his mate''s scent just fine. The refreshing smell of the damp earth after rain, it''s soothed his strain nerves. For Lycanthropes and werewolves their mate''s scent was stronger than any other scent that they could smell.


    His mate''s smell brought him along the hallway and down the stairs that seemed connected to the bas.e.m.e.nt. He frowned.


    Why his mate lived in the bas.e.m.e.nt?


    He followed the stairs to the dim hallway, in the end of it he saw Calleb''s grey wolf pacing back and forth in front of an obsolete wooden door.


    Torak used his lycan''s speed to approach Calleb.


    In the next second he stood in front of the door and turned the knob, but it has been locked. He trailed his fingers on the surface of the wood.


    Considering to bust it down and made his way to his mate, but it would startle her and the last thing he wanted was his mate afraid of him.


    He could feel her fear when he held her earlier and that made him uncomfortable.


    [What happened?] He asked Calleb through mind link.


    The grey wolf stopped walking as he sat on his back leg while looking up at Torak. [Supreme Alpha, she is able to see me in my wolf form and because I followed her, apparently it scared her.]


    Torak glared at Calleb that made the wolf lowered his head straight to the floor.


    Not long after that, Raphael, Anne and Mrs. Lang approached them. They were running down the stairs and almost lost their breath when they reached him, except Raphael of course, he even didn''t break a sweat.


    "Mr. Donovan how did you know this is her room?" Anne asked, puzzled.


    Yet, Torak was so impatient to even hear her question as he asked hurriedly. "You have spare key to open the door?"


    "Yes, yes¡­" Mrs. Lang was still panting when she fished out a bunch of keys from her pocket. "She always locked herself inside the room, so I am always ready with her key room, in case she did something stupid inside there." The old woman grumbled while she put the key inside the lock and turned it over.


    The ''click'' sound echoed in the dim hallway when finally the door opened.


    Torak took over the knob door from Mrs. Lang''s hand as he pushed it opened and impatiently walked inside the room.


    He balled his fist when he saw how poor his mate''s room, his bathroom was bigger than this. Inside that small room which only consisting a small bed, a small cabinet and small table, he saw Raine curled on the corner of her bed. Trembling while hugging herself, burying her face between her knees.


    Torak stopped on his step.


    "What are you doing sitting there? Mr. Donovan had been waiting for you." Mrs. Lang reprimanded her. "Hurry and pack your thing." She seemed couldn''t wait to get rid of Raine.


    "Get out." Torak closed his eyes to hide his eyes that had turned black. With the way Mrs. Lang talked to Raine, he could imagine the poor treatment that they gave to her and the way she lived in fear made him unsettled.


    When there was no movement, he faced them with furry burning in his eyes. Patience has never been a forte for any lycan.


    "I SAID. GET. OUT!" Torak stressed every syllable in his command.

 Chapter 12 - MY LOVE

    I was almost about to lose my faith


    Was still dreaming but feared it was too late


    But then you came along to my surprise


    And stole my heart before my very eyes


    -Out of the Blue, by: MLTR-


    **************


    It was Raphael that finally ushered the two women out of the room. He talked about finishing the paper work of Raine''s adoption and there would be another people who would handle the next necessary procedure.


    Once it was only Torak, Raine, and the grey wolf, Torak took a seat on the edge of her bed as the bed screeched under his weight and its startled Raine.


    She raised her head and looked at him with fear dancing on her black eyes.


    "I will not hurt you." Torak said without breaking their eyes contact. "Please, we have to go." He reached out his hand carefully. He had never said please to anyone, but he pleaded her not to be afraid of him.


    Raine looked at Torak''s big hand and the grey wolf that tilted his head innocently while looking at her. She had seen wolf before, they rarely appeared and never attacked her like the other creatures, but to actually saw them, it still gave her a thrilled. These creatures'' size was three times bigger than the actual wolves.


    Torak followed her gazed. "Shift." He said toward Calleb.


    Calleb stepped aside, disappeared from Raine''s line of sight before he appeared again in his suit. Scratching the back of his hand, he gave Raine a big warmth smile. "Hallo Raine, my name is Calleb."


    Raine''s eyes widened in shock, her lips parted. She didn''t know if they could transform into human.


    "Calleb, you can wait outside." Torak said while assessing Raine''s expression. She shocked, yet it was plainly could be seen that it wasn''t her first time to encounter a shape shifter.


    Calleb grinned at Raine before he closed the door.


    "We need to go now, my love¡­" Torak said softly, his tone changed drastically when he talked with her.


    The endearment word in his sentence made Raine looked at him in confusion. She didn''t know why this stranger called her like that and she didn''t want to blindly follow him.


    Torak sighed when he saw her reaction. Ignoring her uncomfortable, he move closer until his chest touched her knees, she petrified.


    "You are my mate Raine¡­ and no sane creatures will hurt their own mate, no matter how evil creatures you are." He looked at her right in her eyes. "Don''t fear me, I will never hurt you. I will never let anyone hurt you."


    It had been a long time since the last time someone gave a comforting look like Torak gave to her, without any judgment and resentment.


    This past eight years she slowly began to get used with the way other people around to see her. Especially when they put her in the mental hospital, she was the crazy girl. They had been avoiding her like a plague ever since.


    They gave her a looked as if she had grown three heads and would throw disgusting gaze. But, the stranger in front of her was different. His eyes held concerned and in weird way her body relaxed around him.


    Torak stretched out his hand and cupped her face in his big palm. "Can you feel that?" He whispered in his husky voice.


    Spark.


    Raine could feel the spark that electrocuted her skin when he touched her, it didn''t hurt, but tickled her in nice way.


    She felt it before when Torak hugged her, but didn''t think about it further because of her fear. But, now when she felt it clearly, it made her felt a warm sensation was creeping around her face, the kind of sensation that made her wanted to touch him more. She felt safe.


    "You feel it too, right?" Torak moved closer and touched his forehead with hers. "Hurting you is like hurt myself and I will never do that¡­" He whispered to her.


    His warmth breath and the spark sensation that Raine felt made her tensed nerves relaxed.


    "Now, will you come with me?"


    Raine nodded. Her body answered him before her mind could process it. Yet, to think about how she had been living in this past year in the orphanage, she knew she wouldn''t regret her decision. She believed him and it was strange, but at the same time she knew it was the right thing to do.


    The mate bond worked its way.


    "Good." Torak pulled away from her and beamed into a bright smile that seemingly put Raine under a spell as she couldn''t draw her eyes from him. "We need to go now, my love."

 Chapter 13 - MY LOVE (2)

    In my heart in my head it''s so clear now


    On my hand you''ve got nothin'' to fear now


    -Unbelievable, by: Craig David-


    **************


    Torak retracted his hand from her face, the lost of spark made Raine slightly frowned, but he took her hand instead and helped her to stand up.


    Even though Raine was still uncomfortable from their proximity, she didn''t reject his touch.


    Originally, Torak wanted to hug her so badly upon seeing fear still etched on her beautiful eyes, yet he realized that his clothes still soaked from the rain earlier and he didn''t want to make her clothes wet.


    Her true spirit was a guardian angel, but the body that she occupied was a human form. Thus, she would get sick like any normal human. Torak made a mental note about this.


    Raine was wearing a grey sweatshirt that seemed two sizes bigger than her actual size and ripped jeans, her hair was slightly damp as droplets of water traced her delicate face to her neck. He frowned.


    "My love, you don''t have a hairdryer?" If he let her hair wet in this cold weather, it most likely she would catch a cold.


    Raine stared at his hand that was holding hers while shaking her head.


    "Sit." Torak made her sat on the edge of the bed as he grabbed the towel from on top of the cabinet.


    The small room made it unnecessary to walk around as everything was within his arms'' reach. He released her hand and dried her hair with the towel gently.


    No one talk during that time, but the silent was so comfortable for both of them.


    After there was no more drop of water from her hair, Torak tossed the wet towel carelessly and grabbed her hand again. "Let''s go."


    He pushed the door and saw Calleb was leaning on the wall across them with his eyes closed. It had been seven years since the first time Calleb was promoted to be his Gamma and Torak couldn''t understand how he could fall asleep anywhere.


    "We will leave now."


    Torak''s stern voice woke the sleepy lycan as he rubbed his eyes. "Oh, yes Alpha¡­ I have called the driver to fetch us, they must have been waiting for us now."


    Torak nodded and led Raine to get out from that damn place, however he felt the tugged on his sleeves. He stopped and looked at Raine who lowered her head as she clutched the edge of his shirt, trying to get his attention.


    "Yes, my love?" Torak stopped and gave her his whole attention.


    On the side, Calleb''s jaw dropped to the ground when he heard the endearment word from his Alpha. He would never have thought that this scary creature could be so sweet toward his mate.


    Calleb saw Raine pointed her fingers toward her bedroom and he tilted his head, puzzled, what this little human wanted? Why she didn''t talk?


    However, surprisingly Torak knew what she wanted to say as he replied. "You don''t need to pack anything. We will buy everything you need."


    There was nothing worthy there, even this place wasn''t worthy for his precious mate. To think about how his mate spent her days in a place like this made his wolf frenzied.


    Raine bit her lips and shook her head as she stared at her shoes again.


    Gently, Torak held her chin and raised her head to look at him in the eye. "There is something important for you there?"


    Raine nodded and Calleb stared at both of them in disbelief.


    "Go and get it. I will be here."


    Raine gave him a faint smile that didn''t go unnoticed by Torak, this small gestured from her made his wolf purred with satisfaction.


    Meanwhile Calleb was wondering how his Alpha knew what his mate wanted with only that small gesture?


    Mate bond was indeed a magical and amazing thing¡­

 Chapter 14 - LET ME SEE YOU

    I am a wolf and she, my moon.


    -Anonymous-


    **************


    The sky was still dark, but the rain had stop.


    By the time they were out of the orphanage, two black cars had been waiting for them at the entrance gate.


    Anne insisted to accompany them while Mrs. Lang chose to continue her good night sleep.


    The night wind was so cold, but it seemed didn''t have any effect on Torak and Raphael, while Calleb had shifted into his wolf form and had long gone.


    The hallway was slippery by the splashed of rain and Raine almost tripped couples of time, fortunately, Torak was nimble enough to catch her.


    "Raine, you have to watch your behavior and don''t give Mr. Donovan a hard time." Anne warned her sternly, she was getting use to threatening her ever since the first time she arrived. "You have to know yourself and don''t bring ashamed on Mr. Donovan. Understood?"


    Raine kept staring the slippery floor beneath her, careful to not trip again, she had gotten used with the way Anne talked to her as well, so she didn''t pay much attention to what she said when she nodded.


    "She could do whatever she wanted. Even if she wanted to tear this place down, I don''t have any objection. She just needs to say it." Torak said icily. He sneaked his hand around her waist to help her walked steadily.


    On the other side, Anne laughed wryly when she heard Torak''s statement, she thought it was just a very bold jokes. Thing that she didn''t know was, Torak meant his every words.


    When they were a hundred meter away from the entrance gate, they saw Calleb in his human form approaching them. In his hand he brought a blanket and a leather jacket.


    "Sir," Calleb stopped right in front of Torak and handed a blanket that Torak wrapped it around Raine''s body before he wore the leather jacket to cover his wet clothes.


    Raine whipped her head and looked at him in surprise that Torak thought very adorable, he secured the blanket on her body before he picked her up and carried her bridal style toward the cars that had been waiting for them.


    Calleb grimaced when he saw Anne''s face fell the moment she watched the way Torak treated Raine.


    A Multibillionaire CEO was carrying an ex-patient from mental hospital? Who would believe this? But, this happened for real!


    Raphael and Calleb left the dumbfounded Anne, they didn''t say anything when both of them took their leave.


    Being wrapped like a hotdog, Raine couldn''t free herself, she looked at him with a questioning look that he understood immediately. "The floor is wet, I don''t want you to get hurt."


    Raine couldn''t help but bit her lips, despite the wonderful sensation of the spark, she still felt a little bit uncomfortable with their proximity. After all, no one had ever got so close to her and hold her so considerately like the way he did in these past years.


    Carefully Torak put her down inside the black SUV that had been waiting for them, he put her in the passenger seat and pulled a strap across her chest, buckled her seatbelt.


    After that he walked around the front car and took a seat behind the wheel. The rest of people who came for them took another car including Raphael and Calleb.


    This was the first time for Raine to leave the orphanage since she arrived there. So, she was anxious.


    Raine had seen how calleb transformed from a big grey wolf into human form. These people weren''t like any normal human, or they were not even human.


    She glanced at Torak beside her who started back the car out of the driveway.


    Is he the same like Calleb? Could he turn into a wolf? Will he hurt me? Many questions roamed her head. Without she realized, she had been staring at him.


    Torak caught Raine''s curious eyes, but she hastily retracted her gaze and lowered her head, hiding her face between her silky hairs before she pulled the hoodie on her sweatshirt over her head, completely concealed herself.


    Raine rarely looked at other people in the eyes as she afraid by the way those people judge her and the condescending in their gaze.


    She clutched the blanket around her and hoped Torak didn''t notice her presence. Unfortunately, the only existence that he cared was her.


    He stopped the car.


    The clutched on the blanket tightened as Raine wonder if she did something wrong. She could feel it when Torak reached out his hand at her.


    Will he hit me? Raine shivered with that thought.


    Torak pulled back the hoodie off her head and gently tucked her hair behind her ear.


    "Don''t." He said firmly, "I want to see you, don''t hide yourself¡­"

 Chapter 15 - WRETCHED SOUL

    I lost my way all the way to you and in you I found all the way back to me.


    -Atticus-


    **************


    "Don''t." He said firmly, "I want to see you, don''t hide yourself¡­"


    He was running his finger tips along Raine''s jaw line as the surged of electricity spreading across their skin once they touched, the tingling feeling made Raine slightly inclined to the caress, but kept her head low.


    After a moment, Torak retracted his hand and averted his gaze from his little mate back to the road ahead.


    The ray of street lights illuminated the darkness of the highway. This morning he had a meeting with four Alphas in his south territory that he needed to attend, the one that discussing about the rouges, hunter and also there was an important issue about an alliance between the witches from northern coven and Vampire, added that to the appearance of another shape shifter. He simply has a tight schedule.


    Torak wanted to spend more time with his mate, but his position didn''t allow him to derelict his responsibility as a Supreme Alpha.


    He glanced at his mate beside him. Raine was drifting in and out in her sleepiness, her eyelashes fluttered closed in the next second as her breathing became steady.


    The sound of her heartbeat was like a calming melody for his broken soul. It had been seven hundred years of solitariness, a long awaited years for lycan to live without mate, even for the strongest one.


    It was a blessing and a curse for him and his brothers to be able to keep their mind sane until today.


    The dull live covered with bloody battles and countless schemed between two worlds that he had been living through left him nothing except deserted soul and an evil beast laid in his immortality.


    But, she came at the point he had long forgotten about the salvation that Selene, the Moon Goddess, had talked about.


    Her presence gave him the tranquility that he never had.


    Torak glanced at his mate one more time as the rhythmic of her breathing compliment the patter rain outside the car that started pouring down the earth once again.


    Giving another chances to survive for a barren land and a wretched soul.


    ==============


    Raine slept through the morning and only woke up when she heard a noisy voice, it sound like more than two people were having an argument. However, their voices weren''t clear as if they were far away from her.


    She opened her eyes and closed it immediately when the bright light invading her sight. As soon as her senses had functioned, she could feel the soft silk blanket that covered her body and the comforted bed swallowed her whole.


    If someone walked into the room they wouldn''t be able to tell if she was there. She was completely out of sight.


    Raine shielded her eyes from the blinding light with both of her hands, turned her back from the window where the source of the blazing sun came from. When gradually her eyes could adjust with it she lowered her hands.


    The soft pillow made Raine reluctant to lift her head and inspecting her surroundings.


    She didn''t have memory how she could sleep on the bed, the last thing she remembered was the vibrating patter of rain against the car had lulled her into deep slumber.


    Torak must have carried her into this room and she didn''t recall anything about it.


    Talking about him¡­ ''Where is he?''


    Raine pushed her body to sit as her eyes wandering the room. It was a huge room with a set of windows against the wall, accompanied by French doors that led to a balcony. The doors were closed, but the lace soft blue curtains were pulled open.


    This room was three times bigger than Mrs. Lang''s office and of course more gorgeous. There was a huge television adhered at the wall in front of her and a set of six comfortable sofa on the other side of the room with a round table in the middle of it.


    Raine got off from the bed as a soft woven rug welcomed her feet when she stepped out from the comfort of the bed. She was completely oblivious by the argument behind the door which somehow was still progressing.


    Raine was captivated by the splendid chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room that was sparkling under the sunrays when the door burst opened that made her startled.


    The open door exposed the most beautiful woman that Raine had never seen before, walking into the room. Her long blonde hair fell beautifully behind her back that reached her h.i.p.s. She was wearing a body hugging blue dress with V neck collar that made her cleavage was in full display.


    "Jen! You are not allowed to come inside!"


    A burly man with full arms tattoo on his right hands followed her hastily and grabbed the elbow of a woman named Jen.


    "Supreme Alpha Torak didn''t allow anyone to come inside the room." He groaned in frustration.


    "I am not just anyone." Jen brushed away the man''s hand from her elbow and proceeded to approach Raine who had cowered beside a cabinet.


    She looked at her bare feet nervously.


    Raine didn''t know this woman and despite her good looking, she didn''t feel comfortable when Jen approached her. The first question that spilled from her s.e.xy lips was¡­ "Are you Alpha Torak''s mate?"


    Raine didn''t quite understand with the word ''mate'' and what she was trying to ask her, still even if she understood the explanation of mate, she couldn''t answer her nonetheless.


    The tattoo man decided to answer Jen''s question when he saw Raine didn''t even lift her head to look at the blonde woman.


    "Yes, she is." He said firmly and little bit threatening when he continued. "So, you better watch your words and attitude."


    Jen snorted by the warning. She was in her killer ten centimeters high heels, so the petite figure like Raine would look so pathetic compared to her. Not to mention Jen was all curves and bling of diamond while in the other hand Raine was wearing a worn out sweatshirt that was bigger than her size with a ripped jeans.


    Practically the queen and the beggar.


    Jen ignored his words and folded her hands as she introduced herself. "I am Jenedieth Crawford."


    Her voice ringing in Raine''s ears and Jen was full with enthusiasm that she didn''t have.


    "And you are?" Jen tilted her head graciously.


    "She¡­ didn''t talk." That man informed her awkwardly with a low voice.


    "Didn''t talk?" Jen repeated louder.


    She scrutinized the girl in front of her from head to toe intently as a smirked rose on the corner of her lips. "Well, if she doesn''t talk, at least she can eat right?"


    Nonchalantly, she grabbed Raine''s hand and ushered her out of the room.

 Chapter 16 - RAGE!

    Sometimes people try to expose what''s wrong with you, because they can''t handle what''s right about you.


    -Anonymous-


    **************


    Raine was being ushered out of the room with Jen was grabbing her hand tightly, nullified her attempt to shake her away. She didn''t like when someone dragged her, because it reminded her how those nurse had treated her when she was still in the mental hospitality.


    Fortunately the tattoo man caught up to her when Jen was about to open the door and snapped Jen''s hand which holding Raine.


    However her grip was too tight and she refused to let Raine go.


    This resulted the excruciating pain on her wrist, she practically could feel, Jen''s nails embedded in her skin and if she still refused to let her go, with the same strength that she used now, it would leave an ugly bruises on it.


    "I am the daughter of Alpha Xavier! How dare a merely warrior like you told me what I have to do!?" Jen growled at the tattoo man as she tightened her gripped on Raine''s wrist.


    Raine tried to release her hand from Jen, but she didn''t budge an inch. She was too strong and if she kept continuing her pressure, she could snap her hand into two.


    The tattoo man saw the grimace on Raine''s face, despite her silence, the pain that caused from Jen was clear to see.


    "You hurt her!" He growled back at the beauty in front of him.


    "Step back warrior! I will just bring her to eat!" Jen stomped her feet angrily and when the tattoo man wanted to block her way again, she hissed threateningly at him. "Only because Supreme Alpha Torak found his mate, doesn''t mean he will disregard our five years relationship."


    Something in her tone hinted that she was referring to something else in their ''relationship''. Raine easily caught that, moreover the tattoo man who had been following Torak for more than ten years by now.


    That statement didn''t make him budge from his position, but when Jen walked out off the room, he didn''t try to stop her again.


    Raine puzzled by his reaction and be more confused by Jen''s intention to bring her away. The gripped on her hand didn''t loosen too and now her hand was getting numb because her blood was being blocked. She turned her head and looked back through her shoulder to see the tattoo man was following them a few meters away.


    Jen literary dragged her along the hallway, she entered the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby.


    Once they were in the elevator Jen pulled back her hand which made Raine feel relieved.


    Raine stood on the corner of the elevator, cradled her hand with Jen stood next to her and the tattoo man near the elevator door.


    "Supreme Alpha Torak will be furious with your act now."


    Jen ignored his comment as she flicked her long blonde hair from her shoulder and shot a devious smile to Raine.


    "So, she really doesn''t talk? Is she mute?" Her questioned was laced with mocking tone that made Raine looked at her bare feet.


    Jen had whisked her out of the room without considering her appearance. Now, Raine was only wearing her oversize worn out sweatshirt with ripped jeans without any slipper or shoes to cover her feet from the coldness of the floor.


    Raine looked like a beggar. No, Jen made her looked like a beggar with her standing next to Raine, people who watched them would be subconsciously comparing each other.


    It was humiliation.


    Raine didn''t talk, but it didn''t mean she didn''t know about Jen''s intention. Thus, when the door of the elevator opened she remained on the corner where she was standing, determined she wouldn''t go with her.


    However, when Jen realized this, Raine little act didn''t please her as she seethed. "I am just bring you for eat! What are you doing standing like a fool there!?"


    "Jen!" The tattoo man snapped at her.


    Even though she was an Alpha''s daughter, but he carried another order that had more value from the Supreme Alpha. Only because the fact that Jen had an ambiguous relationship with the Supreme Alpha Torak, he tolerated her.


    But, if something happened to soon- to- be their Luna, the title for alpha''s mate, only God knew how long he could preserve his little life.


    "Don''t raise your voice in front of me!" Jen bit back sharply at him.


    No matter how tough the tattoo man, he couldn''t resist the Alpha blood that ran in Jen''s veins. This Alpha blood thing carried more gravity in her every demand, the effect depending on how powerful this Alpha.


    If the daughter of Alpha could make the tattoo man felt restless by her rising tone, then someone as powerful as Torak could inflict a sharp and crucial pain on him, in worse case he could suffer major injuries just by disobeying his Alpha''s tone.


    The tattoo man fisted his hand, still refuse to submit to her. "Supreme Alpha Torak won''t please with this." He muttered.


    When both of them still quarreled in front of the elevator door, right at that time the instrument chose to make a noisy beep rapidly which reminded them that they had stood long enough and hindered the working mechanism.


    Unexpectedly, Raine took that clutter moment to dash out from the elevator door, she shoved away Jen hardly until she lost her balance on her high heels and stumbled onto the tattoo man who was standing right before her.


    Fortunately, like most of lycan, his reflex was quick to secure Jen.


    In the time they managed to adjust their balance, Raine had gone from their sight.


    The tattoo man could feel his blood drained from his head to his toe in matter of second. Without thinking twice, he was mind linking all the other warriors nearby anxiously.


    [Luna is gone!] He shouted in panic through the mind link.


    Later on, just after his statement a wave of pain struck him greatly that made him fell on his knees. It wasn''t only him who could feel it, but the other lycans were feeling the same, they staggered simultaneously.


    In spite the higher rank has weaker effect, they could still feel the pain.


    This agony could be inflicted by only one lycan and he was beyond enraged at that very moment.

 Chapter 17 - RAGE (2)

    I don''t need to go far away to see the world. My world is always with me when I stay with you.


    -Quotezia-


    ==============


    Torak was listening to Alpha Xavier submitted his report when he caught an antsy message through the link.


    He was supposed to block all the communication during this meeting, but he didn''t do it due to his uneasiness for leaving Raine alone in one of the hotel room, one floor below where he was.


    Raine wasn''t really alone because he had ordered James, one of his best warriors, to stand on guard out of her room while another lycantrophes were blending with other human being, scattered all over the hotel building.


    Raine would be safe for three hours without his presence, but he couldn''t help the gravity of the mate bond that had taken its toll on him.


    Torak didn''t expect this either when he caught the mind link that was sent by James.


    [Luna is gone!] Was all he needed to storm out of the meeting room, disregarding other Alphas who were presences.


    A deep growled pierce his throat when he yanked opened the door from its hinged. But, he didn''t care about that. He wanted to tear apart that stupid warrior for actually lost his Luna.


    Raphael followed him suit while Calleb a second late due to the sudden pain that washed over him as a consequence of Torak''s rage. He stumbled to the door to catch up with them, but Raphael was out of sight as well as his furious Alpha.


    Calleb grumbled and sniffed the air, but it didn''t help much as the hallway was crowding with hundreds of scents from all the human and supernatural creatures mixed in the air.


    Torak ran straight to the floor below, as her faint scent guide him to the elevator and five floors down to the lobby. But, Raine wasn''t alone because he could trace there were two more people with her.


    It was James and¡­ Jenedieth.


    His pulse quickened. He went to the lobby and saw nothing.


    Torak stopped running and forced through other lycans'' mind who were looking for his mate as a random snippet flew his eyes and their feared for his ferocity streaming down their blood, he saw her.


    One of his warriors found her.


    In a matter of second Torak arrived in the parking lot in the bas.e.m.e.nt, where he saw five of his warriors in their wolves form made a circle move beside a red car while three of them in their human form were trying to talk to Raine.


    There, Torak saw his little mate pressed her back into the car, trying to avoid all the lycans that surrounding her.


    She was trembling with eyes shut close and her palm covered her ears.


    The three lycans in their human form kept singing their reassurance. "Please, we will not hurt you¡­" One of them tried to move closer to her, but then a low growled that seemed could shake and rattle their bone echoed throughout the bas.e.m.e.nt.


    All of them moved back in unison, the five wolves had their tail between their hind legs.


    The furious Torak marched toward Raine, he was so angry because she looked terrified, that was a sight that break his heart.


    Feeling someone reached out to her and pulled her closer to his embrace, Raine tried to push him back, struggling to get off of him, but Torak simply pressed her head onto her chest.


    The tingling sensation from their proximity made Raine realized Torak presence and his gentle voice traveled to her ears.


    "It''s me¡­" Torak said, rubbing her hair lovingly. "Don''t be afraid my love¡­"


    The safety feeling that his caress offered made Raine stopped struggling, moreover she couldn''t be possible to push him away as well. Not this time, when Torak determined to bury her in his arms.


    When Calleb and Raphael caught up with him, Torak had been standing like that, trying every way possible to calm his mate.


    Only after a few minutes passed and Raine had calm, Torak let her off, resting his arm on her waist to keep her close.


    "What happened!?" He snarled and Raine startled.


    Frustrated, Torak closed his eyes to calm himself and decided, lash out in front of Raine wouldn''t be a good idea, so he mind linked Raphael to question James about what had happened.


    "Let''s go back." He said as gently as he could between the raging flames inside him.


    That''s when he saw Raine barefoot. Without considering his surrounding, he lifted her in his arms and marched back toward their room.


    "Alpha¡­ " Raphael cut his path, before Torak could enter the hotel entrance hall. "Someone could create news about this."


    What he meant, Torak by any meaning was the famous CEO in the human world. Those people wouldn''t understand about this and would make trouble by throwing false rumor around.


    "Then, that would be the last news they made." He said in deep voice while his eyes turned black.

 Chapter 18 - LOOK AT ME

    Tell me how to win your heart


    For I haven''t got a clue


    But let me start by saying I love you


    -Hello, by: Lionel Richie-


    **************


    He could careless with other people desire to create any rumors they wanted. All he cared now was his mate in his arms shaking with fear and he didn''t know what triggered her.


    Raine was fine when he left her. She was sleeping in serene, oblivious with her surrounding made him so reluctance to leave her alone. She could sleep all day and Torak wouldn''t get boring only by looking at her.


    However, it wasn''t the situation that he imagined when he found her.


    Raphael followed behind his Alpha who didn''t care with many eyes from the onlookers that blinking rapidly and jaw dropping in disbelief.


    Some of them recognized Torak as the famous cold blood CEO, but now he was carrying a girl in his arms protectively. Who is the lucky girl?


    They couldn''t see Raine because her face was hidden in the curve of Torak''s shoulder. But, her choice of clothes wasn''t suit the CEO completely. It almost like Torak just picked her up from run- down neighborhood.


    Many of them secretly snapped a picture of that unimaginable moment with their phone, made evidence if what they were watching now wasn''t just an illusion.


    Raphael had anticipated this before and had made perimeter for their Alpha privacy, but he couldn''t handle those people curiousity or ordered them to close their eyes, so they wouldn''t see this show of affection.


    Finally, Torak reached his room, leaving dozens people who were still gawking in awe behind him.


    He kicked the door closed and made his way straight to the bathroom. Raine still refused to raise her face from his neck, actually her gesture pleased him. This way, he knew at least his mate wasn''t too afraid and he could provide comfort for her.


    Torak gently placed Raine on the edge of Jacuzzi, he was about to stand, but her grip on his neck tightened, prevented him to move away.


    "We need to clean your feet, my love¡­" He whispered to her ear and waiting for Raine to loosen her grip. When it didn''t happen, Torak gave her reassuring hug. "I will be here¡­"


    A tear streaming down her rosy cheek when she heard Torak talked to her so tenderly. It had been a long time since someone talked to her nicely and treasured her like that, not like a delusive madwoman who talked nonsense about illusory creatures.


    Slowly she released Torak''s neck, kept her head down while staring at her toes.


    Subtly, she could feel his movement around her and as he came back in her sight, he was kneeling down in front of her, folding his sleeve and gently wash the dirt from her feet with bidet shower.


    Raine jerked away and pulled back her feet from Torak''s grasp. She felt uncomfortable looking at him washing her feet.


    He didn''t need to do that.


    But, Torak wanted to indulge his precious mate in the best way possible. He grabbed her ankle to stop her from moving her feet and solemnly washed them.


    Raine felt the sting of pain when the water cascading her feet, apparently she hurt herself when she ran away barefoot.


    After he had washed clean her feet, Torak took a cream and applied it on them. "Don''t move, wait here for awhile." He said as he went to the vanity and washed his hand before he returned to where his mate was waiting.


    "Look at me." He said, kneeling before her.


    Patiently he waited until Raine raised her head and sheepishly looked at him, not in the eyes, seemingly she looked at Torak''s ears instead.


    Absentmindedly, Torak tucked her hair behind her ears, traced his fingers along her jaw line and her rosy cheek.


    "You are so beautiful my love¡­"

 Chapter 19 - SHUT THEM DOWN

    Love her so much that she might doubt your sanity, but not your passion.


    -Anonymous-


    **************


    "You are so beautiful my love¡­"


    And Torak meant it. Her milky skin contrasted her dark hair like the night sky as though it complimented her obsidian black eyes, despite they were sparkling with fear it didn''t diminish her beauty. There was a strange pulled that made Torak couldn''t withdraw his eyes off of her.


    It would never be enough for him to see the angel before his eyes. Yes, she was the guardian angel who was betrothed to him by the moon goddess.


    In his eyes, she was so perfect. He would be gluttonous to ask for more of this perfection.


    He kissed her knuckled lovingly, "Can I hear your voice, my love?"


    Torak''s question made Raine bit her lips, she dropped her eyes back to her lap where Torak was holding her hands.


    The spark was there, the warm tingling feeling that made her feel safe. It had been a long time since the last time she talked. It was like all the words had left her throat, leaving her in silence.


    "Maybe not today." Torak said after Raine still refuse to talk.


    He reached out his hand to the back of her neck, pulled her closer, wanted to kiss her alluring lips, however Raine shut her eyes tightly and cowered.


    A mischievous smile appeared on his lips as he kissed her forehead instead. This mate- bond was ridiculously possessed him, he wanted more, he wanted all of her.


    But, not in her anxiety state now, when every time he touched her she would shiver involuntary.


    "Come, you need to eat." Torak put his hand on her back and under her thigh carefully as he carried her out of the bathroom and put her on the bed while he ordered something for her to eat.


    ***


    After Torak made sure Raine had eaten and slept well, he left her with his Gamma, Calleb. He asked Raphael to bring James and Jen to the room next door, he didn''t want to leave Raine alone, but he couldn''t possibly show her his dangerous side.


    He almost could feel his beast scratched the edge of his mind, agitated because they had scared his mate.


    Through the mind link, Torak had heard the reason why Raine ran away from her room and all of this because of Jen¡­


    He clenched his jaw when he entered the bedroom and saw James and Jen had been kneeling on the floor. James looked terrified, he dropped his head so low with his broad shoulder slumped down.


    Meanwhile, even though Jen was kneeling, but her eyes showed a defiant glint that made Torak wanted to snap her head. It was a form of challenged and an Alpha didn''t react well to the challenge.


    Aside from Torak, Raphael and the two kneeling people, there were three warriors surrounding them.


    "Alpha Torak you can''t treat me like this!" Jen shook her head as her blonde hair swayed around her face. "I should be the Luna if she isn''t here! You promised my father!" She shouted.


    In a matter of second Torak held Jen''s neck on his hand, raised her a few centimeters from the floor, so her feet hung, losing their footing. He was livid and his wolf was frenzied, kept pushing him to take control.


    "I never promised anything to your shitty father." Torak growled dangerously low. "He will never get the land or the title of Luna for his useless daughter. Don''t ever dream about that."


    How dare Alpha Xavier shamelessly shoved his daughter and claimed her to be his Luna. He had gone too far for obtaining a land from him.


    "Alpha, you will kill her." Raphael warned while trying to hold him back.


    Blood has drawn from Jen''s face and she almost fainted.


    "Alpha!" Raphael called out for him.


    Only then, Torak released her. Tumbling on the floor, Jen was gasping greedily for air.


    "Lock her up and let Xavier talk to me if he wants his daughter back." He snapped icily. "Look like he needs me to clear his mind."


    "No!" Jen howled with terrified expression. "You can''t do this to me just because you are the Supreme Alpha!"


    "Yes, I am the Supreme Alpha and Xavier needs to keep that in his mind!" Torak snarled at her disrespect action. "Demoted him." He nodded at James direction.


    "Alpha¡­" James couldn''t finish his word when the other warriors who were standing on guard dragged him and Jen out of the room.


    After they left with sobbing and shouting from Jen, it was only Torak and Raphael.


    "Alpha, the picture of you and Luna has been on the top search on line an hour ago." Raphael informed him. "What your order?"


    Raphael wasn''t sure if Torak wanted to go public with Raine, but since many people had known about her it was impossible to hide it. However, looking at their Luna current condition, an exposure to her figure wasn''t a good idea either.


    "Some people have started to find out Luna''s background." Raphael added.


    Torak''s existence was very mysterious for public, so a little bit news about him would be a hype, either it was about his business empire or his itinerary schedule. Let alone news about him with a woman, the media online was so frenzied about this right now.


    "Talk to Jared. If he refused to take down the article I will shut his company down!"

 Chapter 20 - INVADER

    Come lay with me for hours so we can talk about thousands of nothings while it means millions of somethings


    -Anonymous-


    **************


    The next day all the pictures of Torak and Raine had been taken down, however the discussion online didn''t wane.


    Torak and the mysterious girl were on the lips of many people across the country and Raphael had been cracking his brain to do everything to lessen the impact.


    The good thing was Torak didn''t pressure him about this matter, so the poor Beta could relax for a moment.


    And by the mentioned of a moment, it was literary a moment, because early in the morning Alpha Xavier was throwing a fit due to his daughter had been held captive by Torak.


    He demanded to talk to the Supreme Alpha directly, but Raphael couldn''t grant his request for the meantime.


    "Supreme Alpha Torak couldn''t meet you at this time." Raphael reiterated his words again and again, but the furious Alpha didn''t want to listen to him.


    "If he doesn''t want to meet me then it''s fine!" He spat. "But, I want my daughter back!"


    "We couldn''t release your daughter without Supreme Alpha Torak permission." Raphael said sternly. "Alpha Torak will inform you when you can meet him."


    Alpha Xavier''s eyes turned black, his beast was enraged, but it didn''t falter the Beta. He remained stoic as ever.


    "I will meet him now!" He roared.


    The third floor of the hotel had been booked for Torak''s Beta, Gama and his warriors. Since the event yesterday, Torak had given them a clear order that he didn''t want any insignificant human or any other creatures except his people, were roaming around the floor.


    Alpha Xavier punched the bottom of the elevator to bring him up, but Raphael held his shoulder firmly.


    "Xavier, I wouldn''t push my luck if I were you." Raphael warned him with his guttural voice as his green eyes turned black. "Step back!"


    A low growled erupted inside Alpha Xavier''s chest. Raphael had been so brash to call his name without his Alpha''s title. But, despite his title as an Alpha, Raphael wasn''t trivial figure either. He was the second man of the most ferocious lycan who had been walking the earth since centuries ago.


    This fact alone was worth considering.


    His rage had turned him blind, but if Alpha Xavier pushed it further, it wasn''t only he wouldn''t get back his daughter, but there was a high chance he would lose his head as well.


    Harshly Xavier swatted away Raphael''s hand which held him back from his shoulder and stormed to the other direction.


    When the angry Alpha had been out of sight, Calleb approached Raphael leisurely. He had been watching their dispute from the side line, didn''t bother to interfere because he knew the situation was within the Beta''s grasp.


    "So, don''t you curious what our Alpha is doing now?" He said jovially with grinned etched on his lips when he saw Raphael glared at him.


    "Mind your own business Cal." He grumbled as his eyes turned to his normal color.


    The grinned on Calleb''s lips turned into flirtatious smirked. "Well, if I find my mate I won''t like my morning to be interrupted either." He chuckled.


    "You are imagining something too far." Raphael smacked the back of the big pup.


    ==============


    Inside the presidential suite, Where Torak had been watching his mate sleeping, the sun had risen but he refused to let the light in.


    Torak didn''t want to wake his mate up, so he let the curtain closed. He had cleared his morning and afternoon schedule, thus he would like to spend his every second with Raine.


    Absentmindedly he traced her face, twirled her straight black hair between his fingers and smiled to himself.


    Last night, when he came back from the meeting, Raine had been sleeping. Hence she had no idea that he slipped inside the blanket and slept next to her.


    Probably because of the long trip and the small event that occurred that made Raine exhausted, she didn''t wake up at all.


    Suddenly, Raine''s eyes fluttered opened, likely because of Torak''s touch or his intense stare that stirred her awake.


    Her long lashes trembled before her eyes open. She blinked couple of time and rubbed her sleepiness before she realized Torak presence beside her.


    "Good morning, my love." Torak greeted her, full of smile. He had long forgotten when the last time he was smiling like this.


    Raine snapped her head up and her black obsidian eyes met his blue one. Shocked, her lips were slightly ajar before she sat straight and scrambled away from Torak.


    However, Torak caught her ankle when she turned her body and pulled Raine back. "Where are you going?"


    Raine tiny figure was like a little kitten being dragged away by her prey. She struggled from Torak''s grip, but it only amused him to see her hopeless effort.


    He hugged her from behind, trapping Raine between his strong arms. "I told you don''t fear me¡­" He said barely above a whisper in the crook of her neck, taking liberty to breathe in her scent.


    It wasn''t like Raine dreaded him, but to wake up next to a man who she barely knew still shocked her to the core.


    After a minute of struggle and Torak didn''t budge, in the end she stilled. His hair tickled her neck and the hands that wrapped her body only made her feel safe.


    She didn''t know why she felt like that, but she let him hugged her.


    After Torak felt Raine didn''t struggle anymore, he raised his head from the comfort of her curve. "Let''s have breakfast first and then buy something beautiful for you to wear. How is that sound?"


    She was still wearing the same oversize sweatshirt and worn out ripped jeans from yesterday, and he didn''t like this.


    Raine nodded slowly. What else she could do? That was an amazing offer to hear.


    His lips form a smiled. "I will take a quick bath and then you can come before we have breakfast, alright?"


    Raine nodded again.


    Torak loosened his embraced and gave a small kiss on her neck. The simple kiss made Raine fretted, but she felt butterfly were flying in her stomach.


    Was it too quick to trust the man that she had only known less than forty eight hours ago? Raine confused, but she did trust him.


    She was silence, but didn''t mean Raine was unaware of his intimate actions.


    Who is this man?


    Torak got off from the bed and sauntered into the bathroom. The sound of the water could be heard in the next second. The sound was so clear, seemingly Torak let the door opened. Raine blushed with this realization.


    On the bed that seemingly fitted seven people, Raine examined her feet. The incision from yesterday had healed.


    She scrambled out from the bed and tested them, the pain was no more, so she took another stepped toward the curtain and yanked it open.


    In a flash, she was bathed in the glowing sunlight. Instinctively Raine turned around from the blinding light and covered her sleepy eyes.


    When her eyes had adjusted, she opened them slowly.


    However, something caught her attention and made adrenaline rushed in her veins. She was blinking rapidly at the figure right before her eyes, it almost like she didn''t believe there was someone else inside the room.


    But, that figure started to talk in low eerie voice. "Finally, he found you."

 Chapter 21 - A STRANGER

    Maybe there is a beast¡­ maybe it''s only us.


    -William Golding, Lord of the Flies-


    **************


    He was standing right before Raine''s eyes, towering over her body. His tanned skin glimmered under the sunlight, he has curly long hair which cascading until his shoulder with messy style and his eyes were the color of golden, they were looking right into Raine black one.


    His golden eyes shimmered in delight and infatuation while the black loose tee shirt and ripped jeans covered his lanky body.


    He was almost as tall as Torak, but much skinnier than him.


    The shock and fear crept every inch of her skin. She stepped back when that man moved closer to her until her back hit the glass sliding door to the balcony.


    He stopped as well, kept their distance only a few centimeters away.


    Raine darted her gaze toward the direction of the bathroom, she still could hear the sound of water pattered down on the floor. Torak was oblivious about what was happening as she whimpered silently.


    "What is it?" He tilted his head curiously. "You can''t talk?" His voice was barely a whispered while he assessed her, there was no sound coming out from her lips, despite how terrified she was and tears started pooling on her eyes.


    "Is it possible the purest being is so fainthearted like this?" He mumbled more to himself.


    Raine felt suffocated by the way he looked at her, as if she was a prey. She looked at the bathroom direction once again when she heard the sound of water from the shower stopped.


    That man also looked at the same direction as her and clicked his tongue irritably. "It seems he will come now." Again, he talked to himself in lazy tone and resumed his attention toward the terrified girl.


    "Well, this is the fastest way to test it." He contemplated for a while. Next, he pointed his forefinger and touched the exposed skin on her cheek.


    Raine looked at his skinny finger with his long and sharp nail was coming closer to her face, too terrified to look at what would he was going to do, she shut her eyes and prepared for the pain or something worst than that.


    Later on, his nail pierced her cheek as she felt the stinging pain from her wound. However, he pulled back his hand abruptly.


    The absent of it made Raine opened her eyes to see what was going on when she heard that man mumbled absentmindedly.


    "It is really you¡­" He looked at his forefinger. The tip of it which made contact with her skin was badly charred.


    Looking at the burn on his finger, Raine relived an unpleasant memory in her mind, but she knew what she has to do.


    Raising her hand, she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand and looked at the faint blood stain it. Like what she had thought, those creatures who had been hunting her couldn''t touch her blood. Something bad would happen to them if they made a direct contact with her blood.


    After all these years, Raine had learnt about it.


    Hence, with the remaining blood on the back of her hand, she stepped forward and shoved that man away.


    Out of instinct, he stepped aside before Raine could touch him. He thought the scared girl finally would fight back, however to his surprised she dashed toward the bathroom.


    "Interesting¡­" A devilish grin made its way to his lips.


    Raine didn''t look back at the man when she sprinted and barged into the bathroom. Fortunately, Torak didn''t close the door, so the moment Rained stepped foot inside the bathroom, she immediately caught a glimpse of his figure behind the glass barrier.


    Her body moved faster than her mind could work. Within a second, she could smell the woodsy scent that only belong to him as she pounced on him.


    Seconds before Raine''s body collide with his, Torak turned around with a low growl, ready to battle with the intruder. He was half shifted with extended claws, however he froze in place when he saw it was Raine and the moment she hugged his waist her scent was all he knew.


    Torak was flabbergasted for a while before realization registered into his mind. Out of instinct he wrapped his arms around her trembling body.


    "What happened?" Panic was laced in Torak''s voice.


    Something wrong had happened. He sniffed the air and sharpened his hearing, but he caught nothing.


    He just left her not too long and all of his warriors have secured the entire floors. What else could threaten her?


    Torak cupped her face and urged her to look at him. Only then, he saw a wound on her cheek, it still slightly bleeding.


    "Someone inside the room?" Torak tried to keep his voice in calm tone so he wouldn''t scare her, but when Raine nodded. Torak''s blue eyes darkened.


    "Stay here." He said with deep voice, but Raine shook her head like a rattle drum, she was too afraid to be alone again.


    Without any other choice, Torak made her to let go of his waist and hid her behind his back instead as he walked out of the bathroom.


    His blood was boiling and it didn''t help when the beast inside him also felt on edge. A stranger was inside his room and hurt his mate!


    He swept his eyes across the room carefully as his body turned rigid.


    Nothing.


    There was no one inside the room.


    The room was empty.


    He walked toward the window, checked it, but it still locked.


    [Calleb!] He mind linked his Gamma.


    [Yes, Alpha]


    [Do you see something suspicious?]


    [No. Everything is good.]


    [Get over here now! And ask someone to check the floor.]


    [Yes, Alpha.]


    Torak turned around and hugged Raine who was still trembling. She buried her face on his bare chest as he stroked her back.


    "It''s alright. It''s alright¡­ I am sorry." Torak kept whispering soothing words to her ear. It was the second time within two days Raine was frightened.


    Somehow, he upset to himself.


    Raine jerked in his arms when there was a sound of the door was being opened. "It''s Calleb." Torak informed her.


    "Alpha! Everything is good!" Calleb''s voice could be heard before his happy- go- lucky figure appeared, yet his light step came to halt. His eyes widened. "Alpha, why are you n.a.k.e.d?"

 Chapter 22 - THE TOUCH

    A sea of whiskey couldn''t intoxicate me as much as a drop of you


    -J.S. Parker-


    **************


    Torak wasn''t standing stark n.a.k.e.d like what Calleb connoted, he was wearing a towel around his waist.


    Considering the moment Raine barged into the bathroom was when he just finished shower, he didn''t have a chance to put anything on.


    That didn''t mean he objected to her seeing him like this, but¡­


    It was plain to see that Raine had no realization of what had occurred before Calleb''s remark, yet when the understanding down on her, she winced and made a shift to conceal her embarrassment.


    She stepped back immediately, lowered her head while her long black hair cascading down around her face. She was blushing easily.


    "There was someone inside the room and that person hurt my Luna. Scour all the area." Torak commanded.


    [I will try to ask Raine what she actually saw.] He added trough mind- link.


    The seriousness of the situation and his Alpha cold voice along with his dark eyes managed to pull Calleb back to the matter at hand.


    "Yes, Alpha." Calleb said, and in the next second he was already leaving the bedroom.


    If it wasn''t for Raine''s physiological issue, Torak would have been flipped him off with his remark about him being n.a.k.e.d in front of his mate and made her uncomfortable.


    Yesterday event was an example. The things that happened didn''t end well for James and Jenedieth, despite she was a daughter of Alpha and their past relationship, Torak didn''t bat an eye when he punished her.


    That was an extent of his cruel side. After all, his name was feared by many people and creatures in both worlds.


    Calleb sighed. He tousled his hair in distressed. That was a close call, one day his mouth would be the death of him.


    Grumbling for a few more second then he mind linked the Beta.


    Inside the bedroom, Raine was still standing in the same position from the moment Calleb rushed out of the room until Torak appeared again in front of her, he was dressed with only black leather pants without shirt


    His dark hair tousled in messy waves around his chiseled face.


    Raine lowered her head again to hide her hammering heart. She had never seen someone as exquisite as him. She knew he was handsome and all, but right now, with the droplets of water rundown his jaw and his massive chest was on full display, it gave another impression.


    Not to mention the way he treated her and how he wrapped his warm hands on both sides of her face, implored her to lift her face.


    Raine complied with his request.


    Her eyelashes fluttered like wings of butterfly as her beautiful dark obsidian eyes took his breath away. He could stare into them for long time and lost in it.


    His beast started banging his mind, urging him to mark her. But, he couldn''t do it¡­ at least, not yet.


    Torak brought the distance between them closer and Raine squealed. Looking away again, her cheeks started blooming with heat.


    "My love, look at me."


    She didn''t dare to look at him. But after waiting patiently, she did, keeping her eyes on his ears this time.


    "You don''t need to feel embarrass for what you did or what you see."


    He let go of his hand from her face and reached out for her little hands, enveloped them in his.


    "Because, everything you see is yours and you are mine. And please do me a favor¡­"


    Her eyes flickered. Timidly she looked at him in the eyes as Torak continued.


    "¡­ You should get used to my touch."


    Torak pressed her hands to his face as he stared at her affectionately. He began to lowering his face and kissed the cut on her cheek.


    The spark from his kiss made her shivered, but it wasn''t something uncomfortable, on the contrary it was something that made her feel safe.


    "Now, is there another way for you to tell me who was the person who scared you earlier?"


    Raine nodded as an answer.

 Chapter 23 - THE SLOTH

    Raine timidly looked around her, she tilted her head from side to side and when she didn''t find the thing she was looking for, she started to walk, roaming around the room.


    Torak followed her a few steps away with bemused expression. However, after some times Raine looked like she couldn''t find what she wanted, he approached her and put his hand on the side of her cheek.


    Raine flinched, still not used with his touch. But the urge to touch her mate was irresistible for Torak, the spark was addicted and that the first thing his mate should learn, because he wanted her to get used to him and his presence.


    Ignoring her little attempt to shake his hand from her cheek, Torak asked her gently. "What are you looking for my love?" He drew a circle on her cheek with his thumb absentmindedly.


    Raine tried to tell him by making a hand gesture. Somehow, she forgot her fear and looked at Torak in the eyes, eager to tell him the thing that she needed.


    In her eagerness, she looked adorable in Torak''s eyes.


    "Book?"


    Raine nodded.


    "You will draw that person?"


    Raine nodded again.


    "Alright." Torak strode across the room toward his bag in the middle room and Raine unconsciously followed behind him.


    He retrieved a notebook and a pen. "I don''t have pencil, can you do with pen? Or should I ask someone to buy it for you?"


    Raine shook her head and took the notebook and the pen from Torak''s hand. She plopped down on the couch, pulled her knee to her chest and scribbled something.


    While Raine was occupied with her drawing, Torak took this time to observe his mate. She was so skinny that he assumed would be underweight, her skin was so pale almost translucent and her lips a little bit chapped.


    However, beside all of that, she was still beautiful. The beauty that could make him lost for words to describe her.


    Torak made a mental note to visit a doctor, Raine needed to be examined to make sure she was fine and started her diet to gain more weight.


    They also needed to meet psychologist. He had Raphael investigated further about her and the fact she was mute because all the things that she had been through in the mental hospital made him furious.


    Just what did they do until Raine shut herself? This fact didn''t sit right with him. Unintentionally, a low deep growl erupted from his chest by the image of something terrible that might have happened to her.


    Hearing the furious growled, Raine''s head snapped at Torak''s direction, fear swirled in her eyes.


    "I am sorry, I didn''t mean growl at you¡­" Torak apologized and approached her cautiously, gave her time to know his intention.


    Raine still looked at him with uneasiness, but didn''t move when Torak sat beside her. She bit her lips and lowered her gaze, continue scribbled on the notebook.


    She took a few minutes more before she finished it and gave the portrait to Torak. There was a faint smile on her lips and Torak loved that.


    His eyes beamed and his beast wagging its tail in delight by her small gestured.


    However, all of the sense of satisfaction faded away when he saw the portrait of the man who Raine had drawn. Torak''s eyes alternated between blue and black as a name hissed through his teeth with so much revulsion.


    "Belphegor¡­"


    Even Raine could feel the animosity that was carried by the mentioned of that name in the way Torak said it.


    She wrote something on her palm, poked Torak''s shoulder with her forefinger and when Torak finally looked at her direction she raised her hand and showed it to him.


    [Who?]


    Torak didn''t immediately answer her question. He looked at her intensely before shook his head. "I will tell you later."


    No wonder he couldn''t pick his scent and sense his presence as turned out it was him!


    Raine scribbled something on her palm again and showed it to Torak.


    [What happen?]


    There was concerned in her beautiful eyes as her eyebrows wrinkled curiously. However, Torak kept shaking his head, he didn''t want to tell her everything yet. It wasn''t the right time.


    Therefore, when Raine was about to write something again on her palm, he grabbed her hands and kissed her knuckles.


    "Actually, you are very talkative my love¡­ why don''t you talk to me?" Torak asked charmingly, peeking from her knuckles.


    Raine didn''t say anything, only staring at her hands which were clutched by Torak.


    Kissing her knuckles again, "I have someone bring a new dress and underwear for you, it is in the bathroom. After take a bath, you can change into it." He informed her and let her go.


    With the mentioned of underwear, Raine blushed furiously and clumsily trudged away from Torak toward the bathroom.


    This made Torak smile by how blushful his mate, however when Raine had disappeared into the bathroom, his eyes glazed over as he mind linked Raphael.


    [Raph?]


    [Yes, Torak?]


    [Stop the hunting. You will never find him.]


    There was a silence before Raphael talked again. [Did you know the creature that entered your room?]


    [Yes. Belphegor, the sloth.]

 Chapter 24 - FIND THE WITCH!

    [Belphegor!?] Raphael''s voice filled with dread. He halted his step and made Calleb almost ran onto him. [Belphegor one of the seven sins from hell?] Beside him, Calleb looked at him curiously.


    [Yes, it was him.]


    [But, Torak¡­ the war between the lycanthropes and the demons seven hundred years ago had sealed their power away¡­] Raphael trailed off in his word and suddenly something clicked in his mind as he blurted out with breathless voice. [The prophecy about the guardian angels!]


    Torak stared at the bathroom door with troubled expression when he saw the handle was twisted, ignoring Raphael''s awareness about the prophecy, he gave him his firm command.


    [Tell our hunter to start looking for Serefina. I want to meet her immediately.]


    With that, Torak cut off the mind- link and left Raphael dumbfounded. Serefina was the most powerful witch who had been lost for several decades.


    "Where do I have to find her!?" Raphael hissed in frustration while running his fingers on his hair. First was the appearance of Belphegor and now Torak wanted to find Serefina¡­ It wasn''t an easy task.


    If the prophecy was true, shouldn''t Torak send people to find the guardian angel first before he hunted the witch?


    Suddenly Calleb''s face popped in his line of sight, in his shocked he cursed at the Gamma.


    "What? What happened?" Calleb asked noisily, ignoring all human who was watching them.


    "I need to find James now."


    "James?" Calleb tilted his head, "Who is he going to hunt?"


    James was their best hunter and Torak rarely assigned specific task for him, but if he did, it would be noteworthy.


    "Serefina." Raphael answered curtly.


    However, it was enough to make Calleb''s jaw fell in astonishment. "Well, at least James will not complain about lack of task now¡­" Then, he realized something important. "Do you already know who the intruder?"


    "Hmm." Raphael nodded. "Belphegor."


    With that he walked away, leaving the petrified Calleb behind him.


    ==============


    Inside the presidential suite.


    Torak just ended the mind- link with Raphael when he saw Raine emerged from the bathroom, her hairs were still damp and her cheeks flushed with crimson color, as beautiful as she was, Torak frowned the moment he laid his eyes on her.


    "Why don''t you wear the dress that I told you, my love?" He stood up and approached her.


    Raine was still in her overlarge sweatshirt and her ripped jeans. Torak didn''t like her in that clothes, she deserved all the beautiful things in this world and he was very glad that he could provide it for her.


    But, why she was wearing those outworn clothes again?


    In the other side, the endearment in Torak''s words never failed to make her heart fluttered. The feeling was so alien, but in the same time was so right.


    "Why are you wearing this again?" Torak bent his body, so they were in the same height.


    Raine was fidgeting when Torak''s chiseled face seized all her line of sight as she took a step back, yet Torak didn''t have intention to move away from her, if there was anything, he put more effort to cower Raine''s anxious self further.


    In all honesty, Torak enjoyed this.


    Finally when the poor girl couldn''t find another way to escape, she was trying to press her back against the wall behind her, as though she wished she could blend with it while her eyes zeroed in her toes.


    "I am the one here who need your attention my love, not your toes." Torak feigned sulking. He traced his finger along her jaw line and lifted her chin to look at him. "I want to see you in that dress."


    The way Torak said it make Raine''s legs almost abandoned her and gave away, but she shook her head instead.


    This rejection made the frown in Torak''s face increased. "Why?"


    For a moment Raine didn''t respond. She was biting her lips with downcast eyes.


    "You don''t like the dress?" Torak tried to guess her reason, but Raine once again shook her head. "The size is not fit¡­?"


    Only then, slowly, Raine folded her sleeve and showed him her arm, embarrassedly.


    Torak caught her movement and put his attention to the thing that she wanted to show him, however the moment her sleeves folded up and her arms was on display.


    His eyes turned red in rage as he roared. "WHO DID THIS TO YOU!?"

 Chapter 25 - FURIOUS

    Torak''s roar was full with authority and demanded an answer that Raine couldn''t find a way to give it to him as her head was racing with the thought of run away from him.


    He was mad, incensed actually and she was afraid of his outburst. He wasn''t like any other person that she had ever met. No, Raine wasn''t even sure if he was a person.


    Just what kind of creature was him? And what he would do if he was in rage?


    The man before her eyes reeked of authority and dominance that made her uncomfortable, in spite it gave her the strange feeling of safety, the feeling of fear came in the same way.


    Raine tried to wriggle her hand away from Torak''s tight grip, but only earned a low growled as a respond. He folded up her another sleeves and watched in fury on his eyes when it was the same as her another arms.


    The image that was displayed in his eyes was; both Raine''s hand suffered with small black dots littered on her pale skin, it was marks of how many times they had tried to inject her.


    The dress that Torak had given to her would reveal all of these ugly scars, there was no way Raine could wear it.


    Three years being in the mental hospital left her with rough days, especially when people there knew if she was admitted not because her foster parents wanted to fix her, but they wanted to get rid of her because they had done with her madness and frenzy.


    When she was scared to death because there was creatures that she didn''t know what they were, wanted to take her and killed her, usually she would blow a fuse and screamed like there was no tomorrow until the other creatures left her alone.


    Somehow, they would runaway with pain on their expression that Raine didn''t know why, but didn''t want to know the reason as well.


    For those nurses and people in the mental hospital the easiest way to deal with her was to sedate her. It was always working every time, but the constant injection left her with scars.


    Some of them weren''t scars from the injection, but there was a male nurse who liked to burn her arms with cigarette.


    The time she turned mute and knew no one would believe her, he started this habit to entertain his boring working hours.


    He was mentally sick.


    He enjoyed the pain expression on Raine''s face when she couldn''t voice a single word of protest when he did that.


    And no one care enough to look over at her unnecessary extra wound, not even her foster parents. They had never come when Raine was still there in the second years. She didn''t have any progress and her foster parents abandoned her.


    Torak knew nothing about this. But the moment he laid his eyes on scars that marred her arms, he knew something totally went wrong when she was there.


    [Raphael!!!]


    His Alpha''s voice rung on Raphael head and made the poor Lycan needed to halt his step by the ominous that laced in his voice.


    [Yes Alpha.] Raphael couldn''t help but gave him the utmost respect.


    [Find out what had happened to my mate when she was in the mental hospital! I want every record about her treatment there and every single detail about it! Did I make myself clear?!]


    [Yes Alpha.]


    And with that the line was cut harshly.


    Torak mustered every single fiber in his body to subdue his furious beast, his darker desire that demanding blood at that moment. He had been living hundreds of years to master a control over his wolf.


    He wouldn''t let loose now, not when he was with his trembling mate.


    The goddess of moon was so cruel at him with her way right now. It wasn''t salvation for his decaying soul, it was a challenge for his monstrous side.


    Selene didn''t only give him the most physically weak spirit, but the goddess also bestowed trauma into his case.


    The fear in Raine''s eyes broke his rotten soul and to be aware that he was the one who caused it ripped his heart apart.


    Ignoring her protest and attempt to be anywhere except with him now, Torak pulled Rained closed to him. He was too strong for Raine to put up a fight.


    His hand was in her waist while his other hand was on her shoulder, made him imaginably close. He put his head on the curved of her neck, inhaled deeply into her scent, the only thing that could calm him and the only convincing evidence that she was here with him at this very moment.


    "I am sorry, I scared you¡­" Torak murmured in her neck, hiding his rage and his bloody eyes. He had never been in this state of anguish in these past decades, being alive for centuries, had him immune with trouble and made him less care with his surroundings.


    However, with Raine was in his arms and the spark erupted between them along with the warm tingling feeling engulfed their proximity, had offer all the calm that both of them needed.


    Unexpectedly, Raine small hands patted his back as a form of comfort. She was still slightly trembling by Torak sudden outburst, but she knew that he didn''t mean to be mean to her. With that small endearing gestured, his beast purred with content.


    His mate was trying to appease him. Her small hand caressed his back soothingly.


    No matter how comfort he was, Torak still remembered the important task that he needed to do, reluctantly he pushed himself away from her, but not before he gave Raine a small kissed on her neck that turned her frozen.


    Chuckling, he said with lighter mood. "You need to eat." And with that he ushered both of them out of the bedroom.

 Chapter 26 - SHE IS MINE

    "My love, I don''t want you to wear this clothes again." Torak caressed her cheek that made her lowered her head.


    Raine was still not used to Torak''s touch, but the spark between them was indescribable, that made her subconsciously leaned her head against his touch.


    "But, because you will not wear the previous dress, how about you wear my shirt instead?" Torak''s lips curved into playful grin. He wanted to see her in his shirt, it would be a sight to look, but¡­ "Only if you want." He added. "Or I will ask someone to bring another dress for you."


    Raine slowly raised her head and looked at Torak''s eyes for a second before she averted her gaze and nodded. She didn''t have anything to wear because he didn''t let her brought anything from the orphan.


    However, looking the way he lived, the best clothes that she possessed would look too shabby. Not to mention she didn''t have anything good under her possession.


    Torak smiled slyly when he took out his shirt, it was a simple white t- shirt and a dark blue overshirt. He also picked up a baseball cap for her, he didn''t want his mate being too exposed.


    "Try these, my love¡­" He handed the two pieces shirts onto her hand.


    Raine walked to the bathroom once again and changed into Torak''s shirts. It didn''t take a long time before she walked back with the oversize clothes on.


    The length of the overshirt''s sleeves were a few centimeter longer than the tip of her finger nails that she needed more effort to fold it back while the edge of the hem touched her knees.


    Raine was still wearing her worn out jeans, but it was clear to see that the clothes belonged to him. One could say this was another way to claim that she was him, since Torak couldn''t mark her yet.


    With his scent was being all over her, this was enough to ward off any supernatural creatures. They wouldn''t dare to mess with what belong to Torak Donovan except they were courting death!


    He didn''t want the event with Belphegor earlier repeated. He would deal with The Sloth by himself.


    Torak stared at her without blinking as her image right now had turned his ocean blue eyes a few shades darker while his beast prowled at the edge of his mind.


    "Come here¡­" Torak waved his hand, asking her to sit next to him.


    Raine walked closer and sat beside him. Afterward, Torak helped her to fold the sleeves neatly until her wrist before putting the baseball cap and tidied up her hair.


    The soft strands between his fingers made him hummed in satisfied, he took a longer time to play with her hair, before he leaned in and gave a quick kissed on her cheek. She smells good, like the scent of the soil after rain, so refreshing and pure.


    Ignoring her surprised reaction, Torak grabbed her hand and help her stood up. "Let''s go."


    The moment they stepped out from their room, Raphael and Calleb were waiting for them and along with a few more guards, they were walking to the main lobby, where the cars had been waiting for them.


    Torak rested his hand around her waist protectively when they walked along the corridor hotel and Raine tried to discern the spark between them, she didn''t have this feeling when she touched other people.


    Raine made a mental note to ask about this later.


    ==============


    The clock had strike 8.46 p.m when they arrived at their room. After the whole day being outside, Raine was spent, she barely could keep her eyes open.


    Today was the best day in her life after many years of suffering. Torak bought many things for her, all expensive and beautiful. He brought her to art gallery as he thought his mate would like it. And yes, Raine love it.


    They spent hours there, just walking along the corridor where many amazing painting were hung on it wall.


    Torak walked with her silently, sometime he would receive a call and most of the time, he would play with her hair. Raine didn''t mind it, actually, she liked it.


    When they arrived at their room, Raine took a quick bath after Torak did and was standing in front of a wardrobe.


    All the clothes that Torak had bought for her had been arranged neatly at the left side while Torak''s was on the right side.


    Raine looked absently at the dresses inside and frowned. She didn''t like the silk pajamas that Torak had bought. Thus, she moved swiftly to Torak''s side and found his grey pullover. She put it on and paired it with jogging pants.


    "What are you doing, my love?"


    A hoarse voice startled Raine from behind and almost made her fell to the floor. She turned around abruptly and looked at Torak, whose eyes had turned black.


    She gulped hard and reached the ipad that Torak had bought to make it easier for her to communicate. She wrote something on it very fast and showed it to him.


    [I am sorry, but your clothes look more comfortable. I will change.]


    Upon reading the notes, Torak cleared his throat and said huskily. "No, my love, you don''t have to. I like to see you in mine."

 Chapter 27 - WHAT ARE YOU?

    Raine hugged her ipad closed to her chest when she heard Torak''s statement as her cheeks turned crimson. She lowered her head and hid it with her hair, which cascading down from both side of her face.


    "Let''s sleep. We will go to our home early in the morning tomorrow." Torak grabbed her hand and led her back to their oversize bed.


    The word ''our'' didn''t pass without her noticing, Raine heard it clearly as she frowned. It had been a long time since she called somewhere ''home''.


    The man, who she knew only for three days, have kissed her cheek, hugged her, washed her feet, got furious for her and gave the feeling of safety that no one had ever done before.


    This feeling confused her. It felt like she had known him for long time, as if it was a normal thing to be with him.


    And also there was this spark, the tingling feeling that hard to reject.


    With this, Luna remember the thing that she wanted to ask, but before she could write it down, Torak had sat her on the edge of the bed and lifted her feet, before covered her under the warm blanket.


    He moved swiftly and gracefully, taken her by surprised, but the thing that shocked her most was when Torak got on the bed and slid under the same blanket.


    She took the ipad from the table beside her and typed.


    [Are you sleeping here?]


    Torak propped his left body side with his left elbow, while he tilted his head to read the word. "Of course." He raised his eyebrows with the expression: ''the answer is obvious'' kind of look.


    Raine typed again quickly, these past two nights the moment Torak returned from all of his business matter, Raine had been sleeping. So, she didn''t have any idea that Torak and her had shared the same bed.


    "We have shared the same bed from the first day you came, my love." Torak gave her lopsided smile with amus.e.m.e.nt dancing in his eyes.


    Raine turned the ipad and showed him what she had written.


    [I will sleep on the sofa.]


    After she had made sure that Torak had read it, she was about to get off from the bed when Torak''s hand sneaked around her waist and pulled her back.


    He cradled her in his arms.


    His left hand was around her shoulder while the other was holding her down by the waist, chuckling at her futile attempt to escape from his clutched. His beast and he liked it when he teased their mate.


    "I will let you go my love, only if you ask me." He smiled mischievously. "Not with this."


    Torak snatched the ipad from her hands and looked deeper into her obsidian black eyes, they were the most beautiful eyes that he had ever seen, captivating all of his senses.


    Raine bit down her lips, wanted to cry in frustration. Torak clearly knew that she couldn''t, she wanted to talk, but somehow there was no any sound came out.


    She strangely lost her voice because of no one believed with what she said she was seeing.


    There was another living creatures that human didn''t aware about their existence and thought it was only a myth mixed with imagination. But, she saw them for these past eight years and some of them wanted to kill her.


    Raine didn''t sure what Torak was, but she knew that he was one of them. He had showed her that he meant no harm, but Raine still couldn''t say anything.


    "So, do you want to sleep with me?" Torak asked, trapped her petite body between his strong arms, looking at how she shook her head vigorously. Ignoring the gestured, he shrugged nonchalantly. "Silence meant yes."


    Raine widened her eyes in disbelief. She forgot how afraid she was to look at other people right in their eyes, out of frustration she stared at Torak, her body stiffened when he rested his forehead softly against hers, taking liberty to breath in her scent.


    Their position was incredibly close till Raine could smell the scent of pine and cedar from him.


    "Relax my love, I will not do anything that can hurt you as it will hurt me as well." The beast that has known to be able to make any supernatural being trembled in fear only by his roar, talked so softly to his mate. A pair of arms that could make his enemy perished, held her carefully.


    There was no way Torak would let her to sleep alone even if by miracle she could talk to him. Moreover after her encounter with Belphegor, he wouldn''t let her out of his sight.


    Raine let the words sank in her mind and when Torak kissed her forehead and laid down next to her, she remembered the question that she wanted to ask.


    With great effort she reached her ipad again and typed.


    [What are you?]


    Realized that his mate would start asking consecutive questions, Torak leaned against the bed head, pulling Raine closed to him and rested his chin atop of her head.


    "Me? I am a lycan?"


    [What is that?]


    With that question, Torak spent the next thirty minutes to explain about lycanthropes and their existence patiently. It was the longest monologue that he had ever done. But, he never got tired of speaking when he watched his mate reaction.


    Especially when he said he could turn into a big wolf. Her lips parted in disbelief, tempted him to seal them with his.


    After the shock, she typed something quickly.


    [Can you show me your wolf?]

 Chapter 28 - THE BEAST

    Torak surprised by her request. He lifted her chin and looked at her deeper in the eyes, brushing his thumb against her pale lips with fascination.


    "Do you really want to see my wolf?" Torak asked huskily. By any mean, he didn''t want to scare her.


    Raine was asking to see his wolf was out of his expectation. As far as he knew, and he still didn''t know much about her, her fear was one of the reason why she lost her voice. Those filthy creatures that had been trying to kill her, had left her with trauma.


    But, now his mate was actually requesting to see his wolf. Torak hardly could comprehend this, but in spite of that, he was delighted.


    An award winning smiled appeared on his lips that made Raine looked at him in dazed. The way she looked at him was adorable, Torak couldn''t help but leaned over to kiss her eyes and the hitched in her breath made him chuckled by her reaction.


    "Are you sure?" Torak assured her once again.


    A faint nodded was all she gave to him.


    Raine has this feeling about him, something about Torak just simply brought a comfort for her, the feeling of security and being wanted, something that she didn''t have for these past eight years.


    Every time she looked at his eyes, they were shining with adoration and longing, drew her to look at him longer as she liked the reflection of herself in his eyes.


    Moreover, she rarely saw wolf shifter and as they always ignored her, Raine didn''t have a bad impression about them compared to the other creatures.


    Despite both of them had sat straight, Raine still needed to lift her head to meet Torak''s eyes.


    "Just remember this, I will not hurt you, okay?" Torak once again kissed her forehead lovingly. This time, Raine didn''t refuse or jerk away, she just lowered her head and relished the spark that erupted from the kiss.


    Torak moved away from her, just to give enough space for him to shift.


    When Raine raised her head and looked at Torak, his blue ocean eyes gradually darker until it turned black and remained that way. His smile altered as his canine elongated. His body bent forward as fur fought its way out from the follicles.


    The white fur sprouted all over his body through the t- shirt he was wearing and in less than a minute that Raine felt like forever to see how stunning the transformation, in front of her, instead of Torak, it was a huge white wolf.


    By the meant of huge, the wolf was three times bigger than her, he almost like the sized of bear. His paws embedded deeply on the soft maroon bed cover, contrasted with his pure white fur color.


    Raine didn''t realize that she had been holding her breath. She couldn''t take her eyes from the most beautiful creature that she had seen that presented within her arm reach.


    The wolf whimpered softly when he saw Raine didn''t give any reaction and still didn''t breathe. He put his snout between his front legs and lowered his body, so his size wouldn''t intimidate her.


    As long as his existence, nothing could scared him, not even a single creatures could make the beast bowed his arrogant head. But in front of his missing soul, he did it willingly, compliantly.


    He whined once again when Raine still rooted in her position, but he didn''t move to approach her, afraid she would be scare.


    His whine this time snapped Raine out of whatever trance she was in and focus on the soft worry eyes of the beast, even in his wolf form, she could tell he was worried and waiting for her reaction.


    Taking a deep breath, filling her empty lung that lacked of oxygen, Raine ventured herself when she reached out her hand.


    The wolf looked at her hand and her scrunched face back and forth, before he closed his eyes.


    The moment Raine touched his fur, the wolf purred in delight and nudged her hand, encouraging her to do whatever she wanted.


    His fur was so soft, the softest things that Raine had ever touched. He was so white without a single stain, like a pure snow.


    She used both of her hands to stroke his snout, exploring his face, sinking her fingers deeper in his fur.


    Her sudden adventurousness slightly made the beast shivered, he loved the way she touched him. Slowly and gracefully, he stood on his front legs, made him taller than her.


    Raine dropped her hand and looked at him, in her eyes it''s not a fear but curiosity about what he wanted to do.


    Torak''s wolf put his paws forward as he brought himself closer to her, he nudged her nose that coaxed a smile formed on Raine''s lips, the first genuine smile from his mate as she looked more dazzling than ever.


    He nudged her cheeks once again to make the smile last for a little bit longer and it did, it almost like she was giggling.


    Everything looked fine and was in good pace until the wolf caught a presence of something, or rather someone, who was standing a few meter away from the bed.


    His tender black eyes hardened when he looked over Raine shoulder as a deep thunderous roared erupted from his chest.

 Chapter 29 - FIREBIRD

    Raine abruptly dropped her hands and covered her ears. Torak''s roar shattered the tense atmosphere in the empty room, shook the ground beneath them and sent chill to her spine.


    The last thing Raine saw was, Torak pounced onto her, her eyes open wide before she abruptly close them, fear to see the impact that would happen once a creature with weight twenty times heavier than hers, smashed her body.


    However, all she felt was the wolf soft fur brushed against her arm as ferocious roar ruptured his throat. Raine cowered away from the source of the sound with eyes still closed.


    She crawled down the bed and hobbled away, didn''t really know the direction that she went. She stumbled as she was trying to stand up and looked at her surroundings frantically.


    At that time, she heard another deafening growls coming from the direction of the other side as the door flew from its hinges, tore and hit against the wall with frightening sound.


    Inadvertently, Raine caught a sight of Torak''s wolf and countless big wolves in different color came into her line of sight.


    The view terrified her as her heart pounding painfully. With sweaty palms, Raine reach the handle of the wardrobe and squeezed her trembling body inside. With both hands that almost lost their strength, she closed the door.


    Raine buried her head between her knees as she closed her ears, trying hard to put her attention elsewhere except the growling and bone- crushing sounds behind the door. But, she didn''t have much choice as the only thing prominent around her was the darkness.


    Outside, battle between the werewolves and five kanimas has ended. All of the Kanimas had been died even before the backup busted down the door.


    Torak killed those shape- shifters in no time, his eyes were glistening with fury in the color of blood.


    While those creatures had been shredded into hundred pieces under the white wolf''s fangs. Blood trickled down his sharp claws and left traces over his white fur.


    He looked more feral than ever, mythical creature that had been walking the earth since centuries ago.


    After everything was over, he shifted back into his human form, but his eyes still bloodshot red, while the rest followed, shifting into their human form one by one.


    Torak''s clothes stained with blood, the color was radiant added with his livid expression, no one dare to talk as they lowered their neck in submissive, too afraid to draw attention of the beast to themselves, including Raphael and Calleb.


    Meanwhile, Torak tore his clothes and threw it aside as he was sniffing the air, he looked the direction where his mate stayed during the fight. He didn''t want Raine to see this side of him, but he couldn''t help when he saw five kanimas were suddenly standing behind his mate with canines elongated, ready to pounce onto her.


    The thought made him shuddered with fear and incensed at the same time. Feeling the anger of their alpha, all of the lycans backed off a few steps away from him.


    Torak raised his left hand as thought he was calling someone, or something.


    A little while later, a burning flame appeared on the tips of his fingers as its landed softly and form a bird as big as a falcon with majestic plumage that grew brightly like a bonfire. This small creature was the famed firebird.


    The mystical bird was flying from Torak finger tips and flew above the carcasses on the floor, as the bird floated in the air it was as if the small bird left dust of fire and burnt the remaining of the kanimas'' bodies into ashes.


    "So cruel."


    A grating voice sounded from the back of the small group of lycans. In unison, more than ten heads, directed their alerted eyes toward the source of the voice.


    It appeared, there was a young man with golden eyes and long curled hair that reached his shoulder had been standing in front of the large wardrobe behind them. However no one realized his presence until he talked.


    They tried to sniff the air, but their sense picked nothing. This man has no scent.


    Torak stepped forward and growled deeper as his claws extended, he walked without hesitation toward him.


    "You better stay right where you are." He drawled, his eyes were glimmered brightly. "Or¡­" He reached out the handle of the wardrobe and was about to open the door when the mystical bird swooped in his direction very fast.


    Despite the incredible speed of the bird, he dodged it easily. However, in the next second, Torak had wrapped his slender fingers on his neck.

 Chapter 30 - I WILL NOT LET ANYONE HURT YOU, NOT EVEN MYSELF

    "Belphegor." Torak called him. "Don''t you dare to come near her." Torak''s voice was deep and deadly calm, but it laced with threat and warning.


    Despite being threatened and the fact Torak Squeezed his neck in tight gripped, a taunting smile grace his lips. "It was only natural for moth to approach the fire." He said with traced of ridicule before Torak strangled him.


    His eyes rolled back on his socket before his body burst into ashes.


    Every lycans in the room were holding their breath as the identity of the man threw in the open.


    Belphegor. The prince from hell. The seven deadly sins.


    Among the crowd Calleb couldn''t help but whispered to Raphael beside him. "Is he died?"


    "No." Raphael shook his head and gestured to the warrior to clean up the mess. "He is not even alive to begin."


    The mystical bird flew above Torak''s head and disappeared like a smoke while the owner was looking at the wardrobe where his mate hid herself with troubled expression. His eyebrows locked together.


    When he felt the movement behind him deceased and everyone presence had gone, Torak reached out the handle of the wardrobe and opened it slowly, he didn''t want to scare his mate than she already was.


    Inside, Raine curled her body, she hugged her legs tightly and buried her head between her knees. She shivered in fear and this made the furrowed between Torak''s brows deeper.


    "My love¡­ " He called her softly and reached out his hand to touch her, however when Torak caressed her head, Raine jerked away.


    Ten minutes ago she looked happy to see his wolf and that made him happy, no, he was ecstatic to know Raine wasn''t afraid of his wolf. She even touched and smiled at him.


    Everything seemed right at that moment, even though it was only a slight changed, but she was starting to warm up with him.


    However, those filthy creatures had ruined their moment.


    [Raph.]


    [Yes, Alpha.]


    [We leave tonight.]


    Torak didn''t wait for his Beta to answer before he cut the link. He had the most important things to do right now.


    Gritted his teeth, he reached out his hands, grabbed her body and pulled Raine into his arms. Hugged her tightly, but not tight enough to hurt her. As expected, his mate struggled to get free from him, her arms were flailing helplessly as she tried to kick him. Her breathing escalated as she was panic.


    However, Torak kept hugging her while caressing her back in soothing motion.


    "It''s me, my love¡­" He whispered into her ear. "It''s fine now¡­ no one will hurt you¡­ I am here¡­" He kept repeating that words again and again until Raine''s attempts to hit him ceased down and she just trembling in his arms.


    "It''s alright¡­" He chanted the words while rocking her back and forth.


    Eventually Raine felt the familiar feeling and scent surrounded her, the spark that erupted all over her body has stronger effect than sedative that would have been injected onto her the moment she lost her sane like this years ago.


    After minutes passed in coaxing and whispering, finally all left from Raine was sniffle and choke breathing. In the other hand, Torak didn''t let her go yet before he was sure that his mate could sense his presence and totally fine.


    Raine raised her head and peered at Torak through her wet lashes.


    Torak couldn''t help but kissed away her tears. "You are safe, my love. I will not let anyone, not even myself, to hurt you." It was hurt him to see her like this. "Do you trust me my love?"


    Raine stared into Torak''s eyes and it took his breath away by looking into those beautiful eyes, he wanted to stare at her forever.


    Unexpectedly, Raine wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face on the curve of his shoulder, she was nodding faintly.


    "Are you alright? Can we go now?" Torak smoothed her disheveled hair and picked her up by holding her tight while Raine latched onto him as if she was an oversize koala.


    Raine didn''t know where Torak would bring her, the only thing that she knew now was; this stranger made her feel safe and, as strange as it sound, she trust him. Thus, once again she nodded.


    Torak snatched a black jacket and brown sweater before he put Raine down on the sofa. He wore the brown sweater with remarkable speed and helped Raine to put the black jacket on. The big sized jacket drawn her small body and with baseball cap on top of her head, no one would recognize her.


    When Raine lifted her head to look at him, his figure blurred, but in the next second he was crouching down in front of her while lifting her feet to put her shoes on.


    Feeling uneasy with what he was doing, Raine leaned forward with intention to tie her own shoes, but Torak had caught her hands before she could touch her feet and kissed them softly. "Let me do it." He said indulgently and lifted the other feet.


    After he was done to take care of her shoes, Torak buttoned up the black jacket and pulled out her hair while saying. "We will go home."


    However, when Torak was holding Raine''s hand while walking toward the door, suddenly Raphael mind- linked him. [Torak we can''t leave now.]


    [What is it?]

 Chapter 31 - CHAOTIC NIGHT

    Raine peered at Torak from under her baseball cap, wondering why he suddenly stopped moving. They were standing right in front of the door, Torak''s right arm was in the middle to turn the door knob while his other hand held her waist protectively.


    With their height, Raine could easily stare at his chiseled jaw and that was a beautiful sight to see. His ocean blue eyes dimmed a few shade while he kept his glazed eyes fixed on the door handle.


    Raine was hardly meet new people when she was in mental institution. However, even when she did meet many people in the orphanage, Raine was afraid to see their mocking eyes, they were thinking that she was crazy and made fun of it, whenever she started to whimper when she saw another creatures nearby.


    Despite the lack of interaction she had with other people, she was definitely sure, with face like him he would get any woman that he wanted as easy as moving a single finger. He was so exquisite.


    Raine was drawn by his alluring charm until she didn''t realize the man had stared back at her with a faint smile grazed his lips.


    "What are you looking at, my love?" Torak asked in amus.e.m.e.nt when he watched her rosy cheek reddened and she abruptly lowered her head.


    Raine was someone who would blush until her neck and ears turned red, and that was what exactly happened to her.


    When the heat crept her face, the spark that erupted from under her chin didn''t help her situation at all the moment Torak urged her to look at him again.


    "Don''t hide away from me." He frowned while caressing Raine''s lower lips with his thumb. "You don''t have any idea how long I had been waiting for you."


    Raine hardly captured what Torak had said as she was busy to calm her beating heart.


    After saying that, Torak whisked her away out of the room.


    It was same like before, the moment they stepped out, Raphael and Calleb had been waiting for them, outside the door.


    However, this time the situation was different. There were too many people for Raine''s liking. It was four times more crowded than when they went to the art gallery this afternoon.


    The atmosphere turned tense and thick until it was suffocating. From the hallway of the second floor, where the elevator stopped, Raine could see the main lobby, one floor below them, had been jam- packed by reporter. All of them were shouting Torak''s name, asking equivocal questions with the sounds that buzzed in Raine''s ears.


    The feeling of being crowded by people and a lot of unfamiliar voices overwhelmed her.


    [Who behind this? Jared?] Torak mind- linked Raphael while he glanced coldly at the crowded people at the main lobby.


    [It''s not Jared, he isn''t brave enough to do that after our warning. Apparently, those people are mobilized by Haco.] Raphael answered.


    [Audacious!] Torak''s grip at Raine waist tightened while his eyes flickered with black color for a second. [What does he have that he can be so brave to do this!?]


    [We are still investigating that.]


    Haco was shape- shifter and he was running one of the most successful media in the country that Torak was visiting. Unfortunately, his seventy percent territory didn''t scope most part of this country, where Haco was a prominent figure here.


    Initially, both of them never had any clash before, but for Haco to start a defiant action like this, this could only mean one thing; he had gained important information that could be used to go against him.


    After all, by living for centuries, along with power he had gained bunches of enemies.


    And the most crucial part was, his enemy would be Raine''s as well. Not to mention if they knew that she was the guardian angel.


    Torak looked down at his mate who was clutching the front of his clothes, he couldn''t see her expression because the cap covered her face, but he was sure that she was frightened.


    "This way Alpha." One of Torak''s warriors showed them alternative exit and led the way.


    Swiftly, Torak put his arms under Raine''s thigh and carried her. "Just focus on me." He whispered on her ears while nudging her cheek.


    Raine did what Torak said. She put all of her attention to the man, who was carrying her. Naturally, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on the crook of his shoulder, relishing his scent. Raine didn''t know what parfume that Torak''s was using, but she liked it nonetheless.


    After the coordination between Torak''s people and the management of the hotel, all of them managed to go out of that place without having another unnecessary trouble.


    At the exit, they met with other Alphas who had attended the meeting, and left the hotel with their respective cars.


    However, suddenly Raine felt something scratched the back of her hand and it dig deeper into her skin, causing her to flinch as she lifted her head.


    Torak felt her discomfort and looked at her grimaced expression. "What happened?"

 Chapter 32 - THE UNSPOKEN ORDER

    One of the warriors opened the car door for Torak, and he placed Raine carefully on the backseat, before he sat next to her.


    Afterward, Raphael took the shotgun seat while Calleb drove the car out of the lot. Along with their car, dozens of cars set off from the scene as well.


    The cars were filled with every respective Alphas of their packs and their warriors.


    However, Torak''s car was flanked by warrior cars on each side and also ten Lycans in their wolf form running alongside with them.


    Their escaped was grandiose, those news hunters couldn''t follow them not because they lost their track, but because they were not able to penetrate the security of Torak''s people.


    Inside the car Torak cradled Raine on his laps and removed the cap. "Are you hurt?" He asked with concern in his eyes.


    Raine raised her right hand and showed him the scratched. It was a long straight line that crossed the back of her hand and was slightly bleeding, as if someone had stabbed her with a needle and dragged it over.


    With the sight, Torak growled deeper as he knew to not shouting in his mate presence.


    [WHO DID THIS!?] But of course he could do it in another way.


    Raphael and Calleb squealed in their seat uncomfortably. "We didn''t see it Torak. There were a lot of people near us." Raphael answered him.


    "But, they were our people." Calleb remarked. "They wouldn''t be crazy enough to hurt their Luna." He mumbled as his eyes glazed over. Seemingly he was communicating with another Lycans present.


    On the backseat, Torak was frowning while looking at the scratched. They didn''t have medicine box in the car as no one ever needed that, as a matter of fact Raine was not seriously wounded as well, but it didn''t put Torak at ease.


    With scratched like that, it only took their kind ten seconds to heal. Thanked to their remarkable healing ability, but for human it would take days, and Torak was not in the mood to see it for days.


    As the blood dripping, he brought her hand to his lips and, out of instinct, licked the wound. Most animal tended to lick their wound to help stopped the bleeding in attempt to heal faster.


    Raine tilted her head and looked at Torak questioningly. She had a habit to lick her wound too, but that''s only if it was a prick.


    However Torak''s action didn''t bother her for too long, as she laid her head on his shoulder and listening to his heartbeat, sleepiness washed over her. Today was a long day and the night was very intense, moreover, it was so comfortable in his arms, hence when her eyelids were getting heavier, she didn''t fight it and fell asleep easily.


    Feeling Raine''s breathing became even as she was asleep, Torak wrapped her with blanket and held her in his arms.


    Night fell as the drizzled of rain pattered against the window car. Tonight was like the night when he met Raine for the first time.


    "Yes, Alpha." Raphael and Calleb replied the unspoken order from Torak in low voice.

 Chapter 33 - BLOODY NIGHT (1)

    It took forty five minutes driving from the hotel to the private runaway where Torak''s private jet had been waiting for them. On the fuselage the word ''Donovan Enterprises Holding, Inc'' embedded.


    He carried Raine gently, who was still sleeping, to board the private jet, but when the noises became too loud, she stirred awake, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She looked around her in confusion, before she landed her eyes on Torak smiling face.


    Torak kissed her forehead and informed her about where they were. He brought her into the bedroom and tucked the blanket until her chin, before coaxed her to sleep again.


    After Raine had fallen asleep, Torak walked out of the room.


    "Alpha, everyone has been waiting outside." Calleb informed him. Along the trip to the runaway, Torak had given them an order through mind- link.


    Seeing how much he valued his mate, his order was predictable, Torak wouldn''t let the person who had hurt her off easily.


    "You wait inside." Torak said curtly.


    Calleb was slightly taken aback when he was ordered to wait inside the room, but then he remembered about Belphegor. That devil had slipped twice from their security easily. No one could guarantee, he wouldn''t appear again here.


    However, before Calleb closed the door and Torak walked away, The Alpha added. "My beast will not please to smell another scent in our mate, so help yourself to stay out of the trouble."


    With the calm warning, Calleb gulped hard when he heard that and glued his back onto the door, afraid to take a single step further.


    Torak had beautified his words, to say his beast wouldn''t be please was another meaning for being tormented.


    Calleb scratched the back of his neck while looking at the sleeping Luna, hoping that nothing bad would happen while he was there.


    ==============


    On the runway, all the Betas and warriors were standing in circle near their respective Alphas, grouping themselves based on their pack.


    All the voices were quieted down when Torak alighted from the airstairs. His black eyes were evidence how livid he was.


    All lycans present were holding their breath when they felt the pressured from the Supreme Alpha. Torak didn''t hold the title for nothing. Only with Raine he would bow his head down and kneel, out of that he was the most feared Lycans along with his brothers.


    Their brutalism was told for generations. No wonder, the moon Goddess herself put the curse upon them. This was the infamous story about Donovan. That was why, Raine''s existence still questionable for the outsider.


    Who exactly she was for the Supreme Alpha?


    Torak trudged toward the blue moon pack, the pack where Xavier was the Alpha.


    The moment Torak was standing in front of him, Alpha Xavier couldn''t any longer ignored the dominance and animosity that oozed out from him. The Alpha of blue moon pack showed their neck, the sign of submissive, however one of the warriors went too far as kneeling on the ground.


    Torak''s deep black eyes, caught the sight and walked toward the warriors. He was literally trembling until his teeth clattering.


    Suddenly, without any warning, Torak strangled and lifted him off the ground. "Tell me, who ordered you to do that?" He asked with voice that devoid from any emotion, his tone was eerily calm.


    In the other side, the spectators gasped loudly. It was so long since the last time Torak had murdered a lycan. However, from the look of it, there would be bloodshed tonight. Seemingly they needed a reminder just how cruel this Lycan was.


    "Alpha Supreme Torak, please calm down your anger." Alpha Xavier tried to put the beast at ease, but he should have known, at this point Torak would stop for nothing. "What did you mean with ''ordered''?"


    Torak smashed the Lycan to the ground, his body hit the runaway with a loud bang sound as he groaned in agony, the next second Torak had snatched a white box from his pocket jacket.


    He sniffed it slightly. "Who ordered you to hurt my Luna!?"


    The scent of Raine''s blood could be smelled from the small white box in Torak''s hand. However, the scent was so faint, so no one would be able to tell if they hadn''t had a closer look.


    "Break his limbs until he confessed." Torak''s eyes flickered with viciousness while two of his warriors approached the Lycan on the ground.


    The next second, the poor Lycan was howling in agony, his body convulsed in pain when the other two lycans easily broke his bone.


    "I will confess! Arrrgghh!!!" The lycan cried desperately. "Spare me Alpha!"


    Torak didn''t give his order to stop until a minute later when the Lycan couldn''t even move a finger. "Stop." He said coldly.

 Chapter 34 - BLOODY NIGHT (2)

    The Alpha was incense to know his mate was being hurt in his presence, but couldn''t let his frustration out due to fear Raine would be afraid with the sight of his outburst. So, this was the time to find out the truth.


    "It was ordered by¡­" The Lycan''s eyes flickered at his Alpha, Alpha Xavier, who was standing not too far from them. His whole body was shaking, due to defying his Alpha.


    Everyone''s eyes fell on Alpha Xavier, while the person in the center of attention, widened his eyes in disbelief. His own people betrayed him!


    "SAY IT!" Torak roared in fury.


    "It was ordered by¡­ Alpha Xavier¡­" He stammered in fear. "Alpha Xavier said to¡­ to take the girl''s blood¡­"


    "That girl is Alpha Supreme Torak''s mate! YOUR LUNA!" Raphael told him, but also declared to the other Lycans about Raine''s identity.


    The statement made every Lycans were stunned incredulously, no one would have thought that Torak would have his other half or they would have a Luna, not to mention this was a Luna from mate bond.


    Was the Moon Goddess had lifted the curse?


    But, of course the most shocking Lycan was the man who had hurt Raine. With his aching body he crawled back toward the furious Alpha.


    "Alpha¡­ I didn''t know¡­ I would never hurt my Luna¡­ I will never do that¡­" He pleaded, dragging his broken body. "It''s Alpha Xavier who ordered me¡­"


    Broken bones took long time to heal and when he moved his body, it was like thousand blades stabbed him consecutively, however in spite of the agony that he felt, his fear was bigger.


    Before he could approach Torak the two warriors from before had held him down, leaving him pleaded desperately.


    "No! He lied!!!" Alpha Xavier refused to acknowledge the accusation, but his body movement told the other way.


    Out of feeling guilty and been exposed, as Torak approached him, Xavier turned aggressive and started to shift in order to defend himself.


    "KILL HIM!" Xavier shouted an order to his Beta and warriors. "I WILL KILL YOU!"


    Looking at their Alpha had turned insane, all the Lycans from the Blue Moon pack eventually knelt down, showing their submissive gesture to the Supreme Alpha. They knew it better to not enrage him. Furthermore, to hurt other Lycan''s mate intentionally or unintentionally was a crime in their community. Not to mention she was a Luna.


    In the other hand, anger had consumed Xavier, his claws retracted and glimmered under the moonlight, his canines elongated as his roar cracked the night.


    He was actually shift into his black wolf and lunged toward Torak, trying to attack him. However, before he successful laid his claws on him, a bronze color wolf had bit him first on his neck and smashed him on the ground.


    The black wolf skidded a few meters away before he stopped and lunged forward for another attack, but this time he was surrounded by ten wolves that took him down easily.


    Sounds of bone- cracking and deafening howl shattered the ground.


    The Blue Moon Pack member were shaking, their body trembling by the sound of their Alpha was being demolished. No matter what, Xavier was still their Alpha and shared the same bond. They could feel his agony and rage through the bond also his hollered for backup through the mind- link. It took all of their might to forsake the command.


    Torak''s rage was enough to make them rooted on the ground, didn''t dare to take a single step without his consent.


    And it didn''t take long time for Torak''s warrior to put the black wolf Alpha Xavier to his death. Once the sound of the battle had ceased down, the ten wolves dispersed. Behind them, a big black wolf had laid death, almost unrecognizable.


    Alpha Xavier from the Blue Moon pack was no more. He was beaten up by ten wolf warriors and it was not an honorable death. As Xavier still held the Alpha title it should be Torak, who finished him off, but Torak didn''t have any intention to give him that honor.


    "With this, I, Torak Donovan, the Supreme Alpha of all Lycantrophes, bestow an Alpha title to Beta Ryan of the Blue Moon pack! May you carry out your duties well." After the death of the Alpha, Torak pointed Xavier''s Beta as the new Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack. "Welcome your new Alpha!"


    All the Lycans with rank below an Alpha, especially from the Blue Moon pack knelt before their new leader while the other Alphas simply gave Ryan nodded in acknowledgment. In the other hand, Ryan was flabbergasted with the new title, but he was quick to recover and thanked Torak.


    After that, Torak walked toward the injured lycan. He was trembling with the sight of his previous Alpha, who had ordered him to do this.


    "Supreme Alpha Torak¡­ please¡­ I didn''t know¡­" He pleaded.

 Chapter 35 - BLOODY NIGHT (3)

    His body convulsed when Torak grabbed his neck and his eyes turned red. "''Didn''t know'' is not an excuse. You should have known better before you hurt what is mine." Torak squeezed his neck tightly and with the last gurgled sound, his body laid motionlessly on the ground.


    Torak stood up and declared. "This is the end that you will get if you come after me!"


    The other Lycans present fell silent in fear by the scene unfolded before their eyes. It was killing the chicken to warn the monkey. Torak generously gave them a direct example of how they would end up by trying to go against him.


    Torak''s eyes were still red when he scoured the vast runaway, but didn''t find what he was looking for. With the last glanced to the moon above, he walked back to his private jet.


    In the other hand, within the dark blanket of the night, two pairs of golden eyes were staring right at the commotion in the private runaway with disdain smile.


    "Ck, Xavier is imbecile, he is ended up death and we get nothing." A beautiful woman with pony tail high atop of her head and white tutu dress was crouching down beside a shirtless man who wore only dark cargo pants.


    "It''s predictable." He said lazily as he plucked wild grasses around him.


    "Hey, do you think what that Lycan just said was for us? Why I have a feeling that he knew about the true mastermind behind this?"


    "I guess so." The man laid his back on the grass lazily, his golden eyes flickered with annoyance.


    "Belphegor, they will take off!" She shook him anxiously. "Don''t we need to give a chase?"


    The Sloth yawned lazily and put his arms on the back of his head as pillow. "Why in rush? He will bring her to his den."


    The girl scoffed, "That will be a problem. He is stronger there, the barrier is not as easy to penetrate as the one they put here. You can''t walk in as you wish. Moreover, if you have a chance to come near that mute woman, why don''t you draw her blood yourself?" She blabbered on and on.


    "Are you out of your mind? I have not fix this yet." He lifted the finger that had touched Raine''s blood before, it was charred and ulcerated.


    She frowned, her Tutu dress was fluttering with the wind when she turned around and was about to leave. "We have to kill her soon, before she realizes her power and those Lycans use it to go against us."


    "Everything is under control. No need to rush anything." Belphegor waved his hand and closed his golden eyes. "Moreover, it''s not necessary to kill her. We just need to ''taint'' her."


    The girl smirked and her intoxicating smell lingered when she left. "Until next time, Belphegor."


    "Until next time, Lilith."


    ==============


    Raine stirred awake by a faint tingling sensation that lingered on her back and her h.i.p.s. Someone was tracing mindless circles on the surface of the shirt that she was wearing to sleep.


    Her thick eyelashes fluttered like rose petals in the wind, her deep breath hitched the moment she realized Torak''s presence. Her eyes flew open, showing her alluring innocent stare that he couldn''t resist.


    Leaned over, Torak forced her eyes to close by kissing them. "I have been trying to wake you up since an hour ago." He said softly.


    Looking at her sleeping face while caressing her cheeks was the so called waking her up in Torak version.


    After the disgusting night, the scene of his sleeping mate was salvation for his bitter soul, hearing the rhythm of her heartbeat, help him to sleep faster. She was so pure until he felt as if he was being purified by just touching her.


    Meanwhile Raine still disoriented after waking up, but after her surprised to see Torak next to her, she started to relax again, because this was the person whom she felt safe with.


    How strange her feeling, by only knowing him for days, she had trusted him as if she had known him for her whole life.


    Rubbing her eyes, Raine snuggled closer to Torak, seeking for warmth.


    The Lycan, who appeared so beastly last night, chuckled. He was very pleased with this progress and didn''t mind to let her sleep a little bit longer.


    Torak was cuddling Raine close to him and playing with her black hair.


    It was bliss for having her in his arms.

 Chapter 36 - WELCOME HOME (1)

    The plane began to descend toward the brightly lit runaway and once the plane landed Torak help Raine alighted from the airstairs onto the tarmac.


    The bright sunlight was blinding Raine''s sight as she pulled the baseball cap lower, she was still wearing the black jacket that she wore before.


    The runaway had been cleared and Torak''s group walked toward the cars near the terminal. Along the walk, Torak kept talking about important matters with Raphael while keeping Raine beside him.


    While walking to their cars, Raine and Torak were surrounded by the warriors as Raphael walked beside Torak and Calleb behind them.


    It was the first time Raine was being outside and could enjoy her surroundings, without being afraid that some strange creatures would attack her.


    With Torak beside her and the feeling of his warm hand on her h.i.p.s, he made sure she didn''t fall behind. As she couldn''t catch up with his long and hasty strides, it was Torak who adjusted his pace that caused the whole group walked slower than usual.


    Once they were near the yellow sport car, Torak opened the car door as he put his hand atop of Raine''s head when she got in, made sure her head didn''t bump the hard frame door, pulled a strap across her chest and buckled her seatbelt.


    This time, Torak decided to drive the car only with Raine while Raphael and Calleb drove other cars with the other warriors.


    "Are you hungry?" Torak asked when he ignited the engine and the car hummed softly.


    Raine shook her head, Torak had made sure she ate enough before their plane landed.


    "Good," Torak took off her baseball cap, tossed it to the backseat and tidied up her hair. He liked the feeling of the soft strands between his fingers. "If you want something, you have to tell me, okay?"


    She nodded and smiled at him, it was a sheepish smile that was enough to make Torak elated. He intertwined their fingers while he was driving and kissing it occasionally.


    Along the road, Raine glued her eyes to the view outside the window. In the orphanage or the place where she was living when she was with her foster family, it wasn''t a big city, it was suburb areas that has sparse population.


    But here, they were surrounded by enormous buildings, crowded streets and many people walked around. It was a fresh view to see. Not to mention it has been long time since Raine could observe freely.


    She loved it and it reflected in her expression as her face beamed with happiness. She smiled brightly under the afternoon sun and nothing that could make Torak happier than this in his long live besides seeing Raine right now.


    As Raine could see, there were not many supernatural creatures around this city, she caught a glimpse of two or three of them, but since they were far away and she was safe with Torak inside the car, she only jerked away from the window when she saw one of them.


    "What happen?" Torak asked when they stopped at the traffic light.


    As an answer, Raine pointed at the certain creatures that seemingly no body notice they were there.


    "It''s alright, they will never hurt you." He assured her.


    It was right, in the Oriole City, which near the heart of Torak''s territory there was almost no supernatural creatures other than Lycans that could reside there without his concern. So, even though Raine would meet some of them, they were relatively safe.


    Raine didn''t give any reaction with that statement, despite she felt save with him, seemingly she couldn''t fully believe his early statement yet. Her years of experiences when she encountered the worse of them weren''t easy to forget.

 Chapter 37 - WELCOME HOME (2)

    Raine resumed to looking at the hustle- bustle city outside that gradually dissipated as they took a long road into the pine forest.


    The deeper they entered the forest the less the cars passed until their cars were off the main road and they were completely surrounded by the pine trees.


    Raine didn''t know how Torak and his group knew which the right direction they should take, but she assumed they had gotten used to this area, hence Raine continued indulging herself with the view.


    It didn''t take a long time before rows and rows pine trees finally ended and in the end of it was a village. Raine was staring out of the window when they were driving on the streets with many people walking on the pavements.


    They drove passed bakeries shop, coffee shop, school, and bookstores as well as houses. It was beautiful.


    The light on each side of the road started to light up as the sun was beginning to rest on the horizon.


    "This is raven village." Torak informed Raine when they stop to let a lady walked across the street. "And all of them are werewolves." He said carefully, looking at Raine deep into her eyes to see how she could handle this information.


    Raine''s eyes widened, fear started to make its way as she clutched her jacket tighter.


    Shit. Torak cursed under his breath when he saw panic in her expression. He thought it was a good think to let Raine knew earlier about her surrounding because she would live here.


    "No. no¡­" Torak unbuckled his seatbelt and cradled her face in his palm, then he realized how small her face was. He could easily crush her if he was not careful enough. "They will not hurt you. They will protect you."


    Raine didn''t look at him, her eyes downcast as tears brimming in her eyes.


    "Don''t cry please¡­" Torak pleaded, his voice was so soft. Nobody would believe this kind of tone was coming from him.


    Raine reached out Torak''s hand and wrote something on his palm with shaking finger.


    [Someone has been trying to kill me.]


    "No, my love." Torak pulled her into a hug, buried her face in his chest.


    After sometimes, Raine pulled herself out of his arms slowly. She couldn''t help, but wanted to be close to him and this feeling still left a question mark inside her head. Why did she act that way when she was with him?


    "I will keep you save, I promise." He said solemnly.


    After the solemn promise, Torak drive in silence, his left hand was still holding Raine''s tightly while at the same time he drove the car along the road.


    The rest of the drive was a haze to Raine as she focused her attention to her joining hand and Torak.


    She believed him when he said he would keep her safe. He had proved it, but to imagining she would live surrounded by the supernatural creatures made her shuddered.


    However, if she thought about it again, even when she lived with normal human, they were not very nice to her either, so why she needed to bother if she lived here? Maybe Lycan was not that bad¡­


    With that thought in her mind, her tensed slightly lifted up. She raised her head with new hope and then she looked at a mansion in front of her. She was astounded and she wasn''t able to take her eyes off the house.


    Compared to her dilapidated orphanage, this mansion was the most magnificent and beautiful place for living that she has ever seen in her life.


    Torak pulled the car into an underground garage as he said. "Welcome home."


    Raine smiled at him, she was excited and delighted to know that she have a place that she could call ''home'' now.


    However that was only the beginning for her new life.

 Chapter 38 - MY EVERYTHING

    The mansion has nine floors and Torak has the whole top floor for himself. He has his own elevator that directly brought the two of them to his floor.


    Inside the elevator, Torak mindlessly playing with Raine hair while his gaze turned into a haze. He looked like a person who was communicating with someone, but there was no words were coming out from his mouth.


    When the elevator door opened an exquisite living room came into Raine''s line of sight. White and gold color dominated the entire interior. The room was so bright with the sunlight coming through from the big windows in each wall.


    The ambient was so quiet and peaceful, but also splendid.


    From the window, one could see pine trees on the backyard and the vague sound of birds chirping. It was tranquility.


    Raine stopped in her track and relished the view in front of her, the warm sunlight fell on her face, giving some color for her pale cheeks.


    "Do you like it?" Torak stopped whatever he was doing and savored the sight of Raine''s smile.


    She nodded vigorously as her smile widened.


    "I am more than glad if you like it." Torak caressed her cheeks. "I will show you our room."


    The words of ''our room'' didn''t go unnoticed by Raine, but the fact that she had been sleeping next to Torak for these few days and he didn''t do any harm to her, added to the strange comfortable feeling that she felt whenever she was beside him, Raine frowned, but to think that she would stay alone inside the room that she didn''t familiar with, not to mention there was this guy who seemingly able to appear wherever he wanted and disappeared like a smoke, the thought of having her own bedroom didn''t interest her.


    Torak and Raine walked in the hallway and once again when she sneaked peek at him, she saw him having that hazy eyes again, she would ask him about this latter.


    Along the corridor, there were many oil paintings hanging on the wall, those paintings were in rich color and as if telling a story.


    They walked pass three more doors before they reached the end of the hallway that Raine assumed was Torak''s room.


    It was white French doors with intricate design in golden color. Torak opened one of the doors and let Raine came inside.


    Like the living room, Torak''s bedroom was spacious and dominated with white color with large glass window, also another French door to the balcony.


    Furniture was arranged methodically, there was a chest drawer, shelves lined with books in one side of the wall and a bed.


    The bed was incredulously large with a sheer of maroon comforter hid the mattress from their view.


    It was luxurious bedroom.


    Raine looked around gleefully and crossed the room to the balcony. There, she could see a backyard and a meadow at the other side of the fence, some kids were playing there.


    Meanwhile, Torak was looking at Raine who was smiling more often than the first time he saw her and this made him contented.


    He was sitting on the edge of the bed when finally Raine sat next to him after she satisfied looking around.


    "Do you like it?" Torak asked the obvious.


    Raine nodded and reached the ipad, she wrote something and showed it to him.


    [Why are you so kind to me?]


    "Because you deserve it." Torak answered in matter of fact tone.


    Raine wrote something again, the question that she really wanted to know since the first time Torak brought her out from the orphanage.


    [What am I to you?]


    Raine was indeed has problem with her trauma from her years of horrendous experiences, but it didn''t mean she was oblivious with the affection that Torak gave to her.


    It was love.


    But, how he could love her if they had just met for a few days? It was impossible.


    "My soulmate." Torak answered, there was happiness and pride that laced in his voice as he looked Raine with eyes that filled with admiration. "My world. My everything." He added and leaned over to kiss her forehead softly.

 Chapter 39 - THE CONFESSION

    Raine didn''t know how she felt now, the words that Torak said sounded like he was confessing to her. The girl couldn''t help but lowered her head and bit her lips as her heart hammered her ribcage in frantic rhythm.


    She didn''t object his kissed on her forehead or the way he touched her, because she felt safe with him, subconsciously she fond of their interaction.


    The way Torak made her feel special or his protectiveness, no one ever did that to her and surprisingly the fact that he was a Lycan didn''t bother her even a bit.


    [But, why? We have just met.] Raine showed the ipad and looked at him with inexplicable gaze.


    Torak leaned his back against the headboard and pulled Raine with him, so she was laying on his chest. The girl stunned, but didn''t brush him off, instead she was quietly listening to his heartbeat, her hand clutched his clothes while Torak caressed her disheveled hair.


    "We, Lycan, have different values in relationship than humans and all of those values center on our mate¡­"


    Torak continued the explanation about how all the Lycans cherished their mate and how painful it was when their other half was getting hurt, so it was almost impossible for their kind to harm their own mate.


    While Torak elaborated all of the information, Raine rested her chin on his chest and looked at him adorably. Sometime, there was a surprise flashed in her bright eyes or confusion, in the other second her brows would knitted together or she would pursed her lips.


    Torak undoubtedly enjoyed with what he saw.


    In the end of the explanation, Raine pointed herself with questioning eyes as though she was asking if she was his mate.


    "Yes, My love. You are my mate." Torak''s voice was so tender and his expression softened when he said those words.


    Upon hearing that, Raine''s cheeks flushed with crimson color, she didn''t know why she blushed, but his words warmed her heart.


    "I love all of you¡­" Torak said solemnly, the words were genuine and sound so pure in Raine''s ears.


    She shook her head after she looked at him in dazed for long time and sat up. Torak frowned and straightened up his back as well.


    Did my words scare her? He was questioning himself.


    It was the first time Torak questioned his words and action. Initially, he didn''t want to rush her, but he wouldn''t lie about what he felt about her.


    Raine wrote something on the ipad and showed it to him with anxious face.


    [I don''t know what I feel about you.]


    Upon reading them, Torak chuckled and cradled her worried expression in his palms. "I know it''s too soon for you and you are not ready for this yet, but you don''t have any idea how long I have been waiting for you, my love."


    How many horrible things that he had done and cursed that he had thrown to the moon, demanding his other half that the goddess had promised him, with no avail until despair came and he was no longer expect anything anymore.


    But, now she was here and nothing he wanted more except being close to her.


    "I am saying that only to let you know, you are the most precious person for me."


    ==============


    It has been four days since Raine came to the mansion and ever since Torak confession that faithful afternoon, he has been very busy.


    Sometime he would leave her for one or two hours with Raphael or Calleb and sometime the two of them would bring another report or doc.u.ment that he needed to sign.


    During that moment, mostly Raine would spend her free time inside the library, apparently he had his own library in his floor with rows and rows shelves full of book, and Torak would keep her accompany while finishing his own matter.


    Today, Torak had gone somewhere with Raphael, and Calleb was assigned to baby sit her. The Gamma was a funny guy and Raine has become accustomed to his presence.


    Since Raine was there, she had just met with Raphael and Calleb, besides Torak of course.


    But, today someone was coming.


    Raine was watching children were playing in the meadow when someone suddenly burst in from the door, there was this door that led to the floor below them, Torak didn''t forbid her to roam around the mansion, but the thought that she would meet another person who she didn''t know, didn''t interested her at all.


    Upon hearing the sudden clamorous sound, Raine ran toward Calleb and out of instinct she hid behind his back.


    A middle age woman in her early forty appeared from behind the door and instantly her almond shaped eyes scoured the room, she proclaimed loudly when she found Raine behind Calleb''s back.


    "There you are!"

 Chapter 40 - THE ANGEL

    The woman opened her arms wide as a gesture to welcome Raine and strode across the room with big smile on her face, approaching the two of them.


    She was tall and a little bit plump in her long skirt with colorful flowers printed on it and white long sleeves t- shirt while her grey hair tied into a bun atop of her head, she has an earring on her nose.


    "Belinda¡­ I think you scare her." Calleb put both of his arms in front of the woman named Belinda with both palms facing to the fore to prevent her from stepping closer. "You can''t approach her like that."


    Belinda frowned as her gaze fell on Calleb and Raine back and forth. "I will not hurt her." She said defensively.


    "I am sure you won''t, but Belinda¡­ Have you met with Alpha Torak?" Calleb asked while hiding Raine behind his wide back.


    He didn''t have a choice, Torak would be furious if he saw his mate in this condition. He knew Belinda wouldn''t hurt her, but her feisty nature would scare Raine for sure.


    "No, I don''t." Belinda shrugged her shoulder, she finally stopped two steps away from them. "I come here directly because I feel her." She smiled widely at Raine, but the girl kept avoiding her gaze.


    Calleb tilted his head questioningly. "What do you mean with ''feel her''?"


    "Nah, you will not understand." She dismissed Calleb inquiry and reached out her hand to grab Raine.


    However, Calleb held her hand before she could touch the scared girl behind his back. "Belinda, you can''t approach her like that." He said it in low voice.


    Since Belinda wasn''t a Lycan, Calleb couldn''t communicate with her through mind- link and the middle age woman apparently ignoring his warning signal.


    "Why I can''t?" She asked him defiantly. "Come here my dear¡­"


    Once again she attempted to reach Raine, but she cowered behind Calleb further.


    "Belinda, I suggest you to meet the Alpha first."


    "Why should I meet him?" Belinda crossed her arms in front of her chest and something happened.


    Her initially grey hair turned red as she getting annoyed by Calleb constant rejection.


    "Oh, shit!" Calleb cursed under his breath. "Belinda, don''t¡­"


    However, before he could finish his sentences, his body had flown a few meters away from Raine before he dropped to the floor with a loud thud sound.


    Calleb groaned as he tried to stand up on his feet again. "Belinda, you scare her!" He growled, but something weighted him down one more time as he stayed on the floor with contorted face.


    "Nonsense," Belinda hissed toward Calleb who was struggling to get back on his feet. "Come here¡­" She extended her hand toward Raine.


    But, she was too afraid to come near Belinda, especially after what she did toward Calleb. She squatted down and tried to avoid her extended hands.


    Upon seeing Raine''s reaction, Belinda hesitated. "What happen to her?" She asked Calleb whose face had turned red.


    "Belinda¡­ can you release me first? This is very uncomfortable." Calleb groaned once again.


    Looking at the woman was distracted, Raine crawled passed Belinda and sat beside Calleb who was kneeling in weird position.


    A little while later with the waving of Belinda''s hand, Calleb sat down with erratic breath while Raine was looking at him with concerned in her eyes.


    "I am alright" He reassured Raine. "Belinda, don''t ever do that again to me!" The Lycan snapped at the middle age woman in irritated voice.


    However, Belinda completely ignored him as she mumbled. "It had been a long time since I saw the last angel."

 Chapter 41 - THE CURSE AND THE ANGEL

    "What do you mean with that?" Calleb stroked the back of his neck that felt stiff. "What angel?"


    Not every supernatural creature knew about the prophecy of the resurrected of the guardian angel, after all guardian angels was the creatures that had been long extinct.


    And even fewer people knew about the promised that Selene, the moon Goddess, had given to the three Donovan''s brothers about their mate.


    "You should read more, young wolf, to sharpen your mind." Belinda scowled as her hair turned into the color of grey again. She looked at Raine in confusion. "So, what is the problem with her?" She pointed Raine with her round chin.


    Calleb was relief that finally Belinda didn''t force her way toward Raine anymore as the girl crept to his side and looked warily at Belinda. He felt pity for her, as Torak''s mate she would shoulder the same burden like the Alpha and judging from her current condition there would be plenty homework to do before Raine could be a decent Luna for all the Lychantropes.


    "You better ask Alpha Torak." Calleb suggested.


    Raine has psychological issues, even though that was the fact, but to talk about it in front of her would not make anyone comfortable to having that kind of conversation.


    "Why I should ask Alpha Torak about this?" Belinda squatted down as well, so she would be in the same eyes level with Raine. She looked at her and asked curiously. "You don''t know what you are, do you?"


    Raine stole a peek at Belinda, confused with her question.


    What am I?


    Right at that time the same door that Belinda had used to come through, suddenly opened. Behind the door, it was Torak who was standing with knitted brows, looking at Raine''s direction.


    With the sight of Torak''s figure, Raine stood up hurriedly and dashed toward him.


    "Arrgh! Don''t!" Belinda shrieked upon seeing Raine action, her plump arms extended to stop the girl, but it was too late.


    Raine had snuggled to Torak''s warm embrace and for Belinda surprised, The Alpha didn''t shove her away, he even hugged her tightly while stroking her black jet hair.


    "What is it my love?" Torak asked her tenderly, so soft until Belinda and Calleb couldn''t believe their ears, the middle age woman''s jaw dropped open.


    Initially, Belinda thought Torak would despise Raine, it was well known that Lycanthropes hated a weak creature and guardian angel could consider as one. Lycan was very authoritative and arrogance, especially an Alpha blood.


    That was why, when she heard how Torak talked to Raine, she couldn''t believe her ears.


    "They are¡­" Belinda gulped, her eyes dilated by the sight how careful Torak treated the angel, the Alpha could have snapped her slender neck in one breath if he wanted. "¡­together?" She ended her sentence with question.


    "Yes¡­" Calleb stood up from the ground and grinned at Belinda, her face filled with shock. "Actually they are mate."


    "Nonsense!" The woman swatted Calleb''s shoulder irritably. "The moon goddess cursed him to live without a mate."

 Chapter 42 - EAVESDROPPING

    Torak who heard that statement growled in irked with Belinda disrespect comment. "She is my mate."


    With the confirmation, Belinda gasped in surprised, she covered her mouth dramatically as her almond shaped eyes widened.


    "Do you know who she is?" Belinda asked Torak incredulously. "She is an angel."


    Raine peeked through her eyelashes as she tilted her head curiously. Torak''s hand was still on her waist while his other hand was caressing her hair soothingly.


    "Yes I know Belinda." Torak replied firmly and he looked down at Raine who was looking at him, her black eyes lit up with questions.


    In these past days, since Torak mostly spent his time with her, he realized one thing; Raine was full with curiosity. She will ask away anything if she was comfortable enough with the person and for now it was only Torak.


    She would have become a chatter person if it wasn''t for her trauma that caused her to not able to speak, the doctor had checked on her and they said, she was perfectly fine, thus her inability to speak was completely coming from her trauma.


    Once she had overcome her fear, she would be able to talk and Torak couldn''t be more excited to hear her angelic voice.


    "What do you mean by she is an angel?" Raphael, who kept silence from the beginning, knitted his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes toward Raine. "An angel?" He reiterated.


    "Let''s talk about this in my study room." Torak said rigidly. "My love, I need to talk to them. Why don''t you wait for me in the bedroom?"


    Raine looked at Torak and the other three people, then shook her head.


    "Library?" He asked again and Raine nodded while giving him a faint smile. "Alright, I will take you to the library." Torak lowered his hand and grabbed her hands instead while walked her to the library.


    Once Torak and Raine had far enough from ear shot, Belinda crept closer toward Calleb as she whispered to his ear. "My love?" She was questioning the way Torak addressed Raine.


    It was so weird coming from Torak''s lips, but at the same time sounded so sincere, without any scruple to hold back the affection that Torak had for Raine.


    "I know right." Calleb whispered back. "I don''t know if he has this romantic side in him."


    "Both of you better be in the study room before Torak catch you gossiping about him." Raphael suggested, he himself had walked halfway toward the room.


    ================


    Torak sat her down on the comfortable sofa and poured her a glass of milk from the fridge, he put the glass down on the table nearby and squatted down in front of Raine.


    "Is it okay if I leave you alone here? Or do you want me to call someone to accompany you?" He asked with concern.


    He was sure Belphegor or other unwanted creatures wouldn''t be able to reach them here, especially since Belinda had returned. But, since he needed to talk with his Beta and Gamma, Raine needed to be alone for a while.


    The girl shook her head in rejection, she didn''t want to meet stranger.


    "Alright. Is it fine if I leave you alone?"


    Raine nodded as an answer and showed the book in her hands, indicating that she would read while waiting.


    "Okay, I will leave you now." Torak stood up and kissed her forehead before he walked out of the library.


    On the ninth floor, the floor that dedicated only for Torak, besides their bedroom at the end of the corridor, there were another three rooms. One of them was Torak''s study room that located opposite the library and the other room was beside the elevator, Raine didn''t know yet what inside.


    The girl read her book obediently for only a minute after the sound of the door from the room opposite them, closed.


    Once she was sure Torak and the other people were inside the study room, she scuttled across the floor and opened the library door gingerly.


    The curious girl wanted to know, what they were talking about, she almost sure that they would talk about her. But, the fact that Torak put her aside made her curiosity grew stronger.


    Later on, she had latched her ear at the wooden door, trying to catch the voices inside.

 Chapter 43 - A FAVOR

    Raine tucked her hair behind her ears and squatted down right behind the door, she focused on the rumbling noises inside, but couldn''t form even a word from the other side.


    All she heard was a buzzing sound that means nothing. She wanted to know what she is and what the meaning of Belinda''s word. But, couldn''t bring herself to ask Torak to let her in, she still didn''t dare to ask anything from him.


    But, curiosity got the best of her. And here she was, lying prone on the cold floor for the sake to hear something from inside.


    Unfortunately for the curious girl, the door was too thick to give her information.


    By now she had been in the same position with her black hair scattered all over her face and floor for fifteen minutes with no avail.


    The moment she felt her feet had turned numb and her neck had turned stiff, Raine decided to give up when the door suddenly swung open.


    She could feel blood drained from her head to her toes that made her face became paler than she already had.


    From behind the door, Raphael was standing tall, looking down at her with curious gaze. "Raine, what are you doing?" He asked after a moment of silence.


    Raine was caught red handed. She was frightened silly until forgot to stand up, her eyes froze guiltily on Raphael shoes.


    A little while later, Torak was crouching down and lifted her in his arms.


    "We will discuss this later." He said as he strode back inside the room.


    Raphael, Calleb and Belinda walked out, leaving the two of them behind the close door.


    This was the second time, Raine was inside Torak''s study room. Like most of the part of the floor, this one also has the same tone color, white and golden.


    Torak sat down on his leather chair with Raine on his laps, the girl was too afraid to lie down on his chest like she usually did as her back turned rigid.


    "Were you eavesdropping, my love?"


    Torak''s voice was devoid from anger and the endearment word was still there, which encourage Raine to lift her head and peeked at him through her long eyelashes.


    Guilty feeling rushed over Raine''s body, even the sparkle from her back where Torak caressed soothingly, couldn''t help it.


    As she looked at Torak, whose expression was still calm and filled with concerned for her, she nodded her head eventually.


    "I will not say that I agree with what you did." Torak lifted her chin, so their eyes were on the same level. "But, I prefer for you to tell me what do you want, rather than go around behind my back."


    Torak loved her, that goes without saying, but he was still an Alpha and to know someone had eavesdropped his conversation, that fact displeased him.


    He was used to have her nearby and ever since she arrived, his floor filled with her scent. Torak would have known if it was somebody else who had eavesdropped his conversation by their scent, but because it was Raine, he didn''t aware about this.


    "Alright?" If it were someone else, he would have punished them severely. However, she is Raine, his mate. No matter what, he wasn''t able to bring himself to scold her. Let alone to hurt her.


    Raine nodded, she knew that she was safe with him, but the authority that reeked from him made the girl shivered. His presence alone was demanding other people to comply.


    "My love¡­" Torak sweetly called her as he wiped away a single tear from her rosy cheek. "I am not angry with you¡­" He leaned in and kissed away a second tear.


    Looking at her sad face, he felt a pang in his heart. His authoritative nature shattered along with the beads of her tears that streaking down her cheeks.


    Raine took Torak''s phone from his front jacket pocket and typed something.


    [I am sorry.]


    "I know you are¡­ come here." Torak placed his palms behind her back and shoulder and pulled her closer to his chest.


    He smelled her unique scent as Raine rested her head on the crooked of his shoulder, she was sobbing without sound.


    "My love¡­ will you do me a favor?" Torak asked after he felt Raine had stopped crying.

 Chapter 44 - I DONT MIND TO BATH YOU

    Lifted her head, Raine looked at the man in front of her who looked worry through her wet eyelashes. Her cheeks flushed red and her kissable lips slightly pursed while she nodded her head.


    "Will you accompany me tomorrow to have a breakfast with some people from the pack?"


    Belinda insisted for Torak to introduce Raine to the rest member of the pack, or at least he must introduce Raine to the members in higher rank, because she would be a Luna one day and the first step she needed to take was to overcome her trauma.


    Indulged her in her own fear wouldn''t help her to recover, she needed to have courage and stepped out by herself. This was important.


    "There will be around twenty people present, and if you feel uncomfortable, you can leave anytime." Torak persuaded her. He didn''t want to force her to do anything that she didn''t like, but this was for her.


    Aside from all the reasons, Torak didn''t want Raine to live in fear like this.


    Raine bit her lips, she felt complicated.


    This was the first time Torak asked her to do something for him and she didn''t want to turn him down, especially after what she did and he forgave her easily.


    [Will you be there?] Raine turned the phone so Torak could read the words on the screen.


    "Of course, I will be there." Torak reassured her. "So, will you come with me for breakfast tomorrow?"


    Reluctantly, Raine nodded her head.


    Tomorrow would be the first time people in the pack house to see their Luna.


    =============


    The sound of chirping birds resounded and echoed on the wall while the rays of sunlight flooded the bedroom and fell on the girl sleeping face.


    Even though she had gained some weight, but she still looked pale and unhealthy, not to mention the scars that scattered all over her arms from continues injection that would peek if her sleeves slightly folded.


    Only by seeing those scars was able to put Torak on edge. The doctor had said not to worry because the scars would fade, but it takes time.


    "Wake up¡­" Torak caressed her arms while waking Raine up, but instead of woke up, she snuggled into his chest. "I know you already awake, why don''t you open your eyes?" Torak chuckled while burying his nose into her hair.


    Raine peeked at him and glanced at the clock on the bedside table, it showed 6.30 a.m, and then closed her eyes again. She didn''t want to wake up.


    Torak had told her yesterday that they would have breakfast with some people from the pack, she agreed, but still reluctant to meet people that she didn''t know.


    "You have promised me my love." Torak reminded her. "Will you break the first promise that you have made with me?"


    With that being said, Raine opened her eyes and pursed her lips adorably.


    "Don''t give me that look." Smiling, Torak leaned in and kissed her eyes, forcing them to shut. "If we don''t go now, those wolves will devour all the food. Come on."


    Torak got off from the bed and strode toward the walk in closet to change into white polo shirt and jeans, however when he walked back Raine was still on the bed and wrapped herself inside the blanket.


    "My love, if it so hard for you to wake up, I don''t mind to bath you." Torak''s lips pursed upward, showing her flirtatious grin.


    The next second, Raine unwrapped herself from the blanket and scampered toward the bathroom.

 Chapter 45 - NEWS IN THE MORNING

    Torak had one arm wrapped around Raine''s waist as they strolled inside. A long table was placed in the center of the huge room that could fit thirty people.


    On the second story, the entire floor dominated with baby blue color, giving calm vibrant and homey. There were not many rooms here, as long as Raine could see it was only two doors in the second floor.


    One that led them to this huge dinner table and the other was a black iron door that gave an inexplicable chill down to her spine.


    As the scene of the dining hall came into Raine''s view, she froze on the spot and pulled Torak''s hand to go back to their bedroom. Fear flooded her mind.


    Looking at his panic mate, Torak kissed her forehead. "It''s alright¡­ it''s alright, we will just eat and leave." He whispered at her patiently.


    Her body was shivering from fear and reluctance that made Torak wanted to bring her back to their bedroom, but to think that it was the first step that she needed to overcome her trauma, he stilled his heart and whispered sweet words to her ear in order to let her know that nothing would happen and he would be there for her.


    The chattering from inside the dining hall had ceased and a group of people who were sitting around the table turned their heads toward their Alpha and Luna.


    The intense stared from them made Raine hid behind Torak''s back. It was terrifying enough to have dozens of people staring at you at the same time in the quiet room.


    Weeks ago, people would stare down at her with contempt and ridicule eyes. Raine would lower her head until her neck hurt to avoid them and now she became the center of attention again. She didn''t like it.


    A slight tremble vibrated throughout her body as her pale cheeks became paler. She clutched Torak''s shirt tightly, hiding her petite body behind him.


    However, in the next second the chattering sound gradually comeback and those eyes no longer looking at her direction as if they didn''t see them, ignoring the two people who were standing in front of the door completely.


    Raine was lightly pulling the fabric of Torak''s shirt as she pressed her face into his back and inhaled his scent.


    "Let''s eat, shall we?" Torak''s gentle voice travelled to her ears.


    Looking up at the man, his expression softened when their eyes met, he reached out his hand to his back and pulled her beside him.


    Grabbing Raine''s small hand and rested his other hand on her waist, he led her to the head of the table, where platters of breakfast foods were laid out. He pulled a chair out for her and pushed it back as she took her seat.


    Those people on the table were chattering without looking at them, as though Torak and Raine were invincible. They minded their own business and chattered as normal as they could. But, Raine still could sense some of them stole a peek at her curiously.


    Torak grabbed her a plate and filled it with the food Raine liked, omelet and bagels. During their time together, he learned that she liked all kind of bread.


    "Let''s eat."


    Most of the time, Torak would feed her and put another omelet when the one was finished while Raine ate obediently, fixing her gaze to her plate only.


    When she was about to reach her glass someone burst inside the room and startled her, the glass slipped from her fingers and once it collided with the floor, the glass scattered into pieces.


    "Someone broke into the prison and took Jenedieth away!" In next second the person who had burst into the room had stood in front of Torak. His face contorted with the information that he carried.

 Chapter 46 - LAST NIGHT

    Last night.


    Inside the darkest room with only the sound of clanking metal, a woman figure was kneeling on the cold stone beneath her. Her arms were spreading on both side of her body as if she would fly the next second.


    However, it was impossible to happen with thick steel tied on her wrist that channeled to the stone wall nearby.


    Because of the thick darkness that covered the room, one couldn''t see how severed her injuries, but from the way she was having difficulty to breath, it wouldn''t exaggerate if people who heard her assumed that she was battered and bruised.


    Her hair fell, forming a curtain in front of her face as she lowered her head in defeat. She was n.a.k.e.d like the day she was born.


    But, nothing could be seen from her except her outline body.


    A little while later a gust of wind blew passed her face, fluttered her hair and a sultry voice echoed, reverberating along the wall.


    "Jenedieth, right?"


    The woman startled, as she was too exhausted to lift her head, she stopped panting for a while to sniff the air, but she couldn''t pick any scent from around her.


    She sharpened her hearing to hear some movement, but nothing. As if, the voice from before was coming from her imagination.


    "Answer me if you can hear me." The voice echoed again.


    "Who¡­ are you?" Jen used her remaining strength to answer her, not very sure due to her senses couldn''t pick up any sign of creatures present.


    "Someone who will bring you out from here if you willing to cooperate." She spoke again.


    "¡­ My father¡­" The first thought that crossed her mind when she heard there was someone coming down to this prison was her father had ordered this strange woman to bring her out from this hell.


    "Nope." She said curtly. "¡­ your father had long gone."


    Jen scrunched her eyebrows as reflection of her confusion. "¡­ mean?"


    "There is no more Alpha Xavier from the blue moon pack." She informed the female Lycan emotionlessly. "He died. Torak killed him."


    Jen''s breath became erratic when she heard this.


    Impossible¡­ her father wouldn''t have died¡­ if so, who would bring her out from here?


    "¡­ Impossible¡­" She muttered, trying to raise her head in order to see the woman who delivered the information, but her neck couldn''t support her intention.


    Suddenly, the thick metal fell on the ground with a loud thud along with her body. The only thing that kept her from curling on the ground was those steel that tied her hands.


    But, now when nothing held Jen, her battered body fell like a leaf. The impact from falling hurt her head greatly, for a moment she felt almost slipped unconscious, but she fought the urge as nausea hit her back.


    Jen took in her surroundings, but the thick darkness didn''t allow her to catch a glimpse of the mysterious woman.


    "Impossible?" The voice sneered. "What is the impossible? We are talking about Torak. Killing is not impossible for him."


    Her father was an Alpha! How could Torak kill him without second thought? What crime her father had committed? Was it because of her? If her father died, who would help her out from here?


    Terrified and a deep panic swam around her brain, making it hard to breath, making her crazy.


    "Who are¡­ you?" Jen managed to let out the question from her lips before the real darkness consumed her as a faded sound of answer could be heard from the woman.


    "Lilith."

 Chapter 47 - THEY WERE AS GOOD AS DEAD

    The prison where Jenedieth was being held was an hour away from the Raven village.


    Torak brought his Gamma and ten warriors with him. He left Raphael to watch over Raine as he was the strongest and most trusted Lycan for him. Actually, he didn''t want to leave her behind, but prison wasn''t a good place to start Raine''s therapy.


    In any case, it would only make it worse.


    His little mate insisted to see him off, thus she came all the way to the garage on the bas.e.m.e.nt.


    "I will leave you with Raphael and I will return as soon as possible. Alright?" Torak cupped his mate''s face tenderly before he kissed the tip of her nose.


    Raine closed her eyes and felt the sparkle that erupted from the kiss. She liked it.


    "If you want to go somewhere, Belinda will accompany you." Torak glanced at Belinda, who was standing behind Raine. He didn''t want she trapped inside the mansion for whole time. This was her pack and he wanted her to familiarize herself with it.


    Originally Torak wanted to walk her himself today, but with the news that came this morning, he needed to see what was going on in the prison. How Jenedieth managed to escape.


    Raine followed his eyes and looked at Belinda smiling warmly at her, she nodded and smiled back softly at the middle age woman.


    A screeched of tires from a car that was coming behind Torak''s back was a cue for him to leave.


    "Look after her." Torak said to Raphael while giving a brief hug to Raine and then he left with the other six cars.


    "Alright." Belinda clasped her hands after the last car disappeared from their sight. "Raine, how about we take a walk out of the mansion?" She suggested cheerfully as her joyous radiated from her face.


    "Raine, do you want to take a walk?" Raphael asked her to assure that she didn''t feel pressure with the invitation. "If you don''t want we can go back to your room."


    "No way. What is good in that floor?" Belinda grumbled like a nine year old child, looking at Raine eagerly. "We have talked about this yesterday, young man."


    Belinda took a step forward, but Raphael swiftly shielded Raine behind his back. "And you agreed to not force her to do anything that she didn''t want." His voice was firm, almost as stern as Torak.


    Belinda didn''t act as impulsive as yesterday when she was facing Calleb, there was a gesture of respect when she stepped back.


    "Would you like to go with Belinda?" Raphael turned back and asked her.


    Raine looked at Belinda who was offering her best smile, trying to prove to her that she was harmless. Their first encounter was rather rough when Belinda tried to choke Calleb and that scene still etched in her memory.


    However, looking at her again, she wasn''t as scary as yesterday. Furthermore, Raphael would be with her, so she thought everything would be fine.


    Eventually Raine nodded and pointed at the direction behind Belinda.


    "Why? What happen?" Belinda turned her head to look behind her back, but it was only a door to the mansion. "What with me?" She asked in confusion, wasn''t quite understand why Raine pointed her.


    "Do you want to go to the meadow?" Raphael quickly picked up the missing word.


    Raine nodded again.


    The meadow''s direction was indeed behind Belinda''s back.


    "Oh." The middle age woman slapped her forehead in understanding. "I don''t think about that. Then let''s go to the meadow!" She said enthusiastically.


    ==============


    The fa?ade of the prison was an abandon big house with two floors that has a taste of a middle ages, with maroon bricks as the foundation.


    Despite the six meter tall wall that surrounding the area, the word "Private Property" was hanging on the huge steel gates at the entrance to prevent curious people and another uninvited creatures to trespass this place.


    However, seemingly this precaution meant nothing to whoever people that had come last night.


    A young werewolf led Torak and his Gamma to the second floor while the rest of ten Lycans were standing on guard outside the house.


    "Jimmy, are you sure there was no sign of brute force?" Calleb asked the person who led them inside the house.


    "No, it''s like the other party was walking in and out without anyone tried to stop them." Jimmy answered, tiredness was vivid on his face. "But the guards from last night somehow end up like this¡­"


    With that word, Jimmy opened the door to another room in the second floor, this room was an infirmary room with two rows of beds on each side.


    There were around twenty beds and all of them were occupied. In every bed were lying lifeless men with their eyes opened slightly in murky stared.


    Their faces were pale and devoid from any emotion.


    "What happen to them!?" Calleb exclaimed when they approached the nearby bed.


    Lying there was a young man with brown frizzy hair, staring into nothingness. Calleb waved his hand in front of the young man''s eyes but there was no reaction, even when he poked his cheek, his head slightly move to the other side, still there was no response.


    "I don''t know. The morning shift found them already like this. Only after we had put the night shift here, we realized Jenedieth''s cell was opened and she was nowhere to be found." Jimmy explained.


    "How they end up like this?" Calleb grumbled, his fist clenched tightly.


    "Succubus." Torak said with clear voice. His eyes zeroed in to the eyes of the person who was lying on the bed, in front of him.


    "Succubus?" Calleb and Jimmy reiterated in the same time, their eyebrows shot up while their nose scrunched in distaste.


    If it was succubus, then those people were as good as dead.

 Chapter 48 - FURIOUS

    "Call sapphire over, see if she can do something with them." Torak instructed.


    "Yes Alpha." Jimmy nodded and went out of the room.


    Sapphire was the head healer in Raven village, it was very rare for her to make an appearance, but if she did appear then the situation was alarming.


    Since the victims could do nothing except staring blankly, there were only two healers attended inside the room, when they finished their check up, one of them with short hair walked timidly toward Torak.


    "Alpha, if it was Succubus, then nothing we could do with them." She said meekly, glanced at those people from her shoulder.


    "Are they all the victims?" Torak asked the healer without spared her a glance.


    "There are twelve werewolves died." The young healer lowered her head in regret. It was too late for them, when she arrived they had gone.


    Calleb growled deeply upon hearing that, something like that had never happened before. It was the first time they were being attacked in their own territory.


    Torak swept his gaze for the last time to the entire room before he turned around and walked out of the door.


    For outside world he was the cold- blooded and feared Alpha with limited words, the legendary beast that once turned the astral world upside down with his ferocious act.


    The Donovan.


    The cursed Lycan.


    The living destruction.


    Torak trotted down the stairs and went down another stairs to the bas.e.m.e.nt, where the cells located.


    It was so dark and gloomy with depressing feeling lingered in the air, the only lights in the hallway were coming from medieval torches that were hanging on the stone wall.


    People would think they were being traveled through the centuries ago, once they set a foot there. Nothing has a touch of medernation down there.


    All the werewolves, who were standing on guard, lowered their gazes when they met Torak, looking at the Alpha''s eyes considered as a challenge for Lycan and that was the last thing that they wanted.


    However, even without that knowledge, the dominance aura from the supreme Alpha was enough to subdue them.


    The ray of sun couldn''t penetrate that place that caused the smell of fungus and moss dominated their nose.


    These smells upset their nose as Calleb kept rubbing his multiple times.


    But, Torak remained unbothered and walked in silence with Calleb followed behind him closely before they stopped at the end of the hallway.


    Two guards greeted them and opened the steel door of the cell.


    It was the cell where they retained Jenedieth. On the floor, two thick silver chains that initially used to hold Jenedieth had cut into two.


    Whoever had done that was definitely not a Lycan or werewolf as their kind couldn''t resist silver.


    Looking at that, Torak''s eyes dimmed, his blue ocean eyes flickered to black color, gritted his teeth to contain his anger.


    He should have killed that woman the moment he killed her father from hurting his mate before another creatures took them away for whatever purposed they had.


    The longer they were there, his beast became more on edge as his claw was threatening to come out from his fingernails.


    "Let''s go back." Torak said coldly.

 Chapter 49 - HIS ONLY SOLACE

    "After this you should step on it¡­" Belinda step on the ground and stomped on it a couple times.


    Raine, who was crouching on the ground looked up at the plump woman with her doe- eyes, she was holding a cup of water.


    "Now, pour the water." Belinda said, panting slightly.


    Following the instruction, Raine poured the cup of water on the top of the soil that Belinda had stepped on it.


    "Okay, everything is completed. We have to wait the seeds to sprout in ten days. Along that time we need to water them, okay?" Belinda informed the girl.


    Raine nodded her head as she looked at the soil enthusiastically. This was the first time she did something like this and she was excited to see them grow.


    "You are so adorable." Belinda pinched her cheeks.


    Not far from them, Raphael was talking with someone over the phone. He talked in low voice, but the frowned between his eyebrows, telling them that wasn''t pleasant news.


    "Belinda, you need to go to ''Burg'' immediately." Raphael said the moment he cut the conversation on the phone.


    "What happen?" She asked while cleaning her hands from dirt.


    Raphael glanced at Raine and continued. "There is serious matter happened and you are needed there, Calleb will be there to fill you in." Burg was another way to call a prison for them.


    Belinda also glanced briefly at Raine, who seemingly oblivious with their weird gazed.


    "Alright, I will be there." Belinda walked hastily toward the village.


    "It''s alright Raine, Belinda has something to do, we will wait here until Torak come." Raphael said when he saw Raine was about to follow Belinda.


    She walked toward the trunk and sat down, waiting patiently for Torak to come while Raphael made another call.


    Not long after that, a car stopped at the near street of the meadow. From afar Raine could see Torak emerged from the blue car and walked toward her.


    Out of instinct Raine jumped down from the trunk and sprinted toward him, caught Raphael with surprised, he was about to chase after her but when he looked at Torak, he stopped on his track and let the girl ran to her mate as he continued his conversation on the phone.


    In the other hand Raine was about to hug Torak, but remembered that her hands and clothes was dirty from planting with Belinda before, therefore she stopped two stepped away from Torak.


    Seeing Raine stop running toward him made Torak frowned in discontent. "What happen?"


    His mate was wearing white long sleeves with blotches dirt on the hem of her clothes and her jeans, her hair was pulled up into a bun, it must be Belinda who did it. She also had taken off her shoes, so she was running barefooted.


    Raine raised her dirty hand to show Torak that she couldn''t come closer or else he would get dirty as well.


    But, getting dirty was the last thing that concerned Torak. Today news and the fact there was succubus harmed his pack, had pissed him off, his blood was boiling with anger. Other creature had attacked his pack!


    It had been a long time for him to feel so agitated, thus, he needed to be with his mate to calm the raging storm within him.


    But, she avoided him just because she didn''t want to make him dirty! Hell with become dirty! He wanted his mate!


    Torak took a large stride and pulled Raine into his arms. He hugged her firmly, careful to not crush her under his strength.


    "I don''t mind, my love." Torak buried his nose on the crook of her shoulder, taking liberty to breathing in her scent.


    The smell of soil after rain, the intoxicating scent that could appease his beast, the scent that only belonged to her.


    His love, his mate, his solace.

 Chapter 50 - NOW ITS PERFECT

    Raine hesitantly hugged him back, putting her dirty hand on his clothes.


    [Torak, we need to go to Oriole City.] Raphael mind- linked him while walking closer toward Torak who was still hugging Raine.


    [What is it now?]


    [There is news about you have taken away Raine.]


    [Bullshit!] Torak cursed. [How about her custody letter?]


    [Someone has been trying to impede the process.]


    Torak growled deeply that startled Raine. "Let''s go back to the mansion, you need to take a bath." Torak released Raine and grabbed her hand, led her to the car.


    [Take care of it.]


    [I will. But, Torak you still need to go to Oriole City. Apparently someone put the news online and caused our stock plummeted, this issue creates commotion within the shareholder.]


    [How dare them, to make issue about this! Subdue them!]


    Raphael walked behind Torak while kept communicating through mind- link.


    [We can''t do it that way. Fifty percent of the shareholders are human.]


    There was rule within the supernatural creatures that couldn''t be broken about human. They couldn''t carelessly kill them or the consequences would be hard to bear. With this single rule human was able to keep their existence or else they would have long gone down to history.


    [Arrange a meeting five hours from now.]


    [Alright.]


    And with that, Raphael was busy again with his phone.


    "Do you want to go to Oriole city?" Torak asked Raine when he helped her got inside the car. Both of them sat on the backseat while a man drove the car away.


    Raine gestured an ''ok'' sign with her hand, but then she showed Torak her dirty clothes.


    "We will leave after you take a bath." Torak kissed her head.


    ==============


    Raine glanced at the digital clock on the table, it showed 12.30 a.m. She was trying to dry her hair with the hairdryer, but it took longer time as her hair was very long.


    Her black hair almost reached her h.i.p.s and very thick.


    Even after Torak walked out from the bathroom, Raine was still sitting in front of the dresser.


    The next second, the hairdryer was in Torak''s hand. "Let me help you, beautiful." He kissed her neck, before he resumed to drying her hair.


    Once Torak was done, he said with mirth laced in his voice. "I hung a dress for you in the bathroom. Let''s see how is it when you wear it."


    Raine walked to the bathroom while Torak changed into business attire. He was wearing dark retro suit that darker than night sky. The neckline of dark silver stripes glowed with a cold l.u.s.ter.


    He looked so stunning and exquisite, his perfectly chiseled face and s.e.xy lips were enough to drive any woman crazy.


    Torak was so perfect and he was her mate. Raine was standing in daze in front of the bathroom door, seeing how he tied his grey tie.


    "Are you done ogling at me my love?" Suddenly Torak lifted his head and looked at Raine in the doorway.


    He had felt her gazed since a minute ago, usually he would feel repulse every time a woman looked at him like that, but with Raine, he felt proud to actually could make his mate captivated by him.


    Raine startled and lowered her head meekly. She was caught when staring at him, it was so embarrassing.


    "Come here, let me see you on that dress." Torak reached out his hand to Raine as the girl walked closer toward him and grabbed his hand.


    The comparison between the two was clearly seen. One hand was big and callous while the other was so delicate and small, her fingers were so thin as if Torak could break them in one flick.


    Raine was wearing a black long casual dress with cut on the left side, the cut wasn''t very high, it only showed her calf and long beige color cardigan as an outer.


    She didn''t look too flashy or so fancy, but simple and refined, just like Torak''s taste and this style suited her well.


    Her style maybe looked ordinary and far from being glamour, but people from fashion industry would click their tongue with the astronomical price of these two clothes.


    His beloved mate didn''t deserve cheap goods.


    "You looked so beautiful my love." Torak said in hoarse voice, his eyes zeroed on her innocent pale face. "You just need a bit color." He rested his hand on her nape as he pulled her closer by holding her waist.


    Raine fluttered her eyelashes when she looked at Torak and closed her eyes when he leaned over. She assumed he would kiss her forehead like he always did.


    However, the next second Raine could feel her warm breath caressed her cheek, curiously she opened her eyes and saw his face was so close to her.


    Her mind froze as she looked at Torak''s lips touch hers. It occurred only for a second, it wasn''t a real kiss, but Raine blushed attractively.


    She lowered her head to hide from him, but of course it was a naught attempt. She was in his arms and he refused to let her go, no after he lifted her chin and looked at the tinge crimson color spread on her cheeks.


    "Now, it''s perfect." Torak grinned triumphantly. "Let''s go." He grabbed her hand and whisked her out of their bedroom.


    While Raine was still in daze, she touched her lips as her heart quivered with glee.

 Chapter 51 - A YOUNG GIRL IN THE OFFICE

    Along the way from the Raven village to the Oriole city, Raphael and Torak were talking about business, the topic that Raine couldn''t comprehend.


    Hence, most of the time she was looking at the view outside of the window, she never felt so safe and happy like this in this past years.


    Then, she caught a glimpse of the newspaper on the armrest console, the title made her curious as Raine took it and read with knitted brows.


    "CEO TORAK DONOVAN HAS AN AFFAIR WITH AN UNDERAGE GIRL" Was the highlight of the news.


    Raine was still seventeen and by law, she was still a minor, as for Torak¡­ she didn''t know how old he was, he looked young enough to be a CEO. But nevertheless, he was a grown up man, who looked like in his twenty eight more or less.


    But, it didn''t matter, since Raine birthday would be coming a few months later. She was mature enough for the girl in her age.


    Experience taught her everything and matured her way of thought.


    But, Torak and Raphel apparently were talking about this. Somehow, this issue caused trouble for Torak''s company and they were going to Oriole city to settle down this matter.


    Before Raine could read further what was written on the newspaper, Torak had snatched it away. "You don''t need to read this." He said softly and threw it to the front seat where Raphael was sitting on the shotgun seat.


    Raine frowned and wrote something on her ipad. [Did I trouble you?] She looked at Torak with her bright eyes that filled with concern.


    "No, you will never a trouble for me, my love." Torak caressed her cheeks with his fingertips. "Never."


    Raine could hear how sincere the voice was and he meant every word that he said.


    Strangely, every time she was with him, all of her bad memories, all the fear that she felt and all the pain during her time in the mental institution were fading away slowly, with only his presence.


    Given the fact that all of this was happening almost magically, but if she think about this again, Torak''s existence and his kind also made no sense.


    Thus, Raine was not able to comprehend it, the thing that she knew now, as long as she was with the man beside her, she would be safe, he would do everything to keep her safe.


    She didn''t know how she knew, she just felt it that way. And that was exactly what Torak would do.


    It took three hours before they finally arrived in front of the tallest skyscr.a.p.er in the city that belonged to Donovan.


    The car went to the bas.e.m.e.nt and parked in the reserved place for Torak. Beside the park lot, there was private elevator that would bring them directly to Torak''s office on the 81st floor.


    Torak''s office was so simple and well organized with floor to the ceiling window in one side that showed amazing view of the whole city and just a blank white wall on the other side. Raine started to think that he was very keen of being ''a watcher''.


    There were two big sofas in the middle of the room while Torak''s desk was on the opposite of the elevator, so he would be able to see whoever came into his office, whether they came through an elevator or from the door.


    "The meeting will start in forty minutes on the 77th floor." Raphael informed Torak. "I will check the preparation."


    With that, Raphael left Torak and Raine alone.


    "Bring me a glass of warm milk." Torak said through the intercom while Raine was sitting on the sofa, flipping the magazine.


    There was an answer from the other side of the phone, a sweet voice of girl.


    After Torak cut the link, he walked toward her and stroked her head, "I will be there if you need me." He gestured to his desk, seemingly he had a lot of work to do.


    Raine smiled and resumed flipping magazine on her hand when the door opened.


    From outside, a young woman with brilliant smile and overly short skirt came inside the office, she brought tray with a glass of milk atop of it.


    Her smile slightly faded when she saw Raine''s back.


    She is a young girl!


    Is she the young girl in the rumor?


    The secretary dazed, lost in thought.

 Chapter 52 - SHAME

    This morning, suddenly the newspaper ''THE SUN'' released news about Torak. Of course it became a trending topic in online media. It was so frenzy there.


    News about Torak was having an affair could start a ruckus, not to mention it was a minor girl that he dated. The article has raised a furor among the business world and socialite.


    People started asking question and forming assumption, their PR was at lost. It was news about their CEO after all, they couldn''t careless with it and couldn''t release any statement without further discussion with Torak.


    Not only that, the shareholders started to make another fuss when their stock plummeted.


    In short, they were in uncontrollable state.


    But, here Torak was sitting behind his desk, seemingly unaffected with the news outside, he even brought along the girl with him.


    Was the rumor outside right? Torak actually like an underage girl?


    The secretary mindlessly brought the tray toward her boss, but he stopped her mid- way. "Give to her." Torak said without lifting his head from the stack of doc.u.ments in front of him.


    "Yes, sir." She walked back toward the girl on the sofa and put the glass on the table in front of her. "Here your milk." She put the glass very slow in order to catch a glimpse of her face.


    Raine didn''t disappoint her, she raised her head and smiled sweetly at her.


    She was indeed very young and innocent, the girl''s eyes shone brightly as if she was saying ''thank you''.


    But, then the secretary remembered, there was a commotion in online media not long time ago. It was also about Torak carried a girl to go inside his hotel room. Unfortunately, the picture had taken down not long after it was released and also the picture didn''t catch the girl face.


    Thus, she couldn''t confirm if the girl who was smiling at her now was the same girl with the one in the hotel.


    Actually, nowadays a girl in her age had been starting to date someone, regardless in the eyes of law they were still underage. It wasn''t an odd issue, but just because the person as the subject now was Torak Donovan the result came out differently.


    The cold- blooded and mysterious CEO who had been keeping his private life in secret.


    "You can leave now." Torak glared at the secretary who was staring at Raine absent- mindedly.


    "Oh, yes¡­ yes sir." She was stuttering and scurried away.


    Raine looked at the closed door and paid no mind about the secretary behavior as she drank her milk.


    Right at 5.10 p.m, Raphael came back and said that the shareholders were waiting for him.


    "You can wait outside Raph." Torak marched toward Raine and sat beside her when Raphael once again left them alone.


    "My love, you have seen the news, it make quite uproar here and now I will meet twenty people whose demanding my explanation."


    Torak paused when he saw Raine was typing something on her ipad.


    [What will you explain to them?]


    "I will tell them about you." Torak said in matter of fact tone.


    Raine bit her lips when she heard Torak''s answer.


    "What is it? Tell me." Torak grasped her chin and released her lower lip, she would hurt herself if she continued doing that.


    [What if they check my background? And they find out that I was a patient in mental institution?] Raine was nervous when she showed this to Torak, her eyes cast down.


    "Honestly, I don''t mind even if they find out about that. But, if you feel uncomfortable with this, I will make sure no one will talk about it."


    Torak reassured her, it bothered him to see Raine was very anxious with the issue about her past life.


    [I will embarrass you.] This time, a tear escaped her eyes.


    Raine felt ashamed of herself and more ashamed to Torak who has to burden this disgrace. He was humiliated by the outside world because of her.


    "No, my love¡­" Torak locked his brows tightly, when he saw Raine''s tears transform into a crazy cry. "You will never embarrass me." He hugged her and caressed her back, hoping it could sooth her emotion.


    Raine hugged him back tightly. Torak was the first person who was treating her wonderfully, he never raised his voice toward her or hurt her in anyway.


    And the only thing that Raine gave to him was trouble and shame.

 Chapter 53 - YOU WILL NEVER BE MY DISGRACE

    "My love, don''t say something like that. You are my pride and will never be my disgrace. No matter what had happened to you in the past, it wasn''t your fault." It hurt him greatly when he felt Raine''s body trembling in her cry.


    "I need you to be strong." Torak held her shoulders and looked at her in the eyes. "I want you to be strong."


    Raine blinked her eyes, which caused another tears streaming down her cheeks.


    "Can you do this for me, love?" Torak said very softly.


    For outside world he was a man with a few words, but for Raine, he could use cajolery words all day just to make her felt better.


    Raine looked at the sincerity in his eyes, the warm feeling that exuded from them and unequivocal safety that he could provide only by his presence. The girl reached out her arms and hugged his neck tightly while nodding resolutely.


    She had been strong enough to survive until this day, and now it would not be so hard to be strong for him.


    Because she wanted to be with him.


    Torak let Raine clung to him as long as she needed to calm herself down, even though he should be in the meeting room twenty minutes ago.


    Outside the office, Raphael had mind- linked him twice, but Torak simply blocked him. He didn''t want his time with Raine to be disturbed and his Beta knew better to not rub the Alpha in the wrong way.


    Three minutes later, Raine released her arms from his neck and rubbing her swollen eyes. Despite her messy tears, she looked so adorable in Torak''s eyes, actually no matter what she did, he would be still mesmerized by her in the end.


    [What should I do?] Raine raised the ipad when Torak was in trance, admiring the angel in front of him.


    "Not much." Torak tidied her hair, "I just want you to be there."


    Raine tilted her head, didn''t understand what Torak wanted to do.


    "Finish your milk and we will go."


    ==============


    Along the way to the meeting room, Torak held Raine''s hand, ignoring all the eyes from his workers who looking at them furtively.


    All the employees thought Torak would ignore or gave strong rejection with the issue that roaming wildly outside, they never would have thought that their cold- hearted CEO brought the girl right to the board on directors meeting.


    In their imagination, someone who would finally capture their boss'' heart was a woman like Ms. Jenedieth an independent woman with strong character and business minded.


    Not someone like this innocent girl, who cowered beside Torak when they walked past the staff.


    They never would have imagined Torak Donovan stumbled upon this kind of rumors, moreover to walk hand in hand with a girl very much younger than him.


    The girl actually not bad, but her character didn''t suit a role as their lady boss. Of course they kept this opinion for themselves. They still needed job to fend for their life.


    [Torak, is it necessary to bring Raine into this meeting?] Raphael mind- linked him, he was walking a step away behind Torak and Raine.


    [It is not necessity, it''s a must.]


    [But, Torak¡­]


    [I don''t like being questioned.]


    With that stern warning, Raphael stopped whatever complains he wanted to say.


    [Are you sure Raine will be fine if you bring her inside?] Raphael asked while opening the meeting room''s door for them.


    [She will be fine.] Was Torak assured reply.


    The moment the door was opened a rowdy conversation occurred inside could be heard. Those shareholders were very displeased with Torak''s behavior. They had been waiting for his appearance since thirty minutes ago.


    In business world, time is money. Being late in the meeting was considered rude attitude and unacceptable.


    Moreover, Torak was late deliberately, all of them knew this because Raphael, his personal assistant, had said that he was in his office. It was impossible to take half an hour time to go down four floors below.


    He was undoubtedly overbearing and rude.

 Chapter 54 - THE MEETING

    The twenty upset people were ready to rebuke the young CEO about his rudeness, despite he has the biggest share, his age was still far below them, in their own assumption, so it was necessary for Torak to respect the elders.


    However, the moment Torak appeared from behind the door, the coldness that exuded from him and the sudden tense that filled the air, astonishingly managed to shut them up, ceased down the complained and urged them to stand straight compliantly.


    Torak swept the room with his blue sharp eyes, looking at their cast- down one.


    Their anger at having to wait suddenly disappeared, evaporated into thin air as the ruthless King from business industry appeared before their eyes.


    They even forgot what they wanted to complain and hoped Torak didn''t hear it. His strong aura was not easy to bear.


    furthermore to their utter shock, not only his arrival brought chill down to the shareholders'' spine, he was actually holding a girl''s hand.


    "Mr. Donovan, this¡­ is she the rumored girl¡­?" One of the twenty people present managed to open his mouth and questioned the girl identity. Despite the air conditioning has provided them with the cold air, the shareholder was still sweating bucket by now.


    Torak didn''t bother to answer, he held Raine''s hand and sat her on his seat before he spoke to the rest of the people.


    "Sit." It was curt order and his voice neither loud nor stern, but they do as they were told nonetheless. Apparently, his Alpha''s tone not only affected their kind, but also has similar impact to human.


    Torak was born to lead.


    In the next second, the twenty people have sat on their own respective chair while Torak was standing behind his seat, which Raine was sitting, while Raphael stood not far from them.


    "I will make this meeting short and clear." Torak''s rigid voice filled the room. "About the news out there, I don''t think I have an obligation to explain my private life to all of you." His eyes swept their faces one by one.


    All those people could manage was only staring at Raine to avoid the young CEO''s gazed.


    This girl was fragile and probably not older than seventeen years old, her feature was fairly delicate with pale skin, as her gesture could raise any man protectiveness instinct to keep her safe. They didn''t know that Torak was into this kind of type.


    "All of you need to remember is, she is my woman." Torak declared, his voice softened when he said ''my woman'' while caressing Raine''s head. "That''s all I need to say."


    The twenty people, who have rooted their magnificent reputation in business industry like an acient tree, who were older than Torak, whom feared by their competitors because of their influence, actually had to wait for half an hour only to hear three lines of sentences from him!?


    An uproar suddenly broke out when every men hastily hurled their question toward Torak upon hearing he had wrapped up the meeting. They even not started anything yet!


    "You were not explaining anything. What do you mean she is your woman?"


    "Mr. Donovan, you can''t do this. You have to provide us explanation."


    "She is much younger than you, is she even an a.d.u.l.t?"


    "In the eyes of law, is she still a minor?"


    "I think she is still a minor."


    "While we are talking here, our stock drop again."


    One after another questions went on and on. The bustle of their voices were like bunches of bees in Torak''s ears.


    "SILENCE!" His voice boomed inside the room, echoing on the soundproof wall, reverberating to their being.


    Even Raphael frowned by the impact of his tone while Raine flinched uncomfortably.


    Torak squeezed her shoulder gently, reassured her that everything was fine.


    he had the situation wrapped around his finger.

 Chapter 55 - I WANT MORE THAN THAT

    When the room once again fell in the pit of silence, Torak spoke rigidly. "Stand up from your seat for anyone who questions me." There was an animosity behind his calm ordered.


    The twenty people on the seat looked at each other in confusion, they were frowning as if sensing a bad premonition from Torak''s suggestion.


    Eventually there were five people who were brave enough to stand up.


    "Mr. Kim, Mr. Yan, Mr. Alden, Mr. Colt and Mr. Dmitri." Torak remarked coldly.


    He named the five people who was standing and looking at him. Despite their daring decision, if one gave closer look, their hands were trembling by the tension that lingered in the air.


    The second later that passed without a word from Torak was enough to make them starting to regret their choice, but there was no back away from this situation.


    "Anyone else?" Torak skimmed the room, looking for any sign from those people who wanted to defy him.


    After another second with no one wanted to join to be the sixth person, Torak exclaimed. "The five of you can leave my Company!"


    That declaration gave a wave of shock to them. The reason was, the most profitable shares came from his company. Another reason was, to become part of Donovan Enterprises Holding, Inc. shareholder was a prestige.


    Their stock prices were astronomical, even though the stock were plummeting at the moment, it shouldn''t be affect them greatly.


    However, their greedy bone made their mind antsy that now brought another damages to them.


    "Anyone else who still wants to question me, feel free to join them." With the last menacing glanced, Torak grabbed Raine''s hand and walked out from the meeting room.


    "Forced buy- outs from them." Torak said clearly to Raphael that caused another uproar from the five people inside.


    Torak wouldn''t bat his eyes even if the Company was out of business, he could build the new one as he had been living for centuries, a long enough period of time until wealth and prosperity lost its l.u.s.trous appeal.


    The only treasure that he had now was the girl in his arms, anything else could get lost from his sight.


    "Mr. Donovan, you can''t do this to us!" Mr. Colt yelled.


    "Mr. Donovan, what do you mean by forced buy- outs!?" Mr. Dmitri shouted to the close door.


    They were about to follow Torak and asked him to change his mind. Initially, it wasn''t a big issue, but why they lost their precious shares?


    The five of them rushed toward the door, but Raphael held them back helplessly. This was much easier to deal with their kind than with these human because he couldn''t subdue them with authority.


    ==============


    After Torak settled down the matter with those shareholders, he brought Raine for dinner. The restaurant was located on the roof of the shopping center and very famous among the socialites, the waiting list could take weeks.


    However, because Torak was the venture capitalist of the restaurant, he had his own room that he could use anytime. This room was exclusive for him with the best view of the city.


    Just like what Raine thought, Torak was so fond of view like this. Either it was in his bedroom, his office and now in this restaurant. He liked the place where he could observe his surroundings.


    This room was very cozy, there was glass door that led them to the open area, but because tonight''s weather was too windy, Torak close the door so Raine wouldn''t feel cold.


    "It is too windy. You will get cold." Torak answered the unspoken question from Raine''s eyes that inquiry why he closed the door. "Let''s eat for now, if you like it, I will bring you here again next time." He persuaded her, who still glued her gaze at the view of buildings behind the glasses.


    At that time, delicious aroma wafted inside the room when the servant served all the delicacies, the smell tempted Raine''s stomach to growl.


    It was a faint sound, but Torak could hear it clearly nonetheless.


    "I should pay more attention to your meal now." Torak said with slight frown between his eyebrows. But, Raine stroke his upper arms and waved her hand as if saying she was fine.


    Torak kept taking care of her during dinner. He put the soup asparagus in a small bowl for Raine and peeling the shrimp shells to make it easier for her to eat.


    Occasionally Torak would feed her until half an hour later Raine was full and satisfied. She showed her slightly bump belly to say that she couldn''t eat anymore only then he stopped and pushed away his plate.


    When Torak went to the washroom to wash his hands, Raine was playing with the remaining garnish, she made two words atop of a plate and showed it to him when he came back.


    [Thx u]


    Raine smiled beautifully when she showed this word to him, but unexpectedly, Torak frowned.


    "Only thank you?" He asked while sitting down beside Raine, pursing his lips and put his elbow atop of the table as he leaned over to his fist. "I want more than a ''thank you''"

 Chapter 56 - I WANT TO TRY SOMETHING

    Despite the knitted brows and frown on his face, his eyes were dancing with mirth. He was teasing her! And when he saw Raine was fl.u.s.tered easily, he was grinning.


    Placing his palms on her cheeks, Torak spoke deeply while looking straight at his mate''s beautiful black eyes. "You are beautiful my angel, you know that?"


    Raine''s low self confident had been bothering Torak, she was the most beautiful creature that he had ever seen, not because she was his mate, but because she was indeed a beauty, adorable and the aura that came from her was so genuine.


    He liked all of her.


    Raine could feel her cheeks heat up, suddenly she confused where she had to lay her eyes under Torak''s intense stared, so she chose to look on his chin, but this gave her a free access to stare at his s.e.xy lips the moment he talked.


    "I want you to know that." Torak caressed her cheeks with his thumb, stared down at her, savoring every inch of her charm.


    "May I try something?" He asked softly.


    Raine was lightheaded with Torak''s enchanting voice, she didn''t even know what Torak wanted to try, but she nodded anyway.


    Torak leaned over very slow as if he was asking permission to move closer. His warm breath brushed against her skin. The tranquility that followed and the quietness seemed to force her to close her eyes and relished the proximity between them.


    Then ever so gently, Torak pressed his soft lips against hers.


    The sparked that erupted between them gave them a thrill. The feeling was surreal. It felt like millions butterflies on her stomach alive and flickering through her veins. Her heart was beating so fast.


    It felt like so natural for her to lean closer, let Torak bit her lips softly before he pulled away.


    He rested his forehead against her. "What should I do to you my little angel¡­"


    Raine didn''t even hear Torak''s helpless whispered as she nibbled her own lips. Torak had just given her first kiss.


    ==============


    Late at night.


    The moment when the darkness engulfed her surroundings and Torak wrapped his arms protectively around her body, Raine''s eyes wide awake.


    She had just woken up and couldn''t fell asleep again, as soon as her mind kicked in, the scene in the restaurant played again and this gave her a sudden urge to giggle.


    When Raine was still in the orphanage, she often overheard girls around her age were talking about their boyfriend, how their boyfriend treated them and how they got their first kiss. They would talk while giggling and whispering to each other.


    At that time, Raine could only lower her head and looked at her shoes while sweeping the floor. Her life was so miserable and seemingly without any hope from getting better.


    Especially when her peers started to talk harshly at her about no one would care for her and no one would love her, because no one wanted a girl from mental institution with freak mien like her before they walked away and laughed hard as they managed to make her cried.


    She believed their words, because what they had said was true and reasonable, but it was still hurt to know there would be no one who wanted her.


    But, who would want a girl like her? Someone who couldn''t even talk and was able to see something that most of the people couldn''t see it? She was already half crazy with the last fact.


    Until she met him, on that faithful night, and everything changed.


    She couldn''t thank him enough to show up in her miserable life and became the knight with shining armor for her¡­


    Raine turned to look at Torak''s sleeping face, he was fast asleep and looked less cruel than how he appeared in the meeting room. She couldn''t forsake his livid image at that time.


    But deep down her heart, Raine knew that Torak did all of that to ensure her safety and that gave her warm feeling. He was angry to all of them for her sake.


    He was the first person who did something remarkable for her sake genuinely after her long nightmares ¨Clike ¨C life.


    And Raine wanted to do something for him too¡­

 Chapter 57 - ASSAULT!

    Because last night Raine couldn''t fall asleep for all night long and only when the first ray of the sun kissed the horizon she could finally close her eyes, she was awake very late.


    It was 9.57 a.m when she was fully awake and the place beside her had emptied for long time as the coldness from the bed sipped her palm.


    Rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes, Raine got off from the bed and walked toward the window.


    Torak would always left the curtain close if she was still sleeping, in that way she could sleep longer, it was so thoughtful of him to actually did that, but she felt she was becoming lazy with the way Torak spoiled her.


    Raine pulled open the curtain, as soon as she did that, the warmth from the sun bathed her, greeting her with new hope to start her day onward. Her bright smile could compete with the radiant of the sun out there.


    If Torak was there, he would agree without doubt.


    With light steps, Raine ran to the bathroom to freshen up herself, she wanted to talk about something with Torak.


    After Raine took a quick bath, she strolled toward walk in closet and chose Torak''s blue minty t- shirt, she like the smell of him that exuded from the shirt, jeans and an azure parka jacket. Overall she was a girl in blue.


    Raine looked at herself in vanity mirror, the bruises and scars that she had before started to fading away, thanked to the ointment that Doctor Parker gave her when Torak brought her to run a major check up.


    But, she still couldn''t get out from the room and met other people with short sleeves, except for Torak, of course. He had seen more of her skin than she wanted to show him when they were checking her up, because the bad big Alpha insisted to stay.


    Raine blushed with that thought and with the thought about the kiss that they shared last night, turned her face crimson.


    She looked herself in the vanity mirror while tying up her hair into a messy bun atop of her head. She observed the girl in the mirror with slightly dazed.


    It was hard for her to believe that the girl, who was smiling faintly back at her, was the girl who didn''t even dare to raise her head and only could manage to glue her eyes to her toes weeks ago.


    Now, she looked healthier, happier and alive than before.


    Raine wished to thank Torak with her own voice, he would be surprised! But, even when she tried to open her mouth and pushed the air past her throat, there was no sound that could be heard from her mouth.


    She tried again one more time, but still nothing.


    Slightly dejected, Raine stood up and trotted out of the walk in closet, wearing her blue parka jacket, she proceeded to find Torak.


    The first place she went was his study room, but when she opened the door, Torak was not there. Apparently, he was in his office and it was in different floor of this mansion.


    Raine never went to his office, but Torak had always informed her all the places he was going to go. His office was in the third floor of the mansion.


    Raine was sure if she was going there, she could find him. But, the problem was, was she could go there alone? Was she brave enough to roaming the place that she didn''t familiar with?


    Patting her cheeks and taking a deep breath, Raine stilled her heart. She had promised to herself that she wouldn''t cower away again.


    ''Everything will be alright.'' While chanting that words, Raine pushed open the door that led her to the stairs. She preferred to not enter an elevator as she has a mild claustrophobia.


    Before, Torak was always with her to comfort her every time she needed to use an elevator, but now when she was all alone, she didn''t want to be in narrow place, because place like that made her uncomfortable with the feeling of being in confined spaces.


    The floors of this house were divided according their rank.


    The eighth floor was dedicated for the Beta and his family while the seventh floor for the Gamma and his family and since Raphael and Calleb hadn''t found their mates, the two floors below were empty, practically there were no one.


    The seventh floor was occupied with the elders. While the doctors, that they called the Healer, Belinda told Raine when they were planting flowers in the meadow, were living in the sixth floor.


    The fifth and fourth floors were for the warrior.


    Raine had managed to go down until the fourth floor without attracted much attention, in this early afternoon, most of the people were outside to do their own job, hence not much people aware of her existence, especially when her scent mixed with Torak''s.


    Two or three people threw her a questioning look, but when they smell their Alpha''s scent on her, they didn''t want to find trouble and just smiled at her.


    It was only one more floor, then she could meet with Torak.


    However, before she could go down the stairs, someone wrapped their icy fingers around her wrist and pulled her back harshly.


    Raine didn''t have time to process what was happening when her back slammed at the wall.


    "Human¡­" A guttural growled sounding from above her head as a hot breath and foul scent assaulted Raine''s nose.


    A man with huge body was pinning her against the wall. He was as tall as Torak, but his big figure wasn''t built with muscle, instead he was having over- fat in the wrong places on his body.


    His fingers that clutched her right wrist felt like sausages and this gave Raine a feeling of queasiness, her stomach was churning uncomfortable.


    She didn''t like his touch!


    Except of Torak, she didn''t like someone else touch her!

 Chapter 58 - TORAK!

    The foul smell from his breath brushed against Raine''s face, the smell mixed with something else and it was alcohol!


    Raine was actually running into a drunk werewolf in the middle of the day. What a bad luck. Moreover, apparently that floor was empty, no one was there to help her.


    She tried to push him with her free hand, but obviously her strength couldn''t match him. The drunk werewolf stood very closed to her, unmoved.


    "Smell¡­ good." He slurred while burying his nose on the crook of Raine''s shoulder. This disgusted Raine greatly.


    Furthermore, he squeezed her bum with his free hand and roaming around her body, trying to unzipped her jacket.


    Raine was more than terrified, her body shaking uncontrollably.


    ''Torak!'' She screamed his name in her mind in fear. She whimpered without sound, unable to shove the monster away from her.


    He was too strong for her to begin with, his gripped on her wrist tightened as Raine could feel her bone cracked.


    She shouldn''t go from her bedroom, she shouldn''t look for Torak and she shouldn''t fool herself that everything would finally be fine for her because it wasn''t.


    Raine had received slapped, hit, condescend, torment and torture, but she had never experienced s.e.x.u.a.l harassment like what was happening now.


    She shut her eyes closed, avoiding to see his lascivious smirk, when she felt her jacket tore opened and her t- shirt barely hung on her body.


    Fear bubbled up in her throat, pushed the air from inside and slipped past her lips in shrill sound.


    "TORAK!"


    ==============


    A girl was hugging her leg at the corner of her bed, burying her face between her knees while her jet black hair cascading down her figure.


    White hospital gown wrapped her petite body and her wrist attached to the rails, she looked pitiful.


    She was inside the room with no window and padding on the walls. A metal sink, a toilet and a bed were the only things in the room.


    The room was so quiet, but not until a little while later a man in his forties came inside. He has grey hair and devilish smirk etched on his lips.


    His presence recognized by the girl on the bed as her body started to tremble, she tried to move further away to the corner, blending her already small and unhealthy body to the padding wall behind.


    The man closed the door and lit up his cigarettes as he smoke without even care about the girl who was shivering on the bed. He took his time, suck the tobacco slowly until it burned completely.


    However the moment he was done, he approached the girl and extinguished the burning from his remaining cigarette in inhuman way.


    He held the girl thin arm and twisted the burning cigarette on her pale skin that caused the girl writhed in agony.


    Crack!


    The phone in Torak''s hand was destroyed helplessly, some part of it turned into a debris.


    It was one of the video that Raphael managed to retrieve from the mental institution where Raine had been admitted for three years.


    Torak''s people managed to restore the deleted scene and sent it to his phone this morning, actually there was another two more videos, but he wasn''t able to see it.


    The scars on his mate''s hand was caused by this son of b***h!


    "Torak." Raphael called out to him as he witnessed how his Alpha was battling with his beast that wanted to take over and sought revenge for his mate.


    Fur started to spurt out from his follicle and his canines elongated, Torak was about to shift.


    "Torak, why don''t you see Raine?" Raphael suggested. "You know, to calm yourself down."


    With the mentioned of his mate, Torak closed his bloody red eyes, trying to win the battle within and kept his beast at bay. He couldn''t meet his mate like this.


    Even though Raine had met with his wolf, but she had never seen his ferocious lycan''s side, and no matter what one said, it is an ugly beast.


    When he opened his eyes again, they were as black as the night sky, his beast still prowled at the edge of his mind.


    "Find out who else involved in this and let Jason finished them off." Torak''s voice was more deep and hoarse than usual. "No, let the b*stard alive. I will take care of him by myself." He said with malice laced in his voice.


    "Will do." Raphael replied solemnly and asked another matter. "And, how do you want to handle the media?"


    The news of him dating an underage girl was still on the lips of every person in the town, as Torak neither clarified nor rejected the issue, it soon became wildfire.


    "Let them say whatever they want, but limit the information about her background, she is uncomfortable with it. If they manage to get a hand on this information, withhold their higher up." Torak instructed.


    However, before Raphael could answer Torak''s order, there was a sound of a girl shrill scream from the distance. The sound was faint, but it called for Torak.


    The call of his name gave Torak goosebumps and pumped his adrenaline. The girl melodic voice was filled with horror as if something was frightened her, it sounded so helpless¡­


    Even before his brain could process what was happening, he had busted down the door from its hinges as his eyes turned bloodshot red.


    His Lycan took over.

 Chapter 59 - OUTRAGE!

    The man had tackled Raine down as her back smashed hard onto the cold floor. Pain soon spread to her entire body, but it was not her big issue now.


    The disgusting feeling and fear engulfed her like the way that drunk wolf hovered above her, touch every inch of her skin.


    Raine wanted to vomit and scream in anguish in the same time.


    "Human shouldn''t be here¡­" He slurred again. "Weak!"


    One second he was above her, but in the next second all the pressure from his body that weighted her down, lifted.


    And in another second, the man earsplitting- scream was heard along with thunderous growled that was able to shake the ground.


    The raging noise sounded so feral and dangerous. It sucked the air from Raine''s lung by only hearing his gnarled.


    The trembling girl on the ground, curled her body and peered through her wet eyelashes as she watched in horror at the gruesome scene that was happening before her eyes.


    A full shifted Lycan.


    Standing on his hind legs.


    Grabbing the head of the man that harassed her before.


    The white Lycan was almost three meters tall as he raised the man by his head, his feet were hanging from the ground, kicking, trying to get away from the ferocious Lycan.


    An earth shattering yowled sounded from his foul mouth as he was begging for mercy that he wouldn''t get.


    But, his squeal and struggle stopped at once, and instead an eerie bone- cracking sounded. Then, what follow after that was a scene, which Raine would never forget for the rest of her life.


    Her attacker''s body slump lifelessly on the ground, headless, as the white Lycan squashed his head with his bare hand, his long and sharp claws bathed in blood as well half of his body.


    It was cruel and feral.


    The blood spurted from the headless body and pooled on the floor, seep into the Lycan''s feet.


    The contrast color between white and red made Raine''s shudder. She closed her eyes as her body, out of control, back away until she felt the wall behind her.


    The bloody white Lycan let out an earth shattering howled.


    "Torak!!!" Raphael stopped under the stairs.


    He could see Raine curled her trembling body as she pressed her palms on her ears. At the other side some of their Lycan''s warrior had shifted while the other were standing nervously looking at the bloody scene unfold in front of them, they were also at lost when they saw the Alpha had fully shifted.


    It was a rare occasion to see Torak in his Lycan''s form.


    Torak''s Lycan let out another threatening growled when he saw Raphael was coming closer. With that warning, Raphael stopped in his track.


    [Torak. You scare her¡­] The Beta tried to reach him through the mind- link.


    Raphael lowered himself and looked at the stairs under him, a gesture of submissive. He tried to convey that he was not a threat.


    Even so, the Lycan''s red eyes were still assessing any sign of lie from him before he swept his gaze at the other side of the room and found out the other warriors, whether in their human or Lycan''s form, had done the same as Raphael.


    After he was sure there was no threat around him, the Lycan turned around and faced his mate.


    The Lycan approached her regardless her fear, he didn''t know anything else, all he wanted was his mate in his arms. She was frightened.


    He retracted his claws, careful enough to not scratch her skin when he touched her.


    However, Raine swatted his hand away when she felt something touched her due to her fear. This action earned a low growled from the Lycan, apparently hurt by her rejection.


    The beast didn''t realize that his mate was afraid of him as he tried to touch her again.

 Chapter 60 - IN A QUIET NIGHT

    [Torak, you must shift back.] Raphael''s voice echoed in Torak''s head. [She is scare of you.]


    The Lycan didn''t answer, but he let out a threatening growled again. His bloodshed eyes looked at his mate as he lowered his head.


    A little while later, the familiar sound of bone cracking could be heard as the bones cracked into place and the Lycan''s body shrank into human size.


    Torak''s eyes still not returned to his usual blue ocean one, instead it still frighteningly red, but from the expression on his face, he was fully control of himself now.


    The clothes that he was wearing remained intact, but the trace of blood colored almost all part of it.


    He reached out his arms to touch her, but she swatted his hand again.


    The rejection hurt him greatly, although when he looked at his bloody hand and blood that stained his clothes also the horrid scene behind him, he could understand why Raine reacted like that.


    "Torak, let Belinda tend to her." Raphael had stood behind him even before he realized it. "She is in shock." He grabbed his shoulder as a sign for his Alpha to back off.


    He closed his eyes to rearrange his scattered mind. He was disappointed, not to Raine''s rejection, but to himself.


    Torak back off and let Belinda, who knows since when she was there, persuaded his mate.


    He had screwed everything.


    ==============


    The sky was pitch- black and the winds were icy cold.


    The night appeared so lonely as a man was looking at a certain window from afar, he put his hands inside his pants'' pocket.


    His body reeked by dominant aura as his lips shut tightly.


    "How is her?" Torak asked even when the person who approached him walked without making any sound.


    "She is fine now Alpha." Belinda said solemnly.


    Today was the second day since the day he had lost his control over his beast and berserk in front of Raine.


    After the thorough investigation of the accident, the fact came out. The drunk werewolf that Torak had brutally killed had just lost his mate. He vaguely remembered him as the warrior.


    Losing their other half was the biggest blow for Lycans and werewolves'' existence. Only some of them could survive the despair.


    It was a good thing Torak ended his misery, because if his condition dragged on, he would become feral and ended up more miserable.


    Torak didn''t have a slight regret to have killed him, no matter what the reasons and no matter what the excuses, no one allowed to touch his mate and the one who done that shouldn''t live to see another day.


    The only regret that clawing in his mind was; Raine had trusted him, his mate was finally showing some progress. She wasn''t like the scared little girl who even couldn''t raise her eyes to look at the other person. She even went down from their floor by her own volition.


    If he could put aside the horrid scene that was occurred after that, Torak was proud of her.


    And also the fact that Raine called out for him.


    She called his name. Even thought it was a faint voice, Torak could have sworn that it was her voice, her voice that like harmony of angel, which called out for him, in her desperate situation.


    Her voice still echoed in his mind, but the fear that laced in it made him restless.


    "Did she eat?" Torak asked again without turned around to see Belinda who was standing beside him.


    The middle age woman looked at the same direction where Torak has been staring for this past three hours, helplessly.


    Raine was easily frightened by a simple move, she was even more paranoid than the first time she met her, the poor angel.


    "She barely eats." Belinda answered.


    Raine couldn''t digest her food properly, she would throw up after three spoons of porridge or soup. The milk that delivered to her was barely drunk as well.


    Torak couldn''t hold it anymore.


    He had wanted to see her since the second Belinda brought her away to her house instead went back to his place.


    The reason was, Raine would be too frightened to live in the mansion, it would constantly remind her about her dreadful experience.


    However Torak knew better that wasn''t the true reason why Belinda brought her to her house.


    Raine had witnessed his feral''s side, to see him right away and slept in the same place with him again would be hard for her.


    Initially, Torak could understand with this reason, but his impulsiveness and the bond between them had grown stronger that he couldn''t stand to be away from her, added that to the fact his mate was not in good condition.


    "Did she¡­" Torak''s voice trailed off. "¡­ask for me?" There was a distress in his voice.

 Chapter 61 - A SACRED THING THAT GIFTED TO THEM

    Belinda shook her head. "She just curls herself on the bed."


    Without waiting for another second, Torak strode over toward the house. It''s enough, he didn''t have patience running in his blood.


    He wanted to see her and he wanted to see her now.


    "Alpha¡­" Belinda sprinted behind him. "Alpha where are you going? You can''t meet her now¡­"


    With the last sentences of her, Torak''s anger flared as his eyes turned black and his voice became rough when he talked. "I don''t need your permission to meet my mate!" He growled.


    "That''s not my intention Alpha¡­" Belinda lowered her head, fear crept her body as she shuddered involuntarily.


    This time Torak ignored her completely as he strode inside the house with only one woman occupied his mind.


    "Alpha¡­" She called him in low voice, when Belinda was about to chase after him again, someone held her shoulder to prevent her to take another step.


    "Let him." Raphael said. He was coming to talk about some matter about the event at the prison regarding the appearance of succubus, but he caught up in their little conversation. "He needs this."


    Belinda shook her head. "Raine is not ready to meet him yet. She will be frightened with the Alpha presence."


    Raphael looked at Torak who had just strutted inside the house. There was no doubt in the way he walked, only determined. "Their bond is stronger than you think."


    "Is not about their bond, it is about her fear of him." Belinda retorted stubbornly.


    "No, you are wrong. Their bond will make things easier for them." When she looked like she didn''t have any intention to chase after Torak again, Raphael released his hand from Belinda''s shoulder


    The middle age woman mumbled something like; "They have just met for weeks, how strong their bond are?"


    Raphael sighed when he heard this, no matter how low her voice, as a Lycan, he could hear every syllable of her complain clearly.


    "It is strong enough to help Raine overcomes her fear."


    Belinda wasn''t a Lycan, so she couldn''t understand how the mate''s bond worked for their kind, thus Raphael could understand why she strongly rejected Torak''s stubbornness to see Raine.


    After all, mate''s bond was a sacred thing that Selene, the moon Goddess, gifted to them.


    ==============


    Belinda''s house was filled with numerous antics furniture with various bright colors. It was two- story house that was far from the touch of the latest stuff. It showed her personality and nature perfectly.


    Along the corridor, the fragrance of fresh flower swirled in the air. However, there was nothing stronger than a scent of a soil after the rain.


    The scent that belonged to his little mate¡­


    The scent that guided him toward a black wooden door¡­


    Torak stopped right before the door and pushed it opened very slow, the creaked sound from the hinges startled someone on the bed, she moved very fast to snatch the blanket and hide herself beneath.


    Raine was in high alert, listening to the person who was standing in the doorway. She didn''t have a chance to see his face as she was too frightened for whoever they were.


    Torak''s heart sank by looking Raine''s reaction, he stood in the same place for some time, fixed his gazed on the bundle of blanket in the corner of the bed.


    He would have found she was being funny by hiding inside the blanket, but in this kind of situation, her condition was even worse than the first time he met her, and all of this was his fault.


    Torak approached her gingerly, he sat on the edge of the bed, the furthest place from her. The bed dipped down with his weight, informing her that he was there.


    "My love, it''s me¡­" Torak''s said with traced of fatigue. "I will be honest with you."


    He looked at the blanket slightly trembled. She was indeed afraid of his presence.


    "I am sorry for lost control at that time¡­ but, I will never regret it." He had said that he would speak honestly with her and that what he was trying to do. He admitted it that he didn''t have a shred of regret for what he had done. "If I can turn back time, I would have done the same without a second thought. However, I do regret to have done it in front of you."


    The night was still as the figure of the powerful Alpha bathed in the traced of the moonlight from the opened window as if Selene was also watching his confession.


    "I have promised you that I will do anything to protect you." Torak spoke again after there was still no movement from Raine. "I will kill anyone who wants to harm you, If that what it takes to ensure your safety."

 Chapter 62 - HE HAD GONE...

    Torak was very blunt with his confession. He didn''t want to scare Raine, but with their current situation, regarding the prophecy along with the Sloth and the succubus issues at the moment, he was almost certain that their future ahead would be bloodier than this.


    This was something that she needed to overcome.


    He didn''t want to sugar coat her with flowery words when danger was lurking in the dark. The incident with the drunk werewolf at the mansion was still shrouded with mystery, it wasn''t a normal occurrence for their kind to get drunk easily and how the werewolf''s mate got killed was still investigated.


    Torak knew it would be very hard for Raine, knowing her initial mental state, but he wanted her to be strong for her own sake and he didn''t want to lie to her.


    "The thought of hurting you will never cross my mind, even if I lost myself over my beast, he will continue to protect you." Torak''s eyes slightly dimmed, the angst in his heart ate him alive. "But, I think in the end I still hurt you in one way or another and I am sorry for that¡­"


    The sadness and regret filled his last sentences before he stood up and walked out of the room, closed the door ever so gently in order to not startle her.


    After a soft click sound from the door, Raine peeked through the blanket, she opened it slightly and stared at the place where Torak was sitting a moment ago.


    There was emptiness that she felt in his absence.


    He was the monster that had killed the other werewolf right before her eyes brutally. That was the first time Raine had seen a lot of blood, headless body and the ferocious growled from the furious Lycan.


    The man, who had never raised his voice on her and touched her like he was a precious gem, was actually capable enough to end another creature''s life without batting an eye.


    And he did all of that to protect her¡­


    Raine abruptly sat up straight, her beautiful eyes were rimmed with dark circle as she was having nightmare ever since that event. She looked at the closed door blankly, and before her mind could proceed what she wanted to do, her body had taken control over her.


    She dashed toward the door and yanked it opened. Her body was still slightly trembling, she was afraid.


    The last time she went out of the room a horrid thing happened to her and now, she did it again.


    Raine was standing in the empty corridor, she staggered backward as panic hit her once again. She bit down her lips and hugged herself, urging her feet to move forward.


    She wanted to see him¡­


    Clenching her teeth, Raine put her feet in front the other with difficulty. The emptiness sent chill down to her spine, but stubbornly she moved forward.


    Her nails embedded deeply on her palms, to keep her fear at bay. Only God knew how much courage that she had mustered to keep going.


    It almost felt like there was thousand of bricks tied her down. Torak''s honest confession was the only thing that echoed in her mind.


    He did all of that to protect her¡­


    When Raine reached the last stairs, she swept her eyes across the big room that filled with strange decoration, but she couldn''t find the person that she wanted to see.


    Finally her legs gave away as she slumped on the floor, crawling toward the wall and leaned his back against it to find a temporary feeling of safety.


    She hugged her legs and buried her head as she was crying again.


    Raine had missed him¡­ he had gone¡­


    Would Torak hate her? After all, he did a horrid thing in order to protect her, but she acted that way. She even thought of him as he was a monster.


    Torak even apologized that he had scared her. He didn''t have to do that, his position alone didn''t require him to explain his action, but he did regardless.


    She felt awful about herself.

 Chapter 63 - MY DIRTY SOUL WILL FOLLOW YOU TIRELESSLY

    Suddenly she felt the familiar spark on her head, caressing her hair tenderly, it was only one person that could have done that and it was him¡­


    Raine relished the touch as she lifted her head slowly.


    Her obsidian black eyes met with his blue one, they were the most beautiful blue that Raine had ever seen, she loved to stare at them and Torak felt likewise.


    They remained like that for another minutes before Raine pounced on him.


    Torak didn''t see this coming as he was caught out of guard and fell on his butt inharmoniously as Raine continued to cry on his shoulder, tangled her thin arms around his neck tightly.


    The girl was afraid, and now when she was with him, she realized that her fear toward Torak was insignificant compared to the thought of him had abandoned her¡­


    That fear was only in her mind though, as Torak wouldn''t ever leave her even if she didn''t want him, even if someone tore his body apart, his dirty soul would follow her tirelessly.


    Torak patted her back as he let out a sigh of relief. She was in his arms and that was the most important thing for him right now.


    He let Raine stained his shirt with her tears and snots until her heart contented. It took some time before her cry died down.


    Due to the stress, Torak could feel she had lost some weight when he hugged her, it made him dissatisfied. "Have you eaten my love?" Torak whispered softly into her ear, but she shook her head. "I will ask someone to cook something for you, alright?"


    Raine shook her head again weakly, she couldn''t eat anything this past two days without throwing up, but Torak had not given up yet.


    "You know, yesterday I watched someone cooking spaghetti, it looks quite easy. If I make one, will you eat it?" Torak persuaded her.


    Raine gave some thought about the idea before she nodded her head. Torak was more than elated to say the least.


    Carefully, he lifted Raine by her thighs and carried her to the kitchen while the girl was resting her head on his shoulder and hugging his neck. She looked like an oversized koala in his arms as he carried her that way.


    Occasionally, along the way to the kitchen, Torak would kiss her head and nuzzled his nose against her shoulder. With all the anxiety that hit him relentlessly for the fear she would hate him for what he had done, it felt like it had been years since the last time he had her so close like this


    But now, it was all good now.


    Torak sat her down on the countertop of the island, he got a tissue to clean up her face from her tears. "Wait here, I will make delicious spaghetti for you." He kissed the tip of her nose as she giggled silently.


    It was a good sign to see her smiling face again, as if the incident two days ago had been long forgotten.


    ==============


    A woman was lying motionlessly on the extravagant bed with black curtain that intricate with golden stitch, which covered her from the rest of the room.


    Her long blonde hair scattered all over the pillow beneath her head. She looked so pale as if her skin was translucent, one could see her blue vein beneath.


    "When she will wake up?" A woman in white tutu dress twirled her hair coquettishly while nodding at the girl on the bed.


    "Don''t know." Belphegor shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "Her body was too weak when I ripped her soul and killed the Lycan inside her. There was a chance she will not survive."


    Lilith threw him a glare. "If she couldn''t survive, why I have to take a risk and make a fuss to trespass Torak''s territory?" If it wasn''t for the help that she got, she wouldn''t be able to enter the Raven village, let alone to bring Jenedieth out of the prison.


    Belphegor and Lilith were staring down at the unconscious Jenedieth, standing right beside her bed.


    "Let''s hope she will survive." Belphegor yawned, stretched his stiff arms and walked away. "¡­And think about this matter later."


    "YOU!" Lilith shouted at Sloth''s back angrily.


    It was hard to keep up with his laziness, well he couldn''t be blamed for that or else he wouldn''t have made a name of himself.


    "You better survive from this." Lilith hissed agitatedly.


    This girl was needed for their next plan.

 Chapter 64 - THE TRUTH BEHIND THE INCIDENT

    The smell of tomato sauce and grilled meat wafted in the air as a faint white smoke floating from the frying pan.


    Raine wiggled her legs that dangling from the countertop where she was sitting. Her eyes attentively following Torak''s every moves.


    It almost an hour since he insisted to cook something for her.


    Torak moved swiftly as if it wasn''t his first time inside the kitchen. He himself couldn''t believe it that he has this inside him, he wouldn''t have thought that one day he would cook something, moreover it was for another person.


    But, to think he did this for his mate, there was nothing to be ashamed of.


    He stood there, with spoon in his hand while tasting the spaghetti. "I am sure I have put it right¡­" He murmured to himself.


    The spaghetti looked delicious, but the taste wasn''t as he expected.


    Raine jumped down from the island and approached him, she grabbed the spoon from Torak''s hand and taste it by herself.


    "The taste is bland, right?" Torak said when he looked at the frown that forming between her eyebrows.


    Raine nodded, agreed with him and then, nimbly, she took the seasoning, put more marinara sauce and salt, stirred it well until all the sauce and seasoning blended.


    She was used to fend herself when she was in the orphanage, that place was not any better than the mental institution where she had admitted for three years. There was no warm or love behind its old wall.


    All the people there were thinking about themselves, as long as the government kept supporting them, another matter wasn''t an issue.


    Hence, Raine''s life also didn''t get better. Her physical abused turned to be verbal abused and it happened since the first day she was there.


    Raine gave the spoon and let Torak tasted it while she asked with her eyes, she had tried and the taste was fine with her.


    In the other hand, Torak got the spoon and tried it as his face beaming with amazement. "You are amazing my love." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Why don''t you sit over there and I will prepare the food?"


    Raine was about to walk to the dining table when someone opened the door and startled her. Out of instinct, she back off and pounced on Torak''s, holding his waist tightly while burying her face against his chest.


    "It''s alright, it is Belinda." Torak''s voice brushed her ears soothingly while his hand moved up and down on her back. "What is it?" This time his voice was laced in irritation when he talked toward the intruder.


    "Well¡­" Belinda was standing on the doorstep awkwardly, she looked at Raphael beside her who gave her a look that could interpreted as; ''I have told you they are fine''.


    "I just worry because you have not come out yet after so long¡­" She said, twiddling with her thumbs like a child. "But, since both of you are fine¡­ I think, I will go¡­"


    Belinda gave Torak a timid look, no matter what, being under this Alpha intimidating stare wasn''t a pleasant thing. "Bye Raine¡­" She waved at Raine, who was peeking through Torak''s arm, before she took her leave.


    [If you done I have something to inform you about the incident with Raine two days ago.] Raphael mind- linked him.


    Torak only nodded and that was enough to make Raphael leave the room, letting the Alpha and the future Luna alone.


    "Shall we eat now, angel?" His voice softened every time he spoke with her.


    ==============


    After the dinner, Torak carried Raine, who had fallen asleep, back to their mansion. Seemingly the acc.u.mulation stress that she had been enduring eventually took a toll on her.


    She was fast asleep, seemed so peaceful that made Torak couldn''t help, but relished the moment a bit longer despite Raphael was waiting for him outside the door.


    After sometime, Torak got off from the bed reluctantly, tucked his mate inside the warm blanket and walked out of the room.


    "What is it?" Torak asked after he had closed the door behind him.


    Raphael and Calleb, who had been waiting for more than fifteen minutes, looked at each other when Torak leaned his back against the wall behind him.


    His gesture conveyed a message that he wanted to keep the conversation short without leaving his mate.


    Clearing his throat, Raphael settled to having their discussion there, at the corridor, after all no one could change his mind at this moment to leave his mate alone. "Someone had killed Mathias'' mate."


    "And who is this Mathias?" Torak raised his eyebrows.


    "The werewolf who had attacked Luna." Calleb replied.

 Chapter 65 - A GOLDEN FLAKE

    Torak rarely dealt with his warriors, most of the time it would be Raphael and Calleb who handled them. He only familiarized himself with his personal warriors, who most of them were Lycan.


    Hence the Mathias name didn''t ring a bell in his head.


    "Something had happened to Mathias'' mate. She had been missing for two days before the attack." Raphael informed the Alpha.


    "We have investigated about what had happened to her and the close friend of both of them said; Mathias told him that his mate had been attacked brutally by werewolves in the same day when Jenedieth escaped from the dungeon. Since then, Mathias wasn''t like himself." Calleb added.


    Torak discerned the information in his mind, trying to put the pieces of the information together. His silence was a command for them to keep talking.


    "It''s understandable, giving the fact he had just lost his mate." Calleb was the one who did the talking. "But, when I investigated the place where Mathias'' mate was being attacked, I found this." He fished out something from his pocket and handed it to Torak.


    It was a small golden flake that glimmer under the lamp light, Torak held the flake between his fingers.


    "Dragon scale." Torak recognized the piece.


    "We think the same." Raphael said. He was a little bit antsy with Torak''s confirmation. "After all this years, the Dragon people have been keeping low profile, however during the war between Lycantrophes and Demon, their kind pledged their allegiance toward the Demon."


    "And when they got a sniff of the outcome of the war didn''t favor those Demons anymore, all the Dragon people changed side¡­" Calleb looked at Raphael. "I read that, was that true?"


    After all the young Lycan has not live long enough to know the real story. Among the three of them, the only living Lycan who experienced the war was only Torak.


    "They are more cunning than that." Torak didn''t offer any explanation of his words, he just gave back the small flake of the dragon scale to Raphael. "Arrange my meeting with their Lord, I want an explanation."


    It was so daring of them to trespass his territory and killed his people. This was an atrocious act and he wanted retribution.


    With that being said, Torak opened the door of his room and disappeared behind it.


    "So, we will meet with the Dragon Lord?" Calleb raised his eyebrows. "I heard those Dragon people don''t have a good temper."


    Raphael looked back at the Gamma while rolling his eyes. "No matter how bad their temper, they are nothing compared to our Alpha."


    Calleb shuddered when he remembered how easy Torak crushed Mathias'' head. "You get the point."

 Chapter 66 - L.U.S.T

    It was dark, for the reason that nothing could be seen, Raine didn''t know where she was.


    But, she knew he was there. So close to her, that she could feel his warm breath was tracing down her jaw to the bottom of her collarbones, sending a heat to her lower abdomen in the process and the next second his breath had brushed her b.r.e.a.s.t, she gasp as a m.o.a.n escaped her lips and he growled as a respond.


    Raine closed her eyes again and focused to her other senses. She felt his calloused hand on his waist and she was pulled to him.


    Suddenly, her hair was entangled among his slender fingers as he turned her head in a way that revealed her neck to him. His nose nuzzled the crook between her neck and shoulder, nibbling there.


    Raine''s breath hitched with torturous delight. She felt being pushed to lie on the floor as his rough hands grab hold of her b.r.e.a.s.ts and his lips wildly kissed her neck.


    He was hovering above her, he was so rough with her. The next moment, she felt his lips crashing against hers, the kiss very intense and possessive. His tongue entered her mouth and sucked her sweetness.


    Part of her was scared, he was so dangerous. But, deep down she knew his embrace was the safest place for her.


    A few moments later she became breathless and when he parted their lips, he mumbled into her ears. "Mine."


    As if the darkness sucked her being into a deep hole, she was in shock and her mind reeled as she gasped loudly for air. Her body stiff and numb, she sucked in a breath of cold air the moment she regained her consciousness.


    It was a dream, but felt so real.


    When someone hand touched her cheeks, out of instinct, Raine tried to pry herself away from his clutched, but he was too strong for her.


    Fear gripped her heart when she felt his breath on her neck as his hand around her body held her tightly, but then she heard his voice.


    "My love, it''s me." Torak kept repeating this word to her ear with a sense of helplessness. "You are safe. It''s me, I am here."


    Raine didn''t realize the man who was holding her until she heard his voice and as he switch on the bed lamp, his face came into light, she stopped her attempt to hit him.


    It was Torak beside her.


    Everything was fine.


    It was only a dream.


    "It''s just a nightmare." Torak was chanting that word again and again until Raine calmed.


    Her bright eyes scanned her surroundings, she wasn''t in the dark place where she couldn''t see anything. She was in her and Torak''s bedroom and the powerful Lycan was looking at her with worry vividly reflected in his eyes.


    Raine was hugging his waist tightly while burying her face on his chest.


    Torak said it was a nightmare, but it felt so real for her.


    ==============


    The kisses.


    The breath.


    The pleasure.


    And the touch.


    Raine brought back to reality when someone touched her shoulder, she startled and looked at the man beside her in alarm.


    "What are you thinking my love?" Torak caressed her pale cheeks with his thumb. "You look distracted, still thinking about last night dream? Do you want to tell me?"


    Raine bit her inner cheeks, there was no way she could tell him about her dream. She averted her eyes at the rows of pine trees outside the car window.


    Today Torak brought her to the city again as he had meeting to attend.


    Instead of answer his question, Raine asked another question to distract her mind that kept bringing her back to think about that dream.


    [Who we will meet?] She typed on her ipad and showed it to Torak.


    "Reynold Magnus." Torak made his answer short.


    Frowning, Raine typed another question. [What is he?] probably, it was the right question.


    Torak pulled her closer into his warm hug as he replied. "Dragon Lord."

 Chapter 67 - THE DRAGON PEOPLE

    Raine startled when she heard Torak mentioned Dragon Lord.


    [Is that really a Dragon?] Her big eyes widened adorably in shock. It never crossed her mind that there was really a living dragon in this world. Moreover, she had never seen one.


    "Yes, My love." Torak chuckled, even a little gesture from his mate could make him happier than anyone ever did.


    A faint strange sound from the passenger seat made Raphael and Calleb peered at them through the rearview mirror curiously.


    It was very rare to see their Alpha smiling, let alone chuckled so innocently like that, the last time he showed another expression except his regular impassive- stoic face, seven werewolves died.


    However, it was very easy for Raine to enchant another side of him. Torak looked more¡­ normal with her.


    Less scary and more warm.


    [Can they talk?] Raine didn''t know if this question sounded stupid or not, but she was so fascinated with the possibility she could see a real dragon. It supposed to be frightening, but with Torak, she felt safe.


    "Of course, we will see them in their human form." Torak pulled Raine''s hairband and let her hair loose. "They are not allowed to shift into their beast form." He played with her hair mindlessly, a hobby that he had developed whenever he was with her.


    [Why they are not allowed to shift? You can shift whenever you want.]


    "There is a story behind it. I will tell you another time, alright?"


    Raine nodded, slightly disappointed. She had only heard about dragon from a bedtime story that her mother read for her when she was a child.


    Torak nuzzled her cheek. "Their original form is not much different from what you have seen in fairy tale story." He shrugged. "Slimy and scaly."


    Raine grinned with Torak''s last comment, he sounded didn''t really like them.


    They had entered a main gate of a huge manor. The sounds that produce when the gates opened was disturbing, as though this place had been long abandoned.


    Torak''s car entourage went inside, it needed ten more minutes to reach the manor on the top of the hill.


    [Torak, will you bring Raine inside?] Raphael mind- linked him from the driver seat.


    [Yes, she is safer with me.]


    Torak believed that Raphael and Calleb could protect Raine just fine, but it eased his mind to have his mate in his sight, within his reach


    [But, bring her away in my cue.] If the discussion turned ugly, he didn''t want to feed Raine with another violent scene.


    [Alright.]


    As Raphael agreed, they had arrived in front of the door of the Dragon Lord''s residence. Four people in black suit and sturdy body approached their car they were flanked a man in his early thirty who was smiling broadly.


    "Stay close to me." Torak said before he helped Raine got off the car.


    The man who was standing in the middle of his guards stepped forward with arms wide opened the moment he saw Torak, but stopped abruptly when he saw Raine.


    "Supreme Alpha Torak, she is¡­" He didn''t finish his word and hoped Torak could fill the blank.


    "My mate." Torak said curtly, intertwined his fingers with Raine''s.


    "Mate?" He frowned, his yellow eyes slithered on Raine''s petite body, scrutinized her every curves that she didn''t show much.


    Raine was wearing maroon sweater and jeans, the contrary attire from the rest of those people there, who were wearing business suit.


    She was comfortable with that clothes and Torak wanted nothing except make his mate happy with a small thing like this.


    "I don''t know if you have a mate¡­ maybe you mean a ''lover''?" He clicked his tongue, his eyes still glued on Raine, make her feel uncomfortable.


    "Take your eyes from her or I will take them out." Torak warned him in deep voice, his dark eyes glared fiercely at the impertinent man in front of him.

 Chapter 68 - THE DRAGON PEOPLE (2)

    The four guards seethed their teeth as their body reacted at Torak''s hostility behavior, ready to lunge onto a battle.


    Dragon shifter was a haughty creature with presumptuous behavior, they didn''t aware of who they were facing now.


    Their self- glorification covered their eyes and ears along with their capability to judge their situation now.


    While the population of Lycanthropes and werewolves has risen during these past centuries, Dragon shifter number were decreasing for the fact they were lack of female.


    Most of them were having crossbreeding with other creature, however that wasn''t a solution either as they couldn''t i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.e other female outside of their race.


    With the twenty Lycans that Torak brought along, the threat from the four Dragon shifters weren''t threat at all.


    They could shake down the entire manor right there and then.


    "Stop!" He stopped the four guards behind him, who was still baring their teeth, glaring at them one by one. "Go inside." He said in deep voice.


    Raine, who was hiding behind Torak''s broad back during the short aggression, poked her head out to see what was happening.


    The four guards had a tense expression as they clenched their jaws tightly and balled their hand into fists, but they complied to the man before them nonetheless.


    In less than ten seconds they dispersed and out of sight, leaving the impertinent man unguarded.


    Regardless of being alone, a deviant smile still etched on his thin lips. "My apologized, Supreme Alpha, for their behavior. Please, come inside."


    "Lord Stephan." Torak didn''t welcome his kind gesture, he caressed Raine''s head as a reassuring gesture that everything was alright. "I remember that your brother, Lord Reynold, is the one whom I will meet." His deep voice wasn''t loud, but laced with intimidating tone.


    "I am sorry Alpha Torak. But, my brother is not in his best condition at the moment. He is in our manor in Laken City." Stephan looked at Torak in reserved manner, no more daring to even steal a glance at Raine.


    "If he is two thousand miles away from here, how can I smell him from inside the manor?" Torak narrowed his eyes dangerously as he stepped forward with Raine in his tight grip beside him.


    Torak and his Lycans welcomed themselves as they stepped inside.


    They were standing in the great hall as Torak made his way and sat Raine down on the luxurious settee. "Find him." Torak said in low voice while his eyes fixed on Raine confused expression.


    When the twenty Lycans were about to leave to rummage the manor, Stephan suddently knelt on the ground.


    "Alpha I am sorry, I didn''t mean to lie to you. It was my brother who had forced me to do so." His arrogant demeanor faded away as he begged for mercy. "He is on the second floor inside the third room from left, you can find a secret room behind a shelf book."


    Without a second thought, Stephan had sold his brother out without hesitation as he sought Torak''s sympathy.


    "What a pathetic Dragon shifter." Calleb hissed at Raphael beside him while looking at Stephan with disdain. "He is a shame for their race."


    Stephan betrayal wasn''t a common trait for the haughty Dragon shifter, seemingly he had not uphold the pride of being a Dragon shifter.


    "Indeed." Raphael replied, looking at the ten Lycans went to the second floor.


    There were not many Dragon shifter were living in that magnificent manor, except from Stephan and the four guards there were only another three more.


    Reynold insisted to not make an appearance and should the force was needed, Torak would have the upper hand in this situation.


    Not long after that, loud sounds from the second floor could be heard, seemingly Reynold resisted to give up and decided to kick a fuss.


    Stephan was still kneeling on the floor with both hands clasped together.


    "My Love, will it be fine with you if I leave you here with Calleb? I need to go upstairs with Stephan to see his brother." Torak was standing behind the settee as he leaned over and whispered into Raine''s ears.


    His warm breath brushed against her neck and from the corner of her eyes, Raine watched Stephan shook his head vigorously, silently asking for Raine to refuse Torak offer''s and kept the beast with her.


    Raine stared at him for another second before she tilted her head and smiled sweetly at Torak while nodding her head.


    She agreed for Torak to leave her.


    After Stephan''s lie in order to hide his brother, Torak wouldn''t be so generous to leave him unscathed.


    He was doomed to say the least.

 Chapter 69 - THE DRAGON PEOPLE (3)

    Torak leaned over to peck Raine''s lips, that made both of them smile because of the spark from their touch.


    "Follow me." Torak said offhandedly while walking past him.


    Stephan''s body was rejecting the order, but he knew that he would end up even worse if he didn''t follow him.


    Thus, with heavy shoulder, he dragged his body toward the second floor, walking a few step behind the Alpha with head hung low.


    The fuss from upstairs seemingly had subsided, as they walked closer, muffled sound of howl and snarl could be heard.


    As if Torak had announced his presence, someone had actually opened the door the moment Torak arrived.


    Inside the bedroom, where books and shattered glasses spread on the floor, the three guards and Reynold had arrested, with two Lycans flanked on their right and left side.


    Torak sat down on an exquisite armchair comfortably, facing the five Dragon people, who had been subdued in front of him. He crossed his legs and rested his chin on his fist lazily, however his eyes still as dark as the night.


    "Lord Reynold¡­" Torak dragged his words dangerously.


    "Alpha Torak." Reynold stubbornly held Torak''s gaze even though his voice trembling. The true Lord of Dragon shifter''s guts truly worth their name.


    "I assumed you know why I waste my time here." Torak''s deep voice reverberated inside the room.


    "I don''t know and I don''t wish to meet you." Reynold shoulders were shaking when he blurted out his outburst. "After hundreds of years your kind have been confining my people, do you think I want to see you!?"


    "You are not the one who asking question in this room." Torak straightened up, his body gave off a terrible aura by his defiance. "I want an explanation of this."


    Torak flicked his fingers and a small golden thing flew, glimmering in the air, before it landed in front of Reynold.


    The Dragon Lord shook his body to shove away the two Lycans who arrested him. With a gesture from Torak, they let him go.


    Reynold grunted and glared at the two of them.


    "I don''t have time to listen to your whining!" Torak snapped at him, who still didn''t examine the dragon scale in front of him. "One of your kind had killed mine and endanger my mate."


    Reynold glared at Torak before he picked the golden scale on the ground, it glimmered under the lamp light as his eyes flickered in understanding.


    Every scale has their own pattern that could be recognized easily by their fellow Dragon shifter, so it was almost impossible for Reynold to say that he didn''t know directly.


    "I don''t know." Reynold said haughtily.


    A smirk made its way on Torak''s lips, it was kind of smirk that you don''t want to see. His black eyes fogged when one of the Lycan, who was holding Reynold earlier stepped forward.


    He moved so fast and unexpectedly, only when Reynold felt the antagonizing pain on his right hand, he realized that he had lost his hand.


    Torak had ordered his warrior to chop off his hand!


    A shrill scream rung through the whole manor, the sound was so terrifying, and then hair- raising deep guttural growl followed when another Lycan covered his mouth.


    "Stop crying or I will cut off your other hand. My mate just downstairs and she is still quite shaken by the recent incident that involved your kind." Torak warned him.


    His threat was able to recede Reynolds'' growl, but the whimper still echoed inside the room.


    Meanwhile, upstairs.


    Raine whipped her head up when she heard the scream, her beautiful eyes widened in fear as she stood up and ran toward Calleb.


    "It''s alright Luna, it''s alright¡­" The Gamma tried to calm her by stroking her back the way Torak did.


    However, it was obvious the result was totally different. Raine looked at him with questioning eyes, tears brimmed on the edge of her eyes.


    "Ugh." Calleb scratched his head. "What do you want to ask Luna? I don''t understand your gaze¡­" He said helplessly.


    Raine typed something on her ipad and showed it to Calleb.


    [I want to see Torak!]


    "Ugh¡­ it is best to not see him at this moment¡­" It was best for her and for him too. "It isn''t the scene that you want to see¡­" Calleb added carefully.


    Raine bit her lips, the memory of Torak''s outburst still clear in her mind. But¡­


    [What if he gets hurt?]


    Reading that, Calleb didn''t know whether he wanted to laugh or cry. "The Alpha gets hurt? It''s impossible Luna¡­ impossible¡­" He waved his hand lazily, it was hard to imagine Torak would get hurt at this point. "Moreover there is Raphael and another ten people come with him. The Alpha will be fine."


    Raine knew that Torak probably was torturing someone, but it wasn''t her business. Torak was nice to her, more than nice to say the least, and she still didn''t know how this supernatural world worked.


    Thus, she couldn''t judge him by his action now. The last time Torak killed someone was to protect her. That wasn''t a solution, but at least he did that to ensure her safety.


    She had had enough with people who was trying to hurt her, therefore she would only trust him no matter what he did.


    "I smell scent of flower, there must be a garden full of blossom flower nearby, why don''t we go there and wait for Alpha?" Calleb suggested, his nose rose in the air, picked up the scent.


    Raine looked at the stairs to the second floor warily, but then nodded, agreed to wait for him in the garden.


    [How is she?] Suddenly Torak''s voice rang inside Calleb head as he mind- linked him.


    [She is fine Alpha. I will bring her to the garden and wait for you there.] Calleb answered while looking at Raine who was still looking at the second floor.


    You worry at the wrong person Luna. Calleb thought.


    After Torak sure that Raine was fine, he resumed his focus at the bleeding dragon shifter in front of him. Dark blood stained the white floor and was still oozing out from his wrist while his hand was lying not far from him, pale and dead.


    "Do you think you can get anything from me just because you cut off my hand?!" Reynold was still with his stubborn nature when he hissed with malice.


    "No. But you still have other hand, legs, ears and eyes. I just need your mouth to talk."

 Chapter 70 - THE DRAGON PEOPLE (4)

    "No. But you still have other hand, legs, ears and eyes. I just need your mouth to talk."


    Torak''s words were as light as a feather, but held so much threat behind them. However, it wasn''t an empty threat, he would do exactly like he had said.


    Nothing could stop him or he was willing to stop.


    It was only a matter of time before he found the real aggressor, but he thought he could save his time by confront the Dragon Lord directly.


    The only matter was, the Dragon Lord was more stubborn than the last time they met.


    "Brother¡­ why don''t you let the Alpha know? He will kill you¡­" Stephan whimpered, his yellow eyes were pleading at his brother.


    It was only the two of them, the last royal blood from the Earth Dragon Shifter. If Torak was really going to kill Reynold then Stephan would rather die as well. The responsibility for being the almost extinct creature wasn''t something that a coward like him could bear.


    Reynold had spoiled him so much until he lost Stephan identity as the prideful creature.


    "Brother please¡­" Stephan sobbed.


    Torak was appear boring to see the bloody scene and the whimpering from both brother or low growled of dissatisfaction from the other three Dragon shifters that acted as guards for the two of them.


    He wanted to finish this matter as soon as possible as his mind kept running toward his mate with his beast didn''t help by snapping at him countless time to sort out this issue, the last time he left Raine alone something bad had happened. And even though Calleb was with her, he still couldn''t rest assure if he didn''t have her in his arms.


    "Cut his hand." Torak intertwined his slender fingers and rested his chin atop of them. Torak shook his head lightly when one of his warrior was about to cut off Reynold last hand. "Not him."


    Whimper, howl and grunt filled the room when Torak issued his order.


    Fear flooded both brother''s eyes, however, while Stephan plead for mercy, Reynold was still with his stubbornness even though the color of his face had drenched, leaving him pale face.


    Reynold still refused to talk.


    "Cut him." The ruthless Alpha pointed his chin at Stephan when he disallow the Lycan to make any move toward Reynold.


    "No¡­ No¡­ No¡­" Stephan was about to run with all of his strength, but Raphael was way faster than him when he tackled him down to the floor and would cut his hand off by himself.


    "STAY AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!" Reynold roared when he saw Raphael had held Stephan''s hand, ready to make his brother miserable. "I WILL TALK! STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"


    Just like Torak had thought. He had threatened wrong person.


    Reynold could have his arms, legs, eyes and ears cut off or bleed to die, but he wouldn''t let his brother hurt. His way of pampered his only brother was well known.


    With a simple wave from Torak, Raphael stopped his hand mid- air, but his claws was elongated threateningly only an inch from his hand.


    "Start talking." Torak commanded.


    "But you have to give me your protection!" Stephan panted from the pain of his wounded hand and from the outburst emotion. "Or else I will be good as dead! It is not only me, but my entire Earth Dragon Clan will be finish!"


    "Interesting." Torak stood up and walked toward the Dragon Lord. "You are not in position to bargain with me." He stood three steps away from him to avoid his black blood stained his leather shoes.


    "I want your word." Reynold insisted, his eyes showed how determined he was. "Or you get nothing from me even if you kill my brother."


    "Spill out all of your information and I will protect you as best as I could." Torak gave him his words. "Which dragon shifter own that scale?"


    "It''s me." Reynold blurted out. "The scale is mine!"

 Chapter 71 - THE DRAGON PEOPLE (5)

    "Brother! How could be that possible!?" Stephan screamed in fear.


    What was inside his brother''s brain? Did he just eat Dragon heart?? Why on earth he killed Torak''s people? Did he tired of living?!


    Stephan couldn''t comprehend his brother way of thought.


    "Alpha¡­ Supreme Alpha! Someone must be trying to blackmail my brother! He wouldn''t do that! Someone must be behind all of this!" Stephan said incoherently, frantically trying to save his brother''s life.


    "SILENT!" Torak roared. "Don''t speak if I didn''t order you to do so!"


    His outburst successfully shut Stephan up. He whimpered under Raphael restraint. His face was facing the floor while his body shuddered.


    "You had actually shifted to kill my people. Don''t you know that you had broken two rules?" Torak was squinted his eyes dangerously. "How would you expect me to spare your life?"


    Reynold first offense was the fact that he had shifted.


    Centuries ago, when the Dragon shifter had betrayed the Lycanthropes to side with demon, they became sworn enemy, but later on they changed their side again and helped the Lycanthropes when they learned that the Demon had lost the battle.


    As the consequences of their betrayal and to seek forgiveness, in fear the three Donovan brothers would issue an order to extermination their kind, the Dragon shifter made a sworn declaration that they would never shift back into their dragon form again, except for two occasions.


    This oath was made to show that they wouldn''t be a threat ever again.


    And his second offense was of course the fact of he had killed Torak''s people and caused an uproar that led to an assault on Raine.


    "You gave me my word that you will ensure my safety." Reynold fretted. The two rules that he had broken could cost his life.


    Torak scoffed. "Fine. Very well." The corner of his lips curled into a smirk. "I will not kill you, but if my other brothers catch the wind about this, it will be up to them."


    Reynold mumbled something incoherently while Stephan whimpered pitifully.


    "Now answer my question." Torak continued the interrogation. "Who ordered you to do that?" Torak''s piercing glare directed at the pale Dragon shifter, his wound had closed and the blood had stopped, thanked to his healing ability.


    "One of the seven sins from hell." Reynold mumbled, but Torak and the rest of the people inside the room could hear him clearly nonetheless.


    "Which one?" Torak had predicted that they were behind all this.


    "I can''t tell you, or he will kill our last female." Reynold was troubled. If their last female was dead, there would be no more Earth Dragon shifter, their line would be ended with them.


    If it wasn''t for saving their bloodline, Reynold wouldn''t be so brave to go against Torak, even so he regretted it deeply now. He should think another way to solve this problem.


    At this point, their bloodline would not only be in danger, but their life were under Torak''s mercy by now, that people tend to say the Alpha didn''t have any.


    "Belphegor." Torak said that name.


    With a surprise that flickered in Reynold''s eyes, he knew that he had mentioned the right name.


    "You have to save us¡­" Reynold begged him.

 Chapter 72 - THE DRAGON PEOPLE (6)

    "You have to save us¡­" Reynold begged him. "Or else they would use us to go against you." He didn''t know what else he should say for Torak to save their race.


    "No, you will not if you dead." Torak glared at him, this Dragon people really bold to say those words to him.


    "No. no. it''s not what I meant." Reynold hastily shook his head, realized that Torak got the wrong side of his warning. "They will use us to go against you even if we are dead! Don''t you remember what they had done during war centuries ago?! They revived my dead grandfather!"


    Torak''s gloomy eyes were slightly narrowed by the mention of the war.


    Reynold was not born yet when the war happened, however it was a hereditary story about the mistakes that Dragon''s people at that time had made. A disgrace.


    "What you will offer to me for your safety?" Torak stared at the helpless Dragon Lord. He knew his father and grandfather, both of them were the people who had betrayed him and his brothers during the war.


    "No, not my safety. I want our female back." Reynold said. It was important for them to save their female in order to carry on their descent.


    Torak gave some thought about this before he decided. "Very well." He nodded in agreement. "However, you have to pay the high price for the death of my people."


    "Anything." Reynold didn''t think twice when he agreed.


    "Anything?" Torak raised his eyebrows as his lips curled in mockery. "I want all your possession, including your land, estate, company and pledged your submission only to me."


    Stephan''s jaw dropped, he didn''t believe what he had heard. This Alpha had robbed them in the middle of the day.


    "Impossible!" He screamed. "You can''t do that to us!"


    Reynold also was in shock, if he agreed to give him everything, than what was left for him? What the meaning of being the Lord if he had nothing?


    He was flabbergasted.


    "That''s or I will exterminate the remaining Earth Dragon." His voice sounded like a final verdict for them. He was as ruthless as the king of hell, who wouldn''t bat an eye when he looked at the downfall of his enemies!


    Any creatures in this realm must think twice before they messed with him. Only because he stayed low in these past years didn''t mean the beast inside him was dead.


    "Alpha¡­ Supreme Alpha¡­" Reynold stuttered. "If I gave you everything¡­ what left for me and my people? We had been living in disgrace because of our predecessor betrayal. We can''t live lower than that¡­"


    It was humiliation, and as a haughty creature, Dragon shifter couldn''t live in that way. If it wasn''t to save their race, they wouldn''t have ever stooped that low.


    "It''s not necessary like that, after you had transferred all of your assets, you will run your business like usual under my consent. I will allow you to hold your title as a ''Lord'' and stay in your manor." Torak said all of those things as if had thought about it thoroughly. No one could understand the way he was thinking. "Or¡­ I will finish you all, right here, right now."


    Torak spoke with no room for negotiation. Moreover, they were not in the position for negotiated anything with the furious Alpha.


    One stupid decision Reynold made with Belphegor, cost him everything.


    They have no other choice. Reynold have no other choice. "I will abide your decision."

 Chapter 73 - THE MORNING STAR

    With that defeated words, the two Lycans who were holding Reynold down, released him. Raphael did the same to Stephan and the three Dragon guards in the room.


    The five of them were being released the moment Reynold agreed at Torak''s demand.


    Stephan scrambled toward his brother with tears and snot stained his handsome face, he was only seventy eight years old, a young age for a Dragon shifter who had long life span.


    He was holding his brother''s bloody hand, trembling.


    How ruthless Alpha Torak to cut off his brother hand, he would be cripple! But, he didn''t have enough courage to voice out his dissatisfaction.


    His brother did nothing except wanted to save their last female to protect their lineage!


    And about the betrayal, it was their predecessor fault! There was no connection to his brother and him! Why did he punish them?!


    "Raph, clean up here." Torak was done dealt with them, it was time to go back to his mate.


    "Alright. Worry not." Raphael waved the Alpha away, assured him that he would handle thing there.


    Once Torak was out of the room, he sniffed the air and followed the familiar addicted scent that was able to calm his nerve in an instant.


    Raine''s smell was mixed with Calleb and with that Torak''s burrows knitted slightly, he didn''t like another male scent near her, even though it was the Gamma.


    He picked up his pace and in no time, he had arrived at the garden that located at the backyard of the manor with beautiful sculpture fountain.


    His mate was sitting at the edge of the reservoir while playing with the water absentmindedly, she looked sullen for some reason that he didn''t know.


    The ray of the afternoon light fell on her delicate white neck as she tied up her hair into a messy ponytail.


    Raine didn''t see Torak was coming as her back was facing him, but her slumped shoulder indicating that she was not in a good mood.


    Calleb was standing beside her while the ten Lycans, which supposed to protect them, were standing on guard a few meters away.


    Calleb noticed Torak''s presence as he said with mischievous smile at Raine. "See? He is fine. I told you right?"


    Raine whipped her head and looked at Torak in relief, but before that, she widened her eyes that Calleb assumed as a glare, but she was lack of intimidation. At this point, the Gamma had gotten used with Torak''s ferocious side, so her attempt to make herself looked scary was fail miserably.


    Raine turned her body and as Torak was approaching her, she gave him a smile as bright as the moonlight, so warm, beautiful and pristine.


    Once Torak was close enough, Raine wrapped her slender hand around his waist as she sighed in content. Today was the longest day Torak had left her since the attack. She felt antsy and annoy because Calleb refused to leave her and check on him.


    "Alpha, if you are a bit late, she will have cried." Calleb informed him that made Raine glared at him again.


    As Calleb was often ''baby sit'' her, he grew fond of her and acted like a big brother, an annoyance one of course, as he liked to tease her if Torak was not nearby.


    "Do you worry about me?" Torak wrapped her waist carefully, he was still paranoid if he didn''t cautious enough, he might end up hurting her.


    Raine nodded while burying her face on his chest, the sound of someone screaming before was still ringing in her ears, it was terrifying.


    "I am sorry for make you worry¡­" He whispered at her ear as he pulled her hairband and let her long black hair cascaded down on her back and shoulders. He combed her hair with his fingers as he hummed in satisfaction at the feeling of the soft fabric between his fingers.


    The Alpha, who would not say a word when he cut off the Dragon Lord''s hand, was actually apologizing for something that he didn''t have to.


    He looked totally different from five minutes ago, the bloodshot eyes and the killing intent that lingered around him dispersed in an instant once he held his precious mate in his arms.


    No one would have thought that he was so close to exterminate one race of Dragon shifter a few minutes ago if they watched how good he treated Raine now.


    Sometime Calleb was curious about how far his Alpha could go or how low he could bend for his mate.


    One could actually change drastically.


    I don''t think I want a mate¡­ Calleb thought to himself.


    ***


    When the night came and the old manor appeared more forlorn than the day time as the light from inside had not yet turn on, a Dragon Lord with crippled hand was standing behind the big window with bleak expression.


    His hand had casted with thick bandages.


    With all the Lycans had been long gone, the tranquility inside the manor returned, but the rage within him didn''t subside even an ounce.


    "Brother, you need to rest." Stephan approached Reynold while holding a cup of warm water. "Is that still hurt?" He glanced at his brother right hand as he recalled the event this morning.


    "No need to worry about this." Reynold answered curtly, but his eyes still locked at the garden behind his manor as if he was waiting for something or someone.


    "Alpha Torak really cruel! How he can do something like this?! We had never betrayed him! Is not enough for him to forbid us to shift as we wish? That is our nature as a shifter!" Stephan voiced out his resentment.


    The younger brother continued to complaint grumpily for a few good minutes until he realized his brother didn''t give any respond to whatever he said.


    "But, brother why did you kill Torak''s people?" Eventually he remembered the reason why the Alpha had come to seek for them. "That''s just baseless accusation, right? He just wanted our assets!"


    "No, I did kill his people." Reynold admitted calmly as he turned around and looked past Stephan''s shoulder.


    "But, why did you do that?" Stephan frowned. "You know that he will come after you."


    However, instead of answer his brother''s question he talked to the person behind him that no one knew since when he was standing there.


    "I did what you had told me to do and this is what I get." Reynold showed him his bandaged hand as his eyes flickered with acrimony. "You better wish that your plan is going well."


    Stephan abruptly turned around and looked at the ethereal beauty in front of him that rendered him speechless.


    He was so astoundingly appealing, his features looked as if it had been carved by Gods themselves, which was indeed true, his entire body shone like a morning star while emanating a domineering aura and dignified air of monarch.


    "The lost of your hand is nothing the moment you get your pride as a Dragon shifter back." The man smiled alluringly.

 Chapter 74 - HE TAKES GOOD CARE OF YOUR FEMALE

    "How am I supposed to get my pride back when that damn Alpha snatched everything that I possessed right under my nose!" Reynold yelled at the alluring man.


    "Brother, who is him?" Stephan cowered behind his brother''s back, despite the man divine features, something from him screamed danger. "How did he get here?"


    However, none of the two men heed his questions.


    "Whatever he snatched from you, of course you can snatch it back the moment you topple him down, crawling beneath your feet." The man moved closer to Reynold and Stephan. "Once he is nothing than a pathetic wolf that is overthrown by you, you can be the sole sovereign in this realm, reviving the pride as the deity creature, the Dragon."


    At this point, that man had stood in front of him with devilish smile graced his lips. "Give me your hand." He reached out his hand, waiting for Reynold''s.


    "Where is Belphegor?" Reynold stared at the pale hand that was extended to him with complicated eyes. "Where is my female?"


    "Don''t worry, he takes good care of your female." The man answered in careless tone.


    However, it sounded wrong for Reynold as anger consumed him, he lunged toward the man with half shifted hand, his claws elongated from his scaly fingers, ready to tore that man apart.


    In one second that man was there, but in the next second when Reynold almost clawed his heart out, he had disappeared from his sight.


    "It''s not a wise move." That man voice sounded from behind Stephan.


    Upon hearing that sultry voice, Stephan jerked away as he ran toward Reynold, hiding behind his back again.


    "When I said Belphegor takes good care of her, it is in literally meaning." That man leaned his back against the windowsill. "He is too lazy to mess around with unconscious woman." He mumbled as if he was reprimanding his fellow due to his lack of interest.


    "I swear I will kill you if you touch her!" Reynold barked as his yellow eyes turned red with anger.


    However, that man chuckled heartily when he heard the way Reynold threatened him. "Dragon Lord, I don''t even alive for you to kill. Where should I go if the hell is mine?"


    That man tilted his head, scrutinized Reynold with amus.e.m.e.nt as Reynold clenched his jaw tightly, his vein bulging with pressure.


    "I heard Torak came with his mate. How he treated her?"


    "Do you really think he will have a mate? Don''t you know that Donovans are condescending to will not having one!?" Reynold spat out scornfully.


    "Oh dear, you know nothing about the Moon Goddess." That man approached Reynold again, but this time he didn''t try to attack him again. "She is quite fickle sometime."


    "She is really his mate." Stephan murmured behind his brother''s back.


    "What did you say?" Reynold retracted his claws as he looked at Reynold over his shoulder.


    "He came with a girl, I stared and flirted a bit, she looks so weak and smell like human, but Alpha Torak threatened to gauge my eyes out if I kept staring at her."


    Reynold closed his eyes to keep his annoyance at bay. "Of course he did! Do you think, mate or not, he will let you away if you flirted with his companion!?"


    However, it was enough to fulfill that man curiosity as he stretched out his hand and grabbed Reynold''s bandaged hand in his.


    Before Reynold could retract his hand and moved away, a sudden pain that he had never felt before ran through his arms to his body, legs and head, turned his mind numb.


    A shrill agony screamed filled the manor once again as he slumped to his knees, the pain was unbearable even worse than the moment it was cut off.


    His body was shaking, twisting and convulsing as he was wailing to stop the pain.


    Stephan stupefied when he saw his brother current condition and the moment he snapped out of it, he dashed toward the door while speaking incoherently. "Brother. I will call the guards!"


    Stephan was shouting in frenzy to call the guards once he was in the hallway.


    Upon hearing their Lord frantic call, seven Dragon shifter nearby sprinted toward him.


    "What is it my Lord?" One of them shouted back, he was currently running toward him and asked the moment he saw Stephan was standing in front of Reynold''s door.


    "Quick! Quick! Someone attacks my brother!!!" Reynold ushered them inside.


    The seven Dragon shifter guards dashed into the room, ready for battle.


    However, they saw nothing.


    There was no intruder or the sign of people fight inside.


    There was only Reynold, staring at his bandage hand blankly.


    "Brother, where is he going?" Stephan crouched down beside Reynold, scanning his surroundings while the seven guards combed the room, looking for any sign of danger.


    Reynold didn''t answer his question as he kept staring at his hand.


    "Brother, tell me where is he going? Did he hurt you? Are you hurt somewhere?" He posed line of questions that none Reynolds answered.


    Instead, slowly he undid the bandages that wrapped his hand. Stephan tried to stop his intention only to be swatted away by him.


    When the last bandages fell to the ground, gasped of shock could be heard from both of them.


    "Brother, your hand¡­" Stephan pointed Reynold''s hand, trembling in disbelief. "It''s back¡­"


    The supposed to be handless, was now a hand as fair as a feather, without any damaged.

 Chapter 75 - ANOTHER DREAM

    It was dark, too dark for her to see her own hands and was too quiet until she could hear her heartbeat on her ears.


    Raine crouched down, hugging her knees while trying to hear any sound from her surroundings. As fear crept in, a cold wind swirled liked a vicious snake slithered around her body.


    She didn''t know where she was or how she could get there, she was supposed to be with Torak inside their bedroom, sleeping soundly in his embrace, safe.


    But, why she was here? And where''s Torak?


    Raine could feel her fingertips froze as she was having difficulty to breath. She was afraid.


    "Torak¡­" She sobbed his name faintly as if it was a charm to keep her safe. "Torak¡­"


    Her body trembling as she felt the darkness thickened, if it was possible. For a moment of despair and didn''t know what she should do to get out from this situation, suddenly someone stroke her hair, the same way Torak always did.


    However, it wasn''t him! The feeling was different, there was no tingles sensation that was brought by that touch liked how Torak''s touch affected her.


    But, somehow her body refused to reject that affection, if anything she was longing for it.


    Raine gasped in surprise when someone lips touched her nape, peppering butterfly kisses along her neck down to her collarbones.


    Her breath shortened as she relished the kisses and the touch, among all of those sensations Raine heard a rough voice of her kisser, rough and callous. "Mine."


    She had heard this voice before, but couldn''t put her finger when or where?


    Suddenly Raine''s eyes snapped open and there she was, back to her and Torak''s familiar bedroom.


    Upon awakened from a strange dream, Raine stared at the ceiling blankly as the crystals from the chandelier reflected ray of the sun, which slipped from the slightly opened curtain, they were shimmering beautifully.


    But her mind reeled to her dream, still couldn''t process what that dream was¡­ it was the second time she dreamt about the man, who she had never met, in such intimate way.


    Her heart still thumping wildly as the feeling of his lips still lingered on her neck. She was shock to say the least.


    How she could dream about another man when she was sleeping beside her mate?


    Alright, Raine should admit the term of ''mate'' sounded odd in her ears, but she couldn''t find a way to address Torak and her relationship.


    ''Boyfriend and girlfriend'' things didn''t suit Torak personality, it sounded childish while Torak was a famous CEO in human world and the infamous Supreme Alpha in supernatural realm.


    Raine felt save with him, she like him, if it wasn''t a love yet, but she was sure she would love him. It just a matter of time.


    However, how she could dream about another man?


    Raine felt awful as if she was cheating behind Torak''s back¡­


    The clock that hung at the other side of the room informed her that it was still early in the morning, but when Raine looked at the space beside her, it was empty. Torak wasn''t there as his side felt cold in her palm.


    There was nothing strange with it as Torak always woke up very early in the morning, he was probably already in his study room or in his office.


    Raine curled her body with the blanket and buried her face on his pillow, breathed in Torak''s scent. She didn''t want to fall asleep again, afraid if that dream would comeback.


    Therefore, she freed herself from the blanket and got off from the bed, however the moment she was about to stand up, the world spinning around her forced her to drop to her knees.


    What happened?


    Raine touched her throbbing head as if it would split into two, the dizziness still not leave her, and became even worse while her vision was getting blur.


    "Torak¡­" She called out his name before another darkness consumed her.

 Chapter 76 - SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH HER

    Buzzing sound was the first thing that hit Raine''s senses, afterward the familiar voice that she would recognize even in the noisiest place rung in her ears.


    His voice laced with panic and agitation, like someone who had just lost his inheritance or something similar.


    "Why she is not wake up yet!? Something wrong with her!?" Torak growled in low voice, from the sound of it, Raine''s condition almost drove him mad.


    "Alpha¡­ I have check on her and there is nothing wrong. She only gets a fever. There is nothing to worry about." Lucas''s soft voice echoed inside the room, trying to calm Torak. "She is only fainted because of her fever, maybe she is too tired. Sleeping is good for her. Let her rest." He coaxed him.


    Lucas was a werewolf and a doctor, who had previously run check up on Raine, he had just injected Raine with acetaminophen as they were in the infirmary.


    There was nothing wrong with her, everything was normal, she just got a normal fever, even though she should have woken up by now, but it''s still within normal condition.


    There was nothing to worry about, at least not yet.


    In the other hand, Torak refused to move a muscle from his mate, he kept staring at her pale face, fixed his eyes at her closed eyelids as if waiting for any sign from her to open them.


    Torak felt like his heart almost split opened when he found out Raine fainted beside their bed, he thought someone had attacked her again.


    However, when he lifted her, her body was strangely very hot. Only then, it registered in his mind that she probably fainted because of sick.


    But, it has been four hours and she didn''t give any sign that she would wake up soon. Her body temperature had not subsided yet, despite the injection that Lucas had given to her.


    Was she really tired because of these past weeks? Torak indeed had brought her along with him to various places because he, stubbornly, didn''t want to leave her out of his sight! Was that a reason of her sickness? Because she exhausted herself?


    Torak was barely having an interaction with human, aside from business, as he always surrounded by his own people.


    Hence he didn''t really understand how strong human''s body endurance was, of course it would be different from those creatures that he knew.


    He had been very strict and selective about any food that Raine consumed, he only gave her the best and tried not tired her out.


    However, Raine had never complained that she felt something wrong with her body or there were indication that she was sick.


    And then how she suddenly fell unconscious with burning fever?


    Torak put his cold palm on her forehead. The heat stung his skin. But, it felt nice on Raine as she fluttered her eyes opened.


    "My love, you are awake¡­" Torak''s voice laced in relief the moment he looked at her puzzled look.


    And then she spoke to him¡­


    "Torak¡­ it''s hurt¡­"


    Her melodious voice sounded so heartbreaking as if she carried the unbearable pain, so soft, so faint. Her chapped lips quivered as her eyebrows locked together.


    Torak didn''t have time to rejoice the moment of his mate speaking, all he heard; she was in pain.


    "Lucas! She is in pain!" Torak barked. "If it just a fever, she will not in pain like this!"


    What kind of normal fever that possibly caused her so much pain?!


    "Which in pain?" Torak''s was very anxious as he caressed her back.


    Raine curled her body in fetal position as she clutched her chest.


    "CALL BELLINDA OVER!" He roared to Lucas.

 Chapter 77 - SOMEONE IS COMING

    "I don''t know what happen¡­" Belinda shook her head helplessly. "She is having a fever." She concluded.


    "She is not just having fever Belinda!" Torak enunciated his every word clearly. "The fever is not broke down even after Lucas gave an injection and every time she awakes she will feel pain on her chest!" He felt like he was going insane.


    His beast and he was on the edge of going berserk.


    Raine was put to sleep once again with sedative, so it could lessen her pain while Lucas had been going back and forth to run another check on her with the same result.


    Nothing was wrong with her except her abnormally high temperature, despite everything that Lucas had given to her, none of them worked.


    It had been two days since Raine fell unconscious again and Lucas needed to give her sedative every time she was awake because she would wail in pain.


    However, it couldn''t be continued like this. There would be side effects if they kept feeding her with sedative.


    Raine had been brought to the Redriver city, the Capital city of Zemblanity Country, to get the best medical treatment with a private chopper.


    However to their disappointment, all the medical procedures weren''t working on her, her temperature still high and they couldn''t find the source of her pain.


    Torak almost turned violent if it wasn''t for Raphael and Calleb, trying hard to calm him down.


    Every Doctors there, whether human or Lycans, were afraid to inform him about Raine condition as they didn''t make any progress.


    As a result, because Lucas was known as Torak''s private Doctor, all the Doctors there would report to Lucas and let him to reporting back to Torak.


    The poor werewolf couldn''t reject his colleagues, therefore he felt like dying again and again every time he had to go to inform his Alpha, as if he was going to hell and back.


    "If it isn''t physical illness¡­ probably it has something to do with some sort of magic¡­" Calleb muttered. "Dark magic?" He looked over at Raphael because Torak facial expression was too scary to see at the moment.


    Torak glanced at his Gamma because of his opinion while holding Raine''s hand, it felt so tiny and frail in his wide palm as her chapped lips had turned purplish.


    He didn''t know what went wrong, everything was fine, but why suddenly she fell sick like this?


    "I can''t feel the dark magic from her. There is nothing related to magic." Bellinda was standing at the other side of Raine''s spacious bed.


    They gathered inside Raine''s VVIP ward.


    The grand and astounding ward, which one would believe if it was a seven stars hotel instead of a room in a hospital, couldn''t hide the depressing atmosphere that emanated from the people inside.


    "Maybe you have not checked on her thoroughly?" Calleb suggested stubbornly, even he felt bad upon seeing Raine''s condition.


    "I am a witch! What do you mean I don''t know if some dark magic was casted on her?" Belinda glared at Calleb, offended.


    It had just been two days and she had looked like someone who was only waiting for her last breath.


    No wonder Torak was on edge, their Alpha probably would burn down those Doctor along with this hospital if he really lost his mate.


    The pain of losing mate was unbearable, not to mention Torak had just found him after centuries of waiting.


    "If it is not an illness or dark magic, so what it is?" Calleb was slumped his ass down on the comfortable sofa while looking at the glass ceiling- window as if he was looking for an answer from the glimmers of the city below.


    The room suddenly fell into a pin drop silence, the only sound that echoed on the white wall was the beeping sound that indicating Raine''s heartbeat.


    The sound was so weak, reminding them about the drop of water to the ground after the rain from the leaves, so serene but wouldn''t last for long.


    Torak kept his hand atop of Raine''s as he fixed his eyes on her face, her cheekbones were protruding as she lost another weight. Her initial shining long black hair was dull, scattered on the white pillow, lost its brightness.


    While Calleb and Bellinda were sitting on the sofa and Raphael checked on something from his laptop not far from them.


    They succ.u.mbed to a dreadful silence for more than an hour before a sound of the door opened drew their attention.


    Simultaneously they directed their eyes toward the door when clicking sound of high heels were breaking the intensity in the air.


    A woman parfume had traveled to those Lycan''s nose even before they could see the owner.


    "Am I interrupting?" The woman s.e.xy voice was heard along with the sight of her figures.

 Chapter 78 - SHE CANT STAY WITH YOU

    A beautiful woman in white appeared from the direction of the door.


    She was wearing white windbreaker and shawl around her neck, clanking sound of her high heels were the prominent sounds inside the silence ward.


    Her short red hair was tied neatly under her nape and the parfume that she used wafted the Lycans'' nose as they furrowed their eyebrows.


    "What with that look?" The woman glared at those people inside the room, didn''t like their exaggerated reaction.


    Calleb rushed toward the woman in alert. "How did you get here?" He snapped at her.


    There were guards outside the door, but how she could saunter into the ward easily? Where were all those guards?


    "Take it easy¡­" That woman folded her arms in front of her chest, she tilted her head while giving him lopsided smile. "Surprise that I can enter this room easily?"


    "Who are you?!" Calleb didn''t like that woman attitude and the way her eyes gleamed liked she was hiding something.


    "Step back Cal." Torak deep voice rang out, he didn''t make any effort to stop his Gamma by himself, despite that, Calleb obeyed him nonetheless.


    "What? Do you want to chase me out after your Alpha effort to find me?" That woman smiled smugly, she glanced at Torak, who still couldn''t take his eyes off of his mate.


    "It''s okay Cal, she is Serefina." Raphael walked toward both of them along with Belinda.


    Calleb raised his eyebrows in surprised. "The witch!?"


    "There is a problem with that?" Serefina untied her shawl and put it on the nearest drawer, her lime green eyes glided from Calleb to the girl on the bed, her body connected with the beeping machine beside her.


    "Nope. Not at all." Calleb raise his hand in the air, lost his defensive stance. "Only¡­ you look younger than I thought."


    Serefina rolled her eyes, didn''t bother to answer him.


    She did look younger than her age, knowing she had lived for centuries she looked like a woman in her early twenty, however she was witch after all. They could maintain their appearance easily, deceiving onlookers, as long as they had the sufficient power to do that.


    "Let''s assume she used up all of her energy to preserve her appearance." Belinda chimed in, looking at Serefina scornfully.


    "Oh, hai my little sister¡­" Serefina feigned her surprise when she heard her mockery. "It''s been awhile."


    "Don''t ''hai'' me!" Belinda scoffed.


    Serefina was Belinda older sister from different father. While Serefina was way more powerful than Belinda because her father also a witch, Belinda wasn''t able to grasp the magic like she did due to her father was a Lycan.


    Moreover, Serefina was the last pure bloodline from her witch father.


    "Do you come willingly or it is because of James find you?" Raphael swiftly took their attention before both sisters got into a quarrel.


    "James? Your hunter? You should send someone to pick him up at the northern forest, I am afraid he will get trouble there." Serefina said nonchalantly. "What on earth do you think you can catch me by sending that pathetic Lycan hunter?"


    "What did you do to him?" Calleb asked curiously, based on his encountered with Belinda, no one would end up in good shape if they managed to get a witch bad side.


    "Nothing." Serefina shrugged her shoulder.


    However, nothing meant everything. They should start to worry about their fellow Lycan by now.


    "Leave." Torak grunted, irritated with their exchanged.


    Upon hearing the impatient in Torak''s voice, Raphael then ushered Calleb and Belinda out of the ward while mumbling to the Gamma. "We need to send someone to fetch James¡­"


    After the soft clicked sound that indicating it was only the three of them inside the room, Torak lifted his head and stared impassively at Serefina, who make her way to sit on the edge of the bed, opposite him.


    He let out a low growl at the witch when she touched Raine''s hand.


    "Don''t growl at me." Serefina scolded him, didn''t show even slightest fear when she grabbed Raine''s hand in hers. "You are the one who was looking for me."


    "I am looking for you for another matter, not this." Torak kept his eyes at Raine''s hands that were grasped on Serefina''s, ready to lunge onto her if she made a suspicious gesture.


    "It is her." Serefina said, her lime green eyes glimmered slightly.


    Since Torak sent his hunter to look for her, she knew that he had found his mate, the Guardian Angel. Just like what the prophecy said.


    Selene truly sent those Lycans their other half.


    However, Serefina still couldn''t imagine how Guardian Angel was resurrected into a human form? It didn''t make any senses for her.


    Human was other creature that didn''t belong to their realm and it made things more complicated.


    "Belphegor had made a move." When Torak was sure Serefina didn''t do anything that could harm Raine, he averted his eyes on his mate''s face, she was still unconscious, but her lips didn''t look as purplish as before. "And also Lilith and her horde." He added.


    Lilith and her horde was her succubus that had infiltrated his dungeon before.


    Serefina clicked her tongue in annoyance the moment she heard Lilith''s name as if she had had a bad experience with that evil woman.


    "Because the Guardian Angels have resurrected into this realm again, they are becoming more aggressive I guess." Serefina kept holding Raine''s hand until a faint red tinge appeared on her face as her purplish lips turned pale.


    Only when Torak watched Raine''s slightly better, he could heave a sigh of relief, at least she looked better than these past two days.


    "What happen to her?" Torak gazed at Serefina.


    The witch didn''t answer him immediately, but frowned on her face indicated her answer wouldn''t be please to be heard.


    "It''s complicated." Serefina said after a long silence. She put down Raine''s hand and faced Torak with solemn expression. "You can''t keep her with you."

 Chapter 79 - YOU MAKE HER VULNERABLE

    Torak narrowed his eyes dangerously upon hearing Serefina''s statement. "And what exactly do you mean that I can''t keep my mate with me?"


    The idea to leave his mate or being separated were never crossed his mind.


    What nonsense this witch spurting now?!


    "Because being with you has drained her spirit, make her vulnerable." Serefina stood up and walked toward the table, she poured herself a glass of water. "She can''t stay here as well."


    Torak let go of Raine as his hand balled into tight fist, he walked away from Raine''s bed, didn''t trust himself that he could control the raging beast within him.


    "Do you mean, I am the one who make her suffer like this?" Torak looked at Raine''s pale face with brows locked together.


    What on earth that meant!? How he couldn''t be with his mate!?


    "It''s not exactly like that¡­" Serefina sat, leaning against the table while sipping another drink. "But, her condition is complicated." She spoke more to herself.


    "Explain!" Torak demanded. He couldn''t think of another reason why he couldn''t be with her. It was absurd.


    "First, she is Guardian Angel, the purest creature that has strong spirit. But, because her form is human, her human body is not able to contain it." Serefina pointed her chin toward Raine. "Added that to all of suffers that she had been endured."


    "You know that?"


    "I can see it. The scars from it are quite deep. Her spirit is in the weakest point." Serefina''s eyes turned hazy as she looked at her. "She is in the most vulnerable state, that even a simple curse is able to penetrate her defense."


    "So, how it had get anything to do with me? You mean, I can''t be with my mate!?" Even his own question sounded nonsensical in his ears.


    Serefina sighed. "No, you didn''t really can''t get close to her, like I said, it is complicated."


    His frown deepened as if it would leave a mark on his face. "I believe I can catch up with your explanation."


    "So, your situation and her is like this¡­" Serefina put down her glass and walked back to the bed. "You are the Alpha, naturally all the leaders have a strong aura that is hard to be ignored because you are born with it."


    The beeping sound from the machine was the prominent sound that echoed inside the ward when Serefina took a moment to arrange her explanation.


    "However, for her¡­ as an angel she could feel you, but since her spirit is very weak, it clashes with yours and she can''t take it. It makes her condition vulnerable for spiritual attack, moreover if you bring her to stay in your pack, which filled with Lycans and werewolves."


    Torak took a step back, upon hearing his presence wasn''t a good thing for her.


    "It doesn''t mean you can''t touch her." Serefina remarked when she watched the way Torak stood a little bit away from the bed. "But, once again, she is a human. She needs to live with human until she could strengthen her own spirit."


    "You want to say that she falls sick because I have been keeping her in my pack?" Torak''s stern gazed, pierced Serefina''s eyes, he was trying to see if this witch just came up with the story.


    "It''s not like that¡­" She shook her head. "Your mate is in vulnerable state, spiritually, being with you weakened her already weak spirit, and now there is someone has cursed her, as a result she couldn''t resist it that is why she ends up like this." Serefina waved her slender hand to Raine''s condition.


    Torak made a mental note to find out who the person responsible for this. A curse¡­


    "What are you suggestion?" He asked.


    "I will bring her with me." Serefina said solemnly.

 Chapter 80 - SHE WOULD BE IN DANGER

    "What makes you think I will allow you!?" Torak''s voice turned dangerously low and frosty as he stalked toward her.


    "Your presence now is not helping her. Until she could stabilize her spirit, you and your kind better limited your presence around her." Serefina brushed strand of hair away from Raine''s face.


    "Why I have to believe you?!" Only God knew how much willpower that Torak needed to restrain himself from ripped the witch apart for suggesting that.


    "You see yourself how I fixed her." Serefina shrugged nonchalantly, didn''t even bother by the fact Torak''s eyes had turned black. "I didn''t say that you can''t get close to her, just reduce your interaction. And for your information if you didn''t notice yet, I come with my own volition to help."


    Torak glared at her when she walked past him. "If I can''t get close to her, so on what based you can!?" It was simply nonsense in his ears.


    "We are different kind Torak. I am not a shifter like you." She said in matter of fact tone. "As a shifter, you have¡­ mmh, how can I say it?" Serefina tilted her head as if she was thinking about something. "¡­An impure spirit. Especially you, who is bathed with blood and brutality."


    The fact in Serefina''s statement made Torak let out a deep growl as a warning.


    "I will give you time to think about it thoroughly, but don''t forget about her true purpose for being resurrected again."


    With that last sentence, Serefina strolled out of the ward, leaving the fumed Lycan that could flip anytime.


    ==============


    As another night fell, it was completely silent within the VVIP ward.


    Torak was sitting with back facing the floor to ceiling window. He looked exhausted as the frowned on his forehead engraved deeply as though it would be his permanent expression.


    Raine''s fever had broke down and her lips no more the scary color of purple, leaving her complexion pale and unhealthy, but it was much better than four days ago before Serefina came.


    Though, her fever had subsided, she still not yet regained consciousness even once.


    Serefina convinced Torak that Raine was fine, she was put into asleep so she could recuperate faster. And Torak didn''t have another choice than to believe her.


    Since Serefina said the shifter''s presence, didn''t help Raine with her recuperation. Torak forbid all Lycans and werewolves to come closer to Raine''s ward.


    He especially hired Human bodyguard to guard her ward. Even Raphael and Calleb were not an exception.


    However, Torak couldn''t really leave her alone, therefore most of the time he would stare at her from the furthest part of the room, which was the best that he could do.


    Moreover, Serefina said it wasn''t really necessary for him to completely stay away from her.


    "Where will you bring her?" Torak asked Serefina beside him while looking at the nurse, who was checking on Raine''s IV drip.


    He had come to terms that Raine was needed Serefina guidance.


    He didn''t want something bad fall upon her and moreover, how he could accept their condition now that his presence could possibly harm her.


    "The best place is her birthplace." Serefina said.


    Torak narrowed his eyes. "Her birthplace is out of my territory." It would be another trouble.


    Even in his own territory Torak couldn''t rest assure to leave her by herself, let alone in the place where he wasn''t in control.


    Once his enemies caught a wind about Raine as his mate, she would be put in death sentence, her life would be more in constant danger.


    How Torak could allow it!?

 Chapter 81 - HE WOULD NEVER ALLOW IT

    "No, she will not go out of my territory." Torak insisted, his eyes darkened, extremely displease with Serefina''s suggestion.


    What the hell with the plan of sending his mate away from him?! On top of that, Serefina chose the place where he had no control of it!


    "Then, she will be like this for long time." Serefina pointed her chin toward Raine. "I know you are worry about her, but this is the best that I can offer to you." She shrugged nonchalantly.


    "And why do you want to help?" There was something fishy about Serefina''s participation in this case.


    "Are we going back to this topic again?" Serefina glared at Torak.


    They had had conversation about this and she didn''t want to have discussing the same thing all over again, however, apparently Torak didn''t convince with their last talk.


    "My relationship with your brother has nothing to do with this, we are over once I knew the Moon Goddess lifted your curse and bestowed the three of you with mate." Serefina''s voice sounded boring. "I deserve better than sharing a male, don''t you think?"


    Upon hearing her rhetorical question, Torak chuckled lightly, this was the first pleasant voice from him after many days shrouded by killing intent. He knew how arrogant Serefina could be, like she said, it much better if she left his brother or else this witch would stop for nothing.


    "Good to know that you are in your right mind." Torak strolled across the room when the nurse had finished fix Raine IV drip, and sat beside her bed, kissing her forehead.


    "It''s good to know that you finally found your mate, it''s mean so did Jedrek and Kace." Serefina glanced at the glimmers light of the city, deep in thought.


    "I will assume you return for good this time." Torak still concerned about Serefina and his brother relationship after all.


    They parted way in bad terms.


    This time Serefina didn''t say anything to answer him.


    Regardless, Serefina could have any hidden agenda behind her return for all Torak care, as long as she didn''t do harm on his mate and pack, she could do as she wish.


    At that time, Raine''s eyes fluttered as she let out a small grunt from her trembling lips. Torak caught her movement and anxiously calling Serefina. "Serefina she is awake!"


    Serefina strolled across the room and sat beside Raine''s bed as she held her hand.


    The warm touch from Serefina alerted her as she made an attempt to pull her hand from her grasp, her eyebrows locked together in discomfort. Raine had never seen her.


    Not to mention, this woman''s appearance didn''t look like a doctor with her short red hair and overly luxurious gown.


    "It''s alright my love¡­ she is here to help."


    Only then Raine realized Torak''s presence and the spark that came from her another hand that has been holding by him all this while.


    She turned her head and stared at him through her blurry sight, everything around her turned into a fuzzy image at this moment.


    "Torak¡­" Raine rasped out a sound that very weak.


    He like it when Raine called out his name, but as far as Torak could remember every time Raine called his name, it had been always in unpleasant occasion.


    "I am here my love¡­" Torak caressed her cheeks and she leaned to his touch, it made his beast slightly appeased after all the tense that they had been through.

 Chapter 82 - HE WILL SEND HER AWAY TO HER NIGHTMARE

    Serefina poured a glass of water and gave it to Torak, so he could help her drink some liquid to freshen up her drying throat, afterward she called the doctor to check on Raine.


    The Doctor was a human as well as the two nurses who came with him.


    Because of Serefina''s warning about Raine''s weak spirit, Torak had limited Raine interaction with other Lycans.


    Including himself, he had been keeping his distance all this time and only came to touch her very rarely. It was inconvenient, but it helped her to recovery, so as frustrated as he was about the situation, Torak couldn''t complain about it.


    After some major check up, they said there was nothing to worry about her condition now, she would recover and would be able to discharge after a week.


    "Let Doctor Lucas know about the result and ask his opinion." Torak told the Doctor, he needed his own people to make sure that Raine''s condition was not in danger anymore, physically.


    "Will do Mr. Donovan." The Doctor smiled politely before he walked out of the room with the two nurses, who kept stealing a glance or two at Torak direction, seemingly smitten with his charm and mysterious aura around him.


    "How are you feeling my love?" Torak caressed Raine''s cheek fondly, feeling her soft skin.


    Raine felt like she was under the water, disoriented and headache, everything was fuzzy in her eyes. Her body was like a jelly and her lower back was sore due to lying down for a long time. She wanted to sit.


    However, she didn''t have much strength to hoist herself up. With hazy mind, she reached out her arms, asking Torak to help her.


    A tender smile appeared on Torak''s lips upon seeing her gesture.


    How he could endure to be separated from this little creature? He must wrack his brain to think of another way.


    Gingerly, Torak supported her back as he pressed the button to lift the bed, he arranged pillows around her so she would feel comfortable.


    Throughout the process, Serefina watched how gentle Torak treated his mate.


    She remembered how ferocious this Lycan centuries ago, actually he was still that way till now, the beast only lie down, not dead.


    However no one believed it if they were looking how devoted this beast to his mate at this moment.


    Is he also like this to his mate? Serefina''s mind flew to the image of a certain Lycan.


    ==============


    After five days of a good care, Raine''s condition became much better. Originally she was allowed to discharge by now, however Torak insisted her to stay for another two days.


    When Raine wasn''t as muddleheaded as before, the first thing that came up in her mind was how grandeur this hospital ward, she didn''t feel like she was in a hospital at all, instead it more like a seven stars hotel, even though she had never been in any rate of hotel before.


    Another thought was; how much money that Torak had spent for her?


    He was an affluent man, she knew that from the moment he brought her out of the orphan, but to spend his money on her this way, not to mention with her had been unconscious, Torak could put her in regular room and she would never say a word about it, was this all worth it?


    Another thing that came to her understanding was the presence of the woman named Serefina, occasionally she would hold her hand without saying anything, during that moment, Raine would feel numb with a warm sensation that crept from her hand, which she was holding.


    It wasn''t unpleasant feeling, in contrary, after Serefina had done that, she felt better as if she had regained her strength.


    And the last thing that had bothered her the most was the fact that Torak had been avoiding for being close to her.


    Actually, Torak was still inside the room, however instead of being near her, he would sat on the sofa close to the window, busying himself with a stack of doc.u.ment.


    Only if Raine walked toward him than he would urge her to go back to lie down on the bed, not to mention he was more cautious and careful when he was with her, more than before.


    Another small thing that she realized was the fact she had not seen Raphael and Calleb even for once since she regained consciousness.


    As long as she remembered, both of them were rarely leaving Torak''s side.


    What actually had happened?


    "What is it, my love?" Torak kissed Raine''s beautiful eyes as they were looking at him absentmindedly.


    Currently, he was cuddling, lying down with her on the sofa beside the floor to ceiling window while looking at the drizzle rain outside, fogging their view from the city below.


    It was still afternoon, 1.43 p.m, but the gloomy cloud didn''t allow a ray of the sunlight escaped. Thunder and lightning appeared at the other further side of the sky, behind a tall building, giving an ominous feeling.


    Raine shifted to find comfort in Torak''s embrace while he adjusted the blanket around her.


    It was the moment when Torak hoped time would freeze and let him relished his mate''s presence for a little bit longer.


    At this time nothing was matter anymore for him. He had given Raphael autoration to deal with the matter regarding the Dragon People and their company takeover.


    Raine used his arms as a pillow while Torak''s other hand played with her hair, one of his favorite things to do when he has Raine near him.


    "Where is Call and Raph?" Raine''s voice was so soft like a breeze wind when she asked him.


    She had started to talk again, but it was only with him, while with the other people like the Doctor and nurses, she chose to remain silence or used her ipad to communicate.


    "Why are you asking them?" Torak slightly frowned, didn''t like when she was asking another men, even though he knew what she meant. She must have realized it by now.


    "You are always with them." Raine whispered, snuggled deeper to his chest.


    "I will call them if you want." Torak found it difficult to explain the situation to her.


    It would be the day after tomorrow, Serefina would bring her back to her birthplace, but Raine was still in the dark.


    The idea of being separated from her didn''t please the Alpha either.


    "No, just asking¡­" Raine shook her head, didn''t want to trouble him. "But¡­"


    Before Raine could talk further a sudden sound of the door being opened with unnecessary forces, echoed inside the room, startling Raine as she jolted to sit.


    She was very self conscious if there was someone else near her as she was too shy to let other people saw her cuddling with Torak.


    Meanwhile, Torak was really annoy with the sudden interruption, his blue ocean eyes were looking at Serefina, who strolled inside the room with bright saffron yellow fur coats that complimented her lime green eyes, she was too doll up for Torak''s taste.


    "Can we talk straight to the business?" Serefina crossed her feet and leaned her back against the sofa as she put on airs, her features was very radiating for Raine.


    The girl lowered her head like she always did when she felt intimidated while she felt Torak wrapped his arm around her waist protectively.


    Torak gave Serefina a warning glare that the woman ignored it completely.


    "You." Serefina pointed her chin at Raine arrogantly. "Will live with me in your hometown, we will go the day after tomorrow."


    Serefina short declaration earned a low growl from Torak as Raine whipped her head to look at the woman straight in the eyes.


    "After many days, finally you have courage to look at me." Mockery was clear to hear from the way Serefina said it.


    "Watch your mouth witch!" Torak said through gritted teeth as his hand balled into a fist.


    If it wasn''t for Raine''s sake the witch would have been thrown out of the ward through the window.


    "I don''t know what is wrong with you, but I can''t find reasonable reason for you to keep this matter until now." Serefina had run out of her patience.


    She couldn''t stand the way Torak spoiled Raine and kept this issue secret until today while their departure was so close.


    The way Torak treated her wouldn''t do any good for her chance to survive! She had to find her own way through this struggle time!


    Patience would never be the witch forte, hence it put her on edge when she looked at Torak pampered Raine in such a way.


    Raine looked at Torak with apprehensive eyes, her lips slightly opened but nothing that she could say, her body was trembling when she realized that Torak would send her away.


    "GET OUT!" Torak barked at Serefina, his eyes turned black because of anger.


    He would let Raine knew about this eventually, but not in this way. She would misunderstand his intention if Serefina put the matter in such way.


    Raine in his embrace startled when she heard Torak shouted furiously at the woman in front of them, and to her surprise that woman didn''t even bother with Torak harsh words, she looked at Raine with impassive eyes and strolled out of the ward indifferently.


    Only when a sound of the door had closed, Torak sighed agitatedly. He needed two second before he could face the fear on Raine''s expression.


    And the next thing that Raine said almost broke his soul painfully.


    "You don''t want me anymore¡­?" Raine asked, her voice was very soft, only barely a whispered. Tears had threatened to spill on the corner of her eyes, but she bit her lips stubbornly to hold them back.


    She didn''t want to go back to her hometown, it was a nightmare¡­

 Chapter 83 - TRESPASSER

    "Of course that is not the case my love¡­" Torak put his thumb under her chin to release her pale lips from her teeth, she would harm herself if she kept doing that.


    "Of course I want you¡­ you are the only person that I want¡­" Torak pulled her closer and pushed her head softly toward his chest, caressing her trembling back.


    Inwardly he cursed Serefina to bring such a pain on Raine by her words and made her misunderstood this situation, though he knew what that witch said was true.


    Torak was aware that he couldn''t procrastinate the explanation of this matter forever, moreover it was a good thing for having Serefina at this time to help Raine to find out about herself, it could help her to heal her spirit faster under the witch surveillance, but her way to announce it didn''t make things better.


    However, the problem was the location that Serefina chose.


    That wasn''t his territory! In another simple words; DANGER.


    Raine sobbed silently against Torak''s chest, tainted his shirt with her tears. She really didn''t want to go there. Anywhere would be better than there¡­


    "Torak¡­" Raine lifted her head, her teary eyes were looking her mate with hopelessness and that made his beast aggravated, both of them didn''t like to see her tears.


    Clumsily Torak wipe away the tears that tracing down on her cheeks, but they kept falling. "Yes my love¡­"


    "Can I not go there?" Her lips were trembling when she was saying that. "Please¡­ anywhere, but not there¡­" Another tears escape her eyes, fell on the back of Torak''s hand.


    Torak couldn''t bear to see her pleading like that, especially for something that he couldn''t grant, his throat suddenly dried as no word could be spoken.


    For long time, Torak just held her until the rain outside the window ceased and tears from her eyes stopped to fall.


    "My love, there is something that I want to tell you¡­ will you hear me first?" Torak caressed her back and held her tight, kept her warm in his arms. "After that, if you still don''t want to go, I will not force you."


    How he could bear to let her go to the place that she didn''t want, not to mention the danger that lurked around.


    For now, he only wanted her to know her own situation, to make things easier for her to adapt.


    He could feel Raine nodded her head on his chest and sighed deeply before started to speak. "My love, like you have already known there is another world beside your human world, also there is this thing that we call spirit."


    Raine raised her head, her swollen eyes looked at Torak questioningly.


    "In my world, there are many supernatural creatures, charms and curses. You can always ward off charms and curses as long as you have a strong spirit." Torak stopped to let his word seeped in.


    Raine blinked, fluttering her long wet lashes as her sob had subsided. She gave Torak her full attention, without her knowing, the way she looked at him made Torak in daze, drowning himself into her charm.


    "In your case, your spirit is very weak to the point you will be sick only by get close to me for long time. Live surrounded by supernatural creatures also doesn''t help your case." Torak tried to explain it carefully, he didn''t want Raine to feel like no one wanted her. She had felt that way for years.


    Raine was tightening her clutch on Torak''s shirt.


    "You should be aware by now that I have many enemies. They will harm you the same way they try to harm me." Torak leaned over and kissed her cheek as he whispered to her ear. "And I can''t let that to happen, my love." There was a faint trace of fear in the way Torak said his last sentence.


    "You were sick because someone cursed you and your spirit couldn''t take it." Torak didn''t go down to the detail, but that also the right words to put her situation.


    Raine snuggled to the crook of Torak''s shoulder, seeking for comfort. "That was the reason why you will send me away?" As she whispered, Torak could feel the warm liquid wetted his neck.


    "Don''t say it in that way¡­ I will never let you go if it''s not for your safety sake¡­"


    "With my weak spirit I can''t be with you?"


    "You will suffer if you stay with me and I can''t bear to see you in pain¡­"


    "Will Serefina help me?"


    "Yes, she will."


    It wasn''t only a place, it was the place where her parents had been killed, the place where she had been charged for three years in mental institution and had lived as orphanage.


    When she thought she was free from that place, she needed to return.


    How cruel that could be?


    "I am afraid¡­" She said truthfully, even her voice was shaking.


    "Don''t¡­ I will be by your side."


    And then Raine started sobbing again, her raspy voice echoed in Torak''s ears, reverberating to his being.


    ==============


    The day until Raine''s departure was uneventful, Torak kept her accompany in every passing second.


    Along that time, Serefina didn''t talk too much to Raine if it was not something necessary, actually she act that way from the first time they met.


    She had gotten used with being ignored and had even experienced something worse so, it didn''t really bother Raine.


    However on the day of her departure, Torak couldn''t accompany her to the airport because Serefina adamant to not let him.


    She had a strong argumentation for that though.


    "You want to announce to the whole world that she is your mate!? That she is leaving your territory and will enter your enemy''s land!? I am afraid she will be dead even before the plane landed!" Serefina berated Torak harshly.


    Even Raphael and Calleb who was there at that time tempted to salute this witch for being able to stay intact after her disrespect act. If this someone else, they would be dead before they could catch the next breath.


    But, Torak''s mood only turned gloomy and said nothing.


    With Torak''s identity in both worlds it would be uproar if Raine''s identity was revealed.


    Before, only a few human who saw her in person when Torak brought her to the meeting while those newspapermen didn''t have any idea how she looks like.


    Generally speaking Raine''s identity was still a secret for the outside world until today.


    This was an advantage for her, and Serefina very adamant to keep it that way.


    "I will come often¡­" Torak said before let her out of the ward.


    "Don''t come often!" Serefina chided even before Torak finished his words.


    "GET HER OUT!" Torak roared angrily, holding Raine''s body against his to keep his mind sane from this irritating witch.


    This witch has been breathing on his skin since the moment she came!


    "Let''s wait outside¡­" Calleb tugged Serefina''s right arm as he half dragged her out of the room. Raphael followed behind them.


    Serefina was wearing yellow jumper with blue jeans and golden black sling bag, she looked fresh and young, no one would have thought she has lived for centuries.


    Once Serefina left and it was only the two of them, Torak let out an irritated breath as he rested his forehead against Raine''s shoulder.


    "I will come to you." He said firmly.


    It wasn''t a promise it was a determination.


    ==============


    Torak had made an arrangement for everything. He bought a house in Serefina''s name, so it would be difficult for someone to draw a link back to him, arranged new identity for Raine, thus no one knew she came from an orphan and also didn''t appear in the airport.


    Raine was waiting their plane with Serefina was sitting next to her, playing with her phone when suddenly she bristled.


    "Your mate is too much!!!" Serefina sat up straight and glared at her screen phone as if that gadget had wronged her greatly. "I can''t stand this!"


    Serefina bolted up and walked further to calling someone that Raine assumed it would be Torak at the end of the line.


    Curiously, Raine fished out her own phone and typed Torak''s name, there were thousands article about him, but in the recent feed there was news about him that managed to be a trending topic in less than an hour.


    It was about him who bought De Medicci corp.


    De Medicci was a respected family, where they family''s company specialized in legal field, but it wasn''t the shocking news, the thing that made all those businessmen shook their head in puzzled was because De Medicci corp. was rumored on the verge of bankruptcy.


    If Torak insisted to buy it, he wouldn''t see profit until one year ahead; that was what people said in online.


    During that time, Torak needed to dig his hoard deeper to keep the company stayed afloat.


    But, those things wasn''t Torak''s main focus, he was capable to provide ten more companies like that.


    His real goal was to use De Medicci corp as a reason for him to stay in the same country as Raine.


    If Torak couldn''t stay because of his Alpha title would count him as a trespasser, then he would use business as the reason for him to trespass.


    "He is coming¡­" There was something warm spreading in Raine''s heart as she read the article.


    Meanwhile at the corner, Serefina''s face had turned red as her eyes glared viciously at the innocent display board, she clearly bristled to her phone.

 Chapter 84 - DONT WAIT FOR ANYONE TO SAVE YOU

    "I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand."


    -Susan B. Anthony-


    **************


    Serefina and Raine arrived at their destination after hours of flight, during the trip they didn''t talk at all, if it wasn''t a necessary case.


    It wasn''t because Raine was having hard time to communicating with Serefina, but the witch didn''t really try to make a small talk with her also.


    They both looked like strangers to one another.


    Probably before they could start something, the first thing that they needed to work on was the way they interact with each other.


    Raine thought Serefina was still very mad because of Torak''s sudden arrangement to open his new business plan in the same country as her.


    She could see Serefina clenched and unclenched her fist couple of time and breathed deeply in order to calm her tense nerves.


    Called her thoughtless, but Raine enjoyed the sight of Serefina fumed with anger. She has been very annoying since the first time they met and now Torak gave her another headache and annoyed her back, so how could Raine not be consoled by this?


    However, she couldn''t let the witch knew about this, or else her days ahead wouldn''t be good.


    Raine kept walking two steps behind Serefina as her presence was so intimidating. If she could choose, she wanted to be everywhere except beside her. Her self- conscious kept reminding her how uncomfortable she was.


    "Can you walk faster? I don''t want to be bothered looking for you if you are lost!" Serefina hissed at her and looked at Raine who was shorter than her, through her shoulder, disdainfully. "Torak really has spoiled you too much until you can''t even move your ass faster than my cat."


    The harsh comment made Raine''s body fidgeted nervously as unpleasant memories flew back in her head.


    Would it be the same as before?


    "Raise your chin and look at me!" Serefina suddenly stopped walking and crossed her slender arms in front of her chest provocatively. She was venting out her anger toward Torak to his mate.


    This witch was about a head taller than Raine and with her red hair, it was like her head was flaring with flame, like medusa but with flame.


    Raine tugged the strips of her backpack nervously as she stopped a bit further from her.


    "Come closer to me or I assure you, you will not like the things that I will do next." Serefina warned her. She has a temper that was worse than her step sister, Belinda, moreover she wasn''t the patient type either.


    Raine was very aware about what she could do, but would she do something atrocious in front of thousand people?


    She glanced at her surroundings secretly, they were in the airport and lots of people milling around with their suitcase. Not far from them, there were guards and airport police. She would be safe, wouldn''t she?


    But, before Raine could decide what she would do, she felt her feet moved forcefully without her consent. She looked around in panic when she wasn''t able to stop herself to move closer toward Serefina.


    Only when Raine was standing in front of her, her feet stopped moving and by ''didn''t move'', her feet literally were not able to move an inch from her spot now.


    Raine''s body started to tremble as her heart called out the only name that crossed her mind every time she felt insecure.


    Torak¡­


    Tears began to well up in the corner of her eyes as fear crept in.


    "Raise your head and look at me!" Serefina hissed viciously.


    And like her feet, her head and eyes moved without her consent to meet Serefina''s glaring one. It scared Raine terribly.


    "Do you really think that I can''t do anything in public area like this?" She waved her hand to her surrounding and scoffed. "Think again."


    The feeling of being controlled was awful and Raine didn''t like it a bit. She was used with harsh words and physical abuse, but not this type of abuse.


    "When I talk to you, you have to look at me in the eyes like this, understand?!" Serefine was squinted her eyes dangerously at Raine like a predator stared at their prey.


    Raine wanted to nod her head, but she couldn''t move a muscle.


    "Answer me." Serefina ordered Raine sternly.


    "Understood¡­" Raine''s voice was barely a whisper when she answered the witch as tear of fear was rolling down on her cheek.


    Looking at her tears, Serefina scorned with derision. "Crying?" She raised her eyebrows. "That is the only thing that you can do? Do you really think your tears can stop ''them'' from killing you?"


    Raine wasn''t sure whom Serefina referred to by the mention of ''them'', but they must be those creatures that had been hunting her for years.


    "If you can''t even raise your head to face me, how do you expect you will survive in this place? Out of your mad- mate''s territory! You think Torak will always be here for you in every dangerous situation to save your life!?" Serefina''s words were very hard to hear, though there was truth in it.


    Raine knew Serefina was right, but her method was too rude and abrupt for her. Raine needed time to overcome her trauma and knowing she had to return to her own nightmare and faced the horror in her life again, didn''t help her case at all.


    "Don''t wait for any men to save your ass, you have to save your own ass in order to survive! Understand!?"


    "Understood." Raine blinked her eyes rapidly to hold back her tears as she tried to gulp down the fear that went up to her throat.


    Her face flushed with the color of red as her body trembled, if Torak was there, the word of ''mad'' wouldn''t be able to describe his emotion, unfortunately he wasn''t there.


    "It will be the first and the last time you ever cry in front of me." Serefine remarked sharply.

 Chapter 85 - WE WILL MEET SOON

    "And I need you. Not in the ways to survive, but in the ways that make life worth living."


    -JmStorm, Pinterest-


    **************


    After saying those harsh words, Serefina released Raine. She didn''t have intention to hurt her, however the witch really got irritated if someone started to cry and showed any kind of weakness, that was her least favorite things.


    In the other hand, Raine gripped on the strip of her backpack tightened as she bit down her lips, she looked around, trying to find a way to escape from Serefina.


    She was so terrified by her, something in her told Raine that Serefina wouldn''t go easy on her, whether it was because her duty to help her became stronger, or to vent out her anger toward Torak. Neither would end up good.


    "Don''t waste your time to think that you can do that." Serefina was facing Raine again with impatient look on her face. "Once you do that and I catch you, no mercy for you." She talked in low and soft tones, but the meaning behind it spoke more volumes. "I will cut off your hair."


    Raine gasped loudly, somehow she believed that she would do exactly what she said, on top of that, Serefina had the ability and the cruelness to do that.


    The little angel rubbed her eyes roughly before her tears fell on her cheeks, the witch said she didn''t like to see her crying, who knew what she would do if she saw this.


    The airport filled with many people, but no one pay attention or cared enough to watch what was happening with the two women as they minded their own business.


    Raine took step by step with great effort to follow Serefina, as if her feet suddenly weighed a ton each.


    When they walked someone suddenly approached Serefina, he was a young man in black suit with tanned skin and a smile on his lips that seemingly never faded, he looked like a man in the middle of his twenties.


    "Miss Serefina and¡­" His amber eyes landed on Raine. "Mrs. Donovan, right? My name is Jack, I will be your chauffeur." The young man introduced himself.


    "What do you mean ''Mrs. Donovan''?! Call her by her name!" Serefina''s voice raised a few octaves upon hearing how Jack addressed Raine.


    "But, she is the Alpha''s mate." Jack stated the fact without faltered even under Serefina''s sharp gaze, his smile still etched on his full lips. For him, as a werewolf, mate would be the forever one, whether they had married or not, their woman would be the last woman for them.


    "Or, which one do you prefer? Mrs. Donovan or Miss. Raine?" Jack asked Raine politely.


    Jack had heard a little bit about their future Luna''s personality, Calleb told him that their Luna was softhearted and a bit shy, but in his eyes ''shy'' couldn''t describe her¡­ Raine had a problem more than being ''shy''.


    Raine looked at her intertwined her own fingers, she lowered her head only until the tip of her nose and her lips that could be seen.


    "Call her Raine!" Serefina was almost screaming in her frustration, she had told Torak to keep low profile, and stopped doing stupid things to spoil his mate, but he just couldn''t listen.


    Because in Torak''s eyes, sending someone to pick them up for the Airport didn''t count as a fancy thing, maybe they needed to talk more detail about ''does and don''t''s rule''.


    Ignoring Serefina''s angry tone, Jack kept looking at Rain, waiting for her answer. "So?"


    Raine startled a bit when Serefina talked, she hastily pulled out her phone and typed something before she showed it to Jack.


    On the screen there were only three simple words.


    ''Just Raine please''.


    Jack smiled. "Ok. Raine, do you ready to go home?" He asked softly while giving back her phone.


    Raine slightly raised her head when she heard the way Jack spoke to her, she glanced at Serefina''s impatient expression, before she nodded her head slowly.


    "Over here please." Jack led them to the black car that parked not too far from them.


    After the three of them got into the car, Serefina told Raine to take a seat beside Jack, who was driving, while she was sitting alone in the back seat, her reason was because she needed more space.


    Raine didn''t feel offended for that, as she also prefered to stay as far away as she could from Serefina.


    When they just drove for a few minutes, Serefina''s phone rang. The name that popped out from her phone didn''t make her bad mood better.


    "Torak, there are a lot of things that we need to talk!" Serefina shouted at her phone.


    "Where is my mate?" At the other side of the phone, Torak demanded.


    "No! I will give the phone to your mate if you stop doing this!" Serefina yelled and glared at the traffic jam in front of them.


    "Are you inside the car?" Torak asked impatiently.


    "Yes, and this¡­" However before Serefina could say something the line had cut off.


    The next second, another phone was ringing, it was jack''s. Jack only glanced at the name that appeared on his screen phone before he gave it directly to Raine.


    Apparently, it wasn''t only Serefina who owned the phone inside the car, Jack wanted to laugh on this.


    "My love, are you alright?" Torak''s soft tone was heard the moment Raine picked up the phone.


    Raine nodded, the habbit of hers, before she realized that Torak couldn''t see her, and then said in low voice. "Yes¡­"


    There was silence afterwards, before Torak said. "I love you, my angel. We will meet soon." And the line was cut off.


    Raine was surprised when Torak said that, because Serefina would flip out if he did come, she had warned him not to meet her, but apparently The Alpha didn''t take it well.


    Whatever it would be, Torak''s words still managed to warm Raine''s heart as a tear trickled down from her eyes, which she wiped it hastily.


    It has not even been a week, but¡­


    She missed him¡­


    ==============


    Inside a luxurious room, Torak was staring at his phone before abruptly stood up and gave a sudden order. "Arrange a meeting with De medicci family."


    "When?" Calleb caught out of guard by the sudden order.


    "Tommorow." Torak replied curtly before he went out of the room, leaving Calleb with his jaw dropped open.


    "Raph, is the Alpha starting to become crazy? We can''t do that! De Medicci family is living not in our territory, there are a lot of thing that we should do first to announce our visit!" Calleb cried to Raphael beside him.


    If Torak wanted to meet De Medicci family tomorrow, then at least they should leave tonight. And Calleb needed to an extra job to make their visit wasn''t count as trespassing the other territory. The time was so tight if Calleb has to arrange this meeting.


    Raphael looked at Calleb helplessly. "Can you change his mind?"


    Calleb shook his head. "Of course not."


    "Can you defy his order?"


    "No."


    "Can you say ''no'' to him?" Raphael asked again, crossing his arms in front of his broad chest.


    "No."


    "Stop complaining and just do it then."


    Calleb. "¡­"

 Chapter 86 - RED TULIP; DEEP LOVE

    Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are anger and courage. Anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain as they are.


    -S.t Augustine-


    **************


    Jack brought Raine and Serefina to their new residence, it was an old- fashioned eight- story apartment building with a little bit touch of medieval style.


    In the entrance hallway there was a big reception table with a beautiful receptionist sitting elegantly there.


    Jack walked toward her and made a little bit conversation with the receptionist, she was blushing and giggled upon hearing whatever Jack told her while Serefina was too busy with her phone to stop Jack from infusing his charm to the poor lady.


    Raine was sitting on the sofa while waiting for Jack to retrieve the keys of their flat, Serefina was sitting next to her. She was staring at her phone dissapointly, she would never be able to receive Torak''s call because Serefina had thrown away her sim card before they take off.


    That was why, Torak called Serefina to speak with Raine instead of calling her directly.


    It was ten minutes later when Jack finally finished with his flattering words and got the key for them, he winked at the lady receptionist when he turned to face Raine and Serefina.


    "Let''s go to see your flat." Jack reached out his hand to help Raine to carry her backpack, but shook her head and mouthed, ''it''s okay''.


    Jack smiled softly and carried their suitcase instead, there was one porter, who followed them to their flat, pushed a trolley to carry all of their belongings.


    Their flat was in eleventh floor, in this floor, there were four doors that led to different flats. Serefina and Raine got flat number 111 while Jack 112, he would live next to them.


    This time, Serefina didn''t complain as she agreed with the selected apartement building, this place was pleasant and modest, and moreover this met her request.


    "Your room will be there." Serefina pointed the second room to Raine when they entered.


    This flat consists with two bedrooms, one living room, one bathroom and a small kitchen, their flat was a fully- furnished one, so they didn''t need to add anything significant.


    Raine entered the room that Serefina had pointed to her and found that she love this room immediately.


    This room was very simple with a single bed near the window and with white cover sheet and a bedside table with two drawers, which also in color of white.


    And beside a big cabinet there was a standing mirror.


    Raine''s room was so simple, but this was a perfect room for her. She walked inside and put her backpack on her bed and looked around her room with, fascinating.


    On the top of bedside table there was a red tulip on a glass vast, it''s color was so daring and gave off an indifferent beauty and simplicity.


    Raine touched its petals with her finger tips. Could this be Torak, who asked someone to put it here? Or, it was only part of decoration?


    "So cheesy."


    Raine startled when she heard Serefina''s sarcastic tone.


    Who knows how long she has been standing at the doorway, but her eyes locked on the red tulip on the bedside table, spitefully.


    "Come outside, there is something we need to talk. I have allergic with flower." Serefina mumbled her last words acrimoniously.


    Raine glanced at the red tulip before she went outside of her room and closed it door.


    Apparently, Jack had left and it was only the two of them.


    Serefina was sitting on the sofa when Raine appeared and took a seat across of her, the incident at the airport when she was controlling her, still etched in her memory, thus the girl was very afraid to be near her.


    Serefina tilted her head when she saw Raine''s timid gestures, she needed more than patient to stand this kind of person. The witch hated Raine''s timidity.


    She didn''t really care about her trauma or dreadful experience that she had gone through, because everyone has it! She also has her own share and she didn''t succ.u.mb on her fear.


    But, Serefina forgot that not everyone has the same problem as her neither they had her supercilious attitude.


    "I will make the rule and you will do as I say. Understand?" Serefina opened the conversation with that statement.


    Raine didn''t like it, when Serefina tried to control her, mentally or physiologically, she had enough with that when she was in the mental hospitality.


    However, she couldn''t voice out her rejection openly and Serefina didn''t need her agreement for that, as she assumed everything was under her control.


    "Take a look at this." Serefina put down three brochures on the table between them. "These are colleges near this place and you will start a new semester in four month. I don''t care what majors you will take and I think your mate also didn''t care much about it."


    Raine reached the three brocures and checked on it, there were various majors that they offered, but the problem was¡­


    Raine fished out her phone and was about to type something when Serefina snatched it away and crushed it into a dust.


    "When I talk to you, I want you to answer me." Serefina said viciously, her eyes bore onto Raine''s. "Talk!"


    Raine clenched her fist to calm herself, she opened her mouth but there was not a single word that could come out, she felt suffocating.


    "Talk!" Serefina yelled sternly.


    "I¡­" Raine bit her lower lips as she was trying hard to produce the words. "High¡­ school¡­."


    Across from her, Serefina knitted her eyebrows. "Talk clearly!"


    "High school¡­ not graduated¡­ yet¡­" Raine stammered, stumbled with her words as her body trembling.


    Fortunately, Serefina didn''t ask her to repeat that. "I have thought about that, during these four months there will be a tutor who will come regularly, so you can take the final exam like the other high school students."


    Raine nodded and then hastily added. "Yes." Before Serefina flipped out again.


    "And every once a month, I don''t want you to disturb me, you are not allowed to knock or call my name during that time, no matter how urgent the situation." Serefina warned her. "No matter what you will hear, don''t disturb me. Understood?"


    Though Raine didn''t understand why she had to do that, she still nodded her head and whispered. "Understood."

 Chapter 87 - WHAT THE GIRL MEANS TO YOU?

    Serefina''s eyes stared at Raine for a few more second before she continued with other trivial rule, like; Raine wasn''t allow to go outside of the flat without Serefina''s permission, Raine would be the one who would cook something for them to eat because Serefina couldn''t do that, Raine would be the one who would clean up their flat because Serefina was too busy to do it, but she wasn''t allowed to enter her room, Serefina made sure that she had repeated that many times.


    And another ''rules'' that made Raine scrunched her brows in confusion. Basically, it would always be Raine, who would do the core work as Serefina excuse would go back and forth between busy and she couldn''t do it.


    Actually, Raine didn''t mind to do it, as she had done worse thing than that in the past. But, she wondered when she could meet Torak again?


    Serefina seemingly had planned to separate them as long as she could.


    "When you graduate from the college, or after you manage to revive your power." That was what her reply when Raine asked about meeting Torak.


    Her black obsidian''s eyes widened when she heard that.


    Graduate from the college would take, at least, four years and to revive her power, she didn''t even know if she has it. What was Serefina''s mean by power?


    Lifting an object without touch it?


    Shot fire from her eyes?


    Produce watter from her finger tips?


    "What power?" Raine tilted her head, asking in low voice. She even didn''t know if her question sounded stupid or what, but she needed to know what Serefina wanted to do with her.


    She told Torak that she would help Raine to get better and for her to be able to stand against the enemy, but all she had done was; made Raine afraid of her.


    "I don''t know, you tell me." Serefina shrugged nonchalantly. "Every Guardian Angel has it own charm, I don''t know what that is¡­ some experience will be needed to figure that out." She mumbled and then stood up, walked toward her room, leaving the confuse Raine behind her.


    ==============


    It was very early in the morning when a private jet landed at the airport, even the sun has not shone yet. However, the activity in the airport was as busy like always.


    Torak was wearing black shirt under his leather brown jacket and black sunglasses perched on his nose, walked beside him was his Beta and Gamma along with the other ten Lycans.


    That small group apparently drew people attention, especially from women, they would take another look and even stared at them bluntly.


    That was a good sight to behold in this early boring morning.


    Fortunately, that didn''t last for long time as they had their own private exit and luxurious cars that had been waiting for them.


    "Greetings, Alpha Torak."


    Someone suddenly appeared a few meters away from Torak''s group, simultaneously all of the lycans turned their head toward the direction of the voice and found a man, with skin that almost looked translucent, was staring at Torak with warm smile hung on his lips.


    Torak didn''t answer his greeting, but he didn''t move to open the car door either, he was waiting for the other person to explain his appearance.


    "You are so parsimonious with your word like always." That man remarked, but even so, it didn''t falter his smile.


    "What do you want?" Torak asked, his voice was so deep and calm, but somehow gave off an authority and impatient.


    The other man chuckled lightly, seemingly he wasn''t the type that would like to get down straight to his main point while the other hand, Torak didn''t have much patient to deal with this.


    Seeing the other man was still reluctant to talk, Torak opened the car door and was about to leave, when that man all of sudden stopped chuckling and his voice turned serious.


    "I came to invite you to my place." That man blurted out, realizing that Torak would leave. "The last time you were here, you came and went so fast, I didn''t even have time to greet you. This time your beta gave me a short notice about your arrival, and here I am, waiting to greet you." The man was half whinning toward the Alpha and opened his hands to emphasize his words.


    Torak glanced at him as his ocean blue eyes slightly became darker.


    Realizing the situation would get out of hand, Raphael stepped forward, he stood between the two man. "Andromalius."


    The man nodded solemnly. "Yes, that is me."


    "We have notified you about our arrival and as you know, we came here for business, there was nothing to do with our realm." Raphael said impassively.


    "I got your point." Andromalius took two steps closer. "But, the last time you were here, I lost one person in my territory."


    Andromalius was waiting for the reaction of Torak after hearing his words, but his expression remained unreadable.


    The Alpha held his eyes with undechiperable emotion. No one could tell whether he was surprised that Andromalius knew about this, or he didn''t even care about that because that wasn''t something important for him.


    "She was a girl from an orphanage." Andromalius took another step forward. "And surprisingly, when I checked there, no one could remember her face. Not a single soul could tell how she looks like."


    "Your point is?" Raphael''s voice remained calm and composed. He knew that, because Torak had ordered to do something with the people in the orphanage.


    "The only information that I got from there was the girl''s name is Raine." Andromalius tilted his head and looked at Torak through Raphael''s shoulders. "Why did you take the girl away? What that girl means to you?"


    The Alpha had never done this before and he wouldn''t do that if there was not anything important in her, this fact alone had tickled his curiosity.


    Torak grabbed Raphael''s shoulder and pulled him back as he faced Andromalius directly.

 Chapter 88 - YOUR LOVE TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

    He asked: "Why are you so insecure with my love for you?"


    She said: "Because I have never had anyone love me the way that you do, or care for me the way that you do. I am afraid that this might be a dream and that your love is too good to be true."


    -IG: love.shade143-


    **************


    "Put your nose somewhere else Andromalius. You will not like it when I lost my patience." Torak made sure that his opponent could hear his voice clearly as he emphasized every syllable of his words. "I don''t have much of it."


    Torak''s black eyes stared at Andromalius, washed away the smile on his smug face.


    "You are indeed the Supreme Alpha with the biggest territory, but here, is not your land." Andromalius hissed as a black snake crept his way up and perched on his shoulder.


    "I will make it mine if you keep appear in front of me." Torak warned him, and he always meant his word. Fulbright City would bath with blood the moment Torak determined to expand his territory.


    "You can''t threaten me in my own territory Alpha." The snake on his shoulder hissed with him when he talked.


    "I wasn''t threatening you. That was a warning." His black eyes were like a deep whirlpool that could suck any sould into it.


    Andromalius smirked and took two steps back. He knew how dangerous this creature in front of him, or else the Moon Goddess herself wouldn''t put curse on him for the sin that his brothers and he had done.


    "Enjoy your visit." Andromalius gave another polite smile before he turned around and walked away.


    A man approached Andromalius when he had walked far enough from Torak''s earshot. "Andromalius." The way he talked akin to snake that hissed to his prey.


    "Find out who is the girl." Andromalius got in the car and let the other man to drive it.


    "Got it." The man said while he started the engine, the car came to life with a quiet whine then began to purr.


    It was a rare case that Torak put his interest in another creature, not to mention she was only a weak, poor human girl, he saw a piece of news about when Torak left the hotel last time with a girl in his arms, though no one could manage to see her face, but it created quite an uproar.


    There must be something more about the girl named Raine, and Andromalius determined to find out about it.


    On the other side of the road.


    Torak stared at the Jeep Wrangler that slowly left with dark eyes, his eyes didn''t return into they initial color even when he faced Raphael and Calleb.


    "Put your eyes on him." He said in eerie cold tone.


    "Yes Alpha." Both of them replied simultaneously.


    It wouldn''t be a good beginning¡­


    ==============


    Four days after Raine resided in this new environment, Serefina has been so busy with her own matter and neglected her, she would be often went out somewhere, of course she would never tell Raine where she would go.


    However, Raine didn''t complain about it, actually it was a good thing for her. Sometimes, Serefina could be so stern and to be around her was so tense.


    Serefina said, her home tutor would come next week, until then Raine has a lot of free time and she spent it in front of the television.


    This wasn''t because she interested to watch any movie, but these three days, Torak frequently made an appearance in business programme about his forthcoming project that would absorb a lot of manpower.


    His project received full support from the government.


    Apparently, beside joint venture with De Medicci, Torak had determined to settle his influence in this country too, rooted his position in business world.


    "The Alpha indeed will go to any lengths to be close to you, Luna." Jack clicked his tongue when he watched the news, he brought a plate full with chicken wings with him and handed it over to Raine.


    Serefina wasn''t home, she has been leaving the apartment since morning and now it''s already 4.45 pm and both Raine and Jack was watching evening news.


    Raine took a bite of the chicken wings, after these four days she was used to Jack''s presence, he was like Calleb, but more mature than him.


    "He is doing a business." Raine muttered.


    It was heartwarming to know someone would do something beyond reason and convention only to be near the other person, but what Torak had done was way too extreme for Raine to believe that his reason solely because of her.


    "Business?" Jack looked at Raine incredulously. "Alpha will not do any business here. He doesn''t like the owner of this territory." He explained while watching the news.


    On the screen the camera caught a glimpse of Torak when he was about to enter his car, apparently, he had just met with one of the ministers in the government.


    "So, why did he do it?" Raine asked timidly.


    "Because of you of course." Jack tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows together. "Raine, you still don''t grasp the concept of mate, do you?"


    Raine didn''t answer that, but she averted her eyes and put her focus on the chicken wings on her lap.


    Torak had told her about that, but like what Jack had guessed she still didn''t really grasp the idea of ''mate''.


    "With time, you will understand it better." There was no better way to explain it, because for some people, their explanation would sound nonsense.


    No longer after that, Jack''s phone rang and he picked it up. "Cal." He said the other person''s name and went silent, apparently Calleb was giving him a short instruction and hung up after Jack''s reply. "I got it."


    Raine was staring at Jack upon hearing Calleb''s name was being mentioned, her eyes as if asked him ''what happen?'' when he hung up the phone.


    "The Alpha wants to meet you, but he couldn''t come here, so we will go and see him, what do you say Luna?" Jack said with teasing tone laced in his voice. His happy- go- lucky face was smiling brightly.


    He knew that Raine has long missed him.


    Raine''s face lightened up immediately, but then it dimmed. "But, Serefina said¡­" She was not allowed to step out of the apartment.


    "Well¡­" Jack scratched the back of his head. "I can call back and say that, if that''s what you want."


    "No." Raine shook her head and the smile returned to her face. "Let''s go."

 Chapter 89 - DESIRE

    Until your soul gets what it desires, other joys of this world become a temporary escape.


    -amnadhanani_-


    **************


    This was the first time for Jack to see the bright smile on Raine''s lips, she looked so adorable with her black hair framed her small face, her bang had gotten longer and almost covered her eyes.


    "I will get my jacket." Raine said before she dashed toward her room, she was like a child who got an early birthday gift.


    Just now Jack realized that Raine would be much more talkative when she was happy.


    He didn''t know why Calleb said that they couldn''t find the apartment when he was the one who had reserved it for them.


    Calleb''s voice on the phone, sounded as if he was upset about it.


    It didn''t take Raine long time before she appeared again with her brown hooded parka that make her looked more smaller, as though the jacket drowned her.


    Jack didn''t know why Raine often wanted to hide herself, she was a beautiful young girl and she shouldn''t act that way.


    Many girls in her age would like to show the world how many curves on their body that they have, at least the girls that Jack knew, and that meant the option was only limited to the party girls.


    "Make sure you cover your face Raine." Jack remarked casually.


    As a response, Raine pulled out a black mask from her pocket and waved it in front of Jack while grinning. She was so lovable when she did that, with her eyes were shining brightly.


    Ugh.


    Out of the blue, Jack felt he was like a brother who was about to take his little sister to her first date.


    "Alright, let''s go smarty." Jack picked the car key and went ahead to the bas.e.m.e.nt where their car was parked, with Raine tailed behind him.


    ==============


    Raine thought they would directly meet Torak at the appointed place, but it had been an hour since they were roaming around the city and Calleb kept ordering to change the direction.


    "What happen?" Raine asked Jack beside her, her expression slightly disappointed. She kept looking out of the window, hoping she could see Torak somewhere.


    "Apparently there are many people following him." Jack said as they took another turned after the traffic light.


    "I can''t meet him¡­?" Raine asked in broken tone.


    "Don''t worry, we will find out the way." Jack assured Raine.


    It wasn''t only Raine who was disappointed, but Torak was really pissed off by those human, who had been following him since he left the government building.


    Torak was sitting at the back seat of his car, closed his eyes as he clenched his jaw tightly.


    Before, Torak was about to go directly to the apartment, his men had secured the street and made sure it was safe for him to go without being noticed, however, strangely Raphael wasn''t able to find the way to go there, which Torak assumed, it was because Serefina had put an odd spell around the area that kept them away.


    In the end, those paparazzi and news reporter caught up with them, not only that, Torak''s hunter reported there was around three unknown creatures were following him.


    Torak was so close to explode.


    It was almost a week since the last time he saw Raine, neither he could hear her voice, and now his wolf was on edge, so did he. Every time he tried to talk to her, the line was suddenly cut off or there was no voice that came out from the other phone.


    He really tempted to kill that witch.


    Torak knew Serefina really enjoyed this, after all he has known her for centuries, there was a time when she was the only female who could get close to the three Donovan''s brother, however it was a very old story.


    "Tell Jack to bring my Luna to the west bas.e.m.e.nt of Sunrise Mall, I will meet him there." Torak''s hoarse voice sounded from the backseat.


    "But, how can you go there Torak? We can not¡­" Before Raphael could finish his words, Torak had opened the car door, at the intersection, and turned into his big white wolf.


    "Alpha!" Both Raphael and Calleb yelped at the same time as Raphael hit the break.


    ''Keep moving!'' Torak mind- linked his Beta and Gamma and added to the warrior who came with him. ''Kill all the creatures that follow me!''


    three cars that flanked Torak''s stopped at the same time as five men shifted into their wolf form and followed their Alpha.


    In human''s eyes, they only saw the three cars stopped all of sudden and the door swung open, but no one came out from inside the car, afterward the door shut close and they drove away again.


    Torak dashed in four legs toward the direction of the Sunrise Mall, as he shifted and his senses heightened, he could feel there were three unwanted creatures that had been following him, he didn''t know what were them, but his warriors would deal with them, before they could follow him any further.


    ''Kill them!'' Torak mind- linked his warriors, gave them a green light to destroy their enemies.


    ==============


    The car Jack was driving had just stopped when Raine saw a white wolf that she knew, approaching her.


    Raine immediately opened the car door, smiled and giggled at the same time as she hugged Torak in his wolf form. There was no hesitation when she did that.


    The soft fur that touched her skin was so delightful, Raine hummed in contentment when she basked in his woodsy scent.


    In her arms, Raine could feel Torak gradually changed into his human form, the fur faded and there were strong arms that hugged her instead, it felt so warm and safe with him.


    "I really miss you my beautiful angel." Torak whispered to her ears as he hugged her tightly and carefully.


    This was a long wait until he could get her into his arms again, and finally he got what his heart desired. Any consequences that he had to pay later would be worth it, especially when he killed the creatures that had followed him.

 Chapter 90 - A FOREHEAD KISS

    A forehead kiss means protection. It''s respect. It says "You''re mine, don''t ever leave my side". It says "I care about you and I don''t want you to get hurt". It says "I''ll come between you and whatever tries to hurt you". It says "I love you and you''re my baby".


    -IG: _aww_wali_feeling-


    **************


    It would go without saying that the creatures that had followed Torak were ordered by Andromalius, that fallen angel really didn''t know when to stop.


    Since many decades ago, Torak had been avoiding to deal with any fallen angel or witches, as they temper and attitude truly annoyed him, just like Serefina and Andromalius now.


    "Let me see you my love." Torak loosened his arms around Raine''s body as he cupped her face gently.


    Raine gave him a sheepish smile as she looked at him without blinking. She didn''t know that she had missed him this much until Torak was standing before her eyes and within her arms reach, she didn''t want to let him go.


    Raine liked the way Torak held her carefully and the way he called her with lovely endearments, or the way he stared at her as if Raine was the only important thing in his eyes, and that was true, only she didn''t dare to believe it yet.


    "My beautiful angel¡­" Torak sighed contendly, he kissed her forehead and her eyes. "Come¡­" Torak grabbed Raine''s hand and led her inside the car.


    He still needed to take precaution, in case something unpredictable happened.


    Torak admitted that he was being selfish now, as he could risk his life and Raine''s safety by seeing her like this, but he barely could hold back his beast from running amok as a result of being separated with his mate.


    Torak helped Raine to get in the car and closed the door behind him, leaving the two of them alone while Jack was nowhere to be seen. He knew better to spare himself from the sudden display of affection.


    Both of them were sitting on the backseat with Raine rested her head against Torak''s chest, enjoying his strong heartbeat while Torak pulled her hairband and let her black jet hair fell on her back.


    Torak hummed in satisfaction when he felt her silky hair between his fingers.


    "What Serefina''s plans for you my love? How she treated you these past days?" Torak asked with concern, he really needed to know what that witch had planned for his mate as she could be a bit crazy with her envisaged.


    Raine started to talk about Serefina''s idea to call a tutor so she could attend the exam and finished her high school''s year, before she went to university and became freshmen.


    Actually Torak didn''t really like the idea of Raine went to university, Serefina could just let her attend an online programs, it was more safe for her that way, but again, he didn''t know what was running inside that witch''s mind.


    Torak made a mental note about this, he would ask Raphael to do a background check upon the three universities, especially what kind of creature that was there.


    Raine didn''t talk about the housecore that Serefina had tasked her to do, as she didn''t want to make Torak angrier than this. His perfect eyebrows were knitted together. But, she told him Serefina''s odd rule about not allowed to disturb her once a month.


    Torak nodded his head as if he understood something that Raine didn''t know, actually there wasn''t many things that she knew, but Torak didn''t explain about it further and Raine didn''t dare to ask.


    "When the time comes, don''t disturb her." Torak only reminded Raine that.


    His fingers traced her face, from her eyebrows to her chin, stopped at her ears that Torak thought they were cute, as Raine talked. He was fascinated by her, from the way she talked to the way she moved.


    He couldn''t describe how much he loved her, with a small simple smile from her, it could make his heart swelled with happiness.


    Torak felt insane when he realized that, the insanity which he welcomed.


    "I don''t know that four days is what it takes to make you talk more to me." Torak teased her when Raine started to talk about Torak''s project with the government.


    Realizing that she talked too much, Raine shut her mouth and stared at Torak timidly, she was also not aware about this.


    Did I offend him? Did I annoy him? Was he angry?


    Raine became conscious and warry, and Torak could see it in her eyes as he leaned closer.


    "I love to hear your voice my love." He kissed her forehead and both her cheeks. "The most beautiful sound that I ever heard."


    And that was all that Torak needed to say to make his mate happy again. Raine snuggled against his chest as she giggled.


    "You said this is not your territory, but why¡­" Raine''s voice trailed off, Jack had explained it to her before, but apparently his words couldn''t convince her and she wanted to hear it from Torak directly.


    This time, her self confidence wasn''t the issue here, as this was a common insecurities and curiosity that any women would face if their men took an extreme step like what Torak did and they became the reason of it.


    "¡­ Why I established a company here?" Torak picked up Raine''s unfinished question.


    Raine nodded, hiding her face from him as she nuzzled his chest, this gesture alone could make Torak overjoyed, he loved when sometime Raine acted bashful like this, as it could only mean she wasn''t afraid of him anymore.


    When the first time Torak met her, she got scared easily, not to mention to hug him with her own volition, like what she did now, Raine would cower away the moment Torak got close to her and too afraid to even see him in the eyes.


    "Because I want to be as close as possible to you." Torak answered her truthfully, there was nothing he wanted to hide from her, not even his feeling and he didn''t need to feel embarrass to say something like that. Torak said it with pride, because she was his pride.

 Chapter 91 - YOU DONT KNOW ABOUT IT

    The heart of man is very much like the sea,


    it has its storm,


    it has its tides,


    and in its depths,


    it has its pearls too.


    -Vincent Van Gogh-


    **************


    "I love you my angel." Torak kissed her head as the smell of her shampoo invaded his senses from her silky hair.


    Torak could feel she hugged him even tighter as she didn''t know how to respond to his confession, and he caressed her back to reciprocate it, he couldn''t possibly hug her tighter than this as he afraid he could hurt her.


    However, he said those words only to let her knew how much she meant to him, not to hear it back. As Raine often undervalue herself, it was something that Torak needed to work on.


    ''Alpha.''


    Suddenly Jack''s voice echoed in Torak''s head as he tried to mind- link him. Torak didn''t change his gesture, keeping Raine in his arms. ''What is it?''


    ''Miss Serefina is back and now she is really mad because she knew that I have taken Luna away from her protection to meet you and now she is coming to us'' Jack reported hastily.


    Jack almost turned deaf when Serefina exploded through the phone, he was seriously considering to find out if curses could work through a phone call. An angry witch wasn''t something that one could trifle with.


    Torak rested his chin atop of Raine''s head as he replied. ''Let her come''.


    In the other side, Jack stared at the five lycans, which had followed Torak to reach this spot. Would it turn to be a show of power?


    Inside the car.


    "My love, I want you to stay inside the car, no matter what you hear don''t come out before I said so, alright?" Torak told Raine calmly, so she didn''t worry.


    "What happen?" Raine raised her head and looked at Torak with her big obsidian eyes.


    "Serefina will come and have some discussion with me." Torak said, smiling at his little mate. "Apparently she doesn''t quite like the fact that you come to see me."


    "I shouldn''t come to see you¡­" Raine mumbled with regret. "Serefina had warned me about this¡­"


    Torak tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears. "If you don''t come to see me, then I will be the one who come and see you, this is one way or another." Torak shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly, when he was with Raine, his dominant aura wore off and only left him with his detached attitude for those people other than his mate.


    "Will she¡­ scold you?" Raine looked for the right word to say and couldn''t find the word that could suit her question.


    Torak chuckled upon hearing her question. "I think she will, but she will know when to stop from imposing my limit further."


    Along with that words, Torak could smell Serefina''s scent, she was near.


    "She is here." Torak informed Raine and he could feel her body stiffened. "Everything will be alright my love, trust me." He kissed the tip of her small nose before he released her body. "Stay here."


    Torak stepped out of the car and mind- linked Jack. ''Stay inside the car''


    ''Yes Alpha'' the sound in Torak''s head replied.


    From afar Torak could see a red Chevrolet speeding fast toward him, even from the way the driver drove the car, one could say that they were very angry.


    The car stopped two steps away from Torak with the deafening screeching sound, the five lycans stood and snarled in front of Torak, positioning themselves between their Alpha and the mad driver.


    Meanwhile three or four people around them seemingly didn''t bother with the way the red car almost hit someone as if they didn''t aware about the scene, which was happening not far from them.


    Serefina must have done something about it.


    From inside the car, a woman with short curly fiery red hair stepped out and slammed the car door with so much violation. She glared at Torak with her lime green eyes, sending hatred passed through the five lycans between them, ignoring their warning to step back.


    "I have told you to stay away from her!" Serefina yelled at Torak and stopped walking closer when one of the lycan stepped forward and showed his canines.


    "Oh, come on!" Serefina sounded frustration and incredulous with the way the lycan was threatening her. "You must be kidding me." She waved her hand.


    With a sudden whirl, the lycan was thrown out of the way and flew a few meters with his four legs flailed in the air, before he landed on the ground and bent his body, ready to lunge at the witch as his eyes turned red. Livid.


    ''STOP!''


    Torak''s voice echoed in the other lycan''s head and even inside Jack''s head as he whimpered.


    "Are you hurt?" Raine looked at Jack closely with frown, but Jack just shook his head and smiled reassuringly.


    Not many witches could stop an angry lycan, but of course Serefina not only a mere witch. She was more than capable to do more than that.


    Outside the car the five lycans whimpered and stepped back, but their eyes still locked on Serefina every movement.


    "Good decision." Serefina nodded with satisfied even though she couldn''t hear the mind- link between the lycans. "Now¡­"


    "If you come only to warn me to stay away from my mate, than you can save you breathe." Torak cut off Serefina''s word icily.


    The witch indeed had told him to not meet Raine for some time, but Torak had never said that he agreed with that. Serefina only created her own assumption.


    "Don''t you understand why you can''t meet her?!" Serefina hissed as she took a step closer. "Which part of my explanation that you don''t understand?!"


    "Which part of your requirement that is happening now?" Torak answered Serefina with another question. "She is not in my territory. I have been away for days from her and she is under your surveillance."


    Serefina had said before, because of Raine''s weak spirit, she couldn''t be near Torak or other lycans for long time as it could drawn her energy and made her condition became worst.


    However, Serefina had brought her away from Torak''s territory and other than those lycans and werewolves, which came with Torak, they would barely find one, thus Serefina couldn''t justify her reason for this.


    "I have told you, she needs to focus on her training!" Serefina said through her gritted teeth, she shot dagger at the Alpha without equivocation. "And you always on her back and call will not help at all!" The witch tried to make Torak saw her point desperately.


    "What are you trying to say Serefina?" Torak was squinted his eyes. "Are you trying to separate us?"


    "Do you want to know the truth?" Serefina crossed her slender arms in front of her chest, she looked s.e.xy and seductive when she did so, especially with her flamboyant style. "You can go to hell with the mate bond between you and her!" She jeered with derision.


    In a blink of an eye, Torak''s eyes turned black as he said in low and dangerous tone. "You don''t know what hell looks like witch!"

 Chapter 92 - MADNESS

    And if love be madness, may I never find sanity again.


    -John Mark Green-


    **************


    Serefina was totally wrong if she thought she could talk about hell to Torak, she forgot that long time ago the three Donovan brothers had brought hell upon this realm.


    Something she should never forget about the horrors and despairs, which they had spread, when she talked about hell to him.


    Clenching her jaw, Serefina couldn''t find a word to retort his statement, but her glaring eyes spoke more than her words.


    She was livid and totally disagreed with Torak''s needs to be as close as possible with his mate, it was a mate bond, though Raine didn''t feel the same way as Torak did.


    And, not like the common mate''s bond, apparently this only work one way, thus Torak needed to be sure that Raine loved him back.


    "Why are you coming to help me?" Torak asked in low voice, his eyes were still the color of gloomy night.


    "You are the one who had sent someone to look for me." Serefina said in matter of fact tone.


    It was true that Torak had send James to find her, but at that time it was for another reason.


    "But, I didn''t invite you in for you to interfere between my mate and me." Torak glanced at the direction of the car, made sure that Raine was still inside the car.


    "Interfere?" Serefina remarked mockingly. "Did you forget that I am the one who had saved your pathetic mate from coma?!"


    Torak let out a deep growl when Serefina names his mate as he half shifted and attacked her. He raised his big hand with sharp claws elongated from the tip of his fingers, aiming downward at the witch''s head.


    Serefina raised her hand and covered her face while chanting a charm with a language that only she could understand.


    The sharp claws cut the fabric on her long sleeves, but her skin remained unscathed, afterward Serefina lowered her arms and glared at Torak. "How dare you attacked me!?"


    Torak lowered his hand as it returned to its normal form.


    "You should have guessed it when you disrespected my mate." Torak said callously. "You know that I immune with your curses." He added when he saw Serefina tried to curse him.


    "Damn you!" Serefina shouted out loud in her frustration and glared at the five lycans in their wolves form that showing their canines, grinning.


    "Tell me Serefina, what is your hidden agenda?" Torak refused to let her off from this question, he wouldn''t put his precious mate in danger, not even with the witch that he has known for decades.


    Serefina didn''t answer Torak this time, she remained silent.


    "You have gone missing for years and suddenly appeared a week ago and volunteered yourself to help, it was something that out of your character." Torak knew it better that Serefina wasn''t someone who would easily give a helping hand if it didn''t benefit herself.


    However, she willingly wanted to train Raine and helped her to perceive her nature power. There was something off about her true intention.


    "Someone had ordered you to do this?" Torak took his guess.  "Or else you will not offer yourself to help Raine." The more Torak said it, the more he felt his words were right.


    "You don''t have to know about that." Serefina refused to answer Torak''s accusation. "All you have to know I don''t mean harm on your mate!"


    "You will not come near my mate until you tell me who the person behind you." Torak gave Serefina one last warning before he turned around and walked toward the car.


    However, Torak couldn''t find the car. He could feel his blood boiled with anger.


    "SEREFINA!" He let out a deafening roared as he turned into his white fur spread from his skin, he was still in human form, but his lycan''s blood had taken over.


    "I don''t want to do this Torak! But I have to! You have to understand this!" Serefina''s voice echoed in the parking lot.


    There were not a lot of people there, however, no one from them were aware about the strange angry creature in the middle of the parkway neither the voice without form that had just sounded.


    "GIVE ME BACK MY MATE! OR I WILL TEAR YOU INTO PIECES!" Torak ignored his surrounding or Serefina''s attempt to make him understand.


    The only understanding that down on him was, his mate wasn''t in the place where he had left her and he didn''t like that fact even a bit.


    "Shift back and let''s talk!" Serefina still didn''t show herself in front of the half shifted Alpha. She knew that wasn''t a good decision.


    Despite Serefina''s attempt for having a proper discussion, Torak didn''t shift back, he raised his nose high, sniffed the air around him with eyes closed, let his wild nature to guide him.


    "I will not take the pain to bring her here if I want to kill her! She will have been death by now if I didn''t help her before!" Serefina cried in frustration. Torak was out of his mind if he thought Serefina was about to kill Raine.


    Serefina could simply didn''t show up when she was in the hospital if she wanted Raine''s death.


    Torak focused his senses, he didn''t care about Serefina''s explanation. She could talk all day long if that was what she wanted to do, but Torak wouldn''t let her off from hiding his mate.


    Out of the blue, Torak''s head snapped at his left side and with remarkably speed, he lunged toward the blue car.


    It wasn''t the blue car that he aimed but the person behind it, with lightning speed Torak grabbed Serefina''s delicate neck and pressed her against the car behind her.


    The cracking sound could be heard from the pressure that Torak used to choke the witch, he growled threateningly.


    Serefina''s eyes widened with shock, she wasn''t ready for this, when Torak managed to find her in no time. This lycan annoyingly immune against her magic, whatever it was!


    Torak supposed to be wasn''t able to sense her, but the fact said otherwise.


    Serefina tried to hold back Torak''s hand with her magic to keep her neck saved, but she could feel her power wasn''t enough as her charm started to fade and she felt suffocated.


    "Torak! You almost kill me!!!" Serefina yelled at him, trying to make him realized the thing that he almost did. "Get yourself together!!!"


    Torak''s wolf had taken control over him and Torak didn''t have an intention to get it back, both of them wanted their mate and they would stop for nothing until Raine appeared before their eyes.


    "GIVE ME BACK MY MATE!" Torak hollered as he squeezed tighter, his eyes had turned red with his sanity started to fade.


    "Let me go first!" Serefina yelled back at Torak, but her voice wasn''t as loud as his, her face had turned red as she struggled to hold him back.


    "MY MATE!" The demanding sound in Torak''s voice managed to make the five lycans trembled in fear as they put their snout between their front legs.


    It was so stupid for Serefina to think that she could compromise with the current Torak. The Alpha who had let loose their beast wouldn''t stop until he got what he wanted.


    Serefina''s hands, which grabbing Torak''s hand so he couldn''t snap her neck into two, were glimmered with dull yellow light.


    "Let¡­ go¡­" Serefina stuttered, she released her right hand as she made a waving move.


    Serefina gave up with her stubbornness and Raine appeared right behind Torak''s back, sitting on the ground while looking around with confused expression before she landed her obsidian black eyes on Torak''s figure, who strangled Serefina.


    Raine gasped and covered her scream with both hands.


    This small sound and the scent, which only belong to his mate, that suddenly invaded the angry wolf''s nose, managed to draw his attention as he loosened his grip.


    Torak turned his head and found his mate, looking at him with shocking expression while Jack was running a few meters behind Raine, approaching her. The wolf''s eyes turned even reddish.


    He threw Serefina away as he approached Raine, bent his huge body and cradled her in his furry arms, possessively, before Jack could run even closer.


    Torak held Raine''s body with both arms, lifting her off the ground, trying to press her as close as he could when a deep warning growl reverberated from his chest. Fury engrossed him.


    Jack took that as a sign for him to stop moving even an inch closer if he still wanted to see the sun tomorrow. Slowly, Jack took steps back while showing his neck, a sign of submissive, that he wasn''t a threat.


    "Torak¡­" Raine''s trembling voice could be heard as she struggled under his strong arms. Torak held her too tight. "I can''t¡­ breath¡­" Raine tried to let him know that he had hurt her.


    But, Torak wasn''t listening to her as the incensed lycan releasing menacing snarls while he scanned his surrounding for a possible threat.


    A small whimper escaped Raine''s parted lips as she took in his intimidating form, this was the second time she witnessed Torak was enrage, fortunately there was no blood or dead body this time.


    Once Torak was sure no creature within threatening range, he turned his attention to Raine and softly whine, nuzzling the side of her head as he returned to his human form, but it didn''t mean Torak had taken fully control over his beast, his primitive lycan side still in reign because his eyes still in the color of red.


    Circling her arms around Torak''s waist, Raine gently patted his back, trying to calm his labored breathing.


    Torak responded to her gestured with grunt, placing his forehead against hers as he inhaled deeply. "Mine¡­" He murmured in her ear.


    Torak kept Raine in his arms a bit longer before he released her body and put her within his arms length, scanned her body, trying to find any injuries.


    "Do you really think I will hurt her, don''t you!?" Serefina irritated voice sounded from behind Torak. "I have just sent her somewhere and you try to kill me for that!" The witch snapped as she rubbing her purplish neck. If it wasn''t for her magic, she would have been dead by now.


    "Who has ordered you to do all of this!?" Torak asked in dangerous tone, he held Raine''s waist closed to him, as if Raine would disappear into a thin air if he didn''t do so.


    Serefina sighed in defeat as she mentioned the name. "The moon goddess. Selene, or whatever her name is." She said in despise. "But, don''t ask me why I oblige to her request, because I will never tell you even if you have to kill me."

 Chapter 93 - ANOTHER SIN

    "I need so much time for doing nothing that I have no time for work."


    -Pierre Reverdy-


    **************


    Torak''s eyes dimmed the moment he heard that name. What the moon goddess had planned? Why she has to send Serefina to guide Raine?


    Something was wrong with this situation, and more specifically, something had happened to Serefina.


    The witch that he knew, despise the gods and the goddess, whatever form they took, not to mention to take an order from one of them, she wouldn''t very please only to say their name, as if it was something forbidden for her, just like Torak''s brother and he himself in the past.


    Something that Torak thought would never change, but the fact said otherwise. Well, he had changed as well after all, since he found Raine, he became less hostile with the goddess now.


    Though he grateful for his mate, but it didn''t mean he would oblige her blindly.


    In spite of that, whatever the situation or the reason that brought Serefina to cut a deal with the moon Goddess, Torak was disinterest to know about that, as long as he had Raine in his arms he didn''t care about why Serefina accepted Selene''s order.


    "I don''t care what you and Selene had planned, but if you hurt my mate you have to know, I will kill you even when you were already in hell!" Torak snarled and hugged Raine protectively.


    "I have told you many times, Selene didn''t send me to kill your mate!" She shouted in frustration. "She sent me to guide her to gain her power, which I think very stupid and ridiculous thing to do!" Serefina clearly showed her willingness to do this, but something bind her to obey Selene''s order.


    Torak was skeptical with Serefina''s explanation, but it would be so stupid for the moon Goddess to harm the promised mate that she had bestowed upon him since centuries ago, moreover, just like what Serefina said, she had many opportunity to kill Raine if she intended to do so.


    "I will meet my mate every time I think safe enough to see her, so you better drop your charm in my notice and don''t you dare to interfere with my phone call." Torak said it sternly, he made it clear for the witch who was in charge as he didn''t take ''no'' for answer.


    Serefina mumbled something incoherent as a reply while she rubbed her neck, which Torak''s fingers had imprinted there, bruises with the color of purple.


    "She needs to go back!" Serefina barked and turned toward her red Chevrolet, opened the car door and slammed it closed.


    Torak sighed deeply, Serefina really had gotten on his nerves. "My love." He caressed Raine''s cheeks tenderly. "Did I scare you earlier?" That was the important thing that he needed to know.


    Raine gave some thought about it and nodded her head lightly. "But, I know you will not hurt me¡­" She added when Torak''s expression turned sad.


    "No, never." Torak said solemnly as if that was a vow.


    Raine smiled on that words, she was still not used with that side of Torak, but she knew he would never hurt her even when he lost himself over his beast.


    "I will meet you when the time is right." Torak fished out a phone, it was the latest type, from his pocket and gave it to Raine. "Tell me if she does something beyond your limit and you feel uncomfortable with it, alright?"


    Torak knew Serefina would vent her displeased toward his mate, though Raine needed her guidance to overcome her fear and unearth her gift, he wouldn''t let her took advantage on his mate.


    Torak hugged her and indulged himself with her intoxicating scent, unwilling to let her go, he wanted to spent his time just like this, feeling her warm and soft body in his safe embrace.


    However, Serefina seemingly so determined to ruin every moment that Torak has with Raine as she punched the horn rapidly.


    While Torak grunted with frustration, Raine was giggling upon seeing his reaction.


    Reluctantly, Torak released her from his arms as he gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I love you, my beautiful mate." He said heartily.


    Even though Raine was only wearing her brown hooded parka and washed off jeans with her bare face, she would always be the most beautiful girl in Torak''s eyes, she was his girl.


    Torak walked Raine to Serefina''s car and opened the backseat for her while Jack had been sitting behind the wheel and Serefina sat on the shotgun seat, she covered her neck with scarf and crossed her arms angrily, but didn''t say anything.


    Apparently, Serefina only brought back Jack and Raine without their car, thus they must ride Serefina''s car in order to get home.


    "I will call you." Torak rubbed Raine''s head lovingly before he closed the door.


    On the gunshot seat Serefina rolled her eyes upon hearing that, something bothered her when she heard that kind of sentences, but this time she wisely shut her mouth and swallowed back her sarcastic comment.


    ''Take care of my Luna'' Torak mind- linked Jack who started the engine after the Alpha closed the door.


    ''I will, Alpha'' Jack replied and drove away with the grumpy Serefina beside him.


    On the backseat Raine turned her head toward Torak''s direction until his figure disappeared, a while later, the phone that Torak had given her buzz as a notification appeared on its screen.


    It was a message from unknown number, it said;


    ''Let me know when you already at home.''


    Raine smiled brightly when she read the message again and again before she replied with a simple ''yes''. She was going to save the number, but halted when she had to put the name of the contact person.


    Raine didn''t know what to write there, to write plainly his name didn''t feel right with her, it seemed Torak was just an acquaintance, she gave some thought about this trivial matter for a few minutes before she came up with a name that represent him so well.


    Raine save it and giggled childishly, ignoring Serefina who shot her with angry eyes through the rearview mirror.


    ==============


    After Torak sent a message to Raine, his phone rung as he received a call from Raphael.


    "Alpha, Dragon Lord Stephan Magnus has just arrived in your office." Raphael voice sounded through the phone.


    "Let him stay there." Torak replied before he hung up the phone.


    Before, the earth Dragon Shifter, Reynold Magnus, Stephan''s older brother, had agreed to transfer all the asset in his possession because of the attack that he had launched in Torak territory and killed his people.


    By chance, one of the assets under him was in this Fulbright City, so it was only right to call one of the brothers to manage it and be a backup move for Torak to establish his footing in this other creature territory.


    Afterward, Torak fell forward and shifted into his big white wolf, his fur was like a snow, so delicate and pristine, the opposite depiction of the owner temper.


    He led the five lycans behind him back to the office building with lightning speed as there was no human could see them and no other creatures would like to mess with them.


    Sitting on a bar stool, a lanky man with his curly hair tied on his nape, was sipping his drink while watching the scene at the parking lot unfolded before his golden eyes, a lazy smirked crept on his lips.


    "Procrastinating again?" A sweet voice that laced with impatient sounded from beside the man as a girlish woman in her knee length tutu white skirt sat on the bar stool.


    "Don''t you ever hear about a proverb that patient is a virtue?" Belphegor gulped down the remaining drink on his glass as he rested his elbow on the table and propped his head with his left fist.


    Lilith rolled her eyes hard when she heard that from the sloth. "Lucifer will shackle you in the deepest hell if your indolence ruin this again." She watched the man beside her with displeased.


    Laziness was really a sin as it was a hard job to team up with the sloth after all.


    "I like the word ''indolence'', it makes my laziness sound classy." Belphegor chuckled lightly.


    "You should be crowned with another sin." Lilith shook her head incredulously. "Craziness."

 Chapter 94 - TRAUMA

    A girl who has lived through trauma, has lived through a situation where her body, her mind, her self wasn''t her own. Where she felt disjointed, ripped from her self, safety and sanity. It was a moment, an experience, a something where her trust was smashed, her worth was gone and all there was was pain.


    [email protected]


    **************


    "Be careful with what you said, Lucifer will not tolerate your behavior next time." Lilith took a sip of her drink while looking at the direction where Belphegor has been looking at, but could see nothing.


    "Why in rush?" Belphegor mumbled.


    "What have you been looking at?" Lilith ignored his usual complain and voiced out her curiosity.


    Out of the blue Belphegor was dragging her to have a drink in this bar and demanded to have a view toward the parking lot without giving her a specific reason and then he went into his auto- lazy- mood as he sprawled on the table.


    "Future." Belphegor answered thoughtlessly.


    Lilith was laughing heartily when she heard the devil''s answer. "What future do you see? Hell freezes over?"


    Belphegor shrugged, stood up and stretched out his stiff body. "Well, I can arrange that."


    "Let''s go!" Lilith sn.a.k.e.d her arm around his, while Belphegor was standing, it was easier to drag him away. "We need to watch the useless female lycan who hasn''t shown any progress."


    "Since I have ripped apart her lycan''s soul, I don''t think she is still a lycan." Belphegor didn''t agree with that.


    "Whatever." Lilith flicked her hair from her shoulder in lady- like manner, she didn''t want to argue about this thing with the sloth.


    ==============


    When Raine, Serefina and Jack arrived at their apartment building, Serefina held Jack, who was about to enter their flat by holding his chest firmly.


    "I have something that I need to talk to her. Woman to woman." Serefina spoke in cold tone. "Don''t bother us!" And she slammed the door right in front of Jack''s face and ignored his repeated knocking sound while she turned around and faced Raine.


    "Am I not make myself clear?" Serefina glared at Raine. "I have told you to not meet him!" She waved her hand at the door and in an instant the noisy sound that Jack made, disappeared.


    Raine lowered her head and took steps backward, trying to make distance between the two of them.


    "Don''t you understand with what I said?!" Serefina yelled at her. "You don''t have the mate bond in you, do you?"


    Serefina gripped Raine''s chin and raised her head so she could look her straight in the eyes.


    "Let me tell you one thing and let''s hope this understanding could clear your narrow mind." Serefina whispered viciously. "Do you know the difference between you and Torak?"


    Raine could sense the hostility that emitted from Serefina and she couldn''t explain why the witch hated her so much, even since the first time they met in the hospital.


    "If I ask you, you have to answer me!!!" Serefina shouted and a few glasses on the table scattered into pieces as they fell on the floor with clattering sound.


    Raine could feel the air left her lung while she was trying hard to breath and fighting back her tears.


    The lamps in the living room flickered by the invincible power as Serefina kept Raine in her tight grip, waiting for the poor girl to talk.


    "He¡­ has everything¡­ and I¡­" Raine stumbled with her words, it was so hard for her to talk, but she knew Serefina wouldn''t stop until she got the answer from her. "¡­I have nothing¡­"


    That was what Raine felt all this time, since she was together with Torak, her insecurities couldn''t be concealed and she couldn''t help, but pitied herself.


    "Though your answer is not wrong¡­" Serefina released the grip on her chin and took a step back to scrutinize Raine, from her head to her toes with eyes that filled with derision. "But, that is not what I meant."


    When Raine was feeling dreadful after admitted her insecurities, her phone buzzed with notification. A message from Torak popped up on the screen.


    ''My love, are you home yet?''


    Serefina didn''t need to see the contain of the message as she could predict what Torak would ask. "What are you crying for? You want him to bust the door and choke me to death?" She asked sarcastically.


    Raine hastily wiped the tears that almost fell from her eyes as her trembling fingers typed a reply for Torak.


    ''Yes''


    Raine answered with a simple word, she didn''t want to talk much as she afraid Torak would know. It didn''t take long time for Torak to decide to call her.


    Raine stared at the phone that flashing in her hand, didn''t know whether she has to answer it or not.


    "Why? You don''t want to answer his call?" Serefina glanced at the name that Raine had given to Torak in her phone. "Don''t you want to tell him about what I did to you? That I have made you cry? That you are so weak and easily scare with this little confrontation? Tell him and let see how long it will take for him to get here and tear my throat. If something happens to me, that will be your fault."


    "I¡­" Raine stuttered. "I don''t¡­"


    How could Raine bear something like that and how Serefina could put her in that position?


    Raine, of course, didn''t want something bad happened to Serefina, despite her rude behavior, she had seen it with her own eyes, how Torak had lost control and caused death of other creatures, and also how he almost lost it again earlier.


    Having someone else death because of her again, wasn''t something that Raine wanted. It was a nightmare, she still couldn''t get rid the image of the man, whose head had been crushed by Torak, right before her eyes.


    How she could bring herself to witness that again? There was no guarantee Torak wouldn''t do the same when she picked up the phone and a whimper escaped from her lips.


    "There is one thing that you should learn." Serefina, like the villain she is, was trying to make the situation worse for Raine. "No matter how he loves you, he is still a beast, he will get what he want in ''a beast'' way. He will not hurt you, but he will kill people around you without batting an eye if he thinks those people endanger you, in the end you will stand atop of a pile of dead bodies that he kills in the name of protecting you."


    Raine gulped hard.


    "He will not do that..." Her voice barely a whispered as she kept her eyes locked on the flashing phone in her hand.


    "He will not?" Serefina raised one of her delicate eyebrows incredulously. "He killed his own people, and that was all because of you! To protect you! Because you are too weak to even protect yourself!!"


    Serefina stepped foward and pushed Raine''s shoulder harshly.


    The phone clattered on the floor and went silence, so did Raine, her legs gave away and she knelt before the witch, who was standing haughtily before her eyes.


    "You don''t have capability to stand against me, you don''t even have guts to try." The mocking tone in Serefina''s voice was palpable. "With dozens of creatures out there, wanted your life, don''t tell me you are really hoping for Torak to kill them all. Because he will end up got killed or... death in the process of protecting you." Serefina gave a dramatic shrugged as she said that. "Have this matter ever crossed your mind, how many creatures that Torak had offended, only by following you here, forcing himself to his enemy''s territory, the place which is not welcomed him, just because you don''t have the ability to fend yourself!"


    Serefina threw bitter facts right in front of Raine''s eyes, forced her to see how her weakness had created so much trouble and endanger Torak''s life, the man who cared about her the most, the only person who had showered her with undying love.


    "And now, you don''t even have the strength to pick up his phone!!??" Serefina gave her derision smirked. "Pathetic. You better kill yourself before someone got kill because of you or kill for you."


    The air was very thick as Raine was having hard time to breath, she clutched her chest tightly, it felt like there was a thousand needles were shot right at her at the same time.


    Serefina''s words were more painful compared to the moment she was still in the mental hospitality when the ward guard kicked her ribcage and as a result, she had to be hospitalized for a week.


    However, the most hurting part of Serefina''s word was; the fact that what she said was true. Every single fact that came out from her mouth wasn''t something that Raine could deny.


    Seeing how much damage that she had done on Raine, psychologically, Serefina turned her back and started to walk away.


    "You have been through so much, why don''t you learn something from it?" Serefina glanced at Raine through her shoulder. "Learn how to stand up for yourself and stop make other people worry about you! You are not a kid anymore! Stop waiting for someone to save you!" The witch''s voice was powerful and resolute.


    Raine was sitting, on the floor and startled when Serefina kicked the door of her room closed. She was trembling out of fear and shock.


    The reality in this world in Serefina''s eyes was so hard, the witch saw this world as the stage to survive while Raine was barely could make it.


    In the witch''s eyes, one will be killed or killed in order to survive.


    Raine knew about that, however the way Serefina elaborated it was way too dark, as if spilling blood was a common issue in her eyes.


    The girl hugged herself in attempt to stop her body from shaking uncontrollably, she bit her bottom lips so she could stop her teeth from clattering.


    At that moment, her phone''s screen flashing, notified her there was someone who was trying to call her.


    Raine knew who was calling as no one knew this number except Torak. But, the problem was, what she had to do.


    If Raine ignored his phone call again, Torak would be suspicious and there was no guarantee he would not come straight away, just like he had promised her and she knew what would come next.


    But, if she was about to pick up the phone, would she be able to talk properly with him and assured him that she was alright, though the fact, she was in the middle of mental breakdown? Would she be able to make this right? What she had to say?


    In the end, what Serefina said was true, she was nothing but a coward, who always looked for protection.


    A weak human¡­


    Biting her bottom lips, Raine was trying hard to hold back her tears and when the phone gave the last ringing tone, she pressed the answer call.


    "Hallo¡­?"

 Chapter 95 - DESTRUCTION

    When someone could show you heaven, that person could show you hell too.


    -Akmal Karim-


    **************


    "Hallo¡­?" Raine tried to make her voice as normal as she could, she gripped the phone tightly to suppress her feeling.


    She can do this! Everything will be alright¡­


    There was no reply from the other side of the phone for a few second before Torak''s suspicious voice sounded. "Are you alright?" Even through the phone Torak''s dominance nature was oozing off from his voice.


    Raine nodded. "Mm." She hummed. "I just took a bath." Fortunately, her voice didn''t falter, she hoped Torak didn''t pick anything wrong with this.


    "Did Serefina make thing difficult for you?" Torak asked in hard tone, he concerned about this the most.


    Raine shook her head and a tear fell on her cheek, but she forced herself to smile when she answered him. "No. She is in her room." She didn''t lie about this.


    "Alright." Torak nodded in satisfied, probably Serefina was too angry to confront Raine again, at least that was what Torak assumed. "I will have a meeting with Stephan Magnus, the Dragon shifter that we had met last time. I will call you again when I finished."


    Raine remembered the Dragon shifter, after all the first time she came to their mansion, Stephan had left an impression for her, in bad way.


    "Will you be alright¡­?" The moment Raine finished her question, she felt stupid. Of course, Torak would be alright, what bad thing would happen to him?


    She shouldn''t ask that stupid question¡­


    However, Torak didn''t think that was silly. He was rather happy that Raine concerned about him. Nothing about his mate was ridiculous. "I will be alright, my love." The beast purred in satisfied to get a bit attention from his mate. "I will call you back later, okay?"


    "Okay." Raine replied softly. "I miss you¡­"


    There was no answer from the other side of the phone, apparently Torak was caught out of guard upon hearing Raine''s confession.


    "I always feel the same my love." Torak said, the tenderness in his voice almost made Calleb choked with his drink when he heard that, the Gamma looked at his Alpha incredulously, he still couldn''t get used to this side of Torak. "I will see you soon."


    "Hmm." Raine nodded.


    "I love you." And with that the line cut off.


    Raine kept the phone on her ears, listening to the beeping sound as she wiped her tears and whimpered softly.


    "Well done for your first lie!" A voice boomed from beside Raine.


    Out of the blue Serefina has been sitting on the sofa in front of the television while tracing her finger on the back of a blue lizard, which sat on her laps docilly.


    Raine snapped her head at the direction of the voice and saw the witch with her blue lizard, this was the first time she saw this reptile.


    "But don''t be too happy with that, let see if you really manage to deceive Torak." Serefina had changed her flamboyant dress and was wearing her s.e.xy nightdress that showed her olive skin.


    "I never meant to deceive him¡­" Raine replied in low voice, she didn''t like the word that Serefina used to describe her.


    "Don''t get me wrong, it wasn''t a bad thing to deceive someone. At least you learn which the thing that you need to let other people see and which the thing that you need to keep for yourself." Serefina shrugged, her earlier gut- wrenching mood had vanished.


    "I don''t want to hide anything from him¡­" Raine frowned, she felt bad for lying to Torak.


    "Oh, you na?ve little human." Serefina groaned in frustration. "With time you will learn to hide many things from him whether you like it or not. You will confront Torak because you have different view from him and in the end, both of you will be standing on the other side of the bridge because of what you are belief. That''s life girl. Everybody changes, that''s the peak of grown up and it applies to some hearts too."


    "No, Torak and I won''t be like that¡­" Raine shook her head. Her eyes, once again, brimming with tears.


    Serefina''s lips curved into a vicious smirk. "People changes, girl. Situation changes."


    "But I won''t." Raine rejected the idea stubbornly.


    "Said the girl who couldn''t look at me in the eyes a week ago, but now she is brave enough to talk back to me." Serefina raised her eyebrows with amus.e.m.e.nt. "Great, you are improving."


    The witch clapped her hand lazily as a mocking gestured toward Raine''s naivety and the lizard climbed her body to sit on her shoulder instead when she stood up and walked back to her room again.


    "Tomorrow your tutor will come, he is a human so make sure your wolf boyfriend is not around." Serefina warned her. "You better take this seriously this time."


    No matter what creatures Raine''s tutor would be, the appearance of Torak alone would create another unnecessary trouble.


    In human world, he was in the spotlight because of his breakthrough with his project and in the other realm, those creatures would start to sniff something suspicious if Torak came to visit Raine. They would grab ahold of his weakness once they knew Raine was Torak''s mate.


    At this point, Raine''s existence was a weakness for Torak. Not to mentioned Raine''s life would be more in danger with many attempts to have her as a leverage to make the supreme Alpha knelt, moreover Serefina didn''t need that now as the little girl under her surveillance wouldn''t be able to bear it.


    Raine was aware about this too. "Serefina¡­" She called out to the witch before she could enter her room.


    "What?" She asked with impatient, the lizard in her shoulder tilted his scaly head.


    "What the difference between me and Torak?" Raine raised her head and began to fidget nervously, she wasn''t sure if she wanted to hear the answer. "You are not yet telling me¡­"


    "See? I told you people change and you prove it." Serefina''s face beamed triumphantly. "Isn''t it very obvious?" Rather than answered her question, she gave her a question as a reply.


    Raine''s shoulder slumped, the difference between them was indeed very obvious. One could mention all the disparity that exist and those all existed between Raine and Torak.


    "If what you think about the differences between you and Torak are; he is super rich and you don''t even have one cent under your possession, or he is strong and you are weak, well even blind people could see it, or he is handsome and you are¡­" Serefina tilted her head, assessing the girl who was fretting on the floor. "¡­ you are not bad, but of course many women will agree with me if I say you are not suitable for him."


    That was the truth.


    Ever since Raine was in Torak''s office, she could feel the way those women looked at her with degrading eyes.


    "Besides those statements are true, but my point is not that shallow." Serefina continued, she leaned her back against the wall behind her let the lizard slithered down her body and disappeared into Serefina''s room, seemingly too boring to listen both women''s conversation. "There is the most important thing than all of that."


    Raine squeezed her hand, giving herself a push to raise her head, so she could look at Serefina clearly, what that witch wanted to say to her. She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the evidence of her remaining tears as she looked at Serefina with warry eyes.


    "The big difference of both of you is your mental state." Serefina somehow was willing to explain. "Torak, by any means, he is a destruction. He kills anyone that he doesn''t like as he pleased, exterminate them in the most merciless way, he will get whatever he wants in any way, in a dirty or bloody way. And you¡­"


    Raine''s eyes dimmed, she knew Torak was a beast with ferocious side, but the way Serefina described him as if he didn''t have a heart, lack of compassion. Something that Raine hardly believe when she remembered the way Torak had been treating her.


    Serefina tried to find a suitable word to describe the timid girl in front of her. "¡­And you are too pure to be with him." And then she added. "Pure. In bad way."


    "What do you mean?" Raine wasn''t sure with what Serefina wanted to say.


    "Girl, you have been through a lot. But, let me ask you a question." Serefina was squinting her eyes. "Will you kill the creature who had killed your parents?"


    Raine gasped with that question. That thought had never crossed her mind.


    She hated those creatures for killing her parents and made her life became miserable, but if she was given a choice to kill them, she wasn''t sure if she would take it.


    "See?" Serefina, once again, made a satisfied smirk. "Can you see the difference between you and Torak? You don''t even have an ounce of his craziness. If it was him, who was giving that question, you know exactly what his answer will be."


    Raine shook her head, still couldn''t see Serefina''s point. "But that is not a problem¡­"


    "That is a big problem." Serefina emphasized her every word. "That will be a big problem."


    "No. He will not harm me." Raine refused stubbornly.


    "Of course, Torak will never harm you because you are his mate, but he will kill people around you without hesitation, if he thinks that is for your own good." Serefina walked closer toward Raine. "I am still alive now after what I have done to you because he sees benefit in me, to guide you, but how about the people that he will kill for you? You will go to university, make a friend or two, but I will assure you, you will make enemy also, whether you like it or not and when Torak saw it as a threat, he will demolish them. At that time, what will you do?"


    "He will not do something like that!"


    "Oh, yes. He will go to that extent."


    "He is not that kind of person!" Raine shouted at Serefina, this was the first time she shouted at someone.


    Serefina was surprised by Raine sudden outburst but then she chuckled. "Oh, dear¡­ I have known him for centuries. He is more than capable to do so."


    "No, he will not." Raine was adamant with what she belief. Torak wouldn''t do something like that, right? The thing that Serefina mentioned was going too far. He wasn''t a beast¡­ right?


    Serefina shrugged her shoulder, the purple color on her neck was glaring viciously under the lamp light. "That is only a little example. You will find out the answer of it soon. Very soon, honey."

 Chapter 96 - NEW TUTOR FOR RAINE

    People who hide their feelings usually care the most.


    -IG: thegirlsuperpower-


    *************


    A woman was lying on the bed motionlessly with her blonde hair scattered all over the pillow beneath her. She was so pale as if she was dead.


    "No¡­ progress¡­" Lilith drawled, swaying her legs while she was sitting on the table. "How long she has been like this? Two weeks, three, four?"


    Belphegor frowned as he was deep in thought, an expression that very rare appeared on his face. "Did I kill her when I ripped her soul?" He talked to himself.


    "If you really kill her, you can check her in Tartarus." Lilith suggested.


    "No, thanks." The laziness returned on his face as he laid his body on the bed, beside Jenedieth. "I am not in good relationship with Hades."


    "You don''t even have a good relationship with the other six deathly sins, Sloth." Lilith mocked him, but the fallen angel seemingly didn''t mind with her attitude, or he was too ignorance to be angry with that remarked.


    "What kind of guardian angel she is?" Belphegor asked the entirely different topic.


    "Who? The girl?" Lilith raised her eyebrows. "I don''t know, she doesn''t look like a guardian angel. She is too weak."


    "Yes, agreed with you. But, even a constant drop of water could create a crack on the hardest rock." Belphegor contemplated.


    "If you think you can make a move on that girl now, you better think twice. She is with the witch Serefina now. I have told you to execute the plan when you have a chance, but you slipped the opportunity and incited Lucifer''s anger." Lilith complained. "Now, with Serefina around, it is hard to get to her."


    Belphegor waved his hand lazily at Lilith. "It isn''t necessary like that. The guardian angel will come to me eventually."


    ==============


    The next day Raine woke up early like usual and prepared breakfast for the three of them, sometime Jack would drop by before he went somewhere to do his duty.


    Raine didn''t know what Jack''s job was, but every time she asked, Jack would give her the same answer; Task from Alpha.


    Jack''s status in Torak''s pack was a warrior, but it wasn''t something to be proud of as Torak has thousands of warriors from both lycan and werewolf. Jack didn''t hold a specific role in that rank. That was what Jack told Raine.


    That was why, it was such an honor to be able to safe guard Raine, their future Luna.


    However, Raine didn''t feel the same thing. She still couldn''t grasp the role of Luna, because all she wanted to do was with Torak, but to be honest, she didn''t want to take any role in his pack.


    Raine was too afraid with confrontation and apparently, position as Luna required a person with personality who was totally not ''Raine''.


    Raine was still trying to avoid that kind of topic, because it made her felt uncomfortable, moreover, Torak had never mentioned anything about that, neither he pressured Raine to be ''a Luna''s figure'' for him.


    Raine was grateful for Torak''s understanding and pretended this matter had never existed in the first place.


    For breakfast this time, Raine simply make sandwich, two for Serefina and herself and another two for Jack as his appetite was too big for his skinny body.


    When she had just finished placed the last sandwich on the plate, the door bell rung.


    Unhurriedly, Raine washed her hand and wiped it dry before she opened the door, she assumed it was Jack, who would drop by to eat breakfast together.


    However, it wasn''t Jack.


    In front of the door, standing a man in his early thirty with spectacles rested on his high nose, his pink lips curved into a handsome smile as his melodic voice sounded into Raine''s ears.


    "Good morning, I am Aero Knight." He introduced himself as he stretched out a hand for Raine to shake.


    However, Raine didn''t reach his hand as how it supposed to be done, she only stared at his hand and shifted her eyes on his face, with frown.


    "You must be Raine, right?" Aero guessed it right. "I will be your tutor from today onward."


    Raine blinked her eyes. "Oh¡­" That was her only reaction as she gestured for him to come inside the room, without shaking his hand, because she didn''t feel right to touch or to be touched by a stranger.


    Aero sat in the living room while Raine knocked on Serefina''s door, but there was no answer from inside. She repeated her action, but there was only silence that greeted her back.


    Where is the witch? Had she left this early morning?


    When Raine was still in confusion she heard Serefina''s voice in the living room, talking with Raine''s tutor.


    Abruptly, she walked back to the living room and found Serefina was conversing with Aero.


    She did this magic again¡­


    Serefina was wearing blue jeans that hugged her slender legs with oversize yellow sweater. Her red hair was tied into loose bun atop of her head. She looked appealing and mature.


    Raine couldn''t blame Aero as the man wasn''t able to avert his eyes from her.


    "Raine, come here." Serefina called Raine with her sweet voice that she had never used. "Why don''t you introduce yourself to your tutor?"


    Raine took a seat at the sofa beside Serefina''s, however before she could sit properly, Serefina had grabbed her hand and dragged her to sit next to her.


    "Greet him." Serefina was still in her lovely tone, but Raine could feel there was an order in her sentence.


    "Good morning Mr. Knight." Raine said timidly.


    "Nice to see you in person Raine." Aero gave her his best smile. "I have heard about your case from your sister, I will help you for the next four months."


    Raine frowned. What case that Aero was talking about? And what Serefina had told him about her?


    Raine raised her head and looked at Serefina, but the witch ignored her as she kept talking with Aero about Raine''s education.


    Aero even volunteered to take Raine to the University where he was graduated, as a comparison of universities that she would be taken after graduated from high school.


    But, Serefina turned down Aero''s suggestion, because his University was a bit far from where they were living and it wasn''t in the list of the three Universities that Serefina had suggested to Raine before.


    The conversation about this took another ten minutes before, Serefina offered a breakfast to Aero.


    In the end the three of them was having a breakfast together with the sandwiches that Raine had made. It appeared that Jack didn''t come for his breakfast this morning.


    After breakfast, Aero gave a few books to Raine, by the meaning of few books, there was actually dozens of it.


    "The three Universities that you want to enter are the top Universities in this city, but first you need to find what major that you want to take and we need to work on your grade to meet their standard. Do you have something in mind? I will help you to choose your major if you have problem with it." Aero explained it to Raine as he added a small dictionary from his briefcase. "I heard from your sister that you have not been to school since two months ago."


    Raine blinked her obsidian eyes innocently. She was really clueless about the background story that Serefina had made for her.


    "Mm." Raine hummed absentmindedly as a respond.


    "Don''t let what had happened bother you. You are a beautiful girl." Aero patted Raine''s shoulder. "Bullying will leave trauma, but you have to know that many people are not like them." He squeezed her shoulder, encouragingly.


    Raine squirmed as she wasn''t comfortable with his gesture and moved away. She didn''t like to be close to him.


    "Raine, why don''t you bring your books inside and study?" Serefina smiled at Aero. "I will walk Mr. knight to the lobby."


    Raine didn''t need to be told twice when she hurriedly hugged all the books and scurried away into her bedroom.


    "Your sister really a timid type of girl." Aero remarked while looking at Raine who has just closed her door, he could hear the metal clicking as sign the door was locked.


    "Yes, she is." Serefina replied curtly as she stood up and walked toward the door.


    Both of them walked in the hallway and waited for the lift when Serefina turned to face Aero with knitted brows.


    "Mr. Knight¡­" She started.


    "Just Aero, please." Aero smiled brightly, he liked to hear Serefina''s voice. The younger sister was so timid, while the older sister was eloquent, such interesting women.


    "Aero." Serefina obliged with his request.


    "Yes, Serefina." Aero turned to face the beauty beside him, he liked how his name rolled in her tongue.


    "Put your hands off from my sister." Serefina kept the sweet tone, but this time it laced with warning. "Do not touch her."


    She was a witch, so she has a ''witch'' way to know his true intention.


    Aero''s elegant smile slightly falter, but he composed himself quickly. "I didn''t mean that way¡­"


    "And don''t talk to her like that way, she has trauma, not a kid." Serefina made sure her beautiful smile still etched on her lips when she said those words.


    "No, I¡­" Aero slightly stuttered.


    "If you can''t bind to our agreement, you can drop this job." Serefina shrugged nonchalantly, the way she talked was like someone who was talking about trivial things.


    In the other hand, Aero was flabbergasted by Serefina''s words. Of course, he didn''t want to lose this job, because the income was far greater than his previous one.


    Aero thought with Serefina very- welcoming- attitude, he could be a little bit closer with one of the sisters, it was a good thing as they looked like coming from a wealthy family.


    "I will not do that again." Aero said in flat tone, a business like.

 Chapter 97 - VISITING OLD FRIEND

    "You"


    And just like that, the greatest poem was written, in one word.


    -Clinton-


    **************


    Torak was in his new office alone when gust of wind scattered the paper on his table, he squinted his eyes as unpleasant smell invaded his nose.


    "Torak Donovan."


    A man, with eyes that reflected his vicious soul that darker than the night sky and his tan skin that glimmered under the lamp light, was looking at Torak with his golden eyes, a smirk made its way to his pursed lips.


    "Lucifer." Torak greeted the unwelcomed guest without a trace of warmth in his voice, he stood up from his seat and strode over toward Lucifer. "I don''t recall that I welcome you here." His voice was getting colder with every step that he took.


    "Don''t worry, I welcome myself." Lucifer slumped his butt on the cozy dark leather sofa.


    Torak''s office was designed according to his personality, exquisite and impeccable, a huge set of luxurious sofa was set in the middle of the office, where Lucifer was sitting on, with floor to the ceiling glass at the other side of the wall, where he could watch the whole city from there.


    "What do you want?" Torak asked icily as he stopped a few meters away from the satan and pour a glass of whiskey from cellarette for himself.


    "I just want to visit my old friend." Lucifer suddenly appeared beside the Alpha. "You don''t like to see your old friend?"


    Torak didn''t answer that, but his ocean blue eyes dimmed as he blinked.


    "May I?" Lucifer took a glass and opened another bottle of bourbon without waiting for Torak''s reply, he took a sniff of the scent that emanated from the opened bottle. "Devil''s share. I like it."


    However, before Lucifer could take a sip of his ''Devil''s share'', Torak had grabbed his neck and crushed it without a change of expression, he didn''t even blink when he snapped Lucifer''s neck into two.


    "You are still as rude as centuries ago." Lucifer''s voice was sounded from behind Torak. Somehow, he had been sitting on the same dark sofa, which he had sat on a few minutes ago. "You have to work on that bad temperament of yours.


    Torak wasn''t a little bit surprised to say the least as he calmly turned around to face the fallen angel while sipping the whiskey.


    "Get yourself out of here while I still have my patient." Torak nearly growled as he gulped down the remaining liquid in his glass.


    Lucifer chose to ignore the threat in Torak''s voice. "I guess a mate is not successful in changing your nature."


    A vicious growl thundered from Torak''s chest as he lunged onto the fallen angel.


    Lucifer''s smirk disappeared as he moved with lightning speed to avoid the Alpha''s attack. He barely managed to avoid the first attack when Torak had moved next to him and clawed his head.


    Lucifer''s golden eyes dilated as his figure fused with his own shadow, Left Torak with nothing.


    Torak''s claw only cut the empty space and his red eyes scoured his surrounding, looking for another threat that would come from the Satan.


    "Be careful with your temperament my old friend, or else you will end up hurting your fragile mate." Lucifer''s voice echoed from through the wall in Torak''s office.


    As the voice was faded, the door of Torak''s office slammed open with a loud noise.


    "Alpha!"


    The first person who came from the door was Raphael, his Beta, his dark eyes were looking for the possible threat with Calleb followed behind him in his dark grey wolf form.


    They heard Torak''s growl along with the sound of glass breaking, something wasn''t right must be happening inside the office room.


    "Alpha, someone was here?" Raphael asked, but he couldn''t see anyone there neither he saw someone walked inside the room just now.


    Meanwhile, Calleb raised his snout higher as he tried to catch something in the air with no avail.


    Torak, who had half shifted, turned into his human form, ignoring Raphael''s question as he dashed toward the door and yelled an order. "Tell Serefina I come to the apartment now, she better with Raine when I am there and tell Jack, don''t let Raine disappear from his sight!"


    In spite of the lack of understanding of the situation, Raphael and Calleb knew it must have something to do with their Luna. There was no one could make his Alpha so antsy like this, but who the person that he met? That could make him flipped out like this?


    They saw no one stepped in or out from the room.


    "Will do right away." Raphael fished out his phone while Calleb ran with his four legs, chasing after Torak.


    The situation didn''t look good for them.


    ==============


    Raine was reading a book that Aero had given her this morning, trying to catch up with her last lesson when she was still in the orphanage, when suddenly she heard a quarrel between Jack and Serefina.


    Before Raine could decipher about what they were arguing, her bedroom door had thrown opened with so much force until it left dented mark on the wall behind it.


    From behind the door, it showed the anxious Jack, locked his wary eyes on Raine.


    "Come here, Raine." Jack waved his hand at Raine, like a big brother called his little sister to go home from playing too long.


    Raine put down her book and obliged, she walked closer toward Jack when she heard Serefina''s cynical comment.


    "What are you fussing about?" Serefina throw her body on the sofa lazily. "Torak only exaggerated the situation."


    Jack didn''t heed her comment as he led Raine out of her room protectively, by holding her shoulder. He didn''t let the Luna out of his arm reach.


    Actually, he also wasn''t sure what exactly was happening, but from the way Raphael talked to him through the phone, it was something urgent and dangerous that involved the safety of Raine.


    All the creatures in this realm knew, how long Torak had been existing without a mate, and once she appeared now, naturally he wouldn''t let anything happen to her.


    Jack glanced at Raine who was staring at him with her big- doe- eyes.


    "Something bad happened?" Raine asked, slightly nervous by how Jack reacted. She hugged her body while sitting next to Jack, and same like him, she was also ignoring Serefina''s sardonic remark.


    "Raphael told me that the Alpha is on his way to come and see you." Jack told her.


    In an instant, Raine''s worry expression turned brighter, the change of her mood was very noticeable.


    "He will come?" Her voice was filled with anticipation that made Serefina sneered and turned to leave the living room and spend her time to stay inside her bedroom, leaving Jack and Raine alone.


    "Yes, he should be here in no time." Jack assured Raine.


    And just like a child who got her early present, Raine smiled to herself while looking at the door expectantly. It had been long time, many years, since the last time Raine was expecting someone''s presence.


    When Jack finished saying that, there was a knocking sound that could be heard from the door.


    "That must be the Alpha." Jack stood up to open it.

 Chapter 98 - NIGHT OF CHAOS

    I will fear no evil, for you are with me.


    -Unknown-


    **************


    Torak has a bad feeling about Lucifer''s visit, moreover he knew about Raine''s identity.


    Before, Belphegor only knew Raine as the guardian angel, but wasn''t sure about her importance as Torak''s mate, the Sloth thought Torak protected her merely because she would be the crucial part of the impending bloodshed between the creatures, just like centuries ago.


    Torak didn''t care even a bit about what would happen with this world, the only thing he cared, the thing that he concerned the most was his mate, nothing else.


    The hell could freeze over or the world could crumble into dust, but as long as Raine was safe and sound, another thing wasn''t a matter for him.


    Torak went to the bas.e.m.e.nt of the twenty- nine- story building and climbed into his sport car, with Calleb, who had turned back into his human form, sat beside him.


    Afterward he drove the black Bugatti like a madman.


    There was no traffic jam in this hour, but that didn''t make Torak could arrive at the apartment faster, because there were twenty Chupacabra chased after them. The dog- sucking- blood.


    Calleb buckled up as he held tight to stabilize himself, he was a lycan who had a fast healing ability, but it didn''t mean he was immune with pain.


    Once the car crash and he was thrown out, the pain would be so unbearable for the first few second before their healing ability took over. If it was possible, Calleb didn''t want to experience that.


    However, it was impossible also to give some advice to the outraged Lycan beside him.


    "There are Chupacabra that followed us." Calleb saw the creatures was hot on their paws, one of the sucking- blood creatures managed to jump atop of the fast driven car and clawed the roof, followed by the other Chupacabra, which jumped one by one, covered the Torak''s sight from the road.


    With a low vicious growl Torak swerved the car and smashed concrete road divider on his left, brought the car to traverse the other side of the traffic road.


    In a jiffy, the screeching sound from many cars hit the brake filled the quiet night.


    Two of the Chupacabra that covered the front door glass were thrown out of the front glass, caused Torak got a sight of the canal at the other side of the road.


    Torak hit the accelerator until it flat with the ground as he directed the car toward the Canal. Next to the Alpha, the Gama''s eyes opened wide as he realized what Torak was about to do.


    "SHIFT!" Torak barked as the car sped forward and flew straight to the canal.


    Torak and Calleb opened the car door at the same time before the car sunk into the water and immediately shifted into their Lycan form.


    As their big paws clawed the ground, their chaser had made the first attempt to attack them directly.


    With a thunderous roar, the white lycan raised his claw and slit two Chupacabra bodies into two as the black blood tainted his pure fur.


    The other grey lycan did the same as he bit down the Chupacabra''s neck until it couldn''t move again and pressed one under his feet, clawed it chest before he lunged onto the other.


    The beast fight occurred for some time before the two lycan were the only one standing in the middle of the carcasses of the Chupacabra.


    After that short and intense battle, the grey wolf whined as he licked his injured front leg, apparently it was a result of the bite of the Chupacabra.


    The white lycan glanced over to check on his Gamma before he dashed toward the other direction.


    ''Stay there, Raphael and the other warriors will come.'' Torak mind- linked Calleb.


    The Chupacabra''s bite was poisonous, but the healing ability of the lycanthropes would manage to mitigate the fatal outcome.


    Moreover, there was something more important that Torak had to do. His mate was in danger. Those creatures were sent to him wasn''t for the purpose to kill him, of course that was a stupid idea for his enemy to think merely Chupacabra could take down Torak.


    Those creatures were sent to slow him down from whatever he was about to do, and the only think in his mind was Raine.


    His mate. his only solace. His soul¡­


    He shouldn''t entrust his mate to Serefina or his warrior or whatever they were, he should keep his mate close to him!


    Such a nonsense that the witch had blurted out that he should keep a distance from her! What the difference now!? Raine was still in danger and Serefina better kept her word to keep her save!


    If something should happen to Raine, the fault was his.


    In the other hand, the grey lycan stubbornly followed his Alpha, though he was left behind. Calleb grimaced with every step that he took, but he tried to not slow down his paces.


    ''Raph, are you near?'' Calleb tried to mind- link the Beta, but seemingly they were too far from each other. ''Ugh! I want to tear the face of the person who had sent those dogs- sucking- blood over!'' He grumbled.


    ==============


    It took longer time than Torak had predicted to reach the apartment, as soon as he saw the building, he followed his instinct to catch Raine''s scent in the air, it was a faint rainy smell that had grown inside him.


    His mate was near.


    Torak climbed the building and entered through the opened window in the eleventh floor, where Raine''s flat was.


    While he strode toward Raine''s flat door, his bone snapped as his body turned into his human form. Once he was knocking the door, Torak was the uncanny, clean- cut CEO.


    He didn''t care if someone was taking a photo of him being there, human would think it was impossible for Torak Donovan was being there, however that was the last thing that he concerned.


    When the door was opened, Jack greeted him, but Torak stepped in directly, his eyes scoured the room, looking for her.


    "Where is Raine?" He asked demandingly, the word of impatient wouldn''t suffice to describe him.


    "Luna is there, in the living room¡­" Jack turned around to pointed where Raine was sitting a few second ago before he walked away to open the door.


    But, no one there¡­


    She had gone¡­

 Chapter 99 - NIGHT OF CHAOS (2)

    How he treats you is how he feels about you.


    -Unknown-


    **************


    Jack could feel blood rushed to his head the moment he saw Raine had gone.


    She was there a second ago, he just left her out of his sight because he had to open the door, but within that second someone had taken her and now he had to deal with his Alpha.


    "Alpha¡­ she ¡­" Jack stammered, but before he could complete his sentence, Torak had grabbed his neck and slammed him to the wall behind him.


    The wall cracked as the debris scattered around both of him.


    Jack was having hard time to breathed, he wasn''t that fast to avoid the sudden attack of Torak neither he had the comparable strength as his.


    "WHERE IS SHE!?" Torak roared right in front of his face, his eyes turned blazing red and his canines elongated.


    Torak sharp claws embedded on Jack''s neck caused blood was dripping from his opened wound, he was ready to kill his warrior at this point, drew another blood in this chaotic night.


    "Al¡­ pha¡­" Jack felt lightheaded as his eyes rolled back in his skull and his hands clumsily tried to pry open the grip on his neck with no avail.


    Torak had lost it, he lost all the reason to spare another creature life, he just wanted his mate and she was gone, someone took her and the lycan before his eyes failed his task.


    He deserved to die.


    When Torak was about to squeeze the life out of him, he felt an annoying tug on the back of his neck, it didn''t bother him at first, but the feeling grew intense as if someone was trying to choke him.


    "Torak, let him go." A sweet female voice was sounded from behind his back, but it wasn''t the voice that he wanted to hear, her scent also felt so wrong with him, it didn''t settle the raging beast that banging his head.


    Torak let out an ear- piercing roar as he threw Jack across the room with so much force.


    Jack''s body flew a few meters away, smashed the bar stool and only stopped when his body collided with the concrete wall that shaking by the brute force.


    Serefina was standing there, wrapped her voluptuous body with black fitted turtleneck shirt and skinny jeans, she looked s.e.xy and mature, but the only thing in Torak''s mind when he saw her was to cut her limb to limb.


    "Where is she!?" It was a low growl from under his breath, the evidence of his attempt to suppress the raging storm beneath him, his last attempt before the beast unleashed and created more destruction.


    Torak swore would kill Serefina if her answer, she was hiding Raine and wanted him to stay away from his mate, it wasn''t time for that! The witch should know, how serious the situation to pull that excuse with Torak now.


    "Someone broke my spell and took her." Serefina admitted, she felt ashamed.


    No matter how she beautified her words, it was her mistake to take lightly Raphael''s warning when he called her before.


    Without warning Torak had stood in front of Serefina and clawed his body brutally. The witch let out a shrill scream as she moved aside to avoid the lycan another attack.


    Serefina''s instinct to survive kicked in as she waved her hand wildly, sending a cabinet toward Torak''s direction that he, easily, shoved it away as if it was weight nothing for him.


    The cabinet crushed the wall and broke into pieces.


    "Torak! Stop it! You don''t help her if you kill me!" Serefina tried to reason with Torak, it was a hard job to do as the lycan listened to no one.


    Torak stormed over, his red eyes filled with murderous intention when he reached Serefina''s hand and was about to tear her apart when suddenly a fireball was thrown to his face, burnt his white fur.


    That action didn''t stop Torak, if anything, that only make him more furious. He snarled at Serefina, losing himself for his beast, trying to rip every inches of the witch''s body, but there was invincible wall that held him, kept him only a step away from the bleeding witch.


    "Stop your useless reaction!" Serefina yelled at Torak from inside her protection, she cradled her limp right arm that bleeding incessantly as a result of Torak''s attack earlier.


    However, how he could hear her when the only thing that ringing in his ears was to kill any creatures that he could see.


    She had admitted that she failed to keep Raine''s safe, after his warning and after all he had done to show how important Raine for him.


    How Serefina was so narrow minded to belittle the importance of this situation. She deserved to die!


    Serefina could feel the protection that she built around her gradually crumbled, because of Torak continuous attempt to shatter it.


    She wouldn''t be able to survive once Torak grabbed a hold of her, thus she closed her eyes while chanting a charm from strange language and the moment her eyes were opened, they were the color of fire.


    "ENOUGH!" The witch suddenly stood up with fire in her hands, her body emanated flame, the same fire that burning in her eyes.


    The sudden outburst didn''t affect much on Torak as his lycan only took a few steps back before he lunged onto her for another attack.


    However, before Torak could come closer, a wall of fire was conjured between them.


    Because of a lot of smoke and fire, the alarm was blaring and water gushing out from fire sprinkler on the ceiling followed by the automated evacuation message which warn people inside the building to not use the elevators.


    "Torak! Your rage will not help her!" In spite of the water that flooded the floor the fire that encircled Serefina didn''t extinguish even a bit.


    The white lycan was sodden, but his blazing eyes were glaring with unfathomable indignation as his breathing raged.


    ''Alpha.''


    A voice sounded in Torak''s head, trying to reach onto him despite the Alpha attempt to shut any interference from outside.


    Another lycan trudged inside the room, his wounded leg had been healed, but apparently the poison from Chupacabra''s bite still affected him.


    At the opened door from behind the lycan, there were commotion because of the alarm was set off as many people were running toward the emergency stairs.


    The white Lycan posed a defense stance as he felt there was another creature near him and bare his fangs toward the grey lycan.


    Calleb''s lycan whimpered as he lowered his head, showing his nape as a sign that he wasn''t mean any harm.


    Slowly, Calleb turned into his human form, display his vulnerability form, in order to save his life from Torak''s wrath.


    "Alpha, there is news that you have to know." Calleb spoke under the assessing eyes of Torak, he glanced at Jack, the warrior, who wasn''t moving from the ground. He looked dreadful with blood stained his shirt and the floor beneath him, but his undulated chest was a sign that he was still alive.


    Torak''s Lycan wasn''t in the situation to hear any news if it wasn''t about Raine.

 Chapter 100 - NIGHT OF CHAOS (3)

    "Someone can love you desperately with their feeling and still not know how to love you correctly with their action."


    -motivationaleveryday.blogspot.com-


    **************


    "Ramon de Medici killed his brother, Remy. The news is not out yet¡­" Said Calleb that was granted with an angry roar from Torak as his already bigger Lycan looked more bigger than usual.


    Calleb startled as he took two steps back, he didn''t know what was wrong with the information that he said. Torak''s anger was not relevant.


    "Do you really think he wants to hear about some Medici kill each other?" Serefina asked Calleb in mocking tone while keeping his protection and the wall of fire surround her. "Raine is gone, you better help me to calm him down."


    "Gone?!" Calleb asked incredulously, his jaw dropped open as he glanced at the lycan who glared at the wall of fire in front of him wrathfully. "How is that possible? Don''t you have everything under control?!" He couldn''t help, but getting angry as well.


    "Yes, I have!" Serefina grimace when she moved her injured arms, trying to maintain the protection around her exasperatedly.


    She was a powerful witch, but somehow, her power has less effect on the Donovans, something about them, the part that she couldn''t explain, holding much power than any creatures.


    "Stop talking and help me to settle him!" Serefina glared at Calleb. "He will kill me!"


    "No offense." Calleb raised his hand in the air. "But, he will kill me if I try to walk any closer than this. What is more, you deserve that. I recall Raphael had told you to keep an eye on our Luna."


    If it wasn''t because Torak was venting his wrath toward Serefina and Calleb was given the opportunity, he wouldn''t mind to finish the witch with his own two hands.


    She was really irresponsible with her task, though she was the one who very determined to separate Torak and Raine, in spite of her reason that was for Raine''s sake, but it felt so awful to not be able with their own mate, especially when they just saw each other.


    With a loud of cracking sound, the protection around Serefina was broke by Torak brute force. With wide eyes the witch saw the big Lycan raised his claws and brought them straight to her face.


    Serefina couldn''t teleport as her power was depleting from the fire wall and the protection that she had built. Moreover, Torak''s move was too fast for her until she couldn''t even blink when he had stood right before her eyes.


    A shrill agony scream sounded from Serefina''s mouth as she felt her flesh was torn open and blood gushing out from her wound on her face.


    Before Torak could really clawed her into limb to limb, a big brown wolf with black strip on his left side, ran into Torak''s lycan and as their body collided, a sound of broken bone could be heard.


    ''Bring them out of here!''


    Raphael''s voice rung inside Calleb''s head full with commanding tone. In front of Calleb, the Beta took head on their Alpha as both of them growl and clawed at each other.


    ''Raph! Back off! You will kill yourself if you continue!'' Calleb mind- linked Raphael in panic as he saw Torak managed to send him flew a few meters away before the big brown wolf broke a cabinet with his weight.


    ''OUT!!!'' Raphael got on his feet and lunged onto Torak before he could kill Serefina right there and then.


    The mind- link cut off, leaving Calleb with task in his hand.


    Fortunately, at that time Jack had regained his conscious, only a little bit disoriented as he took his surroundings.


    Fire on the other side and water pouring down from the ceiling as commotion occurred out of the room while inside, the two powerful Lycan clashed at each other.


    The big brown wolf whimpered and tried hard to not bow down in front of the Alpha as he kept launching blow after blow.


    Calleb ducked down, avoiding the two lycans who still engaged in intense battle as he reached Serefina and helped her to stand up.


    The Gamma suppressed his desire to throw her out of the window, since the first time she came, she was so annoying and now this happened, Calleb thought Raphael''s effort to save her was a waste.


    Why didn''t he let their Alpha to tear her apart, maybe by then they could placate Torak''s anger a bit.


    "Jack, get out from here." Calleb shouted at the warrior who was still in daze, while carried the bleeding Serefina out of the room.


    Calleb didn''t need to look as he knew Raphael was blocking Torak''s way so they could get out from the room and blend with the other occupant of the apartment.


    Jack trudged behind Calleb while rubbing his neck, where Torak almost choked him to his death.


    They went down by emergency stairs with the other people, at the parking lot, fire fighter had arrived and people had gathered together while looking at the smoke and fire from one of the flat in the eleventh floor, which Serefina had created.


    "Good job witch, you manage to gather more attention than it needed." Calleb remarked with derision as they walked toward the car that had been driven by Raphael to come here.


    Not only that, there was another two cars with another four warriors, waiting. Apparently, Raphael had ordered them to not follow him.


    Serefina who was carried in Calleb arms was too weak to retort his sarcastic word.


    Calleb put her on the back of Raphael''s car. "Two of you stay here and the other follow me." He ordered shortly, knowing his own condition, should another sneak attack like with the Chupacabra earlier happened again, Calleb wouldn''t be able to defend the two injured lycan and witch with him, thus he took the two warriors with him and left the two to look out for Torak and Raphael.


    "Report to me immediately if something happened." Calleb said sternly before he climbed onto the driver seat and started the engine after Jack sat in the shotgun seat.


    Giving the last glance at the chaotic situation behind him from the rearview mirror, Calleb drove the car away from the apartment.


    "Let''s hope Raphael will be able to pacify The Alpha, or else I will not stupid enough to throw myself between you and him like what Raphael did." Calleb said that viciously without slightly warm in his tone and he meant every word that he said.


    Along the way, Raphael kept in tab with the other warrior who was still in the apartment, but there was no significant progress, The Alpha and The Beta was still out of sight.


    "Damn it!" Calleb punched the wheel. "The Alpha will not kill Raphael right?!" He asked to no one out of exasperation.


    "Beta Raphael is a strong lycan." Jack replied, but that didn''t answer Calleb''s question.


    Of course, Raphael is a strong lycan, as Beta''s blood was running down his veins, but Torak was the Alpha, The supreme Alpha on top of that. He could squash Raphael without a second thought if he really wanted to.


    On the back seat Serefina looked like she was sleeping if it wasn''t for the orange light from her right hand that illuminated the wound on her left hand. She was trying to heal herself.


    "Witch." Calleb called Serefina without slightly respect in his voice and he didn''t care about that. "Do you have any idea where is Raine? Or who took her?"


    Serefina didn''t gave an answer immediately while she was still in middle of healing herself. The wound on her arms gradually closed before she moved her flashing hand with an odd light to her face.


    "No one took her." Serefina said in weak voice. "I didn''t feel any force from outside that penetrated my protection, when Raine disappeared. I would have known if there was someone or creatures that wanted to break it." Her voice sounded confuse.


    "I just left Raine out of my sight for three second and she has gone when I return." Jack added.


    "So, what is that mean?"


    Serefina shook her head, she was also clueless about what exactly happen, but then her expression slightly changed when something crossed her mind. "But, how if the force wasn''t coming from outside of my protection, but from inside? I wouldn''t know."

 Chapter 101 - SOMETHING UNEXPLAINABLE HAPPENED TO RAINE

    Hell is empty and all the Devils are here.


    -William Shakespeare-


    **************


    Lucifer gulped down his scotch that burnt his throat like hell, oh¡­ how he missed that place, with all the torture and the agony that filled the air. Blood and scream.


    He watched the flat screen in front of him with disinterest.


    A news anchor reported about the death of the old family from Fulbright City, de Medici. Remy de Medici was killed by his own younger brother, Ramon de Medici, in his own mansion.


    His motive was still unknown, but both siblings was known didn''t get along pretty well as they would fight at the court over the family heritage, in addition with their finance was nearly collapsing.


    If it wasn''t for Donovan''s company that had given them cash injection and took over the nearly bankrupt company, they wouldn''t have survived for long, leaving the great family''s history behind as they faced their downfall.


    Therefore, the most question that was on people''s lips was; why?


    Torak Donovan had helped them to reestablish their family''s company, thus for what reason Ramon killed his brother?


    Lucifer shook the glass in his hand gently as the liquid swirled.


    "Apparently there is another people dislike the lycan set a foot in this city." Lucifer mumbled as he raised his golden eyes to look at the woman across the room. "Any news from the guardian angel?"


    It was Lilith, ambling at an easy pace toward Lucifer and sat down beside him.


    "Such a heartless devil." Lilith pursed her lips coquettishly. "The first thing you ask is that little girl."


    Lucifer frowned when Lilith rested her hand on his left shoulder, the wound from the short battle with Torak before was still hurt. In the end the devil still had not regained his full strength, what a shame¡­


    "Any clue who took her?" Lucifer gulp down the liquid in his glass that Lilith had poured to dull the pain in his shoulder, he chuckled on this, his body became more mortal years by years ever since the last battle centuries ago.


    It required him a great effort to rebuild everything, anticipating the resurrection of the dark days, when the realms in this universe colliding once again.


    Lilith gave a nonchalant shrug. "I don''t know, even the Alpha went rampant when he knew the guardian angel was missing." She propped her chin between her palm, cupping her small face. "His reaction was truly brutal. Such an excessive anger¡­ he really became the dog of the moon goddess. Those Donovans aren''t like that before."


    Lilith thought Torak''s anger was because he blamed himself for the missing angel, every creature in these realms knew there would be a time when three guardian angels were resurrected from extinction, but it was also one of the signs of the resurrection of the dark days


    "He didn''t take an order from Selene." Lucifer informed her.


    "No? Impossible." Lilith flicked her hair from her shoulder. "He has been keeping the Angel beside him, like a madman and even call the Serefina witch to look after her."


    "He keeps the angel not because of Selene, he keeps her because she is his mate." Lucifer said it lightly.


    Lilith didn''t give any respond at first, but then her crispy laugh rung out inside the empty bar as she was laughing heartily.


    "Everyone knows the Donovan won''t have mates for their lifetime, it is their curse from Selene herself." She kept laughing, but then ceased down into chuckle when she saw Lucifer didn''t have a change of expression.


    "You mean, Selene will give them mates if they are able to keep the guardian angels save, right?" At this point Lilith didn''t laugh anymore.


    When there was no respond from Lucifer, she frowned.


    "Were you saying the true? The Angels are the Donovans'' mates?" Lilith widened her eyes in disbelief. She still didn''t know about this, neither Belphegor. Well, the latter was too lazy to find out about this matter anyway.


    "The sin of lie is not bestowed upon me." Lucifer eyed Lilith as he pushed his empty glass, waiting for her to pour another bottle for him.


    "You don''t need to be bestowed with the sin of lie to be a devil, even human lie." Lilith smirked while pouring down the red liquid from its expensive bottle.


    The red color that remained them of the blood.


    ==============


    It was almost dawn, when finally Torak and Raphael returned to the mansion, which Torak had bought the moment he decided to establish their business in this city, so he could be near Raine.


    However, he lost her in the end.


    The bruises that were still not healed yet and the blood, which stained Raphael front shirt, was vivid evidences how brutal their battle before.


    It was a good thing that Raphael could still manage to stand on his own two feet when he walked inside the room with Torak who looked slightly more sober.


    Torak didn''t even spare Serefina a glance when he went inside the living room straight to his own bedroom.


    "The two of you alright?" Calleb asked in low voice, afraid if his question would aggravate the Alpha again. They didn''t need another battle now.


    Raphael shook his head as he rubbed his neck, it was a close call when Torak bit down his neck and almost killed him, sure enough he wouldn''t try to get the bad side of Torak again, not for this witch.


    Raphael walked in front of Serefina, she looked much better than the last time he saw her. "What you have?" He asked with stern voice.


    "I have bad news and worse news." Serefina crossed her arms and legs defensively.


    "Bad and worse?" Raphael shot dagger looked at her. "I should let Torak kill you earlier." What she meant by bad and worse news? He didn''t save her life to hear that. He thought it would be a waste if Torak killed her just like that, probably she knew something that they didn''t know, but apparently his judgment was wrong.


    "Don''t tell me that I didn''t tell you the same thing before." Calleb chimed in, slumped his tall body on the sofa opposite Serefina.


    Ignoring Calleb sarcastic comment, Raphael gave his attention on the witch. "What is the bad news?"


    "Bad news." Serefina gave a disdain looked to Calleb for his remarked before she continued. "The person who has taken Raine is not Lucifer, Belphegor, Lilith or whatever creatures out there who want her."


    Raphael frowned.


    Before Serefina could explain further, Calleb had talked. "She thinks someone who took her was from inside her protection."


    Serefina scowl because Calleb took her line.


    "However, there were not another people at that time except Jack and her." Calleb nodded toward Serefina. "So, she thinks Raine was the one who had made herself disappeared."


    "Nonsense!" Raphael growled incredulously upon hearing that theory.


    "That was also my reaction." Calleb nodded his head as he reckoned his own reaction when he heard Serefina''s explanation.


    The witch closed her eyes, irritated. "Thank you for your explanation, but there is the part that you left behind." Serefina glared at Calleb when she opened her eyes.


    "Oh, right." Calleb flicked his finger. "She said Luna, unintentionally, inadvertently and accidentally activated her power." He exaggerated some part of his sentences as he felt it was ridiculous.


    However, Serefina didn''t think the same thing as she meant her every word when the idea crossed her mind.


    "The worse news, I don''t know what power that she possesses and where her power took her or what will happen to her if she can''t control it." Serefina said before Calleb could talk. "That I assume she can''t."


    "Torak will not be please to hear this." Raphael raised his head and looked at the second story of the mansion, where Torak''s bedroom was located. "Serefina, if you don''t have good news or better news, you better stay away from him, before he changes his mind and tear you apart."


    Serefina scowled upon hearing Raphael''s warning, but she knew, the Beta said the right thing, her mistake was fatal this time, Raine could be in danger because of her own power or she could be somewhere that they didn''t know, everything could happen to her and she was still not be able to protect herself.


    What an annoying job that the moon Goddess had bestowed to her. Serefina snorted.

 Chapter 102 - SHE WAS NOT ANYWHERE

    "If you were to write a story with me in the lead role, it would certainly be¡­ a tragedy."


    -Ken Kaneki; Tokyo Ghoul-


    **************


    The space around her was like caving in and pressed her body down to the abyss of the dark. She felt like her being crammed into a wormhole, until a blazing light invaded her vision.


    It was a white blinding light like someone had put a spotlight on her head, made her a center of attention.


    A little girl, who was hugging herself while covering her face, was trying to peek through her fingers, assessing her surroundings with fear and panic thumping in her heart. She could literally feel her heartbeat on her throat.


    This was an odd light, she could tell by the way its blazing started to fade the moment she opened her eyes as if allowing her to take the situation she was in now.


    The more the girl blinked her eyes, the more vivid the scene that presented in front of her eyes.


    She was in a deserted place. A barren land more or less, a landscape of sand with harsh sun above her head, tumbleweed and dead grasses.


    The wind howling and the smell of dry baked earth invaded her small nose.


    Raine scrunched her face when she took her surrounding into her understanding. A blink of an eye before she was still in the living room with Jack, who would open the door and Serefina, who went back inside her room, however later on, she was in this deserted place.


    "Jack¡­" Raine whispered into the wind as she called out the warrior''s name, hoping he was also in this strange place, that she wasn''t alone there.


    However, her hope was only a wishful wish as her voice was brought away by the wind.


    "Torak." Raine''s voice slightly stronger as she called out his name, fear and trepidation laced in her voice.


    Raine stood up and pirouetted with confusion was written on her face. She could see nothing. It was only sand until the line of the horizon, where the bright clear orange sky met with sandstone.


    She didn''t know whether she should stay or she had to go, but where? There was no sign of inhabitant from all the direction that Raine could see.


    The scorching sunlight, burnt her skin and in no time her sweater had stuck closely to her body uncomfortably.


    Raine didn''t want to take off her sweater and only wearing her white sleeveless shirt, but the humidity was choked her until she had hard time to breath. It was too hot.


    "Torak!" Raine screamed now out of the anxiety that she felt. She was afraid, and moreover she didn''t know why she was here.


    The desert was too vacant and mysterious for her to venture aimlessly.


    As the atmosphere was getting thick and her sweater had damped from her sweat, Raine felt lightheaded while her breathing became irregular.


    When the numbness crept in her legs, she felt the dry taste of the sand entered her mouth as her body was going limp, lack of strength to support her body.


    A while later she had been lying flat on the sea of sand and her mind started shutting down with her closing eyes.


    Raine''s lips quivered before she gave in to the dark once again.


    The howling wind grew bigger and her shadow danced like a fatamorgana, before it got bigger and engulfed the girl.


    ==============


    "The Alpha is gone!" Jack slammed opened the door with so much force until the poor thing screeched.  The warrior also looked so much better than the last time he was almost being killed by Torak.


    Earlier, he went to Torak''s room because Raphael wasn''t able to mind- link him, they needed to discuss about what step that they should take and about Serefina''s theory about Raine''s power.


    Jack volunteered to check on him, despite what he had done to him before, it was his fault to let down his order after all and made their Luna disappeared, though he, actually, wasn''t really at fault.


    But, more or less, he knew what the importance of mate in Lycan''s life.


    "Now, what?!" Serefina grumbled in irritation. "Where he has gone?"


    Before it was Raine and now Torak also had disappeared.


    "Someone said he saw Alpha shifted and went to the direction of the second district of Fulbright City." Jack informed them.


    Raphael was squinted his eyes. "Second district?"


    "Wait." Calleb raised his hand and frowned. "Second district is the place where Andromalius lives, isn''t it? Torak must have thought that Andromalius has something to do with the disappearance of Raine."


    Both Raphael and Calleb exchanged knowing looked and growled at the same time before they jumped from their seat and ran toward the door.


    That wasn''t a good sign.


    "Jack, take Serefina with you and follow me!" Raphael ordered the warrior before he disappeared behind the door followed closely by Calleb.


    "Take me with you?" Serefina hissed, but stood up elegantly before Jack could approach her. "Show me the way." She said callously, she was still her arrogant self.


    Jack swallowed his critics because there was another important thing in hand that needed his concerned and walked in front of the haughty witch.


    ==============


    Torak appeared all of sudden inside the lobby of city council''s office, where almost empty.


    The dim moonlight illuminated his tall body and his chiseled face that looked very stern, as his eyes were the color of blood.


    The two securities, who were guarding the door, were startled by Torak''s sudden appearance.


    They knew him as the famous CEO from Donovan Company, who would invest huge amount of money in manufacturing in this Fulbright city. After all, he had just come yesterday morning with people from central government and made a headline in news business.


    Furthermore, his name was on people''s lips when the news about de Medici family exploded.


    De Medici family was Torak step stone to enter the business in Fulbright City, if something happened to them, it would affect his business as well and all the projects that he had signed with the government.


    "Mr. Donovan?" One of the securities greeted him in shock, he blinked his eyes several times in addition of Torak''s red eyes, he thought he was seeing thing because of his late night shift. "What brings you here in this early morning?" He glanced his watch that showed it was still 3.21 a.m.


    Torak ignored him as he strode toward the other securities, he was a man in his early forty and had wrinkled on the corner of his eyes when he squinted his eyes, trying to looked at Torak clearly from behind his thick glasses.


    "Where is she?" Torak asked the other security with hostility, his tone alone could send chill ran down people who heard him.


    "Mr. Donovan, I don''t understand what you mean." The other security frowned that made the wrinkled on his eyes deepened.


    Torak didn''t have time to talk nonsense with him, all the more had to deal with his poor acting.


    "Do you know him?" The first security elbowed his fellow friend, who shook his head helplessly.


    "Who doesn''t know him?" He whispered back at his friend. "He is the famous CEO from yesterday morning right?"


    "That''s not what I meant, he talked to you, why an important person like him wanted to talk with you? A mere guard?" The first security was eyeing Torak with bewilderment especially at his eyes. Did he wear contact lens?


    Torak was running out his patient as he stormed toward the older security and raised his hand into a fist and landed it downright on his chest that sent him flung a few meters away.


    The old security flew in the air before his body collided with the solid wall. His body collapse and remained on the ground in weird position.


    "What the hell!!!" The other security''s eyes were like popped out from its socket when he watched the scene that unfolded.


    That was inhuman strength!


    It happened very fast and no one could see that coming.


    The younger security''s breath hitched, as he couldn''t give a proper reaction. For seconds he was standing there like a fool while looking at his fellow buddy, trying to discern the situation.


    As though he did nothing, Torak walked closer to the collapse body and pressed his foot against his chest. He leaned over as he asked the same question.


    "Where is she?"

 Chapter 103 - THE FACADE OF ANDROMALIUS

    "What are you doing!? You will kill him!" The other guard finally snapped himself out from his shock and tried to push Torak away.


    He really would kill the poor man if he kept doing that, but why he did that?! Something wasn''t feel right.


    However, his attempt was stopped by a single glared from Torak. His eyes were bloodshot, as if could burn him right there and then. It was something that he couldn''t explain with word.


    The other man stumbled and plopped down on his back as his eyes locked on Torak''s next action.


    Torak grabbed the man''s neck, who was lying beneath his feet, and squeezed his throat. Blood splattered, on Torak''s front shirt and the other security''s face, the moment the man''s neck broken and became headless.


    "AARRGGHHHH!!!" The other guard screamed on the top of his lungs as he crawled and ran away from the bloody scene.


    Torak didn''t give a glance at the other man.


    Fortunately, this was a secluded spot whereas no many securities were stationed there, even so, within less than three minutes, that place would fill with many people the moment they heard about the guard''s ear- piercing scream.


    But, that wasn''t Torak''s concern now.


    He looked at his bloody hand coldly, waiting for something to happen.


    And it did happen.


    The blood and the flesh beneath his feet, moved on its own, as if they had their own mind. Gliding and fusing together as they recreated and reformed it former self, a human.


    "You are sure so rude Alpha." The man who was dead a minute before with neck was crushed, now was standing unscathed in front of Torak while rubbing his neck with derision on his expression.


    "Where is she?!" Torak asked the same question for the third time, he was tempted to squash his head again, but it wouldn''t help his case.


    "You know that I didn''t take her, right?" The man hissed in irritation. "So, she is indeed very precious for you¡­" He contemplated while stroking his chin.


    "I know, but I assume you know where she is." Torak didn''t avert his eyes when the man''s eyes in front of him started to change their color and shape became yellow slit. "This is your specialize after all, Andromalius, finding a precious hidden thing."


    "Well, well¡­ now you admit that she is important to you¡­ the question remains the same like the last time I asked you, who is she to you?" Andromalius gave a mocking smile, found this thing was more interesting than his night shift.


    "Find her and you will know." Torak''s cold and calm voice reminded about the frozen river in the middle of the winter. Looked calm, but no one knew the raging stream beneath it.


    "Is this a plea?" Andromalius raised one of his brows. "You have a weird way to ask someone favor." He clicked his tongue and vanished from Torak''s vision.


    "This is a threat." Torak said into the empty space, where Andromalius had stood a while before. "Find her and I will not make things difficult for you during my stay in your territory."


    Andromalius suddenly appeared again, but this time he was standing behind Torak. His old appearance changed and instead he was the man that Torak had met at the Airport, the first day he landed in this city. "That is not how you make a deal Alpha." He shook his head while making a face. "You shouldn''t threaten the person who you ask for help."


    Torak didn''t have time to play with word- game of Andromalius, he turned his back and walked away as he could hear footsteps of more than three people, who were approaching toward his direction.


    The truth was, his silent threat spoke volume than when he said it out loud.


    Andromalius didn''t know what the Alpha would do, but he was pretty sure it wasn''t a good thing. He could just let the fight happen, but he knew the result wouldn''t be in his favor.


    Actually this was ridiculous for him, for being threatened in his own territory.


    "Why don''t you ask your witch? It is Serefina right? The witch who is guarding the little girl?" Andromalius was still trying to put up a front while asking Torak arrogantly. "She is the great witch from the past, who has been missing from our realm for years, right?"


    With the mentioned of Serefina''s name, Torak''s calm fa?ade slightly hardened.


    "I will hear news from your side before the sun rises." Torak said his final word before he shifted into his white wolf and disappeared from Andromalius''s sight before the owner of the loud footsteps arrived at the scene.


    Andromalius clicked his tongue when he saw many guards came. "How you can give a ridiculous request like that?" Now, it was 4.02 a.m he had just approximately an hour at best before the sun rose.


    Not to mentioned he should find another pretention now, since Torak had killed the ''security guard''. He saw his former fellow, paled and kept shaking his head as if in that way he could reposition his brain and understood the situation better. His eyes widened while pointing his finger at the spot where Andromalius had ''died'' before.


    "I saw Torak Donovan killed him!" He yelled to the other seven guards, who had followed him to this place. "I swear to God! He killed him!"


    "But there was no one here." One of the guards cut the man frantic explanation. "Not even a single drop of blood." He said helplessly.


    "You must have seen a thing¡­" The other person tried to justify his fellow reaction. "Why don''t you lay down for awhile, maybe you are just tired."


    Being ignored, the man clenched his fist and barked. "Then tell me where is he!!!?"


    Andromalius shook his head, bemused by watching the commotion as no one from the guards could see him. "Human¡­"


    "They are so funny, aren''t they?"


    A voice was startled Andromalius. He snapped his head toward the direction of the voice and could see nothing except the well trimmed trees.


    "Well, I couldn''t disagree with you¡­" Andromalius drawled, but his eyes were still alert, looking at his surroundings. "I would like to have a conversation while looking my opponent''s eyes, if you don''t mind¡­"


    "You want to see my eyes?"

 Chapter 104 - TWO REALMS

    Don''t trust anyone, even the devil was once an angel.


    -Unknown-


    **************


    "You want to see my eyes?" A whisper that so close to Andromalius''s ears, as if that person was on his nape, could be heard.


    Startling, Andromalius snapped his head to his left and saw those beautiful golden eyes, they were shining brightly under the dim light.


    "Lucifer¡­" Andromalius greeted his old friend. "I should know, it is you." His smile appeared, but it didn''t reach his eyes as he became alert. There was nothing good to have a business with this fallen angel.


    Lucifer let out an eerie chuckled. His golden eyes moved from Andromalius''s face toward the commotion that he had created by being dead. "A security guard, huh?" He raised one of his brows. "What a lame fa?ade."


    Andromalius shrugged his shoulder upon hearing the derision in his voice. "I am trying to be civil."


    "There is nothing civil about our race." Lucifer remarked. He was wearing a black button down shirt that looked unkempt with dark denim jeans, his curly hair was giving other people impression he just woke up from deep slumber.


    "Lucifer¡­" Andromalius shook his head. "I am not in the same race as yours."


    Lucifer smirked. "A fallen will always be a fallen." He made his own conclusion before he talked straight down to the business. "I saw the Lycan was looking for you."


    The commotion was growing bigger with the guard, who were together with Andromalius in the night shift, lost his control and yelled like a madman until someone took the initiative to look for the missing guard.


    "Follow me." Lucifer said, quite irritated with the noisy situation. What a fuss that those human made.


    Andromalius couldn''t turn down Lucifer''s order, he didn''t make a good impression with Torak, if he were to offend this Devil also, he wouldn''t have a good time from this moment onward.


    After all, he was also interested with the identity of the girl named Raine.


    Before Torak was trespassed his territory months ago, he had never heard something extraordinary about that girl, nothing special about her that caught his attention.


    However now, the two powerful creatures in this realm were fussing about that little girl. He had tried to find out about her, but Torak''s people had moved faster than his, to block the information about her.


    And now, Lucifer was coming for that girl as well. This rare occasion was truly interesting.


    Under the lamp street Lucifer snapped his fingers and both of them disappeared from the spot where they were standing a moment ago, vanished as though they had never been there in the first place.


    Lucifer and Andromalius appeared at the same bar where he was drinking with Lilith before, however this time, Lilith was nowhere to be seen.


    "Drink?" Lucifer had stood behind the bar table and raised a bottle of whiskey.


    "Yes, please." Andromalius said, sitting on the bar stool. He didn''t recognize this place, neither he had a memory about it. This place must be out of his territory.


    "Talk now." Lucifer pushed a rock glass under his nose as he sat down opposite him.


    "What should I talk?" Andromalius brought the glass near his nose and took a sniff on it scent before he took a big gulp. "I need time to trace her. It was ridiculous for Torak to assume that I will be able to give him any news within three hours. Not to mention I don''t have any idea who she is."


    "You don''t know who is her?" Lucifer asked incredulously.


    Andromalius was well known for his knowledge and his ability to find any important information, thus for him to not be able to know Raine''s identity was quite a surprise for him.


    "Torak had closed all the possible line and spot for me to find any information about the girl, he even went to the extent to erase those people memory of the girl face." Andromalius explained, almost like he was complaining.


    Lucifer stroke his chin. "If that is the case, than I have wasted my time and my whiskey. You are not that good apparently." He said heartlessly.


    Andromalius slightly offended by Lucifer provocation. "It was you who came to me and brought me here."


    "You are right." Lucifer agreed. "That''s why, you should make yourself useful. Give me the information about that girl whereabouts before you report to Torak." He said with finality.


    "For your information¡­" Andromalius gulped down the entire whiskey and pushed the empty glass toward Lucifer, the glass skidded on the surface of the marble table and was stopped by the other person. "I don''t take any order, especially in my own territory."


    He has to make this thing clear, if not, he would be treated like a dog who would accept any request from both the Lycan and the Devil.


    This was Lucifer''s  sin, but he had a pride also that he needed to keep.


    "Territory?" Lucifer scoffed. "There are only two territories, the upper world that ruled by Lycan and the underworld that ruled by me, so choose your place wisely."


    And this was another threat that Andromalius received within less than an hour.


    "You are chased out by the heaven my dear old friend, you don''t have territory in this universe." Lucifer grabbed the glass, which Andromalius had pushed toward him, and it vanished into dust.


    ==============


    Raphael, Calleb, Serefina and Jack arrived at the council''s office and were blocked out of the building by police car while the police got down and greeted him.


    "What happen inside?" Raphael asked before the police could utter a word for him.


    Seeing it was Raphael, the personal assistant of Torak Donovan, the police startled.


    What a coincidence¡­


    "Mr. Lockwood, am I right?" The police assured the person, behind the wheel, identity first.


    "Good morning officer." Raphael became impatient with this exchange greeting, he knew something was wrong had happened inside. "May I know what that''s about?"


    "What a coincidence sir." The police kept his politeness that Raphael didn''t need at this moment. "Someone had said that Mr. Donovan had killed someone and hid the body of the victim somewhere."


    There was a slightly changed of expression from Serefina and Jack while Raphael and Calleb remained calm.


    Apparently they were too late to stop their Alpha to do something carelessly.

 Chapter 105 - METANOIA

    Metanoia: the journey of changing one''s mind, heart, self or way of life.


    **************


    "It is really a coincidence for Mr. Lockwood to be here." The police officer explained the situation, he looked into the dark car curiously. "Is Mr. Donovan inside?"


    "No, Mr. Donovan is in the hospital." Raphael said smoothly. "He had a car accident a few hours ago."


    Shock crossed he police officer''s face. "How that could happen?! How is Mr. Donovan now?" His tone slightly rose by his surprise.


    "We still look for the cause of the accident." Raphael nodded. "Mr. Donovan is in the Hospital, but his condition has stabile now."


    The accident of Torak was indeed occurred when Chupacabra were chasing after Torak and Calleb, there were many witnesses who would testify for it, added to the Traffic Camer, Torak''s alibi was absolute.


    Because no human would be able to run around after that kind of dreadful accident, Raphael had taken care about this, about the hospital would be an easy task to be manipulated. No one would know about it.


    "Oh, but the news¡­" The police officer didn''t recall hear something about Torak Donovan''s accident.


    After all, Torak Donovan was under the spotlight recently, so it was almost impossible for media to miss something big like that.


    "We are trying to suppress the news as long as possible." Raphael''s words streamed down like a river. "Mr. Donovan needs rest and this kind of news will affect the business."


    The police officer scratched his head. "I don''t really understand about business." He said sheepishly. "It is a good thing that Mr. Donovan is all right, but why Mr. Lockwood comes here in this early morning?"


    "I just pass by from the hospital and saw this commotion, because of the business between our company and the government, I want to know what happen with the police line around this government building." Raphael said smoothly.


    Calleb really wanted to clap his hand for the Beta, he was so smart and easy with his words. What a wonderful tongue that he has¡­


    "Oh, I see¡­" The police officer nodded his head in understanding. "But, Mr. Lockwood, if you don''t mind will you inform me when Mr. Donovan is able to be visited? Because we will not be able to keep this news for long time, after all there is someone missing from the government building."


    "Will do." Raphael nodded cooperatively. "I will take my leave then officer." Raphael rolled back the dark window and left the scene before the police officer could give a respond. He had wasted enough time to answer that human''s question while Torak could be anywhere, running rampant and put anyone in danger.


    "So, any ideas where your Alpha will be?" Serefina


    ==============


    Buzzing sound of people talking and the chirping bird was the first thing that intruded Raine''s senses the moment she regained her consciousness.


    Before she could open her eyes, she felt something warm thick quilt blanketed her.


    She furrowed her brows as memories rushed back on her head.


    The squabbled between Jack and Serefina¡­


    Someone was coming¡­


    Everything turned dark¡­


    And, the dessert.


    Raine''s eyes abruptly flew opened as tossed away the quilt that hugged her body, she sat down and gauged her surroundings.


    Somehow, she was inside a weird room with many things that Raine couldn''t tell, were hanging atop of its ceiling. The only item that she could recognize was a dream catcher. There were three of them.


    Before she lost her conscious, she was in the middle of nowhere, a dessert.


    However, now she could see snow fell from the clear sky as the temperature became so cold. Raine took back the quilt that she had tossed earlier and wrapped it around her body before she got off from the bed.


    The room''s floor was covered with yellow rug that was very soft when her feet touch it.


    The room wasn''t big, it was only consisted by two cabinets, a small table and chair, a hammock, which hung on the corner of the room, and the bed that Raine was sleeping on, which filled almost the entire room.


    Raine gritted her chattering teeth.


    How many degrees was this place? Why it was so cold? Raine had never been in the place as cold as this.


    "You are awake, I thought you have died."


    A voice almost made Raine''s scream loudly. Fortunately, she had spent almost five years being mute, so she could handle this surprise quite well.


    Raine''s eyes directed to the source of the voice, butshe could see no one before the red tablecloth was lifted and she found a little boy was sitting under a table. He hugged himself as if by doing that, no one would see him.


    "You are sleeping for week now." The little boy crawled from under the table. "That''s why my brother hangs those dream catchers, you know, for good luck. He thought you were trapped in your dream." The little boy was quite a chatter, apparently.


    Raine didn''t give any response in return, but she also didn''t turn around and left, like her initial plan. Instead, she looked the boy with curiosity.


    Probably he knew something.


    "This¡­ your room?" Raine tried to produce louder sound, but what came out from her mouth was barely a whisper.


    "No. This is my brother''s room, but he has been sleeping with me since you occupied his bed." The boy looked at Raine with accusation, seemingly he didn''t like to share a bed with his older brother.


    The little boy looked like he was no older than seven years old, he was wearing woolen clothes that Raine thought was too weird to be wearing in her era. His hair was the color of copper with big blue ocean eyes that reminded Raine about Torak''s eyes.


    "How can I be here?" Raine asked again, this time her voice had slightly better.


    The little boy shrugged as he walked closer toward Raine. "My brother brought you here from the dessert of no return. What were you doing there? My father said that place is really dangerous."


    Raine wanted to know also, what she was doing there? Or, for more precise, how she got there?

 Chapter 106 - METANOIA (2)

    "Where should I go?" Alice asked.


    "That depends on where you want to end up." Cashire cat replied.


    -Alice in Wonderland-


    **************


    "What is the dessert of no return?" Raine asked while walking closer toward the boy.


    "Huh?" The little boy tilted his head as his little brows furrowed. "You don''t know the dessert of no return?"


    Raine shook her head honestly, she had never heard something like that or knew a place with that name even existed.


    "Weird." The boy remarked. "Everybody from this village knows about the dessert of no return. That is forbidden place." His voice dropped until it was only a whisper.


    "If that place is forbidden, so what your brother was doing there?" Raine crouched down beside the table until both of them could see eyes to eyes with each other.


    "My brother is a strong man. He is the strongest of guardian angel." The little boy talked about his brother with the voice that laced with proud.


    Actually the expression that the little boy made was quite amusing, but there was something that arouse Raine''s curiosity.


    "Guardian angel?" Raine repeated the strange word, her eyebrows shot up.


    An angel? Is she died?


    "Don''t tell me you don''t know about it too." The boy made another adorable expression as his mouthed gapped opened. He slapped his own head when Raine shook her head. "Impossible¡­ you don''t even know about guardian angel? Where are you actually from?"


    "Fulbright city." Raine answered.


    "I have never heard about that place." This time, he was the one who got confused.


    This situation was becoming more weird and weird with the conversation with the boy, or probably the one that Raine should talk to was his older brother? After all he was only a child.


    "Maybe your brother knows? Can I meet him?" Raine suggested.


    The little boy shrugged and dusted imaginary dirt from his knees before he said like an older man. "You can use that cloak." He pointed at the grey thick cloak, which hung on near the door. "And follow me."


    Raine suppressed the smile that threatened to appear on her lips while following the boy. But, her smile abruptly disappeared and in exchanged she let out a loud of gasp when she saw her surroundings.


    The world that she had never seen before.


    The houses were made by fine wood while the lushes of the trees covered their roof while some building were built by red brick that rose up into the sky, lions and gargoyles made of stone adorned the fountain in the middle of this city, or village¡­


    Raine wasn''t really sure what kind of this place that she was in. She felt like the Alice from a wonderland as she stranded in this strange place.


    She felt uncomfortable and kept looking around, hoping she could see someone that she knew.


    The streets were bustling with people who were exchanging greeting or just smiling at each other as if they knew every single person.


    Some of people looked at Raine with curious gaze, but polite enough to not stare for long time while Raine lowered her head to avert their eyes.


    And like the little boy, many people were wearing woolen sweater under their lambskin coat to keep them warm from this cold wind.


    "My brother is visiting our big sister''s house, over there." The little boy pointed a small wooden house with many wilted flower on its fences. "Come on." He waved his stubby hand to indicate Raine to follow him.


    Strangely enough, though she had passed out for a week, she didn''t feel lethargic nor thirsty or hungry. It felt like she had just woken up from a good night sleep.


    "Here we are!!!" The little boy beamed as he stepped in the terrace. "Sister Lydia! Brother Lucas!"


    Raine stood two steps behind the boy, only now she realized that she even didn''t know the boy''s name, she should ask him before.


    When the door was opened from inside, a beautiful woman in her warm red velvet sweater, appeared before their eyes.


    She smiled brightly while hugging the little boy, who snuggled closer onto her warm embrace.


    "Oh." The woman gasped in surprised when she saw Raine. "You have woken up." She released the small boy as she walked toward Raine and cupped her face with both her hands.


    Raine took a step backward out of habit, she still didn''t use with the sudden touch, especially from the person that she didn''t know.


    But, the woman didn''t mind with her gestured and stared at her face, checking Raine''s complexion. "Good. You are in good condition." She nodded in agreement. "The medicine that I gave to you didn''t have a bad side effect apparently."


    Raine didn''t say anything for that statement. She was at lost and just wanted to go home, to be with Torak again.


    "Come inside it is cold outside." She took Raine''s arm and led her inside the house. "My name is Lydia." Lydia introduced herself before she pointed a man, who was sitting on the couch that was covered by cozy white wool.


    "He is Lucas." Lydia pointed at Lucas, he was also surprised to see Raine was there. "He was the one who had found you in the dessert of no return."


    Lucas turned his body faced her, grinning. "Your condition were so bad at that time." He informed her. "Luckily my sister could find something to help you."


    And Lucas went on with his story about how he had saved Raine, but the only thing that she wanted to know was; how she could go back? And where exactly she was now?


    "If it wasn''t because you called me, I wouldn''t be able to find you there." Lucas remarked as he took a glass of drink from the tray that Lydia had brought over.


    Lydia put one glass on Raine''s laps as she sat down between Raine and the little boy, who was busy moving his own hands in the air.


    "I didn''t call¡­" Was the first line that Raine said after she entered the house.


    "You don''t realize when you call for help." Lucas shrugged and gulped down his drink. "Every Guardian Angel has our own way to communicate with each other."


    Raine''s mouth gapped opened. She didn''t understand with this whole situation, what with this Guardian Angel thing?


    "You don''t know who you really are?" Lydia caught Raine''s confusion as she concluded.


    "What do you mean with that?" Raine asked, she tightened her grip on the edge of the sweater that she was wearing.


    "You are one of us." Lydia exclaimed. "A guardian angel."


    There was a thick silence that followed after Lydia''s words as Raine was still trying to discern the information.


    "I don''t¡­" Raine shook her head, she looked around as if she would find someone who she knew if she did so, meeting Serefina would fine too. "I don''t understand¡­"


    "She really doesn''t know anything about this world." The little boy stopped playing with his hands and stared at Raine accusingly as though her ignorance was a biggest sin.


    "I live in Fulbright City¡­" Raine said, her voice was barely a whisper. "May I know what this place?"


    "This is a village of Angel." The little boy was the one who answered her.

 Chapter 107 - METANOIA (3)

    When you feel my heat


    Look into my eyes


    It''s where my demons hide


    It''s where my demons hide


    Don''t get too close


    It''s dark inside


    It''s where my demons hide


    It''s where my demons hide


    -Demons; Imagine Dragons-


    **************


    Raine didn''t know how to process the information as she blinked her eyes and opened her mouth, but there was nothing she was able to say.


    "There are not many like us." Lucas said his expression slightly down. "Many creatures used to use our pureness for their sake."


    Raine overwhelmed, she couldn''t catch up with this conversation. What the meaning with all of this? What he meant by many creatures? There were a lot of ''creatures'' that she had been seeing for these past eight years here, which had driven her crazy?


    Her breath hitched when the idea crossed her mind. How was that possible? No, actually everything was possible.


    However the real question was; where was she? How she could get back to¡­ Torak? She wanted to meet him, badly.


    She didn''t feel save here, in the place she didn''t know, people that she didn''t familiar with.


    "You don''t know about all of this, do you?" Lydia, became the considerate person in the room, caught Raine''s anxiousness.


    Raine shifted her gaze at Lydia and shook her head in dismay.


    "I wonder what kind of place is Fulbright city? Are there many of us?" Lydia asked curiously as she looked back at Raine, became impatient to hear her answer."


    "I don''t know¡­" Raine replied sheepishly.


    She really didn''t know if there were many guardian angels in Fulbright city. She also still had a hard time to discern this information.


    She? A guardian angel?


    What was that?


    "Oh¡­" Lydia''s eyes slightly cast down. "Decades ago when we are still free and not being hunted, our people had roamed this realm, casting away the darkness."


    "The darkness?" Raine didn''t know when this conversation would be normal, the more they talked the more it confused her.


    Lydia chuckled lightly. "Why do you think we are a guardian angel?" She gave her a rhetorical question that, honestly, Raine couldn''t have known the answer.


    However, instead of answered it, Lydia jumped into another matter. "However, four decades ago, all the creatures started to hunt us, because the essence of our power could make them stronger and as a result the darkness becomes darker." Lydia''s eyes cast down. "This realm became imbalance."


    Raine totally lost it. What was the darkness? What the guardian angel was guarding? What happened to the guardian angel, whom their essence was sapped?


    Raine didn''t deny that there were other creatures in this world, the only part, which she could understand and accept.


    However, she was still lack of knowledge about this and the information that she got, confused her even further.


    In the other hand, seemingly, Lucas didn''t catch Raine''s strange behavior as he continued. "This moment, they only see us like an object to strengthen their power, while the Lycanthropes simply don''t like us because our people are physically weak creature."


    Upon hearing the word of Lycanthropes, Raine''s perked up. "Lycan?" Her eyes shone brightly.


    If it was a lycan then they would know about Torak!


    However, Raine sudden cheer- up behavior rewarded with a strange looked from the three siblings'' eyes. They looked at Raine as if she was saying something inappropriate.


    "Why do you look so happy when you hear about Lycan?" Lydia asked, she frowned as her beautiful black''s eyes were assessing Raine.


    "I know one of Lycan." Raine said happily and sheepishly.


    "Who?" Lydia asked in sharp tone while leaning her body toward Raine, her fist on her laps tightened as if she was holding something back.


    "His name is Torak." Until this point Raine was still not aware about the sudden change of the atmosphere, even the little boy stopped playing with his own hands.


    Only when Raine mentioned Torak''s name the three of them let out a shrieked and Lydia covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming.


    Raine was startled by their reaction. She didn''t know why they gave her that kind of reaction?


    "The second brother of Donovan¡­ Torak Donovan?" Lucas asked Raine in very serious tone while Lydia was shifting in her seat uncomfortably.


    Raine nodded as reply, but her eyes became wary. She felt like she had just said something wrong and couldn''t irreparable.


    "I don''t know how you know him, but¡­" Lydia was fidgeting as if she remembered something unpleasant. "You better stay away from him." She warned Raine.


    The confusion was as thick as a fog in this living room, both parties had many question inside their head, but didn''t know where to start.


    "Sometime he lost his temper, but most of the time he was so kind and caring." Raine, subconsciously stood up for him as she reminisced how Torak had been treating her. No one had ever done what Torak did for her.


    The three of them visibly grimaced by Raine''s statement and somehow this irritated her. They didn''t know Torak, but why they judged him?


    "Why? There is something wrong with that?" Raine felt uncomfortable under their eyes.


    "Yes, something totally wrong." Lydia hissed when she regained her composure after her shock. "You are not supposed to have anything to do with Lycanthropes."


    "But, why?" Raine clutched the hem of her sweater, something wasn''t right and she knew whatever Lydia would tell her, it would surprise her with a new revelation about Torak.


    "Because Lycanthropes are used to slaughtering our kind. Their kind is too strong and too haughty to gain more power in this way, but kill us instead to prevent the other creature to sap our essence." Lucas finished his sister explanation in one bold and direct statement.


    Raine was in disbelief. She couldn''t accept what she heard and shook her head vigorously. "No. he will not kill other without reason."


    Yes, everything that Torak had done was always had a reason behind it. He wouldn''t kill only for his impulsiveness, right?


    In truth, Raine wasn''t sure about this either as she remembered how easy Torak had killed his own kind in the other day.

 Chapter 108 - METANOIA (4)

    Lucas frowned. "I don''t know where you come from, but as one of our kind you have to be careful of Lycanthropes." His words laced with warning.


    Raine didn''t like how they talk about Torak, but she wasn''t dare enough to argue with them.


    "Alright, I think this is time when we have to stop chatting and start to eat something!" Lydia clapped her hand excitedly as she went to the kitchen followed by the little boy behind her.


    "Raine, right?" Lucas asked looked at Raine in confusion. "How do you get to the dessert of no return?"


    Not all creatures could enter that place because that place was forbidden, not only that, the dark aura that surrounded that place was something that hard to bear.


    If it wasn''t because Raine''s voice, which calling for help, that very loud in Lucas''s head earlier, he wouldn''t ever know, not to mention risk his life to enter to the farthest line of the dessert.


    "I don''t know¡­" Raine shook her head. "I was inside my room and waiting for Torak when suddenly I was in the dessert." She answered him honestly.


    "Why do you keep mentioning Torak''s name? Do you really know him?" Lucas thought Raine didn''t mean her word before when she said she knew a Lycan, especially the curse Lycan.


    Who in this realm didn''t know about the curse of the three Donovan brothers? There was no way a guardian angel has something to do with them.


    The lycan despised their kind and the guardian angel feared them.


    "I know him¡­" Raine nodded, how many times that she had told him that she knew Torak before he believed her?


    "How do you know him?" Lucas''s voice became deeper as he leaned his body toward Raine.


    Raine didn''t like his gesture, she was sitting uncomfortably now, she wanted to leave this place, but didn''t know where to go. She bit her lips and moved to the other side, avoiding him.


    "Raine, how do you know him?" Lucas repeated his question impatiently, wasn''t aware with Raine''s uneasiness.


    "I am his mate¡­" Raine said it, her voice was barely a whisper as she averted her eyes, fidgeting.


    "Impossible. Torak Donovan is cursed by the moon goddess herself will not have mate for his entire immortal life." Suddenly Lydia emerged from the kitchen while holding a big pot that filled with soup, the white smoke wafted from it. "Every single soul knew about that."


    Actually Raine had heard about that also, but because she had not yet grasped the concept of mate well enough, she didn''t pay attention into that matter.


    "Right!" Lucas agreed readily. "You have to meet him in person to find out that you are a mate. That''s how the mate bond works for Lycanthropes." He recalled the information about Lycanthropes that he had learnt from the elder.


    "Right." Lydia nodded. "Whatever your reason is, don''t associate yourself with them Raine. Their hearts filled with darkness."


    "There is no way you have met him Raine." Lucas chimed in as he stood up and helped Lydia with the plates and cutleries for them. "You will not be here once those lycan saw you."


    "But I have met him¡­" Their reaction and statement puzzled Raine.


    What was wrong with them? First they said Torak was a bad person and now they didn''t believe her.


    Lucas and Lydia looked at each other''s eyes, exchanging unexplainable look, but it was clear that they didn''t trust Raine''s statement.


    "Probably you have a vivid dream about that." Lydia cleared her throat as she sauntered the room to stand beside Raine. "You know, the dessert of no return is a forbidden place that filled with unknown magic, maybe it deludes you from reality."


    Raine wanted to say that she didn''t make up stories, but their skeptical reaction only threw Raine with confusion. Now she doubted her existence.


    "Please stop talking about lycan, I will have a nightmare." The little boy whined. "Can we eat please?"


    "Alright, let''s eat Raine¡­" Lydia grabbed Raine''s hand, ignoring her sudden tense, and brought her over to their dining table.


    On the dining table there were three two main course with one soup and there was one extra plate that didn''t match with the other three plates, which Raine assumed it was hers, thus she sat on the sea beside the little boy.


    "There is no much dishes, because I don''t know if you will awake this early! In my calculations you will wake up in a month." Lydia poured the soup on four small bowls for them.


    "Hmm." Lucas smelled the aroma of the soup and beamed in delight. "You have spent all of your energy, good think the darkness didn''t find you and devoured you alive."


    Raine didn''t give a response for that, she simply lowered her head and drank her soup, however she took a note to ask about this at another time.


    After the topic of lycanthropes, their dinner conversation filled with lighter topic like how was their day. They also generously promised Raine to take her out to see the city and Lidya would take her to buy some clothes for her tomorrow.


    Raine didn''t want to bother them, as they had been kind enough for taking care of her when she was unconscious, but they insisted.


    Lidya''s size was bigger and taller than her, thus her clothes wouldn''t fit her.


    Actually Raine didn''t mind that, she remembered all her oversize and second handed clothes that she received when she was still in orphanage, she bet Lydia''s clothes would be much better than that.


    After the dinner ended, Raine took initiative to wash the plates, at first Lidya rejected her suggestion, but Raine insisted, she didn''t want only to be a receiver of their goodwill without doing anything in return.


    The only problem was; there was no sink inside the house.


    "Where should I wash this?" Raine confused when she saw there was no sink in the kitchen. She had put all the dirty plates inside a wooden bucket.


    "Just left the dirty plates, you can wash them early in the morning in the river." Lidya was busy with her younger brother as the little boy had fallen asleep on the couch.


    Raine blinked her eyes couple of time, she was puzzled with that fact. No matter how poor the house, they would have sink or at least a sluice at their home, not to mention Lydia''s family didn''t look like a lower middle class person.


    "May I know what year is this?" Raine was standing at the kitchen door while looking at Lidya''s direction, who put the little boy in Lucas''s embrace.


    "What do you mean what year?" Lucas tilted his head at Raine. "It had been two hundreds decades since the battle between the darkness and the light that put our world into chaos."


    And that was the talk about the darkness again¡­ Raine chose to not ask about it further.


    "Raine, I have prepared a room for you upstairs, the second door on the left." Lidya told Raine while she opened the door for Lucas. "I have to go for awhile to make a report about you that you will stay here, Lucas and Ronny will go home because they are not living here, it is fine if I leave you alone?"


    Raine wanted to shake her head, but her lips escape different words. "I am fine."


    Lidya smiled and let Lucas and Ronny out first.


    "Bye, Raine. See you tomorrow." Lucas waved at her with difficulty as he hugged Ronny in front of him.


    After Lucas and Ronny stepped out of the house, Lidya closed the door while saying. "I will be back soon."


    And with the soft sound of the door was being closed, Raine was left alone inside the house.


    Raine looked around at this place. Lidya''s house wasn''t too big, but it''s nice, with fireplace in the living room, in front of a big sofa that covered with white fur, this gave off an old fashion style.


    Raine sauntered the living room and opened the curtain from the window beside the fireplace. It was snowing outside.


    The white snow looked like cottons covered the streets, roofs and the trees. From where Raine was standing, she could hear the wind howling.


    Raine felt bad because Lidya has to go alone in this kind of weather for her sake, why didn''t she report about her tomorrow morning? It wouldn''t be too late, right?


    But, again Raine knew nothing about this place, let alone its rule.

 Chapter 109 - METANOIA (5)

    It''s not just grief. There are as many emotions as there are people. The fragility of someone who lets their anger get the best of them¡­


    The strength to overcome fear because of love¡­


    You can''t comprehend anything about them¡­


    -Chiyuki; from: "Kurokami no onna" (death parade)-


    **************


    After she tidied up the living room and made sure the dining table and the kitchen were clean, Raine was about to go upstairs and waited for Lidya inside the room that she had given to her, when she heard someone knocked on the door.


    Raine froze.


    Lidya didn''t say anything about a guest, should she opened the door?


    Raine waited until the knocking sound stopped, hoping whoever it was, they would think no one inside the house and left.


    After some time the knocking sound stopped, but instead the person behind pushed opened the door instead.


    Raine was halfway to the second floor when a man in thick cloak made of wool stepped inside the room, he was so big and tall with his head almost reached the door frame.


    "Lidya, are you home?" The man scoured the living room as he took of his leather boots. "Why did you leave the door unlocked?"


    After he put aside his boots and stood up to look for Lidya, he spotted Raine was on the last step of the stairs, staring at him.


    "Who are you!?" His voice was hoarse and demanding as he strode across the room.


    Only in five large steps, he had stood in front of Raine while holding her collar sweater. "Who are you?! Where is Lidya?!" He was glaring at Raine and shook her body violently. "Answer me!"


    Raine really wanted to answer him, but his tight grip around her collar made her hard to breath.


    "Lidya went out¡­" Raine forced her voice out of her throat that sounded so weak and pitiful.


    "What she is doing out of the house at this hour!?" That man sounded angrier now when he heard that. His nostril flaring when his green eyes assessed Raine''s small frame and after he decided that Raine wasn''t a threat, he just released her body to drop to the ground.


    The moment she was released from his grip, Raine backed away, put the distance between them while rubbing her neck.


    "Where is she going!?" There was no apologies from him for what he did when he asked Raine with the same tone like before.


    "Lidya said she will report about me to the authority¡­" Raine gulped hard. "... that I will stay here¡­"


    "You?" That man frowned. "What are you?"


    That question sounded wrong, but Raine answered him anyway. "I am Raine."


    "I don''t ask your name! I ask what are you!?" That man looked impatient now as he glanced at the door couple of time, pacing back and forth in front of Raine as if she was a prey. One wrong move from her, he would tear her apart.


    "I ¡­" Raine then remembered, but it sounded strange when she said it. "¡­ a guardian angel¡­?" Those words sounded like a question rather than an answer.


    They said she was a guardian angel and Raine just went along with their assumption.


    Fortunately that man didn''t say anything again as his tensed muscles evidently relaxed. He sat down on the sofa while intermittently glanced at Raine, who was standing at the kitchen door.


    The time was ticking so slow while they were waiting for Lidya, that man didn''t offer Raine to sit and would let out a dangerous grunt if she moved from where she stood.


    Finally the door swung opened and Lidya''s figure that wrapped under a long brown overcoat came inside the room.


    "Dorian, you have returned?" Her face beamed brightly while she got rid the remaining snow from outside from her long black curly hair.


    The man named Dorian didn''t waste any second when he scooped Lidya in his arms. "Why are you going outside in this hour!?" He reprimanded her, but the concern in his voice couldn''t be concealed.


    "Lucas accompany me, I am not alone." Lidya chuckled and patted the man''s shoulder. "I just registered the new member of guardian angel."


    "Are you sure she is a guardian angel?" Dorian stared at Raine sharply.


    Only then Lidya realized that Raine was there.


    "Raine what are you doing there? Come here." Lidya waved her hand toward the girl, but she stayed still, didn''t dare to look at Dorian. "What did you do to her?" She frowned and swatted his upper hand lightly before she sauntered the room and approached Raine.


    "It''s alright Raine, he is Dorian Torres, my husband." Lidya introduced that man. "He probably slightly rude, but he doesn''t mean it." She whispered at her ear apologetically.


    More or less she could imagine how Dorian reaction when he saw Raine inside their house.


    "You are home early, what happen?" Dorian supposed to comeback in two days later, thus she was also surprised to see him now.


    There were no divider between the dining room and the living room, so when Lidya and Raine were sitting there, Lidya could still see her husband was warming himself in front of the fireplace.


    "Those Wizard Hunters crossed the border again." Dorian spoke without averted his eyes from the dancing fire in the fireplace.


    "We had made an agreement with them, right?" Lidya was angry when she heard that, Raine could see her shoulders tensed.


    "An agreement like that is only a piece of paper for them." Dorian remarked begrudgingly, he removed his gauntlet and put it aside. "And those lycanthropes are really pain in the a**!"


    Seeing this conversation was a serious matter, Lidya patted Raine''s shoulder. "I will show you your room." She pointed her finger to the second floor.


    Raine nodded gratefully, she wanted to be alone now to discern this sudden situation and this strange place, probably if she thought about it again she could find the answer.


    Maybe she had made a forbidden move or pushed a wrong button, which resulted her being thrown into this place.


    Lidya led the way to the second floor and showed Raine her room.


    "Go inside, I will get clean clothes for you and tomorrow we will go buy everything that you need." Lidya said cheerfully as she went inside the other room, which Raine assumed was her room and Dorian.


    Raine pushed open the door and stepped inside.


    The moment she was inside the bedroom, the smell of citrus greeted her nose, it scent wasn''t strong enough to make her dizzy, but it felt warm and welcoming.


    The room that Lidya gave to her couldn''t be said a big room, but it was enough to fit a small bed near the window and a small wooden cabinet next to the bed, only.


    Raine sat on the edge of the bed because there was no chair inside the room, she looked at the heaps of snow on the windowsill, but couldn''t see the street due to the glass was dewy.


    Lidya came after a few minutes later, brought warm purple dress in her arms and an extra blanket. With Raine''s frail frame, she was afraid she would freeze in the next morning.


    "Here, try this." Lidya put the purple dress on Raine''s laps and the extra blanket beside her. "Keep yourself warm, the night will be very cold."


    "Thank you Lidya." Raine smiled softly, she was still not used to receive other people kindness, but she definitely like it, after what she had gone through, a little bit generosity was able to warm her heart. "You are so kind."


    Lidya shook her head. "Don''t say something like that, there are not many our kind that left, it is a good thing that we have you here." She smiled brightly, but before Raine could ask something to her, Lidya stopped her. "You have questions, ask me tomorrow, this already late and you have just recuperated, you need more rest."


    Now that Lidya mentioned it, Raine felt her body was getting heavy, she was tired. "Alright." She agreed. "Thank you Lidya."


    Regardless she didn''t want Raine to mention it, she still had to say it.


    Lidya chuckled and stood up. "If you need anything I will be in the next room, understood?"


    Raine nodded, but of course she wouldn''t go to her room, Dorian probably would kill her for disturbing his wife and his sleeping time.


    "Good night." Lidya said before she closed the door.


    "Good night." Raine replied.


    After she was alone inside the room, she locked the door and started to take off her clothes to change into the warm purple sleeping dress.


    She shuddered when a cold breeze blew through a cracked beneath the wall.


    Hurriedly she put on her sleeping dress and folded her old one before she jumped into the bed and pulled the blanket up to her head.


    This was still very cold, thus Raine used the extra blanket that Lidya had given her, she was right after all, Raine would need that.


    Now that she felt warm enough, her mind drifted to her last memory when she was in the apartment and then, out of the blue, she was already in the dessert.


    What she had done?


    Raine tried to think about that, but she had done nothing in particular neither she met a strange creature that threw her miles away from where she was.


    But, speaking of creature, Raine remembered something when she almost lost her consciousness.


    Something dark engulfed her, but it wasn''t the darkness from her unconsciousness, it was something else entirely. Something that felt alive¡­


    Before Raine could proceed further about the information, the tiredness that washed over her body put her mind into a deep slumber.

 Chapter 110 - METANOIA (6)

    Maybe (love) means something more- something we can''t yet understand.


    Maybe it''s some evidence, some artifact of higher dimension that we can''t consciously perceive.


    I am drawn across the universe to someone I have not seen in a decade who I know is probably dead.


    Love is the one thing that we''re capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space.


    Maybe we should trust that, even if we can''t understand it.


    -Brand, Interstellar-


    *************


    The faint ray of light, from the window next to the bed, fell on Raine''s face, gently woke her up to a beautiful morning as the particles of dust floating in a stream of bleak sunlight.


    Raine stretched out her body and yawned sleepily, she wanted to sleep a bit longer, but remembered that she couldn''t do that.


    Lidya had let Raine stayed inside her house and even became so nice to treat her as if she wasn''t a stranger.


    At the very least, Raine could do something that she could.


    With the last yawn, Raine opened the blanket that wrapped her body like a hotdog and welcomed the cold air.


    She shuddered and hugged herself while proceeding to go out of her room, walked down the stairs and headed to the kitchen and found the cabinet as she opened it.


    Raine would see what food ingredients that Lidya has, maybe she could find something for their breakfast.


    Inside the cabinet, Raine found brown bread, eggs, bacon, dry meat and fish and dry vegetables like lettuce and carrot. Raine thought she could make a simple sandwich with that.


    But then, just now she realized, aside from sink there was no stove also in the kitchen. This kitchen only filled with a big cabinet for them to preserve food during winter and another cabinet for plates and cutleries.


    At the other side, there was a simple stove with pot atop of it, where they could boil a soup, yet there was no way Raine could grill something or fried anything there.


    Once again she found herself at lost with this condition, what happened exactly with all of this inconvenient? What year actually they lived for not having those kind of basic kitchen?


    Raine stood there absentmindedly, she wanted to do something for Lidya in return for her kindness, but she didn''t know how to do it.


    Biting her lower lip, Raine took the brown bread and put it on the plate as she found a jug filled with milk, but it was cold, so she needed to warm the milk inside the smaller pot.


    Raine was standing in front of the simple stove while holding the small pot filled with milk while thinking how she lit up the stove.


    First she needed a firelighter. Raine looked around, but couldn''t see any lighter there¡­


    Why it was so hard to only make a simple breakfast? Raine frowned


    "What are you doing Raine?" Suddenly Lidya''s voice sounded from behind her.


    Raine whipped her head toward her direction and saw Lidya yawn widely while covering her mouth with her palm, a glistening sleepy tear on the corner of her eyes.


    "I want to make breakfast for you, but¡­" Raine waved her hand awkwardly toward the stove. "I don''t know how¡­"


    Seeing what the problem that Raine was facing, Lidya let out a crispy chuckle. "We don''t have breakfast at home Raine, we will always have breakfast at the Great Hall." Lidya took the small pot from Raine''s hand and put it down on the table. "But, thank you anyway, maybe you can help me with lunch."


    "Sure." Raine mumbled as she nodded.


    "Now, I will get you a new dress so we can go to the Great Hall and have our breakfast there, alright?" Lidya suggested, grabbed Raine''s hand and led the way back to the second floor.


    Raine went to her room again, waiting for Lidya with her new clothes. The weather was so cold, even with the sun was shining so bright, Raine couldn''t see the scenery behind the frosted glass.


    Not so long, Lidya had returned with new clothes in her hand, that was including a thick woolen cloak and several layers of clothes also a scarf, they were in the gradient of blue color.


    "This will be a bit big for you, but I think it still fine." Lidya put the clothes on top of the small cabinet beside her bed.


    "Thank you Lidya." Raine said her gratitude, but the other person only waved her hand casually.


    "When you are done, Dorian and I will be downstairs." Lidya informed Raine.


    With the thought of Dorian, Raine recalled the event last night when that man''s big hand wrapped around her neck, he could easily snapped her into two.


    Subconsciously, Raine touched her neck, it left bruises, but because the clothes that she was wearing it would cover them just fine.


    Raine started to take off her sleeping dress and slipped into new clothes that Lidya had brought, it was so cold for her to stand n.a.k.e.d, even when she was in the closed room, her teeth chattering.


    Only when she put the last layer of clothes and wrapped her body with the thick dark blue cloak, she felt better.


    Immediately Raine went downstairs and found Dorian was arranging Lidya''s scarf, so it would cover her neck perfectly, preventing the cold wind brushed her skin.


    Lidya was so adorable when Dorian treated her that way, her blushing cheeks slightly reddened when she saw Raine was looking at them.


    "Raine, come here." Lidya pushed Dorian''s hand from her lightly as she gestured Raine to follow her outside.


    Raine walked closer to the couple and gave a faint smile at Dorian that didn''t reciprocate in the same way. He grunted and took big steps to go out of the house first, leaving Raine and Lidya alone.


    "Is he angry with me?" Raine asked carefully. She could feel the hostility from him.


    Raine could understand with the misunderstanding last night, but she couldn''t understand why he still treated her as if she was an enemy? Wasn''t the misunderstanding had been cleared?


    "No, he just not used to have a guest at home." Lidya explained. "It is always the two of us only."


    "I am sorry, I have became a nuisance in your house¡­" Raine was really feel terrible for that, she didn''t want to disturb them, but aside from Lidya''s house, she didn''t know where she could live in this strange place.


    Lidya realized her words and hurriedly waved her hands, gesticulating there was nothing to be worried. "It''s okay, you will find your own house sooner or later." She said.


    Find her own house? What does it mean?


    "What do you mean with find my own house?" Raine asked while wearing Lidya''s boots, they were slightly too big for her.


    Raine was busy with her scarf and missed the change expression of Lidya, she grimaced when Raine asked that question. "I will tell you later." She mumbled and locked the door behind her.


    The snow was so soft when they stepped in the yard and gave the two of them hard time to go to the Great Hall.


    Raine and Lidya were having difficulty to walk as their boots kept sinking. Even the road also covered with thick snow.


    Once they were arrived at the Great Hall, both of them were slightly panting.


    The so called Great Hall was a huge building with many intricate decorations on the surface of its big pillars, there were around hundreds of staircases to reach the hall.


    They needed to be extra careful when they climbed up the stairs, because of the snow underneath.


    Raine was astounded by the scenery before her eyes. The Great Hall was approximately three hundred meters long while one long mahogany table occupied the center of the hall with hundreds of wooden chair along the table and the ceiling height was pleasantly commodious, designs of flowers were carved into the moulding and small children with wings look down at them from every angle.


    The wall was painted in birch color, gave a sense of warmth with sweet smell wafted in the air.


    Some people had seated on the chair and chatted with the person near them, or they just ate alone before they left in hurry, but from the interaction among the people, they seemingly knew each other.


    Raine had never imagined such a splendid place to eat, she was in awed by what she was seeing. Beside her, Lidya nudged her hand, drew Raine''s attention to her.


    "Let''s get our food there." Lidya pointed at the stall in the corner of the hall.


    The process was like when Raine still in the orphanage, they would stand in line, waiting for their turn to get their food.


    Raine was standing behind Lidya with a big porcelain plate in her hand, taking some bread, bacon and sausage along with a mug filled with milk.


    Afterward, she followed Lidya to the empty seat while occasionally greeted the people that they meet.


    Many of them would stare at Raine with curious gaze, but Lidya would dismiss them by saying she was a new member and introduced them one by one.


    Until they reached their seat, Raine had been introduced to four people, she tried to remember their names and their faces.


    "Like I said before, there are not many of us and to keep us united with each other, we built this Great Hall." Lidya explained. "The people here that you see now are the whole citizens, well less dozens people who had left or not yet come."


    Raine looked around, there were many people there, with approximately three hundred people¡­


    "But, most of them are the shadow warrior, not a guardian angel." Lidya waved her hand to the person across them. "Hi Aeon!" She greeted him.


    The man has hair as dark as the night sky with black obsidian eyes, he was almost as burly as Dorian.


    Aeon waved back at Lidya and glanced at Raine before he resumed eating his breakfast.


    "He is a new member of a shadow warrior." Lidya whispered at her.


    Raine took another look at Aeon, he wasn''t as scary as Dorian, she thought.

 Chapter 111 - METANOIA (7)

    "What is shadow warrior?" Raine asked curiously as she bit her sausage. Lidya kept mentioning about shadow warrior since last night even Dorian was a shadow warrior.


    Lidya blinked her eyes in disbelief. "Seriously, now I become more curious about you Raine. What kind of place Fulbright City that you lived. How you don''t know about all of this?"


    "I¡­" Before Raine could explain herself, Lidya had cut her words.


    "You really don''t know about this?" She emphasized her question by waving her hands, indicating the world around them.


    "I don''t know about shadow warrior and guardian angel, or this city¡­" Raine said in low voice. "But I know a little bit about Lycanthropes."


    Raine wanted to say that she wasn''t totally clueless with all these supernatural creatures, after all she had been seeing them for almost half of her life, but she had never heard anything about shadow warrior.


    "Hmm¡­" Lidya folded her arms and assessed the girl in front of her. "It will be difficult¡­"


    "I will try to understand it¡­" Raine promised she would try her best to grasp the information, she had prepared herself to perceive this bizarre situation.


    "No, Raine¡­ the situation here not only needs your understanding." Lidya shook her head. "It will be hard for you to understand this, especially for you, who have never lived in this kind of environment."


    What was so difficult to understand? Raine was so ready to hear no matter how absurd the explanation was, she had lost her sense of rationality now, everything seemed possible for her, even if Lidya was going to say that she could grow wings, she would believe that.


    Lidya sighed and finished her bread before she continued her explanation. "Shadow Warriors are our protector. I have told you before that our kind had been hunted for decades by many creatures that wanted to gain more power by sapping our energy, shadow warriors are here to help us."


    Raine nodded, at this point she could relate why Lidya and Lucas always said that the number of their kind has decreased.


    "But, we need to do a favor for them in return." Lidya bit her lips and looked at her surroundings. "I will tell you after you finished your food."


    Raine frowned, why she suddenly became mysterious? Looking at her plate that was still half full, she felt like she didn''t want to eat anymore.


    Lidya changed the topic to the common one as she explained to Raine that she would get her turn to help in the kitchen and Lidya would ask to the person in charge to put Raine in the same schedule as her, so she wouldn''t feel uncomfortable, of course Raine was so grateful for Lidya thoughtfulness.


    After Raine finally finished her food, half of the hall had emptied.


    "We will buy something nice for you to wear." Lidya grabbed Raine''s arms and led the way out of the Great Hall.


    Both of them carefully climbed down the stairs and walked toward the bustling street.


    Small houses like Lidya''s were on their left and right covered with the white snow like cotton while their chimney peeked from their roof.


    Raine didn''t pay attention on this before, but now she could see how breathtakingly beautiful the view before her eyes. This place was simply like a painting of a dream rural city.


    "Lidya, you said you will explain about the shadow warrior¡­" Raine reminded Lidya softly, she had been eager to hear what was that since Lidya became so secretive about that topic.


    "Oh, right." Lidya slowed down her pace and looked around her. "Let''s sit over there¡­" She pointed at the bench near a river.


    Raine followed her and sat on the shore of the river, strangely, even though they were in the middle of winter, but the river didn''t freeze, as if the weather didn''t have any effect on it.


    "The river¡­" Raine bemused, looking at the calm stream on the surface of the water that was glistening under the dim of the sunrays.


    "This is Apricity River. This river will never freeze no matter how cold it became." Lidya explained.


    "I have never heard something like that." Raine stated.


    Lidya chuckled. "Maybe you don''t know about this also, but winter in this place will last forever." She said.


    Raine almost hurt her neck when she turned to look at Lidya in shock. "You mean the winter is the only season here?" Where is her? North Pole? The only place that would snow all the time.


    "Yes." Lidya nodded. "But, it is a good thing for us actually, because it will prevent some creatures to come closer to our border."


    "Border?" Raine reiterated.


    "Like you see, we are in the middle of winter, but at the same time, only a few miles from here, it is the dessert of no return." Lidya pointed at the direction of the dessert, where Lucas had found her there. "Not many creatures could survive from the dessert, you and Lucas were very lucky."


    Lidya stood up and approached the river, took off her gauntlet and washed her hand on the river.


    "Come here and try this." She waved at Raine to follow what she was doing.


    Raine could feel Lidya''s reluctance to explain further about the shadow warrior, but Raine still followed her and removed her gauntlet to feel the water from the Apricity River.


    Surprisingly the water was warm, it felt so good when her cold skin touch it, but Raine still not forgot about the question that she wanted to ask.


    "What the guardian angel has to do in return for the protection of shadow warrior?" Raine looked at Lidya as she witnessed her expression slightly dim.


    "Ourselves." She said curtly.


    Raine not sure if she understood with the Lidya''s answer. "What do you mean with ourselves?"


    "Raine¡­" Lidya smiled gloomily as she touched Raine''s hands. "Please look this matter on the bright side."


    "What is it?" Raine was uncomfortable, she wanted to pull back her hands, but didn''t want to hurt Lidya''s feeling, thus she just sat there with frown.


    "Many creatures want to sap our energy and once it happened, we are nothing, only a soulless body. The condition that worse than death itself." Lidya sat closer to Raine, still holding her hands. "But, the shadow warriors are here to protect us. We have been living shoulder to shoulder with them for decades, that way we can survive."


    "But, what your kind give to them in return?" Raine didn''t want to be distracted from her main concern.


    "Our kind, Raine, our kind." Lidya corrected Raine''s words. "You are one of us."


    Right, if Lidya claimed Raine was one of them, which probably was true, then she has to follow the rule here, whatever it was, in order to survive.


    This fact alone made Raine became nervous. What was the rule? Why they have to give themselves?


    "What did you do for them in return?" Raine stared at Lidya''s right in her eyes, she could feel fear started to crept in her heart.


    "Every guardian angel needed to be paired with shadow guard." Lidya said it carefully as she assessed Raine''s expression. "That is not all bad, I promise!" She hurriedly explained and raised her hand to make a promise sign.


    But, Raine had pulled her hand from Lidya''s grasp in surprised.

 Chapter 112 - METANOIA (8)

    "Raine, you see it for yourself this morning. Dorian is so nice to me, he cares so much about me." Lidya tried to make Raine to see the other side of this revelation.


    "Lidya, being nice and care are not equal to be together." Raine disagreed with that logic, it was so rare for her to voice out her opinion.


    Lidya shook her head. "We have to be together with someone one day, thus why aren''t we with someone who can protect us?" She shook her head again. "No, actually we protect each other."


    Raine didn''t interrupt her, she let her to talk more about it.


    "Once we bonded, we become stronger, the both of us." Lidya emphasized it, as if that was good news.


    However, Raine couldn''t see what Lidya saw. Her heart was reeling with one word. "Bonded?"


    "Ah¡­" Lidya cleared her throat awkwardly. "You know, once the elder has pointed the shadow warrior, he will be with you forever and then¡­ after that¡­ you will copulate¡­"


    Lidya didn''t feel good to explain this thing to Raine, it was a common knowledge for them, so this wasn''t something that needed to be explained.


    "Once you bonded, you will become stronger." Lidya quickly jumped to the result. "Both of you."


    Yet, the result wasn''t Raine''s concern, but the process. How was that possible? What on earth there was such a rule?


    Even though, Raine slept with Torak, but they did nothing. Torak had never done something that made her uncomfortable. He would just hold her in his arms.


    And now, Lidya said she would be with completely stranger and ¡­ bonded?


    "No. Lidya, I can''t do that!" Raine shrieked, she abruptly stood up. "I¡­ I have mate¡­" She said, hoping Lidya would understand.


    Torak would never let this happen.


    Lidya frowned this time. "We don''t use word ''mate'', Raine. That words for Lycan."


    Raine shook her head. This happened so fast. "But, I am his mate!" She almost shouted at her, how many times she had to say this until they could understand?


    "Raine." Lidya stood up and followed Raine''s steps as she grabbed her shoulder. "Torak Donovan, the Lycan is cursed by the Moon Goddess herself for not having a mate for his entire immortal life, and for us¡­ a guardian angel will never relate to something like that, Raine. That''s not for us."


    "Lidya¡­ You don''t understand¡­" Raine took two steps back.


    "Raine, don''t ever mention Torak''s name in front of other people¡­" She warned her. "That''s for your safety. Lycanthropes are not welcomed here."


    Raine was overwhelmed, there were a lot of words that roamed around in her head that she wanted to voice out, but she didn''t know where she should start. Her heart felt so tight because of agitation.


    "Raine, you can''t run away¡­" Lidya hurriedly grabbed her hand as she turned around, just about to escape. "The shadow warriors are everywhere, once you get caught, the punishment will be severe." She looked around her, afraid if there was someone else heard their squabbles.


    "Lidya¡­" Raine struggled to make Lidya released her tight grip. "I can''t do that¡­" She was on the verge of crying now.


    "Raine, I have told you before, the things are not as bad as you are thinking now." Lidya tried to assure her. "Look at me and Dorian? We love each other now, can you see? It is not that bad."


    "No." Raine shook her head adamantly. "If you have to live under their rule and if both of you benefit each other, but why they are the one who control you?"


    Lidya bit her lips, but didn''t let go of Raine''s hands, she held them tightly.


    "What happened here!?" A rough and hoarse voice sounded from behind Raine as heavy steps approached them. "Lidya, what is it?"


    Lidya hurriedly pulled Raine closed to her and whispered. "Please don''t struggle, or things will get worse."


    "It''s nothing Lex, everything is fine." Lidya said, fortunately Raine cooperated and no longer struggled from her.


    The man named Lex tilted his head as he tried to see Raine. "I have never seen her." He pointed Raine with his sharp chin.


    "She is the one that I have reported last night." Lidya replied.


    Now, all make senses for Raine why Lidya was eager to go even in late hour to make a report about her.


    "Oh, I heard that, another guardian angel." Lex nodded. "This is a rare case, I thought all the guardian angels are here, I don''t know if there is your kind still out there."


    Lidya nodded. "I am surprised too."


    "You better bring her to the Elder immediately, we need more help with the border." Lex said begrudgingly as he remembered the wizard hunter had crossed their border again.


    "Yes, yes. I will take her to buy dress to wear to the place of Elder." Lidya could feel Raine glared beside her, but she ignored it.


    Lex also realized Raine''s reaction as he was squinted his eyes at her. "Tell me if you need anything." He said to Lidya, but his eyes didn''t leave Raine.


    "Sure." Lidya smiled sweetly until Lex turned around and left.


    "Lidya¡­ you set me up?" Raine asked incredulously once Lex was not within earshot. "How you can do that? I thought¡­"


    "Raine, don''t think bad about me¡­ this is for your own good¡­" Lidya frowned. "As guardian angel, we don''t have place to go, nowhere is safe except here."


    Raine didn''t believe with what she heard. "If you go out there and those creatures sap you energy it will be a big deal, but if you stay here and used by them, it''s not worth to mention?"


    Raine felt it was totally wrong and for the first time she talked for herself.


    "No, but we can live in peace here, they provide us with protection that we need, this is a compromise." Lidya released her grip on Raine''s hand. "Come with me and we will pick something nice for you to wear to meet your shadow warrior."


    Raine shook her head.


    "Or, they will drag you there and the end will be the same. You can''t escape Raine, they are everywhere." Lidya''s voice softened as she pulled Raine into a hug. "You will love your partner eventually."


    Raine didn''t answer that, her mind was thinking about the possibility to escape from this place, but where she had to go? How she could find Torak? This place seemingly miles away from Fulbright City.


    But, when she thought about it again, she could think about that later, the most important thing now was to run away from this city.


    "Let''s go." Lidya wiped tears from Raine''s cheek. "Don''t cry. Your partner will love you." As she said that, Lidya brought her to continue their trip to the place where she could find fine clothes for Raine to wear while talking about the love story between Dorian and her.


    Raine didn''t listen to that as she busy to see her surroundings, looking for a chance to escape.


    However there was one thing that both of them didn''t realize the moment they walked away, the Apricity River, which never froze, suddenly glistening as ice formed on the surface of the river, crept slowly and spread like the wind.

 Chapter 113 - METANOIA (9)

    Lidya chose a long cream color dress with overcoat in the same tone, there was weasel fur around Raine''s neck, so she would be warm enough.


    Raine''s mind wasn''t there when she went on the process.


    Raine refused to talk to Lidya, ignoring her along the way to the place of the elder, she was good at it as she had been mute for eight years.


    After realized her attempt to make Raine talked to her failed again and again, Lidya was silence in the end.


    The Elder place was the biggest building after the Great Hall in this city.


    It was two floors building with the color of amber, but because of the snow, the building looked very bright as it glimmered under the warm golden sunlight.


    There was another staircase to reach the terrace and Raine should be careful, so her long dress wouldn''t get wet, yet she didn''t care and let the edge of her dress wiped the ice beneath her feet, made blotches of wet on its wake.


    "Raine, I know you are angry with me, but please trust me, I have been in your position now and everything is going well." Lidya held Raine''s shoulder, before they entered the building.


    Angry? That word sounded strange in her ear. When the last time she was angry? She had been abused for years and didn''t have privilege to be angry.


    But now, she was angry?


    "I don''t believe it was only yesterday that I just woke up and felt very grateful to meet someone like you, but now you do this to me." Raine was utterly disappointed.


    "Raine¡­ I have tried to delay this ceremony¡­" Lidya was really trying to make an excuse for her to delay this thing last night when she reported Raine''s condition. "They are in need for extra help, there was a battle with Lycanthropes last month and we suffered great loss. We need more shadow warrior who have been together with the Angel."


    "You don''t tell me everything don''t you?" Raine looked at Lidya with expression that devoid from any emotion. "What else will happen to me?"


    "After a quick ceremony which implies you are together with the appointed shadow warrior, you will go to his place¡­" Lidya''s expression was gloomy.


    "That is why you said that I will find my own place?" Raine recall Lidya''s words this morning.


    The sun had officially set, as the weather was getting cold.


    "You will have to do it sooner or later, Raine¡­" Lidya tried to justify her action.


    "I really don''t know what this place or its rule and suddenly you pushed me to be together with someone that I don''t know?" Raine raised her voice. "Just because I can''t run from this place and I stand in front of you now, I willingly accept this!"


    "You stay then you have to follow the rule here." Lidya averted her eyes from Raine.


    "Can I go?" Raine asked sharply.


    "You will not have a chance to even reach the border, just say that you can run from here, where will you go? If you think this rule is immoral, then you can see what those creatures out there could do to you." Lidya said sternly. "I bet you had never met them, that''s why you thought our rule is awful, but once you meet them and¡­"


    "I had met them." Raine cut her monologue icily.


    It was true that Raine had met them, she had met them as they had been trying to kill her and turned her insane.


    "What are you doing here, Lidya? The elders are waiting inside."


    Suddenly the door opened widely and Dorian''s figure appeared from behind the door, he looked at Lidya and then Raine.


    "There is a problem here?" He stretched out his arms toward Lydia and pulled her close to him.


    "No." Lidya shook her head as she tiptoed to kiss his chin. "Raine only nervous." She said.


    Dorian was still hostile toward Raine when he looked at the girl in front of him. "Go inside immediately, we don''t have time to waste."


    ==============


    As if being together with someone and have s.e.x with them wasn''t a big deal for anyone there, the so called ceremony was a mere introduction for two people, witnessed by ten elders who was sitting on tall chairs.


    Raine''s partner was Aeon.


    They had met in the Great Hall this morning.


    When Raine the Elder called his name and his figure appeared from behind massive golden door, Raine''s heart skipped a beat.


    Her whole body exuded rejection when he stood very close to her. She didn''t like the closeness between them.


    The feeling was totally different when she was with Torak.


    On top of their tall seats, the ten Elders talked interchangeably, but not even a word that Raine could discern, her mind was elsewhere.


    When Aeon stretched out his arms to accept her hands, Raine took a step back and avoided him.


    But, Lidya was behind her to push her back, prevented her from taking another steps back.


    Seeing Raine''s reaction, Aeon didn''t even furrow his eyebrows and patiently waited for her to come to him.


    When Raine still rejected Lidya''s advice to go to her partner, one of the Elder stood up, his nose flaring. "Your action is not appropriate!" He pointed his bonny fingers at Raine. "If you keep refuse this union, we don''t have another choice except to punish you!"


    The Elder''s voice boomed inside the big room, echoed and reverberated throughout the wall.


    Raine clenched her fist beside her body and stilled her heart that she wouldn''t yield, if it was before, she would cower away and tremble in fear.


    However, the reason this time was totally different, the situation was different.


    In the past, though that was an act and verbal abuse, but it had never been s.e.x.u.a.l, yet now she was forced to be bonded with someone that she had never met!


    It felt absurd and Raine refused to yield!


    "Throw her to the dungeon until she learns her wrongdoings!" The other Elder shouted and gestured to the other man to apprehend Raine.


    At that remarked, unexpectedly Aeon moved forward and wrapped Raine''s tight fist in his big palm that felt warm.


    "I will punish her myself." With that being said, Aeon walked out of the room with Raine tag along with him.


    The room spun around Raine, when Aeon took large steps to go away from that place. They went down the stairs and walked through the white corridor before they arrived at the entrance door of the building.


    He stopped for awhile to check on Raine, the girl stared back at him through her obsidian eyes, there were fear and stubbornness in them.


    "I don''t want to go with you." Her voice was so small, barely a whisper, but the way she said it, she was resolute with her decision.


    She didn''t want this union.


    "If I bring you back, they will suck your blood dry." Aeon''s voice was horse and hard as he tightened his grip on Raine''s wrist.


    Ignoring her futile struggle, he dragged her away from the building.


    The cold wind brushed Raine''s cheeks, forced her to close her eyes as the small particle of snow felt like tiny needles scratch her open skin.


    The snow has fallen again.


    Raine raised her arms to cover her face from the wind when Aeon grabbed her another hands and put them beside his waist, kept her hands there.


    A second later, Raine felt the wind wasn''t as strong as before, but the howling sound was still in the air, because of the distraction had gone, she opened her eyes slowly.


    As soon as she opened her eyes, her vision was blocked by the view of Aeon''s back. He walked ahead of her while keeping her hand inside the pocket of his lambskin overcoat to keep them warm.


    He blocked the wind for her silently and made it easy for Raine to walk by following his footstep.


    They walked like that until they arrived at the house that Raine assumed was his house.


    Aeon led Raine to the terrace of the house and released her when he searched for the key house. "You will die within an hour in this weather." He said when he saw Raine glanced at the dark road, thinking about escaping from him.


    Raine took a step back from him as she looked at Aeon in alert, Aeon was still searching for the key house from pocket to pocket before he found it on his shoes.


    But, before he could open the door, Raine had decided to ignore Aeon''s warning and dashed toward the heavy fallen snow.


    She just reached the yard and stepped on the snow when her feet sunk until around her ankle, gave Raine hard time to move forward.


    The weather didn''t help her either when she tried to walk away. She thought, she would have high chance to escape than before, because who would stay on guard in this weather.


    However, not only she couldn''t move forward, but the harsh wind pushed her back until she sat on the wet, cold snow.


    At this point, she was shivering because of the cold.


    Raine bent her knees and supported her body in attempt to stand up, but it was so hard to even stand straight.


    In that case, how come Aeon could walk leisurely like nothing happened?


    Raine clenched her chattering teeth and curled her fingers, she felt them froze as the result of the direct contact with the snow.


    Not only that, Raine also couldn''t open her eyes.


    It wasn''t an hour, she felt she could die within minutes in this condition, suddenly she felt someone lifted her trembling body and brought her away.


    It must be Aeon as he was the only person near her.


    "I have told you, you won''t be able to escape in this kind of weather." Aeon''s deep voice sounded in Raine''s ears.

 Chapter 114 - METANOIA (10)

    "I have told you, you won''t be able to escape in this kind of weather." Aeon''s deep voice sounded in Raine''s ears.


    The sound of the door swung open sent a musky scent to Raine''s senses.


    She opened her eyes when the harsh wind no longer scr.a.p.ed her skin and the sound of it muffled behind the door, she jumped from Aeon''s arms and fell miserably on her back as her head hit the wall behind her.


    She let out a soft grunt and rubbed her head, though it was deadly cold outside, but inside the house it was rather warm, even the floor was warm.


    "Are you okay?" Aeon stared at the girl in front of him expressionlessly. He didn''t try to touch her again and wisely kept the distance between them.


    Raine''s eyes flew opened and looked at him warily.


    "Come, you need to change your wet clothes." Aeon stretched out his hand to help her to stand up.


    However, Raine''s eyes drifted from his open hand to the closed door.


    "I don''t mind if you want to try it again." Aeon shrugged his wide shoulder as he tossed his overcoat aside.


    "I don''t want to be with you." Raine said in low voice, she was afraid and more importantly she didn''t want to¡­ do that ''thing'' with him.


    She thought her words would trigger him, but unexpectedly Aeon only shrugged and walked away.


    "You can do as you please today as I am too tired to deal with you." Aeon stood up and disappeared at the corner of the room, left traces of water along the way.


    Raine was befuddled, he just left her like that?


    Raine turned her head and stared at the door, crawling, Raine reached the door and tried to push it open.


    It was locked.


    Of course, why he would be so generous to leave Raine with the door opened? She stared at the door and sat down on the floor while leaning her back against the wall behind her, listening to the howling wind that was muffled by the door.


    Waiting for the storm to pass¡­


    After that, she would try again.


    She should escape when she had chance before¡­


    Now, she regretted it. She shouldn''t listen to Lidya that she wouldn''t have a chance to run away from this place. She was a liar after all.


    Raine was so frustrated with her situation.


    She was determined to wait until the storm passed, but Raine was physically and mentally exhausted to deal with it.


    Her wet clothes made her shiver with cold as she pulled her legs and hugged them tightly, resting her forehead on her knees.


    She will wait until the storm pass.


    ==============


    Raine opened her eyes, but all she could see was black, the darkness engulfed her with everlasting sorrow.


    She raised her hand and couldn''t even see her finger, she felt vulnerable, but also familiar with this situation.


    She knew someone was there, waiting in the corner of the obscurity, staring at her intensely. She knew he was there.


    In the next second or the next decades, Raine didn''t know as she lost senses of time, he hugged her from behind, his warm breath brushed the skin on her shoulder up to her neck.


    The darkness prevented Raine to see who was he? And what he did to her? But her mind was disarray as she found herself was panting from every touch from his callous hands.


    This wasn''t right, but she couldn''t stop him¡­


    And when his hand caressed her tight and he whispered to her ear sadly. "Mine¡­"


    Raine woke up with start.


    Her body was trembling and sweating, even the cold room couldn''t give her the comfort that she needed.


    Her wet clothes were sticking on her skin uncomfortably, as if that man from her dream was still there, wrapped his arms around her body.


    When the faint ray of the morning sun interrupted her thought, a voice from beside her startled her back to the reality.


    "Drink this."


    Suddenly a mug of warm milk appeared in front of her, covering her line of sight. Raine received it and raised her head only to look Aeon had walked out from the room.


    Her last memory from last night was; she was resting her heavy head and, apparently, fallen asleep. However, Raine was inside a bedroom now.


    Seemingly Aeon was being generous to pick her up from the floor and brought her to his bedroom, Raine assumed.


    Just like Lucas''s bedroom there were many dream catcher hung on the wall and the ceiling with beautiful decoration.


    However, that was the only thing that beautiful about this bedroom while the rest was like someone had thrown all the items, which was not used anymore, all over the place.


    This room was helpless and it would take weeks to clean it up, as the owner apparently didn''t have any intention to do that soon.


    It was so hard to believe that this bedroom wasn''t a storeroom instead.


    Raine looked down at the mug that she was holding, it was still warm as she rubbed her hand and the white smoke wafted on the surface of it.


    She took a sip or two before decided that she needed to do something with her situation now.


    Raine got off from the bed and tiptoed to the door and opened it gingerly, this house was so dark as if there was not any light could illuminate it.


    The corridor was narrow with dust along its wall and the musky scent covered the entire house. The sound of clinking metal reverberated throughout the wall as Raine found the stairs and went down.


    She found the living room no longer served its purposed as it had turned into smithy, where Aeon was forging an iron, hammering and shaping it. He was making a sword.


    This wasn''t a house at all, this was his working place.


    Raine covered her ears with her palm, because the sound of it hurt her eardrums, yet the smell of musk was still lingering in the air, though it mixed with the smell of the burning metal.


    She was amazed by the scene before her eyes, this was the first time she witnessed something like this, the fire was blazing in the space like a fireplace at the furthest place from the room that Raine assumed was where the kitchen supposed to be.


    No wonder this place was warm, regardless the how cold the weather.


    Realized someone was staring at him, Aeon stopped his work and raised his head, only to find the same obsidian eyes were looking at him, her eyes were still filled with fear and stubbornness, but this time they sparked with curiosity as well.


    "Come down here." Aeon put aside the material in his hand and waved his hand for Raine to follow him as he walked inside another room in the first floor while Raine was still standing on the stairs, halfway to go down.


    When Raine didn''t listen to his order, he turned around and dashed toward her instead. Startled, Raine backed away and tried to go back to the room upstairs, but Aeon was faster and stronger than her, she just turned around when he had already grabbed her wrist and pulled her to go with him.


    Raine struggled, trying to get free from him when he dragged her inside the room and kicked the door closed before he made Raine sat on a wooden chair.


    This room was filled with various weapons, they were hanging on the wall, from spear to small dagger, bow and arrow, there were also axes and mace.


    This made Raine shivered in fear.


    "We need to talk." He pulled another chair for him to sit. "Stay!" He said sternly when Raine tried to get away from him.


    Aeon put his legs on both side of Raine''s, pinned her legs so she couldn''t stand up or even move as they sat face to face.


    This gesture was so intimate and Raine didn''t like it, she tried to push his legs away from her and even punched his thigh, but the thick fabric of his made, probably thwarted all of her effort, because Aeon didn''t even flinch.


    "Stop it!" He growled now, more irritated by her action.


    "I want to go." Raine said in very low voice that Aeon almost missed it, she indeed stopped her attempt to punch his thigh, but she leaned her back against the back chair, trying to be as far as possible from him that Aeon thought was ridiculous, knowing her legs were pinning between his.


    "I heard about you from Lidya." Aeon ignored Raine''s demand. "I know you are not familiar with the rule in this city, but once the Elder pointed us to be together than you will only be with me."


    "That''s against my will." Her voice slightly louder, but she still refused to see him in the eyes.


    "Your will?" Aeon was squinted his eyes and stretched out his arm to pinched Raine''s chin between his fingers. "Guardian Angels have never talked about will." He said in deep voice, scrutinized the creatures in front of him, who stubbornly averted her eyes.


    "Then I am not one of them!" Raine snapped and finally glared at him, but tears were brimming in her eyes, threatening to fall.


    Aeon frowned, every creatures had their own characteristics, but disobedience wasn''t one of Guardian Angels'' trait. This confused Aeon, because as far as he knew there was no Guardian Angel had ever refused their partner, though they were not willing, but they wouldn''t show it openly like what Raine was doing now.


    "Many people had confirmed this matter." Aeon said in matter of fact tone. "They will not get it wrong."

 Chapter 115 - METANOIA (11)

    "Many people had confirmed this matter." Aeon said in matter of fact tone. "They will not get it wrong."


    Raine shook her head and swatted his hand to release her chin from his fingers, but he caught Raine''s hand and kept it on her laps, make her totally helpless to move.


    "Let me go!" Raine yelled and shook her head vigorously as her black hair turned messy. "I am not one of them! I¡­" She wanted to say that she was Torak''s mate, but then she remembered Lidya''s warning and the hostility that these people here had for lycanthropes, gulping down the rest of her words, Raine resumed glaring at Aeon.


    "Probably because you grew up in a different environment." Aeon mumbled to himself, trying to justify Raine''s behavior.


    "Why it is hard for you to believe that I am not one of them?" Raine asked, agitated and frustrated, she cried in desperation.


    Of course Aeon didn''t believe her words, the guardian angel has their unique way to identify their kind and now Raine was saying that she wasn''t one of them in this kind of situation, wasn''t that only mean she made up that reason to get away from him?


    "We will know that after we bonded." Aeon said it flatly.


    However, Raine turned stiff as her pale face turned even paler when she heard the word ''bonded''. She shook her head vigorously, but this time Aeon released her chin and let her messy hair covered half of her face while she cried.


    "No, please¡­ I don''t want that¡­" She begged him, because she knew if he really wanted to, he could just easily do it, there was no way Raine could overpower him.


    This time Aeon released her hand, but kept her legs between his to prevent her to move carelessly, and let her covered her teary face while sobbing, her small shoulder were trembling.


    "Only then we will know what you are." Aeon said it as if the process of bonding wasn''t a big matter for him.


    "No!" Raine lowered her hands and began her attempts to move Aeon''s legs from her, this time she didn''t just hit him with her small fist, but also trying to scratch the back of his hands that wasn''t covered by his clothes as he didn''t wear his gauntlet.


    Aeon only looked at her in dismay, he had never seen a guardian angel was so determine on something and became violence like this, he had never recalled there was a guardian angel that even tried to hurt their attacker, their kind was simply too kind for their own good.


    But, actually just like what the moon goddess had said; she wasn''t merely a resurrection from a guardian angel, but as she rebirth into human world, she was having their trait as well.


    "Enough!" Aeon swatted Raine''s hand.


    And it happened in a blink of an eye, when Raine suddenly felt the room was spinning and made her dizzy, in the next second her back fell flat on the ground with Aeon above her, pinned her down.


    Raine''s eyes opened wide with pure fear exuded from every part of her body, out of instinct she raised her hand to push him away as her hands fell on his sturdy chest, she wriggled to get free from beneath him.


    Torak!!!


    She called out his name in her mind again and again, but this time, he didn''t come¡­


    "No! Stay away from me!!!" Raine cried out loud, she shut her eyes, didn''t want to see the man above her.


    For some reason, Aeon stilled. He stayed in the position that wasn''t far enough for Raine, but close enough for him to study her expression.


    He touched the tears that rolling down on her cheek with his finger and brought it to his lips, to taste it. Aeon frowned.


    She was crying.


    But the problem was, Guardian Angel had never cried. They don''t have that complex feeling.


    "You are crying." Aeon stated the fact as he wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Don''t cry¡­" He said in coaxing tone.


    He waited until her sob ceased down and she opened her eyes, because Aeon didn''t make any move except wiping her tears away.


    For some reason, when Raine had slightly calm down, his touch was familiar. She felt it somewhere, yet she wasn''t able to recall the moment.


    Once Raine opened her eyes, she found Aeon''s black eyes were staring back at her, but there was concern in them, he was worry.


    "Don''t cry¡­" He shushed her.


    The room was so quiet and only filled with Raine''s muffled cry along with Aeon''s coaxing words every now and then.


    "AEON!"


    Someone called out Aeon''s name along with the sound of his fist pounding the door.


    "AEON! WE HAVE TO GO NOW! THERE WAS A LYCAN NEAR OUR BORDER!"


    He pounded the door again and again, from the sound of it, it felt like he was about to tear down the door instead.


    If every creature has their own characteristic, then the word ''uncivilized'' could describe them perfectly.


    "I WILL GO! WAIT AT THE GATHERING POINT!" Aeon growled above Raine. He didn''t like to be disturbed, especially at time like this.


    Afterward, he looked at Raine beneath him, his expression was hard to read, but a moment later, he released her and stood up while the girl was crawling to the furthest part of the room, hit her back against the wall behind her.


    "I will return soon." Aeon stared at Raine for a few second before he turned around and left her alone inside the room.


    The clicking sound notified Raine that he locked the door room.


    But, that was the last thing that she concerned as she felt her heart reeling by the mention of Lycan. There was a lycan came to their border? Was that Torak?


    Her heart beat fast for the possibility, he found her here? If he was here, than she would be fine¡­


    ==============


    "What is it!?" Aeon snapped at Ron who had called him while they were running toward the border. "They are attacking us!?"


    The snow was like a flash of white light as they run faster to the border.


    "No! They come to demand something." Ron said, his voice laced with disgust.


    "How dare them to demand something from us!?" Aeon fastened his pace and arrived at the border of the Village.


    There, they saw a lycan was about to shift back into his other form, so he would be able to communicate with them, he was Lyrus the three Donovans'' most trusted person.


    If he was there, then the matter must be something serious.


    All this time, the relationship between the shadow warriors and those lycanthropes couldn''t be said in good terms.


    Those lycanthropes had never hunted the guardian angel, however if they saw one was roaming around without protection, out of their village, they would kill them without hesitation.


    They despised the guardian angel for their weak and delicate nature, for them, their kind was like a bug, an eyesore. Therefore, the shadow warrior was there to protect them and built the border around the village of angel in order to keep those lycans away.


    Lidya''s words weren''t totally lie, because it was true, if the guardian angel stepped out their feet from the village, they were very vulnerable for attack as if the target sign was placed on their head.


    "WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" Ramez, the leader of the shadow warrior asked in his raucous voice. The tendrils of shadow swarmed around his body, ready to attack or defense himself if needed.


    They were not called as the shadow warrior if they didn''t have this magic in them, to conjure shadow for their fighting weapon.


    There were an angry and low growl from the lycans behind Lyrus and sound of something heavy on the ground as they clawed the snow beneath them, ready to pounce on their opponent.


    "We demanded for you to hand over all the guardian angel!" Lyrus''s stentorian voice sounded throughout the vast land that covered with snow. "We will give you a day for this!"


    "NONSENSE! HAD YOUR DOG BRAIN STOPPED WORKING? DO YOU THINK WE WILL DO AS YOU TOLD?!" Ramez was livid by the crazy demand of the lycan.


    "We are not asking, this is an order!" Lyrus said with finality. "Tomorrow we will collect the all the guardian angel from this village!" With that being said, Lyrus turned to his wolf form and howled.


    The other Lycanthropes around the area did the same and surprisingly, they had been surrounded by those lycans as they emerged from their hiding place. While there was only around seventy shadow warrior, there were around two hundreds lycanthropes there.


    Ramez and the other didn''t like this situation as their shadow grew bigger and darker covered the white snow, as if black tapestry outspread the entire land.


    However, there was another long howl and the entire lycanthropes stepped back.


    Ramez and Lyrus locked their eyes in deadly way, as if they could kill each other only by their gaze.


    That was a warning, a clear warning for those shadow warrior that their number alone wouldn''t be able to defeat them. They were surrounded and there was no use for them to retaliate.


    With that, the short encountered left great pressure and tension in the air.


    This confused the shadow warrior, because those lycan had never interfered with their business before, their last week encounter also because of the wizard hunter had ran toward the direction of the lycan''s territory and as hot- blooded as they were, they crossed the border and ignited the battle between the two.


    However, aside from that, those lycan had never paid attention toward the guardian angel, so why now they wanted all the guardian angel? Why now they interested in the guardian angel?


    "That''s declaration of a battle!" Ramez stated.

 Chapter 116 - METANOIA (13)

    What on earth they thought they would give them?!


    ==============


    All the shadow warriors underwent preparation for the impending war. Lyrus''s warning wasn''t a trifle matter, as he would mean his every word.


    Between the preparation, Aeon made time to go back home and checked on Raine''s condition.


    He remembered that he had locked the armory room and there was nothing she could eat or place for her to lay down inside that room.


    He opened the door and walked through the gloomy corridor before he stopped in front of a mahogany door, where he had locked Raine.


    He fished out the key from inside his shoes and with clicking sound, he pushed the door open, but before he could step inside the room, he felt a piercing pain stabbed his chest.


    As Aeon looked down, he met with Raine''s fearful eyes, but there was determination that burnt in them and when he drifted his eyes, he saw that the little girl had stabbed him with the dagger that he had made.


    Raine stumbled and trembled upon the thing that she had done, but a moment later, she pushed Aeon aside with all her might.


    She gritted her teeth and used her small shoulder to push Aeon, but because of his huge body and many layers of his clothes, he looked bigger as he blocked the entire door, prevented Raine from going anywhere.


    After Raine stabbed him, she tried to push him, with all of her strength, yet she didn''t budge.


    Slowly, Aeon pulled the dagger, without batting an eye, from his chest and tossed it aside, he didn''t even flinched when his blood started to smear his clothes and then his thick overcoat.


    He stared at Raine, who was slowly stepping back because she couldn''t manage to make him moved.


    When Raine was about to get a sword Aeon dashed into the room and held her hand, trying to snatch the weapon away from her.


    This was dangerous things and she couldn''t just play with it.


    But, Raine was determined to grab hold of this sword and refused to let it go, she even bit down Aeon''s hand and tried to run toward the door when she threw the sword at him.


    Unfortunately, she wasn''t his opponent and Aeon wasn''t in the mood to deal with her.


    After Aeon got the sword, he tossed it to the corner of the room. One hand was holding her waist, hoisting up and his another hand caged her hands so she wouldn''t snatch anything from there.


    Aeon brought Raine upstairs to the room where she occupied last night and tossed her on the bed.


    Her body bounced and stumbled before she managed to get her balance and made her attempt to run toward the door.


    But, before she could do that, Aeon had closed the door and locked it again.


    "Let me out!!! Let me out!" Raine pounded the door with her small fists as she cried. She kicked the door only to end up getting hurt instead.


    Raine wailed on the floor because her feet were in pain, the door was like steel! It hurt a lot. She bit down her lips to muffle her scream as her tears started to trickle down her face.


    However, not long after that, the door swung opened once again and Aeon was standing there while holding a bowl of food.


    Aeon remembered, last night Raine had not yet eaten anything when they arrived at home because she was trying to escape and this morning he had to go to the border because of the matter with those lycanthropes.


    And now it was afternoon already, she must have been hungry.


    "What happened?" Aeon frowned and put the bowl on the floor, as there was no table inside the room, and approached Raine.


    The girl was wailing on the floor while holding her feet, her body scrunched like a shrimp.


    "Let me see." Aeon held Raine''s hand and tried to see her feet, but she just became stubborn and didn''t let him to do it. "Stay still and let me see!" He growled in low voice.


    This time, Aeon used slightly forced to keep her still. Raine abruptly sat down when Aeon open her sock and saw her bruises fingers feet.


    Aeon''s frown deepened, he looked at Raine''s face and then the door. "Did you kick the door?" He asked in stern voice.


    Raine didn''t answer that, but from the evidence before his eyes, Aeon could easily know the truth. She had indeed kicked the door in attempt to runaway.


    "Stay here!" He grumbled and walked out the room, this time he didn''t lock it. But, Raine also couldn''t go anywhere with her aching feet.


    Not so long, Aeon returned with white bandage and ointment. He carried Raine to the bed and put her slowly, careful with her feet.


    Afterward, he got the ointment and the bandage that he had brought with him.


    "Don''t move!" He warned her, though he looked very angry, but when he touched Raine''s feet, he was very gentle and accommodating, he would stop or caress her feet when Raine whimper the moment he rubbed the ointment on her bruises.


    As he was done bandaging her feet, he got the bowl from the floor that he had brought and gave it to Raine.


    "Eat, you are not yet eat anything since last night." And Aeon put the bowl on her laps.


    Raine looked at the bowl that filled with rice and various meats. "Where are you going?" Raine raised her head and looked at Aeon, who was about to walk out of the room.


    "I thought you don''t want me to stay?" Aeon raised his eyebrows.


    Raine didn''t want him to stay, but she wanted to know something, because she couldn''t escape from this house and from him.


    This morning, that man said there was lycan on their border line, Raine wanted to know that, what happened afterward? Was that lycan¡­ Torak? Or people from his pack?


    "I want you to stay." Raine mumbled while biting her meat.


    Ignoring Raine''s request Aeon turned around and left her.


    Though she was disappointed, but she didn''t mind to be left alone too. She didn''t want him to be near her.


    However, not so long, Aeon returned with a glass of water in his hand. He held the glass and waited for her to finish her food.


    Sometime in between, he would give the glass to Raine for her to drink and then held it again for her.


    "I am full." Raine pushed the bowl to Aeon, there was half of the food that she couldn''t finish it, because he had brought it too much.


    Taking the bowl, Aeon handed the glass to her. He didn''t say anything from the start to the beginning.


    "Your wound¡­" Raine stared at the stain of blood in front of his robe, where she had stabbed him.


    "It will heal soon." Aeon didn''t even blame her for that, although the shadow warrior didn''t have healing ability as fast as the lycanthropes, but they healing ability relatives fast compared to human, moreover, their endurance for pain was high.


    "I am sorry, I didn''t mean to hurt you, I just want to go out from here." Raine looked down guiltily.


    "You can''t go from here." Aeon said it succinctly.


    Raine didn''t say anything for his answer and only played with the glass in her hand.


    But, Aeon took it away from her and put it side to side with the bowl on the floor as he stared deeply at Raine.


    "You are not like a guardian angel." He stated, he was referring to the guardian angel nature, they were the most calm creatures and wouldn''t be so agitated or frustrated, neither they would try to hurt other like what Raine had done.


    "Because I am not." Raine blurted out. "I can''t be with you." She shook her head. "I don''t want to be with you."


    "It doesn''t mind what you want or what you don''t want, the fact is; we are together now." Aeon said in matter- of- fact tone.


    Suddenly Aeon had his hand on Raine''s neck as he pushed her down on the bed, holding her head so she wouldn''t get hurt, while his other hand on her waist.


    "What are you doing!? Get off of me!" Raine was panic with his sudden change of attitude, he was being so caring and gentle when he treated her wound, but now he pushed her again like this morning.


    Raine even didn''t have time to ask him about the meeting with the lycan this morning, that was the only reason she asked him to stay before.


    As if Aeon was reading her mind, he spoke above her, but it wasn''t something that Raine wanted to hear. "This morning the lycan wants us to give all the guardian angel to them."


    Raine''s eyes lit up upon hearing that. Was that Torak who had come?


    "Why?" Raine only could utter that single question.


    "We still don''t know, we are still trying to figure out what they want." Aeon said in gloomy voice, those lycan had the upper hand in this matter.


    "Was that Torak who came this morning?" Raine asked carefully.


    "Torak? Torak Donovan?" Aeon frowned. "Why Torak had to come?" Torak was one of the Donovans brothers, he absolutely wouldn''t come for something like this.


    He had many great lycan to run their errand. However, if the battle was going to happen tomorrow probably he would make an appearance as they loved to bath with blood.


    Tomorrow would be a bloody day.


    It wasn''t he who came? Or maybe it was Raphael or Calleb?


    "Do you know Torak?" Aeon was surprised that Raine even knew about Torak, where she came from and how she ended up in the dessert of no return?


    "I know him." Raine said it. "Just let me meet him."

 Chapter 117 - METANOIA (13)

    "You? Meet him?" Aeon''s frown deepened. "What are you going to do by meeting him?" Not to mention to meet the Donovan, even to take a step away from the village the guardian angel would think thrice.


    "Let me meet him." Raine said stubbornly. "Because I am his mate."


    "NO!" Aeon yelled. He thought that was another trick from Raine to get away from him. "You are not his mate! You are mine!" He forcefully hugged her and buried his head on her neck.


    Raine was screaming when he did that and tried to push him away, but of course she couldn''t overpower him.


    "Mine¡­" Aeon whispered to her ear, didn''t even bother with her another attempt to push him away.


    The sound of his voice just now, ring the bell in Raine''s memory. She had heard that, someone said it in the same way, the same voice as he did¡­


    It was that¡­


    The man in her dream¡­


    The man who had touched her, in her dream¡­


    But, what was this exactly? Or, Raine got it wrong? Probably, it wasn''t his voice. After all that was just a dream. Yet, to think about this again, ever since all the absurdity that had happened, she believed everything was possible to happen.


    Aeon hugged her tightly under his burly body, but careful not to put all of his weight on her as probably it could crush her.


    "We have to do it now." Aeon said to her ear as he started to grab the edge of her clothes.


    Raine was panic, when she heard that, especially when his hand was on her waist. She screamed, rejected his touch and his advance.


    When Aeon turned deaf ears on Raine''s rejection, she cried and bit his upper arms. Raine bit him until she felt her teeth came off and her jaw numb.


    Seeing her like that, Aeon stopped his advance and patted the back of Raine''s head. "I will not do it, stop biting." He said with a sigh.


    Raine didn''t listen to him as she kept her teeth sunk on his thick clothes, barely touch his skin.


    It wasn''t the pain that made Aeon stopped, but it was because Raine''s extreme rejection. There had never been a case that the guardian angel refused their mate and fought him.


    "I will not do it, so stop it." Aeon patted the back of her head.


    The bonded was important for him right now since he would be in a battle with the lycan tomorrow, the bonded would make his shadow stronger. That was one the important part of their union.


    Raine realized that Aeon had stopped his action and hurriedly shoved him away, this time Aeon let her to do that and released her body.


    She attempted to get off of the bed, but her legs were tangled with the blanket and she fell miserably on the floor instead, her face first.


    After the crying, Raine was wailing in pain again, her legs hurt, her nose hurt and she was frustrated to get away from this man.


    Out of the blue, Aeon was laughing seeing Raine was scrunching her face in pain.


    "Silly." He commented and then helped her to entangle the blanket. "Let me see it." Aeon pried Raine''s hand from her face and watched her nose turned red, she was adorable to see.


    With tears on her wet lashes and flushed rosy cheeks along with her red nose, Raine was simply amusing.


    "Stay here, I will get something for your nose." Aeon walked out of the room and went to the kitchen to get something for Raine.


    Meanwhile, Raine was sitting on the floor, grimace every time she moved her face or her legs. Why she became so clumsy like this?


    Not so long, Aeon came with wet cloth that had been soaked into cold water. He put it across her face to prevent swelling.


    After that, Aeon simply leaned his back against the wall behind him and watched the little girl beside her kept the cloth on her face.


    "Tell me the reason why you don''t want to bond with me?" Aeon asked after the silence that extended between them.


    Raine glanced at Aeon, surprised. He talked about something like this so casually. "That activity wasn''t something that you could do with stranger." Raine mumbled.


    Aeon didn''t give reply for that statement, instead, he stood up and walked out from the room. Once again he left Raine alone.


    ==============


    When the night came, Raine was inside the same room, where Aeon had left her, staring at the window.


    When Aeon left Raine, he left the house but kept the door lock. Raine had been trying to open it with all the tools available inside the house, in the end it was only wasting her time while the windows were out of options.


    All the windows were barred with metals, it almost felt like in jail, regardless Raine had never been there before, but the feeling was almost like when she was still in the hospital.


    When Raine was trying to close her eyes, tired with all of her attempt to leave the house, she heard Aeon''s voice. Loud and angry.


    He shouted and cursed to someone as they approached the house.


    "RON I WILL KILL YOU FOR TOUCH HER!" Aeon hollered when Ron was about to walk closed to the house.


    "THIS IS ORDER FROM RAMEZ! YOU IDIOT!" Ron was angry as well.


    "GET AWAY!" Aeon barked and there was a lot of noises as the sound of someone fell to the ground could be heard.


    "DAMN YOU AEON!" Ron spat more curses.


    Raine was sitting now, her expression was alert, this was the first time she heard Aeon was mad, even after she stabbed him and rejected him, he didn''t raise his voice and still treated her, quite, nice¡­ excluded the moment when he pushed her down.


    Raine got off from the bed and walked toward the door, opened it slightly so she could hear other voices, who were not as loud as Aeon and Ron.


    Apparently Aeon and Ron were fighting over something and except both of them, from the voices that Raine heard, there were other three people who came also as they tried to stop the fight between the two.


    "FOR GODDESS'' SAKE! THAT WORDS ARE NONSENSE! HOW COULD YOU BELIEVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?" Aeon was enraged. "ALL THE CREATURES IN THIS REALM KNEW THAT HE WILL NEVER HAVE A MATE!"


    "SO TELL ME WHY THOSE LYCANS SUDDENLY CAME AND DEMAND SOMETHING RIDICULOUS LIKE THAT!?" Ron was livid as well. He has his own partner, his guardian angel and now those dogs wanted him to give her away? What nonsense was that?


    Many shadow warriors weren''t please with this news as well, they had fought those lycans and knew really well to not cross path with them as much as possible.


    The last time they fought they have lost miserably, not only that, many shadow warriors were killed at that time.


    They couldn''t afford to have a fight with them again, but they also couldn''t give what they had demanded.


    Giving all the guardian angel?! That was equal with them asking their life straight away.


    Raine almost jumped from where she was standing when she heard the door slammed open and there were many footsteps climbed up the stairs.


    She scuttled away to her bed and was about to hide under the blanket when the door of the bedroom swung opened.


    A shadow warrior was there, standing arrogantly, he eyed Raine with hostility as he made a move toward her.


    However, before he could reach her, Aeon stormed inside the room followed by four shadow warriors behind him.


    He dashed toward Raine as he knocked Ron aside.


    "Her legs were hurt, I will bring him to the Elder!" He growled at Ron and the other shadow warriors, warned them to not come closer.


    They glared at Aeon when he scooped Raine in his arms. With her injured feet, she wouldn''t be able to walk in the thick snow outside.


    "Don''t fight me." Aeon whispered a warning at Raine when he saw she was about to try to struggle like usual. "They come for you."


    Raine looked at the five angry faces before her and wisely chose to follow Aeon''s advice. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he hoisted her up. She shivered when Aeon brought her to walk passed Ron.


    "What they want?" Raine whispered when they were going down the stairs. She buried her face on Aeon''s shoulder, this was the first time she was so obedient.


    "They thought you are Torak Donovan''s mate." Aeon said as he grabbed extra cloak, which he wrapped around Raine''s body, and also a blanket. "Stupid!" He hissed under his breath when they opened the door to the terrace.


    But, that was true that she was his mate, however Raine could senses, this wasn''t the right time to boast about that.


    "Who else did you say about this?" Aeon asked as he stepped on the snow, easily and walked with Raine in his arms.


    "Lidya, Lucas and their younger brother." Raine answered truthfully, she was only talking with them since the first day she arrived here, which only three days ago! How many things had happened only in short time.


    "Lidya¡­ Dorian." Aeon hissed their name as if it was a curse. "When you are there, don''t mention anything about Lycan, especially Torak. Understood?" He stared at Raine, seeing if she was listening.


    It wasn''t a good timing to be stubborn.


    Fortunately Raine nodded.


    The rest of the walk was silence as no one talked, including the five people behind them.

 Chapter 118 - METANOIA (14)

    "I have told you, you won''t be able to escape in this kind of weather." Aeon''s deep voice sounded in Raine''s ears.


    The sound of the door swung open sent a musky scent to Raine''s senses.


    She opened her eyes when the harsh wind no longer scr.a.p.ed her skin and the sound of it muffled behind the door, she jumped from Aeon''s arms and fell miserably on her back as her head hit the wall behind her.


    She let out a soft grunt and rubbed her head, though it was deadly cold outside, but inside the house it was rather warm, even the floor was warm.


    "Are you okay?" Aeon stared at the girl in front of him expressionlessly. He didn''t try to touch her again and wisely kept the distance between them.


    Raine''s eyes flew opened and looked at him warily.


    "Come, you need to change your wet clothes." Aeon stretched out his hand to help her to stand up.


    However, Raine''s eyes drifted from his open hand to the closed door.


    "I don''t mind if you want to try it again." Aeon shrugged his wide shoulder as he tossed his overcoat aside.


    "I don''t want to be with you." Raine said in low voice, she was afraid and more importantly she didn''t want to¡­ do that ''thing'' with him.


    She thought her words would trigger him, but unexpectedly Aeon only shrugged and walked away.


    "You can do as you please today as I am too tired to deal with you." Aeon stood up and disappeared at the corner of the room, left traces of water along the way.


    Raine was befuddled, he just left her like that?


    Raine turned her head and stared at the door, crawling, Raine reached the door and tried to push it open.


    It was locked.


    Of course, why he would be so generous to leave Raine with the door opened? She stared at the door and sat down on the floor while leaning her back against the wall behind her, listening to the howling wind that was muffled by the door.


    Waiting for the storm to pass¡­


    After that, she would try again.


    She should escape when she had chance before¡­


    Now, she regretted it. She shouldn''t listen to Lidya that she wouldn''t have a chance to run away from this place. She was a liar after all.


    Raine was so frustrated with her situation.


    She was determined to wait until the storm passed, but Raine was physically and mentally exhausted to deal with it.


    Her wet clothes made her shiver with cold as she pulled her legs and hugged them tightly, resting her forehead on her knees.


    She will wait until the storm pass.


    ==============


    Raine opened her eyes, but all she could see was black, the darkness engulfed her with everlasting sorrow.


    She raised her hand and couldn''t even see her finger, she felt vulnerable, but also familiar with this situation.


    She knew someone was there, waiting in the corner of the obscurity, staring at her intensely. She knew he was there.


    In the next second or the next decades, Raine didn''t know as she lost senses of time, he hugged her from behind, his warm breath brushed the skin on her shoulder up to her neck.


    The darkness prevented Raine to see who was he? And what he did to her? But her mind was disarray as she found herself was panting from every touch from his callous hands.


    This wasn''t right, but she couldn''t stop him¡­


    And when his hand caressed her tight and he whispered to her ear sadly. "Mine¡­"


    Raine woke up with start.


    Her body was trembling and sweating, even the cold room couldn''t give her the comfort that she needed.


    Her wet clothes were sticking on her skin uncomfortably, as if that man from her dream was still there, wrapped his arms around her body.


    When the faint ray of the morning sun interrupted her thought, a voice from beside her startled her back to the reality.


    "Drink this."


    Suddenly a mug of warm milk appeared in front of her, covering her line of sight. Raine received it and raised her head only to look Aeon had walked out from the room.


    Her last memory from last night was; she was resting her heavy head and, apparently, fallen asleep. However, Raine was inside a bedroom now.


    Seemingly Aeon was being generous to pick her up from the floor and brought her to his bedroom, Raine assumed.


    Just like Lucas''s bedroom there were many dream catcher hung on the wall and the ceiling with beautiful decoration.


    However, that was the only thing that beautiful about this bedroom while the rest was like someone had thrown all the items, which was not used anymore, all over the place.


    This room was helpless and it would take weeks to clean it up, as the owner apparently didn''t have any intention to do that soon.


    It was so hard to believe that this bedroom wasn''t a storeroom instead.


    Raine looked down at the mug that she was holding, it was still warm as she rubbed her hand and the white smoke wafted on the surface of it.


    She took a sip or two before decided that she needed to do something with her situation now.


    Raine got off from the bed and tiptoed to the door and opened it gingerly, this house was so dark as if there was not any light could illuminate it.


    The corridor was narrow with dust along its wall and the musky scent covered the entire house. The sound of clinking metal reverberated throughout the wall as Raine found the stairs and went down.


    She found the living room no longer served its purposed as it had turned into smithy, where Aeon was forging an iron, hammering and shaping it. He was making a sword.


    This wasn''t a house at all, this was his working place.


    Raine covered her ears with her palm, because the sound of it hurt her eardrums, yet the smell of musk was still lingering in the air, though it mixed with the smell of the burning metal.


    She was amazed by the scene before her eyes, this was the first time she witnessed something like this, the fire was blazing in the space like a fireplace at the furthest place from the room that Raine assumed was where the kitchen supposed to be.


    No wonder this place was warm, regardless the how cold the weather.


    Realized someone was staring at him, Aeon stopped his work and raised his head, only to find the same obsidian eyes were looking at him, her eyes were still filled with fear and stubbornness, but this time they sparked with curiosity as well.


    "Come down here." Aeon put aside the material in his hand and waved his hand for Raine to follow him as he walked inside another room in the first floor while Raine was still standing on the stairs, halfway to go down.


    When Raine didn''t listen to his order, he turned around and dashed toward her instead. Startled, Raine backed away and tried to go back to the room upstairs, but Aeon was faster and stronger than her, she just turned around when he had already grabbed her wrist and pulled her to go with him.


    Raine struggled, trying to get free from him when he dragged her inside the room and kicked the door closed before he made Raine sat on a wooden chair.


    This room was filled with various weapons, they were hanging on the wall, from spear to small dagger, bow and arrow, there were also axes and mace.


    This made Raine shivered in fear.


    "We need to talk." He pulled another chair for him to sit. "Stay!" He said sternly when Raine tried to get away from him.


    Aeon put his legs on both side of Raine''s, pinned her legs so she couldn''t stand up or even move as they sat face to face.


    This gesture was so intimate and Raine didn''t like it, she tried to push his legs away from her and even punched his thigh, but the thick fabric of his made, probably thwarted all of her effort, because Aeon didn''t even flinch.


    "Stop it!" He growled now, more irritated by her action.


    "I want to go." Raine said in very low voice that Aeon almost missed it, she indeed stopped her attempt to punch his thigh, but she leaned her back against the back chair, trying to be as far as possible from him that Aeon thought was ridiculous, knowing her legs were pinning between his.


    "I heard about you from Lidya." Aeon ignored Raine''s demand. "I know you are not familiar with the rule in this city, but once the Elder pointed us to be together than you will only be with me."


    "That''s against my will." Her voice slightly louder, but she still refused to see him in the eyes.


    "Your will?" Aeon was squinted his eyes and stretched out his arm to pinched Raine''s chin between his fingers. "Guardian Angels have never talked about will." He said in deep voice, scrutinized the creatures in front of him, who stubbornly averted her eyes.


    "Then I am not one of them!" Raine snapped and finally glared at him, but tears were brimming in her eyes, threatening to fall.


    Aeon frowned, every creatures had their own characteristics, but disobedience wasn''t one of Guardian Angels'' trait. This confused Aeon, because as far as he knew there was no Guardian Angel had ever refused their partner, though they were not willing, but they wouldn''t show it openly like what Raine was doing now.


    "Many people had confirmed this matter." Aeon said in matter of fact tone. "They will not get it wrong."

 Chapter 119 - METANOIA (15)

    "Do anything for them, but never live on their terms and conditions."


    -IG: author_vaibhav_singh-


    **************


    They were in the vast land that its ground was covered with snow, everything was shimmering under the faint light of the afternoon sun.


    However, the atmosphere between the two parties that faced each other was deathly still.


    While the Lycanthropes were growling and paced their claws on the snowy ground firmly, because what they saw wasn''t something that they had asked before, the shadow warriors were equipped themselves with various weapon, which they thought it would be enough in case they have to face those Lycans.


    Black tendrils were growing out from the shadow warrior''s form as they were in fully alert about the predicament was going to happen.


    "What the meaning of this?!" Lyrus was in his human form to make it easier to communicate with the other party. "We ask for all the guardian angel to be handed over to us!" His voice boomed as his canines elongated dangerously.


    "We have never had feud before the even a month ago, which we had admitted our mistakes for trespassing your territory, though we lost many brave warriors on our side, but the things that you ask from us isn''t something that we could give to you! If the battle that you want, then the battle that you will get!!!" Ramez roared angrily, if their intention to ask the guardian angel related to the trespassing incident, that was too much, of course they couldn''t grant that demand.


    Ramez''s statement stirred up strong reaction from both parties.


    The lycanthropes let out dangerous growl that shook the ground beneath them while the shadow warriors engulfed themselves in their shadow, covered their whole body with the black shadow tendrils in order to protect themselves or to attack their opponent.


    Whatever it was, the situation would lean toward the worse cases.


    "But!" Ramez had not yet done with his statement as he gestured for someone to bring Raine to him. "If this ridiculous demand is happening because Alpha Torak wants his mate back, I will give her and consider this confrontation never happen in the first place!"


    Upon hearing that statement from Ramez, Aeon grabbed Raine''s arm and hid her behind his back as he glared angrily at the other shadow warriors, who was following Ramez''s order to take Raine away from him. "Ramez! This is not what you have promised me!!!" Aeon barked at his leader.


    "SILENT!" Ramez bit back, he looked daggers at Aeon and repeated his order. "Bring her here!"


    Raine was staring at the distance from behind Aeon''s back, to Lyrus, who was standing in front of hundreds big werewolves that were growling and snarling while lowering their front legs, ready to pounce onto the shadow warriors in front of them.


    Even though Lyrus was seemingly the leader of the opposite party, but Raine had never seen him, yet if she thought about this again, except from Raphael and Calleb, she had not yet met all the Lycanthropes from Torak''s pack.


    Her eyes were still looking for the white lycan around her, probably he was hiding somewhere or her eyes couldn''t spot him among this white snow. With no avail.


    Raine didn''t pay attention toward Aeon''s struggle to keep her near him, to push back the other shadow warriors who attempted to take her away.


    She was glad to see the pack of Lycanthropes because she knew Torak was nearby, however she couldn''t cast aside the feeling of uneasiness that she felt now.


    Something was wrong with this whole situation.


    Torak always said she was his mate and he wouldn''t let anything bad happen on her, but until now, Torak was nowhere to be seen. Instead of coming to save her personally, he sent another lycan to deal with the shadow warriors, moreover, if it was her that Torak was looking for, why he needed all of the guardian angel here?


    If it was her who Torak wanted, this battle wouldn''t be necessary and he shouldn''t have suggested it in the first place.


    In this rate, something dreadful was going to happen.


    Finally, Aeon couldn''t stand any longer as the shadow like tendrils coiled around his wrists and ankles, forced him to concede.


    "Lyrus! This is not what you promised me!!!" Aeon wouldn''t agree to bring Raine to this place if it wasn''t because Lyrus had promised her safety, he told him that they wouldn''t give his guardian angel over to those spiteful lycans!


    "You will not bring her here if I didn''t say that." Ramez openly admitted that he was going back on his words.


    One thing for sure about the Shadow Warrior''s nature was; they would put their people interest above their personal feeling.


    For now, the only way they could get away from this mess was to hand over Raine to them, if what Lidya had said was true, that Raine was one of the Donovan Brothers'' mate.


    In the other hand, Raine glanced at Aeon, who was being forced to kneel down by the other member of shadow warriors. Her eyes were complicated. She wanted to go to Torak, but Aeon¡­


    The shadow warriors managed to muffle Aeon''s roar by tying a scarf around his mouth as he kept struggling under the coil of the shadow''s tendrils all over his body.


    Raine glanced at Aeon one more time before she was guided to stand beside Ramez.


    "I will give her to Alpha Torak, but stay away from our village!!!" Ramez''s eyes were cold and still as if his expression was carved that way.


    However, Lyrus scowled upon hearing that statement. "What nonsense you are spouting!? Mate!? I have never heard Alpha Torak has mate!" He eyed the girl beside Ramez as he assessed her. "Don''t you know about the Donovan''s curse?! Moreover, why the Alpha is not here to collect her if she is our Luna?" He looked at Raine contemptuously.


    Ramez was squinted his eyes and glanced at Raine.


    Lidya wouldn''t lie about something like this, but Lyrus''s words was make senses too.

 Chapter 120 - METANOIA (16)

    Ramez looked down at Raine, whose height wasn''t higher than his shoulder, and asked sternly. "What are you for Alpha Torak?"


    Raine glanced at Lyrus one more time before she answered Ramez''s question in low voice. "I¡­ I am his mate¡­" Her voice was barely a whisper, if it wasn''t because both parties have unexceptional hearing ability, no one would be able to hear her.


    "Nonsense!" Lyrus scoffed. "A weak creature like guardian angel is our Luna?! How dare you claim that position?!"


    Raine was startled and took step back because of the menacing growl that those werewolves produced.


    "But¡­. I am his mate¡­" Raine said stubbornly as she stilled her heart and adamant with her statement.


    Torak had told her many times about this and his action proved it countless times, so Raine was certain about this. Besides, this was the only way, which Raine was able to think in this unexpected turn of event, for her to be free from this strange place.


    Raine thought Torak would be here and, like usual, he would settle everything then brought her away.


    However, even though Raine had said that she was Torak''s mate, the lycan in front of her was not convinced, this was the first time also for Raine to meet with Lyrus.


    "Alpha Torak''s mate? Our Luna?!" Lyrus scowled when he heard that. "I don''t remember that Alpha Torak has a mate!" He looked at Raine with derision.


    The situation was getting out of hand, while Raine stubbornly claimed that she was Torak''s mate, Lyrus was saying with the utmost certainty that she wasn''t.


    Despite her trembling voice and her body said she was afraid of Lyrus and most of the Werewolves in front of her, but the girl stood her ground with her statement.


    "ENOUGH!" Lyrus roared, with his words, Raine almost tripped on her own feet and hid behind Ramez''s back, she cowered away.


    Upon seeing her like that, Aeon became more aggravated and trying to struggle from the shadow tendrils that coiled his body from his fellow shadow warrior.


    "Give us all the guardian angel and we will leave this place without harming anyone, otherwise, you don''t want to know about what would happen next." That was a warning and Lyrus meant his every word. "Including her." He nodded toward Raine''s direction, who was hiding behind Ramez''s back.


    "There is no harm by asking Alpha Torak if he is not missing his mate!" Ramez''s voice was deep and dangerous as he held Lyrus''s gaze. "I know how important ''mate'' for your kind! Especially for an Alpha!" He suggested, but his confidence slightly waver by how Lyrus didn''t even bother to think about this possibility.


    Or¡­ probably Raine was lying¡­


    Ramez glanced at Raine behind his back and watched her lips were trembling with fear, but there was stubbornness in her eyes, should anyone ask about her statement earlier, she would say the same things over and over again.


    "I don''t need to ask for something like this!" Lyrus showed his canines. "If she is Alpha Torak''s mate, so why the Alpha is not here to pick her up?"


    "But, you forgot the fact that guardian angel will never lie with their words!" Ramez retorted.


    With a nonchalant shrug, Lyrus said in matter of fact tone. "Then, it will be only one explanation." He gave Raine a wolfish smile when the girl peeked from Ramez''s back. "The Alpha is too ashamed to have a mate from your kind. A guardian angel" He said the last sentences with mockery laced in his word.


    Guardian angel was strong spiritually, however their true nature to be so softhearted was one thing that those Werewolves despised the most.


    Ramez''s veins were bulging because of the anger that he tried to suppress.


    "Ramez, you are just wasting our time by doing this!" The pitch in his voice was getting higher as he became more impatient. "Give us all the guardian angel now!"


    The menacing growl from those Werewolves mixed with the wind and filled the white vast land, everyone was on their verge of tension.


    "NO!!!" Ramez roared back, he rejected to obey the order, in spite of the fact that those wolves were stronger and outnumbered them, they refused to back down without a fight, they were warrior of shadow, their warrior''s blood couldn''t settle with the way they treated them. "Don''t make a big mistake because of your ignorance. If this girl is really your Alpha''s mate, you will doom to make this move on us!"


    The agreement between the shadow warriors and the guardian angel had been around for long time.


    "Your leader truly wants to ashamed your kind by spouting nonsense like this." Lyrus was squinted his eyes, but a devilish smirk rose on the corner of his lips. "Fine. I will give you what you want."


    With that being said, his eyes turned misty.


    Raine knew that kind of look because Torak would always be like that when he communicated with the other Lycans and werewolves through mind- link, something that only them that could understand.


    She watched as one of the werewolves ran on his four legs toward the other direction and not returned until a few minutes later.


    During that period of time, Ramez and his shadow warriors as well as Lyrus with his werewolves, were quiet, yet the tension was still in the air. This was suffocating enough to make one hard to breathe.


    "We have the answer that you want!" Lyrus scorned, he paused to see the slightly change on the expression of the shadow warrior. "The Alpha said to kill whoever claims to be his mate! There is no way he will accept a weak creature such as guardian angel as his mate!"


    The statement from Lyrus made uproar from both parties. The werewolves made an earth- shattering snarls as their canines elongated.


    "Aeon take her away." Ramez said his order in low voice as his expression hardened.


    With that remark, the shadow tendrils from Aeon''s body loosened.

 Chapter 121 - METANOIA (17)

    Raine was in disbelief with what she had just heard. Torak wanted to kill her? But why?


    Her body froze in shock, even when Aeon reached to her and engulfed her small body in his protective embrace firmly, Raine''s mind was still trying to discern the fact that Lyrus had told them.


    It was just a few days ago when Torak had risked everything only to be with her and how he wouldn''t let anyone or any creature that meant harm to be close to her, but now¡­


    He wanted to kill her? Did that even make senses?


    "Let''s go." Aeon said impassively in her ears when he managed to reach her in blink of an eye once he was released from the shadow tendrils.


    In the other hand, the battle between the two parties would occur soon.


    While the werewolves scattered around the shadow warriors and attack after attack had taken place in the vicinity, the shadow warriors conjured an image of wide and large shadow covered the whole ground, turned the afternoon into a midnight as those shadows also took those werewolves'' eyesight and turned them blind in this darkness.


    Raine wasn''t an exception as gradually she lost her ability to see, yet she still could feel Aeon''s arms around her waist. He carried her away from this chaotic situation.


    The only thing that indicated the battle was happening was the thunderous roars from both parties and the eerie sound of cracking bones.


    Raine tightened her grips on Aeon''s overcoat as he moved very fast, she almost felt like she was flying instead of running.


    "Stay here with the other." Aeon said to Raine as he put her down, he could feel the girl''s body was trembling, she was afraid and that was reasonable. With that softhearted like guardian angel, who wouldn''t?


    But, seeing Raine still clutched onto his clothes, slightly surprised him, and made him stayed a bit longer before Aeon cupped Raine''s little face and saw her eyes were still shut closed.


    "It''s alright, I will make sure that you are safe, I swear on my life." Aeon made an oath, bet his own life for the safety of the girl before his eyes, the girl that he barely knew, but he was ready to die for her.


    Raine opened her eyes and found Aeon''s obsidian eyes were staring at her worriedly and then she looked at around her as she recognized this place.


    Aeon had brought her to the Apricity River, the river that never froze even in the winter, Lidya told her about this a few days ago when she explained about how Raine had to be paired with one of the shadow warrior.


    However there was something different with this river¡­ something happened with this river¡­


    "Stay here and if the situation had been under controlled I will come to pick you up and we will go home together, alright?" Aeon looked at Raine right in the eyes, he wanted to make sure that his anxiousness about the situation right outside of the border line, didn''t leak from his expression and made Raine became more afraid.


    Yet, that wasn''t Raine''s concern right now.


    Her mind was still reeling from the shock of the news that Torak wanted to kill her. She didn''t believe that, Torak wouldn''t do something like that.


    Believing the fact that she was Torak''s mate and he would do anything for her, was difficult, but Torak had proven that countless time, he even moved to his enemy''s territory for her, but now to believe Torak wanted her to die, was something more absurd after what he had done.


    Raine didn''t answer Aeon and only stared through his shoulder to the woman behind him, who was fidgeting nervously.


    There was a familiar feeling that rose on Raine''s when she saw her, the feeling that she used to feel when she was still in the hospital or orphanage.


    Because Raine didn''t answer him, Aeon followed her line of sight and found Lidya was standing not too far from them. Dorian''s guardian angel hung her head very low as she avoided Raine'' eyes.


    That was a gesture of ashamed and guilty.


    She was the one who told the elder about Raine as Torak''s mate. However, that wasn''t totally her fault, in another way she was only saying the true while Raine also only stated the fact, however in this bizarre situation, seemingly there was nothing in the right place.


    "Stay with Lidya for meantime, alright?" Aeon kissed Raine''s forehead. "I will be back soon."


    Raine was caught out of guard, she didn''t see that coming. Aeon had just kissed her on her forehead and she wasn''t sure if she was fine with that¡­


    He shouldn''t have kissed her!


    And Raine didn''t like if there was someone else do something so intimate like that to her except Torak.


    After kissed her forehead, Aeon turned around and ran so fast to return to the border, leaving Raine, who was staring at his back with frowned between her eyebrows.


    Raine was standing there until she felt someone touched her hand and Lidya''s face appeared within her line of sight.


    "Raine¡­ let''s go to the bunker." Lidya said timidly. She was aware that she had wronged Raine.


    First she had forced Raine to accept the union between her and Aeon abruptly, and then she told Dorian and the Elder about what Raine had told her, that she was Torak''s mate.


    At that time, Lidya only thought about how to save the situation and even thought she knew how it would affect Raine, she still did that anyway.


    Raine looked at the hand that touched her and traced it back to Lidya''s face with her eyes. "You can show the way." She said quietly as she shook her hand from hers.


    "Raine, I know you are angry with me." Lidya grabbed her hand again and tried to make Raine to face her. "But, I meant good."


    "If you have done it, it just means that you meant it." Raine swatted her hand away.

 Chapter 122 - METANOIA (18)

    Lidya was surprised by the attitude that Raine showed to her, she could see the hostility from her eyes. How could a guardian angel has that kind of feeling?


    That wasn''t their nature.


    Raine wasn''t a beast or shape shifter, because those kinds were more aggressive and arrogant, she wasn''t a witch as well because witches were cunning.


    Lidya started to doubt Raine as a guardian angel, her attitude and behavior more inclined to humans rather than a guardian angel.


    But, the feeling that she felt from her and how Lucas had explained how he could find her in the dessert of no return, was irrefutable evidence.


    "Raine, I just told them what you have told me." Lidya tried to justify her action.


    Raine looked at Lidya and saw the remorse in her obsidian eyes. "Yes, I told you that, but wasn''t that you who said that I shouldn''t say it?" She furrowed her brows. "Fortunately there was nothing major that happened to me, but what if they decided to do more than just lock me inside the dungeon?"


    Lidya lowered her head once again and said something meekly. "I am sorry, I was just thinking how to save this village from those lycanthropes and because you were saying that you are Torak''s mate, I thought they came for you¡­ isn''t that what you want?" Lidya raised her head and looked at Raine. "¡­ return to your mate."


    Yes, that was exactly what Raine wanted, but something was wrong, something was totally going wrong. The fact that Torak wanted to kill her, didn''t sit right with her.


    He had done everything to make sure that she was safe, even when she was handed over to Serefina, Torak moved to the same city as her, and sent Jack to keep an eye on her.


    But, it was different now. In this place, not only Torak wanted to kill her, but he was also wanted to harm the whole village, weighed an unnecessary battle.


    What kind of place was this actually?


    Raine also wanted to know why Torak''s pack wanted to take all of the guardian angels? From what she heard, lycanthropes didn''t even bother with their existences, because they despised the weak creatures like them.


    But, why they suddenly changed their perspective?


    "We need to go from here." Raine didn''t say that she had forgiven her, however she had seen many people who were trying to hurt each other, directly or indirectly, to get what they wanted or for something that they thought was the right thing to do, and now Lidya wasn''t an exception.


    She was only another person who had treated her that way.


    But now, Raine didn''t want to stay there longer, if those lycanthropes really wanted to kill her and Torak didn''t even recognize her, than she couldn''t stay and wait to be slaughtered.


    Raine had seen how feral Torak could be when he let his beast took over and she didn''t want to be the target, no until she got the answer why Torak changed all of sudden.


    "Where is the bunker?" Raine asked Lidya, but the corner of her eyes caught the sight of the river. "The river froze." She stated. "But, you said the river will never freeze."


    "Yes, it happened since two days ago." Lidya stared at the river as well. "This had never happened before."


    When the people from the village knew about this, they began to panic, because their water supply came from this river only. Not to mention this absurdity happened along with the demand from the lycanthropes.


    No one knew what happened with the river and had no time to figure this out too.


    "We need to go." Lidya grabbed Raine''s hand again, but this time Raine let her to lead the way.


    Yet, before they could go far, an ear- splitting roar erupted, forced Raine and Lidya to stop their step and closed their ears with both hands.


    The roar last for long time and they couldn''t pinpoint from which direction its came from. It felt like they were surrounded by hundreds of Lycans as the erupting roar was reverberated and echoed in the air.


    Once it stopped, Lidya reached out to hold Raine. "Are you all right?" She asked with concern.


    "I am all right¡­" Raine nodded, but her eyes shifted from side to side, as if she was looking for the lycan who had made that clamorous sound, she hoped to see the beautiful white lycan that she knew, but she could find nothing.


    "There is fire¡­" Lidya pointed her hand at the direction to Raine''s left, her face suddenly turned pale and her fingers trembled.


    Raine turned to see the direction where Lidya was pointing and watched in horror when the fire was blazing with black and thick smoke soared high in the sky.


    A second ago, the fire was not there and now, it looked like the flame had almost burnt down the entire area.


    Looking around at the rest of the village, the same thing also happened in a blink of an eye.


    Raine felt like she was watching a television, where she switched the channel and watched fire news channel.


    Fire was everywhere, surrounded them¡­


    It was a horrible site, the village slightly glowed in a florescent orange border, whilst being attacked viciously by angry flames wiping out the burning houses that made of woods.


    Black dust hung in the air and soon invaded Raine and Lidya''s lungs as they stayed there.


    "This is a witch handcraft¡­" Lidya said, coughing. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to prevent herself from breathing the smoke.


    Raine grabbed Lidya''s hand and pulled her back to the river.


    But, as soon as she turned around she met with the figure that she knew.


    She was wearing a beautiful white overcoat with her short red hair was tied neatly under her nape, the color of her hair was akin to the flame that surrounded them.


    "Serefina¡­" Raine said her name dubiously, but the witch had her back faced her, so she didn''t realize that she was there.

 Chapter 123 - METANOIA (19)

    I know who I was this morning, but I have changed a few times since then¡­


    -Alice in Wonderland-


    *************


    "How do you know her name?" Lidya stared at Raine, her eyes opened wide, she looked afraid of her now. "Serefina is a witch that belong to the Donovan brothers¡­"


    Lidya looked at Raine with unexplainable feeling that constricted in her chest, and then she shifted her eyes to stare at the back of the woman not far from them.


    Lidya even didn''t know the real appearance of Serefina, except of her red hair that was well known among the creatures, but everyone knew her name as the most powerful witch in this realm, as Serefina had brought a bitter taste for every people'' tongue by only the mention of her name. She was no better than the Donovan brothers, in bad terms.


    "I have met her before." For more precise, Raine had met her four days ago, just a moment before she disappeared and found in this strange place. "She knows me, I will talk to her."


    However, Lidya hastily grabbed her hand to stop Raine and shook her head vigorously. "No, don''t go there, she probably could do something worse to us¡­" She took a glimpse of Serefina''s back view and felt chill rundown on her spine. "She could harm you¡­"


    Raine frowned.


    Serefina wouldn''t harm her, right? She knew her. Probably she was here to look for her.


    "No, she will not. She knows me." Raine tried to pry open Lidya''s fingers that clutched onto her overcoat. "If this fire is her doing, then I will ask her to stop."


    Raine casually words made Lidya cowered even more.


    Could she make the witch to stop? But, the witch only listened to the Donovan¡­


    "Raine¡­ don''t do it¡­" Lidya stubbornly clutched onto Raine. "She is not someone that you can approach casually."


    "Stay here, I will talk to her¡­" Raine was so eager to meet Serefina now and asked her a lot of question, but first of all, she needed to put off the fire.


    "But, Raine¡­" Lidya was hesitated to let Raine go and be near the witch.


    Probably because of the noisy sound from the chatter between Raine and Lidya, finally Serefina realized that she wasn''t the only person there.


    She was too occupied with the task at hand, so she wasn''t aware with her surroundings, she thought every shadow warrior were in the battle outside of the village while the guardian angel¡­ well, they wouldn''t be able to escape from this kind of fire.


    Wherever they hide, in the end, they would come out from their hiding place and it would be a lot easier to catch them all.


    However, the feeling of being approached made her alert and abruptly turned her back, to face the intruder.


    Yet, the moment she caught a glimpse of a girl in her brown overcoat, who was approaching her hesitantly, out of the blue, something dark covered her line of sight and shoved her away from where she was standing.


    Serefina felt her body was being lifted up and hung in the air before a second later she was being thrown to the cold river.


    The Appricity River that had never been frozen before, now was starting to form a thick ice on its surface that cracked the moment Serefina''s body collided with it.


    the veil of darkness kept her beneath the water, gave her a hard time to even said her spell or did her magic.


    Raine looked in horror when he saw the darkness under the frozen river, it moved and spun, spread and clotted, as if it was alive, trying to suffocate the person that trapped on it.


    Whipped her head to the other side, Raine found the source of the shadow, it was Aeon!


    "No, stop it! You will kill her!" Raine tried to stop Aeon, but she was immobilized by another shadow that coiled her body, kept her stayed in place. "No! Don''t kill her!" She shouted in panic.


    In this rate if Aeon kept doing that, Serefina would die! And Raine couldn''t let Serefina die! There was something that she needed from her and even though Serefinaoften treated her badly, but to kill her was going overboard.


    "Aeon! Stop it!" Raine cried desperately for Aeon to stop his action, but the shadow warrior turned deaf- ear at her plea.


    Raine could feel the shadow that coiled her body tightened and finally she fell on the ground, kept struggling to get free, with no avail.


    How she could fight something that she couldn''t even grasp?


    From her position, with her head rested on the ground, she could only see the surface of the river without knowing what was happening beneath it.


    However, it was Serefina, the witch wouldn''t get the title as the most powerful witch and be with the Donovan, if she let a lame shadow to take her down easily, Aeon needed more plan to tame her and suppressed her power.


    In no time, the calm river turned into a maelstrom as big waves formed on its surface.


    Droplets of water stopped mid- air, along with that, thousand tendrils soared and lashed out at Serefina''s direction, but was also stopped before it could touch her.


    An arrogant smirk, which Raine had seen many times, rose up at the corner of Serefina''s lips. She looked at Aeon triumphantly.


    Afterward, Serefina pivoted gracefully on the surface of the ice shards, as if she was weightless. Along with her movements, the current water under her turned into a vortex and climbed up the air like a waterfall.


    And then two things happened at the same time, the moment the waterfall, which Serefina had made, pouring down rapidly on Aeon and Raine, a shadow with a shape of spear pierced through the witch heart.


    Serefina groaned in pain when her body crashed on the surface of the water and blood gushed out from the hollow on her heart.


    Before Raine closed her eyes to ready herself from the impact of the falling water, she saw someone else controlled the shadow that had attacked Serefina.


    That shadow didn''t belong to Aeon, but someone else¡­

 Chapter 124 - METANOIA (20)

    I am there, waiting, watching, keeping to the shadows. But, when you need me, I will step out of the shadows and protect what''s mine.


    -Pinterest-


    **************


    The harsh stream hit Raine hard as the water started to suffocate her, she felt her chest burned in pain because of lack of the oxygen.


    The water flooded her lungs and it felt so painful.


    Raine couldn''t see anything and could hear nothing except the gurgling sound from her throat. She tried to move her arms and legs, but the coiled of the shadow around her body hindered her movement.


    Not only that, the shadow dragged her forward to go against the stream of the water, made it hard for Raine to keep her balance.


    When Raine''s conscious began to slip away, the water started to cease down and her body laid on the ground once again.


    "Raine¡­." Aeon called out her name worriedly and cradled her head in his arms. "Are you all right?"


    The shadow that wrapped her body slid down and disappeared, by then Raine was coughing hard, her throat was very sore.


    Aeon wiped the tears from the corner of Raine''s eyes and pulled her closer to him, resting her head on his broad chest.


    It was a good thing that she was still alive, he thought he had lost her.


    In the other hand, Raine struggled, wanted to get free from his arms, but Aeon held her so tight and she didn''t have enough energy to shove him away.


    Raine let him to do that for a little bit longer as she listened to his heart that beating fast, the corner of her eyes caught a glimpse of a ground part, which originally was a house, that had been burnt.


    The tip of that part was so sharp, Raine could easily stab by accident if it wasn''t because of the shadow that engulfed her body earlier made her to move to the other side.


    Aeon had protected her again.


    However, the catastrophe not yet passed, from the debris of burning buildings Raine and Aeon heard whimpering voices, from the sound of the way they dragged their feet, seemingly they were injured.


    That was the sound of the guardian angels, who had been hid in the bunker, but because of the fire they were running out to the open area.


    It wasn''t a wise decision either because a lot of werewolves had been waiting for them outside, sniffing the air to catch their scent and located their place.


    Because Aeon and Raine were surrounding with fire and the water soaked their body, their scent was barely could be smelled.


    They stayed there while listening to the screams and cries of those guardian angels, who were being hauled by the werewolves.


    If the werewolves were there that only meant one thing; there were no longer shadow warriors that blocked them.


    In another way to interpret their situation was; The shadow warriors had met their worst end.


    Raine raised her hand to cover her ears, to prevent her from hearing the agony in their voices. In some way Raine could relate their situation with her own experience a few years ago, when those nurses dragged her to the examination room.


    Examination room was one of the worst things that Raine had suffered when she was in the hospital, they thought no one would care for her and she was too crazy for someone to believe her words.


    Feeling Raine''s distressed, Aeon helped her to stand up. "Let''s go from here." He said in low voice as his eyes scoured their surroundings, be on the lookout for unwanted situations.


    "Lidya¡­" Raine peeked through her damp hair, the fire around them helped her to not shiver in cold water that soaked her clothes and body.


    Aeon Looked around him, earlier he returned with Dorian when their defense collapsed, but when they saw Raine was about to approach Serefina, and Aeon prevented her from getting any closer to the witch, that was the last time he saw Dorian and Lidya.


    "I don''t know where she is, but Dorian will keep her safe." Aeon said impassively and sighed in relief when Raine didn''t insist to find the other guardian angel.


    Raine was aware about their situation, it would only bring them trouble if she pressed the issue to find Lidya, moreover, she didn''t care about her that much either¡­ Raine only felt bad about the rest of the guardian angels.


    Yet, before Aeon could bring her away from this disaster, a ferocious yowl ruptured the atmosphere, sent chill down to everyone''s spine as they heard this.


    Even the werewolves whimpered in pain.


    That was a sign of Alpha.


    Only an Alpha blood could affect those werewolves by only their howl.


    "Shit!" Aeon cursed under his breath as his eyes stared in horror toward the thing that was happening behind Raine''s back.


    From his horrid expression, Raine could tell, whatever he was seeing now wasn''t a good news.


    Slowly, Raine turned her body and followed Aeon''s line of sight.


    A few meters away from them, where Serefina was being forced down to the bottom of the river and then gained her power and fought them back until someone conjured the shadow to pierce her heart, was standing on its four legs with fur that as soft and white as snow


    The white lycan roared in agony upon seeing the motionless body beneath him.


    It was Serefina, bleeding from the open wound on her chest, her fiery red hair covered her face, but Raine could see her skin had turned pale like she was dead, or¡­ did she die?


    The white lycan nudged softly at her body and licked her face, but there was no response from Serefina. The blood was still gushing out from her chest, smeared the snow under her.


    "Raine, we need to go, now!" Aeon hissed in alert when he witnessed the white lycan''s eyes turned red, red eyes wasn''t a good sign for lycan.


    That meant only one thing; there will be another death.

 Chapter 125 - METANOIA (21)

    The white Lycan¡­?


    Torak?


    But, there was something strange with the creature that was licking Serefina''s face while whimpering softly.


    That creature treated Serefina as if she was someone important to him, as if she was his mate.


    But, if the white lycan was Torak, Raine never recalled the moment he was being so intimate with Serefina, neither he cared and treated her with concern.


    Yet, when the understanding down on the white lycan, that the woman wouldn''t wake up again, no matter how hard he tried, he stopped his effort as his eyes turned bloody red, the same red color with the blood that stained his fur, Serefina''s blood.


    Even Raine was so scared to approach him, to confirm whether this creature was Torak or not.


    She had seen a dreadful scene when Torak lost himself to his beast, but she was sure that wasn''t the worst thing that he was capable to do.


    He could do more than that.


    And from the reaction when he realized Serefina was died, the way his canines elongated and he snarled, the imminent danger would happen soon.


    Raine was afraid of that lycan, the feeling was different from the moment when she was with Torak, even when he was in Lycan form. Probably because he didn''t recognize her or because the strange concern he showed to Serefina, but Raine felt unfamiliar with this lycan.


    Raine let Aeon to lead the way as they intended to leave the river area, to leave this village.


    However, before they could walk further, everything happened very fast just like a movie that was being fast forward.


    From the corner of Raine''s eyes, she caught a glimpse of something white dashed passing her and in a millisecond later, the white lycan had stood in front of them, snarling viciously.


    She had not yet recovered from her shock when shadow engulfed her body once again, and she was being shoved away along with a very loud growl.


    The animosity in the beast''s voice was very vivid, as if they could just die from hearing that.


    Raine watched in horror when the white lycan attacked and clawed viciously at Aeon, he snarled and bit every inches of Aeon''s body that he could reach. His sharp teeth tore Aeon''s flesh in one of his attack attempt.


    Aeon yowled in agony when the white lycan sunk his razor teeth onto his right thigh. He conjured a shadow right above the lycan and turned it into the shape of spear.


    But, before the shadow spear could pierce the lycan''s heart, like what had happened to Serefina, the lycan dodged it swiftly and kicked Aeon''s chest with his hind legs instead.


    Raine wanted to shout at the white Lycan, which she assumed was Torak, and stopped him.


    Yet, she was trapped in the shadow.


    Aeon wanted to keep her safe, away from the battle, but when he was badly injured and the white lycan dealt with his body as if it was a rag doll, the shadow that immobilized Raine started to loosen up.


    When Raine was freed from the shadow, her legs were to weak to bring her anywhere as she stayed in the same place, watching the horrific scene unfold.


    The white lycan roared and snarled at the lifeless body of Aeon, his sharp claws tore his overcoat and took a chunk of his flesh.


    When Aeon''s head turned at Raine''s direction and watched the girl was scared stiff with her obsidian eyes wide opened, he whispered to her, hoped she could read his lips. "Run. Go."


    The ferocious beast didn''t give Aeon another chance to say another word to Raine as he directed his steel grey claws, which extended from his large white paws, as its sparkled from the rising sun.


    Raine was flabbergasted, once that claws down on Aeon, he would be death. With his condition now, he wouldn''t be able to receive another blow.


    "NO!!!" Raine yelled on the top of her lungs, her voice screeched and laced with despair as her body moved on its own as if it has its own mind.


    Raine only felt cold wind scr.a.p.ed her skin, before she could realize what she did, she had crouched down beside Aeon, put herself between the beaten Shadow Warrior and the white beast.


    And something mystifying happened.


    The wind and fire stilled, the noisy sounds on the background was gone and the white beast stayed in his last position with his paws raised a few centimeters away from Raine''s head.


    This circ.u.mstance was too absurd to discern as if the time had stopped all of sudden and the world around Raine turned to be very quiet, even the wind froze.


    Raine blinked her eyes, staring at the large sharp claws above her head, without knowing that she had been holding her breath.


    When her chest tightened because and it felt like burned because of lack of oxygen, Raine found her composure and breathed slowly.


    As if the time also breathed along with her, the frozen moment proceeded to live.


    However, the time that resumed its flow brought calamity upon Raine, since the attack from the white Lycan meant for Aeon and Raine had interfered unintentionally, that put her on the line of the beast''s range attack.


    Raine closed her eyes, at this close distance, she had no chance to escape. She braced herself for the impact.


    The only thing that crossed her mind was the realization that she would die. She hoped this wouldn''t be so painful.


    Closing her eyes, she felt the excruciating pain on her head and her conscious began to fade as she welcomed the darkness that engulfed her once again.


    ==============


    Torak was sitting in his leather seat, inside his office while staring at the sun that was about to bloom on the horizon through floor to the ceiling windows.


    It was almost the time for Andromalius to come and tell him where was Raine.


    Torak knew he shouldn''t trust Serefina, not after how she neglected Raine''s safety. He would protect her in his own way.


    Moreover, he still didn''t know the witch''s hidden agenda to willingly come and give a helping hand. If it wasn''t because the old relationship between his brother and her, also Torak''s concern for Serefina''s theory about Raine being in his pack,  he wouldn''t let Serefina separated him from his mate.

 Chapter 126 - SHADOW REALM

    "Where is she?" Torak asked without turning his seat, he saw Andromalius''s figure in the reflection of the glass floor to the ceiling window.


    The fallen angel has no scent to smell, just like Belphegor and Lucifer, thus it was a bit harder to detect their presence.


    "Torak¡­" Andromalius sighed. "What on earth do you think am I? How can I find the girl within four hours?" He whined.


    Andromalius had just been chased away from Lucifer''s place and been threatened, only because Torak was looking for him.


    Not only that, his fa?ade as human for years also was ruined by Torak.


    This time Torak turned his seat as he gazed Andromalius in front of him with his black eyes, his canines slightly elongated due to the anger that he tried to suppress.


    Seeing the imminent danger that exuded from the Alpha because of his answer didn''t meet with his expectation, Andromalius raised both of his hands, gesturing he surrendered and meant no harm.


    Seriously, this city was his territory, so how it turned out to be like this? Both Torak and Lucifer didn''t give him any face!


    "Torak, I don''t even know who the girl is until now because you took her away from my territory without permission months ago! And now you ask me to find the girl that I don''t even know how she looks like within four hours?" Andromalius remarked incredulously. "Enlighten me please."


    Instead of answered his sarcastic plea, Torak stood up and prowled toward the fallen angel.


    "What? I am just talking the truth." Andromalius put down his hand and readied to defend himself if necessary, the moment Torak decided to attack him.


    However, he walked past him and only said a curt sentence. "Follow me." With that he opened the door of his office and walked out of the room without checking whether Andromalius would follow him or not.


    Of course, he would follow, what choice that he has now?


    Andromalius was standing between the beast and the Prince of Darkness, both sides were too difficult to please.


    Reluctantly, Andromalius followed the Alpha, though he didn''t know where they would go, at the very least he wouldn''t have the mind to kill him, right?


    He left the office as the sunlight filled the room with mellow blues and yellows blurred together in silver mist, rising from the horizon while the sky remained vivid and powerful.


    ==============


    This was another strange feeling that Raine felt when she moved her body, but this time, she was able to see through the thick darkness as if she has a feline vision.


    She was laying on the floor, or, that what was she thought because she didn''t know where she was exactly.


    Raine grunted and tried to sit down while assessing her surroundings, however, there was nothing around her, not even a wall.


    The atmosphere not humid neither cold, but in this spacious space there wasn''t a breeze of wind as well.


    This place was too big and quiet.


    Was this after life?


    Raine remember that the white lycan had attacked her and clawed the side of her head. She also recalled a brief bizarre moment when the time stopped.


    What was that? And where was she now?


    Raine raised her hand and touched her head, she thought she would find dry blood on her hair, but there was nothing there.


    Her hair was as smooth as usual.


    Raine tried to touch the side of her face, where the lycan had attacked her, but there was nothing. There were no wounds there, afterward she brought her hand in front of her face to scrutinize it, yet there was no blood or dirt on her palm.


    Strange¡­


    Only then she felt someone approached her, the feeling of being staring at.


    Raine whipped her head to look behind her only to see the face that she knew.


    "Aeon?" Her voice slightly scratchy because of nervousness and dubious. "Aeon is that you¡­?" Raine wanted to approach him, but a little bit afraid with the shadow tendrils around him.


    "This is me Raine." Aeon moved closer toward her and the tendrils of shadow around him ceased down, he reached out his hand to help her stand up. "You are safe, we are safe here."


    Raine took his hand and used it to balance herself when she stood up, she was a bit tired and her legs were slightly shaking. "Where are we?" Once again, she attempted to find out where they were, but still clueless.


    However, since Aeon was there, she felt a bit relax that both of them were safe.


    "This is a shadow realm." Aeon explained.


    "Shadow realm?" Raine reiterated. What was that again? "You brought us here?" She was at lost, with the whole situation, was this another world again? How she could jump from one dimension to another?


    "Not us, it is only you." Aeon said as he led her to walk forward.


    Raine abruptly stopped walking and made Aeon turned back to look at her. He saw the girl furrowed her brows as her obsidian eyes were staring at him in confusion.


    "I know it is very confusing for you, but you are the one who had brought yourself to the moment where the lycanthropes took away all the guardian angel and slaughtered all shadow warrior." Aeon grabbed Raine''s hands and squeezed them gently. "The thing that you just experienced is an event that happened hundreds of years ago."


    Raine took her hands from Aeon''s grasp as she stepped back. "Hundreds of years ago? How could that possibly happen?"


    The word ''confused'' wouldn''t be able to describe what Raine felt right now.


    "I don''t know, you are the one who made that happen." Aeon stretched out his arms and pulled Raine closer to him. "Regardless how you did that, I am just grateful that you are fine now, I really don''t want you to experience that again."


    "Again?" Puzzlement had clouded Raine''s mind as she couldn''t think straight and let Aeon to hold her like that. "What do you mean with again?"

 Chapter 127 - SHADOW REALM (2)

    All I dream is for our shadows to spend a little more forever together.


    -Atticus-


    **************


    "You have experienced that before." Aeon caressed Raine''s long, black hair gently as if he had been longing to do that for long time. "I am glad you are here now."


    Such statement perplexed Raine further.


    "Experience that before¡­?" Raine tried to let the words sunk in her understanding, but was still hard to discern. "Do you mean¡­ I am dead?" And here was the afterlife? However, seemed like that wasn''t the case¡­


    "No, Raine¡­" Aeon shook his head, but the way he talked next filled with doubt. "Because you are here now, that shouldn''t be the case."


    All this mystery made Raine''s mind reeled, she had just accepted the reality that there were other creatures that lived alongside with human and the fact that she was someone''s mate, she didn''t complain about the last one, actually she was grateful to be Torak''s mate.


    However, the situation soon escalated into this complicated conundrum.


    Raine even didn''t know how she should react upon this, she raised her head and stared at Aeon without words, implored for him to talk more about that.


    "You had experienced that before, Raine, those events were real." Aeon emphasized his words.


    "Are we talking about reincarnation¡­?" In this point, Raine was open with all the possibilities. "I remember the pain when the lycan clawed at me¡­" Her body shuddered involuntary.


    "The lycan indeed intended to kill you, I saw he clawed at you right before my very eyes." Aeon''s arms around Raine''s body tightened. "But, something happened and you just disappeared into thin air."


    That was also the last thing that Raine remembered before she lost her consciousness.


    Were those parts of the incident related to each other?


    "I am the reincarnation of guardian angel?" Even when Raine stated that, it felt unreal for her. Was that possible?


    Aeon''s face slightly tensed. "I don''t know about reincarnation, but I do hear about your resurrection." He corrected his words. "The guardian angel resurrection."


    Resurrection¡­


    The words didn''t settle well with Raine as she realized the question that she should ask. "What happened to those guardian angels?" She asked with voice that barely a whisper.


    Seeing Aeon''s expression when she asked that, Raine wasn''t sure if she wanted to hear the answer.


    "They were dead." Aeon said curtly.


    There was a thick silence that stretched between them until Raine struggled to get free from Aeon''s arms. She needed more space.


    "Dead?" That words left a bitter taste in her mouth. "They were killed by¡­" Raine tried to swallow her fear when she talked again. "¡­lycan?"


    "Those lycans sapped guardian angel essence without mercy, and yes, they were dead because of that."


    Raine took two steps back as if Aeon was saying he would kill her, and not the other way around.


    "I don''t believe you." Raine gasped in disbelief.


    "You don''t mean that word, Raine." Aeon took a step closer to her, but Raine was adamant to put distance between them. "You are just in denial. You saw it with your own eyes and experienced it directly how that lycan had tried to kill you."


    "You said it yourself that the lycans are too arrogant to use that method to gain power." They despised the guardian angel, so why they did that?


    "If you don''t believe me, why don''t you ask Torak? He and his brothers were the one who initiated the attack of the village of angel." Aeon stopped approaching Raine and stated firmly about that.


    It was true that the Donovans was the caused of the downfall of the guardian angel and the shadow warrior.


    Raine hugged herself as her body was shivering. There would be explanation for Torak''s action for doing that, right?


    But, what the reason for him to do that?


    "I want to go back." Despite her trembling voice, Raine''s eyes showed that she meant her words. "Bring me back to Torak."


    She didn''t want to hear Aeon''s words any longer, she didn''t want to question Torak.


    He was the first person who approached her without meant any harm on her, she didn''t want to doubt him.


    "Do you still think of him as your mate, don''t you?" Aeon squinted his eyes, disappointment was written all over his face. "I meet you first." There was a sadness in his voice.


    For some reason, Aeon, who was standing in front of Raine was more emotional and unstable compared to Aeon that Raine had met in the village of angel.


    "Aeon, I don''t even know you¡­" Raine became uncomfortable, she looked around her as if she was searching for an escape route.


    However, there was nothing escape an endless dark in this strange huge space.


    "He is not your mate Raine, you are free to decide." Aeon said. "Just because the moon Goddess bestowed you as his mate, it doesn''t mean the mate bond works on you the same way as it affects Torak. You don''t feel the same pull as him."


    "I don''t care about the mate bond!" Raine shouted, she didn''t want to hear anyone talked bad about Torak. He wasn''t a bad person! "As long as he wants me, that''s enough."


    Aeon shook his head regretfully. "Of course you care, do you think Torak will keep you by his side if it''s not because you are his mate?" He stated the fact. "He would have killed you like what he had done centuries ago."


    Aeon''s words pointed out the truth and this hit Raine hard.


    Raine would stubbornly take Torak''s side if she had not yet experienced the cruelty of him in that village, but now¡­


    Raine didn''t want to admit it¡­


    If she wasn''t Torak''s mate, then what he would do to her? If one day the mate bond between them disappeared¡­ would he treated her the same?


    "I don''t know why and how are you able to go back to the past, but have you ever thought, there might be a reason behind it?" Aeon continued to talk.


    "What the reason?" Raine asked skeptically.


    "So, you will learn your origin and who you can trust."

 Chapter 128 - ON THE VERGE OF LOSING HIS TEMPER

    I have never been so scared of losing something in my entire life, then again nothing in my life has ever meant as much to me as you do.


    -Pinterest-


    **************


    "I can trust him." Though Raine said it firmly, but in her heart, there was a doubt that started to grow. Would Torak manipulate her? But, for what?


    She had no used for Torak. What did he get from keeping her by his side?


    Upon hearing Raine''s firm answer, Aeon''s eyes cast down. "By time, you will see how much you can trust him and how long you can endure his cruelty."


    "He is not cruel." Raine wanted to shout at Aeon to stop talking that way about Torak, but she couldn''t, she had witnessed how cruel Torak could be.


    And the question remained¡­


    How if the mate bond wasn''t there? What if suddenly it disappeared?


    "Let me go to him, I want be with him." Raine pleaded earnestly. She didn''t know what would Torak become one day, but being with Aeon didn''t feel right for her.


    The look of defeated crossed Aeon''s expression as he lowered his head. "I will let you go to see, what kind of monster Torak is."


    And with that being said, Aeon took steps back until the shadow consumed his entire body.


    ==============


    Torak dashed at breakneck speed toward the apartment where Raine and Serefina occupied in his lycan form.


    Since the fire had been put out, police line was covered almost the entire area and in front of the lobby, there were several polices standing while interrogating the denizen of the apartment about the fire last night.


    No one could see him in his lycan form as he climbed the stairs within second to reach Raine''s flat.


    By now, this was almost twelve hours since Raine had disappeared and Torak was on the verge of going berserk.


    Once he stepped inside the room, his bone dislocated and he stood on his hind legs before his human form was standing there and scrutinized the room.


    There were more damages inside this room as a result of him went out of control last night. The source of fire was from Serefina, she used the fire magic to protect herself from Torak''s wrath.


    Not only fire, the evidence of him battled his Beta was also there.


    "She disappeared inside this room." Torak said impassively the moment Andromalius appeared from thin air, right beside him.


    "Alpha, don''t you consider to tell me the identity of this girl that you are looking for? Probably it will help me to find her." Andromalius had tried to ask Lucifer the same question only to be regarded with another mystery because he refused to explain about Raine any further.


    It was pain in the ass to be involved with these two crazy creatures!


    Torak''s dark eyes glared at him, he was too talkative for his own good. "Find her now." His voice was dangerously low, though his expression was devoid from any emotion, but this was a perfect depicted of the words; calm before storm.


    Andromalius relented and walked around the room before he stopped at the sofa that was badly charred, he touched it and mumbled something incoherent.


    Torak knew what it was. In spite it had been a long time since the last time he heard someone chanted that ancient language.


    This brought unpleasant memories to the front of his mind. To the moment where the battle between the Lycanthropes and the devil took place.


    He didn''t fond of that memories, as much as he wanted to get rid of that, he couldn''t help when the pictures of that devastation moments became more vivid.


    After Andromalius chanted his charm, he turned around to look at Torak with furrowed between his brows. "What creature exactly this girl?" His question laced with dubious and suspicious. "She is not a human, isn''t she?"


    "Did you manage to find her location?" Ignoring Andromalius''s question, Torak asked the most important thing for him now.


    Andromalius was known for his ability to track things or person, that was why Torak turned to him to find Raine.


    He didn''t trust the witch neither he wanted to hand this matter to another person, including his Beta. He would find his mate at any cost and settled things with Serefina.


    "Talk." Torak ordered icily. Andromalius had been asking too many questions for his liking.


    "If you in need for help, you shouldn''t treat your savior that way Alpha." Andromalius said in mocking tone, his fickle personality would irritate anyone who had to face him. "I am still the one who hold the authority here, because this is my territory."


    A moment ago, he was all submissive and showed his respect toward Torak, but a moment later he would challenge the Alpha with c.o.c.ky attitude, regardless the situation or the person that he was facing.


    Torak wasn''t in the mood for courtesy and another question, let alone a lecture from him. He needed to find Raine immediately as he felt his beast was clawing on the edge of his consciousness, prowling in his head as it entertained itself with wild imagination of ripping Andromalius''s head away from his body.


    Holding onto a tiny bit of the remaining of his patient, Torak moved dangerously fast and then has Andromalius''s neck in his grasp in blink of an eye in the next second.


    Even Andromalius himself was shock by his sudden move. "I know where she is, if you kill me, you will not know where she is." He bargained with his life. "Well, not to mention that you can''t kill me."


    Andromalius smirked triumphantly at Torak, there was nothing he could do now right? What else Torak would do if he couldn''t threaten him with his life?


    However, Torak was well aware about this, the fallen angel was immortal creature after all.


    Thus, knowing that, Torak squeezed hard Andromalius''s neck, he did that with ease, not even a hesitation fleeting from his dark eyes.


    Andromalius, who didn''t see this coming, stared at Torak in disbelief, his eyes were bulging on their socket as Torak snapped his neck into two.

 Chapter 129 - RAINES WHEREABOUTS

    I keep it real because I am not afraid to make enemies.


    **************


    Torak let Andromalius lifeless body fell on the floor, his eyes were icy cold when he turned around and found Andromalius had been standing a few meters away from him, alive, or at least as alive as the devil could.


    His dark eyes stared at Torak with every hatred that he could muster.


    Meanwhile, in second, Andromalius lifeless body on the floor that had been killed by Torak disappeared into dust as if there was nothing there in the first place.


    "Damn you Lycan!" Andromalius cursed Torak while holding his neck. "I can''t die, but doesn''t mean I can''t feel the pain!"


    Despite became an immortal, who couldn''t die, but absolutely being killed wasn''t a pleasant experience either.


    Damn it this lycan!


    "I am done with you!" Andromalius scoffed.


    He was really upset to be treated like that by Torak, also Lucifer, his fellow devil, in his own territory. It supposed to be him, who called the shot not the other way around.


    Screw them all! Just because he has a remarkable tracking ability, didn''t mean they could treat him like a sniffer dog!


    This was a big mistake, he shouldn''t come to meet Torak earlier and he should just ignore him, but that was impossible because¡­


    "Once you take another step, I will ruin all of your business and hunt down your minion." Torak didn''t raise his voice or he used a threatening tone.


    But, he would do exactly what he said for sure.


    And Andromalius was aware about this, how crazy this lycan could be once he determined to do something.


    As an immortal, Andromalius had been running many dirty businesses that had been rooted for years, one of advantages for having many fa?ade and faces that he could use.


    And for Torak to ruin his business?


    With his own business empire, The Alpha was more than capable to do that.


    As for his minion, it would create a disaster in supernatural realm once Torak mobilized his Lycanthropes and werewolves.


    Probably, there would be many creatures disagreed with his decision, to bring calamity in this peaceful era after the great war between Lycanthropes and the devil, but Torak would always find a way to make things happened.


    He was a damned creature after all.


    Andromalius put down his hand from his neck and glared at the lycan, who was still standing unwavering in the middle of the room, a serpent slicked his scaly body and climbed on Andromalius arm as its red tongue licked the air.


    "You sure don''t want to make this easy, do you?" Andromalius caressed the head of his black serpent and continued. "Whoever this girl, she will be your downfall one day." There was a warning in his voice.


    However, Torak didn''t care much about that, Raine would never be his downfall, but if he had to fall, he would bring as many of his enemies as he could with him to ensure Raine''s safety.


    "You are not a Nostradamus devil." Torak remarked coldly, his eyes flickered with the color of red. He was running out of patient and his beast had been banging his head to take this matter to the worst case.


    If he should, he would kill Andromalius thousand times until he spilled any information about Raine''s whereabouts.


    This was his biggest mistake for letting his mate to be away from him.


    "Whoever this girl is, the flow of time around her stopped when she disappeared." Andromalius yielded after he calculated the advantage and disadvantage of offending him, and decided that offending Torak in his current state wasn''t a good move. "I don''t know when she would appear again though, but one thing for sure, she would appear in the place that has deep memories for her."


    Andromalius himself also surprised by this fact, he had never known that was a creature who capable to manipulate the time.


    This precious creature piqued his interest as well. Now, Andromalius eagerly wanted to know who was Raine and why the devil and the lycan made a fuss over her.


    "I know nothing more except that!" Andromalius raised both of his hands high in the air exaggeratedly under Torak vicious glared, he could literally feel his distrust, while the serpent in his arm hissed. "Geez, you give me nothing about that girl, but now you want me to give you more information? Not to mention that you have blocked all the sources of information about her." Andromalius whined.


    Torak casted a long glanced at Andromalius before he fished out his phone from his trousers and dialed a series of familiar numbers, the same number that had been calling him these past three hours.


    Someone from the other line picked up the phone in the second ring.


    "Alpha." Raphael''s anxious voice came from the phone. "Where are you?"


    "Send me the address of Raine''s house." After some thought, Torak added. "Also, her foster family address and the hospital where she was admitted."


    "Right away Alpha, but¡­" Before Raphael could talk another words, Torak had given him another order.


    "Send a few people to stand guard there." Torak said in stern voice, he didn''t want Raine to visit any of those places because he knew what kind of dreadful things that she had been through there. "Also the orphanage."


    With that being said, Torak cut off the line and put back the phone into his pocket, ignoring the incoming call from his Beta.


    "I will find you again if this doesn''t work." Torak said to Andromalius before he leaned forward and turned into his lycan form with an eerie sound of bones dislocated.


    The white Lycan disappeared from Andromalius''s sight in a matter of second.


    "Shifter." Andromalius caressed the black serpent body while saying in mocking tone. "Filled with their pride and arrogance, I would like to see their downfall. But who the hell is this girl?" Andromalius talked to himself as he looked at around the messy room.

 Chapter 130 - MADLY LOOKING FOR HER

    ''Cause I don''t wanna lose you now


    I am looking right at the other half of me


    The vacancy that sat in my heart


    Is a space that now you hold


    -Mirror, by : Justin Timberlake-


    **************


    Torak arrived at the house where Raine had lived for eight years before the horrible night that took away her parents and turned her as an orphan.


    This house has not been occupied for a long time, the roof of the house had collapsed and the weeds have flourished in the yard, while the old house was no more than a shack on its foundation.


    Dust and dirt laid over every surface.


    The house had been abandoned in great depression with horrendous rumors became part of it. When the land around it had become a dust bowl there had been no point for staying or trying to sell it when the rightful owner was in the asylum.


    Torak could assume no one had been living there since Raine''s family was killed, probably that was one of the reasons why no one lived there now.


    He took steps forward returned into his human form, he didn''t know how Raine''s condition now, if she was really inside the dilapidated house, but the last thing that he wanted was to scare her, though Raine had seen his Lycan form a few times, just in case¡­


    Torak stood in what was once the terrace and closed his eyes, trying to catch the scent that only belong to his mate, but he smelled nothing in the air except the odor of the neglected house.


    The door creaked open when he pushed it, once he was inside, a thick coating of dust and mold coated everything, cobwebs were in the every corner of the house.


    There was nothing there. Not even a voice that belonged to human.


    Raine wasn''t there.


    In spite of that fact, Torak was still stubbornly looking for every corner of the room, opened its every door and checked every part until he was sure Raine wasn''t there.


    The last room that he entered was Raine''s room. Her childhood room.


    On the table beside the small bed, there was a picture of Raine, which was still clearly visible, in one of the frames.


    Torak took out the photo and cleaned the dust from its surface, so he could see his mate''s face in her seven or eight years old.


    Raine was an adorable little girl with long black hair that tied up atop her head. In the picture, she laughed happily, the kind of laugh that Torak had never seen before.


    He stroke Raine''s face in the picture softly as if he was caressing Raine.


    Where are you, my love?


    His inner beast let out a low, feeble sound as the pain of losing his mate spread through his veins, clutching his heart tightly, the kind of uncomfortable pain that he had never experienced before.


    Torak put the photo inside his pocket carefully as he felt someone was approaching him, he didn''t turn alert as he recognized the scent.


    It was Jack, the Lycan, who should protect Raine and kept his eyes on Serefina, but failed in both missions. He shouldn''t be here and led the werewolves to watch this place.


    "Alpha." Jack called out to Torak with voice that filled with fear and guilt, he deserved to feel that after what he had happened.


    Jack walked closer with his head hung low. The memory of how Torak almost ended his life flashed before his eyes once again, but stubbornly he didn''t back away.


    "Pay close attention here." Torak said with impassive voice and face that devoid from any emotions. He could punish Jack later, but his mate couldn''t wait, no, he was the one who couldn''t wait to find her.


    After saying that, Torak walked away from inside the room, leaving Jack to breath with relief.


    ==============


    The second place that Torak visited was the hospital where Raine was admitted for three years when she was only thirteen years old.


    This time Calleb was there and Torak also could smell the faint scent of Raphael in the air.


    "Alpha." Calleb approached him, from his tired and worry expression it was evidence that the Gamma had been looking for him this entire night and noon. "Raphael is inside to take care of the permission, so we could search the entire building." The Gamma hastily explained.


    "Permission?" Torak was squinted his eyes dangerously, in this kind of situation, he didn''t need permission.


    In his current state, Torak wouldn''t wait for those insignificant people to give him permission and slowed him down.


    Torak didn''t stop to listen to Calleb next words as he strode toward the entrance and pushed open the glass door.


    His senses only focused on one thing, any sign of his mate, whether it was her scent, voice or anything that indicated she was there.


    A nurse in his light blue uniform approached Torak with perplexed expression.


    "Sir, if you want to visit someone, please heading toward the receptionist area. This place is restricted only for staff." The female nurse tried to catch up with Torak long strides, she was half running when she grabbed Torak''s hand. "Sir, you are not allowed here." She said sternly this time.


    "Miss, we have asked permission to search the entire building." Calleb tried to save the nurse from Torak''s wrath.


    The situation would turn ugly and hardly could control, once Torak lost his patience and hurt the female nurse.


    They didn''t need an open murder scene here.


    However, the nurse didn''t know about that nor she followed the recent news about Torak Donovan, who had just invested a huge sum of money to run his business in this city. All she knew was; she felt responsible for her duty. "I have not heard about that yet." She looked Calleb, but still pestering Torak. "Please stay here until I confirm that." The nurse tried to talk to Torak once again.


    "Alpha." Calleb reached out his hand and grabbed Torak''s hand, trying to make him stay. Raphael was working on this.


    They could just barge in, but there were rules that they had to follow, especially when they had to face human.


    But, there was nothing could stop Torak now. Not even the consequences that he had to bear, if the worst case should happen.


    Torak swatted Calleb''s hand from his, even before he could touch him, and kept walking, pushed open the door, which hung the sign that aside from the staff, this part of the hospital was forbidden to enter, and disappeared behind the white door.


    The nurse''s eyes bulged largely as she shouted. "Sir, you can''t go there!"


    Her voice alarmed the security guards nearby as the two of them rushed toward the scene, just in time when the nurse hastily pushed open the door to catch up with Torak, but then she stood still, stunned.


    The nurse blinked her eyes a couple of time to clear her vision, because the fact was; no one was there.


    This part of the hospital was a hallway with only a few locked rooms on both sides and the keys were held by senior staff there, and also it was too far and long for Torak to reach the other door in matter of second.


    "Where is he?!" The nurse screeched in shock. "Where is he?!" She turned her head to look at Calleb.


    "What happened here?" One of the security guards looked at the nurse and Calleb questioningly, before he warned the man in suite. "Sir, you are not allowed here."


    Calleb didn''t heed his warning, as he was standing right behind the nurse, his tall figure could easily looked past her head to the hallway and stared at the corridor.


    "I don''t know miss." Calleb shrugged his shoulder while looking at the white lycan that had just reached the other side of the door when he was talking to the nurse. "I am right behind you." He said in matter of fact tone.


    "Impossible." The nurse shook her head in disbelief as she looked back to the empty corridor. "He was there a second ago! He just opened the door and I came right after him!" The pitch of her voice was raising histericaly.


    "Someone went inside?" The two security guards hastily walked past the nurse and checked. "Where is he?"


    However, their face turned pale, especially the nurse, when they turned her head and Calleb had disappeared as well.

 Chapter 131 - SHE WAS THERE, IN HER UNPLEASANT MEMORIES

    It was instinctive, the way I fell for you. Like an effortless intake of breath.


    -Josh Walker-


    **************


    Calleb turned into his lycan form when no one from the three of the people in front of him paid attention to him.


    He dashed to follow Torak while informing Raphael about what had just happened.


    The Gamma could feel the frustration from the Beta through the mind link, apparently he was in the middle of something with one of the hospital board of directors, in about two minutes, Raphael would gain the permission, so they could search the entire building legally.


    However their Alpha wouldn''t wait for that two minute of time, he just did things on his own. Nonetheless, both of them should be grateful enough that Torak didn''t make things harder for them by letting his beast took control.


    [Follow him.] Raphael gave Calleb an order. [Make sure he doesn''t make a careless move, we are surrounded by people now.] He warned him as he looked at the man in front of him.


    The man was the board director of the hospital, currently he was making a phone call to his staff to grant Raphael''s demand, aside he didn''t know why Torak Donovan''s right hand man was requesting for this, but to be in good side of Torak Donovan would benefit him either way.


    [I am on it.] Calleb replied as he sniffed the air, looking for the scent of Torak with his nose. The Alpha was too fast for him, he couldn''t catch up with him on time.


    [I will be on my way there.] Raphael ended the mind link with Calleb and turned his attention toward the man that had put down the phone.


    "Please over here Mr. Lockwood, I will be very glad to show you around this hospital." The man opened the door and held it for Raphael. "Though I am not sure there is something interesting in this place."


    "You will not know." Raphael answered him humbly.


    ==============


    Torak dashed past the room after room to look for any sign of Raine.


    As he was there, he witnessed how some of the people treated the patient unfairly and in inhuman way.


    Most of the patients who received that kind of treatment were those people who lived at the backside in the south wing of the hospital. It was an abandoned place with dirty cell for each patient, where the patients, who had neglected by their family, stayed.


    Not only they were not treated well, but they also were not given a proper clothes and foods. Inside the cold cell, they only relied on themselves to warm their body.


    Some of the patient would stay at the corner of the cell and some of them would shout and scream maniacally.


    The nurses didn''t help, but made their condition became worse by torturing them. Just like what the man had done toward Raine in the video that he watched months ago, when Raine was still in his pack.


    But, the most horrible truth for Torak was; two years ago, Raine was one of them.


    This fact didn''t settle well with Torak as he let out a low dangerous growl, he really wanted to bite off the head of the nurse who had tortured his mate.


    He would do that once he found him!


    Torak circled that place twice until Calleb arrived, the big grey wolf stayed a bit far away from his Alpha as he could sense the foul mood from him.


    Calleb wouldn''t confront Torak and act like super hero like Raphael had done when he saved the witch, Serefina, that night, only to stop the Alpha.


    He didn''t have the ability and was two ranks lower than the Alpha. However, even if he was an Alpha as well, Torak was still the supreme Alpha.


    There was no way to make Torak to listen to Calleb, hence the Gamma only tailed him without making any noise.


    [Raph, when you will get here? The Alpha is very scary.] Calleb shuddered lightly when he looked at Torak''s red eyes. [I think his beast takes control now.]


    [I will be there in a second.] Raphael said hastily.


    Only now, Calleb realized that Torak''s eyes had turned into bloody red, the beast had been released and now they could only hope Raine would be found soon.


    When Raphael was tailing the white lycan, suddenly he stopped and raised his snout, smelling something in the air.


    The grey wolf also did the same, he needed longer time to distinguish the scent.


    The only scent that could make Torak''s inner demon was at peace.


    The only scent that belonged to her¡­


    ==============


    A second ago, Raine was staring at Aeon that his entire body was engulfed with his own shadow as if the darkness consumed him.


    She just wanted to reach out her hand to pull Aeon back, when she felt a sudden pulled from behind her back and out of the blue a blinding light covered her vision as the floor beneath her feet suddenly disappeared.


    Raine tried to grab anything that she could reach, but there was nothing except an empty air around her.


    She closed her eyes tightly, prepared herself for the impact, until she felt something solid under her and the feeling of falling stopped.


    Raine''s breath was short and shallow as she tried to open her eyes carefully, she hoped she wasn''t stranded in different era again.


    The dim light from the lamp above her greeted her eyes, welcoming her vision to observe the room.


    This place was very familiar with her.


    She knew this place like the back of her hand, because this place would often appear in her nightmare.


    The place that she didn''t want to visit even in her dream¡­


    And there, not far from her, that man was standing in front of a girl in white gown, smoking his cigarettes.


    Later on, when he has done, he would approach the girl and extinguished the cigarettes on the girl''s arm, the same way like he always did toward Raine years ago.

 Chapter 132 - A BEAUTIFUL WHITE LYCAN

    Oh the past it haunted me


    Oh the past it wanted me dead


    Oh the past it tormented me


    Oh the past is hunting me


    -I am still here, by: SIA-


    **************


    Raine cowered upon seeing the man''s back, he did exactly the same thing like he had done toward Raine years ago, with an eerie chuckle while he burned the girl''s arm with the remaining cigarette between his fingers.


    The man and the girl still didn''t realize about Raine''s presence there.


    While the man has his back was facing Raine, the girl curled her body into a ball and put her head between her knees in fear.


    Seeing this scene was almost like watching a movie about herself, evoke Raine''s deepest fear.


    Was she travelling back to the day when she was still in the hospital? Would she have to experience that again one more time? How long it would take until she could meet Torak in that faithful night?


    Raine was shivering in fear, she didn''t think that she could go through that again.


    She didn''t want to experience it again¡­


    Without Raine realized it, her fear turned into a soft sniffle that drew the man''s attention. Raine almost screamed on the top of her lungs if it wasn''t because she suddenly lost her voice due to her panic.


    "Who is there!?" the man turned around and finally found Raine''s figure, crouching down on the floor, hugging her own body while trying to stop it from shivering. "You?!" He was squinted his eyes dangerously.


    Raine''s senses of survive, made her backed away until her back hit the wall behind her.


    "You look familiar¡­" The man mumbled as he stood up and approached Raine. "I think I know you¡­" He walked closer toward her and crouched down right before her eyes.


    Raine was hyperventilating when that man touched her head and tidied her hair to have a better look on her face.


    "You are¡­ Raine, right?" That man recognized her, after all she was his favorite when she was there. Couldn''t talk and always be a good girl. "Yes, you are Raine¡­" He smirked deviously.


    He looked at the door, but it was still locked, then he looked around him, but no one there. "How can you get inside?" He asked Raine in dreamy voice while he twirled her hair between his fingers. "I remember you have been discharged for almost one and half year now¡­"


    The man pinched Raine''s chin and raised her head, he was excited when he saw the familiar fear in those eyes.


    "Why are you here now girl?" He snickered.


    That man didn''t change much since the last time Raine met him, it was like a miracle when Raine was no longer under his supervision and moved to a normal room, which later on she was placed in the orphanage.


    Aside from her trauma and fear, Raine realized one thing from the way he talked.


    One and half year was the right time.


    She didn''t travel back to the time when she was in the hospital, but she was simply being there after she met Aeon.


    Raine couldn''t figure out why she was there instead of somewhere else, but there was a ray of hope for her to be able to escape.


    She just needed to go out of this room, this hospital and found Torak. It should be easy to find him, right? He was the hottest topic in town recently.


    Thus, when she realized her chance to escape from him, Raine grabbed the man hand, which holding her chin, and bit him.


    She didn''t hold back when she did that, no matter how loud that man screamed in agony she didn''t want to release him yet.


    Only when she felt sharp pain on the back of her head, as a result of him was hitting her, Raine released him and crawled toward the door, trying to get out from that room.


    The man roared in pain, seeing Raine, who was trying to unlock the door, he pounced on her and grabbed her hair, yanked her back.


    Raine''s small body flew a few meters away and hit the cabinet behind her as she felt another acute pain in her elbow, yet it didn''t stop her when her fingers touched a metal plate that usually used for patient to eat.


    Raine grabbed it and whack him with that, real hard, until he stumbled back and fell on his back, she didn''t stop there, she hurled the metal plates toward his head, made sure it hit the target and hastily back to the locked door and tried to open it again.


    Once the door opened, she dashed out of the room and ran in long corridor that she had been familiar with.


    It almost felt like she was running away from her nightmare.


    The long corridor, the room, the smell that she didn''t want to remember again, were coming back and hunted her one more time.


    Raine could feel her breath became shallow and her legs grew weak, but she pushed herself to run faster.


    Yet, her speed gradually decreasing as she felt that man had regained his composure and chased after her.


    Once he managed to grab a hold of her, he wouldn''t let her go easily after what she had done.


    Raine was trying to move even faster, but that angry man was able to catch up with Raine before she could reach the other door.


    He yanked her hair harshly and sent her straight to the floor with face hit the solid ground hard, Raine could feel her lips started to bleed.


    "How dare you, crazy girl, did that to me!" That man furious. "Since you are here, I will make sure you will not get out ever again!" He shouted at Raine and kicked her stomach as all he could see was red.


    He was the chief nurse in this ward, so all the patients there was under his observation, thus he would give Raine what she deserved for what she had done.


    Raine tried to cover her face and protected her body from his brutal kicks, when she heard a sudden roar that could shake the entire building.


    And there, Raine saw a beautiful white Lycan with his red eyes, moved at breakneck speed toward her attacker.

 Chapter 133 - A SINGLE HUG TO APPEASE THE BEAST

    I hope


    It''s always your arms, I fall into


    Whenever I fall down in my life


    [email protected]_skyes-


    **************


    The white Lycan flashed before Raine''s eyes and suddenly everything turned blurry when he bit down the man''s shoulder, digging the flesh of that man with his long and sharp canines akin to razor blade. Along with that, the Lycan turned its body until all Raine could see was the back of the white Lycan, preventing her from witnessing the unsightly scene that would happen.


    Raine was still lying on the floor, hugging herself for protection, but this time she stayed still and looked straight.


    In Raine''s current position, the scope of her vision was limited since all she could see was only the white fur of the Lycan, but she could sigh in gratefulness, because she wouldn''t dare to see by herself directly what Torak was doing toward that man.


    The sound of that man yelp and squeal in agony was enough for Raine to understand what kind of tortures that Torak was giving him or, what kind of end that he was suffering.


    Yet, that dramatic voices ceased down within three seconds and only left the sound of the Lycan''s grunt.


    Things took it turned really fast, in another second, Raine could feel pressure under her arms only to realize that Calleb had been pulling her away from the white Lycan to the safety spot.


    Based on the last time Raine''s reaction when she witnessed The Alpha''s brutalism, the result wasn''t really good.


    [Raph! You better get here now! Things became ugly here!] Calleb mind- linked the Beta as he scrunched his nose because of the thick metallic smell in the air, there was a lot of blood there. [Oh! And we found Luna!] He hastily added as he cupped Raine''s face to avert her sight from the beast.


    Calleb was afraid Raine would catch a glimpse of how bad that man became and turned hysterical, if that happened, he would be in great trouble.


    "Don''t look." Calleb kept Raine''s eyes to look only him, preventing the worse case of Raine''s mental breakdown. He knew his Luna has psychological issues and he just didn''t want to make it worse. Moreover, the Alpha wouldn''t appreciate that.


    Calleb frowned when he held Raine''s small face. Only now that he realized that her face was so soft and she looked so breakable, very delicate until he could feel like he was going to hurt her if he added more pressure.


    How Torak could stand someone so fragile like this by his side? Wasn''t the Alpha hate everything that looked so weak?


    A mate really could change someone personality drastically¡­


    At least, Torak had changed a lot for his mate, only Raine who was treated differently.


    Raine''s obsidian eyes were brimming with tears and when she opened her mouth to speak, her voice was so small until its barely like a whisper. "Torak¡­"


    "Yes, that is Torak." Calleb nodded, glanced at the white Lycan behind Raine that seemingly had done with the homicide. "But¡­" He hesitated to explain the situation. "The Alpha is really angry with the man that hurt you, thus¡­ he made him pay for what he had done¡­ but, he definitely will not hurt you."


    Calleb reassured her, but he didn''t know if he had put the word in correct way, because he didn''t good with words.


    Suddenly, a loud snarl not only shook Raine, but also Calleb.


    "Alpha, I mean no harm¡­" Calleb drew back his hands from Raine''s face as he raised them high in the air as a surrender gesture, he started to back away. "Alpha¡­ calm down¡­ Luna is fine¡­"


    Raine could feel the big creature walked closer, approaching her from behind as its warm breath brushed against her neck and blew her hair.


    Slowly and determinedly, Raine turned her head, carefully to not look the bloody scene behind the white lycan


    Her entire body shuddered due to fear and the complicated emotions that she had been holding back.


    Torak killed people again¡­


    He killed someone again¡­


    Aeon''s words were true that he wouldn''t stop spilling blood¡­


    Raine stared at the Lycan''s bloodshot eyes.


    The beast took over again¡­


    But then, Torak''s gentle voice echoed in her head that said; even his beast wouldn''t be able to bear to hurt his mate.


    Thus, with shaking hands, Raine reached out to him. She clenched her teeth and stilled her heart as she mustered her courage.


    Wrapping her arms around the white Lycan''s neck slowly, inch by inch, she came closer to him.


    The white Lycan didn''t move, his eyes followed Raine''s every move, as if he was waiting what this small girl would do next. He even slightly bent his body for Raine, so she could reach him easily.


    Once Raine got an assurance that the Lycan wouldn''t hurt her or suddenly became aggressive, she rested her head in his warm and soft fur.


    Tears slipped from her closed eyes as she tightened her arms in content.


    "I want to go home¡­" Raine whimpered and sniffled, she had gone through unpleasant things and now she felt exceptionally exhausted. She just wanted to cuddle with Torak like they always did, to feel safe beside him.


    Under Raine''s embrace, the soft fur on the Lycan dissipated, and as the sound of the dislocated bone was heard, the Lycan morphed into his human form.


    Sturdy arms held Raine''s figure firmly as he caressed her back. "Yes, let''s go home¡­" Torak sighed in relief when the scent of the sweet ground after rain invaded his senses. The only scent that could appease his beast


    His mate had returned to his arms now, he would never let her go again or away from him¡­


    In the other side, Calleb watched in shock how easy for Raine to calm the outraged Alpha that had lost his temper, by only a simple hug.


    [Raph.] Calleb mind linked Raphael while looking at Torak, who was carrying Raine away in his arms, stepped out from the scene there. [You will not believe this¡­ Luna has just tamed the angry beast by a single hug!] He said in amazed.

 Chapter 134 - HE STAYS WITH HER

    With you, the other name for love is peace.


    -Amna Dhanani-


    **************


    There was no response from Raphael for awhile before finally his tired and relief voice was heard. [Where are they now?]


    [I think they head back home. I have informed the other to fetch them at the entrance.] Calleb said.


    [Cal, I need you to stay here, I will go with them.] Raphael ordered.


    Upon hearing that, Calleb abruptly rejected it. [No, wait! The Alpha had just killed a guy here! When someone walk through this corridor, the situation would become messy.] He whined.


    Calleb really didn''t like to deal with this kind of thing. Usually Raphael would take over for something like this.


    [Clean up and don''t forget the CCTV.] Ignoring Calleb''s complaint, Raphael kept giving instructions to the Gamma.


    With the mention of that, Calleb raised his head and looked straight to the two monitors that were hanging above his head.


    Great! Another unpleasant job for Calleb!


    Calleb inner self grumbled, but when he watched that man horrid body, and be reminded about what he had done toward Raine and the other girls¡­ there was no slightly pity in his eyes.


    That man deserved it! He would do the same if someone was hurting his mate.


    ==============


    Once Raine felt Torak''s presence, she knew that she was safe with him.


    Torak carried her along the way to the car and said soothing words in her ears as if the dreadful things that had happened in the village of angel was only a dream, one of her hideous dreams.


    Raine was exhausted, mentally and physically, to catch up with the contents of the conversation between Torak and Raphael inside the car.


    As the cold droplets of the rain hit the roof of the car and the warm blanket that wrapped around her body felt so comfortable, also the feeling of Torak been close to her, Raine ended up dozing off and then fell asleep.


    "No need to go to the hospital. Call the doctor to come to the house." Torak ordered Raphael in low voice as he absentmindedly ran his fingers on Raine''s bruised forehead.


    Raphael immediately raised his phone and made a phone call to someone, while waiting to the call go through, he glanced at Torak through the rearview mirror.


    The only thing that matter in the Alpha''s eyes right at this moment was only his mate, Torak''s way of looking at Raine, reminded Raphael of a man who was lost in the desert and had just found an oasis.


    Raphael couldn''t imagine what Torak would have done, had Raine not been found at this time.


    Meanwhile, the mystery was still remained about what had happened to Raine while she disappeared and where she had gone?


    However, that question could be saved for later.


    Torak wrapped his arms protectively around Raine''s body, kept her position comfortable for her to sleep.


    ==============


    As if welcoming Raine, the rain kept pouring down since this afternoon until this late night, with steady drumming on the windows that conjured blurry pattern on its surface and its serenade on the roof, made the atmosphere inside the room relax.


    However, it didn''t give any effect on Torak as he sat beside the splendid bed where Raine was fast asleep with IV drip on her right hands.


    The doctor had said, aside from her external injuries and suffered a little bit dehydration, her overall condition was fine.


    She just needed to rest for three days and then she would be fine again.


    Yet, Torak couldn''t take the doctor words as it was, because Raine''s pale face and bruised body right now didn''t seem fine in his eyes.


    Only after he asked Raphael to call two more different doctors and both of them said the same things, Torak stopped and quietly stayed beside Raine, holding her hand and watching the way she breathes.


    There was an unreasonable fear in him, which echoed repeatedly in his head that Raine could stop breathing in any moment, after all she was a mortal.


    Unexpectedly that single thought scared him to the bone. The feeling appeared incongruous for him, as he had never felt something like this before.


    There was not a single thing in this entire world that could scare him, yet here he was, worrying if Raine would suddenly disappear or wouldn''t wake up again.


    Torak didn''t want to wake her up, but Raine had not yet moved ever since she fell asleep inside the car.


    He caressed her face and smoothed her long hair. "Be well please¡­ I miss you my love." Torak whispered, pleading, thing that he had never done.


    Suddenly, a soft knock came from the door.


    "Come in." Torak grunted, didn''t like his moment being disturbed. Yet, when the scent of the person, who walked inside the room, was smelled by him, he whipped his head and glare.


    Serefina walked in with light steps, her face was bare as if she had been through a rough day, though Torak had not yet punished her for her incapability to keep Raine saved.


    "Let me see her." Serefina was aware by the hostility that Torak threw on her through his dark eyes, but she acted as if nothing happened.


    Torak didn''t answer her request, he just resumed to stare at Raine again, as if Serefina wasn''t there. This could be counted as a compromise gesture from Torak.


    Because instead of bit her head off, he just simply ignored the witch.


    Actually, Torak didn''t want to see Serefina anymore, however the case was; there was no one, who had more knowledge about Raine''s unusual condition and helped her, aside from Serefina.


    Thus, swallowing his anger and let his chest burning with hatred, he let Serefina to come closer to Raine once again.


    Serefina took this time to come and face Torak because she knew the Alpha would be less ruthless near his mate, which was true, it would save herself as well.


    "You had just killed a human." Serefina stated when she sat on the other edge of the bed. She heard this from the other lycan in this house as Calleb was asking for Bellinda to come to modify some people memories about the murder.


    Torak didn''t answer that, he didn''t want to engage in conversation about anything with Serefina at the moment, especially with that topic.


    But, like usual, Serefina didn''t heed that gesture and only did the thing that she thought was right.


    "You know the consequences of killing human will be dire." She continued while holding Raine''s hand, from both of their hand that intertwined with each other there was a faint glow of blue light. "You shouldn''t do that."


    "I don''t care about the consequences." Torak replied coldly without averting his eyes from Raine. "Anyone who harm what is mine will end up that way."


    "Of course, you have to care, once the consequences take toll on you and your enemies heard that you are weakened, they would come after you and Raine." There was a warning in the way Serefina talked about this.


    "Leave after you finished." Torak ended the conversation.


    Only Raine''s condition that was in his mind, thus if Serefina wanted to talk about the other things, she could just leave.

 Chapter 135 - TELL THE TRUTH, SPREAD THE FACT

    "What you got from following the Lycan back to the burning apartment?" Lucifer asked Andromalius.


    Both of them were standing on the par.a.p.et of one of the highest building in the city. Above them, the sky had turned darker and the light from the moon was covered by the gloomy clouds that hung low, gave the night an eerie vibe.


    The wind that howling reminded of the danger that lurking from the shadow.


    "That girl is not a mere human." Andromalius answered him absentmindedly as he caressed the head of his black serpent.


    "She is not." Lucifer admitted. "Tell me exactly what she is?" He wanted to know if Andromalius could figure out what Raine was.


    Andromalius tilted his head and scoffed. "You don''t even know what she is¡­ I wonder if pride had no longer become your sin." He totally got it wrong.


    Lucifer smirked, a devious smirk that depicted how cunning his mind, appeared. "Do you really consider that pride to be my only sin?" He walked closer toward Andromalius. "I can just r.a.p.e any woman that I want, but they will always call me ''Pride''."


    Andromalius looked at Lucifer in alert when the distance between them was getting closer.


    "You need to broaden your horizon my fellow devil." Lucifer patted Andromalius shoulder. "Now, tell me what she is."


    Swatted Lucifer''s hand from his shoulder, Andromalius took two steps away from him, didn''t like the proximity.


    "I don''t know exactly what she is, but there is a creature that feel similar like her long, very long time ago." Andromalius murmured when he recalled the old memories. "But¡­ that creature should be extinct now."


    "Creature, huh?" Lucifer looked at Andromalius through his yellow eyes, be interested. "Continue."


    "Guardian angel." Andromalius stated. "The feeling is almost the same like them, only¡­" He hung his sentences.


    "Only?" Lucifer raised his eyebrows questioningly, feigning his curiosity. Without a doubt, he knew what Raine was.


    "She is from different kind, and also there is this prophecy¡­" The serpent in Andromalius''s arm climbed to his neck and coiled its scaly body around him.


    "What prophecy?" Lucifer prodded. He leaned his tall body to the wall behind him while looking at the moon that covered by the clouds with his devilish eyes.


    Selene, the moon Goddess¡­


    Watch and see what the devil would do this time¡­


    "I heard about this somewhere, a long time ago¡­ from subtle whispers¡­" Andromalius contemplated. "There will be time when the guardian angel will come back to this realm and darkness will be glorious again."


    Andromalius ended his statement with confusion look on his face. He didn''t really sure with that prophecy, it sounded more like a rubbish talk for him.


    The war had left much damages on both sides, especially the defeated one, moreover, how could creature that was extinct centuries ago reappeared again?


    "Don''t tell me that you really think the prophecy is true and that girl with the Lycan is the real guardian angel." Andromalius eyed Lucifer with apathy.


    Received that kind of look, Lucifer chuckled with delight. "I should add your information my fellow devil." He beamed with vicious smile on his lips when he said. "The guardian angel is also the Alpha''s mate."


    There was silence that cascading down between the two of them after Lucifer said that, yet a moment later, Andromalius let out a dry laugh.


    "Are you insane? The Donovan have mate?" He laughed with his own questions, that sounded so ridiculous for him, but then he stopped when he realized Lucifer didn''t laugh along with him. "Are you serious?"


    "Did I laugh with you?" Lucifer raised his eyebrows and looked at Andromalius as if he was a fool.


    "But, that was impossible¡­" His words stopped midsentence when he recalled how Torak had treated Raine and how important this girl for him, it was almost like he could froze the hell only to look after her. "Maybe because he knows the girl is guardian angel, that''s why he became over protective¡­" He opted another option.


    "Don''t fool yourself, I don''t have time to play dumb with you. You had seen it. You must be very stupid if you don''t realize the differences." Lucifer scoffed upon his denials.


    Andromalius hated it when other creatures named him, but this was Lucifer and he couldn''t complain for that. "Let''s say your theory is right, what will you do?"


    "My theory? This is not theory Andromalius, this is the fact." Lucifer corrected him. "What will I do? I want you, for the first time, do something right."


    Andromalius frowned, the way Lucifer said it, it didn''t feel this would be anything but right.


    "Tell the truth, spread the fact." Lucifer''s voice was so light like a feather as if he was talking about a salvation. "Every creature should know the fact that Torak Donavan is having a mate now. It would be fun to watch how happy those wretch creatures would be about this news."


    ==============


    In another part of the city where a huge grey house was located, atop of the hill of the most elite residence in the Fulbright city, the securities around the house was unexceptionally tight.


    Because Raine''s condition required for her to not surrounded by a lot of Lycanthropes, Torak hired many elite guards to be put around the house, though they were well- trained people, but they wouldn''t stand longer than a minute the moment they faced supernatural creatures.


    But, knowing the consequences of the side effects of killing human, would at least make them held themselves back a little bit.


    Not only that, Torak had thrown a large sum of money to purchase the fancy houses around his to be occupied by his warriors, just in case something happened, they would be around for back up, but didn''t close enough to affect Raine''s health.


    The incredible truth about it was; one house in this area would cost a good fortune, not to mention Torak bought more than a dozen of them.


    All the thing that he did was to ensure the safety of his mate.


    Yet, now two days had passed and Raine still had not yet woken up, this turned Torak even gloomier and hard to be approached.

 Chapter 136 - HOW COULD SHE SURVIVE?

    Love never had to make sense, just to be felt.


    -Ventum-


    **************


    Even Serefina, who most of the time didn''t really care about the mood of the Alpha, should be more careful with her words when she checked on Raine.


    It was a great effort on her side to keep her tongue clean from complain and sarcastic remarks about anything, which she thought wasn''t right, around her.


    "Still no progress?" Torak asked Serefina with dark expression, his dark eyes were so suffocating to see like a blackhole that could suck one soul if you stare at them for long time.


    Torak had neglected his business issues and handed it over to Raphael to take care of it, while Calleb handled the damaged that Torak had made in the hospital when they found Raine.


    At this point, until Raine regained her consciousness and he was sure she was fine, Torak didn''t want to be disturbed.


    To keep the serenity, the only Lycan that could roam around this house was only the Beta and the Gamma, aside from them, it was a strict order to not step an inch near this grey house.


    Raine was mentally too weak to be near them now.


    Serefina sighed deeply, this was the only question that Torak gave to her every time she checked on Raine, not only her, even those Doctors were treated not any better.


    "She is fine, just need more time to rest." Serefina said tiredly. Torak''s anxiousness was a pain in the neck for her, yet she had to bite back her tongue to prevent her to make a sharp remark, in the end it was part of her fault that Raine was in this condition.


    She felt a little guilty about that.


    After the regular check, Serefina walked out of the room without saying anything because she knew Torak wouldn''t want to talk about any other topic until Raine was awake.


    This room was so peaceful and quiet with the sufficient light from the glass door to the balcony, but this was the opposite situation from the outside world.


    When the news about the dead of the older son from de Medici family came up to the surface, the business news was in chaos.


    There were many turbulences in management because of this, as the head of the family of de Medici was killed and the second heir was the suspect, currently there was also an internal issue within the family about who would have the right to be the new head of the family.


    Not only that, this problem also has a big impact on the economy in this city.


    Yet, none of that could make Torak moved an inch away from his beloved mate. The chaotic situation outside couldn''t touch him.


    In blink of an eye, it had been three days since the last time he eats or drinks something, he even didn''t sleep. Any normal human would have been sick by now, but Torak, the aura around him only turned darker and murderous.


    He grabbed Raine''s cold hands and rested his head, like someone who was praying. This anxiety became harder and harder to bear.


    When Torak was deep in thought, he felt something touched his head and the spark from the touch shocked him.


    Abruptly, Torak raised his head, his eyes widened in shock to see Raine was staring back at him with faint smile dancing on her chapped lips.


    "My love¡­" He called her with a great relief, as if his deepest desire had been granted.


    Torak held Raine other hands gently, afraid that a little bit pressure could hurt her.


    "You are awake my love¡­" He kissed both of her hands with gratefulness as if he thanked her for waking up now. "Do you feel hurt anywhere?"


    Raine shook her head and blinked her eyes weakly, she said with her hoarse voice. "Thirsty¡­"


    Without wasting any second, Torak poured a glass of water from the jar on the table beside the bed and carefully helped Raine to drink, cradled her in his arms while holding her upper body so she could drink without choking.


    "Do you want more?" Torak asked softly after Raine finished drinking the entire glass.


    "No¡­" Raine said meekly, her breath was still shallow and she closed her eyes because the light in the room was too bright for her.


    [Raph! Get the Doctors and Serefina here!] Torak mind linked his Beta with a sharp note as a result of the intense feeling that he felt.


    In the other hand, Raphael who was signing a lot of doc.u.ments made an ugly scratch on one of important letters, which he had to sign because of Torak''s sudden voice in his head.


    [Yes, Alpha.] Raphael said immediately and picked up his phone to call the three Doctors who stayed at the first floor.


    Torak didn''t let them to leave the house until Raine was back to her original health.


    Hearing from the way Torak spoke, seemingly the Luna has opened her eyes. It was a good thing, so Torak could stop became a ticking bomb.


    His anxiety was truly hard to bear by other people around him.


    ==============


    After the Doctor had ran check on Raine and they confirmed that she was fine, they decided to remove the IV drip on her hand.


    Raine was keeping her head buried on Torak''s chest during the entire check and only answered their question with nod or a shaking head.


    After the Doctors had done with their assignment and answered all Torak''s question, they left the room, leaving only Raphael and Serefina to accompany Raine and Torak inside.


    "Raine, how are you feeling?" Serefina moved closer and sat on the feet of the bed, staring at the still weak guardian angel in the lycan''s embrace. Somehow, she didn''t like this picture.


    Raine peeked at the witch through her hair and tightened her arms around Torak''s waist, but she did answer her. "Fine¡­" She said curtly.


    Raine was still not at ease when she had to face Serefina as she saw she had died with her own eyes, but how could she survive?

 Chapter 137 - THING THAT NEEDED TO BE RUSHED

    Be your own sword


    Be your shield


    Be your own king or queen


    -Pinterest-


    **************


    And the white lycan at that time¡­ was that Torak? But the lycan was too affectionate to be Torak¡­


    There was a thousand of questions that Raine wanted to ask and she really needed the answer, but her condition couldn''t keep up with her eagerness, she needed to wait and think this matter thoroughly.


    The things that happened in the village of angel was like a dream for her, she really wanted to forget all of that, but couldn''t get rid the question that remained in her head.


    "Tell me what happened to you." Like always, the way Serefina talk, often, very irritating as she couldn''t read the situation and only spoke the things that she wanted to say without thinking about it twice.


    "I want you to check on her condition." Torak cut off Serefina''s intention as he could feel Raine was being reluctant to talk.


    "I am checking on her condition now." Serefina became stubborn as she leaned her body. "Tell me where were you going during the moment you disappeared." She was adamant to know and she wanted to know it right now.


    Raine couldn''t help, but let out a soft whimper when the memories returned to the front of her mind, forcing her to remember how the white lycan had attacked her and the sharp pain that she felt when the lycan clawed her head.


    Also, Serefina''s dead body, her blood pooled beneath her, stained the white snow.


    That was something that she didn''t want to talk about, at least not now.


    She needed more time to rearrange her own thought and all the information that was stuffed onto her head forcefully.


    "Get out." Torak glared at Serefina. If she was there to stress out his mate and made Raine uncomfortable, then she better off.


    [Throw her away!] Torak mind linked Raphael when he saw Serefina was about to retort, or for more specific, Torak snarled his order to Raphael because he couldn''t raise his tone due to Raine''s presence.


    "Let''s go." Raphael didn''t waste a second to drag Serefina away from Torak''s sight, afraid the Alpha would go berserk again if Serefina kept this attitude.


    He himself almost lost his temper in dealing with the witch.


    Raphael had many things that he had to handle since Torak''s absence and wasn''t in need of additional headache to deal with Serefina.


    "I am not done yet!" Serefina grumbled and glared menacingly at the Beta, who was dragging her out of the room. "We need to know what happened to her, so we know what we will face!"


    Serefina stubbornly wanted to stay, but Raphael had pushed her out of the room and closed the door behind him.


    "We have to know what happened to her, so we can take precaution and¡­" Serefina half yelled at Raphael, but the Beta with stoic face cut her words.


    "I know you mean good, but can''t you read the situation first before you act rashly?" Raphael was still holding her arm as he walked her away from the main bedroom, where Torak and Raine stayed.


    The witch huffed and puffed. "Until when will he continue to look after her? If we don''t know how she could suddenly disappear like before, and then how we can prevent something like that from happening again?" Serefina pointed out her main concern. "What if all about this is a scheme and this is only the beginning?"


    Actually, what Serefina said was right and she got the point from that. However, the way she executed her intention was so harsh and annoyed people around her. Serefina was so headstrong and impatient, two things that wouldn''t fit with the way how to approach Raine.


    "Torak will always look after her because she is his mate, no matter how capable Raine will be to protect herself in the future, Torak will always look after her. That''s the fact that you can''t deny, and also¡­" Raphael looked sternly at Serefina and added. "Why I feel like you always become irritated every time Raine relies on Torak?" He realized about this now.


    Serefina swatted Raphael''s hand from her and crossed her arms in front of her chest, in this state, her red hair looked redder as if complimented her fiery mood. "Because she is clingy, weak, unreliable and¡­ oh, should I add that she overindulges herself with her trauma?"


    Raphael frowned upon hearing the way Serefina saw Raine, her lack of sympathy made him questioned Torak''s brother for falling for someone like her.


    This witch surely has a personality problem.


    "Just because you can shake traumatic experience easily, it doesn''t mean you are stronger than Raine because she is still in healing process state." Raphael stood for his Luna.


    "If she has to crawl or crying blood in order for her to be able to get rid from her trauma, then that exactly what she should do! Instead of hiding in the embrace of her mate!" The pitch in Serefina''s voice raised a few octaves. "She is Torak''s mate for God sake! A Luna for all of you! She needed to be strong and self- reliant!"


    "It doesn''t justify your act and your words. Everything takes time and you can''t rush the process." Raphael has his own opinion about this situation. Nothing was instant and he believed in the process.


    Serefina was livid, she took a step forward and raised her chin arrogantly, fire of anger was burning in her eyes. "Let me ask you." She started it with a vicious voice. "Do you really think Torak''s enemies out there will wait until your little Luna ready? They don''t give a f*ck about Raine''s condition the moment they decided to make a move."


    "Nothing will happen in the near future, Raine will have enough time to recover." Raphael stated that firmly.


    "No one can predict the future. What will happen, if, when the time come and she is still not ready?" Serefina stared directly into Raphael''s eyes. "There is something that is required to be rushed."

 Chapter 138 - SHE HAS REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS

    Monster don''t sleep under our beds. They sleep inside our heads.


    -Istinita.tumblr.com-


    **************


    Inside the bedroom, where the golden rays of the sun that almost set was illuminating the space near the window, the smell of hot chocolate that was in Torak''s hands filled the room.


    Torak sat beside Raine, who still felt a little bit weak, and handed the warm cup to her.


    Raine smiled softly and received it carefully, she didn''t want to spill the white blanket that covered half of her body, with the hot chocolate.


    When her fingers touched the cup, the warmth from it could make her felt better, especially when she was at home now.


    Since Torak chased Serefina out of the room, he had not yet asked Raine any question or talked about unnecessary things.


    However, this silence accompany was so comfortable. Torak was being thoughtful toward her.


    Considerately, Torak held Raine''s long hair so it wouldn''t go to her cup of hot chocolate and gave a glass of water after she had finished.


    "Do you want to lay down again my love?" Torak asked as he put away the glass from Raine''s hand.


    Raine didn''t say anything upon his question, yet she leaned forward and circled her arms around Torak''s body and nuzzled on his chest.


    This gesture caught Torak out of guard, but this was something that he welcomed. There was nothing wrong with this, actually, Torak loved it when Raine acted a little bit spoil like this.


    He caressed her long hair that dr.a.p.ed on her back while giving small kisses on her head. He let her stayed that way as long as she wished until Torak could feel her steady breath.


    Raine fell asleep again.


    Upon seeing that, there was a rare soft smile on Torak''s lips as he watched Raine breathing deeply. As long as his mate was safe and sound, there was nothing matter anymore.


    ==============


    "It was you who killed him!?" Lilith''s eyes widened in disbelief. "For what!? Lucifer won''t like it once he knew about this! Why do you always do something reckless like this?!"


    They were inside a big bedroom with a woman was lying on the bed, seemingly sleeping, while Lilith was standing across the bed, fuming mad after knowing the truth behind the murder of de Medici family.


    Leaning against the high pole bed frames, Belphegor eyed the girl on the bed with curious expression and brows that slightly furrowed, apparently didn''t take serious Lilith''s line of questions.


    "Hey! Do you hear me?!" Lilith took large steps as she stormed toward Belphegor and stopped in front of him, blocked his view to the sleeping girl.


    "I wish I couldn''t." Belphegor lazily glanced at Lilith as he shoved her away from his line of sight. "I wonder why she still hasn''t woken up yet?"


    Lilith glanced at the woman on the bed, she had been sleeping ever since she was rescued from the dungeon. If she kept like that, what the use of her?


    "Just kill her." Lilith waved her hand nonchalantly, she didn''t like to see another woman in her place, if it wasn''t because Belphegor was adamant for her to be kept there, she would have thrown her lifeless body on the street.


    "I can use her if everything goes as my plan." The sloth slumped his tall body on the sofa near the huge bed, looking at the bright sky through the open window with dull eyes.


    "Wait!" Lilith screeched. "You have not answered my question yet!" She stomped toward Belphegor again and sat on the windowsill, blocking his sight from the beautiful blue sky.


    Belphegor frowned. Why this woman always blocked his line of sight?


    "Part of my plan." Belphegor answered her curtly, too lazy to explain about it further.


    "Which is¡­?" Lilith raised her brows, prodded him to explain more about this. She hated it when she had to help Lucifer and Belphegor back and forth since the two of them was rarely in the same thought. "You need to explain to me about your plan if you want me to help you." She said exasperatedly.


    Belphegor frowned, he didn''t like when someone questioned his decision or asked him to explain something.


    "Just follow what I said." Belphegor yawned and slumped his back against the back seat as he resumed to look at the woman on the bed since Lilith blocked his view from the scenery outside.


    "We are together in this and I am not your subordinate, don''t forget about that." After that, Lilith threw a disgusting look to the other woman. "Why did you kill the head family of de Medici?"


    Lilith still not let go of her main concern, but Belphegor closed his eyes as if he didn''t hear her.


    "Does that have anything to do with her?" She nodded at the woman, but Belphegor still kept his mouth shut. "I am talking to you!" Lilith cried frustratedly.


    "Woman you are really annoying sometime!" Belphegor said, irritated. Afterward he stood up and walked out of the room.


    "Where are you going? I am not done talking yet!" Lilith gritted her teeth because she was treated that way. She didn''t like it when people were treated her with no seriousness.


    Yet, Belphegor had left even before Lilith finished her words.


    The angry Lilith turned around to face the woman on the bed, if she couldn''t vent out her anger on Belphegor, then she could do something toward this woman.


    However, before Lilith could take a step closer, she gasped in shock when she saw the woman eyes had opened.


    The red eyes of that woman that complimented with her pale, almost transparent skin, even scarier than the devil himself.


    That woman looked at Lilith in confusion, however there was something inside her that was very vicious and Lilith could tell that.


    "You are the person that brought me out of the dungeon." The woman talked for the first time with her clear and firm voice like he has not just woken up from a long slumber, such clarity that startled Lilith.


    Not to mention she remembered about that event as well.

 Chapter 139 - I WANT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING

    She asked: "What if I have nothing to say?"


    He replied: "Let me hear all the nothing you have."


    -Joelle-


    **************


    "So?" Lilith folded her arms in front of her chest as she ignored the viciousness in the woman''s eyes. What happened to her? Why her aura was so dark? "Want to thank me?" She tried to sound as callous as she could.


    Upon hearing that, the woman gave Lilith a disdain look as she sat down and scoured her surrounding with her red eyes, before they landed on Lilith once again.


    "You did something to me." The woman''s voice was very cold like someone who had never been touched by happiness.


    At this time, Lilith hoped she didn''t upset Belphegor and made him walked out from the room because she didn''t know what to say to this woman or what Belphegor had in his lazy mind for her.


    "Jenedieth." Lilith called out her name, resumed her arrogance and callous fa?ade, seemingly didn''t even bother with Jenedieth''s red eyes and her alarming aura around her. "Of course we did something to you. We saved you."


    "We?" Jenedieth raised her eyebrows, demanding explanation with who else involved in her situation now.


    Lilith was tongue tied, she didn''t know whether she needed to tell Jenedieth the truth or she has to consult this with Belphegor first, but seeing from the situation, Jenedieth wasn''t in the mood to wait any longer to get the information that she wanted.


    "So? Who are these ''we''?" Jenedieth got off from the bed and walked slowly toward Lilith, her eyes never left hers as she approached her opponent. "Because you had saved me from Torak''s wrath, you must have something in mind, right?"


    Jenedieth stopped right before Lilith''s eyes and stared down at her because she was shorter by a fist compared to Jenedieth.


    "What a smart guess." Lilith said with the tone that far from a complimented, yet Jenedieth overheard the sarcasm in her voice as she resumed her stoic expression. "The devil and me." Lilith shrugged her shoulder. If Belphegor didn''t want to share his plan, then she just needed to make her own plan to escape from Jenedieth''s red eyes.


    "The devil¡­" Jenedieth reiterated. "Which devil?" She knew about the seven devils that always breathing on Torak''s skin. Not too long ago, she has this hostility on them whenever their names were mentioned, but not now.


    "Belphegor." Lilith said truthfully. Whatever thing that would happen after Jenedieth knew Belphegor was behind all of this, Lilith would wash her hands, after all this is his fault to not let her knew anything.


    "The sloth." Jenedieth recognized him. "What he had to do with all of this?" She remembered clearly how much she had suffered inside the dungeon. She thought she would die.


    "He arranged everything." Lilith said in matter of fact tone. "If you want to know more detail about this, you can wait until he comes back, because it''s waste of time to ask me, I know nothing."


    "The sloth arranged everything? That doesn''t sound like him." Jenedieth stated in mocking tone and walked toward a table near the window and poured a glass of water for herself. "I know you. Succubus, am I right?"


    Lilith didn''t like the way Jenedieth mentioned her as if it was something dirty and inappropriate, but she could control herself just fine and get rid the anger that threatening to rise in her stomach. "You are very knowledgeable."


    "No need to flatter me, our kind has been in feud for as long as I remember." Jenedieth gave Lilith a, seemingly, harmless smirk. "I will be so stupid if I don''t know anything about it, right?"


    Lilith raised her eyebrows, irritated by Jenedieth''s comment.


    "Where is he now? I think since he had saved me, there must be something that he wanted to discuss with me." Jenedieth tilted her head as she looked at the succubus defiantly.


    ==============


    Raine spent the whole four days just sleeping in the bed, because she felt lethargic every time she woke up.


    And during that time, Torak would always be there for her, not even a second he let Raine be alone. If he needed to leave her for something urgent regarding the issues outside, then he would ask Calleb and Serefina to look for her, and would come back as soon as possible.


    This morning, when the light of the sun not yet illuminated the dim room, Raine had woken up and traced her eyes along the silhouette of the outer shape of the furniture inside the bedroom.


    She hadn''t paid attention on her surrounding before because of the unexplainable tiredness that forced her to sleep for long time and muddled her head.


    But, now everything was clearer than the last time.


    Raine felt her body was oddly warmer than the temperature in the room, when she tilted her head to her left, she found the cause of it.


    It was Torak, who was hugging her tightly and cradled her head as if he was holding something so precious and didn''t want to let go.


    The furrowed between his eyebrows was an evident that he didn''t have a good sleep, there must be a lot of things that roaming inside his head now and bothered him greatly.


    Slowly, Raine raised her hand and traced the bridge of Torak''s pointed nose, his sleeping face was so innocent, as if he couldn''t harm even a single fly.


    Raine still hard to believe that the handsome and powerful man before her eyes was someone who devoted his life for her, he had proved his words again and again.


    Even in her unconscious state, Torak always been there for her.


    Every time Raine woke up, Torak was always the first person that she saw. Just like at this moment.


    Regardless he was still sleeping Torak was still very protective on his mate.


    When Raine''s fingers traced down on his lips, suddenly they moved as Torak''s soft voice could be heard. "You are awake now, are you hungry?" He caught her hand and kissed her fingers gently with eyes still closed as if savoring the spark from the touch.


    "No." Raine shook her head. "But, I have something that I need to tell you."

 Chapter 140 - TORAK KNOWS

    "What is it?" Torak opened his eyes as he heard Raine wanted to say something.


    Everything, anything that she wanted to say was very important for Torak, he would give his utmost attention even for the insignificant topic that she wanted to talk.


    Torak''s blue eyes stared at Raine deeply, the color of his eyes was a sign that he was at peace and his beast had calmed.


    He pulled Raine closer to him as an encouragement for her to talk freely, as a gesture that she was safe with him.


    "Tell me my love, I will hear whatever it is." Torak persuaded Raine patiently when he saw the hesitation in her eyes.


    "This is about when I disappeared¡­" Raine said in low voice, fortunately Torak''s hearing ability was above average, thus he could hear her just fine.


    "Yes?" Torak encouraged her to continue as he kissed her forehead.


    The first ray of the sun started to illuminate the room and gave a golden hue to everything that it touched. Raine''s pale face also had slightly color because of it.


    "I¡­" Raine hesitated, she was afraid Torak wouldn''t trust her, after all, the story about travelled back the time was so absurd to hear.


    Sensing Raine''s uneasiness, Torak leaned over and cupped her face in his warm palm. "I am here and listening to whatever you want to say. But, if you feel you are not ready for this, I will wait." He said sincerely.


    Of course Torak really wanted to know where she was going when she disappeared, but if it required Raine to force herself from doing something that she didn''t like, then Torak didn''t want to know.


    The most important thing for him right now was; having Raine in his arms, safe and sound, another matter could wait.


    Seeing how considerate Torak toward her, Raine gulped hard as she made her decision. "I¡­" She stumbled with her words, but the softness and love in Torak''s eyes made it easier for her. "I travelled back the time."


    Raine stopped and looked at Torak with worry expression, she didn''t want Torak to judge her, or thought that she was crazy for saying that.


    However, the thing that Raine was afraid of, had never happened. Torak''s expression remained serious as he was waiting for Raine to talk more about it.


    With difficulty, Raine took a deep breath and started to tell him about everything.


    About the village of angel, about the Lycanthropes that were ordered to gather the guardian angel and about the attack to the village.


    However, for some reason, Raine skipped the part where she was forced to unite with the shadow warrior and the death of Serefina.


    She didn''t know why she was being reluctant to talk about that matters now, probably she needed to confirm about something first.


    Torak''s blue eyes turned slightly darker when he heard Raine''s story, but remained silence until Raine ended it.


    "¡­ I saw the white Lycan wanted to attack the shadow warrior and suddenly the time, uhm¡­ stopped." Raine looked up at Torak to assess his expression, afraid that he would think she was talking about nonsense.


    In this world, who would be able to stop the time? Yet, that was exactly what had happened to her.


    "You stopped the time." Torak repeated Raine''s statement.


    Raine lowered her head when she nodded. "Maybe it wasn''t me¡­" She became self- conscious under Torak''s eyes. "But, the time really stopped."


    "And you rushed forward to block the attack of the white Lycan?" Torak was squinted his eyes and frowned with disapproval.


    Raine didn''t see the changing of Torak''s expression as she kept her head low. "Yes¡­"


    "And then what happened?" Torak''s voice suddenly became rigid as his body tensed.


    "The white Lycan clawed the side of my head, after that everything turned dark and I don''t remember anything else¡­" For one fleeting moment, a complicated look passed her eyes. "¡­ and when I opened my eyes, I was back to the hospital."


    Raine didn''t tell Torak about her conversation with Aeon in the shadow realm, this was the first time she hid something from Torak and she felt guilty about doing this.


    There was silence that stretched out between them after Raine''s confession and as time passed it made Raine became uncomfortable.


    She raised her head and looked at Torak with worry. "I know it sounds so unbelieveable¡­" Raine started, but Torak cut her words.


    "Why did you put yourself in danger for someone that you don''t even know?" Torak''s main concern was different from Raine, there was tension in the way he talked.


    "I¡­" Raine startled when finally she felt Torak''s change of mood. "The shadow warrior saved me before¡­ so, I¡­" She stuttered.


    "So, you feel responsible to save him back?" Torak''s eyes turned darker, though they were still the color of blue, but it was clear to see that Torak didn''t like how Raine risked her life for someone else.


    A man on top of that.


    At that time, he was on the verge of breaking down because he couldn''t find her, but she was risking her precious life for someone else¡­


    Torak felt someone was going to snatch his mate away from him, as if Raine had someone else in her heart.


    Because of the mate bond only work on Torak and he just relied on the fact Raine was being comfortable with him, without knowing what was in her heart. He felt restless.


    Raine could just leave him, but Torak wouldn''t be able to find another mate, a mate for Lycan was for lifetime.


    Raine could feel Torak''s displeasure. "Are you angry with me?" Raine asked gingerly.


    She touched his face and drew a circle on his cheek with her thumb. Unknowingly that simple gesture could appease Torak''s anger slightly and saved both of them from the impending outburst.


    "I am sorry¡­" Torak shook his head and breathed deeply, sensing Raine''s distressed. "The thought of you was being harmed, doesn''t settle well with me, my love." He kissed Raine''s forehead.


    "I am all right." Raine smiled softly at Torak, but Torak''s next words made her froze.


    "Was that the shadow warrior that was paired with you?"

 Chapter 141 - HE IS NOT REAL

    "Was that the shadow warrior that was paired with you?" Torak asked with impassive tone and face that devoid from any emotions.


    Raine wasn''t sure what Torak felt right now and how he could guess it correctly, though she didn''t say anything about it.


    Raine was afraid to answer it, she didn''t know what Torak''s reaction would be. And her cowardness made the question couldn''t get out of her head and passed her lips.


    "I know about the rule in the village of angel, my love." Torak answered the unspoken question in Raine''s head. "That was one of the rules that I despised the most."


    The calm in Torak''s voice made it harder for Raine to notice the anger in his reaction. It didn''t feel right, knowing Torak''s overprotective nature.


    "In another words, you want to say that you indeed had ordered the attack on the village of angel?" Raine asked in disbelief.


    There was disappointment in the way Raine was looking into Torak''s eyes that made the Alpha felt uncomfortable. He leaned over to kiss her eyes so they closed temporarily.


    He didn''t want Raine to look at him that way, but there was something that he couldn''t change.


    The past was one of many things that he couldn''t control. Torak didn''t want Raine to know this ugly side of him this early, but¡­


    "That was a complicated thing, my love, and I will explain it to you, but not now." Before Raine could stare at his eyes again, Torak had gotten off of the bed and walked toward the door. "I will get you some breakfast."


    Raine sat down abruptly and looked at the closed door with unexplainable feeling.


    She didn''t want to doubt Torak and question him, but his order had killed the whole village. There were many people that lived there.


    And what was his reason from doing so? Raine couldn''t think of any reason that could justify his action.


    The thing that he had done was annihilation.


    But then, when the realization hit her hard, Raine abruptly sat down and shivered out of fear.


    The annihilation of the village of angel wouldn''t be the first and the last massacre that he had done. There would be a lot more of it.


    Torak wouldn''t be standing on top of the supernatural creatures and be the supreme Alpha for all the Lycanthropes, feared by many, if he had not done a drastic measure to settle them.


    And Raine couldn''t see any other way to control those beasts except by violence.


    "Now, you see it by yourself."


    Out of nowhere, a familiar voice sounded inside the empty room. It was so soft and low, as if the sound of it was only ringing inside of her head.


    Startled, Raine whipped her head toward the direction of the source of the voice and found Aeon was standing near the glass door to the balcony.


    He was quite far for his voice to be heard, but so near like he was talking right behind her.


    "Aeon?" Raine''s breath hitched and, out of reflex, looked at the door, afraid if Torak or any other Lycans that were standing behind the door, could hear her.


    She didn''t want any misunderstanding happened, or they fought with each other.


    "You shouldn''t be here." Raine whispered in distressed. She got off from the bed and approached Aeon. "It will be dangerous for you if they know you are here."


    The Lycan wouldn''t let Aeon off easily, especially when he had entered Torak''s room.


    "You worried about me." Aeon put his concern in different thing from Raine''s. "I am happy." He said with soft smiled.


    Before, Raine was still having a doubt that Aeon, who was standing before her now, with Aeon from the village of the angel, has different personality.


    The current Aeon was less hostile and softer than himself centuries ago.


    "Of course I am worried about you, but it is not ''that'' kind of worry." Raine tried to explain herself, she didn''t want Aeon got a wrong impression about this.


    "Raine, come with me." Aeon reached out his hand, asking Raine to take it. "You don''t need to live with him anymore. I can protect you. Let me protect you."


    "No." Raine frowned. She couldn''t accept Torak''s decision in the past, but it didn''t mean she wanted to leave him. This was something that they needed to talk. "I don''t want to leave him."


    Aeon looked hurt by Raine''s rejection. "After you know that it was him who had ordered the attack, you still want to be with him?"


    Raine also felt complicated about that fact, but no matter how she hated Torak''s decision and how cruel he was, she couldn''t bring herself to leave him. "I want to hear his side of story." Raine murmured.


    "His side of story?" Aeon repeated Raine''s statement. "Raine¡­" He sighed in frustration. "Do you really think he would tell you the truth?"


    "He will." Raine didn''t know if she was being impulsive or she just trusted Torak blindly. "He will tell me the truth." Because that was what he had promised her.


    "Do you really want to stay beside him even after what he had done? He killed many creatures and he will do it again and again." Aeon emphasized every words, pressing the importance of this information on Raine.


    "That was him in the past. He will not kill innocent people on a whim." Raine was adamant with her words.


    Yet, as if the fate wanted to prove her wrong, out of the blue, Torak had stood behind Raine and pulled her back with one arm while the other had turned into sharp claws and drew his hand across Aeon''s face.


    Raine muffled her scream with her hands and covered her face as she turned her head on Torak''s body. She didn''t want to see it.


    Her entire body was trembling, Raine even didn''t realize when Torak had wrapped his strong arms around her body.


    "You killed him¡­" Raine choked on her tears. "Why did you kill him¡­?" She still afraid to raise her head and kept her eyes shut tight behind her hands.


    "I didn''t kill him. He is not real." Torak said in rigid voice as he rubbed Raine''s back to ease her fear.

 Chapter 142 - THE MEMOIR

    She will raise


    With a spine of steel


    And a roar like thunder


    She will raise.


    -Nicole lyons-


    **************


    Torak kept repeating his words until Raine could muster her courage to look at him. She peeked through her fingers and glanced at the spot where Aeon was standing earlier.


    However, she could find nothing. There was no blood, not even a body there, as if there was not anyone from the beginning.


    So, where was Aeon? Raine was very sure that she was talking to Aeon when Torak suddenly came and ripped the living out of the shadow warrior.


    "Where¡­" Raine stammered. "Where¡­ is he?" She gulped down hard when she asked Torak about that. She put down her hand this time to have a better look on the scene before her, but Aeon was nowhere to be found.


    "He is not real." Torak said patiently while kept stroking her back, kept her saved in his arms. "His real body is not here. That''s one of shadow warrior''s ability."


    Torak knew the shadow warrior would appear the moment Raine was alone, that was why he left Raine earlier.


    It was hard to hold back his anger when he heard about what had happened to Raine when she disappeared. Especially when he knew the exact thing that they did between the guardian angel and the shadow warrior.


    Thankfully nothing major had happened between Raine and the shadow warrior. Torak would have guessed and knew it the first time he found Raine.


    The shadow warrior would leave some kind of mark, to acknowledge their partner when they united. And Torak couldn''t be more grateful when he found nothing on Raine.


    "You didn''t kill him¡­" Raine stated, as if she wanted to make herself sure about it.


    "I didn''t." Torak''s blue eyes held Raine''s black one and added. "But, I will if he comes near you again." It wasn''t a statement, but more like a promise.


    "No¡­ don''t¡­" Raine''s weak rejection was left unnoticed when Torak turned his head to look the other side of the room.


    "What do you find?" Torak asked someone there.


    Raine didn''t realize there was someone else inside the room, if it wasn''t because of Torak was talking to them.


    Turning her head, Raine found Raphael, Serefina and Calleb were standing near the bed with seriousness on their expression.


    "Shadow warrior will not be able to send their shadow over if Raine has nothing that belong to them or received from them." Serefina was contemplating while looking at Raine, scrutinized her body. "But, I can''t see anything on her that belongs to the shadow warrior."


    Torak looked down on Raine and stroke her cheek. "Sweetheart, did he give you something?" Torak''s voice was unusually stern and stiff when he talked about Aeon.


    Yet, Raine shook her head firmly. Aeon didn''t give her anything when she was in the village of angel. She was sure about this.


    "Don''t lie." Serefina frowned and slightly reprimanded Raine.


    "If she said she didn''t receive anything then she didn''t." The pitch in Torak''s voice was so stern and powerful, he didn''t like it when someone doubted him or his mate.


    "If you believe her blindly, someday you will see how capable she is to lie right in front of your nose." Serefina retorted with sarcastic remark.


    Torak growled dangerously upon hearing the impudence in Serefina''s words, but Raine''s small palms held his clothes tightly, preventing him from making any movement on the witch.


    Raine''s pleading eyes to not make things hard was enough for Torak to swallow back his anger and held his mate in his arms, as if he didn''t do so, the outraged beast from the night when Raine disappeared would resurface again.


    "Raine, do you have something that you have been holding for long time?" Calleb asked as he leaned his body on the wall behind him.


    Four pairs of eyes inside the room were looking at her direction, and this didn''t make her feel comfortable, she still didn''t like to be the center of attention.


    She turned her head and looked at the only pair of blue eyes that could make her at ease as she recalled something. "I have my mother''s diary with me¡­" She said in low voice.


    "Maybe that''s the thing. Let me see that." Serefina said bossily as she took the first initiative to ask for the book.


    Raine frowned she didn''t like the way Serefina talked to her so easily to ask for her mother''s diary, this was something personal and she asked that impolitely.


    Sensing Raine''s uncomfortableness, Torak smoothed her hair and said softly. "Can you show us the diary, my love?"


    Raine was still reluctance to do that, but since it was Torak, who asked for it, she relented and nodded. "The diary is in my bag¡­ but, my bag is still in the apartment."


    No one told her yet about what had happened with the apartment or about Torak''s outburst, hence Raine didn''t know all of her things had been moved to this house.


    They went to the other room next to Torak''s.


    "Your things are already here." Raphael said as he walked toward the door and held it open.


    The room was smaller with white dominated the entire exterior and on the queen size bed, there were many bags that belonged to Raine.


    Among that bag there was a small grey bag that already worn out, Raine reached out for it and fished out a small blue book with already damaged cover.


    "That''s it." Serefina claimed it even before Raine could show it to the rest of the people.


    This book was the last memoir, which reminded Raine about her mother. After that terrible night, she only returned to her old house once, at that time a police officer gave her that book.


    Since she was admitted to the hospital, she had not yet seen it for three years, only when she was discharged and put in the orphanage she could read it again. The book was the only thing that she had, her treasure that could remind her for her late parents.


    However, before Raine realized what happened, Serefina had snatched the diary from Raine''s hand. "This is the one." She asserted it after she touched it.


    There was another energy that she could feel and only she, who could confirm it after being this close.


    However, that wasn''t the last thing that Serefina did after she snatched the book away, because after that, she conjured a fire on the book which burned it into ashes.


    Raine had never screamed so loud in her life when she watched in horror the last memoir of her parent disappeared into dust.


    The only thing that she had been holding so dearly was now gone.


    Torak also didn''t know that Serefina would destroy the book, he was caught off guard, but it was too late for him to do something as the fire had dissipated and left nothing from that book.


    He caught Raine''s body that trembling as she screamed frantically. "Why did you do that!?" She screamed toward Serefina.


    This was the first time they watched Raine was enraged and the first time also she confronted someone with anger burning in her eyes.


    "WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" Raine struggled to be free from Torak''s strong arms, but he was holding her too tight.

 Chapter 143 - SHE NEEDS TO LEARN TO TAKE THE PAIN

    We are made of all those who have built and broken us.


    -Atticus-


    **************


    "Why?" Serefina asked her back with arms that folded in front of her chest, her short red hair was akin to the color of the fire that she had conjured earlier to burn the book. "Of course, I did that to save you from the shadow warrior." There was no remorse in the way she talked, as if Raine was asking a stupid question to her.


    "That''s book is mine!" Raine was frustrated when she couldn''t get off from Torak''s arms, she really wanted to kick the witch or hit her as hard as she could for the thing that she had done.


    No one understood how precious that diary for her. It felt like the air from her lungs was sucked out from her body and left her breathless with excruciating pain in her chest.


    That book was the only thing that she brought when Torak came and saved her from the sorry life in the orphanage.


    That book was her treasure, whenever she felt down Raine would read it and be reminded how much her mother loved her.


    But, Serefina burned it just like that and now she was standing there without remorse or guilty for what she had done.


    "Don''t be so attach on something that is not relevant!" Serefina raised her voice as well. "If I didn''t destroy it, the shadow warrior will always have his way to find you." She then added with meaningful tone. "Even in your dream."


    "That''s still not your place to decide! That doesn''t justify your action!" Raine didn''t know where she found a courage to talk back to Serefina, but she did. "You can''t do anything you like with something that doesn''t belong to you!"


    This side of Raine surprised not only Torak, but the rest of the people inside the room as well. Raine who had always appeared weak and easily scared could be this fierce.


    As the creatures that rarely showed their emotion on inanimate objects, they didn''t quite understand with Raine''s attachment for that book.


    Maybe, that diary really held great value for her¡­


    "Doesn''t belong to me?!" The pitch of Serefina''s tone raised a few octaves when Raine talked to her with angry and sharp voice. "Then, what that book does to you? Do you think by keeping that book, it will bring back your parents? Do you think by keeping that book and ignoring the danger it causes can save you''re a**?! Tell me, what the benefit that book gives to you?!"


    "That book was the last thing that I have that reminded me of my mother¡­" Raine''s voice trembled, between her sadness and her anger. She desperately wanted to tell Serefina how precious that book for her, but she couldn''t find the right words to phrase it correctly.


    All words jumbled up in her head.


    "You don''t need a book to remind you of your late mother, as long as you remember her, no one will be able to take those memories from you and that book is just a mere book." Serefina said it firmly, for a moment there was a fleeting sadness in her eyes as she remembered something else from years ago.


    "Witch, I think your way is too harsh, you can solve it in another way, right? Without expunge the book." Calleb voiced out his thought.


    "That is the only way. If I didn''t destroy the book, no matter how strong the barrier that I put around her, the shadow warrior will always easily come close to her." Serefina looked at Torak and asked the question that she knew it would be hard for him to answer it. "Do you really want to keep the book and risk your mate''s safety just because her childish attachment toward the book? The shadow warrior can appear anytime, walk through your door as he wished."


    "Enough!" Torak said strictly. "Leave!" He was still holding Raine''s body, kept her from storming angrily toward Serefina.


    Actually, Torak agreed with Serefina''s words, if by destroying it could guarantee the shadow warrior wouldn''t come near his mate again, then he was more than welcome to accept Serefina''s decision to destroy it, but to see Raine was in pain because of she lost the diary, he felt complicated.


    Meanwhile, Serefina was once again dragged by Raphael out of the room, leaving only Torak and Raine.


    "Can you stop dragging me?!" Serefina was angry as she conjured fire in her palm and was about to attack Raphael.


    However, Raphael moved faster than her, grabbed her hand and clasped their hand together, thus in an instant, the flame was extinguished before it could burn him.


    "Can you stop being a jerk?" Raphael glared at Serefina through his black eyes, he almost lost his patience to face this witch.


    Regardless Raine''s soft personality and her trauma issues, not to mention she had not yet met the expectation to rule thousands of Lycanthropes alongside Torak, but she was still their Luna and Raphael couldn''t stand it if someone disrespect her and treated her less than she deserved.


    "Me? Being a jerk?" Serefina glared at Raphael. "Your Alpha should thank me that I have removed a possible threat from her! Raine doesn''t need that kind of attachment if she wants to grow stronger! Because there will be time when she has to do something that she has to do, regardless she wants it or not, simply because that''s the right thing!"


    Calleb stepped aside when he felt the animosity from both Raphael and Serefina. He really didn''t want to interrupt and caught in between, especially when Raphael had been pissed off. It was rare for the Beta to appear so fierce and impetuous like this, thus he looked scarier than usual.


    Serefina added her monologue. "The book is a small thing that she needs to let go. Until now, she still doesn''t know about the prophecy yet, does she? She needs to know because in the future, she needs to do more than to let go of a simple diary!"

 Chapter 144 - SHE REJECTS HIM

    I believe in you


    You know the door to my very soul


    You''re the light in my deepest, darkest hour


    You''re my savior when I fall


    And you may not think I care for you


    When you know down inside that I really do


    -How Deep is Your Love, by: Bee Gees-


    **************


    Inside the bedroom, Raine was staring blankly at the floor, where the diary had disappeared into asses, even its dust has no longer lingered in the air.


    Torak had sat her down on the edge of the bed as he pulled a chair to sit down in front of her. He clasped her hands, but Raine refused to see him.


    "My little angel¡­ what should I do to ease your pain?" Torak asked gently, he  then cupped her face to look at him, but Raine closed her eyes. "Please don''t do this to me¡­" He didn''t feel good by the way Raine responded to him.


    Torak knew she was upset and he didn''t know how to persuade her, he would have done everything that he could to ease her pain, regardless he couldn''t exactly understand her feeling.


    But, Raine was too upset to give him a chance, because the first thing that she said while closing her eyes was; "Can you leave me alone for a while, please?"


    Before Raine, Torak had never had any attachment toward anything or anyone, not to mention a single book, thus he didn''t quite get it when Raine gave this reaction. Her strong reaction was surprised him.


    Nevertheless, looking at Raine in this state made him felt worried. Raine was afraid of him when the first time they met, but Torak managed to get her trust, yet the current situation was different¡­


    Her body was trembling and a tear was rolling down from the corner of her eyes, she bit her lips and shook her head gently to make Torak let go of her face.


    She rejected Torak''s presence.


    Torak took a deep breath upon receiving his mate rejection. "Alright, I will go outside, if you need anything, there will be someone outside the door to help you. I will be in study room."


    Looking at her sad face and closed eyes, Torak felt his world crumbled, but for now Raine needed to be alone and he would leave her for awhile until she felt a bit calm.


    Before he left, Torak caressed her head lovingly. Since the diary had gone, it should be safe to leave her alone, right? The shadow warrior wouldn''t be able to come and snatch her away from the room.


    "Guard this room closely." Torak said to the two guards, who were standing on alert, outside the room. "Put another three more people under the balcony." Torak added as he stared at the closed door.


    He needed to do this to ensure Raine''s safety, so he would be sure she wouldn''t disappear again.


    "Ask someone to bring breakfast inside the room." He gave them the last order before he walked down the stairs to his study room in the first floor.


    Both of the guards looked at each other, exchanging questions with their eyes. Before, they heard Raine was yelling to the other woman and now, Torak''s order felt like he was trying to lock Raine up inside the room with many guards surrounded it.


    Or perhaps, they were just interpreted it wrongly. Even though Raine looked so young and innocent, but she was, seemingly, the Mistress of the house as their Boss valued her greatly.


    They had heard about Torak, but never knew if he kept someone so green like Raine, even so it wasn''t their place to say something or to judge.


    Shrugging their shoulder, they did what they had been told.


    ==============


    "Where is Serefina?" That was the first question that Torak asked the moment he entered the study room, where he could only find Raphael and Calleb there.


    He had been looking for her, but her scent abruptly disappeared from inside the house and he couldn''t find her.


    "She disappeared." Raphael answered from behind the table where his face was buried behind the pile of paper that he needed to handle. Paperwork was indeed more tiring than the actual battle.


    "Again." Calleb added from behind the Beta, he had just hung up his phone, calling someone regarding the matter in the hospital, where Torak had killed a man there.


    Upon hearing their'' answer Torak''s eyes flicked with anger for a moment before he walked behind his chair and sat down, his hand intertwined with each other as he rested his chin on top of it.


    His eyes spoke more volume than his silence that stretched out across the room.


    "How is Luna?" Raphael asked Torak carefully, put down the paperwork in his hand as he focused his attention toward his Alpha.


    "She asked me to leave her alone." Torak answered him rigidly, his voice sounded like it didn''t belong to him as his mind wandered to many possibilities that could happen.


    Raphael nodded his head in understanding. "She needs time to arrange her feeling, after that, she will be fine." He tried to reassure him.


    More or less, Raphael had followed Torak for many years, he knew what was in his mind and his worries now.


    "She rejects me." Torak closed his eyes as the image of Raine, who refused to see him rolled back in his mind.


    "Impossible¡­" Calleb chimed in, but a glare from Raphael managed to make him swallow back the rest of his comment, he pouted his lips and busied himself with the paperwork in front of him.


    "Luna is human who filled with many complicated emotions, not like us." He gestured to them. "We are shifter, we don''t have attachment toward anything except for our own family, our mate, the pack and our respect to our Alpha."


    "I feel bad for not able to feel her pain." Torak said as he opened his eyes, it was the color of gloomy blue. "I feel I don''t care enough about her."


    It was a rare occasion for Torak to open up about what he felt, but to think about this again, Raine was the first person that could dig out the affection and compassion from beneath his rotten heart that he thought, he would never be able to feel anything anymore.


    "No." Raphael shook his head. "You care about her, that''s why you are not at ease now."

 Chapter 145 - HE CRIED FOR YOU

    "You get what you settle for."


    -Louise Sawyer (Susan Sarandon), Thelma and Louise-


    **************


    Meanwhile, inside the closed room, Raine was staring blankly at the floor in front of her, with complicated emotions.


    Actually, she felt bad for sending Torak away. It wasn''t his fault as he also didn''t know that Serefina was going to burn down her mother''s diary.


    But, for now she really didn''t want to face anyone.


    Raine didn''t mind if she couldn''t meet with Aeon again, that was one thing, but the harsh way that Serefina did was another thing that couldn''t be forgiven.


    Another tear was rolling down from her eyes that she wiped it harshly.


    "Still crying?"


    As if the situation was toying with Raine, the last person that she wanted to see and the last voice that she wanted to hear, was there inside the room.


    Somehow, she managed to enter the room without anyone noticed her, but she was a witch after all.


    Serefina''s question regarded her with a glare from Raine, she gritted her teeth and looked at the witch through the mist of her tears.


    "What do you want?" Raine''s voice was very cold. Before, she had never talked that way to anyone, as if it was someone else who was talking.


    But, for some reason, there was amus.e.m.e.nt danced in Serefina''s eyes when she received Raine''s cold treatment.


    Serefina was standing at the other side of the bed in her white dress that contrasted with her fiery red short hair, her slightly red lips curled into a smile.


    "What I want? You know what I want." Serefina sat down on the same bed that Raine was sitting. "No matter how much you hate me, you will thank me later because I teach you how to survive in this cruel world."


    Raine''s lips trembled because of anger that pulsed through her veins and burned in her chest, she had never felt this way before, but when she talked, her voice was steady and firm. "You don''t teach me how to survive in this world, you just teach me how to be more cruel in this cruel world."


    Serefina''s eyebrows shot up when she heard that. "What is the difference?" She asked apathetically. "Do you think because Torak is here, protecting you, no harm will come upon you anymore? That you are safe now? You are too na?ve and you have to change that innocent thought of you."


    "What do you mean any harm will come to me?" Raine turned her body, so now she could face the witch properly. She was ready to hear whatever it was, since everything around her never made any sense.


    Serefina scoffed. "How you are able to see supernatural creatures, how you turn to be the Alpha''s mate and how you travelled through the time, everything has purposed." She said with stern voice. "And you have to be ready for whatever will come in the near future. Once you slack off and your life will be at stake."


    "What''s all this about?" Raine frowned, yet her confusion still couldn''t extinguish the anger within her. "Are you trying to say there is someone who wants me dead?"


    Was there particular someone who wanted to kill her?


    "Someone?" Serefina smirked as if that questioned amused her. "Aside from the Lycanthropes and the werewolves, any other creatures want you dead, or since you had travelled back to the time when the village of angel was being destroyed, you must have known the value of guardian angel and why the other creature want to sap your energy."


    Raine knew about this fact when she was in the village of angel, but she didn''t realize if that practice still applies until this day.


    "But, if you think your life will be safe because Torak is your mate, and very fortunately is the strongest Alpha among the Lycanthropes and werewolves, you are so stupid." Serefina said it harshly. "No one could predict the future and no one could guarantee he will always be in control. Perhaps, there will be a time when someone managed to knock him down, when it happens, what will you do? Crying on the bed like you are doing now?"


    Raine bit her lower lip, Serefina was really good with her words, she managed to make her felt bad because of her reaction over the diary.


    Instead of apologize for what she had done, Serefina turned her words and justified them until they sounded like Raine was the one who was overreacting her reaction.


    Yet, Raine couldn''t find the right words to rebut her. Serefina was way too experience for Raine to be able to beat her words.


    "When something bad happens on Torak, what will you do?" Serefina repeated her question because Raine still didn''t answer her. "With so many enemies that want him, you will be the only weakness that he has. She yourself¡­" The witch waved her hand toward Raine, that gesture as if saying that Raine wasn''t something worth to mention.


    In the other hand, no matter how much Raine hated to admit it, but Serefina''s harsh words have truth in them.


    She was Torak''s weakness.


    "You are an easy target for Torak''s enemies to get to him, since you are his mate, he will do everything to make sure that you are safe." Serefina''s shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly. "Thanks to the mate bond between you two." The way she talked, more like a mock than a gratitude.


    Raine didn''t say anything for a few moments, she just stared at Serefina who was smiling sardonically before she talked tonelessly. "Something had happened between you and the Lycanthropes, right?"


    There was a fleeting surprise passed Serefina''s eyes for a few second before she composed herself quickly and resumed her smiling face. "Me and Lycanthropes?"


    "For more specific, it is between you and Torak''s brother, am I right?" Raine asked with the same monotonous tone.


    "Don''t talk about something that you don''t even know." Serefina made a gesture to belittle the topic.


    Ignoring her replied, Raine continued. "I saw you dead in the village of angel and he cried for you."

 Chapter 146 - I WILL DO IT

    There is a difference between giving up and knowing when you have had enough.


    -Uploaded by Vio Quenn-


    **************


    Serefina''s face darkened as she heard that. It was something that she didn''t want to remember, a dark topic that shouldn''t be touched.


    A moment that she had buried deep in the back of her mind.


    Serefina had nothing to say for Raine''s statement as she abruptly stood up and was about to leave the room when Raine kept asking her.


    "How are you still alive now? I clearly saw it with my own eyes that you are dead." Raine followed Serefina''s moves with her eyes. "What had happened to you?"


    "That''s not your business!" Serefina said those words through gritted teeth. She looked dangerous when she glared at Raine, so she could stop asking and drop the topic.


    However, Raine was so determined now to find out the truth about Serefina, since she didn''t show any remorse for what she had done, Raine also didn''t want to back down.


    If Serefina thought, with her burned Raine''s mother diary was a trivial matter, then Raine would make the topic that she didn''t want to bring up was the same thing.


    "I was there and I witness everything." Raine stood up, the heartache that she felt turned into a courage she thought she would never have. That diary was the last memoir of her mother after all and she treasured it dearly. "How can you come back to life?"


    Raine strode across the room and stopped right in front of Serefina. Because Raine was shorter than her, she needed to raise her head up to look at the witch and, for the first time, she did that without fear.


    "I told you, that''s not your business." Serefina held Raine''s eyes with the same anger burning in them. "Don''t touch something that you will not be able to handle." That was a warning.


    "Do you really come to help me?" Raine was squinted her eyes as she assessed her. She had gotten used with someone who had ill intention toward her, but she had never faced someone with hidden agenda like Serefina. "Or, do you have another motive?"


    Serefina suddenly smirked when she heard Raine''s question. "What? Do you want to interrogate me?" She folded her arms under her b.r.e.a.s.t, this gestured made her looked intimidating and arrogant.


    "No, I just want to find the truth. I think you are right, this world is cruel and you are a good example to prove that." Raine said it smoothly, despite her expression didn''t show any emotion, but her hands had balled into fists beside her body.


    The smirk on Serefina''s face didn''t fade away. She raised her chin proudly as if Raine had just complimented her. "I am glad that I can open your eyes a bit wider."


    Raine was lost for words, she didn''t expect Serefina would answer her that way and act very calm.


    "So, what you will do? Tell Torak about this? Go ahead." Serefina waved her hand, giving permission for Raine to do that. "Except from Torak, you have nothing."


    Raine could feel her ears burned with anger, she didn''t know it was so irritating to hear that from Serefina, even though she already knew it.


    "You are just a little girl with trauma issues who doesn''t dare to stand up for yourself, too weak and too afraid to fend herself. Once Torak is down, you will be the first reason for that." Serefina blurted those words without a second thought, what is more, considering Raine''s feeling. "Go ahead and show him all your problems and enjoy how he will take care of everything for you."


    Serefina turned around and opened the door leisurely, she didn''t seem to care whether Raine would really tell Torak about that.


    "Continue to do that and see how many problems you can give to Torak."


    After saying that, Serefina closed the door, leaving Raine alone, standing with her shoulder trembled because of her effort to suppress her emotions.


    Serefina''s words kept ringing in her head, so hurtful and pricked her consciences.


    She didn''t want to be Torak''s weakness and the reason of his fall.


    From behind the door, Raine could hear the two guards asked Serefina how she could get inside the room, because they didn''t see anyone enter earlier, they also told her that Torak had been looking for her.


    However, Raine didn''t know what Serefina''s answer was¡­


    Her mind was all over the place, she needed time to rearrange her emotions and think this thoroughly, there were many things that she didn''t know and needed to learn.


    In the end, it took longer time for Raine to come up with her decision, she knew it would be hard, Serefina would make sure she wouldn''t get it easy, but seemingly this was something that she has to do.


    Not because Serefina had slapped her face with those possibilities ruthlessly, but because she didn''t want any bad things befell upon Torak.


    Sighed deeply and closed her eyes to calm her down, Raine opened the door of her room and found the two guards were standing at right and left side of the door.


    "Can you show me where is Torak''s study room?" Raine asked with small voice, but at least she looked the man in the eyes instead of staring at her shoes like she always did to stranger.


    "Sure, over here Miss." One of the two guards answered her and both of them led the way down to the first floor.


    Though Raine had been there for almost a week, but she had not yet roamed inside this house.


    Not like the pack house, this house was dominated with the color of grey and white, giving off a cold vibe to the entire building.


    The two guards led her to the first room on the left side of the stairs, its door was the color of white.


    But, before Raine could take another step closer, she could hear Torak''s angry voice was shouting at someone.


    After that, Serefina''s voice came from behind the door. Both of them were arguing about something, and from the sound of it, it seemed like that was about Raine.


    "I will do it." Raine said suddenly after she opened the door, took the people inside the room by surprised.

 Chapter 147 - I DONT LIKE HIM

    You can''t change someone who doesn''t see an issue with their actions. You can only change how you react to them.


    -1.lakartes.net-


    **************


    "You better give me a reasonable explanation why did you burn the diary?!" Torak''s angry voice could be heard from behind the door.


    He was too angry and put his focus on Serefina solely until he didn''t realize Raine was standing outside the door with the two guards while listening to their conversation inside.


    "Why did I do that?" Serefina reiterated Torak''s question, there was an apathy in the way she talked. "Of course, to save both of you from unnecessary interference! With this I can assure you no more shadow warrior will latch on your mate, isn''t that what you want?"


    "You can find another way to cut the link! You don''t have to burn that book!" Torak said exasperatedly.


    following that there was a loud sound of something being broken.


    Apparently because Raphael was holding him back and the fact, despite his fury, Torak still needed her to treat Raine''s condition, he only could vent his anger to the things near him.


    However, Serefina''s next word like put gasoline on fire. "While we are at this. I want to inform you that the teacher, who I had arranged to teach Raine before she disappeared, would come starting tomorrow." She said it blatantly.


    "NO!" Torak roared. "YOU ARE HERE TO TREAT HER CONDITION! NOT TO CONTROL MY MATE''S LIFE!" At this point, Torak really had lost it, he shoved Raphael''s body away from him easily as he moved toward Serefina while baring his canines, his rage nearly consumed him.


    Torak really wanted to smash the witch''s head, so she could think properly and tactfully. Every time she opened her mouth it was only to upset other people near her.


    However, before Torak''s anger totally blinded him, a voice that he had grown to love echoed inside the room as her pleasant scent filled the air.


    "I will do it." Her voice neither so loud nor strong but there was determination laced in the way she talked.


    The next second, Raine had entered the room and halted her step when she looked at Torak''s livid expression, but it only last for a few moments before she strode across the room with steady step and engulfed the angry Lycan with a warm hug.


    Her tiny arms circled around his waist as he buried her face on his chest. "I will do it." She repeated her words softly. "I want to study and go to college." She added.


    Meanwhile, Calleb waved his hand toward the two guards that followed Raine, ordered them to leave. They were only human, so it would be hard to handle if they saw the beast side of Torak now.


    Afterward, Calleb closed the door and watched in puzzled, how easy the Luna calmed the Alpha''s anger.


    "Do you want to do it?" Out of instinct, Torak hugged Raine''s small body and caressed her back.


    As replied, she nodded and raised her head to look at Torak. "I want to do it."


    Raine didn''t do this because Serefina provoked her to take the path that she had arranged for her, but because she really wanted to grow. Maybe Serefina did indeed affect her decision a bit and made her more determined to go out of her shell.


    However, out of many things that Serefina had done and mean words that she had said, Raine still couldn''t forgive her for what she had done to her mother''s diary.


    She would always remember that.


    "Is it because of her?" Torak cupped Raine''s face and stared at her eyes deeply, looking for reluctance or lies, but he only saw her eagerness.


    "No." Raine shook her head, her lips curved into a small smile. "I really want to do this."


    Despite Raine''s sudden change of behavior, Torak preferred this side of her more than the one that had rejected him earlier.


    The fear was so real as he thought Raine didn''t want him anymore and he didn''t know how to handle that kind of emotion.


    If it was someone else, he would use any method to make things happened the way he wanted, but he couldn''t do that to his mate, it would feel like someone had stabbed him ruthlessly when he saw Raine was doing something that she didn''t want to.


    "Are you sure?" Torak needed more assurance. "You don''t need to do something that you don''t like, my love." He caressed her cheeks gently as his eyebrows furrowed.


    In the other side, Serefina rolled her eyes while Raphael glared at her for her gesture.


    After Raine disappeared and Serefina had neglected her duty to keep her safe, those things really pissed Torak off. Torak really didn''t want to have anything to do with the witch if it wasn''t because for Raine''s sake.


    If stayed in this city and put her away from Lycanthropes was enough to keep her health, he would do that and kicked Serefina out of this house this very second.


    Unfortunately, Raine''s condition wasn''t that simple.


    "It settled then." Serefina clapped her hands and smirked triumphantly. "Your teacher will come tomorrow. Study hard so you can enter a good university."


    "I just agreed with her study, about the university we will talk about that later." Torak talked to Serefina with gruff tone. "Before her teacher comes, give his profile to Raphael so he can run a background check on them."


    Serefina had arranged everything for Raine without Torak''s concern and as long as Raine was safe and sound, he could endure her overbearing way, but not now.


    Torak would ensure everything that happened around his mate was within his observation and he had to know every detail of it.


    "You don''t need to do that." Serefina scoffed, she didn''t like her work was being inspected. "Raine had met him before this."


    Torak turned his head toward Raine and looked at his mate. "Do you like the teacher?"


    Raine indeed had met with Aero, the teacher that Serefina had hired, but her replied was unexpected. "No." Raine answered truthfully. "I don''t like him."


    "Alright." Torak nodded in understanding. He then turned his head and talked to Serefina, whose eyes had opened wide because of annoyed the moment she heard Raine''s answer. "You can find another teacher."


    Meanwhile, Raine nuzzled her head on Torak''s chest as she blinked her eyes at the witch innocently.

 Chapter 148 - THATS... BOLD

    Some women fear the fire. Some women simply became it¡­


    -r.h sin-


    **************


    "If you want to change the teacher that I had hired for her, you can find it yourself." Serefina shrugged her shoulder while sitting on the sofa behind her nonchalantly as if she wasn''t affected by Torak''s decision.


    At that time, Raphael who had just received a phone call from someone informed Torak that he needed to go somewhere for the matter of De Medici''s family.


    That problem had become headline news for these past two days as many speculations circled around the death of Remy de Medici.


    In this case Torak was asked to come to give a statement about the investment on their company not long time ago.


    Torak was on the highlight because of the funds from him had saved them from bankruptcy, and also, he was the last person, aside from family, who come into contact with Ramy de Medici before Ramon, his brother, killed him.


    "My love, is it okay if I leave you now?" Torak looked at Raine, he didn''t mind to reschedule that and accompany his mate. After all, Raine had just suffered a shock because of Serefina. He didn''t want she went through it alone. "I can stay here with you and reschedule it, if you still feel uncomfortable." Torak pulled her hair band the twirled her hair between his fingers subconsciously as he stared at Raine''s beautiful eyes.


    "I am all right." Raine smiled softly. "You can go."


    "Are you sure?" Torak a little bit baffled by Raine''s sudden change. Earlier, Raine was hysteric when she witnessed her mother''s diary was being burned by Serefina, then she pushed him away and rejected his presence, but later she came to him with determination in her eyes and a new spirit, as if she had been enlightened.


    When the first time he met her, Raine needed more time to recover from some shock events, and had him worried about her condition, but now she had changed. Raine no longer afraid to look at him in the eyes and not only that, she also talked with stranger like those guards outside.


    Torak noticed that.


    "I am sure." Raine nodded to emphasize her words.


    Though, Torak didn''t mind and actually like her progress, he wanted to know about what had happened to her until she came up with this decision. Maybe not now¡­ he would talk to her later.


    "I will be back as soon as possible." As Torak said that, he leaned over and kissed her forehead.


    "Aww! Alpha! Your affection hurt my eyes!" Calleb protested exaggeratedly and he was regarded with a hit on the back of his head from Raphael. "What?!" He groaned while rubbing his head.


    It was only Calleb who would be stupid enough to make that remarked in this kind of situation and since Torak had gotten used to his antics, he acted like he didn''t hear anything.


    Torak hugged Raine and breathed on her scent. "Thank you for not angry to me." He whispered to her ear.


    Raine shook her head. "I am sorry for acted that way¡­" Her voice laced with guilt.


    "Don''t. My love, don''t apologize to me." He kissed both of her cheeks and pecked her lips for a brief moment before he let her go.


    However, when Raphael was about to go outside, because he thought Torak would bring him along to the police station, the Alpha stopped him.


    "You stay with Raine, Calleb will come with me." As he said that, he opened the door and walked ahead, leaving his mate and the three of them behind.


    "Wait!" Calleb raised both of his hands. "Did the Alpha just said he would go with me instead of you?" He pointed his finger to Raphael. "Why? He knows that I don''t like to associate with those humans in law firm!" He whined.


    Raphael shrugged his shoulder and sat down on the sofa opposite from Serefina, who was reading a newspaper. "More likely as a punishment of your comment earlier." He said lightly.


    Since Torak would go with Calleb, he would stay there with Raine and took care of some paperwork that he had to handle.


    "No way! He is not that petty¡­!" Calleb strongly rejected that, but his voice laced with doubt when he asked. "Isn''t he?"


    Raphael rolled his eyes and waved his hand toward his Gamma. "You better go now, or else the Alpha will be more irritated."


    Sullenly, Calleb walked out of the room without saying anything as he was afraid the Alpha really took offense on his silly comment.


    "Luna, do you prefer male or female as your teacher?" Raphael asked Raine, who was still standing in the middle of the room.


    Raine was wearing dark pajamas with her hair cascaded down on her shoulder beautifully, her bare face slightly pale because she had just recovered and her slipper looked bigger than her size.


    No one would believe she was the Alpha''s mate. More precisely, Torak Donovan''s mate. Aside from the curse that the Donovan''s brothers would be mateless, people would think Torak would pick a female Alpha as a mate who was chosen by him.


    Totally not someone like Raine.


    Yet, for some reason, Raphael was relief that it was Raine who became Torak''s mate. Their personality complimented each other.


    If it was a female Alpha who was chosen as Torak''s mate, Raphael could imagine how boring and stern their relationship would be.


    "Anything is okay." Raine replied to him.


    "Good job Raine, you had made a right decision. I am very satisfied with that!" Serefina put down the newspaper in her hand and smiled triumphantly at Raine as if she was very meritorious in Raine''s decision


    Raine looked at her with expression that devoid from any emotion, she looked like a little child when she did that, however the moment she talked, even Raphael was surprised by her words.


    "I will do the thing that I feel is right, but I don''t do it for you, so you don''t have to feel satisfied with my decision." Raine said that with her clear voice as she looked at Serefina straight to her eyes. "I don''t like you for burning my mother''s diary and don''t feel a bit of guilt after doing so. If you think I will let it pass, you are wrong, I will always remember what you have done."


    After saying that, Raine turned around and left the room, leaving Raphael and Serefina on their own.


    "That''s¡­" Raphael frowned as he tried to find the right words to say. "¡­bold."


    "Well, that''s the longest things that she had ever said." Serefina contemplated. "But, I like this attitude of her better."

 Chapter 149 - WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

    Because of Torak''s status, they could just hold him for a little bit more than thirty minutes and asked the crucial questions about the business between the two of them.


    Torak was very cooperative and answered all of the questions, but still, his dominant aura made the questioner a little bit intimidated by him.


    Afterwards, they didn''t make things difficult for him, let him go and asked for his cooperation if there was something else they needed from him. With a curt nod, Torak agreed and then walked away from that place.


    "Alpha, you need to go to the company, the shareholders are becoming anxious with the progress of this matter and want to withdraw their investment." Calleb informed Torak after he received a phone call.


    Because of this matter, the new company in this city that Torak had joined hand to build it with de Medici family, was shaken. Their stocks started to plummet and the shareholders were not really satisfied with this result.


    Especially when Torak suddenly disappeared and out of contact for more than a week because he refused to meet anyone else until Raine was awake.


    During that time, the five shareholders were not at ease and demanded Torak''s presence in flesh, not just an order that passed down to Raphael.


    They were all human, so Torak couldn''t make them quiet the way he did to his pack member, only if they were his pack member this unnecessary commotion wouldn''t happen in the first place and also it would be easier for them to understand the situation.


    Torak was annoyed by this, he wanted to go home and be with Raine, but apparently that should wait as he needed to go to the company first.


    "The meeting will start as soon as I arrive." Torak said to Calleb as he entered the car.


    "Yes, sir." Calleb replied politely, he didn''t address him as an Alpha because the car driver was a human.


    Now they were surrounded by human more frequently, even inside the house all the guards were human, Calleb couldn''t complaint about this because this all was for his Luna.


    ==============


    Raine was inside her and Torak''s bedroom as she was sketching Torak''s face on her sketchbook, she didn''t know since when Torak became her favorite object to draw, but she loved to portray her feeling for him that way.


    The sun had set and the night has come, even the moon had shone brightly in the clear dark sky, but Torak had not yet come.


    Probably he had a lot of things to do¡­


    Since she left Torak''s office, Raphael and Serefina didn''t bother her anymore, and Raine was glad for that. She would be really upset if Serefina barged into the room again with her magic. She was the last person that she wanted to see.


    But, thankfully she didn''t do that.


    While drawing Torak''s warm blue eyes, Raine''s mind reeling to the diary of her mother, she could feel her tears were threatening to fall down again, but she rubbed her eyes harshly. Raine didn''t want to cry, she didn''t want to give Serefina another reason to mock at her again, as she tried to shift her mind to another matter, she remembered about Aeon.


    Aeon, the shadow warrior.


    Would she never meet him again? Serefina said it clearly.


    But, there was another question in her mind¡­ How could that diary, that she had been holding for years, was something that belong to Aeon?


    Raine remembered it was the police officer, who had given her that diary when the last time she returned home after the death of her parents.


    Yet, this turned out as something that belongs to the shadow warrior¡­


    Raine hoped she could meet with Aeon again as she had many questions to ask him, there were many things that she needed explanation from him, because Torak wouldn''t have the answer for that.


    When she was contemplating about it and tried to find the answer for herself, someone knocked the door of her room.


    She was a little bit startled when a gruff voice came from behind the closed door, it wasn''t Raphael, it was the guard who was standing outside of the room.


    "Miss Raine, someone asks to meet you down stair." The guard said in rigid voice.


    Raine frowned upon hearing that. Who could be that person? Why they asked to meet her?


    Another knock on the door was heard when Raine didn''t answer. "Yes, I will come out." She said as she put down the sketchbook on her laps and got off from the bed.


    Whoever they were, they would be someone who closed to Torak, or else, they wouldn''t be able to step inside this house with the tight guards around this place, not to mention other Lycanthropes also lived around this area.


    Raine opened the door and was greeted with the same guard from this afternoon, he politely led the way to the first floor where Torak''s office was, but this time, they walked straight to the living room.


    There, someone had been waiting for her.


    A woman with blonde hair that reach to her h.i.p.s, regardless she was having her back facing Raine, Raine could guess who she was.


    But, why she came here and looked for her?


    As if aware of Raine''s presence, the unexpected guess turned her back and smiled broadly, as if she was looking at her early Christmas gift.


    "Raine, long time no see." Jenedieth greeted Raine with her crisp voice that sounded so distance. Her red eyes were telling Raine that she needed to be careful with her.


    "Jen¡­" Raine reciprocated Jenedieth greeting with small voice, she felt a bit calm when she caught a glimpse from the corner of her eyes that the guard was still there, standing a bit behind from her.


    There was a surprise expression that passed her smiling face. "You can talk now!" She clasped her hands exaggeratedly. "Good! Now answer me, where is Torak?"


    Yet, before Raine could register the question, she felt someone pulled her back and hid her behind his broad back.


    "What are you doing here Jen?"

 Chapter 150 - INFORMATION ABOUT RAINE

    "What are you doing here Jen?" Raphael stern voice was interrupting the brief conversation between Raine and Jenedieth. He stood tall there with his left arm was holding Raine close behind him.


    "Raphael, hello to you too." Jenedieth grinned at the Beta and found herself chuckled upon seeing Raphael took a defensive stand to face her. "You don''t need to be so work up. I am here to meet Torak, but he told me that Torak is not home." She nodded her sharp chin on the guard, who had escorted her inside the living room.


    "Who told you to bring her inside?" Raphael glared at the guard. He really couldn''t trust these human.


    "I am sorry Mr. Lockwood, but this Miss has the access card with her." The guard informed Raphael.


    At the same time, Jenedieth wave a green card in her hand at Raphael mockingly. This card was a sign to enter the main house, which was given by the Lycanthropes, who were guarding around the house.


    But, how she could get that?


    Raphael didn''t know how Jenedieth could get it and why there was no one informed him about this. They should know that Jenedieth had been banished from their pack and that made her presence was unwanted. Especially near Raine.


    But, she walked inside the room leisurely like nothing happened.


    How those stupid Lycans actually work? Anger bubbled up in Raphael''s chest, if it wasn''t because he smelled something off, the scent that not belonged to any of the people inside the house, he wouldn''t have known that Jenedieth was there.


    Whatever her intention was, it wouldn''t be good. Not to mention her scent was different from the last time they met, something felt off about her and Raphael couldn''t point his fingers on that.


    "You can leave us." Raphael ordered the guard to leave. "Ask everyone to not step a foot inside the living room." He added before the guard disappeared.


    "Human, huh?" Jenedieth''s eyes were on the back of the guard when he closed the door, leaving the room. "What happens with Torak? Why he hired many human inside his house?" Jenedieth took a step closer, and this made Raphael''s eyes turned black.


    "That''s not your business." He said curtly. "Leave now."


    Jenedieth raised her perfect eyebrows and flicked her hair from her shoulder elegantly. "I don''t come here this far to leave without getting what I want."


    Raphael''s eyes turned haze as he mind- linked the lycans around this area to come, apparently they didn''t know about Jenedieth''s visit.


    If that was the case, then how she could get the access card and entered this house easily without making any noises?


    "You don''t need to call them." Jenedieth frowned. "I will leave once I talk to Torak."


    Raine poked her head from behind Raphael''s back and watched the argumentation that was going on between the two people.


    She had no idea what had happened on Jenedieth after the event in the hotel that day. Raine only knew she was being punished, but didn''t know exactly what kind of punishment.


    Nonetheless, from Raphael strong reaction, Raine could conclude Jenedieth didn''t suppose to be here.


    "Don''t make things difficult for yourself Jen." Raphael warned her and after he said that, from every door and any escaped route, came dozens of Lycans, either in their human forms or in their beast forms.


    They circled Jenedieth and Raphael also Raine, who was standing behind the Beta.


    Meanwhile, Raphael was reluctance to send Raine away, he was afraid if he did so, the Luna would suddenly disappear again.


    "Everything is going to be alright Luna." Raphael whispered to Raine. He was glad that Raine didn''t look very shock with this situation, she was surprised and there was a fleeting fear crossed her eyes, but compared to her when they met for the first time, her reaction now was within normal.


    "She is Luna now?" Jenedieth darted her eyes around the Lycans that had surrounded her with derisive look. "I don''t see Torak had marked her yet." She glanced at Raine and found the spot on her neck was still unmark. "How could you say something so advance like that, Beta Raphael?"


    "This is Lockwood for you Jen." Raphael said coldly. He was still the Beta Supreme while Jenedieth last rank was only the daughter of the Alpha Xavier, which was now dead.


    Jenedieth scoffed when one of the Lycans prowled behind her back to look for opening before he received an order to attack her and pounce on her.


    She knew their movement, after all she was one of them for many years, she was trained by her father to be able to go on battle if needed.


    However, she couldn''t battle them, not with her current state that she had lost her inner wolf.


    "I don''t want this going to be ugly. I just want to talk with Torak." Jenedieth was very adamant to meet him.


    "I have warned you before, but you simply didn''t want to listen." Raphael pulled Raine along with him as he took three steps back, let the two lycans in their beast form to step in front of him, shielded them. "Now, even though you want to escape, you will not have that chance anymore."


    Yet, unexpectedly, Jenedieth folded her arms under her b.r.e.a.s.t. No one would deny that she looked so s.e.xy when she did so.


    Her long yellow dress that clad her body tightly looked so perfect on her, with dark brown boots that she was wearing, Jenedieth was almost as tall as Raphael now.


    "I have told you, I don''t have intention to escape. I want to meet Torak because there is something important that I need to tell him." Jenedieth shrugged her shoulder carelessly, she knew without Raphael''s order no one from those Lycans would make an actual move on her.


    "The Alpha will not very happy to see you Jen." Raphael said callously.


    Before this, the relationship between the two of them weren''t particularly close, there was only a handful occasion that they were talking to one another, other than discussed about work.


    "He will come and see me if you tell him that I have an important information about that girl." Jenedieth winked at Raine. "How''s that?"

 Chapter 151 - SOMETHING ABOUT RAINE

    "What kind of information?" Raphael was squinted his eyes. At this time, he cursed the absent of Serefina. That witch always disappeared and appeared without any noticed.


    At least if she was there, they could talk with each other. Woman to woman. Raphael was really frustrated to guess what was inside Jenedieth''s head, or whether her words were true or not.


    She was good at manipulate people after all.


    "If I say this information is about that girl''s life and death, what do you think Torak will do?" Jenedieth turned around, walked toward the sofa and sat down gracefully. "I will wait here until he comes back. We can chat while waiting for him, if you don''t mind." Jenedieth directed this quest to Raine.


    However, Raphael grabbed Raine''s shoulder and led her upstairs after he gave an order. "Watch her closely! If she tries to escape, kill her!"


    ==============


    Once Raine and Raphael was on the second floor, he fished out his phone to call Torak, but his call didn''t go through. He frowned and called another number while still holding Raine''s hand closed to him.


    On the third rings, someone picked up the call. "What is it?" Calleb''s voice was so strict, apparently he wasn''t in good mood.


    But, Raphael had something more important to tell Torak, so he ignored the disgruntled sound from Calleb''s tone. "Where are you? When Torak will come back?"


    "We are in the company." Calleb scowled. "Here is the living hell you know? Torak just kicked out two shareholders!"


    "Well, Jenedieth is here." Raphael informed the Gamma, cut off his ranting.


    For a few second there was no answer from the other side of the phone, but then Calleb high- pitch voice pierced through.


    "What the hell she is doing there?!" There was annoyance in the way Calleb talked about Jenedieth. "You should send her back to the dungeon, you know!" It was because of her that the other Lycan, who was guarding Raine at that time, was implicated and been punished.


    "Tell Torak to come home quickly." Raphael said and then glanced at Raine beside him, who was sitting on the single sofa while staring back at him. "Jen said she has something to say about Luna."


    There was a silence on the other end. "I got it." Calleb said after a few moments.


    With that, they both hung up the phone.


    "What do you think Jen wants to say about me?" Raine asked after Raphael has no longer occupied with his conversation with Calleb.


    "I don''t know Raine¡­" Raphael shook his head, he felt something off about Jenedieth, but couldn''t tell what it was. "But, you better stay away from her."


    Raine nodded, she didn''t have any intention to come close to her after all.


    ==============


    It took Torak less than an hour to arrive at home.


    Apparently, he ran back home in his lycan form as no one heard the engine of the car when he was there.


    The first scene that came into Torak''s line of sight was; almost all the Lycanthropes that he had brought with him to stay in this city, was there, guarding something¡­ or someone, to be precise, closely as they didn''t leave any room for escaping, while in the middle of the living room, on the sofa, jenedieth was sitting with boring expression on her beautiful face.


    Torak walked inside the room with anger burning in his eyes, his strong presence and the dominance nature that oozing out from him, was enough to make them to give away to their Alpha.


    In the other hand, Jenedieth''s face brightened up when she saw Torak, as she stood up and hurriedly came over to him.


    "Stop right there." Torak''s cold and rigid voice made the blonde woman halted her light steps and looked at him unhappily.


    "You don''t like to see me?" Jenedieth tilted her head and asked coquettishly. "I know, I had ran away from the dungeon, but actually it wasn''t me¡­ it was the Succubus, Lilith, who had appeared and took me away." She explained, whining.


    "I don''t care about that." Torak cut off her complaint. He didn''t rush over if it wasn''t because Jenedieth had information about Raine. "Speak. What do you know about Raine?"


    The beautiful smile on Jenedieth''s lips turned into a derision. "You don''t even apologize for killing my father." She said as she raised her chin arrogantly. "But, don''t get me wrong, I am not coming here to get a revenge for my old man."


    Torak didn''t say anything, he was unusually patient to hear Jenedieth''s rambling.


    "I come here to make a deal with you."


    The corner of Torak''s lips curved into a derisive smile as he scoffed. "Make a deal with me." He reiterated her words as if it was something funny.


    Ignoring the way Torak degraded her, Jenedieth kept talking. "The succubus, Lilith, and the devil, Belphegor, had held me captive for months. They offer me a deal to be on their side." Jenedieth stopped, assessing Torak''s reaction.


    Yet, the Alpha didn''t satisfy her, as his expression remained the same. Hence, Jenedieth didn''t have another options except kept talking.


    "They have a plan and their plan is all about the girl, who is with you right now." Jenedieth refused to acknowledge Raine as Torak''s mate.


    "What is their plan?" Torak asked, squinted his eyes dangerously.


    Finally, some reaction from Torak. Jenedieth knew, he would talk something if it was about that girl. Regardless she knew that, there was still a jealousy was blooming in her chest in the way Torak protected her.


    He had never been like that before, not even when they were together.


    "I will tell you, once you agree with my conditions." Jenedieth twirled her blonde hair between her fingers that she assumed looked very attractive.


    But, it was only disgusted Torak further. "Speak."


    Jenedieth frowned and looked around her at the dozens of Lycanthropes that were still circling and standing a bit far from them.


    "I want to talk with you in private." She blurted out and walked closer to approach Torak.

 Chapter 152 - LETS HEAR WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT!

    Not to mention to talk with Jenedieth in private, even with her standing three steps away from him, had disgusted him further. The scent of her that polluted the air made Torak felt distaste and aversion.


    Her scent¡­


    There was something wrong with her scent. Torak didn''t realize this before when Jenedieth a bit far from him, because all the things that he could think was the information about Raine.


    He craved for any information about his mate, he didn''t want Raine suddenly disappeared again. What if she couldn''t return? What if something happened to her like in the village of angel?


    Torak was aware what his brother and he had done to the village of angel and the Shadow Warrior, just the thought of it had him shuddered.


    Torak frowned as he sniffed the air. Jenedieth''s scent didn''t feel right.


    "Let''s talk inside your study room." Jenedieth walked past Torak as she strolled toward his study room.


    It wasn''t difficult for Jenedieth to find Torak''s study room as it strongly filled with his scent, and also, she was quite often going into his study room in the past.


    After all, there was a time when they were together.


    Torak didn''t reject it and he followed Jenedieth. He knew Raine was safe with Raphael up stairs because he had mind- linked his Beta the moment he was close enough to the house to hear Raphael''s thought.


    Two steps ahead of him, Jenedieth guessed it right as she pushed open the door to enter the study room and held it open to let Torak walked past the door.


    "Speak." Torak commanded rigidly, he wanted to make this conversation quick and short.


    "So impatient like usual." Jenedieth chuckled.


    "Get it straight to the point or leave. You had been banished from my pack." Torak reminded her. Perhaps Jenedieth didn''t aware about her current status, because the moment she was saved by Lilith, Torak banished her right away.


    Jenedieth also didn''t aware about this big decision of Torak, her happy face slightly change as she looked at the cold- blooded man in front of her.


    "I have banished? I am a rough now¡­?" This realization made her confuse, but it only lasted for a few moments before she shrugged callously. "I will count that into my deal then."


    Torak didn''t say anything about this, no matter what Jenedieth said and assumed she would get it, in the end, it was Torak who had the final say.


    "Alright, I will talk now." Jenedieth raised both of her hands as if she surrendered under Torak''s impenetrable gaze. "Belphegor and Lilith are planning something together to get your mate."


    "What is their plan?" Torak knew the sloth was after Raine the moment he appeared inside the hotel room, not only him, Lucifer also has the same intention.


    "You have to agree with my condition first." Jenedieth demanded.


    Torak didn''t reply to her quest, but his gestured could be interpreted as he was listening to her gibberish talk.


    Seeing this, Jenedieth wasting no time to open her mouth and started to list down her demands.


    ==============


    Raine was hugging her knees while sitting on the same sofa when Calleb appeared from the corner of the living room in the second floor.


    He was panting slightly when he approached Raine and Raphael.


    "Just now you arrived?" Raphael put aside his phone after receiving several calls regarding Torak''s business.


    He knew Torak had arrived a few minutes ago and now was talking with Jenedieth inside his study room, while he couldn''t leave Raine alone, he just stayed there to accompany her.


    Raphael had informed Raine as well that Torak had arrived and what he was doing now.


    Raine had asked to go to the study room because she wanted to know what the information that Jenedieth had about her, but Raphael didn''t allow her to come.


    It was better if Raine stayed away from her, and also, he didn''t know what kind of information that Jenedieth brought with her. It would be best if Torak who told her about it.


    The Alpha could decide whether he needed to let Raine knew or not.


    "How can I outran the Alpha?!" Calleb grumbled and snatched a bottle of water on the table and gulped it down in one rough motion.


    "Stay here with Luna. I have something to do." Raphael said as he dialed a series of number and went ahead, even before Calleb could answer him.


    The Beta glanced at Raine who was staring at him sullenly, it seemed she was unsatisfied about something.


    "He has been busy since this afternoon." Raine informed Calleb in low voice. Her habit to talk almost like a whisper had not yet changed.


    "Oh¡­" Calleb gave her a nod of understanding before he slumped his body on the sofa. He was really tired, he had not yet ran that fast for years.


    The moment he informed Torak about Jenedieth''s visit, he shifted into his Lycan form and left the furious two shareholders that had been kicked out by him from the investment.


    "What is it?" Calleb raised his head to look at Raine, she has been staring at him since the moment he was there. "Do you need something?"


    Raine nodded. "I want to see Torak."


    Calleb scratched the back of his head. "But, the Alpha is talking with the bad girl."


    "I want to know what they are talking about." Raine replied with frown.


    "I don''t think that is a good idea¡­" Calleb stroked his clean chin as he contemplated. Actually, he also wanted to know why Jenedieth came to this city after she escaped from the dungeon, but... "He will get angry¡­" The image of Torak was angry made the Beta shuddered.


    Raine shook her head stubbornly. "He will not." She said in certainty.


    Calleb gave this some thought before he stood up and grinned mischievously. "I think you are right. The Alpha will not get angry the moment he sees you." He felt invigorated to know the conversation between the two of them, because their relationship in the past was slightly complicated.


    Suddenly his curiosity killed the rational side on his head until he forgot the fact that; Torak wouldn''t get angry at Raine, but he would definitely be in danger if the Alpha didn''t like his decision to bring Raine over.


    "Let''s go." Raine suddenly brightened up and stood up first.

 Chapter 153 - ISNT THAT TOO MUCH?

    Envy me.


    Hate me.


    Rate me.


    The bottom line is,


    You ain''t me.


    -Fitness Madalyn-


    **************


    Raine and Calleb walked along the corridor and then went to the first floor, heading toward Torak''s office on the left side.


    From afar, Calleb could hear Jenedieth and Torak''s conversation, but it needed Raine to be a little bit closer to hear them.


    Calleb frowned when he heard what Torak and Jenedieth were talking about inside the office, though the whole conversation seemingly was dominated by Jenedieth and Torak only gave a short reply, but the Gamma started to question his decision to bring Raine along with him.


    "Mm¡­ Raine¡­" Calleb whispered to her when Raine had pressed her ear on the surface of the door to have a better understanding about the topic that was going on inside.


    She didn''t believe Torak would do anything on Jenedieth, though they were in the same room alone like this.


    Hence Raine didn''t surprise when she heard Jenedieth''s voice was conquering the whole conversation with Torak.


    However, a moment later, when Jenedieth had reached the point where she had to speak about her demand on Torak, Raine felt her heart dropped to the ground.


    "I want you to take me as your Luna." Jenedieth posted her demand shamelessly, but seeing there was no reaction from Torak, she continued speaking. "You can keep that girl by your side, but I want the status as your Luna and to solidify that, I want you to mark me."


    Raine heard that sentences very clearly as if there was no door that separated her from those people inside.


    Would Torak do it? Would Torak take her by his side again? After all, before the incident with Raine, both of them had known each other for long time.


    Raine''s heart was pounding again her ribcage harshly.


    She couldn''t imagine Torak would divide his attention to another woman. Wasn''t she his mate?


    But, there wasn''t any response from Torak and Raine wasn''t able to hear clearly what Jenedieth was saying, yet the next moment she kept rambling on about her demands.


    "I want you to introduce me as your Luna." She said stubbornly.


    "Raine¡­" Calleb patted Raine''s shoulder to get her attention. "I don''t think we should be here." He felt a little bit uncomfortable with what he heard.


    The Alpha wouldn''t kill him for this, right? What if Torak agreed with Jenedieth''s conditions? But, was that even possible? With the way Torak protected Raine, he wouldn''t even consider that options, right?


    Raine frowned and swatted Calleb''s hand from her shoulder as she kept listening to Torak''s answer, but there was no sound from inside afterward.


    Maybe they were talking in very low voice until she couldn''t hear them? However, Calleb definitely could hear them, right?


    Raine raised her head and looked at Calleb, but before she could ask anything, the Beta had hissed under his breath and his expression turned into horror.


    Raine didn''t have time to ask what happened to him when the door had been thrown open and from inside, Torak''s huge figure appeared right before Raine''s eyes.


    Because of her position, Raine almost lost her balance and was about to fall down if it wasn''t for Torak who caught her body right in time.


    "Alpha¡­ I didn''t mean to eavesdropping your conversation! Really!" Calleb waved his hand in denial frantically. He would be death if Torak truly took offense for this, after all his mood the whole day had been extremely bad.


    But, Torak ignored him and looked at Raine in his arms dotingly, there was no anger that could be seen from his eyes.


    He knew Raine was standing behind the door, as he was very sensitive with her lovely scent.


    Her adorable big eyes widened in shock when she was caught red- handed for her act. "What are you doing here my love? And this is not the first time you do this." Torak asked softly as he placed a kiss on her forehead, made her blinked a couple of times.


    "I¡­" Raine was stuttering as she felt guilty. "I¡­" She gulped hard and avoided eyes contact with Torak. "I¡­ want to see you¡­" She admitted it timidly.


    Well, that wasn''t a lie, she was indeed coming here to see him, but happened to stumble on their conversation.


    "Do you want to see me?" Torak asked, the corner of his lips moved upwards as it curved into a small smile. "Do you see me enough now?" He teased her and enjoyed to watch how her face turned crimson, it was a beautiful sight to behold.


    "I¡­ I can go if I interrupt your¡­" Raine didn''t manage to finish her sentence when Torak pecked her lips briefly, but that short moment was able to silence her.


    "You will never interrupt me, my love and I think you don''t see me enough." Torak held Raine''s waist and ushered her inside the room.


    When Raine walked past Jenedieth, she could feel the hostility was oozing off from her entire being as if it wasn''t because of Torak was there, she would tear her apart, limbs by limbs.


    Torak brought Raine behind his working table and sat her on his laps while he was sitting on his leather chair.


    Calleb really wanted to kill himself by the way Torak was treating his mate now, not to mention Jenedieth, even he himself felt suffocated by the scene.


    Worriedly, Calleb glanced at Jenedieth, and just like what he had thought, the woman was burning with hatred and jealousy. Her eyes glued at Raine on Torak''s laps.


    Jenedieth whole body was trembling while clenching her fists so tight until her fingers turned white. Torak had never treated anyone like that! It almost felt like, the Alpha had turned, entirely, to be someone else.


    Meanwhile, Raine also felt uncomfortable with this position, it was fine if it were only the two of them, but now there was Jenedieth, who was glaring at her and Calleb, who seemingly couldn''t close his mouth anymore, gawking.


    "Stay still¡­" Torak whispered to Raine''s ear intimately, made the red color crept to her ears as well.


    With that, Raine stopped struggling and let Torak to hold her close to his chest, resting her arms on her waist and arm, while his chin atop of her head.


    "Now, if you don''t mind, you can repeat your conditions again." Torak talked to Jenedieth, but his eyes locked on the circles that he drew on Raine''s arm with his finger.

 Chapter 154 - THE WAY TORAK ANSWERED

    Everybody has an addiction, mine just happens to be you.


    **************


    In this situation, how Jenedieth could talk about her being the Luna for Torak, when the man that she intended to be with, was holding another girl affectionately.


    It was so awkward as the atmosphere around her seemed so thick and heavy.


    However, it only implied on Jenedieth, because Raine and Torak, apparently, didn''t affect by it at all.


    While Torak was teasing her skin and, once in a while, he would breathe on her scent and Raine would nuzzle her head on the crook of Torak''s shoulder, looking for a comfortable spot to rest her head.


    "You can talk now." Torak generously reminded Jenedieth for her intention to come here.


    Jenedieth could feel herself was hyperventilating with the anger that she tried to suppress. "Torak! What the meaning of this?!" The pitch of her voice increased, but she couldn''t make herself looked away from Raine in Torak''s embrace.


    This scene was like a fuel for the burning anger that flamed within her body, the more she looked, the more she burned.


    Torak didn''t answer her and kissed Raine''s forehead instead, it was almost like he had no longer cared about the people near him and only had his focus and eyes on his mate.


    How the warmth of her body was so right against his skin and how soft they were. Torak pulled the rubber hair and let her black, long hair loosened, cascading down on her shoulder and covered half of her face. He liked her this way better.


    He liked to play with her hair, the soft silky strands between his fingers. Torak didn''t know since when this became a habit of his.


    "Don''t you know that the information that I have about her is very crucial?!" Jenedieth shouted at him angrily, she was frustrated.


    She had taken a big risk to betray those two devils by coming here, with the hope to be able to establish her position in Torak''s pack again, but all she got was this! The display of affection from the man that she had loved for more than decades!


    How frustrated this for Jenedieth to witness all of this!?


    Even her warning about the information that she held about Raine, couldn''t get a bit of reaction from Torak.


    Yet, Raine tilted her head and looked at Jenedieth innocently as she rested her palm on Torak''s chest provokingly. She stared at Jenedieth as if waiting, what else she would say next.


    "You will regret this Torak!" Jendieth warned him, but Torak still unmoved.


    The Alpha was like bewitched by Raine and couldn''t take his eyes from her.


    Jenedieth couldn''t take it anymore. "Belphegor and Lilith will scheme against you to take away Raine from you!" She said it out loud and added. "The person who had killed Remi de Medici and made Ramon as a suspect was Belphegor! That was only the beginning of their plan! If you want to know what else they have in mind, make me your Luna!"


    Raine frowned when she heard that for the second time¡­ this woman''s annoyance was in the same level like Serefina for sure.


    Both of them blurted out what was inside their mind directly without seeing the situation they were in and loved to force their will on other people.


    "You can keep her by your side if that''s what you want! I can save you from their evil plan, but you have to mark me instead!" She tried to sound generous with her offer. After all, Torak only needed Raine because the mate bond between them, right?


    Jenedieth was lost it when she witnessed how Torak gripped Raine''s chin firmly, but so gentle to tilt her head and laid a deep soft kiss on her lips.


    There was a loud gasp from Jenedieth when she watched this. The scene rolled like a slow motion movie in her eyes.


    In the other hand, Calleb, who was still standing at the door, felt embarrassed only by looking the way Torak kissed Raine so affectionately, but couldn''t move his foot away, as if they were nailed on the floor.


    Not only Jenedieth and Calleb, who was caught off guard, even Raine also surprised by Torak''s gestures, yet after her shock passed, she found herself bravely reciprocated the kiss with the same affection.


    The kiss lasted for long time and no one could take their eyes from them, no matter what kind of thought and emotions that roamed around their mind.


    "Ehem¡­" Calleb caught lightly to get Jenedieth''s attention. "I think that the answer that you want to know." He kindly reminded her.


    Jenedieth couldn''t accept this! This was humiliation!


    "You have killed my old man, banished me from your pack and now when I generously come to help you, you do this to me." Jenedieth mumbled, yet she was sure Torak could hear her perfectly. "I will assure you Torak, you will come and beg for my help! You will regret this moment! And the dirty girl in your arm will suffer greatly."


    After saying her pieces of warning, Jenedieth stormed out of the room and almost knocked down Calleb in the process, fortunately the Beta has a good reflex.


    Calleb grimaced, that must be a big blow for Jenedieth. But, Torak could have just answered her in the normal way, rejected her directly.


    Nevertheless, he found interesting way to slap Jenedieth''s face and her pride ruthlessly for the conditions that she demanded.


    Made her as his Luna?


    It would never happen even in dreams.


    Torak had various methods to ensure Raine''s safety, even if it meant he had to be with him twenty four hours, he would do that.


    The moment Jenedieth gave him her ridiculous conditions, the answer was absolute, there was no room for negotiations or talked about that further.


    [Erm¡­ Alpha, I am truly sorry for the interuption.] Calleb said timidly through mind- link, the only communication that he felt less awkward as Torak wouldn''t be able to answer him anyway at this moment. [Do I have to imprison her again? Or, directly kill her?]


    [Let her leave and arrange someone to follow her.] Torak''s answer was a bit disoriented as he deepened his kiss on Raine.


    [Will do, right away.] Though that was what The Gamma''s answer, he was still standing there.


    [Calleb.]


    [Yes, Alpha?]


    [Leave.]


    With that, Calleb hastily dashed out of the room. He even forgot to close the door and left it still open, leaving the two people alone, in their own world.

 Chapter 155 - ANGELIC SOUND

    Raine broke the kiss, as she needed to catch her breath. Torak''s kiss this time was so intense and she wasn''t sure how long it lasted.


    All she knew Jenedieth was no longer there as she was a little bit disoriented.


    Torak smiled very softly as he stroke his thumb on Raine''s swollen lips, he liked the taste of her and how soft her lips against his.


    Torak wanted to taste her more, it would never be enough for him.


    These weeks since Raine was found in the hospital and she needed longer time to recover, he missed her.


    He missed the way she smiled timidly, or her gentle voice that caressed his ears and how adorable she could be when he teased her.


    He loved her with everything he had.


    Torak leaned over to capture her lips again, but Raine lowered her head to avoid him. "She is no longer here¡­" She said weakly as she glanced at the spot where Jenedieth was standing earlier.


    Torak raised his eyebrows questioningly. "So?"


    Raine looked at him with her beautiful eyes and replied. "I thought you did that¡­" She stopped and bit her lips sheepishly. "To make her leave¡­"


    Upon hearing her answer, Torak almost laughed his head off. How Raine could think something so ridiculous like that?


    "I kissed because I want to kiss you. I will always love to kiss you, not because someone else." He kissed the tip of her nose and nuzzled his head on the crook of her shoulder. "I loved you, my angel."


    Raine didn''t know how to response to Torak''s confession, though it wasn''t the first time he said that, but her heart still responded to his sweet words, like it was the first time.


    "I want to be always with you. Will you stay with me forever?" Torak asked, he looked like someone who was drunk as Raine''s intoxicated scent conquered his senses. He felt he was in perfect bliss with Raine in his arms.


    Stay with him forever?


    Raine repeated the question in her head countless times, it sounded so lovely, but how long is it for her? Torak was immortal creatures after all.


    But, if it wasn''t with him, Raine didn''t know, who else she wanted to be with. She couldn''t imagine she was with someone else except Torak.


    "I love you too¡­" Raine''s voice barely a whisper, she wrapped her arms around Torak''s neck.


    A bright smile broke on Torak''s lips when he heard that. It wasn''t a simple confession from Raine, but it was also assurance that she has the same feeling like him. Now, Torak could be less worry, because he finally knew how she felt about him.


    Those words meant a lot for Torak.


    "Stay with me forever, my love. I will protect you and will not let harm befall upon you." It was an oath, and Torak meant to keep that with all he has.


    ==============


    The sky had turned dark and the moon was hidden behind the gloomy clouds, but the light inside the study room was still bright.


    Raine had not changed her position since the confession, while Torak cradled her as he worked.


    During that time also, whenever there was a phone call, Raine would hold the phone on Torak''s ears while he read the doc.u.ments.


    That kept going on until two hours.


    When finally Torak put down his paperwork, Raine was staring at him with smile graze her lips and Torak found himself also smile to her. It felt so natural.


    "Hungry?" Torak asked and glanced the digital clock on his table, it was 22.14 p.m.


    Raine had had her dinner before she came down to the study room with Calleb, Raphael made sure of that, but Torak had not yet eaten anything since he came.


    "I am not." Raine shook her head.


    "Sleepy?" Torak asked again.


    Raine shook her head. "You haven''t eaten anything since you came. Do you like something? I can cook something for you." Raine was in good mood.


    When Torak heard that, he beamed in delight. "I will love everything you cook." He said with smile. "Aren''t you tired?"


    Torak remembered the events that happened during this whole day. There were many things had happened and Raine just recovered from her long sleep, he didn''t want her overdid herself.


    However, looking at how she was very eager to cook something for him, made Torak felt something warm was blooming in his heart. It felt so strange, but he welcomed this feeling.


    "No." Raine then jumped from Torak''s laps and stretched her body a bit. "I will cook something for your dinner." She reached his hand and took him away from the study room.


    Torak gladly followed her, seeing how happy she was, it felt like the thing about the diary this afternoon had never happened.


    He was relieved because Raine had no longer sad about it.


    ==============


    "Thank you for the meal¡­" Torak finished the dinner that Raine had cooked for him and kissed her forehead.


    Because it has been late at night, Raine only cooked simple dishes, lemon garlic salmon and asparagus. Raine wasn''t sure what kind of food that Torak preferred, but seeing he finished all of them, she smiled brightly.


    "If you like I can cook for you every day." Raine offered without a second thought. "What food do you like to eat?"


    "I know I am right." Torak said as he tucked a strand of Raine''s hair behind her ear.


    "About what?" She tilted her head, didn''t understand what Torak was talking about, his answer didn''t match with her question.


    "You are a chatter person." Torak said in loving tone. He didn''t mind to hear her rant for whole day, but Raine thought about that compliment in the other way.


    "I am sorry if I talk too much." Raine was embarrassed because of her own act, she just felt very comfortable and safe around Torak. It has been a long time for her to talk that much.


    Actually, as a child, she wasn''t a quiet kid, her mother would often sighed helplessly when she had to face Raine''s series of questions.


    "No, you misunderstand what I meant." Torak pulled her for a brief hug and stared at her with smile grazed his lips. "I love to hear your voice, my little angel. The most angelic sound that I ever heard."


    After saying that, Torak lowered his head as he planted another kiss on her soft lips.

 Chapter 156 - REMINISCE

    The heart knows when the search is over.


    -Bliss-


    **************


    "There is something I want to ask you¡­" Raine said after their kiss.


    The night has fallen deeper and now, the ray of the moonlight fell on both of them from the big window in the dining room.


    The two of them looked good together, there was unexplainable feeling with the way Torak looked at his mate, whether it was adoration or love, either of that made his cold demeanor thawed whenever Raine was there.


    "You know, you can ask me anything." Torak reassured Raine as she looked uncomfortable to talk about this matter. "Do you want to ask about what had happened in the village of angel?" He helped her to smooth the conversation.


    Abruptly Raine raised her head and gingerly looked at him, she didn''t want her question offended him, but she really needed to know, why Torak and his brother ordered something so cruel like that?


    "If you don''t mind¡­" Raine said timidly and hurriedly added. "But, if you don''t want to tell me, I will be fine¡­"


    "No." Torak played with her hair and grabbed her wrist as he stood up. "I will tell you everything¡­ but, let''s continue this chat inside our bedroom."


    Afterward, Torak brought Raine away from the kitchen to the second floor.


    Along the way, Raine''s heart beat faster, she was nervous. What could Torak''s reason be? Would he admit that he had killed them all?


    Suddenly Raine was afraid to hear the answer, but she refused to back down. If she kept acting like this, she would never grow and Serefina would always mock her for being such a fainthearted person.


    Not only that, if what Serefina had said was right¡­ she would only become a burden for Torak and became his weakness, so that his enemies can easily take advantage of him by using her.


    This was a first step.


    The step that she needed to take in order to know herself, only by knowing herself, she would know what she could do and what possible potential that she might have.


    Torak opened the door to their room and held it open for Raine, he was always be such a gentleman for her.


    "I will take a shower for a moment." He kissed her forehead again and walked toward the bathroom inside their room.


    Meanwhile, Raine was waiting on the bed and wrapped herself inside the warm blanket.


    After sometime, Torak came in his white t- shirt and boxer, his short hair was still damp as he tried to dry it with the towel in his hand.


    It felt so strange when Raine had an urge to take the towel away from Torak''s hands and dried his hair instead.


    "Let me do it." Raine said softly when Torak looked at her questioningly.


    "Sure¡­" There was a smile in his reply as he slightly bent his body so Raine wouldn''t have hard time to reach his head.


    "You did this to me when the first night we met¡­" Raine contemplated, her mind played the image of herself, being timid and afraid for everything around her.


    She had lived that way for eight years until Torak came, saved her sorry life and kept his words to always protect her.


    Torak let out a soft chuckle. "You are afraid of me at that time."


    "I am afraid of everything at that time." Raine replied.


    Torak rested his head on Raine''s laps while she kept wiping his hair gently


    Torak looked at the other side and found their reflection through a huge mirror on the wall, with this, Torak could watch a soft smile grazed Raine''s lips when she continued talking.


    "I started to see another creature just two days before my birthday, the same night my parents were killed." Raine relived the painful memories. "Everything happened so fast and by miracle, I managed to escape¡­"


    Raine intentionally skipped the detail about how she had witnessed the dead body of her mother and father in the living room, and how one of the creatures almost killed her.


    "Afterward, I lived with my adoptive family because both of my parents didn''t have any relatives¡­ they treated me like their own daughter at first, but because I always saw those creatures, and suddenly freaked out like crazy girl, they started to look at me differently." Raine''s expression turned sour.


    Torak watched her through the mirror and didn''t say anything. He let her to pour out what she had been holding back these many years.


    He didn''t want to interrupt her, because this was the first time Raine opened up to him and talked about her past.


    It must be hard for her when in very difficult and confusing time in her life everyone turned their back against her and no one believed whatever she was going to say.


    When none of them saw whatever she had seen.


    "I was admitted to a hospital. The first year I was there, they still came to visit me¡­ but, in the second and third year." Her voice choked. "No one ever come. They didn''t know what''s wrong with me as I always see ''things''"


    This time, Raine lowered her head so her long hair covered her face, yet Torak could imagine what kind of expression she has now.


    "When no one came to visit me again, they moved me to the secluded ward and then that nurse started to harass me¡­" Raine gulped hard and sobbed when she remembered what he had done to her.


    At this point, Torak regretted the fact that he had killed that man right away, he shouldn''t act impulsively at that time, because that man didn''t deserve a quick death.


    He would love to torture him skin by skin and let him bled out until the death came. His death was too easy.


    "I started to ignore whatever ''scary things'' that I saw until they convinced that I was good enough to go back to the community." Raine tucked her hair behind her ears, with that Torak could see her sad eyes. "But, my adoptive family didn''t want to take me back, so they put me in the orphanage."


    "Which the place I found you." Torak said.


    "Yes. I am very grateful for that." There was a sincere smile on Raine''s lips. "Thank you for finding me."

 Chapter 157 - I HOPE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND

    Before even Raine could finish her words, Torak turned his head and trapped Raine''s face between his palms. Above him, was Raine''s beautiful eyes that were blinking like stars. "Thank you for stay with me."


    Raine needed to bend her body, so Torak could kiss her.


    The kiss didn''t last for long, but it managed to warm both of their heart. Afterward, Torak changed his position and pulled Raine closed to him as he wrapped both of them inside the blanket.


    Raine used Torak''s upper arm as pillow and hugged his waist. It felt so warm and comfortable, and she didn''t want this moment to go, she wanted to always be able like this with Torak.


    Raine nuzzled her head against Torak''s neck as she mumbled. "I am still upset and sad because Serefina burned my mother''s diary." She whined. "She shouldn''t do that¡­"


    "I know." Torak rubbed her back soothingly. "I wish I could stop her in time."


    "Torak¡­" Raine stared at him and looked a little bit reluctance. "Would you like to tell me about what had happened in the village of angel?" She brought back the topic.


    After all, Torak had promised her to answer her question about this.


    "I will tell you the truth, but please don''t judge me¡­" Torak sighed deeply, his body tensed up. He was afraid Raine would see him as the beast he was.


    Ruthless and cruel.


    Two adjectives that could describe him perfectly, but he still didn''t want Raine to see him in that way.


    Raine wasn''t sure if she should nod her head, because she was also afraid about the things that she was about to know, hence she kept silence and let Torak to start his explanation.


    "It was me and my brothers that had ordered the attack on the village of angel." Torak started it with admitted the crucial part. "But, it wasn''t us who wanted that in the first place. We received an order." He referred to him and his brother when he mentioned ''us''.


    "Who?" Raine frowned. Who would be so powerful enough to order him and his brother? Because based on what she heard and her understanding, Torak wasn''t someone who would take an order willingly, so his brothers wouldn''t be so different, right?


    "Selene. The Moon Goddess." Torak said her name impassively. He couldn''t hate the Goddess like he used to in the past, because she had fulfilled her promised and brought Raine to him.


    The only person that meant the world for him.


    Torak couldn''t see his existence without Raine after he found her. He just couldn''t remember how he had lived his live these centuries without her, everything seemed blurred in comparison with Raine in his life now.


    "The Goddess?" Raine asked incredulously. She had only read about Goddess in the book, she thought about them as they were only myth, something that only existed in the books.


    But, those supernatural creatures also the same, yet in reality they were real.


    "Yes, my love. The Moon Goddess." Torak confirmed it, he could understand with Raine''s confusion. "She didn''t like with the rule that Shadow Warriors set up for the Guardian Angel."


    "The Moon Goddess ordered to kill them all?" Raine asked, extremely baffled. Why a Goddess ordered something so cruel like that?


    "No." Torak denied. "The Moon Goddess only ordered us to take the guardian angel away from the shadow warrior, aside from that, there was another more important reason why we needed to take the guardian angel."


    "About the attack¡­" Raine''s mind trailed back to the attack in the village of angel.


    "That was me and my brothers'' order." Torak repeated the information. "The shadow warriors refused to give up all the guardian angel, that was within my expectation of course, and as a Lycanthropes and creatures who only knew brute force to solve a problem. The attack was something that we couldn''t avoid."


    Torak tried to explain his perspective and hoped Raine could understand his decision and why that decision was taken during that time.


    Torak decided to come clean with Raine, no matter what she would think about him after this, because he couldn''t find himself fooling and lying to her.


    For the creatures that lived in ancient era, brute force was the only method to achieve their goal on something if the other party refused to obey their demands.


    And in Lycanthropes'' case, they were always being the top of food chain, so a disobedience act wasn''t something that they could tolerate.


    It was their nature.


    Raine didn''t give any reaction for a few minutes as she tried to let the information sink in her understanding.


    "Can you say something?" Torak became anxious when he saw Raine was at lost. "I didn''t try to justify decision, but I want you to understand the situation at that time."


    "You tried to kill me at that time¡­" Raine said almost scare when she remembered that.


    Torak frowned when he heard that. "Did we meet with each other?" He tried to recall the event in his head, but that occurred centuries ago and he didn''t remember much about the detail.


    "No." Raine sighed deeply and then told him what had happened the day of the attack. "Someone informed you that I am your mate, but you ordered to kill me instead."


    "No, no, no¡­" Torak hugged Raine tightly. "There must be misunderstanding somewhere. I don''t remember someone mention anything about mate to me during that period of time."


    He was very sure about this. Since, the curse from the Moon Goddess was well known by other creatures that the Donovans wouldn''t be blessed with mate, no one ever dare to mention it in front of them.


    If someone was talking about mate, Torak would likely remember that.


    "No?" Raine asked him, befuddled. She remembered clearly that one of the Lycan went away to relay the information about her. "But¡­ There was one lycan who informed you¡­" Maybe he forgot?


    Torak shook his head firmly. "No. I will remember that if someone mention about mate to me, because the word of ''mate'' was a taboo topic."


    "Why?"

 Chapter 158 - THE BLISSFUL FEELING

    The life in front of you is far more important than the life behind you.


    -Joel Osteen-


    **************


    "Why?" Raine asked abruptly, as her curiosity had washed over her.


    She had heard some rumor about Torak''s past, but had never had courage to ask about it.


    However now, it felt so right to ask while they were still at it.


    Seeing Raine''s curiosity was a relief for Torak, it was better to see her this way rather than to see fear or disgusted look in her eyes for what he had done.


    "Because there was this curse." Torak started to explain it. Because Raine''s reaction was far better than he expected, he felt relax and began to play his fingers between the strands of her hair.


    "What kind of curse?" This was the question that she had long wanted to ask.


    "A curse which saying I will never have a mate for my entire immortal life." Torak said it lightly, now when he talked about it, he didn''t feel the familiar anger gathered within him anymore.


    "But, you said¡­ I am your¡­" Raine puzzled, wasn''t Torak always saying that she was his mate?


    "My mate." Torak brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. "I did something meritorious and the Moon Goddess lifted my curse, also my brothers as well."


    Raine beamed when she heard this. "That must be something remarkable until the Moon Goddess changed her mind."


    "I guess so." Torak shrugged his shoulder.


    "But, what you and your brother did until the Moon Goddess cursed you?" Raine kept asking question, since they were still in this topic, it would be better if she asked all of her curiosity away.


    However, Torak refused to answer that in detail. "A very dreadful sin that I feel ashamed to mention it to you my love." He leaned over and kissed Raine''s forehead. "I am sorry, I can''t answer this question."


    It must be something very dark until Torak refused to share it with her.


    Raine contemplated for awhile before she remembered something in Torak''s words. "You said there was another more important reason for you to take the guardian angel away from the village, what was that?"


    Torak sighed, Raine was too observant. "First because Selene didn''t like the rule that the shadow guard set for guardian angel and another reason was because we needed them to fight against the devil." Torak explained it as if he was telling a fairy tale to lull a child to sleep. "Centuries ago there was a great war between Lycanthropes and the devil, and this involved all of the creatures in every realm."


    Raine''s breath hitched as she listened to him. She couldn''t imagine how that war happened, seeing Torak fought in his Lycan form alone was already a scary scene to see, what about thousand of creatures, or more, fought with each other?


    "Who is the winner?" Raine asked with fear dancing in her eyes.


    "Who do you think has won it?" Torak smiled brightly as an answer and Raine also smiled beautifully when she realized it.


    "Glad to hear that." Raine slightly pushed herself up and kissed his chin.


    Torak was very satisfied with Raine reaction, especially when she kissed him voluntarily. Seemingly she didn''t look at him in disgust or fear, she still accept him after what he had told her, right?


    "Don''t you see me as a beast now? Bloodthirsty and pathetic beast that live by killing other creatures." Torak asked, though his voice was as calm as ever, but he was worried with what Raine''s answer could be.


    Raine gave some thought to answer Torak''s question. "Even now, there is many thing that I don''t understand, the part that you have to kill other creatures to achieve what you want, is the scariest thing that I ever heard, but¡­" Raine caressed Torak face, tracing her fingers on his jaw line. "I think human also the same, some of them killed each other to survive, or they would try to hurt other people to make themselves feel better."


    It was like the treatment that Raine had received in the hospital and orphanage. That nurse had a need to hurt her because he wanted to feel superior. Rumor has it that he felt depressed for long time because of his chief kept pressuring him at work.


    In the orphanage, other child would talk bad about Raine because they wanted to make themselves appeared better, they hurt her emotionally as they wanted to find the secure feeling that someone else has more miserable life than them.


    Serefina did it in different way though, despite she meant good to burn her mother diary, but Raine felt there was something personal, which made her treated Raine harshly.


    No matter what form it took, they did that to survive, their natural instinct to save themselves.


    "It''s natural instinct to survive when people hurt people. In your case, you just bring it to another level." Raine said it calmly. "It is not my place to judge what you have done, you must have reason for that and maybe I can''t accept some of it. But, all of that had already happened and nothing I can do about that."


    Torak looked at Raine without blinking, his mate really grew from a scared little girl, who always afraid of her surrounding to be a beautiful girl, who could learn the lessons from what had happened in her life.


    "Thus, I want to live my life with you now and I don''t want the past bother what I have now." Raine smiled sheepishly, realized she had talked too much.


    "Thank you for understand me." Torak couldn''t describe the flow of the blissful feeling that ran through his veins now. On the edge of his mind, his beast purred in total satisfaction with his mate''s cognition.


    "But, can you promise one thing?" She didn''t want to ask too much from Torak, but she needed his answer for this. "Can you refrain yourself from killing other?"


    "Everything for you my love." Torak kissed her hand and pulled her closed to him. "As long as they don''t do any harm on you, I will try." Torak neither agree nor reject her request.


    Actually, that wasn''t exactly the answer that Raine wanted to hear, but she knew Torak would try to keep his words.

 Chapter 159 - ICE CREAM

    Sometimes the smallest things take up the room in your heart.


    -Winnie the Pooh-


    **************


    The sun bloomed on the horizon as its golden color stretched outward to illuminate the bustling city.


    Its light was so warm when it touched Aeon''s face, he felt something pure engulfed him. Slightly thawed his cold heart.


    "Now, you couldn''t even see her again."


    Someone walked behind him and burned a cigarette in his fingers, he sucked the filtration zone and exhale thin white smoke to the air.


    Aeon looked at the devil in disgust. "I don''t know if you smoke, trying to be more human than devil?" He tried to make it sounded harsher than it supposed to be.


    Lucifer chuckled and threw away the cigarette in his fingers before he stepped on it. "The taste is suck. I don''t know why they wasting time for this kind of thing." He walked toward Aeon and stopped beside him.


    "I thought devil only appear when midnight." Aeon said it sarcastically, at this time he didn''t want to be bothered by him. He wanted to be left alone and it would be hard to shoo Lucifer away.


    "Spare my wrench life." Lucifer whined exaggeratedly. "I am the morning star. Devils only appear when midnight? You should throw that thought away, because devils always behind you." He smirked devilishly.


    They were in the quiet park, because morning just started, not many people came to visit this place. Only occasionally they would see two or three people passed by while exercising.


    Near that park there was an artificial lake with dolphin- shaped fountain in the middle. Lucifer and Aeon stood behind the fence while looking at the calm surface of the lake as the morning breeze brought a smell of wet grass.


    "If I know you were with that girl, I wouldn''t have bothered asking Andromalius about her." Lucifer sighed regretfully for the headache that he had gone through for taking a roundabout way.


    "Don''t you dare to lay your hand on her." Aeon glared at the devil. "We have a deal."


    Lucifer raised both of his hands in surrender gesture, yet when he did that the corner of his lips curved upward, forming a mocking smile. "Don''t worry, I will not be the one who breach the deal."


    "You better keep your word." Aeon warned him.


    "I intend to do so." Lucifer was about to pat Aeon''s shoulder, but the later swatted his hand away even before he could touch him. "What you will do now since the book had no longer with her? Do you have another way to come close to her?"


    "I will find a way." Aeon said with determination.


    "I hope the result doesn''t betray the effort." Lucifer said it sarcastically. "You know how those lycans annoyingly overprotective to their mate."


    "She is not his mate. I meet her first." Aeon said stubbornly.


    "I wish you a good luck then." Lucifer said gleefully and disappeared into thin air, as if he had never been there in the first place, leaving only the cigarette on the ground as the evidence.


    ==============


    The following day passed uneventfully.


    While Serefina was still missing and had not yet appeared since the day she burned Raine''s mother diary, Raphael got a new teacher for her on the third day.


    Her name was Martha, and she was a forty something energetic woman with short brown hair and dark brown lipstick.


    Raphael said she would teach her all the material that would be tested in the entrance examination.


    Martha was strict, that Reminded Raine of Serefina, and the way she taught her was so well organized.


    Every day Raine would study from ten to three o''clock with one hour for break, from Monday to Friday. Mostly they would take Torak''s office as their place.


    Yes, Torak refused to leave Raine behind at home, he was adamant to keep her within his line of sight, hence while Torak was busy with his new business, Raine would be busy with her study.


    Because Torak''s office has its own elevator and the fact it would always be Raphael or Calleb who would come to give and retrieve doc.u.ments, thus no one else knew about Raine and her teacher existence there.


    This also helped Raine to focus, as there weren''t many insignificant people passed by and entered the room.


    Sometime, if Torak didn''t need to come to the office they would study at home and Torak would be there to accompany her. He would sit a bit far, so he wouldn''t disturb her study and kept quiet the whole time until Raine finished.


    "Alright, I think it''s enough for today." Martha''s slightly rough voice stopped Raine from writing the answer of the question in the text book. "You can give me the answer tomorrow and also the next page." She looked at her watch that showed 15.02 p.m.


    In her contract, it was underlined that she wasn''t allowed to extend the study hours and skip the break time. It was also a confidential contract that included she wasn''t allowed to tell a single soul about this.


    Martha didn''t know why Torak Donovan so adamant on this, but since the payment that she received was more than enough, she would stop herself from being a busy body.


    Martha tidied up her belonging and said goodbye to Raine, she glanced at Torak and only nodded her head. She was afraid to bother him, even since the first day until now they had not yet exchanged a small talk with each other and Torak''s demeanor loudly said that he has zero interest for doing so.


    Before the door of the elevator closed, Martha glanced at Raine once again. Who exactly this girl? She was too young to be Torak Donovan''s lover.


    After the elevator brought Martha away and it was only Raine and Torak alone inside the office, Raine trudged toward him and crawled to his laps while buried her face on his shoulder.


    "Tired?" Torak smiled to see Raine acted this way. He put down the doc.u.ment in his hand and adjusted her position in his laps, cradled her in his arms. "Want to eat something?"


    "Ice cream."

 Chapter 160 - YOU LOOK SO CUTE

    Raine felt her brain cramps, she didn''t want to think anymore. Those studies almost killed her and drained her energy.


    "I want ice cream¡­" Raine nuzzled Torak''s neck childishly. "My head burning."


    Torak couldn''t help but laugh by the way Raine complaint. "Alright, I will order someone to buy an ice cream for you. What flavor do you prefer?"


    "Let''s go to the park." Raine abruptly raised her head and almost knocked Torak''s jaw. "I see there is a park near here." She saw it on their way to his office.


    "Park?" Torak asked. "There will be a lot of people at this hour. Will you be fine with that?" He was worried for her.


    Yet Raine shook her head. "I think I will be fine." She said in high spirit with her face beamed with eagerness. "I am with you after all." She grinned.


    "If that what you want." Torak sighed helplessly. How he could turn her down when she acted this way? "But, I think I need to change my clothes first."


    Torak was wearing his business attire, clad with tie and suit, it would be attracted unnecessary attention if he went to the park that way.


    "Okay." Raine nodded vigorously and jumped from Torak''s laps to tidy up her book.


    Torak comeback a minute later in his white polo shirt and washed off jeans, he wore a dark blue baseball cap and brought another one in the same color.


    "Let''s go?" Torak put the other cap on Raine''s head and took her hand.


    Torak''s office was in the nineteenth floor, the highest floor in the building and the elevator connected directly to the parking lot, where Torak''s car was parked.


    Torak took the car key from Gregory, the driver, and drove the car himself.


    "Watched your head." Torak mumbled when Raine got on the car and covered her head with his hand. After he buckled Raine up, he got on the driver seat and started the engine.


    "Ready for ice cream, my angel?" Torak teased her and Raine giggled as a response.


    It was 15.27 p.m when they drove away from the parking lot. Torak had informed his Beta and Gamma where he would go.


    Because Torak wanted to keep it low, he didn''t bring any of the guards with him and instead there were only two Lycans in their beast form followed behind him, far enough so Raine didn''t notice them. Just in case.


    After five minutes drive, Torak stopped and parked the car near an artificial lake and turned off the engine.


    He looked beside him and watched Raine unbuckled herself. "Let''s go!" She said cheerfully. "What flavor do you like?"


    Raine looked so bright when she was in happy mood like this and so adorable in the way she waited for Torak''s answer until he couldn''t help, but leaned over to peck her lips.


    "I like this flavor better." Torak whispered to her ears and just like what he thought, Raine''s face turned crimson and nothing could make Torak happier than to see this response from her. "Let''s go."


    Torak opened the car door and walked toward Raine''s side and opened it for her, her cheeks still slightly pink, but she smiled widely at him.


    "Keep it down." Torak said while pulling down her cap so it covered half of her face. He didn''t want someone caught him there with Raine, not because he didn''t want their relationship was known to public, but it would only make Raine felt uncomfortable, and it wasn''t the time for that yet.


    Raine and Torak walked in comfortable silence while enjoying the view around her, in the other hand Torak enjoyed the only view that he loved the most.


    They walked almost fifteen minutes before they could find an ice cream stall.


    Raine chose vanilla flavor while Torak¡­ well, he chose the same thing because he wasn''t a big fans of this kind of dessert.


    Torak accompany Raine to walk on the park while explaining many things to her when they stumbled on supernatural creatures, like a shifter.


    She was still a bit afraid to see them, but since Torak was there, somehow, those creatures tried to avoid him. Probably because they sensed greater danger than themselves.


    This was the first time after such a long time Raine was walking under the sunlight in broad daylight, but she felt safe and protected. Before, she would avoid to walk in the open area like this, afraid to those creatures that she met.


    "Are you hungry? There is shopping center there." Torak pointed at the bustling street at the other side of the park. "Do you want to see it?"


    Raine nodded eagerly and together they walked over there.


    Both of them walked down the street filled with many small shops and stalls before they could reach the entrance of the shopping center.


    This was one of the famous malls in this city, many people would go there to buy an expensive and precious things, or only to have a fancy meal.


    "What do you like to eat?" Torak rested his hand on her waist protectively as once in a while he would play with her hair.


    "I am not really hungry¡­" Raine finished her ice cream and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "I think I want some cake¡­" She contemplated, thinking what she would like to eat.


    Thus, Torak led her to one of an expensive cake stores that served various cakes in cute design. He thought Raine would like to eat something cute and adorable like this, Calleb told him about this not long time ago.


    However, when Raine said she wanted to eat cake, what she meant was a simple chocolate cake and would never have thought Torak would bring her here.


    With these cute and lovely cakes around them and the pink background, Torak''s figure was so out of place.


    Even the two ladies in the entrance giggled when they saw Torak entered the store with Raine. He was the only male customer there and Raine couldn''t help but laugh as well.


    "What you are laughing at?" Torak frowned, he didn''t see something funny there.


    "Nothing." Raine shook her head and kissed his cheek. "You just look so cute."

 Chapter 161 - STEALING SOMETHING

    Because of Torak''s outstanding figure and the fact, even though half of his face was covered under his baseball cap, the callous aura that surrounded him was so different that attracted many people attention to glance at him twice, but Raine didn''t mind it.


    She busied herself to choose a cake that she liked, looking through rack after rack and because the cakes were so pretty she didn''t have heart to eat them.


    Yet, in one of the rack, Raine found an interesting cake and giggled when she watched the image that printed on it, she took it and showed it to Torak beside her.


    "I want this." Raine showed a chocolate cake with cute wolf printed on it.


    "A wolf, huh?" Torak smirked meaningfully. "So eager to eat me?"


    The smile on Raine''s face faded as she pouted, made her looked more adorable under her baseball cap. "Yours is white, this is grey." Raine retorted and made Torak laughed at her. "I think this resemble Calleb more than you."


    This time it was Torak who looked at her sullenly. "Don''t buy this." He snatched the cake away from Raine''s hand and put it back on its original place. "Choose another cake."


    "Huh?" Raine flabbergasted, she would have never thought Torak has this side of him. "Are you jealous?"


    Torak didn''t answer her and grabbed her hand as he strode away from that cute wolf chocolate cake.


    "Are you jealous?" Raine poked his waist with her forefinger. "Are you jealous?" She kept bothering him with the same questions again and again. She found it was actually really funny to see Torak like this.


    "No, I am not." Torak said curtly, but didn''t turn his back to see her.


    With that obvious lie, Raine laughed heartily. Somehow, for some reason that she didn''t know, she loved to see the Jealous Torak that refused to admit his feeling.


    Not the one that who would kill other people without a second thought.


    After sometime they were roaming around the cake shop, Raine chose a pink bunny cake and one rainbow cake. Afterward, both of them walked to the cashier to pay.


    "I want to buy some cake for Calleb and Raphael too." Raine said before it was their turn to pay.


    Upon hearing that, Torak was about to go out of the line and followed her, but Raine pushed him back.


    "Just stay here, it almost our turn, I will be right back." Because the cake shop started to get crowded, the line in the cashier also get long, if Torak also followed her, it would take longer time to start line up again.


    Raine went back to the rack where she found the cute chocolate wolf and got two of it. She wouldn''t be the one who ate that, so Torak would be fine with that right?


    However, before she could go, someone held her shoulder and forced her to turn her body and face them.


    It happened so fast and Raine was caught off guard when the other person snatched her baseball cap and revealed her face.


    "See? I told you it is her!" One from the three girls, which blocked Raine''s way, talked in her coquettish tone.


    "Oh, right! It is really her!" The other girl chimed in and closed her mouth exaggeratedly. "How she could enter this shop?"


    "She definitely want to steal something from this store." The third girl eyed Raine face, traced down to her hands. "See? That the evidence!" She pointed her finger to the two cakes in Raine''s hand.


    Raine recognized the three of these girls, they were the girl from the orphanage, the girls who always bullied her and talked bad about her.


    It was so unfortunate for Raine to meet them here.


    "You must be here to steal something, right?" The first girl in floral dress that only reached half of her thigh, raised her chin arrogantly. Her name was Sally.


    "Sally, did you forget that she is mute?" The second girl with stubby face, wearing black shirt and hot pants, reminded her fellow friends with disgusted look in her eyes when she saw Raine. "There is no point to ask her." Her name was Lana.


    "Why don''t we call the security?" The third girl said, her name was Diane, compared to the other two, she looked more beautiful with her curly long hair and slender body.


    Raine really didn''t want to talk to them or stayed longer there, so ignoring their rubbish talk, she turned around and was about to leave when Lana grabbed her hand again.


    "Where do you think you are going?!" Her voice was so loud, and she did that intentionally. "Are you trying to steal here!?"


    Diane and Sally smiled excitedly because they had drawn the attention that they wanted.


    Raine was getting nervous because of this, not because she became the center of attention, but she was worried with Torak''s reaction when he found out about this.


    "Why? Are you afraid now?" Diane asked and walked, in the way that she thought elegant, toward Raine.


    "What happens here?" Speaking of the devil¡­


    Torak had stood behind Raine and glared at the three girls in front of him viciously. His scary expression alone, managed to make Diane and Lana took three steps back.


    "What is it?" Torak tilted his head at Raine questioningly. "Do you know them?"


    "Uhm¡­ yes, we were in the same orphanage." Raine told Torak.


    With the mention of the orphanage and the way they talked to Raine, Torak could have guessed how they treated Raine when they were there.


    "What is going on here?" A man in his mid thirties approached the crowd, he looked at the three girls, who had made the commotion. "There is something that I can help?" He asked politely, especially when he saw Torak. His bearing alone told him that he wasn''t someone that simple.


    At first no one answer the manager, but then, it was Lana who spoke out loud. "She was trying to steal cakes here."


    The manager stared at Raine, but the way Torak looked back at him, made him shudder and turn his attention toward the three girls instead, who were less scary. "Do you have evidence for that?"

 Chapter 162 - THEY DESERVED IT

    "There!" Lana pointed the two cakes in Raine''s hands. "She took it."


    The reason that Lana gave, really sounded so ridiculous until one of the customers chimed in and spoke in the same loud voice. "Following your logic, the rest of us are thieves then, that''s what you mean?!"


    Afterward there were waves of mumble of agreement from the rest of the people there. After all, they couldn''t judge someone based on that logic. That was so stupid of her to give a reason like that.


    "But, she will not be able to afford to pay those cakes!" Lana retorted angrily.


    This time people were laughing at her stubbornness and stupidity.


    "Look at the man beside her, I don''t think he is short of money!" The same person talked back while laughing heartily. But, her laugh abruptly stopped when she realized who the man was.


    She almost didn''t believe her own eyes.


    "Do you know that this girl is from orphanage? How she could afford to buy something from this store?!" Lana spoke unhappily.


    "Miss, I think you have made a wrong accusation, this gentleman is with this lady and he was about to pay when he heard there was a commotion here." A female shopkeeper talked in matter of fact. She had her eyes on Torak since the first time he arrived at this store with Raine.


    The manager sighed. "I think this is only a misunderstanding. Young lady, you owed apologies to her." He wanted to short out this matter quickly, this was the end of the month so he had many things to do.


    "I don''t accept their apologies." Torak talked rigidly, he glanced at Raine beside him. "They had accused my¡­ woman." He stumbled with the word that would suitable to address Raine. "I want you to check on them. I am afraid it is them who had stolen something from this store."


    "Impossible! We didn''t steal anything from here!" Diane was agitated.


    Torak didn''t want to argue with insignificant people like those girls, so he simply talked to the manager. "These girls are from orphanage, I don''t think they could afford something from here." He used the same words to accuse them.


    Upon hearing Torak''s words some of people covered their mouth and giggled.


    "Miss, please show us your bags." After considering the situation, the manager chose to follow Torak''s words, there was no harm for that.


    Because compared to the three young girls, he chose to not offend this man.


    Agitatedly, Lana, Selly and Diane throw their bags on the floor and let the securities to pick it up and check it.


    "Do you think you will find something?!" Diane asked in high pitch tone. "It''s impossible for us to steal something from here. We had come a couple of times already!"


    "That''s true! It is a humiliation!" Selly said angrily.


    But, before they could complain further, two securities pulled something from their bags. It was two chocolate cakes from each of the bags.


    "What!?" Lana was flabbergasted. "No! That''s impossible!"


    "We didn''t take that cake!" Diane''s eyes opened wide in horror while Selly shook her head in denial.


    "How those cakes are inside our bags?!" Selly snatched her bag from the security. "I didn''t take that cake!"


    All the people who watched this sudden turn of event, were shock as well. They didn''t see it coming, how could the situation was turned to the worse for them?


    The manager also was surprised and didn''t know what to say, but since the evidences were already in their hands, there was no point to deny it.


    In this case, Raine was holding the cakes in her hands, which was a normal thing, while those three girls put it inside their bags, of course it wasn''t normal.


    "I think all of you can explain it inside my office." The manager gestured to the securities to take those three girls away. These three girls had dug their own grave by shouting at someone else as a thief while they were the true thieves.


    With screaming and cursing, the securities brought Lana, Diane and Selly away. Once they had disappeared behind the door that had a warning sign ''Staff Only'', the calm atmosphere returned and the other customers resumed to look for the cakes that they wanted, but the event before was still on their lips.


    "I am sorry for the inconvenient that occurred." The manager talked to Torak and looked at Raine. "As the compensation, I will give the two cakes on your hands for free." He said generously.


    "There is no need for that." Torak cut him off curtly and talked to Raine. "Do you need anything else from here?"


    "Huh?" Raine was spacing out and didn''t manage to hear his question.


    "I asked, do you want another cake?" Torak repeated his question patiently.


    "Oh, no." Raine averted her gaze from the two Lycans in front of her and looked at Torak. "Mmh, I think I want two more." She changed her mind.


    "Alright." Swiftly, Torak took two more cakes from the rack. "Is it enough now?"


    "Yes." Raine nodded.


    "Sir, please. We will give those cakes for free as a form of our apology." The manager kept insisting on that.


    But, Torak frowned. "I will not give my woman free things. You can keep it for yourself."


    After saying that, Torak left the manager who was standing there dumbfounded. There was nothing cheap from this store because they used the best product for each of the cakes and all of that was handmade.


    Yet, that man still refused to get it for free, with that simple reason.


    "Oh, I really want a man like him¡­" The female shopkeeper from earlier looked at Torak with adoration, she cupped her hands as if she was praying. "God, please¡­ keep one like him for me."


    "You better continue to work." The manager glared at her and left.


    Outside the store, after Torak had bought those cakes, they walked toward the entrance of the mall. Above them the sky had started to turn dark.


    But when they were outside, Calleb and Raphael had wait for them inside the car.


    "Torak, you tricked them." Raine said after she got into the car and greeted Raphael and Calleb cheerfully.


    "Yes, I was." Torak admitted it directly. "You don''t like it?"


    Raine contemplated for awhile and shrugged her shoulder while smiling cheekily. "No, they deserved it."

 Chapter 163 - THE SOLD SOUL

    "What happened?" Calleb looked at Raine and Torak through the rearview mirror, while Raphael was sitting on the shotgun seat, typing something on his laptop.


    Raine recalled what she had seen inside the cake shop earlier.


    When the argument was happening between Lana, Selly and Diane with the manager of the store, she watched two Lycans were putting the cakes inside their bags, and since no one could see them, nobody knew about this except Raine and Torak, of course.


    It must be Torak, who had ordered them to put something inside their bags.


    "Nothing." Raine said mysteriously and that only made Calleb frowned. "I bought something for you two." She pulled out the chocolate cakes that had a cute wolf printed on its surfaces.


    "Chocolate cake!" Calleb was elated when he saw the wolf.


    "Thank you Raine." Raphael smiled gratefully and took both of the cakes from Raine because Calleb was driving.


    "Don''t eat my cake Beta, I warn you!" Calleb glared at Raphael beside him that only made him rolled his eyes, his warning sounded ridiculous. He wouldn''t fight over a cake. "How do you know I like sweet things?"


    "She didn''t know, she just bought random cakes, so don''t make it sound so intimate." Torak glared at Calleb through the rearview mirror.


    "Yes, Alpha¡­" Calleb gulped hard, afraid of Torak''s sudden outburst. He felt with the day that passed, his Alpha became more and more possessive toward his mate.


    From his demand to be with Raine twenty four hours until his jealousy, that was simply unreasonable for him. However, when Calleb thought about it again, would he act that way if he found his mate?


    On the other hand, Raine was giggling to see their interaction, she opened the bunny cake and ate it. "Try it, it taste good." She put a piece of the cake on Torak''s lips, asking him to open his mouth.


    Torak did it and bit the sweet cake, actually, not like Calleb, he didn''t really like sweet things, but since it was Raine who had fed him, the taste was fine for his liking.


    Meanwhile on the road, there was a car accident ahead of them, so the traffic jam was awful, that supposed to be only took fifteen minutes to reach their home, it took more than one hour and half before they could arrive.


    By the time the car had parked, Raine was still sleeping soundlessly. The exam was around the corner and there were many things that she had to learn for the examination entrance.


    Sometime she would read a book until late at night and fell asleep while reading it.


    In all honesty, Torak didn''t want to let her enter the University, because he wouldn''t be able to be near her and protected her personally there.


    But, seeing how she determined to study and all of her effort now, how Torak could have a heart to forbid her from doing something that she wanted to do?


    Torak felt complicated with this matter.


    In the other hand, he wanted to give Raine a normal life like what other girls had, but another part of him knew that was almost impossible for her to be as normal as them.


    Raine mumbled something in her sleep and nestled her head on Torak''s shoulder.


    Carefully, he cradled her in his arms while Raphael was holding the door for him. Torak carried Raine and let Calleb brought her backpack to their bedroom.


    Raine was still sleeping deeply even after Torak put her down on the bed and covered her in a blanket, today''s lesson must be very hard for her.


    "Good night my love." Torak kissed her forehead and then he walked out of the bedroom.


    Outside his room, Raphael and Calleb had been waiting for him, Torak had asked them to wait outside through mind- link.


    "There is progress about Jen?" Torak asked them straight to his main concern. He had asked Calleb to put someone to follow Jenedieth since the last time she came to this house.


    "Our people said, she has been living inside an old house at the outskirt of this city. But, they couldn''t confirm whether Jen is living alone or she is with Lilith or Belphegor. They couldn''t smell their scent." Raphael only reported crucial information for Torak to hear.


    "What else?" Torak leaned his body against the door of his bedroom.


    "The strange scent that we smelled from her¡­" Raphael said with furrowed, he couldn''t find the right words to describe it.


    "What is it?" Torak stared at his Beta, this was the part that he wanted to know.


    "The smell of it, it''s the smell of the dead of Lycan." Calleb answered it. "That''s what Raphael thought." He added.


    "What do you mean with that?" Torak frowned. "She looked alive for me."


    "Yes, she is alive, but the wolf inside her was no longer there." Raphael tried to explain. "There was a rare case in the past where the wolf of the Lycan was being killed, but the owner body was still alive."


    Torak had never heard this kind of things. "How a Lycan live without their wolf?"


    The inner wolf for Lycan was like their own soul, what would happen if someone lost their soul?


    Not only Torak, Calleb and Raphael also confused with this tiny information that they found, because after that, there wasn''t any record about it again.


    "Shifter without their inner beast¡­?" Calleb contemplated and mumbled that words.


    "It almost like they had sold their soul to the devil." Torak thought about it. It was the same method that was used to sell someone''s soul to the devil, and in this case, it must be Belphegor who had done it, since Jenedieth had mentioned she was with him.


    "What would happen if you sell your soul to the devil?" Calleb asked his Alpha.


    "That person would be the devil''s slave." Torak replied it rigidly.


    Hence, no matter what Jenedieth would offer to him, in the end, she would put her loyalty on Belphegor.


    Everything had been arranged neatly as Belphegor planed by using Jenedieth, Torak would show some mercy on the female that he had known for decades.

 Chapter 164 - I WILL DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME

    Glancing toward the window, Lilith noted that the light, steady drizzle had not abated, turned the room became gloomier than it supposed to be.


    "How long will you stay here and do nothing while that woman run around, betraying us?" She whined.


    Lilith was sitting on a bar stool while sipping her drink, her hair was tied up into a bun atop of her head, resting her head lazily on the table.


    It must be because she has been hanging out with sloths for too long, that''s why she felt so lazy. What a bad influence that Belphegor has.


    Meanwhile, the said person was sitting opposite her and leaned his back against the backrest, his golden eyes were staring at the ceiling dumbfoundedly, as if there was something there that worth to observe.


    "Hell! Say something!" Lilith abruptly sat down and threw the empty glass toward the Sloth, but that wine glass stopped a few inches before it could hit Belphegor''s face and dropped to the floor.


    Strangely, instead of shattering into pieces, the glass just produced a soft thud when it collided with the ground.


    "Lower your voice." Belphegor still didn''t look at Lilith at all and kept his eyes on the ceiling where sparkling dust flew in the air. "We are just a meter apart. I can hear you clearly from here."


    "Damn it, Sloth!" Lilith cursed. This wasn''t the first time he had kept the plan for himself and order her to run his errand.


    "I am damn for long time." Belphegor replied, there was no change in the way he talked as if the woman opposite him wasn''t in fury. "I don''t a reminder."


    Lilith threw up her hands frustratedly. "Alright, at the very least, tell me why did you allow that woman went to Torak''s place after you told her some of our plans!?" She hissed irritatedly. "Are you crazy?!"


    They had been waiting for her to awake, but once she had woken up, Belphegor easily let her went back to her former pack.


    What was the point of them to take care of her all this time? Lilith really couldn''t read what was going on inside the head of this devil.


    "So, she could use that information for her benefit, so she could enter the pack again, but worry not, because she will come back." Belphegor said, this time he hummed a strange song while knocking his fingers on the armrest chair. Ignoring his surrounding.


    "How sure you are that she will come back?" Lilith leaned her body over, interested to know what this devil had planned.


    But, as usual, the Sloth too lazy to explain this to her. Everything that he had done or the thing that he would do, only he himself knew.


    Lilith had known this, it was pointless to ask him, but she still questioned him anyway. "Aarrgh! I feel depressed to help you!" She knocked her forehead on the table, a bit hard until the bottle of wine on the table was shaking.


    But, her action only regarded a single glance from Belphegor before he resumed his thoughtless gaze on the ceiling.


    Of course, Jenedieth would come back, where else she would go after Torak banished her? Her father also had died and it was impossible for her to be back to his former pack.


    Belphegor was sure that the Alpha wouldn''t receive her back after everything that had happened.


    Jenedieth''s father, Alpha Xavier, was killed because he tried to hurt the guardian angel, and before that, Jenedieth herself was punished because she treated that girl badly.


    There was no way the Alpha would take her back into the pack, and based on Jenedieth''s nature, she wouldn''t be able to read her situation and only made things became worse for her.


    Belphegor sighed. How easy to read their movement and predicted what would happen¡­


    Only by taking a closer look on their characters and natures, he was able to plan all of this¡­ slowly but surely¡­


    He just hoped his fellow devil wouldn''t ruin everything that he had planned and stayed away from his target.


    The time ticking along with the sound of rain pattering on the roof and the window.


    In the other hand, Lilith was tired to pester Belphegor and made him spill the information, while Lucifer was being away these past few days and nobody knew where he was, Lilith stuck with Belphegor in the end.


    It was tiring to help both of them back and forth, especially the Sloth.


    When Lilith was about to go back to her bedroom upstairs, suddenly someone opened the door harshly.


    "What is that?" Lilith shrieked and whipped her head toward the door where a woman was standing there unmoved.


    Belphegor smirked ever so faintly when the person that he had been waiting for finally came, he stretched out his hand toward her as if welcoming her presence.


    "Come here Jen¡­" Belphegor stood up, with his hand still stretched out.


    Jenedieth, whose body was thoroughly drenched as the droplet of water continued to spill the floor, trudged inside the room.


    Her blonde hair and pale face spoke volume about what kind of suffer that she had been through.


    "What the hell happened to her?" Lilith cursed under her breathe, she would never have thought that she would see Jenedieth in this kind of condition. "What is it? Your pack threw you to a ditch?"


    "Bring towel for her." Belphegor ordered Lilith while he pulled a chair for Jenedieth.


    "No way!" Lilith rejected his order in an instant. Why she should do something for this wrench woman? Who the hell did she think she was?


    However, Belphegor didn''t accept her disobedience and glared at her menacingly, thus with no other option, Lilith stomped her feet on the floor and went to retrieve the towel that Belphegor asked.


    "It must be hard for you¡­" Belphegor caressed Jenedieth''s soaked hair and patted her shoulder. "I have warned you, haven''t I?"


    Jenedieth stilled and refused to talk, not only she couldn''t snatch the position as Luna with the information that she brought and lifted her punishment, but she was banished from the pack.


    Her father died and no one from that pack stood up for her. The once an Alpha''s daughter and respected Lycan, now was nothing except a rouge that didn''t have a place to go.


    It was quite a blow for her, especially when she watched how Torak treated Raine right before her eyes, it was humiliation! And she wouldn''t accept that!


    Jenedieth balled her hands into fists and gritted her teeth. "You said you can destroy Torak." Jenedieth looked at Belphegor beside her. "Is that true?"


    "Depend on how you will help me." Belphegor took the towel that Lilith put on the table and wiped Jenedieth''s face. "Are you interested?"


    ==============


    Raine was very tired last night and didn''t even awake when Torak put her on the bed, but it caused her to sleep longer than her regular time, thus when the sun still not yet appeared on the horizon, she had woken up.


    Raine blinked a couple of time before she felt a warm breath on her neck, she knew exactly who the person that was so close to her.


    Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Raine turned around slightly and found Torak''s sleeping face right beside her. This movement made Torak grunted shortly before he pulled Raine closer to him. Even in his sleep, he was aware with his mate''s presence.


    Because of this, Raine''s face stuck on Torak''s chest. She found herself having a hard time to breath and started to struggle.


    "Can you stop move around? This still early to wake up¡­" Torak mumbled in sleepy voice and put his leg atop of hers to make her stop moving around.


    "I have to wake up¡­ I have not done my homework yet¡­" Raine said, poke her head from Torak''s arms. "Mrs. Martha will scold me¡­"


    "I will fire her if she scolds you." Torak grumbled in his half- sleeping stated.


    Raine chuckled upon hearing that. "Let me go, will you?"


    "Never." Torak insisted to keep Raine on the bed.


    This time Raine laughed. "I really have to do my homework." Though that was what she said, instead of getting away from him, Raine nuzzled her head on Torak''s chest. It felt very comfortable to be held like this.


    "Five minutes¡­" Torak mumbled. He was sleeping very late last night and now, only barely two hours since he fell asleep.


    "You can continue to sleep and I will do my homework." Raine tried to talk to him.


    "I can''t sleep if you are not here¡­" Torak frowned, he opened his eyes slightly and stared at his mate sullenly. "Five minutes?"


    Raine yielded and hugged Torak back. "Five minutes."


    ==============


    "Stop kissing me!"


    Raine glared at Torak that she thought it was intimidating enough to make him stop, little did she know, it didn''t affect him at all, instead, she looked so adorable when she frowned sullenly.


    Five minutes that Torak said extended to one hour.


    The moment Raine woke up, Torak had dressed neatly, clad in his business attire. She jumped and hurriedly dressed as well while complaining; why Torak didn''t wake her up?


    In his defence, Torak said that he had tried to wake her up, only Raine was sleeping too deep and he was unable to wake her.


    Actually, Torak indeed had tried, but his method needed more effort than only caressing her face lightly for a minute and gave up.


    Raine was trying to finish her homework before they arrived at Torak''s company, but it just too much and Torak didn''t help at all.


    He had been bothering her since they left the house and, seemingly, became more elated when he managed to make Raine more frustrated.


    Calleb who was sitting on the shotgun seat wished he wasn''t there in the same car with the couple.


    "They are always like this?" Calleb whispered to Gregory, the driver, beside him.


    "Yes¡­" Gregory whispered back to Calleb before he put his focused on the road ahead. He was a man in his early thirty with tan skin and a strange accent.


    [God! Raph, I hope I am in the same car with you!] Calleb whined through mind- link as he stared at the car in front of him. The Beta took different car from them.


    However, Raphael ignored him.


    The moment they arrived at the company, there were still five numbers left that Raine had not yet answered, she hoped Mrs. Martha had not arrived yet and she could finish it.


    "How many numbers have not been answered?" Torak asked when they were in the elevator to his office.


    "Five." Raine said sullenly while hugging her book, she kept looking at the number of the floor that flashed, hoping she still had time to finish it in time.


    Usually Mrs. Martha had never been late, because it Torak had arranged a driver to pick and drop her.


    When the elevator''s door was opened, Raine hurriedly ran toward the spot where she used to study and failed to see a faint smile on Torak''s face.


    Second by second, minutes by minutes, and when one hour had passed, Raine was finally done with her homework, only then she realized her teacher had not arrived yet.


    She frowned and looked at the time, it was almost eleven o''clock, that meant Mrs. Martha had been late almost one hour. What happened?


    Raine glanced at Torak, who seemingly was really busy, she wanted to ask him about her teacher, but seeing him very engrossed with his work, she kept silence.


    Raine didn''t know what happened to Mrs. Martha and why she had not come yet.


    When the time struck twelve, Torak put down the doc.u.ments in his hands and walked over to Raine, who was re- reading her book.


    "It''s lunch, let''s find something to eat." Torak rubbed her head to get her attention.


    Raine tilted her head and frowned.


    "What happened?" Torak asked, though he knew why she made that face.


    "Where is Mrs. Martha? Why she has not yet come?" Raine asked, Torak must know something about this.


    "Ah, right. She is not here." Torak looked around and didn''t find the middle age woman.


    "Don''t you know where is she?" Raine was a bit worried, maybe something happened to her.


    "I will make a call." Torak walked back to his table and took his phone while Raine followed him.


    She stood beside him and tried to listen the other parties voice when the call went through, but Torak was too tall and he didn''t want to bend his body and let Raine to hear it.


    Thus, she only could ask after he hung up the phone. "So? What happened?"


    "There is nothing to be worry, they just got flat tire. Mrs. Martha will be here after lunch." Torak kissed her forehead and took her hand as he walked toward the elevator. "Let''s eat something." He said.


    Raine was relieved to hear that, but she felt there was something wrong with it. Such a coincident was actually happened? When she needed time to finish her homework, out of the blue the car that picked Mrs. Martha got flat tire?


    "You have nothing to do with this, right?" Raine asked Torak when they were inside the elevator.


    "With what?" Torak frowned, but there was mirth dancing in those blue eyes, which gave away the obvious answer.


    "Torak." Raine cried and slapped his hand lightly. "Why did you do that?" she didn''t believe Torak would go to that extend for this trivial matter.


    However, the Alpha laughed cheerfully when his little trick was discovered. "Alright, I can''t lie to you." He tousled Raine''s hair and pinched her pouted lips. "I can''t stand it, if someone scolds you, that''s it."


    Raine was speechless when she heard that. It was a simple and obvious reason if you knew him well.


    "Don''t do that again." Raine said helplessly. Actually, it was sweet of him to make his own car was having a flat tire, but if this kept going, Raine wouldn''t be able to learn properly.


    "Alright." Torak relented and opened the car door for her before he sat on the driver seat. He decided to drive the car alone. "I will try another thing next time." It meant, he would try it again in different way.


    "Torak!" Raine swatted his arm playfully while she laughed at his ridiculous words.

 Chapter 165 - THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE

    Mrs. Martha came after Torak and Raine returned from lunch and apologized for being late. She said the car had tire flat and because the driver took a different route than usual and this street was a desolated place, she couldn''t find taxi or other transportation, thus she had to wait until someone came and to do the tire changed.


    Where exactly Torak asked the driver to go?


    Raine glanced at Torak, who seemingly didn''t pay attention to Martha''s words. He was busy with his doc.u.ments and phone calls again.


    "I am sorry for it Raine." Mrs. Martha said while pulling out some book from her bag.


    "It''s not your fault Mrs. Martha." Raine grimaced. This is Torak''s fault. She wanted to say that, but instead¡­"Let''s we start, shall we?"


    "Right." Mrs. Martha agreed.


    A while later, Raine had engrossed with her study and didn''t even aware when Torak stopped his work and watched her instead.


    [Raph.] Torak mind- linked his Beta.


    [Yes, you need something?] Raphael was only a room away from him.


    [Call Stephan Magnus to come to the house and meet me.] Torak said.


    Stephan Magnus was the dragon shifter who had come with him to this city as well, while his brother, Reynold Magnus, stayed in the Red River city to take care the business there since his own company had been acquisitioned by Torak.


    [Anything else?] Raphael picked up his phone to give a call.


    [That''s it.]


    ==============


    After Raine had finished study, they went home right away and would have dinner at home. As substitute because Mrs. Martha didn''t fill the time in the morning, she gave Raine more material to read.


    "Don''t you feel that''s too much?" Torak glanced at Raine''s note about new material that she needed to learn.


    "I can do this." Raine said optimistically.


    Recently she was in high spirit and spent her time reading many books and practiced to complete the task. She was very eager to go to University.


    Since Raine started to talk, people could see that she was actually a cheerful and lighthearted girl. She was very different from the girl that Torak met months ago.


    Except for the fact she was still a bit nervous to be near stranger, but she always been the brightest side of herself whenever she was with Torak, and he loved her more for that.


    Raine now, was like the warmth of the sun that shone in the winter season, bright and charming, until Torak was having hard time to take his eyes off of her.


    He wanted to be with her, holding her close and being able to witness every smile that grazed her kissable lips. He felt like he was going crazy.


    "I am fine¡­" Raine smiled when Torak rested his head on her shoulder.


    "Don''t overdo yourself and become sick." Torak said in complaining tone.


    "Okay." Raine said and patted his shoulder. "We are at home."


    Before this, Torak had never considered any places as his home, they were only a simple building for him to rest, but now, whenever he was with Raine, he felt at home. "I am at home."


    Torak helped Raine to get off from the car, regardless she didn''t need that, but Torak kept doing it.


    While they entered the house, Raine was trying to arrange her time, so she could catch up with her study and rest early.


    However, her plan seemingly should wait, because the first person that she met when they arrived in the living room was Serefina.


    The witch was wearing a black leather jacket and boots with the same color. Her dark jeans and white shirt under her jacket hugged her body perfectly.


    "Finally, here you are¡­" Serefina clapped her hands, and like usual, ignoring Torak''s unwelcomed look while she strode across the room and approached Raine and Torak.


    "What do you want?" Torak asked coldly. After being missing for weeks, she finally showed up and acted strangely like this.


    "I know what she is." Serefina ignored Torak''s question, the same way she overlooked Torak''s hostile stare.


    "What do you mean?" Torak was squinted his eyes.


    "I know how to evoke her power." Serefina said it gleefully as if the news that she brought was very important. "I have thought about it for weeks, but I need more information to assure my speculation." She explained herself for being missing.


    "And what do you get?" Torak asked, his focus was in her now.


    "The guardian angel. She. Who. Guard. The Time." Serefina stressed every syllable to emphasize the importance of this information.


    Raine frowned as she looked at Serefina. What''s again she was talking about? She looked up to see Torak''s expression, he also has the same inquiry look toward the witch, but his has different question from hers.


    "Let''s talk about it inside." Torak mumbled as he took Raine''s hand and walked toward the study room. There were many guards there and this kind of conversation wasn''t for them to hear.


    Raphael and Calleb were also called to listen to Serefina''s explanation.


    When all the people have already inside the room, Serefina continued her unfinished words from before.


    "Here is the thing." She started, her face was so calm and her lime green eyes shone on Raine, as if she was bewitching by her, the kind of look that Raine dislike.


    They were sitting on the sofa with the shape of letter ''U''.


    Serefina was sitting in the middle while Raine and Torak were sitting on her left side, and Raphael and Calleb were sitting opposite them.


    The atmosphere inside the room wasn''t really good as the tense of this meeting was palpable. The four of them were waiting for her explanation and where was she all this time.


    This didn''t mean they expect her presence, but simply because Serefina was supposed to take care of Raine and figure out her strange condition.


    Now that she was here and has something to say to Torak about Raine, it was only natural for Torak to be this tense.


    Moreover, he had never heard about something like ''She, who guards the time''. Probably, because Torak had never put any interest on them, not to mention the guardian angel had been extinct since the last great war between the Lycanthropes and the devil.


    "The reason why you were able to travel back to thousand years ago is because you have this rare ability. There was only one guardian angel who possessed this kind of power." Serefina said.


    The four of them were waiting for Serefina''s next explanation, but she didn''t say anything after that. The silence that stretched out among them filled with unanswered questions.


    "So?" Calleb couldn''t help, but asked. "Who is this person?" He felt like has an obligation to keep this conversation going because Torak had never been in the mood to talk to Serefina since the disappearance of Raine, while Raphael, he was simply waiting.


    "She lived long time ago." Serefina shrugged.


    Raine frowned, the senses of time for those immortal creatures was a little bit different with her. "How long that actually?"


    "Long before the great war happened." Serefina beamed with delight as if this piece of little information was something worth to celebrate.


    "What should I do then?" Raine was at lost and Serefina didn''t help at all. The witch should just spill all the things that she knew instead of talking mysteriously in circle.


    "Of course, you have to meet her." Serefina said that in the tone like saying ''isn''t that obvious?''. "Only by meeting her, you will learn how to control your power and became strong."


    "Wait, I think I don''t get it." Calleb threw up his hands as he shook his head. "This person is still alive?"


    Serefina frowned. "Of course not! Are you an idiot? Guardian angel had been extinct for many centuries!" She glared at the Gamma.


    Calleb really wanted to crush the witch head for calling him an idiot. "So, how Raine supposed to meet her?!" He roared, now he understood why Torak and Raphael was so reluctance and avoided to talk with her in person.


    It really needed a great patient to come to terms with Serefina''s way of talk.


    "Use her power." Serefina shrugged carelessly. "If she could go to the day when the village of angel was being demolished, she must be able to go to the time long before that too."


    Raine grimaced with the word of ''demolish'' from Serefina, the way she said it as if the villagers of that place weren''t people that worth to mention.


    But, before Calleb could talk or there was anyone was able to react Torak had stood up and glared menacingly at Serefina. "You can keep the idea for yourself." His voice was rough and stern. "Raine will not going anywhere."


    Torak''s canines elongated as he tried to keep his beast at bay. He had just lost Raine not so long ago, the panic and fear that he felt at that moment still remained, but now Serefina said she would take Raine back to do that again? To go back to thousand of years ago, where those beasts and supernatural creatures were at their peak of their ferocity and brutality.


    How he could possibly let his mate went to that kind of place? He must be crazy to let her go.


    Serefina''s temper flared up. When Torak opened the door, she shut the door right before Torak could walk past it with Raine.


    This action almost crushed Torak''s fingers if he didn''t have a remarkable reflex.


    "I am not work my *ss off just for you to walk away like this!" Serefina was livid, no one had any idea, how she got this information for Raine. "This is important for her to learn her own ability!"


    "She is fine the way she is!!!" Torak barked at the witch. "She doesn''t need to learn that! I will protect her!"


    Serefina scoffed upon hearing this. "You will protect her, huh?" She stood up and put her hands on her hip. "Do you forget about the purpose of the guardian angel is being resurrected? How do you plan to protect her?!"


    Torak started to shift into his beast as white fur spurt from the follicle of his skin. He released Raine''s hand in his grasp as he was afraid to hurt her when his sharp claws came out from his nails.


    This happened once again, whenever Torak and Serefina were on different opinion, they tended to tear the place, they were in, apart.


    "Let me tell you the true purpose of your life." Serefina shifted her lime green eyes that squinted alarmingly at Raine behind Torak''s back. "Since your mate plans to keep it a secret from you, right Alpha?" She asked Torak, taunting him to show his ugly side in front of Raine.

 Chapter 166 - DONT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS TO HIM

    "Torak¡­" Raine grabbed his arm before he could charge forward and stormed angrily over to Serefina. "Torak, please¡­" She whined and almost screamed when Torak turned his head and his blue eyes had turned red.


    This was the first time Raine was this close with the angry Torak''s beast, only by looking at him, her whole body was trembling in fear.


    How Serefina could manage to infuriate him every time they met? Didn''t she afraid, one day she would be death in the Alpha''s hands?


    Torak seemed ignored Raine''s words, but he kept his bloodshot eyes on her, his body also trembled. His human''s side and his beast''s side were fighting to take the dominance, conflicting between tore the witch''s throat or stopped himself in order to prevent his mate from seeing a gruesome scene.


    A low and deep growl rumbled in his chest, the sound of it was like dozens of angry wolves were ready for battle.


    It was a very hard decision when Torak''s beast chose to leave the room, he had turned into fully beast when he leapt above Serefina and Calleb''s head, busted down the window and dashed away, leaving a trail of broken pieces of glasses and debris were floating in the air.


    "Torak!" Raine was shock, she thought Torak would kill Serefina when he darted toward her, but he didn''t.


    When they heard a long, aggravated howl, only then they realized Torak had been somewhere else, far from this place.


    "I will look for him." Raphael prevented Raine from coming closer toward the shattered fragment of glass on the floor, from outside there were six or seven guards trying to see what was happening and why the window was broken.


    Raphael walked to the broken window and talked to the guards and issued an order to them, but Raine couldn''t hear what kind of explanation that Raphael gave to them, because her mind was on the certain someone.


    After a few minutes in dazed, the first thing that Raine felt was Calleb''s hand that held her shoulder, just in case she wanted to rush near the window and hurt herself in the process.


    And the second thing was Serefina''s voice, she was speaking arrogantly and annoyingly.


    "It looks like your Alpha is still having a hard time to control his beast." She said it scornfully.


    Raine didn''t know what possessed her, but the thing that she knew next was; she had slapped Serefina''s face harshly.


    The sound of it reverberated inside the room and made Raphael and the other guards outside the room, turned their head toward her direction in perplexed expression.


    Raine was also surprised by her own action, everything was blur as she felt anger bubbled up in her chest upon hearing the way Serefina''s talked about Torak.


    However, she quickly regained her composure and let her anger flew through her veins, she didn''t hold back at all.


    No one would expect Raine would do something so daring like that, even Calleb also caught off guard by her, he gawked and blinked his eyes at Raine.


    Serefina also didn''t expect this, especially from her. The girl, whom not long time ago wasn''t able to look at her straight in the eyes, now was brazen enough to lay her hand on her face.


    Nobody had ever slapped her before!


    This fact alone turned the witch became furious. "How dare you to slap me!!!" He roared at Raine and stretched out her hand.


    Seeing that Raine was in predicament, Calleb came out from his stupefied state and grabbed Raine''s shoulder to pull her back.


    The Gamma''s reaction was just in time, when he covered Raine''s body with his, a gushed of sharp wind cut his back ruthlessly. He groaned in pain as he felt blood trickled down from his back.


    Raphael waved his hand toward the guard that were still looking at the strange incident that was happening inside the room. "Scram!" He growled roughly, which startled all of them.


    Hastily they left the scene in matter of second.


    Once no human was around, Raphael bent and leap forward in his beast''s form, there was eerie sound of bones were being dislocated during the process.


    It only took Raphael''s beast a single move to close the distance between them, but once Raphael just landed, there was a sudden force that knocked him aside.


    His body collided to the wall and left a big dent and he fell on the ground.


    Serefina was livid. A whirl of wind conjured in both of her hands as he strode toward Raine. She made a slashing movement and sent Calleb flew a few feet away from Raine, leaving her standing alone, facing Serefina there.


    Raine was about to step back when she felt her feet were not able to move, as if they were freeze. She had felt this feeling.


    Serefina had done the same thing to her the first moment they arrived in this city, at the airport. The feeling of being controlled was awful and now, she did it again.


    Raine stared at Serefina''s hand that grabbed her neck, suffocated her. She tried to move her hands, but they simply didn''t listen to her order as she felt her chest burned because of the lack of oxygen.


    It was a torture.


    From the corner of her eyes, Raine could see Calleb had turned into his grey wolf, but neither Calleb nor Raphael were able to come closer than a meter away from Serefina, as if there was invincible wall that prevented them to go through it.


    Raine could see the two beasts roared in anger, but heard nothing as she saw black dots started to spread on her vision.


    If she kept like this and did nothing, soon, she would begin to lose her consciousness. Would she die? It''s mean Serefina killed her?


    And she wouldn''t be able to see Torak again? Why she has to die when her life started to get better?


    Raine had never felt the urge to survive like this, she felt like there was a strange energy that seeped to her body through every inches of her skin.


    The strange feeling that forced her to lift both of her hands, it almost like her hands had turned into heavy stone.


    Despite Raine''s attempt to move her hands was akin to a labor work, she could move them nonetheless.


    As she tried to pry open Serefina''s fingers, she found a fleeting fear passed her lime green eyes, but she wasn''t sure because of her condition, probably she just sees things.


    Raine panted heavily in her attempt to make Serefina let go of her neck and her attempt to breath the air.


    Gritting her teeth, Raine used all of her will to scratch Serefina''s face instead since she wasn''t able to break open her fingers from hers.


    It worked.


    Serefina covered her face with both of her hands, feeling the sharp, stung pain across her skin, she cursed under her breath.


    With her spell, Raine shouldn''t be able to move! However, why she even managed to hurt her? That shouldn''t be happen!


    With Serefina was shock and lost her focus, the spell broke.


    Raine fell on the ground, her knees collided with the floor and made a loud thud sound as she was gasping for air while holding her painful neck.


    Calleb and Raphael''s roared angrily and was about to bit down Serefina''s neck when she suddenly disappeared into thin air.


    Raphael hurriedly turned back into his human form and came over to Raine. "Raine, are you alright? Are you hurt somewhere?" He tried to scrutinize her body that was trembling out of fear. There was no trace of blood, and there were no visible bruises.


    However, Raine was covering her neck, thus he couldn''t see it properly. Raphael caressed her back soothingly, to stop her from trembling.


    "Torak¡­" Raine said between her gasp, despite no tears came out from her eyes, her voice choked in her throat.


    "I couldn''t reach him. He blocks us out." Raphael said.


    In order to appease his beast, Torak had to leave. Raphael could understand that, because of Raine was there, Torak had to suppress his violence side.


    The Alpha wouldn''t have thought that his mate would stand up for him and slapped Serefina. Actually, nobody would expect that.


    Raine surprised them again and again.


    "I will bring you upstairs." Raphael said as he helped Raine to stand up, she was still holding her neck and her hair that covered her face made it hard for Raphael to see whether Serefina had left bruise on her or not.


    With the help of Raphael, Raine trudged to the second floor. Calleb tailed behind them, still in his beast form.


    After they entered the bedroom, Raine was sitting on the sofa near the door to the balcony while hugging herself.


    "Drink some water, it will help you with the shock." Raphael gave her a glass of water while Calleb sat on his hind legs and rested his snout on the armrest beside Raine.


    She took the glass and gulped down the water, as the liquid went through her dry and painful throat, she felt slightly better.


    The grey beast nudged her hand with his snout while making a face that Raine assumed was a smirk.


    "Let me take a look on your neck." Raphael said worriedly, if it left bruises, the Alpha wouldn''t be please to see that.


    Raine put down her hand and scratched the back of Calleb ears. The grey wolf closed his eyes and enjoyed being scratched.


    Seeing this, Raphael threw him a gaze as if saying ''oh please, have some dignity!'' kind of look.


    Raine tilted her head slightly up, so Raphael could have a better look, with that her cleavage slightly could be seen and her fair skin was exposed.


    However, strange enough, there was no bruise or any mark that indicated Serefina had just tried to choke her to death. Her skin was flawless.


    "What happened?" Raine asked, watching the strange expression on Raphael''s face. "Is it that bad?"


    Yet, Raphael shook his head. "No. Actually your neck is fine, there is no bruise at all." He said in bewilderment.


    "Impossible¡­" Raine suddenly stood up and walked toward the mirror, she raised her chin and looked at the reflection of her neck.


    Just like what Raphael had said, there was nothing there, not even a scratch.


    Raine frowned, because she still could feel the pain on her neck that Serefina had inflicted. It was so strange. She knew herself, with so much force that Serefina had exerted, it would leave mark at the very least.


    But, her neck was fine like nothing happened.


    Raine turned around and faced Raphael and Calleb. "Can you please help me?" She said in soft voice, but there was an urgency laced in her tone.


    "What is it Luna?" Raphael asked.


    "Please don''t tell this matter to Torak, can you do that?" She implored.


    "But, why?" Raphael stood up and walked toward Raine. Why she didn''t want for Torak to know about this? It would be best if the Alpha was informed about what Serefina had done.


    Even Calleb growled in disagreement.


    "This is not the right time to show a mercy on Serefina, Luna." Raphael stopped right in front of her, looked down at Raine, whose height was only barely reached his shoulder, he didn''t understand with her decision. "In my opinion, it will be better to not hid anything from the Alpha."


    Raine understood that, she didn''t want to hide anything from Torak too, but there was something that she wanted to find out by herself and let Torak knew this matter wouldn''t help it.


    "I am not planning to show a mercy on Serefina." Raine said sheepishly, despite her body that fidgeted nervously, she still continued to speak. "She doesn''t deserve it."


    "I am glad you know that." Raphael said. He nodded in agreement.


    "But, if Torak knew this, he wouldn''t allow Serefina to come again, while I still have many things that I need from her." Raine tried to explain her intention.


    "What do you need from her?" Raphael frowned. He couldn''t see the point of Raine to meet Serefina again after her attempt to kill her.

 Chapter 167 - SHE WANTS TO KNOW HERSELF

    When you can''t control what is happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what is happening. That''s your power is.


    **************


    "I need an explanation." Raine said determinedly. "I want to know about the possibility of my power."


    "We will find another way to figure that out, but I still think it''s better for you to just say it." Raphael disagreed.


    "But if Torak knew that Serefina almost hurt me¡­" Raine subconsciously touched her neck, the fear was still etched on her mind. "Again¡­" She added. "Then, Torak will never allow me to meet with Serefina."


    Raphael knew that was exactly what Torak would do, he would put Serefina on blacklist for the people who were not allowed to come near his mate, yet it was only natural for him to take that action, because Serefina was more likely to harm Raine than she protected and guided her.


    Actually, Raine felt so strange to talk about this. If it was months ago, she would never be able to ask for anything from Raphael, not even looked at him in the eyes like what she was doing now.


    However now, Raine was standing there while looking at Raphael''s eyes and voiced out her own opinion.


    It has been a long time since she determined to do something.


    "And also¡­" Raine stopped mid- sentences and blinked her eyes nervously.


    "And also?" Raphael prodded. He would have never thought Raine would have her own opinion and asked him to do something against Torak''s will. Torak would be displeased if he knew Raine was hiding something from him, despite her reason.


    "I want to know about the person that Serefina had mentioned." Raine said it without hesitation.


    "Raine¡­ Torak is right, it will be so dangerous for you." Even though Raphael had not yet lived that long, but he knew how ferocious those shifter and supernatural creatures in that era. He couldn''t imagine Raine, being as kindhearted as she was, survived from that.


    Ignoring Raphael''s concer, Raine spoke. "I want to know about the prophecy, why the guardian angel is being resurrected. In this case, it is me¡­" She wasn''t use to mention herself this way, but she couldn''t find the best way to say it in another words. "Will you tell me?"


    Raphael felt a bit complicated.


    Torak had not yet mentioned anything about the prophecy, thus that was the first time Serefina brought the topic and this made Raine wanted to know more about herself.


    In this chaotic situation, where her world turned upside down as she no longer knew where was the lne between an imagination and reality because everything seemed so real for her, added that to the fact many creatures wanted to harm her.


    She wanted to stand up for herself and knew herself better.


    Maybe it sounded strange, but Raine felt Serefina didn''t have intention to kill her when she strangled her, knowing her power, the witch would be able to kill her with only a snap of her finger.


    She didn''t need to immobilize her and took the job by her own hand.


    Though that was a ruthless way, but Raine was pretty sure she didn''t have intention to end her life since she had taken a great risk to look for information about her, at least that was what she said when Torak wanted to leave the room before all the chaos happened.


    "It is not because I don''t want to tell you, but I am not aware of this prophecy, the resurrection of the guardian angel, until recently." Raphael only knew about that when Torak told them the moment he brough Raine to the pack house. "The prophecy which was told by the Moon Goddess herself, was something that Torak heard it personally, I think it is only a handful people that knew about this."


    "Do you want to say that it is much better for me to ask about this to Torak?" Raine concluded. It was a good thing that she didn''t let her hope high as she was aware Raphael wouldn''t say anything without Torak''s concern.


    "I think the Alpha could explain about it better than me. He got to hear the prophecy personally after all." Raphael suggested.


    "I got it¡­" Raine nodded. She would ask this to Torak, if he had calm down. "But, could you not tell him about what Serefina did to me? I will let him know later."


    Raphael didn''t answer her and only patted Raine''s head.


    ==============


    Raine was waiting for Torak to return until late at night, as her sleepy eyes couldn''t stay awake much longer and she fallen asleep.


    Even so, when Raine felt the bed under her dipped down, she stretched out her arms and hugged the familiar warm body.


    "Did I wake you up?" Torak asked in very soft voice as he put his arm under Raine''s head as a pillow and pulled her closer.


    "I am waiting for you, but I fell asleep." Raine nuzzled her head against his chest as she mumbled, the sleepiness still possessed her. "Where have you been?"


    "Running." Torak kissed his little mate''s forehead and breathed on her scent.


    "I want to ask something¡­" Raine said in sleepy voice.


    Torak chuckled and patted her back. "You can ask me anything tomorrow, sleep for now." He cradled her in his arms as he lulled her to sleep.


    Torak knew what questions that Raine wanted to ask. Raphael had told him the moment he returned.


    In the end, the Beta couldn''t lie to his Alpha as he told him everything, including the part where Serefina tried to strangle Raine.


    Torak crushed the glass in his hand when he heard that. He should just kill her in the first chance was given.


    "But, Raine asked me to not telling you about this." Raphael added when he saw the anger started to consume the Alpha. "She wants to do something about this."


    "What she wants to do?" Torak was squinted his eyes dangerously. He was enough with Serefina''s idea to bring Raine back to the era centuries ago, he didn''t need Raine to have a crazy idea as well.


    And with that Raphael explained Raine''s stand point in this matter. "She wants to know about herself and what she could do with her ability."


    It was a good thing with Raine''s progress that she started to develop understanding about herself, but Torak didn''t really agree with her decision. She could hurt herself in the process and that was the last thing that he wanted.


    About the prophecy. From the beginning, Torak had never had intention to tell Raine about the prophecy. He didn''t care about the impending war that would occur, just like what Selene had warned them. He only wanted to keep his mate saved.


    Because the war would cost her life¡­


    Just like what had happened to the last war, where all the guardian angels were wiped out from this realm for centuries until the Moon Goddess decided to resurrect them again.


    Torak tightened his arms around Raine''s sleeping body, she slept soundly with her mouth slightly opened.


    How he could let anything happened to her after he had waited for her so long?


    The war could happen, but Raine wouldn''t be part of it!


    ==============


    Raine woke up early and found Torak was staring at her. "Good morning." Her voice croaked.


    "Good morning, my love." Torak kissed the tip of her nose. "Hungry?"


    Raine chuckled when she heard his question. "Starving." She remembered that she didn''t eat anything last night as she was stubbornly waiting for Torak inside the room.


    "Let''s eat, after that I will take you somewhere." Torak patted her back and got off from the bed, but Raine, who had just awaken wrapped herself inside the blanket again.


    "I am still sleepy¡­" She whined when Torak nudged her cheek. "This is still early for breakfast." She mumbled.


    "We have to leave early otherwise we have to wait until tomorrow." Torak sat back on the edge of the bed and coaxed her to wake up.


    Today was Saturday, that meant today and tomorrow Raine was free. It was a good timing to take her somewhere a bit far from this place.


    "Hmm? Where we will go?" Raine blinked her eyes, fighting back her sleepiness. "Is it far?"


    "It''s a far place." Torak nodded. "We need to leave early if you still want to attend your lesson on Monday, or you can just skip it." He shrugged. Study was Raine''s own choice, thus he didn''t mind if she skips it.


    "Where we will go?" Raine sat down and rubbed her eyes, she yawned and looked at Torak, a bit sober now.


    "A place that will tell you a story about centuries ago." Torak said in mysterious tone, he knew that Raine like it.


    "A story about you?" Just like what Torak had thought, Raine''s eyes were shimmering with excitement.


    "A story about me." Torak nodded.


    ==============


    Raine was wearing blue slouchy sweater and baggy pants in denim color. She wore blue beanies in the same color of her sweater and let her long, black hair cascaded down on her shoulder since Torak would always play with her hair, she didn''t tie her hair whenever she was with him.


    Raine and Torak boarded on the car when the sun had just appeared on the horizon and its golden light illuminated the street ahead of them.


    Gregory was driving the car, but Raine couldn''t see there was another car that followed them, it meant, Torak didn''t bring Raphael or Calleb along in this trip.


    "Raphael and Calleb don''t come with us?" Raine looked at the shotgun seat that empty.


    "Why they need to come with us?" Torak asked, there was displeasure laced in the way he talked. Why his mate had to ask other men in his presence? "This trip is only for both of us."


    "Nothing, just curious because they will always follow you wherever you go." Raine shook her head and grinned. "I think it is much better this way."


    "I think the same." Torak smiled as well.


    Raine thought, it would only take at least twenty to half an hour before they reached their destination because Torak refused to tell her where they would go.


    Thus, it surprised her when the car drove to a runway near the airport where a private plane with Donovan Enterprise, Inc. emblazoned on its body.


    "Torak, where we will go?" Raine asked when he helped her to get out of the car. She looked in puzzled at the private plane in front of her.


    Last time, Torak brought her to his pack house from the orphanage with the same private plane. Would he bring her back to the pack? To his own territory?


    Raine didn''t mind if Torak brought her back to the pack house, she liked being there, regardless what had happened when she was there.


    "Will we go to your pack?" Raine kept asking while Torak helped her to get on the plane.


    "No, we will go to somewhere far from that." Torak still refused to tell her their destination. "It will take a few hours. You can sleep during the trip." He kissed her forehead and strapped a seatbelt on her.


    When the sign had turned green and they allowed to walk inside the plane Torak took Raine to the bedroom as he opened the door of the main room inside the private plane.


    This was the same room that she occupied when she was here. It was only months and now Raine''s condition has been better.


    Raine now has a place that she could call home and was preparing herself to enter university like any other girls around her ages and the most important thing, she has someone who looked after her.


    "Torak¡­" Raine held his arms and looked at him. "Is this trip related to your past?"


    "Yes." Torak sat down beside her.


    "By any chance, are you planning to tell me about your past?"


    "Yes, my love."

 Chapter 168 - ONISM

    Onism: Awareness of how little of the world you will experience. (n)


    **************


    After seven hours flying, once they arrived at the airport a black sport car had been waiting for them.


    Raine didn''t know where they were, but someone as tall as Torak approached them and talked to Torak in foreign language and strange accent.


    That man was in his late twenty with dark brown hair and skinny body, he nodded his head when Torak talked to him, which Raine assumed was an instruction.


    After exchanging a few words, Torak guided her to the car and strapped her in seatbelt before he walked around to the driver seat and drove the car by himself.


    Raine was curious, how many languages did Torak speak? It would be more than two handful hands to count it.


    "Are we in foreign country?" Raine asked while looking at the scenery outside the window. The sun was still high as a couple of clouds that looked like a cotton floated around on the clear, blue sky.


    This was a perfect weather to have a picnic.


    "Yes, this place is called Rieka Country." Torak replied. "Maybe you are not familiar with this country as we are in different continent, added to the fact this Country is a small Country."


    "Rieka country?" Raine reiterated because the name sounded so strange for her.


    "Yes, Rieka from the meaning of; the power of wolf." Torak explained. "It''s such an ironic name since you will never see a werewolf or lycan here."


    "Why?" Raine turned her head and looked at Torak.


    "I will show you why." Torak smiled patiently.


    They drove to the main road where it started to get crowded and move toward the heart of this city.


    Inside the car Raine didn''t talk much as she enjoyed the view. This city wasn''t very different from the Fulbright City, only less tall buildings.


    The people who walked on the pedestrian mostly would wear a baseball cap to cover their eyes from the sunlight.


    Lush trees grew in a row along the road while behind them, there were a row of uniquely designed houses. Most of the houses looked like an old house with big window and steps before one could reach the terrace.


    Another thing that Raine noticed was the fact there were many statue of wolf in different size in front of every houses.


    "Why in front of every house there are many statue of wolf?" Raine turned around to ask Torak.


    However, before he could answer, as if to confirm Raine''s question, on the roundabout there was a big fountain of a pack of wolf.


    One big wolf was standing tall on its feet, while the other smaller wolves followed behind, there were around ten of them.


    "The forgiven souls who have¡­" Raine was squinted her eyes, though Torak had driven the car a little bit slow, but she still couldn''t catch the last words that was carved on the surface of the stone beneath the leader of the pack''s feet.


    "¡­fought with hearts." Torak finished the words for her.


    "Hmm?" Raine looked at Torak questioningly. "The forgiven souls who have fought with hearts?" She reiterated the whole words. "What is that mean?"


    "Later." Torak glanced at his curious little mate beside him with smile on his face.


    Torak was exceptionally very calm today, there was no trace of his outburst from yesterday, as though that never happened.


    "I will explain it later after I show you something." Torak said. Reaching out his hand and intertwined their fingers.


    Raine smiled and didn''t ask anything again as she resumed to relish the scenery before her eyes.


    It felt like a dream for Raine, enjoying a beautiful city with someone who loved her dearly beside her and didn''t need to worry about someone or other creatures that wanted to harm her, because he would make sure she was fine.


    With Torak, she felt safe both physically and mentally, the feeling that she wouldn''t dare to imagine when she was still in the orphanage, as they had never treated Raine well.


    Now, she could eat any food that she like, not leftover foods, wearing a nice dress and clothes, not the one that they almost threw away.


    And now she was in a foreign country, enjoying this lovely city.


    The drive took thirty minutes before they arrived at a place that looked like a library that was designed akin to a historical building from medieval ages.


    Raine hurriedly unbuckled herself and got out from the car, once it stopped. She looked at the building with amazement and puzzled, this building looked so old, yet there was something mysterious and attractive about this place as if there was a warm energy that exuded from it.


    Torak chuckled upon seeing Raine''s reaction. She looked like a little child, who was given a birthday present ahead of time.


    "What is that building?" Raine asked when Torak was beside her, hugging his arm naturally.


    "A library." Torak answered just like what Raine had thought.


    "Will we read something? There is a book that you want to read?" Raine was so excited to read a book that related to Torak. Would he be inside the book? Like a history?


    Raine''s mind was reeled with a lot of possibility because Torak kept silence and only led her to enter the building.


    Just like another houses that Raine had seen, this building also has a few steps before they could reach its terrace.


    In the entrance there was a woman who had been waiting for Torak and Raine. She has a black hair that only reached her soldier and her brown eyes reminded Raine on hot chocolate.


    The woman was only as tall as Raine, so she could be consider small. She smiled and waved her hand on Raine and Torak from time to time until both of them arrived in front of her.


    However, the moment Raine took closer looked on the woman, she shrieked and backed away as her eyes grew wider when she looked at her.


    Raine hid behind Torak''s back, because she saw something behind the woman''s back¡­ a pair of wings!


    "She is not a human." Raine whispered at Torak.


    "Yes my love, she is not." Torak patted the back of Raine''s hand, which grabbing his arms tightly, to calm her. "She is a fae."

 Chapter 169 - FOR YOU, I WILL COMPROMISE

    Hey baby when we are together


    Doing things that we love


    Every time you near I feel like I am in heaven


    Feeling high


    I don''t want to let go girl


    I just need you to know girl


    -No Promises. By: Shayne Ward-


    **************


    "Fae?" Raine looked at the woman in puzzlement as she shifted her gaze from her to Torak. "I have never seen one before."


    The woman''s smile didn''t falter as she greeted Raine. "Greetings Luna, I am Purple. Guardian of this place." She said in her crisp voice.


    When Raine took a second look on Purple''s wings and her friendly smile, she felt embarrassed because of her reaction.


    "I am sorry." Raine came out from behind Torak''s back. "This is my first time to see a fae¡­" Raine said timidly as she glanced at her wings.


    "It''s alright, there are not many of our kind." Purple said reassuringly.


    Her wings have various shades of blue and yellow color and they were translucent, akin to dragonfly''s wings, only this one was way bigger.


    Purple looked amazing under the ray of the sunlight, as she shone brightly like an angel. Instead of her, she looked more like one. Raine thought.


    Was it possible for her to have wings as well since she was a guardian angel? She would love the idea.


    "Alpha, the room that you have asked it''s ready, this is the key." Purple handed a golden key from her pocket.


    "Thank you purple, you may leave." Torak received the key.


    Purple nodded and waved her hand toward Raine cheerfully. "I hope we can meet again." She said, fluttering her wings and flew away.


    Raine gawked and looked at her surrounding and then toward Purple, who had flown passed a big opened window and disappeared, but no one seemingly realized this scene.


    "They are not able to see her." Torak informed Raine and took her hand. "Let''s go."


    "Oh¡­" Raine understood and followed him. "But, she looks like human¡­ except for her wings." She mumbled.


    "All fae is like that¡­" Torak glanced at Raine and added for her information. "They are not a shifter, even though they don''t show their wings, but no human will be able to see them."


    Raine listened and made a mental note about this.


    This library was absolutely luxurious. Sleek large couches and chairs lined the walls and plush carpets adorned the floor at the other corner near a huge window, where people could sit and read there with enough sunlight.


    The interior was white and lined with gold, the walls were made of sleek dark wood.


    Some people walked passed them when they strolled in long corridor, many of them were girls around Raine''s age, they were carrying books, apparently preparing themselves for the entrance exam like what Raine did.


    The feeling was unexplainable when Raine could see the similarity between her and other girls, she felt almost normal.


    But then, she frowned when all the girls that walked passed Torak would take a second look and smiled sheepishly in secret, two or three girls even deliberately to walk passed them again, only to see Torak.


    Raine pouted her lips and stared at the man beside her, sizing him up and down. She could understand why those girls acted that way. Torak was so dazzling in his black sweater and denim. He looked like someone, who came out straight from women imagination about a perfect man.


    Raine couldn''t blame them for that, even her, who had been sleeping next to him for countless night and was treated unimaginably well by him, still found herself lost in his callous and mysterious aura.


    She sighed in annoyance when a girl in short pants turned her head and looked at Torak without even trying to hide her intention, disregarding a girl beside him.


    Raine glared at that girl agitatedly, but only to find it was a naught attempt. That girl has zero attention toward her, she didn''t even glance toward Raine direction.


    Out of frustration, Raine grabbed Torak''s collar and pecked his lips, declaring that he had already taken.


    Regardless Torak didn''t pay attention to those girls, and he was used to ignore them until he thought of them as a part of decoration, but Raine brief action made him realize that his little mate could be jealous as well.


    Torak didn''t mind with her jealousy and found it so adorable when she tried to glare at other girls, a waste of effort, as she didn''t look scary at all.


    "What is it?" Torak asked as though he didn''t know why Raine did that.


    "They are staring at you as if they want to eat you alive." Raine said sullenly, her big eyes stared at Torak''s blue one with displeased.


    "You have eaten me entirely what else left for them?" Torak teased his mate as he tousled her head, resulted her beanies dropped until it covered her nose.


    Raine pulled it up again and grinned before they resumed walking the long corridor, going up to the second floor by spiral stairs and finally stopped at the door that has warning sign on it.


    "It says ''not allowed to enter''" Raine informed Torak when he was about to turn the knob of the door.


    "I am the one who put it there." Torak said calmly and opened the door with the key that the fae had given him.


    "Oh¡­" Raine said dumbfoundedly and followed him inside the room. "Were you working here before?" That question just slipped like that from her mouth before she realized how wrong it sounded. "No. you own this place?" This time Raine was more certain with her guess.


    However, when Torak nodded, she was still surprised nonetheless.


    "Wow¡­ I don''t know what to say¡­" Raine was speechless while Torak laughed heartily when he heard her comment.


    "When you lived your life long enough like me, you will come to realization that all of these things are nothing. They are merely a possession. There is nothing special by having them. Owning them, is just a matter to fill my free time." Torak said lightly.


    "I think it will hard for me to understand that¡­" Raine grimaced, she had not had as much money as Torak and had not yet lived as long as he lived.


    "You don''t need to." Torak chuckled. "All of that, is nothing to compare to you. You are my precious one." He said truthfully and made Raine blushed attractively.


    Torak didn''t say it offhandedly, but his words laced with seriousness. He didn''t tease her this time as he only said what he felt for her.


    After Torak unlocked the door, it was another long corridor but they didn''t take a long walk before Torak opened the first door that they found.


    Immediately, Raine was enveloped with earthy smell and before her was a great hall that seemed to on forever, and in it was endless rows of books that ascended high into the rafters and beyond.


    It was like the luxurious library from before was less breathtaking than this. This place was as huge as the other one, as if the building was built with two design of library, the one for public and the one for¡­ private¡­? Raine wasn''t sure with her own opinion.


    "Another¡­ library?" Raine asked while she looked around her in amazement. "This place is so¡­" Raine couldn''t find the right word that came close to describe this. "¡­ wonderful¡­"


    Raine loved to read, thus being here with these books, made her thrilled. She started to look into the book one by one. Most of them were like from decades ago.


    "Do you like it?" Torak asked and Raine nodded while smiling. Before he had brought her to the art gallery and now he took her to this amazing library. "But, this is not what I want to show you my love."


    Torak gestured for Raine to follow him.


    As they walked to the center of this private library, Raine simply couldn''t take her eyes from row after row of the books.


    "This place is always empty? No one ever come here?" Raine asked.


    "The fae works her magic and casts an enchantment spell to mask it from human sight." Torak was referring to the door to the library, not with the sign one.


    They stopped in the middle of the center of the library.


    There, Raine could see a huge stone was standing right in the middle of the library. It height was around twelve to thirteen meter away with the thickness as long as Raine''s arms.


    "What is this?" This stone was like thrown by someone and accidentally landed there, it didn''t match with the other items inside this room.


    "The stone that could tell you everything." Torak said calmly, he came from behind Raine and hugged her waist. "You can ask everything and let see what it tells you."


    Raine frowned. A stone could answer her question? But, how?


    But, she approached it nonetheless. The surface of the stone wasn''t smooth, it was rough to touch when Raine rested her palm on it to feel the texture.


    "What should I do?" Raine turned her head and looked at Torak questioningly.


    "Just think what do you want to know?" Torak said in amus.e.m.e.nt as he watched Raine''s confused expression. "Because it will be only you who will be able to see the answer."


    "Why don''t you tell me directly? It will be easier that way right?" Raine asked in confusion. Why Torak had to take her far away only for this?


    "Because you said you have a lot of questions to Serefina that I can''t answer." Torak replied in matter of fact tone.


    Raine was surprised when Torak''s answer, but then she realized that Raphael had told him despite her plea to not do that.


    So, the purpose of this whole trip was for her? They had flown for seven hours and driving for hours, all of that was done only for her? for her sake?


    Raine thought the trip this time was because Torak wanted to show the place that held memories for him. He said it before.


    "I don''t want you to compromise with Serefina just because she holds something that you want. I live long enough, but it doesn''t mean I can answer all of your questions. Though it''s annoying, but you are right, Serefina knows something that I don''t." Torak explained, he admitted what he was lack. "And this stone only work for the related person. I can''t find the answer of your question with using this way."


    Raine was speechless, she didn''t know that Torak had thought about everything so thoroughly.


    "I just want to ask you one thing." Torak stretched out his hand and caressed her cheek. "Please don''t hide anything from me. If you still want Serefina around, I can compromise with that."


    Raine blinked her eyes to fight back her tears, she felt ashamed and guilty. "I am sorry¡­" She said weakly and lowered her head, couldn''t see Torak''s eyes.


    How she could think to hide something from him and lied when he always thought about her all the time, he even said he would compromise with Serefina for her.


    Raine knew, it was a big deal. With Torak''s nature and his position, he wouldn''t compromise with anyone. But, for her, he did that.


    He had done everything for her, but in returned, she attempted to lie to him.


    "You don''t have to apologize, my love." Torak pulled her into his embrace and patted her back. "I just want you to trust me enough that I will do everything for you."


    Raine sobbed on Torak''s clothes, her voice choked on her throat when she talked. "I feel bad to try to hide it." She felt ashamed too.


    "You don''t have to feel that way. You try to solve your own problem, thus you don''t have to feel bad for that. That''s a progress, my love and I am proud of you for trying to stand up for yourself." Torak whispered to her ear softly. "It is me, who can''t see you struggle alone."


    Raine didn''t know what she had to say anymore. She knew Torak was trying to make her feel better by saying those words, and that actually worked.


    "Tell me your curiosity and your trouble and let me help you." Torak said again when Raine''s tears flew like a river on his sweater and her body trembling. "I want to be there whatever happened to you."


    Raine sniffed and rubbed her teary eyes. "I love you¡­" She said between her sobs, the tip of her nose slightly red the same way with her cheeks.


    "You know I always do." Torak kissed her forehead and wiped her tears. "Now, try it. Let''s see whether this will answer your question or not."


    Raine nodded and turned around to look at the huge stone. She frowned, but she did what Torak told her. Taking two steps closer, Raine was in the middle of the stone.


    At first, she didn''t know what she had to do and just put her palms against the rough surface, closing her eyes, she thought about the question that she wanted to know.


    There was nothing happened in the first second, but then she felt chill crept down from her palms that touched the stone as she shivered involuntarily, yet keeping her hand still.


    Despite her eyes close, she could see herself. It was like she was watching herself, standing in front of the stone with Torak behind her, waiting.


    But her, which looking those scenes was watching from behind a soft white mist, as if her soul was extracted from her body.


    Raine gasped in surprised and hurriedly ran toward her own body that only a few steps away.


    However, before she could touch her own body, she watched the stone shone brightly as if there was a golden light came out from within.


    Then, Raine remembered what her question was; she had asked about the prophecy that Serefina told her at that time. There was a prophecy about her and the purposed of the resurrected of the guardian angel. All about that related to her.


    Her ability and why she was able to leap the time. There were too many questions in Raine''s head that she needed the answer for that.


    Upon seeing the golden light that exuded from the stone, Raine stopped her step right behind Torak. He apparently wasn''t aware that Raine was behind him, but then, there were two Raine in this moment and Torak couldn''t see the other one.

 Chapter 170 - THE PAST

    I am standing in the ashes of who I used to be.


    -Angel on fire. By: Halsey-


    **************


    Raine shifted her eyes from Torak and stared at the stone. It still glowed in golden color, but then the rich color lost its glimmer and turned gloomy.


    That affected Raine''s surrounding, as she found herself no longer looking from behind the soft white mist, but it almost like murky water.


    Raine doubted her vision when it suddenly turned dark just like someone was shutting down the lamp inside this spacious room and close all its windows. She was confused whether she was closing her eyes or the darkness engulfed her body.


    She stared at Torak and was about to reach him when suddenly the darkness consumed her and she left with nothing.


    It happened only less than a second, as if she was just blinking her eyes, because the moment her vision returned, she was outside the building.


    She was in a vast land, another deserted place.


    Raine gasped because she thought she was traveling back to different era, yet there was something more terrifying than that.


    When Raine looked up the sky, it wasn''t a bright blue sky that she saw, it was a different sky.


    The sky was red. As if someone painted it with the color of blood. Even the sun was glaring with crimson color, as if it was angry.


    Raine''s heartbeat quickened and her body trembled violently. She averted her gaze and looked down on her shoes to avoid the angry sky.


    But, she screamed on the top of her lungs when she watched was what beneath her¡­ this was the most horrible thing that she had ever seen.


    This was worse than her worse nightmare.


    Raine screamed and screamed until she felt her voice hurt her throat, but she didn''t stop. This was too much for her and she couldn''t handle this.


    She barely notice when someone touched her and rubbed her back anxiously.


    "Raine¡­ Raine¡­ what happens? Tell me, this is me¡­"


    That was Torak''s voice, but Raine was too afraid to open her eyes and Torak kept repeating the same words again and again.


    Beside Torak''s voice there was another voice, it was screaming in agony like a wounded animal.


    It took Raine some moment to realize that the sound was coming from her. But she couldn''t stop. The thing that she had seen was simply too gruesome, and for the worst part, it would engrave in her mind forever, haunting her sleep.


    "Raine¡­ please, stop it¡­ you scare me¡­" Torak pleaded when he wasn''t able to make her stop screaming, in Torak''s panic state, he called out her name. Raine''s voice had started to turn rough, if this continued, she would hurt herself and wouldn''t be able to talk for days.


    Torak tightened his arms around Raine''s body and buried her head on his chest.


    Not long after that, Raine''s scream ceased down into sobbing mess and she cried heartily. Torak didn''t have any idea what the answer that she found or what the question that she had asked.


    Because it was barely two seconds since Raine put her palms on the surface of the rough stone before she screamed hysterically.


    What terrifying image that she was witnessing? Wasn''t she going to ask about the prophecy and herself?


    There wouldn''t be something that could make her was having a mental breakdown like this, right?


    Torak didn''t have the answer for that. But, he was sure Raine was seeing something that she shouldn''t see. But again, what was that?


    When Raine''s cry had ceased down a little bit, he carried her to the sofa nearby and poured a glass of water to moisten her dry throat.


    "It''s over now¡­" Torak put her in his laps and cradled her in his arms. Though her cry had ceased down, she still looked so distress and was trembling.


    She saw something that even scarier than when Torak killed the Lycan by crushing his head right before her eyes, because her reaction at that time wasn''t like this.


    She was shock, but not to this extent. This time, what she was seeing when she touched the stone? What would be a gruesome scene that possibly happened in less than two seconds?


    They stayed in that position for long time as Torak kept the question for himself.


    When the bright sunlight turned into a soft golden ray and illuminated the room, only then Raine was able to open her eyes, tears still fell on her cheeks as she wiped them harshly with shaking hands.


    Torak caressed her back and brushed strands of hair from her face.


    "Are you feeling better now?" Torak looked at her right in the eyes worriedly, Raine''s eyes were so red from crying.


    "I don''t want¡­" Raine sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes before it could fall.


    "Yes?" Torak prodded softly.


    "I don''t want¡­ I don''t want to see that¡­ stone again¡­" Raine bit her lips and shut her eyes tightly. "That stone is scary¡­ it showed me¡­" She stuttered again when she tried to relive the memory.


    "What it showed you?" Torak tried to ask, he really wanted to know what she had seen.


    "It showed me¡­" Raine gulped down the fear that crept on her throat as she tried to speak again. "It showed me a red sky¡­ so red that I thought it was blood¡­" She shivered involuntarily. "And then¡­"


    "And then¡­?" Torak held her tightly, reassuring her that everything was all right now.


    "And when I looked down¡­ when I looked down¡­" Raine buried her face on Torak''s chest as she talked in muffled voice. "I saw thousand of dead body beneath me, dismembered, blood. I was standing on dead bodies." She tried to make her explanation short and said it in one breath.


    The images of that were so livid. She wouldn''t be a mistake, even though it was only last for a few seconds, but Raine knew what she was seeing.


    "What did you ask?" Torak asked again after he had given another cap of water for Raine to drink.


    Red sky and dead body? Torak felt he was familiar with that condition, but shouldn''t Raine get the answer instead of seeing things from the past? Or could it be the future? And that was the answer?


    "The prophecy¡­" Raine answered between her soft sobs, she grabbed onto Torak''s front sweater tightly, out of fear. "What was that mean?"


    If it was the prophecy that Raine had asked for an answer, than most likely those scenes were from the future.


    "Will that be the war that¡­ Serefina had mentioned¡­?" Raine remembered Serefina had mentioned something about war in one of her outburst.


    Raine hugged Torak, she had an urge to hold him tightly as she was afraid there was unknown power that would force her back to that situation.


    The image of the dead people beneath her feet, the eyes that stared right back at her lifelessly and the voice¡­ there was this voice¡­ it called for help¡­ what was that people? Human? Lycan? Witch?


    Raine wished none from above, but then, what were they? And the more important question was, what they were fighting against? Devil? Monster?


    As if someone reminded her, there was the most important question for her to know¡­"What this war has to do with me¡­?" Raine gulped and wiped her eyes to have a better view of Torak''s expression. "What should I do with this war? Serefina said¡­" She stopped and took a deep breath. "¡­ Serefina said, this is my purpose for being resurrected¡­ what is it?"


    Torak gritted his teeth as he clenched his jaw, suppressing the emotion that ran through his veins. "You don''t have to worry about this. This will not happen soon." He tried to reassure her, but the look in Raine''s eyes told him that he failed. "If the war happens..." He corrected himself. "When the war happen, I will make sure your safety."


    Torak would do everything in his power to ensure her safety, whatever happened, he would never involve her in any of this.


    But, how he could prevent that? When the purpose of the resurrection of the guardian angels were for this?


    When the war was happening, the most important thing wouldn''t be to ensure her safety¡­


    "Who are we fighting?" Raine asked Torak. She felt every follicle of her skin was tingling with anticipation.


    "The devil." Torak replied. "You have one from the seven of them."


    Raine''s eyebrows creased as she tried to remember. "The man¡­ inside the hotel room?" She remembered his golden eyes and how he hurt himself by touching her blood.


    "Yes, he is the Sloth. Belphegor." Torak let her knew. "Jenedieth has become part of them now." He added this information for Raine to be more cautious if in the future if she crossed path with her.


    "Did you fight against the devil also centuries ago? When you took all the guardian angel from the village?" Raine asked, she didn''t mean to remind Torak about that, she just want to know.


    Torak grimaced when he heard that topic was brought up, but since he knew Raine didn''t mean that way, he focused his concern on her question instead. "Yes, that was a few weeks before the great war happened between the lycantrhopes and the devil."


    "All the guardian angel went to the war? That was why they were extinct¡­" Raine''s voice trailed off. "No one from them could survive in the war."


    "Yes." Torak admitted curtly. "They don''t have the ability to go to the war."


    Guardian angel''s nature didn''t even suit for a small violence, not to mention to go to a battlefield, Raine had seen that first hand when she was in the village of angel. "But, why did you bring them in the first place?"


    This question just came out from her mouth without a second thought, but now when she heard her own question, that was make senses.


    Violence wasn''t running in the blood of the guardian angel, but why the lycanthropes brought them?


    Raine could understand if the Moon Goddess wanted the lycanthropes to take the guardian angel away from the shadow warrior because she didn''t agree with the rule that was set by the later.


    And the fight between the two creatures couldn''t be avoided that cost the life of the entire shadow warrior.


    But, since the lycanthropes had managed to separate the guardian angel from their so called protector, there was no use to bring them to the battlefield, especially when they didn''t have any ability to help.


    "Why did you bring them to the battlefield" Raine repeated her question because Torak kept silence.


    At this point, Raine felt there was something fishy. Torak wouldn''t lie to her, but he didn''t want to let her learned about the truth.


    Torak sighed deeply before he said. "It was a mistake. We didn''t protect them properly¡­" Because they were not worthy of their protection and they would be die anyway even if that wasn''t for the war. But, he didn''t say the last sentence out loud.


    It was a fact that except from The Shadow Warrior, there was no other creatures were willing to look after them.


    The only reason for them to come for the guardian angel was to sap their pure energy and made themselves stronger.


    "What was the war about?" Raine rested her head on Torak''s shoulder.


    "The war was about¡­" Torak halted, and after giving some thought, he continued. "The reason was so simple, you would have guessed it¡­"


    Raine bit down her lower lips and mumbled her replied. "Power and authority?"


    "Yes." Torak nodded to emphasize his answer, yet in actuality, the reason wasn''t that simple. There was more to explain.


    "Will the world turn like the images that I saw?" Raine gulped hard, she felt her stomach did somersault.


    "Maybe." Torak replied. "It can be."


    In the ensuing silence, both of them were busy with their own thought until Raine broke it with a question. "You said, you will let me know about you." She reminded Torak about his words this early morning.


    Through the window Raine could see the sun had long been set and the lamps from the street had been turned on, but from this position she couldn''t see whether the moon was shining or not.


    "Do you still have another question?" Torak hinted to the stone. He could feel Raine''s body tense when he said that and she shook her head vigorously.


    Raine chose to ask Serefina and endure her worst temper rather than to see such images again, while what she had seen might be true, but the vivid images were not something so please to witness. She didn''t know what she would see next, if she was going to post another question.


    She knew about it enough and for the rest, Raine would ask Serefina when she had been calm enough and came to look for her.


    For some reason that she couldn''t explain, Raine knew that the witch would come to look for her again.


    "In that case, shall we go now?" Torak asked in understanding tone.


    ==============


    The trip to the Rieka Country ended up with Torak told her with long story that worth of thousands of years of his life.


    What he did, which place that he had visited, a bit story about his older brother and his younger brother and also why Rieka Country, even though the meaning behind the name was; the power of wolf, has not a single shifter there.


    That country was the place where the war between the Lycanthropes and devil occurred. Many creatures died and half of them were Lycanthropes and werewolves.


    Since the werewolves and lycanthropes have a long span of life and staying there only reminded them about the gruesome battle and the agony that came after that.


    Because many of them lost their mate and for them, it was the worst thing compared to the death itself.


    Torak and his brothers brought them out from that country and split the Lycanthropes and werewolves to live in different realm. One thing that Torak told her was the fact there was more than one realm in this world.


    The world that they lived now was human realm that put Torak as the Alpha, while the Astral realm was led by his older brother and his younger brother, who currently went missing.


    Torak said, it had been around five decades since the last times he talked with his other brothers.


    And then the story about the Lycanthropes that defeated the devil became a myth, thus in order to respect their spirit, the statue of the wolf was built in the most busies street of that country.


    As for the statue in front of their houses, they were belief with that, a bad spirit wouldn''t come into their houses.


    Of course that was only a hereditary belief.


    Last night, because Raine was so tired, the moment the plane landed and she got in the car, she fell asleep directly and didn''t even notice when Torak carried her into their bedroom.


    She was too tired physically and mentally.


    In spite of Torak''s story helped her to distract the gruesome images that she saw, but it still engraved deeply in her memories.


    The first night, Raine was having a nightmare with those dead bodies beneath her feet, asking for help and accusing her for not capable and strong enough to protect them since she was the guardian angel.


    Raine couldn''t sleep after that, and only fell asleep when the sun had risen and Torak had told her half of the story of his life to help her to forget.


    Probably because this time she was too tired and didn''t have enough energy for the nightmare, she slept soundly without the interruption of those dead bodies.


    With that, time passed uneventful, exclude to her occasional nightmare, everything seemed all right, though Serefina had not yet appeared ever since.


    And today was the day Raine would go to take her exam entrance.


    She had woken up early in the morning and reviewed everything that she had learnt with Mrs. Martha. She felt a little bit nervous, but at the same time also excited to enroll in her new environment.


    "I am so nervous¡­" Raine said when she entered the car with Torak. He said he would go with her until the entrance gates.


    Inside the car, there was Calleb, who was driving and next to him was Raphael, who was busy with his laptop like usual.


    "You don''t need to worry, even if you failed the exam, the Alpha will make sure you can enroll in that university if you really want to." Calleb said carelessly like usual.


    That comment regarded with a slap from Raphael on the back of his head, Raine hit his shoulder with the book in her hand as well, now she had grown closer to both of them. They were like older brother that she had never had.


    "So, what the meaning of my effort to study? And big amount of money that Torak had paid for Mrs. Martha to teach me?" Raine chuckled when Calleb rubbed the place where Raphael had slapped him.


    "Don''t worry, you can make one of his companies go bankrupt and he still will not angry even a bit to you." Calleb grinned through his rearview mirror to Raine.


    The gamma hinted the collaboration with de Medici family. Torak lost a huge amount of money for that project, but still insisted to go just like what they had planned in the beginning. The Alpha didn''t come to this city to make money after all, he came because his mate was here.


    At that time Torak''s name once again made a headline in business news.


    While for the de Medici, they had pointed someone as the representative of the family. After a long fight within the family, finally they came up with someone and Torak would meet this person today.

 Chapter 171 - WHO IS THIS RICH GIRL?

    I truly believe that every single person has to go through something that absolutely destroys them so they can figure out who they really are.


    -TheMind&Journal-


    **************


    They arrived at the entrance gates of the University after twenty minutes driving, they neither early nor late, the time just right.


    The black sport car drew people attention and made them glanced for the third time when they saw it. This was the rarest type from the brand, thus the owner shouldn''t be someone simple.


    Some of girls even flocked together and waited for the person, who would come out from such a car. If it was a boy, he would surely become very popular among the girl and if it was a girl, the same thing would happen to her, with the addition of the jealousy from the girls.


    "Don''t you want to come out?" Torak looked at Raine and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Do you want to stop right in front of the lobby?"


    "No. No." Raine waved her hands frantically. She was wearing a dark purple sweater, jeans and sneaker. Nothing was special with the way she dressed, but if she came out from this car, she would be the center of unnecessary attention and that wasn''t in the list of her first exam day. "Can you drive the car a bit far? Over there?" Raine pointed at the corner of the street.


    "That''s so far my love¡­" Torak frowned. "You will be late."


    "Of course not." Raine retorted. "There is still twenty minutes left before the exam." She checked on her expensive watch that Torak had bought for her. She didn''t want to know how much it cost, because she would end up to not used it.


    [Alpha, I think she feels uncomfortable with this attention.] Calleb mind- linked Torak, but the Alpha growled in replied.


    "Alright, Calleb will drop you there, but I will walk you here." Torak said calmly, without slightest evidence in his voice that he just scolded the Gamma.


    Of course Torak knew that Raine felt uncomfortable with all the attention, but he wanted those people to see that his mate wasn''t someone simple that they could mistreat in the future.


    Torak''s statement surprised Raine even further, not only her, but Calleb also needed to turn his body to see Torak''s seriousness. He wouldn''t do that, right?


    It was fine to appear in business news, but if he was about to walk with Raine along this University street, he would become the headline in gossip news in the following days instead.


    "Please¡­" Raine turned her expression into a pitiful one. "You know I don''t like this¡­" She hugged his neck and whined.


    [Let''s make a bet.] Calleb mind linked Raphael beside him. [I will give up my one month salary for you if Raine succeed to make the Alpha yield.]


    Even before Raphael could answer the Gamma ridiculous bet, Torak had opened his mouth said. "Drive somewhere that less people." He said.


    "Got it." Calleb said happily. [You owe me your one month salary!] He mind linked Raphael.


    However, as an answer, Raphael slapped the back of his head again. "Stop that!" He growled.


    People, who were looking at the car and waiting for someone to get out from inside, were slightly disappointed when the car drove away.


    "Probably wrong place." A girl said to her friend.


    "I think so¡­" Her friend replied.


    "No way someone so wealthy like that stops in the entrance gates instead of going inside to and stop at the lobby." The other girls commented.


    ==============


    Calleb stopped the car at the less crowded corner of the street, under a maple tree.


    "I will go now¡­" Raine took her backpack and gave Torak a brief kiss on his cheek, she waved goodbye to both Raphael and Calleb before she got out from the car.


    "I will ask someone to pick you up." Torak reminded her again.


    "Alright." Raine replied cheerfully and closed the door.


    Inside the car, Calleb was about to drive the car away because they had meeting to attend when Torak stopped him.


    "Wait until she enters the gates." Torak rested his back against the backrest and watched Raine was walking slowly toward the entrance.


    If he could, he would like keep Raine by his side and would never let her to walk alone like this and disappeared from his sight.


    Torak was worried if something unexpected happened to her during that period of time he wasn''t nearby. Learning from his experience, Raine would be caught on something whenever he wasn''t around.


    However, no matter how strong his desire to protect her, Torak couldn''t be possibly to force his own will on her. That would hurt her and it would hurt him in the process.


    Torak had been treating Raine like a fragile flower petal all this time, which now flutter brightly and gently in his hand. He didn''t want to crush her with his worried.


    If this what Raine wanted, there was no reason for him to not grant it. He would take another measurement for her safety.


    "You have arranged everything?" Torak asked Raphael. This was the fourth same question that he had asked his Beta since this morning.


    "Yes, Torak." Raphael said patiently. "Everything is fine." And he reassured him again. He knew his Alpha was getting nervous with the thought he would part with Raine.


    After all, Raine had never left his sight these past three months and because now she has to enter the college life, it was inevitably he must accept with the condition.


    Torak stared at his little angel that disappeared into the crowd of people after she entered the gates.


    "What time the meeting before the representative from the de Medici family come?" Torak glanced at his wristwatch, it was 07.30 a.m.


    "Ten o''clock. De Medici family will come after lunch." Raphael replied.


    "Re- arranges the morning meeting and makes it earlier." Torak said and closed his eyes. "I will pick her up by myself."


    Even thought earlier Torak said he would ask someone to pick Raine up from the university, but in the end he felt restless and decided to come.


    [I had expected this to happen] Calleb mind linked Raphael.


    [Shut up and drive.] Raphael shut him up and continued with his work.


    An almost collapse business has much paper work to do than the others. This business was still running just because the Alpha needed an excuse to stay in this place, no matter how much money they had loss.


    ==============


    Raine looked around her and was enchanted by the university building. The atmosphere was so different here, even the air that she breathed didn''t feel the same.


    She would have never thought that she would be able to enroll college life. When Raine was in the orphanage, she always had a plan to work right after she came to age and graduated from high school, never a word of college entered her mind.


    But, now here she was, taking an entrance exam together with the other people in her proper clothes and new backpack. Raine couldn''t form into words how excited she was right now. She felt like she wanted to grin from time to time, but that wouldn''t do as people would see her weirdly.


    Speaking of weird, this was also kind of weird because since Raine was together with Torak, she saw less supernatural creatures around her, not to mention the hostile one.


    She had asked about this to Calleb and he said it was because she was always with Torak, it caused his scent attached on her and the smell was very strong that could manage to ward off the other creatures in lower ranking to not mess with her, that was Calleb''s explanation.


    Despite she was still confused, but she liked the part that even Torak''s scent that attached on her could protect her, but¡­


    Raine sniffed her hands, hair and shoulders, she didn''t think she smelled like Torak, because his was the smell of pine wood.


    Shrugging her shoulder, Raine walked lightly toward the lobby.


    She took out her exam identity and started to look for her class this place was so huge, and there were a few long corridors.


    Raine thought to ask someone in case she got lost and couldn''t make it to her test room in time, when suddenly someone snatched the paper from her.


    "It''s over here." He said boringly.


    Raine gasped and caught the man''s face in time before he turned around and led the way for her. She knew him, no actually they had met once and that wasn''t something pleasant to be remembered.


    "Why are you still standing there?" The man realized that Raine didn''t follow him and turned around to face her. "Don''t you want to take the exam?"


    Raine looked around and be thankful that there was many people around her, at least he wouldn''t do something atrocious in front of so many people like this.


    "Ah! I forgot, you are mute." He slapped his forehead regretfully. "Come here, hurry! The exam will start in five minutes." He waved his hand toward Raine, but she still refused to come closer.


    This man was the dragon shifter that Raine met when Torak brought her along to their manor, but what he was doing here?


    Raine felt uncomfortable with this, she kept the distance between them as she was standing three steps away from him.


    "Hey, I don''t bite, come here." Stephan said agitatedly and when he looked Raine didn''t move an inch, he took the initiative to approach her.


    This gesture made Raine startled and backed away. She didn''t like being so close to him.


    "Oh, please!" He sighed ruefully. "I am here because of the order of your mate!" He hissed so another people that started to glance twice at them couldn''t catch his words clearly.


    Raine frowned because Torak didn''t say anything about this, if Stephan was there because of Torak''s order, he would tell her beforehand, right?


    "You have a phone, make a call to him!" Stephan almost lost his patience as he told her to make a call to confirm his statement. "I know he said to look after you secretly, but I don''t see something will go wrong in approaching you directly." He mumbled to himself as he waited for Raine to make a call.


    Actually it was Calleb who had told him about that, because at that time, Torak had something else to do and couldn''t meet him, thus Stephan didn''t take it as serious as if Torak himself who told him.


    That was why, when he found Raine was looking for her room to take the exam, he couldn''t help to approach her, ever since the first time he saw her, he had found Raine was attractive with her innocent face and timid nature.


    However, the girl in front of him didn''t make any movement as she stared at Stephan with creased brows.


    Out of frustration, Stephan was about to snap at her when suddenly Raine walked toward him, slowly and warily.


    Her eyes were in alert when she took back the identity paper from Stephan''s hand and looked at him, waiting.


    Frown and more frown appeared on Stephan''s expression before the understanding down on him that Raine was waiting for him to show her the way. "Over here." He walked ahead and this time Raine followed.


    Raine didn''t see any reason for Stephan to attack her with dozens people around, didn''t the supernatural creature had their own rule to not reveal their existence in front of human? Especially after whatever Torak had done to him and his brother. At that time, when they left the manor, Raine could hear an agony roar.


    She would ask about this later when she met Torak at home.


    While Raine and Stephan were having one side argumentation, with Stephan who had done all the monologue because Raine didn''t speak at all since the beginning, some girls had noticed her and Stephan.


    The two looked outstanding among the crowd, Stephan was a good looking man who would draw attention from the opposite s.e.x. Meanwhile some girls noticed Raine''s backpack, as they didn''t have interest with Raine''s face, the backpack that she used was limited items from a famous brand.


    Who is this girl?

 Chapter 172 - THE REPRESENTATIVE OF DE MEDICI FAMILY

    Raine was filling the answer of her test diligently and finished it twenty minutes earlier than the due time, she used the ten minutes to double check her answer and another last ten minutes to look around the test room silently.


    Some students had done their paper just like her and checked it again and again, afraid there was a missing question or an error from their side, while the other students still had their nose buried behind the question paper. Getting anxious when they forgot the answer.


    From today onward, if Raine managed to pass the exam test, she would be able to see this sight every day. She was so thrilled only by the thought of it.


    Raine''s eyes landed on Stephan, who was sitting at different row from her, she frowned because she caught him was sleeping soundlessly without the care for the world.


    How he could fall asleep in the middle of the test?


    But then, Raine found that she didn''t care about that, she would ask Torak when she met him, and continued her little observation until the bell rung, which indicating the time was done and they needed to submitted their answer.


    Raine was waiting for her paper test and answer to be taken while putting all of her belonging inside the backpack.


    Only when half of the people had left the room and it was less crowded, Raine stood up and walked toward the door. Torak had said that he had asked someone to pick her up, knowing Torak, Raine was sure that person must have been waiting for her by now.


    "Hey! Someone will pick you up?" Stephan ran after Raine and managed to catch with her only two seconds later. "Or do you want me to drop you at Donovan Company?"


    When Stephan mentioned Donovan Company, Raine could feel every eyes, in the room, were staring at her questioningly. She was still not used to be the center of attention, even now.


    Raine didn''t answer Stephan''s question, but she quickened her step, almost running.


    However, regardless of her effort, the dragon shifter still managed to catch up with her without even breaking sweat.


    "I am being polite here, why are you running away?" Stephan asked, but he smirked triumphantly when he witnessed Raine was being uncomfortable. "So, you will come with me? Yes?" He was still trying to get an answer from her, yet since Stephan knew Raine couldn''t speak, he said generously. "A nod will do, Just nod your head."


    Regardless what he said, Raine shook her head instead.


    "Why are you so meant to me?" Stephan complained. "I know our first encounter didn''t leave a good impression on you, but I am not that bad." He tried to explain himself.


    But, Raine quickened her steps to get away from him.


    Stephan looked at her with amus.e.m.e.nt. Why this little girl thought she could outrun him?


    "Hey, I am talking to you¡­" Stephan chased after Raine because she started to run as fast as she could.


    This scene was getting more and more people attention as both of them were running inside a long corridor all the way to the lobby.


    The thing that Raine wasn''t aware was; most of shifter liked to chase after their prey, thus when Raine started to run it only incited Stephan''s instinct to catch her.


    Raine ran as fast as her feet could take her toward the entrance gates where many students were walking together with their friends.


    From the corner of her eyes, Raine caught a sight of familiar car. It was Torak''s car. But, didn''t he say that someone would pick her up? Did he change his mind and decided to come by himself?


    The last option didn''t seem impossible, either way, Raine''s focus was to run toward the car.


    Just like this morning, this flashy car, attracted people attention and made them stopped walking to relish the sight of this rare car.


    Covering her face with her backpack so people couldn''t catch a sight of her face, Raine ran toward Torak''s car. Yet, before she could reach it, Raine could feel someone grabbed her shoulder and made her stop.


    Raine shrieked in panic, but stop struggling when she felt the familiar spark from the touch and his rough voice caressed her ears.


    "What happened? Why are you running like that?" Torak looked around and tried to find if there was a threat, but he could find nothing and also there wasn''t peculiar scent in the air. But, why Raine was so terrified?


    Seeing Torak Raine could feel the relief that ran through her veins as if the burden was lifted from her shoulder.


    "The dragon shifter¡­" Raine whispered and pointed her hands toward Stephan, whose smirking face suddenly froze as he stopped abruptly while holding his hand in front of him as if he wanted to say he was innocent.


    "Alpha Torak¡­" Stephan said in low voice from a great distance, yet Torak could hear him nonetheless.


    Stephan didn''t mean to catch her, he just enjoyed chasing after her. If he really wanted to catch Raine, he would do so in only a matter of second.


    Yet, seemingly Raine didn''t think the same as him, and now the dragon shifter had to face the wrath of the Alpha because of his foolish action to chase after his mate.


    "This is not what you think¡­" Stephan was fidgeting under Torak''s angry gaze, in spite of the distance between them.


    "Didn''t Calleb already tell you that you are not allowed to come near her?!" Torak said in low voice, but the tone that he used was so scary nonetheless the aura around him also turned cold and dangerous.


    People were looking at Raine and Torak. Some of them were whispering to their friends and made speculation from their own perception.


    Most of student didn''t follow the business news, but there were a few young heirs and heiress that took the same entrance exam today, they recognized Torak Donovan because he was on people lips in the business circle not long time ago.


    They took a picture or two of him, who was hugging a girl''s waist closed to him protectively, yet unfortunately they couldn''t see Raine''s face because she used her backpack as a cover.


    And the question remained. What a young multibillionaire like Torak was doing in this university? Was the girl his girlfriend? But, from her figure, she was too young to be his lover.


    In the other hand, Stephan gulped hard and walked slowly toward Torak and Raine. "Alpha, I just tried to help her, because she was looking for her test room."


    Torak grabbed Raine''s shoulder and turned around toward their car because the crowd was starting to get big as many curious eyes tailed behind them, disappointed because they didn''t see anything excited.


    When Torak had brought Raine inside the car, it was Calleb, who came out from the driver seat and walked to approach the dragon shifter.


    Calleb''s appearance incited waves of whispered among the crowd, because he looked so young, handsome and careless. The type that would make young girls melted.


    "Let''s talk." Calleb said


    Once he was close enough with Stephan, he flung his arms around his shoulder and brought him away toward the parking lot.


    "I have told you to follow her secretly!" Calleb hit Stephan''s head hardly when they were inside Stephan''s car. "Why did you appear in front of her without scrupulous?! And what did you do?" The Gamma pretended to recall his memory. "Ah, yes! You chased after her! Are you planning to die?!"


    He was so fortunate because of the situation, Torak could still hang on his last strand of sanity before his beast instinct took over and tore this Dragon shifter apart.


    "She was at lost, I just helped her!" Stephan roared as he rubbed his aching head. "I didn''t do anything! She just freaked out!" He tried to defend himself for the accusation.


    He didn''t do something immoral neither he tried to scare or harm her. Well, he just teased her a little bit¡­ he couldn''t help when he looked at Raine was easily scared.


    Something about her was very attractive.


    "I didn''t see how you can help her by chasing after her!" Stephan yelled and hit the dragon shifter''s head again. "Why didn''t you just leave her alone!?"


    "That was misunderstanding! She misunderstood me!" Stephan shrieked. "Stop hitting my head!"


    "I have told you crystal clear that you have to stay away from her! Look after her in secret! Which part of my words that you don''t get it?" Calleb scratched his head in frustration.


    The dragon shifter was too haughty to admit his mistake, but Stephan wasn''t at the position to be more annoying than this.


    "I am sorry, I am sorry!" Stephan finally said it out loud when he looked at Calleb was about to hit him again, as a dragon shifter he wasn''t as persistent as his older brother, apparently.


    "You do really need to be beaten first before you could understand, don''t you?" Calleb slumped his body. "If you already get it, now drive this car to the company."


    "Why should I?" Stephan asked agitatedly, he didn''t want to spend even a second longer with him.


    "Because you have made me to get out from the car and now they left me." Remembering how angry Torak was when he growled through the mind link, Calleb knew that another punishment for him and this dragon shifter was still on the way.


    "So annoying!" Stephan mumbled, he was still young and immature, so his action was only based on his impulsiveness, moreover, he didn''t have a malice intention. That was why Torak chose him and told him to come.


    As long as his brother didn''t give a bad influence on him, he would be fine within Torak''s pack, because of Raine''s issue that she couldn''t be close to Lycan, Torak couldn''t ask one of his pack member to do this job.


    Regardless, he was still a strong shifter and would be able to protect Raine if it''s needed.


    "I hear that." Calleb said as he closed his eyes. "Now drive fast, I have a meeting to attend to."


    "Why don''t you take a taxi?" Stephan said ruefully, but he still started the engine and drove away from the parking lot.


    "Why I have to take a taxi when I can use you? Even though I don''t like your smell." Calleb said irritably.


    "You can shift into your wolf form, you can just run." Stephan drove to the main road.


    "I am too tired to run."


    ==============


    "We don''t wait for Calleb?" Raine asked when Raphael sat behind the wheel. "He is still talking to the dragon shifter." She added and when the Raphael started the engine.


    "He could find his way back, don''t worry." Raphael said.


    "But, what if¡­" Raine looked at the entrance gates once again, but Calleb and Stephan were no longer there.


    "Stephan will not possible to harm Calleb." Torak caressed Raine''s back. "Are you hurt somewhere? Did he hurt you?" He tried to smell the blood from her, but there was none and that relieved him.


    "Actually, he didn''t do anything¡­" Raine said, contemplating for a while. "I think I overreacted¡­" She said sheepishly. "Because the last time¡­"


    "It''s all right." Torak patted her head. "I am the one who didn''t tell you about this." And he didn''t think the stupid Stephan would walk straight to her right in the first day.


    "Did you really ask him to look after me¡­" Raine asked, she put away her backpack and zeroed her attention on Torak. Wasn''t the last meeting with Stephan didn''t end well?


    "Yes, because I can''t ask someone from my pack to do so." Torak pulled out a sandwich that he had brought before he picked her up and handed it to her. "Eat first, you must be hungry."


    Raine beamed and accepted it. "But, why? I think I am fine now to be near another Lycan¡­"


    Torak frowned with the words ''another Lycan'' it sounded like she was surrounding by many men. "You have been surrounded enough, if I have to add one more, I don''t want to take a risk." He said.


    He remembered when Raine was admitted to the hospital and her condition. Not to mentioned he wasn''t in good terms with Serefina now, what if something bad happened to her and Serefina was nowhere to be found? Torak wouldn''t take that risk.


    Raine couldn''t argue with him about that.


    "What you will do to him? You will not do ''something'' to him, right?" Raine was worried and felt a little bit guilty if Stephan was punished because of her. Actually he indeed had helped her. Maybe next time, she would try to talk to him.


    "Just a bit chat, I guess." Torak said in deep meaningful tone.


    After that, there was silence inside the car, while Raphael was driving, Torak was looking at doc.u.ment that he had brought with him that needed to be signed. Since he had many line of businesses, so he had many things to look after, especially when one of his business continuously making losses.


    "Raphael where we will go? We are not heading to the company or home¡­" Raine looked at the unfamiliar road around her and realized this wasn''t the way to either the company or home.


    "We will meet a business partner. I hope you don''t mind to come with me." Torak put down the doc.u.ment on his hand.


    "Of course I don''t." Raine grinned and snuggled into Torak''s embrace while the Alpha continued to do his work.


    ==============


    The car stopped at the lobby of a hotel, and from the looked of it, this must be a very expensive hotel that would cost good fortune only to be able to book one of the rooms.


    Raine felt a little bit self- awareness when she stepped inside the fancy lobby. Most of the people there would dress in formal attire or beautiful dress for women when she was only wearing sweater and jeans with sneaker, completely out of the place.


    The way she dressed, it really gave away her age. She was a timid little girl who had just finished her entrance exam.


    However, when those hotel staffs looked at her, they treated her very well because of the man beside her.


    Torak, Raine and Raphael entered the elevator that brought them to the eleventh floor where the meeting between Torak and the representative from de Medici family would be held.


    But, at the same floor also, Torak had book a room for Raine so she could take a rest there. This room was only a few meter away from the meeting room.


    "Is it okay if I leave you alone here?" Torak opened the door and held it for Raine while Raphael had gone to check on their meeting room.


    "Yes. It is fine¡­" Raine nodded gleefully when she saw the beautiful room inside.


    "If you need anything I will be in the meeting room right in front of the elevator." Torak didn''t mind if Raine bothered him in the middle of the meeting. "If you hungry, you can call the hotel staff to bring you some food, don''t roam around this place alone, understood?"


    Raine chuckled when she heard Torak worried  words. She felt like Torak was like a father who nagged their children. "Don''t worry. I will just stay inside the room." She tiptoed and pecked his lips.


    "Good." Torak slightly relax, because of her words and her kiss. "I will leave you then¡­" He rubbed her head and left the room.


    After Torak left her alone, Raine sauntered this spacious room and opened it huge window, behind it glass was a view of a big pool where not many people were there.


    Afterward, Raine put down her backpack on a king size bed and sat on it. Though this bed wasn''t as nice as the one at their bedroom, but Raine enjoyed to jump on it like a small child before she felt tired and decided to check on the bathroom.


    There must be a bath up, thus she would soak herself while waiting Torak finished his meeting.


    ==============


    Torak was about to enter the meeting room when Raphael mind- linked him anxiously.


    [Alpha, you have to see this.] Raphael said.


    Torak who had already in front of the door pushed it open and walked inside. The first person that he saw was Raphael, who was sitting on the right side of his seat and then, the person he thought he wouldn''t meet him here.


    But, there he was, sitting in the middle of four elder from de Medici family, with his peculiar smirk grazed his lips. Apparently nobody was aware with his golden eyes as if they were enchanted.


    "Mr. Donovan." One of the elder stood up and greeted Torak and then followed by the others, including that person.


    Torak''s eyes glued on him as his expression turned rigid.


    "Mr. Donovan, I want to introduce our representative of the family." The Elder man said as he opened his palm to recognize the man beside him. "This is Reiz de Medici, he is the fourth grandson and is¡­"


    Torak cut the explanation about the man''s status in the family, as he knew that was a big lie, thus he wouldn''t waste his time to hear such a crap. "Let''s start the meeting." He said callously as he gestured for them to take their seat.


    That was rude, but those elders from de Medici family couldn''t complain about it.


    Torak''s eyes slightly turned a few shades darker during the meeting, even Raphael also felt the tense in the atmosphere.


    The meeting was ended in half an hour, much faster than they thought.


    After both parties signed the memorandum of understandings and shook hand as a gesture of the beginning of their collaboration, they were ready to leave the room.


    "Can I have a moment with Mr. Reiz?" Torak said in cold tone as he sat back on his seat.

 Chapter 173 - WILL YOU COME TO THE PARTY?

    The four of them looked at each other and Reiz, confused with Torak''s request. Would he offer underhanded deal with their new leader of family?


    "Of course." The man named Reiz stepped aside. "It will not take long time." He said, looking at Torak''s briefly when he said that.


    The four elders nodded and walked out of the room.


    Reiz closed the door and faced the Alpha and the Beta with playful smirk dancing on his lips. "Surprise to see me as an heir now?" He tilted his head and leaned his tall body against the door behind him.


    The professional looked and formal attitude that he showed earlier banished into thin air as he held Torak''s gaze defiantly.


    "I don''t think you are capable of doing such a scheme, since you are the sloth." Torak leaned his body forward his voice was getting cold as he talked. "You must have so much free time to think such a complicated plan."


    "Don''t flatter me Alpha." Belphegor waved his hand to dismiss Torak''s sarcastic words. "I am a busy person also."


    "What do you want?" Torak talked straight down to the business. With Belphegor was meddling in this matter and even became his business partner, Torak wouldn''t expect something good as a result.


    His mind, for a brief moment, flew on certain someone who he had left alone inside the room.


    "The guardian angel of course." Belphegor admitted it openly as he shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "I heard she was taking an exam today."


    "What are trying to imply?" There was a warning with the way Torak was speaking.


    "Nothing. I am just thinking, why she tries to live a normal life when her life is not normal since the beginning?" Belphegor stroked his chin. "Don''t worry, for the meantime I will not disturb her, but I will find a way to get her eventually."


    Torak couldn''t help but snapped the ballpoint in his hand into two as his temper flared up.


    Belphegor looked at the ballpoint on the table as he smiled lazily and said. "If you have nothing else, I will excuse myself. I am looking forward for our collaboration." He waved his hand, turned his back and walk out of the room.


    Along with that, Torak also stood up and it with breakneck speed, he had already in front of the room where he left Raine alone.


    Torak punched the pass code and the door opened with a faint beep sound.


    The moment he stepped inside, he could smell his mate scent filled the room. This was kind of smell that could calm his nerves almost immediately.


    The sound of splashing water gave away Raine''s position, thus without a second thought Torak strode toward the bathroom and pushed the door opened without even knocking first.


    There was a loud gasping sound when he found Raine was soaking inside the bath up that filled with bubbles to the rim.


    It was only her head that poked out from the surface of the water while her n.a.k.e.d body was unable to be seen behind the soft bubble and foam.


    "Torak¡­" Her voice was so small as she looked at Torak anxiously. "What happened¡­?" She asked unsure.


    Torak''s eyes glued on the bath up as the rim of his blue eyes started to turn a bit darker. "I¡­ I couldn''t find you inside the room." He stumbled with his own words as he couldn''t find a reasonable reason for this moment.


    "I am¡­ taking a bath¡­" Raine said the obvious. She thought Torak would be back much later, she didn''t think that he would return so soon.


    Torak didn''t say anything after that, but he didn''t avert his eyes from her and this made Raine became nervous and embarrassed.


    "Should I¡­ dress now¡­?" Raine asked, she bit her lips and looked around the bathroom because she couldn''t look at Torak in the eyes.


    "Sure, if you have finished." Torak said in strange tone of voice.


    Suddenly the atmosphere inside the bathroom turned awkward and the air felt so heavy.


    "I will get dress then¡­" Raine said, but because Torak didn''t take that as a cue for him to leave the bathroom and was still standing there, Raine also didn''t come out from the bath up.


    "Don''t you say that you want to get dress?" Torak asked when a minute had passed and Raine was still soaking inside the bath up.


    "Yes, but¡­" Raine looked at Torak timidly. "Can you leave for a while¡­ please?" She could feel heat crept on her face.


    "What if I say I don''t want?" Torak pulled a chair and sat down.


    Raine never expected Torak would say something like that, because he was always be a gentleman to her.


    Though sometime he would act mischievous and like to tease her, but he wouldn''t be so bold like this.


    "Torak!" Raine shrieked. She looked at Torak in horror, but that man sat four steps away from him while crossing his legs leisurely. "I am serious¡­" She said helplessly.


    "So do I." Torak shrugged his shoulder innocently. "How many times we sleep together? Why are you still so shy in front of me, my love?" His voice was like a beautiful caressing Raine''s ears.


    However, Raine wasn''t in a condition that would appreciate Torak''s generosity for reminding her about something like that in situation like this.


    "Then¡­ then I will stay here until you leave." Raine said sullenly.


    "Let''s see how long the bubble will last." Torak grinned, he was really in a good mood to tease Raine to this extent.


    Only then, Raine realized that the bubbles around her started to fade and the water was getting cold. "Torak! Don''t do this!" Raine was so annoyed when Torak laughed out loud. He rarely laughed so carefree like this.


    "Alright, I will go." Torak abruptly stood up when Raine tried to splash water on him.


    "Go, now!" Raine screamed when Torak stood beside the door and didn''t move while looking at her.


    "I feel so grateful for having you my love." Torak said before he walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him, leaving Raine became more bashful than she already had.


    ==============


    Raine walked out of the bathroom five minutes later while drying her hair. She walked straight to the side of the bed, looking for hairdryer. Deliberately avoided Torak, who was standing in front of dressing table


    "Come here." Torak said, patted the dressing chair. "I will dry your hair." His other hand was holding the hairdryer that Raine was looking for.


    "I can do it myself." Raine still felt embarrassed because of Torak''s words in the bathroom.


    "And I can do it for you." Torak insisted. He looked at his mate with amus.e.m.e.nt. It felt like his anger when he encountered the Sloth earlier had been subsided by only looking at his mate. He would deal with Belphegor later.


    Raine walked toward Torak while keeping her head down. She didn''t meet him in the eyes when she sat down on the dressing chair and Torak started to dry her hair.


    When her hair was already dry, Torak leaned on the dressing table, standing right in front of Raine while taking pleasure to see her beautiful face.


    "How was your exam?" Torak moved a strand of her hair from her face. He treated her very carefully, because she was the most precious thing for him.


    "I was doing good. I think I will pass." Raine''s eyes shone brilliantly when she was talking about her exam test that she took this morning.


    There were two numbers that she wasn''t sure with the answer, but for the rest she was confident that she would get it right.


    "Mrs. Martha is a really good teacher. I don''t have a problem with the test. She taught me well." Raine said cheerfully.


    "I will ask Calleb to give her a gift." Torak said as he patted her head. "You were doing great."


    "But¡­" Suddenly Raine''s expression turned worry. "What if I got it wrong? What if I misunderstood the question and my answers are wrong?" She started to get anxious. She was happy too fast, the exam had just done and she was already overjoyed.


    "Don''t think too much. You were doing great, the result will be great as well." Torak knocked her head softly. She started to develop this kind of habit whenever she felt overwhelmed.


    "What if¡­" Raine was still trying to prepare herself for the worse result.


    "There is no ''what if''." Torak said sternly. "Even if you don''t enter the university this year, you can always try it again next year."


    Torak had another plan in his mind, but unsure how to say it to Raine. With Belphegor was inside the company and meddled with his business, he had a second thought to call off Raine''s plan to enter the university.


    Probably next year her ability had improved and she was able to return to his territory and took education there instead.


    It would be a great plan and Torak could be less worry about her safety. Nobody knew what would happen within one year, there was still high possibility for that.


    The only problem was, Raine''s face turned gloomy when she heard Torak said about taking exam next year.


    "I really want to enter university this year¡­" She muttered as he rested her head on Torak''s stomach. "I like the atmosphere there, the student, the building, the trees and all. When I entered the gates, I though; it would be nice if I can study here. I can''t wait to make a new friend or two." Raine said in soft voice as if she was imagining that while she was talking.


    Torak caressed her long hair subconsciously while listening to her.


    "All of this is like a dream for me." Raine continued, feeling comfortable. "Enter university, make some friend. I think this time there is nothing I have to be ashamed of. Recently, all those creatures have not bothered me, Calleb said it''s because your smell is all over me, so they are afraid to appear in front of me, so I can be just a normal student and study like the other."


    Raine tightened her arms around Torak''s waist.


    "Thank you."


    And with that, Torak''s second plan was out of the picture, he couldn''t be possible to break Raine''s heart by saying she couldn''t enter the university that she wanted and lived the life she wished because of he was worried about her safety.


    Torak was sure, on the surface Raine would say that she understood, but Torak knew better that it would hurt her, having the life that she wanted slipped away just like that.


    [Raph.] Torak mind- linked his Beta. [Ask someone to look for Serefina.]


    As hard as it was to admit that he needed the witch, he couldn''t let his ego endanger his mate''s life.


    ==============


    The result of the exam would be out in one month and during that time, Raine didn''t have much thing to do, thus she asked Torak to buy a canvas for her to kill the time, because recently Torak didn''t let her to come to his company very often, but he made sure to return early.


    However, instead of only a canvas, Torak turned one of empty room inside the house into a mini studio where Raine could put all of her painting inside.


    Raine couldn''t be more elated than this for having her own mini studio where she would have all the painting tools that she wanted.


    Torak even offer to call a teacher if she wanted to learn more about art, but Raine turned down the offer. Because she was just doing this as a hobby and didn''t think she would take this seriously.


    Torak was fine with whatever Raine''s decision and the mini studio was done within a week, since then whenever Torak wasn''t at home, Raine would spend her time inside.


    Until one night after dinner, Torak was watching a movie with Raine before they went to bed, he asked her. "Will you come to the mask party with me tomorrow night?"

 Chapter 174 - PARTY (1)

    Raine had never attended such a party before. No. she had never attended any party in her life. Thus, when Torak asked her to come, she tensed up.


    A party?


    "If you don''t want to come, you don''t need to." Torak chuckled when he watched Raine''s shock expression. He had imagined this would be her reaction.


    Torak only offered it because he thought, Raine would like to try it since her progress had been good all this time. She had talked again and started to interact with other people with less fear and even talked about making friends in the university.


    Raine frowned, she was behaving spoiled right now as she snuggled and put Torak''s arms around her body.


    "Don''t get depress like that¡­" Torak tousled her hair. "I will not force you to come if you don''t like it."


    But, Raine asked him faintly as she watched the movie again. "Is that the party where you will wear a mask?"


    "Yes." Torak replied as he rested his hand on Raine''s head, caressing her hair.


    "Can I choose my mask?" Raine asked again.


    This time Torak''s eyebrows creased as he stared at Raine, who was resting her head on his chest. "Do you want to come?"


    "Only if I can choose my mask¡­" Raine said timidly, she didn''t even raise her head to see a wide smile on Torak''s face when she agreed to come.


    "Sure, you can choose your own gown¡­" Torak tousled her head. He knew it was hard for her to come into this decision, but she chose to do it anyway.


    She was trying hard.


    ==============


    The next following day, Torak has some meeting to attend and promised he would come back to pick her up for the mask party.


    In the afternoon Calleb came to bring a dress for Raine. Even though Torak said she could pick her own dress, but the fact that she had never attended something like this made her gave up the option and let Torak to pick something for her instead.


    "Try it, I want to see!" Calleb urged her, when Raine had accepted the enormous box. He looked more eager to see the dress than Raine herself. This was the first time for Torak to choose something like this, so it was understandable that if people that close to him became curious.


    Well, it was only Calleb because Raphael didn''t show any expression for this fact. He was too busy with his work.


    "Did Torak ask me to try it right away?" Raine hugged the package box and looked at Calleb innocently.


    Calleb frowned upon hearing her question. "No¡­ he didn''t say something like that. But, you need to try it anyway." He replied. "Try it, let me see." His eyes glimmered with excitement.


    "If Torak didn''t ask you, then I will try it later when he is here." Raine said it lightly and walked toward the stairs.


    "Why don''t you let me see it?" Calleb was annoyed, he really wanted to see, but for the party tonight he wasn''t invited, hence his only chance to see Raine in the dress that Torak had chosen for her was only now.


    "Of course because I want Torak sees me in this dress first." Raine shouted from the second floor, afterward, there was a sound of the door closing.


    "Sometime I missed her timid self¡­" Calleb clicked his tongue.


    ==============


    Inside the bedroom, Raine put the box on the bed and stroke the edges of it gently. She took a deep breath, even the box smelled so nice.


    The box was wrapped in blue with white ribbon atop of it, even the package alone looked so expensive Raine was afraid to ruin it as she opened gingerly.


    She untied the ribbon of the box and opened it to reveal a pure white dress. She picked it up and her eyes brightened. The dress was so beautiful. Raine had never seen such a beautiful dress.


    The streamline dress was figure- hugging with laces around its neck and sleeves, it didn''t reveal too much skin neither too translucent. There were not much intricate embroidery, but it didn''t cease its beauty nonetheless.


    The fabric was so soft to the touch and when Raine rubbed on it.


    She couldn''t wait to try it, but before she did that, Raine pulled out her phone from her pants pocket and made a phone call to certain someone.


    It only took two seconds before the line was connected.


    "Thank you for the dress!" Raine was too excited until she forgot to say ''hallo''. "The dress is so beautiful and soft!"


    "I am glad that you like it." Torak''s soft voice could be heard from the other line and also a man''s voice, from the sound of it, seemingly he was talking about something when suddenly he stopped because of Torak''s words.


    Actually, Torak was in the middle of meeting, but when he saw it was Raine who called him, he picked up his phone in the middle of the chief direction''s presentation. This acted alone was surprised them, because Torak was extremely strict when it came to work.


    However, who the person that called him in the middle of the meeting? Their cold- blood''s boss even smiled when he listened to the other person speaking.


    And when Torak talked in soft tone that they had never heard, all of them whipped their head Towar Torak, curios if they actually heard it wrong. But, nothing wrong with that, because Torak was still talking onto his phone while gesturing to them to continue the meeting.


    "Are you busy?" Raine asked when she heard there was slightly noise at Torak''s side. "Did I bother you?"


    "No, you will never bother me." Torak said sweetly.


    Once again, the chief production stopped his presentation because of shock, the rest of the people, who attend the meeting, also couldn''t believe with what they heard.


    It must be a woman, who their boss was talking to. Who was she? Their future lady boss? That more likely.


    All of them listened to the conversation silently as the meeting suddenly halted.


    "What are you doing?" Raine asked curiously, usually Torak would be busy at this hour, she just too excited and forgot as she called him directly.


    "Meeting." Torak replied curtly.


    "Oh." Just as Raine had thought. "I will hang up then." She said hurriedly and then added shyly. "Don''t forget your lunch."


    Torak smiled brightly upon hearing a concern in Raine''s voice. "I love you." He said heartily.


    "I love you too¡­" Raine replied and giggled, her heart felt unbelievably warm, though he had said that countless time, but the feeling still the same. "Bye."


    "Bye¡­" Torak kept smiling even when the line had cut off.


    I love you?


    Bye?


    What was this? The sky would fall? Or Torak Donovan suddenly became more human than usual? Little they knew, their boss even not a human.


    "Proceed with the meeting." Raphael finally broke the silence and strange gazes that all the head sections threw on him.


    The chief direction continued with his presentation as the other people in the meeting room tried hard to keep track with the matter at hand instead of wander their curiosity about the lucky woman, who managed to capture their boss''s heart. That wasn''t an easy feat.


    Torak had been like this ever since Raine started to talk normally that was a good sign, but his Alpha always put her first in everything without exception.


    Well, as long as he could afford that, Raphael thought that would be fine, after all that was a privilege to be a filthy rich and an Alpha atop of it.


    ==============


    When the night had finally fallen, even the moon was exceptionally bright and beautiful.


    Gregory stopped the car in front of the entrance door as Torak emerged from the car and walked straight to their bedroom in the second floor.


    The scent of Raine filled the entire house like a natural fragrance of the house itself, that reminded Torak about something that called home.


    He opened the door and found Raine was staring at herself in front of body- length mirror, her reflection on its surface was so exuberant, especially when Torak''s figure reflected beside her in the mirror.


    She turned around like an angel she was, pure and pristine, Torak was in a daze as if his world was spinning and brightened up only by her smile.


    "You are here¡­" She sauntered across the room in her white dress that hugging her body perfectly, her long, black hair flowed casually over her shoulder, she had applied a simple pink lipstick and nothing else, but that was enough to make Torak was at lost.


    Torak watched in silence when his little mate walked toward him, as if the life itself was approaching him with every step that she takes.


    The life that he would cherish.


    "How is it?" Raine opened her arms to show herself in her white dress in front of Torak.


    "What should I do?" Torak said in low voice as he pulled her into a hug. "I am starting to regret my decision to invite you to the party. I don''t want you to come to the party." He sighed helplessly as he rested his chin on Raine''s shoulder.


    "Why?" There was a smile behind Raine''s question.


    "Because I want to keep you for myself." Torak admitted. "I don''t want other people to look at you now¡­"


    Raine laughed upon hearing Torak''s cheesy words, though it sounded so shabby, but it made Raine happy to hear that.


    "Would you change into your sweater?" Torak asked ridiculously.


    "I will draw more attention that way." Raine hit Torak''s back playfully before she pried herself out of his arms. "Should we go now?"


    "Hold on." Torak said and pulled out something from his pocket, it was a velvet box.


    Torak gave the box to Raine for her to open. Raine opened the box curiously and found a pearl necklace inside, she touched the necklace, astonished.


    "This is beautiful." Raine said breathlessly.


    "Not as beautiful as you." Torak said lightly, but he meant his words as he took the necklace and put it on Raine''s neck, he kissed her shoulder that made Raine shuddered. "Beautiful indeed."


    The l.u.s.ter from the pearl and her white dress complimented each other perfectly. Under the light of the room, both accentuated her flawless skin, which looked as if she was basking under the moonlight.


    Raine could feel her face turning red by Torak''s words.


    ==============


    Inside the car, Raine was starting to get nervous once they were getting closer to their destination. Beside her, Torak kept caressing her hands and stopped her from biting her lips.


    He assured her if everything would be all right, he would be by her side for entire time all she could do was to stay beside him. Raine even didn''t need to talk if she didn''t want to.


    Torak''s words calmed Raine a bit, before she got another panic attack.


    "What if I ruin your image?" Raine looked at Torak in depress. Probably it was too quick for her to be in a public? She needed more time for this, this was too fast, wasn''t it?


    "You will never do that my love." Torak chuckled, amused with Raine''s nervous state. She looked like a little kitten that being cornered, though this was something that she decided herself. "Or, if you feel really uncomfortable, should we go back?" He offered.


    There was a complicated feeling that reflected on her beautiful obsidian eyes.


    Going back? And waste the dress and the necklace that Torak had bought for her? Not to mention they would arrive in a matter of minutes now. It was a waste of time and money. Should she ask for going back now?


    Raine shook her head stubbornly. "I am fine." She said, more to herself rather than to Torak.


    "I know you will be fine, my love." Torak kissed her forehead gently. "I will be with you."


    Raine took a deep breath to calm herself. She knew Torak wouldn''t leave her alone, if worst come to the worst, she would simply never ever attend this kind of party anymore in the future.


    This was a mask party after all, she would never take off her mask, so no one would see her face.


    In the end of the road, a bright and magnificent building could be seen, once their car entered the main gates, it took a while before they could reach the main building. Along the way, the trees on their right and left were adorned with small colorful lamps that flickered against the dark night.


    It was such a splendid view to behold.


    "You need this." Torak said before they needed to get off the car. He pulled out another box from the seat and opened it to reveal a white mask with intricate design and black fur on it right side. "Because the time is tight, you can''t choose your own mask, I hope you like this one."


    Raine didn''t say if she liked it or not, but she leaned over to peck his lips and smiled brightly. Turning around, Raine let Torak to tie the mask.


    The white mask with black fur covered half of Raine''s face and only revealed her kissable pink lips for everyone to see.


    When the car came to stop, Torak get off from the car and opened the car door for Raine.


    The moment she emerged from the car, a bright light surrounded her and intimidated her eyes, once again she felt self- conscious, but when Torak grabbed her hand and the spark that erupted from the skin contact, reminded her that she wasn''t alone.


    Torak put her hands on the crook of his elbow as he led the way to the party room.


    Raine was to focus to keep her step steady, so she wouldn''t fall in her three inches heels, she didn''t dare to go with higher than three inches, though it didn''t help much with the height difference between her and Torak.


    Because of that, Raine didn''t realize many pair of eyes were looking toward her direction in questioning gazes.


    Women would look at her in jealousy and started to compare themselves with Raine, while men looked at her with interest. This was the first time for Torak Donovan to attend a party with a woman as his partner.


    Who is the woman with Torak Donovan?

 Chapter 175 - PARTY (2)

    Anyone can catch your eyes, but it takes someone special to catch your heart.


    **************


    Once Torak entered the party room with Raine in his arm, the whole room fell into silence. All the people''s attention was on the couple.


    "Are you all right?" Torak took a small bottle of water from the waiter, opened it for Raine and let her drink.


    "Yes." Raine took a gulp of the water to moisten her throat. This place was so bright and impressive with splendid decoration and dazzling ornament.


    It didn''t take a long time for other people to approach Torak for having a simple chat with him, most of them would use Raine as an opening of the conversation.


    They would flatter Raine to no end.


    They were speaking the truth when they said Raine was gorgeous and elegant, but, behind that flattery words, they were dying to know who was she?


    Was she a daughter of another CEO? Because she looked so young to be a leader of a company or was she someone famous from entertainment industry? It was well known that most of people like Torak would entangle with one or two famous artist.


    Or, which family this woman belonged?


    However Torak didn''t answer all of the questions, he simply said she was his woman.


    The words ''his woman'' from his mouth sending waves of jealousy on women''s hearts that heard that. What kind of deed that this woman had done to be able to capture Torak Donovan''s heart?


    All along, Raine would just smile and sipped her drink or answer a simple question, while the rest was handled by Torak swiftly.


    After entertained some of the people who approached him, Torak brought Raine to get some food.


    At this point, Raine began to realize the eyes of the women around her that looked toward her direction with jealousy and malice as if they would eat her alive for being so close to Torak. Especially those young women who came to flaunt their wealth because of their famous family name, despite they had zero contribution to their family company.


    Some of the women were only a few years older than Raine, because their family wanted them to have a good relationship with young heirs from another companies, it would be best if they could solidify it with a marriage to strengthen both family business.


    No matter what the reason behind this party, Raine was totally unaware about that and didn''t seem to care, because she didn''t have the same reason like them and as long as Torak beside her, there was nothing was really matter.


    Torak put a few cakes in a small plate that he thought Raine would like it and brought her to a corner of the room, where there was an empty seat.


    "How is the party? Do you still want to be here?" Torak''s main concern was still Raine''s comfort. This was her first time to be surrounded by many people that she had never met before, hence it was understandable if she wanted to call it off early.


    "I think I am fine." Raine nibbled on her cheese cake while wandering her eyes around the room. "Don''t worry, this is not as scary as I thought." She reassured Torak. "I will stay here for awhile and finish these cakes, you don''t have to accompany me¡­"


    Raine''s cheerful voice was more interesting for Torak to hear than the slow music that playing inside the room.


    The chattering voices and bright light inside the party room also faded away at the background when Torak looked his mate now.


    "No, I like to be here." Torak caressed her forehead and bit a cake in Raine''s hand.


    Without them knowing, someone had captured this moment of their intimate interaction with their phone.


    They had just arrived and the party was still far to end, while Raine enjoyed her cakes at the corner, Torak was having a conversation with two people only two steps away from her.


    His peculiar behavior near Raine once again piqued curiosity of people around them, but they were too afraid to ask Torak openly about the woman who had come along with him.


    Just as valuable to be acquaintance with Torak, it would be better if they knew the lady as well. A woman''s words sometime more precious than any form of persuasion. In another hand, if Torak was too hard to reach they could try with his woman instead.


    Though half of her face was covered, but from her gestures alone, Torak''s woman was someone quiet and demure. It would be easier to deal with her.


    After all the cakes on the plate had finished, Raine stood up and was about to get something to drink when Torak approached her.


    "Do you need something?" In spite of he was in the middle of conversation, Torak still approached her.


    "I will just get something from there¡­" Raine pointed a row of juice that only a few meters away. "No need to come with me¡­ I will be fine." She glanced at the other two men, who was left by Torak just like that.


    Torak glanced at the spot that Raine had pointed, it was indeed not too far. "Alright." He agreed to let her go alone.


    Raine walked slowly to avoid the crowd, she thought she would just get the drink and come back to her corner, nice and simple.


    However, there weren''t anything simple under women''s jealousy and human''s curiosity.


    When Raine had had her drink and was about to returned, someone bumped her and splashed some juice on her dress.


    The yellow color of it tainted the front of her white dress and if not quickly cleaned it would leave a stain.


    "I am sorry, I am sorry." A woman in blue gown with blue shawl around her shoulder apologized to her profusely.


    Raine waved her hand and smiled a little to her, but didn''t say anything. If it''s not necessary, she didn''t like to talk to stranger.


    "I will help you to clean your dress, come with me to the restroom?" Said that women apologetically.


    Yet, before Raine could answer her, someone had pulled her from that woman tight grip as his rough voice sounded. "What happened here?"


    Torak glanced at the stain of the juice in front of Raine''s dress and frowned.


    "Mr. Donovan, I am sorry, this is my fault to be so reckless and ruin her dress." Though she liked to see Torak in person, but to be stared down by him in this proximity, was something that made her nervous. "I will help her to clean her dress." She offered and looked at Raine pitifully.


    "There is no need for that." Torak rejected her directly. "We will just go home."


    Upon hearing that, somehow he girl in blue gown, became panic as she grabbed Raine''s hand. "No, don''t. I will feel bad if both of you have to go home because of me." She said guiltily as she looked at Rain with pleading eyes. "Please, let me try to fix it."


    Seeing that woman was feeling so guilty about this, Raine became uncomfortable to turn down her offer, after all she wouldn''t do anything bad, right? She would just help her to clean up the juice stain on her dress.


    "The party just started, even the dancing part is not yet started." That woman tried to persuade Raine to stay.


    Little she knew, dancing was the last thing that made Raine interested to stay, but she didn''t have a heart to reject her generous offer, at least, her acting looked convincing for Raine, but not for Torak.


    Torak pried the woman''s hands from Raine''s wrist and without saying anything he pulled Raine toward different direction.


    "Ah! Wait¡­" The woman was so persistent to be with Raine as she followed them. "My name is Sunny. I think I have met her in a cake store the other days." She stopped right in front of Torak and Raine.


    At this point, people began to notice their small squabble and looked at toward their direction.


    "I was there, when someone¡­" She lowered her voice. "Accused her for stealing cakes." Sunny ended it with a whispered.


    She was indeed there. Sunny was a girl, who had a quarrel with Lana, she recognized Torak because her father had been trying to make a contact with Torak, and wanted to invest in the company that Torak had just established in this city, but it was so hard for him to reach him because he just a middle businessman.


    Raine didn''t really remember her, but she didn''t like people''s reaction around them. They had drawn enough attention.


    "Torak¡­ just let me go with her¡­" Raine looked worried at Sunny, this woman looked like the one who wouldn''t back away before her wish was fulfilled. Moreover, there was no harm to go with her to the restroom and cleaned up her dress. "I will be quick¡­" She whispered at him and tugged his sleeves. "Please¡­" She added to make sure Torak would allow her.


    "Five minutes." Torak said sternly. "If you don''t comeback in five minutes I will go to fetch you inside."


    Even when her face was covered with mask, Torak knew that she frowned. "You will not enter a woman restroom, right?" Raine asked, unsure.


    "You will see." Torak let go of her hand as he put on his black mask to hide his expression.


    "Seriously¡­" Raine pouted and then nodded at Sunny, who clasped her hand with Raine and led the way to the restroom.


    "I think we need to be hurry, I heard Mr. Donovan said it is only three minutes." Sunny pushed opened the restroom door and brought Raine inside.


    The restroom were eight cabin inside and there were two that occupied, while a woman in black dress touched up her make up in front of the mirror.


    "Come." Sunny put her hand under the faucet and splashed the water to clean the stain in Raine''s dress. She did that a couple of time until it slightly faded. "I think this is the best that I can do¡­" She said regretfully.


    Afterward Sunny used tissue to dry the damp part of the dress so Raine wouldn''t catch a cold, wearing a wet dress.


    "It is such a fate that we meet again here." Sunny said cheerfully. "May I know your name?"


    Only then Raine realized that she had not yet mentioned her name. "I am Raine¡­" She smiled shyly behind her mask, maybe Sunny could be her first friend.


    "Nice to see you again, Raine." Sunny kept trying to dry her dress. "I think you are so young. Are you¡­ together with Mr. Donovan?" The question was in a whisper that only Raine could hear, while the woman in black dress tried to listen to their conversation, if she had been long in this party, she must have known that Raine was with Torak Donova.


    Raine was taken aback by Sunny''s direct question. "I think so¡­" She mumbled her answer.


    "But, you are so young." Sunny protested. "What are you? High school student? College Student?"


    "I just took entrance exam a month ago." Raine replied, hoping the dress could dry faster.


    "Wow, that''s great! What University? I am a college student too. This year will be my second years." Sunny brightened up.


    "Royal University¡­" Raine said.


    There was a shrieked from Sunny when she heard Raine''s answer before she jumped like five years old little girl. "I am also in Royal University!" Her eyes widened in surprise as she elated. "But, wait¡­ what your second option?"


    "No." Raine shook her head.


    "Wow¡­" Sunny''s mouth form a letter ''o'' as she nodded her head. "You must be so brilliant to have that much confidence, because the entrance exam of Royal University is always so difficult, I am lucky enough to get there."


    "No, I am not¡­" Raine waved her hands in denial. "I didn''t take another exam, because the other University didn''t have a subject that I want."


    Royal University was an old University in this city and the subject that Raine interested in, was only available there.


    Sunny shrugged her shoulder and lightly said. "That means, if you passed the exam, you will be my junior then!"


    "I think so¡­" Raine agreed.

 Chapter 176 - PARTY (3)

    "Oh, right!" Sunny put down Raine''s dress, though it slightly wrinkle, but at least it was dry already, the stain also barely could be seen. "You have to stay until the party ends!"


    "What time it will be?" Raine wondered if Torak would let her stay until late, sometime he was too strict with her sleeping time.


    "Midnight." Sunny threw the tissue that she used to dry Raine''s dress to a dustbin. "There will be a beautiful firework later."


    "Midnight¡­" Raine reiterated with a voice of regret. Usually Torak would only allow her to stay until eleven o''clock for the very late hour. "I don''t think Torak will let me stay until that late¡­"


    Sunny looked a little bit disappointed. "Or at least you have to stay until the dance! You have to share a dance with him!" She leaned over and whispered to Raine''s ears while staring at the two women who had come out from the cabin and the other woman in black dress, who seemingly had not yet done with her makeup. "Those women out there will die by jealousy!" She giggled.


    "I don''t think I want to make other women jealous of me¡­" Raine didn''t think that was a good idea to incite women''s fury. They could be scarier than a beast itself. "Moreover, I don''t dance¡­"


    "You have to try it at least once!" Sunny insisted. "I heard Mr. Donovan never had a dance before."


    "It''s a good thing¡­ because I don''t like to dance too." Raine said hurriedly, she wanted get out from this restroom.


    This almost five minutes since she left Torak, whether it was only a joke or not, she didn''t want to make him worry.


    "You are wrong." Suddenly the woman in black dress chimed in. "Mr. Donovan had a dance before." She said.


    Not only her statement made Raine to halt her step, but Sunny also turned around to face her. "With who?" She frowned.


    "There are not many people know about this. But, Mr. Donovan had a girlfriend before." She said loud and clear.


    "Who is it? I have never heard something like that." Sunny retorted. "You want to make a rumor?"


    "Why should I?" The woman in black dress shrugged her shoulder in coquettish way. "You had never heard about this because you didn''t live in the same city as him."


    Somehow, Raine didn''t like with what she heard or what she was going to hear.


    Sunny, being the busy body girl she was, asked about that. "What do you mean? Did you live in Oriole city before?"


    The two women also listened to this small interesting conversation as their gazes shifted from Raine to the woman in dress.


    "Yes, I was. I lived there for ten years." She stated proudly.


    Raine didn''t know why this woman so haughty only to be able to live in the same city as Torak, didn''t she know that she shared the same bed with him?


    "Oh, first let me introduce myself." She flicked her maroon curly hair from her shoulder elegantly. "My father is Ethan Harper and I, Alice Harper."


    "Harper¡­ Ethan Harper¡­" One of the women whispered to the other.


    Apparently Harper family was quite famous among the businessmen, even Sunny was also slightly taken aback by this fact.


    But, all Raine wanted to do now was to get out from this restroom and ran toward Toward to ask him to bring her out of this party, she would have done so if it wasn''t for Sunny grabbed her wrist tightly. The situation was getting uncomfortable now.


    "Harper family is the main competitor of Donovan''s company¡­" The other girl said in low voice to her friend.


    "No wonder they lived in the same city." The other replied.


    "Right." Alice clapped her hands and nodded toward Raine. "Are you her woman now?" She asked directly without scruple.


    Raine heard Alice''s question, but she didn''t want to answer it, she felt Alice didn''t have good attention by mentioning something like that, thus she kept silence and stared at Alice from behind her white mask.


    "This is only a gentle reminder." Alice walked toward Raine. "Don''t get your hope too high, but you are not the first woman that Mr. Donovan had, moreover, you looked so young and immature."


    Alice scrutinized Raine''s body from head to toe along with her mocking smile.


    "Who was the woman with Mr. Donovan?" Sunny asked, though Raine was there, but she couldn''t resist her curiosity.


    "Do you really not know?" Alice raised her eyebrows. "It was Jenedieth. His right hand woman, of course." She said excitedly.


    "Ah! I know Ms. Jenedieth!" Sunny clapped her hands in recognition. "There were a rumor or two about them before this, but Mr. Donovan denied it all."


    "Are you sure Mr. Donovan denied it all?" Alice looked at Raine provocatively. "Mr. Donovan didn''t deny it, he used his PR to suppress the rumor and let it passed, thus only the higher up in the oriole city who know that."


    "But, why they didn''t go to public?" Sunny asked, puzzled.


    "It must be because both of them were too busy and had something more important to do rather than flaunted their relationship to public." The woman who said that looked at Raine meaningfully, she even snickered.


    "Actually they looked good together." One of the women gave her opinion. "I remember Ms. Jenedieth is a woman that many men will dream of."


    "Yes, beautiful, s.e.xy and smart!" The other woman chimed in. "They suited each other."


    Raine''s expression turned rigid when she heard the way they praised Jenedieth. Thanked to her mask that could hide it, yet even so, her gestures still gave a way how much she was trying to hold back her emotion.


    "Wait, where are you going?" Alice stopped Raine when she, without words, trying to go out from that restroom and from their aggravating words. "Did our words offend you?"


    "You will not possibly ran to Mr. Donovan and tell about us, right?" The first woman said it with nervous expression, but the glimmer in her eyes gave away her true intention.


    "Of course, she will not." The second woman folded her arms in front of her chest and looked at Raine sullenly. "That act is so childish. I don''t know why Mr. Donovan changed his type. But, she is very different from Ms. Jenedieth."


    With those words, Alice and Sunny looked at Raine from head to toe.


    "Right, she is the opposite of Ms. Jenedieth." Alice agreed.


    "Probably because Mr. Donovan wants to forget about Ms. Jenedieth that''s why she dated someone with totally different personality." The first woman made her own assumption.


    "That must be the reason." Her friend chimed in as well.


    "No, that makes senses, maybe Mr. Donovan moves to this city and opened another business here because he wants to avoid Ms. Jenedieth. After all this is the first time Ms. Jenedieth is not tag along, right?" Alice turned around and washed her hands under the faucet while looking at the reflection of Raine from the mirror.


    In the other hand, Sunny didn''t do anything, she just stared at Raine and to the other three people there.


    "Why don''t you take off your mask? You have been wearing that since the first time you enter this party room." The woman suggested. "What happened with your face? Why don''t you show your face to us?"


    While her friend was saying that the other woman had moved forward to snatch the white mask from Raine.


    However, before she could do so, suddenly the restroom door was thrown open with so much force as the handle left a dent on the wall behind it.


    "It has been five minutes." Torak said sternly. His eyes scoured the entire Restroom before they landed on the only woman who was able to catch his attention.


    Seeing the awkward expression from the other three women inside the room, including the woman who had brought Raine here, Torak knew there was something wrong with this situation.


    Torak strode across the distance between them and grabbed Raine''s hand, when he did so, he could feel the tension from her. His guess was right.


    "Mr. Donovan¡­" The two women and Sunny stuttered when they saw Torak entered female restroom without qualm to look for Raine.


    Sunny, who thought Torak''s warning was only words, lowered her head in fear and ashamed when those blue, rigid glared at her.


    "Mr. Donovan, I don''t think this is a good manner of you to enter a female restroom as you wish." Alice leaned her body against the hand washing and folded her arms provocatively. "If words come out, your reputation will ruin."


    Torak didn''t even glance at Alice when he said. "Let''s see who will ruin first." There was a warning laced in his words.


    "Are you threatening me?" Alice frowned. She dared to do so because her family was on par with Donovan''s company.


    "Yes." Torak replied curtly, didn''t want to waste another words on her. "Come." He grabbed Raine''s hand and took her away from the restroom without saying anything.


    Torak and Raine walked in the corridor in silence before he stopped and looked at Raine. "What happened? Something bothering you?"


    Raine lowered her head. "Nothing." She said sullenly. She was annoyed by herself because she couldn''t talk back to them.


    What should she say if she didn''t know anything? Raine remembered something when she encountered Jenedieth for the first time.


    Her words implied that she had something special with Torak. Raine also heard about something like; if Torak didn''t find her, then it was Jenedieth who would be the Luna of the pack. The equal status as the Alpha of the pack.


    Many people would agree that she suited perfectly with the status as Luna or Torak''s woman.


    Beautiful, s.e.xy and smart¡­


    Raine clenched Torak''s hand when she remembered those words. Something that she is lacking. The more she remembered that, the more angry Raine became and the more regret that she felt because she couldn''t talk back to them.


    But, what she could do when she knew nothing about that?


    "I am fine." Raine said when Torak kept staring at her.


    "What do you mean with ''nothing'', my love?" Torak removed the mask from her face and revealed Raine''s sullen expression. Even when she was agitated like this, she looked so stunning. "You are anything but fine."


    "It''s okay." Raine turned her face sideways so she could avoid Torak''s eyes.


    "Tell me what they say?" The tone that Torak used was akin to persuade a small child. "What is so bothering you?"


    The Alpha couldn''t think of anything that they might say to her until she had a bad mood like this.


    "They¡­" Raine''s words stumbled in her throat. She remembered the other woman''s words that said; it was a childish act if she complained to Torak about what they had said.


    "Yes?" Torak prodded, but Raine didn''t continue her words, she chewed her lower lips anxiously. "Tell me, my love." He trapped Raine''s face in his warm palms and urged his upset little mate to see him in the eyes.


    "They said you have a special relationship with Jen." Raine mumbled. Torak wouldn''t stop until he got the answer and Raine wasn''t good at lie, thus there was only one way to end this uncomfortable feeling. "They also said that you hide your relationship with Jen because both of you too mature to be bothered to explain it in public."


    Torak raised his eyebrows; women were sure had their way to upset other people.


    "They also said that you moved here because you are heartbroken and want to forget your past relationship with Jen." Raine raised her head and looked at Torak in the eyes, she frowned slightly. "I objected this one because I know why you moved here."


    Torak chuckled lightly and rubbed Raine''s head, he was speechless with her logic, if she objected the last one why didn''t she object the other two as well?

 Chapter 177 - PARTY (4)

    "Are you angry?" Torak tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear with amus.e.m.e.nt to see Raine''s expression right now.


    "No." She gazed at Torak stubbornly. "I am upset."


    With that Torak laughed out loud. This was a rare occasion for someone like Torak to laugh that way. Fortunately there was no one in this corridor, or else it would be a sight to behold, to witness the cold- blood CEO of Donovan''s Company was laughing like that.


    "Why are you laughing?" Raine hit Torak''s upper arms.


    "Alright, I got it. You are not angry, just upset." Torak put back her mask and kissed her forehead. "Wanted to stay for a while longer?"


    "No." Raine didn''t want to stay there even for a second longer. She really pissed with the those women and herself.


    "Don''t you want to dance with me?" Torak offered.


    "Dance?" Raine frowned. "But, they said you don''t do dance¡­" She contemplated.


    "Why do you believe them? Is it me that they are talking about." Torak took Raine''s hand and led them back to the party room.


    "But, I can''t dance¡­" Raine suddenly shrieked and tried to pull back her hand, but Torak''s grip was too firm and apparently he was in good mood.


    "Don''t worry, I am good enough for both of us." Torak said reassuringly.


    Raine was a bit nervous and hesitated. "Have you danced before?" She didn''t try to doubt Torak''s ability, she just didn''t think that someone like Torak would dance in public.


    "Not in public." Just like what Raine had thought.


    "Why?" She asked curiously, did he danced with Jenedieth in private? That thought alone turned her mood became sour.


    "I just danced with someone that I like." Torak said.


    "Like Jen?" Raine was too upset to mention her name, so her words sounded harsher than it supposed too and this made her embarrassed.


    "Of course not." Torak rubbed Raine''s head when they arrived at the door, two people pushed it opened and revealed where the crowd of the people gathered in the middle of party room to start their first dance tonight.


    The light of the room was dim and the music began in slow and enchanted melody, suddenly the atmosphere became warm and lovely and as if to lit up the romantic emotion the various fragrance of flower could be lightly smelled.


    Torak led Raine to the middle of the room and stop amidst many pairs of couple around them, he put Raine''s hands gently on his shoulder as he rested his hand on her waist.


    "I don''t know how¡­" Raine whispered nervously, but couldn''t take her eyes from Torak. He was so dashing under the faint yellow light while his blue eyes stared back at her with so much love.


    Torak took a slow step that was easy enough for Raine to follow. He moved side to side with a simple movement, this dance wasn''t exactly a dance, but she still felt her heart skipped a beat, knowing this was their first dance.


    Torak''s first dance in public.


    These simple steps still felt lovely for Raine nonetheless.


    Until a moment later, a bright light was shined on them, following their every move as if they were the main character for tonight party.


    The music was like a spell and Raine even didn''t realize when the couples around them started to leave the dance floor to give some room for her and Torak.


    Time passed without them knowing and when the music came to stop, as the final move, Torak bend his knee in proposing stance and kissed Raine''s hand heartily.


    This action incited waves of shock among the guesses, there was a loud gasping sound and mumbles among the women, as they couldn''t believe with what they witnessed.


    The haughty Torak Donovan actually lowered himself in front of many people for a young woman? Was that even possible? The ruthless man who would never take a second glance toward his opponent or when he executed a cruel plan, bend down to a woman?


    Who exactly this woman was?


    She didn''t remove her mask since the beginning, so no one could see her face, but one thing for sure, this woman must be an extraordinary to be able to be Torak Donovan''s woman.


    Not only those people, even Raine also gasped in shock when Torak did that. She could feel warm crept from her face to her neck.


    Though many people''s eyes were on her, this was the first time Raine could be careless about them as her focus was solely on the man in front of her.


    Torak''s black mask covered his expression well, but Raine knew behind it, Torak was teasing her again and like usual, it left her speechless by his every action.


    Slowly, Torak stood up and kissed her forehead, he didn''t even care when someone or two took a picture of him did that.


    Afterward, gently he put Raine''s hand on the crook of his elbow and led her away from the spotlight with a round of applause from the other guess.


    Raine was at daze when she received a bottle of water from Torak and drank half of it in one gulp.


    "How is your feeling? Still upset?" Torak asked, while resting his chin on Raine''s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his waist as if no one was around, ignoring the fact there were dozens pair of eyes staring at them with curiosity that almost killed them.


    "I¡­ I am fine now." Raine stammered. She knew Torak did this to revenge her, there was no way those women in the restroom missed that moment when Torak danced with her.


    That dance also like an announcement that Torak was taken now and she was the lucky girl. Regardless nobody saw her face, but Raine felt satisfy and happy nevertheless.


    "It''s good to hear that." Torak said.


    "Can we stay until the firework?" Raine asked, she remembered what Sunny informed her, there would be a firework at midnight and since the time was already late, they only need to wait a bit longer for that?


    "Sure, if you like it." Torak agreed. His anger had subsided and just wanted to hold his mate like this.


    Seeing the intimate interaction between Torak and Raine at the moment, people who wanted to come close to him were a bit reluctance, it felt like they were bothering the couple.


    However, not everyone felt the same, at least this person wasn''t a human to begin with.


    "What a nice view to see." A gruff and rough voice sounded from behind them as this man took a glass of wine from the waiter. "But, I prefer for you to stop flaunting your love everywhere."


    Torak turned around and hide Raine behind his back as his aura turned gloomy when he met the devil''s golden eyes.


    "Belphegor." Torak mentioned his name with derision.


    "This is Reiz for you Mr. Donovan." Belphegor said, he gave Raine a lazy smile as he waved his bonny fingers. "We are a partner now."


    Raine remembered him, he was the devil that she had met in the hotel when the first time she met Torak.


    The devil who wanted to take her life, he hurt her before this.


    "What are you doing here?" The calm tone that Torak used was scarier than when he growled at his opponent.


    "This is an open party and I am invited." Belphegor said lightly as he sniffed the wine. "It has been a long time since the last time I saw you, I heard you were missing a few months ago. This Alpha was looking for you like crazy. By any chance, have you known your power already?" This time the question was for Raine to answer.


    Torak closed his eyes as he clenched his jaw to keep his anger at bay. It was so easy to mess with the Alpha, especially if it related to his mate.


    "Or, should I help you to find it out?" Belphegor took a gulp of his wine. "If your man don''t mind, of course." He nodded toward Torak''s direction.


    Without wasting another words on the devil, the Alpha took his mate away. This wasn''t the right place and the right timing to be out of control by his provocative words.


    "Well, she will know sooner or later." Belphegor stated and talked to a man who approached him, having a little conversation as if he was a real human.


    "Why many people make a fuss about my power?" Raine tugged Torak''s sleeves. "What I supposed to do with my power?"


    "To protect yourself." Torak answered her curtly and dismissed the topic immediately. "Let''s go outside, the firework would start soon." He glanced at his watch, it was almost the time.


    For some reason, Torak''s answer didn''t convince Raine, but she nodded anyway when Torak took her to the balcony.


    There were many people already there, but two men, who had gotten a nice view, generously gave up their spot and gave it to Torak to impress him.


    Sometime Raine wondered, how far they would go to impress someone else, in order to get what they wanted? It was strange, but this world worked that way¡­


    Torak took off his coat and dr.a.p.ed it on Raine''s shoulder to keep her warm.


    Raine smiled ever softly, basking under the moonlight, she looked like a deity and Torak lost for words how to describe her. He loved her painfully, the kind of love that he had been waiting for centuries.


    "You looked so beautiful, my love." Torak whispered to her ear.


    Raine lowered her head and grinned upon hearing his words. "Thank you." She said timidly. "I am sorry for doubting you earlier¡­ I just a little bit upset because of their words."


    "You don''t have to apologize." Torak stared at his mate with adoration. "I will convince you again and again every time you doubt me."


    "I will not doubt you again¡­" Raine said sheepishly. "I will ask you directly if something bothering me¡­"


    "You can always do that." Torak traced his finger along Raine''s jaw lines.


    Raine relished this moment when she felt like someone was watching her, she looked around and found, the woman named Alice Harper was looking at her with the same two women from the restroom earlier. They scoffed at her.


    Just like Raine had thought, they must have seen her with Torak on the dance floor earlier. Torak''s way got back at them, apparently, got on their nerves.


    "Can I go for a while?" Raine asked and Torak frowned.


    "Where you will go? Restroom again?" Belphegor was here and Torak didn''t want Raine was out of his sight while the devil nearby.


    Raine nodded to the direction at the three women, who looked at her scornfully. When Torak stared back at them, they didn''t quick enough to manage the derision on their expression.


    "What do you want to do with them?" Torak was curios, what his little mate would do to them.


    "Having a chat, woman to woman." She said, attempting to sound arrogant, but failed miserably.


    Torak looked at Belphegor, who was still having a chat with the man, who had approached him. "Don''t be too long." Torak said.


    Rine nodded and walked toward the three women with new confidence. The dance not only affected them, but also Raine. She could feel the love that Torak had for her.


    About his past with Jenedieth, whether there were a special relationship between them or not, she would ask him by herself later, but the important thing Torak was with her now.


    Not Jenedieth or any other woman.


    Raine would make sure they got this point too, if not, it was their problem¡­ like what hideous thing that Torak had done in the past, Raine didn''t want to be bothered with his relationship with any other women before her.


    As long as Torak was with her, she wanted to cherish that moment.


    Raine walked straight to them and stopped two steps away.


    "Do you need something?" Alice asked while the two women slightly moved behind her, afraid because they were caught red- handed staring at Raine viciously by Torak.


    "Yes." Raine followed Alice''s arrogant gesture as she folded her arms in front of her as well.


    "Why? Do you want to complain because of our words before?" Alice smirked. As she already removed her mask, Raine could see that she was quite beautiful with a lot of make up on her face. "Or, do you want to flaunt that Mr. Donovan asked you for dance?"


    "Both." Raine said coldly, though the affect didn''t come close with the way Torak talked in the same manner, but she already good enough to act this way. "Don''t spread a nasty rumor about my man, if you know nothing about it."


    Thanked to his remarkable hearing ability, Torak could hear Raine''s voice clearly. A satisfied smile grazed his lips when he heard Raine said ''my man'', that simple words made him unimaginably happy. The fact that Belphegor had bothered him, was even forgotten.


    "Me? Knows nothing about him?" Alice pointed herself.


    How long they had been together? Two years? Three years? Alice stared at Raine again, despite her face was covered with mask, but she was too young for having five years relationship with Torak.


    She was growing up with Torak''s name almost in every conversation in the family because their company was competitor to each other.


    So, technically speaking, Alice knew more information about Torak Donovan than Raine had.


    "I know everything about him!" Alice hissed in irritation. "You are nothing compare to Ms. Jenedieth."


    "Why I have to compare myself with her?" Raine raised her eyebrows despite Alice couldn''t see it. "I am way better than her." She said confidently.


    "Don''t cry when Mr. Donovan and Ms. Jenedieth get back together again you will¡­" Alice didn''t have a chance to finish her words when Raine cut her off.


    "Don''t worry, Torak had kicked her off for good. She will never comeback." After saying that, Raine turned around and was about to leave when suddenly she remembered something. "Don''t talk about my man, you don''t even deserve to mention it."


    Afterward, she walked back straight to Torak''s embrace, leaving Alice fumed mad because Raine didn''t give her a chance to retort.


    "Where you get those words?" Torak whispered while hugging her soft body, he knew regardless her progress, she wouldn''t come up with that harsh and sarcastic words just yet.


    "I don''t have anything to do after the entrance exam, thus while waiting for the result, recently, I have been watching many dramas. When the main character used those words, she looked so cool." Raine giggled.


    "You look cool as well." Torak complimented her.

 Chapter 178 - PARTY (5)

    The tiger and the lion maybe powerful, but the wolf doesn''t perform in the circus.


    **************


    "I heard you look for me."


    Someone suddenly talked from behind Torak''s back, one of the voice that he dislike, but couldn''t help when it has to come to the safety of his mate.


    Torak didn''t need to turn around and guest whose voice that belonged to when her citrus scent filled his nose.


    "Serefina¡­" Raine''s elated expression slightly changed when she saw the witch in her sparkling purple dress.


    Raine wondered, why she always tried to get as much attention as she could get. Purple dress and red hair was a strange combination, yet it looked good on her.


    There were waves of whispered among the crowd when they watched Serefina walked toward the couple.


    because they were afraid to anger Torak''s moment with his woman, thus nobody dare to approach him, but this woman, who came from nowhere, they didn''t even realize there she was there along the party, dared enough to walk toward the couple without fear.


    "I like the way you handled them." Serefina glanced at Alice and her two friends through her shoulder.


    Like always, Serefina had never had regret about anything that she had done or she said ''sorry''. The last time their encounter wasn''t something that could be easily forgotten, yet Serefina treated that as nothing. There was no remorse just like how she had burnt Raine''s mother diary.


    "I don''t ask you to come to this party." Torak glared at her.


    He had indeed asked Raphael to order someone to look for her, but it didn''t mean she could appear anywhere that she liked.


    This party wasn''t the right place for them to have a conversation about the things that Torak wanted to discuss with her. Not to mention Belphegor was around.


    "I come because of this party." Serefina frowned as she walked and stood beside Raine. "Do you think I come because you managed to find me?"


    Her words were quite right, all this time when she disappeared from existence for more than decades, nobody was able to find her, not even Torak''s strongest hunter had a clue about her whereabouts, as if she was vanished and cease to exist.


    She appeared when she wanted to and when she decided to hide and nobody would know, she was that kind of witch.


    Torak wonder what had happened between Serefina and his brother, they were used to get along well when they were together, but after that ''thing'' happened, Serefina changed totally.


    Because Torak was in need party, he tried to calm the beast within him that very itchy to tear Serefina for her comment.


    But, it still couldn''t dismiss the rumbling growl within that could be heard from Torak''s chest. This witch really got on other people nerves. What a talent¡­


    With her arrogant manner, Serefina took a glass of wine for herself from the waiter and took another glass for Raine.


    However, before Raine could react and received the glass, Torak had taken it away and put it back to the tray that the waiter carried.


    "Let her try." Serefina complained, but didn''t pursue the matter because Torak was glaring at her. The witch shouldn''t push her luck any further than this. She put back her fur purple mask and looked at the night sky. "So, why are you looking for me?" She raised her eyebrows provocatively while looking at Raine, not Torak.


    "I didn''t¡­" Raine raised her hand and denied. "I didn''t look for you¡­" She wondered if the witch had ever said ''sorry'' sincerely as long as she lived. How could she act as if nothing had happened between them on their last encounter?


    "I don''t think this is the right place to discuss this." Torak uttered in rough voice, he even didn''t try to hide his loathing of her. He couldn''t let his anger loose now, not in front of many people.


    "Worry not." Serefina waved her hands casually. "They wouldn''t be able to hear our conversation." Because she had put spell around her, so people out of the small magic circle that she had created, wouldn''t be able to hear a single word from them, all they could hear was only a sound like buzzing bees.


    Torak knew she was capable to do that, thus he continued his question that he was very eager to know the answer. "What did you mean with ''she who guard the time''?" He asked the crucial part.


    Beside him, Raine also wanted to know what the meaning of it.


    At this moment, Torak realized the important thing for Raine, which was to be able to protect herself well, another layer of protection wouldn''t do any harm.


    At some point, Serefina was right, that was why Torak willing to yield to her, though there was still a bit reluctant and mystery that veiled the witch true intention. He would find out about that later.


    Meanwhile, Serefina leaned her body against the steel railings of the balcony and folded her arms while holding her glass wine.


    Her gesture was so elegant and mature, like a young noble lady, kind of woman who wouldn''t underestimate by other easily, Raine wondered if she could act that way.


    "There are many kind of Guardian angel and some of them will profound in one element while some of them wouldn''t realize what element that dominated their nature. The element could be anything, even something that you couldn''t see and touch, like time." Serefina glanced at Raine, made sure she could catch up with this logic.


    Beside Torak, Raine frowned, this would be a long explanation and she would have another homework to do and a long list of questions to ask about this. But, she was excited to know, nonetheless.


    Yet, Raine''s assumption was wrong, because Serefina kept her explanation very short, she just added a few sentences after that.


    "In the past, in much more distant time than the great war between the lycans and the devils, there was a guardian angel with the same ability like her." Serefina said, slightly proud with the news that she brought, because it was only she, who knew about this.


    "Do you mean the person that you said I need to meet?" Raine asked she moved forward to approach Serefina as her curiosity gnawed her heart.


    "Exactly." Serefina nodded.


    "So, what should I do to be able to use and control this¡­ power¡­" There was a strange feeling when she mentioned this power, she knew she have it, in fact she could feel that when the first time she used it, but the moment she mentioned it, she still felt¡­ awkward to say the least.


    In spite of that, there was an excitement that pulsing through her veins. With this, she wasn''t totally useless person, she could do something¡­


    In the other hand Torak didn''t say anything, his face remained expressionless, nobody would be able to know what was inside his mind right now.


    However, the fact that Torak didn''t object the idea was already a good sign. He was willing to listen.


    "I don''t know." Serefina shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly, giving an unexpected answer.


    "What do you mean you don''t know?" Raine was puzzled, her hope had already high to be able to do something for herself, but why Serefina said that she didn''t know?


    "I don''t know, mean; I don''t know." Serefina said in matter of fact tone, annoyed both Raine and Torak. "I don''t know what you have to do in order to be able to use and control your power. I am not the one who has that kind of power, you know. It''s all about you."


    Raine was utterly speechless and shock by Serefina''s revelation.


    "What are you going to do to help her so she will be able to control her power?" As if Torak wasn''t affected by Serefina''s annoying answer, he asked in different way.


    "That''s the right question!" Serefina flicked her finger with satisfaction. "You have to pay attention about what you asked."


    Despite the fight between the two of them, in the past they had known for decades before everything turned awkward, and once could be called friend, now was nothing, but stranger.


    Raine frowned and mumbled, she forgot that the two of them had a remarkable hearing ability. "What the difference."


    "Of course it''s different." Serefina stated, yet didn''t explain about it further. She looked across many people inside the party room toward Belphegor, who was staring back at her, a vicious smirk formed in the corner of her lips. "He hasn''t known yet about the fact she is not your mate, has he?" The witch tilted her head on Torak.


    "No." Torak answered it curtly. Lucifer and some other creatures have realized about Raine''s identity as his mate, but not Belphegor, the sloth still clueless about that. He just thought Torak protected Raine because she was the guardian angel, which was true also. "But, he will know soon."


    The news about this would spread among the supernatural creatures and Torak had predicted it, thus he needed more extra careful when Raine was really going to the University, he must take into account all the dangers that might occur.


    "I guess he will." Said Serefina, for the first time after such a long time, agreed with Torak. "I want her to come with me." Suddenly she changed her focus on Raine.


    In an instant, Torak''s body tensed up, but he remained calm.


    "Where?" Raine asked meekly.


    "No need to glare at me. I will not take her soon, but I tell you this in advance." Serefina shot a dagger look on Torak. "This time I will not repeat the same thing, so you don''t need to worry much." She said lightly.


    In spite that was what Serefina had said, but how Torak could trust her? She had said the same thing when Raine disappeared. Just how serious this witch this time?


    "What you will do with my mate?" Torak asked rigidly, the temperature around him dropped dramatically.


    "Discover the origin of her power." Serefina shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly. Apparently her spell worked just fine, because when the waiter collected her empty wine glass, there wasn''t any puzzled look on her face upon hearing Serefina''s odd words. "Only by her understand the past, she will know what to do in the present."


    Torak not impressed at all by Serefina''s answer, regardless he knew there was the truth behind it. He was still tore apart between; letting Raine became stronger on her own and his inclination to keep his mate safe beside him, his deepest desire to protect her was so strong, it was hard enough to handle.


    If he could, he would keep Raine within his arm''s reach, but he couldn''t do that and Raine eventually would hate it. He wasn''t able to decide now whether it was a good decision or not.


    "I think you have a guest." Serefina nodded her head toward someone who was approaching them.


    Torak''s eyebrows creased as he turned around and found Belphegor and the other man, which he has been talking to, were approaching them.


    "Mr. Donovan, I would like to introduce you to Mr. Stephan." Belphegor, or Reiz de Medici. Just like how he had introduced himself for people outside.


    Raine still couldn''t understand, how the devil could manipulate many people to think that he was part of de Medici family, but he was the devil after all, who had a thousand ways to beguile people around him without trouble.


    Torak stared at Belphegor icily for his interruption, as he shook hand with Mr. Stephan and politely heard his clueless rumbling about how he adored Torak as a young businessman.


    Because Serefina was with Raine, Torak brought them a few meters away. He didn''t want Belphegor to be so close with his mate.


    When it was only Raine and Serefina alone and Torak was occupied with Belphegor and Mr. Stephan, Raine came close to the witch and asked the question that, she assumed, Torak was reluctant to answer it truthfully.


    For some reason, Raine didn''t satisfy with Torak''s answer at that time, that was why for the first time Raine thought about Serefina''s callous nature as a blessing in disguise.


    "I want to know what exactly the purpose of the resurrection of guardian angel?" Raine looked at her firmly. "You have been talking about war."

 Chapter 179 - PARTY (6)

    "I want to know what exactly the purpose of the resurrection of guardian angel?" Raine asked in low voice, she didn''t want Torak to hear that she asked the same exact question toward Serefina.


    The thing that Raine didn''t know was, once Torak stepped aside to walk a little bit further from Serefina and Raine, he was the same like the other people that couldn''t hear what the two women were talking about. Serefina''s spell was working after all.


    Serefina didn''t answer Raine immediately, she raised her eyebrows and asked her back. "Why? Torak''s answer didn''t satisfy you?"


    Raine shooke her head and replied. "I feel like Torak has been avoiding me to give the real answer." Raine mumbled.


    "So, he didn''t give you the answer." Serefina concluded. "That is why you ask me and act so calm despite the thing that happened the last time." She recalled, even when she mentioned that again, there was no remorse for what she had done.


    However, this time Raine had been tired to feel so sensitive about Serefina''s behavior, if the fact that Serefina almost killed Raine didn''t even bother the former, then there was nothing she could do. Raine couldn''t be possibly forced Serefina to feel sorry for what she did, right?


    Any argument about that would be just a waste of time and Raine was in need for explanation.


    Though it felt so ironic, but knowing Serefina, the witch wouldn''t have telling lie about this matter. She didn''t have a complicated feeling toward Raine like Torak, if anything, Serefina probably would spill every dark secret that she knew with the reason to make her grew stronger.


    And that was what Raine needed now.


    Somehow, Raine felt like Serefina was obsessed with her own intention, but she couldn''t find her true reason why she did this willingly. Serefina wasn''t close with Torak, most of the time they were not in good term and if there was a big possibility for them to kill each other. Moreover, from what Raine heard, the relationship between Serefina and Torak''s brother had been long ended.


    Thus, there was no reason for her to help Torak and Raine now.


    "You didn''t need to try to kill me. No matter what your reason." Raine said emotionlessly, she stared at Serefina right on her lime green eyes that slightly turned frosty.


    "How do you know that I was only trying to kill you and not wanted to kill you for real?" Her question, laced with mocking tone. "Don''t be so na?ve."


    "You will not look for a tiny bit information about the first guardian angel, who has the same power like me, if in the end you want to kill me." Raine replied swiftly. "Moreover, it was you who had said that."


    "Hmm¡­" Serefina tilted her head as she scrutinized the girl in front of her. "You look smarter now than the first time I met you."


    Raine didn''t know if Serefina''s words were praise or an insult as it sounded the same.


    "But, I can say you are wrong." Serefina shrugged her shoulder. "At that time I choked you, I indeed had an intention to kill you." If it wasn''t because Raine was surprised her with the fact she was able to break her spell and moved when she supposed to be to stand still.


    Surprisingly, Serefina''s words didn''t hurt Raine like they were used to. The relationship between them was so odd, as if there was an understanding between the two women that they didn''t like each other, but still needed one another to reach their goal.


    For Raine, it was clear what her aim, but for Serefina, it was still mystery what her real intention for her generous help despite the tension that she had created every time they had to face her.


    "No hurt feeling." Serefina raised her eyebrows because Raine didn''t give much reaction except staring at her. "You slapped me, it was only right if I got angry at you." She said lightly without regret like always.


    "I slapped you because you have badmouthed Torak." Raine raised her voice when she saw Serefina wanted to cut her when she talked. "I will do the same thing if you did that again."


    This time, it was Serefina who was caught off guard by Raine''s retorted words, but instead of getting irritated, she was bemused by her audacity.


    "Great." Serefina clapped her hands. "At least you know what you were doing and what would be the consequences. Keep it that way, you will need that kind of boldness a lot in the near future, especially when you have to face your fellow human." She reminded.


    Human was complicated creatures and since the devils involved in this, it was most likely they would take advantages of human''s dark side and used it for their own benefit, like what they had always done since centuries ago.


    "So, tell me what the purpose of the resurrection of the guardian angel." Raine asked impatiently, she glanced at Torak.


    Torak was standing with Belphegor and Mr. Stephan, Three meters away from Raine and Serefina, however it seemed the conversation between Raine and Serefina couldn''t be heard by him.


    "Don''t worry, he will not be able to hear us." The witch confirmed it as she took another glass of wine. "So, do you really want to know about this?" She asked arrogantly, shaking the glass in her hand.


    "Yes." Raine didn''t want to beat around the bush. She had told Serefina her intention, this also could be interpreted as Raine agreed with Serefina''s way to teach her about how to control her power and find out about her true origins.


    The road ahead wouldn''t be a good one, but Raine had gotten used to that kind of life,


    "Then, hear this out carefully." Serefina sipped her wine and made a satisfied expression. "I just want to warn you that this story will be cruel."


    "I have seen ''cruel''." Raine stilled her heart, this wasn''t the time to back down or started to act spoiled. "I think I can handle this."


    Serefina smirked as she tilted her head. "Do you know that the guardian angels were extinct not because they were too weak for war? But, they really must die in order to defeat the devils." She paused and assessed Raine''s reaction. "Cruel, isn''t it?"

 Chapter 180 - THE PARTY (7)

    Just because I am strong enough to handle the pain, doesn''t mean I deserve it.


    **************


    Serefina smirked as she tilted her head. "Do you know that the guardian angels were extinct not because they were too weak for war? But, they really must die in order to defeat the devils. Cruel, isn''t it?"


    "They have to die?" Raine frowned. "What do you mean they have to die?"


    "That exactly what I meant." Serefina gulped down the remaining liquid in her wine glass and stared at Raine. "Your death is needed to defeat those devils and something more evil that follows your ressuraction. To say it bluntly, that is your true purpose."


    Raine felt her throat became dry. "No. You lie to me." She shook her head and clutched the side of her dress.


    "I am cruel, but I am not a liar." Serefina said in matter of fact tone. "I always tell you the fact. Recall your memories, and you will see I have never told lies."


    It was true, though Serefina was harsh with her words and method she had never told lies, yet the fact from her lips were crueler to hear.


    Raine was dumbstruck by Serefina''s harsh information, she didn''t know what she had to say.


    "If¡­" Raine stuttered when she tried to talk. "If I try my best to become stronger¡­ will I¡­ will I survive?" She could feel the tears were brimming on her eyes.


    Why reality was so cruel? When Raine was just about to lead a happy life, after what she had to endure for more than eight years, she had to face something so brutal like this?


    "You don''t understand." Serefina clicked her tongue, as she got annoyed by Raine''s slow understanding. "It doesn''t matter how strong you will become, but your death is required to win the war between the devil and Lycanthropes¡­" The witch then emphasized. "¡­ again."


    Raine could feel the chill ran down her spine, her body was trembling. She didn''t know if knowing the death of herself would be so horrible.


    Raine had been through a lot, but even in her lowest point in her life, she had never had a thought to die. She knew she barely survived from all the predicament, but knowing she would die in the end was totally a different thing.


    Yet, deep in her heart, she knew Serefina wouldn''t lie about something like this, eventually everything made senses about why Torak wouldn''t tell her the truth and his every words about keeping her safe no matter what would happen in the future.


    The image that she had seen the moment she touched the stone inside the library, when visited Rieka Country, would it come true?


    "Then¡­" Raine bit her lips, she glanced at Torak, who was talking with the other guest and Belphegor. "Then¡­ what is the point for me to become stronger if in the end I have to die?" Her voice was barely a whisper that easily flew by the wind, yet Serefina heard that perfectly.


    At the other side, Torak frowned when he caught Raine was staring at him with scared expression. His purposed to leave Raine and Serefina alone wasn''t only to make Belphegor stayed away from his mate, but also for Raine to be more comfortable to ask everything that she wanted to know to Serefina.


    He knew, Raine was still holding back a lot of questions that Torak couldn''t answer and the stone that tells everything, wasn''t much of help.


    "The chance for the Lycanthropes to win the war will be bigger if you are stronger than if you are weak and only be a burden." Serefina''s words flew like a dagger that stabbed right in Raine''s heart.


    Weak¡­


    Burden¡­


    Was that how people she her? A weak person and only be a burden?


    Without waiting for Raine to recover from the blow, Serefina continued her words. "Whether Lycanthropes or the devil wins the war, you will die." Serefina was squinted her eyes seeing the tears that streaming down on Raine''s cheeks. She hated it when someone showed her, their weak side. "The choice is, you will die for the sake of Lycanthropes or you will let the devil slaughters those wolves right before your eyes before they kill you." Serefina shrugged her shoulder. "The choice is yours."


    Serefina''s words were so cruel as if she was talking about the ambience of this party, as if she didn''t care whether Raine alive or death¡­ oh, wait¡­ she indeed didn''t care about that. What Raine expected from this witch?


    "So, your true purpose to come is for helping the Lycanthropes to win? That''s why you are helping me?" Raine wiped her tears harshly, ruined her simple make up.


    "No." Serefina turned around and looked at the sky, made Raine wasn''t able to see her face. "I have to hold the end of my deal with someone." She said with sad expression that Raine couldn''t see. "A disgusting dealt because it requires me to watch over you."


    "Is there no other way for me to stay alive?" I just started to feel alive with Torak by my side¡­ Raine kept the last words for herself, there was no point for Serefina to know about that.


    "Tell me if you know the way." Serefina said nonchalantly.


    "What if I don''t want to be involved?" Raine tried to find a reason for her. She didn''t want to die, why she always had to endure something like this? Wouldn''t Torak always protect her? He had promised her.


    "You don''t want to be involved?" Serefina turned around and faced Raine once again, her expression showed how ridiculous Raine''s suggestion sounded. "Why do you think Torak is very adamant to protect you? Because those devils¡­" Serefina glanced at Belphegor that winked at her flirtatiously. "¡­ will always try to kill you no matter where Torak will hide you, there is no way out unless they die and it needs you to die too." She said with finality.

 Chapter 181 - THE PARTY (8)

    "What happened here?" Torak suddenly appeared and grabbed Raine''s arm, turned her body to face him.


    The moment Torak saw her tears, he knew Serefina had ran her vicious mouth and told his mate about something again.


    "Why are you crying?" Torak wiped the tears from Raine''s cheeks, the mask couldn''t hide her sad eyes and he could feel his cold- hearted heart ached, only by the sight of her devastated expression. "Tell me what is it?"


    Without caring about his image and people''s attention around them, Torak pulled Raine close to him and hugged her tight, he rubbed her back to calm her trembling body.


    Instead of looking at the starry sky and waiting for the fireworks, all the people zeroed their attention on Torak and Raine, though they wondered why they were not able to hear a single word from them, regardless their close distance, but it didn''t cease their curiosity.


    After all Serefina''s spell still worked, there was no way people out of her magic circle could hear them.


    "What you are doing to her now?" Torak really had had enough with this witch, if it wasn''t for Raine''s sake he would shred her into pieces.


    But, all she had done was hurting his mate again and again.


    Raine was fine when he left her with this witch, but Serefina must have told her something that turned his mate this way.


    "I said nothing, only the truth." Serefina shrugged her shoulder and took another glass of wine, she looked a little bit tipsy now.


    Torak didn''t talk, but the way he looked at Serefina was a demand for her to explain what she meant by saying ''the truth''.


    "I said if the war is break out, she will die in order for the Lycanthropes to win the war." Serefina said callously, she even gave Torak a faint smile. "I find out, you are not yet telling her about this crucial information, so I took the brunt and told her." Serefina waved her hand. "No need to thank me."


    Seemingly, Serefina was holding a grudge toward Torak and Raine, thus it was an enjoyable sight to see Raine cried her heart out and infuriated the Alpha again and again, because she was aware about the importance of her role in Raine''s recovery and how to strengthen the angel power.


    That was why, Torak wouldn''t be able to do anything atrocious toward her as long as she didn''t hurt his mate directly.


    Torak didn''t believe with what he heard. He had been keeping that matter secret all this time and Serefina just told Raine without a second thought?


    No, this was Torak''s mistake since the beginning, he shouldn''t let Serefina talked alone with Raine and thought lightly about it.


    At first, he assumed Serefina and Raine would only talk about how to strengthen Raine''s power and discover how to control it. Who would have thought that their conversation was going south?


    "Let''s go home." Torak whispered and was about to carry her out of the party room.


    But Raine held him back and raised her head, she bit down her kissable lips and talked in a low voice filled with dread. "Am I going to die¡­?" Another tear fell on her cheeks.


    The question made his beast howled painfully in his head, scampered and on the verge to tear the witch, but instead to let his beast loose, Torak kissed her forehead to calm his beast down.


    It wasn''t only Raine who was afraid of that fact, Torak also felt the same, since he was aware from the beginning what the purpose of the resurrection of the guardian angel.


    "I will never let that happen." That wasn''t a comforting words, but that was also an oath that Torak made for himself, a reminder for him about the excruciating pain that he suffered now only by the thought of losing his mate.


    Torak couldn''t imagine and dared not to think, if it really happened.


    Since he had kept that information for himself and had never talked about it, it was easy to pretend if he didn''t know about it and put this matter on the back of his mind while he cherished his mate existence.


    But, because Serefina told Raine about it and this matter was brought up to the surface, Torak couldn''t shake that fact.


    "That means what she said is true?" Raine realized another meaning in the way Torak answered her.


    If what Serefina had said was true, then she really would die? Was she being sacrificed? Why she had to face something so cruel like that?


    "Will I be sacrificed in order for you to win?" Raine couldn''t help but ask. It seemed that was the case.


    "No." Torak said sternly, even his eyes turned black with the way Raine put this matter. To think Raine would be harmed was enough to make Torak scared, not to mention she was being sacrificed for his sake.


    If it came to the time Torak needed to choose, the answer was crystal clear for him.


    "I will keep you save even if that was the last thing that I have to do." Torak wiped her tears and kissed Raine''s forehead. "You don''t need to worry about that kind of thing, there must be another way. We will find out about that soon, together."


    ''Together.''


    Raine liked how that word sounded from Torak''s lips, it felt like Torak trusted her and thought Raine was reliable to find the solution about this hurdle together.


    Raine had forgotten the last time she had done something together.


    "Stop crying." Torak turned Raine''s body to face Serefina, but then he lifted her chin to look up. "Don''t look at her, she is not a good sight to see." Torak reprimanded Raine lightly.


    His words brought a smile on Raine''s lips when she glanced at Serefina''s angry face.


    At the same time, fireworks burst through the dark night, fiery blooms among the stars. They sent hot sparks into the cool evening air, searing their brilliant light and vivacious color.


    Torak hugged Raine from behind and watched how they light up her smiling face, like a perfect real life photograph.

 Chapter 182 - THE RESULT

    The night of mask party with fireworks would be perfect for Raine if it wasn''t because Serefina ruined it with her horrible information about Raine''s fate.


    This soured Raine''s mood for days, she talked less and only a bit more talkative only when she was having a conversation with Torak.


    Along those days, Raine would be accompanied by Calleb.


    "Hey, don''t you want to see the result of your entrance exam?" Calleb elbowed Raine''s arm lightly.


    Now, they were watching a cartoon in the living room, since Raine didn''t have a mood to draw something. She had been spending her afternoons fed her small mouth with all the snacks that she could find inside the fridge with sullen expression.


    Serefina once again was gone. No one had ever seen her after the party, even Torak''s hunters were not able to locate her, though that wasn''t a surprising news to know Serefina was a great pure blood witch.


    Raine heard two or three things about her powerful witchcraft from Calleb, who loved to talk about everything if he was boring, and babysitting Raine was one of them.


    There was nothing he could do except watching a cartoon with her.


    "Ah. I forgot¡­" Raine raised her head, only now she realized it, as her eyes became bigger when she said that. "I will check."


    Raine stuffed the snack in her hand to Calleb and ran toward Torak''s office room, behind her, Calleb followed, somehow the Gamma was also very eager to know the result, as if he was the one who had taken the exam.


    But, when Raine turned on the computer and typed the password that Torak had told him, she pushed Calleb away.


    "Don''t look." Raine said sullenly. "I want to tell Torak first."


    "But, Torak is not here." Calleb protested, it was him who had reminded her, but why Torak would be the first person who knew about this? "You need someone to congratulate you if you passed the exam." He tried to argue with her.


    However, Raine was determined to make Torak be the first person who received this news.


    "No. Don''t look." Raine pushed Calleb away again, this time she was trying to glare at the Gamma, turned her expression as scary as she could make with no avail.


    Calleb almost laughed out loud to see Raine''s attempt, she looked more adorable that way with creased eyebrows, but wise enough to keep his laugh for himself.


    "Why? We are like brother and sister now, let this brother sees it." Calleb made a nonsense excuse. Remained to stand there unfazed, no matter how much strength that Raine had exerted to push him away.


    "If you don''t go I will call Torak." Raine threatened him. This was the first time for Raine to threat someone, but since it was Calleb, she wasn''t afraid if he got angry. She knew he would never get angry to her.


    "Seriously¡­ you actually use that trick?" Calleb asked incredulously. Since when this little mate of his Alpha learned how to threaten other people like this. But, since Raine was Torak''s mate and always stuck with him, there was a high chance that she was infected by Torak''s cunningness. "Why are you so petty now?"


    Calleb didn''t have a chance when Raine grabbed the phone and was about to call Torak''s number.


    "Alright, alright! I will not see it. Put the phone down!" Calleb said in panic. He didn''t want to be punished because of this matter, it wasn''t worthy! "I miss her old self, she is cuter that way." Calleb grumbled as he went to the sofa and sat there, away from Torak''s working desk, where Raine was busy with the computer.


    It only took a few minutes before Raine''s expression lit up when she saw the result of her exam on the computer screen. She even giggled to herself and jumped on her seat.


    Calleb couldn''t help but shook his head. "She is really clueless, isn''t she? Can''t she make it hard to guess, at least?" Raine said she didn''t want to let Calleb knew about the result and wanted Torak to be the first person who knew about it.


    However, her expression and her act just now, gave away the answer. It was very obvious.


    "So, what the result?" Calleb just asked offhandedly, though he already knew the answer to that.


    But, Raine abruptly stopped smiling and turned off the computer before she fled from the office room, leaving Calleb sat alone there.


    Once again, Calleb shook his head.


    However, it didn''t take a long time to poke her head inside the room again as she asked Calleb. "What time Torak will return?"


    Upon hearing this question, Calleb raised his eyebrows. "He always returns at 4 o''clock right? Why did you ask?"


    Raine pouted and glanced at a digital clock on the working desk that showed 11.14 a.m. It would take a long time before Torak came home.


    "Does Torak have a meeting today?" Raine asked again.


    "Even if he has an important meeting, knowing him, he will just call off the meeting for you." Calleb said in matter of fact.


    Raine frowned, she didn''t like Calleb''s answer. "No, I don''t want to bother him." But, she really wanted to share this good news with Torak and got a word of praise from him. Raine was very happy with the point that she got.


    "He will not think of you that way¡­ hey! I am talking here!" Calleb didn''t believe it, Raine actually left him when he was talking. This annoyed him because she treated Raphael differently. She listened to his words.


    But, once again Raine poked her head inside the room through the door that slightly opened.


    "If I don''t disturb him, can I go to his office?" Raine asked again. Her expectant eyes looked Calleb innocently.


    Calleb sighed deeply. This girl was very easy to read. "Let''s go." He stood up and strode across the room. "Wear something warm! I don''t want to be nagged by the Alpha because he thought I don''t take a good care of you!" Calleb shouted when Raine had dashed off again.


    "Okay!" Raine''s voice was sounded from the second floor.

 Chapter 183 - WHY HASNT HE MARKED ME YET?

    There are no accidental meetings between two souls.


    **************


    After ten minutes passed, Raine went down with her black parka in her arm and a small sling back in the same color, as usual, she would go with jeans and sweater also her baseball cap.


    "I am ready." Raine said, beaming with smile from ear to ear, wearing her baseball cap that almost covered her entire small face.


    If she acted so bluntly this way who wouldn''t be able to guess, what the result of her exam?


    "Alright, let''s go." Calleb twirled the car key between his fingers and let a guard to open the door for them while Raine waltz behind him, if she was a fae, she would have flown by now.


    Calleb opened the shotgun seat for Raine before he sat behind the wheel. He didn''t use a driver for this trip because he was so boring trapped inside that house and need a little stretching for his tensed muscles.


    "Don''t you need to make a call, to inform Torak that we will come?" Raine asked as she put on her seatbelt.


    "I will mind link Raphael later when we already close enough, that''s more efficient because he is not always on his phone at this hour." Calleb replied as he started the engine.


    "Oh." Raine nodded her head. She forgot that all the Lycans could do that sort of things with their pack members. "I wish I can do that too¡­" She mumbled.


    Calleb turned the car at the corner as they left the house. "Since you are the Alpha''s mate, you can do that too¡­" He said in matter of fact tone.


    "I can?" Raine whipped her head and looked at Calleb expectantly. "But, how?" Now, she was eager to know more.


    "Once the Alpha marked you, you will have the same ability." Calleb answered, he really didn''t have any idea about how clueless Raine was with this kind of stuff.


    "How he will mark me?" Raine kept asking, the idea to have a telepathic communication with Torak sounded awesome for her.


    Calleb glanced at Raine direction and shrugged his shoulder. "He will bite you."


    "Bite me?" The tone of her voice increased.


    "Yes, The Alpha will bite you on your sweet spot." Calleb pointed his neck. "That''s how the mark will appear."


    "The mark will appear?" Raine leaned toward Calleb as her curiosity grew. "What is that? Is that some kind like a tattoo?"


    "Tattoo?" Calleb contemplated for awhile before he nodded. "Well, you can say that way, but this kind of tattoo is very sacred for our kind." He explained.


    "Have you marked someone?" Raine sure has a lot of things to ask.


    "I have not yet met my mate, so I can''t just mark a random girl." Calleb slightly grimaced when he said that.


    Seeing how Torak treated Raine and looked at her with adoration, sometime gave Calleb goosebumps, knowing how ruthless he used to be.


    "So, you should only mark your mate?" Rained wanted to confirm her speculation.


    "Exactly." Replied Calleb with certainty. "Lycan will recognize their mate immediately once they feel their mate is nearby and the moment they meet with each other, they will mark their other half, claiming their woman. You can say that mark is a symbol of love for our kind."


    When Raine heard that her face fell and her expression turned gloomy, she slumped her back against the seat. "But, Torak didn''t mark me¡­" She whined.


    Calleb almost hit the brakes when he heard that, realizing his mistake. "No, no¡­" He waved his hand in panic.


    Fortunately there was a red light so he could face Raine and tried to explain while he looking at her dejected expression. "You are a special case." Calleb attempted to appease her, but didn''t have any idea how to handle a sulking girl. "Torak has not yet marked you because he has many things to be considered."


    "Such as?" Raine peered at Calleb through her black hair that cascaded down her face and shoulder.


    "Such¡­" Calleb tried to find a good reason. He really squeezed his brain for this.


    How would he know what the reason of Torak had not marked his mate yet?


    Usually Lycan would mark their mate within days after they met with each other, but they have met for months. But why Torak had not yet marked Raine?


    "You can''t answer that." Raine said sullenly, suddenly her mood turned sour again. She pouted and looked at the trees outside.


    "No¡­ that''s not what I mean." Calleb scratched the back of his head. His mouth always got him into a trouble. "Maybe because you are not yet an a.d.u.l.t¡­ see? You are not even eighteen years old yet."


    "I will turn eighteen two weeks from now." Raine whipped her head at Calleb direction. She blinked her eyes. "Will he mark me then?"


    Calleb resumed his focus on the road ahead, of course he didn''t know what the answer for that question, it wasn''t he who would mark her, right? "Probably¡­" He said in low voice.


    "But, why do you think Torak had not yet marked me, except for the reason that you gave me?" The reason about her age was so lame for Raine.


    "Hmm¡­" Calleb hummed, trying to come up with another reason, but before he answered her first question, Raine had asked him again.


    "How long it will take, normally, a Lycan will mark their mate the moment they meet with each other." Raine stared at Calleb.


    "Well, the longest that I know is around three days¡­ because the time you see your mate there is an urge to claim what is belong to you. Maybe for human, the feeling is like love at first sight." Calleb gave some thought about this. He didn''t know the exact feeling, but that''s what he heard from lycans who were lucky enough to have found their mate.


    "Three days?" Raine said it with devastated tone as she slumped her back again. "It has been months and Torak still not marked me yet¡­ does he not feel that urge?"


    Calleb really wanted to slap his mouth.

 Chapter 184 - A GLASS OF WARM MILK

    I never wished for a prince charming, I dreamed of my big bad wolf.


    **************


    When they arrived at Donovan Company building, Calleb drove the car to the bas.e.m.e.nt near the private lift that would bring them straight to Torak''s office.


    Just like the other building of his company, Torak liked to be so secretive.


    Meanwhile, ever since their conversation about the mark of Lycan, Raine was slightly down and didn''t talk anymore, yet when they were inside the lift, she became cheerful again.


    [Raph, I am with Raine. Where are you? Is the Alpha with you?] Calleb mind linked Raphael.


    [Yes, we have a meeting. Will finish within thirty minutes, just wait inside the office.] Raphael answered while listening to the presentation of the head of the Marketing Department.


    [Got it.]


    Calleb couldn''t reach Torak because he closed his mind, usually he would do that when he was in the middle of an important meeting, but Raphael would be able to reach

 Chapter 185 - SHE IS TORAKS GIRLFRIEND

    There''s always a wild side to an innocent face.


    *************


    "But, I am here to see Torak." Raine frowned. Why this woman so afraid to know she was there? Didn''t Calleb say something about her being there?


    She furrowed her brows when she heard Raine mentioned the CEO''s first name. "Many women will say the same thing, but you better leave now, if Mr. Donovan sees you here, he will sue you for this. This is for your own sake too." The woman tried to make Raine left the office, because she would get a big trouble too if Torak knew she had accidentally let someone barged into his office.


    But, the thing that made her puzzled was; this young girl was too calm for someone who had just barged into CEO''s office.


    "I came with Calleb. You can ask him, he will come back after bring me a glass of warm milk." Raine said it with smile.


    Raine knew, Torak was very scary when he was pissed, but to see this woman fell into panic like this, was quite enjoyable because she was boring to wait for Torak while didn''t have anything to do.


    "Mr. Watson?" The woman frowned when, this time, Raine mentioned Torak personal assistant''s first name. "Do you know him?"


    Calleb indeed was making a glass of milk for Raine, personally, because Torak didn''t want someone else touch the food or drink that she would consume. Just in case.


    After that, the door of the office was opened and Calleb walked inside with a glass of white milk in his hand and a coffee in his other hand.


    "Mr. Watson!" The woman''s eyes grew bigger as she approached Calleb. "I really don''t know how this young girl can get inside the office, I came here to put the important doc.u.ments that Mr. Donovan has been asking for." She pointed at a pile of doc.u.ments atop of Torak''s table. "But, this young girl was already here and I have been trying to ¡­"


    "She came with me."


    "¡­ to ask her to leave¡­ wait, what?" The woman became more puzzled with the situation. "She came with you?" She tried to confirm what she just heard.


    "Yes." Calleb strolled across the room to approach Raine and handed the warm milk to her. "Careful, it still hot." He said.


    Seeing this, the woman''s jaw dropped open. How this could be possible? Torak has a young girl inside his office and not only that, Torak''s personal assistant also treated her incredibly good.


    "This¡­" She stuttered, her brows wrinkled as if would never come back to normal.


    "I have told you that I am waiting for Torak." Raine grinned and walked toward Torak''s leather chair with a glass of milk in her hands.


    "But, Mr. Watson, who is her¡­" The woman didn''t believe with what she saw, Calleb just let Raine to sit in Torak''s chair.


    "Me?" Raine asked from across the room. "I am¡­" She gave some thought of this. "I am Torak''s girlfriend." She said cheekily.


    Somehow, Raine loved to see the expression of that woman when she heard how Raine addressed herself. Her shocking face was a sight to behold.


    Raine was in good mood.


    But, her words gave Calleb a headache. "Ms. Kiehl, a word please." He said to the woman and signaled her to follow him.


    When both of them were outside the Torak''s office, the woman bombarded Calleb with a lot of questions.


    "Is she really a lady boss? She is so young! How old is she? Is she a high school student? A college student?" She didn''t stop until Calleb raised his hand to stop her.


    Because of Calleb easy- going personality, he was quite close with the rest of the employees and they were also more comfortable with him compared to Raphael, who always looked so serious while Torak was out of the picture.


    "Yes, she is the lady boss. She is a college student and yes, she is very young." Calleb answered all of her questions, but he continued before she could talk again. "I want you to keep this secret, because Mr. Donovan will not please if his personal life out to the public. Just because you accidentally know about this, I will be lenient with you, but if one day there is a word leaked out about this, then you will be the first suspect and if you are proven guilty, the company will sue you for multiple lawsuits that one of it will be divulging company secret."


    Calleb said it with very serious expression. It was very rare for him to act this way, thus she couldn''t help but gulped hard.


    "No, no. I will not say a single word about this." She waved her hands frantically.


    Having a dispute with Donovan Enterprises Holding, Inc. was something that people like her couldn''t afford. It was almost like asking for a death sentences.


    "So, don''t ever mention about this." Calleb gave her a harmless smile. When he saw fear in her eyes, he knew she would never say a single word about Raine.


    "Sure, of course!" She said with certainty. No matter how much she liked to gossip, she would never risk her life for this.


    "Alright, you can go back to work." Calleb dismissed her.


    "Yes, yes. Mr. Watson." And she fled from Torak''s office.


    She needed some time to catch her breath as she went to the restroom where there were three new employees gossiping about Torak.


    "Mr. Donovan is so handsome! He walked pass me in this morning!" The first woman cupped her face while recalled the scene in her head. "I am so lucky to be able to enter this company and see Mr. Donovan every day."


    "Actually, I applied in this company because of him!" The second woman chimed in.


    "So do I."


    Ms. Kiehl only could sigh regretfully when she overheard the three women''s conversation.


    They must have just graduated, as they looked young and fresh, but when she remembered the young girl inside Torak''s office, of course the three of them were not young enough for his type.

 Chapter 186 - A GIFT

    Cause all of me loves all of you.


    Love your curves and all your edges.


    All your perfect imperfection.


    -All of Me, by: John Legend-


    **************


    Back to Torak''s office, Raine was drinking her milk like an obedient child, but her eyes showed the otherwise, when she finally put down her empty glass and met Calleb''s eyes, she grinned.


    "I don''t know that woman will come." Raine talked defensively before Calleb could speak first. She felt like the Gamma would accuse her.


    "Don''t worry." Calleb waved his hand to dismiss the topic. "I have her handled."


    Just now Calleb noticed that Raine was actually quite mischievous and talkative. Ever since she could talk again, she has a ton of questions for every conversation.


    However, Raine would only act that way when she was with Raphael and Calleb, or course she would talk more with Torak than she did to the two of them, yet when she was with someone else that she didn''t know, she tended to be as quiet as an ant.


    "Really? I didn''t cause trouble, right?" Raine jumped from Torak''s seat and raced to sit beside Calleb on the sofa.


    "No. What kind of trouble you can make in Torak''s company? If anything Torak will have her memories to be erased." But, it required Belinda to come to do that job, just like what they did when Torak killed someone in the hospital.


    "Is the mate bond is that strong? Until Torak can''t bear to get mad at me?" Raine pulled her legs close to her chest and hugged them out of habit.


    "You can say so." Calleb be reminded, which for Torak and Raine''s case, the mate bond only worked on Torak alone. But, at this rate, who would care about mate bond, as Raine was so clingy toward Torak.


    "Is the mate bond can disappear?" Raine asked curiously.


    Calleb frowned upon the question. "I have never heard the mate bond can disappear." He answered truthfully. "Why do you ask that?"


    Raine''s sullen face made Calleb assumed there was something behind her question.


    "Nothing." Raine shrugged her shoulder, trying to act nonchalant yet failed miserably. "Serefina said if there is no mate bond between Torak and I, Torak would have killed me, because he doesn''t like a weak creature." Raine confided.


    "Nah, don''t think too much to what that witch told you." Calleb made a disgusting look when the mentioned of Serefina''s name. "Torak will not kill you even if you are not his mate. This era we live in now, is not the same era like centuries ago where you can roam around the land and kill anyone that annoyed you." He tried to put it simple.


    "But Aeon said the same thing." Raine mumbled. She remembered what the similar thing that both Serefina and Aeon had told her and that kept bothering her mind.


    "Yeah, and both of them are annoying." Calleb slouched his back against the sofa and turned on the television. "You shouldn''t take annoying people''s words seriously."


    Hearing Calleb''s statement made Raine chuckled and joined to watch the television instead of pursuing the topic further.


    Not too long after that, when Raine and Calleb enjoyed watching one of the reality show program, someone pushed open the door that made Raine turned her head while Calleb continued to watch as he already knew who was coming.


    "Torak!" Raine''s smile bloomed from ear to ear as she dashed toward her mate.


    In no time Raine had her arms wrapped around Torak''s neck like a baby octopus as she giggled happily. She was very happy today.


    "What a pleasant surprised my love." Torak couldn''t help but smiling also to see how happy Raine was. Everything that made his mate happy would make him to feel the same, though it didn''t relate to him at all.


    Torak peppered small kisses on her ear that so ticklish and made Raine laugh even loud.


    Seeing how different Raine today made Raphael confused, he put down a pile of doc.u.ments on top of the table as he sat down beside Calleb.


    "What happened to Luna? She looks incredibly happy." Raphael asked Calleb, who didn''t spare a single glance at the love birds.


    "She passed the exam." Replied Calleb curtly, his focused was still on the television. "But, pretend that you don''t know, she wants to tell Torak first about this." He added when Raphael was about to approach Raine and congratulated her.


    Raphael, who almost stood up, sat down again and looked at Calleb in confusion. "And how did you know if Luna didn''t tell you?"


    Lazily Calleb glanced at the Beta. "She has been acting that way ever since she saw the exam result. What do you think the result of the exam?" He explained it with; ''that''s so obvious'' tone.


    On the other hand, Raine dragged Torak to his leather chair, sat on his laps and opened the University''s web.


    "Look. I am passed." Raine pointed at the result of her exam with the word ''passed'' in the end. Her point was quite high that she could brag about it.


    "I know you will my love." Actually, Torak had known Raine''s point before she did, but he would never let Raine knew as he hugged her carefully as to not squash her body. "What do you want for your gift?"


    Torak would give her everything she wanted right away once Raine said it.


    Raine looked at Torak seriously. "Can I ask anything?"


    "Of course." Torak ran his fingers along her black hair. "Anything for you."


    Raine thought about that hard and to see the wrinkled between her brows, Torak chuckled. "No need to think that hard, I didn''t say you can only ask one thing."


    That meant, Raine could make a list of the things that she wanted and Torak would fulfill all of them.


    However, there was only one thing that Raine really wanted. "Can I say it on my birthday?" She asked that made Torak confused.


    "You can ask another thing on your birthday."


    "No. I really want this on my birthday."

 Chapter 187 - I LIKE IT NOW

    Torak was very curious about what Raine really wanted on her birthday. "Then, what do you want on your birthday?" He changed his question tactfully. "Your birthday is only two weeks from now, at least I need to prepare it."


    "You don''t need to prepare it, this is not something that need a lot of preparation." Raine grinned and nuzzled her head on Torak''s neck, her warm breath was so ticklish against Torak''s skin.


    "But, I think we still need to celebrate it with lunch." Torak thought about a few recommendation restaurants that he had planned to visit with Raine. He was too busy with his work recently, so he could set a foot firmly in this new city, which wasn''t his territory, and spent a little time with Raine.


    Not to mention Raine had stopped to come here to study when she already took the entrance exam.


    "How about eat something that you like?" Torak asked and saw the stars twinkled in those beautiful eyes.


    "Steak?" Raine beamed. Actually, it didn''t matter with the food, as long as she ate with Torak, she could digest everything. Raine wasn''t a picky eater after all.


    "I know one restaurant that you will like." Torak caressed her cheeks. "Shall we go now?"


    "Will Calleb and Raphael join us?" Of course she wouldn''t leave out her buddies, Raine liked it when they ate together. Especially when she took a glance of how Calleb''s ears perked up the moment he heard the word ''steak'' was being mentioned.


    "If you like it." Torak agreed.


    And with that, the four of them went down to the parking lot. Calleb took the seat behind the wheel while Raphael beside him and the mate sat on the back.


    "The first day will be next week, I think we need to stop by a bookstore to buy something for you after lunch." Torak suggested.


    [But, Torak you have meeting with marketing department at 2 p.m.] Raphael reminded Torak through mind link, he didn''t want to spoil the fun, but Torak still has some other thing to do.


    [Set the meeting at 4.] Torak answered, he thought at that hour he already back.


    [Yes.] Raphael started to type email on his laptop for the attendees of the meeting for the change of time.


    "Have all of you gone to college also?" Raine asked that question out of the blue, suddenly she became curious.


    Referring to what she knew, Lycans have a long life span, did they go to the college during that time?


    "I did." Torak chuckled. "I graduated 76 times."


    "32 Times." Said Raphael between his activities, replying bunches of emails.


    "23 Times." Calleb chimed in and then gloated. "And I always be a valedictorian." The Gamma grinned from ear to ear with smug face.


    However, like usual, he got a slap on the back of his head from Raphael. "Stop gloating, all of us did." He even didn''t take his eyes from the laptop.


    This scene was so familiar for Raine and she always enjoyed to watch them quarrel or argue over trivial things.


    "76 times? That''s so many!" Raine squalled. "What kind of major that you took?"


    "I can''t remember them all my love, but I think I took one each." Said Torak while caressing Raine''s hair affectionately.


    "You must be very smart." Raine mumbled.


    "If you have a lifetime to learn that isn''t a surprising thing." Calleb said as he hit the brakes because of the red light and turned to face Raine. "But that gradually becomes very boring because you will do the same thing over and over again."


    "Eyes on the road please." Raphael pushed Calleb''s face away with his hand. "Green light."


    A frustrated grumble heard from Calleb''s lips as he resumed his focus on the road ahead.


    "How old are you to be exact?" Raine asked again, though Torak and the other looked like in their late twenty, but they must be older than that.


    "869 years old." Torak answered.


    Raine''s eyes widened as her lips form an ''O'' letter. "We have 851 years gap."


    Torak chuckled, Raine was actually counting that. "I hope you don''t mind with someone much older than you."


    Raine hugged Torak as an answer. "No." She giggled. "How about the two of you?"


    "I am 324 years old and Calleb is only 72 years old." Raphael answered Raine. "In our kind 72 years old is consider a pup."


    Calleb protested when he heard that. "Don''t be ridiculous." To be called a pup hurt the Gamma''s pride.


    "A pup? That''s cute." Raine commented.


    "Really?" Calleb turned his face with bright smile to see Raine for her complement, but before he did that, Raphael had slapped his head again.


    "Eyes on the road!" He growled.


    Raine suddenly remembered something. "Torak, can I have a bunny?" She raised her head to see him, but she met with his frowning face.


    [Let''s make a bet!] Calleb suddenly mind linked Raphael. [I bet Torak will give in.] And he added. [One month salary?]


    It was well known that Torak didn''t like to have a pet. Well, why he needed a pet to look after when he already had bunches of mad wolves at his beck and call.


    However, Raine would always be an exception for Torak, right?


    In the other hand, Raphael rolled his eyes incredulously. What happened with this Gamma, why he always has this sort of bet?


    "I always want to have a bunny¡­" Raine added when Torak didn''t reply to her. "But, it''s okay I don''t really want it¡­" She yielded when the frown on Torak''s face deepened.


    "Okay." Torak finally said before a disappointment spread on his mate expression.


    "Really?" Raine sought for a confirmation. "But, this is not what I want for my gift." Raine didn''t want to exchange the gift that she really wanted for this.


    "Of course, you can ask another thing." Torak reassured Raine.


    On the front seat, Calleb laughed quietly as he glanced at Raphael as if saying; ''see? I win again.''


    However, Raphael ignored him and mind linked Torak. [Torak, you never like pet.] He reminded him.


    [I like it now.] Torak answered nonchalantly.

 Chapter 188 - GO PUBLIC (?)

    Raphael booked a private room for the four of them in one of the best steak restaurant in this city and let the manager to show them the way to their room.


    The manager was a young man with curly hair and glasses that perched on his high nose, he obviously knew Torak and glanced at the woman beside him a couple of time to see her face.


    But, because Raine was wearing her baseball cap and was surrounded by Calleb and Raphael, it was hard to see her face clearly.


    There was only one thing that the manager was very sure; Raine was very young.


    Within the business circle, there was a rumor about the appearance of Torak''s woman. Torak took his partner with him when he attended the mask party.


    But, because of the mask that she wore, no one could see her face, nonetheless they were very certain that this woman was very young with fair skin and skinny body also her raven hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall.


    Based on that description, the manager assumed the young girl in the party was the same girl that was beside Torak now.


    The problem was, no one ever dare to bring Torak''s private life to be public consumption as they didn''t want to tip the wrong side of this cold- blood CEO.


    Regardless, all the single ladies were still gossiping behind his back while looking for the opportunity to have a chance to be close to him, which never happened.


    The manager held the door opened for them to enter. He, personally, served them along with two waitresses.


    This room was an VVIP room, which not an ordinary businessman could book, with the best view of the city and the sea. People inside could hear the sound of waves and seagull.


    If only they arrived before the sun down, they could see the breathtaking scenery of the sunset above the horizon from the balcony of this room.


    After the four of them took their seat, Torak gave the menu to Raine, for her to order anything that she liked.


    Actually, Raine didn''t quite understand with what kind of meat that she wanted to eat, because for her everything looked the same, given the fact that all this time, it was Torak, who chose for her.


    "I want the same thing like you." Raine closed the menu and looked at Torak, because she couldn''t decide the steak that she wanted to eat, everything on the menu were mouth- watering and expensive. The astronomical cost for a single meat made Raine grimaced. In the past she could use that money to dream about renting a cheap room for herself, away from the orphanage.


    Now, the manager was very sure that Raine was only a teenager after he heard her timid voice.


    After the four of them gave their orders, the manager and the two waitresses walked out of the room, only then she took off her baseball cap and went to see the sea from the balcony.


    "Careful." Torak warned Raine when she jumped from her seat and dashed toward the opened balcony.


    Raine raised both of her thumbs, but didn''t slow down, seeing that Torak couldn''t help but smile. She was crying mess when Serefina told her about her dreadful fate at the party, talking about she didn''t want to die and about she wanted to live a long life with Torak.


    The sight of her tears broke Torak''s heart as he promised her there was nothing he wouldn''t do to keep her safe.


    However now, seeing Raine was very happy and excited, probably she had forgotten about that. Torak could say if it wasn''t because of the horrible things that she had gone through, his mate was actually a happy child and a positive person.


    She has that kind heart that belonged to the angels, as she was one of them. Her radiant smile was so bright and radiant that could shine the dark corner of his soul, bathed him with hope and the meaning of real life.


    "Torak, why don''t you announce your relationship with Raine to the public?" Raphael asked Torak while looking at Raine who was enjoying the wind that played with her hair. "I think she is ready now."


    "Not now." Torak said, he looked at the same sight as Raphael with traced of warm smile and soft gazes that he had never shown to anyone before. "This is not the time yet."


    "Lucifer has made his move and spread the rumor about your mate, Raine will soon be in danger, if all of the creatures search for her." Raphael informed the same thing to Torak again.


    This information had been bothering Torak for weeks, aside from his purposed to look for Serefina was for her to train Raine, he also wanted Serefina to give Raine another layer of protection.


    Yet, that witch disappeared again after she relayed a devastated news after the party ended and like usual, no one could find her anywhere.


    Torak started to think that her appearance that night was only a revenge to make Raine uncomfortable.


    "You already have plan in your mind right?" Raphael was squinted his eyes. He knew Torak wouldn''t decide something without thought about it thoroughly and since he was being so adamant to delay the idea of going public with Raine, he must have something in his mind.


    "I do, I will tell you when the time is right, just keep your eyes on that Dragon shifter, make sure he keeps her safe and will not cause trouble for her."


    Originally Stephan was pointed to look after Raine silently, yet he didn''t listen and chose to appear in front of Raine the moment he saw her.


    Torak almost clawed his face if he wasn''t reminded that he still needed him, and also though Raine was a little bit surprised by his sudden appearance, Stephan actually did nothing that could harm Raine.


    Moreover, Raine didn''t reject the idea for Stephan to look after her.

 Chapter 189 - EMBARRASSING MOMENT

    When the steak that they had ordered came, the manager sighed in regret because Raine wasn''t on her seat, yet she already took off her baseball hat.


    The only sight that he could see was her back as she stood alone in the balcony, only if she turned around, he would be able to see her.


    People were so curious about what kind of person the woman that could capture Torak Donovan''s heart and how beautiful was she?


    But, even when the manager made a noise to draw her attention, the girl still didn''t turn her body. In the end he should leave with the other waitresses with curiosity that almost killed him, after Torak dismissed him.


    The moment they left, Torak personally approached Raine and hugged her from behind. "Let''s eat before the steak becomes cold." He kissed her nape and grabbed her hand to lead her back to the room.


    The steak was so delightful and drink was so fresh, but most of that was the way Torak treated her during the meal.


    Raine was getting used with how Torak spoiled her, she imagined it would be nice if she met him earlier so she wouldn''t have to endure those terrifying experiences.


    However, she didn''t regret it also because it was in the past and she was so happy with Torak in the present.


    Raine was munching her the last piece of her meat, which Torak had cut for her, when her wrist was grabbed.


    She looked up and saw Torak was frowning. "Yes?" Raine was confused as she was stared that way and when she looked at Raphael and Calleb, both of them also have the same concern etched on their face.


    "Are you hurt?" Torak asked, then his blue eyes looked down to assess her body, but there was no way Raine was hurt under his watch.


    Raine also frowned, she didn''t feel like she was hurt. "No. I am eating."


    "But, why do I smell blood from you?" Calleb also assessed Raine, there were three of them and the metallic scent couldn''t be smelled until just now.


    "Blood? But, I didn''t¡­" Wait. Did he just say blood? Raine stopped mid- sentences as her expression turned ashen. In the next second she jumped from her seat and had her back stick to the wall behind her, held her hand out to stop Torak from coming closer to her.


    She needed to check on something.


    Raine peeked at her behind with dreadful expression. Just like what she had thought, she could see a dark stain on her bottom, because of her oversize sweater, the dark stain also tainted the bottom edge of her sweater.


    Raine felt like crying now.


    Why this must happen in front of them? This was so embarrassing!


    "Raine?" Torak took another step closer, but Raine took steps back while biting her lower lips, her bows furrowed. Then, a realization hit Torak as he smiled indulgently. "Come here, it''s all right." He waved his hand to call for her. "The restroom is over there¡­" He pointed to the private restroom across the room.


    Raphael also finally understood what was going on and took the initiative. "It''s okay, I will buy what you need."


    There was only one person inside that room who was still clueless as he moved his eyes from Torak and Raine then Raphael, who was about to go.


    "What happened? Is she hurt somewhere? The smell of blood is so thick now." Calleb''s expression show a genuine concern.


    But, his comment made Raine gritted her teeth and her face turned crimson red as if someone just boiled her entire body.


    [She is on her period! You idiot!] Raphael chided and glared at Calleb before he walked out of the room as if he didn''t hear anything so Raine would be less awkward.


    "Come here Angel, it''s okay, it''s a normal thing. There is nothing to be embarrassed." Torak tried to persuade her, he reached out his hand while approaching her.


    This time, Raine didn''t move away, but she glanced at the restroom that Torak had pointed. "Turned around." She said. "Turned around please."


    It was fine if it didn''t leave a stain, but the problem was, there was a stain of her blood that quite visible on her bottom and she didn''t want either Torak or Calleb saw it.


    Torak obliged and turned his body he zeroed his eyes at the balcony.


    "Calleb too." Raine frowned at Calleb, who was still staring at her, a bit at lost.


    Only after Torak shot him a dagger look, he turned his body and looked at the same spot as Torak did.


    After that, Raine walked slowly with her back still against the wall, she looked at both of them with wary.


    When the sound of the door being closed was heard, Torak moved his gaze toward the restroom and walked closer. He knocked the door. "Raphael will come with the pad, I will ask him to buy pain relief just in case you need it, so just stay there for awhile, okay."


    "Okay." There was a faint answer from inside.


    Torak didn''t take this matter serious, as he talk about pad and stuff calmly, but Raine couldn''t get use with that, she covered her face with both of her palms while sitting on the toilet.


    All this time her period was always irregular probably due to her stress, that was why, she didn''t know when it would come. She also didn''t have a symptom like a stomach cramp or anything, only she has a little bit mood swing, but it was consider normal.


    There were not an extreme change, thus she didn''t prepare for this. Especially when she was so happy to know that she passed the college exam.


    Not long after that, there was another knock and then Torak''s voice was heard. "Open the door for awhile."


    Raine poked her head through the gap of the door, she was in bad mood now.


    Behind the door, there was only Torak, holding a white plastic bag that he handed it over to Raine.

 Chapter 190 - LOVE YOUR IMPERFECTION

    Take my love. I will never ask for too much. Just all that you are. And everything that you do.


    -I Have Nothing. By: Whitney Housten-


    **************


    However Raine didn''t take it immediately, she looked at Torak as if she was about to burst into tears, this made Torak panic.


    "What happened? Is that hurt so much?" Torak remembered Raine had never had a stomach cramp during her period all this time, but probably this one was different case¡­


    Raine shook her head and bit her lips again, she asked Torak to move closer to her with her pleading eyes.


    "My sweater and pants are stained¡­" She said as quiet as she could, closed her eyes because this was too embarrassing for her. "What should I do¡­?" She couldn''t walk around like this, right?


    "It''s okay." Torak took off his black suit jacket and gave it to Raine. "Cover your pants with this for the meantime." He said.


    Raine looked at the expensive Torak''s suit jacket and felt uneasy. This item must be pricey and she if she wore it, it would be stained as well.


    But, if she didn''t¡­


    Raine felt the spark on her head when Torak rubbed her head lovingly. "Don''t think too much, I need to take you home so will be comfortable. Wear this and we will go home immediately."


    "But, it will be dirty¡­" Raine whimpered. This expensive thing would be dirtied by her menstruation blood¡­ the thought of that made Raine cringed.


    Ugh! What a poor thing¡­


    "I can ask Calleb to buy new clothes for you, but it will take time because there are not clothing store nearby and don''t want you to stay there for long time." Torak caressed her red cheeks. "There is nothing to be embarrassed my love, it''s a normal thing and there is nothing from you is dirty."


    Ugh!


    Even at the time like this Torak''s words always managed to make her heart fluttered.


    "Let''s go home?" Torak nudged his suit jacket toward Raine that she received with half- heartedly. "I will wait here."


    Slowly, Raine closed the restroom door and finished her ''things''.


    It only took Raine a few minutes before she came out with head hung low, there was Torak''s suit jacket was wrapped around her waist.


    Torak smiled softly but didn''t say anything when he put Raine''s baseball hat on her head and grabbed her hand to go out of the room.


    Raine walked silently beside Torak and let him to lead the way.


    When they arrived at the lobby of the restaurant, Calleb and Raphael had been waiting for them inside the car. They also didn''t say anything and act as the embarrassing scene was nothing.


    But still, Raine was very self- conscious now, especially when she had to sit inside the car. She wanted to put a plastic on the spot that she was sitting to avoid stained the car seat as well, but Torak had another idea because there wasn''t any plastic bag there.


    Torak pulled Raine on his laps and sat her there.


    Raine struggled this was much worse than she had to sit on the car seat. "Torak don''t like this¡­" She struggled and tried to get down from his laps, but Torak held her waist and rubbed her back, that felt comfortable, to be honest.


    "Stop moving." Torak rested Raine''s head on his shoulder, cradle her like a baby.


    ==============


    Raine was sitting that way until they arrived at their home.


    When the car had stopped and Raine was about to go inside the house, Torak carried her regardless of her protest and took her directly to their bedroom and then to the bathroom.


    He sat her on small wooden ladder inside the bathroom that usually used to reach an item at the higher place.


    "It''s okay, I can do it." Raine immediately stood up when she watched Torak was about to run warm water on the bathtub. That was too much¡­


    "Just sit okay and let me handle this." Torak kissed her forehead and put her back to sit on the small wooden ladder again.


    Afterward, Torak run warm water to fill the bathtub and put the soap that Raine like. In no time the bubbles appeared on the surface of the water.


    "Thank you¡­" Raine said timidly as she hugged Torak from back.


    "You are most welcome my beautiful angel." Torak caressed her arms that circled on his waist.


    "But, can you wait outside so I can take a bath?" Raine asked.


    Torak turned around and faced Raine, he cupped her face on his big palms. "But, I thought I will take care of you until the end." He enjoyed so much to see how Raine''s face turned even redder, the color spread to her ears and her slender neck.


    She blinked her eyes adorably before she burst into cry and pushed Torak away anxiously. "No. no. no." Raine was terrified to think that Torak would bath her.


    However, Torak didn''t feel the same thing as he laughed out loud. "Alright, alright. I will go." He raised both of his hands, surrendered to Raine''s assault. It always made his mood improve every time he teased her.


    "I will go to the office now. Calleb will be here, if you need anything just call him, okay?" Torak stood at the door, waiting for Raine to reply.


    "Okay." Raine mumbled bashfully as she glanced at Torak''s trousers and sighed in relief because it didn''t stain.


    After saying that Torak left Raine inside the bathroom alone to clean herself and went to the living room, where Calleb was watching a reality show with Raphael was sitting beside him, he was on the phone again.


    Because Calleb was ordered to look after Raine, Raphael was handling all the work related to the company.


    "Ask someone to make a warm tea for her." Torak said to Calleb.


    "Got it." Calleb raised his thumb and nodded.


    "And don''t ever bring this topic and make her uncomfortable." He warned his Gamma.


    "Understood Alpha." Calleb said compliantly.

 Chapter 191 - NOT ALLOWED TO BE EATEN

    When Torak returned at 5.12 p.m, Raine was sleeping soundly. Every time she was in period, her smell tended to change to become sweeter, but still the scent of blood strongly could be smelled as well.


    Probably because she felt someone was inside the room, Raine shifted on the bed and opened her eyes slightly to see Torak was changing his suit with more homey clothes.


    "You come back¡­" Raine rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat down to receive a warm hug and a kiss on her forehead, the thing that Torak always did whenever he had just returned and now became a habit.


    "Did you sleep well? Do you feel hurt somewhere?" From what Torak knew, some woman would tend to have some sort of aches during their period, but gladly Raine has none. "I bring something for you. Do you want to see it?" Torak asked, Raine would like it when she saw what he had bought for her and he was so excited to show it to her.


    "Yes, what is it?" Raine became cheerful again and forgot her sleepiness as she jumped off the bed and urged Torak to show it to her.


    "Come here." Torak grabbed her hand and together they walked down the stairs.


    Torak took Raine to the backyard where Raphael and Calleb were standing and looking down at the box with the color of blue.


    And as soon as Raine walked over and closed enough to see what was inside, she screamed excitedly by the sight of white bunny inside the blue box.


    Raine squatted down beside the box and looked at the bunny, which was only the size of her palm and has the color of pure white that reminded Raine of Torak''s wolf.


    "She is so beautiful!" Raine squalled, carefully she carried and hugged the bunny close to her. "You bought it for me!"


    "Of course it is for you." Torak also squatted down beside her. "What name would you give to her?"


    Raine caressed the soft fur of the bunny as she was thinking of a name. "What do you think is a good name?" She looked at Torak, Raphael and Calleb, asking for their suggestion.


    "Max?" Calleb said that regarded frown from the three people in front of him.


    "It''s a rabbit, not a dog." Raphael chided. "And also this is a female rabbit not a male."


    Torak didn''t say anything while staring at the rabbit on Raine''s laps as she caressed her fur lovingly, her eyes literally twinkled with happiness.


    "How about Mimi?" Raphael suggested.


    "That''s a name for cat, you clueless Beta!" This time Calleb the one who shouted at Raphael as he clicked his tongue.


    "What do you think?" Raine turned to ask Torak''s opinion because the two men were helpless.


    "Anything is fine." Torak said monotonously, his eyes still glued at the bunny that now closed her eyes, relishing Raine''s touch.


    "How about bunny?" Raine said, she looked at the three of them expectantly.


    But, Raphael and Calleb only gave her an awkward smile.


    "Of course that is a bunny." Calleb complained. "Why do you have to call her ''bunny'' again?"


    "I think that name is too plain¡­?" Raphael disagreed with her idea.


    Because Raine didn''t get what she wanted from Raphael and Calleb she turned to Torak again. "What do you think?"


    "Sounds great." Torak said flatly. He furrowed his brows, seeing the bunny was sleeping now.


    Raine was elated when she heard Torak''s approval. "Alright, your name is bunny now." She said adorably. "Bunny''s fur is so soft." She mumbled to herself. "Can I put her cage inside our bedroom?"


    Raine thought it would be nice for having her pet near her, but Torak actually rejected the idea.


    "She can go anywhere inside the house, but not inside our bedroom." He said sternly.


    Raine was quite surprised by Torak''s strong rejection, but probably the reason was because the smell of the bunny bothered him, after all the lycans have a keen sense of smell.


    "Oh, alright¡­" That didn''t make Raine''s happiness ceased down. "I have been wanting to have a bunny since I was child, but my mother had an allergic with fur, so I have never had one." Raine said.


    "Well, now you have it." Raphael said. He brought over the rabbit''s cage that was filled with a small cozy pillow for it to sleep, and a place to eat and drink. "I think the food is ready now, why don''t we go inside and have our dinner? You can play with bunny later."


    Raphael reached out his hand to ask for the bunny to be put inside the cage. Raine gave it to him and watched Calleb took the cage.


    "I will put it there." Calleb pointed a small greenhouse across the yard that filled with plants and flower, it was warm there, so it would be perfect for the bunny to stay.


    "Okay." Raine nodded. She would visit her bunny again after the dinner.


    "Put this to the bunny." Torak suddenly said as he fished out something from his pocket. It was a small rubber ban in red color with a diamond in the middle of it. "Put it on its leg."


    Calleb took the red rubber ban and put it on the bunny hind leg, the red color of it contrasted beautifully with it white fur.


    "Thank you Torak." Raine kissed his cheek because her bunny looked exquisite now.


    "You are most welcome, my love." Torak returned the kiss.


    After that Calleb took away the cage and walked leisurely toward the greenhouse, as he walked he met with two lycans, they were warrior that would come to check on the main house, regardless the human guards were everywhere, Torak still have two or three of their kind nearby.


    "Do you want to eat it raw?" One of the lycan pointed the bunny. "It has been a long time since I ate a raw rabbit meat, want to share with us?"


    Lycan warrior was dominated by their beast side and still has their wild instinct quite strong, so it was common for them to eat something raw, especially when rabbit was one of the options.


    "The Alpha will fry you if you eat the bunny. This bunny is Luna''s pet." Calleb criticized them. "Tell the other to not allow to eat the bunny that has a red sign on its hind leg or The Alpha will be very mad."


    After that he continued to walk to the greenhouse, leaving the two lycans warriors that still confused, they looked at each other as they thought.


    Why their Luna was petting a good food?

 Chapter 192 - FLUFFY

    Honestly, I always feel jealous whenever you give someone the kind of attention that I want from you.


    **************


    After Dinner, Torak has a few things that needed to be handled for tomorrow, so he had spent the last one hour inside his study room with Raphael while Raine and Calleb were playing with the rabbit.


    "Turn back to your human form! You scared the bunny!" Raine slapped Calleb''s front leg in his big grey wolf form while her other hand was holding the trembling bunny.


    Calleb laughed out loud when he saw the scared bunny in Raine''s embrace. "It''s so funny! Thing like this is what we like."


    "What? You like to be feared?" Raine asked incredulously.


    Yet, Calleb only shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "That is our nature. Most of the shifter nature is like that. When our prey is getting more afraid of us, the more excited we will become." Then he added. "That was why Stephan, the dragon shifter, chased after you¡­"


    "Because I was trying to run from him?" Raine concluded. "But, I was scared of him at that time, of course I will run¡­" She tried to defense herself, though it sounded so pitiful.


    "Yes, because that fear. Our kind is like to be the dominant upon other creatures, that''s also the reason why Lycans don''t like the guardian angel long time ago, because it rumored, they were physically the most weakest creatures among the others." Calleb then emphasized. "Physically."


    Raine frowned when she heard that, she shot Calleb a dagger look that was so adorable and made Calleb laughed again by that sight.


    "No offense." Calleb raised his hand upon seeing Raine''s anger. "I don''t thinking that way. Moreover, the moment I was born, the guardian angel had ceased to exist, so I don''t know what kind of creature they were."


    Raine was still upset. She knew, she was weak, but Calleb didn''t need to make it so clear, because Serefina had reminded her about that many times.


    "But, all I know, the only guardian angel that I meet is you, and you are not a weakling in my eyes." Calleb sat down on the bench beside Raine, they were inside the greenhouse now. "You managed to overcome your fear and start to talk again, I think Torak is very proud of you."


    Raine couldn''t help but smile and lowered her head timidly while Calleb sighed in relief because he succeeded to appease Raine''s irk. Torak would get mad if Raine was upset when she was with him.


    Just like Calleb always thought, his mouth always brought trouble for him.


    When Raine lowered her head and looked at the bunny, just then she realized that animal was able to see the shape shifter in their beast form. The bunny on her laps was still shivering out of fear.


    "Why human isn''t able to see the beast form of the shape shifter while the animal can see it?" Raine lifted her head and asked Calleb.


    "Because when we turn into our beast form, actually we are in different realm with human, it''s called spiritual realm, and why the animal is able to see us¡­ hmm¡­ I don''t really understand how it works, maybe Torak or Raphael can give you the answer. I don''t have deep understanding about this." Calleb tilted his head, trying to recall if there was something in his memory about this, but he just couldn''t remember it.


    "You need to study more." Raine chided.


    "What to do? I am still young, I need more experience." Calleb tried to justify his ignorance.


    "72 years old and you call yourself young? You are an old man." Raine sneered him. "I want to come back, maybe he has done with his paperwork."


    And then Raine walked out of the greenhouse with the little bunny in her arms, leaving Calleb mumbled to himself. "How about Torak? He is 869 years old, is he a prehistoric creature?"


    Afterward Calleb followed Raine to go back to the main house.


    Inside the study room, Torak and Raphael were discussing something about their new project when Raine and Calleb went inside the room.


    The first thing that fell on Torak''s sight was the way Raine caressed the bunny in her embrace.


    "Are you done?" Raine walked toward Torak and sat on his laps.


    "Yes." Torak''s eyes zeroed in at the white bunny. "You seem to like the rabbit a lot." He asked in flat tone.


    "Yes. I love it. Bunny is fluffy." Raine said adorably while rubbing the bunny soft fur against her cheeks.


    "Alright, it''s already late. We will discuss about this in the meeting tomorrow." Torak put Raine down from his laps and stood up. "Give the rabbit to Calleb. Let''s go to sleep"


    "Okay." Raine still didn''t feel there was something wrong with Torak when he handed the bunny to Calleb and followed him walked out of the room.


    But, instead of waiting for Raine, like what Torak always did. He went straight to their bedroom and let Raine chased after him.


    Even now, Raine still didn''t realize something was off with Torak and changed her clothes into her sleeping gown once she was inside their room.


    When Raine come back from the bathroom and was about to get into the bed. She almost scream on the top of her lungs when she watched a big white wolf was laying on the bed, occupied almost all the space.


    If it wasn''t because Raine''s mind worked faster than her mouth did, someone would arrive in their bedroom by now.


    "Torak?" Raine called out Torak''s name as she approached him carefully. "Why do you turn into¡­ your wolf form?"


    Torak responded when his name was being called and lifted his big head while his blue eyes stared at Raine, and the moment she had sat down on the edge of the bed, the white wolf put his head on Raine''s laps and nuzzled her hand.


    What is this? Raine thought, puzzled.


    The white wolf nuzzled her hand again because he didn''t get what he wanted.


    Does he want me to pat him¡­?

 Chapter 193 - WE HAVE TO GO NOW

    Raine woke up early when she heard the running water in the bathroom, Torak must be taking a shower right now.


    Raine looked around her and found herself was wrapped inside the warm blanket, but the last thing that she remembered from last night was; she was cuddling with the big white wolf that occupied all the space on the bed until she had to snuggle between his front legs.


    Raine didn''t mind it though as it felt so warm and comfortable, later she would ask Torak to turn into his wolf form again so she could cuddle with the beast.


    Not long after that, Torak walked out from the bathroom with a towel was hanging low on his waist while the water dropped from his hair and broad shoulder.


    He looked directly at Raine, who poked her head from the blanket.


    "Good morning my love." Torak walked over toward Raine and kissed her cheeks wetted her face.


    "Hmm¡­ morning." Replied Raine while wiping her face from the water. "It''s so early¡­ are you going to office?" Raine yawned.


    "Yes, I need to meet someone." Torak rubbed his wet hand against Raine''s face to wake her up. "How if we have lunch together later?"


    Raine swatted Torak''s hand away, irritated because now her face was all wet, then she used the blanket to wipe her face again.


    "Okay." Raine agreed and got off from the bed, she approached Torak and took the towel from his hands.


    As if Torak already knew what she was going to do, he lowered his head to let Raine dried his hair. He had never lowered his head to anyone before this, not even when he faced death itself during the war.


    But, now he did that naturally.


    Raine chuckled to see Torak this way as she remembered how the white beast last night asked to be patted and offered his head, just like this.


    "What it''s so funny?" Torak asked, but he didn''t lift his head.


    "Nothing." Raine said lightly. "I like to start my morning like this." She kissed Torak''s exposed nape that made the Alpha''s body shivering.


    "Alright." Suddenly Torak lifted his head and took Raine''s hand. "Because you already woke up, let''s having breakfast together. Wait for me down stair I will dress first."


    Raine nodded and walked out of the room.


    She was very comfortable with Torak and started to begin to initiate the kiss first and without her knowing it, she didn''t bother anymore to show her affection like the way she kissed Torak''s nape earlier.


    If it was Raine from months ago, she definitely wouldn''t do something like that. But, she was different now and it was a good thing.


    However¡­


    Torak touched his nape, he could still feel the goosebumps all over his skin because of Raine''s kiss, even his eyes flickered with dark color.


    ==============


    "Morning."


    A woman''s voice greeted Raine the moment she stepped inside the dining room and as soon as she heard this, Raine felt her irritation flared up.


    She thought it would be a great day, she started the morning with a smile on her face and even she would have lunch with Torak later, but who would have known that this woman would come to visit at time like this?


    "Don''t give me that look." Serefina waved the bread knife in her slender hand and pointed it to the chair in front of her. "Sit."


    Though this area was protected with spell so no spiritual creatures could come nearby, but this spell was put by her, hence she could come and go as she wish.


    Sullenly Raine sat down on the chair beside the one that Serefina had pointed. The witch only raised her eyebrows upon receiving Raine''s little rebel action.


    "What do you want? Chocolate? Strawberry? Peanut?" Serefina pointed the three jars of jam in front of her while holding a slice of bread in her other hand.


    "No, thanks, I don''t want any." Raine replied, staring at the door with anxious expression.


    Every time Torak met Serefina nothing good would happen. They would either try to tear each other or started to yell at one another.


    "Alright, chocolate then." Ignoring Raine''s rejection, Serefina put the chocolate jam on the bread and took one more bread to make it like a sandwich then gave it to Raine. "Eat."


    Raine frowned. "I said I don''t want it." Her voice neither loud nor quiet, but she said it firmly.


    "Nice, you begin to defy me more often." Serefina flicked her finger and in the blink of an eye the bread disappeared into thin air. "Since you don''t want to have your breakfast, then we can go now."


    "What do you mean with ''we can go?''" Raine literally shrunk back to her seat and looked at Serefina with worry expression when the witch approached her.


    "Of course going to where I have promised you." Serefina stopped before Raine and folded her arms impatiently. "Now stop whining and stand up."


    "But¡­" Raine looked around her. "But I have not prepared anything¡­"


    "I will tell you if you have to prepare something, but since I told you to stand up, so stand up." Serefina was getting more and more irritating the more Raine met her. "We will go now. Moreover, nothing you prepared will be useful anyway."


    Raine suddenly had a bad premonition. Serefina was being secretive like this rose her suspicion. "Where we will go?" She insisted to know.


    "To the time before all of this started." Serefina grabbed Raine''s hand and forced her to stand up because she couldn''t wait forever.


    Once Raine stood up, she swatted the witch''s hand aside and took a step back out of habit whenever she felt threatened.


    "At least I have to tell Torak about this, he will be worry." Raine said.


    Yet, Serefina brushed off her excuse. "No need for that." And as she rejected Raine''s idea to inform Torak, she pulled out something from her pants pocket.


    It happened very fast, even Raine couldn''t see it coming.


    Serefina raised the item and stabbed it right on Raine''s heart.

 Chapter 194 - THE LAND OF GOD

    Raine''s eyes widened in surprised as they traced down to the spot where Serefina had stabbed her. She couldn''t see what was that, but the tip of that thing slowly merged into her body, until nothing that could be seen.


    The weirdest thing was, Raine didn''t feel any pain just like someone who had been stabbed, but she did feel something warm spread on her chest to her body, reaching the tip of her fingers.


    "What are you doing¡­?" Raine was flabbergasted, touching the spot where that thing had penetrated her body. "What is this?" Raine couldn''t feel the existence of it, thus she looked at Serefina in horror. "Say something!"


    Serefina rolled her eyes as if tired with Raine exaggerated reaction. "Look around you." She said lazily.


    Only then Raine realized that she wasn''t in the dining room inside the house, but she recognized this place nonetheless.


    This was the dessert that Raine had visited when she travelled back to the ancient time and was brought to the city of angel.


    Serefina brought her to visit this deserted place again, the same landscape of sand, tumbleweed and dead grasses along with the harsh sun above her head, though Raine only observed this place for a while before she fell unconscious, but she was sure this was the same dessert.


    "Recognize this place?" Serefina asked, without caring about Raine, she walked ahead as her eyes scoured the area.


    "Why we are here?" Raine asked in panic, swallowing her protest because Serefina had stabbed her earlier, Raine followed her and tugged onto her dress, afraid if he was left behind.


    "People call this place is the land of the God." Serefina glanced at Raine who was tugging her dress, but didn''t complain.


    Because Raine had just awake, she was still wearing her peach sleeping gown with long sleeves while Serefina, she looked awfully beautiful in her body- hugged knitted sweater with the color of red and dark high waisted jeans.


    Serefina has that kind of body that could make any men wanted to worship her and any women burst into tears of jealousy.


    Raine couldn''t help, but compare herself with her, even in this situation, her jealousy to Serefina''s body didn''t cease down. She sighed deeply, fortunately the witch personality was so obnoxious, so Raine could hate her without feeling guilty.


    "Land of God?" Raine tried to focus at the matter in hand and get rid of her superfluous feeling. "What is that?"


    "The place that connected every realms." Serefina drew a circle motion with her forefinger in the air, as if she was drawing something, a ring of yellow light appeared, following her movement. "The portal to another realm."


    Raine couldn''t see what was behind the ring, which size was as big as her body, but Serefina surely did know what was that.


    She took a step closer at time with Raine followed behind her. "Stay close with me if you don''t want to get lost." Serefina warned her.


    Of course Raine didn''t need to be told twice, the first experience was enough for her, she didn''t want to wonder in this strange land alone again.


    "Where are we going?" Raine suddenly pulled Serefina''s hand when she was just a step away from the glowing ring.


    "Don''t ask too many questions and just follow me." Serefina glared at Raine.


    However, Serefina had been glare at her for many times that made Raine didn''t feel the same amount of fear like before, she kept asking. "Are we going to the village of angel?" Honestly, she didn''t want to go back to that village again.


    "No. I will not go to that ridiculous village." Serefina scoffed. "That ridiculous village with their ludicrous rules."


    Somehow, Raine chuckled upon hearing Serefina''s statement, and for rare occasion, she agreed with the witch.


    "So, where we will go?" Raine deliberately asked, because she knew Serefina would be so irritated if she kept doing so, at least she could do this to take her revenge on her.


    Yet, Serefina only glanced at her and walked like a model on a catwalk through the glowing ring that she had created.


    In the other hand, Raine''s smirk faded as she hastily followed her.


    The blinding light forced Raine to close her eyes tightly, but she could feel Serefina''s hand within her grasp, she couldn''t afford to lose her grip or else, she didn''t know what would happen to her.


    "Until when do you want to close your eyes?" Serefina''s sharp comment was heard as Raine felt her hand was being swatted away.


    Raine opened her eyes abruptly and took her surroundings.


    They were no longer in the dessert, but now they were surrounded by blue flowers that Raine didn''t recognize what kind of flower they were.


    Raine was so astonished to see this beautiful scenery, not only that, apparently it was midnight in this realm as the full moon shone radiantly in the night sky.


    The sky was so clear without cloud or stars and on earth, row after row blue flowers bloomed to the fullest.


    Raine couldn''t help, but wanted to touch them when she heard Serefina lazy warning. "Don''t touch. It''s poisonous."


    Abruptly Raine drew back her hand. "Why don''t you say it earlier?" She whined. "I could have been death."


    "Don''t exaggerate. The flower will not harm you, but the thorns will." Serefina took a petal of blue flower and squeezed it between her fingers. "The thorns will put you into deep sleep."


    "Like the story of sleeping beauty?" Raine asked innocently as she approached the witch, though Serefina said the flower wouldn''t do any harm, but she wanted to be in the safe side, who knew this witch has something in her mind and did something nonsensical again.


    Serefina sneered at Raine''s question and walked away. "You don''t have imagination."


    The road was slightly uphill, but the witch walked on her high heels just fine, another thing that made Raine amazed about her.


    "Why this has to do with imagination?" Raine mumbled. "Wait. Tell me what was that thing that you used to stab me?"

 Chapter 195 - THE HORN OF UNICORN

    "That''s horn of unicorn." Serefina replied without slowing down her steps while Raine was half running to catch up with her.


    "But, it disappeared into my body." Raine touched her chest where that horn of unicorn had merged. "Will I be all right with that thing in my body?" She was worried. Serefina had said in order to win the war, her death was necessary, but she wouldn''t die now, right?


    As long as there was time, Torak and she would figure out to deflect that dreadful fate, just like Torak had said, the guardian angel didn''t survive the war because no one cared enough to protect them, it sounded cruel indeed, but if they did otherwise who knew what the result would be.


    "The horn of unicorn is only for protection." Serefina looked up and then her right and left as if looking for direction before she walked to her left


    "Protection? Will it give me some kind of power?" Raine kept asking. Though her night gown was made of thin fabric, but this was so warm, like a summer night. "Like flying perhaps? Or, moving thing without touching it?"


    The thought that Raine could do that sort of things excited her.


    "It''s. For. Protection." Serefina spelled every word sternly.


    Raine frowned. "But, protect me from what?"


    Serefina abruptly stopped, turned around and glared at Raine while she blinked her eyes innocently, she put an expectant expression, as if she didn''t know that the witch almost on her wit end.


    Actually Raine did that to irritate Serefina, but half of that questions was something that she indeed really wanted to know.


    With Raine was being here, she would miss lunch with Torak and had to skip her breakfast, thus at least Serefina wouldn''t get easy from her.


    "Protect you from spells. Magic spell, dark spell and curse to the certain point, the horn of unicorn could repel them." Serefina explained impatiently. "You need that because we will enter the village of witch."


    Afterward Serefina continued to walk.


    "Village of witch¡­ village of angel¡­ is there village of fairy?" Raine remembered the fae that she met when Torak took her to the Reika Country. The fae was so beautiful and stunning, it would be wonderful if she could see more of them.


    "Arrgh!" Serefina let out a frustrated growl. "What Torak fed you so you became so chatty like this?!"


    Serefina then made a move with her hand in front of Raine''s face, she could feel the cold wind brushed her skin because of her movement.


    "Be quiet, I need to think." Serefina, once again, looked around her as if she was looking for sign.


    Raine smiled softly, seeing the witch was annoyed, but her smile soon disappeared when she tried to talk and there was no sound came out from her mouth.


    Raine looked at Serefina in panic and tugged her hand anxiously, but the witch just brushed her off while callously saying that she needed Raine to shut up for a while. "You will be normal in three hours."


    Afterward, Serefina looked up to the moon for long time before she walked to her right.


    After five minutes of walk, Serefina stopped again.


    Because Raine has nothing to do, following what Serefina was doing, she looked around her, but only the lushes of blue flower that could be seen.


    "These flowers are so disturbing!" Serefina grumbled angrily. "Should I burn them down?" She talked to herself, considering her words.


    Raine couldn''t relate what was wrong with the flowers with the thing that Serefina has been looking for, but since Serefina didn''t tell her anything, Raine also couldn''t help her, moreover she couldn''t ask her again because she made her mute.


    But, on Raine''s left she watched a blue light of fire from torches, dancing with the wind, and then gradually from the shadow of the flame she could see a hut.


    The hut wasn''t there before so how it suddenly appeared there?


    Raine tugged Serefina''s sleeves, but she swatted her hand away, again and again. "Stop it Raine I must concentrate."


    Irritated, Raine shouted at Serefina. "There is a hut there!" She pointed at the direction of the hut.


    However, that wasn''t the thing that made both of them surprised.


    "You can talk!?" The pitch of Serefina''s voice was so high until it hurt Raine''s ears.


    "I can talk?" Raine was also confused. "But, you said I will not be able to talk before three hours, but this is only ten minutes."


    They looked at each other with furrowed brows.


    "No. You supposed to be not able to talk." Serefina was in denial. Raine was surprised her again and again.


    This wasn''t the first time Raine broke her spell, the most recent occasion she broke her spell was when Serefina tried to strangle her. She broke her spell by moving her hand and scratch her face.


    And then now¡­


    "How can you do that?" Serefina couldn''t help but ask Raine.


    Of course Raine couldn''t answer that, how she supposed to know? She had done nothing particularly. "I don''t know, you are the one who put the spell on me, maybe you lifted it accidentally?"


    "Ridiculous." Serefina scoffed.


    But, then Raine remembered something. "The horn of unicorn." She pointed her chest. "You said it repels all spells, right?" Her face beamed with new acknowledgment.


    Serefina''s face fell upon hearing that.


    "It really works!" Raine touched her chest while laughing when she watched Serefina''s expression turned sour. "So, is it that hut that you are looking for?" She pointed at the direction of the hut.


    Raine was pretty sure, the hut was what Serefina has been searching.


    Meanwhile, Serefina clenched her jaw. She didn''t want to admit it, but Raine was right. She was confused because of the spell on the flowers. Serefina hated flowers, thus it was also her weakness.


    "Yes." Serefina said through her gritted teeth.


    "You can''t see it, can you?" Raine''s eyes sparked as she taunted her.


    "Shut up and let''s go." Serefina yelled at her.


    "Alright, followed me." Raine waltzed ahead, gloated with triumphant smile. "I have to thank you for giving me this precious item."


    At this rate, Serefina really wanted to shoot Raine with fireball.

 Chapter 196 - THE LAST PURE BLOOD

    Raine showed the way to the hut to Serefina with light steps as if she could fly.


    Who would have thought the thing that Serefina gave to her without any explanation and in very rude way, actually backfired at her.


    "But, Serefina¡­" Raine turned around and slowed down her steps, walking beside her. "Why do you think the spell on blue flower is not working on me too? You said the horn of unicorn could repel some magic spell and curses, but I don''t think this spell is in the same level as yours earlier, right?"


    In Raine''s mind, Serefina''s spell to turn her mute was a plaything for the witch, but if Serefina couldn''t nullify the spell in the blue flowers until she wasn''t able to see the hut, this must be something strong.


    However, why this also didn''t work on Raine and let her see the hut?


    "I think about that too." Serefina grumbled, since Raine said she could see the hut, Serefina has been trying to repel the spell that protected it with no avail.


    Actually she could resolve it with burning down the entire field of the blue flower, but that wasn''t a good greeting to the host.


    Raine hummed as she thought about other possibilities. "Maybe this horn of unicorn gives me another power?" She voiced out her opinion.


    "Nonsense." Serefina waved her hand, dismissed the idea. "It''s probably because the spell of blue flower is still within the horn of unicorn range of ability."


    "But, you can''t see it." Raine''s blurted out. Her comment indirectly said that Serefina was way weaker than the witch that put the spell around them.


    Upon seeing Serefina''s face turned ashen, Raine walked ahead and didn''t bother her again.


    Whatever the reason why the horn of unicorn in Raine''s body was able to repel the spell that Serefina couldn''t do, this was still a good thing for Raine.


    They went up toward the hut that was located on the top of the hill in complete silent with the moonlight shone on them, casting their shadow longer than it used to be.


    When they were close enough for Raine to inspect the house, she could see the dilapidated wooden fence that only as high as her waist.


    "We are here." Raine said while pushed open the wooden fence that was squeaking uncomfortably.


    Serefina followed Raine to step inside the yards, only then her eyes could see the hut that she had been looking for.


    At first Serefina was a little bit surprised how the hut was still the same like the last time she was here, like time wasn''t able to change a tiny part of it, but then she realized, the hut never changed because this wasn''t the real time.


    By using Raine''s power Serefina took them to the centuries before the great war between the Lycanthropes and the Devil happened.


    When Serefina was already inside, she stopped her steps and looked around, suddenly she felt the rush of nostalgic feeling swept her body.


    Raine also stopped and stood beside her, she looked at the witch questioningly, but didn''t say anything to interrupt her moment.


    For the first time, Raine saw a gentle smile on her lips, it was so faint until she thought she was seeing thing.


    After minutes passed and Serefina still did nothing, finally Raine opened her mouth and suggested. "Should we call the owner?"


    "There is no need. He will come out." Serefina said, her lime green eyes flickered when she watched the door of the hut was pushed, open and from inside, there was a man that was very tall and skinny.


    That man was wearing black clothes and pants and his hair was as red as fire, the same color of Serefina''s.


    "Who are you!? How could you trespass my place?!" That man rough voice boomed. He walked closer toward Serefina and Raine.


    Raine could feel the anger from that man and she shrunk behind Serefina''s back, who held her ground and didn''t move an inch, waiting for that man to arrive in front of her.


    "Good evening Mr. Alizon." Greeted Serefina.


    That man stopped right in front of Serefina, but before he could get angrier, because the young woman before his eyes didn''t answer his question, his eyes fell on Serefina''s red hair and her captivated lime green eyes.


    "You¡­?" His frown deepened. "Who are you?"


    Fiery red hair with clear lime eyes were the distinctive features of a pure blood witch. But, it was only him the last pure blood witch that still alive in this realm, so where this woman came from. He didn''t remember there was another pure blood too.


    "How do you know my name?!" The man became agitated and when he heard a squeaky sound from the door was being opened. "Go inside Cassandra!"


    But, a figure of delicate woman appeared from behind the door, standing on the threshold. Her fiery long red hair flew with the wind under the moonlight, she was so captivating beyond words, an ethereal beauty.


    "Fabian, who are they?" The woman named Cassandra didn''t listen to her husband, but didn''t approach them too.


    Serefina''s eyes turned foggy the moment Cassandra came into her line of sight, but she answered them with steady voice. "My name is Serefina and this is Raine." She grabbed Raine''s wrist and pulled her to stand beside her.


    "Serefina¡­" The man named Fabian enunciated her name. "¡­ You are a witch." That was a statement.


    "Yes, I am." Serefina nodded, but didn''t explain further.


    "What clan are you?" Fabian, once again, glanced at Serefina''s red hair and stared deeply into her lime green eyes.


    "I don''t belong to any clan." Serefina answered truthfully, she didn''t associate with those witches in her real era. She was the last pure blood witch and was strong enough to stand on her own.


    Serefina''s answer made Fabian frowned and then his eyes fell on Raine. "She is not a witch. She is an angel." He stated. "What an angel is doing in the land of witch?"

 Chapter 197 - GRIMOIRE

    Just like the other creatures, which looked for the guardian angel to sap their power to became stronger, the witches also have the same idea, but not for the pure blood witch.


    The pure blood witches took the same standing like the Lycanthropes regarding this matter, they were already strong and haughty enough to use that kind of method.


    "Why is there an angel here?" Fabian frowned at Raine. His eyes moved to assess her, in case he made a mistake by recognizing the creatures in front of him.


    It was very rare occasion that an angel walked away from their own village, the place that the shadow warrior was guarded, because once the angel went out of their place, they were either die because was attacked by other creatures and their power was sapped, or couldn''t survive the law of nature.


    Thus, Raine was being there was confused him.


    Ignoring Fabian''s question, Serefina spoke straight to the business. "I came to see your grimoire. The family hereditary book."


    "What?" Fabian was flabbergasted by Serefina''s request. The grimoire was like a treasure for the witch that couldn''t be handed over casually, especially to someone who they has just met for less than ten minutes.


    "Just like you can see, I am the pure blood witch too." Serefina stood unwavering under Fabian''s dangerous gaze. "So, this is my right too, to see the family hereditary book."


    Fabian was speechless for a moment by Serefina''s boldness, but then he scoffed. "I am the last pure blood witch and I don''t know you!" As the blood line was counted from men side, so Fabian mentioned himself as the last one.


    Both of them were so stubborn and just couldn''t calm down, Raine felt like it would be an another battle again.


    Why Serefina has extremely horrible attitude? She shouldn''t ask something from someone that way, right? Especially when it was only their first encounter and they didn''t know each other.


    "This will be so annoying." Serefina grumbled as she clicked her tongue in irritation. "You can see it that I am a pure blood witch."


    "Appearance could be deceiving." Fabian was squinted his eyes, he was in defensive position, ready to attack if Serefina did something fishy.


    Yet, Serefina didn''t take that seriously as she flicked her fingers lazily and put out her closed right palm in front of her, so Fabian could see it.


    And when she opened her palm there was a blue flower, the same exact flower that filled the hill. Under Fabian''s questioning eyes, Serefina squeezed the flower as it turned into red smoke.


    However, the red smoke form a shape of an animal before it disappeared with the wind, Raine didn''t have time to figure out what animal it was, as it happened too fast.


    Regardless, the expression of Fabian changed drastically. "How can you do that!?"


    Seeing her husband was having a long conversation with the two strangers and witnessed what Serfina just did, Cassandra walked slowly to approach them.


    "The blue flower only shows red smoke in the hand of pure blood witch¡­" She uttered in disbelieve.


    That was the fact and what Serefina did was undeniable prove that she was the pure blood witch as she had said earlier, thus she had a full access to the grimoire that she wanted.


    "I have proven myself, now show me the grimoire." Serefina clapped her hands as if there was remaining dust there.


    Fabian looked at Serefina in disbelief, but the thing that she had done was indeed only the pure blood could do.


    Thus, he took Cassandra''s hand and walked back toward the hut while told them to follow him. "The grimoire is inside."


    Serefina raised her eyebrows. "Stay behind me." She said to Raine and then she grumbled in frustration. "This old man really something¡­"


    Raine, who was out of place, only could follow Serefina and the other walked into the hut.


    The hut wasn''t big, but was comfortable enough for two people lived there and almost all the interiors there were made of wood.


    Though the room was warm, but fire flickered at the fireplace.


    "Wait here, I will get the grimoire." Fabian said, grumbling and going to one of, Raine assumed, the bedrooms while Cassandra went to make some drink for Raine and Serefina.


    The inside style of this hut reminded Raine to Lydia''s house in the village of angel.


    It was only Raine and Serefina in the living room, while Serefina was standing near the fireplace, Raine was looking at the blue flower field through the window in oval shape with crossed wood in the middle of it.


    Not too long, Cassandra returned first with two steaming drinks that still have white smoke on it.


    Raine was so drawn by Cassandra''s beauty and apparently Serefina did too, she was staring at the woman without blinking, even when Cassandra handed the drink to her, she was still looking at her intensely.


    Raine thanked Cassandra and walked toward Serefina. "She is very beautiful, isn''t she?" She whispered to her.


    "Yes." Serefina agreed immediately.


    Serefina''s answer caught Raine out of guard, what on earth she was saying? Raine was confused because she expected Serefina to say something like; she was prettier than her.


    Well, both of them so beautiful and couldn''t be compared.


    Raine pouted, she was jealous again, but slightly relief because Torak wasn''t there to see the beauty of this woman.


    After giving the drinks to Raine and Serefina, she stayed there and looked at both of them with curious expression.


    "Where are you from?" Cassandra frowned. "Your outfit is a little bit¡­"


    "Weird." Serefina finished the sentence. "We come from a very far place."


    When the conversation just started, Fabian came out from the bedroom while holding a big and thick book, then he put it down on the table.


    The book was so big that it covered almost the round table.


    "Here the grimoire that you want." Fabian looked at Serefina with cunning smirk grazed his lips, yet the same smile also appeared on Serefina''s lips.

 Chapter 198 - SHE KNOWS ALL!

    Serefina peered at the grimoire on the table indifferently.


    "Here the grimoire that you want." Fabian sat down beside Cassandra and put his arm around her shoulder, he pointed the grimoire with his chin.


    Serefina didn''t move an inch when she waved her hand toward the grimoire and in the next second, that book caught fire. The flame was the color blue and it didn''t take long time for the book to turn into dust.


    Cassandra shrieked and Fabian abruptly stood up in shock as their eyes zeroed to the remaining black spot where the grimoire was.


    "What you have done!!?" Fabian roared and the entire hut was shaking, gravel and dust fell down from the ceiling.


    "Serefina¡­" Raine crept closer at the witch while her eyes looking at her surrounding, it felt like they were in the middle of earthquake. "Why did you do that?" She was afraid that this hut would collapse, it was fine for the three of them because they were witches, they could use some sort of spell to save their life.


    But, Raine wasn''t a witch and though she was immune to some spell, but she didn''t think the horn of unicorn inside her body would be much of help when the ceiling fell on her head.


    "Stop your poor acting." Serefina commented lazily. "Stop playing with me, give me the real grimoire."


    All of sudden the hut stopped shaking and everything became still.


    "How do you know that was a fake?" Fabian folded his arms on his chest arrogantly, this sort of act reminded Raine of someone. "Nobody had ever seen the grimoire since years ago."


    The grimoire that Serefina was looking for wasn''t a personal grimoire, it was a hereditary book from the first witch that would only be given to the first son in the family and he would keep it until he could give it to his son and so on.


    Though Fabian wasn''t the first son of the family, but he was the last one in their bloodline.


    "Unfortunately I am not coming from the past." Serefina mimicked Fabian''s gesture as she folded her slender arms too. "I come from future."


    "Future?" Fabian scoffed when he said that words. "Don''t make me laugh, maybe you are blessed with a foresight, but to say you are coming from future is too much, right?"


    Ignoring Fabian''s rhetorical question, Serefina shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly. "I am not here to convince you about my origin and I don''t have much time for that." She tucked her short fiery hair on the back of her ear while saying. "Mr. Alizon, I think you need to say goodbye to your wife for awhile. We will leave to get the grimoire early in the morning."


    "What!? I am not taking any order, especially not from a young witch like you!" Fabian was irritated by Serefina''s way of talk, Raine would agree to it if she heard this. Fabian thought, he should be the one who called the shot, not her. "Maybe you don''t know about the rule of the grimoire. That book is only given to the first¡­"


    "¡­son of the family." Serefina ended his statement then sighed deeply when she watched Fabian frowned. "I know the rule."


    "But, you get the wrong person. I am not the first son and also that book shouldn''t belong to woman." Fabian tried to find another excuse.


    "That book shouldn''t belong to the third son of the family, but it ended up with you, so why you couldn''t bend the rule for me too?" Serefina opened her palm to stop Fabian to rebuke her. "You have that book and you have been hiding it in the sacred place, because you are not the first son and obviously I am not too, that place wouldn''t open for me, but I know a way to open that place and I need you to come as well."


    Fabian was flabbergasted by Serefina''s knowledge about the family rules. "Who are you? And why do you need the book?"


    Serefina glanced at Raine before she said. "I want to know about the guardian angel, who possessed the power to control the flow of the time."


    Upon hearing that, Fabian''s face darkened, he clenched his jaw. The thing that Serefina wanted to kno was indeed described inside the grimoire.


    Fabian had opened it once when he received it for the first time, he even spent a week to figure out that book and learned the existence of the guardian angel who could control the time.


    The story of the angel related to their ancestor''s fate and only a handful people from their family who knew about this story, because not all of the holder of the grimoire would spend time to read their history.


    "Cassandra, can you prepare a room for them? I will prepare my thing." Fabian caressed his wife''s cheeks.


    "Can I go with you all? I don''t want to be left alone." Cassandra whined and leaned over to Fabian''s touch, her eyes glimmered expectantly.


    "I will comeback as soon as possible." Fabian assured her. "Moreover, you can''t take this long trip."


    "Don''t worry, he will return within two weeks." Serefina said casually and added. "Moreover, there is something more precious that you must protect."


    There was a surprise passed Cassandra and Fabian''s expression, their lips quivered to form a question, but Serefina answered it before they could ask.


    "She will grow up to be a very beautiful and elegant lady and the most important thing is, she will be a great witch, a powerful witch who will not be underestimated by others." There was a smug smile on her red lips.


    "''She?''" Cassandra said that words incredulously. "But, how¡­ it is ''she''?"


    This was another surprised that Serefina had given to Fabian since she arrived, yet if they were a little bit aware, they would realize that Serefina was walking toward the guest room with Raine followed behind her.


    Though this was the first time she was here, but it seemed she knew this place like the back of her hand and moved freely.

 Chapter 199 - THE SECOND SON

    Early in the morning, Serefina woke Raine up from her deep slumber.


    Because the sun had not risen yet, the entire room was dark, the only source of light was the flicker of a fire from a candle that almost died out.


    Raine rubbed her sleepy eyes as she looked at her surrounding through her lashes. "Where am I?" She yawned and tried to open her eyes to look at Serefina in front of her.


    "Wake up, you sleepyhead and dress up!" Serefina threw a dress to Raine and walked out of the room while saying. "Get up, if you late for breakfast, you will not get any."


    Raine stared at the dress in her hand in the dim light as her mind recalled the event yesterday and sighed in regret because she couldn''t have a lunch with Torak, she did wonder about Torak''s reaction the moment he found out Raine had disappeared again.


    Serefina should have told Torak about this or at least she could leave a message, but no. The witch always looked for trouble with Torak. She must have done this intentionally to irk the Alpha.


    Raine stared at the dress in her hand and felt the softness of its fabric. It felt good. Then she jumped off the bed and wore the dress.


    Because of her grumbling stomach, she was reminded when the last she ate¡­


    Raine even didn''t get her breakfast yesterday.


    ==============


    When Raine entered the dining room, there was only Serefina and Cassandra, talking.


    "Good morning." Mumbled Raine because the two of them were too engrossed in conversation to notice her.


    "Oh, good morning." Cassandra smiled politely at Raine while Serefina simply threw her a glanced and signaled Raine to sit beside her.


    Raine followed her signal and sat down beside the witch as she started to pour herself a cup of milk, she knew the jar was contained with milk because this wasn''t her first time in this era, yet this was the first time for Raine to see Serefina was having a conversation with other people without irritated them, Cassandra even seemed enjoying the topic.


    "So, my child is a girl? Are you sure about that?" Cassandra asked in amazement. "How do you know that? Even for the pure blood witch, to be able to see the future is considered as a talent."


    "I just know it. There is nothing special about this." Serefina shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly upon receiving praise from the woman.


    Raine was trying to stop herself from jeering at Serefina''s words. The witch knew nothing about future, but she acted like she was powerful enough for having such ability, but she wisely didn''t make a single remark about it and tried to busy herself to eat her bread and milk.


    However, now Raine was curious about the identity of Cassandra, she must be someone that Serefina had known.


    "A powerful witch?" Cassandra fascinated with the words as a soft smile appeared on her lips. "That sounds so great. My child''s name will be known to many people¡­ I can''t wait for that day to come." She rubbed her stomach affectionately.


    The thing that Cassandra didn''t know and Serefina didn''t tell her was the fact that she wouldn''t be there for her daughter when that moment happened.


    A moment later, Fabian joined the early breakfast in bad mood as if the wrinkle in his brows carved permanently between his eyes.


    "We need to take a detour for the trip to the sacred place." Fabian informed Serefina in gruff voice. He stabbed his meat in irritation and munched it.


    "Why?" Serefina slightly raised her eyebrows questioningly, so did Cassandra, they mimicked each other perfectly.


    "The Luna of the Lycanthrope is giving a birth to a son, so they will make a ceremony in the Cartier village and around that area." Fabian stopped for a while to gulp down his milk. "I don''t want to be in the same place with the lycanthropes, their kind, sometime, very unreasonable. There is a high chance to irritate them without we are aware about it."


    "Oh¡­" Cassandra made an expression as if she just remembered something. "The ceremony of the heir of the Alpha will be spectacular. They also did this when their first son is born." She recalled something.


    "Yes, the security was so tight at that time, even though they said every creatures might join the celebration, but I don''t think they could move freely there as the lycanthropes are feared by many." Fabian added.


    The celebration was open for any creatures, but they would be under strict supervision and wouldn''t be allow to see the Alpha''s baby.


    The only thing that caught the other creatures'' attention was the sumptuous meal and the chance to see the most feared Alpha in this realm.


    The words of Alpha made Raine turned her head to listen to their conversation.


    "In normal day, Cartier village is the fastest route to take to reach the sacred place." Cassandra stated as she drank a cup of warm water instead of milk because she had an allergic to milk.


    "Let''s take a detour." He grumbled.


    "No, we will take the usual route through the Cartier village." Serefina said in finality as she gulped down the warm water in her cup.


    "Don''t you hear what I said?" Fabian stared at Serefina sharply.


    Yet, once the stubborn witch had decided on something she would go along with her plan. "Don''t you care to return early for your wife and child?"


    Serefina''s comeback made Fabian shut his mouth. Of course he wanted to come back as soon as possible, if it wasn''t because Serefina had proved herself as one of the pure blood, Fabian wouldn''t leave his pregnant wife alone in their home.


    Seeing the atmosphere became so tense, Cassandra tried to lighten up the mood as she ask in casual tone. "I had seen the Alpha and he seems not that scary and troublesome." She uttered. "This celebration is for their second son, do you know the baby''s name?" Cassandra asked Fabian beside her.


    "Torak Donovan." Answered Fabian in flat tone.

 Chapter 200 - THE FIRST ENCOUNTER BETWEEN THE GUARDIAN ANGEL AND THE WITCH

    Raine was coughing profusely, because the moment Fabian mentioned Torak''s name, she was drinking her milk and the surprised made her to spill some of the milk to her dress.


    "Careful." Said Serefina, as she looked at the mess that Raine had made in disgust, she handed over a napkin to her.


    "Are you alright?" Cassandra asked in concern.


    "I am fine." Raine mumble her answer as she received the napkin and patted the wet spot in her dress because of the milk, then glared at Serefina.


    What this witch was trying to do? She actually brought them to the day Torak was just born.


    Serefina acted as she didn''t see that, Raine could say she was an expert to ignore people, and continued to chat with the couple in front of her.


    "I had seen their first son too, and the boy is not that vicious too¡­ I think¡­" Cassandra added, slightly doubted her own judgment.


    "Lycanthropes and werewolves usually will not care about the other creatures as long as we stay out of their territory, pack and family." Serefina said. "Those are the only things that they cared the most."


    "Hmm¡­" Cassandra nodded her head. "That how they live, after all."


    Fabian still didn''t like the idea that they had to go through the Cartier village. "They are haughty creature!" He scoffed.


    Beside Serefina, Raine was still not yet over her shock and tugged Serefina''s sleeves, the witch was wearing a white dress, which fit with the style in this era, that contrasted with her fiery red hair.


    "Is that the same Torak Donovan? My mate?" Raine asked in very low voice until it seemed only her lips that moved, yet Serefina could understand that nonetheless.


    "Yes, happy to meet your mate?" Serefina asked in mocking tone. She would always look irritated by the mention of word ''mate''.


    Raine ignored the way she talked and only focused on the fact that she would be able to see baby Torak, Raine wondered how Torak would look like as a baby. That thought excited her and it was easy to read what she was thinking now.


    "Stop whatever you are thinking now, we will not see him." Serefina uttered the fact. "I take you in this era not for you to see him."


    Raine pouted upon hearing that and resumed to eat her breakfast sullenly. The bubble of curiosity in her head plopped one by one.


    "I think we are ready to leave now." Fabian wiped his mouth with the napkin and stood up, Cassandra also stood up with him, she looked didn''t have appetite to eat anything as all she drank was only a cup of warm water.


    "Cassandra, can I have the thing that I ask before?" Serefina asked.


    "Oh, I almost forgot. A minute please, I will get it." Cassandra strode across the room and entered her bedroom while Fabian had walked out of the house and was waiting for them at the threshold.


    It didn''t take a long time for Cassandra to comeback while holding a purple cloak in her hand that she gave it to Serefina.


    "Wear this." Serefina said as she gave it to Raine and gave a brief explanation. "This will cover your scent, so no one will know you are an angel."


    Raine received it and wore it, but she still asked. "What will happen if they know?"


    "The lycanthropes and werewolves probably will not care much about that, but the other creatures that attend the celebration will have their eyes on you. I don''t have to explain about how bad for you to be sapped out of your power right?"


    Lydia''s words rang again in Raine''s head about what would happen to the guardian angel that was sapped from her power. The fate of them, would be worse than death itself.


    Raine tightened the purple cloak around her and tight her hair up like what Serefina did and followed her out of the house where Fabian has been waiting for them.


    The sky started to bright up with the presence of the sun on the horizon with stars were still visible to see, peppered all over the sky with birds soared gracefully. The air was fresh, yet a little bit chill.


    Raine followed Serefina walked toward the dilapidated wooden fence and waited there for Fabian, who was saying his private goodbye to his wife and the baby in Cassandra''s stomach.


    "They look so sweet together." Raine sighed cheekily when she watched Fabian bent over and applied kisses on Cassandra''s tummy.


    "Their relationship will not last for long." Serefina said in cold tone.


    "Why?" Raine switched her attention to Serefina beside her, but the witch was looking at the couple from afar with face that devoid from any emotions. "Something bad will happen to them?"


    Serefina averted her eyes and looked at her, somehow Raine could feel a tinge of sadness from the way the witch looked at her until she flicked her head hardly.


    "Aww!" Raine protested and covered her forehead. "What are you doing?! It''s really hurt!" That flicked wasn''t like the flick that Torak would give to her, the pain was real as it brought tears to Raine''s eyes.


    "Stop asking. You become more talkative day by day." Serefina then turned around when she saw Fabian had done talking to Cassandra and walked away from the threshold.


    "But, you don''t have to flick my head that hard¡­" Raine whined pitifully.


    ==============


    The vast field of blue flowers was incredibly stunning under the ray of the sun as they walked down the hill.


    Raine was enjoyed the scenery very much while listening to the conversation between Serefina and Fabian regarding the book.


    "How do you know about the mentioned of the guardian angel inside the book?" Fabian still couldn''t get over that fact. "Actually, the book doesn''t mention much about the guardian angel as it only tell you about the first encounter between the guardian angel, who possessed the power to control the time, and our ancestor. Not even the previous holder would read that story as they would only look for a powerful spell." He said in matter of fact tone.

 Chapter 201 - THE SAME BAD PERSONALITY

    Serefina listened to Fabian''s opinion, but didn''t say much about it. In the end she only said. "Because I see ''things''." To appeased Fabian''s curiosity.


    There was no need for Serefina to explain it in detail because Fabian would have a hard time to believe it too, and this was a better way to keep all in place just like how it supposed to be.


    Raine, who was walking behind them, tilted her head as she has her own theory, but it sounded so crazy even before she could voice it out.


    At first Raine was so fascinated by the blue flowers, however as they had walked for hours, the beauty of the unique flower didn''t captivate her anymore when she felt her feet became stiff and sore because of the long walk.


    "Is it still far¡­?" Raine finally asked gingerly, she didn''t want to slow them down, but her feet really couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Around one hour." Serefina said in flat tone.


    It was unsure whether it was because Raine was too weak for physical activity or the two witches simply have a very strong stamina, but even after hours of walk, both of them didn''t even break a sweat.


    One hour more¡­


    Raine gritted her teeth and held back her complaint as she walked slowly behind both of them.


    "Don''t blame me, but blame him who is very stubborn for us to walk out of this stupid blue flowers'' field rather than to tear the spell down." Serefina glanced at Raine''s painful expression. "If only he set this place free from his protection magic, we will be able to reach the Cartier village faster." She put the blame on Fabian.


    "I will not risk my wife safety for that sort of convenience." Fabian said stubbornly.


    Because of Fabian''s protection magic, they couldn''t perform another magic within the protection spell in this area.


    "You can charm this place again once you returned." Serefina complained.


    However, her complain was going to the drain when Fabian dismissed it with the reason. "Who will know what will happen during the time when this place is not protected? There are many creatures looking for us nowadays I can''t risk to take that option young lady." Fabian answered her in sarcastic tone.


    Raine could relate that as Torak would do the same for her as well if he had to leave her alone, that was why Calleb would always be with her whenever Torak wasn''t around. He trusted her to the man that he trusted the most, only then Torak could feel a bit at ease.


    Serefina let out a frustrated sighed and threw her hands up in defeat. "Whatever."


    Even though Raine could relate with Fabian''s reason, but it didn''t change the fact that her feet almost fall apart as she follow them silently.


    When one hour passed and they could finally see a steel gates in the faded color of white, Serefina took Raine''s hand and together they walked pass the gates.


    The gates was a magic, because the moment they stepped out from it was a beautiful scenery of a city''s old historical quarter, this place was amazing.


    A large, expensive carriage was passing them by, led by the strangest animal Raine had ever seen, they were like horses, but has two head in each their body with silver stripes.


    At the sight of them, Raine''s eyes widened, and on instinct, she scurried behind Serefina''s back. "What is that?" She whispered to the witch, but she put her focus on the crowd of people around them.


    "Let''s go." Fabian said, walking on the road at his right side with Serefina and Raine followed behind him.


    When Raine turned around to look at the gates where they came from, the gates was still there, but every passerby seemingly didn''t notice about it and just walked without giving a single glance.


    With new scenery around Raine, she was distracted from her sore feet, but this only for awhile as the pain disturbed her again.


    "Serefina¡­ I am so tired and my feet are really hurt, can we take a rest for a while pease?" Raine pleaded, as much as she didn''t want to slow them down, yet her feet couldn''t take it any longer.


    Inadvertently the two witches stared at Raine in mocking face as they said in the same tone and words. "You are so weak."


    This harsh comment made Raine frown and slightly taken aback.


    "I thought it was only a rumor when they said angels are weak creatures among us, physically, but now I realize that rumor must be true." Fabian stated harshly.


    If it was Raine''s old self, she would have burst into tears when she hear that rude comment, but thanked to Serefina, she started to get used to hear that sort of comment, yet it was still hurt nonetheless.


    Raine fell into complete silence as she stared at Fabian.


    After he made a ruthless comment, apparently he still has his conscience attached as he looked around for a bar for them to take a rest.


    "Come on, this way." Fabian signaled them to follow him.


    Though Fabian was ordering them around to follow his lead from now and then, odd enough that Serefina didn''t take an offense about this, knowing her dominant self, she would argue with him.


    "Rude comment, bossy, bad attitude¡­" Raine listed Fabian''s behavior and looked at Serefina beside her, the two of them walked a few steps back from Fabian, so he wouldn''t be able to hear their conversation. "You really take after your father¡­"


    Raine''s last comment made Serefina whipped her head and stopped her steps. "What did you say?" Her face turned ashen when she looked at Raine and this made her puzzled.


    "Why? Am I wrong? You are not their child?" Raine also frowned, she was pretty sure when Serefina told Cassandra that her baby girl would be a powerful witch, she was bragging about herself.


    "Wrong." Replied Serefina curtly as she continued to walk inside the bar.


    "I am weak, but I am not stupid. No offense, but you two have the same bad personality and the rare talent to annoy other people." Raine groaned as she followed her entered the bar.

 Chapter 202 - REST AT A BAR

    Despite Serefina''s rejection to admit the truth, Raine could see her expression slightly change a bit when she mentioned Fabian as her father.


    "So, he is really your father, isn''t he?" Raine pressed the topic again and walked quickly to catch up with Serefina.


    Abruptly Serefina turned her body and glared at Raine viciously. "Listen." She inhaled deeply to compose herself. "There is something that you shouldn''t say it out loud even though you know the truth." She said in warning tone.


    "So, that is true?" Raine ignored Serefina''s warning tone and insisted to her opinion.


    This time Serefina didn''t bother to talk to her and strode away toward Fabian, who had sat down at one of the table, then ordered herself a drink.


    Raine followed Serefina and sat down beside her as she concluded that her theory was right, yet didn''t talk about that again because the witch didn''t want Fabian to know about the truth, there must be a reason for her to keep it secret.


    "What do you want weakly?" Fabian asked Raine carelessly.


    "That''s rude." Raine stared at Fabian, who was sitting in front of her, in annoyance she didn''t even bother to hide her dissatisfaction.


    "Give her a cup of cold water." Serefina didn''t even bother with Raine and Fabian squabbled as she ordered the three of them drinks.


    Despite the fascinated city''s view outside, Fabian chose to enter this poorly lit bar. This damned place was nearly empty, there was only a few barflies in the corner.


    One of them has been looking at Raine and Serefina, the only female there, with his dark eyes, but when Raine looked at him back the man averted his eyes and took one extra shot then hiccupped.


    Raine decided to not think much about his action and waited for her drink while massaging her aching feet.


    "We have to reach the Cartier village before the sun down." Fabian said in gruff tone. "I don''t want unnecessary trouble because we bring her along." He nodded his chin at Raine.


    Raine pretended to not hear what Fabian had said, the witch saw her as a burden. It was expected from him.


    Serefina glanced at Raine. "I think the cloak will hide her scent well." She said. This wasn''t a mere cloak, because she had asked Cassandra to put something on it, so it would be perfectly fine for Raine to roam around.


    "The scent is fine, but her behavior is another case." Fabian looked at Raine up and down. "Overly timid and soft nature¡­ even without her scent I will have my own suspicion toward her. She is either an angel or a fae and nothing good will come from both creatures."


    The angel would draw attention of dark creatures that coveted for power while Fae would be taken as a slave. This was the era where the weak party would perish.


    While some lucky fairy would be under the protection of the pack of Lycans or werewolves because of their useful power, some of them would use their power to hide from their predator and led a secluded live.


    And for the angel, they only lived in the village of angel, where the shadow warriors guarded that place tightly and no one would be allowed to enter the area.


    "No one will realize if she is an angel, because no angel will leave their village and if they assume she is a fae, no one will do anything to her because we will enter the Lycan''s territory." Serefina assessed the situation.


    Fabian shrugged his shoulder. "I just warned you."


    The drinks came. A man that Raine assumed was a barboy put down two big size bottles of beer and a cup of cold water on the table.


    Serefina pushed the water to Raine and let her to drink.


    As Serefina and Fabian chatted about the grimoire, Raine looked at the road through the dirty windows as the sunlight fell on her face, it was a sunny day and there were a lot of thing that piqued Raine''s curiosity.


    However, she felt that again. The feeling of someone was staring at her and it came from the direction of that man with dark eyes.


    When Raine turned her gaze to stare back at him, at the same time, he stood up and paid his bill and then walked out of the bar.


    With that, Raine thought she was getting a little bit of paranoia because of this whole situation and brushed away her wariness.


    Not long after that, a few plates of snack that Serefina had ordered come and distracted Raine''s train of thought as the shapes of them were so peculiar.


    "What is this¡­" Raine pointed at the small thing like black stones that was still steaming with white smoke.


    "Stone of dew." Said Serefina as she plopped one into her mouth.


    Raine blinked her eyes and looked at the thing that Serefina called as ''Stone of Dew'', it looked like stone, but nothing like dew.


    Raine took it one and surprisingly, the stone is not hot, but cold instead. She took a bite of it, yet she was mistaken again, it was nothing but very soft and moist in her mouth.


    "Good, right?" Serefina looked at Raine''s cheerful expression as she pushed the stone of dew''s plate in front of her. "Try the other dishes too. You will not find it anywhere."


    With that, the conversation turned to be the two of them introduced all the food on the table to Raine, some of it has a strong smell with bitter taste that almost made Raine puke, while the other was so sweet until Raine''s teeth ached.


    There was nothing Raine could eat, except the stone of dew.


    Meanwhile, Serefina and Fabian enjoyed to see Raine''s reaction after she tasted the food and made a sharp comment about her weak endurance. Not only that, they also tried to order another strange things for her to try.


    At this point, Raine assumed the sharp tongue ran down in the family of witch.

 Chapter 203 - CARTIER VILLAGE

    A whole new world


    With new horizons to pursue


    -A Whole New World; Aladin-


    **************


    The three of them stayed at the bar for two hours. When Raine had been fed and laughed at, they finally continued their trip to the Cartier village.


    When they were outside, the sun was scorching hot, burning their skin.


    It didn''t take Raine even ten minutes, before she drenched in sweat. The purple cloak that currently she was wearing didn''t help too, but unfortunately she couldn''t take it off of her, in order to cover her identity.


    "D*mn! She is sweating like human!" Fabian scrunched his nose in displeasure. "Can''t we just bundle her up? She has been trying to reveal her identity!"


    "I didn''t do that!" Raine retorted.


    In this season, with the sun was only above their head, and many layers of dress added to the cloak, Raine was actually had already bundle up and extremely uncomfortable, of course normal human would have been sweating profusely by now.


    The problem was, Raine was surrounded by non- human beings and became a normal human at time like this was a sin. She could lost her live without her knowing it.


    "She is really hopeless." Fabian complained, feeling frustrated by the situation.


    Yet, Serefina, who always been a demanding person, actually became unusually quiet and let Fabian grumbled whatever he want to say.


    Serefina then stopped a carriage that was pulled by the odd horses that Raine saw earlier in this morning. Probably this thing could be consider as a taxi in her era.


    "Let''s go." Serefina held the door open for Raine and Fabian so the two of them could go inside first before she followed after. She told the driver their destination.


    Raine was exceptionally excited to be able to be in the carriage that was pulled by two strange creatures like horses with two heads. The three of them sat on the comfy seats as the carriage cantered off.


    In front of Raine and Serefina, Fabian rested his head back on the cushioned seat as he mumbled. "The trip to Cartier Village will take at least five hours, I will just take a nap."


    Raine blinked her eyes upon hearing that. "If by this carriage, it takes five hours to the Cartier village¡­ then were you planning to walk all the way to Cartier village if I am not sweating? How long it will take?" She was dreadful to think about that.


    What happened with these witches? Did they really like to walk so much?


    "Don''t think too much about that, he just teased you." Serefina nodded at Fabian, who had closed his eyes, and then rested her back against the cushioned. "You should take a nap too, I don''t want to stop every now and then because you need to take a rest."


    With that was being said, Serefina closed her eyes, tried to sleep as well.


    Raine scrunched her nose as she looked at Serefina and Fabian, both of them have the same sleeping position with their head dangled to one side and hands in front of their chest.


    However, Raine couldn''t fall asleep like the two of them, the scenery behind the window was simply so amazing and captivating.


    Raine opened the window of the carriage to let fresh air came inside because the carriage was speeding up. She was struck by how dazzled this place was, watching stone statues lining the road until they reached crossroad and then they passed a grand fountains.


    The streets were bustling with vendor selling bread or fresh smell tea and strange food.


    It would be perfect if Torak was here with her. Raine thought as she daydreamed this magic place where there was real King and Queen.


    Looking at this sight, made Raine recalled her childhood when she used to believe there was magic and a castle, she giggled. The magic was true, but she had not yet seen the castle.


    The sun still shone brightly and illuminated every dark corner of the street that it could reach. Raine was awake for two hours to relish the scenery around her, but then she followed the witches into a deep sleep, as she was so tired of this abrupt journey and surprises.


    Everything happened too fast and sometime she had a hard time to keep up with her new live after she met Torak, there were simply many things that she needed to learn as she found new understanding. Yet, Raine was happier now than her last nine years of life.


    ==============


    "Hey, wake up! We are here." Serefina''s voice travelled to Raine''s ears as she shook her body lightly to get her attention.


    Raine stifled a yawn and opened her sleepy eyes. "We have arrived¡­?" She asked with her rough voice.


    "Let''s get out." Serefina said as she followed Fabian to get off of the carriage. Raine followed them.


    The sun had almost set and left a sliver of gold shade in the sky that gradually turned dark.


    Once Raine was outside she was amazed by how this place dazzled at night. Pixie stones, glowing little gems were encased in lamps along the cobbled streets, illuminating the various pathways.


    Red brick buildings rose up into the sky. Lycans and Wolves made of stone adorned corner after corner the street to the castle.


    Yes, it was a castle!


    "Do Alpha and Luna live there?" Raine asked excitedly she was so eager to come close to the gigantic building like in fairytale. "Do they act like a King and Queen?"


    Raine didn''t walk as she jumped in excitement and was about to hurry over there.


    "Is she always like this?" Fabian frowned, seeing Raine''s enthusiasm as he walked side by side with Serefina.


    "No." Serefina replied, she remembered how timid and coward Raine when the first time she met her. "She was used very silence before."


    Fabian looked at Serefina questioningly. "How did you get a guardian angel out of their village under the tight protection of shadow warrior?"


    He thought, Raine''s strange behavior was a result of someone, who had been keeping away from the outside world.

 Chapter 204 - THAT MAN AGAIN

    "She is not from the village of angel." Serefina blurted out the truth, though witches were so harsh with their words, but they didn''t like to tell lies, that was against their nature.


    "Not from the village of angel?" Fabian confused expression gleamed under the glowing little gems'' light. "So, where did she come from?"


    Fabian looked at Raine who was staring at the pixie stones that fascinated her.


    "She comes from the place faraway from here." Serefina answered it with ambiguity.


    "And how about you?" Fabian turned his eyes on Serefina, he was holding the same curiosity toward the young woman beside him about her original. How could he not know her? Even before last night, he had never known that she was existed.


    "So do I." Serefina replied curtly.


    Fabian was about to ask again when they heard a loud and sharp gasping sound from Raine in front of them.


    When they turned their attention, they saw the girl had squatted down on the road with two big black wolves prowled around her.


    Serefina and Fabian quickly fastened their speed as they approached her. not only the two wolves, there were two more approaching them in their human''s form.


    "What''s going on?" Fabian stared at the two Lycans in their human form that were as tall as he was while Serefina helped Raine to stand up.


    "We find her suspicious." The Lycans with blonde and curly hair replied to Fabian. "What is she?" He nodded at Raine''s direction.


    This was the thing, which they didn''t want to happen. Especially when they had not yet entered and walked past the village.


    "She is a fae." Serefina replied, blurted out a lie. A lie that was needed in time like this.


    "And you are¡­" The lycan sniffed the air before he stated certainly. "¡­ A witch."


    "They are with me." Fabian stepped in and stood between the Lycan and Serefina while Raine was standing slightly behind her.


    The Lycan scrutinized Fabian before his expression turned into recognition. "Fabian the pure blood witch¡­" He smiled ever so faintly. It was unsure whether he acknowledged Fabian in good term or not.


    "She is bleeding." The other lycan in his human form sniffed at Raine and furrowed his brows. "Is she hurt?"


    Raine bit her lips, she felt embarrassed when he mentioned the word ''bleeding''. She was indeed in her period.


    Serefina looked at Raine with a fleeting of surprised in her eyes, but it disappeared quickly as she replied. "She was hurt her h.i.p.s on our way here." She said smoothly. "But, it''s fine now."


    As the Lycans and wolves tended to have remarkable strong senses, they could smell the blood from Raine, while Serefina and Fabian weren''t able to do so.


    Fortunately the cloak that Raine was wearing could manage to cover Raine''s original scent, so those Lycans only smelled it as an ordinary blood.


    "Dress her wound tightly, we don''t want a strong smell of blood filled in the air and turn some creatures crazy in our celebration day because of the scent." The Lycan in blonde hair warned them before he signaled to the other to give way for Raine, Serefina and Fabian.


    "I will try to cover the smell." Serefina said as she nodded her head politely.


    "When she got that injury?" Fabian asked when they had put quite far distance from hos lycans, he didn''t remember Raine was getting hurt.


    "No, she is fine. It is only her period." Serefina explained it briefly.


    "Period? Angel didn''t have period. It is only human that will bleed every months." Then a realization hit Fabian. "Is she human?"


    Raine was blushing profusely upon hearing Serefina''s words, they were talking about her period like she wasn''t there and it was a normal topic to be discussed.


    "Yes, she is human." Serefina glanced at Raine who was walking close to her now with red cheeks.


    "But, I definitely certain that she is an angel." Fabian grabbed Raine''s wrist and pulled her so she stood in front of him and scrutinized her body attentively. Raine squirmed uncomfortably under Fabian''s eyes she felt this wasn''t appropriate to be stared that way. "No, I am not making a mistake, she is an angel."


    "She is an angel and she is also a human." Serefina concluded and grabbed Raine''s shoulder as she put her away from Fabian''s gazes.


    "How could that happen?" Fabian''s eyes still searched for Raine''s figure beside Serefina. "The angel will not have period like human."


    "She is an angel and she has period." Said Serefina a little bit annoyed because they were talking about this worthless topic.


    For Raine, she was beyond annoyed because they were talking about her condition in that kind of attitude and as if she wasn''t there. She really wanted to put to stop in this conversation.


    "What do you mean by she is an angel and human? That''s never happened before." Fabian still couldn''t let go of the topic, as he became curios about Raine''s identity.


    "That''s what I want to know." Serefina put to end to Fabian''s curiosity. "That is why I need the grimoire to know more about this."


    "Do you want to say that she also has the ability to control the time?" Fabian stared at Serefina as they walked along the bustling street where the festivities would start.


    "We will not be here if she couldn''t." Serefina answered as she winked her eyes. "Time is mystery. Don''t ask too much, you will know gradually when the time is right." She dismissed the topic.


    Though it was still confusing for Fabian, but he couldn''t pursue that matter at the moment.


    Not only the castle area, but the celebration had started even when they walked into the village entrance.


    White color adorned beautifully in all over the places, turned this village into clear white as if covered with snow.


    White.


    Raine remembered Torak''s beast also the color of white. So, probably this was their color, like purple color for nobles.


    Then, among the crowd Raine saw that man again, the man who was staring at her at the bar.

 Chapter 205 - AMBUSH

    That man was there, wearing all white, standing near a food stall while glancing at Raine every now and then.


    Raine frowned and looked at him, but he always avoided her eyes. Who is him?


    "We will stay a night here." Fabian then brought them to a yellow building that looked like a motel. "You can book your own room, we will meet here before the sunrise tomorrow and before that, I don''t want to be disturbed." He said.


    Fabian grumbled and quickly retrieved a key from the inn owner, afterward he dashed toward the pointed room.


    There were many creatures in this village and most of them were Lycans, werewolves and witches, those who didn''t share the same pure blood as him and only knew some magic spell. The three of those were on Fabian top list of creatures that he didn''t want to see.


    Ironically, he was in Lycans'' territory and attended to their festivities, thus as much as possible, he didn''t want to mingle with them.


    Serefina looked Fabian''s retreating back and shrugged her shoulder. Fabian''s antipathy toward Lycan had run deep in his blood, without him knowing it, he would run into a female Lycan and mated, a year later they would have an adorable girl as well.


    Fate sometime could be so laughable, but as it had happened, there was no way one could change it. Serefina couldn''t do so even though she was travelling back time.


    There were rules and every breaching rules, would have consequences and it wasn''t something that Serefina could afford.


    Beside her, Raine tugged to her dress. "Maybe this is only my paranoia, but I see a man, who keeps glancing at us since we were at the bar." She decided it would be safe to inform Serefina about it.


    However, Serefina''s answer was very calm as she retrieved a key from the inn owner. "I know. He is a wizard hunter." She said.


    "Wizard hunter?" Raine narrowed her eyes at Serefina''s answer. "He is here to capture¡­ you¡­?" The questioned mark was filled with doubt as Raine unsure that her guess was right.


    Upon hearing Raine''s statement, Serefina laughed heartily before she signaled her to follow her toward their bedroom.


    "He must have known that Fabian and I are witches and on top of that is the pure blood witch. They will get a handsome payment if they managed to capture us." Serefina contemplated, didn''t even a bit worry about this fact. "How much they will pay you at this time around¡­?" She seriously thought about it as she scratched her chin.


    "Serefina! This is a serious matter, don''t talk about it so casually!" Raine cried helplessly when she watched the witch didn''t even worry.


    "Do you really think they can capture us?" Serefina scoffed as she put the key in the keyhole and turned the door opened. "You really have underestimated me."


    "You can''t take your enemies lightly." Raine retorted and locked the door hastily, afraid there was someone would barge in.


    "Why? Do you worry if something bad happen to me?" Serefina raised her brows with arrogant expression.


    "Worry?" Raine reiterated. "Of course I am worry, how can I go back to my real time if something happened to you?" She made a logical reason.


    Serefina sneered when she heard that and walked to the bathroom, ignoring Raine completely like she always did whenever she didn''t like something.


    The night has arrived and the people outside were celebrating the second heir of the Alpha Lycan''s.


    From the whispered in the corridor, before they entered the bedroom, a beautiful woman talked to her friend about the opened gates.


    They said the Alpha and Luna would show up for a few moments to the public together with their first son and their second son.


    At that time, they would be able to see the baby from afar as the Luna would hold the baby Torak and made the first appearance with him in the public to receive everyone'' blessing.


    Though it was on the baby swaddle, Raine really wanted to come and see Torak as a baby from afar. Not only that, she wanted to see Torak''s parents and his brother as well.


    But, the problem was; how to make Serefina accompanied her to go there? The witch seemingly has zero interest in attending such occasion.


    Raine couldn''t go there alone because she didn''t dare enough to roam around a place that she didn''t really know.


    "Serefina¡­" Raine called her when she just walked out of the bathroom, gave her best to try.


    They wouldn''t visit this place every day and be in this occasion every time, so if she missed it, maybe there wouldn''t be a second chance.


    "No." Serefina replied immediately even without looking at Raine or listening to her plea.


    "But, I am not yet saying anything." Raine displeased.


    "I think I don''t need you to say anything to know what you want to say." Serefina replied haughtily as if she could read Raine like the back of her hand. Well, for certain point it was true. Raine was easy to read.


    "So, you know what I want¡­" Raine taunted Serefina as she sat on the edge of the bed while glaring at the witch, who was changing her dress onto something more comfortable.


    "You want to see the celebration, the baby Torak and his family, am I right?" Serefina raised her brows as a smug smile smeared on her lips. She indeed knew everything.


    "Wrong." Raine lied with straight face, but Serefina wouldn''t be so easy to fool Serefina.


    "And then what do you want?" A smug smile on Serefina''s face widened. "Stone of dew?"


    But, before Raine retorted Serefina''s words and continued their squabble, suddenly the room turned dark, the only source of light was the fire from the road outside that illuminated the room in dim light.


    Though the festivities still continued outside, yet, inside the room, it was so quiet.


    "Come here Raine." Serefina''s voice was slightly tense when she called Raine over to her side.


    "What happened?" Raine ran toward Serefina and stayed beside her.


    "We are being ambushed."

 Chapter 206 - KEEP YOU OCCUPIED

    "We are being ambushed." Serefina scoured her eyes through the darkness of the room and mumbled something as suddenly the room turned bright and showed five people had already inside.


    Three men and two women.


    The five of them were so surprised by what Serefina had done, but then they smiled viciously toward Raine and Serefina.


    "As expected from pure blood witch, your power is so amazing indeed." The woman in blue cloak and has a short golden hair with a pair of eyes cat, talked to Serefina, tauntingly.


    "I think I didn''t invite any of you." Serefina tilted her head and looked at them with mocking smile.


    "Who are they?" Raine whispered from behind Serefina''s back. "Wizard hunter?"


    "No." Serefina answered while kept her eyes on the five of them. "They are only lowly witches." She raised her voice intentionally when she said that, incurring the anger from five of them and made Raine grimaced.


    Raine had never seen Serefina was battling anyone except squabbling with Torak, hence she was a little bit worry now, after all Serefina was outnumbered by the enemy. Of course Serefina couldn''t count Raine, as she couldn''t fight alongside with her.


    "B*tch!" The other woman with raven hair cursed at Serefina loudly, she didn''t even bother to hide her anger as she made a strange motion with both of her hands.


    Upon seeing that movement, Serefina''s eyes gleamed with killing intention as her hand made a cut move in the air, deflected whatever the raven hair witch tried to do.


    "Move back." A man, who was taller than the other three men, talked in calm tone, but his brown eyes locked on Serefina.


    Serefina scoffed upon seeing that and Serefina''s palm grew bright with magic. Seeing what Serefina was about to do, the other two men stepped ahead and helped the taller man to shield them from the blast hit from Serefina.


    However, it was too hard for them, as they tumbled back and one of them landing at the raven hair witch''s feet.


    "Don''t provoke someone that you can''t handle guys." Serefina grinned triumphantly, she act as if she was teaching a lesson to bunch of ingrate children. "Quality overpower quantity girls, remembered that." Serefina said as she tilted her head at Raine.


    This resulted made Raine sighed in relief. It showed Serefina has the upper hand in this situation regardless their enemy number.


    Serefina readied a blast and aimed it straight to the taller man''s chest. It would hit him hard if the golden hair woman didn''t intervene with magical shield.


    "What do you want? You know, the five of you is not my opponent, why bother to even try?" Serefina asked lazily, her centuries of experiences, let her knew that the five witches before her eyes merely a teenagers, who knew nothing about magic.


    If Serefina was serious with her attack, not even the five of them combined their power could prevent the damage that she aimed.


    "Shut up! Don''t you dare to talk!" The fiery temper of the golden hair woman, flared up as she dashed toward Serefina with her right palm glimmered with yellow color of magic, she moved so fast until Raine couldn''t see her approaching them.


    But, only by a lazy wave of Serefina''s hand, the woman was thrown across the room and hit the wall with a loud noise, leaving a visible dent there.


    The Raven hair girl gasped upon seeing her friends, while the other three men were trying to approach her, but Serefina had another idea.


    She clapped he hands together and from her intertwined fingers a glowing tendril like a transparent robe appeared.


    It moved like a snake in the air toward the remaining four of the people in front of them.


    Their eyes opened wide in shock as the four of them tried to use everything that they could and every spell that they knew to deflect the glowing tendril, but to no avail.


    As if the tendrils were not even affected by their effort.


    Once the tendrils reached to them, it sn.a.k.e.d on their bodies and floated them in the air, losing their balance and their footing were scarier than they thought as their hands and feet flailed to any direction in attempt to be free from this strange magic.


    "Please great witch, spare our life¡­" The raven hair girl pleaded, she looked terrified as she looked how far she was from the floor, though she just floated a mere 2 meters away, probably she has a phobia.


    "It will depend on how you will answer my question¡­" Serefina''s smug face was very bright when she heard the plea from her enemy.


    The moment Raine saw that, she knew that the problem was handled. Actually, she was quite disappointed, how could the five of them was defeated so easily?


    Raine wanted to see how Serefina lived up her name as the powerful witch for over centuries, but seeing the situation now, it almost like Serefina was bullying a bunch of teenagers.


    "We will answer all of them. All of them¡­ we are here only for the festivities¡­" The man with the same raven color hair chimed in, looking at the similarity on their faces, Serefina was almost certain that both of them were sibling.


    "Now, who had ordered you to attack me?" Serefina leaned her body against the wall behind her while Raine simply didn''t want to bother to hide behind Serefina''s back again and sat down on the couch comfortably, enjoying the scene before her eyes, because at least, Serefina wouldn''t punish them the way Torak would.


    "There was a group of people¡­ there were ten men approaching us¡­" The third man tumbled with his words. "They offered us to attack you."


    "Attacked me?" Serefina frowned. "Don''t you know that I am a pure blood witch? What on earth do you think you can defeat me?"


    Pure blood witches was quite feared even in their own kind, as they held power of spell more than other witches.


    "The man didn''t mention to defeat you¡­ that man only said to keep you occupied for more than five minutes." The raven hair girl replied.

 Chapter 207 - THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE WITCH AND THE WIZARD HUNTER

    "Keep me occupied?" Serefina frowned. It was so strange. Why they want her to be occupied? "What are they? Wizard hunter?"


    The four of them looked at each other before the taller men answered. "Yes, yes¡­ I recognized them, they are the infamous wizard hunter in this City." he answered readily.


    "If they were wizard hunter, why they didn''t take them?" Raine pointed her fingers at the floating teenagers while looking at Serefina questioningly.


    "The witch that has not reached their true power is useless for them." Serefina blurted out the harsh truth.


    The four of them lowered their head, ashamed by their arrogant attitude before, they thought Serefina and Raine were mere witches without powerful magic that they could bully as they outnumbered them.


    Who would have thought this would be the end.


    "Spare us the great witch, we are here for the festivities and because those wizard hunters offered us some money, we swayed a bit and betrayed our kind¡­" The raven hair girl pleaded, she looked good with her words. "In the end you and I, we are the same kind¡­"


    Serefina raised her eyebrows incredulously as her lips curled into a mocking smile, Raine would like to give those teenagers an advice to not flatter the witch over here, it wouldn''t work anyway, but the fact that she didn''t care about them, kept her as a spectator at the side.


    "Serefina¡­ I think this is a bit fishy¡­" Raine glanced at Serefina''s vicious expression, as if she was brewing a plan what the most entertaining punishment for them in her head.


    "I know¡­" Serefina folded her arms. "But, these kids over there will not know anything about the wizard hunters'' plan, thus I will keep them for awhile, maybe there is one of the hunter come to check on them."


    "Serefina¡­" Raine called her name again. "How about Mr. Alizon? The wizard hunters'' aim must be a strong witch, right? And pure blood witches is the strongest witch." She voiced out her opinion.


    Serefina''s smirk faded, she gave some thought to what Raine said. "They will not be able to defeat him so easily and quietly, and I didn''t hear the sound of battle."


    If the wizard hunters were about to take Fabian down, there was no way the witch would go without put a good fight and the battle definitely wouldn''t go in silent.


    When Serefina mentioned the word ''quiet'', Raine widened her eyes as she stared at her in a daze. "But, Serefina¡­ I think this sound is not coming from the celebration outside¡­"


    At first Raine didn''t realize it, as Serefina was having a battle inside the room with the five teenagers and when the ruckus inside the room died down, Raine thought the noisy sound was coming from the street, they were having celebration after all. It would be so weird if the celebration went so quiet.


    However, only when Serefina mentioned the situation was so quiet inside the room, Raine realized that the sound was gradually getting louder and it didn''t sound like a celebration anymore.


    "What kind of sound? I don''t hear anything¡­" Serefina didn''t finish her words when she felt something strange.


    Aside from their own voices and the noisy that they made inside the room, she couldn''t hear anything, though before the room turned dark, she still heard the commotion from the streets.


    "But, the sound is very loud." Raine stood up and walked over to Serefina. "Now, it sounds like a few people are fighting¡­"


    Serefina tilted her head as she was getting confuse, because she didn''t hear anything.


    "People are fighting¡­?" Serefina narrowed her eyes. "There is no sound¡­"


    "No way¡­ it''s very loud." Raine was also getting anxious. Why Serefina couldn''t hear that? The sound was so loud. Only then she realized. "Serefina! The spell, there is a charm in this room so you are not able to hear anything!"


    Raine could hear it because she wasn''t affected by the charm because of the horn of unicorn that Serefina had put on her. It warded off simple charms.


    "D*mn it!" Serefina cursed out loud as she waved her hands frantically to make a complicated hand sign as she murmured some spells. That was why the true reason why they asked them to make her occupied. To divert her attention from this strange silence situation.


    The loud of noise from certain direction and the commotion from the streets, exploded inside the room when Serefina finished to repel the charm around her.


    She cursed inwardly again and didn''t even bother with the four teenagers as she knocked them off, before she dashed out of the room.


    "Stay here!!!" Serefina sped toward the room where Fabian was staying, the sound of people fighting also came from that direction.


    Raine halted her steps when she was about to follow Serefina because of her warning. Actually she wanted to go also, but she thought it would be best if she stayed away from the battle that she didn''t even know how to fight it.


    She would just hinder their movement if she came, hence Raine retreated inside the room and looked for the five people, who were laying unconscious on the floor.


    Raine took the initiative to find something to tie them up together, so when they regained their conscious, they wouldn''t be able to run away. Serefina maybe wanted to deal with them again.


    While searching for the item, Raine heard loud of commotion from outside the room and many footsteps on the corridor, people were cursing and shouting.


    "Crazy witch! Find another place to fight!!!"


    "Those wizard hunter are too much to look for a fight in this occasion!"


    "In this rate the Lycan will wipe them out!"


    Bustling of people talking and running echoed inside the room and Raine ignored it all as she focused on the matter at hand.


    She would be in trouble if those five troublesome teenagers woke up first before Raine could tie them up.


    However, when she was busy looking for any kind of rope, she heard someone pushed open the door hastily.


    Startled, Raine whipped her head toward the door as she caught a sight of the same man. The wizard hunter.

 Chapter 208 - A VICIOUS PLAN FOR THE ALPHAS SON

    Raine caught the figure of the wizard hunter in time, thus it spared her some time to quickly squeeze her body under the bed. Fortunately her body was skinny enough to fit in.


    However, from the sound of the steps, Raine could count there was more than one person that entered the room.


    Two? No, there were three of them, and they were all man.


    The first man mumbled something in strange language as white thin smoke covered the entire room.


    Raine watched in horror when the white smoke crept closer, and hoped the horn of the unicorn could repel it from her. She closed her eyes and waited for what the white smoke would do.


    A minute passed and nothing happened.


    "There is no one inside the room except the five young witches." The same voice that belonged to an old could be heard, as the white smoke also faded.


    So, that was the purpose of the smoke¡­ Raine let out a breath of relief quietly.


    "What we will do to them?" The second man asked, his voice was so callous and haughty, even without saw the person personally, Raine could feel the feeling of uncomfortable only by hearing his voice alone.


    "Burn them all." The third man said curtly, his voice oozed with authority.


    "You heard what the Master said." The second man said. "Do it."


    "No¡­ I can''t¡­ I can''t kill my own kind." The old man apparently was a witch as well, but why he worked with the wizard hunter?


    Raine shook her head, at this time she couldn''t be bothered with that curiosity. For now, she has to find a way to not be founded by them until Serefina came.


    "You can''t do it?" The second man''s voice laced with viciousness as he kicked the old man legs so he kneeled before the third man.


    Raine held her breath, because the old man was staying so low to the floor until she could see his shoulder, if only he lowered his head a bit, the old man would be able to find Raine.


    "Please¡­ don''t make me kill my own people¡­" The old man pleaded pitifully. He was a witch as well, it would be so hard if he had to kill the same witches, the young one on top of it.


    However, that was the last words that came out from his mouth because the next second his body fell to the ground with a loud thud and blood pooled under his lifeless body.


    The second his life slipped away from him, the old man stared at a girl in purple cloak, who was hiding under the bed, his mind wondered and the last thing that bothered his mind was; how could he not notice that girl?


    Under the bed, Raine stuffed her palm onto her mouth to stifle her scream and cries. The sight of the old man''s eyes, which staring at her was something that made Raine terrified.


    Those big eyes filled with shock and as the life in his soul died out while staring at Raine.


    Fortunately she managed to not make a single sound as she shut her eyes tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably.


    Raine saw these scenes often in her life, started from her late parents, when Torak killed a Lycan that assaulted her and the man in the mental hospitality, and now¡­ this one¡­


    People died around her¡­


    Though, this wasn''t the first time for Raine to see something horrifying like this, but she still couldn''t get use to it. Nobody would get used to it.


    Raine pressed her palms hard against her mouth to muffle any sound that was going to slip from her lips. She closed her eyes tightly until she saw darkness. She wanted to shut her ears to, but couldn''t do so.


    Hence, she was still able to hear when one of the two men, which still inside the room, moved toward the five teenagers and made a slashing sound a few times.


    The sound of it was so sickening along with the sound of the blood spurted on the wall and spilled on the floor.


    "The battle is ended." The third man stated.


    The sound of the battle was indeed had disappeared, the only prominent sound was the noisy people chatted on the corridor about what was happening.


    "Brad, do you think that people managed to capture the two witches?" The second man asked, the sound of his dagger was being wiped followed his icy voice.


    "They will." The third man named Brad answered him with certainty.


    At this time, Raine really wished instead of having a power to control the time that she even didn''t know how, she really wanted to have a power to make herself invisible, so she could get out of this room and looked for Serefina.


    The witch wouldn''t die so easily right? She was so calm when Raine mentioned the man that followed them from the bar and even didn''t take a little bit of concern when she said they were a wizard hunter.


    But, why Serefina had not yet returned, wasn''t the battle had been over?


    Raine bit her palm to stifle her cry upon the thought something bad happened to her. As the time passed without any sign from Serefina, she was very afraid now.


    "That will be good. We can move forward to our next plan." The second man said as he brandished his clean dagger. "But, are you sure with this plan? If something is going wrong, we will be in dangerous situation." The doubted in his voice was palpable.


    "Back off now if you are starting to be a coward!" Anger laced in Brad''s voice when he shouted at the other man.


    The man scoffed disdainfully. "Of course I will stick to the end of this plan, I just want to make sure that everything is under control."


    "Everything is under my control." Brad said arrogantly, a vicious smirk curled on the corner of his lips.


    "Perfect. After all, to kill an Alpha''s son is not an easy task."

 Chapter 209 - RAINES PLAN

    Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.


    -Mark Amend-


    **************


    Upon hearing that, Raine''s eyes suddenly opened wide in horror. Did she hear it right? Did they say, they want to kill the Alpha''s son?


    Only one name in Raine''s mind now.


    Torak¡­


    He would be in danger!


    But, wasn''t he in tight guard, under the Lycanthropes'' protection? These wizard hunters wouldn''t be able to approach him right? The Alpha wouldn''t let any danger came to his family.


    Regardless Raine''s theory, the wizard hunter wasn''t a fool. If Raine could think that way, of course the same case would be in their mind too.


    If they were so dare to make a move on the Alpha''s son, they would have come prepared. But, what their plan?


    Against her fear, Raine opened her eyes to stare at the two pair of legs of the wizard hunters and listened attentively, maybe they would spill some of their plan.


    Yet, they did not.


    After saying that, the two of them went out of the room, because they didn''t have any other business there.


    Raine waited until the sound of their footsteps moved further and further, swallowed by the commotion that they had made in the corridor.


    Only then, Raine moved her stiff body and carefully not to look at the dead body of the witches, she didn''t think she could take it.


    Afterward, Raine rolled her body out from under the bed and then leaned her back against the bed frame, she needed some time to catch her breath and arranged her wire mind.


    At time like this, where she really needed Serefina, the witch was nowhere. Raine stopped her mind of thinking something bad had happened to Serefina and Fabian. But, the slight thought about that made Raine''s body shaking.


    Serefina, where are you? Raine whimpered inwardly.


    Raine would like to wait until Serefina returned, but apparently she couldn''t do that.


    The wizard hunter had left the door opened from curios people to look into the room and when one of those people did check in the room, a shrill scream echoed through the corridor.


    Once again, a chaotic situation occurred, everything was in mess when dozens people flooded the room and talked to each other, trying to figure out who had killed those poor witches.


    Raine, who was hiding beside the bed, missed from people attention.


    "Who killed them?"


    "They are witches."


    "I saw the five of teenagers when I came, they didn''t look in trouble."


    "The wizard hunter must have killed them. I saw two of them walked out of the room earlier."


    "But, this room rented by a witch."


    "The Alpha will be enraged, if he finds out something bad like this happened in the ceremony of his son."


    When Raine heard that, a crazy idea appeared in her mind.


    The fear of the thought someone would hurt Torak was much bigger than her own fear now. Though she didn''t know if this idea of her would work out, but at least she needed to try it.


    If something happened to Torak in the past, it would affect Torak in the future, right? And if the wizard hunters managed to execute their vicious plan, there would be no ''Torak'' in the future, right?


    Raine didn''t want that to happen.


    The fear of losing something so dear to her, was a dreadful feeling. Raine had felt it once, and she didn''t want to feel it again.


    No, if she could do something about it, though it sounded ridiculous and nonsense.


    Clenched her hands tightly, she let out a soft whimper to make people there notice her existence.


    Raine''s position was hiding beside the bed and covered with blanket, so no one would realize she was there, if they didn''t take a good look.


    Hearing Raine''s whimper, a few people startled and gasped, they thought the dead bodies came to life again.


    However, when the soft sound was getting vivid, they noticed there was someone else inside the room.


    Their eyes traveled to a blanket near the bed, on the floor, that slightly moved.


    "There is survivor!" A guy screamed in surprised and some people moved forward to see what was that inside the blanket.


    Once they opened it, they found a little girl, curling her trembling body in fetal position.


    "Oh, there is a girl here!" This sentence was repeated again and again until more people come.


    "I think this is the girl who traveled together with the witch who rented this room."


    "Where is the other witch?"


    A burly man stepped to the front and wrapped Raine''s body in the same blanket before he carried her away out of the room.


    Raine could feel the muscle of his strong arms through the fabric of clothes that he wore. She peered through her wet lashes to her surroundings. At least, she wouldn''t be in trouble with the wizard hunter for the time being because of these people.


    The burly man took Raine to the other place, it was like a lobby of this building, but Raine wasn''t sure how to call it.


    This place was so spacious with a few table and chairs as that man put Raine down on one of the chair and asked someone to bring her a glass of water.


    "Girl, don''t be afraid." That man squatted down in front of Raine, facing her with tender eyes.


    He looked like in his early forty, but nothing was certain for age when it came to people like them.


    "I am in charge here. I will assure your safety." That burly man said. "Now, tell me what had happened to you?"


    At first Raine didn''t talk and kept her head hung low, when someone brought a glass of water, she received it and drank it until it left only half.


    "Now, tell me what had happened inside there? Someone told me that there is another witch with you, where is she now?" The man investigated Raine.


    Regardless of his concern for her, but seemingly consolation wasn''t his forte.

 Chapter 210 - THE CASTLE AND THE BABY WITH BLUE EYES

    I threw myself at the wolves, only to learn of the tenderness in their howl, and the loyalty in their blood.


    **************


    Raine opened her mouth, but her voice couldn''t come out, she sniffed and a tear fell on her cheeks. She looked so pitiful like a lost child.


    People, who saw her, regardless their nature, would take pity on her.


    "I ¡­ I don''t know¡­" Finally Raine could squeeze some words out of her lips. "The wizard hunter¡­ chased after her¡­"


    There was a growing complain from people around her.


    "That wizard hunter, they really don''t take the Alpha into their eyes!"


    "How they could do that in a day like this!?"


    Raine continued to weep pitifully to gain more sympathy, with this, either she would get more attention so Serefina would know her location or, these people could help her to find Serefina.


    "I want to meet my sister¡­" Raine said between her sobs.


    "The sister that she mentioned, must be the witch with fiery red hair." One of the men beside the burly man told him in low voice.


    They had seen Raine with Serefina before, so they assumed both of them were siblings.


    "Which direction did she go?" The burly man asked again.


    Raine blinked her eyes to let out a few tears before she answered uncertainly. "I don''t really know which way she went, because she left me inside the room, but I think she was going to the fighting sound from earlier." She said truthfully.


    The expression from people around Raine, changed. They frowned and scrunched their nose.


    "Girl, I don''t think there is someone left after the fighting between the wizard hunters and the witches." A young lady in blue dress said. "The fight broke out very fast and I think the witch didn''t expect that."


    "Yes, it was an ambush attack and also the wizard hunter outnumbered the witch." An old lady beside the young one chimed in.


    The fighting between the witch and the wizard hunter must not happen in the first place in this occasion, moreover under the Alpha''s territory.


    It had been emphasized that every creatures were welcome to come to enjoy the festivities, no matter they were a sworn enemies like wizard hunter and the witch or Lycanthropes and the devils, they could come and were protected equally, so no one did any harm.


    Today could be consider as a peace day for every creatures, so today fight was unacceptable.


    However, the fighting earlier alone had shown how the wizard hunter had disrespected the rule, and for the Lycanthropes, rules were absolute.


    Raine''s heart quivered when the old lady said that as if her bad premonition came true. "What should I do?"


    Without Serefina, how she could go back to her real time? And moreover, without Serefina, how she could survive in this place?


    "We need to take you to meet the Alpha." The burly man said. Apparently, he was a Lycan warrior, who has been pointed to make sure the area was secured and there was no event like this.


    However, it had happened and now he needed to report it back to his Alpha, thus he could take this lost little girl also to the Alpha and let him decided what to do next.


    After all violation any rules were not acceptable.


    Upon hearing the word of ''Alpha'', Raine''s eyes lit up, her first attempt to gain sympathy was so they could help her to find Serefina or the other versa.


    Only if she found Serefina, Raine could tell her that the wizard hunters have a plan to kill the Alpha''s son, no matter which one, it was still terrible news, but now the burly man said he would take her to their Alpha directly, it could be consider a good luck.


    Raine could tell the Alpha directly about the wizard hunter''s vicious plan.


    "Can you take me to the Alpha? I am afraid the wizard hunter will come and take me." Raine said with pleading eyes.


    "Of course, come." The burly man stood up and reached out his hand for Raine to grab. "Today is the celebration for Alpha''s second son, this kind of rude action couldn''t be pardoned." He said firmly.


    Raine looked his big opened palm and put her small hand, his grip was so firm as he helped Raine to stand up.


    As they walked, people around them dispersed to the side and gave them a way. Two more people with the same dressed as the burly man was wearing, followed behind them. Raine assumed that clothes were like uniform for a guard.


    Torak would have his Lycan warrior dressed in the same way too.


    "What is your name?" Raine lifted her head to look at the burly man. He was very tall, Raine barely reached his shoulder, with dark skin and curly hair.


    "I am Dmitri." Answered him. "You?"


    "Raine." Raine said her name.


    Dmitri, Raine and two others Lycan walked in the crowd of the streets swiftly, they didn''t talk to each other, but when Raine turned her head to look at the inn that she had stayed only for less than an hour, she could see the damage after the fight.


    There was a big hole in one side of the building that Raine thought it must be Fabian''s room before. Raine shuddered with the thought of how the fight had occurred there and how Serefina and Fabian fought those wizard hunters.


    Did they survive? Or being captured? Then where were they? Why no one appeared and fetched her?


    With those things were rambling inside Raine''s head, the four of them arrived at the gate of the castle.


    Raine could have dropped her jaw open, the sight of the castle from this close distance was way different from what Raine had imagined.


    The real thing was indeed more fascinating and marvelous.


    They walked under the open gate and into a hallway where many people with the same clothes as Dmitri greeted them.


    Raine followed Dmitri''s lead down another hallway, three chandeliers hung over their heads and reflected light off of marble flooring beneath them, the walls were glossy stained wood, each side decorated with wide, elaborate tapestries.


    The ceiling must have been fifty one hundred meter high, they were painted in blue color. Along the hallway, a few dozen windows lined the walls on each side, all of them stretched from the floor to the ceiling, so the light could illuminate this part of the castle.


    Raine walked in awed as if she forgot where she was and what she was going to do. This place had drawn all of her attention.


    They walked until they reached the dark doors on the other side. Dmitri opened the door and held it for Raine as she passed through.


    They entered a circular foyer that filled with people and at the furthest part of the entrance door, were two massive golden thrones, inlaid with rubies.


    Raine could say nothing and only stare.


    "Wait here." Dmitri said as he walked past the crowd to a man, who Raine assumed was the Lycan Alpha.


    He has dark hair and blue eyes that similar to Torak, he was as tall as Dmitri and has muscular body. His face carved into a threatening expression when he saw anyone near a beautiful woman beside him, who was carrying a baby in her arms.


    And there, Raine saw him, the baby with the most beautiful blue eyes, staring back at her as his tiny hand stretched out toward her direction.

 Chapter 211 - MEETING THE ALPHA AND THE LUNA

    Courage is not having the strength to go on, it is going on when you don''t have strength.


    -Napoleon Bonaparte-


    **************


    Raine could say nothing as she was charmed by the baby blue eyes and the way he giggled toward her with her toothless smile.


    And Raine found she smiled to the baby and waved her hand at him.


    "Look, Torak is laughing." Diana tugged the Alpha''s hand. It was hard enough to make the baby laugh as he always preferred to shy away or sleep.


    Janus turned around and saw a big smile on his happy baby face. "I think he laughs because he knows today celebration is for him." And he felt someone was tugging his leg as he looked down, he found his eldest son.


    "I want to see him too." Jedrek raised both of his arms to be carried, he was just seven years old and still not high enough to see his little brother in their mother''s embrace.


    However, before Janus could carry him, Diana decided to bend her body so Jedrek could see his little brother conveniently.


    As Diana bent down, Jedrek moved to the front and covered the line of the baby''s sight, hiding Raine''s figure behind his small body.


    "Hmm?" Jedrek tilted his head. "Why he is frowning again?" He saw the smile on baby Torak''s lips two second ago, but now his lips formed a cute pout.


    "Maybe he is hungry, honey." Diana consoled Jedrek while Janus rubbed his big palms on his son''s head.


    Jedrek didn''t satisfy with the answer and touched the baby''s cheek with his small forefinger. "Smile again, will you?" He kept pointing Torak''s cheek until his finger slipped to his little brother toothless mouth and Torak sucked it. "Yuck! Disgusting!" Jedrek backed away and wiped his wet finger, which covered with Torak''s saliva, at his clothes.


    Seeing that, Diana and Janus laughed loudly and happily as Diana stood up straight and kissed the baby''s cheek, relishing her baby''s scent.


    Not long after that, one of his Lycan warriors stepped forward, greeted his Alpha and Luna and then gave them news about the situation at the village.


    "There is a fight between the wizard hunter and the witches in one of the inn." Said Dmitri after Alpha Janus gave him the permission to speak.


    "Insolent!" Janus roared in anger. "How dare them put a fight in my territory?!"


    Diana also frowned and gave the baby Torak to a woman beside her and asked her to leave the hall. "Who instigated the attack first?" Diana acted like the Luna she was and tried to understand the situation.


    "It was the wizard hunter that had ambushed the witch." Reported Dmitri. "There are six witches found dead in the inn, two missing and one come with me."


    "Dead!?" Janus anger reached the roof. A fight alone already turned Janus''s mood gloomy, but now they said there were victims?


    All the creatures that came to celebrate the birth of their second son were considered as his guests, how could he let this slide? Not only the wizard hunter didn''t respect the rules, but they were also didn''t put the Alpha into their eyes, before instigating something horrendous like this.


    "Where is the one who come with you?" Diana asked, while the Alpha was so agitated because of the news, Diana was more cool- headed. That was why both of them were a compatible ruler. They complement each other.


    "She is little sister of the witch that is missing." Dmitri informed his Luna and signaled to the other two Lycan warriors that stayed with Raine to bring her.


    Raine saw that signaled too and the two lycans that stayed with her came close as one of them said. "The Alpha and Luna want to see you."


    Raine nodded and walked toward the thrones with the two lycan warriors flanked at her left and right side.


    However, when Raine came close to them, she didn''t see the baby in the Luna''s arms anymore. Where is the baby Torak? Raine slightly frowned.


    Because of the crowd, she couldn''t see when Diana gave the baby to her attendance and asked her to leave the main hall.


    When Raine came close to the two rulers, she could see that Torak got his eyes and temper from his father, but he took after his mother''s face, that was why, he looked so charming and beautiful, but still has the masculinity and dangerous side of his father.


    Raine was clueless how to greet both of them, so she bent her knees slightly and raised the side of her dress a little bit, like the way a princess made a greeting toward the other people in the movie that she watched.


    Probably that was the right move or the Alpha and Luna just have another concern to focus on rather than to criticize the way Raine greeted them.


    "Are you the little sister of the missing witch?" Janus asked Raine. His voice boomed inside the hall and drew all the people'' attention.


    The noisy sounds from the chattering gradually quieted down and only left an uncomfortable silence for Raine.


    All of sudden she became slightly nervous because those hundred people pair of eyes were on her.


    Raine cleared her throat and started to tell her story about how she travelled here with her sister, Serefina and her friend, Fabian.


    She told them about the wizard hunter that followed her from the bar.


    However, when they went to different room to take a rest, Serefina and she were being attacked and so did Fabian.


    After Serefina took care of the attacker inside their room, who no other than five witches also, she went to help Fabian and left Raine inside the room alone.


    "Took care of the five witches?" Diana frowned, her white gown fluttered when she moved closer toward Raine. "Dmitri just told us there were five dead bodies of witches inside the room, so it was your sister that killed them and not the wizard hunters?" Diana narrowed her eyes.


    Dmitri also looked at Raine in puzzle. "I thought it was the wizard hunters that killed them." He voiced out his own mind.


    No matter what the reason, fighting, more so, killing was forbidden in their territory in this occasion.

 Chapter 212 - TELLING THE PLAN OF THE WIZARD HUNTER

    Seeing the misunderstanding in their eyes, Raine hastily raised both of her hands and waved them frantically to deny their unspoken accusation.


    "No, my sister didn''t kill them." She would be in disadvantage if she was in the wrong side. "She just tied them up and left them unconscious. It was the wizard hunters that came after my sister left the room and killed them all." Raine explained.


    Janus and Diana looked at each other and stared at Raine, ordered her to continue to talk.


    "The wizard hunters bribed the witches to fight with my sister to distract her, so the wizard hunters could attack my sister''s friend, Mr. Alizon. But, my sister didn''t kill them." Raine emphasized her last words.


    Because Raine didn''t know the situation here and how exactly those creatures relationship with the other creatures, hence it was way better to come clean. That was what Raine thought. At least she wouldn''t anger them by lying as she was pretty sure her lies would have many plot holes.


    "Mr. Alizon?" Janus stepped forward and stood beside his Luna, he put his hand on her slender waist possessively, just like the way Torak always treated her. "The pure blood witch?"


    Raine''s eyes lit up. "Yes, right. He is the pure blood witch." But then her bright eyes dimmed slightly as she wondered if this would be a good thing for her to associate with the pure blood witch? Because Fabian looked obviously reluctant to come across the land of the Lycan.


    The question was, was they were in good terms?


    The room turned very quiet, it was almost like a graveyard instead of party celebration.


    "No wonder the wizard hunters went crazy." Diana nodded in understanding. "Mr. Alizon is the last pure blood witch and has been missing for years."


    Janus stared sharply at Raine and said. "I will ask my warrior to find your sister and her friend. And you are welcome to stay here until we find them."


    The Alpha''s words were an order and Dmitri nodded at them respectfully.


    Janus waved his hand to the musician and the music played again, the melody echoed from wall to wall as Janus turned around and helped his Luna to sit back on their thrones.


    However, Raine hasn''t done yet. There was one more crucial thing that she had to tell the Alpha about the wizard hunter wicked plan.


    "Come here, Raine." Dmitri opened his arms to ask Raine to follow him, but Raine refused.


    "No, wait. I have one more thing that I need to tell you!" Without thinking, Raine rushed forward to stop the Alpha and the Luna from leaving the spot.


    Raine careless moved agitated the other wolves guards nearby, as they stepped forward to arrest her.


    Raine didn''t think this would be their reaction and terrified when a burly man stopped her and forced her to kneel.


    Her knees collided with the marble floor beneath her painfully as both of her hands were pinned behind her back.


    "No, wait. I don''t mean any harm!" Raine screamed out of the pressure that the man put on her hands. It almost felt like her hands would be broken into two. "I have important thing to tell you! Please listen to me!" Raine shrieked, the pain on her arms was almost unbearable.


    Diana looked at Janus before she waved her hand to dismiss Raine''s attacker. "What do you want to say little child."


    Only if they knew this little child was the mate of the Alpha''s son, they wouldn''t treat her badly.


    Raine''s breath hitched when she felt the pressure was gone and the only thing that left was her aching hands.


    Fortunately, Dmitri helped her to stand up, though he didn''t know what Raine was going to say, but he could see how important it was.


    "What do you want to say, you could say it to Dmitri." Diana nodded her head at Dmitri.


    Now, the distance between them had reduced and even with the sound of the music, they could talk without being heard by the other guests.


    Regardless the brief commotion that Raine had made, the party still resumed under the Alpha''s order. Now the two rulers put their focus on her.


    Raine took another step closer, but was held by Dmitri and the Alpha took precaution by standing in front of his Luna, he glared at her.


    "Talk from where you are." Said Janus in dangerous tone.


    Raine bit her lips when she heard that and looked around her anxiously. "There is something I need to tell you about what the wizard hunter''s were talking about after they killed the witches inside my room."


    Janus and Diana looked at each other as their eyes became foggy. Raine knew that they were communicating with each other through mind link. She had seen that many times.


    Dmitri grabbed Raine''s hand to stop her when she was about to talk before she got the permission from the Alpha or the Luna, he shook his head, indicating that wasn''t a wise move.


    The Alpha could be very angry and didn''t want to hear anything from Raine''s mouth and directly put her into the prison, after all he was the sole ruler inside this room.


    He could do whatever he pleased.


    "Talk." Diana said after, seemingly, she won the argument with Janus.


    "Thank you Luna." Raine said gratefully and also showed her that she had a good intention. "Actually, there were two wizard hunters who killed the witches inside my room and after they killed them they were talking about their next plan."


    Raine looked around the Alpha and the Luna as she couldn''t find the baby, she became more anxious.


    "From my hiding place, I could hear them clearly when they said about the plan to kill the Alpha''s son." Raine blurted out the truth.


    Dmitri''s grip on Raine''s hand tightened as he heard what Raine jus said.


    The Alpha''s eyes turned black when he heard that words while Luna covered her mouth with her palm out of shock.


    "IMPUDENT!" The sound of his voice boomed inside the hall and once again an eerie silence fell.

 Chapter 213 - THE BEAST WENT BERSERK

    Raine stumbled and backed away upon seeing the rage in Janus''s dark eyes, she knew exactly what was that mean.


    It was already nerve- wrecking when Raine watched Torak was getting mad, not to mention she became the object of the Lycan''s anger now.


    Fortunately Diana was calm enough to assess the situation, she held the Alpha''s arm to keep his beast at bay.


    With the touch of his mate, Janus''s tensed muscle slightly relaxed as he pulled Diana closer to him and kissed her forehead.


    During that moment, there was a communication between them, because not long after that, Janus nodded his head rigidly and let go of Diana''s waist.


    Diana then walked gracefully toward Raine and ordered Dmitri to release his tight grip on her. Dmitri did what he was told, but stood close enough to react fast if needed.


    "That accusation is something that could make you lost your head." Diana''s expression was calm and composed when she said that, but there was a warning behind her words. "I will give you a chance to take it back."


    However Raine was already in her dead end, whether she could gain the trust of the Lycans with her words or she could keep her mouth shut and let the lycan dealt with the wizard hunters themselves.


    The problem was, Raine couldn''t let the latter option to happen by relying to the security that the Alpha had prepared for his family and betting Torak''s life on the line, so she would do everything for the former option.


    Raine shook her head firmly. "No, Luna. I am telling the truth that the wizard hunters have a plan to kill the Alpha''s son. I heard them said that."


    Now, after Raine was done telling her part, she wondered what would happen to Torak in real time if something bad happened to him here.


    If she didn''t travel back time, then who would tell the Alpha and Luna about this? Since Torak was alive in the present, probably they were able to tackle the conflict that the wizard hunters had created, right?


    However, Raine stick with her decision. She didn''t want to take the risk that she couldn''t bear.


    Diana frowned. "The consequences of your words are very severe, you know that?"


    "I will not dare to tell lies." Raine was getting anxious because she couldn''t see the baby.


    Right after she said that, suddenly all the light of the room was wiped out and left them in the darkness for less than two seconds before all the light returned.


    "What was that?"


    "What was going on?"


    "The light just disappeared, right?"


    A wave of uproar among the guests was starting when they threw the same questions to people beside them.


    Janus pulled Diana closed to him as he scoured his eyes at the entire room to look for an imminent danger.


    However, nothing happened afterward, as if the thing that happened earlier didn''t do any harm, yet Raine knew what exactly it was.


    "It was them." Raine mumbled and then said in louder voice. "It was them. That happened when the witches, which was sent by the wizard hunter, were attacking my sister and me." She said through her gritted teeth, but it was clear enough for the Alpha, the Luna and the other Lycan warriors nearby to hear.


    "What the flicker of light could do?" Diana asked, but from her expression, she had taken Raine''s words seriously now.


    "They turned the room very quiet. Make us couldn''t hear any sound from outside of this room, so we wouldn''t know if a fight is going on somewhere." Raine explained hastily.


    Once again Janus and Diana communicated with each other in silence.


    The lycans and werewolves couldn''t hear the sound because of the spell while Raine couldn''t hear any sound because of her limit, she didn''t have the same remarkable hearing like them after all.


    Janus and Diana''s face turned gloomy, and then the Alpha was mind- linking his Lycan warriors, because shortly after that they rushed out of the hall.


    There were no witch inside the main hall to lift the spell because even though the Alpha welcomed all the creatures inside the village, but he didn''t trust them enough to be near his family, especially his newborn son.


    "Luna, may I know if the baby is safe?" Raine couldn''t help, but asked when she saw the communication has over.


    Diana''s face looked rigid as she stared at Raine and answered her. "You don''t need to worry about that. We are checking what you just said and if you are proved wrong, it will be better if you are worry about yourself first instead of your sister." Her voice laced with warning tone.


    Upon hearing that, Raine gulped visibly. Fear started to creep in her heart.


    She didn''t want the thing that those wizard hunters said happened, but if nothing happened then she didn''t know what they would to her, especially if they found out that she wasn''t a witch.


    Raine bit her lips nervously. Praying for the contradiction.


    ''Please let something happened, but don''t let anyone suffer.''


    Raine chanted those words like a charm.


    And as if it worked, someone mind- linked Janus.


    [Alpha! This is bad! We found a dead Lycan''s body.] The sound of the voice in Janus''s head was so anxious.


    [What!?] Janus''s eyes turned dark as if there was storm was raging from within.


    Diana widened her eyes when she knew what was going on and then turned her head to look at Raine in disbelief.


    In the other hand, the expression of Diana let Raine knew that it has begun.


    "Luna, their aim is your sons!" Raine reminded her anxiously. She couldn''t stop to worry about Torak.


    Where did she send him?


    Right at that moment, someone mind linked the Alpha and Luna. And even though it was only a communication, both of them could feel the horror that his voice was carried.


    [Alpha! Your son is missing!]


    That word as a cue for the Alpha beast to go berserk in his Lycan''s form

 Chapter 214 - BRING HIM TO THE SAFETY

    Raine squatted down when the white Lycan leapt above his head and bolted out of the room. Second later the room filled with Lycans in various color, some of them went out of the room and some of them made an ear- piercing howl, while the remaining of them stayed close to their Luna.


    "You, come with me." Ordered Diana to Raine.


    Raine scrambled to stand up and followed the Luna, though she was still in human''s form, she walked very fast and moved swiftly along with the other ten Lycan warrior.


    "Where is the baby? Is the baby all right?" Raine asked anxiously, almost out of breath, trying to catch up with Diana.


    The son that Janus''s Beta mentioned was Jedrek. They couldn''t find the seven years old boy while the baby Torak was still with her keeper.


    "Did you hear what their plan is? Or, which son are they targeting?" Instead of answered Raine''s question, Diana asked more detail about what she had heard.


    She grew restless second by second, away from her sons and mate, and the fact that Raine''s words were true didn''t help at all. Diana realized now how the situation around her was too quiet, though there was a battle happened somewhere inside the castle. Diana could feel the tension through the mind link.


    "No. I didn''t hear anything except that." Raine shook her head in regret. "They left afterward."


    "Hmm." Diana nodded and moved even faster, but still graceful as the queen of the Lycanthropes.


    Just as they turned at the corner of the corridor, they saw a lady in white dress carried a baby in swaddle in her embrace.


    Only then, both Raine and Diana, could breathe in relief.


    "Is everything okay there?" Diana asked while approaching the lady and her baby.


    However when Diana just took the baby from her arms, she saw something sparkle under the sunlight. With the sight of that, Diana''s eyes turned dark as she let out a beast snarl and moved to the side very fast.


    However, because her concern was on the baby in her hands, she didn''t move fast enough and didn''t protect herself carefully.


    When the caretaker lady pulled out the dagger in her hand, the sharp blade grazed Raine''s left arm, which protect the baby.


    Everything went so fast when the ten Lycan warriors, who had been following them from the main hall, turned into their beast form and pounced onto the lady.


    Raine looked away and shut her eyes tightly, she knew what would happen next, as she couldn''t take it the horrendous scene that was happening. The only thing that gave away the brutal moment, which was going on, was the shrill scream and deep growls from the Lycans and the caretaker lady.


    Only when the nerves- wrecking sound had died down, Raine was dare to open her eyes and put her focus on Diana, who was standing not far from her with baby Torak, safe in her arms.


    "Luna, are you all right? Is Torak all right?" A man in blue clothes and curly hair approached Diana with worry in his amber eyes.


    "Torak and I are fine. Thank you, Eaton." Said Diana in her soft but firm voice.


    Yet, the man named Eaton stared at the blood in Diana''s left arm and the wound that not yet heal. "But, Luna¡­ your hand."


    "This is a silver dagger." One of the Lycan, who had turned into his human form, said while staring at the dagger that covered with blood, the caretaker''s blood.


    "We have to tend your wound." Eaton stated apprehensively. For Lycan, wolfbane wouldn''t affect them, but silver still did damage on them. "Let''s move to the sanctuary."


    "Raine, let''s go." Diana glanced at Raine, who had turned as white as paper, she was standing behind her without moving, flabbergasted.


    "Oh, yes¡­ yes." Raine stuttered, trying hard to not looking at the direction where those beasts had ended up the caretaker''s life, but still caught a glimpse of the pool blood on the marble floor.


    "Look ahead." Diana said to her, knowing this scene wasn''t something that she could handle.


    Raine staggered forward and picked up her pace, following the Luna and her guards.


    This silence was very uncomfortable for them, no matter what they did, they couldn''t hear what was happening behind the wall because of the spell that had been charmed the whole castle.


    Raine''s normal human hearing couldn''t help with that either.


    "You are a witch, can''t you lift the spell?" Eaton glanced at Raine, who was still wearing her purple cloak.


    Raine shook her head. "I can''t, I don''t have enough power to do that, but sister can." She explained.


    Eaton scoffed and continued to walk, slightly irritated because of the situation. "Why the witches join hand with the wizard hunter?! How is it possible!?" Eaton groaned in frustration.


    But, as soon as Eaton finished his words, suddenly the wall beside him exploded, sending shards in all directions.


    Eaton moved fast and covered his Luna while there was another Lycan, moving to Raine''s side and protecting her, bore the brunt from the explosion.


    However, the blast was so strong and all of them were knocked back by its power and stumbled hard to the ground.


    Raine could feel the debris and sharp fragments grazed her cheeks and her hands. When Raine stopped rolling on the ground and the dust settled, she opened her eyes and gasped in horror.


    Fabian was floating in the air in front of them and most likely he was the one who had attacked them earlier.


    But, why?! And where is Serefina?!


    Fabian put his hands together in front of him and with a shockwave of energy, he sent all of the Lycan warriors into convulsions.


    The spasms rendered the ten Lycans hard to breath and in the same time immobilized them.


    Raine hurriedly stood up and was about to approach Fabian when someone held her back.


    It was Diana.


    The Luna''s condition wasn''t better than Raine and the baby in her embraced started to cry. "Bring him to the safety." As she said that, she gave the baby to Raine as she turned into her Lycan''s form to face the witch head on.

 Chapter 215 - SHE WAS STRUCK BY MAGIC FIRE

    Raine was dumbstruck when she witnessed the graceful Queen turned into her beautiful golden Lycan. Her golden eyes had turned bloodshed red as she snarled at the witch above her.


    But, Raine didn''t have time to appreciate the sight in front of her as the beast whipped her head toward her and growled loudly as if to chase her away.


    Taking a last glance at Fabian, Raine started to move toward different direction. The only problem was, she didn''t know where she has to go.


    There was a lot of things roaming around her head and unanswered questions. With the sight of an opened door, Raine slipped her body inside with the baby Torak in her arms. She decided to hide here until the situation settled down.


    Those Lycans would be able to find her by following her scent or the baby''s scent.


    Apparently, the room that Raine had entered was a dining room, hence there were not many places for her to hide.


    Raine found a secluded corner behind a huge display cabinet and stuffed her small body inside. It seemed this part was intended for storing paintings that were not used anymore, as Raine sat down beside a row of canvas.


    Only then, Raine could take a breath to calm her thumping heart.


    Once Raine had calmed she looked down at the baby in her arms, she didn''t pay attention to him because she was too busy to find a safety place for them.


    The moment Raine looked at the baby, a pair of beautiful blue eyes, staring back at her. Somehow, the baby had stopped crying from the impact of being thrown away by the explosion.


    Baby Torak was playing with Raine''s hair. Strands of her hair wrapped around his little fingers while Raine was mesmerized about how beautiful the baby. She had never seen a baby that was so enchanted like this, especially his blue eyes.


    "Torak¡­" Raine whispered his name and stroke her finger against his chubby cheeks. "This time I will be the one who protects you."


    Though Raine didn''t even know how to protect herself, and moreover to protect the other, yet she determined to do everything that she could.


    The baby giggled by the touch of her fingers and pumped up his stubby fist while showing his toothless smile.


    Raine couldn''t help but giggled along with him, but then she realized their situation.


    "Sstt¡­ don''t make a sound¡­" Raine whispered to him as she tried to listen her surroundings, but the room was still very quiet.


    Raine didn''t know what was going on and wondering if the Luna could manage to take down Fabian. She even didn''t know if Torak''s mother was still alive in their real time or how she died if she wasn''t.


    Raine made a mental note to ask about Torak''s past once she returned, in case something like this happened again.


    However, before long, Raine was tensed up again when she heard a sound of someone walked inside the room. No, there are two of them.


    "I saw the girl ran inside this room with the Alpha''s son." The first man told his companion as they walked further inside the dining room. "Do your job well and we will not harm your family."


    The other man didn''t say anything, but Raine could see the familiar white smoke filled the room. The same smoke that the witch had used inside the inn to discover whether there was someone inside the room or not.


    Raine held her breath, though that wasn''t necessary as she had gone through this before and because of the horn of the unicorn that resided inside her body, she managed to escape from this magic.


    Raine should thank Serefina if she met her because this thing had saved her life.


    Afraid that the smoke was poisoned or could have negative effect on baby, Raine covered baby Torak under her cloak and hugged him tight while hoping he didn''t make any sound that could draw those two people'' attention.


    Only when the white smoke had dispersed, Raine stared down at the baby to check on him and found him still playing with her hair. Fascinated by how Raine''s silky hair wrapped his little stubby fingers.


    "Found you."


    A rough and callous voice suddenly sounded from above Raine''s head and made her shrieked out of fear.


    How they could find her? Was the horn of unicorn not working anymore?


    However no one would answer her and she was trapped there without a way to escape.


    And before Raine could what she should do, that man had grabbed her hair and dragged her out of her hiding place.


    Raine tried to hold her hair and kept the baby safe, but it was a hard thing to do now as she felt her hair was like revoked from her scalp.


    "Well, well¡­ who is here?" The wizard hunter threw Raine across the room and chuckled.


    Ignoring the pain on her head, Raine curled her body to protect the baby from the impact when she glided on the floor as she screamed in pain when her back hit the feet of the big table.


    "You said it was only the baby is here." The wizard hunter tilted his head at the young man, who was standing in puzzled while looking at the girl in purple cloak.


    "No, it supposed to be only the baby is here." The young witch looked perplexed and frowned.


    With their comment, Raine remembered, she was immune to spell but Torak wasn''t. That was why they could find them.


    "I think you are not that good as a witch." The wizard hunter said in mocking tone as he walked to approach Raine and the baby. "But, it doesn''t matter." His lips curved into a devilish smirk. "Kill them." He ordered the witch.


    The wizard hunter stared at Raine, who was writhing in pain from colliding into a table.


    "But, that is the son of the Alpha¡­" The young witch was very afraid as his hands trembling.


    "I said kill them before I told my people to kill your entire family!" The wizard hunter roared.


    With that, a ball of magic fire hit Raine and the baby in her embrace.

 Chapter 216 - POWERFUL WITCH

    Serefina was dashing through debris and dust to go to Fabian''s room, when the fighting sound was growing louder and louder.


    She moved her feet as fast as she could and arrived at the center of the fight. That room was mess with the door had flown from its hinges.


    Inside, Raine could see Fabian was fighting ten wizard hunters at the same time.


    However, Serefina didn''t move fast enough as one of the wizard hunter sneaked an attack behind Fabian''s back.


    He was stabbed by a long black rod that turned into white when it touched Fabian''s body and then sent him slumped on the ground, couldn''t even move a finger.


    "Fabian!" Serefina shouted at him before he closed his eyes entirely. "Let him go before I kill every single soul inside this room."


    Serefina this time looked terrifyingly scary, her eyes shone in dark green light while her fiery short red hair fluttered with the wind that swirled around her and made her as the center of the typhoon that she had created.


    "Take the witch and get out of here!" One of the wizard hunters shouted at his subordinate, yet before he could talk much, his body was being lifted from the ground and threw harshly to the road across the inn through the window.


    "This witch is powerful!" One of the wizard hunters hissed in frustration and resentment toward Serefina after she threw his friend away. "Come out here! This is your turn!" He signaled someone or a few people from certain direction to join the battle.


    The wizard hunter was protected by many charms that could turn them immune by some spell from the witches, that way, they could capture witches and used their power for their own benefit.


    Hence, if they could manage to take a pure blood witch it was equivalent to a thousand mere witches. As the pure blood witch has many hidden power that they couldn''t even imagine.


    One of them was; raise the dead.


    With that signaled, around twenty witches burst inside the room and surrounded her.


    Now, that room filled with many people and was hard to move. Especially when there was a whirl of strong wind that could throw anything that touched it.


    "SCRAM!!!" Serefina''s powerful wind threw all of them away from her.


    Some of those witches were thrown out of the window and many collided with the wall behind them, leaving a visible dent on the surface.


    There were around seven or eight witches that still stood their ground and less affected by Serefina.


    "Why do you help an enemy?!" Serefina growled at the remaining witches inside the room as she shot them a dagger look.


    "We don''t have a choice." One of an old man, who looked much stronger than the rest of the witches, answered her.


    Serefina''s angry eyes scoured around the room and found the wizard hunters had long gone with the unconscious Fabian.


    The wizard hunters must have thought Fabian was the last pure blood witch who was still alive and would have never thought that Serefina also a pure blood witch, or else they wouldn''t leave her there to deal with the witches.


    "Scram from my sight or else you will never have the chance again." Serefina stared menacingly at the witches around her.


    Some of the witches, who was laying on the ground before, because of the impact of Serefina''s powerful wind started to get up and joined their magic with the old man to hold back the fiery witch in the middle of the room.


    And in the next second, everything went so fast as a blasting white blinding light forced them to shut their eyes along with an earth- shattering sound as debris and dust fluttered in the air.


    They found themselves had already laid down on the dirty floor and when the blasting white light had subsided, all they could see was a huge hole in front of them.


    The wall had gone and behind it was a sight of road to the street night of the festivities while the fiery witch was no more there.


    All of them were flabbergasted by the show of power that they had witnessed. The witch was so powerful, they had never seen such powerful witch since the pure blood witches decreased in number.


    However, there was no way that woman was a pure blood, right?


    ==============


    Serefina was running through the crowd, trying to pick up the traces of the wizard hunters'' escaped route.


    She was very exhausted after blasting the whole wall and took down a dozen witches by her own. As a witch, she has her own way to track down another witch and how to locate the wizard hunters.


    After all, Serefina had spent centuries encountered their kind. She cursed under her breath when someone bumped her and she lost her balance.


    This street was very crowd.


    Serefina took a deep breath and tried to concentrate, as she did so, her warm breath became vivid, as if she was in the middle of winter, yet the white smoke from her nose and mouth formed another shape and turned into a white butterfly that flutter its wings around Serefina''s face before it flew up high.


    Serefina took a deep breath before she followed the white butterfly that she had conjured from magic spell.


    The white butterfly led her toward the east of the city and up the hill where she found a vast land covered with yellow grasses.


    The magic butterfly disappeared with the wind when Serefina found what she had been looking for.


    In this vast land, she watched Fabian was laying down on the grass as the wizard hunters forced something into Fabian''s mouth and made him to drink it.


    Serefina''s breathing was uneven and rage, but her eyes were still sharp, with a wave of her hand, she managed to take down the thing that those wizard hunters forced Fabian to swallow it.


    There were even many wizard hunters there than in the inn.


    "You are too late." Said the man with devilish smirk.


    "Brad¡­" Serefina breathed his name with venom on the tip of her tongue.

 Chapter 217 - SHOWDOWN

    Serefina knew this wizard hunter. They would meet with each other two centuries from now and became sworn enemy.


    However, the wizard hunter named Brad was quite surprised because Serefina knew him.


    He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "I am very surprised that you know my name." Brad slightly bent his body, mocking her. "Such an honor for me."


    There was a soft whisper among the wizard hunter when they saw Serefina.


    "Did she survive from the attack of those witches?"


    "No way. There must be traitors among them."


    "Yeah, those witches didn''t care about their family."


    Even the most powerful witch, not the pure blood one, wouldn''t stand twenty witches at the same time, so they didn''t believe Serefina managed to leave the battlefield unscratched.


    "Keep your honor for yourself since you lack of it." Serefina replied as she lifted both of her hands, there were fireball in blue fire on both of her palms, ready to be shot. "Leave him now since I am still nice."


    Brad raised his eyebrows. "You are sure very arrogant young lady."


    "Arrogant? You judge me too fast Brad, you have not seen my arrogant side." Serefina smirked and threw the two blue fire balls in her hand and shot the nearest wizard hunters from her.


    The two wizard hunters that were aimed by the blue fire ball, evaded the sudden attack just in time as they swung their whip toward Serefina.


    Seeing the whip whirled in the air and moved faster toward her, Serefina didn''t even bother to stop walking and only flicked her hand to ward off the attack.


    In no time, the whip burnt into a blue fire that made the two wizard hunters shrilled in shock.


    "How could this happen?!" Both of them backed off and stayed behind Brad. "She shouldn''t be able to burn the whip!"


    That whip was protected, so no spell from witches could do any damage on it, but only a flick of Serefina''s finger, she burnt it like it was nothing.


    A smug smile appeared on her red lips as she approached them, step by step, as if she enjoyed the bewilderment and confusion in those eyes.


    "Get lost while you have a chance." Serefina said calmly as she let herself to be surrounded by the wizard hunters and be the center of the attack.


    "You want this man?" Brad kicked Fabian''s leg with the tip of his shoes. "How about you work with me and I will give you power."


    All of sudden Serefina broke into a fit laugh. She laughed very hard until her body bent down as she held her stomach and tears came out from the corner of her eyes.


    This action of course irked all the wizard hunters and hurt Brad''s pride. His eyes turned gloomy as if a dark shadow covered them. He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes dangerously at Serefina.


    But the witch didn''t even care to stop as she enjoyed her own jokes.


    "STOP IT! WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?!" Brad couldn''t content his anger anymore and his voice roared in this vast land and forced Serefina to give him some attention.


    Finally Serefina stopped laughing, wiping the remaining tears from the corner of her eyes, she stared at Brad disdainfully.


    "You¡­?" Serefina moved her eyes up and down to assess Brad''s figure in front of her. "¡­ Will give me power?" She pointed herself and looked at Brad tauntingly. "You can''t even beat me and now you are talking about giving me power?"


    Serefina''s questions were too much for the wizard hunters, as one of the haughty kind, they couldn''t take Serefina''s words pretty well.


    Thus, without the command from Brad, they all immediately wore mask over their face and threw a smoke bomb toward Serefina. All of them, at the same time.


    In no time, Serefina had covered by thick red fog that burned the grasses beneath her. This smoke was actually poisons. It could burn anything if it was inhaled and entered the body.


    The smoke could burn your lungs and your blood.


    Seeing that, Brad carried Fabian away from the area and stayed further back, so he wouldn''t inhale a bit of it.


    From the amount of the smoke bomb that the wizard hunters had thrown to Serefina, that witch wouldn''t be able to survive, even the grass had turned into dust and the soil had turned darker than charcoal.


    There was no way she would be able to stand it.


    Yet, reality said otherwise.


    The red fog stilled in the air and whirled into an odd movement before it dispersed into thin air without leaving a single trace of it.


    In the middle of the wreckage, standing beautifully a woman with fiery red hair, untouchable, even her white dress has no stain at all.


    She stood there, on the dark soil, like there was nothing happened. Her lime green eyes shone attractively under the moonlight.


    All the wizard hunters around her rooted on the ground, dumbfounded as if they couldn''t find their voice, were entranced by what they were witnessing.


    "That''s it?" Serefina raised her perfect eyebrows and shot a dagger look at Brad. "Move!" She said.


    And, like a miracle, at the same time, Fabian opened his eyes and groaned. He curled his body into a ball as he held his throat tightly. His throat was burning.


    Serefina didn''t care about the gazes around her and another smoke bomb that those wizard hunters would throw at her as she walked forward.


    "Retreat." Brad said as he walked back a few steps together with Serefina, who walked forward and squatted down beside Fabian.


    Brad glanced at the witches, there was a trace of resentment in his eyes, before he turned around and left the area with his own people, disappeared into the darkness.


    Serefina tried to hold Fabian''s body from trashing on the ground. "Stop! Let me see what they fed you!"


    Yet, Fabian still growled in anguish and once he opened his eyes, they were so dark like the pit of the abyss.


    But, that wasn''t the shocking part, because once Serefina touched his hand, Fabian jumped and strangled her to the ground.

 Chapter 218 - THE LOCKDOWN

    Serefina could feel Fabian''s strong hand strangled her with all his might. The pit darkness in his eyes clouded not only his eyes, but also his sane.


    In her surprised and her attempt to push him away, Serefina could feel her consciousness started to fade.


    The two battles between she and the witches and also the wizard hunter took a toll on her and wore her off.


    The magic in her hand also started to disappear, losing it power.


    And with the last breath that Serefina had, she chanted some spell before she welcomed the darkness that approached her.


    When Serefina was awake later on, the moon shone brightly above her as if the moon goddess herself who had stood guard for her.


    A wry smile appeared on the corner of her lips with that silly thought. There was no way the moon goddess has time for her.


    The last spell that she chanted that saved her from the dreadful result of Fabian''s assault.


    Serefina touched her sore neck and tried to stand up because she had wasted enough time to heal herself by lost her consciousness.


    She looked around and she was indeed alone in the same spot where Fabian had strangled her. This was a good sign, because it meant the wizard hunter had long gone and the bad news was; Fabian must have followed them.


    Serefina slapped her forehead when she realized why Brad took his people to retreat so easily. Because he knew Fabian would follow him.


    There was no way a person like Brad would leave a bounty like Fabian, the pure blood witch, so easily. If he could, Brad would choose to lose all of his people that he had brought here rather than to lose Fabian.


    There must be something to do with the water that they had forced Fabian to drink it before.


    Serefina sighed.


    She decided to go back to the inn and took Raine with her before she proceeded to track down where the wizard hunter had taken Fabian.


    Raine must have been terrified by now to be left alone with the five witches inside their room.


    When Serefina was about to return to the inn, all of sudden she saw a dark cloud hovered above the castle as it cascaded down and covered the entire castle before it faded away into thin air.


    Serefina knew what it was and what it would bring.


    She was torn apart between returned to the inn or went directly to the castle, after all both places have different way.


    Gritting her teeth, Serefina chose to go back to the inn first.


    Raine was more important, much more important than the prominent danger that hovered above the castle.


    If something happened to Raine, it wasn''t only she had to give up her life, but also she all of their mission, her mission, the reason she was still here, would be futile.


    Thus, Serefina sprinted down the hill toward the direction of the inn.


    Yet, the moment she arrived there, the commotion was still not yet dispersed. They were standing together in groups, in the lobby of the inn.


    When Serefina was about to go to her bedroom, someone held her back.


    "Young lady, young lady! Stop please!" A woman ran after her and called her to stop.


    With irritated expression, Serefina stopped her step and turned her body. "Yes?" Her tone was higher than she intended to, but she didn''t care about that now. "I am sorry ma''am, but¡­" She was about to say that she was in hurry and left the woman alone when the other woman cut her sentence.


    "Are you looking for your little sister?" The woman asked. She was so young and her eyes bright beautifully, eager to help Serefina.


    "Little sister?" Serefina frowned.


    The young woman blinked her eyes, slightly confused with Serefina''s reaction. "Oh, I thought you are looking for the little girl with purple cloak, isn''t she your sister?"


    Only then, Serefina realized that the young woman meant was Raine. Probably Raine had mentioned their relationship as sister.


    "Right. Where is she?" Serefina asked impatiently. A bad thought crept in her head as she imagined the worse.


    "She was very terrified about what was happening and thought that you had gone missing, so people from the castle brought her there." The woman informed her.


    "She is in he castle?!" Serefina screamed out of frustration.


    And her scream made the woman jumped in surprised as she stuttered to answer her. "Yes, she is in the castle now¡­"


    "D*mn it!!!" Serefina cursed loudly and then stormed out of the inn, without even saying ''thank you'' to the young woman to inform her.


    Serefina didn''t have to think about that, her mind was replaying the image of the dark cloud above the castle and what dredful things that would happen there.


    And now, out of all the places, Raine was there!


    Those Lycans wouldn''t be so generous enough to protect her. If the worse thing happened there, Serefina doubted Raine could survive by her own.


    She could feel the rush of her blood on her veins as her precious heartbeat thumped wildly in her ribcage.


    Serefina couldn''t teleport herself there, because she had not yet marked the area, she needed to be there and put her mark first before she could teleport herself.


    All she could do now was forcing her feet to run as fast as they could.


    The moment she arrived at the castle''s gates, she could feel the thick atmosphere that filled with spells and charms.


    This magic kept people, who already inside, stayed inside and prevented someone from the outside to come in.


    It was almost like a lockdown. Moreover, the witches now apparently were on the wizard hunters'' side.


    For now, Serefina''s power had depleted greatly after two battles and one more experienced to be in the embrace of the death. She had experienced it once, and now she had to feel it again, if it was going to be thrice, she didn''t know if her luck would be enough to keep her alive.

 Chapter 219 - UNWILLING TO PART

    Even though she couldn''t lift the spell from the entire castle because she didn''t have enough power, but she could still enter it without much difficulty.


    She waved her hand at the entrance gates, where there was no a single guard at sight, and stepped inside.


    Serefina wouldn''t be able to look for Raine in this whole entire castle, as it was too huge, and then she couldn''t use magic to find her either, thanked to her brilliant idea to give her the horn of the unicorn, thus she decided to find the Alpha and the Luna.


    Because the woman in the inn said Raine was brought to the castle by the guard, then Serefina assumed she would meet the Alpha, as they needed an explanation about what had happened in the inn.


    Hence, she used the same spell and conjured a white butterfly from her breath and let it flew away to find the Alpha of all the Lycanthropes.


    However, the more she walked inside the castle, the more strange the situation.


    There was no one in front yard or the first hallway toward the main hall, where the party supposed to occure, where everyone has gone?


    It was too quiet, there wasn''t even a sound of the wind.


    Serefina stopped her steps and looked around her as if she was asesing something, and when the understanding dawn on her, she clicked her tongue in annoyance.


    "This trick again?" Serefina scoffed while the white butterfly fluttered its wings above her head.


    However now, she must try to be comfortable with this situation, because she couldn''t use her power to lift up the spell.


    Apparently, the enemy has fetish for quietness, because they used the same spell as the one they used in the inn.


    Actually, losing hearing ability to your surroundings wasn''t a big deal, but it was still uncomfortable as it could help locate the fighting ground in this huge place.


    Especially for those Lycans who always depended to their remarkable hearing.


    Meanwhile, Serefina needed to be carefull in every turn. Because the absent of the sound, she couldn''t hear anything until she saw it for herself.


    She had ran into a battle ground twice as she followed the white butterfly and almost clawed by the Lycan, who was fighting witches and wizard hunters.


    The questions remained in Serefina''s head about why the witch and the wizard hunters were attacking the Lycanthropes?


    The nature of both of them wasn''t an enemy, most of the time they would respect each other territory and was aware enough to cross the boundary.


    With a little bit magic and her agility, Serefina managed to escape from two battle ground and now she was walking down the corridor to the back yard and once the white butterfly disappeared into thin smoke, she knew that the Alpha was nearby.


    When Serefina turned at the last corridor to the back yard, at the same time the battle scene came into her sight, roar, growl and snarl filled Serefina''s eardrums.


    Serefina covered her ears with both of her palms as her eyes landed on the whyte Lycan in the middle of this chaos and a small boy in the age of seven.


    That little boy was standing so close to the white Lycan as the beast guard him protectively, flanked on their both side were another Lycans, in the color of red and black.


    Serefina''s focus fell on the boy, out of nowhere, her eyes turned foggy as she stared at him intently. The boy put her entire being was in mess.


    She didn''t realize, she was standing there, unmoved, watching as the white lycan roared in anger to send his enemies flew a few meter away from him and his son when there was a witch that managed to break free from the two Lycans.


    The boy''s expression didn''t change as he watched the enemies fell one by one.


    As blood spluttered on his tiny face, his eyes remained as cold as ever, as if nothing could move him. He was so young, seven years old, but the dreadfull scene before his eyes  didn''t even manage to falter him.


    "Such a cold guy, even in his tender age." Serefina mumbled to herself.


    The white Lycan and his two comrades kept the boy at the center of their protection and as many carcasses and dead bodies fell on the ground, the smell of blood very thick in the air.


    Even the white fur of the Lycan had turned into red color, complimented his bloodshot red eyes.


    Serefina was far enough, as no one would be able to see her, but from her spot, she could see everything. She narrowed her eyes when there was a witch who would attack him with cursed.


    Serefina moved faster than the Lycan to prevent the cursed hit the little boy and repelled it before major damage could happen.


    In the other hand, the boy seemed realized something as he saw a black magic that was sent toward him suddenly banished before it could come close enough to do any harm.


    He frowned and looked around, but saw nothing odd except the mess around him as he was in the middle of the battle.


    Serefina hid herself behind a big pillar and kept protecting the little boy from curses that was sent to him from time to time, as bunches of witches came one after another, outnumbered the Alpha and two of his subordinate.


    Serefina only left when she saw the reinforcement of Lycan warrior had come, they went berserk and bit off the witches'' head, added more blood and dead body on the scene.


    And when the situation was on their favor, Serefina took a last glance toward the boy with indiscernible eyes, there was unexplainable feeling in the way she stared at him, as if she was unwilling to part.


    Afterward Serefina moved to find the Luna.


    There was high chance the baby was with the Luna and Raine was with her as well, just like Serefina, Raine must want to protect someone that dear to her.

 Chapter 220 - FIRST KILL

    Serefina moved further into the castle as she conjured a white butterfly again, along the way she tried to compose herself and focused on the matter at hand, also her mission.


    But, the little boy''s face always came into her mind fused with the image of Jedrek that she remembered.


    Serefina could feel the sharp pain in her heart and curled her lips into a self- deprication smile.


    Because of her mind was in mess, she didn''t careful enough when she turned at the end of the corridor and almost hit by a flying chandelier.


    Thanked to her outstanding reflex so she could dodge it in time and turned it into dust. At the same time the white butterfly disappeared, it meant, she had met with the Luna.


    And right there was another battle with golden fur Lycan in charge, facing the famous witch head on, baring her fangs and snarling dangerously.


    Surrounded the golden fur Lycan was dozens of Lycan warriors, growling and trying to attack the witch in attempt to protect their Luna.


    Serefina was squinted her eyes at the witch that those Lycans were fighting of, it was Fabian. No doubt!


    What those wizard hunters gave him until he couldn''t remember anything like this? And whatever it was, Serefina needed Fabian to throw it up.


    The situation would turn for the worst if it kept this way.  It was impossible fro Serefina to stop them from fighting by showing herself.


    In that way, she needed her normal condition and more power to stop them, the only thing that she lack right now.


    Thus, she was trying to find the right chance for her to be able to interfere and end the battle.


    Those Lycans didn''t realize that Serefina was there because their focuses were elsewhere.


    From behind the ruined of the wall, Serefina was staring at them with her lime green eyes as she squeezed her brain to find a way out from this situation.


    No matter how hard Serefina tried, she couldn''t find anything that she could use to stop it.


    Fabian wasn''t in his right mind and the Lycans wouldn''t be mind to kill her along with Fabian if she was going to attack them.


    In this situation, the only way was to gain more power and blast them with magic, a shocking attack, and the only way to increase her power in matter of second was to find Raine.


    A guardian angel wasn''t hunted for centuries for nothing and that the only solution that Serefina could think of.


    Serefina narrowed her eyes, she didn''t know if her guess was right or not, but at least she should try as her options was limit.


    Once again, she conjured the magic white butterfly and let it flew in the air, slipping her body away from the battlefield undetected.


    Serefina didn''t see the baby, so she assumed Raine would be with the baby, though she was unsure about this too.


    How Raine could end up with the baby? And why the Luna trusted her son to someone that she didn''t know?


    But, Serefina''s mind was in mess, so she just followed her instinct and put aside those thoughts as she walked down along the corridor.


    # # #


    Raine looked in horror when the fire ball shot straight toward her and in the last second, using all of her strenght she turned around to cover the baby and gave her back to be hit by the magic fire.


    She held the baby tighter in her embrace and waited for the pain to come, she readied herself and gritted her teeth in case the pain was so unbearable.


    However, nothing happened. she didn''t feel the pain that she expected, the only thing that she felt was only warm around her body.


    Gradually, Raine opened her eyes and almost screamed when she watched her entire body engulfed in red fire, the fire was so wild, yet she wasn''t burned.


    There was a loud laugh behind her, the sound of it made Raine felt sick. It was the wizard hunter, laughing to his heart content, threw his head back because he thought he had succeeded to kill the Alpha''s son and this insignificant girl, who foolishly, tried to protect the baby.


    Without him knowing, Raine was fine and wasn''t the least bit hurt.


    Thinking they were misunderstanding the situation, Raine took advantage of it and played along with their assumption. She just hoped the baby didn''t make a sound and gave away their true condition.


    This must be the horn of unicorn that had protected her, again and again, Raine really needed to thank Serefina for this, because this thing had saved her life many times.


    She would do that, after she could survive this situation and managed to find her, it sounded like a long- term plan.


    When the fire around her body was extinguished, the wizard slightly frowned when he saw Raine''s body, the end of his fire ball should leave the girl body with burns, but this confusion was overlooked by the wizard hunter.


    The wizard hunter, with his smug face, walked over toward Raine, who he though had died by now, he squatted down and faced Raine.


    He didn''t have suspicion when he watched Raine''s fair skin, because he thought the fire would kill her, whether her skin burns or not as he lack of knowledge about witch power and spell.


    "I will bring the baby''s head for my Master as a gift." The wizard hunter enjoyed his own thought.


    Meanwhile, Raine gritted her teeth and tried to calm herself, because the next thing that she had to do was something that she would never have imagined, even in her nightmare.


    Raine could hear the wizard hunter drew his dagger and felt he came closer, and the moment he touched Raine''s hand to take Torak from her arms, Raine opened her eyes and glared at the wizard hunter.


    This action of course took him by surprised as he fell on his back and flabbergasted.


    Raine took this one- shoot chance and abruptly charged toward him, snatched the dagger from his hand and stabbed it right in his chest.

 Chapter 221 - IF YOU HURT HIM, I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU

    Not only the wizard hunter, but Raine also was shock with the action, which she managed to pull it through.


    She stabbed the wizard hunter! She really did!


    Even the young witch was flabbergasted by the sight before his eyes, the girl should be dead by now, but she actually moved freely and now attacked her attacker.


    Did his magic not work on her? But, why? He saw it for herself that her body was engulfed with the fire that he had conjured, yet from the look of it, she wasn''t slightly burn.


    How could something like that happen?


    "You!?" The wizard hunter groaned in anguish, he was shock but the pain in his chest reminded him about what was happening.


    The wizard hunter stretched out his hand and was about to strangle Raine when she moved even faster, pulled out the dagger and thrust it again on his chest. Blood spluttered from the opened wound and sprayed on her cloak and face.


    Raine''s whole body was trembling when she did it again for the fourth time before she stopped and all she saw before her eyes was the wizard hunter had died with his eyes opened wide, as if he didn''t believe the way he died would be like this, in the hand of insignificant girl, who he had underestimated.


    Raine pried her fingers open from the hilt of the dagger and stared in horror at the dead body of the wizard hunter


    Was it true she did that?


    Though her mind was telling her she had done the right thing by killing him, but she couldn''t calm her thumping heart and breathed normally.


    She kept telling herself that; if she didn''t kill him, then he would be the one who killed her, so she did that to protect herself and the baby.


    After all, she had said it for herself that she would protect the baby at any cost.


    Raine scrambled back and brought the baby to her arms, held him tighter to stop her body from shaking uncontrollably as the baby also felt her discomfort, he started to cry.


    At that time, Raine felt something uneasy crept from her back, but when she glanced over, there was nothing there.


    "Impossible¡­ why it doesn''t work?" The young witch mumbled to himself and backed away when Raine stood up and walked over him slowly. "Why it doesn''t work?"


    "Scram!" Raine growled in deep voice as she prowled closer to him.


    The witch was in shock and was so scared to be able to comprehend the situation as he waved his hands frantically to stop Raine from moving closer to him.


    In his attempt, he lifted a dinning chair with his magic and threw it to Raine.


    Didn''t expect this, Raine tried to dodge it, but another chair was flown toward her direction and it was too late for her to evade this second attack.


    Raine''s body tumbled backward and lost her balance and when she readied herself to be hit by the chair, suddenly that flying chair was engulfed with dark shadow.


    It stopped mid- air and was thrown back to the witch across the room.


    The witch was stupefied and didn''t have time to dodge it. In his desperate situation, he chose to blow the chair into dust, the blast send him flew a few steps back.


    However, the young witch had not yet regained his composure when tendrils of shadow wrapped his body tightly and in matter of second, his entire being was covered with dark shadow as he could do nothing but screamed on the top of his lungs before the same shadow covered his mouth, swallowing the rest of his voice and then he felt nothing but agony.


    Raine watched in consternation and fright when the shadow¡­ consumed the young witch and left him with nothing, not even a drop of blood.


    She felt her knees were so weak as she fell on the ground with loud thud, the only thing that kept her mind attached to her consciousness was the cry of the baby.


    When everything was over and everything turned eerily quiet.


    A man that Raine has known for some time, appeared in front of her.


    Dark eyes and curly hair that reached his shoulder, he was no other than Aeon, the shadow warrior from the village of angel.


    "Are you alright." Aeon squatted down and reached out his hand, tenderly, he brushed away Raine''s strand of hair from her face. "Are you hurt?" He asked softly.


    "Aeon..?" Raine''s voice was raspy and scratchy as if she was having a bad cold.


    "It''s me. I come to protect you." Aeon caressed Raine''s face from the blood that tainted her beautiful face. "It has been a long time since I can touch you¡­" He sighed in relief.


    "But¡­ how?" Raine thought with Serefina had burned her mother''s diary, Aeon wouldn''t be able to come close to her again, especially when Serefina had put spell on her and around the house.


    "In this realm, you are free from her protection spells." Aeon explained.


    However, that reply only answered one of Raine''s questions while she has hundreds of it. Such as; how he could travel back to the past like what she did?


    Yet, before Raine could ask further question, Aeon''s dark eyes turned even darker when they landed on the baby in Raine''s arms.


    "This baby is Torak." It was a statement instead of question. "We should get rid of this baby. You are better without him." The way he talked was very cold.


    "No." Raine swatted Aeon''s hand from her face, suddenly aware by the killing intense that sparked in his eyes.


    "Raine, trust me. You are better without him." Aeon tried to touch Raine again, but she evaded his hand.


    "You don''t need him Raine. He will never be able to protect you." Aeon said firmly and repeated his words. "You better without him."


    And before Raine could say anything, a shadow crept on her arms engulfed the baby.


    Raine was alarmed. Aeon had done the same thing toward the young wizard earlier.


    "If you hurt him, I swear I will kill you." Raine stated with the voice that came from the deepest hell.

 Chapter 222 - SHE HAS A BETTER IDEA

    Raine also didn''t believe that she could say something like that, but she was aware with what she said and didn''t regret it.


    Nevertheless, she had killed one person today, so it would sound reliable when she said she would kill Aeon for hurting Torak.


    The shadow that engulfed the baby stopped as Aeon was taken aback by Raine''s words. "You will kill for him." Aeon reiterated.


    He also was in disbelief with what Raine had said.


    How a timid girl like her with soft nature could say something like that? Was she trying to threaten him?


    "I had done it." Raine glanced at the wizard hunter''s dead body and then stared at Aeon. "And I will do it again if I have to." She said firmly.


    Aeon''s eyes narrowed dangerously.


    For a moment Raine thought Aeon would go all the way with his intention, after all, though she had said something so brave like that, but in reality, in her current situation, she wouldn''t be able to come near Aeon if he didn''t let her.


    However, a moment later, Aeon retracted his shadow and said his last words before he disappeared in the darkness. "The man that you think is your mate will be the death of you." And with sad expression he added. "I will always protect you. This is an oath."


    Afterward he vanished along with the shadow around his body and the room turned quiet once again.


    The cried from the baby in her arms also subsided and left him with a soft sob as he stuffed his stubby fist onto his mouth.


    Apparently the baby was hungry.


    The night started to wear off when the fight in the dining room was over, leaving Raine with trembling body, yet she sighed in relief that both of them were still alive.


    The first ray of the golden sun came through from the huge window, illuminated the messy room and highlighted what was happening.


    Raine was so tired, she hoped the fight outside had stopped and wondered who would win this battle.


    Raine almost fell back when a loud bang from the door was being opened echoed through the wall. But, a wave of relief washed all over her body when she watched Serefina strode across the room and approached her.


    "Serefina¡­" Raine cried. She had never felt so happy the moment she saw the witch. "I ¡­ I¡­ I killed someone¡­" She stuttered, feeling so awful when the fact left her lips.


    Yet, the witch just brushed it away like it was nothing. "No worries, I had done it thousand time." She helped Raine to get up and took the baby from her arms.


    However, out of the blue, the baby started to cry again, feeling agitated because the discomfort of the way Serefina carried him.


    "Even as a baby you are very annoying." Serefina grumbled.


    "Let me." Raine took the baby again, she was afraid Serefina would throw the baby away, and tried to pacify him.


    Without word, Serefina returned the baby and made a hand gesture for Raine to follow her. "Come! We need to go now."


    Raine stumbled when she tried to follow Serefina, wobbling toward the door, she found her pace and started to run along with the witch.


    This wasn''t the time to be indulged herself with fear, because if she didn''t move fast enough and let the fear resided in her heart, she would die in the next moment.


    This was a situation like that.


    "Serefina¡­ I saw Mr. Alizon¡­" Raine informed her while trying to catch up with her.


    "I saw him too." Serefina replied curtly as her eyes scanned her surrounding and took precaution in every turns of the corridor.


    "He looks like he is not himself." Raine remembered how Fabian had tried to blow them up.


    "The wizard hunter fed something on him." Serefina abruptly stopped at the end of the last corridor, she stretched out her hand to stop Raine from getting closer as she sneaked a peek at the situation behind the wall.


    The battle was still happening and the golden Lycan was still standing along with a few more Lycan warriors, they fought side by side.


    "Raine, listen to me." Serefina switched her focus on Raine, her expression turned serious. "The current situation is very chaotic and this is getting out of my hand."


    Raine tried to figure out what Serefina wanted to say, it wasn''t like her to talk so thoughtful like this.


    "If we let this happen for any longer and the Alpha comes into the scene, he will kill Fabian and we can''t let that happen." Serefina said. "But, if we come out now and interrupted their fight, Fabian and the Lycans will kill both of us."


    It sounded like a dead lock situation.


    "So, your point is?" Raine became impatient. Why was Serefina suddenly talking so long- windedly?


    "I don''t have enough power now to stop them from fighting on my own, hence I need you." Serefina came to conclusion.


    With that being said, Raine''s mind reeled. She frowned. "Do you mean you want to sap my energy?" When it came to power and guardian angel, that reason was the only thing that past her mind.


    After all they had mentioned it for many times until that fact had engraved in her head and heart.


    "Yes." Serefina said.


    "But¡­" Raine backed away, she remembered what Lydia had said to her about the fate of the guardian angel whose energy was sapped from them. "But¡­ it will harm me." She would lose her soul.


    "No, I will not weaken you until you lose your soul." Serefina reassured her. "I hope." She added, slightly doubted her own words, after all the temptation for become powerful was strong.


    "You don''t even believe your own words." Raine sneered.


    "Have fate in me will you?" Serefina slightly offended as she folded her arms in front of her. "This is the only solution that I have, tell me if you have another useful idea." She said arrogantly.


    Raine looked the baby in her arms and then Serefina impatient expression.


    "I think I have another idea¡­" She said unsure. "But, I don''t know if it will work."

 Chapter 223 - DO YOU THINK TORAK WILL BE HAPPY?

    "What is it?" Serefina looked at Raine in anticipation. She narrowed her eyes as if she wanted to figure out what was running inside Raine''s mind.


    Raine bit down her lips, unsure what she had to do. She scanned her surrounding and didn''t know if it would work or not.


    "Now what?" Serefina was getting impatient by Raine''s distracted expression. What she was going to do now?


    Well, at least she needed to try this¡­


    It wasn''t because Raine didn''t believe Serefina''s words that she wouldn''t do any harm on her, the moment she was sapping her power, but she didn''t want to take that risk.


    Raine wasn''t in good term with Serefina to the point that she would leave her life on the witch''s hand.


    "Aeon¡­?" She whispered that name.


    "Aeon!?" Serefina glared at Raine, she knew Aeon was the name of the shadow warrior that came after her.


    Serefina had put spell on Raine and the house where Torak and Raine was living to prevent the shadow warrior came close to her, but why Raine was calling for him?


    Moreover, how could it be possible that the shadow warrior came here? It wasn''t a matter of distance anymore, but they were centuries apart.


    "Aeon?" Raine ignored Serefina''s perplexed expression as she called Aeon name louder.


    "Are you insane?" Serefina scoffed. "Do you really think he will come to meet you because you call him? What do you think he is? Genie?" She said in a mocking tone.


    Raine grimaced upon her attempt.


    Well, this was indeed ridiculous¡­


    When Raine was about to give up the idea, as she thought Aeon would be nearby to help her just like how he had helped her when the chair almost crushed her head, a distance voice replied for her call.


    "Do you call for me?"


    Raine and Serefina whipped their head at the same time to the direction of the voice and found Aeon was approaching them slowly. His expression couldn''t be read, as it was so rigid.


    "You?" Serefina pointed her long nail toward Aeon, her jaw dropped open in disbelief. "How could you be here?! How is that possible?!" Her mind was distraught.


    Ignoring the frantic Serefina, Aeon only had his eyes on Raine, he intentionally avoided to glance at the baby in her arms.


    "Do you need me?" Aeon repeated his question.


    Seeing her nonsense idea actually worked, made Raine quite surprised, she didn''t know that he would really appeared.


    That idea was pure an instinct only because Aeon had said to her that he would protect her.


    "All of this is nonsense." Serefina muttered to herself and turned alarmed when Aeon stood only a step away from Raine. "You better mind your distance."


    "You better shut your mouth." Aeon retorted and shot a dagger look at Serefina. "If you can''t protect her well, don''t even try to act powerful. That''s disgusting." He made sure that the witch heard his every word clearly.


    "What did you say!?" Serefina temper flare up as her hand conjured a blue fire, ready to shoot it to Aeon for his comment.


    "Both of you please stop!" Raine yelled, but she moved aside, afraid that Serefina would really shoot her with the blue fire, in Serefina''s case everything was possible.


    All this time, the witch always said that she would protect her, but just how many times already she had been trying to kill her? That was why, when Serefina said she would sap her energy in order to save Fabian, who no other than her own father, Raine couldn''t believe her that it would be safe.


    Nothing was totally safe with this cunning witch, although this trip seemed to have improved their relationship but in reality it didn''t. Raine had to put her guard all the time.


    Aeon switched his attention toward Raine. "What do you need Raine?"


    "We don''t need you!" Serefina snarled.


    "Yes, we do." Raine frowned at Serefina, this witch irked her through and through. "Aeon, Mr. Alizon is under the control of the wizard hunter and now he is fighting the Lycans. Do you think you can take him without harming both parties?"


    Serefina rolled her eyes and leaned her back against the wall. "If Torak knows you ask for another man''s help, do you think he will be happy?" She tried to use Torak as an excuse.


    Even though her power depleted now, but to ask for help from an enemy, Serefina thought of Aeon as her enemy, was hurting her pride.


    "Do you think Torak will be happy to know that you took me here without a word and put me in danger? Not to mention you will sap my power."


    "Sap your power?!" Aeon''s shadow tendrils splayed around him as he glared at Serefina.


    One of his tendrils moved forward in intention to attack her, yet Serefina waved her hand and a bright light appeared around her, like a bubble of protection.


    "I am not in good shape now, but it doesn''t mean I can''t crush and throw you into nothingness like a shadow you are." Serefina gave a sharp comment.


    "Stop it please." Raine''s arms were getting tired by holding the sleeping baby, he wasn''t aware about his surrounding as he slept away in Raine''s comfortable embrace. "I just want for this to end."


    "What do you have in mind?" Aeon closed his eyes for a moment to compose himself before he opened them and looked at Raine coldly. "What do you need me to do?"


    At this point, Raine felt a little bit guilty toward Aeon, he had been trying to protect her, but Raine had shooed him away, yet the moment she called out for him, he appeared and still willing to help.


    "Actually, I don''t have any idea how to do it, but Serefina does." Raine looked at Serefina. "Can you stop your snarky comment please? You said it before that time is crucial, so we need to move quickly."


    Gritting her teeth, Serefina gave up and popped the bright bubble around her as she talked in the same arrogant tone. "Okay. Listen..."

 Chapter 224 - YOU REALLY HAVE GUTS TO DO THAT!

    The golden fur Lycan glared at the witch in front of her with her bloodshot red eyes, around her, some of the lycan warriors were laying on the ground, whimpered out of pain because of the magic.


    The witch''s magic affected them gratefully, but it less affected her because she was an Alpha female, her blood protected her from the magic.


    Nonetheless, it still affected her in some way.


    Diana could feel the conscious of her beast started to slip away as she out of breath. She shook her head to regain some focus.


    The only thing in her mind was her son. Torak. Would he be alright with that girl? Was that a right decision to leave his son with her?


    She had to find her son before something bad happened!


    With new determination, the beast''s eyes were getting sharper as she pounced onto the witch and raised her sharp claws.


    Ignoring the spell that the witch chanted that turned the air around her like thousands needles, she managed to claw his arms before he could dodge her.


    Without waiting for another moment and before he could recover from the first attack, the beast leapt at him and opened her mouth widely, showing her razor teeth, readied to bit his head off.


    However, before she could do that, out of the blue everything went dark, regardless the sun that shone a moment ago, the darkness before her eyes was so thick.


    At first, Diana thought she was blackout because of the long battle, but she could still smell the blood around her and the ground beneath her paws.


    What is it?!


    Diana tried to mind link Janus, but she couldn''t reach him yet. It had happened since Janus left the main hall, apparently this quietness not only affected the sound, but also their way to communicate with each other.


    That was why, everything was out of control and unorganized, because everyone didn''t know where to go. This whole situation, frustrated them greatly.


    The beast roared and snarled to get back her sight, but nothing worked.


    As she started to dash and pounce any random direction, suddenly she felt something engulfed her and lifted her body from the ground.


    The beast struggled to be freed from whatever magic it was, but her strength was weakened immensely.


    She felt her body lost all of her power, as her claws retracted and turned into finger, and the golden fur around her body receded.


    Once she was going back into her human form, her body slowly descended to the ground again, but she was too tired to even lift a finger.


    Diana blinked her eyes and light returned.


    The first thing that came into her line of sight was Raine, who was holding her baby. She wanted to say something, but wasn''t able to.


    Slowly, Raine squatted down in front of her and put the baby in her embrace, before she retreated.


    Diana glanced at her son and felt her body slightly relax when she watched her son sleeping face.


    Not only that, Diana could feel the link was restored as she could hear her mate''s voice in her mind.


    [Diana, where are you?!]


    ==============


    "You really have guts to do that." Aeon glanced at Serefina in resentment.


    They were out in the vast land where Serefina managed to catch up with the wizard hunter and the place where Fabian had tried to strangle her.


    She had marked this place, so she could teleport them here after she had made Fabian threw up whatever crazy things that those wizard hunter fed him, but one thing that she miscalculated.


    "Why are you here!?" Serefina yelled at Aeon, her lime green eyes looked at the shadow warrior in disbelief. "I don''t remember bring you along!"


    Aeon ignored that and helped Raine to stand up thoughtfully.


    Meanwhile, Fabian was still unconscious, laying on the ground without knowing what was happening or what he had done.


    "What happen? What Serefina had done?" Raine confused with their another squabble and looked around her. She didn''t feel like she had been here before.


    "The witch sapped the Luna''s strength." Aeon said casually. That was why, Diana lost her beast power and turned into her human form.


    "What?" Raine whipped her head toward Serefina''s direction with questioning look on her face. "Is that possible?"


    "Possible." Replied Aeon. "However, beast''s power would make you strong for a few moment, but your power will decrease greatly later." He explained. "Therefore, no one would sap the beast''s power if they are in their right mind."


    Serefina didn''t talk anything about that and didn''t try to argue, she just walked closer toward Raine.


    "Is that true?" Raine looked at Serefina in worry. "Will you be okay?"


    However, instead of answered Raine''s question, Serefina raised her hand toward Aeon and growled. "Scram!"


    She threw Aeon away with harsh wind from her palm and engulfed Raine and Fabian in warm bright light.


    Gradually, the light became so bright for Raine to open her eyes and so blinding. "What is this¡­?" Raine grunted.


    In the blinding light, Raine could hear Serfina''s voice was so close at her ears, as if she was speaking straight through her mind.


    "Don''t say anything about your meeting with Torak. Knowledge of the past should stay in the past or else it would change the future, maybe it would change for good, but there always a possibility it will be worse than you can imagine." Serefina''s voice gradually faded along with the bright light. "Don''t play with time. Remember that."


    As Serefina''s voice was no longer could be heard and the light had subsided, Raine opened her eyes and found herself in the dining room, back to Torak''s house, their house.


    She scanned the room and blinked her eyes rapidly, afraid if her eyes played trick on her. But, here she was, back to her real time, like nothing had happened.


    Serefina also nowhere to be found.


    If it wasn''t because her dress and the remnants of blood and dirt on her, she would have thought everything that she had gone through was a dream.


    From behind, she could hear Torak''s voice called for her.

 Chapter 225 - COMFORTING WORDS

    "What is this smell?" Torak opened the dining room''s door harshly, his expression turned rigid when he saw Raine''s condition. "Blood?" He growled at the word and strode over toward Raine.


    "Torak¡­ I¡­" Raine was still confused with the sudden change of environment and time, moreover, Serefina wasn''t there to explain what actually happened to them?


    How about Fabian? What happened to him? And their trip to get the grimoire? The battle in the castle? How about Aeon? Where is he? Is he still in the past? Where is Serefina? And many more questions¡­


    However, no one could answer her because Serefina''s last word was to keep this matter as secret; about the grimoire and the battle in the castle also Torak and his family.


    ''The knowledge of the past, should be kept at the past''


    "Are you hurt? Why are you wearing this dress?" Torak checked on her thoroughly, but apparently the blood on her hair, face and dress were not hers. Gently, he pinched her chin to make her eyes looked at him. "My love¡­ tell me what happened?"


    Torak could feel his beast prowled at the edge of his head, getting anxious by the sight of his mate drenched with blood.


    Raine was fl.u.s.tered and disoriented. She frowned when she looked at Torak''s in the eyes. "Torak, how long I was missing?"


    That was the first question that came out from her mouth as she looked at Torak with fear and bewilderment.


    "How long?" Torak furrowed his brows, he pulled Raine closed to him. "You just go down for two minutes ago my love, but how did you end up like this? What was happening? Whose blood is this?"


    He was very worry, but he tried to suppress it, just in case his mate would be scare. But, he couldn''t help, but gritted his teeth and questioned himself with the same questions.


    Did he fail to protect her again? Just how many times Raine was hurt under his protection? Shouldn''t she be safe with him?


    That questions kept banging his head as he felt useless. He was at lost about how to protect her. His protective side and most part of his beast wanted to keep Raine for himself twenty four hours, hiding her from the wild world outside.


    However, his conscience knew that wasn''t a solution. Raine would become depressed. Torak really wanted to let Raine did whatever she liked to do.


    Torak was in contradiction with himself.


    "My love?" Torak tried to call her, seeing her eyes were distracted as if she didn''t have presence of mind. "Raine!" Out of his antsy, he called out her name, this was the first time Torak called her name.


    Gradually, Raine''s eyes shifted at Torak and focused on him, she opened her mouth and whispered very softly.


    "Torak¡­ I just killed someone." As she wasn''t allowed to say anything about what the past information and also Torak wouldn''t be able to answer all of her questions, so the only thing that bother her now was the fact that she had killed someone.


    "You¡­ killed someone?" Torak furrowed his eyebrows.


    Raine only out of his sight for two minutes, so how on earth she had killed someone during that short period of time? He also didn''t hear anything.


    "No¡­ my love¡­ you killed no one. See for yourself, there is no one inside this room." Torak scanned the room for her and shook his head. "There is no one here."


    What actually happened to his mate?


    "No, Torak¡­ not in this time¡­ the other time¡­" Raine uttered as her mind was still spinning.


    Torak narrowed his eyes and when understanding dawn on him, his expression turned ashen. "It''s Serfina, right? She came here." That wasn''t a question, but a statement.


    When he watched his mate nodded her head, he pulled her close, hugged her tightly. "Tell me what happened. Where did you go this time?"


    Raine was confused too, she had gone for two days, but apparently in real time, the time didn''t move and she was still at the same day and the same moment when Serefina had taken her.


    How could that be possible? The first time she traveled back to the past, the time she was missing with the time she was in the village of angel was in synch.


    Probably, this was because Serefina?


    "Who did you kill?" Torak asked again.


    "A wizard hunter." Raine said as she wrapped her arms around Torak''s waist, relishing the feeling of safety whenever she was with him.


    Torak closed his eyes to calm the anger that clawed his entire body.


    Lycanthropes and the wizard hunter were not in good terms for centuries. There was event in the past that Torak was unsure what it was that severed their relationship.


    Because Torak didn''t care about that, he had never tried to find out why.


    "The wizard hunter wanted to hurt you?" Torak asked, with his eyes still closed, a feeling of guilty for not able to protect his mate gnawed his heart.


    "He wanted to kill me¡­" Raine said as she hugged Torak tighter. She could feel the tense from his body when she said that, so she added. "But, it''s alright¡­ I killed him first¡­"


    "You should. You have to." Torak said in rough voice firmly. He buried his nose on the crook of her shoulder, taking the liberty to breathe in her scent.


    "I kill someone Torak¡­" Raine repeated pitifully.


    Torak didn''t know what to say to consol her, because in his world, you have to kill before someone killed you, and that was a common thing.


    Hence Torak was a little bit at lost about how Raine felt about it. Why this matter seemed so big for her¡­ despite he didn''t quite understand his mate feeling right now.


    Torak still tried his best to persuade her. "If this makes you slightly feel at ease, I will let you know that I have killed thousands of creatures. You have done a great job for killing someone who wanted to harm you."


    Raine frowned and pushed Torak away as she stared at him sullenly.


    Are they supposed to be comforting words? What kind of comforting words are those?

 Chapter 226 - THE PROMISE

    Seeing Raine''s frowning expression, Torak leaned over to kiss her forehead and lingered his kiss a bit longer before he cupped her face and stared at her deeply.


    "I know I can''t give you the comforting words that you need. Honestly, I don''t even know what exactly how you feel now, after living for centuries while killing numerous creatures and going through battle after battle, I don''t know how to feel again. During that time, I don''t know what fear is."


    Torak caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. Raine''s condition had improved greatly now since the first time he met her, so Torak though it would be right for her to be taught little by little about another side of this world, the dark side of it.


    Though, Torak didn''t want for Raine to see it and learned about it, but the fact that most of the time ''ignorance'' could kill, forced Torak to put aside his nonsensical thought that he could always protect her.


    That thought had been proven wrong many time and now was the recent example.


    "But, all I want to say. I will prefer for having you killed other people than other people harmed you." Torak said his standpoint. "Don''t feel guilty because you killed the wizard hunter, because that wizard hunter wouldn''t feel the same thing when he managed to kill you."


    Raine blinked her eyes, Torak was right. No, he was totally right.


    Raine remembered how the wizard hunter laughed at her when he thought he had killed her along with baby Torak.


    Raine rubbed her eyes and tiptoed to kiss Torak''s lips while saying. "Thank you."


    "You are most welcome my love." Torak rubbed her head, relieved that his little mate a little bit calm down. "Will you tell me about what you have gone through?"


    Torak was really against the decision for Raine to be trained by Serefina after what had happened and how, sometime, the witch neglected her responsibilities.


    Yet, in the end he had to compromise with the situation and came to understand that not everything happened according to what he wanted, especially when this was about his mate.


    Raine looked at Torak with conflicted and sad eyes before she shook her head. "I can''t¡­" She said regretfully.


    "Why? Serefina told you so?" With Raine, Torak really learned how to control his emotion and found another side of him.


    Raine nodded. "She said something about knowledge about the past should stay at the past, or the present will change and we don''t know if it for good or bad¡­" Raine repeated what Serefina had said toward her.


    Torak sighed deeply. "Do you really want to keep doing this?" He said after he stared at his precious mate. "If Serefina''s method is too harsh, let''s find another way for you to gain your power¡­ there are thousands of witches, there will be one of them who knows about this."


    Raine gave some thought about that. "Serefina had managed to use my power to bring us back to the past and we are in progress to find the first guardian angel that was able to control the time." She felt a little bit awkward when she talked about her ability, because she had not yet felt it. "If I stop now, it will be a retrogression."


    Raine was trying to give her point of view.


    Torak closed his eyes and touched Raine''s forehead with his. "Can you promise me to do everything to be safe? I couldn''t ask you more than this. Whatever you will do, or whenever you will go, please come back to me."


    Torak said in deep voice as he pleaded for the safety of his mate.


    "I will try my best." Raine said, she glanced at Torak''s face that was so close to hers.


    "Promise me, my love, promise me that you will return to me." Torak demanded. He had frustrated enough for not being able to go with her to travel back to the past and protect her personally.


    "Promise." Raine finally said after she went silence for awhile.


    "And what I meant with everything is every way possible or impossible." Torak wanted to underline his words that he wouldn''t mind if Raine was going to kill one or two more creatures in order to save herself, she must do that if she has to.


    Raine could feel how worry Torak was for her as she placed her palms on the side of his face and said. "Where should I go if I don''t return to you?" She smiled sweetly the moment Torak opened his eyes and looked at her.


    "I think I should correct my words earlier." He mumbled.


    "Which one?" Raine asked because she didn''t know what Torak''s meant.


    "The part when I said I don''t know what fear is. Because even though you are so close to me right now, I am still afraid of losing you." Torak said those cheesy words with seriousness that made Raine didn''t know what to do, whether she should laugh at it or she should feel ecstatic.


    But, one thing for sure was; she felt contented by Torak''s words. Raine giggled and hugged Torak tightly that he reciprocated it gladly.


    After long, Torak caressed Raine''s head and kissed her. "My love, I didn''t mean to offend you, but your smell bother me¡­" He said calmly.


    "Ah!" Raine shrieked and suddenly pulled herself from Torak''s arms. She just remembered that her body reeked with foul smell of dust, dirt and blood. "I will take a bath!"


    "Do you need help?" Torak caught her waist and whispered to her ear.


    "No. no. no." Raine rejected the offer frantically as she escaped from the room and ran to the second floor.


    Once it was only Torak there, he walked toward the side of the cabinet, this spot was a blind spot in this dining room, where people could hide there and couldn''t be seen, but Torak didn''t need his eyes to know there was someone there.


    "So, how your condition can be like this?" Torak asked a woman, who was sitting there with her swallow breaths.

 Chapter 227 - THE WAY HE TRICKED HER

    Sitting on the floor with her back against the wall while hiding beside the large cabinet was Serefina with her pale face and sweat covered her forehead.


    At first Torak didn''t realize her smell because all his focus was on Raine and her condition, however in the middle of the conversation when Torak knew Raine was all right, he started to realize there was another scent inside the room.


    Thought it was a faint smell of the witch, but she was engulfed with the same scent of soil and dirt like Raine, and when his mate said she was with Serefina traveled back to the past, thus Torak realized Serefina was still inside the room.


    Torak stared down at the witch. He didn''t know what had happened to her, but she looked in her worse shape.


    "What happened to you? Should I prepare for the funeral now?" Torak asked sarcastically because Serefina''s condition indeed like someone who was in their last breath.


    "Don''t fight me for now¡­ I need to take a rest¡­" She breathed heavily, not even she couldn''t lift her finger, she wasn''t even able to open her eyes.


    [Cal, come to the dining room.] Torak mind link the beta as he kept his eyes on the witch.


    At first, Torak really wanted to give the witch one or two lesson the moment he met her, however, in her condition like this, not to mention a lesson, she wouldn''t even able to reply for Torak''s questions.


    [Yes, Alpha.] Calleb replied.


    After that, Torak squatted down and check on the witch, he put his palm on the witch forehead before he said. "You sapped a beast''s energy." Torak stated.


    Sapping a beast energy could make one gained powerful strength for short period of time, but afterward it would backfire because their condition would become worse than their previous state.


    Torak didn''t know why Serefina would do that knowing the consequences would be dire, but it seemed the situation was quite not in her favor.


    Meanwhile, Serefina didn''t reply for that statement and kept breathing unevenly.


    Torak didn''t let Raine know that Serefina was still here because if Serefina wanted, she could appear in front of her instead of hiding in this spot, in this sorry state.


    Moreover, there were a lot of things that Torak wanted to say to the witch, but seemingly that needed to wait for some time until Serefina''s condition was stable.


    Not long after that, Calleb came inside the room with his happy- go- lucky face.


    "Calleb is here!" He said cheerfully, his smile lasted until he smelled the blood and dirt in the air. "What is this smell?" He scrunched his nose.


    Ignoring Calleb''s reaction, Torak waved his hand. "Come here."


    Calleb walked over toward Torak curiously and as soon as he saw Serefina was there, out of shape, his eyes opened wide in shock.


    "What happened with her? Has karma finally caught up to her?" Calleb made a snarky remark, yet Serefina was too weak to even glare to him.


    "Bring her to one of the houses and ask our Doctor to look after her." Torak then stood up after he gave his order. "Inform me if you need something." He added before he disappeared behind the door.


    Calleb scratch the back of his head while wondering what happened to this witch, did she have a fight?


    But, knowing her personality that made a lot of senses.


    ===============


    "Should I congratulate you for being able to come close to your girl again?" Lucifer asked as he stepped inside the room and scanned the area.


    "What are you doing here?" Aeon didn''t even raise his eyes from a silver dagger in his hand when he answered the devil. "I said don''t come abruptly."


    Aeon was living on the roof of a building, under the veil of the night. This small place had been turned into an armory by Aeon as he liked to do this kind of things.


    "My bad." Lucifer held his hands up and sat on the nearest seat, didn''t even bother with the unwelcome gesture from the shadow warrior. "May I know how your progress with her?"


    Aeon glanced at him coldly. "She still believes that wrench Lycan is her mate." He said flatly, but the way Aeon was trying to test the sharpness of the dagger in his hand, showing how annoyed he was with that fact.


    Lucifer chuckled upon hearing that. "Like I told you before, you should just take her away and immediately make her yours."


    "I will never do something like that, she will come to me in her own conscience." Aeon said rightfully.


    "This topic is really out of my league." Lucifer threw his hands upward, surrendered. He didn''t understand why Aeon had to do something so stupid like waiting for a girl to come running to him when he could kidnap her and kept her in his store.


    The way Aeon glanced at the devil''s comment was filled with resentment.


    "But, I have to give you two thumbs up for your idea with the horn of the unicorn." Lucifer grinned devilishly. "How do you know the witch would look for that item?"


    "I have been living over centuries, so you should expect me to know one or two things about this world." Aeon threw a can of beer toward the devil that he caught in time.


    "I guess so." Lucifer scoffed when he saw the beer in his hand, this wasn''t the type of drink he would drink.


    Aeon knew most items that witches would look for and how those witches would get it. Thus, when he caught a wind of there was a witch that looked for a horn of unicorn, that must be Serefina.


    With Raine entered university, she would be exposed to the public, then it also meant she needed a lot of protection that possible.


    Aeon had investigated this matter carefully and when he was sure the buyer was Serefina, all he had to do was to make sure the witch got the item that she wanted.


    Hence, that was how he reconnected with Raine again and was able to follow her to the past as well.

 Chapter 228 - MOOD SWING

    Raine showered for almost two hours long, she brushed every part of her skin and dipped inside bubble bath until the tips of her fingers wrinkle.


    "My love¡­ if you still haven''t done, I will go inside and help you." Torak warned Raine, what she was doing inside there?


    Raine almost skipped her breakfast because of this.


    "No. I am done now!" Raine hurriedly replied, as there was a rustling sound from inside and the door was being unlocked before she appeared in her bathrobe.


    Since Torak always teased her and came inside the bathroom when she was bathing , Raine would lock the door if she didn''t forget.


    "What are you doing?" Torak folded his arms in front of him and watched Raine''s face and her exposed skin was brightly red. "Did you skin yourself inside?" Torak grabbed Raine''s hand saw her wrinkle skin on the tip of her fingers.


    Raine pouted and pulled back her hand. "You said I was smelly¡­" She said sullenly.


    Torak frowned when he heard Raine''s answer, but then he remembered what he had said to her as his expression was turned surprise. "That''s not what I meant my love¡­ I didn''t mean to say that you are smelly¡­"


    "That''s what you said." Raine insisted and walked past Torak.


    Torak tilted his head upon seeing Raine''s reaction and chuckled heartily when he watched Raine was choosing a parfume from the cabinet.


    She had never used any parfume before and Torak liked it that way.


    Hence, seeing Raine was standing in a row of expensive parfumes with wrinkle eyebrows was a rare sight to see.


    Understood why his mate was in bad mood, Torak approached her and hugged her from behind, resting his head on the nape behind her neck, the spot where her sweet scent was stronger, he kissed the fine hair on the back of her neck and made Raine shuddered.


    "You smell just fine, what I meant, I don''t like the smell of blood on you and, moreover, another men scent that latched on you¡­" Torak explained and turned Raine''s body.


    "I know¡­" Raine said in a very faint voice timidly, she lowered her head. "I am being ridiculous, right?"


    Torak cupped her small face between his palms and grinned. "It''s alright, period makes you become more sensitive."


    "Torak!" Raine swatted Torak''s hand away from her, but he held her firmly before he pecked her lips and released his little mate that was bright red now. "Put your dress and let''s have breakfast."


    "Okay." Apparently her period indeed turned her more sensitive than usual.


    "You don''t have anything to do for today right? How about accompany me to the office so we can go to have lunch together from there?" Torak suggested, he felt unease to leave Raine alone after she traveled back time again.


    "Okay." Raine agreed readily. She liked to wait for Torak while he was working.


    Raine walked to her wardrobe room and was about to choose something for her to wear when she realized Torak was following her from behind.


    "I will change." Raine said while looking at Torak, whose taking a seat near the door room.


    "I know." Torak nodded innocently.


    "What are you doing there?"


    "Waiting for you."


    Raine was speechless, Torak was getting more and more bolder with her. "You can wait outside." She approached her and tried to make him stood up, but it was a difficult task to do.


    "I will wait here, who knows what will happen later?" Torak folded his arms stubbornly. "I just left you for two minutes and when I saw you again, you had covered with blood."


    "I will not go anywhere. Moreover Serefina seems not in good condition when we return." Raine remembered what Aeon had said to her about the after effect sapping a beast energy.


    Torak also knew about that, but since Serefina hid herself from Raine, he wouldn''t say anything about it for meantime.


    "I will close my eyes." Torak closed his eyes, he was still very stubborn to stay.


    Sighed deeply, Raine yielded. "Don''t peek." She warned him.


    Though, they already slept together for many nights since the first time Torak had taken her away from the orphanage, but nothing happened during those entire nights.


    Sometime Raine wondered if she didn''t attractive enough for him, thus he didn''t have any desire for her, but then, Torak always said he loved her...


    Raine ever heard about it, that woman and man, who were in love with each other wouldn''t be able to sleep together without nothing happened, more so for many, many, many night.


    It was either the woman was not attractive enough or the man was bent.


    Well, at least that was what she heard when Sally spoke to Lana and Diane.


    Raine stole a glance at Torak and shook her head. It was impossible that Torak was bent. And then she looked at herself in the mirror and started to compare herself with Serefina, and that only made her frustrated.


    "My love, are you done?" Torak asked because he couldn''t her Raine was taking anything, because she was standing absentmindedly in front of the mirror.


    "No. not yet." Raine replied hurriedly and searched at the part that she had never taken interest before.


    It was the part where they put feminine dress for her that didn''t suit her taste at all. After some time rummaged a lot of dress, Raine finally chose to take a white floral dress and put it on her.


    Afterward, she looked herself in the mirror.


    It was a high low dress with longer back and shorter at the front, while the back of the dress reached the floor, the front of it was hanging one centimeter above her knees.


    She didn''t look bad. Raine thought before she walked to Torak and sat on his laps.


    Torak instinctively held her waist, in case she lost her balance and opened his eyes. The first thing that he saw was her slender legs that made Torak frowned and then the dress that she had chosen.


    "Why? Is it that bad?" Raine was very self- conscious now.


    "No, you look perfect in everything you wear, but are you really going to wear this?" Torak asked. He knew this kind of dress wouldn''t be her style, but why she wore something that she wasn''t comfortable?


    "Yes." Raine replied sullenly. "We will have lunch together right?"


    "But, I think you need to wear high heels with this kind of dress¡­" Torak reminded her because Raine usually would wear sandals or sneakers when they went outside, never heels, except for that mask party.


    And after that party, her feet slightly bruised because of the high heels, at that time she said she didn''t like to wear that kind of shoes anymore.


    But now¡­ why did she suddenly change her mind?


    "I will wear it." Raine said firmly. She wanted to look beautiful and attractive in front of him.


    "Alright, get your heels then and we will ready to go after breakfast." Torak was slightly confused what was running inside his little mate''s mind, why she was so abrupt today? But, in the end he thought it was because of her period that she was having a mood swing.

 Chapter 229 - TORAKS WAY TO FIGURE THINGS OUT

    Torak put her down and then she walked to the part where row after row of various kind of shoes were put.


    Raine chose five centimeter white wedges and put it on, she felt slightly uncomfortable, but she ignored it as she walked back toward Torak and grinned.


    "I am ready." Raine said.


    "Okay." Torak took her hands and together they were going out of their room.


    ==============


    After breakfast they went to the office. Despite Torak was being late for more than two hours, but the fact that he didn''t have an important meeting this morning made him relaxed when he sat together with Raine at the back seat.


    [Stop glancing at her every five seconds.] Raphael''s voice suddenly echoed inside Calleb''s mind, startled him.


    Calleb was staring at what Raine was wearing. He had never seen her in dress before, even when the mask party, he hadn''t chance to see it.


    Actually Raine looked beautiful and sweet in that dress, but because he wasn''t used to seeing her wearing a dress so he was a bit fascinated by the sight.


    "Are you going somewhere Raine?" Ignoring Raphael''s words, Calleb asked Raine directly.


    "Why?" Raine lifted her head from the sketch book on her laps, she was drawing a baby¡­ baby Torak.


    "You look so¡­ different." Calleb tried to find the right word.


    "Do I look weird?" Raine suddenly focused her attention on Calleb as she closed her sketch book.


    "No. of course not." Calleb quickly replied. "I have just never seen you wear a dress."


    With that the ride to the office went silence and Raine continued with her sketch while Torak stared at the baby with indiscernible gaze.


    ==============


    Like usual, when they would use the same lift that brought her directly to Torak''s office.


    "Your birthday is coming soon, where do you want to celebrate it?" Torak asked when they stepped out of the lift.


    Calleb and Raphael used another lift because they had something to do and since Raine was there, thus Calleb could go back behind the desk and helped Raphael with the company.


    Raine gave some thought of it, but she didn''t have anything she wanted except that one ''thing'', so she shook her head and sat down at the seat across Torak''s working desk. "I don''t know¡­ I don''t have something in mind."


    "Do you want to celebrate it at home only?" Torak wanted to make something special for Raine, but he had never celebrated anyone birthday before. They didn''t have that consecutive celebration every year as they had many centuries to live.


    "I will like it to celebrate it with the four of us¡­" Raine smiled, for now Raphael and Calleb were family for her. She loved to have them.


    "Alright, let''s celebrate it with the four of us only." Torak opened his laptop as Raine continued scrabbling on her sketch book.


    "The baby looks handsome." Torak commented.


    "How do you know it''s a boy?" Raine lifted her head and looked at Torak who was still busy with his laptop.


    "You are drawing me." Torak said in matter of fact tone.


    Raine blinked her eyes and looked at the baby on her sketch book, she thought because all the baby would look the same, Torak wouldn''t know if this was actually him.


    "Did you meet me when you travel back to the past?" Torak asked again casually while replying an email.


    Raine was in difficult position, Serefina clearly didn''t want for her to speak about it, but either it was she, who was easily read or Torak, who was very smart to be able to guess it. She opted for the last.


    Regardless Raine didn''t answer his question, yet her silence provided the answer that he needed.


    "As I remember, from what I heard, there was a commotion during the day of the celebration of my introduction to the public." Torak still focused his eyes on the screen as if he was talking about a trivial thing. "Were you going at that moment with Serefina?"


    Raine gulped down anxiously, she lowered her head as she answered. "I can''t tell you about it¡­"


    "You didn''t tell me anything, my love." Torak averted his eyes from the screen and winked at Raine. "I guessed it."


    Torak''s words made Raine thought about it and slightly felt better. It was true. She didn''t tell him anything. He was the one who had guessed it, correctly.


    "So, we had met before." Torak stated, beaming with happiness. He put aside his laptop and looked at Raine. "Did you meet my parents as well?"


    Torak tried to not make it obvious that he wanted to know what had happened to her during her journey with Serefina.


    He tried to suppress his emotion and made the conversation as natural as possible. If Raine was being reluctant to tell him, then he would try to figure it out in different way.


    Torak just needed to be more patient than before, something that he learned whenever he was with Raine.


    "Yes, I do¡­" Raine smiled back at him. "They are amazing¡­ I don''t know if you used to live in the castle." Even that was for short period of time, but she remembered how amazing the castle was.


    "I leave that realm since the great war." Torak said, noting down that Raine went to the castle and met with his parents. Now they were in the topic that he wanted to converse with Raine. "So, it was the wizard hunter from that time?"


    Torak referred to the wizard hunter that Raine had killed.


    "Yes¡­" Raine nodded, looking a bit down because she remembered that she had killed someone.


    "Thank you for saving me then¡­" Torak stretched out his hand to rub Raine''s head.


    Raine was confused, she blinked her eyes rapidly, it was true that her action had saved both of them, but she didn''t remember that she had mentioned anything about it.


    "How do you know that? I don''t remember that I mentioned anything about it." Raine couldn''t help but ask, but her question, without her realizing it, had solidified Torak''s statement.

 Chapter 230 - ETERNAL LIFE

    "You were in my celebration day, you were in the castle, you met my parents, you saw me, you fought the wizard hunter¡­" Torak mentioned all of it calmly. "¡­ I just needed to add a little bit imagination and you admitted my words are right."


    Raine was flabbergasted, how he could think that way? And she admitted easily.


    Torak chuckled when he saw Raine defeated expression. "I have seen a lot of dirty things, my love. Schemes, lies, plot and ploy, so I don''t want anything like that between us. If you can''t tell me, I will figure it out on my own, but don''t ever lie to me." Then he added. "Because I will not appreciate it, whatever the reason."


    Torak''s expression turned serious, it was so rare to see Torak gave that kind of face in Raine''s presence


    "I think even if I want to lie to you, I will not be able to do so¡­" Raine muttered, not to mention lying to him, she even couldn''t keep this secret.


    "No, my love. It''s totally different things. If you want to lie to me, it means you don''t trust me enough to know the truth, but if you want to keep things secret from me, you have your own circ.u.mstances."


    "I will remember that¡­" Raine smiled brightly.


    "Good." Torak reciprocated the smile as he tousled her head. "I will be very disappointed if you lie to me."


    Raine could sense the warning tone that laced in the way Torak spoke to her and it made her shuddered slightly.


    When the lunch time came, Torak close his laptop and glanced at the baby that smiling on Raine''s sketch book while pumping his little fist.


    "Do I look that adorable or it''s just your subjective point of view?" Torak tilted his head as he stared at Raine. He loved the way she blushed.


    "I just draw it based on what I saw." Raine tried to defend herself.


    "So, you depict me as an adorable baby." Torak said shamelessly and stood up to walk over to Raine.


    Raine also stood up and wrapped her arms around Torak''s neck while saying. "My adorable baby."


    His mate''s words made his beast purr in delight when he heard that. No matter how small the act was and how insignificant the words were, as long as it came from Raine''s lips that showed affection toward him, Torak would always be pleased and happy.


    "Alright, what do you want to eat?" Torak placed a kiss on her forehead.


    "Can we eat at the place where my parents always took me when I was child?" Raine asked carefully. "I don''t really remember it, but it is near my old house. Is it okay? Because it''s quite far from here."


    "If you want to eat there, let''s eat there." Torak decided and took his car key while he mind linked his Beta.


    [I will go out with Raine.] Apparently it would be lunch for both of them only.


    ==============


    Torak had visited Raine''s house when she went missing for the first time, so he knew the place, thus Raine took this time to take a short nap.


    She just felt it now that she was quite exhausted by that traveled back and forth of the time, and despite it was only two minutes in her real time, but for her, she had spent two days in the past that filled with nothing but nerve- wrecking event.


    Only when she felt safe with Torak beside her with the slow song from the radio, the exhaustion and sleepiness greeted her and she fell asleep without knowing it.


    Seeing Raine who was falling asleep, Torak reclined the seat so she wouldn''t hurt her back, sleeping in that position.


    When they arrived in front of the worn out Raine''s former house, which almost looked like a ghost house, Torak saw something from inside the house, but it disappeared as fast as it appeared, as if Torak was only seeing things.


    He couldn''t get down from the car to check on it and left Raine alone, so he didn''t think much of it and sped the car to the restaurant that Raine had described it for him.


    Raine still remembered the name of that restaurant, she just forgot the exact location, so with asking a few people, Torak managed to find the restaurant that they were going to.


    Fortunately the restaurant that Raine mentioned was still open even after eight years had passed. It seemed the business was growing fine in this area.


    "We are here¡­" Torak said as shook her shoulder, trying to wake her up.


    After a few attempts, Raine finally opened her eyes and rubbed her face.


    "Is that the restaurant that you want?" Torak pointed the building across the road where he parked their car.


    Raine took a look at the building. The name of the restaurant was the same, ''Lucky Star Restaurant'', only the building now looked bigger than the one in her memory.


    "I think it is the restaurant." Raine turned her head and looked at Torak. "Let''s go, I am hungry." Raine said eagerly as she unbuckled her safety belt and jumped out of the car.


    Afterward, both of them walked across the street and entered the restaurant.


    This restaurant was so clean and all the tables and chairs were in one row that faced the street while behind them was an open kitchen where they could see how the food was cooked.


    Because the lunch hour had passed, there were no many customers there and when one of the waitresses saw Torak and Raine she took them to the table at the corner.


    Because Torak didn''t familiar with the food there, so Raine ordered the food for both of them.


    "It''s so different¡­" Raine said while looking around the entire restaurant. "I hope the foods still have the same taste¡­"


    "Time passes and everything changes." Torak stated.


    "What you will do when I am no longer alive?" Raine asked. "After all I don''t have eternal life like you do."


    Without them knowing, there was someone in the far distance captured this moment.

 Chapter 231 - TORAKS WOMAN

    "What you will do when I am no longer alive. After all I don''t have eternal life like you do." Raine said it sadly. "I will grow old and you will stay like this."


    Torak stretched out his hand and caressed her side face. "The guardian angel has eternal life too." He said calmly.


    It was true that most of the supernatural creature would have eternal life of they would have the life span that much longer than normal human.


    Raine was elated when she heard about that, but then she lowered her head in disappointment. "But¡­ I am also a human."


    "Yes, that''s why, we still need to figure things out first before we came into conclusion." Torak concluded.


    Serefina had mentioned it before, while her body was human, her soul was the soul of guardian angel.


    Torak has to admit it now that Serefina has more knowledge about this than he had, thus, no matter what Serefina had done and how hateful her comments were, the fact that Torak needed her to find more things about Raine, couldn''t be denied.


    As long as the witch didn''t cross the line and kept his mate safe, he would endure it. It seemed there were a lot of things to discuss with the witch once she woke up and in better condition.


    "You meant, there is a chance for me to have a long life like you?" Raine beamed to imagine her life with Torak.


    "Yes." Torak caressed her head and kissed her forehead. "There is a chance for that¡­"


    There is a chance for that, but¡­ there is a chance that she will die like any other normal human being.


    That was the last sentence that both of them didn''t speak out loud because they didn''t want to ruin this moment and the food, which came not long after that.


    With the food on the table, the topic about eternal life seemingly had forgotten, but deep in Raine''s heart it still bothered her, so did Torak.


    It would turn into disaster when he found out if his mate couldn''t live an eternal life with him. After centuries he had waited for her, finally the moon goddess fulfilled what she said and if she was going to take his mate away again after Torak could taste a breeze of heaven from her, he would turn this world into living hell.


    The moon goddess didn''t need to bother with the devils, as he would put those devils into ashamed for what he would do if he lost his mate.


    "May I know something?" Raine asked carefully after she swallowed a chunk of fish meat that Torak had deboned it for her.


    "You can ask anything." He replied.


    This place is in outskirt, thus no one would expect the famous CEO from Donovan company would have his lunch there with a young girl, thus they could eat quietly.


    But the thing that they didn''t know and Torak miscalculated was the fact that he had been in the spotlight recently and how human''s curiosity could overcome everything.


    "May I know where are your parent now? are they still live in the castle?" Raine asked gingerly, she was afraid this matter wasn''t something that Torak wanted to talk about.


    However, Torak answered her without any changes of expression. "They had been missing after the great war." He said.


    "Missing?" Raine stopped her spoon mid- way to her mouth as she put it back down. "Someone kidnapped them?" She was surprised with her own idea.


    Torak chuckled and grabbed her hand, which was holding the spoon and brought it to her mouth, so she could continue to eat and stopped gawking. "No. I don''t mean to brag, but after the great war, Lycanthropes are the strongest creature in this realm. I don''t think other creatures would be able to kidnap them."


    "Maybe it was something like conspiracy¡­ you know, when your own people¡­ hmph!" Raine was forced to stop when Torak stuffed a piece of chicken b.r.e.a.s.t onto her mouth.


    "No, they left on their own volition." Torak stopped Raine from her wild imagination. "They left a letter for us."


    "A letter?" Raine leaned forward as she was getting more curios. "What it said?"


    "Not much, it only said; because everything had settled we will leave the rest to the three of you to take care of." Torak repeated what his parents had written to them.


    And when Torak didn''t say anything again, Raine blinked her eyes in disbelief.


    "Only that?" She asked.


    "Only that." Torak reiterated her words.


    With that, Raine was deep in thought as she stared at Torak blankly. "Maybe they want to take a long vacation after the stressful war?" She mumbled.


    Upon hearing that Torak laughed heartily as he nodded his head. "That makes sense."


    It was a rare sight to see Torak was so carefree and laughed that way instead of his usual dominant demeanor and cold nature.


    The man, who was hiding behind the shadow captured those moments with trembling hands, he almost assumed the man inside the restaurant wasn''t Torak Donovan, the CEO of Donovan Enterprises Holding inc, probably he had been following a wrong man or the man that he had followed got switched in the middle of his way here.


    But, that was also impossible, because a man like him was hard to find in common with others.


    Regardless of that, the most important question was; who was the girl with Torak Donovan? She actually managed to make the stone- heart CEO laughed like a normal human being.


    When he was in deep thought, the sound of his cell phone startled him. He cursed under his breath before picking up the call.


    As soon as he said ''hallo'', the person from the other end, talked rapidly with enthusiasm, that must be something important as the man, who was holding the camera, was dumbfounded and looked at the couple inside the restaurant, talking intimately with each other.


    "This will be big!" He exclaimed.


    ==============


    Three days passed uneventfully.


    However, on the fourth day after Torak visited the restaurant near Raine''s old house, big news suddenly appeared in all media.


    "Torak!" Raphael burst into the Alpha''s office room with annoyed expression.


    He knew this sort of news would come to the surface one day, since Torak and Raine were often being in public, but still, the Beta thought this was too soon and abrupt. There must be someone who had moved all the media this way.


    However, that wasn''t the thing that Raphael concerned the most, the real problem was because the headline of the news.


    It mentioned that Torak Donovan, the CEO of Donovan Enterprise Holding inc, who was known by his ruthlessness when it came to execute business''s matter and the most desired bachelor, actually dated a young girl who was far below his age and rumored still underage.


    "I know." Torak averted his eyes from the laptop in front of him as he watched his second in command was fuming mad. It was very rare to see Raphael lost his cool, as he was always collected in every situation.


    But, apparently this news had made him lost his nerves.


    Regardless the fact that the news had not yet released, but they still had another way to know it beforehand.


    "What do you know?" Raphael was squinted his eyes. He didn''t remember that he had said something. So, how on earth he already knew?


    "About the news." Torak leaned his back against the backrest of his seat while intertwining his fingers. His blue eyes darkened a few shades.


    "You already knew?" Raphael felt his brows shot up in disbelief. Sometime he wondered that Torak actually didn''t need any help and would be fine with his own, as he seemingly knew everything even the thing that Raphael didn''t know it yet.


    "Yes, I have insider." Torak said in low voice. "It''s Haco." He mentioned the name of the perpetrator of the commotion that would happen tomorrow.


    "Expected." Raphael nodded and sat down across Torak''s seat. He knew his Alpha has many minions that he had put in his enemies territories.


    Yet, every time Torak knew something before he did, it still made him depressed. After all, Raphael was his second in command, he felt useless if the Alpha kept doing this.


    "So, what do you want to do? Should I call Jared and suppress the news like before?" Raphael suggested.


    It had happened before, when the first time Torak met Raine and they were trapped inside the hotel by the newspapermen the moment they were about to return to their own territory.


    At that time, they had ordered Jared to clean up the mess that Haco had made, thus Raphael thought Torak would do the same thing.


    However, Torak didn''t agree with that suggestion immediately, he was in deep thought.


    It was already six in the evening and the gloomy night out there complimented the darker mood that Torak felt right now, the dangerous aura that emitted from the Alpha''s was prominent.


    A thick silence stretched inside the office room and Raphael didn''t dare to interrupt Torak''s train of thought.


    This uncomfortable situation lasted until Torak''s phone on the table rung and the light lit up to show the caller id.


    Upon seeing the name on the screen, the layer of ruthlessness in Torak''s eyes slightly ceased down. Raphael didn''t need to guess who was the caller.


    "Yes, my love?" Torak''s voice was so soft and calm, it was a contradictive of his behavior a second ago.


    "Why are you not home yet?" Raine complained and said her next sentences in a whisper. "I miss you¡­"


    Having ability to have a remarkable hearing ability, allowed Raphael to hear everything, as he heard his Luna sweet voice.


    "There is something that I have to take care first, but I will go home now." Torak said as he stood up and gestured for Raphael to follow him.


    "Oh, alright¡­" Raine cheerful voice could be heard as she bid him goodbye. "Take care on your way home."


    "I will." Torak said with smile on his lips.


    And then the line was cut off.


    "I will tell you later about what we should do in this matter." Torak replied to Raphael. "For the meantime don''t do anything."


    "But, the news will appear tomorrow morning. Once it published the damage will be harder to be fixed." Raphael said, they didn''t have much time if they didn''t want this news blasted the whole country because the effect of this could backfire at the Alpha.


    "Stay put." Torak replied curtly as he walked toward the car. When Raphael was about to go to the driving seat, Torak opened the door first. "I will drive." He said.


    With that Raphael sat on the shotgun seat and let the Alpha drove them home.


    ==============


    The Alpha drove the car with breakneck speed, as they arrived twenty minutes faster.


    The moment they arrived, Torak gave the car key to the guard as he strolled inside the house with Raphael followed behind him.


    And as soon as Torak opened the door, his sight was covered with black as he felt his body was being hugged. Torak chuckled and reciprocated the hugged with the same affection.


    "I am sorry, I am late." Torak whispered to her ears, as he felt she shook her head.


    Following behind Raine was Torak''s third in command, Calleb. He jogged from upstairs with wary etched on his face as he approached the couple.


    However he stopped himself a few meters away and scrunched his eyebrows by the sight of his Alpha and Luna.


    "Eww! Can you do that later?" He whimpered, seeing Torak and Raine was being affectionate. "Spare my heart please!" He grumbled.


    "Get yourself a mate." Raine turned to look at him and then chortled. "So, you can be affectionate with her!" She hugged Torak''s waist tighter.


    "Oh, please! Can you give me the Alpha for two minutes please? There is emergency that I need to tell him." Calleb rolled his eyes dramatically.


    "If you want to tell him about the news tomorrow, don''t even bother to do that, he already knew." Raphael walked past Calleb and informed him casually.


    "Really!?" Calleb''s eyes grew wider, he thought he would be the first person who break the news for them. "You told him? So, what we will do?" He started to talk without stopping.


    "Torak has known before I told him!" Raphael shouted from the kitchen.


    Seeing Calleb was talking something about some news, Raine became curious and lifted her head to look at Torak. "What news?" She asked sofly.


    "So, what we will do?" Asked Calleb, he looked at Torak with eagerness.


    Calleb needed some action or something badass, because his days with Raine were so peaceful. Painting drawing, petting the rabit¡­ painting again, drawing again and watching movie, he felt any longer than this he would gradually become a kitten rather than a wolf.


    But, like usual, no one was willing to answer his questions.


    "Can I talk to you about something my love?" Torak lowered his head and looked at Raine in the eyes. His blue eyes were like a surface of a frozen river in the winter, still but no one knew how the stream beneath it.


    Raine nodded her head, of course she would love to hear anything that Torak wanted to say.


    With that, the couple left to heading to their room, leaving Calleb with his curiosity.


    "So, what we should do now?" Calleb frowned because he didn''t have anyone to talk to. "Hei! Ralph!" Therefore, he went to the kitchen to bother the Beta about what their Alpha had planned for this.


    Calleb liked to look after Raine, but the serenity almost killed him.


    ==============


    Torak was hugging Raine from behind. They stood facing the glass door to the balcony, watching the droplets of water rained down the earth as the storm brew in the gloomy sky.


    "What is it?" Raine whispered- asking, her curiosity gnawed her heart when Torak kept his mouth shut, though he said he wanted to tell something to her thirty minutes ago.


    "I am thinking¡­" Torak said while spacing out.


    "And¡­? What are you thinking?" Raine prodded. She really wanted to know what was it.


    "Whether to tell you or not." Torak said with grin, he nuzzled Raine''s neck, the spot where Torak supposed to mark her.


    "That is ridiculous." Raine swatted Torak''s arms that rested on her stomach playfully, but she liked the way Torak kissed her shoulder. "Why don''t you just tell me?"


    Torak didn''t reply to her immediately, but instead of answer, he asked a question. "Can I ask something from you my angel, if you don''t mind?"


    Raine blinked her eyes when she heard this, it was so rare for Torak to ask something from her. Before, he had asked for Raine to not fear him.


    And now, she didn''t fear him, she loved him.


    So, what it could be now?


    "I will never mind if it a request from you." Raine turned her body and faced him. Her handsome beast.


    Raine looked deep into his beautiful blue eyes and his perfect feature. It was hard to believe that a man like Torak really loved her, as she felt herself lacked of every aspect.


    Raine felt that she wasn''t a beauty, a very smart girl, didn''t have an outstanding talent and didn''t have a strong leadership like how she viewed a Luna should. She compared herself to Diana, Torak''s mother, and felt ashamed of herself. She was just so- so¡­


    Once again, her self- conscience bothered Raine.


    Hence, what else she could do to feel useful for Torak if she didn''t try her best to fulfill his request? Regardless, Torak wouldn''t think that way, but Raine couldn''t help but seeking for her worthiness for him.


    "You can reject it if you feel you don''t want to do it." Torak said with seriousness that made Raine became even more curious about what was the thing that Torak wanted her to do.


    "What is it?" Raine narrowed her eyes. She felt herself tensed up.


    "If I said it, remember to not force yourself if you think, you couldn''t do it." Torak reminded her. Raine was about to nod her head to agree with him when Torak held her chin. "Listen to me first before you answer."


    Raine blinked her eyes and waited for Torak to talk.


    "I don''t want to force you to do something that you don''t feel comfortable, but I think this is the right time." Torak released her chin and tucked her hair behind her ears while his other hand traced her jaw line¡­


    "What is it?" Raine liked the spark on her skin every time Torak touched her and at this point, she was entranced by him, drawn into his blue eyes and willing to do anything to make him proud of her.


    Torak stopped for a moment before his husky voice sounded in Raine''s ears when he said it clearly. "I want to introduce you as my woman."


    Raine''s obsidian eyes flickered with surprised as her brows formed a furrow. "To who¡­?" She asked carefully.


    "To everyone alive, to every creatures that walk on this earth and to every single soul in this realm." Torak said solemnly.


    The feeling was almost like Torak was going to propose Raine.


    Raine was flabbergasted and didn''t know what to say, as if the words in her head was being evaporated.


    In Raine''s silence, Torak continued his words. "I want to make a grandiose birthday celebration for you, instead of eating with only the four of us. Will you accept that?" Torak kept his unperturbed eyes on Raine''s reaction.


    Yet, except from shock, he had not yet seen a rejection from her. Her lips slightly parted and then she closed them tightly before she bit them anxiously.


    Torak let his words sunk to her understanding, thus he didn''t force her to answer him immediately. He let her to take her time.


    "You can think about this over dinner, okay?" Torak suggested, Raine''s reaction was within his prediction, as long as she didn''t reject the idea immediately it meant she was considering it.


    "Okay." Raine mused.


    Torak knew this was too abrupt, but this would happen sooner or later. Since he was given the opportunity to do it, so why didn''t he use it as best as he could?


    Raine had changed a lot since the first time he found her and this was only a matter of time to bring her out to the spotlight.


    While Serefina had taken a part to make her stronger by finding out her origin and learned about her power, Torak wanted to show Raine that in this world, wasn''t only contain with good or bad, as there would be always plot hid in ''good'' or ''bad'' along with ploy.


    There would be various stratagems around her that she must face it.


    Torak loved her innocent and naivety. He wanted to keep her that way, but he came to conclusion; keeping her that way wouldn''t help her to survive in this world.


    In any case, her ignorance would harm her and her kindness would be used by others.


    Raine ate without really enjoyed the food that passed her throat as her mind was elsewhere, roaming around thousands of possibilities and her fears.


    This was the quietest dinner that they have had so far and Torak didn''t even complain when Raine didn''t finish her food on her plate, it was obvious to see that she didn''t have the appetite.


    Somehow, Torak regretted that he brought the topic too fast and ruined Raine''s mood over the food.


    When the dinner had done and both of them headed toward their bedroom, no one was talking.


    Only when the light was out and Torak thought to mind link Raphael and made a call for Jared to deal with Haco about the news, Raine rolled her body on the bed and crept closer to him.


    She nuzzled her face against Torak''s chest and murmured. "If they knew I am with you¡­ they will come after me¡­" Raine stated.


    In that case, she wouldn''t have the same peacefulness anymore. The thought of being a normal college student would be too much.


    "Yes." Torak wrapped the blanket for both of them.


    "I will be the center of attention¡­" Raine hated it to be the center of attention, every time it happened, she found herself fidgeting uncontrollably and started to make nervous gestures, which wasn''t good to see.


    "Yes." Torak replied. He pulled her closed to him.


    "Those women, who likes you, will start to accuse me of stealing you¡­" Raine frowned with that thought. Calleb had told her two or three things about how women always surrounded Torak like bees eager for nectar.


    They wouldn''t mind to attack each other if necessary, though Torak wouldn''t even spare them a single glance on them, more so appreciated their action, yet it happened often.


    "How can you steal me when I give myself to you willingly?" Torak answered solemnly. "You will be protected from them." He caressed her head lovingly.


    And as the darkness engulfed them tightly, Torak wouldn''t be able to see the blush on Raine''s cheeks when she heard that.


    Afterward, Raine didn''t give Torak another question as she kept silence, deep in thought.


    "You don''t need to force yourself to accept it." Torak reminded her. "Just like what I have told you before¡­ but, I will like it to announce to all the people that you are mine." He tried another way to persuade her for taking this arrangement.


    "Will you be happy if everyone knows about me¡­?" Raine asked in low voice, unsure if she wanted to hear Torak''s reply.


    "I will be more than happy, my love, to be able to claim that you are mine in front of the public." Those words were true, Torak would definitely feel that way.


    Raine was fl.u.s.tered by Torak''s words, but she was sharp enough to relate the conversation between Torak and Calleb this evening. "Torak, are you in trouble that required me to show up?" Raine asked gingerly.


    "There is nothing to worry about¡­" Torak said, but he let his voice was laced with a little bit of reluctant.


    Raine caught that and pondered to herself.


    Meanwhile, Torak felt bad for manipulating his own mate, but Raine needed this little push.


    At this point, Torak really wanted to laugh and mocked himself, because with this method, he felt he wasn''t any different from the witch, though he was worse because he didn''t even spare his own mate and manipulated her like what he did to the other people.


    There were these contradictions;


    Torak loved his mate without doubt, but he wanted her to become stronger and could protect herself, but he was also couldn''t bear to see her getting hurt, then by getting hurt was part that she must face.


    His mind was conflicted.


    "I will do it¡­" Raine said in low voice, barely a whisper.


    She knew this decision would change everything that she had planned in her mind for her college life, but life didn''t always turn out the way you want it to. Raine had learned that in hard way.


    Moreover this time Torak had asked her generously and Raine didn''t want to disappoint him. After sometime everything would pass, right?


    "Are you sure?" Torak held Raine''s chin and lifted her head to face him, regardless the lack of the light, Torak still could see the outline of her face and touched her soft skin.


    Now Torak felt restless because Raine had agreed readily.


    This was the first time he was so unsure about something or he couldn''t decide what exactly he wanted.


    Actually, if Raine agreed with his suggestion, various plans had formed inside Torak''s mind, but he had to eliminate few of them because it could harm Raine in the processes.


    "Not only that, those people will also dig up your past memories and wanted to know more about you." Of course Torak would try his best to not let the information about Raine''s past was revealed, but since the exposure on Raine would be so big, there would be some affect too.


    Raine bit her lips and nodded her head, she knew, she couldn''t avoid it. After all, all of those were her past.


    "I am sure." Raine''s voice was slightly louder this time as if she wanted to find courage in her own words. "Let''s announce it in my birthday."


    Kissing her forehead, Torak made up his decision, as he mind- linked Raphael.


    [Ralph. I need you to prepare something.]


    ==============


    As expected, the following day''s news brought turmoil in all over media.


    The comments on line were talking no other than the girl in the picture inside a restaurant, a mask party and in mall.


    All of the pictures were taken candidly and showed the intimate affection and interaction between Raine and Torak.


    Torak''s name was on every people'' lips and also on the top of the search engine.


    However, while the outside world was in tumult, here, inside the extravagant house in the most elite location for multi millionaire.


    A certain girl was holding her beautiful bunny while sitting inside the green house, listening to Calleb, who has been reporting to her about the progress of the situation.


    Yet, he still couldn''t cope up with the latest news.


    "Raine, don''t you know if you are going outside alone, you will be devoured by those jealous women out there." Calleb said dramatically. "What actually Torak was thinking when he made this decision for you?"


    "He thought what best for me." Raine grinned at the Beta and took another carrot to feed the bunny as it munched it happily. "You said it yourself before that Torak would never harm me."


    "Yeah¡­ I know¡­" Calleb drawled his words. "It just¡­ it never crossed my mind that he would announce your relationship to the public all of sudden and you actually agreed with that. Time passes very quickly"

 Chapter 232 - THE ALPHAS MATE

    Raine lifted her head from the bunny on her laps to look at Calleb and grinned. "Yes¡­ the time passes very quickly." She reiterated Calleb''s words.


    "You know what? The first time I saw you, even the bunny on your laps is braver than your old self." Calleb nodded at the white bunny that munched the carrot carelessly. It sure got a little bit fat under Raine''s care.


    Raine chuckled when she heard that. "Yes, I think you are right¡­ I don''t even dare to see people in the eyes."


    "You have worked hard to become better." Calleb patted Raine''s head.


    Raine, without doubt, was his Luna, but Calleb always saw her as his little sister, who died two decades ago because of rogue attack. They have the same timidity when it came to socialize with stranger.


    "Thank you for always takes a good care of me." Raine said it gratefully.


    Though they would always squabble over trivial things, like siblings, but Calleb was the second person, after Torak of course, who always made her comfortable to have him around her.


    "Gah! What with this mood!" Calleb threw his hands in the air and grumbled. He clearly didn''t like a melancholic situation and heart to heart conversation, as it didn''t suit his style. "Have you seen the building and all those fancy decoration for your birthday?" Calleb changed the topic.


    Raine slightly cringed when she heard Calleb''s question.


    It had been four days since the news with a big headline; Torak''s woman, broke out and it didn''t cease down even a little bit after days, then tomorrow as a respond for the big news about Torak''s woman, Torak actually would announce the birthday celebration for his woman, a girl in this case.


    Instead of denying the news, Torak validated it as the actual fact.


    Of course this news tomorrow would shake all the media online and offline, and even sent bigger waves of shock to all the people in business and entertainment industry.


    The preparation for Raine''s birthday party was still under process and the extravagant of it had already been caught by the media, yet they still didn''t get clear information regarding the purpose of the party was held.


    "No." Raine shook her head. "I leave everything to Torak to make decision." She slightly down when Calleb reminded her about the upcoming celebration.


    Raine left everything for Torak to handle because she didn''t even know what she wanted or expected for her birthday celebration.


    The original plan was for having a simple dinner with Calleb and Raphael after that, Raine would ask her ''gift'' from Torak. Actually it was a request to be precise.


    "You should see the place by yourself. You will surprise!" Calleb said it with enthusiasm, but when he saw Raine grimacing, he took back his words. "Or maybe not."


    "I am sure, I will surprise." Raine said sarcastically.


    "You will get used with all the attention of those people, like how you had overcome your fear, this one is only another obstacle." Calleb said those words wisely, it was such a rare occasion.


    "I don''t need those people when I can get Torak''s, I will be more than happy." Raine stated cheerfully.


    But, Calleb laughed out loud and startled the bunny in Raine''s laps as it jumped down and scurried away.


    "I am sure Torak''s wolf will wiggle his tails ecstatically if he heard this." Calleb uttered between his laugh.


    "You scared the bunny." Raine slapped Calleb''s shoulder with annoyance. "Calleb, can I ask you something?"


    "What is it?" He asked after his laugh ceased down.


    "Do I look¡­ beautiful?" Raine blurted out her insecurities. She didn''t have a female friend to talk about man like how all the girls in the orphanage were always gossiping about their crush.


    And the only person, who was close enough for Raine to talk about this, was Calleb. So Raine didn''t have a choice except to ask him as her insecurities started to bother her.


    "Of course you are beautiful, it is impossible for you to become handsome." Calleb joked and got another slap on his back.


    "I am serious¡­" Raine almost cried because this was embarrassing enough, to ask something like this, without Calleb turned it into a joke. "I mean¡­ do I look attractive in¡­ man''s eyes?" Her voice was getting small in the end of the sentence.


    Calleb raised his eyebrows when he saw Raine''s cheeks blushed. "You want to ask if you look attractive in Torak''s eyes?" He simplified Raine''s question and pointed out the most important part.


    Raine nodded her head and bit her lips, she really felt embarrassed now, but at the same time she also wanted to know Calleb''s opinion. "Yes."


    "Of course you do look attractive, you are his mate, who else Torak will put his eyes on?" Calleb stated the matter of fact and tilted his head as if saying; why do you ask the obvious?


    For some reason Calleb''s answer turned Raine even gloomier, it felt like the feeling that Torak had for her wasn''t sincere and the mate bond was like a shackle for Torak to be with Raine.


    Raine shook her head, she knew she was only being demanding for no reason. But deep down, the fact about the mate bond, bothered her.


    There would always be ''what if''s'' in Raine''s mind¡­


    She couldn''t help but remember the question that Serefina and Aeon had asked her about her relationship with Torak without the existence of the mate bond.


    What if there was no mate bond between Torak and her? Would he still feel the same? Would he kill Raine instead for being so weak?


    "What if there is no mate bond between us?" Raine asked Calleb unsure how to explain her own feeling in this matter.


    "Why are you questioning the impossible?" Calleb furrowed his brows and added. "The fact that you have to concern now is; you are Torak''s mate and no one will be able to say the other way. Don''t bother yourself with something meaningless."


    With that was being said, Calleb dusted his pants as he stood up and stretched his stiff body. "Let''s get inside, this almost the time Torak will return."


    Raine didn''t satisfy with Calleb''s answer, probably she had become so demanding on this matter, instead of being grateful for what she had now, yet she couldn''t help but think about this over and over again.


    "So, why Torak has not marked me yet? Isn''t that something that mate will do?" Raine pestered Calleb to go out of the greenhouse, passing two Lycan warriors on their way to the main house.


    "How will I know? I am not the one who will mark you." Calleb face- palmed himself, as a Lycan without mate, he was also clueless about that matter. How he suppose to know? All the thing that he had said to Raine at that time was based on what he had heart, not from his experience.


    "It bothers me¡­" Raine whined.


    "Then asked him." Calleb suggested.


    "I have a plan to ask him to mark me as my gift birthday, what do you think? Is it alright to ask something like that?" Raine was nervous if her request would make Torak''s upset or felt unease.


    Calleb stroke his chin as he gave some thought about it. "I have never heard giving a mark as birthday gift, but you can try it." He said carelessly, later on, he would regret his words that had no knowledge in them.


    "You think so? Do you think Torak will upset with my request?" Raine kept asking when the main house was a few meters away.


    "Why would he be upset? Marking your own mate is only natural thing to do." Calleb said rightfully. "At least in my opinion. If you want to know more about this all confusing things, you can ask Raphael, he has more knowledge than me." Calleb suggested.


    But Raine rejected it directly. "No, I am okay with your advice." Raine didn''t think she could ask something like this to Raphael.


    They were in good terms, but Raine was not that close to Raphael as she was with Calleb to ask something personal.


    Calleb shrugged his shoulder, didn''t even bother with whatever Raine''s decision would be.


    ==============


    As tomorrow came, the announcement about Donovan''s company would hold a grandiose celebration, in the most luxurious building in the city, hit the day even before the sun rose from the east.


    The uproar and comments online had created many speculations even before the real news was released by Donovan Company''s public relation.


    Torak''s name with his mysterious woman filled the top of all the searching engines in the country.


    This was also the first time that business magazine and gossip magazine has the same topic at the same time.


    The impact of this news were so great and almost out of hand as many woman, especially Torak''s big fan, started to fan the news became a gossip trash about how the young girl had seduced Torak Donovan and she had used dark magic to charm the perfect bachelor.


    For some people it sounded ridiculous, but there would always people who found the theory interesting and talked about it with enthusiasm.


    That was only one of hundreds speculation that circulating on line before the real information would be published in this afternoon.


    The announcement alone was taken five famous television stations to air it at the same time and would be also broadcasted on digital billboard at the busiest street in the country.


    Torak didn''t hold back when he announced the birthday celebration of his woman, this was also as he had publicly declared that he was no longer single and shut all the chances that any woman has upon him.


    When he first wave of the comments hit that day, even Raine didn''t dare to open her phone and turned on the television because it would always the same news that appeared.


    Raine wouldn''t have thought this would turn out this huge.


    She was almost pleading for Torak to cancel it if she didn''t remember how Torak had asked her sincerely that night to let all people knew that Raine was his woman and for all the creatures to know that Raine was his mate.


    Raine was very nervous to face her upcoming birthday that would be in three days from now.


    And two days before the significant day, Belinda came from the Raven village to accompany Raine.


    Torak had seen how all of this commotion had taken a toll on Raine and made her speak less to him. Raine was nervous and it was clear to see for everyone.


    And because Raine didn''t have female friends or anyone to speak rather than Calleb, that Torak thought wouldn''t get how distressed his mate was, and also because Raine wouldn''t talk about what she felt about it to Torak, after all, it was Torak''s plea for her, thus Belinda would be the best person that Torak could find to accompany Raine.


    And Torak''s judgment was right.


    Once Belinda came, Raine was slightly better and been more cheerful than days before.


    Now that Belinda was there to be with Raine, Calleb could come to the company and helped Raphael to deal with most of the media as everything went so abrupt there were a lot of things to be handled. Not to mention public''s reaction was almost getting out of their hands.


    This fact made Raphael concerned.


    "Torak¡­ Raine will be the center of attention for months, do you think she will be all right?" Raphael asked, when they were going out of Torak''s office room to heading to the second floor, where they would hold the announcement in multipurpose room about the forthcoming extravagant event.


    "We can''t keep this secret any longer." Torak stated fact. "This bound to happen sooner or later."


    "Yes, but should you make it this big?" Raphael asked.


    A little bit information that they had leaked to the public this early morning had made a big fuss, not to mention when they admitted openly about this.


    "Yes." Torak replied curtly. "This should be big."


    "You will attract all of your enemies to attack Raine." Raphael voiced out his concern. "Not to mention she will be a college student, there will be a lot of human who will hate her and creatures that seek for revenge to you through her."


    From the beginning Raphael disagreed with the idea, as this was too risky.


    "I can understand your concern." Torak replied as they entered the lift. "But, with Lucifer and Andromalius already knew that Raine is my mate and also a few minions out there with the same knowledge, it is only a matter of time before the thing you worry about happens."


    Both of them arrived at the second floor and were greeted by the employees as they bowed their head politely when Torak and Raphael walked past them.


    Because of the crowd, Torak resumed their conversation through mind- link.


    [In the end, the overcome would be the same.] Torak halted as he thought about something before he continued. [I prefer to strike first and set everything within my plan, so I can control the situation, rather than to wait for them to attack Raine first and not ready enough to know what steps we should take.]


    Raphael thought about it for a bit longer and as Torak''s words repeated in his head, he knew that his words made a lot of sense, afterward Raphael didn''t mingle with that topic as they walked into the conference room.


    At 1 p.m sharp, a large number of reporters had already gathered at the press conference room. Amongst the multiple shutter sounds Torak and Raphael stood at the side calmly.


    Torak didn''t need to make an appearance for this press conference, but he simply wanted to make sure everything was running as he had planned. He wouldn''t tolerate any mishap for this.


    The place where Torak and Raphael were standing couldn''t be seen by those reporters neither they could see them, but Torak and Raphael could see the public relationship manager and his team on their seat in front of many cameras and reporters as this announcement would be aired live.


    At 1.15 p.m the press conference officially started. The staff maintained order as the reporters were given 15 minutes to ask question.


    At the same time too, many people stopped what they were doing to look at their cell phone to stream on the news on line or stopped walking to follow the news from the digital billboards that were located in the busiest streets of the city Red River city and the Fulbright city.


    From the roof top where Aeon had resided, he could see the big picture of the digital billboard that broadcasted the press conference live.


    He gritted his teeth and the shadow around him turned darker as if he could swallow the whole building into the nothingness.


    ==============


    "Don''t you want to see the live press conference that Torak holds for you?" Belinda was holding her cell phone as she accompanied Raine inside the green house, feeding a little white rabbit.


    At first Belinda was surprised because Torak had allowed this little creature to reside here, but since it was Raine''s request, it seemed possibly.


    Raine was holding the white bunny while squatting down beside a sunflower, her white dress touched the ground and became a little bit dirty, but she didn''t seem mind it as she put all of her focus on her pet that munched spinach from her hand, as if there was nothing more important for her than to fat the little one.


    "No, I don''t want to see it, it will only make me more nervous about my birthday." Though Raine had never celebrated her birthday for eight years, but this was the first time she feared her own birthday.


    The thought of becoming the center of attention was so nerve- wrecking, not to mention her days ahead when she entered the university, she would be starred by many people, without doubt.


    That wasn''t because she had committed crime or got a noble prize, but because she was simply Torak''s woman.


    "Don''t be so nervous, the Alpha will handle everything." Belinda tried to cheer Raine up, but only got a slight nod from her as she continued with what she was doing, oblivious with the fuss outside this house.


    Even Raine could feel that the human guards looked at her differently, as if trying to see what was good in her until someone like Torak Donovan became so infatuated with her.


    While the Lycan guards didn''t show any surprised as if they had expected it from their Alpha, and treated her politely.


    "I know he will¡­" Raine replied after a few seconds had passed.


    All she had to do was be safe and followed Torak''s instruction, right? Like a good girl¡­


    ==============


    Two days and the day of her birthday arrived in a blink of an eye.


    Her birthday celebration would start at 7 p.m, but since 5 in the evening the hall had filled with many guests from influential people that Raine had ever seen in the television or she had never seen at all.


    The place where her birthday was held was the most expensive five-star hotel in the city, where Torak was the second largest shareholder there.


    That fact didn''t ease the nervousness that started to building up in Raine''s stomach.


    It was a good thing that Belinda and Calleb was there to accompany her before she entered the ballroom.


    Raine looked so exquisite in her white dress, she glowed like an angel basking in the moonlight, so pristine and calm, with her long straight black hair cascaded down her shoulder and back casually.


    Belinda had helped her to apply a simple make up and now he was staring at Raine as her eyes twinkled with admiration by what she was seeing, made Raine bashful.


    In the other hand, Calleb''s reaction didn''t help either, he gawked at her as if Raine had grown the third hands and has two head.


    "Stop staring at me like that¡­" Raine whimpered, she wanted to scurry away, or better, went home and forgot about this party.


    "Don''t be like that¡­ you are so beautiful." Belinda caressed Raine''s cheeks and took her to the front mirror, so Raine could see herself.


    Raine stared at her reflection on the mirror and had to admit that she was beautiful, at least for tonight, in this dress and make up.


    Her mood had been not good since this morning and only turned gloomier when she watched a parade of luxurious cars that came into the hotel one by one, they were all her guests, or to be precise, Torak''s guests as Raine had never met them even once.


    The fabric of her dress was so soft to the touch and has small crystal around her chest area, with off shoulders and body hugging style and the length of the dress reached her ankle as she wore a nine centimeters high heels, so she wouldn''t be too diminutive beside Torak.


    Raine wasn''t that short, it was only Torak that too tall for her.


    "Yes, you look like an angel." Calleb chimed in, but then he realized. "Well, you are indeed an angel, but you know what I meant."


    Raine didn''t want to hear those words since she didn''t enjoy their compliment at this moment.


    "Where is Torak?" Raine looked at the door. Wouldn''t he come to pick her up? Raine didn''t want to enter the room full with strangers alone.


    She also had not yet seen her since they had their breakfast together, though Torak called her five times to make sure she was all right.


    No, she was anything but all right, but at this point, she wouldn''t be able to go back, there was no way to step down from what she had agreed.


    This already 7.10 p.m, the party must have been started by now.


    "Don''t worry, the Alpha handles everything. He will order us to bring you inside at the peak of the event, so you don''t need to stay for long time and attend to all the guests that you don''t know." Belinda explained.


    Upon hearing that, Raine''s eyes widened and whipped her head toward Belinda. "Really?"


    "Yes, you will be there for an hour at the most." Belinda perplexed. "Hadn''t I told you about this?"


    Raine shook her head. "No." She would be less nervous if she knew this beforehand, at least she could endure an hour of overwhelming attention.


    "Don''t tell me that you forget about it!?" Calleb hissed as he watched Belinda grimaced. "That''s why she kept asking for Torak, I thought she was just being noisy even though she already knew Torak is entertaining the guests on her behalf."


    "What to do? I forgot you know!" Belinda retorted.


    "The Alpha will angry if he knew this." Calleb mumbled and stared at Raine, beamed with happiness when he approached her. "Cheer up! Today is your birthday and here my gift for you!"


    The Beta fished out something from his pocket and gave something long and slim onto Raine''s hand.


    When Raine raised it to her eyes level, she furrowed her brows because the thing that Calleb gave her was a beautifully carved poniard, a slender dagger in fifteen inches length.


    Raine didn''t know what to say when she received her first gift in her birthday. "Hmm¡­ Calleb¡­ what should I do with this?" She asked gingerly while pulled out the sharp blade and carefully held it.


    "To protect yourself of course." He said with proud look on his face. "I got it when I won a bet with an old Lycan who had lived through many dynasties and now live as an ascetic in remote area."


    Belinda sneered. "What kind of gift is that? Don''t you see, the weapon don''t please the Luna at all." She chastised.


    "The poniard means to protect her, not to please her!" Calleb retorted. "Look at you, you didn''t even bring anything as a gift and now you complain about my gift?"


    "You!?" Belinda''s temper flared up.


    Raine had seen this scene many times so she didn''t as panic as the first time she watched Belinda hung Calleb upside down in the air.


    "It''s okay, I like it. Thank you!" Raine stepped in and hugged Calleb. "Your gift is my first gift that I received after nine years."


    "I am sorry I don''t bring anything." Belinda cleared her throat awkwardly. "We don''t have this tradition to celebrate birthday or give something on their birthday, so I didn''t bring anything." She looked regretful now


    Raine smiled ever softly, walked toward Belinda and hugged her tightly. "I know and I don''t mind, I am very happy that you are here to be with me during these past three days." She said sincerely. "Thank you Belinda."


    Raine''s words made Belinda feel better.


    "Alright, stop with this ''thank you'' scene, Torak just asked you to make an appearance." Calleb clapped his hands and separated Raine from Belinda as he assessed her, checked if there was a wrinkle on her dress.


    Belinda was so tempted to blow the young Lycan out of this room through the window, but Raine was standing too close to him and she didn''t want to ruin her dress.


    Together, the three of them went to the main hall, where the celebration of the party had begun.


    Calleb and Belinda escorted Raine to the side of the stage where there was a huge eleven tier birthday cake, which decorated in white and golden color and also red roses in every tier.


    Only by the sight of her birthday cake alone had amazed her and made her lost in thought for a few moments as she missed the entire speech of Torak.


    Only when Calleb nudged her side, Raine''s comeback to her senses and heard Torak''s last words.


    "¡­ here is my woman. My angel. My mate." Torak said with his husky voice, one could detect easily the happiness that laced in the way he talked about Raine.


    Belinda gave a small pushed on Raine''s back so she could take her first step toward Torak.


    Once she appeared on the stage, there were thunderous clapped around her and flashes of cameras light that blinded her eyes.


    Raine was afraid and was about to stagger back to the backstage, but then she caught Torak''s blue eyes and his stretched out hand, he smiled softly as he talked to her in silence; ''come to me my love''


    With that, Raine stilled her heart and gathered all of her courage to take one step at time to reach the place where her mate has been waiting for her.

 Chapter 233 - MARK ME

    It was difficult steps that Raine had to take to come closer to Torak, but she managed to do it with shaking hands and trembling body.


    The only things that could make her to keep going was those eyes, those blue eyes that were saying; trust me.


    Raine did trust him.


    That was the reason she took these difficult steps to be close to him. Once Raine''s trembling fingers touched his opened palm, the spark that erupted from skin to skin contact managed to cease down a little bit of her nervousness.


    Torak pulled Raine close to him and held her slender waist firmly to keep her steady.


    In front of hundreds influential people and thousands to million viewers online, Torak kissed Raine''s lips only for three seconds long, but Raine felt like eternity as it took her breath away when those eyes stared at them intimate action.


    Raine had never been in front of this many people, moreover to be the center of their attention. She blinked her eyes and grabbed the edge of Torak''s black outer clothes anxiously.


    When Torak ended their short kiss, he whispered to her ear encouragingly. "You are very brave tonight my love and very beautiful as always."


    Through her gritting teeth, Raine whispered back to him. "Can I just look at you? I am so nervous to see those people¡­" She glanced briefly at the sea of people below the stage and then retracted her gaze on those calming blue eyes.


    Torak chuckled when he heard that and nodded. "You must always have your eyes on me only." He kissed Raine''s forehead that erupted another cheerful commotion among the guests that made Raine shuddered. "Let''s cut the cake first."


    Afterward the MC of the events took all the talking job as he followed the flow of the time table for this event.


    Raine looked the giant birthday cake that look so beautiful until she didn''t have a heart to cut it. With all the meticulous decoration, the eleven tier birthday cake looked inedible to eat in Raine''s eyes.


    However, when the knife that she held cut through the first tier, it went deep into without any difficulty as if this was the softest cake.


    Raine could see the black color of the sponge as the inside part of the cake, beneath the layer of something like white foam on its surface.


    Someone gave Raine a small plate to put the first slice of the cake and a small spoon.


    Then came the MC''s voice that asked a rhetorical question about; who the lucky person would receive the first cake.


    Of course the answer to it was very obvious, it goes without saying that Torak would receive it, as if Raine could give the cake to anyone else aside from him.


    And another clicking sound and flashes of camera to capture this moment.


    After that, Raine stayed for another thirty minutes while greeting the guests who came to approach her and congratulate her birthday and her relationship with Torak.


    Most of them were being too friendly to her until she felt it was so fake, but Raine tried to maintain her smile and Torak handled their small talk about trivial things.


    Among the guests there were lycans, elf, dragon shifter, witches and human. Torak explained it to her patiently.


    During that short thirty minutes, Torak had never left Raine''s side and always made sure she was safe in his arms as he rested his hands casually on her waist, inviting jealousy from all the single women inside the room.


    Raine would only answer them with smile or nod her head, she was too afraid to make a small talk or talk unnecessary things.


    With Raine was being there, smiling ever so softly without complain, instead of scurrying away and hiding at the corner, was considered a good progress.


    Thus, after the twentieth person that congratulated Raine, Torak thought this was enough for her and leaned over. "Let''s go home, shall we?"


    Raine''s eyes glimmered beautifully as her smile bloomed more cheerful than the last thirty minutes she was there.


    "Yes, please." She replied eagerly.


    Thought they would leave early, but the guests could stay there, enjoying limitless food and drink with Raphael in charge to greet every one of them.


    "Can I change my shoes before we go?" Raine asked hopefully, the high heels started to kill her.


    "Sure, you can go with Belinda and Calleb, I will join you inside the car." Torak rubbed her head and took her to where Belinda and Calleb were arguing about something, again.


    However, half way to approach them, someone cut in and greeted Raine and Torak politely. "Happy birthday Raine¡­" He said with rough voice.


    The man''s golden eyes stared at Raine intensely as his lanky body blocked the sight of Belinda and Calleb behind him. "It had been a while since the last time we met." He mused seeing Raine''s attempt to hide behind Torak''s body. "Hmm? Still afraid of me I guess¡­" He stroked his chin.


    Torak didn''t want to entertain the devil and didn''t want to stay any longer there as he said coldly. "Enjoy your stay Mr. Reiz."


    With that, Torak walked past him with Raine closed to him.


    Belphegor grinned at Raine when the angel stole a glance at him but hurriedly retracted her gaze.


    Raine wondered why the devil was there, did Torak invite him? But then, why Torak invited their enemies to this place? She couldn''t understand.


    "You can go change with them, I will be waiting for you inside the car once you are done." Torak gave Raine''s hand to Belinda and let both of them escort Raine away from the party room.


    ==============


    Belinda helped her to undress her beautiful dress and changed into something more comfortable like sweater and jeans.


    When Raine came out from the changing room, Calleb was leaning his back against the door, waiting for them.


    "I like the dress from before." That was the first thing that Calleb said when he saw Raine went back to her sweater and jeans attire, looking at her with disapproval look.


    "You can have it if you want." Was Raine comeback that made Belinda was laughing out loud and Calleb pouted his mouth.


    Together, they walked to the front lobby where Torak had been waiting for them inside the car.


    Torak helped Raine to get into the car by holding the door open, like the gentleman he was, and sat down beside her.


    The initial driver opened the car door for Calleb as he would drive them home and Belinda sat on the shotgun seat.


    Once the car left the splendid celebration and moved further away from the luxurious hotel, Raine turned her head to face Torak.


    "Why Belphegor is there?" Raine asked softly when their car was running on the highway under the street lights in the dark night.


    "Belphegor? The devil?" Belinda turned around to look at Raine and her Alpha. "He is in the party as well?" She asked in disbelief. "How he could be there?"


    Even before Torak could answer Raine''s question the duo on the front seat had started to answer it for her as they started to squabble again.


    "Yeah, unfortunately he has become our partner now as he is the representative of the de Medici family, replacing Remy de Medici because he was killed by his younger brother, Ramon de Medici, who was now in the jail." Calleb explained it.


    "How he could enter the de Medici family and became their representative?" Belinda eyes grew wide as she was so agitated with the news. Lycans and Devil didn''t have a good history together.


    Calleb shrugged his shoulder. "I don''t know, the devil has many ways to get what they wanted."


    "Knowing the devil will be part of the company, why don''t you cut ties with that de Medici family?" Belinda chastised Calleb even though that kind of act was only Torak could make the decision.


    "Do you think cut ties with them is as easy as cutting onion? There are a lot of things need to consider." Calleb retorted as they exited the highway and ran on the normal road with many food stall along the way.


    Because Raine had known the reason why Belphegor was attending the party, so she didn''t have any interest to listen to the rest of Belinda and Calleb''s argumentation.


    Raine etched her face on the glass window while staring at every food stalls. She didn''t eat anything at the party, as she didn''t have appetite because of her nervousness.


    However now, she could feel her stomach grumbled.


    Torak leaned over and rested his chin on Raine''s shoulder as he looked at the food stall along the road with her. "Are you hungry?" He asked and felt Raine nodded her head.


    "I want to eat sweet and sour b.r.e.a.s.t chicken¡­" Raine pointed one stall before it disappeared because of the speed of the car.


    "Stop the car and turn around." Torak said immediately to Calleb.


    "Huh?" Calleb was confused by the sudden order, but he hit the brake nonetheless. "What happened?" He asked while making u turn to drive back.


    "Raine wanted to eat chicken b.r.e.a.s.t." Torak informed Calleb casually.


    "Didn''t you eat in the party?" Calleb glanced at Raine through rare view mirror.


    "No, I didn''t eat anything¡­" Replied Raine as she kissed Torak''s cheeks because he granted her wish.


    "There were a lot of delicious foods there. It such a waste that you didn''t try it." Calleb himself had pigged out every dishes, there and almost forgot about his duty to entertain the guests as he entertained himself.


    "How can I eat¡­" If I was so nervous even to breathe¡­ Raine said inwardly.


    When the car pulled over, there were two more cars stopped with them, apparently they were the bodyguards that Torak had hired for their safety.


    One car filled with Lycan warriors and the other car was human. There were eight of them in total and they secured the area once Raine got out of the car.


    She looked around and found the eight of them surrounded the area of the stall where she would eat. Thankfully, there were not a lot of people here tonight, or else they would surely become the center of attention¡­ again.


    And that was the last thing that Raine wanted as she had had enough with the attention that she had gotten in the party.


    "Torak¡­" Raine tugged Torak''s sleeves, didn''t like with the situation.


    "It''s alright, they are here to keep you safe." Torak rubbed Raine''s head to reassure her. "Just ignore them and let''s eat."


    Torak grabbed Raine''s hand and took her inside the stall to order two plates of sweet and sour chicken b.r.e.a.s.t that she wanted, but Raine asked for more plates for the eight people that guarded them.


    The stall was small and empty and the four of them took a table at the corner.


    It didn''t take long time before two plates of chicken b.r.e.a.s.t appeared on their table along with another dishes that Calleb and Belinda had ordered.


    Seemingly Calleb had a big hole inside his stomach because after all the foods that he had eaten, he still managed to dig out a bowl of noodles.


    Raine ate her chicken b.r.e.a.s.t slowly as her mind reeled at her plan to ask her gift from Torak. She still couldn''t figure out the best way how to communicate her wish¡­


    "There is something in your mind?" Torak asked, now that he had caught Raine''s blank expression for the third time.


    Raine hurriedly shook her head and ate her food like an obedient little girl.


    Once they were done, they went straight to the house and Raine became as quiet as a bunny.


    "Good night Belinda, good night Call." Raine bid them farewell before Torak brought her to their room.


    Belinda and Calleb occupied rooms downstairs while Raine and Torak''s room was on the second floor along with Raine''s painting room.


    And when the door closed, Torak hugged Raine tightly as his warm breath fanned Raine''s neck and made her slightly shuddering with the intimacy.


    "I am sorry to make you to go through this, but bear with it for a bit longer." Torak said thoughtfully.


    Raine nodded, but her mind was thinking another thing, the most important part of her birthday.


    Torak then retracted his hands and turned Raine''s body as he pulled out something from his pocket. It was a red box as big as Raine''s palm.


    "Happy birthday my love, I wish you a safety and happy live." He prayed for his mate softly.


    Raine smiled and took the box from Torak''s hand as he urged her to open it. When the lid of the box was opened, it displayed the exquisite of Torak''s gift inside.


    It was a necklace with a white pearl, which glinted dimly under the light of the room, as its pendant. The necklace didn''t look so fancy, but beautiful and elegant regardless. Suited Raine perfectly.


    Torak took the necklace from Raine''s hand and put it on her neck as he brushed away her hair to clasp it. The pendant hung right on her chest as it gleamed faintly.


    "This is beautiful¡­" Raine appreciated the gift.


    "But not as beautiful as you." Torak held her chin so Raine could see the rare soft smile on his lips as he leaned over to lay a kiss on her soft lips. "I mean it."


    Raine could feel her stomach did somersault by what Torak said and what he did.


    Despite this wasn''t the first time Torak had said something so lovely and this wasn''t also their first kiss, but every time Torak did that, Raine could feel butterflies fluttered its colorful wings on her stomach.


    Raine wrapped her arms around Torak''s neck as she tiptoed and pulled him closer to her, as the same time Torak held her slender waist to keep her balance.


    Torak teased her lips with his warm tongue while saying, "What the gift that you wanted, my love?"


    "Mark me." Raine answered between their kiss. She just blurted out that words like that, her meticulous plans that had cracked and occupied her mind since days before were useless when she answered him plainly that way.


    Torak stopped as he pulled away from her.


    Raine also suddenly became alerted by Torak''s reaction.


    Did she say something wrong?


    Did she upset him?


    Did he not want to do it?


    A lot of question swarmed on her mind as her body tensed up because Torak didn''t say anything for a while.


    "I am sorry¡­" Raine became self- conscious as she apologized for something that she didn''t know. Was it a mistake to ask something like that?


    Raine was unsure.


    Seeing the trouble expression on Raine''s face, Torak''s expression softened as he caressed her blushing cheeks with his thumbs. "Who told you about the Lycan''s mark?" He asked softly.


    Raine lifted her head to see Torak''s shock expression had changed into a concern one. "Calleb¡­" She replied.


    Torak nodded, but didn''t say anything further. The silence between them was uncomfortable.


    "Will you¡­ mark me¡­?" Raine asked gingerly. "They said a lycan will mark their mate so their souls will be bonded for life." Raine loved the idea of being together with Torak.


    Yet, apparently Torak had another idea. His expression looked trouble now as if Raine''s request had bothered him greatly.


    "You will not¡­?" Raine asked, but it almost like a conclusion. Her eyes stung as her tears ready to fall. She blinked her eyes to fight back the urge.


    "Oh, don''t make that sad expression my love, you know I can''t bear to see your sadness." Torak kissed away Raine''s tears and her forehead before he carried her to the sofa near the opened window and sat her on his laps.


    The breeze night winds fluttered Raine''s hair as she rested her head on Torak''s shoulder, she felt dejected.


    Raine had learnt how important for a mate to bear their mate''s mark, but Torak was being reluctant for her to bear his mark. Why?


    Torak cradled Raine in his arms. "I will definitely mark you, but not now¡­" He said in hoarse voice.


    His beast was banging his head to mark Raine and claimed her as his, but Serefina''s warning kept ringing in his head and Torak couldn''t ignore it.


    Even when Raine said those beautiful words, he almost lost his control over his beast.


    Mark me¡­


    That was the most beautiful words that Torak had ever heard from her and also the most tempted thing that he had to resist.


    Raine didn''t truly understand how important for the Lycan male to give their mark to their mates. Was the pride of every lycans if their mate bore their mark. After all, it was a sacred ritual.


    But, Torak couldn''t fulfill Raine''s tempted wish yet.


    This wasn''t only Raine, who felt bitter, but Torak also felt depressed as well.


    "Why?" Raine asked with small voice and looked at Torak with sorrow in her obsidian eyes. "Why you can''t mark me?"


    "Because your body will not be able to take it¡­" Torak explained.


    Werewolves'' bite was dangerous, but Lycans'' was fatal. It was very rare for Lycan and werewolves for having mates out of their own kind, and even to their own kind, the marking process could be unsafe.


    Moreover, in that very rare case, there wasn''t even a case that werewolves or lycans was mated to guardian angel and human, unfortunately Raine was both.


    Even in normal situation, Raine couldn''t stay in Torak''s territory because her soul couldn''t take it being surrounded by beasts and became vulnerable, that was the reason why they were in this city instead stayed safe in Oriole City, Torak''s territory.


    Not to mention Torak had to bite her now, the result would be terrifying and Torak couldn''t take the risk no matter how desirable the temptation that Raine''s words carried and how dejected his little mate expression now.


    She had been stressing herself over this matter.


    "That''s why I can''t mark you now¡­" Torak said regretfully. "If I could, you would have already bear my mark by now."


    Torak would have marked her the first time he met her under the rain of that faithfully night, if it wasn''t because the fear on her eyes, no, she was terrified.


    Not to mention to mark her, Torak even had to make an extra effort only to be close to her.


    When Raine''s condition started to improve and she became so close to him, Torak had thought about to mark her, but then came Serefina''s warning about the consequences.


    After Raine heard Torak''s explanation, her heart slightly felt better, because there was a complicated situation and condition behind his reason, yet she felt sorrowful regardless.


    Raine nuzzled on Torak''s chest. "I thought you don''t love me enough to mark me¡­" She whined.


    "Don''t be silly." Torak kissed the crown of her head. "There is no such thing."


    "Calleb said that every lycan will mark their mate when the first time they met¡­ but, you didn''t¡­ so I become anxious¡­" Raine whimpered pitifully as she rubbed her face against Torak''s chest.


    "How can I mark you when the first time I met you. You were so afraid of me and thought I would hurt you." Torak reminded Raine.


    Raine bit her lips, felt embarrassed when she remembered her reaction. "I was afraid of you for no reason."


    "It''s expected my love for someone who had endured all of those horrendous experiences, but now you had overcome your fear and I couldn''t be more proud of you." Torak praised her.


    "Thanks to you¡­" Raine giggled and kissed his chin. "So, how long until you can mark me?" She asked.


    "I think until you are strong enough and able to control your power." Torak said. "Or else, it will be so dangerous to do it."


    Raine pouted her lips as she thought about that. "I need to work harder then¡­"


    "You don''t need to bear my mark to be convinced that I love you¡­" Torak chuckled. "Don''t you believe me after all this time?"


    Raine mumbled something unclear like; ''I believe you but¡­''


    "I know you love me¡­ but, I want that mark¡­ it feels so romantic to be bounded with someone that we love." Raine voiced out her thought.


    "Romantic?" Torak raised his eyebrows. "Is that what you think? Romantic?"


    Raine nodded. "It feels like we are in relationship, but we are not going to get married." She made a random analogy.


    Torak laughed when he heard that. "We just let the public know about our relationship and now you are talking about marriage?"


    "No¡­ no¡­" Raine waved her hands frantically because of Torak''s teasing. "That''s not what I meant¡­"


    "I know¡­" Torak hugged Raine in his arms as he whispered. "Let''s not rush this matter, we will take one step at time¡­"


    "So, my birthday gift is postponed?" Raine asked.


    "Yes. But, I will definitely give it to you." Torak kissed the sweet on the crook of her shoulder, where he would put his mark. "Here¡­"


    Raine scrunched her eyebrows and squirmed because it tickled. Torak closed his eyes to gather his conscience, he was too reckless and overestimated his self- restraint.


    "But, my love¡­" Torak tipped her head up by pushing her chin with his finger as he stared intently at her. "Don''t talk about this kind of thing again with anyone, alright?"


    Raine frowned and nodded, but she still asked. "Why?"


    "Marking is an intimate topic and I don''t like you to be intimate with other person." Torak said sternly. "Understood?"


    "Understood."


    ==============


    The following days passed and the blink of an eye, today was the day Raine would be a college student.


    After her appearance on her birthday, a week ago, the news about her and Torak didn''t cease down even a little bit.


    At first Raine was so stressful when she read all the hate comments and felt slightly depressed when they depicted her as an awful girl with many horrendous baseless backgrounds.


    But then, Torak confiscated her phone and said to not bother with those rumors because at time it would pass.


    However now, Raine needed to go out and enjoyed her first day as a college student.


    She was so eager to go, yet anxious at the same time.


    "Don''t be so stressful." Torak said when he saw Raine was staring blankly out of the window''s car. "If something happened, call me immediately."


    Torak handed her phone and kissed her forehead when the car reached the entrance gates of her university.


    "Stay close with Stephan, but if he is bothering you, tell me and I will teach him a lesson." Calleb said cheerfully from behind the wheel.


    "Thank you¡­" Raine grinned. "I think you had taught him enough lesson last time."


    "Dragon shifter is haughty and arrogant creature by nature, so there is possibility he will repeat the same mistake again." Calleb explained.


    "Stay safe, okay? Don''t do anything recklessly and avoid to being alone." Torak added.


    "In emergency situation, act first, think later." Raphael chimed in as he halted what he was doing on the laptop and turned to add another advice for Raine.


    Raine couldn''t help but laugh on their advices, apparently it wasn''t only her who was being nervous.


    "Okay, I have to go now or else I will be late." Raine kissed Torak on his lips and waved goodbye to Calleb and Raphael.


    Then, Raine walked to the entrance gates where Stephan had been waiting for her.


    The university that Raine entered was an elite one, there were many children of public figures and influential people, also heiress from famous business family, who study there, thus it wasn''t strange if they have the best security to prevent journalists from entering the university area.


    Torak stared at Raine''s back, who was approaching Stephan, both of them exchanged a polite greetings before they entered the building together.


    "Are you sure to leave her like this, Torak?" Calleb asked, he still had his eyes on Raine though her figure was getting smaller and smaller. "Don''t you want to add more protection around her?" He was like a father who took his child to the first day of school, getting anxious and overwhelmed with worry.


    Torak closed his eyes when he couldn''t see Raine anymore, but her scent still lingered in the car. "More than this, she will realize that I am stalking on her."

 Chapter 234 - TORAKS DISSAPOINTMENT

    "So, the angel is looking for the grimoire of the pure blood witch, together with that witch?" Lucifer was playing a knife in his hand as he looked at Aeon, who was forging a sword.


    No matter what era, a bladesmith would always be a bladesmith.


    Aeon put his focus on the matter at hand and half ignored the devil, as he kept bothering him ever since he managed to make a connection with Raine again.


    Yet, being ignored didn''t stop Lucifer to talk. "Why do you need this grimoire?"


    Aeon didn''t answer him again as he forged and bended the hot metal in his hand.


    "You know what? If that book is existed in the past, then it will be existed in the present." Lucifer tilted his head to see Aeon''s reaction.


    A devilish smile curled on his lips when he saw Aeon stopped what he was doing and stared at him, with hostility, yet he asked Lucifer, the devil knew the shadow warrior had fallen into his ruse.


    "What do you mean?" Aeon''s black eyes narrowed dangerously.


    "What?" Lucifer feigned an innocent look as if he was saying that out of a brief idea that crossed his mind and didn''t actually mean it.


    "Your words from before about the existence of the grimoire." Aeon said.


    But, unfortunately Aeon didn''t get it.


    The smirk on Lucifer''s face widened as he explained. "Why do you need to look for that grimoire in the past? If it was something valuable, the witch should keep it save right? Or at least, even though she lost it, the grimoire must be existed somewhere." The Devil suggested. "So, why don''t you look for the grimoire in the present? It will be less dangerous for ''your angel'' to be in this realm instead of she has to go back to the past."


    Lucifer intentionally emphasized the words of ''your angel'', to underline the idea that Raine belonged to Aeon.


    As expected, Aeon liked the sound of it, though it was only a slight changed, but his expression softened.


    "I think I can help if your angel really needs it." Lucifer''s golden eyes shone brightly.


    ==============


    Raine walked into the second building where her first class would be held with Stephan, who didn''t stop talking ever since he picked her up at the entrance gates.


    "Don''t you know the uproar that you have made?" Stephan asked Raine, bothering her with the same topic though he didn''t get the response that he wanted. "Fortunately you enter this university where, probably, half of the students'' parents had gone to your party, so they won''t make an unnecessary fuss."


    Stephan was right, regardless almost all the students looked at Raine weirdly, but there was no one from them who actually approached her and made a small talk or tried to be close to her, since she entered the University''s gates.


    This was actually not as scary as Raine thought and she could still tolerate their curious gazes.


    "You are right." Raine admitted, mumbling to herself.


    When they turned at the end of the corridor and entered the class, Raine took the last row to sit at the corner.


    Her class was like bench in stadium, where the last row would be the higher place than the first one, with their lecturer would be equipped with a big screen to convey their lesson, in the front of the class.


    Raine furrowed her brows when he saw Stephan was sitting next to her, so she was trapped between wall and him.


    "What are you doing here?" Raine felt uncomfortable.


    "Study." Stephan gave Raine a look that saying; ''what else I will do inside a class?''.


    "Don''t you have class?" Raine asked, as long as she remembered, Stephan took different major from her.


    "I did, but your mate put me here." Stephan shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly.


    "How he did that?" It was unbelievable.


    Stephan raised his eyebrows. "You can enter this University without test, all you have to do is; ask him." He said in matter of fact tone. "Moreover, I don''t really care what major that I take, this kind of activity is useless for me."


    Afterward, Stephan put his bag in front of him on the table and used it as pillow when he rested his head on it and closed his eyes.


    Raine looked at him in disbelief, then she scanned the class that all the seat was almost occupied.


    Raine couldn''t find another corner and surround by strangers wasn''t a good idea. So, after sometime she thought about the pros and cons, being with Stephan was still the best choice that she had.


    With a deep sigh, Raine pulled out her book and waited for the class to begin.


    The first class took an hour and half of it was filled with introduction from every students and talked about trivial things to warm up the atmosphere.


    Once it Raine turned to introduce herself, the whole class became drop silence, even one could hear the sound of falling needle.


    Raine forced herself to talk as loud as she could, but it turned out her voice was only a little bit louder than a whisper.


    Nonetheless, no matter if those students could hear her or not, they already knew her enough to know her name even without the introduction. After all, the waves of shocking news and splendid birthday celebration, which Torak was held for Raine, just passed a week ago.


    Even Torak and Raine''s name were still on the top list of the search engine.


    Fortunately for Raine, Mr. Hemsworth didn''t ask her to repeat her very quiet introduction and let her to sit as he called another name.


    During the class, Stephan was only awake for two times, first when he had to introduce himself and the second was when the ended of the class.


    As the first class ended Mr. Hemsworth told them to head to the auditorium where there would be a short speech from the Dean and vice principal.


    "Wake up, we need to go to the Auditorium." Raine shook Stephan''s shoulder so she could get out from her seat too.


    Stephan looked disoriented and yawned widely as he stared at the class that almost empty.


    "We have to go to the Auditorium." Raine repeated her words again.


    "What? To receive that boring speech from the vice principal and his staff?" Stephan rubbed his face harshly as he stood up.


    "From the Dean and the Vice principal." Raine informed him, but he didn''t even bother to listen.


    "Pass." Stephan raised his hands and opened his palms. "I will take a nap inside the library, if you finish, come to find me."


    After saying that Stephan left Raine, who was looking at him in bewilderment.


    Why she should look for him? Wasn''t he assigned to look after her? Thus, why it was him who ordered her around? Moreover Raine was fine with her own.


    Raine decided to not look for him after the speech and tried to befriend with another people.


    Because the situation in the campus turned out didn''t as bad as she thought and those students didn''t attack her with questions like what people online did, Raine still has a high chance to have a normal campus life just like how her plan at the first place.


    Afterward, without Stephan tagged along, Raine was walking alone to the auditorium, it wasn''t hard to find the place as all the freshmen were heading to the same spot.


    Raine was still a bit awkward to walk among the crowd, but also excited to see her new life as a college student.


    "Raine!!!"


    Someone called out her name among the crowd, Raine stopped and looked around to see whose voice belonged to, but it didn''t help with hundreds people around.


    "Over here!"


    She shouted again and this time her voice came from Raine''s left side, with curiosity Raine tried to focus at the source of the voice as she watched a girl in blue jacket and mini skirt waved her hand toward her.


    Raine immediately recognized her face, she had met with each other before in the mask party, though they met by accident, but Raine didn''t have a bad impression toward her.


    The girl moved forward and approached Raine with difficulty.


    "Do you still remember me? I am Sunny." She said cheerfully. "I was the one who had spilled drink on your dress at the mask party." Sunny reminded Raine.


    "Yes, I remember." Raine smiled.


    Before, Sunny had told her that she was also a college student in Royal University, but this was her second years.


    "I am so happy when I saw you among the freshmen." Sunny exaggerated her reaction. "I was so thrill when I saw how extravagant your birthday celebration was, I was also one of your guests you know, but I didn''t have a chance to congratulate you because you only stayed for a while." She kept going with her story.


    Raine liked how energetic Sunny was, but she couldn''t listen to her excitement any longer.


    "Sunny¡­ I am sorry, but I think I have to go now¡­" Raine touched Sunny''s hand to make her stop talking as she looked around, almost all the new student had gone inside. "How about we chat latter?" She offered.


    Raine didn''t want to be rude to her first friend.


    "Of course! How about we exchange number?" Sunny suggested, her expression didn''t change a little bit.


    "Sure." Raine agreed readily, and with that both of them knew the other numbers and waved a goodbye as they went to different direction.


    When Raine entered the auditorium and found a seat, she felt her phone rung, indicating someone sent her a message.


    Looking at the screen, Sunny''s name popped up along with her text.


    [If you are finished and have no class, meet me in university canteen, I will introduce you with all my friends. ((^O^))]


    To be introduced to Sunny''s friends sounded nice, thus Raine typed her reply. [Okay.]


    The speech lasted for an hour and when it was done, it was already time for lunch.


    Thus, with the promise to come to the University''s canteen and hungry stomach, Raine walked to the Canteen direction.


    She needed to ask two people for direction to the canteen because this was her first time to go there, which the two of them were quite surprised when Raine initiated a conversation. Along the way, Raine was curious about how Stephan knew the library in this University? Or probably he was asking around too.


    The canteen was located next to the second building. It was an outdoor place that situated in the east of the park at the university where there were so many food stalls.


    Once Raine reached there, she made a call to Sunny to ask about her exact place.


    Sunny picked the phone on the second ring.


    "Raine, are you already here?" Sunny cheerful voice could be heard.


    Raine smiled to her phone when she heard her enthusiasm. "Yes, where are you?"


    Sunny then told her where she was as she talked, there were a lot of voice near her whose asking; ''Is it Raine?'' and ''She will join us?''


    Raine didn''t need to have a lycan''s hearing ability to hear all of those questions, as they were so loud. "I got it."


    After she knew their location, Raine walked to the place that Sunny had mentioned, it wasn''t very far from Raine original spot.


    Under a big tree, beside a hotdog stall, there was a picnic bench that could fit for eight people.


    "Raine, over here!" Sunny waved her hand as she stood up from her seat.


    Raine waved back at her as she walked toward them.


    Aside from Sunny, there were two girls and two guys, all of them looked at her at the same time.


    Raine gave them a polite smile once she was there, she clutched her hands together so she could stop herself from fidgeting.


    "This is Raine!" Sunny stood up abruptly and introduced her in a tone of voice like saying ta- daa!


    And then, Sunny went on to introduce the five other people enthusiastically.


    Casey, a girl with brown eyes and brown hair that tied up atop of her head into a bun, she was wearing glasses and looked cute with mole on her left cheekbone. She was also quite friendly as she was smiling all the time.


    Jamie was sitting across Casey, she was quite eccentric with her white short hair and a few strike of purple color hair on the left side.


    Raine couldn''t say if she disliked her to be there or it was just her character to ignore people, because she just continued eating while Sunny introduced her and only glanced briefly at Raine.


    Beside Casey was Connor. He was an adorable guy with dimples on his cheeks every time he smiled and he smiled a lot, just like Casey.


    Later, Sunny whispered at Raine that Casey and Connor was couple.


    And the last guy was the one that attracted Raine''s curiosity the most.


    This man''s name was Kai, but Sunny said he preferred to be called Kelly.


    Kai or Kelly was wearing an adorable shocking color of pink shirt with his black straight hair that framed his long face. He was applying yellow eyes shadow on his eyelids and putting a light color of orange lipstick on his lips.


    But, the shocking part was the way he greeted Raine.


    "Hai, Raine." He glanced at Raine through his small round mirror in his hand. "But, you are welcome here, but I don''t think I like you."


    In an instant, Raine''s face fell. She did nothing, but there was someone who already hated her.


    Connor immediately punched Kai''s arms as he made an apologize expression. Sunny also explained immediately to Raine.


    "He didn''t mean it, Kelly likes man and he is one of Torak Donovan''s fans, so he was jealous with you." Sunny said in low voice. "He is not a bad man. Just ignored him for the meantime, he is still shock by your relationship announcement."


    Raine was speechless, she was even hated by man. Just how big Torak''s influence was¡­


    ==============


    After that lunch with Sunny and her friend, Raine would spend most of her time with them, though Kai still disliked her and didn''t talk to her nicely, but he didn''t hate her in particular.


    Kai always complained about how Raine dressed herself and rumbled on about how filthy rich Torak was, but Raine always used the same bag every day.


    Kai always said if he was her, he would have bought all the latest collection of famous brands and would never wear the same clothes twice for the rest of his life.


    Raine couldn''t argue with his theory and Casey just waved her hand to tell Raine to ignore him.


    But, in rare occasion, when Kai knew Torak would pick her up, he would force Raine to meet him first before she went home and all he did was to put a light make up on her face.


    "You should learn how to do make up you know!" Kai would chastise Raine while applying a pink lipstick on her lips. "Do you think because you are already in relationship with him, he couldn''t seek another woman? Don''t be so na?ve! If you always meet him with this plain face of yours and your conservative style, don''t cry when he looks for someone better. He is still a man you know! Men like to see beautiful things!"


    Apart from Kai''s infatuation toward Torak, he was a good friend.


    Casey and Connor would treat Raine nicely, though Casey and Sunny would flaunt around their social media about how they could befriend with Torak Donovan''s girlfriend and incited another ripple of comments from people online, most of the time they were the best friend that Raine could expect.


    Meanwhile, Casey would treat Raine like she wasn''t there, or probably she treated all the people that way.


    It was so rare for her to talk, but once she talk she would make a sharp comment about the topic that could shut all the people there up.


    For Stephan, he would always fetch her at the front gates and walked her to the gates when she would go home. In between, Stephan would choose to sleep in the library instead of mingled with Sunny and the others.


    Stephan thought as long as Raine wasn''t alone and there were thousands pair of eyes around her, she would be all right.


    Hence he would slack off of his duty to be with Raine.


    Yet, Raine didn''t complain as she didn''t really like to be tailed by Stephan because she knew, he would report everything that she did to Torak and knowing that, she was slightly uncomfortable.


    Regardless, Raine loved her university life.


    She could continue her education, which she thought she wouldn''t be able to do it, and has a few people that she could call as her friend.


    Inside the university area and among her friends, Raine was invisible, those people out there with their hate comments couldn''t reach her or hurt her.


    Not all the people hate Raine for being with Torak, there were also people who congratulated her, but the comparison was too big and Torak didn''t like Raine to read comments in social media.


    In a blink of an eye, three weeks passed uneventfully.


    But, it didn''t last for long.


    In one afternoon, when Raine walked on the patio that adjoining the first building and the second building to have lunch with Sunny and the other, someone touched her hand.


    Startled, Raine turned around and found a familiar face and figure.


    His black eyes, which stared at Raine deeply, and his curly shoulder- length hair, as she could smell his musky scent with their close proximity.


    "Aeon?" Raine said his name in disbelief.


    "Raine, I miss you." Aeon blurted out that made Raine panic, it wouldn''t be good if someone else heard him saying that.


    "How can you be here?" Raine asked, looking around as if she was afraid Torak would see Aeon. She did it subconsciously out of habit.


    Aeon didn''t answer immediately and just fixed his eyes on Raine, she looked beautiful as ever, whether it was in the past or in the present, she looked so enchanting.


    "I can help you to find the book that you have been looking for with the witch." Aeon stated.


    "Aeon, I think you don''t need to bother with that¡­ I am sorry, but I have to go¡­" Raine tried to pry Aeon''s fingers open from her arms. But, he unfazed. "Aeon, don''t do this¡­"


    Raine started to feel uncomfortable because there were many eyes that look at her and Aeon.


    "What is it?" Someone came forward and grabbed Aeon''s hand. "Let her go." He demanded in deep voice.


    Raine whipped her head to her left and found a man as tall as Aeon with bulkier body was standing next to her.


    Aeon glared at him as the man also mimicked his fierceness.


    "Aeon, let go of me." Raine was so distressed by his stubbornness, she really didn''t want to attract more unnecessary attention toward her and here, Aeon made things more difficult for her.


    "Torak sure has put all of his dogs around you." Aeon hissed as he switched his anger toward the bulky man.


    "Go!" The man snarled.


    Raine was surprised by Aeon''s words and looked at the man, who came for her rescue, she had never seen this man before.


    Because this city wasn''t Torak''s territory and because her strange condition that couldn''t be close with a lot of werewolves and Lycanthropes, thus Torak only brought a few of his own people and, even though Raine didn''t know their name one by one, but she recognized their face as she often met them around the main house or when they had to guard her when she was going outside.


    However, Raine had never seen him.


    "Consider my words." Aeon said before he released Raine''s hand and walked away.


    Once Aeon had gone, that man turned to check on Raine. "Luna, are you all right?"


    "You are¡­?" Raine narrowed her eyes, wasn''t sure if he was merely a human guard to protect her or he was also a shape shifter.


    "I am Mark, one of the Alpha''s subordinate." The bulky man named Mark introduced himself.


    "I don''t know if Torak put more people here¡­" Raine mumbled and subconsciously looked around, suddenly she became alert with her surroundings, as if she was being spied. "How many people like you here?"


    "Luna, you need not worry, we are here to protect you, you can pretend that we are not existed." While saying that Mark walked away from Raine before she could get the number of people that Torak had planted there.


    Raine''s mood turned sour for the rest of the day after she knew there were Torak''s people surrounded her.


    She thought it was only Stephan who was assigned to be with her, without her knowing, there were a lot more.


    "Just now you know?!" Stephan raised his eyebrows when Raine told him about Torak''s people inside the University. "Do you really think I can slack off if it is only me who looks after you? Knowing the Alpha, you should know that."


    "But, Torak never said anything about that." Raine complained.


    Both of them walked to the entrance gates, where a pricey car had been waiting for Raine.


    "Yes, but it also means he is not lying." Stephan yawned.


    The sun was almost set and the light of it casted their shadow longer as Raine contemplated Stephan''s words.


    Stephan was right, Torak didn''t lie to her, but he just didn''t mention it.


    Raine knew this was for her protection, but it was a little bit uncomfortable when you didn''t know there were always people who had their eyes on you and watched your every moves, but you didn''t know who they were or which one were they.


    No wondered, recently, she had never seen a single supernatural creature around. Before, at least she would meet one or two.


    "But, how those people could enter this University? The one that I met earlier seemed to be in his third years at least." Raine asked Stephan again.


    How Torak could put some people in the middle of the semester?


    Stephan sighed helplessly as if he was tired to explain this kind of thing to Raine. "Oh, please. Until now, you still don''t have any idea how powerful your mate is?" He rolled his eyes. "Try to make troubles and see how he would clean up your mess." He suggested.


    With his absurd advice, Stephan opened the car door for Raine and sent her off with her car driver.


    Once she arrived at home, Calleb had been there, waiting for her. "The Alpha asks you to meet him in his study room."


    Raine frowned when she saw Calleb''s expression and his stern voice. This would be something serious.


    "Alright." She said and walked toward Torak''s study room.


    Once she was inside, Torak pulled her into a tight hug and closed the door.


    "Torak?" Raine didn''t understand what got into him. "What happened?"


    It was his silence that answered Raine as he kept burying his head on her shoulder.


    "What happened? You scare me¡­" Raine became anxious because of Torak''s reaction. "Something bad happened?"


    "I am sorry if I scare you." Torak released Raine''s body and stared at her for awhile before he asked. "The shadow warrior approached you today?"


    Raine was surprised, but then she remembered about Mark and Torak''s people that he had put them there.


    "Yes, but¡­" Before she could explain, Torak had made his own decision.


    "Don''t go to college until Serefina''s condition better and put layers of protection there." Torak said firmly.


    "What?" Raine creased her eyebrows in disbelief. "Torak¡­ Aeon didn''t do any harm on me¡­"


    Until Serefina''s condition better? The last time Raine visited the witch, she even had not yet woken up. If she followed Torak''s demand, how long it would take until she could get back to college?


    "Whether it''s intentional or not, he will harm you eventually." Torak stated.


    But, Raine was in denial. "No, you don''t understand¡­ he won''t harm me, he had protected me a few times."


    And then Raine told her about how Aeon had saved her and him when she traveled back to the past. If it wasn''t for him, Raine must have been in danger.


    But, Torak was far from glad when he heard that.


    "That''s why, Torak please¡­ don''t hurt him¡­" Raine pleaded.


    "You beg me for another man." Torak''s voice filled with disappointment.

 Chapter 235 - RAINES REGRET

    When Raine realized what she had done and witnessed the disappointment in Torak''s eyes, she knew in an instant that she had hurt him.


    "No¡­ Torak¡­ That is not what I mean." Raine was afraid when Torak put down his hand and stood there, staring at her impassively.


    Her heart was beating fast when she watched the way Torak looked at her. His blue eyes filled with discontent.


    Torak had never seen her that way before and this scared Raine, she stumbled forward and clutched onto his front shirt.


    "No, Torak¡­ I didn''t mean to stand up for him¡­" Raine tried to explain herself, but in her panic state her words failed her.


    In the other hand, Torak didn''t reject her touch, but he didn''t reciprocate the same warm that he always offered to her.


    "You just came, you must be tired, rest first." Torak said in flat tone, the disappointment in his eyes had disappeared as Torak stared at Raine emotionlessly.


    "No, I don''t want to rest¡­ please listen to me." Raine pleaded, she felt her fear welled up in her heart, seeing the way Torak treated her this way.


    "Later Raine, we will talk about this later." Torak pried her fingers from his front shirt as he went back to his seat behind his working desk, busying himself with his paperwork.


    Raine''s body was trembling, she bit her lips.


    Later Raine¡­


    Torak called her name instead of using an endearment words such as; my love or angel, like he always did.


    Just how upset was he toward her?


    Raine didn''t dare to approach Torak, because he looked so distance.


    She clutched the strap of her backpack tightly as she stood there at the same spot for more than fifteen minutes without getting his attention at all.


    Torak ignored her.


    Fighting back her tears, Raine finally gathered her courage to say something in voice that like a whisper. "I will cook something for us, let''s have dinner together."


    After saying that, Raine sprinted out from Torak''s study room, she was afraid to hear his rejection.


    If he did so, she was pretty sure that she would cry, embarrassing herself thoroughly, showing him how weak she was.


    The lycanthropes hated weak creatures.


    That sentence repeated in her head as Raine headed to the kitchen and busied herself, preparing food for their dinner.


    Would he hate her?


    ==============


    Crack!


    The glass in Torak''s hand shattered into pieces under the pressure, along with drop after drop of blood that stained the carpet beneath him.


    He was very disappointed to say the least.


    After Raine went out of the room, he couldn''t help but need something to release some steam.


    What on earth his mate was thinking to beg for another man''s life to him?


    Torak didn''t want to hear Raine''s explanation any further because it was the same thing like he was forced to hear how she viewed another man, talking about the good thing of that man.


    Torak couldn''t stand it, his blood boiled with anger.


    And the worst part of it was; that man was the same person that had been tied to Raine when she was in the village of angel.


    Torak comprehended very well how that atrocious tradition rooted in that village. He couldn''t be more grateful when he knew Raine had not united with that shadow warrior.


    But, that nasty creature kept pestering his mate and now he appeared in front of her.


    If it wasn''t because Torak''s man had stopped him in time, probably he had taken Raine away, after all there was no way his mate could fight him.


    Torak had been worn out enough to think about Raine''s safety while keeping her oblivious about how the world had been trying to attack her.


    However now she had asked him to not hurt the man that, obviously, would take her away at the first opportunity given.


    How Torak could stand that when he had to hear his mate spoke for another man?


    [Ralph. Is Serefina''s condition showing progress?] Torak mind link his Beta.


    [No. She still unconscious.] Raphael replied almost immediately. [Belinda had checked on her this afternoon, but there is nothing much she could do.] He said regretfully.


    Belinda wasn''t as strong as her half sister, thus it was out of her ability to fix Serefina''s condition.


    Torak opened his palm that covered with blood, but his wound had healed. He complimented for a while before he spoke again.


    [Meet me at the porch.]


    ==============


    "Did you cook this for me?" Calleb entered the kitchen and watched as Raine was meticulously preparing two plates of curry rice and a few side dishes.


    Raine didn''t answer Calleb rhetorical question as she kept busying herself with the food.


    "Because if you prepared this for Torak, he will not eat it." Calleb said, biting his tongue while waiting for Raine''s reaction.


    Raine stopped abruptly and stared at Calleb without words, asking for explanation with her anxious eyes.


    "He went outside ten minutes ago." Calleb started. "From what the Alpha and Raphael were discussing, seemingly they will not come back until tomorrow."


    Raine dropped the bowl in her hands as it clunked against the table with loud noise before she dashed out of the kitchen and went to Torak''s study room.


    She pushed open the door forcefully and found no one there.


    Fifteen minutes ago, Torak was still sitting on his seat, ignoring her while checking the doc.u.ments on the table, but now he was nowhere to be seen.


    "Raine, what happen with both of you?" Calleb''s worry voice sounded from behind her as he walked closer.


    Raine rooted on the spot, trembling. "Where is he?"


    "I don''t know exactly where he is going, but this is something related to Serefina." Calleb replied as he rubbed Raine''s head. "Did both of you fight?"


    Calleb touched on her head reminded her of the way how Torak always doted on her. It similar, but also different because Calleb wasn''t Torak.


    "I disappointed him¡­" Raine whispered, hiding her teary eyes behind her hair that fell on the side of her face as she lowered her head.


    "Don''t worry, he will be fine in few days¡­ just give him some alone time." Calleb knew about the shadow warrior had come to meet Raine this afternoon and watched how his Alpha turned extremely mad by the news.


    But, the Gamma was clueless about why Torak fought with Raine. The Alpha treasured his mate the most and this abrupt changed puzzled him.


    Seeing Raine now, he wasn''t sure if this was the right time to ask her about what had happened.


    "Get rest first, I will ask someone to bring something for you to eat." Calleb suggested. Raine had just returned, she must be feeling tired.


    "Hmm." Raine hummed, she walked past Calleb without lifting her head, looking so dejected.


    "Ck, what happened with them?" Calleb clicked his tongue in annoyance when he heard a dull sound of the door was being closed. He didn''t like this kind of atmosphere.


    ==============


    The time had strike past midnight and the sound of howling wind from the balcony was prominent along with the rustling leaves.


    Raine couldn''t close her eyes, despite the tiredness that she felt. The bed was so big, empty and cold without Torak.


    Slowly, she pulled out her phone and slightly narrowed her eyes because of the light that lit up from the screen.


    All of her messages had not yet delivered since she sent it six hours ago and when she tried to call Torak''s number, it was the machine that repeated the same information that said she couldn''t call the number because it was deactivated.


    Raine tried to call Raphael, but he didn''t pick her call no matter how many times she punched the redial button.


    [Torak, where are you? I am sorry¡­ can we talk?] Raine sent the message even though she knew it couldn''t reach him for now.


    She sat down and hugged her legs while resting her chin on her knees, staring at the dark starry night outside through the double door to the balcony.


    Raine felt sorrowful.


    She had to admit it that her words had offended him, but she didn''t mean to stand against him and spoke for Aeon, yet at the same time Raine didn''t want Torak to hurt Aeon too.


    Aeon had saved her life more than twice already, of course Raine felt grateful for him because of that. That was what Raine wanted to tell Torak, but he didn''t want to listen to her explanation.


    Raine felt there was a hollow in her heart.


    ==============


    Tonight Raine didn''t sleep at all until the sun rose and the first light gradually illuminated the room.


    When it was eight in the morning, Raine lethargically walked toward the bathroom and freshened up herself, ready to go to the college.


    Probably after the whole night, Torak''s anger would have ceased down by now and picked up her call, but even after she was ready to go, her messages still had not yet delivered.


    Maybe this afternoon..


    Raine talked to herself, trying to cheer herself up, yet failed miserably.


    The way she dressed up today really represented her feeling, she was wearing black shirt under her black jacket that she zipped up to cover herself and dark jeans. There was no color from her whatsoever.


    With her face free from make up and tired eyes as result of her sleepless night, her condition was terrible.


    The moment Calleb saw her, he couldn''t believe with what he was seeing. It took only a single night for Raine''s condition to turn from worse to horrendous.


    "Raine, are you alright?" Calleb glanced at the room and caught a glimpse of a tray full with foods, which was sent last night, before Raine could close the door of the bedroom. Apparently she didn''t touch her food at all.


    "Hmm." Raine nodded absentmindedly.


    "Where are you going?" Calleb asked softly.


    How could Torak make his mate suffer like this? Did Torak know Raine current condition? Those questions flew into Calleb''s mind.


    "College¡­" Raine replied ever so softly.


    Calleb had to take a deep breath when he heard that, he hated this kind of situation and moreover Raine''s retrogression.


    "I am sorry Raine, but Torak didn''t allow you to go anywhere today¡­" Calleb informed her carefully.


    Raine lifted up her head and stared at Calleb with her sorrowful eyes, it took sometime before she could force a question out of her lips. "Why?"


    Yet, before Calleb could answer her, Raine had known the answer.


    Torak had told her.


    Torak didn''t allow her to go to college until Serefina''s condition got better so she could do something about the shadow warrior.


    Or maybe, until Torak got his hand on Aeon and finished him off, so he wouldn''t be an obstacle anymore.


    It was only a matter of time until one of the two choices occurred, and the second options bothered Raine the most.


    "Torak called you" The light on Raine''s eyes dimmed when she asked this question. She had been trying to reach him the whole night, but Torak didn''t return her call.


    "No," Calleb shook his head immediately. "Raphael sent me a text message last night when you just got to your room. But, afterward neither the Alpha nor Raphael could be reached." He said truthfully.


    Raine sighed deeply and tiredly, she thought Torak particularly didn''t want to be contacted by her.


    "You look not well, why don''t you rest for today?" Calleb suggested as he opened Raine''s bedroom door. "The Alpha''s judgment now is clouded by his temper, he will be in due time, just give him a little bit more space and then he will come to you."


    Raine bit her lips. "Really? He doesn''t hate me?" She asked in pitiful voice.


    "Of course not, his temper is not always good some time, but he definitely will not hate you." The sound of Calleb''s voice was so convincing, but Raine had another theory.


    "Because of the mate bond." Raine stated and this particular issue resurfaced again, shook her feeling to the core.


    "Raine don''t say something like that. You seem to resent the mate bond¡­" Calleb grimaced. He didn''t quite understand in this certain thing because he hadn''t gone through it yet, thus he couldn''t fathom how the exact feeling for having a mate.


    Yes, at this point, Raine disliked the fact that the mate bond between her and Torak was the only thing that kept him by her side. It almost like all of his kindness and overprotectiveness wasn''t real.


    As if Torak was obliged to treat her well because of the mate bond.


    Now, the old issue came up again in this situation, Raine couldn''t lie to herself if she liked the idea that their relationship was based on the mate bond between them.


    "I will take a rest." Raine didn''t want to talk about this with Calleb nor she wanted to talk about anything to anyone. She needed her alone time too.


    Raine closed the door, slid down and leaned her tired back against it.


    Why this happened so fast? The day before yesterday Torak and she still shared the story about how their day went. Torak still teased her whenever he had a chance.


    But now, because of her request last night, Torak flipped up and ignored her completely. He even didn''t want to listen to her explanation.


    Raine wanted to say that she didn''t speak for Aeon neither she took his side, she just wanted Torak to know that Aeon had saved her life and it was against everything she believed to repay him that way.


    It was mere gratitude, yet Torak didn''t want to understand that.


    Raine believed when Torak said he would kill him, after all he had done so when Aeon came to meet her in this room, though it wasn''t the real him that Torak had destroyed at that time, but Torak wouldn''t bat his eyes to do it again, whether it was real or fake.


    Raine was also irritated by Aeon, if it wasn''t because of him, she wouldn''t have had this fight with Torak.


    Why he should come to meet her?


    Raine was staying at the same position for the entire afternoon and skipped her breakfast and lunch all together.


    Ignoring Calleb persuading words for her to open the door.


    ==============


    "Torak, don''t you want to call Raine before we leave?" Raphael''s brows creased by the Alpha''s stubbornness. "I know you are upset because Luna had pleaded another man to you, but I think she didn''t mean that way."


    Torak stared at Serefina who was still laying on the bad, unconscious, but in Belinda''s care, the color of her skin had returned a bit. She didn''t look as pale as sheet anymore.


    "I don''t like her pleading for others, especially the man that harbored feeling for her." Torak''s eyes turned black as he tried to keep his beast at bay, the thought of it alone managed to boil his blood with anger.


    "Torak, you know Raine. Not like us, she has a soft heart. Even if it wasn''t the shadow warrior and it was someone else, she will plead for the same thing." Raphael try to make Torak to see in different view.


    Yet, Raphael couldn''t blame Torak for reacting that way.


    No one knew except him and Calleb, how hard Torak had tried to keep Raine safe or how far the extent of his effort to make sure Raine could have a normal life that she always wanted, since her last eight years of her life was nothing but miserable and chaos.


    Even now, when he was still disappointed at his mate, he still thought about how to keep her away from any possible harm no matter how insignificant it could be, Torak didn''t want to slack off if it came about her mate.


    "I don''t like her to plead for anyone, not even for me. I don''t want her to stoop that low, she has to live with pride and never bow her head." Torak stated firmly.


    Torak was coming from a royal blood of Lycanthropes, hence, even after centuries, the way he lived his life and the pride as the high- born still not ebbing away.


    Pleading was a taboo thing for him, so it was no wonder if he expected the same thing from his mate¡­ but, the situation was quite complicated.


    "Torak, Raine still needs time to come to your expectation, she just recovered from her trauma and started her new life." Raphael said. "Give her some time to adjust. She is a human and on top of that, has a spirit of guardian angel, it is her nature to against any kind of violence."


    Torak sighed deeply, maybe he exaggerated with his reaction, but with the mention of Aeon''s name it was enough to irritate him, yet he didn''t respond to Raphael''s words and just walked out of the room after saying they needed to go now.


    "Torak, are you sure, you don''t want to make a call to Raine?" Raphael held his phone and was about to give it to Torak, because Torak''s phone had ran out of battery since last night and he didn''t even want to recharge it.


    Torak halted his step and replied casually. "We will go back as soon as possible, she will be fine, Calleb is there."


    Raphael sighed, he looked at a lot of messages and calls from Raine since last night. Torak had told him to not reply any of those, so Raphael could only oblige his Alpha''s command regretfully.


    But in the end, he texted a short message to Raine before he left to follow Torak.


    [There is an important problem that arises. Don''t worry, Torak will return soon.] Raphael thought that would be enough, and sent it.


    ==============


    Raine was awake with the sound of her phone that notified her there was a massage, she scrunched her brows as she felt she was slightly lightheaded.


    It was a text from Sunny that asked where she was and why she didn''t go to the campus.


    Raine''s body ached from being in the same position in long time, she straightened her body and got a relief from the cracking sound of her back, afterward she stood up clumsily and walked toward the sofa near the window.


    When she stared at the clock, it was already one thirty in the afternoon, it meant she had been behind the close door for more than four hours, no wonder her body felt like it split into two the moment she moved.


    Raine didn''t reply at Sunny''s text, because it wasn''t her message that she wanted.


    Once again, Raine checked on her message for Torak and for her grief, it was still not delivered yet.


    But, then her screen flashed with light and notification that she received another message and it was from Raphael, Raine abruptly sat down and opened the message eagerly.


    It was only a short text that say there was another matter that Torak needed to handle and he would return soon.


    But the text didn''t explain why Torak''s phone was shut down or why Raphael didn''t pick up her call?


    Almost immediately after she read the message, Raine called Raphael''s number, but the number that she called was deactivated.


    What happened to both of them? Why their phones were shut down?


    "Raine, are you there? Let''s have lunch together." Calleb knocked at the door noisily. "Come on out, it is very boring here without you!" He tried to cheer her up by joking around as if nothing happened.


    Raine appreciated his effort and stood up from the sofa to open the door.


    "You scare me with your look!!!" Calleb exclaimed, being the teasing person he was. "Let''s get some food, so you can replenish all the tears that you had squeezed out."


    Calleb grabbed her shoulder and pushed her in front of him to walk out of her room and heading the kitchen to get some food.


    Once they were inside the kitchen, Calleb immediately served Raine sumptuous seafood dishes and made sure to put each one of them into Raine''s plate, regardless she would eat it or not.


    "Raphael texted me¡­" Raine said as she put a spoonful of rice into her mouth, it taste like sand though.


    "See? I told you, Torak will inform you about his whereabouts." Calleb took this opportunity to soothe her.


    "It was Raphael, not Torak." Raine frowned.


    "It''s the same, the Alpha has his temper too, but he still cares about you." Calleb said rightfully, without knowing the truth.


    Torak indeed cared about Raine, but he didn''t ask Raphael to send that message.


    Raine sighed, her head throbbed painfully. She didn''t know that Torak''s rejection could affect her so much like this.


    She was used to rely on him and being pampered by him, hence when he didn''t even want to be touched by her, the fact shook Raine.


    "He doesn''t care about me¡­" Raine said sullenly, a tear escaped her eyes as she tried to swallow her food.


    "Easy there¡­" Calleb gave Raine a glass of water and patted her head. "Now tell me what did you say that angered him."


    Raine bit her lips and sniffled. "He misunderstood me¡­" Raine rubbed her face harshly to fight back the tears. "He thought, I was defending Aeon¡­ but I wasn''t." She shook her head to emphasize her words.


    "And then?" Calleb prodded.


    "I asked him to not harm Aeon because he had saved my life more than twice, of course I can''t repay him by having Torak to kill him¡­" Raine said between her sobs. "But, Torak misunderstood me¡­"


    Calleb sighed again. Knowing his Alpha for years, it most likely his reaction would be when he heard his mate mentioned another man''s name.


    "Well, Torak indeed has misunderstood you." Calleb patted Raine''s head. "He is throwing his temper now. You are not to blame for this."


    Raine lifted her head and looked at Calleb with her teary eyes, her pale face and her eyes back were the evidence that this matter not only had bothered her, but also aggravated her self- conscious about her doubt of the mate bond between them.


    Calleb had heard this that the mate bond only affected Torak, so Raine didn''t feel the pull of it, but seeing how she cried her eyes out now, Calleb didn''t think she would need the mate bond at all, she had fallen helplessly for Torak.


    It was understandable, after all human was a creature that filled with emotions and once you touched the soft spot of them, most of the case, they would use their heart over their head.


    Meanwhile Lycanthropes and the other supernatural creatures have their own nature and unique trait too.


    "But, Raine¡­ Lycanthropes are the most territorial among all of the supernatural creatures. What is belong to us we will defend it until our last breath and this trait is worse for the Alpha when it comes to their mate. Not to mention you were talking about another man, even if there is someone from our pack stares at you and harbors an ill intention, the Alpha wouldn''t think twice to end their life."


    Calleb wanted Raine to know about their nature too, because it would be hard for her to keep up with them, moreover she would be the Luna of the pack.


    Though Calleb didn''t put his concern on this, but at the very least he wanted Raine to know her position in this largest pack where Torak led thousands of lycanthropes and werewolves along with some other creatures under his wings.


    "You knew this." Calleb held Raine''s eyes as he spoke seriously. "It had happened when there was a lycan harassed you months ago."


    Raine remembered that, how could she not? The first moment when she witnessed with her own eyes how ferocious Torak''s beast was and how he wouldn''t hesitate to kill anyone that got in his way.


    "But, Raine¡­ you have to know also that the Alpha always has a soft spot for you." Calleb pursed his lips playfully as if he didn''t agree with what he was going to say. "Torak has moved out from his territory for you, didn''t kill the witch after all she had said because she still useful for you."


    Calleb then leaned his back against the backrest of the chair.


    "Whether it is because the mate bond or not, his love for you is real."

 Chapter 236 - STRONG HEART RAINE

    Raine also realized what Torak had done for her, but she couldn''t help the sorrow in her heart that she felt because Torak had ignored her.


    But then, Calleb didn''t stop there, he continued. "You must have met the other Lycans that Torak had put in your university. Do you know how many Lycans that Torak had put there?"


    "No." Raine replied honestly, she didn''t have any idea about the other lycans were being there until recently. "Three?"


    "No." Calleb shook his head. "More than that."


    "Ten?" Raine widened her eyes in surprised.


    "No, Raine. There are a hundred lycans and all of them must maintain their distance with you, they are not allowed to be in the same area with you for long time, because of your condition, but they have to be close enough with you if you need help, just like when Aeon met you."


    "A hundred?" Raine was shock with the number that Calleb told her. "That''s why I have never seen supernatural creatures around the university¡­"


    Before Raine met Torak, she would see those creatures at every corner of the street that she walked, though some of them didn''t try to attack her or simply ignored her, if she didn''t make eyes contact with them, thus she always put fixed her eyes on her shoes, yet when she met Torak, Raine saw them less and less.


    "Yes." Calleb nodded. "And ''a great effort'' even couldn''t describe well how much Torak had done to plant a large number of people inside the university of yours. It''s including a great magic to modify memory of some people."


    Just like how Torak had Belinda to modify the memory of people in the orphanage, so no one could remember Raine''s face when someone asked about her, in this case Andromalius had been trying to find out about Riane''s identity.


    However, after the public announcement about Raine was being Torak''s girlfriend and in another understanding was Torak''s mate, probably that spell didn''t work anymore.


    Or when Torak killed the man inside the hospital when her first disappearance.


    "And also bribes and sort of things that you will not think of." Calleb added without detail.


    Raine didn''t feel better when she heard that, if anything her feeling was worsened by the fact that Torak had done so much for her. "He has done so much for me¡­" Raine wept. She felt terrible.


    "You know what? If that day the shadow warrior managed to take you away, I will not surprise if the next moment there will be a hundred headless Lycans in disposal."


    Raine shrieked as she covered her mouth with both of her hands.


    "I know, it looks cruel for you, but that''s how we live, Raine. As an Alpha he is required to be cruel, because Lycanthropes will not condone to weakness." Calleb blurted out. "Yet, no matter what Torak will always treat you like the most precious thing that he possesses."


    Raine gulped hard.


    "I am telling you this not because I speak for Torak and belittle your effort all this time, you had improved so much, but I am telling you this because I want the situation now is transparent for you, so you can judge it yourself." Calleb rubbed Raine''s head. "I know that Aeon had saved your life and you are being inclined to him because of this, but if this news is caught by Torak''s enemy, it will be a boomerang for you and if it something related to you, it will affect Torak as well. After all, you will be our Luna someday. You will lead and rule side by side with the Alpha."


    Raine felt there was a heavy burden that pushed her shoulder down. When all Raine thought that all this time was how to live a normal life, there were many things happened without she knowing it and there would always be a thick plots in everything.


    Raine didn''t know if she could be the Luna that they expected.


    It was hard to be with Torak¡­


    "If you want to keep Aeon save, make him to stay as far away as he could from you or stop protecting him in front of Torak, because the most you try to save him the more furious the Alpha will be." Calleb gave some advice.


    Raine looked at Calleb in new light, the Gamma, who always been fool around and teased her all the time, actually talked a long sentences toward her and all of that was brutal truth, the reality that Raine had ignored.


    Raine kept ignoring the fact that there would always be a reason for every action and reaction, and only focused on how well Torak had been treating her, until she forgot what he had done for her just to keep her safe.


    No wonder, though as a Lycan Calleb''s age was consider young, he had been the third in command for Torak and the Alpha trusted him enough to keep Raine safe.


    Calleb was wise enough to make her understand Torak''s reaction.


    But, if Raine thought about this again, Serefina had mentioned about this couple of time, yet in different way.


    People around her had been trying to tell her that the world wasn''t as beautiful as it was seen, and Torak''s way to keep her safe by turning her oblivious on what was going on around her wasn''t a right decision.


    "Don''t feel pressured, I know you can do it." Calleb tried to cheer her up.


    Raine''s feeling now was similar to her feeling when they said that she was Torak''s mate and a guardian angel, when she knew nothing about the supernatural creatures and the existence of the pack of Lycantrophes and werewolves or the devil and witch.


    It felt odd, but at the same time was surreal.


    Regardless what Calleb had said, Raine still felt pressured.


    They wanted a strong and confidence Luna to lead the pack, someone who had strong leadership ability just like Torak, but Raine was nothing but strong and every time she thought about this, her mind would always think about Jenedieth.


    Her confidence and boldness¡­ her beauty and fierceness¡­ were something that could compliment Torak''s character.


    Not someone like her¡­


    "Can I be that kind of Luna?" Raine asked in very small voice. "I want to be strong¡­ but, why it is so hard?"


    "Of course you can." Calleb said reassuringly. "Look back and you will see how much you have changed and you will keep changing until you reach the point where you are stronger than you think you are."


    Raine lifted her head and hugged Calleb while crying. "Thank you¡­ your words mean a lot for me¡­"


    "You are welcome Luna."


    ==============


    On the second day since Torak left the house with Raphael, both of them still had not returned yet.


    No news. No message.


    Even Calleb was fl.u.s.tered by the situation and now he was busying himself inside Torak''s study room to handle a few matters because neither Torak nor Raphael were available to run the business and took some decision.


    Calleb couldn''t go to the company because Raine was not allowed to step out of the house and this time Raine didn''t complain about it.


    She didn''t want to aggravate Torak anymore by disregarding his order, but she couldn''t help herself by getting anxious for every minute that passed without news from Torak.


    "I will be grateful if you stop to make that noise." Calleb lifted his head from the doc.u.ments at his hands and glared at Raine.


    "Sorry." Raine replied and stopped knocking the table with her fingers. "Still there is no news?"


    Calleb sighed and ignored the questions.


    Raine had been asking the same questions since the last two hours she was sitting inside Torak''s study room, accompanying Calleb that more like bothering the Gamma.


    "Calleb¡­" Raine whined.


    "Raine, I don''t know where they are. If I know, I would rather to go with them instead have to deal with these papers." Calleb also whined. Paper works were never his things.


    But, since no one in charge, he had to take over all Raphael and Torak''s work that he could handle.


    "But, I am not going to ask that¡­" Raine stood up and approached Calleb, who was working on Torak''s desk. "Can I go to the greenhouse and play with bunny? Nothing I can do here¡­" Raine said pitifully.


    She wasn''t allowed to go to the college and couldn''t go out of the house, and when she wanted to help Calleb, he didn''t allow her to touch the doc.u.ments.


    To watch movie alone was out of options because she would feel more lonely since Calleb couldn''t accompany her.


    Meanwhile Belinda was busy treating Serefina.


    Raine has no clue how bad Serefina''s condition was, because Torak not allowed her to see the witch. Raine only knew that Serefina was still unconscious, even now.


    "Greenhouse is still inside the house area, there are Lycan warriors everywhere and guards." Raine added when she saw Calleb didn''t reply to her immediately.


    Calleb contemplated, it took him a moment to reply. "Alright, but don''t go anywhere out of the house and keep yourself within the lycan warriors and guards eyes. If you find something suspicious don''t go and check it, let someone else do that." He ranted.


    "Okay¡­ I will just go to the greenhouse not to a battlefield." Raine grumbled and waved her hands at Calleb.


    Meanwhile another phone call annoyed Calleb as he cried. "Postpone all the meeting!"


    ==============


    When Raine walked to the greenhouse, she met a few guards with their expressionless face and exchanged a polite smile, but Raine couldn''t see any Lycan warriors nearby.


    Maybe they were hiding somewhere, knowing Raine would be in the greenhouse.


    Torak had given them a strict order that they were not allowed to be near her if it wasn''t necessary, but just like those Lycans that Torak had put in her university, they would always have their eyes on Raine and would pop out if Raine was in danger.


    Raine walked to the bunny''s cage and found the white little one was sleeping soundlessly with it long ears down, yet when Raine squatted down to look for it, the bunny opened its red eyes and raised its small head to look at her.


    "Hello¡­" Raine smiled and opened the lock of the cage, carefully picked the bunny into his embrace.


    However, the moment the bunny was out of its cage, it jumped past her shoulder and ran toward the petunias before the bunny disappeared among it.


    Raine frowned as she stood up and approached the petunias to get her rabbit.


    "Bunny, come here." Raine called for her, but of course there wouldn''t be a reply or the bunny could make a sound like a cat.


    Raine squatted down to see below the plant''s pot, trying to see the white fur ball beneath it.


    From the corner of her eyes, Raine caught a glimpse of the bunny ran toward the bougenvilles. Annoyed, Raine stood up and walked toward the spot where she saw the bunny.


    Yet, when Raine was about to bend over to retrieve it from the secluded spot, the bunny ran away again and this time it ran toward the door that slightly open.


    Raine was surprised and started to run as well.


    It would be troublesome if the bunny managed to go out of the greenhouse, it would be more difficult to catch it later.


    "No. no¡­!" Raine shouted when the white fur ball dashed through the door and stopped ten meters away, outside. "Bad bunny!" She groaned.


    The bunny stood on its hind legs and raised its long ears cutely, as if she was waiting for Raine to catch her.


    The diamond on the bunny''s red rubber ban that attached on its front leg, shone under the ray of the afternoon sun.


    Raine remembered, it was Torak who had given it to the bunny when he bought it for her.


    She missed Torak dearly¡­


    And when Raine mused into the memory, the bunny started to run again.


    "Comeback here!" Raine started to run again to catch her bunny.


    She didn''t realize when she almost walked out of house, when a lycan warrior stopped her before she could run any closer to the gates.


    "Luna, may I help you?" There were three lycan warriors there, but only one who came to approach her while the other two stayed behind and only nodded their head politely at her.


    "Yes, I am looking for my rabbit." Raine was almost out of breath while chasing the bunny, but now she couldn''t see it anywhere.


    "Don''t worry, we will find it soon." The lycan warrior informed her before his eyes turned haze.


    It seemed he was mind- linking the other Lycans, Raine often saw Torak and Calleb did that.


    "Luna, please stayed inside. I will give it back to you once we catch the rabbit." The lycan warrior said in his gruff tone.


    Raine grimaced slightly when she heard the word ''catch'' from the bulky Lycan. In Raine''s eyse his huge body only consisted with muscled.


    "Don''t hurt the rabbit please¡­" She couldn''t help, but saying that. It almost felt like they would bite the rabbit the moment they catch it.


    The bulky lycan let out small chuckle. "We will not, Luna."


    Raine blushed slightly to think how stupid her question was. It just came out from her mouth without her thinking about it carefully. "Alright, but I will just stay here, is it okay? It will not take long time, right?"


    With the Lycan ability and speed, it would only a matter of a few minute before they could catch the bad bunny, right? So, it would be fine if Raine stayed there¡­


    The bulky Lycan saw his Luna uneasiness and then bent his body dramatically while smiling. "Yes, just give me a moment and I will come back with the rabbit."


    Probably the Luna didn''t trust them enough and thought they would accidentally bit the rabbit to its death, there was a possibility for that though.


    Raine nodded and saw the two Lycan behind the bulky lycan followed him as they sniffed the air to catch the smell of the rabbit.


    Raine wondered how the smell of the rabbit could be? How they could pick up the faintest smell easily? It was incredible how those supernatural creatures could have that odd ability.


    However, there were still a lot of things that she still didn''t know it yet.


    Raine was kicking the small pebbles below her feet when she heard rustling sound from the street across the gates.


    When she raised her head, there, the white rabbit was staring at her innocently tilted her small head as if questioning Raine for not being able to catch her.


    "You? Why are you there?" Raine looked around her and didn''t see anyone. "Why there is no guard or a lycan here?" She mumbled to herself.


    And also, why those lycan didn''t know that the rabbit was there, standing on its hind legs just across the street. They should have known it, right?


    Raine was contemplating about what she should do. The bunny was only across the street, if it didn''t move carelessly again, she could catch it without trouble.


    But, she wasn''t allowed to leave the house¡­ yet there was no one there to catch the rabbit.


    The bunny has rubber ban with diamond on it, Raine was afraid there was someone out there caught her bunny because of it.


    Raine hesitantly walked forward while looking around her, probably there was guard, either human or lycan, who walked past by.


    However, there was no one and the bunny looked at its left side, as if there was something that caught its interest as it started to move a bit.


    Seeing that, Raine quickened her steps and stopped right at the metal bars of the gates, she tried to get the bunny''s attention while clapping her hands. "Hey, bunny. Come here! I will give you bunch of carrots!" Raine said in louder voice, so those Lycan could hear her as well.


    But, the bunny didn''t interest with what Raine''s offer and started to take two jumps, approaching the things that caught its attention.


    Raine clicked her tongue and tried to look the thing that caught its interest, but nothing there. The road was empty and only there was wall on both sides with the end that Raine couldn''t see.


    The rabbit took another leapt.


    "No." Raine grimaced because the Rabbit started to move out of her sight.


    When the rabbit took another leapt again, Raine was trying to look for the handle of the gates and as she found out the gates was unlocked, she pushed open it and started to run out of the house.


    Raine didn''t realize that she was already outside and the odd situation there, her only focus was on her bunny.


    The moment she caught a sight of the white fur, it had turned at the T- junction that made Raine ran after it.


    Raine was breathless when she turned at the same corner as the bunny took, but the sight of the road turned her flabbergasted.


    It wasn''t a road, but a rooftop!


    Raine needed a long time to discern her situation.


    How a road turned out to be a rooftop of a building?! How could that be possible!? Probably the scorching sun had play trick on her eyes.


    But that wasn''t the case, because when Raine turned around to go back to the street that she had walked, the street was no longer there.


    She was totally in different place.


    Though it wasn''t the first time that she ended up in different environment in blink of an eye, but she still couldn''t get use with this.


    Did she travel back to the past again?


    Raine frowned because her surrounding didn''t indicate that she had thrown to centuries ago, actually it seemed like she was in the middle of the city with billboard on the tallest building that she could see and the sound of car engine from the street below.


    It didn''t seem like she was going back to centuries ago. And with this little information, Raine could sigh in relief.


    As long as she was still in this current time, she could call Calleb and asked him to pick her up because she didn''t really know how she could go back home nor she knew where she was.


    Raine started to look around her to find a door or stairs so she could go down from this rooftop when someone called out her name.


    "Raine¡­ you are here."


    Hearing her name was being called, Raine whipped her head toward the source of the voice and found the person that had made her fight with Torak.


    "Aeon." Raine''s voice was colder than what she intended to.


    Yet, Aeon didn''t seem to mind the way Raine called his name or the way her expression turned impassive the moment he came to her line of sight.


    "Did you bring me here?" Raine narrowed her eyes at him.


    Aeon was wearing a simple t- shirt and ripped jeans the same style that he wore when he met her in the university while his slightly long curly hair was tied at the back of his neck.


    "It''s not him, it''s me."


    Another voice from behind Raine, which made her startle and turned her body around abruptly.


    Not far from Raine, there was a man with golden eyes was staring at her, bemused. In his arms was the white bunny, nestled comfortably.


    Raine had never seen this man before, but his golden eyes and the aura that surrounding him were very familiar.


    "Hello Raine, finally we meet." The man said with a dramatic bow and smiled that didn''t reach his eyes.


    Only then, the understanding dawn on her. "You are the devil." She uttered.


    Raine had seen those golden eyes, but it was not him. Those golden eyes belonged to the devil, Belphegor. But definitely this man wasn''t Belphegor, but he must be one of the devils that Torak had told her.


    "Let me introduce myself." Lucifer caressed the scruff of the white rabbit in his arms. "I am Lucifer and like what you said, I am the devil."


    "What do you want to bring me here?" Raine looked at the bunny that looked very comfortable nestled in Lucifer''s arms.


    "Easy there¡­" Said Lucifer, kept focusing his attention on the small animal.


    "Give me back the rabbit." Raine said sternly. The bunny was a gift from Torak.


    "Oh, right¡­ I am sorry." Lucifer lifter his head as he stared at Raine apologetically, a fake impression nonetheless. "Here. I found it roaming around the street."


    What a lie¡­


    However, Raine didn''t want to argue with him about that, she just wanted her rabbit back.


    Lucifer took a step forward, but out of instinct, as if he was a danger, Raine took a step back with wary expression.


    "How can you get your rabbit if you act this way?" Lucifer smirked, tilting his head, as if he was assessing the girl before her eyes.


    Raine was standing between Aeon and Lucifer, so when Lucifer moved forward to her and she stepped back, it brought her close to the shadow warrior.


    "Here your rabbit." Lucifer extended his arms and held the rabbit on its scruff. "Take it."


    Raine looked the rabbit, struggling to get free from the devil''s hand, but couldn''t get itself out of it.


    "Stop it." Aeon groaned as he took long steps and grabbed the rabbit from Lucifer''s hand and gave it to Raine.


    Raine flinched when Aeon walked past her to get the rabbit and warily retrieved the small animal from his hand.


    At the very least, Raine knew that Aeon wouldn''t hurt her. So, she preferred to stay close with Aeon rather than to be with the devil.


    Since the rabbit was in Raine''s arms, she didn''t want to stay there any longer and tried to find an escape route from there, but when Raine was about to go Aeon held Raine''s shoulder.


    "There is something that I want to show you." He said in low voice, slightly grimace when Raine cringed away. "Raine, don''t be like that. You know I will not hurt you."


    Lucifer folded his arms in front of his chest, staring at the pair with amus.e.m.e.nt dancing in his golden eyes. He wondered how far this shadow warrior would go for this Alpha''s mate.


    "I want to go home." Raine stated as she hugged the bunny and tried to avoid Aeon''s touch.


    "I have something important to tell you." Aeon ignored Raine''s request.


    "I have to go back now, or else the moment Torak find you, you will get hurt." Raine tried to make her own way out from this situation.


    But, Aeon didn''t appreciate the threatening''s tone in Raine''s voice.


    "Wow¡­ The Alpha will kill you for sure Aeon." Lucifer added fuel to the fire, when he saw Aeon''s expression turned ashen.


    "Do you think that Lycan can hurt me?" Aeon growled and took two steps forward.


    Raine wanted to say ''yes'' and asked Aeon to let her go, whatever Aeon''s reason to bring her here, she didn''t to stay longer there, yet she couldn''t say it.


    Because Aeon would be aggravated by that and that wasn''t a wise answer for Raine in this unfortunate situation.


    Regardless, Aeon took Raine''s silence as a ''yes'' answer. He was pissed, thus he grab Raine''s arms and hissed. "Let''s see how he will kill me."


    In matter of second, everything was change again.


    Raine wasn''t in the rooftop of the building, instead, she was in the room that filled with bookshelves, row after row, as if she was in the library.


    "Where is this!?" Raine was asking, panic. How could they teleport her as they wish?!


    "Library." Lucifer answered Raine''s question sarcastically. "Don''t you see?" He waved his hands toward those books.


    Raine didn''t want to have a conversation with the devil, so she simply ignored him completely.


    "Come here Raine¡­" Neither Aeon heeded Lucifer''s existence as he extended his hand for Raine to grab. "I want to show you something. This is something that you and Serefina are looking for."


    "I don''t want to see it." Raine shook her head. "I want to go home." She was adamant with her demand and this didn''t please the shadow guard.


    "Come with me please." Though he said please, but Aeon''s eyes had turned darker than before, he didn''t like Raine''s rejection.

 Chapter 237 - THE LUNA OF THE LYCANTHROPES

    Raine looked around her and found that she didn''t have a chance if she wanted to run away from this place and from both of Aeon and Lucifer.


    Moreover she didn''t really know how to escape this place.


    "Come with me." Aeon still held out his hand for Raine to take. His voice was firm and this time he looked Raine warmly, sensing her hesitation. "I will show you the grimoire."


    "The grimoire?" Raine frowned.


    "You are looking for the grimoire with that witch right?" Aeon asked a rhetorical question. "I found it." He said simply.


    Raine was surprised when she heard that. "But how?"


    Aeon didn''t immediately answer her question, he glanced at Lucifer, who kept quiet while looking for books on the shelf. "You don''t need to know, all you have to do is come with me to retrieve the book."


    Raine stared at Aeon''s hand, hesitated to believe him.


    "Raine, you know you will be safe with me. I will not do anything to harm you." Aeon kept repeating the same sentences, so Raine could stop fidgeting toward him.


    Hesitantly, Raine took Aeon''s hand.


    His hand was cold, not like Torak''s warm one. She missed him again¡­


    Raine and Aeon walked through row after row book shelves, the place was exceptionally huge and a little bit cold.


    Raine held her bunny tighter against her chest and let Aeon led the way.


    "Aeon, even though I have the book, I don''t know what I should do with it." Raine confessed, the idea to find this book was Serefina''s idea. "I have to bring it to her."


    Aeon didn''t reply to her, his eyes were focused to lead them somewhere.


    "After I retrieved the book, you will send me home, right?" She asked to make sure that Aeon wouldn''t keep her here, though the possibility of the other option was still big.


    "Why do you want to return to that Lycan?" Instead of answer Raine''s question, Aeon posed another question. "He is a murderer and he will always be like that."


    Raine gritted her teeth, just like when Serefina was badmouthing Torak, she also felt the urge to slap Aeon''s face.


    Yet, giving to her current situation, she couldn''t do that, because there was no one who would save her if Aeon went berserk.


    She needed to try to control her emotion and start to use her brain over her feeling, this wasn''t the right time to blow up her top at him.


    "He kills if necessary." Raine mumbled as a reply.


    Aeon sneered when he heard that. "Kill if necessary?" He reiterated the words in disgust. "He kills whenever he wants, and that necessary. You will be better without him."


    "No, probably I will have died by now if it''s not because of him." Riane said firmly. She was sure with this. "He was the one who takes me out of the orphanage and has been treating me like no one ever did in these past nine years."


    Raine could feel the grip around her wrist was tightened, but still bearable enough so she didn''t scream out of pain.


    "How about me, who had kept you safe for those nine years?" Aeon stopped walking and faced Raine directly. "How about me? Don''t you consider me?"


    Raine was startled when Aeon stopped abruptly and bumped onto him. Hastily, she put some distance between them, though it wasn''t far enough because her hand was still on his firm grip.


    When her mind started to process Aeon''s question, gradually her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"


    "Those nine years, when you kept your mother''s diary¡­ I was there to protect you from those supernatural creatures that wanted to tear you apart." Aeon stated, emphasizing every words for Raine to understand.


    "What?" Raine was utterly shocked and had a hard time to digest what Aeon said. "You had protected me for nine years?"


    "Have you never asked yourself how can you escape from every attacks? And how some of those supernatural creatures acted like they didn''t see you whenever you avoid eye contact with them?" Aeon stared deeply at the girl in front of him.


    Another shock crept on Raine''s eyes as she felt her heart tightened by this revelation.


    "It wasn''t because of you were avoiding to see them in the eyes that turned you invisible." Aeon inched close to Raine. "It was me, who kept you safe. As long as your mother''s diary was with you, I was able to protect you."


    Raine remembered how she thought she was lucky enough to avoid those supernatural creatures and escaped each of their attacks.


    "No¡­" Raine was in denial, she didn''t want to believe it was Aeon who had been protecting her during that period of time, but she couldn''t find a reason to support her rebuttal.


    All this time she thought it was only a sheer of luck.


    "So, tell me how you can escape all those attacks? Luck?" Aeon said with grimace, as if he could read what was in Raine''s mind. "There is no consecutive luck in this world Raine."


    Raine was at lost for words and when she found them, the questions that escaped from her lips sounded harsher that she intended. "If it was really you, why don''t you come out?"


    "I can''t appear all of sudden in front of you at that time, you are too young to understand and I am afraid you will not believe me." There was regret that laced in his voice. "I was planning to take you away from that wrench orphanage when you turned eighteen¡­"


    This time, Aeon''s face turned ashen because Raine also knew what happened before he could carry out his plan.


    "The Lycan came and took you away." Aeon gritted his teeth to suppress his regret. "Only if I had come sooner, then you would be with me now."


    Both of them stared into each other eyes, while Raine looked at him in disbelief and was shocked, Aeon looked at her with regret for not taking action sooner and let the Lycan took away his chance.


    "Raine¡­ I was the one who opened the door at the dark alley when you were eleven years old, when a kanima was trying to attack you, so you can escape him."


    Aeon reminded Raine at the attack that night when she wanted to go home from school. Raine remembered that clearly.


    "I was the one who pushed you to the river when you were facing the same attack at the same year." Aeon inched close to her as he caressed her cheeks. "You can''t swim, so I took you to the river bank and called people to help you."


    Raine remembered when she got attack and felt there was someone pushing her to the river. She thought she would die when the water filled her lungs, but then she woke up inside the hospital.


    Afterward, Aeon kept reminding her about all the attack that she had received during those nine years and tore one by one Raine''s belief of the thought of how lucky she was back then.


    That wasn''t luck, that was Aeon who kept her safe.


    In the end, Aeon was so close to Raine until she could smell his musky scent.


    "Now, you believe me if I say I will never hurt you?" Aeon asked, pleading with his dark eyes. He watched how the eyes of the girl in front of him started to turn softened. "Say something Raine."


    Raine shook her head. "I don''t know what to say." She bit her lips that made Aeon wanted to kiss her. "I just don''t get it, if you had been protecting me, why you had never appeared in front of me even once."


    "I know¡­" Aeon felt dejected. "I regret it now."


    There was silence that stretched out between them, as they were busy with their own thought.


    "Can we¡­ can we just get the book so I can go home?" Raine stammered as she backed away. Put some distance between her and Aeon.


    Aeon looked at Raine impassively, it was palpable to see that he was disappointed by Raine''s action.


    "You still want to go back to that lycan after what I said." Aeon stated bitterly and Raine couldn''t see him in the eyes as she knew, she had treated Aeon unfairly.


    After some time, Aeon decided to not pursue the matter further and resumed to walk to their destination with Raine followed two steps behind him.


    Aeon took her to another room with huge golden door, which strange alphabet was engraved on its surface.


    The door was three times bigger than normal door with height that reached to the ceiling.


    Raine was stunned because it was beautifully carved, but wondered how many people that needed to open this door.


    Yet, when Aeon opened it, like it was weightless, Raine thought, it was only needed a supernatural creature to open it.


    Aeon held the door opened and let Raine and the bunny entered first.


    Inside was another spacious room with very high ceiling and bookshelves around the wall, but in the center of the room was ample space that could fit hundreds of people.


    Aeon took Raine''s hand to the middle of the room right under a beautiful crystal chandelier and when they were standing there, the chandelier lit up, illuminated the whole room brightly like the light of the afternoon sun.


    "What is it?" Raine looked around, afraid that she would suddenly teleport to different place, but she was still there, inside the huge library.


    And when the brightly light gradually ceased down, in front of Raine was a black worn out book, floating in the air.


    "Is this the grimoire?" Raine asked in small voice, feeling the sudden urge to touch it. "Can I?" She raised her hand, only a few centimeters away from the book.


    "Sure." Aeon nodded to encourage her. "This is the grimoire that you have been looking for."


    Gingerly Raine took the floating book and felt the gravity started to affect the book when she grabbed it with her left hand while her other hand still holding the bunny that looked docile.


    "But, how can you find it?" Raine asked, puzzled.


    If this book existed in the present times, so why Serefina needed to go to the past to retrieve it? Or, maybe Serefina didn''t know about this?


    "If the book existed in past, then it will exist in the present too. Don''t you think so?" Aeon stared at Raine''s surprised expression softly.


    "I think the same thing¡­" Raine mumbled. She caressed the book with her thumb and felt the roughness of its cover. "Serefina will be ecstatic when she sees this." And then, the questions. "Can you take  me out of here?"


    Raine hoped Aeon wouldn''t keep her there, though she wasn''t sure if he would take her back to Torak''s place, but everywhere was better than here.


    The quietness of this place started to make Raine felt uncomfortable.


    "I can, but I don''t want you to go back to that Lycan." Aeon stated. "I will not allow you to go back to him since you are here with me now."


    Raine gritted her teeth and tried to find another way to escape from Aeon,


    "But this book is useless without Serefina." Raine was trying to reason with him. "I don''t even know how to use it."


    "Then, you don''t need to use it." Aeon stated callously. "Just keep it with you as a reminder that I will do anything for you."


    Raine was unease when Aeon took her hand again, but she pulled her hand back. "I need to meet Serefina to give this book. This book belongs to her."


    "No." Aeon shook his head firmly, his eyes hardened when Raine stubbornly trying to get away from him and met the witch. "This book belongs to you now. I found it and I give it to you."


    Raine bit her lips, fidgeting. "But, Aeon¡­ auch!"


    Out of the piercing pain that Raine felt from the tip of her fingers, she threw away the book abruptly.


    "What happened?" Aeon approached Raine immediately and tried to pull her finger out of her mouth. "Don''t suck it."


    That was a habit of her to lick her wound, no, actually most of people would do that. "My finger was pierced by that book." She frowned.


    Raine pulled out her forefinger from her mouth as she saw blood was gushing out of the wound.


    "The book?" Aeon frowned he had never heard that a book could bite. Afterward, he tore the edge of his clothes into a small piece and wrapped it around Raine''s forefinger to stop the bleeding.


    Then he walked to pick the book from the floor to scrutinize it.


    From the corner of the black cover of the book, there was indeed much darker spot, where Raine''s blood was absorbed.


    "Well, you are indeed a guardian angel, even a book wants to take a bite of you."


    Suddenly from the direction of the door, Lucifer had been standing there, observed the situation inside with his golden eyes and mocking smile that grazed his lips.


    "What do you mean with that?" Aeon glared at the devil.


    Actually, Lucifer was the one who told him about the book and the theory behind it, which was, if the book existed in the past, it should be exist at the recent time too.


    Afterward, he brought Aeon to visit this library and declared the black covered book was the grimoire that Raine had been looking for, of course, Aeon believed him because of the deal between them.


    The deal that had sealed his soul.


    Therefore, Lucifer wouldn''t deceive him because of it, would he?


    Yet, before Lucifer could say another word, a sound of chirping bird echoed through the bookshelves- wall before a beautiful small bird appeared out of nowhere and flew toward Raine.


    The bird was as big as a falcon with majestic plumage that grew brightly like a bonfire.


    It flew above Raine''s head before it perched on her shoulder.


    "What is that?" Aeon frowned, because the bird wasn''t a usual bird.


    Meanwhile, Raine was stiff, surprised because the bird chose to stay with her and looked well- behaved. She glanced at its fur and was amazed by its beauty.


    "That is firebird." Lucifer uttered in resentment. "The Alpha''s pet."


    After he said that, there was thunderous sound that echoed through the wall, not only that, the sound was so powerful until all the books fell down from the bookshelves.


    "What is going on?" Aeon ran toward Raine to shield her from the falling books.


    But, Lucifer looked unfazed. "Of course, he will come, she is the Luna of the Lycanthropes after all."

 Chapter 238 - THE THUNDEROUS SOUND THAT SHOOK THE EARTH

    But, Lucifer looked unfazed. "Of course, he will come. She is the Luna of the Lycanthropes after all."


    At the same moment when the Lucifer was saying that, suddenly a blaze of light hit the room along with an ear- piercing chirping sound of the firebird.


    Aeon, who kept Raine in his arms to protect her from the falling book, suddenly was hurled aside with great force.


    His body collided with a bookshelf, which it books fell on him continuously.


    Meanwhile, in order to cover herself, Raine hugged back the person who was hugging her while protecting the little bunny in her arms.


    When the loud cracking sound and falling object had ceased down, she opened her eyes in horror to see her surroundings.


    All of that happened very fast and in matter of second, the meticulous library had turned into a mess with book on the floor and debris mixed with dust twirled in the air.


    "What happened here?" Raine asked with shaking voice as she lifted her head to see Aeon.


    She expected to see Aeon''s face because the last sight that she saw before she closed her eyes was him, protecting her.


    However, the person who was hugging her protectively now, wasn''t the shadow warrior.


    The look of surprise and excited crossed Raine''s eyes when her eyes met with the figure that she had been missing dearly.


    "Torak¡­" Raine called out his name. "You are here." She stated in joyous.


    Torak glanced at his little mate in his arms impassively, there was no smile or whatsoever emotion on his face. The way he talked also very rigid.


    "Step back and stay with Raphael." Torak drew back his arms from Raine''s body when the debris and dust had settled and no more books fell.


    Raine was late to catch Torak''s iciness, but she did what she told nonetheless.


    Glancing through her shoulder, she caught a sight of Raphael and Serefina. Even though Serefina was slightly looked pale, but overall she was already in her quirky self, staring at Raine in disagreement as if accusing her for being here, in this mess.


    Raine moved to the side and approached Raphael as she stood beside the Beta.


    Torak was standing in front of the three of them, facing the devil and the shadow warrior at the same time, the claws on his finger came out dangerously as his body shook violently.


    He didn''t turn to his beast, but he was a step away from being one as his eyes had turned bloody red with elongated canines that as sharp as razor blade.


    Raine could feel Torak''s wrath that emitted from his half shifted body. For a moment she could feel the chill that ran down on her spine.


    Torak was eerily intimidating.


    Raine wanted to ask Raphael about how they could find her, but found the situation and the atmosphere required her to be quiet.


    "Torak¡­" Lucifer dusted the dirt from his body while Aeon was trying to stand up after been hit to the wall. "Don''t you know that you can''t barge in someone property and ruined my place like this?"


    "I have warned you, do not touch my mate!" Torak growled deeply.


    "I didn''t!" Lucifer exclaimed and exaggeratedly raised both of his hands as he glanced at Aeon. "He did."


    Seeing the devil was making fun of his words, Torak turned into his Lycan''s form and bolted toward Lucifer in breakneck speed.


    The beast and the devil let out thunderous roar and growl during their battle, biting and clawing the other with the speed that Raine''s eyes couldn''t follow.


    They move too fast, the vision of them were blurred, just like a movie that was being fast forward.


    Their battle was too intense and the library building couldn''t accommodate their battle any longer, after the ravage entrance of Torak and the other two, the building had busted as it started to shake as if there was an earthquake.


    "We need to get out from here." Raphael said as he looked at the witch beside him. "This building will collapse soon."


    Around them, many big holes had created on the wall as the result of the beast and the devil''s battle.


    Serefina grabbed Raphael''s hand and stretched out her other hand for Raine to take while saying. "I will teleport the three of us out from here."


    Raine, who was halfway to take Serefina''s hand, stopped. "The three of us? How about Torak?" Raine could feel herself panic, Torak was in the middle of fighting the devil and there was no break in between.


    "No need to worry about him." Said Serefina in agitated tone. "He will be fine."


    Raine knew she was wrong to ask Serefina for helping Torak, so she turned around to face Raphael. "We can not leave Torak here."


    "Remember, this is because of you that we are here." Serefina said ruthlessly, didn''t even care when Raine''s expression turned guilt- ridden. "We can do nothing even if we stay."


    With that was being said, Serefina took Raine''s hand and she teleported them out of the building.


    ==============


    Raine just blinked her eyes because of the dust, but the next thing that she saw was a park filled with people.


    Children were playing with their siblings or chasing after ball that their parents threw at them, teenagers were riding their bicycle.


    The sound of laughter was everywhere as the golden evening sun shone dimly upon them.


    It took Raine long time to attune with her new environment and when the understanding dawn on her, the first thing that she asked was her mate.


    She was sitting down on the grass while Serefina and Raphael were standing on both of her sides.


    "Where is Torak?" Raine asked while trying to stand up and followed their line of sight.


    In front of them was a huge building that as known as the public library in the heart of the city.


    Were they there before?


    And as if answering Raine''s question, the building collapsed in an instant with thunderous sound that shook the earth.

 Chapter 239 - YOU DROPPED THIS

    People screamed and shouted, some of them even tried to run from the place, afraid if it was a bomb or some kind of terrorist attack.


    There was no way, hundreds years library building suddenly collapse and in an instant had already flattened with the earth.


    The commotion started to get loud as all the people tried to get away from there and they ran to different direction while keeping their family together, Raine was standing there, flabbergasted, unmoved.


    Serefina and Raphael were standing on her both sides, staring at the same direction as they furrowed their eyebrows.


    "Raphael¡­" Raine held her breath when she spoke. "¡­ Is that¡­ the library that we were in?" Her question sounded unbelievable in her ears as she said it.


    "Yes, it was." It was Serefina who answered this for Raine.


    "Then, how about Torak?" Raine could feel her blood rushed in her vein, she was too antsy even to stay quiet like what Raphael and Serefina did. "We have to save him! We have to find him!"


    If it wasn''t because Raphael was holding her arms tightly to keep her in place, Raine would have dashed to collapsed building and dug every inches of the debris with her bare hands to find Torak.


    "Torak is there! Why don''t you help him?!" Raine was trying to get away from Raphael strong hold, but she couldn''t move him even an inch.


    "Raine, calm down." Raphael fell on the ground along with Raine as he held her, preventing the Luna to move closer to the destroyed building.


    "How can I calm down?!" Raine could feel the air became thin as she was having difficulty to breath. "Torak is there and all you are doing is staring here?!" Anger rose up from the pit of her misery.


    "Let''s wait for a few moments." Raphael said as calm as ever and this aggravated Raine.


    Why nobody felt the same thing as her? Wasn''t Raphael was Torak''s second person in command? Why he didn''t care even a bit about him?


    "I don''t want to wait!!!" Raine screamed, droplets of her tears started to fall down on her cheeks as she was being helpless.


    Raine was well aware that she could do nothing to help Torak in this situation, she even couldn''t break free from Raphael''s tight grip.


    "Raphael please, help him¡­" Raine turned around to look at Raphael with teary eyes and pitiful voice.


    "Raine¡­ please calm down first." Raphael pulled Raine''s head and hugged her tightly so she could stop struggling. "Torak will be fine. Let''s wait for awhile."


    Raine finally let Raphael to hold her as she rested her head on Raphael''s chest, streams of tears from her red eyes didn''t cease down as her breath rasped in her chest.


    Meanwhile, Serefina was standing on her spot, unfazed.


    She didn''t even flinch when she watched how the building turned into dust in matter of seconds, or how Raine was throwing tantrum in front of her.


    The witch''s lime green eyes looked at the same spot without even blinking, as if she was waiting for something.


    Half an hour passed after the library building collapsed, the park which was full of excitement was now in chaos.


    People made a barricade behind the police line while police cars and fire trucks had arrived at the crime scene.


    However, as odd as it sounded, no one noticed about the three people in the middle of the chaos, they didn''t seem to see them or the polices even bothered to remind them to stay away from the park.


    Raine sat on the ground and sobbed silently in Raphael''s chest as he held her head and caressed her back, her eyes didn''t even a second left the sight in front of her.


    Hoping that he would come out and walked toward her, and held her like he always did.


    But, as the seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours, Raine still couldn''t see the person that she wanted to see the most.


    There were many victims because of the sudden collapsed building, polices and firefighters tried to get the injured people out of the scene or tried their hardest to get them out of the debris.


    Ambulances came with roaring sounds.


    In this commotion and racket, Raine''s mind was disarray. Waiting in agony for Torak to return. Her tears had stopped flooding down her face, but it didn''t ease the pain in her heart, if anything the sorrow had become more prominent.


    The waiting was killing her as she didn''t know if something was happening to him, or maybe he was struggling while they were waiting in this safe place.


    "He doesn''t come¡­" Raine whimpered, the excruciating pain attack her with the thought she would lost him.


    Raine''s body was trembling out of fear to face the reality.


    "Raphael¡­ why he has not come yet?" Raine asked Raphael with a voice that barely a whisper.


    Raphael didn''t have the answer for that. It has been so long since the Alpha was trapped there, he should have come now.


    "Stop crying, there he is." Serefina finally spoke.


    Raine immediately lifted her head and followed the witch''s line of sight, but she couldn''t see it yet.


    "Where is he?" Raine''s heart was beating so fast against her ribcage until it was so painful.


    Raphael also sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent of his Alpha before he pointed straight ahead. "There."


    After Raphael said that, a figure gradually appeared among the crowd, striding toward where Raine was sitting on the ground, waiting for him.


    Raine stared at the figure until the outline of him, made her sigh deep breath of relief. She watched Torak was getting closer until he stopped in front of her.


    There was some dirt and blood on his face and his brown shirt, but aside from that, he was in good condition for a person who just escaped a collapsed building.


    Torak squatted down and stared at his mate disheartened state. "You dropped this."


    While saying that, Torak put down the white little bunny, which a little bit dirty, on Raine''s laps.

 Chapter 240 - HE TREATED HER COLDLY

    Ignoring the white little bunny, Raine threw herself at Torak and hugged him tightly as if she didn''t do that, Torak would disappear again from her line of sight.


    Raine was so afraid, she snuggled herself in his safety embrace.


    Torak coaxed his little mate silently as he caressed her back and patted her head while saying in tired voice. "It''s alright. You are safe now."


    Raine shook her head fervently, because that wasn''t the thing, which she concerned at this moment.


    Didn''t Torak realize that she was worried for him? She felt terrifyingly afraid for the thought that she would lose him?


    But Torak didn''t know that because Raine was so shaken to say a word.


    Carefully, Torak scooped her body in his arms, but didn''t say anything. His eyes were still bloody red and he seemed having a hard time to clear his mind as Torak kept shaking his head as if he wanted to clear the fog before his eyes.


    Raphael took the bunny, which has been abandoned, from the ground as he walked ahead to bring their car closer so they could go home.


    Raine was still burying her face on Torak''s chest as her hands clutched onto his front shirt, because she didn''t want to let him go, Torak had to put Raine on his laps when they entered the car and cradled her trembling body along the way.


    There was only silence that stretched out inside the car as no one tried to speak a word, not even Serefina wanted to break the tension.


    Raphael glanced at his Alpha a few times through the rear view mirror and realized that his eyes still the color of blood.


    Torak was resting his chin on Raine''s shoulder and often nudged her neck, as if he was seeking for comfort.


    Raine had fallen asleep during two long hours of driving, but she woke up once they arrived at their house.


    She was puzzled with her environment, but when the last memory about her grievances of the thought of losing Torak, she abruptly opened her eyes widely and started to get panic.


    Only when Raine realized that she was in Torak''s arms, she was a bit relax and hugged Torak''s neck, crying silently.


    Torak kept carrying Raine out of the car, but didn''t say anything, not even a comforting word that he always said whenever his mate was feeling down, not to mention she was crying like this.


    However, he kept quiet and let Raine to cry until she felt satisfied, the only soothing gesture that he did was occasionally kissing her forehead when her body trembling violently, but no words.


    Torak stepped inside the house and put Raine on the sofa, he told Raphael to dismiss all the guards from that room as he sat down beside Raine too.


    Serefina took a seat across from Torak and Raine, she looked exhausted and worn out, her voice couldn''t be heard along the trip back and not even now.


    Not long after that, Calleb came, joined them. He sat beside Raphael.


    "Luna, can you tell us why did you end up there with Lucifer and the shadow warriors?" Calleb asked softly when no one opened their mouth.


    Both Torak and Serefina looked too tired to speak while Raphael put his focus on the rabbit on his laps.


    Hearing someone was calling out her name, Raine raised her head and looked around her with her swollen eyes before they fell on Torak''s face.


    Torak''s bloody eyes stared back at his mate and nodded to encourage her to answer Calleb''s question.


    "The bunny went out of the greenhouse¡­" Raine''s voice was trembling as she was fighting back her sobs. "It went to the backyard¡­"


    And then, stammering, Raine told them the whole story about what had happened this afternoon.


    The guards were trying to help her to find the bunny, but then the bunny appeared only across the street and no guards around to help her, so Raine decided to take it by herself.


    And how the gates were not locked when she went out.


    However, when she took the fork in the road, Lucifer was holding the bunny and when she wanted to go back to the house, she had teleported to the rooftop of the building.


    There, Raine was met with Aeon and was taken to the library.


    "Aeon said he would give me the grimoire that we were looking for¡­" Raine glanced at Serefina. "I had the book before, but because it bit, so I threw it and now I lose it¡­" She said in a whisper.


    "You were lied to." Serefina said without open her eyes as she rested her head at the backrest of the sofa. "The real grimoire had gone in this time. It was burned and disappeared. Therefore, I brought you to the past when the grimoire was still existed."


    Raine bit her lips, she felt so stupid and regretted her action to believe Aeon''s words. "I am sorry¡­ I didn''t know¡­"


    "That''s not your fault Luna." Raphael comforted her. "After all, once you were with them, the shadow warrior and the devil wouldn''t let you go easily."


    Though that was what Raphael said, but Raine couldn''t suppress the guilty feeling in her heart. Moreover¡­


    Raine lifted her head and glanced at Torak, regardless the fact he was holding her close to him, but she felt the distance between them.


    Torak had not said a word since they were inside the car.


    "But, how did you find me¡­?" Raine intentionally looked at Torak, hoping he would answer her, or at least would talk to her, but it was Calleb, who answered her question.


    "The firebird." Calleb said and Raine remembered the beautiful small bird that perched on her shoulder. "The firebird belongs to the Alpha and it has power to find the person that you are thinking of. Once we realized you had disappeared, the Alpha used the bird to find you and Serefina took them to where you were." He explained.


    Raine understood, but the only thing that she didn''t get it was, why Torak treated her coldly?

 Chapter 241 - YOUR SOUL IS MINE TO DESTROY

    Actually, not long after Raine went to the greenhouse, Torak and Raphael returned along with Serefina.


    Torak was looking for Raine when Calleb told him that she was in the greenhouse, visiting her bunny. However, at the moment they arrived in the greenhouse, she was not there and the door was opened.


    Calleb asked the Lycan warrior there and he told him, Raine was at the backyard, apparently the bunny had gone missing and half of the Lycan warriors were looking for the white fur ball.


    Torak felt something was wrong when they arrived at the backyard and Raine wasn''t there, even her scent was very faint, as if she had long gone from there.


    Torak''s suspicious grew thicker when he saw the gates of the backyard was opened.


    And then, what was happening after that, was the thing that Calleb had told Raine. Torak called out his firebird to find Raine''s location and Serefina took them there.


    "Torak, are you angry with me?" Raine asked cautiously, because Torak has not yet said a word to her during this long conversation.


    Torak blinked his bloody red eyes and as he spoke, his voice came out so rough. "You need to rest."


    Afterward, he carried Raine upstairs to their bedroom.


    Instinctively, Raine wrapped her arms around Torak''s neck and felt her uneasiness pressed her chest uncomfortably.


    Like usual, Torak treated her with care.


    He let Raine to take a quick shower and prepared her pajamas, after Raine had bathed she put the pajamas that Torak had prepared for her.


    Oddly, Torak didn''t take a bath and gestured to Raine to come to the bed before he tucked her inside the warm blanket.


    Raine felt fresh and sleepy, but she didn''t want Torak away from her, so she pulled her to the bed too and snuggled in his arms.


    Raine frowned when she could feel Torak''s muscles tensed up. "Are you still angry with me?" She asked, lifting her head to see the color of Torak''s eyes were still red.


    But, why his eyes didn''t turn to its original blue? Did the beast was still aggravated? But, usually Torak would be able to calm his beast whenever he was with Raine, but what happened now?


    "I am not angry¡­ I am just worried." Torak said in gruff voice.


    Raine bit her lips, stretching her hand, she smoothened the wrinkle between his eyebrows as Torak closed his eyes, relishing his mate touch.


    "But, your eyes¡­ they are the color of red." Raine whispered.


    Torak didn''t answer her, but second later he caught Raine''s wrist and put her hand down. "Sleep, my love." He planted a quick kiss on her forehead.


    Raine was exhausted because of what had happened today, so when Torak pulled her into his arms and caressed her back tenderly, regardless of Torak''s strange behavior, Raine gave in and fell asleep almost instantly.


    ==============


    Aeon was staggering into his house, his body covered with blood and dirt, he barely survived from the collapsed building.


    Not like the shifter, as the shadow warrior, he didn''t have a healing ability like them, so with the wound that he was suffering now, he was in critical condition.


    Fortunately for him, he managed to escape to the shadow realm right in time when the building was collapsing.


    Aeon hit a corner of a table and made the things on it fell to the ground with noisy sound.


    But, he could be careless about that when he felt his conscious started to slip away. Roughly, he opened a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of alcohol.


    He opened the bottle cap with his teeth and gulped down half of it before he poured the liquid on his wounds.


    An agony outcry escaped from his lips, echoed through the wall of that small house.


    "I can help you." A familiar voice could be heard after Aeon''s outcry.


    Aeon shot a dagger- look at the devil, who sauntered across the room, approaching him.


    And once Lucifer stopped right in front of him, he stretched out his hand, bare touching Aeon''s open wound.


    Second later, the wound on Aeon''s thigh, which was still bleeding fervently before, the skin was gradually closing in until it didn''t leave any mark, as if he had never gotten injure at the first place.


    Afterward, Lucifer moved his hand to Aeon''s ribcages, there was a snapping sound along with a deep grunt from him when his broken ribs were fixed.


    "You are alright now." Lucifer smirked as he stood up, but in an instant, his body was wrapped by the darkness that immobilized him.


    With bloodshot eyes, Aeon stood up. He had to admit, the devil had healed him completely as he could feel his strength returned.


    "You tricked me!!!" Aeon shouted at Lucifer. "That book wasn''t the grimoire Raine was looking for!" He exclaimed out loud as the shadow around Lucifer tightened and almost crushed his devilish body.


    However, instead of panic because of his situation, Lucifer was laughing out loud.


    "Just now you know that I tricked you?" Lucifer sneered, he clicked his tongue as if he was bored. "By now, you should have known me better."


    "You!!!" Aeon''s anger flared up. "What are you up to!?"


    "Don''t worry, nothing major will happen to the Alpha''s mate." Lucifer snickered, ignoring the fact that Aeon was furious. "At least not now." He added.


    Aeon couldn''t take it.


    First Lucifer addressed Raine as the Alpha''s mate and the second, he had breached the deal between them and has a plan to harm her.


    With the movement of his hands, the shadow around Lucifer''s body crept up until his whole figure was encased with darkness.


    Aeon performed a gripping hand to control the shadow as it constricted and not long after that the shadow was vanished along with the Lucifer.


    Seeing Lucifer had gone, Aeon''s lips form a thin line.


    His eyebrows furrowed questioningly. Had the devil gone? When he was thinking about it, suddenly, Aeon felt an excruciating pain in his heart.


    The pain was unbearable. Thousand times worse than the wound on his thigh or his broken ribs.


    "Don''t forget that your soul is mine to destroy." Lucifer''s voice sounded.

 Chapter 242 - SOMETHING WAS GOING WRONG

    Aeon writhed in excruciating pain on the floor, his throat contorted, as he couldn''t breathe. The pain was surreal. He had never experienced this kind of pain before.


    And when the pain subsided like it had never happened, he was left extremely worn out, it was only the blink of his eyes that indicated he was still alive.


    "Do you really think that you can destroy me?" Lucifer sneered, he stretched out his hand to grab a knife on the table and floated it in the air. "Don''t you ever hear an advice about; don''t make a deal with a devil?"


    Lucifer glanced at Aeon, the devilish smile that curled on his lips didn''t dissipate, if anything, his golden eyes shone brightly with the sight of Aeon''s condition.


    "No? You had never heard about that?" Lucifer mocked him. "Well, now you know¡­" He shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly.


    Aeon was so spent to even say a single word to curse the devil.


    This happening because of the deal that he had made with Lucifer, centuries ago.


    Actually, at the night of the attack in the village of the angel, he was dead. However, the devil revived him again, not long after that.


    As the exchanged, it was his soul that was used as a bargain for his life till now. Lucifer, of course, has malicious intention when he brought the shadow warrior back from the arms of death.


    Aeon didn''t ask for this, but he couldn''t kill himself as well when he knew about the prophecy that guardian angel would be resurrected.


    He had done many dirty things and ran every inhuman errand for the devil while waiting for her.


    Aeon had been waiting for Raine for centuries, trying his best to keep her safe once he found her.


    However, just like what the devil said, he shouldn''t believe the promise from the mouth of hellish creature like him.


    "Rather than trying to destroy me, you should thank me for giving you a chance to meet the girl that you admired." Lucifer raised his eyebrows as he walked out of the room. "Don''t forget. The air you use to breathe now and the beating heart in your chest right now is a gift from me."


    After the devil said his warning, Lucifer disappeared into thin air.


    ==============


    Raine woke up, feeling cold because of the empty bed.


    She stretched out his hand, trying to find Torak beside her with eyes were still closed, yet the spot next to her was so cold.


    Torak wasn''t there.


    With a frown, Raine opened her eyes to confirm it, and found no one there. She rubbed her eyes sleepily as she looked for her phone to see what time was it now.


    8.30 a.m.


    Probably Torak was inside the bathroom, taking a bath, yet when Raine tried to hear the sound of water running down from the bathroom, she heard nothing. It was too quiet for someone for having a bath inside.


    "Torak?" Raine tried to call him as she stood up abruptly, scanned her surroundings. There was no sign Torak was still inside the room.


    "Torak?" Raine got off of her bed and heading toward the bathroom, she entered and couldn''t spot him.


    Thus, after Raine was sure Torak was nowhere inside the bedroom, she grabbed a jacket from the armrest of the chair and went downstairs.


    The first person that she met was Joseph, he was a human guard that Torak had hired.


    Joseph had just closed Torak''s study room door when Raine greeted him. "Good morning Joseph." Raine startled him, yet before he could greet her back, she had asked him. "Is Torak inside?"


    "No, Miss. I came in because there is doc.u.ment that Mr. Lockwood told me to put inside." He said. "I had not yet seen Mr. Donovan since this morning." Joseph informed Raine. He had a morning shift, but he had not yet seen Torak neither he received news that Torak was out of the mansion.


    "No?" Raine glanced at the closed door, to make sure, she walked past Joseph, ignoring his answer that Torak wasn''t there.


    With a soft click sound, the door was opened and Raine walked inside the room, yet the room was so empty. No one there, just like Joseph had told her.


    "Has Torak already gone to the company?" Raine asked Joseph, who was still standing there.


    "No, I don''t think so¡­ because I didn''t receive any news regarding Mr. Donovan was leaving the mansion." As a professional guard, Joseph needed to know every detail that happened inside the house, he would be briefed shortly about what had happened from the earlier shift.


    Yet, no one mentioned that Torak had left the mansion, so the possibility was; Mr. Donovan was still inside the house.


    Raine frowned. If Torak really wanted to leave the house, human guards wouldn''t know about it, if he left in his beast form, Raine remembered Torak''s red eyes.


    Then Raine should ask the Lycans about it.


    "What are you doing standing there? Frowning in the morning?" Calleb''s voice greeted her as he dismissed the guard.


    "Where is Torak?" Raine approached Calleb in hasty steps. "Where is him?"


    Raine could see Calleb was slightly narrowing his eyes as he answered her calmly. "The Alpha has something to do and has gone with Raphael this early morning."


    "With Raphael again?" Raine folded her arms. "Why does he always go with Raphael?" She even didn''t try to conceal the unhappiness in her voice.


    "Because Raphael is his Beta." Calleb answered her carelessly.


    "Where were they going?" Raine asked through gritted teeth, she was upset now.


    "Stop asking and frowning in the morning, you will spoil your entire day if you keep doing this, let''s have breakfast first." Calleb put his hands on Raine''s shoulders as he pushed her to the dining room.


    "Where they go? When will they return?" Raine kept asking but Calleb only talked about food.


    Before, no matter where Torak would go, he would tell her.


    Somehow, Raine felt something was going wrong¡­

 Chapter 243 - SOMETHING DEAR TO ME

    Today was Sunday, so Raine didn''t need to go to the college, but she spent her entire morning bothering Calleb about Torak''s whereabouts.


    Raine had tried dozen times to call Torak or Raphael, but both of them couldn''t be reached. They turned off their phone and this only made Raine became more suspicious.


    She had not yet had a chance to talk properly to Torak and told him how regretful she was when she said the words that hurt his feeling.


    But, now Torak was nowhere to be found and she didn''t feel any better compared to the moment Torak was ignoring her too.


    When the time hit 2 p.m, Serefina came to the main house and found Raine was staring blankly at the television, didn''t even know what she was watching as the screen just kept showing many commercial programs.


    Serefina sat down next to her, slumped her perfect body on the sofa and showed off her slender legs by crossing them in elegant manner, obviously she wanted to get Raine''s attention without even saying ''hi'' to her or asked her feeling as she looked so gloomy at the moment.


    "We will go back to retrieve the grimoire once I gained enough strength to travel back." Serefina informed Raine even without she asked about it.


    "Hm." Raine hummed in respond absentmindedly.


    Serefina glanced at Raine one more time when she realized her lack of interest for the topic.


    "And Raine." Serefina called her name to get her attention. "It will be better if you stay away from the shadow warrior, or whatever his name is."


    There was a fleeting emotion crossed Raine''s eyes when she heard Serefina''s advice. This wasn''t the first time she heard about this kind of suggestion.


    Deep down in her heart, Raine wanted to say; she didn''t invite Aeon to meet her, but why they kept implying that she wanted to be close to the shadow warrior.


    Regardless, Raine only nodded and mumbled. "I know."


    "Good if you know." As Serefina felt there was nothing she wanted to say to Raine anymore, she stood up and was about to leave her alone with her gloominess when Raine opened her mouth to ask.


    "Where is Torak?" Raine had been bothering Calleb since this morning, but the Gamma buried his nose on piles of doc.u.ments and shooed her away.


    After yesterday chaos, surprisingly, Torak didn''t issue an order to ground Raine and let her explored the house, she was even allowed to go outside.


    But, of course with tight security.


    It was obvious Raine wouldn''t take the option, as she didn''t want to parade in the city and attract hate comments even more.


    Actually, without Raine knowing it, Serefina had put strong spell on her to keep her away from the unwanted creatures and dark magic spell, hence, she was too exhausted to travel back to the past, not to mention she had used tremendous amount of power when she just felt better yesterday to come for Raine''s rescue.


    "Why do you ask me? Do you think Torak will tell me where he will go?" Serefina answered Raine with cynical questions.


    Raine sighed deeply.


    Absolutely Serefina was the last person who would know about Torak''s whereabouts, only if in the case she had nothing to do with the Alpha''s disappearance.


    "Is he still angry at me? Did I make very big mistakes again?" Raine muttered to herself.


    Serefina halted her steps when she heard Raine''s voice and what she said. For some reason, Raine''s insecurities and her self- deprecation irritated her.


    The witch had had enough with Raine''s whining.


    "Are you really going to sit there and whining the whole time and do nothing? Hoping someone will give you the answer that you want?!" Serefina''s loud voice startled Raine as she whipped her head and looked at the angry witch.


    Raine didn''t know what she had said wrong but apparently her mumbling words were heard by Serefina and this agitated the witch.


    "I thought you have learned your lesson, but I guessed you are only improving with your words but not your perseverance!" Once again Serefina chastised her about her attitude. "If you really want to find him, do something about it, not only watching nonsense program on the television absentmindedly!"


    Though Serefina''s words meant well, but the way she reacted on Raine''s current condition was a bit excessive, as if her deep memories, which she didn''t want to remember, was being plucked out from her head and she was forced to remember it.


    "If you want something, go and get it! Not everyone has the same luck as yours!"


    Raine was fl.u.s.tered by Serefina''s last words, she didn''t understand what kind of ''luck'' that Serefina was talking about.


    "You are lucky enough to be a Luna, the Alpha''s mate, but do something about it that make you deserved the title!" Serefina glared at Raine. "Remember this; you can get the title because you are Torak''s mate, but respect is something that no one could give you, not even Torak, it is something that you should earn by yourself!"


    Serefina''s loud voice invited Calleb to come out from Torak''s study room with a few doc.u.ments in his hands and panic expression, he heard commotion and thought there was an attack.


    "What happened ¡­" Calleb had not yet finished his question when he heard Serefina''s loud and stern voice again.


    "Do you think they will respect someone, who sitting gloomily like you, just because the Alpha was throwing an attitude to you? Torak''s decision will not always be right, but here you are, instead of straighten out the problem, you succ.u.mb yourself in self deprecation!"


    Serefina took two steps closer toward Raine as she glared down at Raine, who was gritting her teeth upon hearing the witch harsh words.


    "Be a woman who will not let anyone look down on you even yourself and keep that attitude, because you will need it when the real problem arise." Serefina looked at Raine in indescribable gaze. "You know how I had survived from the death? Because I strive for something dear to me."

 Chapter 244 - SEREFINAS PAST STORY

    Raine clenched her hands tightly, she fought the need to retort, feeling helpless and angry at the same time.


    "Do you want to know where Torak is?" Serefina taunted Raine. "Don''t ask, but find it out yourself."


    After Serefina had said that, she strode away from the room with chin held high, walked past Calleb and ignored his displeased gaze.


    "You shouldn''t have said something like that. Your words will provoke her." Calleb stated in very low voice that could only be heard by Serefina. "We have agreed to keep it secret."


    Serefina looked at Calleb briefly before she rolled her eyes dramatically. "Did I reveal our little secret, to your little Luna?" She asked sarcastically. "For God''s sake, I don''t even care about Torak, it just her behavior doesn''t sit well with me."


    Serefina waved her hand to dismiss the topic and strolled out of the house.


    "Raine¡­?" Calleb approached Raine who was dumbstruck. She looked like she just received a great shock. "Are you alright?" He asked cautiously.


    However, Raine acted like she didn''t hear his question.


    "Don''t take her words to heart, you already knew how Serefina is¡­" Calleb approached Raine and sat next to her. "She has that rare talent to annoy every people that talk to her."


    Raine still didn''t listen to Calleb''s rambles.


    "Hei!" Calleb shook Raine''s shoulder to get her attention. "What are you thinking now?"


    This time, Raine''s eyes fixed on Calleb''s face as she voiced out her own thought. "Do you know Serefina before this? Or the story about her?" Raine asked out of the blue.


    "Hmm¡­?" Calleb frowned. "I am not sure that I understand what your question is¡­"


    "I mean, about the reason why she had disappeared for years and why she has this hostile attitude toward the mate bond between Torak and me." Raine rephrased her words.


    For some unexplainable reason, every time Serefina was angry on her and hurled harsh words, Raine felt the witch vented out her disappointment about something in her past at her.


    The way Serefina talked, as if Raine has something she didn''t have and wasn''t able to get it, yet Raine was unsure about her assumption.


    Calleb gave some thought about Raine''s questions before he came out with information that surprised Raine.


    "I don''t know where she went decades ago. Nobody knew about this." Calleb emphasized that Serefina had just vanished without single information about her whereabouts. "But regarding her hostility toward the mate bond that you share with Torak¡­ probably it has something to do with her past." He said unsure.


    "What is it?" Raine leaned over to listen to Calleb''s explanation. She knew, there must be something in her past.


    "There were two things that had happened to her regarding this mate bond." Calleb started and Raine followed closely. "The first is related to her parents."


    "Her parents?" Raine''s mind replayed the images of Cassandra and Fabian.


    The beautiful woman who was pregnant with her first child, which no other than Serefina herself and, Fabian, the witch with pure blood.


    Raine didn''t see the problem was related to them, Fabian was a loving husband and Cassandra seemed love him more, moreover Fabian even utterly showed his dislike toward the Lycanthropes.


    This made no sense to Raine until she remembered Belinda existence.


    Belinda was Serefina step sister that shared the same blood as her through their father. But, how could that happen?


    "Yes." Calleb nodded. "Serefina''s father was mated to one of female werewolf." His words confirmed Raine''s suspicion.


    "But, Serefina''s father has wife and daughter." Raine felt unease. "How he ended up with female werewolf?"


    "The mate bond." Calleb answered her with certainty. "From what I heard about Serefina from Belinda, their father met Belinda''s mother, who is a werewolf, when Serefina was just five years old and left her with her mother."


    Raine didn''t know how to feel about this revelation. She couldn''t imagine Cassandra was left alone with little Serefina.


    When Raine was there, she could see that Cassandra and Fabian looked perfect together and the love from their eyes or how Fabian was worried about his pregnant wife, yet because of the mate bond, Fabian had to leave them.


    "The pull of the mate bond is so strong." Calleb explained and when he watched the furrowed between Raine''s brows, he added. "You don''t have that kind of pull toward Torak, Raine. However, even though you don''t feel it, you are still worried about Torak and feeling down when he ignored you, but only if you have it, your feeling will be thousand times worse than this."


    So, that was how Fabian''s feeling if he was forced to stay with Cassandra and Serefina while being away from his mate.


    Thus, the last pure blood witch chose to leave his wife and daughter to be with his mate that resulted of Serefina''s first bad impression of the mate bond.


    "I don''t know if this is reliable or not, but since then Serefina''s father had never visited her and her mother anymore." Calleb shrugged his shoulder. "I don''t know the exact story, after all she is centuries older than me."


    Raine begun to understand Serefina''s feeling every time she made a remark when Torak showed his affection toward her and how she often implied that happened because of the mate bond.


    But, the mate bond or not, something that destined to be together would be together in the end, right?


    "And how about the second things?" Raine asked, she needed to understand the witch, because something really went wrong with her hostile attitude. "


    Calleb was hesitant when Raine asked about this, he looked around as if he felt unease if insignificant someone heard about this.


    "I don''t know if this is wise of me to mention this." Calleb slumped his back on the backrest of the sofa and folded his arms in front of his chest, contemplating.


    "I will not say anything about this to anyone." Raine promised. To whom she would talk about this to?


    In the end Calleb yielded. "Long time ago, Serefina had a serious relationship with Torak''s first brother. Jedrek Donovan."

 Chapter 245 - COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP

    Raine ever heard about this too, Calleb had mentioned it offhandedly before, but she didn''t put much attention into this information.


    And now, since this thing brought up again, Raine became curious. "So, how their relationship ends?"


    "Hmm¡­" Calleb mumbled. "I don''t know which story is correct¡­ some said Serefina didn''t want to live with Lycan anymore¡­ some said Jedrek Donovan had banned her because of a mistake, which couldn''t be forgiven, that she had committed¡­"


    Raine found herself frowning. "What the unforgivable mistake that Serefina had commited?"


    Once again Calleb was hesitated to talk about this, but this only made Raine even more curious.


    "What is it?" Raine prodded.


    "Remember, this is only hearsay and most of rumors are not true." Calleb sat straight and looked at Raine deeply to confirm if the girl understood what he was saying.


    "What?" Raine leaned over at Calleb.


    "Some people said, Serefina had a relationship with Jedrek''s younger brother behind his back." Calleb blurted out.


    One day his mouth really would bring trouble for him if he kept doing this, the Gamma realized about the consequences, but the only problem was, he couldn''t help it.


    "Torak!?" Raine''s voice rose up with surprise.


    "No, of course not!" Calleb shook his head and waved his hands frantically. "It is the youngest brother. Kace Donovan."


    Raine heaved a sigh of relief, though I was only a rumor, but to think that Torak and Serefina had a relationship before, didn''t sit well with Raine.


    "Kace Donovan¡­" Raine reiterated that name. When she went to the past, she just saw Jedrek. At that time, Kace had not born yet.


    "Yes¡­ but I don''t know for sure, if the rumor is true or not, but after Serefina disappeared, years after that Kace also left the castle and no one knows where he is." Calleb said.


    Raine was contemplating about this fact. "So, why it has anything to do with the mate bond?"


    "Oh, that one¡­" Calleb slapped his forehead, forgot about this topic. "This is only my theory, but when I heard that guardian angel will be resurrected once again and they will be a mate of the three brother Donovans, knowing how strong the mate bond, I think Serefina chose to leave the realm because of that." He voiced out his own opinion.


    That made sense¡­ no wonder Serefina was so irritated with the mate bond between Raine and Torak.


    ===============


    Days passed and in a blink of an eye, it had been a week since Raine met Torak that night, after that Torak had never returned home again.


    Raine was allowed to go to college, but every step that she took, she realized there was couples pair of eyes that followed her every moves.


    Not only that. Stephan, who usually would leave her alone with her other friends, now was tailing her like her shadow and only left her alone if she had to go the toilet.


    "Stop following me!" Raine complained when Stephan followed her to the canteen to meet with Sunny. "You don''t even want to be friend with them!"


    The only thing that Stephan did when he joined the small circle of her friends was making sarcastic comments about everything that Sunny said or what Kai did, angered them effortlessly.


    "Do you think I want to mingle with human like them if it is not because Raphael has threatened me?!" Stephan also fed up with these threatening things from the Lycan.


    "You know where is Torak, right?" Raine made an accusation bitterly, knowing what Stephan''s answer would be.


    "Do you think, I, an outsider will have known where your Alpha would be when you, as their Luna, don''t have any information about that?" Stephan replied in frustration. "How many times I have to tell you this, that I don''t know where your mate is."


    Raine rubbed her face harshly. She was getting impatient about what she had to do to find where Torak was.


    Calleb had been avoiding her, because whenever Raine met him, the only thing that she would say was asking about Torak''s whereabouts and Calleb would answer with; he would return soon.


    From afar Raine could see Sunny was waving her hand toward her, but when her eyes landed on Stephan, her expression turned unsightly and Raine could only grimace.


    She gave Sunny an apologetic gaze for this. "You better shut your mouth!" Raine hissed at Stephan and also glared at him.


    This only made the dragon shifter smirked. "Wow, now even you dare enough to threaten me too¡­"


    Raine ignored his sarcastic remark and walked toward Sunny and the others.


    And once Raine was within Sunny''s arm reach, she pulled Raine closed to her. This was a normal gesture that Sunny would do whenever she wanted to talk only to her without letting the other knew about this.


    However, this time, there was something different.


    For some odd reason, Raine''s sight turned blurred and foggy, as if there was white thin smoked covered her eyes.


    And then, she saw something¡­ at first it wasn''t clear enough for Raine to figure out what it was, then gradually the image became more and more livid until it showed like a 3D movie scene right before her eyes.


    The images turned out to be Sunny slapped Stephan''s face with angry eyes that Raine had never seen before.


    For some reason, Sunny was so angry at the shifter as Raine could see her gritting teeth and shaking hand, afterward, she left, fuming mad.


    "Raine¡­?"


    From afar, Raine could hear Sunny''s voice, but wasn''t she already gone?


    Raine felt someone was shaking her arms.


    "Raine, are you listening?"


    Raine whipped her head to the direction of Sunny''s voice and found the girl was looking at her with worried expression.


    Sunny was still there¡­


    "Hey, I was talking to you, but you don''t listen." Sunny pouted.


    "I am sorry, but what did you say?" Raine asked absentmindedly, still couldn''t comprehend with what images that she has seen just now.


    "I was asking why do you always bring him with you? No offense, but no one like him." Sunny pointed Stephan with her chin.

 Chapter 246 - A HARSH SLAP

    Raine glanced at Stephan who was keeping his eyes on her for the entire time, just like the rest of the hiding Lycans who were ordered to protect her inside this university building, as if Serefina''s spell wasn''t enough to ward off the unwanted supernatural creatures away from her.


    But, the question remained. What the image that Raine had seen earlier? Was that because she was too stress and agitated because she couldn''t find any news about Torak, so she started to see things?


    Raine wasn''t sure because the images were too vivid to be a hallucination. The scene of Sunny was slapping Stephan''s face morphed in her head.


    "Are you listening?" Sunny waved her hand in front of Raine''s face to draw her attention back to her. "Raine¡­!" She cried helplessly.


    "Oh, I am sorry." Raine shook her head to clear her mind from that thought. "Ah, ya¡­ your question¡­" She mumbled. "You know¡­ Torak told him to follow me¡­ you know¡­ to keep me save¡­ sometime Torak could be a little bit paranoid¡­"


    Raine stuttered when she had to explain it. That was the best excuse that she could think at this moment of awkwardness.


    All the people in this University, strangely knew about Stephan, rumor has it that Stephan''s brother was having business relationship with Torak, though Reynold Magnus has several companies, but seemingly Torak appeared to be in control on those Magnus''s companies.


    And here, his brother, Stephan Magnus was acting like a body guard for Torak''s girlfriend.


    Many jealous eyes from the college students directed at Raine ever since she entered this University, yet they couldn''t do anything about it.


    Most of the students here were an heir of their parents line of business, and to offend someone like Torak, who was able to shake the economy of the country, wasn''t a good move to start.


    That was why, Raine was considerably safe in this University, but that fact didn''t make Torak to slack off.


    "I don''t like him and also the rest of us too." Sunny said sullenly, she tucked her hair behind her ear as she said that, glaring at Stephan one more time.


    "I know¡­" Raine said hopelessly. "But, what can I do?"


    Sunny mimicked Raine''s expression and spoke in defeated tone. "Let''s go back before Kai and Stephan fight."


    Sunny tugged Raine''s arm and together both of them went to the wooden table, the place that the first time Raine was invited to come and now had become their regular spot.


    "Come Raine, I have bought sandwich for you!" Stephan said half- heartedly as he patted the place beside him.


    The dragon shifter had to perform his best service for Raine, or else those heartless Lycan would complain about him to Raphael.


    The last punishment that he received from Raphael, because the shadow warrior managed to meet Raine while he was sleeping in the library, was terrifying. Stephan didn''t want to experience it for the second time.


    Therefore, though this was so annoying for him, he should keep his eyes on Raine as long as she was in the university''s area.


    "Sit next to me Raine." Sunny pulled Raine to sit in the empty seat beside her. "You know, you are not welcome here." She hissed under her breath, loud enough to be a whisper.


    "What? Do you think I want to sit with the rest of you?" Stephan rolled his eyes as if saying; are you kidding me?


    "If you don''t like it, go away!" Sunny was very angry because of their last conversation didn''t end well, she was at a loss for words.


    "Why don''t you are the one who go away from Raine? You have been leeching on her long enough." Stephan made a remark.


    "Leeching on her?!" This time Sunny stood up and looked at Stephan as if she could swallow him. "Watch your mouth!"


    "Raine. We go now." Stephan also stood up and stretched out his hand to grab Raine''s wrist, but Sunny had swatted his hand away before he could do that.


    "She will stay with us." Sunny said sternly, her eyes didn''t leave Stephan''s face.


    "Don''t make trouble and just go." Kai chimed in as he applied mascara on his long eyelashes. "She is not a kid anymore, it''s not likely we will hurt her."


    "What do you think could harm her? A bug?" Sunny mocked him as she let out a sarcastic laugh.


    Instead of being offended, Stephan also laughed along with her.


    Cassey, Jammie, Kai and Connor were looking at each other, confused with Stephan''s behavior.


    "Stop laughing!" Sunny exclaimed, feeling extremely annoyed.


    "Okay enough!" Raine also stood up. "Stephan, I think we need to talk." Raine was about to bring Stephan away from there, but the dragon shifter stood still, unfazed.


    "No. I am not done with her." Stephan became cheap and wanted to vent out his frustration by picking a fight with Sunny. "Do you think I don''t know why you are being friend with her?" He pointed Raine with his chin without averting his eyes from Sunny.


    "Do you think I have hidden agenda by being friend with her?!" Sunny''s voice rose up a few octaves as she clenched her jaw to suppress her anger.


    "Yes, you have." Stephan blurted out. "Do you think I don''t know about the condition of your family''s company? Don''t kidding me¡­" He scoffed.


    "What do you mean?" Sunny narrow her eyes, but her voice slightly down.


    "The Racoon, your family company, has financial problem and your father has been seeking for cash injection." Stephan raised his eyebrows as his lips curled into a mocking smile when he saw the slight change on Sunny''s expression. "Do you think I don''t know that Mr. Andoori has been trying to make a connection with Torak Donovan?"


    "That''s my father problem not mine!" Sunny became hysterical. "I just want to be her friend, that''s it!"


    "Really?" Stephan smirked. "Isn''t you the sole heir of the Andoori family, that troublesome company will be yours one day."


    Stephan didn''t see it came, but Raine did.


    She had seen this before.


    The moment when Sunny landed a harsh slap on Stephan''s face.

 Chapter 247 - TORAK HAD CORRUPTED HER

    Cassey, Jammie, Kai and Connor stood up from their seat with worried expression, except Jammie, she still looked callous and didn''t even flinch when a harsh slap landed on Stephan''s cheeks.


    In the other hand, a shock also crossed the dragon shifter''s face when he received something that he thought as a humiliation for him.


    Raine could sense the shifted of emotion in Stephan, in the way he let out a deep growl at Sunny


    This won''t be good.


    Raine quickly gripped his shoulder firmly to avoid something worse to happen, from the corner of her eyes, she could see a few people laid their eyes on this small commotion. They could be the lycans that Torak had put there to look after her.


    It was a good thing too that they were nearby, because if Stephan really lost it, Raine wouldn''t be able to stop him.


    "Stephan, let''s go." Raine whisper- yelled at him as she tugged his body away with all the strength that she has, but Stephan was like a solid stone, couldn''t be moved. "Stephan, not here!" Raine hissed.


    She glanced at Sunny behind her, the girl was dumbstruck, apparently she didn''t realize what she did until it had done.


    There was fear crossed in her eyes and she was visibly trembling when Stephan stared her down, but her expression remained stubborn.


    Jammie came to her side and said in calm tone. "You don''t have to be so angry, all of us really wanted to slap your face for every comment that comes out from your mouth."


    Yet, her statement didn''t help the situation at all.


    As if gained a support, Sunny lifted her chin defiantly and Stephan was livid. This wouldn''t be good for him to stay.


    Raine was tired to tug the dragon shifter away as she didn''t have the strength, instead, she stood firmly in front of him, within his line of sight and warned him firmly. "Go! Now!"


    This time, Stephan slightly shifted his gaze from Sunny and clenched his jaw tightly before he decided to follow Raine''s order and turned around, stomped away with grumbled.


    Raine couldn''t let him alone, so she proceeded to follow him when Sunny''s voice called her name.


    "Raine¡­ I didn''t¡­" She tried to explain, but for now Raine needed to do something else.


    "We will talk about this later... don''t worry." Raine said and raced toward Stephan''s direction.


    And now, when Raine ran toward Stephan''s direction, she could feel many pairs of eyes staring at her from different direction, yet Raine ignored them, as she knew they were the lycans.


    Maybe they were worried because Raine was running straight to the incensed dragon shifter and afraid something would happen to her.


    Raine was out of breath when she managed to catch up with Stephan right in front of the library and held his elbow to stop him.


    "What?!" Stephan snarled and startled her.


    "Why did you shout at me?" Raine frowned, didn''t like the way Stephan talked to her. "I am not going to say that what she did was the right thing, but your comments were so offensive." She tried to make Stephan saw her standpoint.


    Stephan sighed and raised his arms. "Listen, I don''t want to talk about this. I have my own problem also, so if I have to follow you around, it will only upset me."


    "Then don''t." Raine felt offended, she had never asked him to tail behind her. "Don''t follow me then."


    Stephan scoffed resentfully. "It is easy for you to say that, but I will be very glad if your mate stops pressuring my older brother."


    "What do you mean?" Raine knew about Stephan''s older brother, Reynold, she had been in their house before and from what she knew, Torak attacked Reynold because he had killed one of the lycan in his pack that resulted the harassment that she received when the first time Raine arrived in the pack house.


    And that also led to Torak''s cruel action to squeeze out the lycan''s life right before her eyes. Raine wouldn''t forget that moment.


    "Oh, you really know nothing." Stephan mocked her as he crossed his arms in front of his body. "I forgot the fact that you don''t even know where your mate is."


    Raine raised her eyebrows, Stephan''s words would be going too far if she didn''t stop him. It seemed, he wasn''t satisfied yet to make Sunny angry and now he wanted to anger her as well.


    "Stop whining like a baby." Raine remarked. "Whatever Torak did to your brother, it has nothing to do with me, so what is your point from attacking me with your words?"


    Raine could hear the sound of Stephan''s teeth clenching.


    They stared for each other for like eternity and no one willing to back down, not even Raine. Sometime, in rare occasion she could be so stubborn and didn''t want to yield.


    "Alright!" Stephan threw his hands up. "This depressing matter really had taken a toll on me."


    Only then Raine''s expression slightly softened and leaned her back against the wall as if tired after the staring contest.


    Following Raine''s gesture, Stephan leaned his back and sat down on the floor.


    "Torak has been threatening our species you know¡­" Stephan started to talk.


    Fortunately there were not many people that passing by in the corridor to the library, so they could have their conversation without being afraid of someone would overhear this.


    Raine nodded. "His title required him to do that in some certain point of a situation."


    "Are you trying to speak up for your Alpha?" Stephan sneered at her. He didn''t need another person to stand up for that cruel Lycan.


    "I am not¡­" Raine contemplated. "But I had come to understanding, which in some moment in our life we need to use unacceptable measure to make our intention be understood to the other party."


    Stephan glanced at the girl beside him with bizarre gaze.


    "What?" Raine raised her eyebrows when she felt Stephan''s eyes lingered on her for long time.


    "I don''t believe it you will say something like that." He shook his head, remembered the girl who hid behind the Alpha''s back. "Torak really had corrupted you."


    "Oh, I miss him." Raine sighed.

 Chapter 248 - INTERESTING...

    "Are you not trying to look for him?" Stephan asked when he watched Raine''s defeated expression.


    "Of course, I did." Raine mumbled, annoyed by Stephan''s question.


    It was so obvious. Did he really need to ask that?


    "So?" Stephan raised his brows, asking for the result of Raine''s effort. "Not even a single clue?"


    "Do you think I will keep asking you if I can find the answer elsewhere? I will not so desperate to ask you, which obviously, know nothing about this if I can find a clue." Raine chastised Stephan, her lips pouted sullenly.


    "Maybe you don''t use your status as the Luna?" Stephan mumbled. "They will not be able to say ''no'' to their Luna." He suggested offhandedly.


    Raine looked at him questioningly, asking for the dragon shifter to explain it further.


    "What?" Stephan frowned when he received that gaze. "Oh, please¡­ don''t tell me that you don''t know about this!" He slapped his forehead.


    "Know about what?" Raine carefully asked.


    "You are the Alpha''s mate, the Luna. Of course you are holding the same authority as the Alpha." Stephan gazed at Raine helpless. "You are under one Lycan, but above millions." He concluded.


    Raine thought about that seriously. She had never thought that way before.


    Stephan glanced at the spot on Raine''s neck that covered with her long hair. "Especially if he had marked you. You should be able to feel him." He added, retracted his gaze just in time when Raine looked at him worriedly.


    "But, he had not marked me yet¡­" Raine muttered sheepishly. She thought it was fine to say this kind of thing to Stephan. She didn''t aware of the danger which was lurking on her for someone to hold this information.


    "He had not marked you?" Stephan whipped his head and looked at Raine in disbelief. "Are you sure that you are his mate?"


    Stephan''s question sounded so rude, thus Raine gave him a good slap on the back of his head, just like what Raphael always did to Calleb, every time the Gamma made silly remark.


    "Why did you slap me!?" Stephan growled as he rubbed his head, it wasn''t really harmful, but it was still a slap nonetheless.


    "You are talking nonsense!" Raine grumbled, her mood turned sour with Calleb''s comment. Now she could feel how Sunny and Kai feeling every time Stephan was around.


    "He didn''t mark you, you don''t have the same authority like him and now he didn''t even tell you where he was going?" Stephan listed the obvious problem.


    "Ugh! I can''t talk with you!" Raine was extremely annoyed because Stephan had pointed out her foremost insecurities.


    "Where are you going?" Stephan abruptly stood up when Raine walked away.


    "I want to go home! If you want to keep pestering me, you better keep distance from me!" Raine warned him, turned her head and glared before she stomped to the aisle.


    Stephan was surprised by Raine''s hostility, but he still followed her to the entrance gates and watched as Raine called for the driver to pick her up.


    Stephan''s words must have affected her until she skipped two of her last classes today and chose to go home early.


    Raine needed to wait for twenty minutes before the chauffeur came and picked her up ahead of the schedule time.


    During that time, she was only sitting alone near the entrance gates while Stephan was standing in the distance, seeing his surrounding and how those people showed various expressions toward Raine, but jealous was the most common feeling that they had for her.


    After a red sport car stopped at the entrance gates, Raine walked over and entered before the car sped away.


    Only when the Raine and the car had gone, Stephan turned around and walked back to his class.


    His duty had done once Raine left the university area, whatever happened to her out of here wasn''t his responsibility at all.


    The class was so empty because it wasn''t the time yet for the next lesson.


    Stephan looked at his watch that showed it was still two hours more before the next class, so it was the same amount of time for him to fall asleep.


    When he just rested his head on the table and ready to close his eyes, he frowned and mumbled.


    "There are many lycans around me, how can you just appear as you like?" The upset tone in his voice couldn''t be concealed.


    After he said that, inside the initially empty class, there was a snicker that echoed softly through the wall, as a man appeared right before Stephan''s eyes, sitting on the table where he was resting his head.


    "Keep doing this if you really wanted to be exposed so badly." Stephan grumbled as he lifted his head from the table and instead leaned his back against the wall behind him.


    "I saw you are doing your part smoothly by encouraging the little Luna." That man said indifferently as his golden eyes stared at the young dragon shifter.


    "I am good at it." Stephan stared at the man golden eyes. He hated the fact that he had to do this.


    "Good, now surprise me with what you got from her." The devil was sitting on the table, crossed his legs.


    "Why don''t you tell me first, when will you free our dragon female?" Stephan asked defiantly.


    He had to risk his life by deceiving the Alpha to get their last female, which was Reynold''s mate, who was held hostage by Lucifer.


    "Don''t worry, I will set her free when the time comes." Lucifer smirked.


    But Stephan was fed up by his words as he stood up abruptly, too irritated to even have a conversation with the devil.


    "I will let Reynold to meet her." Lucifer offered lazily, zeroed his attention on his well trimmed finger nails, instead of the fuming dragon shifter. "Now tell me."


    Stephan halted his step and took a deep breath to suppress his anger before he spoke through his gritted teeth. "Torak had gone missing for a week and¡­ yes, just like what you said, the Alpha has not marked her yet."


    Upon hearing that, Lucifer''s lips curled into a devilish smirk. "Interesting¡­"

 Chapter 249 - YOURE FIRED!

    Raine was looking out through the window of the car when she saw from afar a familiar building. The Donovan building.


    "Bring me to the Donovan company." Raine said to the driver.


    "But, Miss. I was ordered to bring you back home." The driver refused her in an instant.


    Raine frowned when she heard the rejection. "I said, I want to go to the Donovan company."


    "But, miss¡­ Mr. Lockwood told me to bring you straight back home." The driver informed Raine and intentionally missed the intersection.


    They needed to take a quite distance roundabout to return, the driver knew this but he still deliberately did it.


    The driver was human, which was hired by Torak and recruited by Raphael, to protect Raine. Therefore, they would take Torak or Raphael''s order, but not her.


    Obviously he wouldn''t listen.


    Thus, Raine needed to take an extreme measured for her voice to be heard and be calculated too.


    At that situation, Stephan''s words rant in her ears that add fuel to the fire. He once questioned Raine as Torak''s mate, and this didn''t help Raine to be calm at all.


    Nobody would listen to her unless she spoke up for herself and made an action to emphasize her seriousness regarding this matter.


    "Pull over." There was no warmth in the way Raine spoke. She stared icily straight at the driver through the rearview mirror.


    "Miss. Raine, please don''t make things difficult." Though there was a word ''please'' in his sentence, but the driver didn''t feel like he was asking and felt more like he was commanding Raine to stop blabbering nonsense and made his job difficult.


    Just now Raine knew that in those guards'' eyes, she was nothing more than a girl that was kept by Torak.


    Let alone she has a chance to call a shot. They didn''t even bother to listen to her, as if she was nothing.


    Because they mostly stayed out of the house, some of them didn''t even know the importance of Raine''s existence.


    They thought Torak was just like any other businessman who would keep their woman within their arms reached and as long as that woman was fed, she should follow what the man said and didn''t have a right to say otherwise.


    Such a cheap thought that the driver had. That was why, he was dare enough to provoke Raine, but this was a wrong time for him to provoke Raine, because she was running out of patient.


    "Pull over." Raine said in stern voice.


    This time, the driver didn''t bother to reply as he drove faster to the direction of the house.


    Raine also didn''t even bother to talk when she suddenly opened the car door, of course Raine had calculated her action, she wouldn''t be stupid enough to harm herself in the process to get what she wanted.


    The sound of horns and the sound of people screaming could be heard as they passed the street.


    "Oh, shit!" The driver forgot his place and cursed loudly after seeing Raine was holding the car door opened and glared at him impassively. "What the hell are you doing!?"


    "Pull over." Raine stated in low voice that sounded like a threat.


    Without a second thought the driver pull over and just like what Raine''s wish, afterward he turned around and was about to yell at her when Raine had stepped down from the car.


    "Where are you going?!" The driver shouted at Raine who had walked away from the car.


    He shut the engine of the car down, pulled the key and ran after Raine. He was newly recruited and had just joined Torak''s security guard for less than a week, thus he was clueless about the situation and too arrogant for assuming things by his own.


    It added to his experience as the guards of the mistress of one of the businessmen in this city. He treated the woman this way too and his boss would agree with his method.


    "Where are you going!? Get back to the car!" He grabbed Raine''s elbow and forcefully pulled her back to the car.


    "No!" Raine shouted at him as she was trying to free her elbow from his tight grip with no avail.


    "Get back to the car!" He yelled at Raine and dragged her away regardless her struggle to be free from him.


    Raine could feel her arms almost split into two with this tug of war that she couldn''t be won.


    This scene drew attention from the people around the area and when one of them noticed Raine''s face, they started to raise their phone to record this event.


    It was Torak Donovan''s woman after all!


    However, before that man could put Raine inside the car again, someone had grabbed his shoulder and hauled him away from her.


    Sending him toppling over and crashing onto the concrete pavement before he landed on his back, groaning in pain.


    "Are you alright Luna?"


    Someone towered in front of Raine as his shadow fell on her, covering the sunlight behind him.


    Raine blinked her eyes to see him clearly and once she did, she recognized him almost immediately. "Yes, thank you I am all right."


    It was Mark the bulky Lycan who came to her rescue too when Aeon infiltrated her University the other days and now here he was with the other three people, which Raine assumed was Lycanthropes, all of them were almost as big as him.


    Raine tidied her sweater and took her bag from the ground that she had dropped earlier.


    "May I?" Mark stretched out his hand with opened palm, asking to carry Raine''s bag.


    But, Raine shook her head. "It''s okay."


    "Mark, what the hell are you doing!?" The driver stood up and dusted his pants as he shouted at Mark, still couldn''t read the situation he was in. "She wants to run away! We have to drag her back!"


    Became warrior of lycanthropes, they had a short temper and the moment Mark heard that, he roared. "YOU''RE FIRED! DRAG HIM BACK TO BE TAUGHT A LESSON!"

 Chapter 250 - THEY DONT EVEN LOOK LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE

    Raine flinched when she heard that, but she didn''t sympathize the man because of how he had treated her and yelled at her.


    That man roared, shouted and cursed at Mark, and as he did so, many more people crowded the area as they took a few pictures and video of this.


    "Over here Luna." Mark tried to cover Raine''s face as he brought her to the other car, leaving the chaotic situation that was almost out of hand because of the spectators.


    This accident would circulate online for sure.


    Mark and the other Lycan took Raine to their car while the other two Lycans brought the driver with his former car.


    "Where were you going Luna?" Mark asked Raine when the car had drove away from the crowd.


    "Can you take me to Donovan''s building please?" Raine asked while rubbing her aching elbow. "Is Raphael there?"


    "Yes, the Beta supreme is in the office right now, but the Alpha is not there." Mark informed Raine.


    "When the last time did you see Torak?" Raine couldn''t hold back her curiosity. She really needed to know Torak''s whereabouts and what happened to him? Why he didn''t want to see her?


    "I saw the Alpha a week ago, the day when you were taken by the devil. He left with the Beta supreme, Raphael, and after that I had never seen him again." Mark answered truthfully.


    This answer was the same with the rest of the lycans that Raine had asked about Torak.


    Raine bit her lips.


    The only person who was last seen with him was Raphael and he had been avoiding Raine for this whole week, leaving Calleb at home and dealt with her endless questions about Torak, but it turned useless because he didn''t even want to talk about it and chose to bury his nose on the stack of doc.u.ments, dealing with paperwork that he was never like.


    "Can you go faster?" Raine leaned her head that throbbing painfully at the backrest of the seat and closed her eyes, feeling her heart was thumping fast.


    She wanted to see Torak so badly, but no one let her to meet him¡­


    What happened with them?


    # # #


    Because they took a detour to Donovan''s building and the very bad traffic jam, Raine arrived at the Donovan''s building after two long hours.


    Raine was so antsy while waiting for the car to move, she would have ran if it wasn''t for Mark who stopped her.


    There would be more danger if she did that and Torak wouldn''t like it.


    It could be true because while they were inside the car, lining up to get away from this crazy traffic jam, the video of Raine was being dragged away by her guard, went viral and once again people online were messing around with their speculation.


    Some people said she was running away from Torak''s tyranny, some people said the relationship between Torak and Raine wasn''t real and Torak was a gay while the other had their own wild imaginations.


    Raine was clueless about what kind of chaos that she had created because of her impulsiveness to go out of the car and had a scene with her guards.


    Yet, if she didn''t have done so, the driver wouldn''t have listened to her and kept taking her back home.


    Like usual, Raine would enter Torak''s office through the private lift, however this time, the access to the underground parking lot was blocked by many reporters and cameramen.


    "What is that?" Mark frowned at the bunch of media that swarmed the entrance of he building, they had been waiting there for a while and more would likely come.


    The other Lycan, who was driving, stopped the car a hundred meter away from the media people and looked at Mark.


    Mark was confused when he made a phone call. "What happened at the Alpha''s building?" He asked the other lycan who was assigned in Torak''s office. There was a moment of pause before Mark exclaimed loudly. "What? But, it just happened a few hours ago! How the news can be exploded that way!?"


    Raine could see Mark''s stiff back as he growled and cursed to the phone.


    "Luna, I don''t think we can go there now, we need to go back." Mark turned around to inform Raine.


    "What happened?" Raine stared at the bunches of people ahead of them, they didn''t seem friendly, as if once Raine went out of the car, they would chew her alive.


    "The news of you on the street earlier has gone viral and they are here for you." Mark glared at the people in front of him. Only if he was allowed, he would take the pleasure to claw their faces one by one.


    "But, it just happened two hours ago, how it can be this big already?" Raine also couldn''t believe it.


    Something was wrong with this whole situation.


    "I don''t know also Luna, but apparently you have been followed from the moment you were out of your college." Mark regretly told Raine.


    But, if Raine was being followed, why he didn''t notice it at all? And how this people moved so fast and knew where Raine would go?


    That didn''t make any sense at all, except there was someone pulled the string behind all of this.


    "I think we can''t go back either¡­" The Lycan behind the steering wheel stared at behind them through the rearview mirror and watched in anger when some reporter recognized the car as the same car that had taken Raine away from the scene in this afternoon and started to approach them.


    In matter of second, they started to swarm around the car, banging the window as they tried to make the people inside to get out.


    "What the hell happened with them?!" Marked cursed again when one of the reporter started to hit the window with his camera. "Are they possessed of something!?"


    Yes, they didn''t even look like normal people.


    As aggressive as the media people could be, they wouldn''t result in violence, especially when they knew how ruthless Torak Donavan could be.


    But, what happened with them?

 Chapter 251 - WE WILL DIE HERE!

    "Make sure the doors are locked!" Mark seethed, glaring at the people outside. He had a very bad feeling about this because mere human wouldn''t do something so outrageous like what was going on outside.


    Those reporters and media people literally wanted to destroy the car, which was so strange.


    Out of fear Raine had to check twice of the car door at her left and right side, to make sure they were locked.


    "Why are they so brutal?" Raine shrieked when a man hit the window on her left side with his tripod couple of time, the sound of it mixed with those shouting sound was very nerve- wrecking.


    "Drive the car and get us out of here!" Mark ordered his fellow lycan, but he shook his head.


    "We can''t! We will kill them!" The other Lycan yelled back at Mark. "We can''t kill human, the consequence of this is not something that we could bear!"


    Mark groan when he heard that, as he knew it was true.


    The fact was; killing human would make them suffered mentally, their wolf spirit would weaken and for the worst case, their spirit could disappear, leaving them in their human''s form forever, rotten and got older.


    But of course, this depend on how strong their wolf spirit, because in Torak''s case he didn''t suffer much damaged after killing the man in the hospital as a result of his Alpha''s blood, not like the other lycans if they had done the same thing.


    Mark growled as he made a call and the other person picked up the phone almost immediately.


    "Beta Raphael, I am with Luna and we are surrounded by ¡­" Mark didn''t have a chance to finish his sentence when Raphael cut him.


    "I know. Our people are on their way to you." Raphael said in black mood. "How is Luna?"


    "The Luna is fine¡­" Mark glanced at Raine who was fidgeting in her seat. "She is afraid¡­"


    "Give the phone to her." Raphael commanded and Mark did what he was told, he handed the phone over to Raine.


    "Raph?" Raine''s trembling voice could be heard, this also made Raphael restless to know that his Luna was in danger situation.


    "Raine." Raphael called her name to calm her down. "It''s okay, you will be alright, Calleb is on his way toward you."


    When Raine heard Calleb was coming for her rescue, she sniffled and nodded her head, but then she realized that Raphael couldn''t see her, so she spoke softly. "Okay¡­"


    When Raine said that, she could see Calleb and dozens of people behind him, rushed toward their direction.


    When Raine just felt a wave of relief washed over her, Mark cursed loudly. "Oh, sh*t!!!"


    Raine whipped her head just in time when she watched in horror someone poured a bucket of fuel on the car.


    She didn''t even have time to scream when the other man lit a match and threw it to the car.


    No!


    I don''t want to die!


    Stop!


    Stop!


    "Luna!!!" Mark shifted into his black wolf and threw himself to protect his Luna before the explosion could happen.


    And all Raine could feel was his soft fur covered her body before ablaze of light surrounded them in eerie golden flames.


    Raine''s desperate screams echoed in her head as she closed her eyes and curled her body into a ball, as small as possible, as if by doing so, she could protect herself from the imminent explosion.


    How this could happen?


    Those people were possessed by something! They wouldn''t do that only for getting news. Their action could kill them!


    Not only Raine and the other two Lycans inside the car, but the people nearby who were surrounding them would suffer the blast.


    Raine shut her eyes tightly until they were hurt.


    Stop!


    Please stop!


    However, seconds passed and nothing happened, even the pain that Raine expected didn''t happen.


    Instead the voices come¡­


    Raine felt like she had been drawn and something lifted her up in her last breath, the faint noises around her gradually became more understandable.


    "Make sure the doors are locked!" Mark seethed, glaring at the people outside. He had a very bad feeling about this because mere human wouldn''t do something so outrageous like what was going on outside there.


    Those reporters and media people literally wanted to destroy the car, which was so strange.


    Raine blinked her eyes, wasn''t able to discern her surrounding in time, she looked to her left side and watched those people still banging the window and tried to overthrow the car.


    Raine was flabbergasted.


    Not because she was surrounded by those crazy people, but because this scene was something that she had seen.


    Did she go back to the past?


    No, the feeling wasn''t the same like when she traveled back to the past.


    Raine had done that twice, so she would have known if the scene that she was seeing now was because she had traveled back to the past.


    In her confusion, she did what she had done before; checked the door twice that it had securely locked.


    "Drive the car and get us out of here!" Mark ordered his fellow lycan, but he shook his head.


    "We can''t! We will kill them!" The other Lycan yelled back at Mark. "We can''t kill human, the consequence of this is not something that we could bear!"


    Mark groan when he heard that, as he knew it was true.


    "No! Drive the car!" Raine yelled at the other Lycan. She leaned forward, trying to get a better view of the road ahead.


    "But, Luna¡­ if I hit them and they died, that will be¡­" The Lycan tried to explain the after effect of that kind of act, but Raine cut him off.


    "I know the consequences! A collision will not kill them!" Raine shouted at him angrily, her hands trembling because she knew something worst than this would happen if they didn''t move now. "But, if you don''t listen to me now, we will all die here!"


    Raine''s words more than confused Mark and his fellow lycan, it bewildered them completely.

 Chapter 252 - THE EXPLOSION

    "Drive the car!" This time Raine yelled anxiously. She glared at the other lycan.


    There were three entrance gates of Torak''s building and the nearest was on their left, but based on what Raine remembered, Calleb would appear at the middle entrances, where there were many reporters were still staying there.


    "Go to the middle entrance!" Raine pointed at the direction a bit far from them.


    "But, Luna isn''t it better if we take the left?" Asked Mark, confused. He glanced at his left side and then swift his sight to the middle entrance.


    In his opinion, of course it would be safer if they took the left side instead of went through a lot of reporters to go to the middle entrance.


    But, Raine insisted for them to take the middle entrance.


    "Hold on." Mark growled, he couldn''t decide yet about which direction they should take and this made Raine infuriated.


    At time like this, Mark made a call and the other person picked up the phone almost immediately.


    "Beta Raphael, I am with Luna and we are surrounded by ¡­" Mark didn''t have a chance to finish his sentence when Raphael cut him.


    "I know. Our people are on their way to you." Raphael said in black mood. "How is Luna?"


    "The Luna is fine¡­" Mark glanced at Raine.


    "Give the phone to me!" Raine was exasperated as she snatched the phone from Mark''s hand. "Raph?" Raine''s impatient voice could be heard.


    "Raine." Raphael called her name to calm her down, he thought the way Raine spoke now was the result of her fear, this also made Raphael restless to know that his Luna was in dangerous situation. "It''s okay, you will be alright, Calleb is on his way toward you."


    "I know!" Raine cut him off. "He will come from the middle entrance! Just tell him to clear the area, we will go through!"


    "I got it!" Though Raphael was puzzled with Raine''s commanding tone, but he complied anyway.


    "The Gamma will come from the middle entrance?" The other lycan muttered. How did the Luna know?


    They were a bit too far from the entrance, so they were not able to mind- link Calleb to know his position and the reinforcement.


    At the same time, Mark cursed loudly when he looked at his right side. "Oh, sh*t!!!"


    Raine whipped her head just in time when she watched in horror, the same scene of someone poured a bucket of fuel on the car.


    She had seen this.


    No way! Even after she turned back time, the same thing would happen again?!


    "Move now!!!" Mark roared to the other lycan, this time, he was the one who stepped in the acceleration.


    The car hurled forward abruptly and the sudden move caught Raine out of guard as she was thrown back to her seat.


    "Go to the middle entrance!" Mark ordered the other lycan, apparently he had seen Calleb and bunch of security guard who came with him, were trying to chase away the reporters from the main entrance.


    Raine rubbed her head which accidentally hit the back of the seat.


    This chaotic situation was so strange. Those reporters looked like they were possessed by something and resulted this brutal action.


    Mere human wouldn''t do such thing only to get news, their intention was so clear that they wanted to kill them.


    However, who is the person behind all of this? The devil? That was the first thing that came across Raine''s mind when she thought about the possibility of the perpetrators.


    They were a few meter away from the entrance and calleb and the securities had managed to drive most of the people there away, leaving an opening for their car to get in.


    However, when Raine turned her head when the other man chased after them and lit a match as he threw it to the car.


    The fire glided smoothly on the surface of the ground because of the stream of fuel that was left behind the car.


    The fire moved very fast as if it was a creature, which chasing after it prey, before the flame licked the back of the car.


    "Mark!" Raine exclaimed when she watched in horror at the fire that had reached their car. "We need to get out from here!"


    The car sped toward the entrance with fire tailed behind.


    Once they securely passed the entrance, the gates were closed to prevent those crazy people from trespassing the area.


    And then, the car came to stop as the Lycan hit the brake and made Raine hit her head again, yet before she could gain her focus as the pain crept down from her head and made her dizzy, someone had pulled her out of the car.


    At the same time, Raine could feel she was being covered with someone bulky body as he pressed her head against his sturdy chest before she could hear an ear- piercing sound of the explosion.


    The blow sent them a few steps back.


    Fortunately, whoever this person, he had a strong grip and steady feet, so they didn''t tumble down on the ground.


    Raine''s ears rung painfully, for a moment she couldn''t hear any other voices except the ringing sound that banging her head, this made her felt dizzy.


    Raine knew that the car had exploded, but her mind didn''t work fast enough to comprehend her condition now and what exactly had happened afterward.


    But, before the ringing in her ears stopped, someone had grabbed her body away from the first person who had protected her from the blow of the explosion.


    Raine forced herself to open her eyes and as the first of light caught her vision, she could see blurry image of her surroundings.


    It was Calleb who was holding her and talked something to her, but Raine could hear nothing because of the ringing sound in her ears.


    And the second sight made Raine terrified.


    On the ground, a man, who Raine recognized as Mark because of the remaining jacket on his body, laid motionlessly with the fire still burning on his back.

 Chapter 253 - I WONT LEAVE UNTIL I GET WHAT I WANT

    "Don''t look." Calleb said as he pressed Raine''s head against his chest to cover her sight from a dreadful scene in front of her.


    Yet, Raine was too shock to even give a respond as her body trembling in fear.


    Is he died?


    That was the only question, which she kept asking in her head among the ringing sound that gradually decreased.


    Calleb''s worried voice was the first thing that she heard in the midst of clamor.


    "Raine, can you walk?" Calleb asked as he watched Raphael and Serefina were running toward their direction.


    Raine closed her eyes and nodded.


    "Let''s go." Calleb said as he turned Raine''s body and grabbed her hand to walk away from the entrance gates.


    There were many spectators holding their breath and stood, as far away as they could, but still kept the distance close enough for them to witness everything.


    "Raine¡­" Raphael dr.a.p.ed a blanket on Raine''s shoulder as he pulled her into his embrace and carried her in his arms so they could walk faster to go to Torak''s office.


    Raine still could hear the last explosion from the car, sounded dull and less appalling than the first one.


    ===============


    "I don''t believe it they took that entrance instead here¡­ ck!" Andromalius clicked his tongue, annoyed because his prediction missed. The snake in Adromalius hand slithered down his body.


    He just watched how the car that consisted with the guardian angel and the lycans, ran passed the nearby entrance and sped to the other.


    "Only if they went here, I have surprised for them." Andromalius smirked as he caressed his snake''s head. "Are you sure Torak has disappear for days?"


    Lucifer closed his eyes when he heard a loud explosion sound from afar. "Hmm." He said, enjoying what he was hearing.


    "Where did he go?" Andromalius was curious, it had never happened before; an Alpha went missing.


    "I don''t know." Lucifer shrugged his shoulder. "Even his mate is desperate to know too."


    Andromalius''s eyebrows creased as he frowned. "Maybe he took the brunt because of your last battle?" He tried to make a guess.


    "I did feel something was wrong with him during our battle¡­" Lucifer murmured as he strode away from there.


    "But, he is the Alpha, he will not so weak to be beaten up by you only for a short fight like that, right?" Andromalius still couldn''t understand the situation. "Hey! Lucifer! You know something, right?!"


    The devil after that chased after the devil and then disappeared for the sight.


    ==============


    Serefina handed a glass of warm water to Raine and sat down next to Raine while Calleb and Raphael were sitting across from them.


    "Why are you here Raine?" Raphael asked, he was shock when he knew Raine was surrounded by those people, she should be at home, because there was something wrong with them that he couldn''t tell what. "You shouldn''t go roaming around carelessly like this."


    Because of his anxiousness, his tone a bit harsh when he talked to Raine.


    Calleb, who realized that Raphael had gone a little bit overboard, elbowed his arms and made a face, which told him he shouldn''t speak that way.


    "Listen Raine¡­" Raphael sigh a deep breath.


    "No. You listen to me." Raine put down the glass in her hand on the table, despite her trembling hands, her voice was steady as she looked at Raphael impassively. "Tell me now where is Torak."


    Raphael was caught out of guard by Raine''s behavior and the way she looked at him.


    "Raine, Torak will meet you eventually, but not now." Raphael replied calmly, the same answer that he had given her every time she asked about Torak.


    "I want to meet him now." Raine said with no room to negotiate. She was fed- up with Raphael''s excuses that she couldn''t meet Torak for the meantime, yet he didn''t provide her with reasonable reason.


    "You can''t meet him now Raine. You know that, I have told you many times." Raphael held Raine''s gaze with unperturbed attitude. "Stop asking the same question and Torak will meet you soon."


    "Stop gives me the same answer and start to tell me the reason behind Torak''s disappearance." Raine retorted.


    From the side Serefina leaned her back against the backseat as she rested her elbow on the armrest, a smirk of approvement on her face when she heard Raine''s rebuttal, as if she was enjoying the show.


    "Raine¡­" Raphael once again let out a helpless sigh, he had been avoiding her lately because he didn''t want to answer this. "I will ask Calleb to take you home once the situation outside is under control."


    "I will not go anywhere unless you take me to Torak." Raine said determinedly. She glared at Raphael and folded her arms stubbornly.


    "Raine, you don''t understand the situation." Raphael said tiredly, he had been handling a lot of things in Torak absent and now he didn''t think, he could handle Raine''s demand as well.


    "Explain it to me then. Make me understand." Raine was resolute to find out the answer and she wouldn''t go anywhere without getting what she wanted.


    "Raine, you make things difficult." Raphael tried to sound like he was angry, yet Raine unyielding.


    "I will make things more difficult for you if you keep doing this to me." Raine was dead- set with her demand.


    Beside her, Raine could hear Serefina''s chuckle and knew immediately that the witch was in her side.


    Upon hearing Serefina''s chuckle, Raphael threw her a glare which returned with a shrug. "What? You know I disagree with your Alpha''s decision regarding this matter."


    Sometime Raine was confused whether she hated the witch or not, but at time like this, she was grateful that Serefina didn''t oppose her.


    "What?" Calleb shrunk in his seat. "As awful as it sounds, but I agree with the witch." He blurted out when he got his turn to receive Raphael''s glare.


    "What do you mean awful?" Serefina was offended by Calleb statement.


    "You know, I don''t really like to agree with you." Calleb replied sullenly. "But, our opinion is the same."


    "Make your own opinion!" Serefina growled at him.

 Chapter 254 - RAINE WAS FED UP WITH THOSE WORDS

    "Okey, enough!" Raine wasn''t in the mood to hear Calleb and Serefina''s squabble. "If you don''t agree with Torak''s decision, then why don''t you tell me where he is?"


    Raine shot a dagger- look at Calleb.


    From across the seat, Calleb raised both of his hand in defeated manner. "I am obliged to obey my Alpha''s order, though I disagreed, I still can''t tell you about this as it will against the Alpha''s will."


    As a Gamma, he bound to follow every order of his Alpha, especially the direct one.


    "Serefina, why don''t you tell me?" Raine directed her demand at the witch. If the Lycans had to follow Torak''s order, Serefina didn''t have to do that. She wasn''t a lycan and part of the pack after all.


    "Why should I?" Serefina looked at Raine incredulously. "Regardless I will not get any consequences from revealing Torak''s whereabouts, but I keep my words to not tell anything about it."


    Raine really wanted to hit her head against the wall out of frustration for facing people like them.


    Gritting her teeth, Raine lowered her head, she needed to do something, but what? What she could do to make them open their golden mouth and let her to meet Torak.


    What she could do?!


    This situation was irritated Raine and made her felt useless. The fact that she was indeed useless until Torak needed to order them to keep her away from him instead of letting her knew and helped him, depressed her even further.


    Raphael stood up and walked toward the floor to the ceiling window, staring down at the parking lot where the dreadful incident had occurred.


    Police cars, ambulance and fire truck had gathered there and crowd slowly dispersed, the only people who left were only those reporters and a few curious spectators.


    Raphael had told his man to handle the situation for the meantime, arrested those reporters and sued their media.


    He had notified Jared to handle the media''s issue and the news that would circulate online about this, to not let unnecessary information pop up.


    This would only add another line of work for Raphael and would consume his time.


    "Raine, I think you should go before the police come to see you. Remember. You are not involved in this incident." Raphael stated.


    "How can I not be involved? There were a lot of people there who saw me came out from the burning car." Raine protested.


    "Don''t worry. I will handle that." Raphael dismissed Raine''s assertion. "It will not good for you if you received too much exposure. Just focus on your study."


    Beside Raine, Serefina sneered at Raphael''s statement and rolled her eyes to show her discontent. "What a good way to protect her¡­" She said in mocking tone. "Why don''t you just tie her on her bed, so she will not roaming around and create another troublesome incident like this?"


    "Thank you for your suggestion, Serefina." Raine said sarcastically. "But, I don''t need that."


    "You are most welcome, dear." Serefina answered Raine with the same tone. "I just voiced out what was in my mind."


    Raphael stepped away from the window and picked up a phone call. "Yes. I got it¡­ send them here in ten minutes."


    Raine was still thinking the way to get information about Torak when Raphael faced her and said; "You have to go with Calleb now, the police will come." After saying that, Raphael threw a car key toward Calleb. "Use the north exit because the police will come through the private elevator."


    Raine''s eyes blazed with anger that she felt because her demand was being disregarded again and again. She stood up to gather her bearing as she glared at Raphael viciously.


    "I am not going anywhere Raphael. Not until you bring me to Torak." Raine''s voice was so firma as there was not a tinge of warmth inside it.


    Raine didn''t seem fazed and stared at Raphael with intense gaze. This wasn''t the first time for them to see Raine was angry, but this was the first time for them to feel her wrath.


    "Raine, you have to understand the situation." Raphael tried to persuade her, but she was dead- set with her request.


    "What kind of situation? I will not be here and was attacked by those brutal people out there, if it isn''t because of you, who keep Torak''s whereabouts a secret! This chaotic situation will not happen if you just let me know where is Torak and what happened to him until he doesn''t want to see me!?" Raine bellowed in fit of rage.


    "Raine¡­" Raphael was speechless while Calleb and Serefina didn''t want to interfere in this matter.


    But Raine didn''t allow Raphael to talk, she was furious to say the least.


    "Shut up!" Raine shouted from across the room to Raphael. "Do you think I am just a trouble for you?"


    She was offended when Raphael said she didn''t need to involve in this matter when it was her life that was in danger an hour ago.


    Raine even forgot about the thing that had happened inside the car about how the time ticking to the opposite direction.


    They wanted to protect her by keeping her in the dark and just like what Serefina had implied, though Raine hated to admit that she was right, it didn''t help her to grow strong and be responsible enough for herself.


    "I don''t think of you like that, Raine." Raphael kept trying to persuade her. "But, you will be in more trouble if you are exposed to the media about this incident. It has been hard enough to protect you since you stepped out and announced your relationship with Torak."


    Raphael tried to make Raine felt a little bit guilty about this because she had made everyone was having a hard time and implied that it was best for her to keep away from the trouble. He didn''t mean to belittle her effort all this time, but he needed to do this to stop Raine from asking about Torak.


    Little did he know, Raine was fed up with those words.

 Chapter 255 - RAINES DISSAPOINTMENT

    "So, it''s hard to protect me?" Raine said snidely, she gave Raphael a side look before she turned around to walk out of the office. "If you find it hard to protect me then don''t do it." She stated icily.


    Raphael was speechless, he didn''t know since when it became difficult to deal with Raine. She has changed¡­ a lot.


    "Where are you going?" Raphael asked with a frown when he watched Raine went out of the room, it would be good if she followed Raphael''s order to go home with Calleb through the north exit, but he doubted that was what she would do now.


    Raine was too incensed to answer him and just walked away without looking back.


    It was Calleb who ran after her. "I will try to persuade her, well¡­ but, I am not promise." He murmured when he walked past Raphael.


    Calleb managed to catch up to her when she just entered the elevator, the Gamma needed to risk his hand when he tried to stop the metal door from closing in.


    "Raine! I almost lost my hand!" Calleb yelled and cradled his hand dramatically when he entered the same elevator as her. "You don''t even try to hold the door."


    Raine didn''t even give any reaction to Calleb clumsy jokes, she folded her hands in front of her chest while her expression was devoid from any emotions.


    "You know how strict Raphael is¡­ he follows the Alpha''s order." Calleb shook his head. "No, in fact, it''s very hard to disobey an Alpha''s order. It feels like you are against your nature."


    Calleb glanced at Raine, who still didn''t give any reaction. He sighed helplessly. It became harder and harder to talk with stubborn Raine.


    Why her attitude more and more like Torak?


    The elevator opened when they reached the first floor with a soft sound.


    As soon as the metal door opened, Raine stepped out without even looking at Calleb. She took her right and walked straight to the lobby.


    At that moment, Calleb knew that Raine was up to something. "Raine, the north exit is in the opposite direction." Calleb informed her because they were told to take the north exit to go out of the building.


    Just like before, there was no respond from Raine as she strode across the lobby and received many greetings from the staffs, who walked past her, yet none of them was responded by Raine.


    "Raine, where are you going?" With Calleb''s long legs, it was easy to catch up with her pace. "Raine!" He grabbed her hand to stop her from walking straight to the lobby door, where many people where there, police, firefighter, staffs and another media.


    The news of today event surely would shake the entire city once again, just like how Torak announced Raine as his woman.


    It was a good thing that Raine had come to age where she was considered an a.d.u.l.t. So they couldn''t attack them with Raine''s young age, they still talked about the gaping age between the two of them.


    "If you don''t want to tell me where Torak is, fine!" Raine snapped at Calleb. "I will find him!"


    Calleb shook his head. "Raine, the Alpha is not in the place where you can find it easily." He lowered his voice because of the people around them. "Let''s go home first."


    Raine swatted Calleb''s hand away from her as she glared viciously. "Don''t you hear what I said? I will not go back until I find where Torak is and what happened to him."


    "Raine¡­" Calleb wanted to say something, but Raine cut him off icily.


    "Am I your Luna or I just Torak''s mate?" She asked in deep voice.


    Calleb frowned, he didn''t know why Raine asked him that question. "Of course you are the Alpha''s mate, it makes you a Luna."


    Raine bit her lips, just like what she thought. She was the Alpha''s mate, not the Luna of the pack.


    The thought of her that came to their mind was as Torak''s woman first, not as someone who was equal to the Alpha.


    Hence, they would respect her as Torak''s woman, but the title of Luna was only an honor for her to be Torak''s mate, not something that had a specific or significant importance for them.


    Even Calleb and Raphael thought that way¡­


    Raine had to admit that Serefina''s harsh words proved to be true. No one in the pack would look at her, because the one that they looked was someone behind her.


    In the past, it didn''t bother Raine at all, in the past, not to mention to make other people respected her, she was even very grateful if they didn''t try to hurt her.


    However, when Raine came to terms that she wanted to be with Torak and how she felt being loved by someone so much until she wanted to do everything to be able to be with him, she realized she was no longer could stand by and let herself be protected continuously.


    Torak was one of the strongest creature, but that fact didn''t stop his enemies to attack him relentlessly, they would try to find his weakness and the sole weakness that Torak had was Raine.


    His mate.


    Raine didn''t want to be Torak''s weakness point, thus she determined to get stronger and after what she had gone through and all of her effort to push herself to be the better version of her, apparently it wasn''t enough.


    Now, the way they didn''t take her and her words seriously, upset her greatly. She just wanted to meet with Torak and to know what happened to him.


    And the more they tried to hide this matter from her, the more Raine became anxious. Raphael and Calleb''s attitude was only aggravated her further.


    "If you think of me as your Luna, tell me where is Torak." Raine didn''t hold much hope in her words, she had been asking the same thing with no avail in different sentences.


    "I am sorry, I can''t¡­" Calleb looked apologetically, he stretched out his hand to take Raine''s hand, but once again Raine refused to be touched.


    And then it happened.

 Chapter 256 - WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO TORAK!?

    The moment Raine''s skin made a contact with Calleb, she saw the same image like what she had seen when she touched Sunny this afternoon.


    The blurry image of something¡­ or someone?


    At first, Raine couldn''t make the outline of the image and was having a hard time to figure out what was that, but since this had happened before, this time, Raine wasn''t as panic as the first one.


    She waited until that images gradually materialized into shape and the color was being apparent to see.


    Raine thought it was a shape of a bear¡­ white bear¡­ however, once that image fell into her sight vividly, she knew an instant what was that¡­


    At the same time Raine could hear an ears- piercing scream, the sound of it was so painful until Raine had to cover both of her ears so she couldn''t hear it, because for some reason she felt her heart tugged ruthlessly when she heard that.


    Only when she felt someone shook her body, Raine realized it was her own voice, she was the one who was screaming until her throat was dry.


    "Raine, what happen!?" Calleb''s panic voice gradually registered to her mind as she hyperventilated.


    Many people who were in the lobby was alarmed by Raine sudden outburst, they zeroed their attention on her and couldn''t get it why suddenly their future lady boss was screaming out of nowhere.


    "Raine, let''s get away from here." Calleb glanced at the staff around them and felt this wouldn''t be good if they stayed.


    Calleb helped Raine to walk to the nearest room as she was stumbled a couple of time and Calleb couldn''t casually carry her away. It was fine if there was only their kind, they knew Raine and his position, but in human eyes it would create another stupid rumor.


    [Raph, come down here.] Calleb mind linked the Beta. [Bring Serefina with you.]


    [What happened? I am talking with the police now.] Raphael replied almost immediately, but his voice laced with worry, as if he had expected Raine would do something about meeting Torak.


    [Let the other person to handle that. Raine suddenly just had an outburst and I don''t know how to handle her. She has panic attack at the moment.] Calleb tried to explain their condition.


    As Calleb was about to enter the nearby empty room, he talked to one of the female staff. "Bring me a glass of warm water and don''t let anyone enter this room."


    "Yes, Mr. Watson." She nodded her head and went to get a glass of water from the pantry.


    [Serefina is on the way there, I will go after I talk with the police.] Raphael said and cut the mind link.


    Calleb pushed the door open and help Raine to sit down on one of the chair inside the room. This was a small meeting room with six chairs and a round table in the middle, the dominant color in this room was grey that exuded coldness.


    Raine had stopped whimpering, but she hugged her trembling body with tears brimming on her eyes.


    Calleb took a seat in front of her and looked at her with worry, he was afraid Raine would have a mental breakdown, but the problem was; he didn''t know what that trigger Raine''s sudden outburst.


    "Raine¡­ what was going on?" Calleb patted Raine''s shoulder. He tried to remember what he had said before Raine let out an ear- piercing scream.


    Yet, Calleb couldn''t remember something that triggered her. The last thing that he said to her was his rejection to let her know where Torak was.


    Rained sniffled and rubbed her tears roughly from her face, she wanted to say something, but her voice choked on her sobs.


    Calleb pulled her into his warm embrace and caressed her back to calm her down.


    At the same time, a woman who he had asked to bring a glass of warm water came inside the room without even knocking the door.


    This, of course, startled not only Calleb but also the woman as well.


    Calleb could see the look in her eyes that indicated she had a wrong idea about the situation that she witnessed.


    In the eyes of outsiders, Calleb was nothing but Torak''s one of trusted man, but surely he couldn''t be compared with Raphael.


    However now, he was hugging Torak Donovan''s woman, who was crying, as he tried to soothe her emotion by caressing her back. Wasn''t that too intimate for someone with status like Calleb?


    Calleb sighed helplessly, another drama was on its way.


    He knew how those human''s curiosity would lead them to jump into wrong conclusion and judged the situation based on what they saw.


    But, Calleb didn''t have time for it now. "Put the glass on the table and go."


    "Ah, yes¡­" The woman snapped back from her initial shock and hurriedly put the glass down on the table before she left both of them behind the close door.


    She glanced with furrowed brows for the last time at the closed door before she left.


    Inside the room.


    Raine was receiving the warm water and gulped it down until it only half. She looked slightly calm after that.


    Yet, the moment she stared at Calleb it wasn''t a pitiful gaze, but the hateful one. Calleb was caught out of guard when he received that kind of eyes from Raine.


    What did he do wrong that made her look at him with hatred?


    "Raine¡­?" Calleb swallowed his salive.


    A moment ago, they were having a fine argument about Torak''s whereabouts, but then Raine suddenly screamed on the top of her lungs that terrified Calleb, after that she cried painfully as if something really bad had happened, and now she glared at him with hatred.


    "Why are you giving me that look?" Calleb asked, puzzled.


    Right, he was right when he thought; recently, Raine resembled Torak a lot when she got angry, in ''softer'' version of course.


    But, it still sent fear down Calleb''s spine when he looked into those obsidian eyes.


    "What have you done to Torak!?" Raine asked through her gritted teeth.

 Chapter 257 - A WHITE LYCAN BOUND IN CHAINS

    "What?" Calleb blinked his eyes couple of time, unsure about what Raine asked him. "What do you mean? What have I done?" He was at lost.


    Not long after that, before Raine could talk further, someone opened the door and Serefina appeared from behind the door.


    This time, Raine''s vicious eyes shifted toward the witch. "You know it, right?!"


    "What?" Serefina looked at Calleb, asking the unspoken question about what was going on and what Raine meant by her question.


    "What have you done to Torak?!" Raine screamed furiously because they were still pretending that they knew nothing.


    Calleb was still trying to comprehend with Raine''s unending question while Serefina, seemingly, had caught on something.


    "Did you see something?" Serefina narrowed her eyes as she stared right into Raine''s fierce one.


    "I saw him." Raine''s voice was trembling because of the emotion that she tried hard to suppress.


    "Him? Do you mean Torak?" Serefina clenched her jaw tightly, her question slightly sounded strain.


    "Yes." The tensed of the atmosphere was hard to ignore at this moment. Raine opened and shut her mouth continuously until she recited to Serefina and Calleb about what she had seen the moment she touched the Gamma earlier.


    There was a howl. An inhuman howl. The sound was low and ragged and full of pain.


    It was a cool, damp room. That place was almost like a prison.


    Gazing into the darkness, she could feel someone held her by her shoulder and when she lifted her head to see who it was; the familiar eyes stared back at her, it was Calleb, he whispered something to Raien''s ear. "Don''t worry."


    Though Calleb said that, but Raine could feel the hand that held her shoulder tightened.


    Calleb guided her as they desended the stairs. She moved slower now, more cautious. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, a faint light flickered.


    To her horror, Raine found herself staring down a hallway of old forgotten jail cells. This place had been a prison once.


    The same sound. The same deep growl emanated from one of the cells, overwhelming her with fear.


    The growl was followed by a sorrowful whine. Raine felt the urge to run, but the hand that held her shoulder prevented her from doing so.


    As Calleb pushed open the door, that was when Raine saw him.


    A white Lycan bound in chains.


    His white fur stained with dirt and blood as he was trying hard to free himself from this wretch place.


    He stood on his hind legs with broad shoulders and sharp, lengthy canines protruding from his gums. Coiled around his body were dozens of metal chains, bolted to the wall.


    The white Lycan wanted to move toward her, but the shackles wouldn''t let him.


    The white Lycan yelped as if he were a pup in the sight of Raine¡­


    And the sight killed her¡­


    "What you have done to him?" A tear fell from Raine''s cheeks with the thought of the white Lycan that was shackled to the wall and the way he looked at her. "You torture him."


    Was he asking for help?


    Did Torak need her now?


    Was he in danger?


    Unanswered questions roamed around Raine''s head, giving her nothing but the feeling of helpless.


    If she could, Raine would go straight to him, no matter where he was.


    Torak needed her, she could feel it deep in her heart, in every breath that she took. Torak needed his mate and Raine was at a loss where he was.


    Nobody wanted to tell her.


    Though what Raine experienced was only last for a second, but it felt like eternity for her the moment she saw the excruciating pain from the beast eyes.


    "Is that true?" Calleb was flabbergasted, his eyes fixed on Serefina. "Is that what you did to Torak there!?" He was mad when the witch said nothing, as if she confirmed Raine''s accusation.


    Or, maybe it was no longer an accusation, but actually it was the truth?


    "Raine. I swear. I know nothing about this." Calleb raised his arms, emphasizing that he was innocent.


    Raphael just told him that Torak had a bad backlash because of his battle with the devil and he needed to recuperate, that was why they needed to bring him right away to their territory.


    But, Calleb was clueless about Torak''s real condition, he even had no chance to meet him in person when Raphael and Torak went back to the Red River City.


    In the other hand, Raine had reached the point that she didn''t care whether Calleb knew about this or not, all she wanted was for them to let her know where Torak was.


    "Tell me, where is he?" Raine asked in deep voice, there was no warm in the way she talked. She even dared enough to approach Serefina and faced her head on.


    "I can''t tell you." Serefina said impassively.


    The same answered that Raine didn''t even want to hear, something burned inside her as her vision grew darker, yet before she could lose it to the sudden force that tried to take over her consciousness, Serefina added her words.


    "But, you can follow me." Serefina was squinted her eyes when she watched something dark and malevolent in Raine''s eyes.


    Raine sighed a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to get rid a thousand malicious things inside her mind to have her way.


    Calleb was utterly speechless this time, he couldn''t disobey his Alpha''s order, but it wasn''t him who had told Raine about Torak''s whereabouts, right?


    Should he stop her?


    That thought disappeared as fast as it appeared the moment he watched how intimidating Raine''s look now.


    "Hey, you!" Serefina pointed Calleb with her chin. "Mind- link Raphael to book flight to red river city. We will wait in the parking lot."


    Scratching his nose, Calleb asked. "Aren''t we not allowed to tell Raine?"


    The witch frowned when she heard his question. "I didn''t tell her." She denied righteously. "I ask her to come with me."

 Chapter 258 - CAN YOU SEE MY CONCERN?

    "I didn''t tell her, I ask her to come with me." Serefina said righteously.


    Calleb was utterly speechless when he heard that. He didn''t know what to say.


    Didn''t that also mean he couldn''t be blamed too if the Alpha met Raine later? He didn''t say anything at all, right?


    He just¡­ let this passed¡­


    Because Calleb didn''t want to hear Raphael was nagging at him, he resolved to inform the Beta through message instead of mind linked him directly.


    Raphael must be still with the police right now, it wouldn''t be good if suddenly he had a panic attack, because of what he was going to say, right?


    Calleb knew, Raphael was hell- bend to follow every order of his Alpha, sometime he just followed him blindly.


    After Calleb sent Raphael a message, he followed Raine and Serefina out of the room, heading to the parking lot.


    He was worried both women would start to fight again.


    When he was in the lobby, apparently the crowd had dispersed and the burning car had been moved. The situation returned to normal.


    ==============


    Inside the car, where Raine and Serefina were sitting on the back seat, Calleb glanced at the elevator door, which went straight to Torak''s office, they were waiting for Raphael to deal with the police before they could leave to red river city.


    The atmosphere was so tensed and thick until one could cut it with a knife.


    After they were waiting for thirty minutes, finally three polices came out from the elevator along with Raphael who followed behind them.


    They exchanged a few words before the three polices, who were asking about the chronological of the actual event, went away and headed toward their car.


    Raphael was waiting for a long time before the car was out of his sight before he strode toward the car where the three of them had been waiting for him.


    Calleb had told him about what Serefina did and about Raine''s vision about Torak, but Raphael still felt not right about this.


    Thus, he didn''t directly get inside the car, instead, he bent his body and knocked on Raine''s window.


    The black glass of the window of the car rolled down and revealed Raine''s impatient expression.


    "Raine¡­" Raphael just started when Raine cut him off mercilessly.


    "Shut up and get on the car." Raine ordered him icily, afterward, she rolled the window up again, didn''t even give Raphael a chance to say another word.


    Beside Raine, Serefina glanced at her, as there was a slight furrow between her eyebrows.


    At this moment, Raphael didn''t know how to deal with the current Raine and for some reason, he felt, Raine looked more brave and rude.


    Not only that. What the vision that Raine had seen that Calleb was talking about in his message?


    Besides traveling back to the past, did she have other abilities?


    [Why suddenly Serefina breaks her promise to the Alpha?] Raphael asked, he occasionally would glance at Raine through the rearview mirror.


    "What happened to Mark and the other Lycan, who was in the same car as me?" Raine asked after a long silence inside the car.


    Raine remembered how Mark had tried to protect her from the blast of the explosion. She knew that Lycan has a remarkable healing ability, but she would also feel so bad if something major happened to him.


    "Don''t worry, with that wound, he will be find within two days." Calleb answered. "But, he needs to stay in the hospital at least for two weeks, because no human will be able to recuperate so fast with injury like him."


    "Mm¡­" Raine mumbled before she stared at the road through the window.


    ==============


    On the private plane, Raine was exhausted because she didn''t have time to rest this whole day, thus as soon as they got on the plane, she fell asleep without her knowing.


    Across from Raine, Serefina was staring at her with complicated emotion while Raphael, who was sitting next to Raine, realized this and gave the witch a questioning look.


    The dark night and the moonlight accompanied the private plane flew across the starry sky from the Fulbright city to the red river city.


    Calleb sighed in his sleep while resting his head against the partition next to him. This would take around four hours, so he needed to use the time wisely.


    Not only Raphael, recently, Calleb was so busy until he was hardly had enough time to rest.


    But, none of Raine and Calleb wanted to use the bedroom inside the plane, they chose to stay there along with Serefina and Raphael.


    "Have you thought about your decision carefully?" Raphael asked in low voice, he didn''t want to wake them up.


    "Not really." Serefina shrugged her shoulder. "But that decision was the best way to solve the problem at that time. "


    Raphael narrowed his eyes on Serefina, didn''t even believe a word from her.


    "What do you think had happened to those reporters? It''s impossible if they turned crazy out of the blue." Raphael tried to figure this thing out, but there were many strange variables for his conclusion.


    "Dark witch." Serefina answered him. "The devil." She continued. "Both creatures have the ability to possess the darker side of human heart."


    "Dark witch and the Devil¡­" Raphael mumbled. "Not so long, we received news about the affiliation between the witch and the vampire."


    "Witch from northern coven?" Serefina asked.


    "Yes." Raphael nodded. "Seemingly, the dark creatures has started to make their move. Lately, they are getting bolder."


    "They are anxiously waiting for the rise of their glory again, just like in the past." Serefina yawned tiredly, her head ached because there were so many things to think. "The resurrection of the guardian angel is the sign for it."


    "We will have another war in the near future." Raphael concluded.  "Those creatures will target her starting for now." He looked at Raine''s sleeping face with complicated emotions


    "Angels have always been targets even since ancient times." Serfina stared at Raine too. "Now can you see my concern?"

 Chapter 259 - THE DEVILS PLOT

    "Let''s focus on the problem at hand first." Raphael rubbed his face roughly to get rid of his tiredness.


    Once again the silent fell on them as both Serefina and Raphael were in a deep thought regarding various matters.


    "How long do you think Torak''s condition will last?" Raphael broke the silent between them, he tilted his head at Serefina, curious to know what the witch was thinking now, she has been looking at Raine strangely ever since they boarded the plane.


    "I don''t know, I have never very fond of Lycan, so I am lacking of knowledge about your kind." There was sarcasm and ironic fact in the way Serefina spoke.


    How she could say that she wasn''t very fond of Lycan while she had had relationship centuries ago with one of the greatest Lycan.


    Yet, Raphael was wise enough to not bring this matter up. This was a rare occasion for both of them for having a peace conversation, thus he didn''t want to ruin it by provoked the witch''s patient.


    "May I know why are you staring at her that way?" Raphael changed the topic, if Serefina said she didn''t know how to fix Torak''s condition, than that might be true.


    Serefina shifted her gaze from Raine to Raphael''s face. She wanted to make a sharp remark, but then the serene that engulfed them made her held back her tongue.


    "I feel something is off with her." Serefina said calmly. "Giving to her nature, she becomes unreasonably very bold."


    Raphael glanced at Raine beside him and sighed. "The situation forced her to be like that in order to survive." Then he stared at Serefina. "Isn''t this the attitude that you want for her to have?"


    "Yes¡­" Serefina replied doubtfully, as if she wasn''t sure about it. "Courage is needed for every creatures, not to mention those who were born to lead. It is only right for a Luna to be bold and hold her ground steadily."


    "But¡­?" Raphael could feel the contradiction in Serefina''s way to talk. Though that was what she was saying, but Raphael could hear the dubiousness in her voice.


    "I am thinking about the book." Serefina leaned back against her seat.


    "The book?" Raphael frowned. "Which book?"


    "The book that the shadow warrior gave to her and claimed it was a grimoire that we have been looking for." Serefina explained as Raphael knew what Raine and she were searching for when they traveled back to the past.


    "What happened with that book?" Raphael didn''t understand why Serefina was talking about that book when they were talking about Raine''s recent behavior.


    "That book has her blood on it." Serefina caught a glimpse of that book and the small wound in Raine''s hand. "The blood of the guardian angel could be a cure for some creatures but could be a poison for the rest."


    "What do you want to say?" Raphael leaned over at Serefina, suddenly felt restless by this fact. He then contemplated, trying to put pieces of his memories about that day in the library. "Lucifer has the book and the blood also¡­"


    "Yes¡­" Serefina nodded. "I don''t know what he is plotting with Raine''s blood, but it must be something that doesn''t benefit us."


    "And the shadow warrior helped him to achieve that¡­" Even though the shadow warrior was his enemy as he coveted their Luna, but Raphael didn''t think that he would do any harm on Raine. Raine had told him about how he had saved her a couple of time, that was why she had a fight with Torak before.


    Because Raine spoke for him and it incurred the Alpha''s wrath.


    "I don''t think the shadow warrior will intentionally try to hurt her." Serefina twirled her short hair between her fingers as she thought about it. "I was there when the village of angel was still existed and I know very well how protective the shadow warrior to the guardian angel who was bestowed to them."


    "She is the Alpha''s mate." Somehow Raphael was irked when Serefina implied that their Luna belong to another random creatures.


    "I didn''t say she is not." Serefina refuted. "The possibilities are; whether the shadow warrior was being fooled by Lucifer, this is the most possible case, or both of them planned this together."


    "Either way, it will not good for us." Raphael concluded.


    "Hmm." Serefina mumbled.


    "Do you think that the attack this afternoon has anything to do with this?" Something was clicked in his mind when Serefina mentioned about the devil''s plot with the book, which has Raine''s blood on it.


    "There will always be a possibility for that." Serefina was unsure with her answer. "We need to find out more about this."


    The rest of two hours filled with another silent before they arrived in red river city.


    ==============


    At the other place, inside a gloomy room that lack of light, where the only living things there were those creatures from the dark, a man in golden eyes stared at the red liquid inside the wine glass in his hand.


    "This the book that you mentioned?" Another man with brown eyes and skin as pale as the dead people, lifted the book beside Lucifer carefully.


    His straight black hair was combed to the back of his head and tied into a man bun, his eyes slightly narrowed, but it couldn''t conceal the excitement in those eyes.


    When he saw Lucifer nodded lazily, that man brought the book to his nose and smell it. To be exact, he smelled the spot where it looked darker, something tainted the cover of the black book.


    Once he took a whiff of it, his eyes rolled back as his sharp breath was clear to hear. He groaned in pleasure of the scent.


    "What creature is this¡­?" He asked throatily, gripping the book tightly and sniffed it again with addiction.


    But, the next second, the book disappeared from his hand and at the same time reappeared at the hand of a woman, who was sitting across from the two men.

 Chapter 260 - PLEASE DONT JUDGE HIM

    "Is it the angel that you had mentioned before?" The woman has a long black hair with dark lips that looked like always smiling, but her vicious eyes were saying otherwise.


    "I forgot to thank you for those people¡­" Lucifer said lightly without a hint of gratefulness, though he was smiling when he said that.


    ''Those people'' that Lucifer meant was the group of reporters that had acted brutal toward Raine.


    Just like what Serefina had expected, someone pulled the string behind that strange attack, but it wasn''t only the devil or the witch that had possessed them, but it was both of them that had worked together.


    "No need for the formality, it''s my pleasure to create a little bit noise in this calm realm." The witch traced her long fingers on the surface of the book. "Young blood¡­" She muttered faintly, but it was enough for the two men, to hear that.


    "What do you mean with the young blood?" The pale man asked impassively, yet his eyes zeroed in the book in the witch''s hands. He really wanted to take a sniff of that blood again.


    He had never smelled something so addictive like that.


    "This angel is still not at the peak of her power." The witch said nonchalantly. "You need her to be more powerful than this to be useful for you."


    Lucifer raised his eyebrows. "I plan to kill her before she becomes more powerful than this." He said offhandedly. "I am powerful enough to not use her."


    The witch clicked her tongue, annoyed by Lucifer statement. "Don''t inflate your pride in this matter, once she is in the peak of her power and within your grasp, you will see how easy to crush the world beneath you." The witch sneered. "It has long been confirmed that angels will increase your strength. Don''t be so righteous by not taking the chance when it presents in front of you."


    Lucifer scoffed and gulped down his wine. "Just do what I said, if I change my mind, I will tell you."


    The devil didn''t like to be advised and questioned about his decision, but the witch''s words tempted him in some point.


    "She has many advantages for you if she lives than she dies." It was every witch nature to act ignorant, so she also didn''t take Lucifer''s attitude seriously. "My question is; is she really the Alpha''s mate?"


    "Mm. I don''t believe it at first, but seeing that Lycan reacted when I threatened her, I think it is true¡­" Lucifer drank the wine from its bottle.


    "Do other devils know about this?" The witch asked curiously.


    "I think Belphegor knows about it since Lilith is always with him recently and also that Lycan female with him. She confirmed that the information is true, after all she was expelled because she tried to harm the girl." It was so rare for the devil to talk a lot, but he had known the witch in front of him for long time ago, since the downfall of the dark.


    "Wait." The pale man straightened his back, as if he just woke up from his delirious state. "Did you just say that the Alpha has a mate? No way, he was cursed by the Moon Goddess herself."


    "And the Moon Goddess herself has the ability to lift the curse." The witch concluded.


    "And makes that weak creature called guardian angel to be his mate? Isn''t that another curse?" It was well known how the Lycanthropes despised weak creature like guardian angel.


    But, now Torak Donovan was actually having a mate from that kind? Wasn''t that because the Moon Goddess wanted to mock him?


    "Don''t underestimate the mate bond of the shape- shifter." The witch lifted the book in her hand and scrutinized it, as she continued to talk. "Weak creature? I don''t think so¡­ the guardian angel''s condition is unique, but it doesn''t mean they are weak."


    The witch had another opinion about this, after all the fact that most of the creatures were looking for the guardian angel to sap their power, was something that they couldn''t oversee.


    Their physic maybe weak, but it didn''t apply to the power that they were holding.


    The pale man sneered upon hearing the witch''s words, he looked at Lucifer, who was sitting next to him. "Say a word and I will kill that creature for you." He said haughtily as a devilish smirk appeared on the corner of his lips. "Of course, after I drained all of her blood¡­"


    "Do it if you can." Lucifer chuckled and gave the permission.


    While in the other hand, the witch narrowed her eyes because Lucifer had completely disregarded her advice to nurture the guardian angel and used her for their own benefit.


    "What are you planning to do with the shadow guard?" The witch tapped her finger on the stain of blood on the surface of the book. "You didn''t keep your word when you promised him that you will not harm the girl."


    "That is why you don''t make a deal with a devil." Lucifer smirked devilishly.


    ==============


    When they arrived at the red river city, the sky was still dark. It was two hours away before the sun would rise.


    Once the plane had landed, the lights in the cabin turned on and the four of them stood up and prepared to leave the plane.


    They exited out onto the tarmac and the harsh wind greeted their small group. Raine needed to take a shield behind Calleb''s broad shoulder to cover her face from it.


    A man in his twenty approached Calleb and gave a polite nod for the rest of the small group, he talked something to Raphael that Raine couldn''t hear before they followed him to the large SUV that had been waiting for them near the terminal.


    As they didn''t bring any luggage they didn''t need to wait for that before they got into the car and the man handed the car key to Raphael.


    This time, it was Raphael who was driving. "Raine, I just want to remind you. Whatever you will see later, I hope you will not judge Torak by that."

 Chapter 261 - MY DEAR, GO HOME PLEASE

    Raine felt uneasy with what Raphael told her. She had seen Torak''s condition in her vision and aside from anger because of the way they treated Torak, Raine didn''t find a reason to hate him, but why Raphael made it as if Torak had turned into utterly repulsive creature?


    "I will not, why would I?" Raine could feel a strange anger rose up in her throat.


    "I am just saying." Raphael yielded, he started the engine and drove the SUV away.


    Lately, Raine became easier to be irritated by a small thing or maybe it was the fact because Raphael had prevented her to meet Torak many times, so it was safe for Raphael to not take her bad side and provoke her further.


    It took another one hour and half from the airport to Torak''s location.


    At first, Raine thought they would go to the raven city where the pack house was located, however the road was different from the last time Raine was there.


    The further they drive, the less people and cars that they saw.


    And when finally the sun had arisen, they arrived at a big blue house with gargoyle statue on each sides of the big double gates.


    Raphael honked the car twice before a man came out from the side of the car. This made Raine startled and let out stifled scream.


    "It''s okay Raine¡­" Calleb turned around and chuckled. "He is a lycan too."


    "I know¡­" Raine whined when she saw the man that was bulkier than Mark with his beard reached the front of his big stomach.


    How big he was in his Lycan''s form? This irrelevant questions flew in her minds for a few seconds.


    After the huge man saw Raphael, he bowed his head in submission and proceeded to open the gates for them to enter the vast yard with lushes of trees along the way to the main house.


    This place was elegant and the main house, which wasn''t very big, was hidden behind old trees on both side.


    The house was painted in white with many windows that allowed someone from the outside to see the inside of the house clearly.


    Raine was stunned with this beautiful building before her eyes.


    When they stepped on the threshold Calleb stood beside her and nudged her side with his elbow. "This is only camouflage, the real function of this building is in the underground." He said in low voice.


    "What is in the underground?" As she asked the question, the memory of the place where Torak was being held, flew in her mind, reminded her about how terrifying that place.


    "You will see it soon." Calleb grimaced.


    Compared to the dungeon that they had in raven village, this place was worse than that, though the exterior of this place was so beautiful and admiring. Calleb himself has only been here once.


    "Raine, you are here!?" A familiar voice greeted them when they just stepped inside the house.


    It was Belinda, the middle age lady ran toward Raine and pulled her into her tight hug as she rubbed her back excitedly.


    Belinda and Serefina shared the same blood from their father, the pure blood witch, but from appearance, people would think Belinda as Serefina''s mother, this was because the werewolf''s blood in her.


    The werewolf indeed has long life span, but it wasn''t as long as the lycan and their appearance would start to change after their age reached more than four hundred years, so it was understandable that Belinda looked older than Serefina as she has the pure blood.


    "Belinda?" Raine reciprocated her hug in puzzled, she even forgot when the last time she met Belinda in the Fulbright city.


    The last time she remembered, Belinda was helping her to dress in her eighteen birthday party, where Torak announced their relationship to the public.


    Afterward, she was told that Belinda was taking care of Serefina when she had a backlash from sapping the Luna of the Lycanthropes''s power when they traveled back to the past and then, Raine had never heard about her again.


    "Oh, wait!" Belinda suddenly pushed her away from her, her eyes widened when she stared at Raphael. "Why she is here? The Alpha had specifically told you to not let Raine knows about it."


    Raine could feel her heart was being tugged ruthlessly by Belinda''s words. Why Torak was so adamant to not let her know about his condition? Wasn''t she his mate?


    Torak told her himself that they would do things together, but why she was being left in the dark? Raine had to admit that she was disappointed and upset by Torak''s decision.


    "You can ask to your sister over here." It was Calleb who answered Belinda''s question, he glanced at Serefina beside him provocatively.


    "Does it make you feel much better to throw the blame on me?" Serefina raised her eyebrows. "Don''t pretend that you don''t want to let Raine know about this. You don''t even stop me." She sneered and walked ahead arrogantly.


    It was true that Calleb wanted to tell Raine about Torak''s whereabouts, but because he bounded to obey his Alpha''s order, he couldn''t do that.


    Thankfully, with Serefina''s cunningness, she managed to solve the problem. So, Calleb didn''t have the right to blame her for this when he has the same intention like the witch.


    "Serefina! You can''t let her to meet with Torak, now!" Belinda yelled at her half- sister. "You didn''t keep your words!"


    Serefina turned around with frown, his lime green eyes looked brighter when she stared down at Belinda. "Your Alpha didn''t say anything about; it wasn''t allowed to bring her directly here, he just asked me to not let Raine knew this place." She said smartly, finding mishap in Torak''s order.


    "You are so shameless." Belinda hissed and then she turned around to face Raine as her expression softened. "Raine, my dear, just go home please¡­ you don''t want to see Torak in his current state."


    Unexpectedly, Raine laughed cynically at Belinda''s plea and when she stopped, she spoke icily. "It is on me whether I want to see Torak or not."

 Chapter 262 - MEET THE BEAST

    Belinda blinked her eyes a couple of times when she heard that, Raine''s sharp remark was something that she never expected to hear. It wasn''t like her to hurt other people''s feeling by rude comment.


    In the other hand, Serefina and Raphael narrowed their eyes with Raine''s attitude. They could understand if Raine was angry and spoke rudely at them, but Belinda was someone that, you could say, close to her and she had never wronged her.


    But then, Raine pouted sullenly and spoke softly. "I want to meet Torak¡­ why he doesn''t want to see me?" She lowered her head sadly, she even bit her lips, the habit that she has whenever she felt anxious.


    Out of instinct, Belinda patted her head, though she was still puzzled. "Torak¡­" She cleared her throat to get rid her shock. "Torak not in his best condition now¡­ he didn''t want you to see him right now, not because he doesn''t want to see you, but his condition is not allowed him."


    Raine shook her head. "I still want to see him. I have come so far and I will not go home before I see him."


    With that being said, Raine walked past Belinda and stood beside Serefina, she looked at the witch lime green eyes expectantly.


    "Bring me to Torak, please." Raine pleaded.


    If those people kept trying to prevent her from seeing Torak, then Raine knew who was at her side. Serefina was a hateful person in some occasion, but she always stood her ground and Raine was sure about that.


    If the witch said she would bring her to Torak, then that was exactly what she would do, no matter what.


    "Should I the one who leads the way?" Serefina stared at Raphael, Calleb and Belinda.


    Belinda looked anxiously at Raphael. "You can''t bring her down there." She said in pleading tone. "The beast is not stable."


    "Maybe¡­ if Raine is there she could help him¡­?" Calleb voiced out his own thought gingerly.


    "What do you mean she could help?!" Belinda snapped at the Gamma.


    "She is the Alpha''s mate after all." Calleb shrugged his shoulder, he shifted his gaze toward Raphael. "You said it yourself that the bond between the Alpha and Raine is strong enough for her to overcome her fear, why don''t you think it will work the same way for the Alpha?"


    Calleb''s statement, somehow silenced both Raphael and Belinda as those possibilities circulated inside their brain.


    "Wow! Impressive! Sometime if you use your brain correctly, you are not that bad." Serefina flattered Calleb in mocking tone.


    "What did you say!?" Serefina''s words irked Calleb. It was hard for having a peaceful conversation with Serefina on the picture.


    Ignoring the angry Gamma, Serefina spoke impatiently toward Raphael. "You know she will not go back without seeing Torak." She glanced at Raine beside her. "Unless you hit her head hard enough to put her into a coma for a couple of days, or else she will keep nagging at you until she sees Torak."


    This time, it wasn''t the three people there who were frowning at Serefina, but Raine also shot a dagger- look at her.


    What kind of solution was that? Was she out of her mind?


    "Why? Am I wrong?" Serefina asked in confusion innocently, seeing those people glared at her. "So, we will go now or we have to wait until new year?"


    Raine closed her eyes because Raphael still has not decided yet. "Lead the way please." She said to Serefina.


    "Over here." It was Raphael who strode across the room and walked past Raine and Serefina, heading to the left side of the house.


    Raine followed him eagerly as Calleb tailed behind her.


    However, when Belinda was about to follow them, Serefina held her shoulder to stop her from coming with them to the underground where they kept the beast.


    "What?" Belinda frowned when she saw Serefina''s hand on her shoulder. She disliked her, but not to the point that she hated her, yet for Serefina to touch her, it felt odd.


    "Stay, there is something that I want to ask you." Serefina said as she walked toward different direction.


    Serefina didn''t need to see to know that Belinda was following her out of the house.


    ==============


    Raphael pushed open a black door in the end of the corridor, he held the door open, so Raine and Calleb could go first.


    Behind the door was a long corridor that lack of light. There was only dying light from the lamp above them that didn''t offer much help to illuminate their path.


    And as soon as Raine stepped in, there was a howl. An inhuman howl. The sound was low and ragged and full of pain.


    Gazing into the darkness, Raine could feel someone held her by her shoulder and knew almost immediately that it was Calleb, he whispered something to Raine''s ear. "Don''t worry." The same words that he told Raine in her vision, as his hand tightened on her shoulder.


    Calleb guided her as they descended the stairs. Raine moved slower and more cautious. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, a faint light flickered.


    At the end of the stairs, it was a hallway of old forgotten jail cells. This place had been a prison once.


    The same sound. The same deep growl emanated from one of the cells. The growl was followed by a sorrowful whine.


    Calleb stepped forward and as he pushed open the door, that was when Raine saw him.


    A white Lycan bound in chains.


    The sight of the beast now, killed her¡­ this was the same beast that appeared in her vision.


    It was Torak¡­


    His white fur stained with dirt and blood as he was trying hard to free himself from this wretch place.


    The beast stood on his hind legs with broad shoulders and sharp, lengthy canines protruding from his gums. Coiled around his body were dozens of metal chains, bolted to the wall.


    When Raine was in vicinity, the beast caught her scent and raised his snout as if he was checking the air before his red eyes fell on Raine.

 Chapter 263 - SHE CAUSED MORE HARM TO HIM

    Raine felt her body was shivering from the intense stare from the beast.


    And then, another rumbled of the clanking chains when the white Lycan struggled to get himself free from the shackles that held him.


    The white Lycan wanted to move toward her, but the shackles wouldn''t let him.


    Raine didn''t know what she should do right now, because the sight killed her inside.


    Standing rooted, Raine breathed raggedly as she couldn''t even move a single finger.


    The vision that she had seen before this had warned her that it was something that she would see once she decided to ignore Raphael and Belinda''s admonition to not meet with Torak for meantime.


    At this point, Raine must have prepared herself, but the truth said otherwise, she was still shaken up by the sight of the beast.


    Raine was overwhelmed by various complicated emotions. Sad, helpless, afraid, anxious, nervous, shocked and many more¡­


    Because the beast couldn''t get himself freed from the chains that restrained him, the white Lycan begun to yelp as if he were a pup in the sight of Raine¡­


    He wanted her close to him¡­ the scent of her drove him crazy as his eyes were filled with longing¡­


    "What you have done to him?" A tear fell from Raine''s cheeks with the sight of the way of the white Lycan looked at her. "You torture him¡­" She mumbled helplessly.


    The beast red eyes stared at Raine''s black one with painful gaze as she had sudden urge to run toward him and wrapped him in his arms, buried her head in his soft fur, to calm him down.


    "Released him¡­" Raine muttered in low voice.


    But, Raphael shook his head resolutely. "We can''t do that Raine." He said apologetically. "The chains that held him have been charmed with powerful spell."


    Raine''s eyes traced the chains that bolted to the wall and kept the Lycan in his place, giving no chance for him to move an inch.


    How torturous this must be for Torak to be treated this way. Wasn''t he their Alpha, but why they could do this to him?


    "This is for his own safety too, Raine." Raphael answered Raine''s unspoken question, by looking from her face, it was easy to read what was going on in her mind.


    Raine didn''t believe him and was still thinking that he was torturing his own Alpha.


    Calleb, who almost as stunned as Raine, spoke in rigid voice. "What happened with the Alpha?" He remembered the last time he saw Torak in his human''s form, his eyes were still the color of red even though Raine closed to him and was not in danger.


    But, the beast still surged to the surface.


    That could only happen if¡­


    "Raph, is it¡­ just the beast?" Calleb asked hesitantly.


    Raine stared at Raphael and Calleb, she lost her words to ask about what happened, but it was reflected from her eyes, there was hundreds of unspoken questions that roamed around her head.


    "Torak is not in balance condition, his beast stronger than his human side." Raphael frowned when once again the beast tried to break free from the chains that held him back.


    The metal rumbling sound echoed through the entire room. This wasn''t a big room, it could only fit twenty people for the very most and there was only one door.


    Raine felt her heart was being tugged ruthlessly when she watched Torak''s condition. How this thing could happen?


    "How?" A soft whisper- question escaped her lips. "How he could be like this?"


    Raphael grimaced once again when the beast let out a painful howl as his bloody eyes fixed on the figure of small girl, who was on the verge of breaking down. "This is a result of a series of events."


    "What do you mean?" Raine''s eyes met the beast and she felt unexplainable connection between them.


    "When the first time he left you," Raphael started. "He wasn''t angry at you. He was upset to himself that he couldn''t protect you properly and how regretful he was for the harsh words that he had said toward you and caused you cry."


    Raine remembered that day, the moment Torak had an outburst when he thought Raine was taking Aeon''s side.


    Raine felt extremely bad¡­


    "Even though it''s against his nature, but he realizes you have to become stronger and gain your own power in order to protect yourself, because no matter how hard he tried to keep you safe, the dangers that lurk around you, many of time, are something that he couldn''t control." Raphael shook his head in regret. "Especially when you suddenly travelled back to the past time."


    The beast growled and his fangs bared. He looked to be in constant state of aggression and agitation after he wasn''t able to move closer to the girl.


    "And what happened after that?" Raine''s voice was so small, she couldn''t afford to cry again. Even her tears couldn''t ease the pain that she felt right now.


    "We went to find the cure for Serefina, because Torak thought it was the only way to help you, as Serefina the only person who knows your condition better." Raphael spoke everything truthfully.


    He had brought Raine to this place, which an instant had broken the order of his Alpha, thus, since he had committed offenses, he would just go all the way to telling the truth to Raine.


    "He was injured when we returned and gave the cure to Serefina, yet when we were at home, you were not there." Raphael looked at Raine. "You suddenly disappeared. Even when you are inside the house with tight protection and charms that could repel black magic and curses, you disappeared. Torak was beyond livid at that time."


    Raine gulped hard. In his injure state, Torak still went all the way to find her.


    Only if she didn''t go outside at that time¡­ Probably Torak wouldn''t end up in his condition now.


    In the end, her weaknesses had caused more harm to him than what she thought.

 Chapter 264 - WE STARVE HIM

    And then after Torak figured out that Raine wasn''t at home and Serefina, who tag along with him, confirmed that she didn''t travel back to the past by her own just like what had happened the first time, Torak used his last resolve to find her by using the firebird.


    Afterward, Serefina needed to teleport the three of them to the place where Aeon had taken Raine.


    "He fought the devil, and despite the damage caused by that short battle wasn''t really serious, but the after affect took a toll on him." Raphael explained with voice filled with grievances. "The collapsed building had taken many lives and it was on Torak."


    Raine then remembered the consequences for the supernatural creatures for taking human''s life, that was the reason why Mark and the other Lycan were hesitated to hit those reporters when they were surrounded by them.


    One life could cause damage for them, but by the collapsed of the building, how many lives that Torak had taken? Yet, because it didn''t apply on the devil, all the damage was on Torak to bear.


    Calleb held Raine''s shoulder to prevent her from moving closer to the beast unconsciously.


    She needed to be close to him, to be with him and to say how sorry she was for causing him so much pain like this, yet Calleb stopped her to take another steps toward him, and unexpectedly, this small action made the beast more aggravated than before.


    The beast actually snarled and made a loud rumbling sound when he tugged the chains that coiled his body forcefully.


    "He recognized me¡­" Raine whispered in her astonishment when she watched how the beast became more angrier the moment Calleb touched her. "Let me go to him."


    "No, Raine, You can not!" Raphael grabbed Raine''s arms tightly, afraid she would make a sudden move to approach the beast.


    No one knew what would happen next. Seeing the situation now, Raphael couldn''t guarantee Raine''s safety or the beast would recognize her as his mate and wouldn''t harm her.


    It was too risky to find out.


    "He calls me¡­" Rained twisted her hand in Raphael''s strong grip, but still couldn''t be free from him, he didn''t even budge.


    "No, Raine¡­ it is too dangerous." Raphael pulled Raine out of the cell and gestured to Calleb to lock the door.


    "He is not in balance state. His human side is too weak to appear, so the beast took over his consciousness in order to protect both of them." Raphael explained as he let go of Raine''s hand once they were out of the cell, leaving Torak behind the bars, snarling and was enraged by the fact the girl was being taken away from him.


    Raphael added. "If he thought of you as a threat, he will kill you without batting an eye."


    Silence ensued after Raphael statement, the silent for the three of them, but not for the beast that ran amok inside his cell.


    "There is nothing we can do here, let''s go back¡­" Calleb suggested.


    As reluctance as Raine was, with her standing there, wouldn''t bring Torak back. "I will come back¡­" She whispered and caressed he metal bars, as if she was caressing Torak''s fur.


    When they walked out of the underground room, they found Serefina was sitting on the sofa while reading a magazine in her laps, as if nothing happened and for some reason, her calmness and ignorance, once again, irritated Raine.


    Here Raine was, battling with her feeling toward Serefina, whether she hated her or not, yet she was too tired to decide it. There was another thing that needed her full attention.


    Starting for now, it was best if Raine didn''t take whatever Serefina''s reaction seriously. They were good with each other if only they were in the same page, but apart from that, she was better to keep her feeling for herself.


    Moreover, everything that happened on Torak has nothing to do with her, so it was understandable if she didn''t have sympathy for Torak''s condition now.


    In fact, the witch has no sympathy on anything.


    "Why didn''t you come with us?" Calleb sat next to Serefina and frowned at the witch.


    "I have important thing to talk with my sister." Serefina replied sweetly when she mentioned Belinda.


    Calleb grimaced when he heard how she addressed Belinda. If Belinda was there, she would grimace as well along with him. "Where is Belinda?"


    "Kitchen. Cooking something for lunch." Serefina answered nonchalantly without lifting her eyes from the magazine.


    Raine took a seat across from Serefina and Calleb. "You have an idea how to cure Torak?" Raine asked.


    Serefina finally lifted her head from the magazine and met with Raine''s eyes. "I don''t know, I have never come across case like this."


    "So, what you did to him down there?" Raine narrowed her eyes, if they did nothing, so how they expected Torak would come back to his normal state?


    "Restraint him from harming anyone around him and himself." Serefina answered, but it wasn''t enough for Raine to calm her tensed nerves.


    "How do you expect he will return to normal if you don''t do anything? At the very least, you have a plan, right?" Raine asked hopefully, those red eyes kept hunting her.


    "We are trying to find a way." It was Belinda, who came from the kitchen direction. "Let''s have a lunch first. We need a lot of energy if we want to find a solution for the Alpha."


    Regardless Raine didn''t have the slightest appetite, she still followed the rest of the people to the dining table.


    Belinda had cooked for them beef stir- fry with oyster sauce. There were no words from them when they took their seat behind the appetizing beef.


    Calleb cut the beef in his plate and gave it to Raine, to make it easier for her to eat as Raine gave a small smile as a ''thanks''.


    But, then her fork just moved mid- air before the tender beef reached her mouth when she remembered something.


    "What Torak will eat?" She asked, looking at the rest of the people at the table, waiting for anyone to answer her question.


    "He doesn''t eat anything. We starve him." Belinda replied calmly.

 Chapter 265 - SHE IS NOT IN HER ROOM

    At first, Raine couldn''t comprehend what Serefina told her, so she asked for confirmation. "Pardon me, what did you say?" She leaned over, afraid that she would miss her repetition.


    "We starve him." Serefina looked at Raine in the eyes as she repeated what she said before.


    Seeing the understanding and anger slowly crept on Raine''s eyes, Raphael hastily explained it for her. "Raine, we have to do that in order to keep the beast under control."


    Not only Raine who was shocked by that revelation, but Calleb also has no idea about this, he has been assigned to keep his eyes on Raine, so aside from what Raphael let him know, he practically knew nothing about any of this.


    But, the only thing that he could do was shaking his head in disbelief as he stared at Raphael and Serefina incredulously.


    "WHAT IS THE REASON YOU STARVE HIM!?" Raine stood up from her seat and looked dagger at Raphael.


    Serefina''s expression wasn''t as calm as before and was full with anticipation now, while Belinda shrunk on her seat.


    In the other hand, Calleb wanted to calm her down, but unsure about what he had to do.


    And it was Raphael, who was standing from his seat too, with complicated emotions that appeared on his expression.


    "Raine, he is the Alpha and he is in his beast form. If he is any stronger than this, we will not be able to restrain him." Raphael tried to make his points crossed. "He will not die even if he doesn''t eat anything for weeks. We just need to weaken him¡­"


    Raine was utterly speechless and muddleheaded at the moment. Everything seemed jumble up in her mind.


    She closed her eyes to compose herself as she gripped at the edge of the table to support her as waves of exhaustion hit her hard.


    "Raine, Torak knows this is what will happen to him. That is the reason he was so adamant for you to not see him in this condition." Raphael glanced at Serefina when he said this, blaming her for taking Raine here.


    But, for Raine, she didn''t regret her decision to come and witnessed with her own eyes what Torak was going through now.


    Despite her heart ached for him and knew there was nothing she could do for Torak, at least she was no longer in the dark and knew the truth behind his disappearance.


    Raine lowered her head as she hugged herself. "I¡­ will eat later¡­ may I know where is my room?"


    "Raine, you have to eat something¡­" Belinda wanted to persuade her to eat, but Raphael shook his head, thus she stood up and walked over to Raine. "I will take you to your room."


    Belinda wrapped her arm around Raine''s shoulder and guided her out of the dining room.


    Knowing how stubborn Raine nowadays, she wouldn''t eat anything no matter how hard Belinda tried to pursue her, thus it was a better choice to let her take a rest, she needed it after all.


    After Belinda and Raine left, Calleb stared at Raphael in front of him. "Why don''t you tell me about all of this?" He demanded an explanation.


    Even though Raphael rank was above him, but Calleb was the Alpha''s third in command, but why he was being left out?


    "Don''t start it Call," Raphael groaned as he closed his eyes, he had enough argumentation with Serefina and Raine, he didn''t need the Gamma added to his headache. "You know this is the Alpha''s order."


    "So, why do you think the Alpha didn''t want me to know about his real condition?" Calleb raised his eyebrows, he crossed his arms in front of his chest in displeased.


    "Because most of the time you would with Raine and he was just being cautious that you would slip your tongue." Raphael tried to give him the reason.


    With this, Calleb could only take a deep breath.


    While Calleb and Raphael argued with each other, Serefina continued to eat her beef, but her eyes focused on scenery out of the window, as if she was contemplating something.


    ==============


    "Raine, do you need something?" Belinda asked Raine carefully when they arrived at an empty bedroom that dominated with the color of white.


    Raine rested her head on the soft pillow while Belinda tucked her inside the blanket to keep her warm.


    "I don''t need anything." Raine replied softly. She needed Torak now, but it wasn''t an option.


    "Alright." Belinda nodded in understanding. "I will keep the beef for you, just call me if you want to eat, I will warm it up for you, dear."


    "Okey." Raine replied curtly as she closed her eyes, yet when she heard the door was being opened, she opened her eyes and called her name. "Belinda."


    "Yes?" Belinda turned around to find the pain in those beautiful eyes of her Luna. "Do you need something?"


    "Thank you so much." Raine whispered, but Belinda could hear it clearly.


    "You are most welcome, Raine." She replied with tender smile curled on her lips.


    ==============


    When the night came and all the lamps inside the house had turned on and the dinner had been prepared by Belinda, Raine was still inside her room.


    "Should I ask her to come down?" Belinda asked Raphael in worry tone. "She had skipped her lunch, it will not good if she had to skip her diner as well."


    Raphael didn''t answer Belinda immediately, he contemplated for a while.


    "Just bring this meal to her room later if she is still not coming down after we finished our dinner." Raphael gave the easiest solution.


    Belinda nodded, but still felt a little unease.


    After the four of them finished their dinner with no one in the mood to start a conversation, Raine still didn''t come down, thus Belinda had to bring her, her dinner.


    After she prepared all the food on the tray, she walked straight to her bedroom, knocking a few times, but no one answer.


    Therefore, she pushed open the door and proceeded to go inside when she realized Raine wasn''t there.

 Chapter 266 - A BEAST IS A BEAST

    The room was so dark when Belinda entered, while holding the tray with her left hand, she pressed the button with her right hand and immediately the whole room was illuminated by the bright light.


    "Raine?" Belinda called out her name, but she got no reply from her. "I bring you your dinner, you have to eat something, okay? Or else you will hurt yourself."


    Belinda put the tray on the small table beside the bed, only then she realized, Raine wasn''t on the bed because the blanket only covered a pillow beneath it.


    "Raine?" For made sure that Raine wasn''t there, Belinda tugged the blanket away and just like what she thought, no one was there.


    Hastily, she went out of the room and rushed to the dining table where Raphael and Calleb were still there.


    "Raine is gone!" Belinda said in panic.


    "Hha?" Calleb put down the phone in his hand and stared at Belinda. "Are you sure?"


    ==============


    Raine couldn''t sleep, she even was not able to close her eyes without being hunted by the image of the white beast in his miserable state.


    Raine sat down on her bed as she stared blankly at the wall in front of her. She didn''t even have time to appreciate how beautiful and nice the room that she was occupied as her heart was thumping faster until it hurt.


    All the memories of Torak flooded her mind and that was so painful when she had to lose him the man that has loved her unconditionally.


    Lost him?


    Somewhere, among the memories that she shared with Torak, there was a moment when she was so scare of him when he lost himself over his beast and killed another Lycan without even batting an eye.


    ''The thought of hurting you will never cross my mind, even if I lost myself over my beast, he will continue to protect you.'' Torak''s eyes slightly dimmed, the angst in his heart ate him alive. ''But, I think in the end I still hurt you in one way or another and I am sorry for that¡­''


    Raine inhaled sharply and as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water, an understanding dawn on her


    Raine didn''t even realize when she started to rush out of her room and headed toward the underground door where they held the beast.


    However, when she tried to open the knob, it was locked. She tried a couple of time and even pushed the locked door with her weak body with no avail.


    After one hour passed and her attempt still didn''t give any result, she rested her back against the door and slumped on the floor.


    Raine could faintly hear the beast painful howl that echoed through the wall behind the closed door, as if he was calling for someone.


    He was calling for her¡­ his mate¡­


    Yet, here Raine was, hugging her body without knowing what she could do to ease the pain from the beast down there.


    The agonizing sound reverberated through the wall and reflected in her heart, causing a mental pain that similar as if someone crushed her entire body ruthlessly.


    There was no tear, Raine was even too tired to cry. She clutched the front of her shirt to reduce the pain in her heart, but it didn''t help at all.


    Raine lost track of time when she was sitting there, she didn''t know how long she was there until Serefina''s voice snapped her back from the dark place that engulfed her soul.


    "What are you doing there?" Serefina frowned. She stared down at Raine with her bright green eyes, her eyes traced from Raine''s ghastly pale face to the door behind her, where a creepy howl could be heard. "Do you want to meet him?" She guessed.


    "Can I?" In her devastated state, her voice sounded like someone strangled her.


    "If you want to meet him, why don''t you go inside?" Serefina said in matter of fact tone, yet when she watched the frown on Raine''s face, in an instant she knew what the problem. "Oh! My beautiful goddess!" She exclaimed exasperatedly.


    After saying her sarcastic remark, Serefina walked past Raine and retrieved a key from under a lamp pos beside the door.


    "Are you looking for this?" The key dangled on Serefina''s delicate finger.


    Raine pushed herself up to stand up and shifted her eyes from the key to Serefina''s face before she took the small metal and held it like the most precious thing that she possessed.


    "You are really helpless." Serefina sneered and was about to leave Raine alone there when she turned around and added. "Think carefully before you decide on something. Just for your information; maybe you are his mate, but a beast is still a beast."


    After saying that, Serefina strode away from there and disappeared when she turned at the other corner of the hallway.


    The small metal in her palm was so cold, as if announced its existence, asking her to use it.


    Yet, before Raine could open the door with it, Calleb''s voice startled her and made her almost drop the metal key.


    "There you are!" Calleb exclaimed in relief, he rushed over toward Raine with long strides. "You almost gave Belinda a heart attack when she couldn''t find you inside your room."


    Belinda and Raphael followed behind Calleb, and when the middle age witch saw Raine was fine, she pulled her into her tight, warm hug.


    "I thought something bad happened to you." Belinda whined.


    "You are over thinking thing." Calleb chastised her. "I told you she is still inside the house."


    "I am fine." Raine patted Belinda''s back as she released herself from her. "But, can I see Torak now?"


    Upon hearing Raine''s question the atmosphere suddenly turned tense as they looked at each other, unsure what to say about her request.


    Finally it was Raphael, who spoke to Raine in apologetic tone. "I am sorry Raine, but I think you can''t see him again until his condition is stable."


    Raphael thought Raine would insist to see the beast, but to everyone surprise, she agreed.


    "Alright." Raine said as she put the key inside the back of her pants quietly.

 Chapter 267 - HIS EYES ON HER

    Raine ate her dinner obediently and quietly, but it was enough to put Belinda at ease. She didn''t talk too much, yet she adamant to sleep with Raine.


    Belinda didn''t want her to suddenly disappear and made her panic again, thus against Raine''s discomfort for having Belinda slept next to her on the same bed, the middle age witch brought her own blanket and laid beside Raine.


    "Do you want me to tell you a story?" Belinda asked gently while running her fingers on Raine''s long hair.


    Belinda smelled so good, like a mother, warm and gentle and her touch made Raine slightly felt sleepy as her discomfort begun to fade away.


    In the end, it wasn''t a bad idea for letting Belinda slept together with her. The feeling was almost magical when Raine thought about her as her own mother.


    Raine heard this from Calleb that even though Belinda was half werewolf, she supposed to have a mate.


    And it was known that Belinda wanted to have a child on her own, but after waiting for centuries, she couldn''t find her other half until this very moment and refused to take someone as her chosen mate.


    Though the feeling would be very different if you spent your life with your other half, but at least you wouldn''t feel very lonesome for not having someone to share this eternity.


    Sometime, this could happen and when they couldn''t meet their destined mate, usually they would take someone as their chosen mate, this almost happened to Torak when he was getting sick from waiting the promised mate that the moon goddess told him.


    And Jenedieth was the best candidates among all the female Lycans, no wonder she and her father hated Raine so much, because in fact, they would have been mated if Raine had been found a few years late.


    Raine was grateful for that. She couldn''t imagine Torak would be with someone else and stared into the other woman''s eyes in the same way she looked at her.


    That wasn''t a pleasant thing to imagine.


    "Raine? Why are you staring at me?" Belinda caressed Raine''s head lovingly as she snuggled close to her and put her arm crossed her body.


    "I am very glad to meet someone like you." Raine said truthfully. "Thank you Belinda for taking a good care of me."


    Raine remembered how Belinda was very patient when she taught her how to plant flower seeds, Raine was curious, how was her flowers now? They should have grown by this moment of time¡­


    Maybe after all of this over, she could ask Torak to visit the raven village.


    When all of this over¡­


    "If you don''t want me to tell you a story, why don''t you take some rest?" Belinda tried to change the atmosphere that had turned melancholic.


    "Hmm¡­" Raine snuggled closer to the warm of Belinda''s body and closed her eyes obediently. "Good night, Belinda."


    "Good night, my dear." Belinda kissed Raine''s forehead, just like Torak always did and this little affection suddenly overtook Raine with an intense longing of him that she had to endure.


    ==============


    When the time hit midnight. The lingering moonlight obliterated by the rapidly falling night and the haze of the rain that made the world blurred as the wind howling, warning like a wolf into the midnight.


    Beside the sleeping Belinda, who had no more concern to the world outside, Raine was wide awake, her eyes shone in the dark without a tinge of tiredness or sleepiness whatsoever.


    The mutter of thunder and the sound of the rain lashed down masked the rustling sound that Raine created the moment she got down the bed gingerly.


    Her heart beating face as she thanked the weather silently for being in her favor.


    Raine glanced at Belinda once again before she opened the room door and she watched her even breathing with relief.


    She didn''t know where exactly Raphael and Calleb were sleeping, but she was pretty sure, they wouldn''t hear the soft padding sound along the hardwood floor because of the rumbling rain outside.


    Raine strode to the kitchen and rummage that place for awhile before she found a beef from yesterday afternoon that supposed for her lunch. The beef was fine and still edible, though it cold.


    With a plate on her hand Raine tread warily to the other side of the house and once again she was standing in front of the locked door to the underground.


    But, now she has the key with her.


    Raine pulled out the small metal from her back pants and put it into the keyhole. With glorious clacking sound, the door was opened.


    Raine held her breath when she heard a soft groaning from under the stairs, from the cell where the beast occupied.


    Her heart clenched painfully when the sound led her down step by step to its source. The plate in her hand was trembling and her knees were too weak to make another step toward the cell after she stepped down the last stairs.


    Now Raine was only three steps away from the source of the sound.


    Her body tensed when she heard rustling sound from the cell and the howl stopped.


    The beast stopped moving and Raine stopped breathing when she heard the beast snuffled.


    It almost felt like decades when finally Raine decided to take a step closer to the cell, but not enough for the beast to see her trembling figure, yet he could sense her nonetheless as his breath became heavy.


    Raine closed her eyes as recalled the thing that Torak had said to her, chanting the words like a charm to gather her scattered courage.


    ''If I lost myself over my beast, he will continue to protect you.''


    With that, Raine forced her feet to make another step again, one step after another, and with difficulty she finally stood facing the chained monster and witnessed with her own eyes, how the beast glared at her.


    Fixed his intense bloody eyes on her face.


    "Torak¡­"

 Chapter 268 - THE SPELL WAS BROKEN

    "Torak¡­" Raine called him softly, his name grazed her lips with longing. Only if she could, she would run toward him and flung her arms around his neck and told him how sorry she was and how she missed him.


    The beast kept his eyes on her and a disturbingly eerie feeling crept in the air as Raine''s heart refused to feel anything but scare.


    Raine put down the plate on her hand and inhaled a shaky breath as she opened the padlock of the cell with the hanging key on the stone wall beside it.


    The cell door creaked loudly that made Raine nervous, she tensed, afraid someone would hear it and caught her there, her eyes zeroed at the top of the dark stairs, waiting if someone would come.


    But to her relief, there was no one coming¡­


    Raine''s mind spun when she shifted her gaze on the beast in front of her.


    The white beast condition was heartrending despite the enmity in his red eyes.


    "I¡­ I bring food for you¡­" Raine stuttered, having an urge to cry when the mixed feeling of despair, dread and scare suffused her entire being.


    Raine put down the plate on the floor, at this moment, the beast had stopped scaring her with his growl or howl. Instead he showed her his elongated canines threateningly.


    Raine felt her fear filled the air inside the cell and it let the beast knew that he was a threat for her as he tilted his big head, staring at her curiously.


    A little weak girl was standing five steps away from him, trembling out of fear, but refused to back down.


    But, it wasn''t the reason that piqued the beast interest, it was her scent, the sweet scent that made the beast relaxed for having her near him.


    He glanced at the beef on the plate and snarled loudly, as loud as the thunder out there.


    This sudden outburst startled Raine and made her took a step back unconsciously, yet this little action was regarded with another snarl as loud as the first one.


    Raine couldn''t figure out why the beast suddenly gave her that reaction or what he wanted, she didn''t understood that the beast was angry because she walked away from him.


    The more he snarled at her the more further Raine stepped back out of fear, her heart beating so fast as she started to turn her body and tried to lock the door again, got away from the underground.


    But, her trembling fingers didn''t help at all when she dropped the key again and again, failed to lock it.


    In the other hand, the beast seemingly became more and more aggravated by Raine''s attempt to flee from him as he tugged the chains that held him back forcefully until the debris and dust from the wall fell, scattered in the air.


    His roar thundered and reverberated along the underground space and with a loud cracking sound, the beast managed to free himself from the chains that restrained him.


    The spell was broken and the chains were no longer could hold him back as his red eyes focused on Raine before he stalked toward her in an unnervingly fast manner.


    Panic overwhelmed Raine and she began to tremble violently, the key dropped from her hand without she even noticed it, as the sound of her own ragged breathing was drowned out by her heart, pounding wildly in her ears.


    Raine''s brain worked extremely slowly and when she finally snapped out of her shock, she was already in dangerous situation and it was too late for her even when she wanted to run away from the beast now.


    The beast towered above her as he let out another vicious snarl that could turn her bone into jelly.


    The massive white Lycan stared down at Raine when her legs finally gave away and she slumped on the cold, dirty floor beneath her, crawling backward to put some distance between her and the beast.


    Raine didn''t realize how massive this white lycan until this very moment. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but there was no sound came out from her dried throat.


    A tear slipped from her eyes as she closed them in defeat.


    Because of her conscience, Raine couldn''t stay inside her bedroom and sleep beside Belinda comfortably.


    She shouldn''t be here in the first place. She should listen to Raphael, who kept reminding her to stay away from Torak at this moment. She should heed Serefina''s warning when she said ''a beast is a beast'', there was no way Torak would remember her, right? Even though she was his mate.


    The beast lowered his head and sniffed her as his warm breath fanned Raine''s face.


    "T¡­ Torak¡­?" Raine''s voice was shaking madly when she felt the beast snout nuzzled the crook of her shoulder.


    Slowly, Raine opened her eyes, her eyelashes fluttered like weak wings of butterfly.


    When Raine''s eyes met with the beast red one, he snarled viciously at her and lashed at Raine, bitting into her neck in the blink of an eye.


    Raine shrieked as the searing pain shot throughout her neck.


    ==============


    Belinda woke with start when the loud thunder outside shook the earth, her eyes darted from the heavy rain that rapped the window to the space next to her, where Raine was sleeping.


    But, to her surprise, no one there.


    "Raine?" Belinda called out her name as she stretched out her hand. The spot where Raine supposed to sleep was so cold. She had been long gone.


    Without wasting another second, Belinda bolted out of her bed and checked the bathroom, yet Raine wasn''t there either.


    In panic, Belinda dashed out of the bedroom and sped toward Serefina''s.


    But, halfway there, Belinda met her half sister in the corridor, the frown between her eyebrows told her that there was something wrong happening.


    "Serefina!" Belinda trotted toward Serefina hastily. "Raine is gone!"


    "I know." Serefina replied curtly, her expression turned rigid when she added. "The spell was broken."


    This news from Serefina left Belinda flabbergasted as blood drained from her face. This is very bad!

 Chapter 269 - HER HEARTBEAT IS HARD TO HEAR

    "What happened?!"


    From the other side of the house, before Serefina and Belinda turned to the corridor, where the door to the underground was located, Raphael and Calleb approached them hastily.


    From the furrow between their brows, Serefina knew that they must feel something about this situation, because the roar from the underground was exceptionally loud, even in this thunderstorm.


    "The spell was broken." Serefina said grimly. The four of them didn''t stop for a second as they headed toward the underground.


    "And Raine is missing." Belinda''s words were like a bomb for Calleb and Raphael.


    "What!?" Raphael stopped walking and grabbed Belinda''s arm to stop her as well. "Tell me what happened? How could she possibly disappear?!" He asked impatiently.


    "Stop yelling at her!" Serefina snapped at Raphael. "She must be in Torak''s cell."


    Raphael composed himself and then strode ahead toward the underground door.


    For their surprise, the door to the underground was opened and this reinforced their suspicion that they were right about Raine was going to Torak''s cell. But, how she could find the key for the door?


    The key was hid in the place that wasn''t easy to find. But, how could Raine found it easily?


    However, Raphael didn''t have time to think about it, he could look into that matter later because the moment he pushed open the door a strong smell of blood assault his nose.


    Even Serefina and Belinda, who didn''t have a keen sense of smell, scrunched their nose and furrowed their brows as they rushed down the stairs.


    As soon as Torak''s cell came into their view, their eyes bulged out of their socket at the horrible and horrendous scene before their eyes.


    Belinda gasped loudly and covered her mouth to stifle her scream, while Serefina rooted to the ground with pale face.


    It was Raphael and Calleb, who stepped forward and approached their Alpha.


    Sitting on the floor was Torak. His broad back was facing the opened cell door as she cradle Raine in his strong arms.


    From the look of his back alone, Raphael could feel the rage that exuded from his human form.


    Torak''s white shirt was tattered and his pants were torn but he was sitting still like a piece of wood as his right hand was pressing his palm at the wound on Raine''s neck.


    Blood was oozing out from his fingers, dripping on the floor beneath them, sending a metallic smell whirl in the air.


    While Raine''s face couldn''t be seen because her hair covered almost all of her face and Torak held her so close to his chest, Raphael still could see a faint undulated movement from her small shoulder.


    "Torak¡­" Raphael called out his name gingerly. "We need to treat her wound¡­"


    Regardless the fact there were dozens of questions roaming around Raphael''s head about how Torak could go back to his human form and how Raine got hurt this badly, Raphael need to hold back all of that for time like this, even Calleb didn''t dare to utter a single word since they smell the strong blood scent.


    Torak didn''t move. He didn''t answer Raphael''s suggestion too. He stayed like that as if there was no one could bother him.


    "Torak, let her go¡­ we need to take care of her wound." Raphael took another steps closer toward Torak, his senses heightened as the tensed in the atmosphere could drive anyone crazy.


    Aside from the rustling sound that Raphael made when he moved and thunderous rain out there, the underground place was engulfed in eerie silence that forced people present to hold their breath.


    Torak didn''t budge.


    Raphael stretched out his hand to shake Torak''s shoulder in order to gain his attention, because he seemingly didn''t listen to what he said. His mind was elsewhere.


    Yet, when Raphael''s finger merely an inch from Torak, the Alpha''s voice boomed inside the cell, sending shiver down to Raphael and Calleb''s spine.


    Painful and suffocation feeling spread to every follicle of their skin, forced them to knee before the Supreme Alpha, showing him their submission.


    "I TOLD YOU TO NOT BRING HER HERE!" Torak''s voice boomed with anger and wrath. He had given them clear order, but how dare them to not obey his direct command?!


    With a loud thud, both Raphael and Calleb''s head hit the ground with their hand sprawled beside their head. It was a gesture of complete submission.


    Even Belinda was forced to knee and lower her head out of fear of Torak''s wrath. The Alpha was infamous with his ruthlessness and his terrifying way to deal with those who disobeyed his order.


    The air has morphed into fear and as the more they breathed the more scared they were, it was like a toxin that killed them slowly.


    It was only Serefina, who still stood unfazed in her spot.


    After her shock the moment she witnessed how Torak had turned into his human form and Raine was injured in place of it, a conclusion started to form in her head about this whole situation.


    The witch seemed like had known the rough idea about how could this end up in this situation.


    The next second after Torak''s outburst, Serefina strolled past the cell door and stood in front of Torak, before she squatted down to have a closer look on Raine.


    Yet, before she could check on the girl''s condition, her neck had been squeezed tightly in firm grip.


    "If you kill me, she will die." Though it was hard to talk, Serefina pushed her last words out of her lips before the air left her lungs.


    The witch glanced provocatively at Raine.


    Because Torak removed his pressured on Raine''s neck, the opened wound started to disgorge more and more blood until it pooled on the floor.


    Raine''s blood was like a broken dam, flowed endlessly without a sign to stop.


    Within three seconds after Serefina''s said her warning, she had almost lost her consciousness, but Raine''s condition was getting worse as her heartbeat was hard to hear.

 Chapter 270 - ADD FUEL TO THE FIRE

    If Torak continued to lash out his emotion toward Serefina now, he would lose Raine in the process and it wasn''t something worth to be risked.


    With a brief glanced of the pool of blood on the ground, Torak released Serefina''s precious neck from his deadly grip.


    "Something happen to her and you will suffer the fate worse than death." Torak stated grimly.


    The sole reason why Torak didn''t kill Serefina until now and let her lingered around after what she did and said, was because her life still has valued for Raine.


    Serefina rubbed her sore neck and cleared her dried throat while gasping for air, greedily breathing to fill her empty lungs.


    After she felt slightly better, Serefina moved closer toward Raine in Torak''s arms.


    The witch touched the wound and chanted in strange language, a spell. But, after a few seconds, her brows creased unsightly.


    Her eyes widened as they traced back to Torak''s red ones, horror filled them. "Did you mark her!?" Serefina''s question filled with disbelief as it echoed throughout the wall. "You marked without her consent!"


    Torak''s eyes hardened.


    He realized he had done that and hoped the otherwise, yet Serefina''s remark solidified his fear. Torak had marked Raine without her consent.


    The mark that the Lycan put on their mate was a sacred thing that should be the consent of both parties. The mark that was put forcefully could snap the mate bond between them, not to mention the after affect that she would suffer.


    When Torak was lost over his beast, he didn''t have a control to stop this dreadful outcome from happening. His beast was displeased because their mate was still unmarked.


    A beast was still a beast, when they lost their human side, their rationality was gone along with it and only act based on their instinct.


    "This is bad¡­" Serefina shook her head as she mumbled. Sweat started to drip from her forehead as she concentrated to stop the bleeding on Raine''s neck. The bit was so deep. If Torak didn''t stop the beast in time, Raine probably would have died by now.


    However¡­


    "How could you regain your strength?" Serefina narrowed her eyes, asked Torak suspiciously. "Don''t tell me¡­" Another fear fleeting in her lime green eyes when a terrifying idea flashed in her mind.


    "I did." Torak said solemnly. It was so solemn, yet sounded so lethal, just like calm before storm.


    "Damn you Torak!" Serefina cursed out loud, her eyes ablaze with anger. "How could you do that?! You know how dangerous it would be for a guardian angel, which is sapped from their own power!"


    The situation was so odd when Torak didn''t even retort. He accepted Serefina''s curse silently, fixed his eyes on Raine''s pale face and her faint breath.


    On the surface, Torak was so calm and collected, but inwardly, the raging storm of his emotion was on par with the thunderstorm outside. He was in turmoil.


    Torak was in the state that he could accept insults from anyone and let them step on his head as long as they could save his mate.


    Raine was in this state because of him, because he couldn''t protect her from himself and let her took the brunt. The guilty and helplessness that he felt now, killing him from inside.


    It almost felt like he had been in constant war for eternity, fighting the battle that he knew he would lose, as Torak had been fighting his beast and suppressed his feral side, but a second he lost it, this what he got.


    In the other hand, Serefina concentrated more on Raine''s wound, trying her best to close it and stop the flow of the blood. "You need a healer for this."


    Serefina was a witch, so she couldn''t possibly to fix this damage entirely.


    Apparently, it wasn''t only Torak, who suffered from guilty feeling. Serefina felt it too when she realized it was because of her overconfidence with her own power that the beast wouldn''t be able to break free, which pushed her to impulsively give the key to Raine, giving her an opportunity to meet the beast.


    At that time, she was only curious how the beast would react upon his mate? Did he still recognize her? After all they were mate. Was it possible for the mate bond to disappear once the soul wasn''t in the balance state?


    Many questions were roaming around Serefina''s head the moment she gave the key to Raine. But now, the answer was right before her eyes.


    Serefina didn''t know what she felt about it.


    Yes, the beast did recognized his mate, but it wasn''t enough to push back their primitive side to mark their mate without a second thought or any consent for her well being, as it had lost along the way with Torak''s human side.


    Therefore, the unbalanced Lycan, was a dangerous creature.


    Serefina couldn''t blame Torak for this entirely, as she took a part for this to happen. She had overestimated herself, again.


    "I will call her." There was a meek voice from behind Torak. It was Belinda, who was hastily rushing out of the underground room to call their pack healer. She had to move fast, because it would take another hour before she could arrive here and every second was counted.


    "For now take her to the bedroom." Serefina said after she retracted her hand from Raine''s neck.


    The blood had stopped oozing out from the wound, but it was only temporary, after all Lycan''s bite was a dangerous thing, not to mention the beast accidentally had sapped Raine''s energy in the process too.


    Torak held Raine''s body carefully, afraid he would add more pain to her, even though Raine wouldn''t feel anything at the moment, because she was still lost her conscious.


    Raphael and Calleb followed Torak and Serefina silently with their head hung very low. A severe punishment was waiting for them.


    ==============


    It had been a week since Torak was out of reach and three days for Raphael along with Calleb to not attend in many of important meetings.


    Jack, the hunter who was once assigned to look for Serefina, was pointed as the person in charge when the three of them couldn''t be reached.


    Many people in the company had known him, though his role wasn''t as significant as Calleb, most of the employees respected him in some degree.


    However, the upper echelon didn''t have the same thought, as they kept demanding to know where Torak was, or at least they could talk to Raphael.


    As the decision maker, Torak''s presence was very important, so how could he disappear for days without announcement?


    This fact stirred up dissatisfaction from some of the shareholders and also an opportunity for Belphegor to add fuel to the fire.

 Chapter 271 - SHE ADMITTED IT

    Today was the third day since Raine had lost conscious because of the mark that Torak forced on her.


    Sapphire, the healer in Torak''s pack, had been tending her along with Serefina, but until now there was no significant progress that he could see.


    Raine was getting weak and her heartbeat was barely able to hear.


    Torak couldn''t move her to a big hospital, as this wasn''t the case that they could handle and because this house was so far away from the city, it would take hours just to reach the nearest hospital, during that time, Raine''s condition could drop anytime.


    On a king size bed, Raine was sleeping soundlessly with thick white bandages on her neck, faint red blood could be seen on the surface of it.


    Until now, Serefina and Sapphire only managed to slow down the bleeding, but couldn''t stop it entirely, and it caused Raine lost so much blood and needed in transfusion and IV drip the whole time.


    During this time, Torak had never once stepped out of the room, sitting beside her while holding her hand. He became more taciturn than he already was.


    When there was a soft knock at the door, Torak didn''t even bother to raise his head from staring at Raine''s small finger, to check who it was.


    After sometime, despite there was no answer, the person who was knocking the door decided to opened it and from behind the opened door, it was Raphael who stepped inside the room.


    "Alpha." Raphael called Torak respectfully. Though Calleb and he had not received any punishment from Torak for divulged Torak''s location to Raine, but it didn''t mean they were free from it.


    Regardless the fact it was Serefina who had brought Raine here, but Calleb and Raphael did nothing meaningful to stop her, it was added to their carelessness, which made Raine managed to go inside Torak''s cell alone without any protection.


    Serefina not yet told them that it was her, who had given the key of the underground door to Raine, thus it was still mystery how Raine could go inside.


    "Alpha, I need to return to the Fulbright city because there is something important that Jack couldn''t handle in the company." Raphael informed Torak solemnly.


    Ever since that night when Raine was found in Torak''s arms, bleeding, Raphael and Calleb had been acting very cautious around him, afraid to incite the Alpha''s ire.


    Because under Torak''s calm behavior and his expression that seemingly devoid from all emotions, beneath it was a brewing storm that could be lashed out at any moment.


    "Alright." Torak answered readily, without even thinking.


    There was nothing more important for him at this moment rather than his mate. The company could go bankrupt or the world could turn into dust for all he cares, as long as he could see life in Raine''s eyes again, he wouldn''t complain.


    "I will leave this afternoon." Raphael said again.


    "Hmm." Torak didn''t even budge.


    "Calleb will be here and I will update you through him about the company." Raphael added.


    Torak only nodded in respond this time. He didn''t have time to listen to those meaningless business when his mate was here, laying on the bed at the edge of death because of him.


    Torak remembered he left her at the night when his human side had taken the brunt of the impact for killing dozens of innocent people in the library.


    That wasn''t the cause alone, because his battle before that, when he tried to get something for Serefina, so she could recover faster, and the devil poison had weakened him greatly, but at the same time awoken his beast side.


    After became quiescence for many years, his beast became more feral.


    That was the reason why he had to avoid Raine, because he didn''t want something like this to happen, yet in the end this what he got.


    Probably, he should just tell her about it¡­


    At this point regret was useless.


    Torak didn''t even realize when Raphael had gone out of the room, or the sun outside had fallen deep in the horizon.


    He lost track of time.


    He lost himself in this dark room while waiting for Raine to wake up.


    There were noises behind Torak''s back and when all of sudden the light inside the room was lit up and the bright hurt his eyes, forced them to shut for a moment.


    "You need to eat Torak." Serefina came with a plate of beef steak that whiffed a delicious smell in the air. "Here." She put down the plate on the bed, in front of him.


    Torak was sitting on the other side of the bed, staring at Raine''s sleeping face and the thick bandage on her neck, the spot where he had bit her.


    Seeing there was no response from Torak, Serefina could only sigh deeply as she gestured someone, who has been standing in the doorway, to come inside the room.


    "Step aside Torak, we need to change the bandage." Serefina said as she watched Torak leaned in and gave a tender kiss on Raine''s forehead, released her hand ever so carefully as he stepped out of the bed and let Sapphire to tend to Raine''s wound.


    "Still no progress?" Torak asked grimly.


    "I am not a Lycan." Serefina stated. "I don''t how this will affect her. It''s already good enough that we can still preserve her life."


    Serefina''s bluntness earned a glare from Torak.


    Seeing the hostility glare was directed toward her, Serefina was about to retort, but somehow she stopped midway and let it passed.


    "All we are doing now is preventing her from dying from blood loss." Serefina stated. "The mark has not healed and with you sapped her energy, it makes her weaker."


    Torak balled his hands into fists that seemingly could tear everything down as he talked through his gritted teeth. "You don''t need to remind me about that again and again."


    It had been ten times Serefina talked about that. Her information only rubbing on Torak''s guilty feeling.


    In the other hand, Serefina sighed. "I told you this again and again, to ease my guilty feeling too." She admitted. "No matter how I said it, I am the one who had brought her here."

 Chapter 272 - WHAT NOW!?

    "I know." Of course Torak knew, Calleb and Raphael wouldn''t dare enough to disobey his direct order even though it was against their consent.


    "I was also the one who had given Raine the key to the underground''s door." Serefina blurted out.


    Serefina might be rude and has bad temper, but she wouldn''t lie except to her enemies and she didn''t consider Torak as one.


    The witch thought the Lycan would at least roar or tried to strangle her to death because of what she did, but to her surprise, Torak only glared at her before he resumed staring worriedly at his mate.


    At least, if he was about to go berserk, Serefina would help him to let out some steam. She preferred the angry Torak rather than this kind of Torak, who was staring blankly and lifelessly at his mate, as if his spirit had evaporated into thin air.


    Torak didn''t know how to respond that information, as he remained silent as though he heard nothing.


    "Don''t you want to punch me or something?" Serefina asked carelessly, trying to incite another emotion from the Lycan except this devastated feeling.


    "It will disturb her." Torak replied. "Moreover, it is pointless to punch you. It will not wake her up anyway." He didn''t want to waste his energy.


    "She will not wake up even if there is a firework inside this room." Serefina mumbled. "I need more time to gather information about her condition."


    "Please do, whatever you need to do." Torak said. "Ask Calleb if you need something."


    Serefina was astounded by the way Torak talked to her, it was a rare occasion for someone like Torak to say the word ''please'', moreover that word was directed to her, she doubted whether Torak knew the meaning of ''please'' or not.


    But, to provoke him when he was being nice like this, wasn''t a wise move, so Serefina simply swallowed her sarcastic comment and nodded her head while thinking where she should start to find this kind of information.


    "We need another blood bags for Luna, Alpha." Sapphire informed him after she finished to change the bandage on Raine''s neck.


    The smell of blood assaulted Torak''s nose and it irritated him because this was Raine''s blood, reminded him again and again that she could die from blood loss anytime.


    "You can ask Calleb to retrieve it from the nearby hospital." Torak murmured as he walked toward the bed and sat on his previous spot.


    "Yes, Alpha." Sapphire said solemnly before she went out of the room to find Calleb.


    Serefina was standing there, watching how a the great Alpha succ.u.mbed in his feeling for his mate. The love from his eyes where enough to tell the whole world that he would be more than willing to give up everything, even his life, just to see his mate smiling face again.


    Once, centuries ago, she was also deeply in love with certain someone and would cross a river of fire willingly just to see the smile on his face.


    No, Serefina had done that. But, instead of crossing a river of fire, she had crawled her way back from hell, just to make sure he lived his life decently and the most important thing was; to see him once again, to feel the love of him that she cherished the most, before she had to leave him again, cruelly.


    The price that she needed to pay for that extra short time for being with him.


    After long time of silence, Serefina left the bedroom as she thought there was nothing she could do there.


    ==============


    The next day when Raphael had just landed in the Fulbright city, he received a call from Jack, the person in charge when Raphael and Calleb away.


    "I am on way to the company." Raphael said the moment he picked up the phone.


    However, Jack didn''t allow him to come to the office. "No, let''s meet in the main house."


    Upon hearing Jack''s answer, Raphael''s brow creased. The main house that Jack mentioned was the house where Torak and Raine resided.


    "What happened?" Raphael asked curiously. Before he boarded the plane he had called Jack to ask about the update in the company, but there was nothing suspicious and everything was still under control, but why now Jack called him in this secretive manner?


    "I will explain to you later. Meet you there, Beta Raphael." Jack then cut off the line and made Raphael burning with curiosity. He truly hated this half- conversation like this.


    After the short conversation ended, Raphael got into the car and told the driver to ride back home instead of Donovan''s building.


    It didn''t take so long before Raphael arrived at the main house and watched as Jack had been sitting inside Torak''s study room, waiting for him.


    "What is it?" Raphael asked even before he plopped his tired body on the sofa across from Jack. He poured a glass of cold water to moisten his throat while waiting for Jack''s explanation about the current situation. "Something is going wrong with the company?"


    "No. not only with the company." Jack shook his head. "Do you remember the task that the Alpha had given me before he found our Luna?" He talked very fast as his eyes narrowed, waiting for Raphael''s answer whether he remembered it or not.


    But, Raphael just rolled his eyes, shaking his head for Jack''s dramatic question. "The Alpha gave you too many tasks, how could you expect me to remember them all? I have my plate full also, you know." Raphael had known Jack for decades and had gotten used to his antics. "Just tell me what is it?"


    Jack scoffed when Raphael didn''t even budge or became a little bit more curious when he posed his question that way, yet this information was very important, so Jack''s expression turned serious. "Do you remember the information about the witches from northern coven would meet the vampires near our territory?"


    "Yes, what happened with that?" Raphael leaned closer as his curiosity was piqued, he remembered they were investigating this matter before they found Raine.


    Jack almost got his hand in this matter for more information before suddenly the witches and the vampires disappeared without leaving any traces.


    But, what now?

 Chapter 273 - PROMISE...?

    "They made a move again, but this time our people got some information that they were here." Jack folded his arms as he contemplated. "For some reason, I feel like the thing that happened back then with the reporters had anything to do with this."


    Raphael narrowed his eyes. "The witches?" If this has anything to do that related to the witch, he must ask Serefina about this, yet since she didn''t belong to any coven, it would be a little bit tricky.


    "Mm." Jack murmured and nodded. "Dark magic I guess, but I am not sure¡­ those reporters became more aggressive even after the police came and arrested them. That doesn''t make sense. Normally, human will tend to follow the rule and fear the law." He contemplated.


    Silence ensued, as the two of them were deep in their own thought. The sunlight streamed from the artificial window glass, illuminated the whole study room and gave a serene vibe, yet it wasn''t able to lessen their uneasiness.


    "How about the vampires?" Raphael asked after a long silence.


    "Ah, about that." Jack slapped his forehead as he forgot the important part of his report. "We caught four vampires trespassed our territory. They became bolder because they knew the Alpha has been missing for a week now."


    "How they know about that?" Raphael''s gaze turned sharp. He had made sure the fact about Torak''s disappearance was replaced with another story that Torak had an urgent matter in one of his subsidiary company, which he had to attend to. It was only a handful people who knew where exactly Torak whereabouts.


    Jack sighed and then shook his head. "Somehow, the news about the Alpha went missing, for a week, leaked. There were quite uproar two days ago among the Alphas, but we managed to calm them down, though they were still demanding to see Alpha Torak and for the shareholders¡­" Jack paused and thought about what he was going to say. "I think Belphegor has made his move now, but I am still investigating about it."


    "Keep your eyes close on him. With him is being de Medici''s representative, the devil must have had some plan." Raphael said seriously.


    "I got it¡­" Jack nodded and then added. "He is the sloth, why he should bother himself with all of these schemes¡­? I thought he is the less harmless among the seven sins¡­"


    "He is the sloth for reason. He doesn''t actively attack us like Lucifer does, he is too lazy for that, but it doesn''t mean Belphegor will not create trouble and plan schemes after schemes against us, after all scheming is his nature as the devil." Raphael stated he drank another glass of water as he could feel his head throbbing painfully.


    The matter with Torak had not done yet and now since Raine was injured, he didn''t think that Torak would interest to hear all of this news, he could see Torak''s dull eyes as if the life in his eyes slipped away.


    "I will inform this to the Alpha." Raphael kneaded his forehead as he picked up his phone from his jacket, he would call Calleb, so he could extend the information to Torak when the time was right.


    "Beta Raphael¡­" Jack asked, for some reason he became cautious with his next words.


    "Yes?" Raphael lifted his head to meet Jack''s eyes.


    "May I know where is the Alpha right now?" Jack was only informed that Torak had another matter to attend to, but Jack was a hunter, he used to calculate everything meticulously, so he found this reason was a bit odd.


    "There is an urgent matter that came up, so he had to settle it down first." Raphael replied.


    "But, Luna is not here as well. She was going with you and the Gamma." Jack stared at Raphae. "By any chance, is Luna with Alpha?"


    "Yes, they are together." Raphael stood up while waiting for Calleb to pick up his call, he strode across the room and leaned his tall body beside the window glass, staring at the backyard, but at the same time, avoiding Jack''s other questions. His curiosity, wasn''t a good thing.


    ==============


    Today was the eighth day since Raine lost got bitten by Torak''s beast and lost her consciousness. She was still in her IV drip and blood transfusion.


    Her condition did not improve, yet because Serefina, Sapphire and Belinda meticulous care, Raine''s condition didn''t get worse either, but no one could say when she would gain her consciousness again.


    Torak''s condition was also not any better, though he had started to do something with the issues of his company and the pack matter, he still refused to step out of the room and left Raine alone there.


    He talked to Raphael a couple of time regarding the vampire and the witch from the northern coven, but he preferred for them to not take any drastic action.


    Torak would like to see what his enemies had under their sleeves, especially to those Alphas who began to show their claws just because they couldn''t see him in person and the rumor about him went missing for half a month.


    They were so ridiculous and absurd, there must be someone who had pulled the orchestrated all of this.


    Though the number of the Alphas who started to act rebellious was only a handful, but they could instigate other to initiate conflict among their own kind.


    It was well known that there were a few Alphas who didn''t satisfy with Torak''s reign and wanted so bad to overthrown him from his position as the supreme Alpha, but didn''t have guts and the right moment to do that.


    This time, when they assumed Torak was missing, could be their chance to make their move.


    For this internal issue, he told Raphael to let the situation escalated, so he could see who would raise their claws against him, but that wasn''t the entire reason¡­


    Torak turned his head from the laptop in front of him and looked at Raine''s sleeping face.


    Let out a heavy sigh, he stood up and settled down in his usual spot as he caressed Raine''s hair. "I am sorry my love¡­ please wake up¡­" He said in very subtle voice.


    Torak kissed Raine''s forehead trailed down till her pointed nose.


    "I will never hide anything from you again¡­" Torak whispered regretfully. This was his fault for hiding it from her, only if he told her the truth¡­


    "Promise¡­?"


    There was a soft voice sounded near Torak''s ear that he had longed to hear.

 Chapter 274 - ARE YOU MAD?

    Torak opened his eyes when he was only a few inches away from Raine''s face. It almost felt magical when he watched how Raine''s eyelashes fluttered before her beautiful obsidian eyes could be seen.


    With Raine was staring back at him, blinking a couple of time to adjust her eyes with her surroundings, Torak felt he just lifted from hell and was given a second chance to live again.


    Was it real? Or Torak was just being delusional because he missed her so bad?


    "Promise me¡­?"


    That soft voice again¡­ her voice caressed his ears like the most beautiful melody. How long since the last time he heard her voice?


    Torak was in daze, staring greedily at her eyes without even blinking, he was afraid it was only his hallucination and the moment he closed his eyes, Raine would be in her coma state again, unable to talk to him like now.


    The longer he watched her face, the more overwhelm Torak became, he even forgot to answer her question.


    Raine''s brows furrowed when she watched how Torak was bemused to see her and then she felt Torak''s thumb caressed the spot between her eyes.


    "Am I dreaming¡­?" Torak muttered to himself. He traced her thumb along Raine''s eyebrows to the corner of her eyes, her nose, her lips¡­ but still amazed about the fact that Raine was staring at him. "Are you awake now, my love?"


    Torak''s voice was hoarse as if the words suffocated him.


    "Hmm¡­" Raine answered him with a mumble. It was so hard to be able to return to Torak''s side, but she managed to do that and she couldn''t be more proud of herself for that.


    Raine was so eager to tell Torak about what had happened to her during her unconsciousness, but she knew it had to wait, she was so weak now and Torak wasn''t in his right state of mind as he kept staring at her and caressed her face absentmindedly.


    "Are you really awake?" Torak''s eyes stared intensely at Raine, unable to free himself from the captivating eyes before him.


    "I am¡­" Raine said, giving him a faint smile as she added. "I am back for you¡­"


    Only then, a realization hit Torak and an understanding flashed in his eyes. It wasn''t a dream neither he was hallucinating.


    Abruptly, Torak sat down straight as his eyes locked on Raine. His mate was blinking and smiling at him.


    "SEREFINA! SAPPHIRE! BELLINDA!" Torak roared and startled Raine as she frowned. Why was he overreacting? Raine felt she was only faint for a few hours, but why Torak gave her that look?


    Torak was still in his position when the three of the women rushed inside the room with Calleb in tow. Their expression were alarmed, fear was written on their faces.


    If something happened to Raine, they wouldn''t leave unscathed and things would only turn ugly than it already had.


    "What happened?" It was Belinda. The first person, who entered the room and strode in big steps toward Raine''s bed.


    Her eyes fixed on Raine automatically, but she overlooked the fact Raine''s eyes had opened as she looked at her bandage on her neck and checked for the IV drip and blood transfusion.


    "Why? Something happened to her?" Bellinda looked at Torak, who was looking at Raine dumbfoundedly.


    Sapphire, who was walking closely behind her, shrieked as she covered her mouth while Serefina was squinted her eyes.


    Bellinda turned her eyes back to Raine and now she watched her eyes were staring at her.


    "Raine¡­ you are awake?" Bellinda mumbled in disbelief.


    The three of them had just checked on her condition and changed the bandages on her neck three hours ago, but there was no sign that Raine would regain her consciousness.


    Her condition was stable, but it didn''t give a significant progress ever since they found her bleeding in Torak''s arms.


    So, when Raine was awake now, it almost unbelievable.


    Serefina was the first person. Who stepped forward and checked on Raine''s condition as Bellinda and Sapphire were still in a state of shock.


    "You said she will not wake up anytime soon¡­" Calleb who was standing behind sapphire voiced out his thought.


    They didn''t know how to heal Raine and her life was in danger, there was a high chance she wouldn''t wake up again, those were the words that Bellinda and Sapphire had told him, but the reality before Calleb''s eyes said otherwise.


    "I don''t know¡­" Sapphire shook her head. She was a healer, so she should have known if Raine was giving a slight improvement with their treatment, but showed nothing.


    Raine''s condition was like someone, who was in their last breath, but was suddenly awake.


    "Sapphire, come here!" Serefina called out the healer.


    If it wasn''t because of Serefina, who managed assess the situation calmly and knew what she should do next, probably the two of them would just standing there, wondering how Raine could miraculously survive.


    Torak wasn''t any better.


    "Check on her." Serefina said the moment sapphire had stood beside her and turned her head at Bellinda. "And you, don''t just standing there and do nothing!"


    ==============


    Raine was staring at Torak beside her, who didn''t talk a word since Sapphire checked on her condition and Belinda gave her a bowl of soup that smell so delicious.


    Raine thought she just passed out for hours, but apparently, she had been in coma state for eight days. No wonder she felt very hungry and Torak acted so unreasonable.


    Not only that, she couldn''t move her head freely as it felt very sore the moment she turned her head. A thick bandage was covered her whole neck.


    "Are you not going to talk to me¡­?" Raine asked Torak as she caressed his face, relishing the spark from their skin to skin contact, in the other hand, Torak also felt the same as he lowered his eyes. "Are you mad?"


    "Hmm." Torak mumbled.


    They were sleeping on the bed side to side. Torak was very careful to not touch her neck as Raine rested her head on the pillow and he put his hand on her waist, the place that he thought safe enough to touch her.

 Chapter 275 - I LOVE YOU

    "Are you mad?" Raine asked.


    "Hmm." Was Torak''s answer.


    "At me?" Raine raised her eyebrows. How could Torak mad at her when she was the one who got bitten by his beast?


    Torak shook his head. "At myself."


    "Why?" Raine didn''t feel sleepy, though the night had gone very late and the moonlight illuminated the room through the window glass.


    "Because I hurt you." Torak said in matter of fact tone.


    "You didn''t do it intentionally." Raine tried to reason with him. She snuggled closer toward Torak, but her movement only caused her neck to suffer a sharp pain that made her grimace.


    "Don''t move please¡­" Torak frowned, he gritted his teeth from seeing the pain on Raine''s face. He didn''t dare to touch her neck or any part of her body, afraid he would add her misery. "I will call Sapphire."


    Torak was about to get off from the bed, but Raine clutched onto his front shirt and this made Torak stopped in his track. If he insisted to move and Raine was still holding onto him, she would drag along and it would cause another pain, but in the other hand, Torak couldn''t forcefully pry her fingers from him.


    "Raine, let me call Sapphire to ease your pain¡­ maybe she could give you¡­" Torak started to babble.


    The Torak now, wasn''t like himself, he was very careful toward Raine and, seemingly, was even afraid to be near her.


    "No, I want you¡­" Raine whined, cutting off Torak''s words. "Stay with me please¡­"


    Torak was contemplating for long time, before he gave in and laid beside Raine again.


    "Hug me¡­" Raine said sullenly because Torak was laying too far for her like.


    "My love¡­ I¡­" Torak couldn''t bear to see Raine''s face would contort in pain every time she moved as her neck became so sore.


    "It''s okay. You will not hurt me¡­" Raine tried to reassure him, but it was like a jab on Torak''s face when she said that when the result was clear as day in front of him, how he had hurt her badly.


    Torak''s face turned rigid when he heard Raine''s statement.


    "I have done that Raine." Torak''s voice was so cold, I laced with anger and guilt. He wanted to go out of the room, but Raine was still clutching his front shirt, he couldn''t afford to make a sudden move and risked to hurt her further. "Look at you now!"


    Raine bit her lower lips, she had phrased her word incorrectly.


    "You hurt me even more, when you yell at me like you are doing now¡­" Raine''s voice was so small as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.


    "Oh, my love¡­ I didn''t mean¡­" Torak was panic when he watched how her tears streamed down her face. "Please¡­ tell me what should I do?"


    Torak was afraid. He was afraid just because Raine was crying. His heart clenched agonizingly when a soft sobbing sound came out from her trembling lips.


    Her eyelashes wet with her tears as well as the pillow beneath her.


    "I am sorry¡­" Torak felt devastated to see his mate in her current state. He had never been in this helpless situation and he was clueless about what he should do. "Tell me, what should I do to appease your pain?"


    "Hug me¡­" Raine reiterated her demand, she tugged Torak''s front shirt weakly as she stared at him expectantly. "I want you to hug me¡­ I miss you." She repeated sullenly because Torak didn''t move even an inch to close the distance between them.


    Raine was akin to a kid who was asking for her parent to buy her favorite candy.


    "My love¡­ I can hurt you¡­" Torak tried to reason with her.


    "No¡­" Raine refused to acknowledge Torak''s statement. She even attempted to move her body closer to him and this made her situation even worse, she felt her neck would split into two in any moment.


    But, she had to do this, because Torak would always blame himself for what he had done to her and probably he would refuse to ever be near her.


    Raine didn''t want that, this was accident, no one knew this would happen and moreover she didn''t want Torak to put distance between them and thought he was a beast that would hurt her the moment he touched her.


    No. Raine didn''t want that!


    "Please¡­" Raine stretched out her hand with teary eyes.


    Torak gritted his teeth, how he could reject his mate when she looked at him that way?


    Very slowly and carefully, Torak inched close to her as he put his hand on her waist, just like what he did before, this wasn''t even close to be called as a hug.


    Ignoring the pain on her neck, Raine pulled her body closed to Torak until she could smell his woodsy scent as she wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head against his chest. She liked it this way.


    However, in the other hand, Torak''s body turned stiff.


    "You are not hurting me Torak¡­" Raine mumbled as she closed her eyes, a wave of exhaustion hit her and the comfort that she felt every time she was with him, made her calm. "Just like what you always said¡­ you will never hurt me."


    Torak remembered that words, he had told Raine countless times the first moment he met her that he would never hurt her¡­ but, here they were¡­


    Torak was afraid of the result of his action by forcing his mark on her. The mate bond could be snapped because of that.


    If that happened, Raine probably would hate him, but since the mate bond didn''t have any effect on her, it didn''t mean she would accept it easily as he almost killed her because of his action.


    Or maybe she didn''t want to be near him, she would fear him and they would go back to the moment when they meet for the first time.


    And Torak wouldn''t have the chance to say that she was safe with him, because the fact, she wasn''t.


    Thus, Torak wouldn''t have thought Raine would treat that as if it was nothing.


    "I love you¡­" Raine said softly as her mate''s scent lulled her into a deep slumber.

 Chapter 276 - TORAKS SELF-DEPRECATION

    Torak let out a helpless laughed softly upon hearing Raine''s words. "You should hate me for hurting you, but instead of that, you said you love me? A beast like me¡­?"


    There was no answer from Raine as she had fallen asleep and her breath turned even.


    Torak tilted his head so he could see her sleeping face, but he couldn''t, because Raine buried her face on his chest, sleeping like she wasn''t afraid if Torak would lost control and hurt her again.


    However, Torak found himself very selfish.


    When he said he would understand if Raine would hate him for what he did, yet at the same time, he didn''t want that to happen.


    How he could bear to see hate in his mate''s eyes for him? Torak had to suppress the painful feeling that squeezed his entire being the moment he thought about it.


    He mocked himself to be such hypocrite.


    "I love you too, my love¡­ you mean so much to me¡­" Torak whispered softly.


    ==============


    The next morning¡­ or afternoon¡­.


    Raine couldn''t see the difference since the sun had risen very high the moment Serefina opened the curtain of the window glass, and she covered her eyes with her arms to avoid the glaring sunlight.


    "Wake up!" She said sternly. "You need to change your bandage!"


    Raine grumbled, trying to avoid the light by pulling the blanket all over her body, but her sudden movement only aggravated the wound on her neck, in the end she wailed in pain.


    "What are you doing!" Torak yelled at the witch when he watched Raine''s face contorted as she clutched her neck.


    Torak put down a glass of milk in his hand as he rushed over toward his mate. He had just made a glass of warm milk for Raine, when Serefina asked if Raine was still sleeping.


    Torak just answered her casually and wouldn''t have thought that the witch would come directly into his room and caused trouble for Raine, the first thing she did when she stepped inside the bedroom.


    Couldn''t she stop causing trouble?


    "What am I doing?" Serefina folded her arms in front of her chest. "Wake her up of course, what else? Did you see me like I want to kill her?" The witch''s sarcastic comment received a glare from Torak.


    Because of her value for Raine''s life, Serefina was the only person who could live after the way she talked to Torak.


    Raine knew how angry Torak was now, yet he didn''t do anything to the witch simply because of her.


    "It''s alright¡­ I just stretched out my neck a little¡­" Raine murmured as she tried to sit down.


    Torak carefully helped Raine, but his own body turned stiff, as he was anxious where he had to touch her, he didn''t want to cause her pain anymore.


    But, Raine carelessly leaned over to him as she rested her head against Torak''s chest and turned the Alpha like human statue, unable to move, even his breath turned shallow.


    Raine could feel that, Torak had been like this since the moment she woke up, afraid to touch her. Now Raine was sitting while leaning over to Torak, but the later only placed his hand on her waist, just so he could balance her body, preventing Raine from limping to the other side.


    Frowning, Raine grabbed Torak''s arms and circled them around her body. It was only her neck that injured, didn''t mean her whole body also in pain, yet Torak treated her as if she was the most vulnerable human being.


    Knowing Torak protectiveness, if Raine didn''t make any advance move, their relationship would be like this for God knows how long.


    For now, in Torak''s mind, he was the same as those people who had hurt Raine, those people that he said he would protect her from them.


    In the past, Torak could say with certainty that he would never hurt her, he would protect her, but now¡­ the reality before his eyes was like a huge blow for him. He didn''t even trust himself to be near her any longer.


    "Argh! Can you stop it, both of you!?" Serefina was utterly exasperated by their action. "I told you that I come here to change your bandage, but why are you cuddling with him!?"


    Serefina was standing while crossing her arms in front of her chest, she was wearing a black cowl neck sweater and denim, and like always, she looked radiant and beautiful.


    "I will drink my milk first¡­" Raine said softly.


    Hearing that, Torak immediately grabbed the glass of milk that he had made for her and helped Raine to drink it while Serefina rolled her eyes in annoyance.


    Raine gulped down her milk as Torak wiped the remaining liquid on her lips tenderly. Torak was being more cautious with Raine than the first time they met.


    "Alright, you can go out now." Serefina clapped her hand and chased Torak out of the room.


    "Why should I?" Torak asked grimly, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.


    Serefina would only change Raine''s bandage, it wasn''t necessary for him to go out of the room.


    "Because I will also generously help her to wipe her body, she had not yet taken a bath for more than a week, she is stingy!" Serefina scrunched her nose in disgust.


    With the mentioned of that, suddenly Raine became self- conscious and was about to move away from Torak. It was so embarrassing! Serefina was right, she had not yet taken a bath for long time.


    "I like her smell." Torak stated with straight face as he put his arm on her waist again.


    "You are welcome to stay, but I don''t think she could stand being n.a.k.e.d in front of you." Serefina shrugged.


    Upon hearing Serefina''s words, Raine blushed as she bit her lips. "Mm¡­ I think you should go¡­"


    Actually Torak didn''t care even if he had to see her n.a.k.e.d, but of course he didn''t want Raine to feel uncomfortable, so with a curt nod, he let go of Raine carefully.


    "So, what do you want to ask me?" Raine asked Serefina the moment Torak had walked out of the room.

 Chapter 277 - I PROUD OF YOU

    Serefina was being generous enough to change Raine''s bandage and bath her personally, even though Sapphire and Belinda would be more than willing to do it for her, coupled with the witch lame excused to chase Torak out of the room was enough reason to question her true intention.


    There was a fleeting surprise passed her eyes before she resumed her brilliance smile and sat down on the bed beside Raine.


    "I want to know how do you manage to recover?" It wasn''t a baseless question, Serefina had her own speculation about how Raine could recover so fast, but she needed to ask a few questions to confirm it.


    "I did it." Raine hissed when Serefina started to taking off the bandage from her neck. She gritted her teeth when the witch cleaned the dry blood from her opened wound.


    Serefina slightly raised her brows when she watched that the blood was no longer gushing out like how it was yesterday. The bleeding had stopped and left bruises on Raine''s pale skin.


    "Explain." Serefina said curtly and helped Raine to take off her yellow pajamas.


    "When Torak bit me¡­" Raine cringed with the memory when the beast had bitten her, the pain was unbearable and for a moment she thought she would die right there and then that the beast would bit her head off as well. "I returned to the time where we had left off."


    "I see¡­" Serefina nodded in understanding, apparently this was just like what she had predicted. "Continue."


    Serefina threw Raine''s top on the floor and started to wipe her body with a wet towel that she had prepared before.


    "I met your father¡­"


    "Mr. Alizon." Serefina emphasized as she helped Raine to unhook her bra.


    "Hey!" Raine protested and hurriedly covered her n.a.k.e.d body, but she moved her neck abruptly in the process. "Auch!"


    "Stop being shy and all! I am a woman too!" Serefina swatted Raine''s hand from covering her chest.


    "But, it doesn''t mean I will be comfortable to be n.a.k.e.d in front of you!" Raine retorted. She had never been n.a.k.e.d in front of anyone before.


    Serefina grumbled and grabbed Raine''s arm as she wiped her slightly hard. "Continued." She said sternly.


    Raine felt Serefina was going to skin her alive, fortunately the towel was soft enough so it wouldn''t add more wound on her skin.


    "We are going to the sacred place, just like our initial plan." Raine frowned when Serefina added a little bit pressure.


    "And then?" She prodded. Her eyes focused on Raine''s arm that she was wiping.


    "Your father¡­" Raine started, but Serefina interrupted her with a glare. "Mr. Alizon." She corrected the way she addressed Serefina''s father.


    Apparently, the way her father left her with her mother because of the mate bond between him and a female werewolf, leaving a deep scar in her heart that led to her sinister attitude whenever she watched her and Torak together.


    Raine then continued her story about how she could reach the sacred place where the grimoire of the pure blood Witch had been kept for long time.


    At first, Raine and Fabian had a problem to open the gate, because it required Serefina to help them. However, the moment they reached that place, the book appeared before Raine''s eyes.


    "The grimoire was like a puppy being called by its master and came while wagging its tail." Raine recalled the moment she got the grimoire. "I did nothing and the book suddenly appeared out of the blue."


    Serefina was annoyed when Raine made comparison between her family grimoire with a puppy.


    "And then!?" She put more pressure when she wiped her back, Raine was so skinny, added that she had nothing to eat for a week, her body was literally very weak now.


    "Aw!" Raine complained, wriggled her body from Serefina''s assault.


    "Stay! You are dirty!" Serefina held Raine''s shoulder so she could stop moving.


    "I am not!" Raine kept wiggling until Serefina lessened her strength on her bony back. "The book is like a historical romance."


    "Historical romance?" Serefina frowned. "What do you mean?"


    "It told me a story about how a guardian angel, who could control the time, met the first Lycan." Raine explained. "It was sad story."


    "Continue." Serefina said.


    "The first guardian angel traveled back to the time and met with the first Lycan, long story short, they fell in love, but for some reason the Moon Goddess told the guardian angel to return to her current time, because she supposed to be not allowed been there, it would cause disaster for the realm. And because the Lycan has long life span, the guardian angel agreed. But¡­" Raine''s voice became smaller.


    "When the guardian angel returned to her current time, the Lycan had been died for years."


    Serefina listened to her story attentively.


    "The guardian angel was devastated, at that time, she met the pure blood witch and stored her power inside the grimoire. She hoped one day she could meet with her mate once again, and then she disappeared after stored her power."


    Serefina''s eyes dimmed. "How about the grimoire?" She asked.


    "That story was playing in my head, like I was watching a movie, and when I reached the end of it, the grimoire also disappeared from my hand, it turned to be thousands of fireflies." Raine smiled when she remembered how beautiful it was.


    "So, that is how the grimoire disappeared¡­" Serefina mumbled in understanding, because no one knew how it disappeared, her father had never had a chance to tell her about that.


    No, they had never talked with each other ever since he had little Belinda.


    Silence ensued until Raine turned her body and looked at Serefina''s lime green eyes.


    "I think Mr. Alizon knows about your true identity¡­ he looked disappointed when it was only me, who came to meet him alone." Raine told Serefina, but the later only scoffed.


    "That meant nothing." Serefina said nonchalantly.


    "He told me to tell you this¡­" Raine ignored the witch displeased expression. "''I proud to see how well she is.''" Raine told Serefina word by word.

 Chapter 278 - ANOTHERE SIDE OF SEREFINA

    Raine could see the flash of sadness in the witch eyes, though it was only last for two second before she regained her composure and resumed her haughty behavior.


    Shrugging her shoulder, she spoke icily. "Of course, who''s not?"


    Raine really wanted to slap the witch''s head, aside from her bad attitude, couldn''t she just reply nicely and showed some normal human emotion at least once in a while?


    No, of course she couldn''t. First, she was literally not a human and second, Raine doubted, even in witch circly, Serefina could consider as normal. She has a poisonous tongue and hateful speech.


    "Okay, you are done!" Serefina wiped Raine with dry towel before she walked toward her closet and took out another pajamas.


    "I don''t want to clean your lower body, do it yourself or asked Torak to do it for you." Serefina said as she gave the pajamas that she had retrieved from the closet to Raine.


    "Why are you helping me only half way?" Raine complained, she wear the top of her pajamas to cover her n.a.k.e.d body before she got down from the bed.


    In this case, she should just take a bath rather than let Serefina helped her to wipe her body. Now her skin was bright red because the witch rubbed it harshly.


    "That''s the amount that you deserved from my generosity." Serefina replied offhandedly and made Raine grumbled while she walked toward the bathroom carefully.


    Just like Raine had thought, Serefina only came to look for her because she needed to know what happened to her during her coma state and how she could regain her consciousness all of sudden.


    But, after the witch got what she wanted, she had nothing to do with Raine any longer.


    "This hateful witch¡­" Raine grumbled under her breath as she trudged across the room.


    "So, you managed to come back because you have gained that power." It wasn''t a question, but a statement as Serefina concluded Raine''s story.


    Raine turned her body slowly and grinned. "Yes." She said brightly. "I will show you when my condition a little bit better."


    Serefina reciprocated her grin. This was the first time, she showed a positive emotion toward Raine and for some reason, that made Raine proud of herself.


    Afterward, both of them stopped smiling and turned around to different direction, but it was only three steps before Serefina called her name again.


    "Yes?" Raine turned around and saw the witch had her back was facing her. "What happened?" She frowned. Why Serefina didn''t look at her when she talked to her?


    Serefina cleared her throat before her small voice reached Raine''s ears. "How was his expression when he said that?"


    Because Serefina didn''t even turn around to see Raine when she inquired her about this, thus she couldn''t see the witch expression.


    "He was smiling proudly." Raine recalled Fabian''s expression in her head. He indeed smiled brightly like a proud father he was.


    "Oh." That was the only reply that Serefina uttered before she walked out of the room.


    There was unfathomable emotion flashed in her eyes when she heard that and at the same time, she remembered what Belinda told her when she asked about their father when the first time they arrived here with Raine to see Torak.


    When Raine went with Raphael and Calleb to the underground room, she pulled Belinda away and talked with her alone.


    It wasn''t a difficult question, yet it kept bothering her since she met with her father again.


    "Did he ever ask about me?" That was the only question that Serefina wanted to know.


    And Belinda''s answer made her heart in turmoil.


    "He kept asking about you and your mother in his last breath and how sorry he was for both of you."


    Serefina had to clench her fist until her nails dug her palm painfully to suppress the waves of emotion that she felt now.


    Yet, when she turned around at the corner, she bumped onto Calleb who saw her wide eyes.


    "Serefina¡­ are you¡­" Calleb pointed Serefina''s face with shock was written on his stupid face.


    But, before he could finish his word, Serefina had teleported herself somewhere else.


    ==============


    Torak was sitting across the room, thus he faintly could hear the conversation between Raine and Serefina, so when the witch came out from the bedroom with unfathomable expression etched on her face, he didn''t stop her.


    More or less, Torak knew what was happening between Serefina and her father. Their relationship was very complicated and so her relationship with his brother.


    Torak stood up and strode toward the bedroom while carrying a tray full of sumptuous meal. Raine must be hungry.


    He opened the bedroom, but couldn''t see his little mate, though her scent still lingered in the air. From Raine last conversation with Serefina and the rustling sound that she made, Torak could guess she was still inside the bathroom.


    But, then he heard she gasped loudly and spoke with surprise, there was a tinge of fear in her voice too. "What is this?"


    Inside the bathroom.


    Raine just saw her own reflection on the surface of the mirror and watched in horror at her own reflection.


    Raine tilted her head so she could have a clear sight of her neck.


    Her usual pale neck now looked horrible with blue and red bruises, started from her jaw down to the nook of her shoulder, covering mostly her left neck.


    Raine looked like someone who was suffering strange blotchy rash. She bit her lips as her reflection looked back at her, terrifying.


    "My love, are you okay¡­?" Torak''s voice travelled inside the bathroom before his figure appeared from behind the door a few second later.


    Raine looked at him as her expression turned ghastly, she didn''t have time to cover her neck and used her long hair to hide the hideous sight from Torak''s eyes.


    "Don''t come¡­" Raine whimpered. She didn''t want Torak to see her with these ugly bruises.


    She was a teenager, a girl nonetheless, she wanted to look beautiful in front of someone that she loved, but these bruises made her look horrible.

 Chapter 279 - I WILL DO THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN

    "What happened?" Torak stopped in his track when he watched Raine took two steps back the moment she saw him. "Why? Are you hurt? Why are you crying?"


    It was clear to see that something was bothering Raine and Torak didn''t know what it was, as he wasn''t allowed to come closer to her.


    "No, don''t come near me¡­" Raine whined as she covered her neck.


    While Torak was trying hard to think what was the reason of Raine''s distress, his mate was thinking about the ugly bruises that could make Torak loathed her.


    "My love, don''t scare me¡­" Torak took another step closer and Raine couldn''t avoid him as her back had hit the wall behind her.


    "Don''t look at me¡­" Raine spoke rigidly.


    "What?" Torak was unsure by the thing that he heard. "Why? What happened?"


    "I am ugly¡­" Raine was almost crying when she said this. What if this wound would stuck on her skin permanently?


    "What?" This time Torak was genuinely confused, he couldn''t figure out why suddenly Raine came up with that nonsensical though? "No, of course not."


    Torak took another step closer and now they were only two steps apart. He stopped and stared at his mate, his gaze scrutinized her body, looking for any new injuries because Raine began to sob.


    "Raine¡­" Torak called out her name softly. "Tell me why were you talking like that?"


    Raine was staring at Torak with her tears were brimming on her eyes, this sight was something that Torak couldn''t bear to see.


    He wanted to pull Raine in his arms and soothed her anxiousness, but he didn''t dare to make a sudden move on her.


    In this kind of situation Torak felt like he was being torn apart.


    A tear fell from the corner of her eyes that she wiped hastily and this drove the Alpha crazy to see her crying without him knowing what the cause.


    "Tell me please¡­" His tone was almost begging her.


    Raine slowly tucked away her hair from her shoulder, the thing that Torak failed to notice that his mate had been hiding certain part of her body from his line of sight.


    "Is it possible for these bruises disappear?" Raine asked anxiously, afraid Torak would disgust it.


    Torak didn''t respond quickly when he knew what was the issue. He didn''t know whether he had to laugh or cry upon knowing the real problem.


    "Come here¡­" Torak stretched out his arms, waiting for Raine to come closer.


    Of course Raine didn''t waste even a second before she ran toward his arms and sn.a.k.e.d her arms around his waist.


    "Yes, the bruises will disappear." Torak reassured her nervous little mate. He wrapped his arms around her small frame carefully. "That is my mark."


    "Your mark?" Raine lifted her head and furrowed slightly. "Your mark will look like bruises?"


    Raine to admit it that she didn''t want to have bruises on her neck for the rest of her life¡­


    "No, my love¡­" Torak chuckled.


    This was the first time Torak was in good mood ever since Raine woke up, he looked more relax when he laughed at Raine''s misunderstanding.


    "The bruises will disappear and it will form my mark¡­" Torak explained.


    Raine blinked her eyes. "How it will look like?"


    "I don''t know¡­ I have never marked anyone before you." Torak shrugged his shoulder. He was glad that Raine didn''t look as lethargic as last night.


    There was a tinge of red color on her cheek, especially when she was blushing like now, that was one of the things, which Torak loved from her.


    "The bruises will be gone?" Raine released her body from Torak and walked toward the mirror as she examined her neck once again. "How long¡­?" She tried to poke her bruises, to test if it was still as painful as before.


    It was still painful, but Raine also could feel it had lessened a bit.


    "A week or two." Torak answered, his voice was so rigid when he watched Raine''s neck as he clenched his hands tightly.


    Raine could feel Torak''s changed of mood again as she stared at his blue eyes through his reflection on the mirror.


    Those eyes were clouded with anger, sadness and guilty. And Raine didn''t any of those emotions.


    Raine turned around and approached him slowly, but this time, it was Torak who avoided her.


    A furrow on Raine''s brows indicated that she was annoyed by Torak''s gesture. If the bruises would eventually disappear, then she didn''t have a problem at all.


    But why Torak, once again, treated her like this?


    "I brought your breakfast, you better eat now before it gets cold." Torak tried to escape from the bathroom.


    Raine pouted sullenly upon hearing Torak''s words. It was impossible for her to catch up to him in her current condition, moreover if he determined to avoid her.


    But, of course Raine didn''t have to do that. She just needed to do something and Torak would run toward her.


    And that was what she did.


    Before Torak could walk away from the bathroom, Raine suddenly squatted down while holding her neck as she wailing.


    This, of course, made Torak turned around and approached her with concern in his blue eyes. He squatted down in front of her, but didn''t touch her.


    "What happened? Is it hurt again? Is it really painful?" Torak could see Raine''s face contorted in pain. "I will¡­ I will call Serefina over." He stuttered out of fright.


    But, before Torak could stand up and rushed out of the bathroom, unexpectedly, Raine grabbed his collar and pulled him closer to her until their lips touched, yet because the exerted strength that Raine mustered, she strain her neck and the moment she kissed him, she also yelp in pain.


    "What are you doing!?" Torak yelled, his body turned stiff out of shock. He wouldn''t have thought that Raine would suddenly pull him for a kiss.


    However, Raine lifted her head and glared at Torak defiantly as she spoke angrily. "If you keep avoiding me, then I will do this again and again!"

 Chapter 280 - THE PERKS OF BEARING HIS MARK

    "Raine!" Torak called out her name out of frustration, how she could threaten him like that? Didn''t she forget already about the cause of her pain?


    "I don''t want you to treat me like this!" Raine wrapped Torak''s huge frame with her arms as she carefully place her head on his chest. "I don''t want you to avoid me¡­"


    "Did you forget what I have done to you?" Torak still didn''t reciprocate Raine''s hug, he kept his arms beside his body, yet he let Raine clung on him.


    Now, both of them were sitting on the cold bathroom floor, seemingly no one from them wanted to go to the warm bed, just a few steps away from there.


    "No, of course not. That was very scary, I thought I would die." Raine blurted out the truth.


    Torak''s eyes darkened and turned even more rigid than a second ago. He knew that he almost killed her, how he would forget the feeling when he just regained his control over his beast and found his mate was bleeding in her arms.


    That was the first thing that Torak saw when he returned to his human form. He was dumbfounded and even didn''t know what to think.


    His mind tried to deny the scene before his eyes, yet the reality was there and he could feel Raine''s warm blood was oozing out from her neck as her breathing became shallow and her heartbeat slower.


    Torak literally could feel the fear and the excruciating pain in every pores of his skin, crushing his heart by the realization he might lose his mate and another fact that he was the reason behind it.


    How he could bear that? That was too much for him.


    Torak was overwhelmed with guilty, he even afraid to touch her and inflicted another pain on her. He couldn''t trust himself. His beast was so feral.


    The beast in him was furious by the fact that Raine still didn''t bear his mark and aggravated because they restrained him when his mate was so close to him.


    Thus, the first thing that the beast did was to put his mark on his mate. It was something unavoidable as the beast was the primitive side of Torak.


    "But, you know why I ended up like this?" Raine raised her head as she grimace a little when she moved her neck and this made Torak let out a deep growl. Ignoring that, Raine continued with her words. "Because you don''t trust me enough to let me know about your condition. You keep protecting me by leaving me in the dark and didn''t let me to face the problem with you. Didn''t you say it that WE will face it together?"


    "I¡­" Torak frowned.


    "You promised me." Raine didn''t let Torak to utter a word to counter her. "You said it, you said that you will never hide anything from me again."


    Raine was awake just in time when Torak was saying that, so it was only right if he fulfilled his promise.


    "Or¡­ are you lying when you were saying that?" There was a flush of disappointment in Raine''s eyes when she said it that automatically made Torak shook his head.


    He didn''t lie when he said those words, but it was two different things.


    "I am not lying my love¡­ I will never hide anything from you again after I see the consequences of my stupid decision." Torak relented as he lowered his head. "I should have know that Serefina couldn''t be trusted." He mumbled and this earned a giggle from Raine.


    The sound of his mate happy voice formed a smile on Torak''s lips ever so slightly.


    "I like her more now." Raine whispered toward him. "Promise me that you will never hide anything from me."


    "I promise." Torak replied instantly. "But¡­ what was that?" He looked at Raine with mirth in his eyes when she leaned over to kiss him again, but he evaded it.


    "Seal it with a kiss." Raine said sullenly, because of her slow movement, she missed it.


    "I don''t know if you so eager to kiss me again and again, my love¡­" Torak bemused. Raine had been very active to close the distance between them ever since she just woke up.


    "Because it was usually you, who always did this kind of things, but now you are avoiding me, so I just try to reciprocate the effort." Raine grinned from ear to ear.


    Torak narrowed his eyes upon hearing Raine''s answer. "Is it possible that you have changed your personality as well when you traveled back to the past and gained your true strength?"


    Raine''s eyes widened in surprise when she heard him. "How did you know about this?"


    "I heard the conversation between you and Serefina." Torak said, his voice laced with smile, as he felt proud of her because she managed to accomplish the task by her own.


    His little mate had grown stronger than the first time Torak met her.


    "You was eavesdropping our conversation." Raine accused.


    "No." Torak shook his head. "I was sitting four meters away from the door, so how could you accuse me from eavesdropping?"


    Raine frowned, but then she realized that Torak had that kind of thing like a super hearing power.


    ''Annoying.'' Raine muttered inwardly.


    "Do you think so?" Torak raised his eyebrows in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    Apparently his mood slightly better after their bickering about this and that, aside the fact that he still reluctance to touch Raine, but he didn''t reject Raine''s advance too.


    "What?" Raine didn''t understand what Torak was talking about.


    "I am annoying?" Torak asked with mirth flashed on his blue eyes.


    It took Raine a long time to understand. Her eyes widened in horror.


    ''Impossible! The word didn''t leave my lips, did it?'' She thought, trying to recall whether she had said it out loud or not. But, no! She didn''t, that was a frivolous thought in spur moment.


    "No, it didn''t. But, I heard it nonetheless." Torak chuckled when he watched Raine''s shock expression. "It is one of the perks of bearing my mark after all."

 Chapter 281 - THIS IS UNFAIR

    "No way¡­" Raine was dumbfounded as her mind turned blank, but then the rushed of feeling flooded and she didn''t know how to stop it.


    Now, she couldn''t possibly think about Torak without the latter knew it, but to stop it¡­ how she could possibly stop what she was thinking? She had been thinking out loud inside her mind safely for these eighteen years of her life, and now it was so embarrassing because Torak would know every bit of her thought.


    "Yes way." Torak smirked, his mood really got better upon seeing his mate fluttered expression.


    "This is so embarrassing¡­" Raine bit her lips while looking at Torak in horror. She was always thinking about Torak even when they were so close like this and made a mental note about his habit, but now she couldn''t do that.


    Raine has to admit that some of her thought wasn''t appropriate.


    Like; how handsome he was, how beautiful those eyes and how she liked it when he kissed her¡­ ups!


    "I don''t need to read into your mind to know that." Torak laughed, his eyes sparkle under the lamp light.


    Raine was, once again, smitten by the way he laughed and how she loved to hear his voice, but then¡­ she couldn''t think about that! She needed to stop from thinking about him.


    But, how¡­???


    How she could hide from her own mind?


    Raine covered her face in frustration, but more because she was in shame of her own thought.


    "Hey," Torak then ever so carefully lifted his hand and caressed her head gently. "Don''t be shy, I love to hear your thought."


    "No!" Raine rejected the idea sullenly, she put down her hands and looked at Torak. "You are invading my privacy!"


    "Isn''t this what you want? I heard this from Calleb." Torak retaliated.


    "That¡­" Raine was at lost for words, she indeed wanted to be able to use mind- link like those Lycan could do. "But¡­ it is not like this¡­"


    "It is like this." Torak teased her.


    How could Torak stand to ignore her for long time? When the moment they were having a conversation like this was the moment he cherished the most.


    He had never been so happy like what he felt right now, and the silly fact was; with only a small gesture from his mate, he could smile like a fool.


    He was selfish and he had to admit it. Regardless the fact that he had harmed her and his decision to keep a distance between them, Torak still couldn''t push her away.


    His determination to stay away from Raine was wavered by only a simple hug and smile.


    He was so selfish for being happy right now when he teased her, despite the fact she was still suffering the injuries caused by him.


    "Alright, alright¡­" Torak yielded when he watched Raine was on the verge of crying. Her face was so bright red, even the bruises on her neck became a few shades darker. "I will teach you how to mask your thought, is it fair enough for you?"


    "Okey¡­" Raine mumbled while pouting. "But, why I can''t hear your thought?"


    "Do you want to hear it?" Torak raised his eyebrows.


    "Of course." Raine stared at him intently as seemingly both of them had forgotten the reason why they were sitting on the bathroom floor and conversing harmoniously.


    Torak smiled at his little mate and let his own thought flooded her mind with a single sentence.


    ''I love you''.


    ==============


    Days passed uneventfully for Raine, but not for Torak, he had been receiving many reports about the activities of the vampires and the witches near their border territory.


    Some of them were got caught, but some of them were only walking a step away from their border line, causing they didn''t have the right to catch them.


    But, Torak most concern was the Fulbright city.


    He had just received a report from Raphael that a bunch of witches and vampires had resided there and even mingled with human.


    It was odd, as witches usually didn''t interact with human, just like many other creatures. They despised them. Thus, there was no reason for those witches to be in the middle of the city that was filled with human.


    While vampires, they had their own territory, so why they went out of there and resided in Fulbright city?


    Those were the questions that Torak had tasked Jack to figure out along with his group of hunter.


    Whatever the reason would be, it wouldn''t be a good thing in the end.


    And because the Fulbright city wasn''t his territory, he couldn''t be possibly to chase those creatures away from there. This was another concern of Torak.


    And for the same reason too, Torak had been asking Serefina if it was possible for Raine to be moved to the Oriole City, the heart of Torak''s territory. She would be safer there.


    Since Raine had gained her true strength, it wouldn''t be an issue again for her to be surrounded by Lycanthropes, right?


    Yet, once again Serefina objected the idea.


    Today was the fifteenth days since Raine had arrived there and also almost a month for Torak had disappeared from the Fulbright city.


    Most of the Alphas had started to show their claw to climb Torak''s throne as the supreme Alpha, but then Torak was still calm and did nothing about it.


    He wanted to see those people who would easily sway and turned their back against him the moment he lost from their sight.


    Torak would strike when the time was right and eliminated all those greedy Lycans out of his land, or most likely out of this world.


    However now, his concern was¡­


    "What do you mean she can''t come to my territory when she has gained her strength?!" Torak yelled at Serefina while he put another chicken b.r.e.a.s.t on Raine''s plate.


    This was another argumentation between Serefina and Torak, there would be no peace when the two creatures were put in the same table.


    Any topic of discussion could be turned into a fiery dispute, moreover if this was about Raine.


    "Give me a good reason for that."

 Chapter 282 - PLEASE COOPERATE

    "Give me a good reason for that!" Torak asked Serefina through his gritted teeth.


    The Alpha really wanted to take her back to their own territory, but the witch kept making everything difficult for him.


    And now, what would be the reason of her to keep Raine in that dangerous city? With many creatures roamed the street, waiting to take a bite of his mate.


    The thought made Torak''s eyes turned grim.


    "Watch out. Don''t lash out here¡­ do you want to cause her another harm?" Serefina pointed Raine, who was sitting across from her seat, with her chin as she spoke nonchalantly and swallowed a spoonful mash potatoes from her plate.


    Everyone at the table turned stiff upon hearing Serefina''s casual remark. This was a sensitive topic that they would avoid because Torak would turn gloomier with the mention of Raine''s injuries and his mood became worse.


    Yet, like usual, Serefina didn''t even care with any of those. She just talked whatever passed her mind without even thinking twice or what the consequences would be.


    Raine kissed Torak''s cheek and fed the latter with a chicken b.r.e.a.s.t on her plate while saying sweetly. "Of course he will not harm me. He loves me."


    Serefina rolled her eyes at Raine''s gesture to try to annoy her, because she knew, Serefina was very irritated the moment both of them started to be a lovey dovey couple.


    After all, the witch dislike the mate- bond between them.


    "Said the one who is suffering from the forcing mark." Serefina remarked sarcastically at Raine.


    "This happened because your spell is not powerful enough to restrain him even though you all have starved him for days!" Raine glared at the rest of the people at the dining table, including Calleb, Belinda and Sapphire.


    Raine was still angry with the fact that they had starved Torak, despite the latter explanation that it was his order to not give him any food during that time to weaken his beast, because he had calculated it that they wouldn''t be able to restrain him if he didn''t do that.


    Even so, the explanation only turned into a deaf- ear as Raine was still fuming mad at Belinda and Serefina, because the two of them were in charge here, while Raphael and Calleb were in the Fulbright city.


    The three of them lowered their head solemnly ever since the beginning of the dinner, letting Torak, Raine and Serefina were having their own argumentation, yet why Raine attacked them all of sudden?


    Serefina was totally lost it when Raine questioned her power. "Good thing you didn''t turn out to hate him." She said sharply. "After all, forcing mark is a dangerous thing to do."


    "How can I hate someone like my mate? You will know it since you don''t even have a boyfriend." Raine countered.


    Torak closed his eyes, the conversation had gone too far from their main topic and with Raine and Serefina childish behavior, this bickering would never lead them anywhere.


    "Tell me why are you so adamant for her to stay in Fulbright city even though you know the situation there now, with those witches and vampires I don''t think your decision now is wise." Torak cut the petty argumentation between the two as he stuffed a shrimp into Raine''s mouth so she could stop grumbling.


    Torak was still overly cautious whenever he was with Raine than he used to, but at least that was way better than him in the first until the fifth day since Raine woke up, during that time, Torak was so difficult to approach.


    If it wasn''t for Raine''s initiative to get close to him, Torak wouldn''t start it. So, in these past few days, it was Raine who was actively clinging onto him.


    "Of course my reason is still the same." Serefina answered Torak nonchalantly. "The same reason why I wanted you to move Raine out of your territory."


    "She already has what she needs, is your reason still valid?" Torak retorted.


    "Do you think if I give her a knife right now, she will know how to use it to protect herself?" Serefina put down her spoon and stared at Torak straight into his eyes. "If she doesn''t know how to use it, then there will be high possibility that she would use it wrongly and even hurt herself, the same logic that I will use to describe her power."


    Torak stared intently at the witch.


    At this point, everyone at the table had stopped to eat, the tension between the Alpha and the witch was too much for them to handle.


    How they could swallow their food and relished the delicate meal in front of them if the air was so suffocating? They felt like the air had turned into smoke. This wasn''t a healthy dinner.


    Meanwhile, Raine, who was sitting beside Torak didn''t really care to see both of them were having another round of ''discussion'', she had used to this.


    Raine kept stuffing her mouth with the delicacies that Torak put on her plate as her part to retort at Serefina had done.


    "You can train her in my territory." Torak countered.


    "And see her collapsing again like the last time?" Serefina scoffed. "Don''t you understand? I want her to stay in Fulbright city and it is not only because she couldn''t stay in your territory, but also because I need her to do something that she could only do there."


    "What is it? What should I do?" Raine asked curiously.


    "This is not the right time to know it yet." Serefina gave her final statement.


    Torak was squinted his eyes at Serefina, he has known this witch for many centuries, but still couldn''t figure out what was inside her mind.


    "You have too many secret Serefina." Torak stated, his eyes never left Serefina''s green ones. "Isn''t this because the Moon Goddess had promised you something? You are here and help my mate because of her, right?"


    "Right." Serefina answered readily. "And just like what you already knew, I don''t like to do this, so please cooperate." She said.

 Chapter 283 - SHE FORGOT, TOTALLY FORGOT!

    "What the deal that you had made with the moon goddess, Serefina?" Torak leaned over as he asked the witch.


    "It is the deal between me and her, so you don''t have to know about it." Serefina said sternly and rested her elbow on the arm rest as she intertwined her fingers together. "If you don''t believe what I am saying, go ahead and bring her to your territory, the second time she got relapse because her spirit couldn''t take it, I don''t know whether she will be able to recover or not."


    It was a warning, a threat, but Torak knew there was the truth in Serefina''s words and the Alpha was upset because he didn''t have a choice except to follow the witch''s advise, again.


    Seeing her mate was almost burst into anger, Raine put her hand on his clenching fist as she smiled at him. "Let''s go home to the Fulbright city, I still have classes to attend to."


    Torak stared intently at his mate as he tried to compose himself before he nodded and spoke curtly. "Alright."


    Torak reached out his hand as he gathered a wisp of Raine''s hair that nearly fell into a bowl of soup and swept it behind her ear while Raine kept eating happily.


    His blue eyes glued on the spot where his mark started to form on Raine''s neck, the bruises began to fade and there was an intricate knots and complex curves like a celtic tattoo on the surface of her skin, it had not yet form into something, but from the look of it, it was something beautiful.


    Absentmindedly, Torak caressed the surface of his mark with his thumb and that startled Raine a bit. "Is it still painful?" He asked as he withdrew his hand from the mark.


    "No¡­ it''s just¡­" Raine stuttered as she didn''t know how to describe the feeling when Torak touched the mark.


    It felt like her stomach was knotted with strange sensation and this made her face blushed brightly.


    Torak tilted his head and he watched his mate''s face turned scarlet as she was pretending that she felt nothing.


    Long time ago, Torak had ever heard one or two things about mark, one of it was; the spot where the mark appeared would be more sensitive to the touch especially when your mate who touched you.


    Apparently that was true.


    Torak was enjoying listening to the voices that Raine made inside her head, forgot that Torak could hear them as well.


    [Alpha¡­] Suddenly Calleb mind- linked Torak that made the latter to turn his head toward him with frown. [Don''t you want to teach Luna how to mask her thought?]


    The Gamma asked helplessly as his face also turned red.


    This question earned him a vicious glare from Torak that automatically made Calleb to shut the mind- link.


    Calleb shouldn''t need to ask and just cut it out, now he would get trouble from listening something that he shouldn''t.


    "Before we will go to the Fulbright City, I want us to go to the oriole city first." Torak announced. "I assumed she will be fine for two or three days, right?" He eyed at Serefina as he asked.


    "Three days is fine." Serefina replied without lifting her head from the dessert that she was eating.


    "I want you to inform Dmitri that I want to see him two days from now at the border of our territory." Torak informed Calleb. "I want to hear what his explanation for their impertinent attitude."


    ==============


    Raine was looking at her reflection on the surface of the mirror inside the bathroom, tilting her head so she could get a better view of her neck.


    The area where Torak had bitten her where still swollen, but the blue and red bruises had faded, leaving a silver line of intricate line and curves that form like a tattoo, but with silver ink.


    Raine didn''t know how describe it, she had never fond of tattoo and had never thought to have one if she could, yet she was smitten by this mark on her neck.


    So, this how the mark looked like? Silver color, just like how Torak''s Lycan fur color.


    She had been spending almost thirty minutes, thinking about how she loved the mark on her neck, dazing off without realizing that a certain someone had been listening to her inner thought shamelessly.


    Torak was leaning his body against the wall beside the bathroom door, so Raine wouldn''t realize since when he had been there.


    And when the moment Raine had finished brushing her teeth and took a glance once again at her mark, she walked out of the bathroom only to be hugged by Torak.


    Apparently Torak was in good mood and even almost turned to his old self as he buried his nose on the nook of Raine''s shoulder. Inhaled his mate intoxicating scent.


    "How long had you been standing there?" Raine was being carried in princess style by Torak and was put on their bed gently.


    "Since the moment you thought the mark is so cool until you thought yourself as a white Lycan too." Torak witnessed his mate''s eyes widened in shocked, but he didn''t stop as he added. "And the thought in between was kind of interesting too¡­ hmm, what is it? Did you really want to bite me too? And leaving your mark?"


    "Torak!!!" Raine shrieked in horror.


    She forgot! Totally forgot that Torak could hear her inner thought.


    And then, the next second, Raine recalled everything that she had been thinking when she was in the bathroom.


    But, this was the same thing like she was humiliating herself twice, by recalling all of those embarrassing thought, yet in the other hand, how she could stop it?


    Was there anyone who didn''t think at all??


    Raine rolled her body as she wrapped herself like a sandwich with a blanket.


    Torak chuckled when he watched how bashful his mate became and then reached out to pull the blanket from her head, so while Raine''s body was coiled with the blanket, it was only hear head that poking out of it, glaring at him.


    Ignoring his mate angry eyes, Torak leaned over and captured her lips as he murmured. "Hm¡­ I like it too."

 Chapter 284 - WILL YOU BRING HER?

    Because of Raine constant complained about Torak had invaded her privacy and blushed every now and then, she kept demanding for Torak to teach her how to mask her own thought.


    Despite being a little bit reluctance to teach Raine about it as Torak was still enjoying to hear his mate thought about him, in the end, he still taught her nonetheless.


    It was a good thing too because Torak didn''t want anyone in his pack would be able to read Raine''s mind since they would head toward the oriole city as per schedule.


    There, there would be dozens of Lycanthropes that were waiting for them.


    Along the way, Raine was so engrossed remembering every detail that Torak had told her to hide her mind.


    "Don''t stress yourself, it will come naturally, no need to be forced. You will get used to it." Torak smoothened Raine''s wrinkle eyebrows with his thumb. Torak was worried that Raine would exert herself, her body was still recover from the last event.


    "No, I am fine." Raine''s small face frown as she kept her mind focus. "Can you hear my thought now?" She lifted her head as she asked Torak beside her eagerly.


    Both of them were sitting on the back seat of a white expensive car with Calleb was driving while Belinda and Sapphire in another car, both of them would go straight to the raven village.


    And for Serefina, no one had seen her since the morning, so they assumed she had disappeared again. at this point it has become a normal thing to see Serefina come and go as she wish, so it didn''t bother them anymore.


    "Almost." Torak smiled as he fixed he shawl around Raine''s neck, the bruises still leaving red and blue mark, but it had started to form his mark.


    Actually Raine objected to hide it as she thought it was so cool to have a tattoo.


    A tattoo, the sacred mark of the Lycanthropes was akin to a tattoo for her, it didn''t mean Torak mind it, in reality, he thought it was cute of her to think that way.


    Everything about his mate was cute.


    However, because of the weather that slightly cold, Torak didn''t want Raine to get sick just because she wanted to show off her ''tattoo'', especially not in her current condition.


    It took half a day before they entered Oriole city and the moment when they arrived at hotel, which Calleb had booked for them, the sky has turned dark and Raine was asleep.


    Torak carried Raine in his arms as they walked in the Lobby, this hotel originally belonged to the dragon shifter, Reynold Magnus, Stephan''s older brother.


    But because the agreement between them, this hotel belonged to Torak now, in spite of the owner of this hotel had changed, Reynold still managed this place.


    Ever since the ownership of this hotel had changed, Torak had never showed up even once, thus with him being here tonight in short notice shocked the upper management as they came to greet him at the lobby.


    There were ten people as the representative of their department, who were waiting for Torak in the lobby and a few senior staff to serve Torak''s small group.


    However, all of the people''s jaw dropped when Torak entered the lobby with sleeping Raine in his arms.


    Not only that, he gave them vicious glare the moment they wanted to approach and greet him. The message was clear; he didn''t want them to make a noisy sound and woke up the little girl in his arms.


    Of course, with one intense look from Torak managed to make them stop on their track from getting closer to him.


    They had heard about Torak''s woman, she was actually a little girl who just enrolled at a university in Fulbright city.


    They also caught a rumor about how this cold- blood CEO from Donovan Company, pampered this little girl so much.


    Though they couldn''t see clearly the face of the girl in Torak''s arms because half of her face was hiding on the nook of Torak''s shoulder as her hair scattered around her face, they were sure, she was a beautiful girl. Moreover, the eighteenth birthday party of this girl was aired in the television and shocked many people.


    Because the girl was so young, they didn''t think that Torak Donovan would have a stable relationship with this one as the rumor has it that he was previously in relationship with Jenedieth, one of his trusted people.


    At first they was unsure until what extent Torak would spoil his woman, yet after seeing this, they were convinced to not look down and treated their future lady boss with the most care.


    In the end the grand greeting that those people had prepared for their new CEO in short time was pour down the drain as they didn''t allow to voice a single word toward him.


    Torak walked straight to the elevator that had prepared for them and went straight to their room at the eighth floor while they could only stare at his back.


    Calleb opened the door for Torak and let the latter to step inside the extravagant room that would only be the privilege of the owner of this hotel.


    This place screamed elegance and money, from the white carpet to the crystals hanging from the ceiling. The whole room was dazzling. At one side, instead of wall, it was a glass with a view of the backyard of the hotel, lushes trees and flower garden in various colors.


    Torak walked to the master room and placed Raine carefully on the magnificent bed in white cover.


    Apparently, Raine''s physical strength had not yet returned fully, she was still exhausted easily and didn''t even wake up when Torak put her down.


    Leaned over, Torak kissed her forehead and tucked her inside the blanket afterward, he walked toward he door and opened it.


    Torak didn''t step out from the room, instead, he was having conversation with Calleb in the doorway, so he could still see his mate from his spot.


    "It had finalized. We will meet Dmitri at the agreement point." Calleb informed Torak and sneaked a peek at Raine. "Will you bring her along?"

 Chapter 285 - VILLAGE OF ANGEL

    Torak''s eyes became gentle the moment Raine''s sleeping face fell in his line of sight. "Hm, I will bring her along."


    "Wouldn''t that be very dangerous for her? We will meet other creatures that is, literally, blood thirst." Calleb frowned, concern was written all over his face.


    "Then make sure everything is fine for tomorrow." Torak said curtly and closed the door right before Calleb''s face, leaving the Gamma dumbfounded behind the closed door.


    ''Ugh! Torak is being unreasonable day by day¡­'' he grumbled inwardly.


    Inside the room, after having a short conversation with Calleb, Torak strode toward the bed and stroke Raine''s head gently.


    Actually, he was very reluctant to bring Raine along with him.


    It was the vampire that he would meet after all, their behavior could be unpredictable and just like what Calleb had said, it would be dangerous for her as a drop of blood from her would drive those creatures crazy.


    But, he had promised her to not hide anything from her and Raine was so adamant to do everything together, including this meeting.


    In different side this was a good thing because one day she would become the Luna of the pack, Torak could count this as training.


    But, in the other side, he was very worried for the possible danger that would be exposed to her.


    Torak knew he could protect her if the aggression where happened, but it was against his overprotective nature.


    Raine was breathing evenly as her lips slightly ajar. The mark on her neck had started to form into something beautiful that she always called this as a tattoo.


    Torak loved it when he watched how her mate''s eyes sparkled whenever she thought and caught a sight of the mark. This made him proud.


    Torak lightly traced his finger on the surface of his mark on her neck and this made Raine shuddered a little.


    "My lovely mate¡­" Torak whispered as a smile formed on his lips.


    ==============


    "Wake up¡­"


    There was Raine''s favorite voice sounded from a far along with the spark that spread on her cheek by the touch of his finger.


    "Wake up or you will be late for breakfast."


    Raine grumbled something incoherent as she pulled the blanket to cover her face, but Torak snatched it away.


    "You have slept for almost twelve hours now¡­" Torak chuckled when Raine snuggled against his chest. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, just like an octopus.


    "I am sleepy¡­" Raine mumbled with frown etched on her face. She was tired easily recently, probably that was the side effect of what had happened and the mark.


    "But you have to wake up now because we have to go to the border line to meet my old friend." Despite Torak told her to wake up, he was caressing Raine''s soft hair prompted the latter to fall into asleep again.


    "Who is your old friend¡­?" Raine let out stifled yawn.


    "Dmitri, the Vampire." Torak replied.


    "A vampire?" Raine lifted her head, peering through her hair.


    "Hm." Torak nodded.


    "Don''t vampire bite people?" Raine frowned, her lips pursed.


    "So do I." Torak glanced at the mark on her neck and that made Raine hid her face against his chest again.


    "I don''t mind if it''s you¡­" Raine replied meekly.


    Torak was laughing upon hearing his mate words. Oh, how easy to be happy whenever he has his mate in his arms.


    The Alpha''s smile was more radiant than the sun out there when he tousled Raine''s hair and rested his chin on top of her head. "They do bite people, but I will slit their throat before they could touch a single hair of my mate."


    ==============


    After a few more minutes of cuddling, Raine finally got up from bed and took a quick bath before she followed Torak down to the restaurant at the ninth floor.


    The sunlight fell on Raine''s eyes the moment she stepped out from the elevator. The restaurant was an open area where every table has a big umbrella on the top of it.


    Torak held Raine''s hand as he led her to one of the table near the railing steel at the furthest part of this restaurant where was less of people.


    Like a gentleman he was, Torak pulled a seat for her and let her to sit down before he pushed it forward, made sure Raine was comfortable.


    After they made an order, it didn''t take a long time for their food to be served. They ate their breakfast while teasing each other.


    Today started with a good vibe and Torak hoped it would last until they met with Dmitri.


    It had been a very long time since the last time he saw him before they created their own territory in the north.


    After they finished their breakfast, both of them entered the elevator, which brought them to the lobby, where their car had been waiting for them with Calleb already inside.


    "Good morning Calleb!" Raine greeted him brightly.


    "Hi, morning¡­ morning¡­" Calleb replied carelessly as he arranged the rearview mirror. "Morning Torak."


    "Hm."


    Calleb and Raphael had developed a habit to call Torak by his name in informal occasion like this or in this calm situation and Torak didn''t mind it.


    Both of them were the most closest people for him.


    The drive to Torak''s border territory took a four and half hour and by the time they arrived there, the sun was still high on the horizon.


    Raine thought the so called border of territory was in deep forest with lushes trees that canopied the sky, but Raine would have never thought that it was actually in a beautiful village.


    The car stopped at the side of a river.


    "The other side of this river is the vampire''s territory." Torak leaned in as he informed Raine. He wanted for her to learn everything that she needed in order to be the Luna of the pack.


    Raine nodded her head. "This place is beautiful. What''s the name of this place?"


    "This is village of angel." Torak replied.

 Chapter 286 - CLOSE YOUR EYES MY LOVE

    Torak answered made Raine turned her head toward him too fast that it strained her neck as she grimaced while rubbing it. "Village of angel?" She reiterated.


    Yet, Torak didn''t have interest to answer Raine as he frowned while helping his mate to ease the pain. "Don''t move so sudden, your neck is still swollen." He nagged.


    "This is village of angel?" Raine insisted to get confirmation from Torak, ignoring the pain in her neck.


    "Yes, it is¡­" Torak finally replied without averted his eyes from Raine''s neck. "Is it still hurt?" He asked with concern.


    "No, it is not¡­" Raine said as she turned her gaze and stared at the river through the opened window car. "I think I know that river."


    "Apricity River." Torak mentioned. "The river that had never been frozen."


    "But I think I saw it froze once in the past." Raine contemplated.


    "Yes, the river froze the day when the Lycanthropes destroyed the village of angel." There was no trace of warm in his voice. "That is why this place is called Red River city."


    Raine shifted her gaze from the river to Torak''s complicated expression. "Why?"


    At the same time there were around ten more cars that came to halt around Torak''s. Raine didn''t need to guess, they must be the Lycanthropes from Torak''s pack.


    "Because after the river froze and then thaw again, the color changed into red." Torak stroke Raine''s head as he explained.


    "But, it is not red¡­" Raine leaned closer toward the window, the river was the color of blue and sparkled under the reflection of the sunlight.


    "Yes, it just last for seven years before it changed into its original color." Torak said.


    After he said that, Torak''s eyes turned rigid as his nose picked unpleasant smell in the air.


    "My love, I want you to stay inside the car with Calleb, alright?" Torak concealed the bloodl.u.s.t in his eyes as he kissed his mate.


    Raine could come and see this meeting, but Torak still held back a little to not exposed her too much, it wasn''t the time yet.


    "Alright." Raine nodded obediently.


    After Torak gave another kiss on her forehead, he stepped out from the car and gestured for Calleb to enter and accompanied Raine.


    There were total of forty Lycanthropes in his human form, coming out from the cars as half of them followed after Torak and the rest stayed around the car where Raine was sitting curiously with Calleb inside.


    Raine hopped to the front seat beside Calleb to have a better view about what was happening a few meter from them where Torak was standing tall, waiting.


    "Is the vampire already here?" Raine tilted her head at Calleb as she asked because she couldn''t see anyone there.


    "There." Calleb pointed his finger and from the other side of the river, walking confidently on the bridge, there were someone wearing all black approached Torak''s small group slowly.


    Behind that man, there were around thirty more people in various colors of clothes, men and women.


    "That is Dmitri." Calleb pointed at the man in black clothes that covered almost all his body, he has straight black hair that was combed to the back of his head and tied into a man bun. His skin was so pale that almost looked sickly.


    "Dmitri¡­" Raine tried to remember that name, her first impression of the man wasn''t really good.


    "Hm. Currently he is the leader of the vampire." Calleb explained.


    "Can people see them?" Raine asked because when the shape shifter shifted into their beast form, human wouldn''t be able to see them, thus how about the vampire?


    "Yes, vampire is not a shifter, they don''t have another form." Calleb said.


    In front of them, Torak walked toward the bridge as well with his men in tow five steps away from him, the same thing that Dmitri and his men did.


    Finally both of them met at the center of the bridge and stood tall with imposing manner. Dmitri was slightly shorter and skinnier than Torak.


    "Alpha Torak." Dmitri greeted Torak with smirk curled on his lips. "What a pleasant surprise to get an invitation to meet you here in short notice. I thought you are in some kind of vacation."


    The vampire hinted the moment of Torak''s absence and quite surprised when he received Torak''s demand through his Gamma to meet in this place.


    The sarcasm in his tone wasn''t left unheard by Torak as the later didn''t even bother to reciprocate his greet or smile and talked straight to the business.


    "What are your plans by letting your wretch kind trespass my territory?" Torak asked with expression that devoid from any emotions.


    "I don''t understand your question Alpha." Dmitri maintained the smirk on his face, or he thought it was a smile.


    Torak didn''t have time and patient to follow Dmitri''s way to handle this conversation, thus he mind linked his men to bring those people to him.


    There were six people around Raine''s car that moved toward their own car and dragged out one man from each car trunk.


    Six Lycanthropes with six pale men, they dragged them to the bridge and stopped right behind Torak as they forced those sickly people to kneel.


    Upon seeing Dmitri, those six people started to wail and cry, asking their leader to save them, their eyes were bloodshot red as their thirst for blood was akin to a hot iron stroke down their throat.


    They suffered and agitated because of the lack of blood, but also very weak to retaliate against the lycanthropes.


    "Do you understand my question now?" Torak asked Dmitri while the latter gritted his sharp teeth as his eyes locked on his own people.


    He had heard about them were being captured and was about to plan for their rescue when suddenly Torak''s demand for this meeting arrived.


    "Give me back my people." Dmitri hissed, his canines elongated, along with the other men behind him.


    "Once you crossed the border, I will kill them all." Torak didn''t budge.


    In the car, suddenly Riane could hear Torak''s voice inside her mind. [Close your eyes, my love.]

 Chapter 287 - SHE IS EXCEPTIONALLY CALM

    The border that Torak mentioned was the invisible line between them now that only could be seen by the two of them as the leader of their respective pack.


    Dmitri on the other hand, glaring at the Alpha viciously before he composed himself and raised his hand to stop the movement behind him.


    "Sometime I just can''t control my men, Alpha." Dmitri shrugged nonchalantly as he continued. "You can see? I have thousand people and vast land to manage." He gestured to the place behind him, which was his territory.


    "Thousand people? Vast land to manage?" Torak let out a low chuckled, but there was no mirth in his blue eyes. "Do you want to compare that with mine?"


    Torak didn''t even bother to conceal his mockery when he said that, the glint in his eyes emphasized his meaning.


    How could Dmitri say he had thousand people and vast land in front of Torak? While the Alpha''s territory scope 70 percent of the human realm.


    "I think, I will generously show you how I managed my territory and my own people." Torak said as he gestured to his man behind him. "Watch and learn." There was no smile on his lips when he let the man did what he ordered them to do.


    In no time, there was a sickly sound from something was being fractured before a vicious low growl and threatening snarl filled the air from the people behind Dmitri.


    "This what I did to my people when they crossed my warning." Torak said calmly, very calm for the scene behind him.


    Along with the Alpha''s words, his people threw the body of the vampire across the border line. The headless body landed on the wooden bridge with a soft thud while his head was being carried and put down slowly right before Dmitri''s eyes.


    A murderous glint flashed in the Vampire''s eyes when they watched their own people was being murdered in front of their eyes.


    Inside the car, Calleb was frowning as he witnessed the Alpha''s cruelty toward his enemy while trying to cover Raine''s line of sight.


    "I want to see, what is happening there? Hands off!" Raine tried to pull down Calleb''s hand from her eyes, but the Gamma was so stubborn to comply to her demand. "What happened there?" She repeated her question.


    "You better not see it." Calleb mumbled. He didn''t think Raine would be able to stand the scene on the bridge, as it was too bloody for the soft hearted Luna. "It is too bloody for your taste."


    Raine stopped struggling. "Is Torak hurt?"


    Calleb rolled his eyes. "Is that a question?" He asked sarcastically.


    "Okey, I will take that as a ''no''." Raine concluded as she leaned her back against the seat and obediently closed her eyes on her own accord.


    Calleb had mentioned that the scene was bloody, so Raine believed it. She started to grow the understanding of this world that she was living, especially when her world merged with Torak''s.


    Torak''s world was bloody and dark, but there was no point for Raine to deny and avoid it, as it was the reality of life.


    Moreover, she had seen it first hand nine years ago when those creatures murdered her parents and turned her life became so miserable.


    At this point, Raine didn''t have objection if Torak turned feral so those creatures didn''t mess with him, sometime violence was needed for certain situation.


    It was just, Raine was not ready yet to see blood everywhere, thus she chose to follow Torak''s warning and closed her eyes.


    Seeing Raine had stopped her attempt to witness the bloody scene before her eyes, Calleb lowered his hand and leaned against the seat while watching the event unfolded on the bridge.


    "Did Torak kill those vampires?" Raine asked, curios. She watched when those Lycans dragged six people out of the car trunk, so if the blood wasn''t because of the fight, then it must be them.


    "He just killed one. The five vampires are still alive." Then Calleb added. "For now."


    "Hm¡­" Raine nodded, talking to Calleb while closing her eyes. "Why Torak had to kill the vampire, wasn''t they are here to talk about those vampires who had trespassed Torak''s territory?"


    "Our territory." Calleb corrected Raine. "Because Dmitri refused to admit his mistake and the Alpha didn''t have patient to participate in his dumb game, so he jumped straight to the action."


    Raine frowned. "Isn''t that will incur the Vampire''s wrath? I mean Torak had many enemies out there, he didn''t need to add more."


    "Vampire has been our enemy for centuries. They even took the devil''s side during the war. So, whatever Torak had done or will do, that will not change the fact that we are enemy."


    Raine became quiet as she processed the information and Calleb filled the silence.


    "Not like the dragon people, which they pledged their loyalty toward us after their betrayal, in the other hand, the vampires are solid with their decision to stand against us."


    "I see¡­" Raine mumbled.


    In another words, no matter what Torak did, the enmity between the two creatures wouldn''t change anything. Not to mention the fact that; once the vampire caught news about Torak''s disappearance they started to act rebellious and even dared enough to trespass the Lycan''s territory, giving another excuses for Dmitri to attack Torak''s pack while he wasn''t around.


    Such a bold move¡­


    "How about the witch?" Raine asked again.


    "The witches are not like us who has our own pack with a single leader, most of the witches are individual, but there is northern coven of witch that aligned themselves with the vampire." Calleb said as he watched Torak gave another signal to the men behind him.


    With that signal, another bloody scene was revealed before their eyes.


    Calleb was wonder, if this was something that Torak wanted to do, why he had to bring Raine along with him? The Alpha knew it very well that his mate wouldn''t be able to see this kind of action.


    Yet, the Gamma glanced at Raine beside him, why Raine was so understanding and being so exceptionally calm throughout this event, knowing what was happening?

 Chapter 288 - VISITING THE PACK HOUSE

    Torak stared coldly at the pool of dark blood under his feet. The bodies of those vampires were lying lifelessly on the wooden bridge.


    The Alpha stared at the Vampire in front of him, his expression was devoid from any emotion as if everything that happened around him was something insignificant in his eyes.


    "This how I managed my people." Torak said very slowly to make sure his opponent could comprehend his every words that he uttered. "So, next time I see any of your wretch kind in my land, consider you will never see them again."


    With that last warning, Torak gestured to his people to go from that dreadful scene, leaving those vampires fumed in anger as they watched their own people dead bodies.


    In this world, it was only right to kill those creatures that dared enough to trespass other creatures territory.


    Just because Torak had been missing for more than two weeks, didn''t mean they could do everything that they wished in his land. They should know better to not provoke this Alpha.


    But, like usual, the cold blood vampires were too haughty to realize this and took this matter seriously as they crossed the Alpha''s bottom line.


    Every Lycanthropes were very territorial creatures and possessive on top of that, so they wouldn''t have a second thought to destroy everything that threatened their possession, family and pack.


    Torak strode toward the car and opened the front seat as he watched in amus.e.m.e.nt that his mate still closed her eyes.


    "Torak, is that you?" Raine asked while keeping her eyes shut.


    Torak leaned over, scooped her in his arms and moved her to the back seat. "It is me." He said in her ears as he closed the car door and signaled for Calleb to get them out from there.


    "Can I open my eyes now?" Raine asked as she found a comfortable position in Torak''s embrace.


    "Yes, you can." Torak replied gently.


    The first thing that Raine saw when she opened her eyes was Torak''s bright smile and his giggle.


    "You are so obedient." Torak ruffled her hair as he pulled her closer to him. "Do you want to visit the pack house for a while?"


    Since they were already here, the pack house was only one hour away.


    "Yes," Raine said, smilling. "I want to see the seed that I planted when I came here for the first time."


    ==============


    They entered the forest, where row and row pine trees completely surrounded them. The exact scene that Raine remembered from months ago, until now she was still curios how those Lycanthropes were able to find the right direction.


    After one hour of driving, it didn''t take long time before Raine could see the village at the end of the pine trees.


    The same road and bakery shop, coffee shops, school and many more, they drove passed them to reach the pack house.


    "Do you like comeback here?" Torak smiled when he watched a big grin on his mate''s lips.


    Raine nodded. "Yes. Though I don''t have much memories of this place, but this is the first place that I can consider as a home."


    Raine remembered how the feeling when she just arrived here. She was in fear and confusion, but this man beside her convinced her again and again that everything would be all right.


    Even though there were many things that happened afterward and she was still exposed to danger, but there would be always this man who would come to save her no matter what.


    "No, actually. Everywhere with you is a home for me." Raine leaned over to peck Torak''s lips as she grinned.


    "Why do I have the same thought?" Torak reciprocated her grin and kiss.


    [Oh, please¡­ can you do that after we reached the pack house please? It is just less than three minutes. I can make it one if you want.] Calleb complained at Raine through the mind link.


    Mind link was one of the privileges of being Luna and because now Torak had marked Raine, she, as the Luna would be able to do the same.


    Upon hearing a sudden voice in her head, Raine startled a bit, as she had not yet gotten used to this. She glared at Calleb because he had soiled the atmosphere.


    [Why are you glaring at me?] Calleb met Raine''s eyes through the rearview mirror.


    From the other side, Torak frowned when he watched Raine was throwing a dagger look at Calleb. His brows furrowed. "What¡­"


    Yet, before Torak could finish his sentence, Raine had turned around and kissed him deeply. She bit his lips clumsily as she shut her mind from any intruder thought that didn''t belong to her.


    Torak didn''t know why Raine acted that way, but gladly kissed her back. His mate became bolder day by day and he wouldn''t complain about it.


    Meanwhile, Calleb could only sigh helplessly. He missed the timid Raine when the first time they came here, she looked cuter that way in his eyes.


    "We are here!" Calleb deliberately increased his voice to separate the love birds that started to irritate him.


    How they could just kiss each other like he was invincible?


    Raine pulled herself from Torak and eagerly looked at the front door of the pack house. The house was just like the last time she remembered it.


    It was a mansion with nine floors and as Raine remembered it, their room was on the top floor. She loved it as the whole floor only belonged to Torak.


    This time, they didn''t take the elevator and came from the front door where Belinda has been waiting for them.


    The moment, Raine came out from the car, she was regarded by a big hug from her.


    "We just saw each other two days ago." Raine hugged her back and giggled.


    "I know." Belinda grinned as she released Raine''s body. "How long you will be here?"


    Raine was about to answer her when a girl ran from inside the house and greeted Torak cheerfully.


    "Alpha you have returned!" She said excitedly.

 Chapter 289 - ADAIR

    "I will just stay for tonight¡­" Raine mumbled her answer as she narrowed her eyes on the girl, who happily greeted Torak.


    Why she approached Torak so casually? Raine inwardly frowned. In an instant, she realized that she didn''t like this girl.


    "Oh good! I will cook something nice for you. What do you want to eat for dinner." Belinda asked enthusiastically, but then she realized the weird gaze that Raine gave to the girl behind her. "Oh, this is Adair."


    Raine smiled at Adair out of politeness, but the latter only gave her a curt smile, if you could call that as a smile when all she did was only pulling her lips upward.


    Seeing the girl behind her was being rude toward Raine, Belinda cleared her throat as she spoke. "She is the Alpha''s mate. Our Luna."


    "Ah, Adair¡­" It was calleb, who greeted the girl as he approached her with his usual bright smile on his face and his easy- going attitude.


    The Gamma hugged the girl named Adair and ruffled her head as the girl let out a sweet giggling sound that irritated Raine''s ears.


    Frowning, Raine felt someone put his arm around her waist and when he lifted her head, she found it was Torak, smiling at her and bring her inside the house.


    "Alpha¡­" There was this crisp voice from behind them that made Torak halted his track as he glanced at Adair from the top of Raine''s head. "I just came from Oriole city because I heard that you went missing."


    The sound of Adair''s voice was laced with worry and concern.


    Raine didn''t say anything as she turned around and stared at the girl, who was around her age, yet Raine was unsure because the age between human and werewolf was very different.


    "Where have you been?" Adair walked closer, approaching Torak, but she stopped when she received a glare from a certain girl in Torak''s arm.


    "He has been with me." Raine was surprised that she actually answered Adair''s question on behalf of Torak, but the more surprising thing was her tone sounded fiercer than she intended to.


    Finally Adair gave Raine her attention as she frowned. "But, I didn''t ask you." She pouted sullenly.


    Adair bold words made Calleb and Belinda almost jumped out of shock. They didn''t remember that Adair has this kind of attitude, as the girl was always sweet and timid all this time.


    "And my MATE didn''t want to answer you." Since Raine had snapped at her, then she would continue with that attitude. She deliberately emphasized the word ''mate'' and spoke slowly so Adair could discern her every words before she tilted her and asked Torak. "Right?"


    Once again, Calleb and Belinda''s jaw almost dropped when they heard the way Raine answered Adair. It was very clear that the air had polluted with jealousy.


    Raine was slightly nervous because she had never acted like this in front of Torak, she knew she was being childish, yet she couldn''t suppress the feeling of irritation when she heard Adair''s voice, talking with Torak while pouting her lips.


    In the other hand, Torak was as surprised as the other people there, but when he watched Raine started to curl her lips into a scowl because he didn''t give her the reaction that she wanted, abruptly Torak''s face brightened as he leaned in and peck her pursed lips.


    "Of course." He said lightly, didn''t even spare Adair a glance from the moment they arrived at the pack house.


    Torak ruffled Raine''s hair and clasped their hand together. Both of them walked away toward their room on the eighth floor.


    From the moment Raine and Torak entered the elevator, the former didn''t say anything and kept her lips shut while the latter would glance at her every now and then.


    The moment they reached their floor and entered their room, Raine closed the door and leaned her small body against it.


    Upon hearing the door was closing with a loud noisy sound, Torak turned around only to meet his fierce mate.


    Crossing her arms as she glared at Torak, she attempted to look intimidating in front of the Alpha, yet like her previous effort, it was only a waste of time.


    "Who is that girl!?" Raine hissed through gritted teeth.


    It took a while for the Alpha to understand that his little mate was throwing tantrum at him now before he inched closer at her with smile on his lips.


    "My love¡­" Torak stretched out his hand, wanted to pinch her cheek, but Raine had swatted his hand away.


    "Don''t ''my love'' me." Raine glared at him.


    Torak chuckled upon seeing how fierce his mate could be when she was pissed.


    "Don''t laugh." Raine pressed her lips into a thin line. "Why she is very comfortable to talk to you in that way?" Raine asked sullenly.


    "In what way?" Torak raised his eyebrows, deliberately playing dumb with Raine''s question.


    "She ran after you like a little girl and seems¡­" Raine was lost for word, she tried to find the right word to describe Adair in her vocabulary. "She looks like she has a close relationship with you."


    Normally, those women would fear Torak, but since Adair dared enough to call Torak sweetly and openly showed off her concern, it must be because Torak had let her to act this way.


    "She is an orphan, her parents died when vampire and rouge attacked this pack, she was badly injured at that time, so I took her with me and treated her like a little sister." Torak''s eyes softened. "She is a student at a university in the city of Oriole. I don''t know why she returned around this time."


    "She returned because she heard that you were missing. She said it before." Raine reminded Torak.


    "My love, are you jealous at her" Torak''s lips curled into a smile, he took a step forward, so now there was no gap between them.


    "No." Raine replied with straight face.


    Torak beamed as mirth danced in his eyes. He leaned in to kiss her forehead as he said. "Or¡­ maybe you are on your period since you are so fierce now¡­"

 Chapter 290 - SULLEN

    Fierce?


    Raine was surprised when Torak portrayed her that way. Before this, the word ''fierce'' wasn''t a suitable word to describe her.


    But, Raine also started to realize her swing moods lately. Why she felt this way?


    "I¡­ I¡­" Raine stuttered, trying to explain herself.


    "What is it?" Torak cupped her face with both of his hand while looking at his mate''s confused eyes with gentleness. "She is nothing for me and you know that."


    Yes, Raine knew¡­ but, she didn''t know why she was overwhelmed by irritation when she watched Adair acted spoil in front of Torak.


    ''It was only her who allowed to act that way toward Torak.''


    That thought surprised Raine, since when she was being overpossessive like this? She didn''t even know that she has this trait in her.


    "Of course, it is only you who is allowed to act spoiled in front of me." Torak nudged her nose with his as his warm breath fanned Raine''s face.


    Raine abruptly raised her head and looked at Torak beyond mortified. "You read my mind!" She exclaimed. How embarrassing is this?!


    "What is so embarrassing about that?" Torak laughed as he pecked her lips. "I love it."


    Raine pouted when she heard Torak''s words. "Will you always pry into my mind? I thought I have succeeded to block my thought."


    "As your mate, I have privileged to hear your thought even when you masked it, easier than anyone else." Torak lightheartedly replied. Laughing at Raine''s attempt to look intimidating. "But if you don''t like it. I wouldn''t dare to do it again."


    "I am sorry¡­" Raine suddenly leaned forward and hugged Torak tightly as she nuzzled his chest. "I don''t know why I snapped at her earlier, it''s just like my mood is not stable lately."


    "Maybe it''s the side effect of the mark. I heard it will affect your mood in the beginning of it." Torak swept Raine''s hair aside as he caressed the mark on her neck that made her shivered. The intricate knots and complex curves in silver color on Raine''s delicate neck, was so beautiful to say the least. "How do you feel? Does the bite still hurt?"


    "I am fine now¡­" Raine reassured Torak when she watched concern filling his eyes. "Should I go to apologize to Adair for my rude behavior earlier?"


    Raine was unsure if she had to do that, but she didn''t want to give a wrong idea about herself to the other woman.


    "You don''t have to." Torak carried her to the bed and put her gently. "But, if by doing so could make you feel better, you are free to do whatever you want." Torak caressed her cheeks as he added. "You are the Luna after all."


    ===============


    There were no many people that aware about Torak and Raine''s visit as the former had asked people around him to not talk about it.


    Torak wanted to let the outsider thought that he was still missing while waiting what they would do in his absence, especially those Alphas, who very itched to take the opportunity of this to boast themselves.


    As they thought they could overthrown him from his throne.


    Really, that was so far- fetched ambition.


    Meanwhile, during their free time until dinner, Torak and Raine stayed at their bedroom, talking about trivial thing about this and that.


    Torak just realized now, such happiness could come very simple in the form of his little mate. Looking how she pouted her lips and how she giggled upon what he said was a blissful feeling.


    "Stop laughing." Torak pinched Raine''s cheeks helplessly, trying to stop her from her silly giggled.


    "I would never have thought that you had done something like that with your other brothers when you were little." Raine wiped a tear that escaped from the corner of her eyes.


    "We were just pup at that time." Torak helped Raine to sit down as he tidied up her crumpled clothes. "Let''s get down and have a dinner."


    "A big pup!" Raine kissed Torak''s cheeks as she got down from her bed.


    Both of them went downstairs hand in hand by using the stairs this time.


    And when they reached the second floor, Raine abruptly stopped in her track as she stared at a wall across from her with unfathomable emotions.


    Not only happy memories, but this place also brought a terrified memory when she received the first assault from a drunk Lycan.


    That time also was the moment when Raine witnessed how fierce and feral Torak''s beast when he killed the other Lycan without batting an eye right in front of her, brutally.


    Torak could feel the tension from Raine''s body and knew what she was thinking right now. He tightened his hand on her waist as he said softly. "Let''s go?"


    Raine lifted her head to meet Torak''s beautiful blue eyes that seemingly could charm its way to her mind as the fear that rose because of those past memories, dissipated.


    "Hm." Raine nodded and let Torak to lead the way to the dining room.


    They went down another stairs to reach the dining room in silence before Raine asked him in slightly anxious tone.


    "Mm, Torak¡­ how many people will eat with us?" Raine remembered the last time they were eating together, there were at least dozen people inside and for now she didn''t think that she wanted to face many people that she didn''t familiar with.


    "I had told them to not bother me in this visit, so I think there will be only Calleb and Belinda there." Torak reassured Raine as he felt she was being uncomfortable.


    "Oh." Raine mumbled, but felt relief with Torak''s answer.


    When they entered the dining room, apparently they came too fast because Belinda was still bringing many plates filled with delicacies from kitchen to the dining room


    "Ah, you are already here. Sit down, the diner is almost ready." Belinda said in cheerful tone.


    "I will help Belinda." Raine said happily and without waiting for Torak''s reply, she followed the middle age witch to the kitchen.


    Since the kitchen and the dining room was only a door away, Raine pushed it open and asked. "What can I help?"


    But, Belinda was nowhere to be seen and instead of her, Raine met with Adair sullen face.

 Chapter 291 - HOW COULD HE CALL SOMEONE ELSE AS HIS BABY GIRL?

    Raine didn''t expect she would meet with Adair inside the kitchen and aside from her, there were another two women beside her.


    In an instant the situation turned awkward.


    "Hm. There is something that I can help here?" Raine cleared her throat and asked, feeling the two women stared at her timidly.


    "Is it really her, the rumor Alpha''s mate that couldn''t talk?" Instead of answer Raine''s question, Adair sneered at her and turned the atmosphere became more uncomfortable.


    "Adair." A woman on her left tugged her sleeve, warning her about her behavior.


    "What?" Adair looked at her friend sullenly. "Am I wrong?"


    "She is our Luna." Another woman whispered at her as she looked at Raine worriedly.


    They didn''t scare at Raine, but they definitely didn''t want to test the Alpha''s wrath from bullying his Mate. They had seen in by themselves how the Alpha dotted on her so much.


    Raine frowned when she received Adair''s confrontation. The guilty feeling that she felt earlier because she had behaved rude and childishly toward Adair, suddenly vanished into thin air.


    "I am." Raine said as she held Adair''s intense glare. "Do you have a problem with that?"


    Raine wasn''t really sure where she got this attitude and why she acted this way, but the only thing that she knew for certain was; Adair''s existence irritated her, especially now when she openly showed her dislike toward Raine without any scrupulous.


    "But you talk now." Adair sneered. "Too much."


    The two women beside Adair started to nudge her frantically, warning her to not go overbroad with her attitude.


    They knew the Alpha was far more patient when he faced Adair, because it was the Alpha himself who had nurtured Adair since she lost her parents in rouge and vampire attack, yet it didn''t mean the Alpha had ever showed his interest toward her.


    Meanwhile Raine, who has a mood swing and sometime would act out of her habit lately, began to feel more irritated when Adair started to provoke her.


    "Both of you can go now." Raine sensed the uncomfortable feeling from the two women and she didn''t want to implicate them when this conversation turned into something else.


    Well, Raine had faced the devil, the shadow warrior, almost died more than twice, was bitten by the beast, she had even killed a hunter, not to mention all the dreadful experience that she had gone through before she met Torak, thus... a jealous werewolf girl wouldn''t be able to intimidate her, not in her current mood at least.


    The two women shifted their gaze between Raine and Adair, back and forth, still didn''t know what to do.


    "Don''t make me to say it for the third time. Get out from here!" This time Raine''s voice sounded more stern, which startled both women.


    If Raine always failed to intimidate Torak as he was in whole another level, at least this time she got it right and managed to scare those women away.


    Now Raine realized, practicing with her mate gained a satisfying result in the end.


    "What do you want to say now?" Raine asked after there were only the two of them, looking straight at Adair when she spoke. "I can feel your dislike toward me."


    Upon hearing Raine''s statement, Adair scoffed in revulsion. "I am glad you know it." She crossed her arms in front of her chest defiantly. "Just because you are his mate and then you think you can do whatever you want in this pack."


    "I can''t?" Raine asked innocently. "I am his mate and the Luna of this pack."


    "Do you think you can convince everyone else to give their respect for you just because you are their Luna?" Adair took a step closer. She was slightly taller than Raine, but at this point, Raine didn''t even budge when she was listening to her hateful words. "Respect is something that you earn, not something that Torak could give you and you not earned mine."


    After saying that, Adair smirked devilishly and looked at Raine from head to toe in disgust.


    In the other hand, Raine was unfazed as she spoke in very calm tone. Her expression was placid.


    "Your respect?" Raine reiterated. "Don''t overestimate yourself, because I don''t need it."


    And before Adair could cut Raine from her sentences, she continued to talk.


    "I will earn the pact respect in one way or another, but you¡­" Raine mimicked the way Adair looked at her. "You will never be Torak''s mate or the Luna of the pack even if you work you''re a** off. So, my word of advice is, know where are you standing before I put you in your place."


    "Are you threatening me?" Adair narrowed her eyes dangerously.


    "No." Raine shook her head. "This is a warning." A beautiful smile blossomed on her lips when she said her last words.


    "Don''t you know that the Alpha like me the most? I am his baby girl. He said it by himself." Adair blurted out.


    Adair was lost her parents since she was only six years old and since then Torak would attend to her and was very patient when he had to deal with her, but since she had grown up, the Alpha gradually put distance between them and this made Adair puzzled.


    At first, she thought the Alpha treated her that way because of Jenedieth, but when she heard Jenedieth was exiled as result of her attempt to hurt Torak''s mate, Adair didn''t believe that.


    Torak didn''t suppose to have a mate because of the curse from the moon goddess, therefore, she really wanted to see Raine by herself.


    In the other hand, there was slightly change of emotion in Raine''s eyes when she heard that, but she composed herself before Adair could notice it.


    "Oh, really? Baby girl huh?" Raine scoffed, she tried to be less sarcastic to cover her annoyance. Whether Adair was telling the truth or not, she would ask Torak about this.


    How could he call someone else as his baby girl?!

 Chapter 292 - A LITTLE GIRL

    "Why? You don''t believe it?" Adair looked at Raine triumphantly. "Why don''t you ask around about it? You will know it is true."


    Unexpectedly, Raine was laughing after she heard what Adair suggestion was. She laughed heartily and this turned Adair''s smug smile into a scowl as she lashed out at her. "Stop laughing! What are you laughing at?! If you don''t believe me, you can ask other people here!"


    In the end of her laugh, Raine wiped a tear from the corner of her eyes. "I don''t need to, why do you assume I will ask around about that trivial thing?" Mirth was dancing in her eyes when she added. "I will not waste my time for something like that."


    "Why? Do you scare to find out the truth?" Adair mocked her, she started to running out of her patient now.


    "Why should I?" Raine looked at her provokingly as she swept her hair from her shoulder, showing the most prominent thing that solidified the bond between Torak and her. His mark. "Baby girl, huh?" She used the same tone to mock Adair.


    "You!" Adair''s face was so red as her anger coursed in her vein.


    Before Adair could lash out, someone opened the other door of the kitchen room as Belinda trudged inside with a big pot of soup in her hands.


    The middle age witch''s eyes fell on Raine. "Raine, what are you doing here? Do you need something honey?"


    The contempt in Raine''s expression for Adair, disappeared in an instant when she turned around to face Belinda. "I came to ask if there is something that I could help." She said sweetly.


    "Oh, you don''t need to. You supposed to be with the Alpha." Belinda shook her head as she giggled and then spoke to Adair. "Bring the last plate of chicken b.r.e.a.s.t, Raine like it."


    "Yes, I like it." Raine looked at Adair meaningfully. "I guess I have to go back to Torak."


    "Yes, go ahead dear." Belinda said with smile plastered on her face.


    With that, Raine sashayed away from the kitchen while caressing her neck with gentle expression and looked at Adair for the last time before she closed the door.


    Adair''s face was unsightly when she had to see Raine''s smug expression as she showed off her mark.


    In the dining room, Raine found Torak was talking with Calleb, walking toward him, she abruptly sat down on his laps.


    This action earned another helpless sighed from the Gamma, who was shaking his head in disbelief. Why he had to witness scenes like this every now and then?


    Torak was also surprised by his mate action, but instinctively wrapped his arms around her slender waist to secure her position.


    "What is it?" Torak nudged Raine''s head with his nose as he looked at his mate with sparkling eyes.


    Raine didn''t answer him, but her lips pursed into a thin line, indicating that she wasn''t in good mood. Torak wanted to pry to her mind, but was afraid if she wouldn''t like it.


    "Tell me¡­" He coaxed her.


    Raine kept her expression until she watched Belinda and Adair came while bringing the last side dishes, only then she opened her mouth.


    "She said, you call her your baby girl." Raine''s voice wasn''t so loud, but it was enough for the rest three people there to hear it.


    "Baby girl?" Torak stared at Raine with his brows creased. "Who?"


    "Adair." Raine pointed her finger at the girl.


    She wasn''t being childish because of this matter, she just didn''t like it when she heard Torak had called another woman as his baby girl and wanted to find out the truth by confronting the two people, so no one would lie to her.


    Alright, she was being slightly childish¡­ she was only eighteenth, a teenager after all. Raine tried to find a good reason to justify her nonsensical behavior.


    "No. I have never called her that way." Torak fixed his eyes on Raine, didn''t even spare Adair a glance.


    "But, she said it¡­" Raine was still adamant with her words.


    "Alpha, you called me that way when I was little." Adair''s voice was trembling slightly, just like a child who was wronged.


    At that time, it was Calleb who suddenly made a sound. "Ah! That one¡­" His voice trailed off as he shifted his gaze from Torak, Raine and Adair. And then back to Torak again. "That one¡­"


    "What!?" Raine snapped again because Calleb didn''t finish his words and left them hanging.


    "I am sorry¡­ but, I think you got it wrong Adair¡­" Calleb looked at Adair cautiously. "You didn''t take my word at that time seriously, did you?"


    Adair, who was standing beside Calleb stared down at the Gamma, who was sitting in dreadful expression. "You said it yourself that Torak, was calling me baby girl! That I am his baby girl!" She lashed out at Calleb.


    How could she forget about it? He would never forge that.


    It happened when she was twelve. She was crying when she graduated from Primary School. When she watched every children were being fetched by their parents and they were being hugged happily by them.


    The little Adair was sad because she didn''t have her parents to celebrate that day with her and then it was Calleb who came with Torak to pick her up.


    Inside the car, in order to persuade the little girl from crying tirelessly, Calleb said it, the Gamma said; she didn''t need to be sad because she was the Alpha''s baby girl.


    And then, that was where the thought came from.


    It wasn''t only one or twice, but everytime Adair was crying because of something she would run toward Calleb and the Gamma would say the same thing again.


    "Don''t get me wrong¡­" Calleb grimaced. "I am sorry for that, but I never would have thought that you would take it seriously."


    Adair''s face turned ashen as drop by drop of tears started to fall from her eyes before she bawled and ran out of the dining room, just like any movies where the side characters would run out of the scene with teary face.


    Raine thought it was so comical.


    "Don''t you want to chase after your baby girl?" Raine stared at Calleb. "After all, it was you who had made her crying."


    Calleb shrugged. "What little girl? She is forty two years, in human world, she is considered as an old woman."

 Chapter 293 - THE HEAT

    "Forty two?" Raine raised her eyebrows in disbelief, she turned her head to look at Torak, who was playing with her hair, didn''t even care about Adair crying scene earlier.


    His mate hair was more interesting than some random woman crying over something that he didn''t understand.


    "I tend to her before I became the Gamma of the pack." Calleb explained. "She was just a little girl back then and I had many spare time, so I befriend with her." He shrugged while looking at the dishes on the table, eager to eat, yet he couldn''t do that as Torak had not yet started the dinner.


    It would be rude for Calleb to eat now, but he was hungry...


    "So, why everyone in this pack said Torak dotted on her." Actually that wasn''t the exact word that Adair told Raine.


    "Well, she was a little girl back then and didn''t have anyone, so I don''t think even though she offended the Alpha, Torak would be so petty to make a fuss over a child." Belinda chimed in. "I remembered Adair was always following Torak everywhere, at that time, her act was so cute."


    Raine pouted when she imagined the little Adair was running around Torak with her sweet smile.


    "Shall we eat?" Torak smoothened the creased between Raine''s eyebrows with his thumb.


    "Yes, yes, yes!" Calleb nodded his head vigorously, the voices in his stomach had been running rampant since he caught a whiff of the delicious smell in front of him.


    "Oh, you are so helpless!" Belinda slapped the back of Calleb head when he acted that way.


    "Why did you slap me? Why both Raphael and you loved to bully me?" He whined as he rubbed his head.


    "Don''t be silly. If that caress could hurt you, what is the use for your muscle?" Belinda retorted at Calleb exaggerated reaction.


    ==============


    After dinner, Raine didn''t see Adair anymore, but it didn''t mean she was looking for her, of course not. Why would she?


    Raine snuggled into Torak''s arms when she had changed her clothes into her yellow pajamas.


    Like usual, she wrapped her arms around Torak body as she rested her head on his chest. She brought his hand on her head asked him silently to stroke her hair. It was becoming a habit for her.


    Torak gladly complied as he hummed when his skin touched her silky soft hair.


    "Are you still mad at me?" He asked softly.


    Raine didn''t answer.


    "You are¡­" Torak smiled indulgently at her.


    "I am not." Raine finally said as she raised her head. "Torak¡­ what if¡­" She was hesitated to finish her words.


    "What if¡­?" Torak prodded, stared at her eyes.


    "What if you don''t find me? Will you take her as your mate¡­?" Raine asked carefully, afraid that this question would offend Torak in some way.


    "Who is ''her'' are you talking about?" There was no change in Torak''s expression, his face still looked serene as he played with Raine''s hair, which sprawled on his chest.


    "Do you have many candidates?" Raine frowned that earned a chuckle from her mate. "How many women did you consider?"


    "I don''t know, never think abou that." Torak still answered Raine calmly, seemingly didn''t even bother with their topic.


    "But, you have someone in your mind right?" Raine narrowed her eyes at Torak, scrutinized him.


    "Jenedieth¡­ ouch! Why did you bite me?" Torak was surprised the moment Jenedieth''s name left his lips, Raine already bit his neck, it was painful enough to make Torak pinched her waist to remind her.


    "See?! You were in relationship with Jenedieth!" Raine lashed out as she spare Torak''s neck.


    "Are you jealous?" For some reason, seeing Raine was bad mood because of this matter, made Torak was very happy. "You are jealous, right?" He nudged her cheeks.


    "I am not!" Raine was adamant, yet her expression was telling Torak otherwise.


    But, of course Torak didn''t believe it as he kept laughing at Raine''s sullen expression. Her lips pouted to the max as her brows furrowed unsightly.


    "I am not! I am not! I am not!" Raine tried to bite Torak again, but the latter dodged her this time as he held her with both of his hands while laughing.


    "Why do you have to bite me?" Torak asked in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "Of course because you had bitten me, it is only right if I bite you too!" Raine was struggling to make Torak to let go of her face.


    However, he was too strong, while his grip didn''t hurt Raine, it was absolutely annoyed her.


    "Let me go! I will bite you, so you will have my mark too!" Raine yelled furiously, yet the Alpha only laughed at his little mate fuming expression.


    ==============


    Raine didn''t know when it start, but she was awaken when the room felt so hot.


    At first she thought it was because the blanket and Torak''s body was too hot and the temperature inside the room had increased.


    But, as Raine kicked the blanket away she didn''t find any relief. In short time, she felt like her entire body was trapped in a fire.


    When the heat started to become suffocating, Raine screamed and began to thrash around the blanket tat tangled on her legs, trying to release herself.


    "Raine!" Torak''s voice was so stern and laced with distress when he called out her name.


    Torak quickly picked his mate up and placed her on his lap as he ripped the blanket from her legs. Yet, Raine still thrashed in his firm grip.


    Raine felt awful. Her ears were ringing painfully as she started to sob because of the unbearable feeling.


    Raine couldn''t point out what she actually felt right now, every emotions seemed running rampant inside her body.


    And when Torak carried her into the bathroom hurriedly, the sparks danced across her skin from the skin to skin contact and this made Raine felt slightly better.


    Raine clung her body onto Torak as it felt so good to touch him.


    But, Torak decided to throw Raine to the bathup as he ran the water from the faucet. Losing the spark between them made Raine whimpered miserably.


    "No¡­ no¡­" She wanted to touch him desperately.

 Chapter 294 - THE HEAT (2)

    [Calleb! Come over here with Belinda and Sapphire!] Torak roared through the mind link as he tried to hold Raine''s body under the water without hurting her.


    "No¡­" Raine whimpered as her hand reached out to Torak, trying to touch him. "I want to touch you¡­" She was crying now. Desperate, as Torak didn''t allow her touch him.


    Raine wanted to tell Torak that the spark from their skin to skin contact made her felt better, but her mind was like burning, she lost her words, didn''t know where she should start to explain it to him.


    "No, my love." Torak said, yet the pain in his voice was so apparent.


    He knew that the spark between them could slightly elevate the pain that she was suffering now, but it would lead to something else and Torak didn''t want to do it when Raine was in this state.


    "What happened?!" The door slammed opened and Calleb rushed inside the bathroom with Belinda and Sapphire in tow.


    The scene before the Gamma''s eyes was somewhat puzzled him. It was Raine, writhing in pain as Torak held her body down, under the water, but kept her head afloat.


    "She is¡­ she is in heat, isnt she? Right?" Belinda stumbled with her words.


    "DO SOMETHING!" Torak roared as he glared at the Belinda and Sapphire. His beast was, once again, threatening to come out.


    "Alpha¡­ this is the heat¡­ you have to¡­" Sapphire stuttered.


    "NO!" Torak rejected Sapphire''s idea even though it had not yet left her lips. "I will not call you all if I have to resolve to that!"


    "Torak¡­ what is this?" Raine''s whimper was ringing in Torak''s ears as he watched his mate was being torn apart by the heat. "It hurt¡­ it hurt¡­"


    Raine had never felt so helpless. She felt like her inside was being crushed. The heat that gnawed on her skin was akin to thousands bugs were biting her. It was agony.


    The only thing that made her felt better was the touch of her mate, but Torak didn''t want to hold her, he kept pushing her body under the cold water, made sure her head stayed afloat on the surface.


    Raine pleaded with her eyes, as she couldn''t utter a word to him, yet Torak didn''t understand. No. he did understand, but he refused to do so.


    But, why?!


    Raine was tormented by the thing that she couldn''t see. The thing that she didn''t even know what it was, or how long it would last.


    Now, there were three people inside the bathroom except from Torak and herself. All of them were talking to each other.


    But, because of the ringing sound on Raine''s ears she couldn''t hear what was exactly they were talking about.


    The only thing that Raine was certain; Torak was so angry to whatever Sapphire said. He kept shouting at the healer with


    Why he should be angry to the healer when the thing that he could now was simply holding her?


    Raine didn''t understand with this situation and as she closed her eyes, her body was engulfed with the darkness, longer than she intended.


    ==============


    When the sun started to rise on the horizon, Raine found herself lying on the bed with blanket covering her body.


    It was the spark that Raine felt from the finger that traced a circle on her left cheek that told her Torak was right beside her.


    When Raine fully woke up, her entire body was numb from the painful feeling that she had endured.


    "My love¡­ are you awake?" It was Torak''s voice that forced Raine to open her eyes. "How are you feeling?"


    The first thing that she saw the moment she opened her eyes was the blue eyes that filled with concern and worry that greeted her sight.


    Her throat was so dry and hurts, which she assumed because of screamings last night.


    "Do you feel better now?" Torak asked her again, this time Raine nodded weakly. "Do you want to drink some water?"


    And once again Raine nodded.


    Torak was quick to reach a glass of water near the bed that he had prepared and helped Raine to drink it while cradled her head so she didn''t choke.


    When the liquid moistened her dry throat, Raine felt better and have a little bit energy to talk to Torak. "What was ¡­ that?" Her voice sounded rough just like a dessert.


    Torak carefully pulled her into his arms as he kissed her forehead. "You were in heat last night." He explained curtly.


    Raine wanted to ask Torak to elaborate what was that ''heat'', but the aching on her head was drumming against her skull painfully.


    She didn''t know if she could take information about the heat even thought Torak explained it to her right now.


    Thus, Raine chose to savor this moment, snuggled toward her mate and placed her head on the crook on his neck and inhaled his antalizing scent while snaking her arms arund his waist so she could snuggle even closer to him.


    Not long after, someone knocked the room, though Torak didn''t say anything the other person opened the door and walked inside.


    "How are you feeling Raine?" Raine didn''t need to turn her body to look who was the person that came into their bedroom.


    It was Calleb and from the smell that came with him, Raine assumed he brought something with him.


    Probably Torak mind link the Gamma to bring something for Raine to eat after what he realized she was awake.


    "Fine." Raine answered with eyes still closed.


    "You can go." Torak said, shut the Gamma''s next line of questions. He knew Calleb was worried about Raine''s condition, but it wasn''t the right time for him to ask her more than this.


    With knowing look, Calleb nodded and said. "Be careful, the porridge is still hot." Before he walked out of the room.


    "You have to eat now, okay?" Torak caressed Raine''s back before he got a nod from her.


    Though the hard part had passed, but Raine felt very awful, she didn''t want to go through that kind of pain again.

 Chapter 295 - IT WAS ADAIR

    Because of Raine''s condition, they needed to stay a bit longer inside the pack house, but of course they couldn''t prolong their visit more than this because of Serefina''s warning.


    Raine was indeed had gained her true power, but it didn''t mean she could handle it yet, therefore it was still risky for her to stay among the Lycan.


    That was why, on the second day since they arrived, Torak decided to comeback to Fulbright city this afternoon.


    But, before they left, Raine wanted to see the flower that she had planted with Belinda when she was here months ago.


    Torak didn''t have a problem with that, hence before they went to the airport, to go to Fulbright city, Calleb drove them there.


    The place where Belinda and she had planted those seeds was a meadow at the back of the pack house with beautiful scenery of mountain miles away.


    Belinda had been there, taking care of the plants while someone with her back was facing Raine, talking to Belinda.


    On the closer look, Raine could guess who she was.


    She was no other than Adair''s friend that she met last night inside the kitchen, but when Raine was only a few meter away from where they stood, she could practically hear, Belinda was growling at her.


    The first thought that flew on Raine''s mind was; what exactly this girl was doing until Belinda looked very upset.


    Belinda wasn''t hot- headed person who would rebuke someone else without proper reasons.


    Yet, before Raine could ask, she figured out on her own what the thing that made Belinda was furious about. After all, in one glance, it wasn''t hard to guess.


    Since Belinda was very fond of flower, actually she had planted most of the flower in this meadow and took good care of them, it was understandable that she was very upset when there was a plot of land, which was filled with withered sunflowers.


    "Belinda, what happened with the sunflowers?" Raine approached the fuming Belinda while touching the withered sunflower that its petal fell to the ground lifelessly.


    The bright yellow color on the flower had disappeared as it had turned into the color of dark brown.


    The condition of the flowers was so pathethic, therefore Raine assumed this was definitely not Belinda''s.


    "Raine." Belinda noticed her, but the word ''upset'' was written all over her face. "The flowers withered." She complained like a little child at Raine.


    Meanwhile, Torak and Calleb followed Raine just a few steps away from her.


    "This is the flowers that we had planted together." Belinda was angry because she wanted to show it to Raine badly since she was here. She didn''t know when Raine would visit them again, but it was obvious that wouldn''t happen soon.


    Raine also frowned when she heard Belinda''s words, she insisted to come here because she wanted to see these flowers. It meant something to her.


    Belinda kept talking fastly out of her anger. "Yesterday the flowers were just fine, I personally fertilized the flower and when you said you will visit here before you return to Fulbright city, I thought I will just come here early so I could pick some flower for you, but¡­ this¡­" Belinda spread her arms toward the withered sunflowers exasperatedly, her complicated emotions apparent on her eyes. She was truly upset right now.


    "But, it wasn''t me Belinda¡­" The girl was trembling now, especially when she realized the flowers belonged to Raine, their Luna and the scariest thing was the Alpha also present.


    "You watered the flower with disinfectant!" Belinda pointed her sharp nail toward the watering pot that the girl was holding.


    Even Raine, as human, she could smell it from where she was standing the strong smell of disinfectant that Belinda was talking about and despite Raine was sad because the sunflowers was dead, but she wasn''t as furious as Belinda, only now she knew that the witch loved flowers too much.


    "Belinda¡­ I don''t know¡­ my sense of smell doesn''t work¡­" The girl whimpered as she rubbed her nose.


    "Nonsense!" Belinda spatted. "What kind of wolf who has trouble with his sense of smell?!"


    In the other hand, Raine tugged Torak''s sleeves, who seemingly didn''t even bother with the scene before him, he wasn''t fond of flower and was there because of Raine alone, so when they met this scene he was actually quite bored.


    "Is it possible that the wolf lost their ability to smell?" Raine whispered. She found it was a weird excuse, but it was also so bold of this girl to lie about something like that.


    Torak shifted his gaze from his mate toward the girl, who was crying now. "There is. She should go to sapphire and check her condition." He spoke to her with no interest whatsoever.


    Raine bit her lips and looked at the withere sunflowers once again and felt a big palm rubbed on top of her head.


    "Don''t be sad, if you like it I will ask someone to fill our home with sunflower." Torak tried to appease his mate.


    Apparently Torak didn''t quite understand with this kind of feeling and wasn''t sensitive enough to feel sad over flower.


    In his eyes, Raine was sad because she couldn''t see the sunflower, without considering the sentimental fact that it was the first flower that she had planted. This matter was very simple in his eyes.


    Raine was used to this side of him and didn''t take it to heart. Torak meant well, but he just lack of sensitivity.


    Once again, Raine stretched out her hand and caressed the petals, which slowly flew to the ground. She blinked her eyes a couple of time as she felt her surrounding turned so quiet.


    If Torak saw Raine''s eyes now, he would realize they showed nothing as if her soul wasn''t there.


    Yet, it happened only for a few second before she gained her focus again and spoke in low voice. "It was Adair."


    "What?" Belinda stopped her rumbling as she turned her head toward Raine.


    "It was Adair." Raine repeated, clearer this time.

 Chapter 296 - YOU WILL REMEMBER ME

    "It was Adair." Raine repeated, clearer this time.


    "Adair?" Calleb and Belinda asked simultaneously.


    Raine looked at both of them as she nodded slowly. It was Adair and Raine was certain with her words.


    "But, how you could say it was Adair?" Calleb narrowed his eyes at Raine. This girl did nothing and suddenly accused Adair for this crime toward the flowers. The thought Raine was still upset because of last night. "Raine, you can''t accuse someone just because you don''t like her."


    Calleb stared at Torak, assessing his reaction.


    "Why did you say it was her?" Torak''s brows furrowed despite his soft gaze on his mate.


    There was a cheeky smile curled on Raine''s lips when she spoke. "You will know when you called her here."


    At this point, the girl had stopped sobbing and looked Raine in confusion. She had the same thought as Calleb. Probably the Luna still held grudge toward Adair, that was why she accused her.


    Despite was being upset because she was accused to do something that she didn''t do by Belinda and she even didn''t believe her when she said she lost her olfactory senses, but the girl could consider as Adair''s best friend, thus she was a bit peeved at Raine''s random guessing.


    "There was no way Adair would do all this." The girl lowered her head, no matter what the Alpha was there and she didn''t want to be caught glaring at his mate as she refused the idea that her best friend put her in this situation.


    "Torak¡­" Raine didn''t want to argue with this girl, despite the fact she was telling them the true and saved the girl from Belinda''s wrath, the girl was still doubted her and Raine didn''t want to waste her energy to convince her.


    "Call Adair." Torak looked at Calleb beside him, who immediately fished out his phone to call someone.


    Currently, they were in the middle of a meadow, so it was too far for Calleb to mind- link someone from the pack house.


    While waiting for Adair to come, Torak took Raine to sit down on the nearest bench while Belinda sullenly pulled the withered sunflowers from the ground with the help of that girl, she needed to plant another seeds there.


    "I will ask someone to fill the back yard house with sunflowers since you like it." Torak put his arm on her waist while Raine rested her head on his shoulder.


    "No, I don''t really like sunflower. Actually I don''t really like any flower." Raine confessed.


    "Hm? I thought you like it." Torak was surprised. "You look sad because of the flower."


    Raine sighed and sit straight, she faced her mate and held his curious gaze on her. "I am sad not because of the flower, but the memory behind it." She spoke slowly.


    "What memory? It just flower, you can find it anywhere and it will always look the same." He wasn''t a sensitive person, he would calculate the pros and cons, and wouldn''t involve his feeling on his judgment and decision. No, he couldn''t afford to be overly sensitive for something insignificant. This was his way to rule his pack and because of this trait he was feared and respected.


    Or at least before he met Raine¡­ he was the cold- blooded Alpha after all. In the other hand, Raine was very aware about that fact.


    "True, if you put it that way. But," Raine halted and cupped his face in both of her small palms. "I can''t agree with you for that matter."


    Torak raised his eyebrows, asking for Raine to elaborate her theory, though their ideas would be differ, but Torak loved to hear her point of view rather than to read them without her permission.


    "Even though they look similar, but there were always stories behind everything." Raine gaze softened. "I know when Serefina burned my mother''s diary and I was so depressed, you were confused why I felt so fond of an inanimate object."


    Raine put down her hands from Torak''s face and then rested her head on his shoulder again before she continued.


    "It wasn''t the object that I fond of, but the memories behind it. The fact that it was only that book that kept reminding me of my late mother." Raine looked at the distance. "I was too young and the event when I lost my parents was traumatized me, so I gradually couldn''t remember their faces."


    There was silence that ensued.


    "Honestly, I don''t really understand with this sentimental story and I don''t think I will." Torak uttered. "I have been living too long to cherish a certain memory or maybe I just don''t want to remember them all."


    Raine chuckled. "But, I guess you will remember me when I become part of your memories, no?"


    "You are not a memory." Torak retorted.


    "Time is a mystery, even immortal beings will not be able to go against time." Raine said placidly.


    Torak''s face contorted when he heard Raine''s statement, he wanted to ask what she meant with that when Belinda''s voice interrupted him.


    Torak didn''t realize since when Adair was there, but apparently Belinda discovered something about the mystery of her withered sunflowers and ready to lash out to her the moment Adair was close enough.


    "How did you know that?" Calleb approached them with bewildered look on his face. "How did you know that it was Adair who put disinfectant and did something to Kiara so she couldn''t smell it?"


    "Belinda knew it was her?" Torak asked Calleb.


    "Yes, there is a faint smell of disinfectant from her hand." Calleb reported. "But, how Raine knew about it?"


    Raine looked at the Gamma and Torak, who stared at her with the same confusion and then giggled.


    "Did you forget what Serefina had told us?" Raine mused and when the two of them were only staring at her she spoke again. "I am the guardian angel who controls the time."


    "Do you want to tell me that you can forsee the future?" Calleb asked enthusiastically, excitement was apparent in his eyes.


    Raine shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly. "Sort of."

 Chapter 297 - A GIRL AND FLOWERS

    "So, is it what you got when you were in coma state?" Calleb rubbed his chin as he contemplated about this matter.


    Raine nodded her head vigorously. "Cool, isn''t it?"


    "Let''s go back." Torak stood up as he gazed at Raine. Serefina had told him about this matter beforehand, but they still needed to see how the development of this power and how Raine would control it.


    No matter how powerful the power that one possessed, but if the receiver couldn''t adapt to it, it would be a boomerang someday.


    Calleb raised two thumbs for Raine. "Cool!" He exclaimed and approached Raine. "Hey, will you tell me when I will meet with my mate?"


    Raine tilted her head as her expression turned into a frown.


    "What? What with that look?" Calleb couldn''t help, but frown as well.


    "You don''t have." Raine blurted out, yet before Calleb could rumble nonstop about it, she added. "Or, maybe I have not seen it yet."


    "You almost give me a heart attack." Calleb rubbed his chest dramatically.


    "Your heart is too fragile." Raine uttered as she hugged Torak''s arm while walking back to their car. "You are overreacting. Even certain someone who was cursed mateless can find his mate now, right?" She tiptoed and gave Torak a kiss on his cheek.


    Torak kissed the tip of her nose when he helped her to get into their car.


    "Raine!" Belinda called her before Torak could close the door. The witch approached her while hugging a bunch of red rose in her arms. "Are you going without saying goodbye to me?" She pouted.


    "Ah, I am sorry..." Raine grimaced. It was Calleb fault, actually aside to see the flower, she was going to say goodbye to Belinda, but Calleb kept talking and made her forgot. "But, you can visit me everytime."


    "Oh, I will!" Belinda beamed as she shoved a bunch of flower in her arms to Raine. "The flower that we plant withered, but I still want to give you this."


    The fresh red roses'' scent filled the air and gave a pleasant feeling.


    "Thank you." Raine smiled brightly when she received the flower.


    "We have to go now." Torak gave a small polite nod to Belinda before he got on the car and Raine waved her goodbye.


    "Take care all of you." Belinda said. "See you again, Raine."


    After their exchanging goodbye, Calleb drove them to the airport and Belinda stood still until the car was out of her sight.


    "The smell is so strong." Calleb noted as he rubbed his nose. It wasn''t that he dislike the flower, it was just in this narrow space like this, the scent was so noticeable for his sensitive nose.


    Calleb glanced at Torak from the rearview mirror, wanted to see what kind of expression that he made as he was quite irritated by strong scent like this.


    But, for the Gamma surprised, the Alpha was staring at the Luna with adoration in his eyes. No, not adoration, he worshiped her.


    In Torak''s eyes, seeing Raine with a bunch of roses in her arms was a sight to behold. Her skin contrasted with the red flower as her scent lingered with it.


    The smell was very sweet, intoxicated, but at the same time it made Torak smiled even more. Raine''s eyes were glistened as she stared at the flower as if she was in trance. Or, maybe she was¡­


    At first, Raine was seeing the red roses in her arms, but then they gradually withered as its red petals turned into grey color.


    The process was so slow, it was like Raine was watching a time lapse video, but then it wasn''t the red turned into grey anymore, all of sudden it wasn''t a bunch of flower, but a field filled with withered flowers.


    Raine gasped by the scene that unfolded before her eyes. It was very hard to believe that it was happening.


    Yet, Raine knew this was only another phase of her vision, therefore she remained calm, waiting for what would happen next.


    As far as Raine''s eyes could see, she only saw a withered flower garden. Looking up, Raine could see the sky had turned dark as gloomy cloud rumbled along with tundher.


    But then, from afar, Raine could see a girl, in her age, staring back at her and subsequently shifted her gaze at the dark cloud as both of her hand reached to the withered flowers around her.


    Her long hair flew by the wind as she closed her eyes.


    And just like how Raine watched the time lapse of the fresh flower turned withered, now she watched the opposite.


    Red color crept from the first flower that she touched until it reached the flowers around Raine and then covered all the field with the same bold color.


    It was beautiful to see, yet mind blowing that rendered Raine speechless.


    After everything was done, the girl opened her eyes and smiled at Raine. The kind of smile that made you wanted to reciprocate it.


    "Your smile is beautiful."


    Instinctively, Raine turned her head to the source of the voice. Torak''s voice.


    Raine''s eyes met Torak''s bedazzling smile. She blinked a couple of time before she realized she was still inside the car and wasn''t in the flower field.


    Moreover, the mysterious girl was nowhere to be seen.


    Raine lowered her gaze and stared at the red roses in her arms, it was as fresh as the moment Belinda had given her. Beautiful and captivating.


    ==============


    Along the way from oriole city to Fulbright city, Raine chose to close her eyes, pretending she was asleep, but her mind kept recalling the scene that she just witnessed.


    Was that something that would happen in the future?


    But, who is that girl?


    She saw her and smiled at her¡­


    The flower¡­


    Raine resumed her pretense to sleep until they reached the city and it was already night when they reached their house.


    Torak didn''t want to wake Raine up, so he just simply carried her to their bedroom and put her gently on the bed.


    "You can stop pretending, my love¡­ now tell me what is it?" Torak caressed Raine''s hair.

 Chapter 298 - HOW TO COMPLETE THE BONDING?

    Slowly, Raine opened her eyes, she stared at Torak guiltily as she spoke timidly. "How do you know I wasn''t asleep?"


    Torak flicked her head lightly. "You are too loud." He reffered to Raine''s internal argumentation.


    "Did you hear all of that?" Raine''s eyes widened in disbelief, she thought she had successful to mask her thought.


    "No, I didn''t hear a single word." Torak said in matter of factly. "You masked it, but there were buzzing sound from it, like broken radio."


    No word that Torak could hear, but the buzzing sound that he heard from her was a giveaway Raine was actually didn''t fall asleep.


    She was still learning how to mask her thought after all, so it was understandable if it wasn''t perfect yet.


    "What is bothering you my love?" Torak lay next to her. His arm served as Raine''s pillow while his other arm smoothened the crease between her eyebrows.


    "I saw a girl¡­" Raine stared at Torak, trying to arrange her words.


    "A girl?" Torak asked with frown, he didn''t remember Raine met other girl except Adair. "Where?"


    "In my vision¡­" Raine decided to come clean with Torak.


    "You have seen what will happen in the future?" Though it sounded peculiar to say something like this, but Torak still listened attentively to what Raine wanted to say.


    "Yes¡­" Raine bit her lips nervously.


    "Just like how you saw it was Adair who had ruined your flowers?" Torak asked for confirmation.


    "Am I strange¡­?" Raine lifted her gaze to look at Torak.


    Torak laughed at her question. "Something like that happens in our world, my love. You are not strange, you are gifted." He tucked her hair behind her ears. "My precious gift."


    Raine a bit relaxed when she heard that and then she spent almost thirty minutes to explain to Torak about what she had seen when they were inside the car, about the girl, the flower and the gloomy sky.


    "What do you think about that?" Raine asked Torak when she ended her story.


    Torak turned quiet for some time before he spoke softly. "Honestly, I don''t know what to say for now." He pulled the blanket to cover both of them. "I have done my research and looked into the history about the guardian angel, who controls the time, but there is not much that I can find."


    "I think you got more information than I did when you traveled back to the past." Torak added.


    "I just know that the guardian angel kept her power inside the pure blood witch''s grimoire, because she wanted to see her lover once again." Raine contemplated.


    Torak had heard this, but only now the thought flashed in his mind. "If you are the guardian angel from the past, who was looking for your lover, that didn''t it mean I am the one who you are looking for?" He teased her.


    Raine chuckled upon hearing his statement. "Probably." She teased him back as she kissed his chin.


    "What do you mean probably?" Torak raised his eyebrows. "There was no guardian angel could control the time before you."


    "So, you assumed that we have been mated since millions of years ago?" Raine mimicked Torak''s expression.


    "Why? You don''t like it?" The Alpha pinched his mate tender cheeks.


    "If that''s the case, I hope we will never be separated ever again." Raine nuzzled against Torak''s chest, inhaled his scent that could calm her down.


    "I know that you can''t live without me." Torak smugly said that earned a bit from Raine on his chest. "You have developed a bad habit." He pinched her waist, forced her to stop bitting him.


    "I think I am infected by your habit through the mark." Raine retorted.


    And then the sound of both of them laughter echoed through the wall of the bed room. "Let''s we figure this out one step at time. We still have much time for this." Torak suggested after the laughter had died down.


    "Don''t you feel sleepy?" Torak brushed his finger lightly on Raine''s red cheeks, she laughed so long that turned her face scarlet.


    "I don''t." Raine felt better after she talked with Torak. "Why don''t we talk about what exactly happened with me nights before?" She suggested.


    "You fell into heat." His fingers on her cheeks came to halt as he stared at Raine.


    "So, what is this heat? I felt so awful¡­" Raine complained. "I felt like I was thrown into pit of fire. My whole body was burning."


    "It happens when the bonding has not yet completed after the marking." Torak explained. "You will be in heat in random time."


    "Random time?" Raine frowned. That meant, she would go through something like that again and again? That would not be the last time she felt that.


    The thought of it made Raine grimace. She didn''t want to endure something like that again.


    "Torak, when I was in heat¡­" Raine bit her lips, hesitant apparent in her eyes, yet she continued anyway. "¡­ I felt better when you touched me, I think you know that¡­ but, why¡­?" She didn''t finish her line of question, but Torak knew it regardless.


    A flash of complicated feeling on his eyes. "I know."


    And then silence.


    Raine was waiting for Torak next explanation, but all he said was only ''I know''.


    "And then?" Raine prodded.


    "It was only temporary, because all you wanted is not my touch." Torak narrowed his eyes, but an idea flashed in his mind as he grinned mischievously. "You will feel like that until the bonding is completed."


    "So, why don''t we complete the bonding?" Raine was puzzled, usually Torak would do everything for her to not feel any pain, but why he looked hesitate? If she could free from that pain, she was more than willing to complete the bonding. "How we complete the bonding?"


    Torak has been waiting for this question. "Open your mind, I will show you."


    The blue eyes stared intently at Raine''s black one, as they turned bright when Torak watched a red color covered his mate skin until her cute ears.


    "Torak!" Raine was beyond mortified as she covered her face inside the blanket while Torak was laughing boisterously.

 Chapter 299 - BLUSHING

    Ever since Torak talked about the way how to complete the bonding, Raine would be blushing if she was near him.


    Honestly speaking, that kind of thought, indeed, ever came to her mind, after all Raine wasn''t a little girl anymore and they had been sleeping together since day one they met with each other.


    It was strange enough that Torak had never touched her with l.u.s.t in his eyes.


    He is normal, right? Raine peered at Torak beside her.


    Currently they were having breakfast together. It has been awhile since the last time Raine attended her classes, so she was very sure she needed work very hard to catch up with the latest lesson.


    Her absence wouldn''t be good for this semester, yet all she could think now was Torak''s words last night.


    No, it wasn''t exactly words as he didn''t say anything, he preferred to show it to her through the mind- link and the images kept Raine wide awake the whole night.


    How he could boldly show her images like that?!


    Raine wanted to be upset, but she the fact that she didn''t, annoyed her even more and at the same time, everytime she remembered it, she felt giddy.


    This mind- link things, Raine didn''t know whether she like it or not.


    "Your mind kept buzzing." Torak flicked Raine''s head that instantly pulled her out of her wild imagination. "What are you thinking?"


    Torak even dared enough to wink at Raine, teased her even more.


    "Nothing." Raine finally averted her gaze from him and focused on her breakfast instead, though it was hard, but she managed to ignore Torak''s secretive laugh.


    When Raine finally finished her toast, while Torak was only having his morning coffee, the latter picked Raine''s bag and led her to the garage.


    "Are you not going to work?" Because Raine''s mind was occupied with inconsequential thought, she failed to realize that Torak had not yet changed into his business attire.


    Torak was still in his hommy style, t- shirt and jeans. He didn''t look like that cold CEO that everyone portrayed about him. In Raine''s eyes now, he looked free and young, like boy next door.


    "No. I still resume the news about me being missing." Torak opened the back seat and put Raine'' bag there before he opened the front seat and let Raine entered the car. He put his hand on top of Raine''s head, just in case she bumped into the car.


    "Why you should do that?" Raine asked after Torak sat down behind the wheel, apparently, he would drive her to University.


    "So, those people who have tendency to stab my back could step forward." Torak started the car. "With this, I could safe my energy to lure them out."


    Since the devil had started with their moved, Torak should ensure that people around him was those who loyal to him. He didn''t need backstabber inside his own people.


    "Oh," Raine nodded. "Be careful." She added with concer.


    Mirth danced in Torak''s eyes as he glanced at his little mate. "I will."


    ==============


    It took Raine twenty minutes slower than usual to arrive at the university with the way Torak drive the car.


    He really made it obvious to only spare a few minutes for Raine to run inside her class.


    "You deliberately make me late!" Raine punched Torak''s upperarms in annoyed. How he could do that? Now Raine had to run to her class.


    From afar, she could see Stephan had been waiting for her at the gates like usual. His expression was boring and was about to lash out if Raine didn''t approach him any time soon.


    "Your bag." Torak laughed as he stretched out his hand to reach Raine''s bag at the back seat. "Have a good day." He said while giving her bag.


    Sullenly Raine received it and was about to get out of the car when she realized the door was locked. She turned her head and looked at Torak questioningly.


    "The door is locked." She stated the obvious.


    "I know." Torak replied.


    Though his smile almost made Raine became dizzy, she still has the right mind to think about her classes.


    "Open it." Raine tried to mimick Torak''s cold expression, but her face turned scarlet instead under Torak''s intense gaze.


    "You forget something, my love." Torak sulked. This kind of act supposed to not suit him, yet Raine stared at him like she was being charmed.


    "What is it?" Raine bit her lips while roaming her eyes inside the car. She didn''t drop anything, right?


    "My morning kiss." With that was being said, Torak leaned over and kissed Raine''s lips abruptly. "Stop blushing." The Alpha said in his husky tone after the morning kiss.


    "I am not." Raine lied with straight face, but of course the blush wouldn''t suddenly disappear just because she said so.


    "Liar." Torak chuckled and pecked her lips once again. "Stop blushing because you are very attractive now and I don''t want to kill those people who stared at my mate."


    "Nice joke." Raine blurted out.


    "You know I am not joking my love." Torak caressed his hand on her cheeks. "You had been blushing ever since I answer your question about the bonding last night."


    Raine was speechless, she didn''t know what to say to cover up her embarrassed feeling at this moment as she half- yelled at Torak. "Open the door, you pervert!"


    Torak laughed out loud at Raine''s reaction, but he spared her by open the car door and let her go.


    The little girl bolted out from the car immediately.


    "I will pick you up later." Torak said before Riane closed the door and ran toward the entrance gates where Stephan had been waiting for her.


    "What took you so long?" Stephan grumbled once Raine was close enough to hear him whining. "I have been waiting for you since thirty minutes ago! And why did you not show up for almost two weeks straight?"


    Raine stopped walking and faced him. "You are so noisy." She glared at him and continued to walk.

 Chapter 300 - BETRAYAL

    After the first class ended, Stephan gave her a flash disk, it sparkled under the sunlight that went through the window beside Raine''s table.


    "What is it?" Raine picked up the red flash disk and looked at Stephan curiously.


    "You should thank me for summarizing all the lessons that you had skipped." Stephan said proudly. "Free lunch will do."


    Raine chuckled. "Sure, but I don''t want you to be in the same table with sunny and the other." She remembered the dispute last time and she thought it would be wise to not provoke Sunny further. After all she and the other people there were Raine''s first friend.


    "I am sorry sweety, but your mate will beat my a** if I leave you out of my sight." Stephan shook his head dramatically. "You know how protective your mate could be."


    "I am thanking you for this." Raine showed the flash disk in her hand, but then she waved her hand. "But, no. I don''t want you to make a ruckus like last time. I will talk to Torak about this."


    At the same time, before Stephan could answer her, his phone rang, indicating he had received a message.


    Stephan skimmed briefly the message and shrugged his shoulder. "I think you get what you want."


    Raine turned around and looked at him. "What is that?"


    "I have an emergency call, so I will take my leave first." Stephan leisurely walked past her as he waved his hand.


    "You will not come with me for lunch?" Raine asked in confusion. What the emergency that he got? Usually, whatever it was, he would never let her go off.


    "I am sorry sweety, but this time even if you were begging me, I can''t accompany you for lunch." He said with laugh.


    "Go away!" Raine shouted at him.


    "Don''t worry I will comeback for the second class." Stephan laughed at her reaction.


    "Don''t come back!"


    ==============


    Stephan walked toward the exit door and turned left. From afar he could see the parking lot where not many people where there.


    He didn''t need to look for the right car for long time as he approached the black sport car, which was parked under a lush tree instead of the parking lot.


    Without checking first, Stephan opened the front seat and sat down quickly.


    The moment he closed the door, he could feel the oppressive atmosphere inside the car. It was so suffocating until Stephan was having a second thought to go out from this narrow space, but of course his mind knew better to not do that.


    "How are you Alpha?" Stephan greeted him timidly. This was the first time he met Torak after such long time.


    Actually he had a hunch that Torak had comeback, when he saw Raine returned after long time being absent.


    Torak, who was sitting at the back seat didn''t answer Stephan''s lousy greeting, instead he spoke straight to the matter that he wanted to ask him. "Did you tell Lucifer about Raine''s mark?"


    "Ah, yes¡­" Stephan nodded his head. "Just like what you had predicted. He looked for me once he caught a wind about you were being missing and asked about the mark."


    Silence ensued inside the car and made Stephan fidgeted in his seat. He gulped hard and turned his body to look at Torak, but he couldn''t look him in the eyes, intead he stared at his shoulder.


    "Alpha¡­ how about our female¡­?" He asked gingerly.


    "When Lucifer will let Reynold meet with his mate?" Torak asked. He knew it all. He had arranged it all. This was part of his plans after all.


    "The devil said he would let them meet two months from now." Stephan said unsure, the promise of the devil was something that one should worry. "My brother had been so agitated about this."


    Torak didn''t talk again as he calculated something in his mind.


    "Alpha¡­" Stephan called Torak because he didn''t get any reply from him. "You know that I don''t have guts to defy you, but¡­ I don''t think I can play this role for long time¡­ the Devil will know about this sooner or later."


    "So?" Torak crossed his legs as he stared at the timid dragon shifter. This dragon shifter had been indulging himself in human world so much until his nature was corroded.


    Without the influence of his brother, he would be nothing.


    The scene when Torak cut off his brother''s arm truly engraved in his mind and it made him feared the Alpha until the point his breath was so shallow everytime he was near Torak.


    Though, behind Torak''s back he could still defy his order, such as let his presence was being known by Raine at the very first day they met, disregarding Calleb''s warning, but when he had to face Torak directly, he was nothing but a timid little boy.


    "I am afraid they would do something to our female and ¡­" Stephan gulped hard. "Well, you know how important she is for us."


    But, at least there was still a little bit conscience, which left from him, to actually think about the sustainability of his kind.


    "We will take her." Torak said. That was one of his plans to solidify the loyalty of those dragon shifters.


    "Oh," Stephan was surprised by Torak''s statement, but relief at the same time. "Thank you Alpha. I pledged my loyalty to you. I will never betray you." At this time Stephan tried to boot lick the Alpha, probably the later could be less scary if he did that.


    "Betray me?" Torak bemused. "Do you even have a choice?"


    Upon hearing that, Stephan gulped hard and shrunk in his seat.


    "You can go now." Torak said coldly.


    With that remark, Stephan hastily clawed the car door and was about to go out before he remembered something.


    "Alpha, I don''t think your mate''s friends have a good intention toward her." He reported it.


    Torak didn''t answer him immediately, but a few second later he spoke in the same chilly tone. "You can go now." Yet, after Stephan was no longer there, Torak added. "Look into her friends'' background."


    "Yes, Alpha." Jack answered politely.

 Chapter 301 - HE IS NORMAL, RIGHT?

    "Raine!" Sunny''s loud voice greeted Raine the moment she entered her line of sight while the three other people turned their head and waved at her too.


    Seemingly Connor had not joined them yet.


    Raine''s smile widened when she watched they seemed to welcome her, at first she was a bit nervous that Sunny and the other would distance themselves because of Stephan, yet seeing this, seemingly that wouldn''t be the case.


    "Where have you been?" Sunny pulled Raine to sit next to her and hugged the girl. "We are worried about you." She pouted her lips.


    "There was something that I have to do." Raine said.


    "I heard Mr. Donovan went missing, were you with him?" Kai or Kelly asked her while staring at his well trimmed nails. "You skipped many classes just to be with him?"


    Raine was unsure if she could answer this question, after all Torak still didn''t let other people know that he had returned, but her friends have nothing to do with the devils, Lycan and werewolf from his pack or those people from business circle, right?


    Regardless, Raine didn''t want to take a risk and only smiled at them.


    But, Sunny didn''t see her reluctance and kept asking. "So, you were really with him? Together? What is it, like honeymoon?" She asked enthusiastically.


    "What honeymoon? We are not married yet." Raine refuted.


    "But, you have been living together, right? Since he brought you from the Orphan." Sunny nudged Raine with her elbow while giving her a provocative smile.


    "Right!" Kai slammed his hand on the table that startled other people there. "Did you meet him before? Because your love story is like those romance movies."


    "What romance movie?" Jammie snorted as she rolled her eyes at Kai.


    "You know, they have met before when they were little, make a promise that when they grew up, Mr. Donovan will look for her." Kai used both his hands to give dramatic effect. "Love at first sight."


    "Love at first sight my a**." Jammie murmured, shaking her head as she continued to drink her coffee.


    "But, think this way!" Kai ignored the disgust in Jammie''s voice as he continued with his theory. "How Mr. Donovan could suddenly adopt Raine? She is not a baby, she is a big girl!" He waved his hand at Raine. "And then why Mr. Donovan dates a girl who he adopted? It didn''t make sense ever since he decided to adopt her! There must be a story behind it!" Kai said noisily.


    "Hm¡­ I think that makes senses¡­" Cassey contemplated and voiced out her concern. "I read something like this on line too."


    "Right? Right?" Kai became more energetic when Cassey supported his theory. "Tell us, tell us, what is it?"


    Raine was confused why this conversation escalated to this, she even not yet sat down for more than five minutes.


    "Maybe you don''t know this Raine, but a week ago, you became headline news again." Sunny chimmed in. "But three days later, all the news about you had been taken down, I think the PR did it."


    "What news?" Raine was confused.


    "You don''t know?" Cassey asked, she was surprised.


    "Where exactly did you two go? Antartic?" Kai asked sarcastically.


    "No." Raine refuted softly, but didn''t elaborate further about it. "What news?"


    Since the news about her made headline when she celebrated her eighteenth birthday, Raine had never skimmed news on line again, or watched any news on television.


    Therefore, she was practically clueless about what was happening outside or the news about her and Torak that circulated on line.


    "Well, it is a bit stupid I guess¡­" Sunny contemplated and gave a curious gaze at Raine. "Do you cheat behind Mr. Donovan''s back?"


    "I told you it was only a nasty rumor." Kai intercepted. "Look at her, how do you think a girl like her could cheat behind his back? Moreover, why she should cheat on Mr. Donovan? That hot CEO has everything!"


    "Wait, wait¡­ what cheating?" Raine was totally confused about what they were talking about. She had just gone for less than two weeks, but why suddenly she was reported cheating? "With who?"


    "Never mind about that rumor." Kai waved his hand nonchalantly.


    "It was with one of Mr. Donovan''s man. Mr. Lockwood." Cassey answered Raine.


    "Don''t worry, we don''t believe those nasty rumor, why would you have to cheat on Mr. Donovan." Sunny crossed her arms in front of her chest.


    "Calleb?" Raine furrowed even more, why she would be in news with Calleb?


    "Yeah, the gossip about it was; both of you were caught talking in private during Mr. Donovan went missing, it even reported that you were crying on Mr. Lockwood''s shoulder." Cassey opened his phone. "Look, I screen shoot some news about your scandal."


    "Scandal?" Raine confused, why she involved in scandal with Calleb?


    The news that Cassey showed her didn''t include with picture, it was only an article that contain point of view from the witness, who had seen the scene themself.


    Then, something clicked in Raine''s mind when she read the article. It was the scene when she was crying inside the small room when she got her vision about Torak was being sackled, of course she was crying like there was no tomorrow at that time while Calleb was trying to calm her down.


    "Raine, I want to ask you something." Sunny suddenly turned serious. "Did you leave together with Mr. Donovan?"


    "How do you know?" Raine asked.


    Sunny rolled her eyes. "It was in the headline news before it was taken down."


    Raine nodded without thinking, lying wasn''t her forte after all. "Yes."


    "Did you sleep together?" Sunny continued.


    "Ah¡­ what?" She was surprised by Sunny''s question and couldn''t help but blush, especially when Kai, Cassey and Jammie looked at her intently. "I¡­"


    "She did." Jammie sipped her coffee elegantly.


    "No." Raine waved her hands frantically. Why this conversation turned out to be like this? "I sleep with him, but I didn''t sleep¡­ we didn''t do it." She stuttered, hoping they didn''t misunderstand her.


    "He didn''t touch you? You had not done the deed with him?" Cassey leaned over and looked Raine incredulously. "You have been months in relationship with him and have been sleeping together!"


    "Really? He is normal, right?" Sunny added.

 Chapter 302 - KAIS SOLUTION

    Raine slapped Sunny''s hand when she heard her comment. "Of course he is." She was a little bit annoyed.


    "I am sorry, I just slightly confused because he had not yet touched you even thought you have been sleeping together for months." Sunny rubbed her hand where Raine had slapped her.


    "You are not married yet, but you already live together and even slept together." Cassey contemplated. "It is unacceptable, actually, but who would dare enough to criticize Mr. Donovan, right?"


    "But, you will marry him eventually, right? He is not just playing with you, right?" Sunny was very energetic for this kind of gossip.


    "Of course Mr. Donovan will, don''t you see how he has been treating her?" Kai chimmed in. "She is the only woman that Mr. Donovan had acknowledged."


    "But, there is Jenedieth." Cassey retorted. "Before there was a rumor about both of them."


    "Yes," Sunny nodded. "And do you remember the girl that we met at the mask dance? Alice Harper?" She asked Raine.


    Alice Harper was the girl from oriole city, her family company was the rival of Donovan company and she claimed herself to know Torak quite well.


    Alice even could attest that Torak and Jenedieth had had relationship when they were still working together.


    "Torak said he didn''t have any romantic relationship with Jenedieth." Raine frowned. She didn''t like when they talked about Jenedieth and Torak were being together. Torak had said that he didn''t have mutual feeling, so that was what Raine believed.


    "Every man will say something like that about their ex." Jammie shrugged her shoulder, rubbing salt on Raine''s jealousy.


    "If that was the case, why Mr. Donovan didn''t admit it? He didn''t need to lie to Raine, he got nothing from it." Kai was still adamant to take Torak''s side.


    "I don''t know," Jammie glared at Kai. "That is only my opinion. Maybe the reason he didn''t touch you because he is still thinking about his ex."


    Raine knew, she didn''t suppose to take this conversation to heart. Torak belonged to her and they were mate, not only that, there were a lot of things that Raine couldn''t tell them about this mate things and the world that she lived in, thus it only made her frustrated.


    Yet, Raine had been asking the same questions. Why Torak had not yet touched her? Even after he saw those images, he didn''t make any attempts to make it happened.


    It didn''t mean Raine wanted to do it, it just¡­ well¡­ she wasn''t a little girl, right? In the eyes of law, she was a full grown woman.


    "But, he kissed you, right?" Cassey asked Raine hesitatedly, afraid to hear the answer would be something that she didn''t expect.


    "Of course he did." Kai threw a napkin on her face. "Don''t you see, he kissed her on her eighteenth birthday party?"


    "I didn''t watch it, okay!" Cassey threw back the napkin at Kai.


    "The question is, why he had not yet touched you?" Kai rubbed his clean chin. "If I were to sleep with him, I would have devoured him every night."


    "You make me cringe." Jammie threw a disgusting look at Kai.


    "Why? I slept with someone that I love, not only for one or two nights, but every night." Kai glared at Jammie and then shifted his eyes at Raine. "Has he never been aroused even during the time he slept with you? Even once?"


    Raine''s face turned scarlet and the color covered her ears and her neck as she started fidgeting on her seat. She regretted to meet them today if only she knew the topic of the day was about her and Torak, she wouldn''t have come.


    "It isn''t a big deal okey." Raine tried to dismiss the topic as she became uncomfortable. "We are good and in healthy relationship now."


    Ignoring Raine''s silence plea, Kai continued. "What kind of dress that you are wearing for sleep?"


    Raine frowned when she heard Kai''s question, but she answered it anyway. "Pajamas."


    "That''s why!" Kai slammed his hand on the table that made the other jumped from their seat out of shock.


    "Don''t do that!" Jammie slapped Kai''s arm, but the latter ignored that.


    "You should wear something s.e.xy you know!" Kai exclaimed as if he had found a secret formula to live for eternity.


    "Sssttt!!!" Sunny and Cassey put their forefinger in front of their lips, gesturing for Kai to lower his volume as Jammie gave him another slap while Raine was dumbfounded, the blush had covered all over her body now, she was quite sure that ther body temperature now had reached more than 38 degrees.


    Just like before, Kai ignored them all as he leaned over. "I have a solution for you."


    ==============


    Today was Saturday and Torak had been in his study since this morning.


    Actually, today was like any normal day for Raine, not really¡­ she actually had promised to go out with Kai and Sunny to the mall near their university.


    Raine just needed to ask Torak''s permission and then she was good to go.


    But, for some reason she became nervous. Her hand raised and fell in her attempt to knock the door until Calleb''s voice traveled to her ears.


    "Will you go in or not? Because I have to meet the Alpha now and you block my way." Calleb was carrying a stack of doc.u.ment in his arms.


    "Oh, right¡­" Raine was about to knock the door when Calleb interrupted her.


    "You don''t need to knock, Torak must have smelled your scent by now. Furthermore, why you should knock to enter his study? You just need to walk inside." Calleb tilted his head, didn''t understand Raine''s strange behavior.


    "Oh, okay." Raine opened the door and walked inside only to find Torak was leaning his back against his seat as he waved his hand, calling for her.


    Obediently Raine strode across the room and stood beside Torak, yet the latter had another idea as he pulled her abruptly and made her sat on his laps instead.


    "Your mind keeps buzzing." Torak gripped her chin lightly, asked her to look at him.

 Chapter 303 - SHE IS WELL PROTECTED

    Raine bit her lips as her heart was thumping wildly against her chest, she felt her lips went dry because of it and suddenly didn''t know what to say.


    She just needed to ask permission from Torak if she was allowed to go to the mall with Kai and Sunny, but why this was so difficult?


    Maybe because of the reason behind it, why she agreed to Kai''s wild idea. Even now, Raine thought it was so stupid for her to actually agree to his idea, but somewhere, in her heart, she couldn''t deny that she was waiting for this moment too.


    It was a complicated feeling and she felt nerveous just to think of it.


    "So, what is it?" Torak asked softly, seeing Calleb scurried away from the room.


    "I¡­" Raine bit her lips, glancing at Torak from now and then, but Torak was very patient to wait for Raine. "I want to go to mall with Kai and Sunny, can I?" In the end, Raine said it in one go.


    "You want to go to mall?" Torak raised his eyebrows.


    Raine nodded. "You know¡­ I don''t have friends before¡­ so¡­"


    "You don''t need to explain it." Torak kissed her forehead. "Why are you so nervous when this only trivial matter like this, hm?"


    "I am not¡­" Raine buried her head on the crook of Torak''s shoulder.


    "You thought I will not allow you to go with your friends?" Torak guessed.


    "Partly." Raine responded.


    Torak chuckled upon hearing her answer. "Of course you can go, but not alone."


    Raine lifted her head. "With those guards?" Raine asked, slightly feeling uncomfortable. "But, it will be awkward if I walked with them¡­"


    "I am sorry my love," Torak caressed her cheeks gently with his thumb. "I can''t risk your safety, but at the same time I don''t want to take this kind of experience from you too."


    Raine sighed, she wanted to refuse, but she was also aware about the possible dangers around her and she didn''t want to be kidnapped again.


    Neither, she wanted to see Aeon¡­ Torak didn''t like him and Raine didn''t want to antagonize the Alpha. She had experienced enough heartache when she had to be separated from Torak.


    "Alright¡­" Raine pouted, but she nodded regardless. "Hmm, Torak¡­ how about Mark''s condition? Is he alright now?"


    Raine still had not yet said thanks to him for saving her life.


    "He just discharged from hospital three days ago, but not yet assigned for another duty as he is still recovering." Torak explained it to her.


    "Can I go and see him?" Raine asked. "He had saved my life and at the very least I have to say thank you to him."


    "Of course. Let''s go there when you returned, how about that?" He suggested.


    "Okay." Raine smiled brightly until her eyes turned crescent.


    Torak kissed her cheeks and then took something from the drawer near him. "Take this with you." Torak placed a black card on her hand.


    Raine thought it was only the same card like the other one that Torak had given her. "But, I have my card from you¡­"


    "Just use this one." Torak didn''t elaborate further as he helped Raine to stand.


    Raine shrugged her shoulder and tiptoed to kiss his lips. "Okay." She said.


    With that the black card in his hand, Raine walked out of Torak''s study room.


    Once it was only Torak alone inside the room, he mind- linked Jack, his hunter to come inside the office.


    It didn''t take long time before a knocking sound echoed inside the room. After Torak allowed him to come, the hunter nodded slightly at Torak. "Alpha." He greeted him.


    "How about the background check that I asked you?" Torak leaned forward as he glanced at Jack intently.


    "Here, Alpha." Jack opened his tablet and showed his investigation to Torak.


    ==============


    Raine was wearing her favorite jeans and white shoes as she chose to wear a black sweater on top of her shirt because she felt slightly cold.


    After she was done, she tied her hair into a bun.


    Everytime Raine went with Torak, she almost never tied her hair since he would pull it and played with her hair instead.


    Raine didn''t mind, actually she liked it, but now she was going out with her friends, so it would look quite messy if she didn''t tie her hair.


    Before Raine left, she wanted to meet Torak for awhile, but found out he was in serious conversation with Calleb and Raphael.


    Raine was slightly hesitated to approach them because she clearly could see their brows knitted in stress as the atmosphere was slightly depressing.


    However, when Raine decided to just walk away and didn''t distutb them, Torak called her.


    "Do you need something my love?" The layers of ice on Torak''s expression earlier, seemingly had melted by the sight of his mate.


    "No, I just want to say that I will go now, but you are in middle of discussion, so I don''t want to disturb you. I will take my leave now." Raine was about to close the door when Torak spoke.


    "Don''t you want to give me a kiss before you go?" Torak asked her lightly, but mirth was apparent in his eyes when he teased his mate.


    Raine blushed and looked at Calleb and Raphael awkwardly.


    While Raphael seemed didn''t hear anything, Calleb was rolling his eyes desperately as if saying; spare my life please.


    "There is no kiss?" Torak asked shamelessly.


    Timidly, Raine strode over him and leaned over to kiss his cheeks. "I will go now." She said.


    "Don''t walk alone and don''t go out of the guards'' sight, alright?" Torak reminded her again. "I don''t want anything happen to you."


    "I got it." Raine said and walked hastily out of the study room.


    When Raine had closed the door and the sound of her stepped couldn''t be heard anymore, Raphael tilted his head and looked at Torak curiously. "You actually let her go like that?"


    "What do you mean like that?" Torak frowned. "She is well protected."

 Chapter 304 - MORTIFIED

    "What happened, Raine?" Sunny looked at Raine questioningly. "Why are you sighing since the first time we entered the mall?"


    "It must be because those guards, right?" Kai swept his eyes briefly at seven people who were following them.


    Seven of them were wearing casual attire, so their appearance didn''t draw unnecessary attention on them.


    "It''s okay Raine, it is better to safe than sorry, moreover they don''t wear their suit. Now they just like ordinary people, no one will know that they are bodyguard." Sunny comforted Raine.


    However, that wasn''t the case, because the most disturbing fact was something that the two of them couldn''t see.


    If only they could see it, they would have screamed on the top of their lungs.


    Now, there were around ten Lycans in their beast form, walked around them while countless Lycans could be seen in every corner of the stores.


    Torak must be kidding.


    Raine wanted to shout out loud. THIS IS TOO MUCH!


    "Raine, it''s okay, it is only seven of them¡­" Sunny comforted Raine again while patting her shoulder. "Just focus on our mission!" She cheered her up.


    "Yeah, I will make Mr. Donovan turn crazy the moment he sees you." Kai said determinedly.


    Ah, forget it! He is already crazy!


    Raine''s mood had vanished into thin air. She didn''t know what she supposed to feel right now.


    "Come on! Don''t spill the mood!" Kai strolled ahead and entered casually entered a lingerie store.


    If those seven people who followed Raine were shocked, they didn''t show it on their faces as they stared ahead.


    One of them followed Raine inside the store while the rest casually strolled around.


    Since Raine didn''t wear any expensive clothes and her casual style suited her age as teenager, no one would have thought that she was the very same person who made a headline on the internet a few days ago.


    Because the only image of Raine that circulated online was when she wore an dazzling and beautiful gown in her birthday party, no one would think this timid girl in sweater and jeans was one and the same person.


    "Why are you standing there? Come one!" Sunny dragged Raine inside the store because the latter was only standing at the front door, mortified.


    "Don''t worry, they are well trained bodyguards, they must have experienced this." Kai said beside Raine.


    What Kai meant, those bodyguards must have accompanied their lady boss to lingerie store like this, so there was no need to feel shy.


    However, that was not what made Raine stand transfixed on the floor before, it was because there were about twenty pairs of beasts'' eyes that stared at her in disbelief!


    How Raine supposed to feel that?!


    Even Raine could see some of them snickered at her! Why they should make that kind of expression?!


    "I think¡­ let''s just buy pajamas¡­" Raine tried to bring the two of them out of the store, but Kai and Sunny ignored her completely as both of them were so busy to pick something weird for Raine.


    "What pajamas?" Kai frowned but his eyes fixed on lingerie in his hand. Raine felt she was almost fainted when Kai casually hung the lingerie next to her waist as he mumbled. "This color doesn''t complement your skin."


    "Can we just go out¡­ now?" Raine could feel her head was aching.


    "Why we should go now? We don''t get anything yet, we should buy something that could turn Mr. Donovan into a beast the moment he sees you."


    HE IS! He is a beast!


    Raine screamed inwardly, she literally could hear those Lycans snickered as their tails wagging like happy dogs.


    Raine felt the longer they were there, the more she would lose her dignity. As if her pride was stripped off from her.


    "Why don''t you try this?" Sunny handed red lingerie to her. This kind of thing was something that Raine didn''t even understand how to wear it.


    Once again Raine glanced at the brown Lycan near her, apparently that Lycan looked to the other side when his eyes fell on the glaring red thing in Raine''s hand, averting his eyes.


    Oh. At least this one has some dignity left.


    Raine wanted to cry when Kai gave her another lingerie, for now there were two sales person who attended to Kai and Sunny, without knowing that the person who would wear it was the girl who timidly followed the two of them in silent, focusing her eyes on her white sneakers.


    I would have cry if it could reduce her mortification, unfortunately, if she did that it would only add to her misery.


    [Can all of you go?] Raine asked with stern voice through the mind link.


    [I am sorry Luna, but we can''t leave you alone.] One of the Lycan answered her. Raine thought it must be the brown Lycan, she didn''t know but her gut said that, so she looked at the brown Lycan while talking again.


    [I am not alone, there are many people here.] She tried to argue.


    [This is direct order from the Alpha and we can''t disobey him.] From the sound of his voice, apparently he was quite uncomfortable too, but like he said, he couldn''t deny his Alpha''s order.


    [But, you will not tell this to Torak, right?] This was Raine''s concern now.


    However to her horror, the Lycans didn''t answer her, it was either he would tell Torak about this or he just couldn''t bring himself to let Raine know that it was the part of their duty; to inform every detail of the situation right now to Torak.


    Raine really wanted to cry now.


    But, it didn''t end there, it was like the universe was punishing her, another trouble came to her way when she heard a woman voice, talking to Sunny.


    "Ah, Ms. Andoori, right? We met at the mask party."


    Raine didn''t familiar with her voice, but when their eyes met, she immediately remembered who was this woman.


    Though she was talking to Sunny, but her eyes were directed at Raine as she walked confidently toward her, disregarding Kai in the process.


    "Long time no see." She stood there with her mocking smile. "I don''t know how to call you¡­ or should I just call you Mrs. Donovan?"

 Chapter 305 - VISION

    Raine looked at the woman impassively, meeting her only added Raine''s depression about this whole situation.


    And as if sensing their Luna uneasiness, those Lycan''s walked closer toward her imposingly, now Raine was literally surrounded by the beast.


    "You can just call me Raine." Raine said, mustered every courage that she could gather. One thing for sure, she didn''t like this girl.


    "Raine¡­" The woman repeated her name as she smiled cynically. "I didn''t expect that we will meet here."


    "I don''t expect something like this too." Raine smiled shortly before she walked toward Kai and gave the lingerie in her hand to the salesperson beside him. "I will take this."


    Raine was trying to calm down and didn''t let that woman to see her uneasiness.


    Just like the last time they met with each other, this time that woman also tried to provoke Raine, even though she had walked away from her.


    "Wait, why don''t we shop together?" Alice followed Raine''s steps when she was about to reach the cashier and paid for the lingerie that she didn''t even know it was on her size or not.


    Raine only concern for now was to leave this place and this woman.


    "Why are you in a hurry, we are not done talking yet." Alice protested.


    "I am sorry Miss, but I don''t think there si something that we need to talk. I don''t even remember your name." Raine countered, swatted her hand away from her.


    This scene earned a chuckled from Kai, who was being totally ignored by Alice earlier, even the latter didn''t even spare her attention on Sunny anymore as she found her target.


    "How about we start talking about how you had humiliated me in the mask party?" Alice talked casually as if she was asking about weather, but her voice that lack of warm was very disturbing.


    "How can I humiliate you while I don''t even know who you are." Raine was consistence with her fa?ade to not remember her at all, she hoped by being treated poorly, she could leave her alone.


    But, the reality told different thing.


    "So, just now I know that you came from an orphanage¡­" Alice mumbled, a little bit too loud for Raine to be able to hear that clearly.


    "You are so rude Ms. Harper." Kai reprimanded the young miss because of her attitude. "You shouldn''t say something like that."


    Alice''s eyes scrutinized Kai from head to toe as she let out a sinister chuckled. "And you are? I don''t even know you."


    Kai''s frown even deepened when he heard that.


    "Miss Harper, I think we should go separate ways." Sunny chimmed in as she gestured to the salesperson to give them the bill for the lingerie that they had picked.


    "Ms. Andoori, how is your family business? I don''t think they did well." Alice crossed her arm in front of her chest as she tilted her head to look at Sunny, whose face had turned red. "I heard the Andoori has been looking for capital loan. Is that the reason why do you befriend with Torak''s woman?"


    Alice Harper was always been a haughty and imperious woman, though she was only twenty one years old, but her father had let her managed some of their subsidiary company.


    And as the sole heiress from Harper Company she was pampered by her parents whatsoever.


    Also because of the rivalry between her family company and Torak, she was growing up by listening how successful the latter, thus it made her grown up very competitive and hated all the things that regarding Torak Donovan.


    "Are you done talking?" Raine frowned. "You are very idle to be here and spouting nonsense."


    This wasn''t the first time Raine heard something like that about Sunny, because before Alice, Stephan had warned her first about Sunny''s true intention by being friend with her, yet Raine just brushed his words off.


    She didn''t believe it.


    However, Raine felt unease when she had to hear this again from different person.


    In the other hand, upon hearing Raine''s counterattack, Kai and Sunny giggled.


    "Let see two weeks from now." Alice didn''t bother at all about her was being mocked by them, even her smile didn''t falter at all. "Whether you still laugh or not when your father announced the bankruptcy."


    "Ms. Harper is very thoughtful. But, it would be better if you just mind your own business." Sunny remarked sharply.


    "Oh, what? What did I say?" Alice feigned innocent as she covered her mouth while her eyes opened wide.


    This action only made Sunny livid, she was about to lash out, but Raine grabbed her hand and dragged her away from Alice, pulled her closer to her.


    Raine shook her head as if saying; don''t be provoked by her.


    [Can''t you just bite her head off? She is so annoying.] Raine mind- linked the previous Lycan who was talking at her. Inside her mind she could hear amus.e.m.e.nt in that Lycan''s voice when he replied.


    [I am sorry Luna, but we don''t harm human if it''s not necessary.] The Lycan answered.


    [I knew it¡­] Raine then cut the mind- link.


    And at the same time, the salesperson from earlier returned with Raine''s lingerie, which had been put inside a red color paper bag.


    "How do you want to do your paymane miss?" The salesperson asked politely as she listed the discount and benefit that Raine could get if she wanted to be a member here.


    But, Raine shook her head vigorously. "No, thank you for your kind offer." She just couldn''t imagine that she would visit this store again. This would be the first and the last!


    Raine then gave a card that Torak had given to her to the salesperson, upon seeing that card she was surprised and looked at Raine for the second time, assessing her style secretively.


    It was known that the black card from the Central Bank was only limitless to a few people, an immense wealth alone, one wouldn''t be able to be the holder as this card was only produced for four people who represented their respective fields of work.


    Military, politician, influencer and the las one was businessman, Torak Donovan was known as the holder for the last categories.


    Every famous brand like this store would have educated their salesperson about this legendary black card.


    Actually, because Raine didn''t appear shopisticated, so the salesperson didn''t count her as a client and therefore they didn''t even attend to her and only approached Kai and Sunny.


    Who would have known that she would give the black card to her?


    The salesperson was trying to remember, who this girl before her eyes. She didn''t look like someone who came from military family while the holder of the card from politician didn''t have a daughter.


    And for the influencer, because she was often appear on line, the salesperson remembered her face. So, the las person would be¡­


    "Mrs. Donovan¡­?" Somewhere, in her distance memories, she remembered a beautiful girl clad in exquisite white dress in a spectacular birthday party that the news of it made headline for the rest of the week.


    Despite the clothes and style that she was wearing totally different, but the girl''s face, who was giving the salesperson black card, has many resemblances from that lucky girl.


    "I am not married to him yet." Raine replied bashfully when she called her as ''Mrs. Donovan''.


    However, the shock didn''t come from the salesperson alone, even Kai and Sunny were flabbergasted by the presence of the black card.


    "Mr. Donovan pampers you without holding back, you know?" Sunny mumbled, his eyes still glued on the black card. It was the first time he saw it in real form.


    "I will proceedyour payment Miss, please wait for awhile" The salesperson said in very polite manner, she even bowed her body deeply, it was also as apologize for lack of service from their store.


    "I feel so stupid to even suggest this idea." Kai plopped his body on the sofa near them.


    "Why? What with that card?" Raine was aware by their change of expression when they saw that card.


    Because of the appearance of the black card, Alice''s existence was slightly forgotten. Regardless her face didn''t show her surprised, but she was extremely annoyed why a girl like Raine could use that card without even know what it was.


    Since her family wasn''t chose as the holder of the card, this was also the first time for Alice to see it by her own eyes. Of course this fact irritated her even further.


    "You don''t even know what card that is?!" Sunny and Kai asked Raine simultaneously.


    At first they thought Raine only made a joke, but from her impassive expression, they knew that this girl was totally clueless about what kind of card that she possessed.


    "Did you just get that card from Mr. Donovan''s wallet?" Sunny plopped her body next to Kai as she stared intently at Raine in disbelief. "If my father was the holder of that card, he would make me stay away from it at least ten feet." She muttered while sighing dramatically.


    "Of course not, he just gave it to me when I said I want to go shopping with you." Raine replied.


    And then, Kai generously explained what was that card, from the benefit until¡­ benefit. In short, the holder of that card was someone extremely important and has a big influence in their field of work.


    [It is expected from the Alpha, Luna.] The brown Lycan talked through the mind- link there was a smile in his tone.


    Raine glanced at the brown Lycan as she smiled back at him. She felt her heart warm from the way Sunny and Kai looked at the black card with jealousy, it meant, Torak only gave the best to her.


    Meanwhile, seeing she was being ignored through and through, Alice fumed. She gritted her teeth. How could they forget about her?! She was standing there like a clown while listening Sunny and Kai expressed their jealousy by the way Torak had been treating Raine.


    "I feel really stupid to suggest this idea¡­" Kai sighed, he thought Torak didn''t want to touch Raine because she wasn''t appealing enough, as it turned out, apparently Torak extremely valued her until he couldn''t carelessly touch her. "I think you don''t need all of this."


    "I have been telling you that I don''t need it." Raine hastily agreed with Kai''s statement. "I know he loves me." She felt butterflies fluttered their wings in her stomach.


    "You are indeed so stupid, Kai." Sunny punched Kai''s arm. "You shouldn''t doubt Mr. Donovan''s love for her, you know."


    "Oh, so you bought lingerie for him?" Alice found an opportunity to mock Raine, of course she wouldn''t let it go. "Do you want to bed him so bad, huh?"


    Raine stared at Alice, annoyance in her eyes.


    [You are not allowed to harm her, but it doesn''t mean you can''t do something else to her, right?] Raine mind- linked the brown Lycan as she changed her mind to hate this way of communication. Now, she liked it a lot!


    "You really are on different level from Ms. Jenedieth." Alice brought Jenedieth''s name again to irritate Raine. She was very sure that Torak Donovan has a secret relationship with Jenedieth in the past, despite the fact he chose to go public with this girl.


    A glint of anger flashed in Raine''s eyes, but her lips curled into a beautiful innocent smile when she walked closer to Alice and spoke to her in low voice. "Just for your information, we are already in bed¡­" She paused to let the word sunk in her mind. "Stop bring Jenedieth''s name in front of me, it is not her name that annoyed me, but the fact that you are too noisy to care about my love life that I couldn''t understand."


    Raine took a step back to see the change of Alice''s expression.


    At that time a salesperson carried a tray with four glasses of juice for them, she thought Alice was part of Raine''s friend as well. This was one of the privileges, which the card holder would receive after all


    The salesperson gave the first glass to Raine politely before she gave it to Kai and Sunny, yet when she was about to give the last glass to Alice, Raine stopped her.


    "Why did you give her also?" Raine creased her brows questioningly that made the young girl confused.


    "Ah, this¡­ because I thought she is Mrs. Donovan''s friend too." Despite Raine had said she wasn''t married to Torak yet, they still addressed her that way.


    This time, Raine didn''t even mind to correct her as she sat down on the sofa with Kai and Sunny on her left and right side.


    "Friend?" Raine raised her eyebrows. "I don''t even know her." She said with straight face.


    Kai and Sunny laughed out loud, didn''t even care to hide their merriment for Raine''s counterattack. At the same time, Raine could also hear those Lycan chortled in their boisterous voice in her mind.


    Oh, Raine liked this moment!


    The salesperson was in awkward position, whether to give the glass or not to Alice.


    "She is not a VIP right? Why do you want to give that juice to her?" Kai interrupted, seeing the salesperson was in tight position, he decided for her. "Don''t worry, she is rich enough, she could buy something else to drink outside."


    "You can go." Another sales person, who received the black card came with a bill for Raine to sign, was quick to understand the situation that their VIP didn''t like this girl. "Mrs. Donovan, you can sign it over here." She spoke to Raine sweetly with endless smile.


    Not like Torak, Alice was too young to make a name for herself, Maybe in oriole city some people would know her as the heiress of the Harper company, but here was Fulbright City and Harper family didn''t have a strong hold in this city, thus no one knew about her except a handful people, but it was obvious those sales people were not part of it.


    "There is anything else?" Raine signed the bill while staring at Alice innocently as if she had not done anything to her.


    Fuming mad, Alice stomped her feet while pointing her sharp nail at Raine''s face. "You¡­! Argh!" She shouted at Raine, but the moment her feet touched the ground she felt something that made her lost her balance and fell on her back unceremoniously.


    Alice didn''t even realize what was happening until she heard a loud laughter from people around her, only then she was aware of her not- so- graceful position.


    Kai was the one who laughed very loud, until the vein on her neck popped out and his face turned red while Sunny covered her face with both of her palms as she couldn''t see Alice''s position right now, it was too hilarious, she felt she would die from laughing.


    In the other hand, Raine glanced at the brown Lycan as the latter winked at her while showing his sharp cannines, Raine assumed he was grinning at her.


    Out of politeness, the salesperson helped Alice to stand up while trying to make her expression as professional as she could, she clenched her jaw to stop herself from joining the trio.


    "Are you alright, Miss?" The salesperson asked very soft, afraid she would laugh instead.


    Alice was wearing yellow bodycon dress that accentuated her curves, actually Alice has a nice body that made Raine jealous, but the way she felt ungracefully, made Raine think otherwise.


    No matter how good looking you were, once you showed your panties in the public, it wouldn''t be good anymore.


    Raine felt bad for being happy for Alice''s unfortunate event, but she just couldn''t help it.


    "Your store is wretch!!!" Alice swatted the hand of the salesperson, who had helped her to stand up, once she got her balance.


    After saying that, Alice left. The thing that happened truly enraged her! She couldn''t stand the humiliation any longer and stormed out of the store.


    "What a coincidence!" Kai was breathing heavily in th end of his laugh. "How she could fall like that?"


    "That is what you called Karma!" Sunny chimmed in happily. She rubbed her face as her cheeks were hurt because of laughing too much.


    "Let''s go from here." Raine stood up from the sofa and gestured for the two of them to get out from the store also.


    The salesperson returned the black card to Raine and thanked her for her visit, also didn''t forget to invite her to comeback again.


    Raine only smiled when she heard that, as she didn''t think she wanted to comeback.


    "I don''t think I will need this¡­" Raine looked at the red paper bag in her hand as they walked out of the store. "I feel so stupid to actually consider your idea." She frowned at Kai.


    Raine shouldn''t doubt Torak''s love for her, but at some point, she just needed to prove it again and again.


    Kai let out a nervous laugh as he received Raine''s bad mood.


    Afterward, the trio decided to eat something from nearby restaurant and ended it ahead of time because Sunny was called by her father to return.


    On the way back to their car, Raine got a call from Torak, who check on her, thus she walked slightly slower as she pointed to her phone to Kai and Sunny.


    And with knowing look, they walked ahead.


    "Torak, are you crazy?" Raine hissed without even said ''hello'' to him.


    From the other line, Raine could hear Torak''s boisterous laugh because of her sudden outburst. How he could laugh like that when Raine was really annoyed by his action.


    "I am literally surrounded by Lycans, you know?" Raine said grumpily, but when her eyes fell on the red paper bag in her hand, her face turned scarlet instead.


    She was too impulsive to actually buy this kind of thing, now she pitied herself and her insecurities.


    "That''s for your safety, my love." Torak''s voice was so gentle. "I can''t accompany you because there is so much thing that I need to handle and also, I don''t think your friends will be comfortable with me around."


    Raine than imagine how Kai and Sunny''s reaction would be when they met Torak in person. "Hm, I think they will have a hard time to even speak a single word." She said exaggeratedly.


    "Have you done? Should I come and pick you up?" Torak asked.


    "Yes, I am done¡­" Raine nodded. "You don''t need to pick me up, I will be home less than an hour. After that we can visit Mark."


    There was silence that followed after Raine said that, Before Torak said in soft voice like a gentle breeze. "Thank you."


    Raine frowned. "What that ''thank you'' for?"


    "Thank you for thinking about the people in our pack." Torak elaborated. "I am so grateful that you show your concern toward the people in our pack."


    Torak kept saying ''our pack'' instead of ''his pack'' and this made Raine''s heart warm. It made Raine thought that she was belonged to something, she was part of it, the pack that you could call as family.


    "I should be the one who thanks Mark. If it is not for him, I would have burned into ash at that time." Raine kicked a pebble near her feet playfully.


    There was another silence that ensued. Raine almost could imagined Torak''s face darkened when she mentioned the possibility she would die. He must be gritting his teeth now.


    "What did you buy?" Torak changed the topic, because he didn''t like to think something harmful happened on his mate.


    Raine closed her eyes and bit her lips as she grimaced. "Nothing." She said briefly.


    Because of her nervousness, she failed to realize the amus.e.m.e.nt in Torak''s voice. "I will wait for you at home, be careful alright?" Torak didn''t ask about it further.


    Raine chuckled. "I have seven body guards and dozens of Lycans that surrounded me. What are you worried about?"


    "My heart can''t calm if you are out of my sight¡­" Torak spoke in his lazy tone, yet Raine could feel his love for her.


    "Stop being so cheesy, it doesn''t suit you." Rain scolded him lightly. "I will hang up the phone now."


    "I love you my little angel." Torak said heartily, totally ignoring Raine''s complain.


    "So do I¡­" Raine replied timidly, eyeing the Lycans around her that seemingly could hear their conversations as they lowered their head with their ears flopped down.


    Who told you to eavesdrop!?


    And with that, Raine hung up the phone and walked toward Kai and Sunny, who had been waiting for her.


    "Okay, I think we will have a shopping time for real later." Sunny said when Raine was close enough to hear her voice.


    "So, tell me, what you will do with that?" Kai glanced at the paper bag in Raine''s hand suggestively as his lips moved upward into a smirk.


    "Stop your dirty thought!" Raine glared at Kai. "I will not wear this. Do you want this?" She asked Sunny instead.


    "No, I don''t wear something like that too." Sunny chuckled. "Why don''t you give it to Kai?"


    Kai glared at the two women when they laughed at him.


    "Oh, I bought this out of impulsiveness and Kai''s silly idea." Raine whined, looked at the lingerie''s bag regretfully. She didn''t want to wear it, but didn''t want to throw it either.


    The price for these small pieces of fabric was extremely expensive! She shouldn''t waste Torak''s money for this¡­


    Now, she could only keep it, at least this could be her reminder of how immature she was.


    "Don''t worry too much¡­ you will need it in the future." Sunny winked her eyes at her and pulled her into a hug.


    And it happened like a flash of light when someone took your picture, but actually Raine felt it happened longer than that.


    This time, it didn''t happen like before. It wasn''t like a time lapse video or slow motion movie. Raine just witnessed one image.


    She just watched blood in her hand¡­


    ==============


    Raine was extremely quiet on her way back to her house. She even forgot to bring the red paper bag when she exited the car and entered the house absentmindedly.


    "Do you want to take a rest first or we will go directly to visit Mark?" Torak''s voice woke her up from her stupor.


    "Hm? Oh, let''s go now¡­" Raine was slightly confused. But, she gave him her smile like usual.


    In the other hand, Torak could sense there was something that bothered Raine, but he kept it for himself, he would ask about it when the time was right.


    "Let''s go then." Torak grabbed her hand and led her out of the house again as Raine followed him absentmindedly.


    Torak and Raine entered the same car that Raine used to go to the mall, they sat on the back seat and let the driver drove them to Mark''s house.


    In her muddleheaded state of mind, Raine rested her head on Torak''s shoulder as her eyes gazed at the trees outside with blank stare, didn''t realize when Torak''s eyes caught a sight of the red paper bag.


    What was that image? Blood in her hands? Her blood? Or someone else blood? Someone would be hurt? But, when and why? The blood was too much for just being cut accidentally by knife. It was too much blood¡­


    Raine was still not aware about what happened even when Torak started to tear open the paper bag and found a naughty red lingery inside.


    "My love¡­" Torak called Raine in his hoarse voice.


    "Hm?" Raine humed, but her eyes still on the street.


    "What did you buy?" Torak asked the same question again.


    "Nothing¡­" Raine answered absentmindedly.


    "Nothing?" Torak reiterated.


    "Nothing." Raine nodded slightly, to empashize her answer. "Nothing."


    "Then, what about this? What is this?" Torak brought the s.e.xy lingerie into Raine''s line of sight.


    Raine didn''t give immediate reaction, she just blinked, once, twice¡­ until the image before her eyes registered into her mind.


    The red lingerie was hanging helplessly on the tip of Torak''s finger, fluttered in fluid motion when Torak shook it lightly.


    "If you didn''t buy this¡­ then whose this s.e.xy- tiny- piece- of fabric belong to?" Torak''s eyes were glowing with mischievous as his lips curled upward.


    "Argh!" Raine snatched the shameful lingerie from Torak''s hand and hid it behind her back in futile attempt. Torak had seen it anyway. "This is not mine!" She denied it immediately. "This is not mine!"


    "Than who?" Torak tilted his head, enjoying his fl.u.s.tered little mate.


    "This¡­ this belongs to Sunny." Raine bit her lips as her heart thumping wildly against her chest.


    "Oh," Torak then pulled out his phone and scrolled something on its screen. "By any chance, did you buy it for Sunny?"


    Torak turned the screen of his phone so it facing Raine, so she could read the notification from detail transaction of the card.

 Chapter 306 - VISION (2)

    Raine looked at the notification message in horror, her jaw dropped, as she couldn''t find right excuses to give it to Torak.


    No. Torak must have known about this since the beginning. This was his way to tease her like usual.


    At this moment Raine really wanted to dig a whole for herself or just disappeared into particles of dust, but nothing she could do now except cried in shame.


    Abruptly, Raine stuffed the red lingerie in her hand into her pocket and leaned over to hug Torak as she buried her head against his chest, hiding her crimson color face.


    Meanwhile, Torak mercilessly laughed at her action, her chest rumbled as he guffawed while hugging Raine.


    "So, is it really you?" Torak asked between his laugh. Raine really wanted to close his mouth and made him stopped laughing, but she even couldn''t lift her head. She didn''t want to see him.


    "This is not my idea!" Raine''s voice muffled on his chest as she denied. "This is kai''s, not me¡­" She whimpered as she felt wronged.


    "It''s alright¡­" Torak tousled her hair. "There is no need to be shy."


    Mark''s house was still in the same place and it only took five minutes to reach there by car. Once the car stopped, Torak told the driver to go out first and let the couple alone inside the car.


    Raine was still burying her face against Torak''s chest and refused to lift her head, no matter what Torak said.


    In the end, Torak was patiently waiting for her to calm down.


    "I feel awful¡­" Raine grumbled. "You shouldn''t tease me like this!" She nuzzled her face, wiping her tears harshly until her face and eyes turned red.


    "I am sorry, I shouldn''t have teased you." Torak rested his chin on top of her head as he caressed her back lovingly. He admitted his mistake, though there was still a smile curled on his lips. "But, may I know why did you buy that?"


    Torak could feel Raine''s body became stiff when he asked that, but he let her to take her time to adjust with her feeling.


    "We have been sleeping together since the first time we met each other, but¡­" Raine''s voice muffled on Torak''s chest. "But, we¡­" Her voice trailed off until she stopped to talk.


    "But why we don''t have a s.e.x?" Torak blurted out.


    Now Raine became even more mortified when Torak said it out loud. How he could just say something like that casually?!


    "Is that what you want to ask?" Torak kissed the top of her head again as he pulled Raine closer. He repositioned her and now she was straddling him while wrapping her arms around his neck and buried her face on the nook of his shoulder.


    Raine nodded timidly. "I feel like immoral girl." She said softly.


    But Torak frowned when he heard that, his frown deepened when an understanding hit him. "No. You are not!" He growled deeply.


    Torak didn''t like to hear that word from his mate, especially when Raine thought she was the one. The sound of it didn''t settle well with Torak.


    "My love, you are just eighteenth. This is the age when you have curiosity for all the aspect in your life, including s.e.x. This is a normal thing, my love." Torak''s voice soothed Raine''s tension slightly.


    "The dreadful experiences that you had been through formed insecurities in you, not to mention that you have to face the reality that very differ with all the people around you." Torak was aware with the insecurities that Raine suffered. She practically felt insecure for everything.


    "Talking about s.e.x with your friend, hang out with them, do a silly thing like buying this kind of thing¡­ all of that is normal. You are a teenager, my love. Teenager does stuff like that." Torak tousled Raine''s head.


    "We don''t have s.e.x, doesn''t mean I don''t like you. It doesn''t equate with you are not attractive in my eyes, because you are, my love. You are my universe." Torak talked very slow, pronounced every word carefully, so Raine could hear it clearly, Because he wanted for her to realize this. "You are all I need. To see you live happily that''s all I care about."


    Raine shifted her head as she wiped her tears.


    "I can''t control what those people say to you." Torak heard about what the heiress from the Harper company had told Raine from the Lycan that he assigned to protect her. "But, I can only say, I don''t even want to think about what life would be like without you. I cherish you above everything else in my life."


    Raine slowly lifted her head and stared at Torak timidly with her teary eyes. "Really?"


    "You know that I am saying the truth." Torak wiped another tears that fell from his mate''s beautiful eyes. "We don''t have a s.e.x yet, not because you are not attractive enough for me. You are the only person who is able to make me fall in love with you all over again only by witnessing the smile appear on your lips."


    Raine let out a soft chuckle upon hearing Torak''s cheesy words, yet she liked it nonetheless.


    "We don''t have s.e.x yet because, this is not what you want. You think you want this because the fact that we have been sleeping next to each other every night, but it is only your insecurities that makes you think that you want this." Torak gathered a wisp of Raine''s hair and swept it behind her ear.


    Raine sniffled, staring at Torak, she said in very soft voice. "Why do you think I don''t want this?"


    "Because you are not ready yet." Torak answered with certainty.


    Raine bit her lips as she sniffled again. "How, if I said that I want it?" She gulped hard when she finished her words.


    How she could so bold?!


    Torak''s face darkened, there was something dangerous flashed in his ocean blue eyes. "Are you sure?" His voice slightly hoarser than usual.


    "Yes," Raine nodded. She felt her throat went dry. Was she really sure about this? She didn''t know the answer.


    Torak''s eyes shifted at the mark on her left neck, it peeked from the hem of her sweater. Raine''s body shivered when his thumb caressed the spot.


    Even from here, Torak could hear the beating of Raine''s heart. He pursed his lips as he moved his hand down, caressed her cleaveage and down¡­


    When his palm went down to her chest, out of instinct, Raine slapped his hand away. She wasn''t use to someone touched her there¡­ it was so¡­ intimate¡­


    Raine widened her eyes as she met Torak''s. She couldn''t help, but questioning herself, why she reacted like that? Wasn''t she said, she was ready?


    Would Torak angry with her? Because she wasn''t consistent with her own words?


    "Because you are not ready, my love. No, I am not angry with you. Because you didn''t know what you really wanted." Torak answered all of Raine unspokable questions. "Yes, I read your mind and I am sorry for that."


    Raine leaned over again and buried her head on his neck.


    "It is your insecurities that keep telling you that you need this, yet in actual fact, you don''t need it at all." Torak said it softly.


    There was silence that ensued after that and Torak let her to arrange her own feeling, though Raine was better than months ago when he met her for the first time, but of course all of the things that she had suffered still leaving traces of scar and her insecurities was one of it.


    Raine nuzzled her head on his neck and then slowly she lifted her head. She felt slightly better now that Torak had said all of those things.


    However, this question suddenly hit her. "But, how about the heat? You said it will come in random time¡­" Raine frowned when she remembered the pain from that even. She didn''t want to experience it again. "You said I will be in pain for as long as we don''t complete the bonding." Blush crept on her face to her ears and neck when she talked about this.


    "It will not happen until three months from now, the interval from the first heat and the second heat is three months." Torak could sense his mate distress regarding this matter. "We will figure out what we will do about it later, alright?"


    "Hmm." Raine hummed as she nodded. She would be good for the next three months.


    "Let''s go?" Torak helped Raine to tidy her hair.


    Raine moved to sit down next to Torak as she looked at her reflection on the rearview mirror. "I look terrible¡­"


    "You are terribly beautiful." Torak added that earned a chuckle from Raine as she slapped his arm playfully.


    "What are you doing?" Raine frowned, suddenly became defensive when she watced Torak casually picked up the lingerie and scrutinized it.


    "Did you pick this model?" Torak asked, hanging the soft fabric on the tip of his forefingers, teasing Raine again.


    "It was Kai." Raine snatched it from him and stuffed it ruthlessly into the paper bag.


    "Good, I don''t like that model." Torak rubbed his palm on her head. "Next time I will something more s.e.xy than that if you really want to wear it." He winked at her.


    "Torak!" Her mate was really capable to make her felt like she was riding a jet coaster!


    ==============


    "Thank you for your visit Luna." Mark looked in good shape as if he had never experienced such bad event.


    "I should be the one who thanks you. If it''s not because of you, I will not be here." Raine could feel Torak became stiff when she mentioned that.


    "That''s my duty to protect you." Well, if something happened to Raine, Mark wouldn''t be here either. But the last thought, he kept it for himself.


    But, Mark was surprised because Raine actually took the initiative to visit him, usually, as the Luna of the pack, losing one person was a common thing in order to protect her. Moreover, they didn''t know each other for long time neither he was someone significant to be remembered.


    Yet, Raine spare her time to look and see him personally. Called him idiot, but he felt warm by her kind gesture.


    After that short visit to see Mark, Torak and Raine didn''t stay for long time. Both of them returned to the main house to have dinner together.


    "I don''t want Stephan to follow me everywhere." Raine stated when they had finished their dinner and was about to go to bed. "I mean, he can''t go along with my other friend¡­"


    "Okay, I will talk to him." Torak pulled Raine closer to him as he patted her back, lulled her to sleep. "But, in return, I don''t want you to go to weird place that''s out of my people sight."


    "Okay." Raine knew the danger that lurked from the shadow, thus she complied with his suggestion.


    "Good. Now sleep." Torak turned off the table lamp and pulled the blanket and covered both of them.


    "Mmh, Torak¡­" Raine called her between her sleepy yawn. "Where did you put the lingerie?" He said he didn''t like the model and since the lingerie wasn''t something that Raine like it too, she wondered where he put it as the item suddenly disappeared when they reached home.


    "I give it to Calleb." He said nonchalantly.


    ==============


    The next day, the first thing that Sunny and Kai asked was how Torak''s reaction when he saw the lingerie.


    "He said he didn''t like the model." Raine munched on her lunch meal. She deliberately didn''t elaborate in detail as they still assumed Raine was wearing that when she saw it to Torak.


    "He didn''t like it!?" Kai was surprised. "It means, he doesn''t like my taste?" He looked so miserable to know that.


    "And then what happened after that?" Sunny asked eagerly while Cassey looked at Raine in the same way.


    Raine contemplated for a while before she answered. "He said he will buy me something s.e.xier."


    "What?!"


    And with that the noisy sound erupted at their table as Sunny and Kai squalled while covering their mouth.


    "How about the lingerie that Kai had chosen for you?" Cassey asked in the end of her laugh.


    Raine grinned when she heard this question and answered the way Torak had told her when she asked the same thing. "He gave it to Calleb."


    "Calleb? Mr. Watson? The man who was rumored to be your cheating partner?" Sunny asked.


    "He is one of Torak''s most trusted subordinate." Raine answered honestly.


    Afterward, days passed in a blink of an eye, it was already one week since Raine visited Mark and thankfully nothing happened during that period of time.


    However, the fact that Torak still didn''t appear in any of important meeting with both human and Lycan. It created quite a chaos.


    From outside world, Torak had been missing for more than a month already, even Sunny and the other started to question Raine about Torak''s whereabouts as the news on line started to go crazy over the missing tycoon.


    Raine answered them vaguely and didn''t have intention to clear the confusion until at some point, they were tired to ask anything to her and just like other people, throwing random guess about Torak Donovan''s disappearance.


    During this time also, Raine has been trying to figure out what kind of image that she had seen previously the moment she touched Sunny, but no matter how many times she touched her, the image didn''t appear again.


    All she remembered and saw was blood on her hand, but what exactly it was? And how it could somehow related to Sunny?


    It didn''t make any senses at all for her now.


    "I saw blood on my hand." Raine said abruptly when they were watching a movie before they went to bed.


    Currently, Raine was cuddling with Torak on the sofa inside a home theatre that the former didn''t even realized that this house has it.


    Torak turned the volume of the movie, so it wouldn''t distract the thing that Raine wanted to say.


    "Whose blood?" Torak''s turned grimed.


    "I don''t know¡­ this image is not like the other images that I had seen." Raine shrugged, talking to Torak but her eyes fixed on the giant screen in front of her, though not a single sentence from the actress that she could discern.


    "Tell me in detail." Torak said in flat tone, seemingly he was suppressing his emotions.


    Raine didn''t hesitate to tell him about the image that she had seen, but there was no detail, because the image was as plain as Raine had told him.


    Blood on her hand. That''s it.


    No background image or anything around her.


    In that case, the blood should belong to her, right?


    "Did you feel any pain when you watched the scene?" Torak''s body turned stiff. He has same thought as Raine.


    If there was no one there, then the blood must belong to her, right?


    Yet, the weird thing was, Raine didn''t feel that way. "No."


    Torak rested his chin on top of Raine''s head as he contemplated, there were many possibilities that roamed around in his head and he didn''t like any of it.


    They stayed in silence until the credit of the movie appeared and Raine had fallen asleep.


    Carefully, Torak carried his sleeping mate to their room and put her down on the bed gently before he tucked her inside the warm blanket.


    Torak then walked out to the balcony, relishing the crisp night as the sound of the wind that rustled the branches of the trees accompanied him.


    [Raph.] Torak mind- linked his Beta, who currently was sitting at the backyard.


    [Do you need something Torak?] Raphael stared at the balcony, where Torak was staring back at him.


    [I want you to speed up the plan.] Torak said gloomily.


    [In that case, we need more pressure.] Raphael replied. Something must have happened in Torak''s end that made him sounded this way. His voice was laced with anxiety and annoyance.


    [Do, whatever it needs.] Torak then cut the mind- link as he returned inside the room.


    In the backyard, Calleb lifted his head when he watched the communication between Raphael and Torak had ended, leaving the former with a furrow.


    "What is it?" Calleb asked, frowning as well. He threw the remaining carrot to the bunny''s cage. Aside from baby sit Raine, apparently he took an extra job to baby sit her pet as well.


    "Torak need us to speed up the plan." Raphael stuffed his hand inside his pocket.


    "Something comes up?" Calleb asked in concern.


    The Beta shrugged as he lifted his head and looked at the full moon above of him. "I don''t know, but I have a bad feeling about this."


    ==============


    The next morning.


    Raine was awoken by Torak''s soft touch on her cheeks. He drew circle on her skin mindlessly while inciting the spark between them.


    "Good morning sunshine." Torak''s hoarse voice greeted Raine when her eyelashes fluttered.


    Raine let out a stifled yawn while moving closer toward Tora and hugged his waist, still didn''t want to wake up.


    The sunlight had not yet appeared from the huge window near the balcony, so it would be too early to wake up.


    "Why did you wake up so early¡­?" Raine rubbed her eyes to see the clock on the table beside Torak, it was only five in the morning,


    Actually Torak couldn''t fall asleep since last night, his heart was filled with anxiety, yet it didn''t appear on his face or his voice when he answered Raine''s question.


    "So I can stare at you longer¡­" Torak replied softly.


    His answer earned a chuckle from Raine as she forced her eyes to open and looked at her mate with her sleepy eyes. "You sound like pervert."


    "Is it?" Torak raised his eyebrows as he tousled her hair lovingly. "My love¡­ can I ask you something?"


    "What is it?" Raine asked with her eyes shut, but she was awake enough to have a conversation with him.


    "Don''t go to Campus for the rest of the week." Torak blurted out.


    Upon hearing that, Raine opened her eyes and stared at him. "You surprised me in this early morning by your request." More or less Raine could understand why he asked such request to her.

 Chapter 307 - VISION (3)

    Raine rubbed her eyes to get rid the remaining sleepiness from them as she supported herself with her elbow and tilted her head at Torak.


    "Are you worried because what I told you?" Raine asked.


    Torak didn''t answer her, instead he mindlessly tidied her nest like hair and stared deeply into her eyes. He didn''t have a good night sleep, and that was all because of her.


    Raine raised her hand and ran her fingers along his jawline, brushed his lips lightly as his eyes turned soften.


    At this time, Raine thought how silly she was to feel insecure upon his love for her. He loved her dearly. It wasn''t even a question. He was worried for her.


    "Alright." Raine agreed. "I will not come to campus."


    Regardless she had been absent for more than a week and she has a lot of homeworks and assignment to be finished, but all of that could wait.


    Everything could wait as long as she could make her mate calmed. Raine didn''t want for Torak to worry about her.


    There were too many things that he had to handle and Raine didn''t want to add his headache by worrying her.


    Moreover, since they still couldn''t figure out what was the image that Raine had seen, it was better if she stayed safe near Torak.


    To be able to see him twenty four hours wasn''t a bad idea also¡­


    "Thank you." He said softly as he leaned forward and touched Raine''s forehead with his. "Serefina is here."


    "Hm?" Torak suddenly changed the topic, so Raine was slightly confused, not to mention she just woke up and part of her brain was still not functioning propertly. "Serefina is here?"


    "She just came." Torak informed Raine.


    "Oh, okay¡­" Raine replied.


    "Three days from now, I will go to another city." Out of the blue, Torak told her his plan.


    Raine was slightly traumatized with the last event when they were separated, thus when she heard what Torak said, she lifted her head and stared at him in silence.


    She wanted to tell him that she wanted to come along, but hesitated.


    Will she become his burden if she followed him? That was the first thought that was running inside her head when she heard him.


    However, before Raine could decide whether she would ask him to bring her as well, Torak had asked her.


    "You will come with me." Torak stated. It wasn''t a request, he just said it that he would bring her along with hhim.


    "Of course!" Raine kissed Torak happily before she realized, she just woke up and not yet brushed her teeth.


    With self- consciousness, Raine drew herself from him timidly.


    "Where will you go?" Torak swiftly pulled her back by holding her ankles. "Come here."


    "I haven''t brushed my teeth yet!" Raine squealed when Torak grabbed her by her waist. "What are you doing?"


    "Get back my morning kiss." Torak trapped her between his strong arms as he pried her hand away from her lips.


    There were laughter and giggles that filled the room and echoed throughout the wall until the sun shone.


    ==============


    At 7 am, the couple went down to have their breakfast while teasing each other.


    Apparently, this morning everyone woke up earlier than usual, because the moment Torak and Raine entered the dining room, there were Serefina, Calleb and Raphael as well, even Jack, the hunter also joined them.


    All of those people who were sitting on the table while enjoying their breakfast, mumbled their ''good morning'' toward their Alpha and Luna, with the exception of Serefina.


    The witch looked haggar and she has eye bags under her eyes.


    Raine wondered, why she looked so exhausted? It wasn''t like her to appear so clumsy like this. Serefina was wearing a white t- shirt and jeans while her short red hair was a little bit messy.


    The witch even didn''t open her eyes when Torak and Raine entered the room, she rested her elbow on the table while her hand propped her chin.


    Did she go somewhere and encountered danger?


    However, in the end Raine kept her opinion and question for herself as she sat down beside Calleb with Torak at her other side.


    A woman in her late forty came to attend to Torak and her as she put their plate on the table. She was human, that was why there were no one talked carelessly at the dining table.


    After the woman left and no one there were no one there, except them, Serefina opened her lime green eyes, they look dull.


    "Are you all right, Serefina?" Raine couldn''t help but asked the witch. She didn''t like Serefina in her current state. She looked weak.


    "Fine." Serefina replied curtly as she sipped her coffee and looked at Torak impassively. "I heard you will speed up your plan." She started.


    Serefina was sitting opposite Torak, thus when she threw the Alpha that look, Raine instinctively tilted her head to look at Torak''s reaction.


    But nothing, Torak didn''t show any emotion on his placid expression, he was pouring a milk from a jar into a glass in front of Raine, diligently.


    Serefina''s statement was only met with silence as she stared at Torak intently.


    After Torak had done, he lifted his head and reciprocated the witch''s gaze as he calmly said. "Yes, I need it faster."


    "There is possibility that you will ruin the plan." Serefina reminded Torak, but the latter was determined to execute the plan according to his order.


    The atmosphere turned intense in just a matter of second.


    A few minutes ago, Torak was still laughing with her, however now, he was very serious as if he was determined to do something that Serefina didn''t approve.


    Well, this wasn''t the first time they were not on the same page.


    "Since you are here, I need you to talk to her." Torak sipped his coffee as he glanced at Raine, who was eating obediently.


    "Why?" Serefina crossed her legs while leaning her back against the backrest. "What the thing that I need to talk to her?"


    Raine raised her head and looked at Torak. "What?"


    Both of them confused, if Raine could choose, she was very reluctant to talk to the witch if there was nothing important to be discussed and the feeling was mutual.


    Sensing the reluctance from both of them, Torak reached out his hand and stroke Raine''s head. "I want you to talk about your vision to her." Torak gestured at Serefina.


    "What vision? Did you see something again?" Serefina leaned forward to see Raine''s reaction.


    She clearly remembered that because of this power of her, she managed to figure out what happened with Torak. So, did she see something peculiar again?


    "Let''s discuss this after breakfast." Torak said, after that he shifted his gaze on Jack. "What you got?"


    "Alpha." Jack gave Torak small nodded before he proceeded with his report. "The attack on Luna on the other day by those reporters is still under investigation. But, we believe this involves the witches from northern coven. For now, those reporters were still under arrest for further investigation in police station. I have informed our people there too, to pay attention on them."


    Torak''s perfect brows furrowed. "How those witches status?"


    "The witches arrived in this city around two weeks ago, but until now they still didn''t make any significant move." Jack said.


    Even though the breakfast was so tasty and Raine was slightly hungry, but with the tension in the air, she found herself was having hard time to enjoy it.


    "Pay close attention into it." Torak said gruffly.


    "Yes, Alpha." The hunter nodded his head.


    "Torak, I think Belphegor will make his move on you soon, he has been involving himself with those shareholders, since you never appear in any of the broad meeting, those people began to get anxious. It is only a matter of time before they make a petition to overthrow you from your current position."


    "Hmm." Torak scramble egg from his plate to Raine''s as he knew she liked it a lot. "Let them do whatever they want."


    "Torak, seriously. Tell me if you already have a plan for this, right?" Serefina stared at Torak with confusion dancing in her lime green eyes. "You don''t do it out of your impulsiveness right?"


    "Impulsiveness?" Torak lifted his eyes to stare at Serefina after he poured another milk for Raine. "It''s indeed my own impulsiveness, but it didn''t mean I don''t have a plan for this."


    ==============


    "So, tell me now what have you seen?" Serefina crossed her arms in front of her chest while staring at Raine in front of her.


    Currently, they were inside the greenhouse. They were sitting on the bench with a small rectangular table between them.


    Raine was holding her bunny, running her fingers on its soft white fur that reminded her of Torak''s beast.


    Outside of the greenhouse, there were four human bodyguards, who were standing beside the door while a few Lycans in their beast form were patroling that area.


    Apparently Torak became more paranoid because of what Raine had told him.


    The event when Raine was being lured and kidnapped by the devil and the shadow guard, even when she was inside their house made Torak tensed. He didn''t loosen the guard even when they were at home.


    Raine couldn''t complain about this as she knew this was the only way to make Torak felt slightly relax and his way to show her how much he loved her.


    "Blood on my hands." Raine answered, her eyes on her bunny. "But I don''t know whose blood it is."


    "Did you see someone else around you?" Serefina frowned.


    Raine shook her head and shifted her attention toward the witch. "I didn''t see anyone there. This image this time is slightly different from the other images that I had seen before." Confusion was written all over Raine''s face.


    "What do you mean?" Serefina leaned over to listen to her.


    "The images that I saw before were like a moving storie¡­ I can tell you every detail of the event that would happen. After all that''s how I found out what happened to Torak before. However now¡­" Raine contemplated, trying to find the right words to describe it. "The image that I saw when I touched Sunny was different. It was like¡­ I am looking into a picture that shows blood on my hand. That''s it. No other detail."


    "Sunny¡­" Serefina reiterated the name.


    "But, why it''s related to her? When I didn''t even see her in the picture." Raine''s frown deepened as this matter was very confusing.


    "Do you know who she is?" Serefina drumming her fingers on the armrest of the bench.


    "She is a daughter of Andoori Corporation. I don''t know, but¡­ I think her family company is facing difficult problem." Raine recalled what Alice and Stephan had told her.


    "Difficult problem in the company¡­" Serefina reiterated, as if she was collecting scattered clues in Raine''s words.


    "But, why it''s related to them?" For Raine it was totally irrelevant to each other. "Should I ask Torak to find out what happened with her company?" She suggested.


    "I am sure Torak had done your friend background check now." Serefina rolled her eyes, as if saying; do you even needed to remind him about this? "Knowing him, by now he must have gathered every single detail about her.


    Raine blinked her eyes as the understanding dawn on her. "I think so¡­" Well, sometime she forgot how overprotective her mate could be.


    Both of them turned silence, as they were busy with the things that ran around their mind before Raine broke the serene.


    "Before this, I saw another vision too." She said, staring at Serefina.


    Serefina crossed her legs and leaned her back, her eyes stared intently at Raine. She was thinking hard about what else this girl had seen? Her power was like a broken dam and apparently she couldn''t control it as she kept seeing things.


    "I saw a girl, in the middle of a field that filled with whitered flowers. The sky was so dark, thunder and gloomy sky. But, she was there¡­ in the middle of the field." Raine''s eyes turned hazy as if she was talking about a distance memory.


    "What she did?" Serefina urged her to talk more.


    "Nothing." Raine stopped running her fingers on the bunny as her brows furrowed. "She just standing there and touched those dead flower, next those flowers come back alive." She shifted her eyes at Serefina while asking. "Does that make sense?"


    "Do you think what you have seen is make sense?" Serefina answered her with another question. "Nothing makes sense in this world Raine, you should have learned that."


    Serefina got the point that Raine often to forget it.


    "Do you know who she is?" Raine asked Serefina because she didn''t look surprise by this. Maybe she had known something.


    "Another guardian angel." Serefina replied shortly and didn''t elaborate further. "She, who comes with nature."


    Realizing that Serefina only gave her that brief information, Raine prompted her to talk more. "How many guardian angel? Does they have different ability from me?"


    "Yes, they are." Serefina nodded.


    "They are? How many are they?" Raine had only seen one, does Serefina''s word indicated there were many of them?


    "There are another two like you." Serefina contemplated.


    "Where are they? Can I see them?" Raine was very excited to see someone like her. She was thrilled to know she was not alone. She wasn''t the only one from her kind.


    "It''s not the time yet." Serefina shook her head. "You will meet them when the time is right."


    Raine was slumped her shoulder in disappointment. "How do you know about them?"


    "Because I know." Serefina''s answer didn''t help Raine at all to understand her.


    When Raine wanted to ask more about it, at least Serefina could tell her more about another guardian angel, someone tousled her hair, from the spark that erupted from their contact with each other, she knew it was Torak.


    "So, you have met with my younger brother?" Torak stood right behind Raine.


    "Hmm." Serefina nodded. She knew Torak was nearby and he must have heard what she was saying to Raine, yet she didn''t have intention to hide it anyway. "I have met him."


    Torak narrowed his eyes. "''You have met him'' or ''You have been with him'' all this time?"


    Raine turned her head to see Torak''s stiff expression and Serefina''s, whose face devoid from any emotions.


    "I have been with him all this time." Serefina answered truthfully. She was rude with her words and often blurted out the things that she shouldn''t have said, but she wouldn''t lie. She was someone who would choose to say nothing instead of telling lies.


    Upon hearing Serefina''s words, something clicked in Raine''s mind. She remembered her conversation with Calleb weeks ago, about why Serefina hated the mate- bond between the Lycan and the reason why she disappeared from their realm for years before she came on her own to help Raine.


    Was it true that Serefina eloped with Torak''s brother? Raine wanted to ask that, but she felt reluctance to voice it out loud.


    No matter what, Serefina has her own reason for that.


    But, how about Torak? The two people who were in complicated relationship with Serefina was his younger and older brother.


    Raine tilted her head to see Torak''s reaction. From her position, she could see it clearly that Torak was clenching his jaw tightly as he rested his hands on Raine''s shoulders.


    Was he angry?


    "Where is he?" Torak''s voice was laced with impatient. It was his younger brother that they were talking about after all.


    "Don''t worry, he is fine." Serefina waved her hand nonchalantly, like usual, she brushed away the fact that she was the object of the Alpha''s irk. "If this make you feel better, I will tell you that your younger brother has met with his mate, just like your older brother did."


    Torak narrowed his eyes. "How about you?"


    "What about me?" Serefina asked defiantly, her eyes filled with amus.e.m.e.nt. "Do you really think I left Jedrek because of Kace?"


    Torak didn''t answer Serefina, but the way he looked the witch, he indeed thought that way.


    "Think again Torak, I am not that shallow." Serefina chuckled. "I will not entangle myself with your kind, just to know I will be dumped in the end for a silly reason such as mate- bond. Like I told you before, I deserved better."


    Yet for some reason, Raine could feel the sorrow in her dry laugh, the amus.e.m.e.nt in her eyes dimmed when she said her last word.


    What exactly happened between Serefina and Torak''s brothers?


    "You had created chaos when you left." Torak stated.


    "It was Jedrek, who made a scene, why are you blaming me for that?" Serefina pouted her lips as if she was being wronged by Torak.

 Chapter 308 - VISION (4)

    Torak didn''t give much reaction on Serefina''s attempt to act innocent as he asked the most things that concern him the most. "Is he all right?"


    The ''he'' that Torak reffered to was his younger brother, after all Kace had been missing for years, almost at the same time as Serefina.


    Of course this fact alone would lead everyone''s assumption that they were runaway together.


    In all honesty, Torak didn''t care about that. He had thousand of Lycans under him that needed his attention and now he has his mate with him.


    A messy love story like what Serefina has between his brothers didn''t interest him at all.


    However, no matter what it was, Kace and Jedrek were still his brothers. He just needed to know if they were doing well.


    Jedrek did, but Kace had been missing for years now.


    "He is doing great. You know him." Serefina shrugged nonchalantly. "What do you expect from your younger brother?"


    "Good." Torak replied curtly, didn''t go into detail about Kace as he sat down beside Raine and put her on his laps abruptly. He scared the little bunny away in the process. "So, what you get? Do you know why her hands will cover with blood?"


    Torak wouldn''t be so antsy if the thing that covered Raine''s hand was flower or something else, not blood. It gave a bad vibe for him.


    He disliked the thought that his mate was in possible danger. Even a single thought of that could make his heart skip a beat.


    "No, nothing." Serefina shook her head. "I don''t know. But, what I am certain is, that will happen soon and it''s related to her friend named Sunny."


    "Hm." Torak rested his chin on Raine''s shoulder, his eyes dimmed as he tightened his hand around her small body, unwilling to let her go. "She will not meet her again."


    Raine frowned. She couldn''t meet her friend again? How about her study?


    "So, the other vision that she had seen about the girl in flower field, is another guardian angel?" Torak looked at Serefina, he looked calmer and less hostile everytime he has his mate in his arms.


    "Yes. That is the only thing that makes sense to explain her ability." Serefina replied.


    "Whose?" Torak asked.


    "Jedrek." Serefina had seen with Kace''s mate, but the description that Raine told her didn''t suit the guardian angel, whom with Kace, thus it must be Jedrek''s mate.


    "So, they had met their destined mate." Torak concluded as he mumbled, relishing his mate scent. He had been on edge ever since Raine told her about her vision.


    "You will bring her along with you?" Serefina nodded at Raine.


    "Yes." Torak wouldn''t leave his mate again. "We will leave three days from now."


    "In that case, I will start tomorrow with her."


    "Starting what?" Raine was confused as she looked at Torak and Serefina.


    "To train you, my love. I want you to be ready when we leave." Torak kissed her mark that made Raine shivered.


    "Where we will go?" Raine felt goosebumps because of Torak''s action, yet she didn''t complain. "I am still not allowed to be near your territory, right?"


    "Yes, you are¡­" Torak nodded. "We will not go to our territory, because we are not sure yet if you can take it." He explained.


    "So, where we will go then?" Raine frowned, now she realized it, she knew nothing about Torak''s plan or what he would do, neither she knew why Torak kept pretending that he was still missing.


    "We will go to meet other Alphas from our pack." Torak''s eyes dimmed when he said that, as if he was hiding something dangerous behind those beautiful blue eyes.


    "Torak, you know it will be dangerous for her." Serefina was still adamant to disagree with Torak''s plan.


    "I will not leave her out of my sight." Torak was resolute with his decision. He wouldn''t leave her alone.


    No matter where she was, Raine was always in danger, his last encountered with the devil and the shadow warrior proved it. Thus, by being with him, at least Torak knew she was fine.


    Serefina let out a heavy sigh, most of the time she couldn''t talk with Torak properly what was more, to persuade him, so she just let him to do whatever he thought the best for this situation.


    "Alright! I am done." Serefina stood up. "We will meet again here 7 am sharp in the morning tomorrow."


    Serefina said her last piece before she walked out of the greenhouse.


    "Torak, tell me." Raine shifted her body and now she was straddling him, so she could see his face. "What is your plan?"


    Torak secured Raine''s body by holding her waist so she wouldn''t fall.


    "You have been pretending that you are missing for more than a month now," Raine counted with her finger. "You speed up your plan that makes Serefina, Raphael, Calleb and Jack worried."


    Torak raised his eyebrows.


    "Oh, I know they don''t agree with your judgment. It was clear as day when you saw their expression when we were having our breakfast this morning." Raine dismissed Torak''s questioning look.


    Afterward, Raine raised three of her fingers as she frowned. "You let those people do what they want." And she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What exactly your plan is?"


    Torak let out boisterous laugh when he watched how his mate acted now.


    "You almost sound like Serefina." Torak kissed her cheeks as he explained. "I do have my own plan. I will not go to war without preparation, that would be suicide. I don''t have plan for that."


    "So, what you will do then?" Raine didn''t understand Torak at this moment.


    "Do you really want to know?" Torak asked with smile on his face.


    "Of course I want." Is that even a question? She has been asking this thing, right?


    "Give me something, then I will tell you what my plan." He looked at his mate suggestively.


    Raine tilted her head, confused, but Torak''s expression made it easy to understand his underlying meaning.


    Leaning over, Raine kissed his lips.


    "Only one?" Torak didn''t satisfy at all.


    Raine giggled when she heard Torak''s sullen voice. "Two then."

 Chapter 309 - STOP HURTING ME!

    Next day, at 7 a.m sharp, Raine had been waiting for Serefina inside the Greenhouse, however it was almost 8 a.m and the latter not yet showed up.


    Raine was very bored waiting for the witch, while waiting she had fed her bunny, plucked some flowers and even did nothing but staring out to the distance spot, trying to see if she could awaken her own power.


    But, nothing.


    Seemingly, she didn''t have control when or where she could use her ability. This wasn''t like a flashlight that she could turn off and on as whenever she wanted.


    Raine would be thrilled if she could foresee how Torak and she in the future. Unfortunately she couldn''t do that.


    Once again, she looked at the time again on her phone. It was ten past eight.


    What happened with this witch? Raine had never had appointment with her before as Serefina would come and go as she wished.


    When Raine stood up and was about to leave the greenhouse, tired from waiting for her, Serefina walked into the greenhouse while grumbling something incoherent.


    "I am sorry, I overslept." Serefina pinched the bridge of her nose as she was squinted her eyes on Raine. "What time is it?"


    "Ten past eight." Raine told her right away because she had just checked the time before she decided to leave.


    "Okay. We can start now." Serefina combed her messy hair with her fingers.


    "Don''t you want to freshen up first? Or eat and drink something?" Raine asked with concern. "You didn''t look good."


    However, Serefina just waved her hand as she sat down on the same bench that they were sitting yesterday with Torak. "No need. Show me now."


    "Show you what?" Raine grimaced when Serefina''s leg accidentally hit the rectangular table in the middle. "Are you okay? We can do it tomorrow."


    "Argh!" Serefina growled painfully and with the help of Raine, trying to sit on the bench. "Thanks to your crazy mate, we don''t have time for tomorrow."


    Raine put Serefina down unceremoniously because of her comment about Torak, which earned her a glare from the witch.


    "So, what should I show you now?" Raine had never learnt. She shouldn''t pity the witch at all. Who knows what happened to her, but somehow she still looked lethargic just like yesterday. And her eyes¡­"Are you wearing softlens?"


    Without doubt, Serefina''s eyes color was lime green, but why her eyes color now was golden brown?


    "No. Don''t bother with my eyes." Serefina pushed Raine away. "We have wasted much time, we should start now."


    Raine rolled her eyes, it was very clear that Serefina, who had wasted her time, by letting her waiting for more than an hour, yet she talked like a rightful person. How ridiculous¡­


    Regardless, it was pointless to talk about this to Serefina, they would waste another minutes only for arguing on this trivial matters.


    Thus, Raine just took a deep breath and swallowed her irritation. "So, what should I do now?"


    "Show me what you get when you travelled back alone to the past." Serefina ordered her, this time she massaged another side of her head.


    "I don''t know if I could do this¡­ I am not sure¡­" Raine was hesitated. This was something that she had only tried once.


    "You talk too much." Serefina glared at her and waved her hand as she said. "Stand there and show me."


    The witch rubbed her face to gather her focus before she leaned her back against the backrest and fixed her attention on Raine.


    "Alright¡­ I will try¡­" Raine mumbled to herself.


    She had tried this once when she traveled back to the past, but was unsure if she could do this again as she was in panic when she did it the first time.


    Instead of standing on the spot that Serefina had told her, Raine walked closer toward and squatted down.


    Serefina was wearing hot pants, so Raine could see her legs where she had hit the table started to get bruises.


    "What are you doing? Don''t mind with my legs." Serefina frowned when Raine stretched out her hand and wrapped the red spot on her leg with her palm. "I said no need for this, we don''t have time for you to act so caring."


    Raine lifted her head, irritation was apparent in her eyes when she stared at Serefina. "Can you just shut up for a while? I don''t do it because I pitied you, don''t worry I don''t. You can get your body full with bruises for all I care."


    After saying that, Raine closed her eyes and concentrated.


    It took her around two minutes before finally she opened her eyes and greeted with Serefina''s sarcasm remark. "I thought you have fallen asleep."


    Raine rolled her eyes on her comment and lifted her hand that covered her legs.


    Before, Serefina''s skin had started to show blue color, but now, it had turned into its original color as if she didn''t hit her legs before.


    Raine knew she could do this because when she traveled back to the past and Fabian got hurt because they fell from the cliff, thankfully Fabian was quick enough to use his magic so they didn''t shatter into pieces when they hit the bottom of the cliff.


    Thought the worst thing didn''t happen, the witch got hurt because his arms hit the rough surface of the rocky valley.


    At that time, Raine was so panicked because the blood was oozing out from his wound and Fabian didn''t know the spell to help his situation.


    Thus, out of instinct, Raine grabbed Fabian''s arms with both of her hands in hope she could stop the bleeding and miraculously, the bleeding stopped.


    Not only that, even the wound was healed. It happened after Raine obtained her power from the grimoire.


    But, the annoying thing that Fabian said to her was¡­


    "That''s it?" Serefina raised her eyebrows questioningly. "You obtain your power and only that you could do?"


    Like father like daughter!


    "If you don''t like to be healed. Don''t worry, I can hurt you too." Raine stood up and started to hit Serefina with her bare hand.


    "Aw! Stop hurting me!!!" The witch glared at her.

 Chapter 310 - NINE LIVES

    "You don''t want me to heal you right? Here! I will hurt you instead!" Raine kept hitting Serefina''s legs where she had healed her bruises earlier.


    "Stop it!" Serefina suddenly glared and created something like a transparent bubble to keep her away from Raine.


    The protection made Raine couldn''t touch her again, so she sat down next to her, fuming mad. "At least you can say something less mean to me!" Raine yelled at her.


    "I was expecting something more amazing, such as, you can bring me back to the past¡­" Serefina leaned her body against the backrest as the protection around her wear off.


    "I don''t want to go to the past again." Raine mumbled.


    Ignoring Raine''s dissent, Serefina kept talking. "You can turn back time¡­"


    "Oh, I did!" Raine increased the volume in her voice, so Serefina could stop to count the things that she expected from her.


    "You did?" Serefina raised her eyebrows questioningly. "When you traveled back to the past?"


    "No." Raine shook her head, she then turned her body to face Serefina. "You know, when I barely escaped the explosion of the car, I saw it."


    Afterward, Raine spent twenty minutes of their time to explain what she had done and how the time was ticking back, so she could save the three of them from the explosion.


    However, Raine was still unsure about how to control or awaken her ability.


    "Do you think I can do that because I am in precarious situation?" Raine felt it was the only reason, after all human would strive more when they were in dangerous situation.


    "Hm¡­" Serefina touched her chin, as she was deep in thought. "I think so, maybe we can try to put you in dangerous situation to know how you can handle it." She muttered.


    Upon hearing that, Raine abruptly stood up and narrowed her eyes at her.


    "Don''t ever think about that! You will give me the worst situation." Raine denied her idea immediately.


    "Of course! That''s the point of our lesson today!" Serefina yelled at her. "Don''t be ridiculous." She sneered.


    Here they go again. Serefina and her stubborn nature, trying to make things as easy as the way she talked.


    "What? Where you will take me!?" Raine looked at Serefina''s hands that already grabbed her wrist in horror.


    "Let''s try to figure out your own theory." Serefina said lightly as if she was asking Raine to walk with her to the park.


    Raine even didn''t have time to think or she had a chance to refuse her statement that saying it was her idea.


    It wasn''t her idea, alright? She just blurted out what was inside her mind, that''s all!


    And the next second, the flower inside the greenhouse had changed into scenery of the landscape of the city.


    "Argh!!!" Raine instinctively squatted down while trying to grab anything that she could find.


    Currently they were on the top of a building, not on the rooftop like where Lucifer had brought her last time, but this was literally at the edge of a building.


    Raine grabbed fencing wire behind her, the problem was the spot where she could stand was so narrow. She was barely could stand, one wrong move, then the gravity would make sure to throw her to the pavement hundred meters below.


    "Are you crazy!? Do you want to kill me!?" Raine yelled on the top of her lungs so her voice wasn''t carried away by the harsh wind. "Torak will kill you if he knows this!"


    "Oh, please!" Serefina rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "No need to bring your marvelous mate on this!" The witch stared down at Raine with ridicule in her eyes. "This is only you and me! So stop bringing another person in our business."


    Raine really wanted to slap the witch''s face, how she could say something like that after forcefully took her to this ridiculously dangerous place?! Unfortunately both of her hands were occupied right now.


    "I don''t want to have anything to do with you!!!" Raine barked. The wind was so harsh, she even didn''t dare to wipe her hair away from her face. No, she didn''t even dare to move an inch from her spot while Serefina, seemingly, enjoyed it a lot.


    The witch basked herself under the bright morning sun, closing her eyes and smiling in complete serene.


    Raine really couldn''t understand the witch at all! There was a moment that she like her, and thought of her as her big sister, which she never had, but this time was the moment she wanted to strangle her to death!


    Raine would love to stretch out her hand and pushed the witch down to the street below them, yet without Serefina, she didn''t know how to come back home.


    The fencing wire was so high, Raine needed to climb it if she wanted to be in a safer place. Forget it. She wouldn''t be able to move her legs or her fingers now.


    "Stop relying on Torak." Serefina said, but her eyes were looking at the distance scenery. "Or, you will drag him down along with you."


    "I will not drag him down!" Raine refute immediately.


    "Said the girl who is so scare to even try to stand up." Serefina glanced at Raine, who was squatting right beside her. "Look at you now, you are so pathetic."


    Raine glared at the witch while gritting her teeth, whether it was because of her fear or her anger, she didn''t know.


    "I know you are just trying to provoke me!" Raine had to admit it that she was indeed very irritated by her words.


    "Yes, I am!" Serefina agreed shamelessly. "I am trying to provoke you! You don''t even know what I am going to ask you to do, but you already yelled at me!" She said righteously.


    At this point, who would have known her true intention was?


    "I know what will you ask me to do!" Raine stared dagger at her. "You will ask me to jump, right?! Do you think I have nine lives?!"

 Chapter 311 - COWARD

    "What nine lives?" Serefina frowned. "You are guardian angel not a cat." She refuted righteously.


    If she could Raine would roll her eyes and shook the witch''s body, probably she has not woken up yet. "That''s what I mean!"


    Raine made a big mistake when she accidentally glanced at the street below and immediately felt her head spinning.


    "Serefina¡­ let''s go back¡­" She said meekly, closing her eyes. "We can try another way to test my ability, right? You will accidentally kill me if you keep doing this."


    "No." Serefina rejected Raine''s idea immediately. "Stop being coward and stand up."


    "Serefina, should I remind you?" Raine''s voice was very stiff as she stared at the witch, if this couldn''t be said as a glare. "I control time, not grow wings."


    "This is just a test, okay. I assure you, nothing will happen." Serefina tried to coax the girl beside her as she yawned lazily.


    "You don''t look convincing to me." Raine responded, seeing the way Serefina yawn, she was still sleepy, maybe she thought this was only in her dream.


    Raine argued with her inner self. Trying to figure out what this witch actually meant by doing this to her.


    "Had I ever lie to you?" Serefina asked in irritation. "Don''t you remember how I help you to meet Torak even though Raphael and Calleb stood against you? And now you don''t believe me?" The witch feigned her hurt expression. "You are so heartless for a guardian angel."


    "I am half human." Raine countered. "You said it before, the human in me is just being human."


    Serefina rolled her eyes. "What is that mean?" But, she didn''t want to waste her time and tried to figure it out as she stretched out her hand and tried to pull her to stand up.


    "No!" Raine shrieked, glaring at Serefina''s hand, which trying to touch her. "What do you want? What are you going to do?" She asked in panic.


    "What I am going to do?" She asked in mocking tone. "Of course, to prove your theory. You said it yourself that there will be a possibility for you to use your ability when you are in dangerous situation! So, here we are now."


    Argh!


    Raine really couldn''t talk with this witch. Their way of think was never in the same frequencies most of the time.


    "Come on! Don''t be a coward!" Serefina raised her tone to encourage the scardy cat in front of her. "I will not let you hit that pavement okay?!" She pointed at the hard asphalt down there.


    "I am at the point that I don''t want to trust you." Raine stated her words clearly.


    How Serefina could make other people jumped only by her own words? Believes her? Well¡­ it''s hard to believe her in this position.


    They were not in a three or four storey building, but ... what was this floor? Twenty one? Twenty three? Her brain would turn into mash potatoes the moment she fell from this height.


    "Jump!" Serefina said it curtly as she stared at Raine''s eyes.


    However, nothing happened.


    Raine didn''t follow her words, instead she glared at the witch hatefully.


    "Wait, why don''t you follow my words?" Serefina tilted her head, looking at Raine with confusion.


    She was trying to control her the way she had controlled her back then when they were in the airport, the first time they came to this city.


    "Did you forget that you stabbed me with the horn of unicorn? And now I am immune to some of magic and curse." Raine made a face. This witch was so forgetful sometime. "You can''t control me by the same spell."


    "Ah." Serefina opened her mouth slightly. "Totally forgot about that." She grumbled.


    "Stop it and take us home." Raine tried to compromise with her. "Let''s try another method, we will be able to figure something out that less risky."


    Ignoring Raine''s word, Serefina drumming her fingers on the fencing wire as she spoke. "Don''t worry, I can still use another way."


    "What are you¡­"


    Yet, before Raine could ask what she was going to do, she felt her hands, which gripping the fencing wire, were electrocuted abruptly.


    Shock, Raine released her grip on it, but it wasn''t right move either, because the next second, her body fell backward.


    Raine''s arms flailed in her futile attempt to grab the fencing wire again, or anything that could save her from the gravity that pulled her down.


    She felt her life left her as the wind was ringing on her ears and Serefina''s impassive expression started to farther away from her sight.


    Raine took her surroundings upside down, sky on her feet and ground on her head while she was surrounded by countless tall building.


    Her first fall was like a slow motion, but it was getting faster in the next second.


    Raine wanted to close her eyes, didn''t want to see what would happen, her mind was haywire.


    The ringing sound in her ears and the wind that hit her face harshly, increased her erratic emotions. She was in extreme fear until she felt numb, even Raine couldn''t scream as she felt her chest caved in.


    When the ground looked like it was approaching her in full speed, Raine closed her eyes, prepared herself for the extreme pain that she would suffer.


    Or, maybe she wouldn''t feel any pain as her body would crush into pieces the moment she hit the rough asphalt.


    It should be no pain right? No one could answer the question in her mind.


    "Hey, open your eyes." A soft sound sounded near Raine''s ears with a pat on her shoulder. "Open your eyes and stop shaking."


    Raine didn''t believe with what she heard as she opened her eyes abruptly.


    No, she wasn''t falling from the high building, she was back to the greenhouse.


    "What is¡­ it?" Raine stuttered. "Did¡­ did I succeed?" Her legs gave up as she fell on the solid floor of the greenhouse.


    In front of Raine, Serefina was staring at her disapprovingly. "Coward." She sneered.

 Chapter 312 - WHATS THE USE OF YOUR PAJAMAS?

    Raine''s mind was as wobble as her legs, she could literally feel her hands were shaking uncontrollably while her heart drumming against her chest.


    She clutched the front of her shirt to stop the rapid beating, afraid her heart couldn''t take it and exploded.


    "What¡­ is it?" Raine stammered, asking between her ragged breathe. "Did I do it¡­?"


    "Of course not." Serefina said harshly. "I saved you." She plopped her body down on the bench, looking at Raine, who was currently having mental breakdown. "I told you, right? I will not let you die."


    That''s not the point! She didn''t die, but that didn''t mean she felt good either.


    Raine wanted to retort her statement, but then she realized she didn''t have energy to do that, not when Serefina was so stubborn with her own opinion.


    All of her argumentation and reason would be useless, so Raine remained on her spot, without saying anything until she could calm herself and slowly stood up.


    Raine sat down next to Serefina. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the wooden bench.


    "That test is so useless¡­" Raine muttered. "My ability doesn''t awaken even wen I am in a dangerous situation." She added, inhale- exhale, calming her nerves.


    "Well, at least we know that your theory is wrong." Serefina shrugged nonchalantly, didn''t even offer a comfort for the trembling girl beside her.


    "I didn''t say that so you could throw me out of the building." Raine criticized, her eyes were still closed.


    "I didn''t throw you out of the building. I intended to do so, but I couldn''t because of the d*mn horn of unicorn that I gave me." Serefina said righteously. "You jumped on your own."


    Raine really wanted to glare at the witch, unfortunately she didn''t have strange to do that and only could sigh. No matter what she said she wouldn''t be able to outspoken the witch. She lived longer than her.


    "Great, now you know a dangerous situation wouldn''t be able to awaken it, so what your plan then?" Raine opened her eyes. She was also eager to know what she could do with this new strength of her. What the use of it if she couldn''t control it, right?


    She, also, wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with Torak and let the pack saw her as their Luna not only the Alpha''s mate.


    Calleb answered at that time still bothered her, the way she saw her as the Torak''s mate, somehow irritated her.


    Maybe, months ago she wouldn''t even care about this kind of things, but not now¡­


    Raine wanted to be someone that could make Torak proud of her, someone that she could be proud of herself too.


    "Let''s figure that out later." Serefina then stood up and trudged toward the exit door.


    "Serefina." Raine called her after seeing the way she walked.


    "Hm?" Serefina hummed, she didn''t turn her body as she kept walking toward the door.


    "Are you okay?" Raine asked, concern laced in her voice.


    "I am not dead yet." She replied cynically.


    Raine couldn''t help, but sigh. Is it necessary for her to make other people angry all the time? Couldn''t she just take it other people concern and answer less hostile?


    Serefina was very talented in making people upset.


    ==============


    "What happened with her Torak?" Raine asked while putting her clothes inside a suitcase, which looked bigger than Torak''s.


    Meanwhile, Torak was sitting on the bad, looking at Raine with amus.e.m.e.nt in his eyes. He had offered to help her, but apparently his mate liked to do this sort of things.


    "Why?" Torak asked back.


    "Serefina, why she looks so sluggish lately?" Raine took three pajamas with her and tried to choose among the three, but in the end she just put it the three of them into her suitcase, didn''t even bother to choose it again.


    "I think she had mentioned it to you, there is one night in every month that she didn''t want to be bothered." Torak walked over toward Raine and squatted down in front of her. "I don''t know when it started, but she has been like that since she was still with my brother."


    "And in the next day she will look so haggard?" Raine put another sweater inside her suitcase.


    "Yes." Torak nodded.


    Tomorrow Raine would go with Torak to ''meet'' another Alphas and yesterday Serefina supposed to meet her in the greenhouse again, but she didn''t come, Raine had waited for her for almost three hours, yet she didn''t show up.


    Even when Raine had asked for the guards there, to inform her if Serefina came, until late of night, there was still no news from the witch.


    Torak had asked his people to look for Serefina, but no one could find her around the house. It only meant one thing; she had disappeared again like usual.


    "My love, why do you need to bring three pajamas with you when you often use my shirt to sleep?" Torak eyed his shirt on Raine.


    Sometime he couldn''t understand the use of her pajamas, it was so rare for her to use her own pajamas, so why bothered to bring more than necessary?


    Raine stared at Torak in embarrassment as tinge of red crept on her cheeks, that made Torak wanted to lean over and kissed her.


    "I will wear my own pajamas." Raine said as she stuffed all the clothes that she needed for their journey, trying to zip up the overload suitcase. "What that kiss for?"


    "Because I want to kiss you, because you are so adorable and because you are my mate." Torak replied lightly as he took over the suitcase from his mate and zipped it up easily.


    "Thank you." Raine leaned over and kissed Torak''s cheek.


    "And what that kiss for?" Torak asked in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "For zipping up my suitcase." Raine replied cheekily as she threw her arms around his neck and nuzzled her head. "Sleepy." She mumbled, suddenly became spoiled.


    "Alright, let''s sleep." Torak scooped up her body as he breathed in her scent. Her body was so soft and so right for him.

 Chapter 313 - SOMEONE FROM THE PAST

    When the sun just appeared on the horizon, Torak had driven the car away from the house. They went so early in the morning.


    Beside the Alpha, Raine wrapped her body with her sweater tightly, she blew her hands because it was so cold outside, thus Torak started the engine and turn on the heater for her.


    "Still feeling cold?" Torak asked, he reached Raine''s hand and grabbed her slightly cold hand.


    "Better now." Raine smiled.


    Both of them indulged themselves in this comfortable silence when Torak drove the car through the highway.


    They went with Calleb and Jack, but both of them were in different cars while Raphael didn''t come with them, he had to handle some important matter in the company, especially since Belphegor had made his move to gather people to oppose Torak.


    Their situation now was quite tricky, as they were attacked from both sides, the company and the pack, the human and the supernatural creatures.


    Raine was slightly worried about how Torak could handle this crisis, but because the latter seemed so collected and didn''t show his nervousness or anxiety, she became relax again.


    "My love." Torak squeezed her hand lightly to get her attention.


    "Ya?" Raine turned her body and faced Torak beside her. His side profile was looked so handsome with his sculptured jaw line. Raine thought, she could spend the rest of the day just by looking at him without even getting bored.


    "I just want to tell you beforehand." Torak rubbed his thumb on her palm in soothing motions. "The situation later will be gruesome."


    Raine held her breath when she heard that. Actually, Torak had told her about his plans before, yet when he reminded her again, she was quite nervous that she couldn''t handle it.


    There would be bloodshed later and it was something that couldn''t be avoided.


    This was how Torak ruled his empire. He was the ruthless Alpha. Raine knew it. She accepted him, but she was not ready yet to see it firsthand.


    "I know¡­" Raine said in low voice.


    "You can stay inside the car if you can''t take it." Torak uttered with consideration.


    "Okay." Raine nodded.


    And then the rest of the journey was silence as they were busy with their own thought.


    When the sun hit the horizon, they arrived in abandoned city. Torak pulled over under the shadow of two storey building.


    Another car behind them also stopped only a few meters away from Torak''s, it was Calleb and Jack. Both of them got out of the car at the same time with same serious expression etched on their face.


    There were no traces of Calleb mischievous self. For some reason, Raine found Calleb looked scary when he was this serious as she used to see his carefree behavior.


    "Stay inside the car." Torak said curtly before he unbuckled his seatbelt and walked out of the car.


    Raine didn''t need to be told twice as she sat there obediently. She took her surrounding and realized there were no human, this was indeed an abandoned city with many buildings that almost collapsed.


    Why they stopped here?


    Torak stood right outside of the car, leaned his tall body against the side of it as Calleb and Jack approached him.


    Raine couldn''t hear what they were saying, but whatever it was, it must be something important as she could see Calleb furrowed his brows as he listened to his Alpha intently.


    Raine was staring at the three people outside the car, trying to figure out what they were discussing when her concentration was disturbed by rustling sound around her.


    At first, Raine thought it was just a sound of some stray cats or dogs, however, the moment she tilted her head and looked at the window of her side, her eyes met with a big red eyes of a creature, staring back at her.


    Raine shrieked out of surprised, but then she heard Torak''s soothing voice in her head.


    [Fear not, my love.] Torak said through mind link. [They are Lycans from our pack.]


    ''They are?''


    Only then, Riane realized, there were not only one, but ten¡­ twenty¡­ no, there were a hundred of Lycans that crawled from the shadow, from behind the building, from every alley of the streets, from the roof of the abandoned houses, from everywhere¡­ literally!


    Raine could feel her hands started trembling.


    Her mind flew to the memory when she was in the village of angel, when she was in the vast land and the ground was covered with snow and everything was shimmering under the faint glow of the afternoon sun.


    It was the same situation, only without the snow.


    Raine bit her lips when all the Lycan finally gathered around, some of them were in their human form and some of them had shifted into their beast.


    Though Torak''s beast was way bigger than them, but to see hundreds of Lycanthropes at the same time, returned the fear that Raine felt when Ramez, the leader of the shadow guard, wanted to hand her over to the Lycanthropes.


    To someone named Lyrus.


    At that time, Raine had told them that she was Torak''s mate, but no one believed her. Even Lyrus had asked someone to ask Torak about it.


    However, from what she heard from Torak, he didn''t receive any news about Raine. No one ever told him about his mate or there was someone who claimed as his mate.


    Because if it was the case, he would have remembered it, after all, ''mate'' for the Donovan''s brother was something very sensitive.


    Raine couldn''t help it, but think about this matter again.


    Why Lyrus at that time didn''t tell Torak about her? Truth, that Torak wouldn''t recognize her as his mate because they had not yet met, but at least, he could let him to see her, right?


    Torak said it himself that he would have seen her if there was someone told him about his mate.


    While Raine was thinking about that, as if coming out from her mind, the person that she had seen when she traveled back to the past, appeared in front of Torak, bowing his head deeply to his Alpha.

 Chapter 314 - IT WAS LYRUS

    It was Lyrus!


    He was exactly the same person as centuries ago and he was here.


    What Torak would do with him? Had Torak planned something with him? Raine didn''t know, but she had a bad feeling about this.


    At this time, Raine really wanted to know how to foresee the future, so she could warn Torak if Lyrus had an ill intention toward him.


    [Torak.] Raine mind- linked Torak, yet her thought was blocked.


    She frowned and then realized that Torak was talking to the rest of the Lycan through mind link, but he blocked Raine from his mind.


    But, why he had to do that?


    Raine didn''t want to disturb them, so she just sat there without making sound as she looked at Lyrus, hoping she could see through him.


    The conversation last for long time and when it finally ended, the crowd dispersed, leaving only Torak and Lyrus alone while Calleb and Jack turned into their Lycan form, leading the crowd away.


    Though both Torak and Lyrus were still in their human form, yet they still conversed in their special way of communication and again, Raine couldn''t find a way to figure it out, neither she could tell Torak about Lyrus.


    Later¡­


    Once Torak got inside the car, Raine would tell him about that Lycan and he should give her a satisfied answer, after all, it was because of him that she almost died, only if he told Torak the truth and let them met, probably the end of the village of angel would be different¡­


    however, there was another question that arose; would the mate bond work if they met ahead of time?


    Something that Raine couldn''t answer, yet it didn''t change the fact that Lyrus had lied at that time.


    Raine stared at Lyrus for the entire conversation as Torak''s back was facing her.


    Fortunately, the window of the car was so thick and dark, so no one from outside could see her there. They indeed couldn''t see her, but they could smell her nonetheless and realized that Torak had brought another person with him.


    The smell of an unfamiliar person.


    Raine didn''t know what Torak was saying to Lyrus, but the latter''s eyes grew wide with his mouth was slightly agape.


    He stared at the car in horror, searching someone inside, but couldn''t see a single thing.


    Did he just look for Raine? Did Torak tell him about his wrongdoings? Raine was unsure.


    As if Torak could hear Raine''s mind, he waved his hand at Lyrus and sent him away. Only after he couldn''t be seen anymore, Torak opened the car door and sat behind the wheel as he started the engine.


    "Torak he is¡­" Raine wanted to tell Torak about Lyrus, but the latter had cut her voice out.


    "I know." Torak said curtly as he drove the car away. "Lyrus was the person that you met before the downfall of village of angel, right?"


    Raine nodded. "Yes."


    "I know." Torak tousled her head to calm her down.


    Of course Torak remembered what Raine had told him, he remembered every single detail the thing that Raine had told him. For him, her every words were important.


    Thus, Lyrus was here, was for a certain purpose.


    "Did you ask him about the things that happened in the village of angel?" Raine looked at Torak intently. "I saw his surprised expression."


    "No, I didn''t tell him about that." Torak turned the car to the right corner.


    "So, why did he make a shocking expression like that?" Raine remember Lyrus expression when Torak said something to him that she assumed he was talking about her.


    Torak indeed talked something about her, but not like what Raine had thought.


    "I told him that I brought his Luna and she is inside the car." Torak glanced at Raine, a soft smile on his lips. "They were an old Lycans who had lived for over centuries now, but also the most loyal one." He explained.


    "Loyal?" Raine frowned, that word didn''t suit Lyrus. "But, why did Lyrus lie? You didn''t receive the news about me, yet he said to Ramez, the leader of the shadow guard, you were the one who didn''t want to see me, he even said that you gave an order to kill me."


    The word ''kill'' made Torak frowned deeply.


    Torak drove the car deep into the abandoned city. The further they drive, the more abandoned building they could see as if they were moving to the heart of this place.


    "What is this place?" Raine asked Torak curiously, she took her surroundings, trying to see whether there were still people there or not.


    "Lost City." Torak replied.


    "Lost City?" Raine had never heard that name of the city, though it suited this place perfectly. "I have never heard about this place." She mumbled.


    "No. Human had left this place long time ago. The original name of this place was Magnus city." Torak explained.


    "Why did people leave this city?" Raine asked, her curiosity was piqued.


    "The vampire killed them. Every now and then, there would be missing person near this area, thus all of people here moved out." Torak said.


    "We are in vampire den?" Raine''s eyes widened in shock.


    TOrak chuckled. "My love, vampire doesn''t make a den." She was so adorable when she was in shock. No, his mate was always adorable in everything that she did. "And no, this is not their territory either."


    "Well, you know what I meant." Raine grinned at Torak. "Did Lyrus believe you that you have mate now?"


    "Whether he believed it or not, you are his Luna. He and all the pack members, have to respect you nonetheless." Torak said firmly.


    After a few minutes of driving, finally Torak stopped the car.


    They were in front of three storey building, seemingly this building was served as a night club because there was still a signboard, which hang loosely at the front door.


    "We are here." Torak said grimly.


    Raine looked around her, there was no sign of those Lycans, Calleb or Jack. Where are they?

 Chapter 315 - HE WAS A BEAST

    "I need you to stay inside the car, alright?" Torak tousled Raine''s hair as he kissed her forehead softly. "Whatever happened, just stay inside the car and don''t use mind link. I will be back as soon as possible."


    Raine blinked her eyes, what Torak meant by ''whatever happened''? Why it sounded odd in her ears? Maybe she was just over thinking things because she was nervous.


    "Be careful." Raine mumbled as Torak walked out of the car.


    "I will." Was Torak replied. Afterward, the Alpha walked inside the building, leaving his Luna alone.


    Torak opened the front door, he strolled inside the building in his imposing aura. The inside was so messy with many dirt crumbled on the floor and old newspaper everywhere.


    Torak walked down a big corridor that led him to a black door made of steel.


    As an Alpha, the enhancement of his ability was more prominent than other Lycanthropes, thus even from behind the steel door, he could hear whispers sound and voices.


    Once he had stood right in front of the door, he turned the knob to open it. But it was locked, as expected.


    Upon hearing the rattling sound of the knob was being turned, the noises from inside the room suddenly died down and became quiet.


    Torak tried to open it again, but it was still locked.


    After the quietness, suddenly there were sound like someone sniffed the air, and then followed by the other.


    Torak smirked.


    Those wretch Lycanthropes, seemingly, had sniffed his presence. Torak could care less about it.


    Let them knew, let them felt the fear that came crawling toward them along with the realization that their Alpha was here and what the punishment that they would receive once they was being discovered by Alpha Torak Donovan.


    It had been a long time since Torak weighed a war to clear those nasty rats from his pack. This was his way to straight things.


    Inside his world where you could only use fear and respect to control others, Torak chose to use both.


    Whether they respected Torak and his rule, or witnessed in fear what the consequences for someone, anyone who dared enough to challenge their Alpha.


    The beast in him was asleep not died.


    So, if they thought they could overthrow him while he was missing for measly a month, the first thought of it was already their downfall, not to mention they had defiantly turned it into a move.


    After the sniffing sound was another noise, which erupted the air and was followed by the sound of broken glass.


    They were trying to find their escaped from the hell called Torak.


    Torak stop to turn the door knob as it was still in locked position. He raised his feet and kicked the door instead.


    The door flew a few meters away, forcefully pulled out from its hinges as debris and dirt floated in the air, created curtain like smoke.


    Once the debris and dirt settled down, the room had empty, as if no one was there in the first place, but it wasn''t Torak''s concern, he kept walking.


    In the middle of the room was a big round table with fourteen chairs around it, which now had stumbled as if no one even care when they knocked the chair to the ground in their process to runaway.


    ==============


    Raine fixed her eyes on the door, which Torak had through before. She hoped to see him as she felt slightly nervous.


    Actually, Raine knew what Torak''s original plan, though he didn''t break it into detail, she knew he should be fine, yet she couldn''t help but being afraid if something happened and the result was something that they didn''t expect.


    Raine bit her lips nervously. She really wanted to see the future now, but why her ability couldn''t help her when she wanted it?


    Or, maybe Raine forgot something that could trigger her power? The problem was; Raine didn''t even know what it was.


    Amidst her haywire thought, all of sudden there was broken glass sound and a grey Lycan rolled on the ground along with the shredded of glasses from before.


    The creature had created a big hole because of his action and from the big hole, came out dozens of people.


    Their expressions were very grim as fear etched on their face.


    Yet, before they could move away and flew from the scene, there were an earth- shattering roared that ruptured the air.


    In matter of second, all of the Lycanthropes that Raine had seen before when they were bowing their head in front of Torak, stormed out of the shadow of their hiding places in their beasts form, attacking the people that came out from the building.


    Some of the people turned into their Lycan''s form and gave a futile attempt to fight back, but there were four people who was still in their human form, however they moved too fast and strong enough to call as normal human.


    Raine wondered if they were vampire.


    This was the first time for Raine to see the battle between vampire and Lycan. She had heard before, the poison from vampire''s bite could do harm on Lycan.


    And from the way those four people fought the beast, they were indeed vampires.


    The battle didn''t last for long time, it was ended as soon as it started and left much blood on the street.


    When the battle ended, some beasts brought back the losing party back into the building, Raine assumed they would meet with Torak inside.


    Though the dreadful battle only last for a minute or two, but Raine''s fingers couldn''t stop from trembling.


    Raine sighed a deep breath and closed her eyes to calm her thumping heart.


    And just a few meters away from her, inside the abandoned building, Torak was sitting on a tall chair while looking at his pack member, or he could say his ex- pack member.


    "Alpha Torak¡­" One of them called his name, even his voice was trembling. He cupped his hands together, begging for mercy.


    But, would Torak be so forgiving toward them? He was neither a saint nor an angel. He was a beast.

 Chapter 316 - I DO NOT BARGAIN WITH ENEMIES

    There were seven Alphas from different pack and four vampires in front of Torak, or one could say they were lying on the ground under the Alpha''s feet.


    Torak''s dark eyes scanned them one by one, the traitors from his pack, should receive punishment that could be remembered by others, so there wouldn''t be anyone dare enough to cross the Alpha''s bottom line in the future.


    "Alpha¡­ you have returned¡­" The other one asked ridiculously, staring at his Alpha with disbelief. Why was he here? Didn''t he disappear? He shouldn''t be here¡­


    Torak didn''t say anything about his statement. Of course he has returned, otherwise whose the person that sat in front of him with this imposing aura? Their brain was really damaged.


    Thought there were two Alphas that sincerely feared the present of Torak, the rest five had hard expression. They didn''t want to back down as they held their head high, just like the haughty creatures they were, still holding tight onto their pride to be the rebellion and their idea to overthrow Torak as their supreme Alpha.


    Such a foolish thought, which only suited a ridiculous end.


    Torak sneered at them and stood up. He walked very slow toward them and stopped just a few steps away from the four vampires.


    "I told your Lord to not meddle with my pack''s issue, didn''t I?" Torak smirked when the four vampires seething their razor teeth at him.


    "Your reign is over Torak Donovan." One of the vampire clad with blue jacket hissed viciously at Torak as he glared at him. He was brave enough to address Torak with his full name without any sense of respect.


    His ignorance earned loud growled from the other Lycanthropes around him. Those Lycans wouldn''t tolerate any ill manner toward their Alpha, especially from their enemies that they could destroy any time.


    "Really? Don''t you want to look yourself first before you speak?" Torak said calmly, but his dark eyes said otherwise. "What a silly creature¡­" He clicked his tongue.


    Torak didn''t want to waste his time with those vampires as he had another important thing to do, to be more precise he had seven people to deal with.


    With Torak''s command, the four vampires were brought in front of the seven traitors and beheaded right before their eyes.


    Of course this kind of scene gave wave after wave of shock to them, because in matter of minutes it would be their turn. The price that they have to pay for betraying his Alpha, they should have known this from the first moment they bore this thought.


    The two Alphas who had been so scared to even talk suddenly banged their head in front of Torak, silently asking for forgiveness, something that they knew very well, they wouldn''t get it from him.


    Meanwhile the five other Lycans gritted their teeth, holding back their anger that mixed with dread and regret, yet their pride was so big to even lower their head in front of their Alpha.


    Though their defiant action wasn''t acceptable, but Torak like it, at least they still had their pride as Lycan.


    "Blood Moon Pack, Clearwater Pack, Red Zone Pack, Crescent Moon Pack, Golden Moon Pack, Diandrum Pack and Rossete Pack." Torak mentioned their pack names one by one while looking at the respective Alpha. "I have my eyes on all of you since the very beginning. I don''t know if this is so easy to lure all of you out."


    Torak''s voice sounded lazy, yet contented with anger and something lethal.


    The two Alphas, who were banging their head on the ground, were the Alpha from Blood Moon Pack and Crescent Moon Pack.


    "Alpha, I don''t know all of this¡­! He forced me to join this! I don''t know anything about this!" Romulus, the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack kept banging his head until it covered with blood.


    His face looked scary, but actually it wasn''t harmful, as the creatures, who were gifted to be able to heal fast, it was nothing.


    While saying that, Romulus pointed his fingers at Alpha Ronan from the Crescent Moon Pack, he wasn''t only an Alpha, but also one of the shareholders in Torak''s company.


    He performed a very well work ethic during those years he was with Torak, but of course Torak wouldn''t count that at the time he decided to stab his back. Any threat shouldn''t be treated with mercy, that was what Torak believed.


    Because it would become a possibility of greater danger in the future and Torak never let that to happen.


    Meanwhile Ronan didn''t say anything. His silence could be taken as his assent to Romulus accusation.


    The two Alphas kept wailing and banging their head, therefore the room was filled with their voices that quite bothering.


    "Kill both of them." Torak said lightly as if he was asking someone to make a cup of coffee for him.


    Upon hearing this, the two of them were crying and howling on the top of their lungs, trying to defend their wretch life by shifting into their beast and fighting their last battle.


    No matter what the two of them were still Alphas, hence it took some time to subdue them and clawed their heart out of from their chest, leaving their limp bodies slumped on the ground with pooled of blood covering their beast form before they turned into human.


    Their eyes stared blankly at Torak, filled with regret before the life of them died out.


    In the other hand, the five remaining Lycans in front of Torak, started to shiver. Fear flashed their eyes as they lowered them.


    "Alpha, if you forgive us. We will let you know what the devil has planned for you." Kyle, the Alpha from Diandrum Pack, trying his last attempt to save their life.


    "Kyle. I remember the day when I bestowed the Alpha''s title on you, though you got it from betraying your father. I should know better to not let you live." Torak tilted his head. "I don''t bargain with my enemy."

 Chapter 317 - ALPHA RYAN FROM BLUE MOON PACK

    "You will regret this if you don''t listen to me now." Kyle raised his head despite the fear that almost suffocated him.


    "Do you think you can save your f*cking *ss for this measly threat?" Torak raised an eyebrows at the young Alpha.


    "I didn''t say that way, but you will surely regret it, if you don''t listen to me now." Kyle kept talking haughtily.


    "If I am not mistaken, you are waiting for your firstborn, no?" Torak asked languidly.


    His comment awoken the beast inside Kyle as he turned into his brown Lycan and was about to pounce on Torak when another grey Lycan had knocked him aside mid air.


    The brown Lycan''s body hit the wall very hard and sent the entire building shaking as debris and dirt fell from the roof.


    Kyle''s beast was trying to stand up, but he couldn''t do that due to many broken ribs that he suffered. He fell to the ground on his third attempt and stayed still.


    The way his chest rose and fell was the only indication that he was still alive. He needed a lot of hours to heal himself, or maybe he wouldn''t get that privilege.


    Meanwhile, the grey Lycan stood to Torak''s left, the position that he assumed let the people knew who he was.


    Calleb, the Supreme Gamma. His beast was very big as a Gamma, almost as big as Kyle''s, though he was an Alpha.


    The remaining four Lycanthropes lowered their head in fear. Kyle was one of the pioneers of this betrayal.


    All of them thought, with the whole eight packs on the move and with the help of vampires, they would win against Torak''s loyal people.


    While the Alpha was still missing, it would increase their chances of winning this battle. This would be their only golden moment to overthrow Torak''s reign after so long.


    Avarice was one of the beasts'' natures after all as the Alpha they needed more people and land because under Torak''s reign, they were not allowed to colonize or attack other pack.


    In the other side this rule could preserve peace between other pack member, but in the other side, it restrained some of greedy Alpha to expand their territory.


    Territory was imperative thing for shape shifter, some of them were satisfied with their own territory while some of them would never enough with what they had and wanted more.


    Kyle and the rest six people there was an example.


    "Anyone want to try?" Torak sat down on his chair and crossed his legs, he could spare some time for them if they really wanted to try to attack him.


    "Alpha." One of them stood up and walked closer, but was stopped by the grey Lycan that snarled at him, forced the Alpha to back down. "We will pledge our loyalty to you and reveal what the devil''s plan if you spare us." He talked righteously.


    "So, all of you know the devil''s plan?" Torak''s eyes skimmed the remaining four people, lingered a little bit long time at the Alpha who dared enough to bargain with him.


    Pledge their loyalty? Hadn''t they given their loyalty to him before?


    And now they expected they could do it again? Could it be called loyalty?


    "Answer the Alpha!!!" Lyrus roared as he kicked the back of the Alpha''s knees that sent him to kneel before Torak.


    "Yes¡­ yes, all of us know it¡­" Alpha Drake from Rosette Pack replied, he gritted his teeth as he felt the pain from his knees, seemingly Lyrus had broke his legs as he exerted too much strength.


    "So all of you in this together¡­" Torak concluded as he nodded his head in understanding. When Alpha Drake nodded his head and confirmed Torak''s conclusion, he spoke lightly. "Kill him."


    In no time, Lyrus slitted Drake''s neck with his half shifted claws. This was something that Drake didn''t expect.


    The moment he realized what was happening, it was too late for him to preserve his life, as his body fell to the ground with a soft thud, even his fast healing ability couldn''t save him in this situation.


    Since Drake had confirmed that they all knew about this, at the same time, he was no longer valuable for Torak.


    "I will spare your pack and family if you tell me important information." Torak didn''t say he would save them, they were already dead when they decided to betray him. There was no way to escape their last punishment.


    For now, it was only a matter of how they would save their family and their innocent pack members, because once Torak decided to destroy their pack, not even their children would be spared.


    Torak would always smile and laugh whenever he was with Raine, but he was the cold blooded Alpha who had been cursed by the Moon Goddess herself because of his atrocity.


    That was one of the reasons why he left Raine inside the car with Jack and a few Lycans around her. He didn''t want her to see this side of him.


    Though Raine was much stronger now, Torak still couldn''t bring himself to make her witness this bloody scene.


    "Alpha, there is another Alpha who didn''t attend this meeting." Ramon, the Alpha from Red Zone pack spoke up. He raised his head to meet the Alpha''s eyes. If he has to die, at the very least that he could do was to save his mate and their pup.


    Torak raised his eyebrows, indicating for him to continue to talk.


    "Alpha Ryan from Blue Moon pack!" Ramon blurted out. "He supposed to be here!"


    Ramon was receiving disgusting glare from the other two Alphas, but he didn''t care, he had nothing to lose. They did this together, so it was only right if they also died together.


    All of them were betrayer after all.


    "Ryan¡­" Torak repeated his name.


    Originally, Ryan was Alpha Xavier''s beta from blue moon pack, but he was appointed as the Alpha because of Xavier''s attempt to hurt Raine when they came out from the hotel.


    Torak killed Xavier before they left Fulbright City.

 Chapter 318 - THE DEVIL, THE WITCH AND RAINES BLOOD

    After Torak heard that, he mind linked his people to look for Ryan. Blue Moon pack was originally Jenedieth''s pack, she was Xavier''s only daughter.


    As for the three people in front of him, who were waiting for their final verdict, Torak only had one question left.


    "What the devil''s plan?" The supreme Alpha''s dark eyes stared at them one by one with the intensity that could make them shiver out of fear.


    They didn''t know why they should agree with this conspiration, they should know better to not defy Torak Donovan. He wasn''t someone that they could afford to offend and now they should pay the price.


    "Tell me and I will give you an easy death." Torak talked in coaxing tone, sounded harmful, yet at the same time lethal.


    "The devil¡­ the devil¡­" Alpha Ramon from Red Zone pack stuttered. He looked at the remaining two Alphas, who couldn''t even raise their head. They already doomed, no matter what they did.


    Because it took so long for Ramon to utter a word, a low growl from behind him, reminded him to not waste the Alpha''s time.


    "The Devil has a book contains with Luna''s blood." Ramon stated in trembling voice, but when his last words were spoken, suddenly his body burnt in black flame.


    A piercing and shrill sound could be heard from his mouth as his body writhing in pain on the ground while the dark flame gnawed on his body like thousands ants that in the end, left him nothing but ash.


    "Alpha, this is dark magic!" Lyrus''s fixed on the black ash that supposed to be Ramon''s body.


    The remaining two Lycans moved aside to avoid the ash out of fear, they just witnessed how powerful dark magic was.


    "What they had done to you?!" Lyrus immediately stood in front of Torak, as if the ash could harm his Alpha, while the big grey Lycan assumed his position to Torak''s left, his canines were elongated.


    "It was the dark witch." One of the Alphas stated, hate was apparent in his eyes, he wouldn''t have thought that the devil along with the witch had prepared something like this to prevent them from talking about their plan.


    No wondered they just laid their plan plainly without warning or threat to keep their mouth shut if something like this were to happen.


    But also he wondered if what the devil and the witch told them were their original plan or it was only bait for Torak.


    Once again they had made another wrong decision out of greed! Now, the wish to expand their territory had vanished just like Alpha Ramon''s body.


    "What the devil wanted to do with my mate''s blood?" Torak was squinted his eyes dangerously. He knew there was something fishy when he saved Raine from the library. The Devil must be up to something and the shadow warrior helped him stupidly.


    "I¡­ I ¡­ can''t say it Alpha." Alpha Ron from Golden Moon pack avoided Torak''s eyes. If he said it he would end up like Ramon¡­ but, if he rejected to answer, would he be safe?


    Of course not.


    "Tear his body limb after limb." Torak didn''t have time to persuade this Alpha. Either he made his death easy, or he wanted to endure all the suffering pain.


    Without waiting for another second, ten Lycans had dragged Alpha Ron away and was about to start to beat him to his last breath.


    Death like this was a shame for the haughty Alpha. His last shred of dignity didn''t allow him to be humiliated to this degree.


    Thus, with his last roar, he forced the ten Lycans around him to stay away from him as he looked straight into Torak''s eyes.


    "I do regret my decision." He said rigidly. "But, I don''t think you can win this war against the devils this time."


    Alpha Ron''s words upset the rest of the Lycanthropes there, but with a single gesture from Torak they held back themselves and their claws that ready to tear Ron apart.


    "You will not alive to judge that day." Torak simply said it.


    Ron''s gaze was so vicious when he said his last words. Since he would die anyway, he had nothing to lose. "If I say what the devils had planned for you, will you spare my innocent pack?" He pleaded, though the way he said it didn''t sound like one.


    "Depend on how valuable your information." Torak countered, as an Alpha, it was his words that they must to follow not the other way around.


    He indeed had said that he would spare their pack if they told him what he wanted to know, but when Ron questioned his promise, Torak could easily back down with his words.


    This was a basic rule; don''t question your Alpha, especially the Alpha from Donovan''s bloodlines.


    Ron gnashed his teeth upon hearing Torak''s words.


    Torak sighed. "I wonder why I appointed you as an Alpha when you are so dumb like this." He intertwined his fingers together as he rested his chin atop of it, he wanted to end this quickly and returned to his mate. His lovely mate. "I had told you that I don''t bargain with my enemy."


    After saying that, Torak glanced at his beasts as they took this as green light for them to start tearing this boorish Alpha apart.


    After the wailing and agony sounds died down and the gruesome scene ended, Torak shifted his gaze from the window nearby, where he could see the back of the car that he drove here with Raine inside, to the last Alpha.


    "So, what do you say?" Torak asked with boredom.


    The last Alpha composed himself as he took a deep breath, surrender to his fate. "I beg you to tell my child that I love him." He said in hoarse voice. He should listen to his mate''s words when she disagreed with his decision. "The devil, the witch and the vampire work together and with the blood of the luna they¡­"


    Yet, before he could finish his words the dark flamed had consumed his entire body.

 Chapter 319 - THE OLD MEMORIES

    There was nothing more information that Torak could get now, unless the things that he had already known.


    The witch, the vampires and the devil were in the same boat and they had his mate''s blood. The last part was the thing that Torak concerned the most.


    What they would do with Raine''s blood? He saw that book when he was in the library to rescue her, but he didn''t think much about it except to get his mate out of there safe and sound.


    And now, since the book with Raine''s blood on it was brought up, he was sure the thing that had occurred inside the Library was planned beforehand.


    The reason of the shadow guard to give the grimoire to Raine, was definitely something that Lucifer had thought. The devil deceived the shadow guard to deceive Raine as well.


    This thought made Torak felt restless. He didn''t like the fact that his enemy held something that could harm his mate.


    "Bring him with us." Torak glanced at Kyle''s unmoved body and walked out of the building through the hole that the beast had created before this.


    "What is your order, Alpha?" Lyrus asked politely to Torak as he walked beside him.


    "Secure the seven packs under those Alphas. I will give my final judgment after I dealt with Alpha Ryan." Torak spoke icily.


    "Will do, Alpha." Lyrus bowed his head deeply.


    "Lyrus." Torak called him after Lyrus had relayed their Alpha''s order through mind- link. "I want you to meet someone."


    Lyrus''s eyebrow slightly creased. "Someone?"


    "Your Luna." Torak said while opening the car door, where his beautiful mate has been waiting for him.


    The moment Torak opened the car door, Raine immediately threw herself to Torak as she buried her face on his chest, sighed in relief because Torak was there and unharmed.


    Raine has been nagging at Jack to come inside the building, but Jack knew better to not his little Luna put a step on that place at that time.


    "Why it takes you so long?" Raine whined.


    "There were a lot of things to deal." Torak caressed Raine''s hair. "My love, I want you to meet someone." Torak stepped aside and reveal Lyrus behind him.


    Out of instinct, Raine crept closer toward Torak. Of course she remembered him! How could she forget? Maybe for Lyrus the thing that happened was centuries ago, but for Raine, it was merely months.


    With the Alpha''s order, the rest of the Lycanthropes around the three of them dispersed, including Calleb and Jack.


    "Do you remember her?" Torak asked, he could feel his mate distress by this sudden confrontation, but Torak needed to know what exactly had happened centuries ago.


    Lyrus frowned, his eyebrows furrowed as he tried hard to remember where he had met with Raine and it was understandable if he couldn''t recall the memory about Raine. After all, they had just met for a few minutes and it happened very long time ago.


    "Is she your mate, Alpha?" Lyrus shifted his gaze toward Torak as he could feel Raine''s fear toward him. But, why?


    "Yes," Torak caressed Raine''s hair lovingly. "She is your Luna." He confirmed the answer.


    Lyrus was surprised.


    Actually he had heard about Torak Donovan was having his own mate, at first he thought his mate was a chosen female Lycan.


    Jenedieth was the best candidate for him actually.


    However then, Jenedieth was being banned from the pack, due to his attempt to hurt Torak''s mate, that was mean, his Alpha''s mate wasn''t Jenedieth.


    Along with that news, another shocking news added to his confusion when Torak killed Jenedieth''s father and appointed his Beta as the Alpha of the Blue Moon pack.


    Torak''s way of conduct showed how he valued his mate, just like his destined mate, yet how that could happen?


    The Donovan''s was cursed by the Moon Goddess herself to live the rest of their life without mate.


    Regardless the rumor and the news that Lyrus heard, the scene before his eyes and how protective Torak toward this small little girl and the sparkle in those blue eyes, said otherwise.


    This girl was indeed their Luan. The destined mate of Torak Donovan.


    But, how could that be?


    "Do you remember her?" Torak asked Lyrus, snapped him out of his own thought.


    "No, Alpha." Lyrus shook his head immediately. "I have never seen your mate." At this point, he was still questioning Raine''s status.


    Whether she was a chosen mate or she was indeed the destined mate of their Alpha, because it would affect Torak''s reign.


    "You had met her." Torak blurted out. "You had met her when you were ordered to retrieve all the guardian angel from the village of angel, centuries ago."


    "What?" Lyrus frowned. Those memories were so old, he even couldn''t recall some of the detail of it.


    The things that still etched on his memory was how they had succeeded to destroy that village and killed all the shadow warrior, wiped them all from this realm as they took all the guardian angel inside the city.


    "Pardon me, Alpha, but I don''t understand." Lyrus confused. Who is she? Where and when had they met?


    "There was a girl who claimed she was my mate the day when you sent warning message to the village of angel. Their leader told you that they had my mate with them, but you said that I said; I don''t have a mate and asked you to kill her." Torak laid out the story for Lyrus to recall the old memory.


    Lyrus took a step closer and Raine''s body shrunk into Torak''s embrace. She looked so small compared to Torak''s figure.


    The girl was so beautiful, yet fragile, the thing that Lycanthropes despised the most. One of reasons why they looked down on the guardian angel. Because they were so fragile and weak.


    "I don''t remember her¡­" Lyrus mumbled he stood only three steps away from the couple. "But, I remember the leader of the shadow warrior said something about, someone claimed as your mate, Alpha."

 Chapter 320 - I SAW IT

    After saying that, Lyrus took a closer look at Raine and frowned. He was still hesitated to voice out his own thought, thus he asked Torak instead. "Why do you ask about that Alpha? That happened very long time ago and my memories couldn''t recall the detail."


    "So, tell me why I didn''t receive any information about that?" Torak stared at the old Lycan.


    "That''s because¡­" Lyrus swallowed hard.


    That happened centuries ago and he wondered why Torak asked for such thing at time like this?


    Lyrus glanced at Raine in Torak''s embrace, yet no matter how hard he tried, Lyrus couldn''t recall the girl''s face from the day when they conveyed their warning to the shadow warriors, he just saw her face for a few minutes after all, so how he could remember insignificant thing like that?


    "Your answer." Torak demanded rigidly.


    "That because of your brother, Alpha. Alpha Jedrek told me to do that." Lyrus blurted out.


    "What?" Torak narrowed his eyes. He really had never heard about someone mentioned something about his mate during the day when they destroyed the village of angel and killed all the shadow warrior.


    Lyrus began to recall some distance memories that he had almost forgotten.


    "Actually, it wasn''t me who was told to kill the girl who claimed as your mate, it was my subordinate. He went to inform you about it, but he met with Alpha Jedrek. The Alpha asked why he was there instead of in the village of angel, thus that werewolf told everything."


    Lyrus''s eyes once again fell on Raine''s face, but no matter how hard he tried and looked for the similarity, he just couldn''t remember the girl''s face as he also didn''t pay much attention to her.


    "And then Alpha Jedrek told that man to just kill the girl." Lyrus ended his short story.


    "But, you said it was Torak who gave the order." Raine chimed in, she clearly remembered that they told the guardian warrior that it was Torak who had issued the order.


    Lyrus''s eyes lingered a little bit longer on Raine''s face before he answered her. "It was because that man had just told me after the warning. He told me that he didn''t meet with Alpha Torak, instead he met with Alpha Jedrek."


    "Why don''t you tell me afterward?" Torak asked. Lyrus should have told him about that.


    "I am sorry Alpha, but I thought that wasn''t necessary, moreover it was Alpha Jedrek''s direct order¡­" Lyrus puzzled.


    "You thought it wasn''t necessary because of the curse?" Torak blurted out the reason.


    And somehow Lyrus had the audacity to nod his head. "Yes, Alpha¡­ I thought because you were cursed, so the girl at that time was only trying to distract us. Thus¡­"


    "Go back to your post." Torak cut Lyrus last words as he spoke rigidly.


    Lyrus looked at Torak in puzzled, but he did what the Alpha said. He bowed his head slightly at Torak and went away.


    "Let''s go." Torak nudged Raine to get in the car. He carefully strapped her seatbelt before walked around and sat behind the wheel. "Don''t come close to him."


    "I will not." Raine said immediately, even without Torak''s warning, Raine was so reluctant to be near that man as he gave a weird vibe. Raine simply didn''t trust him. "But, why did you stop him? Do you think he was lying?"


    "No, he didn''t lie when he said he couldn''t recall the even at that time, I just don''t trust him to be close to you because he used to be Jedrek''s man." Torak started the engine and drove the car away. "And I don''t trust him like my own man."


    "Isn''t Jedrek your brother? Why don''t you trust him?" Raine was a little bit confused.


    "Because we have different viewpoint regarding mate, my love and I don''t know if he still has the same thought as before." Torak replied.


    "What? What kind of thought?" Raine slightly shifted in her seat as this topic piqued her curiosity.


    "When we were cursed by the Moon Goddess for not having mate for our entire eternity, Jedrek was the only person who didn''t mind about that fact, because he had Serefina at that time and their relationship was really good to say the least." Torak explained.


    "Then why Serefina left him?" Raine frowned, if they loved each other, why Serefina should leave him? It was quite obvious that Serefina also still loved him. "Is it because the Moon Goddess had lifted the curse and gives you mate?"


    "Partly." Torak replied with doubt. "Maybe. Because when the war occurred I didn''t see Serefina. But, when the war ended, she appeared out of nowhere and had a big argumentation with my brother before she, once again, disappear for decades."


    "Why Serefina didn''t participate with the war?" Raine remembered something in her head, something that she kept forgetting to tell Torak.


    Torak shrugged. "I don''t know, I am not close to her. She used to very close with Kace."


    That was why, the rumor about Serefina eloped with Kace was like a wildfire, especially when Kace left the realm not long after the witch. Only when Jedrek took an extreme measure to stop it and showed his wrath, people stopped to talk about it.


    However, they didn''t talk about it didn''t equal that they would forget about it. No one would forget about how much Jedrek loved Serefina and how the witch betrayed him by eloped with his own brothers.


    Yet, seeing Serefina now, Torak was unsure if that was the case. Serefina didn''t look like she was in relationship with Kace as well.


    "Torak, I forgot to tell you something when I went to the village of the angel for the first time." Raine bit her lips, trying to recall the crucial moment. "This is about Serefina."


    "What is it?" Torak asked he was frowning as well. From his mate''s expression it was something that bothered her.


    "I saw Serefina was killed on the day when Lycanthropes attacked the village." Raine informed Torak.

 Chapter 321 - JEDREK AND HIS PRIDE

    "She was killed?" Torak frowned and glanced at his mate beside him, this kind of information puzzled him. "What do you mean she was killed?"


    "I saw it Torak, I saw it with my own eyes that Serefina was stabbed by the shadow from the shadow warrior. "It was shadow with shape of spare that pierced through Serefina''s heart, I saw it when she collapsed to the ground with blood was gushing out from her chest."


    Raine went on with the detail, she told Torak everything that she had seen and why she was so sure that Serefina had died at that time.


    Also about the white Lycan that was so livid by seeing the witch fell to the ground lifelessly.


    Serefina maybe the most powerful witch, as she was a pure blood, but it didn''t make her insusceptible to death.


    "Don''t you think there is something fishy about her sudden appearance after so long?" Raine stared at the side profile of Torak. "She helps me to gain my power despite her hate toward us."


    "It was because of the Moon Goddess." Torak said. "She said it a while ago. She had a deal with the Selene."


    "What kind of deal?" Raine was getting curios. There were so many things that she didn''t understand about all of it; starting from Serefina, Lyrus, the Moon Goddess and Torak''s brothers. Everything seemed engulfed with mystery.


    "I don''t know. Serefina would never tell anyone about that even if I ask her." Torak said in matter of fact tone.


    Knowing Serefina, what Torak said was true. That witch wouldn''t spill a word if she determined to keep it secret.


    "How about your brother? I meant, I am quite sure that the white Lycan was your elder brother¡­ didn''t he say something about Serefina?" Raine asked, she remembered how the white Lycan growled and howled in agony upon seeing Serefina''s bloody body on the ground.


    Torak shook his head. "I wasn''t there when they destroyed the village of angel." He tried to recall his distance memories. "It was only Jedrek and Serefina who went there, but as I could recall, Jedrek returned alone without her."


    "Didn''t you ask why Serefina was not with him?" Raine had wanted to know about this. How Serefina managed to survive that sudden attack? After all, that attack was so fatal.


    "No. I am not quite close with Jedrek, we respect each other to not ask any unnecessary things, moreover, I didn''t really care where was she as I was quite busy with the preparation of the great war." It was true, his focus was elsewhere at that moment.


    Silence ensued inside the car as Torak drove away from the abandoned place, fortunately it was still afternoon, or else that place would be as scary as haunted house.


    "How about Lyrus¡­ if he is your brother''s people, why he is here with us?" Raine still felt unease with the way that man looked at her.


    Torak''s expression turned grim when he heard that. "Actually Lyrus is not part of my pack, it''s just Jedrek caught news about the dispute in this realm so he sent Lyrus here.


    Torak could say, as the first born, Jedrek was much more difficult to deal with. He was so demanding and authoritative.


    He would use any means to force the peace that he viewed and sometimes neglected other people opinion. Including Torak, that was why, he didn''t quite get along with Jedrek and chose to create his own pack in different realm.


    Not only that, Jedrek obviously hated the idea that he would bestow a mate in his life as he was so infatuate with Serefina.


    He loved the witch and her craziness to the bone, thus Torak has his own opinion that Jedrek had sent Lyrus here not only to give unnecessary help to Torak, but also to look for the witch and their younger brother, Kace.


    Jedrek must still not be able to get rid of the rumors about Serefina and Kace, out of his mind.


    Torak didn''t care what his older brother wanted to do, as long as he didn''t cross the line by hurting his mate and created chaos within his pack, Lyrus could do whatever he wanted here, after all, with him here, he would be able to increase Torak''s force.


    "Agreed." Raine chimed in.


    "Pardon me?" Torak furrowed his eyebrows as he glanced at his mate beside him, who was blinking her eyes at him. "What do you agree with?"


    "As long as Lyrus doesn''t create trouble for you and he doesn''t harm me, I think with him here, he would be able to make sure you don''t lack help." Raine was smiling beautifully when she said that.


    Torak stared at her with amus.e.m.e.nt danced in his eyes. "May I know how do you know that?" The Alpha was sure the words didn''t leave his lips and his mind was blocked.


    "I don''t know¡­ I just could hear your inner thought very well from here." Raine shrugged her shoulder. "It''s just like a whisper."


    "Really?" Torak was amazed. How his mate could do that?


    "Is that strange?" Raine bit her lips, wasn''t that normal?


    "No, maybe you can hear my thought clearly because I had been bitten by you, so we could connect easily." Torak winked at Raine beside him, who was laughing cheekily.


    They laughed harmoniously despite the situation that they would face or the gruesome scene that had happened.


    They were happy as long as they had each other.


    When the laugh had died down, Raine thought about something. "The girl that I saw in my vision¡­" She was slightly hesitated. "If she is your brother''s mate, what do you think he would do the moment he met his mate? What I meant¡­ he hates her even though he hasn''t met her."


    Torak gave some though regarding Raine''s statement. "I don''t know¡­ Jedrek tends to take everything so seriously and hate when he had to back out of his own words."


    "Then¡­ how about her?" Raine looked worried.


    "I hope my brother''s pride doesn''t cloud his heart." Torak stated.

 Chapter 322 - A WITCH IN BLUE MOON PACK

    Torak didn''t want to think that his brother would kill his own mate, because it looked like that''s what he would do, the moment his mate appeared before his eyes.


    Torak doubted the mate bond, between Jedrek and his mate, could stop him from killing his own mate. If that was the case, Torak didn''t have a say to interfere, because he didn''t want to have clash with his own brother as long as he kept his own business to himself and didn''t touch his mate.


    Jedrek could do whatever he wanted to his mate, but once he issued an order for Lyrus to harm Raine, he would send that Lycan''s head straight to Jedrek''s eyes.


    Raine was looking at the scenery outside, seemingly, there was something that she was thinking now.


    She had grown pretty well under Torak''s care, physically and mentally. Raine had gained more weight than the first time they met and more talkative.


    "Thanks to you¡­" Raine suddenly turned her head and looked at Torak, her eyes turned crescent when she smiled beautifully.


    Torak raised her eyebrows as his lips curled into smiled. "I am very sure I have covered my mind, but how can you read me so easily, my love?"


    "Really?" There was a tinge of surprised in those beautiful eyes.


    "Really. Is it because your strength has progressed a lot?" Torak didn''t mind at all if Raine could read his mind. He didn''t have a plan to hide anything from her after all, it''s just he wondered, why and how she could do that? "Is this because of your training with Serefina?"


    Raine thought about it for a while, but she didn''t think that was the case. "I am not sure, I think I didn''t do anything significant with Serefina before."


    "I see¡­" Torak nodded. Though they couldn''t understand how Raine''s power progressed by leaps and bounds, but it was a relief.


    They traveled for another thirty minutes before they arrived at a small town, with a mountain as the background.


    Raine was pretty sure, they had traveled far from the Fulbright city.


    When they just passed a signpost, Raine heard a howl of animal and almost jumped from her seat when something dashed from the side of the car.


    Torak was laughing upon seeing his mate reaction. "Don''t worry, that''s Calleb."


    Raine turned her head to see a big grey wolf had been waiting for them when Torak stopped the car. From the smirk on his face, Raine knew this Gamma was deliberately surprised her.


    Torak got out of the car and walked around to open the car door for Raine, she looked at Torak for a while, because Raine thought Torak would ask her to stay inside the car again.


    But, this time Torak wanted her to meet all the Lycans there with him. Torak intertwined their fingers together, claiming her silently that she was his.


    The bad big grey wolf nudged his snout when Raine was close enough with him and smirked.


    Out of instinct, Raine ran her fingers on his big head and felt his soft fur when Torak''s presence automatically gathered all the Lycans there to hear their Alpha''s words.


    Torak looked so imposing under the bright afternoon sunlight and his wide back was a safe heaven for Raine when all the Lycanthropes started to walk toward her and surrounded the two of them.


    Raine was still not able to get used to this, especially when she watched Lyrus was on the front line of those beast. She felt like all of them would pounce on her once she let her guard down.


    A silly thought of course. Torak was there and that kind of action was equal with suicide.


    "What have you got?" Torak asked, his voice so steady and stern, giving off a dominant aura around him.


    Meanwhile, Calleb in his beast form stood closer toward Raine, brushed his fur against her legs as if saying that he was there and no need to be afraid.


    This small act indeed gave Raine a little bit securities that she needed, aside from Torak''s warms hand.


    It was Lyrus again who answered Torak. He walked forward and flashed his curious eyes on Raine for a millisecond before his focus fixed on The Alpha.


    "Our people have secured the Blue Moon Pack and now are looking for Alpha Ryan." Lyrus reported monotonously. "It seems Alpha Ryan is indeed part of them as we caught a witch near the border of blue moon pack before she could flee."


    "A witch, huh?" Torak sneered. "Bring me to her."


    "This way please Alpha." Lyrus opened his arms as he showed the way to Torak and Raine.


    Once again, Raine could feel Lyrus eyes on the back of her head when he followed them while Calleb''s beast led the way to the side road.


    They had to go through many trees and bushes before they could reach a spot where the grasses withered and turned into golden color.


    Under a big tree Raine could see a woman, wearing all blue gown, as if she just returned from a party. She lowered her head and her hair cascaded down beside her face.


    Raine couldn''t see her face clearly because of that, but she was sure this witch has a beautiful feature due to her soft hair and fair skin.


    "Stay here." Torak released Raine''s fingers from him as he let Calleb to stay with her. He wanted Raine to be safe and out of harm.


    Raine stayed ten steps away from the witch, the distances that saved enough for her to watch what would happen, but still protected if that witch wanted to do something fishy.


    "Raised your head." Torak said in his deep voice. He deliberately stood between Raine and the witch, covering his mate figure with his own body.


    The witch raised her head defiantly as she glared at Torak with his fiery red eyes.


    "Are you from northern coven?" Torak asked her directly.


    But, instead of answered Torak''s question, the witch laughed mockingly at Torak.

 Chapter 323 - THIS IS MY PACK, MY RULE!

    "Alpha¡­" She let out a breathy voice as she tried to catch a glimpse of Raine behind Torak''s back.


    But, of course, Torak wouldn''t give her such a chance as he ordered the man behind the witch to keep her steady.


    That man grabbed the witch''s hair and pulled her head back so Torak could see her face clearer.


    The witch was wailing in agony when she felt her hair was being tugged from her scalp, yet despite of the agony that she felt, her voice was so steady. "This will be a long battle Alpha, even if you killed me you will not win this so easy." The witch sneered. "No, I think you will not win this war again."


    Torak narrowed his eyes. "I asked whether you came from northern coven or not, but you give me a long reply without answering my question."


    "So, what if you know whether I come from northern coven or not? The fact that your mate should have died in order to win this war will not change." The witch glanced at her surrounding, trying to take the Lycanthropes around her into her peripheral vision. "Now you heard¡­"


    Before the witch could utter another word, Torak had slit her throat with his claws.


    With a soft thud the witch''s body fell on the ground, leaving her head hung mid air just because the man behind her was grabbing her hair.


    Calleb acted so quick, he shifted into his human form in matter of second and pulled Raine into his arms, pressed her face against his chest to cover the gruesome scene before their eyes.


    Maybe for those Lycans this sort of scene was nothing, especially those old Lycans. This was just another died body for them.


    However for Raine, it would be a big blow.


    In the other hand, Raine let Calleb to hug her, shutting her eyes tightly, she placed her hands on his chest. She knew what was happening and didn''t think she could take it, thus she was grateful for Calleb thoughtful action.


    All the Lycanthropes that witnessed this not even flinch when the witch dead body was being taken away and burned into ashes.


    This was how to deal with the witch, because they could use dark magic to revive their fellow friends, even though not all the witch possessed that ability.


    The witch last words sounded like an empty words, a dying talk from someone who knew that she would survive this.


    However, it didn''t sound that way for Lyrus. He was there when the war happened, thus he knew very well what the necessary things that should have done to prevent the war, or if it was too late for that, to win this war.


    Lyrus''s eyes caught a glimpse of Raine in Calleb''s embrace. It was only one word that could describe her. Weak.


    The Lycanthropes who were so haughty with their strength and praised with their power and authority, didn''t need a weakling Luna.


    He needed to talk about this with Torak in person.


    After the body of the witch had turned into nothing, Torak walked toward Raine and instinctively Calleb released his hands from his Luna.


    Raine was still shocked, but seeing Torak''s hand that stretched out for her, she took it without any hesitation.


    Once Torak caught her hand, he pulled her closer and let her stood beside him while he looked around at the Lycanthropes from his own pack.


    "This is not the best moment for me to announce this!" Torak''s voice boomed and sent a sudden urge for the rest of them to bow their head solemnly at him. "But, I would like to introduce you to your Luna!"


    Raine never thought Torak would introduce her in this very moment. was he worried about what the witch said before?


    "She is my equal! And if anyone of you mistreated her than she should deserve, it would be the same as you defied my words and the punishment would be dire!"


    In the end of Torak''s words, those Lycanthropes bowed their head solemnly as they knelt before their Alpha and Luna.


    This wasn''t ceremony that Torak wanted when he had to introduce Raine as the Luna of the pack. This was too hasty and Raine wasn''t ready for this yet.


    However, not only Lyrus who realized the after effect of the witch''s last words, Torak also aware about that.


    He knew some of the old Lycan, who had tasted the war centuries ago, would immediately think about sacrificing Raine.


    At this point they must have been aware that Raine was a guardian angel, one of the creatures that they naturally despise the most because of their weak nature.


    That was why Torak told them about Raine before there was one person stepped forward and had a wrong idea about this.


    It couldn''t be denied that they still didn''t believe if Raine was Torak destined mate and not the chosen one.


    After all, Torak had been cursed for centuries and mateless along that period of time.


    At least, this proclamation could restrain them from saying a wrong thing and created unnecessary dispute within his pack.


    Because if Torak didn''t take this stern action, it wouldn''t rule out the possibility that in the future there would be differences of opinion which can divide their unity.


    It was their nature to follow their Alpha''s words, though not all of them had the same thought about this.


    This was another way for Torak to protect Raine from his pack''s judgment.


    Lyrus was squinted his eyes when he heard Torak''s words. It also indirectly answered the thing that he initially wanted to discuss with the Alpha.


    [Keep your thought for yourself, Lyrus.]


    Torak''s cold voice echoes inside his head among the argumentation that he had with himself.


    [Alpha Torak, your brother will not like this.] Lyrus answered hesitantly.


    "Lyrus." Suddenly Torak voiced was so loud for all of them to hear. "You can go back to my brother and tell him that I don''t need his advice, help or guidance."


    Lyrus lifted his head only to meet Torak''s black eyes.


    "Tell him; this is my pack, my rule!"

 Chapter 324 - PROCLAIMED

    Upon hearing that, Lyrus stood up, followed by around twenty Lycans behind him.


    This action showed how many people that Lyrus had brought with him because of Jedrek''s order. In the end, he wasn''t Torak''s people.


    "Alpha Torak. Regardless you have your own pack, but I don''t think you should forget about your root." Lyrus said calmly. "You are the second son of the royal family and you should respect Alpha Jedrek as the first born, the Alpha and your brother." He tried to justify his words and action.


    "Go back to your place." Torak said grimly. His hand around Raine''s shoulder tightened,  yet he was still aware to not hurt his mate.


    "You should put the pack interest about anything." Lyrus was very sure that Jedrek would have the same thought as him.


    "Try to say that after I tear your mate limb by limb." Torak was livid and the other Lycanthropes could feel their Alpha''s wrath.


    Lyrus was the most loyal Lycan in their realm, but he didn''t put his loyalty on a subject like the Alpha, but he put his loyalty for the Lycanthropes.


    Lyrus was the living proverb for; sacrifice was needed for greater good. He wouldn''t hesitate to do anything to for the Lycanthropes.


    He would do anything to ensure their glory and Jedrek shared the same thought as him, that was why, Lyrus was the most trusted person for Jedrek aside from his Beta and Gamma.


    That point also, which made Torak to separate himself from his brother. They were simply not in the same page of the book, their view about life, pack and mate was so differ.


    "Alpha Torak, I don''t think if you send me away now, Alpha Jedrek would be pleased with your action." Lyrus was still bringing Jedrek''s name over and over again.


    "I don''t rule my pack to please him." Torak said icily. "Leave now." He said in deep voice.


    The tension in the air was so palpable, it left the other Lycans from Torak pack shivered out of fear, even Raine couldn''t help but staring at her shoes.


    Torak was holding back his temper.


    He didn''t want to attack Lyrus and incurred his brother''s wrath, it would be a waste of time and effort, moreover, he has known Lyrus for very long time, if it wasn''t necessary Torak was still reluctant to attack his old friend.


    "Excuse us, Alpha Torak." Lyrus still respected Torak''s decision as an Alpha and took his leave along with the other twenty Lycans that he brought with him.


    When Lyrus and his people was out of their sight, Torak looked at his mate, who had lowered her head until her chin touched her chest.


    Torak caressed her cheek and lifted her chin, in the next second he had planted a kiss on her sweet lips. Sealed his proclamation in front of his pack.


    The other Lycans raised their head when the tension suddenly was gone and witnessed this as their Alpha claimed their Luna.


    A few beasts on the background howled ceremoniously to the sky followed by the others.


    It startled Raine as she retracted herself from Torak, but the Alpha held her head to keep her steady during their kiss.


    Actually, it was quite embarrassing when she had to be kissed in front of many people and beasts as they stared at them solemnly.


    However, Torak made sure to cover her attractive red face with his big palms and hid her body with his for some of the beasts'' sight.


    When the kiss was ended, Raine was breathless and as red as a boiled shrimp, while Torak was just like the Alpha he was.


    "We will head to the Blue Moon Pack." He stated, taking Raine''s hand and walked to the opposite direction.


    [Calleb. Made sure to let me know my brother''s movement.] Torak mind- linked his Gamma.


    Jedrek maybe wouldn''t come to him directly and asked him to sacrifice his mate for greater good, but it didn''t mean he wouldn''t try.


    [Yes, Alpha.] Calleb answered.


    Jedrek was so disgusted by the idea of having a guardian angel as his mate, he was too haughty just to lower his head in front of the creature that much weaker than him.


    Raine''s question resounded in Torak''s head; would Jedrek''s mate would be all right when she met him?


    Torak couldn''t answer that, as he wasn''t even sure how the mate bond would work on him.


    Once they arrived at the border of the blue moon pack, bunches of Torak''s people had been there, they greeted their Alpha and their Luna.


    Raine didn''t know why, but she was sure those people that she had met now, seemingly knew about Torak''s action to claim her.


    Probably through mind- link? Raine still didn''t really understand how this work.


    "Alpha. Luna." One of the Lycan stepped forward, he was as tall as Torak, but a bit skinny. His brown eyes fell on Raine as he nodded his head politely that Raine reciprocated the same. "We have restricted this area and searched for their Alpha, but we still can''t find Alpha Ryan here."


    Apparently, Torak''s people was so fast to take action and very efficient in carrying out their duties.


    "But, we found Alpha Ryan''s mate and his son." That man continued before Torak''s expression turned more unsightly.


    "Lead the way." Torak said curtly with his hands dr.a.p.ed protectively on Raine''s shoulder.


    Torak didn''t talk much with Raine, but she could hear his thought nonetheless and it was very complicated.


    There were a lot of things running around in her mate''s head, until the point, Raine couldn''t catch up with his thought and chose to block his mind to save her from headache.


    Along with Torak, Raine walked down a street where, she assumed, all the residents in that place stood line after line on both sides of the road.


    Fear, confusion and anxiety were written on their face, when the air became suffocated with the appearance of their supreme Alpha.


    Not many of them were lucky enough to see Torak directly in his life.

 Chapter 325 - THIS IS HOW TORAK DEALT WITH THE SITUATION

    However, when their eyes fell on the little girl beside their Alpha, their eyes flashed with curiosity. They knew Raine when their Alpha threw a magnificent birthday party for her that was broadcast live not so long ago.


    The rumor said she was their Luna, but then, just like other common people, their mind still stuck with the fact about Donovan''s curse.


    However, after witnessing how protective their Alpha toward her, they knew she was indeed Alpha''s Torak destined mate.


    Meanwhile, Raine kept looking at those people that lowered their head solemnly as she, Torak and the other walked. Raine had never seen this situation before and was amazed by the authority that Torak held.


    [Don''t look at them, my love.] Torak''s soft voice suddenly sounded in Raine''s head, startled her.


    Even though the voice that rung in her head was very soft, but when Raine turned around to see his face, Torak still wore that cold expression that devoid from any emotions, he gave off a dominating vibe.


    [Just look ahead.] Torak said again.


    He didn''t want for them to see Raine''s fragile side as he knew the nature of the Lycan and werewolves. They wouldn''t take Raine seriously if she showed that side to them.


    However much he hated it, he still had to admit what Serefina told them was true. The situation and his people wouldn''t care to wait for Raine''s progress.


    Especially at this time, when everything had started to turn upside down and they had enemies in every corners.


    Torak''s pack expectation was so high for their Luna and if Raine didn''t meet their expectation, it would cause turbulence within the pack.


    Thus, at the very least Torak could do was to prevent Raine for showing her concern and altruism toward them.


    Both of that was something strange for their kind.


    Raine needed more time to get used with this and Torak wanted to give all the time that she needed to her, yet it wasn''t that case anymore. He had to start to show Raine how to be a Luna for this brute pack.


    They walked for five minutes before they reached a three- story building, painted with blue color.


    Someone pushed open the gates for them and let them stepped inside the front yard that filled with roses.


    Just like what Torak had said to her, she kept her eyes from wandering the beautiful flowers around her and fixed her eyes at the door.


    When they reached the threshold, the same person opened the brown door and showed the interior of that building.


    Raine was sure this place was a pack house, similar to the one that she had seen.


    However, before Raine could take a look of the inside design and was amazed by how artistic this place, her eyes zeroed in to the woman and a child that looked only three years old, she was kneeling on the floor.


    That woman hugged the child protectively and would glare to anyone who dare enough to take a step closer to them. Mother instinct.


    They must be the wife and the son of Alpha Ryan.


    Her defensive eyes abruptly turned into fear when they caught Torak''s figure, standing just a few steps away from her with imposing manner.


    Suddenly she started to cry that make the child in her arms also crying, without even knowing what was happening.


    Torak could feel his mate started to take pity on them, but he couldn''t let her to show it in front of these people.


    [Don''t say a word and stay with Calleb.] Another warning that Torak mind- linked her.


    Torak stepped forward as he let Calleb to take his place beside Raine, just in case the situation turned ugly and Raine became too emotional to handle it.


    "Alpha¡­ I don''t know what happen." The woman started to wail pitifully. "Please spare my son''s life." She begged for her child''s life instead of hers.


    Raine slightly turned her head so she wouldn''t see the expression of the mother.


    "Clarice." Torak said her name and the woman was surprised that the Alpha actually remembered her name despite they had only met for once in the past. "Where is Ryan?"


    Clarice wiped her tears and tried to comfort her son, so his cry could cease down. "I¡­ I really don''t know where he is going¡­ he was here this morning¡­" She stammered in her attempt to explain her innocent to Torak.


    The Alpha narrowed his eyes. He didn''t want to hurt the innocent people and even a child, after all they were still his people, but he would do it without hesitation if that was something that must have been done to make her confess.


    "When was the last time you saw him?" Torak asked coldly.


    Amidst her anxiety and fear, Clarice tried her best to remember when the last time she saw her mate. "I saw him¡­ I saw him¡­" She stuttered and got distracted because the child was crying really hard, sensing his mother distress.


    Without hesitation, Torak gestured his man to take the child away from Clarice, and of course this aggravated the mother.


    However, one of a Lycan easily took her down and the other lycan snatched her son away from her. Now, both mother and child were crying, wailing and shouting.


    "SILENCE!" Torak''s voice boomed inside the house, startled all of the people there, including a few people who were standing at the back, shrunk their body out of fear so no one could notice them.


    "Stop crying!" Torak said grimly. "I will return your son unscathed if you answer all my questions."


    Clarice, leaving with no choice, nodded her head vehemently, biting her lips to stop her sobs. "Don''t hurt my son¡­ don''t hurt my son."


    Raine squeezed Calleb''s hand tightly. This scene before her eyes was so heartbreaking. She wanted to say something, but she knew this was how Torak dealt with the situation, her intervention wouldn''t bring any good result for them.


    Thus, she tried hard to keep her expression as calm as she could.

 Chapter 326 - CLARICE CONFESSION

    "Where is Ryan?" Torak asked the same question again. His expression was devoid from any emotion as he kept his eyes fixed on Clarice.


    "I don''t know¡­" Clarice shook her head as she glanced again and again at the closed door, where the Lycan had taken her son in. "He was here this morning¡­ but, when¡­ Beta Gary came and told him something¡­ he went outside and¡­ I don''t know¡­" Clarice sobbed again.


    She felt so distressed with all of this situation, especially when she couldn''t have her child with her, she didn''t want something bad befell on her son.


    "Where is Gary?" Torak asked grimly at his people.


    One of the Lycan stepped forward and gave his report. "Beta Gary had disappeared along with Alpha Ryan." He said.


    "And his family?" Torak furrowed his eyebrows.


    "Beta Gary is an orphan, he doesn''t have family." He replied. That was why they couldn''t bring Gary''s family here, because he had none.


    "Have you checked all the area?" Torak asked Calleb, who was standing beside Raine, behind the Alpha.


    "Yes, Alpha." Calleb nodded. "We have all the area checked, but still we couldn''t find him and his Beta."


    "Announce this! I will have his mate killed if he didn''t show up until the sunset." Torak said cruelly.


    Announcement like this would spread faster between the Lycan and werewolf as they used their mind- link to share their thought.


    As long as Ryan was still near his territory, he would be able to receive it.


    "He will not come Alpha¡­ he will not come." Clarice was weeping once again. She clutched her chest tightly as if she was holding back her grievances. "Even if you said you will kill me, he will not come¡­"


    Torak narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" It was impossible for their other half to stand the pain of losing their own mate.


    "Because I am not his mate¡­ I am not his mate¡­" Clarice said it repetitively. Her tears wetted her face. "I was just his chosen mate¡­" She confessed. "He will not care about me¡­"


    Torak had never heard that Ryan was together with Clarice because she was his chosen mate. Though this case happened, but it was very rare within the werewolves and Lycanthropes, because they always chose to wait for their destined mate.


    Except¡­


    "Why? Did his mate die?" Torak asked rigidly.


    Because Ryan''s status before was Alpha Xavier''s Beta, thus he didn''t care or aware enough about that.


    "No¡­ because his destined mate was Jenedieth, the late Alpha Xavier''s daughter." Clarice blurted out.


    This revelation not only surprised the Alpha, but also shocked the rest of the people, especially those who came from this blue moon pack.


    They also didn''t know about this story.


    In truth, to Clarice for admitting this was some kind of humiliation. However, she didn''t have any other choice, she must save her son.


    He was the only reason Clarice still survived until now.


    "Jenedieth?" Torak frowned. This piece of information became more absurd for Torak.


    If Jenedieth was Ryan''s destined mate so, why were not they together?


    "Because¡­" Clarice looked at the people from the blue moon pack over her shoulder, she was hesitated to tell the reason in the presence of those people.


    Knowing this, Torak gestured his people to bring them away, so Clarice could talk more about this matter.


    Mate was a sacred thing for shape shifter like them.


    If one could live with their chosen mate was a rare occasion, then to reject their own mate was unheard. How they could do that?


    Torak thought Jedrek would be the first one, however he actually got this issued here, in his own pack.


    Those blue moon pack people were taken to the third floor and were locked in their own bedroom until further order.


    Even if they didn''t lock them away, they wouldn''t dare to step out of their bedroom under Torak''s restriction order. They knew better to not cross the Alpha''s bottom line, moreover at time like this.


    After it was only Torak''s people who surrounded Clarice she choked in her tears when she started to talk again.


    "Ms. Jenedieth rejected him¡­" She bit her lips to hold back her agony when she continued to speak. "He enraged and¡­ and he marked me by force¡­" Another tears were rolling down her cheeks as she hastily wiped them away.


    When the last words were coming out of her mouth, Raine could feel all the people inside the room held back their breath in shocked.


    Raine knew it was something bad, but didn''t really know how bad it was to be marked by force¡­ actually, she was one of it¡­


    Torak marked her without her consent when he in his beast form, yet she was fine and there was not any major damaged that had done.


    [What happened if you were marked forcefully?] Raine asked Calleb through mind- link.


    [It would severe the mate bond between you two.] Calleb answered. [In Clarice''s case, she would never meet her destined mate ever.]


    [But, Torak did the same to me¡­ and I am fine¡­] Raine glanced at Calleb who glanced back at her.


    [That can''t be counted. Your case is different.] Calleb shook his head silently and continued to explain. [Between you and Torak, the mate bond is only affected the Alpha, since you don''t have it, so how it could be severed?]


    In another words; the feeling that she felt for Torak now was pure because she loved him, without any intervention of the mate bond.


    [Then, how bad it is for the lady?] Raine shifted her attention back to clarice, who was wailing pitifully. There was regret, shame and anger in the way she expressed herself after the confession.


    [Forcing mark is similar with r.a.p.e in your world, and you will be forced to live the rest of your life with your rapist. Our kind despises that kind of act the most. So, how bad it is for her?] Calleb looked  at Raine, who was staring at him with eyes wide open in shock. [That is why she said Ryan will not come for her. She is not his mate in the first place.]

 Chapter 327 - LIED

    After hearing Calleb''s explanation, Raine felt sorry for Clarice. How could someone do that to someone else? Though in this case they were Lycans.


    Raine looked at Clarice, who was still wailing on the ground, and then Torak''s back.


    Though all of the Lycan showed their surprised and hatefulness when Clarice told them that she was forcefully marked, but when they watched the way the female werewolf was crying on the ground, their face contorted in disgust. They didn''t like this kind of act.


    After all, they were Torak''s loyal fighter, so they didn''t have the same empathy as normal people did. Their beast''s blood was very thick, as if their sole existence was for combat.


    Thus, this show of pitiful act, wasn''t their favorite scene.


    For a moment, Raine wondered what Torak would do? Did he really not feel anything? His broad shoulder and straighten back was so imposing, giving the vibe of his dominance nature.


    So, this how his world, this how the Lycan and the supernatural''s world. There was no space for the weak.


    Now Raine could understand why their kind despised the guardian angel¡­


    Seemingly Raine needed an extra effort to get their recognition and for some reason this scared her. Would she meet their expectation?


    "Please Alpha¡­ I just want my child back¡­ please give me back my son¡­" Clarice cupped her hands together, she looked very pitiful.


    In the other hand, Torak was unfazed. His dark eyes stared at the woman in front of him with face that devoid from any emotion.


    Nobody knew what was going on in his head, and since he didn''t issue an order to release the child and returned him to his mother, ultimately no one would dare enough to say otherwise, no matter how loud the woman was crying her heart out.


    Raine wanted to say something, but she held herself back, she didn''t want to ruin this for Torak. He must know what he had to do.


    However, because Torak didn''t say anything and treated her coldly, the woman shifted her eyes on Raine and crawled toward her direction.


    "Luna¡­ you must be the supreme Luna¡­" She sobbed pitifully at Raine. "Luna please helps me¡­ my son¡­"


    Yet, before she could reach Raine one of the Lycan grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back while yelling at her.


    "Step back!"


    The woman flew a few meters away because of the male Lycan''s strength and her body hit the wall with a loud sound.


    Raine literally could hear the sound of broken bones when her haggard self collided with the solid wall.


    [She will be all right.] Calleb said through mind link. He lightly squeezed Raine''s fingers to remind her that she supposed to not show any emotion.


    Though it sounded cruel, but once Raine showed Clarice her soft side, the woman would use it and it would make her soft heart ached when she couldn''t save the woman if Torak wanted to say otherwise.


    Raine knew it as well, thus she just stood there while looking at Torak''s back. She didn''t want to see Clarice.


    [The broken bone will be healed within two minutes.] Calleb informed Raine, so she could slightly feel relieved.


    It was true, after all their healing ability was very fast, though it depended on how severed the injuries.


    Raine nodded her head slightly. She indeed felt relieved after hearing that.


    "My son¡­ please Alpha¡­" Clarice begged again.


    "Give back her son." Torak finally said and this made the woman stopped crying as she looked at the shut door expectantly.


    Her son was just behind that door.


    The moment the door opened and she saw her son, she rushed over and hugged him tightly, the boy also did the same.


    Apparently what Calleb said was true, her body healed so fast.


    "Isolate this area until we find their Alpha." Torak issued an order before he turned back and stretched out his hand toward Raine.


    Without second thought, Raine walked over toward Torak and stayed beside him as she watched Clarice was standing three steps away from her.


    From closer look, Raine could see her swollen eyes.


    "Alpha, thank you¡­" Clarice said between her sobs. "Luna, thank you¡­"


    Raine just gave her small nod. Actually she didn''t deserve her gratefulness because she didn''t do anything.


    Afterward Torak brought them to go out of the pack house with Clarice followed behind them.


    Because of what Clarice had said to them, the original plan to make Ryan came voluntarily by using his son and wife couldn''t be done.


    Ryan wouldn''t leave them in the first place if he knew that Torak would come, the possibility for Torak to use his little family was high, thus with him leaving them, Ryan obviously didn''t care much about them.


    Especially when Clarice said she wasn''t his destined mate.


    But, in exchange, their pack would suffer because their Alpha was so irresponsible to neglect his own pack for his own safety, aside from that Raine believed Torak wouldn''t do anything harsh on innocent people.


    When they were outside, Raine''s attention was on the boy in Clarice''s arms, who stole a glance at Raine from time to time.


    "What is his name?" Raine asked, the boy was only three years old with big brown eyes that stared at Raine in curiosity.


    Out of instinct, Raine stretched out her hand to touch the boy soft cheek, but Torak grabbed her wrist and looked at her questioningly.


    "Jade, his name is Jade." Clarice said with bright smile on her lips.


    "It''s alright. He is just a boy." Raine reassured Torak, she just wanted to squeeze his chubby face. That''s all.


    That was a normal reaction when someone saw a beautiful child like him. At least, that was what Raine felt.


    Torak released her wrist and looked at Clarice sternly. He didn''t trust her, therefore he didn''t want Raine to come close to her.


    Once again Raine reached out her hand to touch the boy''s cheek, but when her fingers brushed Jade''s skin she stared at Clarice while retracting her hand hastily. "She lied."

 Chapter 328 - THERE IS SOMETHING UNDER THE BED

    "She lied." Raine frowned while looking at Clarice, who was staring back at her with surprised.


    "What do you mean Luna?" Clarice''s voice was shaking when she asked Raine while stepping back gingerly.


    "You know where he is." Raine stated. She knew it for sure. Her voice was so determined as if she held an evidence for her accusation.


    Torak reacted fast as he hid Raine behind his back and growled. "Hold her." He said grimly.


    Without waiting for another second, once again Clarice was being separated from her son and was held back to the ground.


    "I don''t know! I don''t know!" Clarice shook her head vehemently, the tears that had dried on her face started to stream down again from her eyes. "Let me go! Let me go!" She tried to free herself with no avail.


    "How dare you to lie to your Alpha!" The Lycan who held her down to the ground roared. There was a loud sound of broken bone from the pressure as Clarice choked on her sobs.


    "No. Stop!" Raine stepped forward out of instinct, exposed herself from behind Torak''s back. "No, don''t hurt her!"


    Raine didn''t even realize when she did that and when she was aware with what she had done, every eyes of the Lycanthropes near her were looking at her in disagreed.


    This act was unacceptable, as a Luna, Raine was expected to act wisely and for them, ''wise'' in their case was not to show her personal emotion, especially to their enemies.


    As everything had turned out like this, Raine just could continue. She turned around to look Torak whose face was still devoid from any emotions.


    "Torak, please. Let me talk to her." Raine touched Torak''s hand, with pleading eyes she looked at the Alpha. "Let me talk to her for awhile then I will let you know why I said she lied."


    Torak pulled Raine closer by her waist and kept her close while nodding at the Lycan who was holding Clarice to the ground and almost killed the female werewolf.


    Torak''s intention was clear. Raine could ask Clarice, but she was not allowed to step closer to her. Torak didn''t want to gamble with his mate safety.


    "Why did you lie?" Raine asked when Clarice had been released from the Lycan''s grip.


    Yet, Clarice didn''t cherish that and kept shaking her head, still harbor the thought that she could keep her act until the end, despite she didn''t know why Raine suddenly said something like that.


    "I am not lying¡­" Clarice looked so pitiful, playing victim in front of Raine with her big teary eyes, trying to gain the Luna''s sympathy.


    "Tell me the truth and I will help you." Raine tried to save her from Torak''s wrath also, but Clarice didn''t know any better, as she kept denied. "I swear!"


    Raine looked at Clarice in disappointment and then shifted her gaze at Torak. "I will show you."


    After saying that, Raine took Torak''s hand and walked back toward the pack house followed by the rest of the Lycanthropes, wondered, what their Luna would show it to them.


    Behind Torak and Raine, Clarice''s eyes flickered in panic as she was being dragged back to the pack house again.


    Even Torak couldn''t tell what Raine was going to do, but knowing her ability was getting stronger he knew that his mate would do the right things, thus he let Raine to lead the way for them.


    It was a rare occasion to see Raine took the initiative first. Thus, Torak was eager to see what she would do.


    Raine held Torak''s hand while walking inside the pack house and walked past the living room where they gathered earlier.


    But, then she walked to the second floor, but before she climbed the stairs, she turned around to look at one of the nearby Lycan. "Bring the child." She said curtly.


    The Lycan didn''t immediately do what his Luna told him, instead he looked at his Alpha, waiting for his approval.


    Of course this kind of act was within Raine''s expectation. They didn''t take her word seriously and without Torak''s permission she was nothing but a title without true power.


    "Your Luna''s words are my words!" Torak growled in dissatisfied as his people questioned his mate''s order. They had to start to learn to look Raine as their Luna.


    "Yes Alpha, Luna." The Lycan lowered his head as he went to get the child.


    Raine smiled faintly at Torak and squeezed his hand lightly to show her gratitude, in exchange, Torak kissed her cheek and spoke softly. "Let''s go."


    Raine nodded and continued to go to the second floor.


    There were many rooms in the second floor and as if Raine had lived there for years, she walked straight to one room with determination and tried to open it, but it was locked.


    Torak pulled Raine back and with one hard pound he tore the door opened from its hinges.


    Raine looked at that with eyes widened in disbelief. Just how strong Torak was? But then she realized Torak wasn''t even a human in the first place.


    Torak threw the broken door away and grabbed Raine''s hand, guided her inside carefully, reminded her about the shattered woods on the floor, just in case she stepped on it and the sharp pieces pierced through her shoes.


    This room was a bedroom with a simple decoration and beautiful chandelier. Aside from a king size bed at the left side, there was only a small table beside the bed.


    "Lift that bed." Raine pointed at the bed in front of her. It indeed looked heavy, but she was sure with the Lycan''s inhumanly strength they could lift it without breaking a sweat. "And bring Jade here."


    Raine ordered them swiftly, and because what Torak had said before, they didn''t dare to delay their Luna''s order.


    One Lycan stepped inside the room and another two entered with Jade and Clarice with them, Calleb followed as well.


    "There is something under the bed." Raine answered Torak''s unspoken question, apparently she became more astute at reading her mate.

 Chapter 329 - DARK TUNNEL

    The Lycan who was standing in front of the bed immediately lifted it up easily and put it upside down as it leaned against the wall.


    Under the bed everyone could see there was a square board wood that didn''t suit with another board wood around it and there was a key hole in the middle of it.


    Raine stepped forward with Torak walked so close behind her, in case something unpleasant was happening and he needed to react fast.


    Raine squatted down and touch the key hole with her slender fingers before she lifted her head and looked at Jade, the three years old child was crying silently in the arms of the Lycanthropes.


    "There is a key around his ankle." Raine pointed her fingers at Jade''s left ankle.


    Once she said that, Clarice went berserk as she shifted into his brown wolf with a golden strip around her hind legs until her snout.


    The beast''s eyes turned black as she snarled at the person who was holding her son. She tried to snatch away her son, but of course it wouldn''t be an easy job to do because the other Lycans had been ready and also shifted into their beast form.


    Torak pulled Raine behind his back as his canines elongated. He was ready to tear the female wolf into shred if she dared enough to touch his mate.


    However, the only thing that interested the female wolf was only her child. She tried and failed, tried and failed to get back her son until one of the beasts pounced on her and bit down her neck.


    In matter of second, the female wolf let out an agony howl before she fell on the ground with blood flooded around her.


    Raine hid her face and shut her eyes tightly. She didn''t understand why the woman chose to defy Torak''s order and turned aggressive when all Raine wanted was only the key that attached at her son''s ankle.


    Raine even didn''t think to hurt the mother or the child.


    "Stop it Torak¡­ make them stop¡­" Raine whimpered. The gurgling sound that was heard from Clarice''s throat scared her greatly as her body started to tremble.


    Torak raised his hand to stop the beast assault on the female wolf that was still put a fight though she was badly injured.


    The moment the fight was happening the boy was brought out of the room and the other Lycan returned with the key that Raine had mentioned before while Jade was staying in the other room.


    Raine still could hear his cry.


    The injured female Lycan tried to stand and snatched the key away from Raine''s hand, but failed as she kept falling to the ground. Loss a lot of blood and energy.


    Not only that, the female Lycan was trying to put more effort to stop Raine, yet all she could do was only wailing in pain.


    "Don''t!" She hissed as she turned into her human form. The bite on her neck had slowly healed but, the blood loss that she suffered couldn''t be replenished so fast.


    The Lycan gave the key to Raine, slightly nodded his head out of courtesy.


    Yet, it was Torak who received the key and scrutinized the small metal in his hand. "Back away my love." He said.


    He didn''t know why Clarice was so adamant for the door to not open, but giving her agitation now, they wouldn''t be able to talk to her right now.


    In the other hand, Calleb walked beside Raine and pulled her back, away from the secret door. And just like Torak overprotectiveness, Calleb also hid his Luna behind his back and only allowed her to peek from behind his broad shoulder.


    Actually Raine thought there was nothing dangerous behind the secret door, but she was not very sure because she only saw a dark tunnel behind it.


    Her vision was ended there, because Raine saw it from the child''s perception.


    "Torak¡­" Raine called out his name from behind Calleb''s back, she couldn''t help but worried for her mate. "Be careful." She said, her face showed her discomfort.


    Torak just gave her a faint smile without saying anything.


    However, that sort of act left the other Lycanthropes were befuddled. They had never seen their Alpha''s gaze so tender and smile so harmless like that.


    Did they see a thing?


    Torak ignored their strange gaze on him as he turned around and placed the key on the key hole and twisted it until a faint sound could be heard from it.


    He lifted it open and saw there was stairs that went all the way down to the ground and beneath it apparently it was dark tunnel.


    In the other hand, Clarice kept shouting at them to get away from there.


    Torak straightened his back as he walked toward Clarice, in the end, the woman''s voice irritated him. "Tell me why I can''t go there?" He asked in low dangerous tone.


    "No. I can''t tell you¡­" She shook her head and now the wound on her neck had closed completely. "I can''t tell you¡­ but, you can''t go there Alpha¡­ don''t go there¡­" She wept.


    Torak disliked this kind of reason and just like how the curiosity worked, the more Clarice didn''t allow him to go down to the tunnel and didn''t give him significant answer, the more he would go there to see it for himself what was the thing that the woman scared of.


    Torak ignored Clarice''s warning and gestured to four of the Lycan to follow him inside the tunnel.


    "Torak¡­" Raine stepped forward from behind Calleb''s back, she clutched onto Torak''s shirt, unwilling to let him go.


    For some reason Clarice''s warning slightly bothered her.


    "I will come back soon." Torak caressed her cheek and smoothed her wrinkled eyebrows. "Stay here with Calleb, okay?"


    "I don''t want you to go¡­" Raine glanced at the empty tunnel, it looked the same from what she had seen and she had a bad feeling about it.


    "I will be alright." Torak kissed Raine''s forehead and together with the other four Lycan''s, he went down to the dark tunnel.

 Chapter 330 - SHE WAS CURSED

    Once Torak had gone from her sight, Raine couldn''t help but became nervous. She couldn''t feel at ease by the sight of the dark tunnel in front of her.


    Therefore, she squatted down beside the entrance of it with Calleb right beside her.


    What if something happened to Torak down there? What if this just another trick from the devil? What if there was unknown monster down there?


    Raine''s head was buzzing with question after question, unable to think clearly and assessed the situation.


    Raine really wanted for Torak to comeback right now.


    When she felt her head was about to explode from too much thinking, she felt a big palm on her head, tousled her hair in soothing motion.


    Only then, Raine realized Calleb has been staring at her with soft smile on his lips. His voice was so warm and calm when he spoke. "He will be fine. The Alpha will return soon."


    Raine stared at Calleb for sometime before she nodded her head silently.


    "Where is the child?" Raine asked.


    "He is fine, he is in the room next door." Calleb reassured her.


    Raine nodded. They didn''t need to hurt the child, he was innocent, it was just Raine saw in her vision that Clarice was putting the key around his ankle after she closed the secret door.


    Yes, Clarice.


    Raine didn''t think about this before.


    She abruptly stood up and approached Clarice, who was still sobbing on the ground under the eyes of the Lycanthropes.


    More than five Lycanthropes were inside this room, paying close attention to her, if she dared to make any dangerous movement than they wouldn''t be so merciful enough to let her alive.


    Not to mention the Alpha had given them order, before he went to the dark tunnel, to kill her if she became a threat toward the Luna.


    Calleb realized Raine''s attention and quickly grabbed her hand to hold her back. "Where are you going?" He asked her.


    "I want to talk to her." Raine said in matter of fact tone. There was something that she needed to know.


    "No. You are not allowed to be near her." Calleb''s grip became firmer. "The Alpha will kill me if something happen to you." He whispered.


    "Hold her then." Raine gave a solution. She needed to talk to Clarice. She would not do nothing while waiting for Torak, at the very least, she had to be able to get a tiny bit additional information for Torak.


    "She will not say anything." Calleb reminded Raine. "Don''t you see that she almost deceived us if it wasn''t because of your warning?"


    "It''s okay." Raine tried to release his grip from her, but it was so tight, though it didn''t hurt her, but she couldn''t free herself. "I have my own way¡­ I guest." She added, slightly hesitated.


    "What will you do?" Calleb narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Don''t do anything reckless at time like this." He warned her again.


    "Of course not." Raine frowned as she felt wronged. "Why I want to put myself in danger?"


    Calleb stared at Raine for a bit longer before he sighed helplessly and yielded to her request. "Torak will kill me once he knows this." He released his grip on her.


    "Don''t worry, I will back you up." Raine grinned at him and the latter couldn''t help but grin as well.


    Calleb walked forward and asked two of the Lycans to hold Clarice, made sure she wouldn''t make a sudden move that would endanger their Luna.


    As the third in command, ultimately, those Lycans followed the Gamma''s order, moreover it was something that their Luna asked too.


    They still remembered their Alpha''s words and obeyed both Calleb and Luna.


    The two Lycans were holding each of Clarice''s arms while the one on her left was grabbing her hair and pulled it down, so her head could tilt up to look at Raine.


    Raine wanted to say that they shouldn''t treat her badly, but held herself from commenting something like that.


    It was a beast that she had to deal with, once wrong move and because of her sorry feeling for her, Raine''s life would be in danger and absolutely she didn''t want to put herself in that situation.


    After all, their harsh treatment wouldn''t kill Clarice.


    "Tell me, why were you lying about the secret door?" Raine stood two steps away from her, too close for Calleb''s liking.


    The Gamma''s shoulder turned stiff, he was in alert, ready to battle anyone who would do harm on Raine.


    "I can''t tell you." Clarice gritted her teeth. "I can''t tell you." She was so stubborn, giving to her situation now.


    "Why?" Raine asked. She narrowed her eyes. "Why you can not?"


    Clarice clammed her lips to prevent her to talk further, this also emphasized her reluctance to tell Raine the truth.


    "Tell me or I will order them to kill your son." Raine said in cold tone.


    This made Calleb whipped his head toward her, wasn''t sure that he heard it right. would never have thought Raine would say something like that, even though this was only an empty threat.


    There was no way she would order something like that.


    However, Clarice didn''t think that way. Her mother''s instinct wouldn''t let any harm befell on her child, whether it was only an empty threat or not.


    Clarice wouldn''t take a risk to try it. After all, she didn''t know Raine for long time, thus she wasn''t aware about her character.


    Raine was gambling with mother''s nature. However, even if Clarice didn''t fall for this cheap trick, Raine still has something.


    "No, please Luna¡­ I can''t tell you¡­ I will die¡­" Clarice started to beg her. She wailed again as tears started to roll down on her cheeks.


    Calleb then remembered what had happened to the people that betrayed Torak the moment they tried to talk. Was this dark magic again?


    "Raine, I don''t think she can talk." Calleb informed her.


    "I know." Raine said curtly, yet she took another steps closer to her as she stretched out her hand toward Clarice''s face.

 Chapter 331 - IT WOULDNT HURT TO TRY

    "What are you doing?!" Calleb gripped Raine''s hand tightly. Was she out of her mind!? That female werewolf could bite her hand off!


    "Hold her head still for me, I want to try something." Raine told Calleb about what he should do. "I just want to touch her." She added when Calleb threw her a questioning look.


    "What do you want to try?" Asked Calleb suspiciously.


    Raine tilted her head and stared at Calleb suspiciously. "My power." She said while raising her hand. "Just a single touch. I don''t guarantee this will work, but at least I want to figure out how this works."


    Calleb was still looking at Raine, unsure about what he would do, yet just like before, in the the Gamma yielded at the Luna''s request.


    Calleb stepped forward and held Clarice''s head firmly, prevented her from moving freely, in case she would bite Raine.


    "What are you going to do to me?!" Clarice yelled and growled.


    However, no one paid attention toward Clarice as Calleb and the other two Lycans held her tight, Raine was walking closer toward her and stretched out her hand.


    Other people probably didn''t know about this, but Calleb knew what Raine was going to do. He held his breathe, waiting for what Raine would get.


    Calleb still remembered how Raine easily knew what was happening to Torak when she was miles away from him and also when she knew about the flower when they visited the pack house last time.


    Actually, Calleb was excited to know more about Raine''s new power.


    When Raine''s hand touched Clarice''s left cheek, Calleb stared intensely at Raine, waiting for her to say something.


    The furrowed on her eyebrows made Calleb became more excited as he looked at his Luna expectantly. He had never seen this kind of power before, so this was definitely something that amazed him.


    "How?" Calleb asked after he watched Raine had retracted her hand. "Do you see something again?"


    But the wrinkle on her brows still. It could only mean something horrified would happen, or¡­


    "I don''t know. I see nothing." Raine said in frustration. "Maybe I need more practice, I don''t know how this works."


    "It''s alright." Calleb tousled Raine''s hair. "You still have a lot of time to practice." He consoled her.


    "Hm¡­" Raine nodded, but still couldn''t feel the satisfaction for herself. She could do better than that.


    She wanted to do better than that.


    In the end, Raine sat down near the entrance of the secret door with Calleb accompanied her.


    "Why he takes so long?" Raine rested her chin on top of her knees while hugging her legs.


    "Don''t worry. The Alpha will be fine." Calleb tousled her hair as he stared at the dark tunnel under.


    Actually, for Calleb, it was indeed too long. He had the same question too, but definitely he couldn''t voice it out or else, Raine would start getting antsy and adamant to go down the tunnel.


    Giving to her current temper, it was possible.


    Now, they were only four people inside the room. Raine and Calleb also the other two Lycans who were standing on guard near the door while Clarice had been taken away to the other rooms, separated from her son.


    "Why don''t we send someone to check on them? Torak just took four people with him, maybe he needs our help." Raine suggested.


    "It''s not necessary. We don''t know what is inside there, there is possibility they will miss each other." Calleb answered. "Moreover, the Alpha will be pissed off if there is someone else who comes for him. There must be a reason why he just brought four people with him." He tried to reason with her.


    "Why don''t you go down?" Raine looked at Calleb expectantly. "I think he will get too angry if it''s you."


    "I can''t, because I have to be here with you." Calleb answered.


    "Then, why don''t we go down?" Raine''s eyes sparkled when she suggested this idea, as if she just found a brilliant idea.


    "No way!" Calleb raised his hands as a sign of gave up. "Once Torak knows you are down there, it will be my life at stake." He shuddered. "You have to know how scary the Alpha is when it concerns you."


    Raine narrowed her eyes and then, reluctantly, resumed her position earlier.


    In this time, Calleb could only sigh in relief when he had managed to dismiss Raine''s idea to go down there.


    As she stared into the dark tunnel, Raine found darker stains on the secret door. She stretched out her hands and touched it, yet the sharp surface of the wood grazed her skin and cut her finger.


    "What are you doing?" Calleb immediately took a closer look on her wound.


    It didn''t cut her finger too deep, but Raine''s finger was bleeding, though it wasn''t serious.


    However, Raine''s attention wasn''t on her finger, but to the stains on the secret door, because once her blood touched it, it was gone.


    "Bring me the child." Raine said suddenly.


    "Pardon me?" Calleb didn''t quite get what she said before.


    Raine stood up and looked at the two guards near the door as she repeated her order. "Bring me the child."


    The guards stared at Raine for a moment before one of them nodded his head politely and walked to the other room.


    Calleb stood up as well.


    "Are you going to try on the child?" Calleb asked with curiosity.


    "Yes." Raine said firmly. "I hope this time will work¡­" She paused for a second before she added. "I feel something fishy about the child and just realized it now."


    "What is it?" Calleb frowned.


    "When I looked into the child''s past, I only saw him inside the tunnel with Alpha Ryan, but I didn''t see Clarice at all." Raine confessed.


    "And your point?" Calleb frowned, didn''t understand with this logic.


    "Why Alpha Ryan just brought a three years old child inside the tunnel? Unless, he has done something to the child." Raine tightened her lips. "My guess could be wrong, but I think we need to try all the possibilities, right?"


    When Raine finished saying that, the Lycan who had gone to take the child came.

 Chapter 332 - PUT HIM DOWN!!!

    There was fear on the child''s eyes when he looked at Raine, pleading with his brown big eyes to Raine for not hurt him.


    For a moment, Raine thought her idea was completely wrong, yet she convinced herself, it wouldn''t hurt to try.


    "I will just ask you, alright." Raine took steps closer toward the child in the Lycan''s arms.


    Because it was just a small child the Lycan didn''t actually treat him badly as he carried the child like how a father did.


    "Raine, what are you going to do?" Calleb, once again, felt nervous because of Raine strange acted. What will the three years old child would do? Was she really suspicious at the child?


    Raine ignored Calleb''s question and reached out her hand to touch the child''s cheek, just like how she did before.


    Though she still couldn''t figure out how that vision come and go without her consent, but at the very least Raine hoped she could find something now.


    Raine touched the kid not with her cut finger, but with her other hand.


    Time seemed stopped when Raine touched him. The lamp flickered and went off as her surroundings became so dark for her to see.


    Raine''s breathe turned uneven as her ears caught a movement near her. A movement and the sound of child crying.


    Jade?


    It sounded like him.


    Raine turned around and found the child was being carried away on someone''s shoulder with his head faced the back of the man.


    It was jade.


    And the man¡­ who was the man?


    Raine knew she was in her own vision of the past, yet wasn''t sure if they could see her. Would they be able to see her now?


    Of course they would! Whenever she traveled back to the past, she literally went to that moment. Raine wanted to slap herself, yet she hastily tried to find hiding place to hide.


    She found a small cabinet, attached to the wall and slipped her body inside.


    From the slightly opened door, Raine could see a man, carrying the little Jade on his shoulder, walked past her.


    Raine couldn''t see his face, but she was quite sure it was Alpha Ryan, which Torak had been looking for as Jade kept calling him as his ''Daddy''.


    Once, she was sure that man had gone, Raine opened the cabinet and stepped out of her hiding place.


    She was in this creepy dark tunnel. Raine reminded herself to ask Serefina to teach her how to bring other people with her if she had to do this again next time.


    Raine wasn''t sure it was safe enough for her to roam around this dark place, yet wasn''t that her intention to come to this moment?


    If something went wrong, Raine would leave everything here and returned to her own time. She had done it when she went to get the grimoire, so she guessed she could do it again.


    Slowly, but surely she walked forward, fortunately this place has only one way, so she wouldn''t be afraid to get lost.


    After Raine walked for three minutes, at the end of the tunnel there were a room with the door slightly open.


    Raine crept closer and rested her back against the door. She dug her nails on her palms to suppress her fear, trying to listen to the voices inside.


    However, the voices inside was like someone rumbling in strange languages. Raine couldn''t understand even a word from it.


    It didn''t make any sense.


    Carefully, Raine squatted down and peeked through the door that was slightly ajar, and the scene before her eyes made her hair stand on end.


    Raine covered her mouth so she wouldn''t let out a scream.


    The scene before her eyes was so terrifying.


    And everything got blurred.


    When her vision was getting clearer, Raine was touching Jade''s cheek. The boy suddenly stopped crying and looking at Raine in disgust as his eyes turned red.


    "PUT HIM DOWN!" Raine shouted immediately as she grabbed Calleb''s wrist and took steps back along with him.


    The Lycan, who was holding Jade, didn''t react too fast when the harmless little boy in his arms turned his tiny head and bit his neck down.


    The Lycan let out a long agitated growled as he tried to free himself from the boy.


    Once he managed to free his neck, he smacked the boy to the ground. The strength that he exerted was so great that the spot where the little body collided with the floor left a dent.


    Raine grimaced when she witnessed that, how his body could stand that impact?


    However, she was wrong. Jade stood up as if nothing happened.


    The loud commotion from inside the room attracted attention of the other Lycan''s outside, yet when they were about to get into the room, the door was closed with a loud bang until it felt like the whole place started to shake.


    Not only the door of the room that was closed but also the secret door as the bed fell to the ground, covering it.


    Now, there were only four people inside the bedroom, Raine, Calleb, the Lycan and Jade.


    "What the hell is he!?" Calleb cursed out loud. His eyes turned dark as he pulled Raine closer to him and hid her behind his back.


    Calleb''s eyes flashed at the Lycan, who had been bitten by Jade. The blood that gushing out from his wound didn''t stop, apparently his healing ability didn''t help his case.


    What is it? Poison?


    But, not many poison that could harm werewolf, not to mention a Lycan. So, what it was?


    Loud bangs sound from outside indicated that those Lycans couldn''t tear the door down, no matter how hard they tried.


    It must be covered with something. Dark magic? But, they were not witch. The boy was a pup.


    "Raine, what is it?" Calleb asked, his voice was so rigid. The Gamma was in high alert as his eyes fixed on the little boy whose staring back at him.

 Chapter 333 - HE WAS FASTER THAN THE BEAST

    "The boy was being cursed." Raine said under her breath. She couldn''t take her eyes from the boy''s red one. The smirk on his face was so creepy that made him not looked like a child anymore. "I saw it. They put spell on him."


    As Raine said that, she remembered how the boy was crying in agony in the end of the ritual, when a witch chanted a spell in strange language.


    They poured a bucket of blood on the boy''s body and as his little figure was covered with red color, so did his eyes.


    His eyes turned red, just like how it looked now.


    Raine didn''t know if the situation would turn out like this, she didn''t see it thoroughly in her first attempt and now when she looked deeper into it, she was flabbergasted that this kind of magic actually existed.


    The boy tilted his head as he gazed at Raine with interest.


    "Is he the boy or he is just a substitute?" Calleb asked. He felt bad if he had to kill such a young child, but it didn''t mean he wouldn''t if he had to.


    "He is the boy. He is Jade. But they did something to him and I don''t know what that is." Raine replied.


    The injured Lycan tried to stand up while pressing his neck hard, he moved toward the little boy with a loud growl and kicked its tiny body across the room.


    Raine held her breath upon seeing this scene. She couldn''t help it as the evil was still in the form of the innocent little boy.


    Why they did this to a little kid?!


    From outside, the banging sounds grew louder and louder as people tried their hardest to tear the door down. Yet, it didn''t budge, though the door was already torn from its hinges when Torak had opened it forcefully.


    Just like nothing happened, Jade stood up again and dusted the invincible dust from his clothes, resuming his action to stare at Raine.


    "What is this?" Calleb muttered, he took a step forward. "Should we kill him?" He asked Raine behind him.


    "I don''t know¡­" Raine couldn''t decide it, after all this was a child. She didn''t want to give a verdict to him.


    "I will kill him." The injured Lycan was so upset because of the wound on his neck that didn''t stop bleeding. "This d*mn kid!" he hissed angrily as he stormed toward Jade.


    But, the kid moved so fast, very fast until Raine couldn''t follow his movement with her eyes.


    By the time she realized it, the kid had bitten down the Lycan on his shoulder as the Lycan let out shrill scream and tried to choke Jade so he would let his shoulder off, yet that wasn''t enough, the boy''s sharp teeth still latched onto the Lycan''s skin.


    Seeing this, Calleb hurriedly stormed to aid the Lycan as he tried to tear the little body with his claws, yet it didn''t mean anything.


    As if Jade''s body was made of hard scales, Calleb''s sharp claws couldn''t even hurt him a little bit. No matter how hard Calleb tried, his claws couldn''t pierce through his soft baby skin.


    This is bad.


    Raine knew this was going to be bad.


    Calleb and the Lycan struggled to free the Lycan away from Jade, yet both of them didn''t have any idea why the boy was so strong.


    He was actually stronger than the two grown up Lycan, a Gamma and warrior on top of it.


    How could that be possible?


    As the time ticking, the Lycan, who was loss so much blood started to grow weak, his injured neck for some reason couldn''t be healed and now his shoulder also bleeding.


    The next second the Lycan slumped to the ground with heavy breathe. His eyes fluttered close.


    "Calleb! Comeback here!" Raine shouted at Calleb.


    At this point there was no way Calleb could save the Lycan. Raine felt bad for him, but he couldn''t be helped anymore and if Jade started to attack Calleb, Raine didn''t know what to do to help him.


    "Calleb, stop it! Comeback here!" Raine repeated her order.


    Upon hearing Raine''s cry, Calleb stopped what he was doing and took steps back. He has the same logic as Raine too.


    This situation was weird and his beast was on edge. He felt restless and anxious at the same time, though they were only facing a little boy.


    But, from what they had witnessed, of course the boy wasn''t the normal one.


    In no time, Calleb had stood in front of Riane to protect her for whatever would happen. He wracked his brain to think of a way to save her.


    And because Jade was still busy with the Lycan, Calleb quickly lifted the bed and threw it away as it revealed the secret door.


    People from outside the door had been trying to bust the door down, yet it still didn''t budge, so Calleb thought it must have been spelled by dark magic, hence he couldn''t think of a way to repel it.


    However, the loud noise from the bed that hit the wall caught Jade''s attention. He turned his small head slowly.


    His lips was covered by blood from the Lycan and for the Lycan, no one knew if he was still alive or already died.


    Raine gritted her teeth when, once again, the boy''s eyes showed his interest to her, while Calleb was trying to open the secret door, Jade had walked toward them.


    Calleb thought, Torak was down there, the Alpha would find his mate the moment he caught a scent of her, thus Raine would be fine.


    However, when Calleb almost pulled the door open, Jade pounced on him.


    In a blink of an eye, the Gamma turned into his beast, now big grey wolf was standing tall in front of Raine, yet, Jade went berserk fearlessly, dodging the beasts attack and dashed toward Raine with his sharp teeth.


    He was so fast, faster than the beast.

 Chapter 334 - THE TIME

    Raine stumbled back when Jade''s sharp teeth almost bit her. Her back hit the cabinet behind and automatically sent waves of pain to her whole body.


    Yet, Raine couldn''t have a time to catch her breath when Jade pounced onto her again, this time, Calleb moved faster and with a loud growl he bit the child''s leg and threw him across the room.


    Once again, the child''s body hit the wall, shook the entire room.


    While Jade was away, the beast tried to open the secret door, using his claw, he tried to break the wood.


    However the beast didn''t have enough time to make an escape for his Luna when Jade started to attack him again relentlessly.


    No matter how hard Calleb tried to claw his body, his skin was so thick until it didn''t leave any mark on him.


    Not only the boy not slowing down, he became more agitated because of the beast interruption for him to get close to Raine.


    He tried to bit the beast''s neck, just like how he did to the other Lycan, yet the beast specifically paid attention to this movement and managed to escape couple of time.


    Raine, who knew better to not interfere with the battle, moved toward the secret door and tried to open it, but her attention was still on Jade and the beast.


    Just in case they moved too close to her, then she needed to avoid them too.


    The secret door was so hard to open, though the Raine had put the key on its key hole, yet it didn''t budge, out of frustration, Raine banged her hand on the wood instead and called out to her mate.


    "TORAK!" She repeated his name again and again.


    Seemingly the secret door was also under a spell, just like the door of the room.


    This time, Raine just hoped Torak could hear her voice and did something from the other side of the secret door.


    However, if this spell could muffle the sound, Raine didn''t know what else she could do to help Calleb.


    The beast looked aggravated. It wasn''t weak at all, it just the boy couldn''t be hurt at all, no matter what was done to him, he didn''t even look in pain though the beast''s claws wrapped his tinny face, ready to squeeze the life out of him.


    Yet, it couldn''t be done, as Jade''s head had turned as tough as titanium.


    This battle wouldn''t lead anywhere. This just exhausted the beast while the kid didn''t even break a sweat or got a scratch.


    Raine looked around the room, trying to find something or did something.


    But, she didn''t know. She was at lost too, just like the beast now.


    Right at that moment, somehow the little boy managed to hurt the beast''s leg and made the beast limped his body to the other side.


    Seeing this opportunity, the boy let out an eerie snicker, which made Raine''s hair stand on end, the boy was about to pounce onto the beast, when Raine screamed on the top of her lungs out of fear.


    She was so scared that Calleb would end up just like the dead lycan.


    Raine didn''t want to lose him. Calleb was like a bother to her. She didn''t want to witness how this little boy bit the beast to his death.


    "NO! STOP! STOP!"


    And everything went still¡­


    It was so calm.


    So quiet.


    Even the noisy sounds from the doors from those Lycan''s effort to bust it down, couldn''t be heard anymore.


    Everything went still¡­


    Raine blinked her eyes couples of time when the current situation registered to her head.


    There was no sound except her ragged breath.


    Raine shifted her eyes at the beast that was almost fell down to the floor, yet his big body stopped mid air. It looked so odd.


    Everything looked so strange.


    However, this had happened before.


    The same exact thing had happened when Raine was in the village of angel. The last day of that village before it was destroyed by the Lycanthropes.


    The moment when Raine put herself between the white Lycan and Aeon. When the beast was about to claw the life out of Aeon''s body. Raine put herself between them and¡­


    And something like this happened.


    The time stopped ticking.


    Raine didn''t believe her luck. She actually managed to pull this through in the last moment? How lucky she was when she even didn''t know how to do it¡­


    Raine fell to the ground as her legs gave away and her body trembled in fear and excitement, but she needed to think fast how to handle this situation.


    It wouldn''t last for long time, the last time this happened, it just last for seconds.


    However, seemingly, this time it last longer than Raine expected.


    They were trapped in this room with a scary little boy that couldn''t be hurt.


    Couldn''t be hurt?


    Raine raised her finger that was cut and stared at the secret door.


    One of the reasons why she asked to see Jade again was because of the stain of the dried blood on the secret door.


    However, it disappeared the moment her blood mixed with it. The stains of dried blood vanished.


    It reminded Raine about how the devil couldn''t touch her blood, then if it was the case, maybe she could give it a try.


    Without waiting for another second, Raine shut her eyes and grabbed a piece of sharp broken glass, which was broke during the fight, and cut her own palm.


    It hurt so bad!


    Raine couldn''t help but growl in pain. The pain almost made her dizzy as she threw the shard and tried to stand up, approaching the boy with bloody hand.


    Raine didn''t want to waste even a drop of her blood! If this best idea of her didn''t succeed she didn''t know what to do again.


    However, when she was about to reach the boy, he turned his head and faced Raine as a smirk crept on his lips.


    Raine thought the time was ticking again, yet Calleb was still in his weird position and everything was still so quiet.

 Chapter 335 - SURVIVAL INSTINCT

    Out of surprised, Raine took a step back, how he could move freely when everything was still?


    However, that wasn''t the point now.


    The more important thing that Raine had to do was to think how she could get away from this situation, because Calleb couldn''t help her as he was still froze and Raine didn''t know what to do to him.


    Raine clutched her injured arms as droplets of blood fell on the ground. This was her only protection, yet she was unsure if this was enough.


    Her prediction could be wrong and Raine was so terrified to even think.


    The situation was getting worse than she could imagine. Once the boy latched his teeth on her, she would die for sure.


    The little boy crept closer toward her as if he knew that Raine was different from the big grey wolf, which couldn''t move now.


    Raine wouldn''t be able to fight him back like the beast and he didn''t need to use much strength to subdue this young lady.


    Therefore the little boy takes his time, move an inch closer with creepy smile on his lips that showed his sharp teeth.


    Raine''s heart was beating so fast, her body was shaking from to time, but there was a determination in her eyes.


    She wasn''t able to comprehend, why when other people couldn''t move the little boy was still able to move freely?


    However, Raine didn''t have time to think about that, as she had to deal with the boy, who was standing two steps away from her.


    He didn''t speak as he tilted his head to the other side and looked at Raine with interest.


    As Jade''s red eyes shifted from Raine''s face, his vision fell to the wound on Raine''s hand and his brows knitted together.


    He didn''t like it.


    As if it was a cue, Raine raised her hand and made a wave motion as she splashed the blood that had pooled in her palm toward Jade.


    Yet, the boy moved so fast and dodge the splashing blood swiftly. He jumped backwards and stopped near the secret door, keeping some distance away from Raine.


    His action made Raine relieved and also understood that he was afraid of her blood and her idea actually worked.


    Between her fear and anxiety, Raine gathered her courage to take a step forward with shaking legs and trembling hand, she began slightly dizzy because of the blood loss, apparently she cut her palm deeper than she intended.


    The boy growled at Raine and showed his canines, which she even didn''t realize he has it.


    This situation was so tricky and Raine hoped she knew how to make the time ran again, it would be better if she had Calleb as back up since she knew how to hurt this little boy.


    But, that wasn''t the case and now she was all alone with this creepy boy.


    All of sudden Jade fell on his four limbs and raised his head as he assumed a position of a wolf that was ready to attack its prey.


    It was insane! Raine didn''t think she was fast enough to dodge his fast attack.


    Now, Jade was lowering his head, his red eyes zeroed in Raine''s neck. The sweet spot where those shape shifter liked, where the blood vessels throbbed with temptation.


    Jade''s hunger eyes didn''t miss his target as all of sudden he lunged his body in the air, ready to knock Raine down and enjoyed the guardian angel''s blood easily.


    In the other hand, Raine was squinted her eyes and moved as fast as she could to her left side when Jade lurched toward her with his tiny sharp claws raised in the air.


    Just as expected, Raine wasn''t fast enough for the little boy as his sharp claws grazed her right arm and wounded her.


    Raine hissed when her blood smeared her clothes, but Jade also wailed in pain when Raine''s blood touched him.


    He was in agony as he clutched his hand that he used to claw Raine.


    Jade groaned and started to bite his own hand that started to look like it was burning because Raine could see his skin blistered and burned.


    Raine''s blood actually affected him so much.


    And the next thing that the boy did was staring at Raine in animosity and antagonism. Jade snarled, he was totally not a three year old child!


    If before Raine was still holding herself back because she still looked at Jade as a child, but not now.


    Not when he crawled so fast toward Raine with his four limbs, intended to bite her to death.


    Raine was ready, this was the moment when Serefina always said when she had to do everything that she could to preserve her life, because her enemy wouldn''t wait for her to be ready.


    Just because she showed her compassion to her enemy that didn''t mean the other party would do the same thing that was the first mistake to think that way.


    Raine gritted her teeth. She didn''t want to die.


    Raine''s obsidian eyes reflected the fast movement of the little boy as she tried to compose herself and gave her best to defend herself.


    Yet, before the boy could reach her, there was a loud sound, coming from the secret door.


    The wooden door was splintered by force from the other side as dirt and wood ch.i.p.s flung in the air.


    And before either Raine or Jade could comprehend what was happening, Torak had appeared next to his mate as his left hand wrapped around Raine''s waist protectively and his right hand wrapped around Jade''s neck ruthlessly.


    Out of instinct the boy tried to claw Torak''s hands desperately, trying to find a way to free himself.


    While Torak''s red eyes flashed with something evil, he snapped the boy''s neck, yet nothing happened. He couldn''t crush his tiny throat just as he wanted.


    At that time, Raine wriggled her body away from Torak and put her bloody hands on the child''s stomach, made sure to press them hard on his skin as her blood started oozing out again.

 Chapter 336 - SOMETHING BIG WILL COME

    Jade screamed on the top of his lungs. His voice was so hoarse like a timbre, yet gradually his voice turned softer and just like a three years old child, he sobbed pitifully.


    Jade wailed and called out for his mother with his childish voice as if the little devil from before had long gone and had never been there in the first place.


    Of course this startled Raine. Her heart ached just to hear Jade''s voice, calling out for Clarice.


    Torak pulled Raine into his embrace and pressed her face against his chest, so she wouldn''t have to witness the gruesome scene before her eyes.


    Jade''s body scalded on the place where Raine had touched him and the burn spread on his small body. In the end, Torak was just holding the neck of the death boy in his hand before he put the three years old boy on the floor and hugged Raine tightly.


    Raine didn''t know when she started sobbing and turned into a messy cry.


    Of course she was afraid of what she had to face earlier, yet the most terrifying thing was the fact that she had just killed an innocent three year old boy.


    Torak hugged him and whispered something to his mate''s ears that she couldn''t comprehend. Raine also didn''t know when all the noisy sounds started and the time was ticking again.


    In the other hand, Calleb had turned into his human form with wounded leg and shoulder as he stared at the lifeless boy on the ground and then toward the couple.


    And before the Gamma could say anything, the door was being opened forcefully from the outside. The loud banging sound startled Raine again as she whimpered and buried her face deep into Torak''s chest as though she didn''t close enough to him.


    Upon seeing the scene inside, not only Calleb, who was currently flabbergasted, but they were also.


    A second ago, they still could hear fighting sound behind the door, which couldn''t be opened and loud growls along with shattering sounds, yet the scene before their eyes was totally not relatable with what they heard.


    There was a dead body of their fellow lycan that carried the child earlier, which now died as well and not too far from the child''s dead body their Alpha consoled their crying Luna.


    Calleb''s position was slightly hidden by the tumbled cabinet, but when they found him, three Lycans hurriedly attended to him to see how bad his injuries were.


    "Alpha, Luna are you two all right?" One of the Lycans stepped forward to check on their leader. He caught a glimpse of the child''s dead body as his eyes furrowed.


    How the child died? They had just heard their Luna screamed something about to put the boy down before the door closed their way to enter the room.


    "It''s okay." Torak nodded slightly as he gestured for the Lycan to clean up this mess. The Lycan obeyed his Alpha as he stepped back and gave a way to their Alpha and Luna.


    Torak scooped Raine in his arms swiftly as he walked out of the room, leaving all those gruesome scenes behind.


    Outside of the room there were around ten Lycan attended to him and was about to report something when Torak shut them up with a single glance.


    All he could think now was his mate. Torak clearly could feel Raine''s body was shaking uncontrollably, though she didn''t let a single sob, but it only meant she was too afraid to make a voice.


    She was in great shock.


    Those Lycans understood what Torak meant and led him and their Luna to an empty bedroom as they gave the couple space and time for themselves.


    Inside the bedroom, Torak placed Raine carefully on the bed, but Raine still clung onto his neck and unwilling to let go. She didn''t want to be alone anymore.


    Seeing Raine like this made Torak''s heart ached. He didn''t want his mate to be like this, but he totally understood her condition.


    Torak just didn''t know what he should do, he wasn''t used to this kind of situation.


    Thus, all Torak did was cradle her in his arms while patting her shoulder and saying that everything was all right and she was all right now.


    Raine didn''t talk for long time and they were in that position all along.


    Torak didn''t complain and gave Raine all the time that she needed to compose herself because Torak didn''t want for her to face people in the pack with tears in her eyes and this kind of look.


    It wasn''t like those people would complain, but Torak didn''t want to ruin Raine''s image in the eyes of those Lycans, he knew his pack very well.


    Raine''s identity alone had made them to look down on her, though they didn''t show it right in front of Torak''s eyes, but he could feel it nonetheless.


    Afterall, the respect of other people was something that Torak couldn''t give to Raine and he wanted his own people to see his mate as his equal.


    "Torak¡­" Raine called out his name. Her voice was so hoarse because she had been crying for long time and her eyes had turned red as well. "I just killed a child¡­ an innocent child." A big drop of tear fell from her eyes once again.


    Torak shook his head firmly. "It wasn''t you who killed the child. It was the dark witch and that was a black magic."


    "But¡­ the child died in my hands¡­" Raine''s lips trembled when she remembered the child cried for his mother, his childish voice haunted her conscience.


    "No, my love¡­" Torak kissed the top of Raine''s head. "The kid will die eventually, he couldn''t be saved anymore."


    Raine wiped her tears away and raised her head to look at Torak.


    "His body will not stand the black magic for long time. He will die even if you don''t do what you have done." Torak helped Raine to wipe her tears. "For now I want you to be strong, because something big will come."

 Chapter 337 - BLACK CROW

    "What do you mean with something big will come?" Raine rarely heard Torak warned her for something if it wasn''t very important thing.


    "The war my love¡­ I saw the sign when I went down to the dark tunnel. The sign of the devil." Torak didn''t want to scare his mate, he hated to say it, but he had to. This was something that Raine must to know."


    "What sign?" Raine frowned, as she wiped her last tears from her cheek.


    "When I went to the dark tunnel, I saw ashes that form a black crow engraved on the wall." Torak tucked Raine''s hair behind her ears. "When the first war happened, this sign was everywhere, engraved on every wall at the streets and houses."


    While talking, Torak tore the sheet of the bad and wrapped Raine''s bloody hand, as he felt his heart ached by seeing this.


    Raine hissed when Torak pressed her injured hand as the pain almost make her dizzy.


    Once again, he failed to protect her and now she was injured again. Yet, Torak tried to compose himself.


    Raine bit her lips because of the pain and rested her head on Torak''s shoulder as she continued to talk. "I did it again¡­" She said in low voice.


    "Hm? What you did?" Torak asked while caressing her back in soothing motion.


    "I stopped the time again." Raine confessed. "That was the second time."


    The first time was when she got clawed because she tried to save Aeon when she was in the village of angel.


    "But why were you two still able to move?" Raine lifted her head and looked at Torak with complicated gaze. She was very sure the time was stop when Torak and Jade could move freely.


    Raine wasn''t complaining, she was grateful for that, if Torak came any late than that, she would have died in the hands of that little child by now.


    Regardless her gratefulness, she still felt that was so strange and she couldn''t comprehend how Torak and Jade could move.


    "By two, you mean the little boy and me?" Torak''s eyebrows creased. "I don''t even know that the time was stopped, all I knew at that time was you were in danger. I could sense you, so I rushed back to the secret door, but it closed and it was so dark down there¡­" Torak recalled what he was doing after that.


    Apparently the door was so hard to open, thus Torak could only smash the door to go through.


    Torak didn''t even realize that the four Lycans that came with him were not there, or why they didn''t follow him when he left the room.


    His mind was in his mate and Torak didn''t care about anything else.


    "But, I am sure that the time was stopped." Raine insisted, the tone of her voice increased, she was afraid Torak wouldn''t believe her words.


    "I know my love, I believe you." Torak reassured Raine, of course he believed her, why would she lie?


    Raine was slightly emotional because of what had happened, but now she was with Torak, she felt better.


    "I am sorry, what had happened scared me." Raine apologized to shout at him.


    "There is no need for apologize." Torak kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to tell her that she was safe now. There was nothing to be worry.


    "Torak, Calleb is seriously injured." Raine murmured, she was worried about him.


    "His wounds will be healed soon. No need to worry." Torak saw Calleb''s injuries, but there was nothing serious about that.


    The Alpha thought with the Gamma''s healing ability he would be fine in no time.


    Yet, Raine shook her head firmly. "No, Torak¡­ Calleb is not okay, this wound is can''t be healed with your kind''s healing ability." Raine saw it how that poor Lycan couldn''t heal his wound after being bitten by the little boy.


    For some reason Raine didn''t know, the wounds wouldn''t close and the torn skin was still wide open, no matter how long it took.


    "The cut that the boy inflicted wasn''t something ordinary." Raine then told Torak what she had seen.


    Torak''s frown deepened when he heard what Raine was trying to explain to him and in the end of her explanation, he brought her to see Calleb.


    Calleb was taken to the other room in the third floor and when Raine and Torak were there, there was a healer, who already attended to him.


    Yet, from the perspiration on the female healer and frown on her expression both Torak and Raine knew there was something wrong with Calleb.


    "Why are you here? How is my Gamma?" Torak asked the healer, who was standing outside of the door, instead of inside the room.


    The healer was very easy to recognize, all the healer has jade like sign on the spot between their eyebrows, the darker the sign, the stronger the healer was.


    "Alpha, Luna¡­" The healer greeted both of them.


    "What happen with Calleb?" Raine was not patient enough to hear her greetings, she wanted to know how was Calleb now. She felt like she would burst into tears if something very bad happened to him.


    "I have done everything, but I don''t know why his wounds won''t close, the blood still oozed out from his torn wound." The healer looked very confused. "In this rate he already lost a lot of blood¡­ I am afraid¡­" She couldn''t end her words as Raine stormed inside the room to see it for herself, Calleb''s current condition.


    Raine opened the door with Torak followed behind her.


    Inside the room, on the bed, Calleb''s complexion was so pale, he closed his eyes as his eyebrow were knitted together, his chapped lips opened slightly.


    Not only Raine, even Torak was caught out of guard to see his Gamma''s condition, he had never seen Calleb was in this state before, yet the healer said she couldn''t help him.


    "Calleb¡­" Raine crouched down beside Calleb''s bed.


    Upon hearing her voice, Calleb''s eyes opened and as his sight fell on Raine, he grinned. "What are you crying for? I am not dead yet."

 Chapter 338 - SOMETHING EVIL

    "Stop joking." Raine''s voice was slightly hoarse, she wanted to slap his shoulder like she usually did, but she couldn''t.


    Calleb''s bed sheet was dyed with red color that had turned darker than normal blood color and he was extremely pale and weak.


    "Torak, what should we do?" Raine rushed toward Torak as she stared at her mate, asking him to do something to Calleb, he would be able to come up with an idea, right?


    Torak held Raine beside him as he walked closer to the bed and crouched down so he would be in the same eye level with his Gamma.


    "How are you feeling?" Torak frowned when the smell of the blood was so thick as it mixed with something unpleasant.


    Poison?


    "Awful." Calleb said as he closed his eyes again, he didn''t know why he didn''t recover, yet he remembered how the other lycan died inside that room after being bitten by that d*mn child. "Would I die here."


    "Shut your mouth and takes a rest." Torak growled, didn''t like what Calleb was saying.


    "Alright¡­" Calleb''s breathe turned uneven as he obediently closed his eyes.


    Torak stood up and looked at Raine''s worried expression. "We will find a way to save him¡­" He comforted his mate. "Is there a witch in this place?" Torak asked to one of his men.


    "Yes, there is one witch in this place Alpha, do you want me to go and bring her here?" the Lycan asked.


    "Bring her here." Torak ordered and the lycan went out of the room.


    The awaiting for the witch was so suffocating, because Calleb started to vomited blood and the smell was so horrendous, even Calleb needed to pinch his nose because of the strong scent.


    Raine frowned, but she insisted to stay, fortunately her sense of smell was not as sophisticated as Torak, but the Alpha still stayed to accompany his Luna while the other Lycan tried to clean the blood and made Calleb a little bit more comfortable on his bed by wiping his blood, though that didn''t help much.


    Raine''s eyes fixed on Calleb, despite his condition now was a gruesome scene to see.


    If this was someone else, Raine would have turned her head away from it or buried her face on Torak''s chest like what she usually did, but not now.


    Not when it was Calleb. She clenched her small hands into fist as her lips pressed together into a thin line.


    When the witch finally came, Torak was sitting next to Calleb while Raine was sitting at the other side of the bed.


    The witch has red hair that was tied on top of her head and wore a green lime knitted sweater. The color of green that reminded Raine about Serefina''s eyes.


    She wished that witch was here.


    No matter what harsh words she said or how bad her attitude and temper, yet she was so reliable and would know what to do for a moment like this.


    The witch and the healer stood side by side near the door.


    "Alpha." The witch announced her presence with her soft voice.


    "Check him and see what you can do." Torak stood up and walked to the other side of the bed, where Raine was sitting while staring blankly at Calleb.


    She had stopped crying, but her expression didn''t look any better.


    Torak understood Raine''s feeling, she was very worried about Calleb. His mate looked at his Gamma like an older brother that she would never have.


    "Everything will be alright." Torak squeezed her little shoulder lightly, to let her knew that she wasn''t alone and Torak would do everything to save Calleb. After all, he was his Gamma.


    Raine''s eyes shifted from Calleb''s pale complexion to Torak''s face as he nodded reassuringly.


    The witch frowned when she looked at Calleb''s condition and the moment she stepped forward her face contorted with something unpleasant.


    Raine thought the witch gave that expression because of the foul smell from Calleb''s blood, yet she looked very reluctant to touch the Gamma.


    "What is it?" Torak frowned as well when he saw the witch strange behavior.


    "I am truly sorry Alpha, but he shrouded by dark magic and something evil." The witch shook her head. "I can''t touch him."


    "What do you mean, you can''t touch him?" If something bad would happen the moment they touched Calleb, wasn''t the first person who touched him would be affected by now? Torak did touch him. "We touched him before and nothing happened."


    "My apologize Alpha." The witch a little bit scared, she lowered her head. "My ability is not that great and this is clearly a black magic and as the white witch, if my strength is lower than the curse, this will affect me." She said truthfully.


    The consequences would be dire for her if she insisted to touch him and if Torak insisted for her to do that, it was the same as asking her to kill herself.


    "Torak, what should I do?" Raine moved restlessly as she tried to touch Calleb''s hand, but Torak grabbed her wrist in time.


    "No, don''t touch him." Torak growled. He was worried about his Gamma, but he didn''t want his mate to be exposed to unknown danger by touching Calleb.


    "It''s only affect me as a witch Alpha." The witch said. The curse was so strong, she could even feel it from the spot where she stood.


    Though that was what the witch said, but Torak still didn''t release Raine''s hand.


    Yet, Raine has another idea. "This is dark magic and something evil that you feel from him, right?" She asked the witch with determination on her eyes.


    "Yes, Luna." Answered the witch.


    "I think I want to try something." Raine murmured as she tried to wriggle her hand from Torak''s grip, yet the Alpha didn''t let her go.


    "What do you want to try?" Torak narrowed his eyes suspiciously.


    "Let me try this. I think it will work." Raine said and tried to free her hand from him. "Let me go Torak." Her voice was very stern.

 Chapter 339 - ACTING STRANGE

    "What your idea?" Torak narrowed his eyes, he didn''t like this as he could already guess what his mate was thinking right now.


    "My blood could hurt the little boy¡­ maybe, it could heal him¡­?" Raine said hesitantly.


    "The little boy died when you touched him." Torak said the matter of fact.


    Upon hearing this, Raine''s face turned unsightly. Torak was right, what if the same thing happened when she touched Calleb?


    "What should we do¡­?" Raine felt suffocated when she thought she would lose Calleb. He was like a brother to her. "Torak¡­ what should we do?" She repeated her words, but Torak also didn''t have the answer.


    Dark magic was something complicated, not every witch could understand that. The witch that was standing before their eyes was the example. She was so afraid to confront the dark magic, though she was a witch herself.


    In the end, both witch and the healer could only do the things that they were able to do to keep him from losing more blood.


    The night fell and nobody knew how long Calleb would manage to survive.


    He had closed his eyes for a very long time by now and the only movement that indicating he was still alive was the rise and fall of his chest.


    Raine didn''t want to leave the room at all and to see his mate was in a deep sadness, it was a devastating sight to see for Torak.


    He already asked his men to look for Serefina, yet he knew unless the witch wanted to show herself, nobody would be able to find her.


    Moreover, Calleb''s condition looked like he wouldn''t be able to last for long time. Torak was also afraid the Gamma wouldn''t make it through this night.


    If that happened Raine would be so heartbroken, knowing her nature, she would blame herself for Calleb''s death.


    "Luna, your hand is fine now. Please don''t exert yourself or the wound will reopen again." The healer reminded Raine after she took care of her injured palm.


    Raine only nodded lightly, indicating that she understood, but the look of dismal on her face made it hard for the healer to believe it, so she talked to Torak as well.


    For now, Torak was talking to other people, just right outside the door, but he could still see Raine through the opened door, in case something happened.


    Inside of the room, aside from Raine, there was only the witch and the healer.


    Raine looked at Calleb in dismay, she refused to rest even though it was very late. How she could rest when Calleb could have died in any moment.


    The blood had stopped oozing out, thanked to the witch and the healer, yet the furrowed between his brows told them that he was in a lot of pain.


    Raine stared at Calleb''s hand for long time. It was hard for her to decide what to do when the witch suddenly touched her shoulder.


    "I know what you are thinking now." The witch said softly as she sat down beside Raine on the edge of Calleb''s bed. "Why don''t you try it?"


    Raine narrowed her eyes when she heard that. "What do you mean?" though she asked, actually Raine could understand immediately about what she was going to say.


    "Luna, you want to try to heal her with your blood, right?" The witch lowered her voice while glancing at the door, where they could see Torak''s back.


    Raine frowned, that was her original plan, but if it went wrong, Raine didn''t want for Calleb to end up like the little boy the moment he made a contact with her blood.


    "Luna, I know what you are worrying about, but if you don''t try it, I don''t think the Gamma will see the sun tomorrow. His condition is getting worse." The witch glanced at Calleb with sad expression.


    Raine knew she meant good, but for some reason she felt uncomfortable with her words.


    "You have nothing to lose." The witch tried to assure her. "If we don''t do anything, he will die."


    Raine was squinted her eyes at the witch and only now she realized, it was only the two of them inside the room while the healer, perhaps, was taking something outside.


    Raine looked at the witch''s calm expression and at that moment she grabbed Raine''s hand to urge her to do what she had to do.


    "I believe you can heal him. You are a guardian angel, you will not hurt him." The witch tried to persuade Raine again and again.


    The thing that the witch didn''t know was when she touched Raine''s hands, her brilliant obsidian eyes clouded, as if she was in trance.


    "Luna, do you hear me?" The witch shook her hand lightly when Raine didn''t give her any response. "You have to save him immediately. You can use your power to help him."


    The more the witch talk, the more urgent her tone became.


    Raine stayed silent for another moment before she raised her head to stared at the witch''s eyes and said in determination.


    "Alright." Raine could see the witch sighed in relief and released her hands.


    "I think you will be able to save him." The witch smiled harmlessly.


    "I hope so." Raine replied curtly. Her voice laced with something that the witch couldn''t understand, she felt there was something different with Raine, yet she couldn''t put her finger on it.


    Without waiting for another second, Raine grabbed Calleb''s hands, but while she did that, she took a glance at the witch and slightly narrowed her eyes before she focused her attention to Calleb.


    At this rate, Calleb had lost his consciousness, yet he still felt in pain and blabbered something incoherently.


    No one could see what Raine was doing now, not even Torak as he was talking with his man, discussing about something with serious expression.


    Torak couldn''t hear what was going on inside because the witch had put spell around the room, the same spell that Serefina used to use when she didn''t want other people to overheard her conversation.


    Meanwhile, Raine''s touch was so warm on Calleb''s cold hand.

 Chapter 340 - KILL THE WITCH

    Raine was unsure about what she should do, her so called ''power'' was something that she couldn''t control, thus how she supposed to heal Calleb?


    But, if that what the witch said, then that was exactly what she would do to save Calleb.


    Raine didn''t know how, but she knew for sure it would work one way or another, because she had seen it.


    The moment Raine''s hands touched Calleb''s cold one, there was a warm feeling that electrocuted from their skin to skin contact, just like the spark between her and Torak, but this one was quite different.


    Raine didn''t know how to describe it, but from her peripheral vision she could see the witch was looking at her intensely as if she was waiting for something.


    Something that even Raine couldn''t understand it.


    Minutes passed and after grabbing Calleb''s hand for long time, Raine couldn''t feel something was going to happen, she frowned and retracted her hand.


    "Nothing happened." Raine said with a frown. Yet, she was very sure that something would definitely happen. She tilted her head at the witch as she spoke apprehensively. "Why nothing happened?"


    The witch was also confused by this fact and then she gave another idea. "Why don''t you draw your blood Luna? Maybe your blood will help him." She suggested.


    The frown between Raine''s eyes deepened, but at this moment she didn''t have much choice to choose. She could only relay on what she had seen before the moment she touched the witch.


    Slowly, Raine reopened the bandage on her hands, but the witch seemed impatient and helped her.


    In the other hand, Raine didn''t say anything when the witch reopened her bandage hastily while from time to time she would glance at the door, where Torak was still talking to someone.


    After Raine bandage had reopened and showed her deep cut on her palms, she touched Calleb''s hand once again and felt something different when her blood oozed out from her body.


    Raine couldn''t see it, but she could feel it when the blood seeped through Calleb''s pores and spread all over his body.


    It sounded crazy, but Raine literally could see her blood went through Calleb''s veins and eradicated the dark blood on his vessels.


    Does that make sense?


    "Can you see that?" Raine murmured, fascinated by what she was seeing. The blood was like a golden stream on the surface of Calleb''s skin.


    "What is it Luna?" the witch was trying to see what Raine was seeing, yet she could see nothing. There was nothing strange with Calleb. She even couldn''t see the golden stream or something different with the Gamma.


    Raine looked over at the witch and confirmed the fact that it was only she able to see it.


    How amazing is it, right?


    And then, after the golden stream spread throughout Calleb''s whole body and the dark blood which initially covered him ceased to exist, the golden stream dimmed and then vanished.


    That moment was like a scifi movie for Raine, her jaw dropped open and even though she couldn''t understand what was going on and how she was able to do that, she was happy nonetheless when she saw Calleb''s eyelashes fluttered open.


    The Gamma''s eyes were disoriented and confused, but when he caught a sight of Raine beside him, his lips move upwards into a silly smile.


    "Am I in heaven? I see an angel¡­" He said weakly. Despite his condition, he was still able to pull a joke, which was not funny at all.


    Regardless, his cheesy joke made Raine smile. "No, the angel is not in heaven." Tears escaped her eyes as a surge of relief washed over her and she wiped them hastily. "Welcome back brother¡­"


    "I am glad to be back¡­" Calleb grinned faintly.


    Though his face was still pale, but at the very least there was spark on his eyes.


    "Call the healer." Raine said calmly at the witch as she wiped her last tears. She knew she would succeed.


    "Alright." The witch''s eyes lit up upon seeing Calleb was able to recover. She no longer could sense the dark magic and curse from the Gamma.


    The witch went out of the room and caught Torak''s attention as he asked what she was doing, running out of the room hastily and the witch answered the Alpha that the Gamma had recovered and she went to call for the healer.


    Torak let her go and quickly went inside the room where he found Raine was talking softly to Calleb.


    The Gamma had regained his consciousness which was a good thing, but the question was; how?


    Torak didn''t hear anything strange from inside the room and the witch also had assured them that there was nothing she could do to help Calleb, but how the Gamma could recover now?


    "What is going on?" Torak approached Raine and sat down beside her as his eyes scrutinized Calleb''s condition. He looked better, at least, he didn''t look like a dying man.


    "I healed him." Raine grinned from ear to ear, looked so proud to herself. Just like a child who wanted to be praised.


    Thus, Torak put his big palm on Raine''s head and rubbed her head gently. "You did a great job, my love, but will you tell me about what happened?"


    Raine then told Torak everything about the golden stream that washed away all the dark blood inside Calleb''s body and how it was only she who was able to see it.


    Torak heard every single word from his mate attentively. "But, how are you so sure that your blood wouldn''t hurt him like how it worked with the little child?"


    At that time the witch and the healer came inside the room along with the other four Lycans who were standing on guard near the bed.


    Without wasting time, both of the healer and the witch immediately checked on Calleb''s condition.


    "I know, because she showed me how." Raine''s eyes looked straight at the witch as she mind- linked Torak. [Kill her Torak. Kill the witch.]

 Chapter 341 - RAINES EXPLANATION

    [Are you sure?] Torak asked his mate, he was surprised with her request, this kind of order didn''t suit his mate, but he would definitely do it if that what Raine wanted.


    Raine nodded her head silently while hugging Torak''s waist and buried her face on his chest. Didn''t want to see the gruesome scene that was about to happen.


    [Kill the witch.] Torak ordered coldly at the Lycan who was standing right behind the witch.


    And without wasting another second or asking the Alpha''s decision as this was a direct order, the Lycan moved very fast without hesitation.


    The Lycan wrapped his hand around the witch''s neck and exerted his strength until they could hear a horrifying sound of broken bones and a gurgle sound from the witch who didn''t know what was happening and didn''t have time to think or avoid the sudden attack.


    Once the witch lifeless body fell to the ground, Torak''s firebird burned the death body into ashes within seconds.


    Everything happened in a blink of an eye, even Calleb and the healer couldn''t discern what was happening until it already ended.


    [Alpha, did I just see you killed someone?] Calleb stared at his Alpha, he even didn''t know what the witch did wrong until she deserved to receive that.


    The healer also was shocked and fell to the floor, her body trembling uncontrollably. She didn''t know why the witch had to die.


    [Luna''s order.] Torak said calmly while holding and caressing Raine''s back.


    "What?" Calleb''s eyes directed at the small body in Torak''s embrace and widened his eyes.


    Torak''s answer was more absurd than when he answered it if he did it out of pleasure. Calleb''s brain froze.


    Did the little cutie now had turned into something devil, or what?


    "But, why?" Calleb asked out of curiosity.


    The other Lycan also had the same question, but they didn''t know if this order was coming from their Luna, not their Alpha.


    And since this was Torak''s order, they didn''t think much about it, they just thought Torak had turned into his ruthless self, someone who killed without reason.


    "Right." Torak kissed the top of Raine''s head pulled himself from her to see his mate face. "Why did you ask to kill the witch, my love?"


    Wait, what!?


    Now Calleb was totally speechless and clueless. Torak just did that because Raine asked for it without even know her reason?! Did that make sense?


    Perhaps in Torak''s mate- world it did make sense.


    Raine lifted her head and looked back at Torak. "Did you already dispose her body?" she asked timidly.


    "I did." Torak nodded solemnly.


    This revelation not only shocked the Gamma, but also the other Lycans as well. They would have never thought that their Luna could be ruthless like this.


    Now, they really wanted to know her reason.


    Their first impression about this Luna was not really good. They didn''t fond of something so weak and easily scared like her, just because she was the Alpha''s mate that they managed to hide their disdain toward her.


    Yet, now they heard their Luna had asked to kill the witch? This would be interesting¡­


    Raine tilted her head and looked at the place where the witch had been standing a few minutes ago and now it was only dust.


    Raine''s eyes then shifted at the healer, who was still sitting on the ground. "Please look after him." She said in her soft voice while still in Torak''s embrace.


    Raine didn''t want the healer there when she told them her reason, but the healer still needed to attend to Calleb.


    "I will tell you after the healer finished." Raine lifted her head to look at Torak as he nodded, agreed to whatever Raine wanted.


    Hastily, the healer stood up and with trembling hands, she checked on Calleb''s condition, didn''t want to incur the Luna''s wrath, though this Luna looked soft and gentle, but she had ordered someone to kill the witch without batting an eye.


    She was so scary¡­


    "Lu¡­ Luna, Alpha¡­" The healer stammered. She approached her leaders after ten minutes of examining Calleb''s condition. "The Gamma is fine now, he just needed to rest for two days and he will be able to return to his original state." The healer informed them fearfully.


    "You can go." Torak said and the healer nodded frantically, she literally flew out of the room and made Raine confused.


    "You scared her¡­" Raine murmured, but Torak gripped her chin and smiled warmly.


    "You are the one who scared her," Torak said.


    Calleb nodded his head, he agreed.


    Seeing a Lycan killed another creatures was a common sight, but to see the little girl who would be heartbroken only by hitting a fly suddenly issued an order to kill someone was scarier.


    "Now, can you tell us, why did you want to kill the witch?" Torak asked in interested.


    So did the other people inside the room, they practically moved a step forward, afraid if they would miss a word from this Luna.


    "I touched her and I saw what she would do next." Raine said in her soft voice. "She had associated with the enemy. She was one of the devil''s paws."


    For Torak and Calleb, who were aware about Raine''s ability they could relate wit what she said. However, Raine''s explanation made the other Lycans buffled.


    What touch and see?


    "If we didn''t kill her soon, she would have cursed your people and half of the Lycans that came with us would have died by now." Raine explained.


    And her explanation created a wave of shock around the Lycan, as one of the Lycan ventured to ask.


    "My apologize Luna," he said. "But, how could you be so sure that that''s what will happen?" He wasa a tall and burly man, just like the other Lycan, and has a long scar across his face.


    "I saw it." Raine furrowed her eyebrows, but then she realized, they didn''t know about this. "I see the future and I see what she will do to us."


    This shocking news left the rest of the Lycan flabbergasted.

 Chapter 342 - I WANT TO SAVE THOSE WHO STAND BY US

    "She was with Belphegor and Jenedieth." Raine bit her lips as if she was in deep thought. "There are a lot of people inside the room and I only recognized that two people¡­" but, then her eyes lit up. "I saw the vampire that met you last time."


    Raine''s information was shocking news from all of them, how they could believe it? Only by a single touch and Raine managed to save half of the people there and prevented something terrifying from happening?


    This was simply hard to believe. Yet, they couldn''t say that Raine was lying too.


    "And then, what else did you see?" Torak didn''t take his mate''s words lightly. He treasured her.


    "Many people gathered there, but I don''t know what place is that¡­ it''s like a bar¡­" Raine tried to remember every image from the thing that the witch showed her.


    "And, what else?" Torak waited patiently for her, the same thing happened for the other Lycan, they were waiting for their Luna to talk more about this.


    They had never seen someone who actually could see the future, really saw it, not just rubbish assumption that could be mistaken.


    When Torak asked this question, Raine''s eyes suddenly lit up. "Torak, they plan something in Fulbright city five days from now."


    "What are they planning?" Torak frowned.


    "I am not sure what is it, but since the witch was dead, then the future could be altered as well." Raine said hesitantly. "But I saw her talking to Belphegor about me."


    Torak''s eyes dimmed when he heard what Raine said. "Everyone out." He stared at the rest of the people inside the room.


    Upon hearing the Alpha''s order, nobody could reject it, though they really wanted to hear what their Luna would say and what the plan, yet they couldn''t defy Torak.


    Raine also a little bit confused about why Torak asked them to leave the room. They could hear it as well, right?


    But, Raine didn''t ask Torak immediately. Only when it was only the three of them, Raine voiced out her confusion.


    "Why they should leave the room?" Raine stared at her mate.


    "Because I don''t want them to hear what you are going to say." Torak explained curtly. He didn''t want to exploit unnecessary information about his mate, not even to his own people.


    If this information was necessary for them to know, then Torak would share it, otherwise, it would be safe if less people knew about her secret.


    "Now, what the witch will say to the devil if she is still alive?" Torak took Raine to sit down on the edge of Calleb''s bed as the Gamma also listened to it carefully.


    Despite losing so much blood, but the healing ability of Lycan couldn''t be taken lightly, within minutes, Calleb looked much better, than his condition minutes ago.


    "The witch will inform Belphegor that my blood could be used to cure the dark magic and they said they needed more of it." Raine frowned, it was so creepy when she had to say it out loud.


    Why they needed more of her blood? Was all of this only a test? She felt something fishy about it.


    Torak''s face darkened upon hearing that, but his voice was so calm when he asked Raine for further information. "Do you know when the witch will meet the Devil?"


    Raine narrowed her eyes, trying to remember something in her clouded memory and then her eyes widened. "I saw a calendar and it showed 29th this month."


    "Three days from now." Calleb spoke as he tried to sit down despite his battered body. "We need to go back to the Fulbright city soon." He concluded.


    "But, Calleb still needs more rest." Raine frowned as she looked over at Calleb. "The healer said you need at least two days more to recuperate."


    "You underestimated me, Luna¡­" Calleb sneered. "I will be fine by tomorrow. Our kind''s healing ability is top notch."


    Raine didn''t believe it. "Is that, right?" She asked her mate instead.


    "He will be fine." Torak touched Raine''s cheek, he felt very proud of his little mate, if it wasn''t for her, probably they were in chaotic situation now if what she said was right. "But, we will stay for tonight."


    =============


    It was so dark outside and the moon was covered with dark clouds, seemingly the rain would start to fall.


    Raine and Torak occupied one of the room, inside the pack house and now the little Luna has snuggled into the warm embrace of her mate while the Alpha pulled a blanket and wrapped both of them.


    "I was genuinely surprised by the decision that you took, my love." Torak referred to Raine''s decision to kill the witch. "I never think such an order will be issued by you one day."


    Raine lifted her head and stared at Torak. "You don''t like it?" She was afraid Torak would find her too cruel for her action.


    "I love everything about you, including this new side of you." Torak kissed the tip of her cute nose and smiled indulgently. "In fact, you can ask me to kill any other creatures and I will not mind to do it for you."


    Raine grimaced upon hearing Torak''s words, she was also aware that Torak didn''t even ask her reason and just did as she said without questions.


    "I will not do that¡­" Raine whined, if she could, she wouldn''t kill the witch, but the time was so tight, if she delayed, it would be the dead of people on her side.


    "I know. I just say it so you know that I will trust you no matter what," Torak nodded. "So, may I know why did you come up with that decision?"


    Raine lowered her eyes, looked sad and Torak didn''t like it. "The war is coming¡­ I can feel it." she said somberly. "I will not be able to save everyone, but at the very least I want to save those people who are on our side."

 Chapter 343 - DONT GO BACK TO FULBRIGHT CITY

    "Torak, I am afraid¡­" Raine lifted her head to look at her mate beside her. "I am afraid if I have to die and leave you¡­"


    A tear started flowing down from the corner of her eyes. Raine didn''t want to leave Torak, but what if that was what it takes to restore peace?


    Would she be able to do that? Unfortunately Raine couldn''t foresee it.


    "No. no." Torak hugged Raine protectively, his eyes shone with fear. It was fear that flashed his eyes upon hearing what his mate was saying. He couldn''t even imagine that, let alone if that happened for real. Torak really couldn''t bear the agony of thought of losing his mate. "You will be fine. You will be fine, I will stay by your side my love¡­ I will always protect you."


    Raine sobbed quietly in Torak''s embrace until she fell asleep.


    However, that night, Torak couldn''t even close his eyes, the thought of losing Raine kept him awake and ready to tear anything that come to threaten his mate.


    Torak had never been so afraid like this in his entire existence.


    He needed to find more information about the war centuries ago and how to win the battle without sacrificing the guardian angel like what the Donovan had done before.


    Just like what Raine had said, Torak could feel it also that the war would happen soon.


    Really soon.


    ==============


    It was so dark that Raine couldn''t see anything. The air was so cold, yet Raine didn''t shiver. There was the sound of breathing on her neck, though no one was there.


    The frown on her eyebrows deepened as she tried to take walk away. This darkness didn''t scare Raine somehow. She just felt uncomfortable by the lack of light.


    However, before she could take another step forward, there were arms that wrapped around Raine''s body, so tight that she couldn''t even move a bit.


    Raine struggled to free herself, but she couldn''t.


    And then she felt someone rested his head on her shoulder, and then Raine realized something; the way he hugged her, it wasn''t an action to hurt her, instead this was the same exact way how Torak used to hug her.


    Protection.


    But, Raine knew it wasn''t Torak.


    Raine didn''t know where she was right now, yet for some reason, Raine was familiar with this place, she had been here for couple of times.


    "Aeon." Raine called out his name and just like what Raine thought, the shadow warrior answered her.


    "Raine¡­" his voice was so lonely and miserable. "Don''t return to Fulbright city."


    The misery in his voice reverberated to her soul and made Raine overwhelmed with the same heartache.


    Why Aeon appeared like this?


    That was what Aeon''s said before Raine felt the first sunlight fell on her face, she frowned because of the warm, but the comfort of the arms that hugged her now let her knew that it was Torak who beside her, not the dispirited Aeon.


    Raine''s long lashes fluttered to open and found Torak was hugging and staring at her tenderly.


    "Good morning my beautiful angel¡­" Torak rewarded Raine a kiss on her nose and his mate giggled in return.


    "You wake up so early¡­" there was hoarseness in her voice that Torak found so cute as she rubbed her sleeping eyes.


    "Hmm." Torak hummed. "Just to have a chance to see you like this." He leaned over and kissed her lips now.


    "Mm¡­ I have not brushed my teeth yet¡­" Raine avoided Torak, yet the Alpha simply held her head and she instantly couldn''t move.


    "I don''t mind¡­" Torak whispered between their lips.


    Torak was wide awake the whole night, thanks to her cries and words that made him worry.


    ==============


    The Blue Moon pack would be close supervision and no one was allowed to come and go as they please without good reason or the permission from the person in charge.


    Some of Torak''s people would stay there to assure the new rules were obeyed by the Blue Moon Pack''s people until further notice.


    Just like Torak''s pack house had, here too they had a room with a long table to eat together. When they were having breakfast there, all of the people from the Blue Moon pack would lower their gaze until their face covered with their bowl.


    This was a stressful atmosphere for them because they have to eat with their Alpha and Luna, who just locked them on their own place, but for Raine, this kind of situation simply made her uncomfortable.


    That morning, Calleb joined to eat breakfast with them, he sat on Torak''s left and talked to his Alpha all the time.


    In the other hand, Raine didn''t pay attention to Torak and Calleb discussion as she thought about her dream.


    Aeon came to her dream after a long time and told her to not come back to Fulbright city. But, why?


    He didn''t explain it and the way he talked to her, made her worried.


    When Raine was in deep thought she felt something bumped her legs and out of surprised, she let out a small cry.


    In an instant, Torak who had been so protective to Raine, especially since last night, let out an ear piercing growl, he stood up and took Raine in his embrace.


    Instantaneously, the tension inside the room made it difficult for them to breath.


    On the floor, they could see a beautiful little girl, staring at Torak in fear, apparently she accidentally bumped into Raine when she ran away from her mother, behind her a lady with the same eyes color like the child hurriedly hugged the little girl and apologized to Torak and Raine incessantly.


    "It''s okay Torak, I just surprised. The little girl didn''t hurt me." Raine tried to appease the Alpha, but of course Torak wouldn''t take it lightly. It was just yesterday that a three year old child wanted to kill his mate.


    So, he didn''t even believe if it was safe for Raine to be near the little girl now.

 Chapter 344 - PLEASE KILL HIM

    Raine rubbed her palm against Torak''s chest and smiled at him. "The little girl is not what you think." She tried to appease her mate.


    Yet, Torak held her hand on his chest and stared at his mate sternly. This action alone made the little girl in her mother embrace shivered out of fear.


    "You will never know, my love." Torak said icily. He didn''t want to take a risk to put Raine in danger.


    However, Raine tiptoed and kissed his cheek and smiled cheekily. "I do know."


    After that, Raine freed herself from Torak and walked straight to the child in her mother arms. The lady tried to hide her child and looked at Raine, pleading with her eyes.


    "Let me see your child, she hurt her head." Raine stretched out her hand to touch the child''s forehead, yet the child buried her face on the crook of her mother''s neck.


    The lady''s body turned stiff upon seeing her child rejection, she was afraid it would offend the Luna. She had heard what had happened to the Alpha''s child, Jade, yesterday.


    It was said, the child was possessed by dark magic and tried to hurt their Luna and the supreme Gamma, not only that the possessed child even killed a Lycan.


    And then Jade was killed by Raine, though their Luna''s appearance looked soft and gentle, but all the people said it, it was their Luna who killed the child, not the Alpha.


    "Luna, I am sorry¡­ she just¡­ she is just a very shy child¡­ I am sorry for disturbing your breakfast." The Lady was pleading again with fear in her eyes.


    Raine smiled ever so gently, she looked at the child, who currently sneaked a peek at her, as Raine touched the child little arm tenderly.


    "Do you like to dance?" Raine asked and her question piqued the child interest as she lifted her head. On her forehead there was a red mark because she had bumped into a table as well.


    "I like to dance." The little girl answered Raine''s question, she was just five years old and has a beautiful brown eyes with long eyelashes.


    "You will be an amazing dancer when you grow up." Raine touched the child''s forehead.


    Even though the little girl was a werewolf''s child, she had not yet shifted, so her healing ability wasn''t the same like the a.d.u.l.ts.


    "Really?" the girl showed her toothless smile.


    "Of course." Raine grinned at her as she retracted her hand and the red mark on the child''s forehead was gone.


    "Okay, that''s enough." Torak pulled Raine back to his arms and looked at the lady as he spoke. "You can go."


    The lady hastily nodded her head and thanked Raine for healing her child, when she walked away the child waved her little hand at Raine.


    "She is so cute, isn''t she?" Raine spoke to Torak as she waved back at the little girl.


    "You are cuter." Torak replied shamelessly as he pulled the chair for Raine.


    This comment also made Calleb looked at his Alpha helplessly as he tried to finish his food without being choked by Torak''s comment.


    Aside from that small incident, the breakfast went smoothly as the people from the Blue Moon Pack had new understanding and impression of their Luna.


    Though she appeared so fragile and tender, she was actually wise and full of affection. The criteria that didn''t suit to be a supreme Luna, yet for some reason they didn''t mind to have this Luna.


    Not to mention the fact that she actually has some kind of power that they didn''t understand yet, what was that.


    From what they heard their Luna even killed the witch that turned out to be one of the devil''s paw and she even managed to know that the Alpha''s child was actually possessed by something evil.


    If the people from blue moon pack had their new impression of their Luna, the people that came with Torak had started to grow their respect for Raine.


    She indeed had issued an order to kill the witch and saved most of them from the dark magic because after they killed the witch, they ran an investigation and found out that the witch was indeed part of the Alpha Ryan''s people.


    She was one of the witches that had transformed an innocent child into something evil.


    "I am full." Raine put down her spoon and drank her tea. "When we will leave?"


    "Soon, my love." Torak said softly as he stopped to talk with Calleb just to answer her.


    Raine just nodded upon hearing Torak''s answer, her mind wandered to her dream about Aeon again, but then she remembered about something.


    "Where is Clarice?" Raine tugged at Torak''s sleeve.


    Torak''s face darkened when he heard Raine mentioned that name. "Don''t tell me you want to meet her."


    The silent that followed answered Torak''s question as he sighed helplessly.


    He stood up and said. "You can see her, but you are not allowed to go near her. Understand?" Torak said sternly just like how he talked to his annoying subordinate.


    Yet, Raine just grinned and nodded her head obediently as she followed Torak.


    Clarice was put inside a bedroom with tight security. When they opened the door, Raine could see both of the woman''s hands were shackled to the wall.


    "Clarice." Raine called out her name.


    Clarice has her hair covered her face, thus Raine couldn''t see her expression right now, yet the vibe that she gave off was able to make Raine''s heart clenched with the despair that emanated from her body.


    "I am sorry for your lost." Raines uttered sincerely. "But, I can do nothing to help him."


    Clarice still refused to lift her head and looked at Raine, but she had said what she wanted to say, so Raine just gave Clarice her last farewell.


    "Luna." Clarice called out her name before Raine could walk out of the room. "Be careful of people you trust."


    Raine looked at the despair mother who just lost her child. "I will."


    "And Luna¡­ If you meet with Ryan." A tear fell on Clarice''s cheek. "Please kill him."

 Chapter 345 - BE READY, RAINE

    Raine''s heart clenched upon hearing Clarice''s plea, she couldn''t imagine if she was her.


    Being forced to be with someone that she didn''t love, losing her child because the innocent kid was being used for evil acivity and now she had to be put under such circ.u.mstances.


    Raine didn''t reply to her plea, she simply said. "Take care of yourself." And then walked out of the room with Torak.


    They will leave this place and returned to Fulbrigh city.


    "Don''t be so harsh to her¡­" Raine tilted her head and spoke in low voice to Torak when no one around. "She is innocent so did the rest of the people here."


    Just because their Alpha betrayed Torak didn''t mean all of the people also conspired for the same thing, they didn''t even know what their Alpha was doing.


    Torak was aware with Raine''s concern, so he caressed her cheek lovingly. "I know, you don''t have to worry about them."


    Raine trusted Torak''s judgement, thus she didn''t say anything until they departed with their car along with some other Lycans while the rest would stay at the blue moon pack and see how the thing would happen there.


    ==============


    "So, you did succeed to contact your little girl?" Lucifer stared down at the man under his feet, who writhed in pain, his face was so pale and his chapped lips looked so unsightly.


    However, his eyes burned with anger and hatred toward the Devil, who was sitting on the coach right in front of him.


    Aeon wanted to say something, but he ended up coughing blood, a lot of blood. His condition was so bad and he barely could breathe after the tortured that Lucifer put him to go through.


    "I am impressed." Lucifer murmured. "I don''t think about this, this is my fault this time to not think properly that you will use your connection to the guardian angel to warn her."


    Aeon indeed had created a connection with Raine through the horn of the unicorn that the witch had brought for her.


    Even Serefina didn''t know about this fact.


    Actually, this kind of ironic when it was Serefina, who had destroyed the book that belong to Raine''s mother, which connected Raine with Aeon, now it was also Serefina who made a connection between Aeon and Raine by giving the horn of the unicorn to her.


    It allowed Aeon to feel Raine and brought her to his shadow realm, whenever Raine lowered her guard, like the time when she was sleeping.


    However, he wasn''t as strong as before because of the tortured that he received from Lucifer. It weakened his power greatly.


    "But, you know what?" Lucifer crossed his legs and leaned his body against the backrest of the seat. "Your efforts are in vain, because they just arrived in the Fulbright city." a devilish smile appeared at the corner of Lucifer''s lips as his golden eyes stared at Aeon''s pale face.


    Regardless, Aeon knew his warning wouldn''t change anything, but at least he tried and made Raine became more aware of her surroundings.


    "We are bound by an oath that says you will not hurt her." Aeon spoke with difficult as his breathing turned heavy.


    "Of course, I will keep my promise, but it doesn''t mean if I can''t touch her, then anyone else can''t do that." Lucifer said in matter of fact tone.


    In another word, it didn''t necessary for him to go and deal with Raine directly, but he could always use other people''s hand to do his dirty job, just like how Lucifer used Aeon for his personal benefit.


    Aeon''s eyes shut tightly upon hearing this. It was his fault in the first place to make a deal with the devil, yet all he wanted was to meet with Raine one more time and be with her, though the last part was ruined because of Torak''s appearance.


    ==============


    The first news that hit them when they arrived at Fulbright city was the chaos within the company that Raphael informed them when they were still on the way to go home.


    Apparently, most of the shareholder, most of them were human that side with de Medici that Belphegor was the leader of that family, had created chaos by signing a motion to replace Torak''s position because he had gone for long period of time without any news.


    Fortunately, Raphael had handled that situation brilliantly and managed to suppress the commotion before it got bigger.


    However, the news didn''t stop there, actually there was a weird news that circulated on line about Torak''s involvement in the collapse of the library.


    Somehow there was a picture of Torak that was captured when he left the library right at the day that building was seen standing for the last time.


    Not only that, they managed to capture another picture when Torak left the debris of the Library building, totally fine with a small white rabbit in his hand.


    Some conspiracy theories roamed around the internet about Torak''s involvement with the tragedy that killed hundreds of people.


    Right after they arrived at home, Raphael, Calleb, Jack and some of Torak''s man were called for an emergency meeting.


    They had been spending hours inside Torak''s office while Raine was sitting near a window in the living room, staring out at the ray of the sun that faded in the horizon as the lights in the yard were turned on.


    "What you get from your trip with Torak?"


    Suddenly a woman voice sounded beside Raine, she didn''t have to turn her head to know that was Serefina who came without invitation, again.


    "Another vision, another blood, another dead body¡­" Raine listed all the things that had happened to the witch impassively.


    Serefina leaned her back against the wall behind her as she faced Raine with serious expression, which so rare for Raine to see it.


    There was no anger, arrogant or nonchalant tone in her voice like she used to, when she said. "Be ready Raine, it will come soon."

 Chapter 346 - WE CANT DO THAT

    "I know." Raine replied softly as she resumed staring at a big tree outside the house. "I can feel it, but I don''t know if I am ready for this."


    "No one is ready." Serefina said in light tone, but she clenched her jaw tightly as she spoke again. "I think to be with the other guardian angel will increase your progress."


    Raine tilted her head and looked at Serefina. "You will let me to meet with them?" she asked expectantly. It would be great to meet the other people who had the same destiny as her.


    Serefina nodded. "Yes, but not now. I will let you know if the time is right."


    "Alright." Raine nodded and didn''t ask any other question, knowing Serefina for this long period of time, the witch definitely wouldn''t answer her questions.


    "I dreamed of Aeon." Raine confessed.


    She chose to tell about this to Serefina and not to Torak simply because Raine didn''t want to add another unnecessary thing into Torak''s shoulder and she was also unsure if Torak could judge this matter fairly.


    "Just a dream?" Serefina thought it was impossible for the shadow warrior to make a contact with Raine, since she had destroyed the diary of Raine''s mother.


    "I don''t think it was just a dream. He warned me." Raine tried to remember it and concluded that wasn''t any ordinary dream, because it was so real and she had been in that place for a few times now.


    "What the shadow warrior said?" Serefina was squinted her eyes. She didn''t know how Aeon would be able to make another connection to Raine despite the fact he had never met again with Raine since the incident in the library.


    "He warned me to not return here." Raine repeated what Aeon had told her. "He just said that and for some reason I can feel his power is getting weaker¡­ he didn''t talk much¡­" But then she added. "Maybe just my assumption."


    There was no way Raine would be able to tell about the strength of someone else power when she wasn''t even able to control hers.


    "What do you think he wanted to say?" Raine shifted her gaze at Serefina to ask her opinion.


    "I don''t know." Serefina shrugged, she really didn''t have any idea what the shadow warrior wanted to say. She wasn''t the one who got warned and she had never talked to him personally to know his character.


    Raine nodded and kept her eyes on the tree.


    Meanwhile, the news outside went rampant.


    There was something not normal about this situation and as if someone was controlling those people behind the scene, they were just like the reporters that had attacked Raine almost two months ago.


    Unscrupulous and irrational.


    The next day there was seven police officers who came to find more information about Torak''s whereabouts.


    "Torak¡­ why they come here?" Raine frowned when one of the guards informed them there was police officers who wanted to meet with Torak.


    For outside world, Torak was still missing and no one was able to find him or caught a glimpse of him.


    "Someone behind all of this." Torak concluded.


    With Torak''s influence, there was no way mere police officers were dispatched to interrogate Torak and came all the way down to Torak''s place.


    "Where is Serefina?" Torak asked Calleb, instead of thinking about the police outside, he was looking for the witch.


    "How about the police outside?" the guard was a human, he didn''t have the same thought like Torak and the rest of the people inside the room did.


    "Let them." Torak replied coldly.


    "Serefina is inside her room. She specifically said she didn''t want to be disturbed for the rest of the day." Calleb informed Torak.


    The Gamma found this so weird for Serefina locked herself inside her room, yet Torak seemed to know something that he didn''t and just waved his hand toward the guard to make him leave the room.


    Raine, who was sitting on the sofa, walked toward Torak and sat on his laps, looking for a comfortable position.


    "What''s going on here?" Raine was so worried about Torak and the news about him was being the perpetrator of the explosion of the library building.


    "The devil controls the masses." Torak answered Raine''s question calmly. Very calm that made Raine restless.


    "What is that mean?" Raine looked at Torak, though that was what she asked, yet deep down, she knew it was something bad, really bad.


    Raphael, Jack and Calleb looked at each other when Raine asked this. They just realized this as well when Torak mentioned it.


    "Centuries ago, the devil would use the masses to attack the Lycanthrope''s side before the actual war, creating confusion between all the people and misunderstanding within our supporter." Torak caressed Raine''s face. "Just like today."


    "We have to go from here." Raine remembered what Aeon had told her in her dream. Perhaps, this was what he wanted to tell her. "Why don''t we go to your pack instead?"


    "We can''t do that." Torak shook his head, seemingly reluctant to explain about his reason why he couldn''t bring them out of this city, though the situation here was not in their favor.


    Moreover, wouldn''t it be safer if they were in their own territory?


    "Why?" Raine couldn''t understand why they couldn''t move to Torak''s territory. But then, she realized something.


    It was the same reason why they were here in the first place and why Torak had to painstakingly establish another company in this area when the headquarter of his company was in the other city, clearly in his own territory.


    "It is because of me, right?" Raine suddenly felt down. "This is because of my condition."


    "We will go through this together." Torak assured Raine. "Don''t blame yourself."


    "But, I feel better now, I am getting stronger and I think I can stand it if we have to go to your territory now." Raine insisted.


    Right at that moment, they could hear commotion from outside of the house.

 Chapter 347 - AN IMPULSIVE DECISION

    At first, Raine couldn''t hear it because her hearing ability not as advanced as the other Lycans inside the room.


    However, the commotion only last for a few minutes before one of the Lycans who was appointed to safeguard the place knocked the door and reported to Torak about what was happening outside of the house.


    "The seven police officers opened fire, so we don''t have choice except to retaliate." The Lycan informed Torak. "Some of our guards, human, were killed."


    Torak glanced over at Raphael and the Beta went out of the room as he called for someone as for Calleb, the Lycan guard and he went out of the room to check on the situation outside.


    "We have to go now, Torak." Raine emphasized every syllable of her words, showing the urgency of their situation.


    Torak was always being very protective toward Raine, but if he had to take the brunt just because of her, of course Raine wouldn''t allow it.


    It was not only about her, but also about those who followed their Alpha faithfully. They were not insignificant people, though they would willingly put their life on the line to make sure the safety of their leader, Raine would choose to not bet on their life for her own sake.


    "We are not going anywhere until I am sure that you are safe." Torak said sternly at Raine.


    Torak was so stubborn if it was about Raine, especially lately, his over protectiveness has reached the point where he became paranoia.


    In the other hand, Raine understood very well that Torak meant good for her, yet he had neglected the safety of his own people for her sake and Raine thought this was so wrong.


    "Torak¡­" Raine softened her voice and kissed his forehead tenderly. "I am stronger now, stronger than I was two months ago, or the day before yesterday. I can feel my power, despite I still don''t know how to control it yet, but I am sure I will figure this out soon."


    Torak didn''t want to relent and hugged Raine instead. "We will ask about this to Serefina first." He resolved with that conclusion.


    No matter how much Torak was annoyed by Serefina, he still needed her regarding Raine''s condition and Raine could only agree with Torak this time as she didn''t want to have unnecessary argumentation with him.


    Afterward, Raphael walked into the room and informed Torak about their current situation.


    "I have called Mr. Brian about this matter and he said no one from the police department gave an order to those police officers to come into our residence." Raphael furrowed his brows. "He will come personally to check the situation here."


    Mr. Brian was a respected figure in police department, for him to come personally to check on the situation here was slightly fishy for Torak.


    Despite the fact Torak was also a respected figure in business world, yet he wasn''t too close to Mr. Brian. They only met several times in some occasion.


    For Torak to have Mr. Brian''s contact was normal, but what wasn''t normal was for him to come instead of sending his people.


    "I feel like the seven police officers who suddenly went rampant and dare enough to open fire to us¡­ is like all of this has been planned." Not only Torak, even Raphael alos thought the same thing.


    Raine followed their discussion silently as she had her own opinion. What Aeon said was true, there was something going on in this Fulbright city¡­


    Those people¡­ those people seemed like they were being possessed by something. They became barbaric and inhumane.


    This situation reminded Raine a lot with what happened to her when those reporters were trying to burn the car, which she and the other two Lycans were in, or to the little child, Jade.


    If the situation was like that and if Raine could countermand the dark magic by killing the boy, then it meant, she had to kill a lot of people in order to be safe.


    The problem didn''t stop there¡­


    How much blood that she needed to fight them?


    "Torak, we need to go from here." Raine said hastily. She felt unease with the situation.


    From the beginning, the Fulbright city was Andromalius''s territory, the another devil, if it wasn''t because Torak''s immense power and resource in the human''s world, he wouldn''t be able to stand in this place for this long period of time.


    "Call more people to come to this city." Torak had the same thought as well.


    As his concern was on Raine, but at the same time he neglected the safety of his own people. He didn''t care how much he has to lose his people as long as Raine was safe and sound.


    Yet, Raphael, who could guess what was in Torak''s mind and what he was planning, couldn''t agree to that.


    Even though Raphael knew Raine''s safety couldn''t be taken lightly, but Torak''s decision now wasn''t a decision that an Alpha should take, he acted as Raine''s mate and forgot that he was an Alpha as well.


    Raphael should remind him about this, but Raine beat him to it.


    "No!" Raine''s voice was firm and strong. She rejected Torak''s order directly. "If you call them to come in this situation, they will die."


    Torak wanted to talk something, but Raine didn''t give him a chance to do that, she looked at him right into his eyes, yet Torak felt like she was looking through his agitated soul and understood his uneasiness.


    "I am stronger now. I can handle it." Raine spoke softly at Torak, wanted him to understand her stand point. "We can''t keep up with this situation for long time. If those Lycans come, they will die in vain and I don''t want it. You know that I don''t want it."


    Torak didn''t speak for long time and only fixed his eyes on her.


    "Please Torak, we need to go from here. Immediately." Raine was being rational when Torak was being impulsive to make a decision.

 Chapter 348 - TOO MANY PEOPLE THAN NECESSARY

    "Torak, you said it yourself that we are in this together, so why don''t you ask my opinion? Isn''t this my safety that becomes an issue?" Raine stared at Torak as she cupped his face between her palms. "I am different now, I am stronger than I was months ago, when we met for the first time. I know that I can handle this." She tried to assure him again and again.


    At first, Torak didn''t budge and stared at Raine with his blue ocean eyes as his lips shut tight.


    Raine knew Torak was just being impulsive now. Somehow, he just became more paranoia about her safety, but this wasn''t the right time for that.


    Raine had seen many people died, in reality or in her vision that not yet happened, that was why, if she could she would do everything in her own power to avoid that from happening and Torak didn''t help her if he acted this way.


    "Please, Torak¡­" Raine pleaded. It was rare to hear that she really wanted something. "I don''t want them to die because of me."


    In the end, Torak hugged his mate and buried his face against the crook of her shoulder, relishing the intoxicated scent of her as he murmured to Raphael.


    "We will leave at dawn." Torak said.


    "Yes, Alpha." Raphael went out of the room, giving some privacy for Raine and Torak.


    The Beta was so glad that Raine managed to convince Torak as it wasn''t an easy feat to make the Alpha changed his decision, and he was also very proud that Raine has grown stronger, not only physically but also mentally.


    Raine balanced Torak''s stubbornness and impulsiveness to make a decision out of his own preference, and helped the Alpha back on his track.


    "I don''t know what I will do if something happened to you." Torak caressed Raine''s face tenderly.


    He knew he had taken things too far and made a decision carelessly, but all he wanted was for his mate to be safe.


    "Nothing will happen to me." Raine took both of his hands and pressed them on the side of her face as she added. "Because you will always protect me, right?" she smiled so beautifully and made Torak lost for words.


    This happened so fast and Torak doubted himself if he had prepared everything? If he was ready? If his preparation was enough?


    Torak didn''t want to miss anything, as he didn''t want to take the risk of failure.


    "Right." Torak replied curtly and kissed her nose. He put her down and grabbed her hand to walk out of the room.


    In front of Torak''s study room, Raine stared at the big window that showed the situation out of the house, there were a lot of Lycans there and many guards, guarding the place.


    Within hours since they arrived, the situation had escalated to this point.


    Raine remembered a few days back she still attended her classes, talking to her friends and even went shopping with them.


    Those memories were like something that happened years ago, despite the fact it was only a week back.


    Now, Raine didn''t know if she still could meet with Sunny and the others again, she was even not sure if she could go back to this city after what was happening or what would happen.


    However, Raine remembered her vision and wondered about it.


    If she wouldn''t be able to meet with Sunny again, why she had that vision? That didn''t make sense, but when Raine thought about it again, she didn''t see Sunny there. It was only her.


    Raine assumed it would happen to Sunny just because she got that vision after touching her, but what if she interpreted it wrongly?


    If it was wrong, so what was the right thing? Even Serefina couldn''t help her with this and this matter made her head spun around.


    Torak took Raine inside their room and called Calleb over through mind link.


    The Gamma came right away and entered the spacious room within seconds after he had been called. He knew what Torak would order him, so he walked inside and stood beside Raine. "I think Mr. Brian will arrive within fifteen minutes." He informed Torak.


    "Hm." Torak nodded in understanding. "I will take care of him." He said.


    Calleb nodded, whether Mr. Brian would come as their friend or enemy, they had prepared everything and would leave once Serefina was done with whatever she did inside her room.


    That witch was so weird, she needed a day in every month to be alone and not allowed anyone to disturb her or came near her room.


    "Stay here with Calleb, okay? I will be back soon." Torak tousled her hair and left the room.


    After Torak left, Raine pulled out her backpack and started to put everything that she thought she would need it and put them inside the bag.


    "Raine, can''t you see what will happen?" Calleb sat on the edge of the bed and followed Raine movement with his eyes.


    They would leave this place and the company just like that, if it was somebody else, they would go crazy to leave such company and property behind, those things were worth not only immense of money but also luck.


    "I can''t." Raine said curtly as she busied herself with her bag. "I still can''t control my power yet. It is something like I couldn''t grasp."


    "Did Serefina help you?" Calleb asked again.


    "I have told her about my situation, but I don''t think she could help as she is also confused." Raine explained.


    When Raine and Calleb  were having their conversation, they heard something from outside of the room, seemingly a few people had come and Torak invited them in.


    "Who is that?" Raine frowned at Calleb as she heard a lot of people were talking. "Why is it so crowd in the first floor?"


    "Mr. Brian and his people come." Calleb told her, but he couldn''t hide his displeasure.


    "Why?" Raine walked closer toward Calleb and sat down beside him.


    "There are too many people than necessary down there." Calleb said.

 Chapter 349 - I WILL LOOK FOR HIS MATE

    "How many people?" Raine asked Calleb as she walked closer toward Calleb with her backpack in her hand.


    "Around twenty? Thirty?" Calleb was unsure, but that was a big number for a mere investigation and for what they brought so many people with them, when they were the victim here.


    "All human?" Raine asked again. If all of them were human, then they couldn''t just kill them. The Lycanthropes would have a bad side effect because of that.


    "Yes." Calleb knew what Raine was thinking now and he emphasized. "All of them, human."


    Raine frown deepened and bit her bottom lips, hoping nothing would happen to Torak and those people wouldn''t turn out to be the crazy creatures that they had met before. "Is Torak meeting them now?"


    "No. Torak decided to not show up. He stays in his beast form, so no one from them will be able to see him." Calleb explained and this made Raine slightly relieved.


    "Who meets them? Raphael?" Raine bore her eyes at the door as if she could see through the thick wood.


    "Hmm." Calleb hummed. "Raphael is good at handling things like this."


    "Tell me more." Raine tugged Calleb''s sleeves and stared at him. "Tell me what is happening down there."


    Calleb, with his hearing ability and mind link to all the Lycanthropes, would be able to tell Raine everything that was happening now.


    Because Raine''s mind link was still weak to be used to all the Lycans nearby, thus she could only mind link someone nearby only.


    At the first floor, where Mr. Brian was greeted by Raphael and sat right in front of the Beta while all of his people roamed the house, the white beast was staring at this commander with his black eyes, the surface of them looked very calm, yet only he knew what the emotion that was running in his mind right now.


    "I think I forgot to mention that the incident happened outside of the house and not inside." Raphael looked at the police that walked carelessly inside the house.


    "No, Mr. Lockwood, you didn''t forget to mention it." Said Mr. Brian politely.


    "So, what your people are doing right now?" Raphael shifted his gaze on the old man with white hair in front of him.


    "Just check the situation." Mr. Brian waved his hand as he said in low and firmed voice. "We can ignore them and start with our discussion about the thing that happened."


    "I don''t think I agree with this." Raphael signaled to his people to block all the police from walking around the house.


    They did as they were told and no one from those police could leave the living room.


    "You don''t know what you are talking about Mr. Lockwood." Mr. Brian smiled viciously as he stood up and walked closer to Raphael.


    When Mr. Brian was close enough to Raphael, he fished something out from his pocket and gave the white envelope to Raphael to see.


    Raphael took it from his hand and the moment he opened it, he knew immediately what was it. That was a search warrant letter.


    As the respected figure in police Department, of course Mr. Brian could get such a letter immediately. That wasn''t a big feat for him.


    "That''s why I said, let''s have a chat while they were doing what they have to do." Mr. Brian said in calm voice, but his eyes, couple of time, flashed at the spot where the white beast where.


    This kind of act didn''t go unnoticed by Raphael. He was squinted his eyes at Mr. Brian. "I am not calling you to do this Mr. Brian. I just need you to investigate who was the person who sent those police officers to attack us."


    This time there was no smile on Raphael''s cold face as he looked at Mr. Brian right in his eyes.


    "We have the search warrant, so¡­"


    But, before Mr. Brian could say anything else, Raphael had torn the letter into pieces before he gave it back to Mr. Brian''s hand.


    "You don''t have it anymore." Raphael signaled for his people to be ready for what would happen next.


    "You better cooperate with me Mr. Lockwood, or you will regret the decision that you take now." The eyes of Mr. Brian flashed with golden light.


    The color of the devil''s eyes.


    "I think you will be the one who regret it Mr. Brian." Raphael was alert at his surroundings. He had heard what happened to Calleb before and how vicious the attack of the little child that was possessed by the dark magic.


    Thus, they couldn''t take it lightly.


    If they were possessed by dark magic, it meant they were not longer human. So, it would be convenient enough for them to let the hell break loose.


    They were ready for it, so did the twenty five police officers there¡­ and Mr. Brian.


    "Where is Mr. Donovan, Mr. Lockwood?" the way Mr. Brian talked, sounded different now, it was hoarser than his own voice, not only that the rimmed of his eyes started to turn red.


    "What do you want with Mr. Donovan, Mr. Brian?" Raphael''s voice was still calm and there was tinge of alertness.


    "You can''t hide him forever¡­" Mr. Brian''s jaw clenched tightly. "Or, all of you here will die¡­"


    "This is what your true intention." That wasn''t a question, but a statement from Raphael. "To find our Alpha, right?"


    With the mention of ''Alpha'', it showed that Raphael didn''t want to play with this drama anymore. The person in front of him wasn''t a human.


    Or maybe he was once a human, yet the ''Mr. Brian'' now was something else, something darker and evil.


    Mr. Brian tilted his head. "Since you already knew my intention, tell me where is your Alpha now." at this moment, Mr. Brian''s eyes had turned red, the indication that Raphael''s guess was right.


    "Why should I?" Raphael could see from his peripheral vision, some of the Lycans had shifted into their beast form.


    "Because if I don''t find him now, I will look for his mate instead." Replied Mr. Brian.

 Chapter 350 - WAITING TO BE DEALT WITH

    "Because if I don''t find him now, I will look for his mate instead." Replied Mr. Brian, as he shifted his red eyes at a certain door in the second floor.


    Mr. Brian''s statement was akin to a sign to start a battle.


    All of sudden, the twenty five police officers who came with Mr. Brian turned aggressive as their eyes shifted into blood red color.


    Not only that, they were even able to see the Lycan''s who had turned into their beast form and attacked them with unimaginable strength.


    Right at the same moment, Mr. Brian pounced onto Raphael with his sharp teeth and sharp claws directed at the Beta. However, Torak moved faster than he, and bit down his neck before he could move any closer toward Raphael.


    The white Lycan tore the clothes that Mr. Brian was wearing, yet no matter what, the beast couldn''t graze his skin or he managed to hurt him even a bit.


    The same thing happened with the other Lycans who were fighting the twenty five people. They could only manage to restrain them, but couldn''t do anything to kill them, as they razor sharp teeth and claw couldn''t even scratch them.


    "How this is possible¡­?" Raphael murmured when he saw with his own eyes those people were still able to stand up after being thrown and hit the wall until it left dent.


    Regardless, they were still as aggressive as ever without any sign of tiredness or pain.


    They fought like that for more than an hour. At this rate, all the human guards were dead and some of the Lycans were injured badly.


    The wound from those possessed people couldn''t be healed like they normally did. It was still bleeding even after a long time had passed.


    When all the Lycans started to fall one by one because of their serious injuries and some of them had lost their consciousness because of the blood loss, two people managed to breakthrough and dash toward the second floor.


    The white beast who saw this, let Raphael handled Mr. Brian as he stormed toward the stairs and managed to throw one of them out of the window as his body landed a few meter away out of the house.


    However, the other person managed to reach the room where Raine and Calleb were there. Without wasting any more second, Torak immediately ran on all four toward him.


    [Someone comes to your direction!] Torak mind- linked Calleb. Panic in his voice.


    Inside the room, Calleb had instructed Raine to hide herself inside the bathroom, as he knew a danger was coming to his way.


    Raine followed Calleb''s instruction, as she hugged her backpack and closed the bathroom door. She even locked it.


    The tension was so palpable until it reached the point of suffocation.


    Even though Raine couldn''t see it, but she was still able to hear the sounds of something breaking, roaring and snarling, around the house. Literally from all the corner of this house.


    Outside the bathroom, Calleb was half shifted into his beast, only his claws and canines that elongated. He was ready for whatever would come to his way.


    And just then, the door was thrown opened by forced until it detached from its hinges.


    Without giving any chance for his enemy to steady his ground, Calleb pounced onto him and sent him flew across the room as his body collided to the wall behind him.


    Torak came after that and bit him down.


    Right at that moment the sun slowly came out, from behind the horizon it shone through the canopy of the trees outside the window of the bedroom.


    The bright light slightly blinding the Alpha''s eyes, the beast squinted them and lost his focus for a second, but it was enough to make the creature beneath him to claw his leg and break free from his grip.


    At the same time, Calleb stormed forward and kicked the creature from Torak, yet before he could do that, the creature flew a few meters away from the ground.


    At first they thought the creature could fly, but it didn''t seem right as he let out an agony scream and writhed in pain before it destroyed into millions pieces and left only a few drop of his blood on the floor.


    All of that happened in just over three seconds.


    "What was that?!" Calleb exclaimed, he was flabbergasted, but when he turned his body and found Serefina was standing in the doorway, he felt relief.


    It was the witch, who had destroyed the creature.


    "We need Raine to stop this." Serefina said in low voice as she slumped to the ground. Her face was so pale and perspiration on her forehead, showing how tired she was. "Where is Raine?"


    The white Lycan turned into his human form and followed his instinct to find his mate behind the locked door of the bathroom.


    "Raine¡­ open the door." Torak knocked on the door with his hand that slightly bleeding.


    Upon hearing Torak''s voice, Raine opened the door and poked her head cautiously, when she saw Torak was standing there, she immediately ran to his embrace and hugged her mate tightly as she felt relief that Torak was fine, or maybe not totally fine¡­


    Raine''s eyes fell on his bleeding hand and grabbed it. "You are bleeding¡­ is it because of that ''thing''?" her worry eyes fixed on his hand as she clasped the wound with her palm.


    "It''s okay." Torak reassured Raine, but she didn''t budge as she concentrated on his hand. "Raine, you can¡­"


    "Ssst!" Raine hushed Torak, frowning because he disturbed her concentration.


    "Make it fast." Whined Serefina as she leaned her back against the wall behind her, panting slightly.


    From the first floor they could hear the battle was still happening and the Lycans had started to grow weak because their injuries couldn''t be healed naturally.


    It took Raine another minute to stop Torak''s bleeding and healed his wound.


    "You did a great job." Torak thanked his mate and kissed her forehead.


    But, it wasn''t the time to celebrate it yet, because there was around twenty five creatures that waiting to be dealt with.

 Chapter 351 - TORAKS DECISION

    "We need to stop them." Serefina tried to stand up with the help of Calleb and was ready to go out of the room to settle thing on the first floor.


    Yet, before Raine could follow the witch, Torak held her hand and stopped her. "What you will do?" he asked Serefina.


    "What do you mean what I will do? of course to save your people down there." Serefina replied with voice laced in agitation.


    "How? By drawing my mate''s blood?" Torak was squinted his eyes.


    Only then, Calleb and Raine realized what the method that Serefina would use to stop the battle down there.


    "How much blood that you will draw from her to stop it?" Torak''s voice was so stern. He couldn''t tolerate to see his mate was in pain because of this.


    Serefina held Torak''s gaze when she replied to him. "As much as it needed."


    The grip around Raine''s wrist that held her from walking away, tightened. Torak and Serefina stayed in that position for a few more second before Torak responded to it.


    "I don''t agree." His voice was like a final verdict with no room for discussion.


    Raine could understand why Torak didn''t agree with Serefina''s method, she was also afraid, after all it was her blood that needed to be drawn, but how about the other?


    "So, what are you planning?" Serefina raised her eyebrows, she didn''t mind to leave those Lycans behind, if that what Torak wanted. "Leaving your people behind?"


    "We need to get out from here first." Torak said as he took the lead and walked out of the room.


    On the first floor, Raine could see the Lycans had started to lose the battle as their injuries couldn''t be healed. Among them, Raine could see Raphael in his beast form.


    "Torak, we can''t leave them behind." Raine tried to free her hand from Torak''s grip, but she couldn''t. "I don''t want to leave them!" she struggled to release her wrist from him.


    Calleb also was in complicated situation, he didn''t want to leave his comrade, especially when Raphael was still there, standing tall and fought all of the evil creatures.


    "Torak, are you really going to leave them?" Calleb couldn''t help but ask, he was supporting Serefina weak body as he followed his Alpha.


    "No." Torak said curtly, but didn''t stop walking. It was so contradicting with what he said.


    If he didn''t want to leave them, so why he didn''t stop and help? It wasn''t make sense when Torak used the back door to go out of the house.


    "Torak, the other people are still there!" Raine frantically tugged Torak''s hand from her. "We need to help them. Raphael is still there as well!"


    Calleb let Serefina to lean on him as they stood right in front of the house, from this point, they still could hear the sound of fierce battle from inside the house.


    "Serefina, do something! We need to help them!" Because Torak refused to talk, Raine looked at the witch and asked for her help instead.


    "I can''t do anything to help them without your blood and since Torak doesn''t agree with that method, I can do nothing." Serefina said in matter of fact tone.


    "Torak!" Raine was very upset because Torak was ignoring her through and through. "You can''t do this to your people! Raphael is there!"


    Maybe Raine didn''t know those Lycans'' name one by one, but they had been around since Raine was here, and of course there was Raphael, how Torak could close his eyes on his Beta?


    "I will save them." Torak placed his palms on both side of Raine''s small face, he looked into his mate anxious eyes. "I will save them, you just need to stay calm, okay?" he repeated his words again.


    Raine bit on her bottom lips before she nodded. "But, how?" They were outside of the house, don''t tell her¡­"Are you going to go inside the house alone!?"


    If that was what Torak wanted to do, then Raine wouldn''t allow it! Thankfully, that was not what he thought.


    "No, I will not." Torak caressed her head and said softly. "Stay there with Calleb and Serefina."


    Raine didn''t know what Torak wanted to do, but she did what she was told, as Raine didn''t want to delay whatever Torak would do next.


    "What he will do?" Calleb stared at his Alpha, who was standing tall right in front of the three of them.


    In the other hand, Serefina narrowed her green lime eyes, apparently she had something in her mind about what Torak was going to do.


    "He is crazy if he is going to do that." Serefina murmured. Her voice was not low enough to prevent Raine and Calleb to hear her. "I don''t think his beast will be able to handle it."


    "What do you mean? What is Torak trying to do?" Raine asked worriedly. She didn''t want something bad happened to Torak. She had seen Torak in his worst state when he lost himself over his beast and she didn''t wish to see him in that situation again.


    In front of them, Torak looked straight toward the house while raising his hand. Afterward, he snapped his fingers in the air as a bird as big as falcon with majestic flumage that grow brightly like a bonfire appeared.


    Raine had seen this bird before when Torak saved her from the library when Aeon took her away for reason to give her the grimoire.


    The bird circled above Torak''s head three times before it went toward the house. It small body allowed it to move swiftly and flew quickly.


    No one knew what that little bird would do, except Torak and, apparently, Serefina.


    Raine and Calleb looked at each other as they couldn''t figure out what was in Torak''s mind. However, before they could make a guess, suddenly from the direction of the house, they could hear the sound of a big explosion.


    Soon after, the magnificent house crumbled as that building flatted to the ground, leaving only enormous debris in its wake.

 Chapter 352 - LEAVING THAT PLACE

    The scene before Raine''s eyes reminded her about the library building when it collapsed to the ground. It was the same.


    So, as I turned out, Torak really did, the news about him as the perpetrator of the collapsed of the library building wasn''t completely wrong. He indeed had caused hundreds of people died at that time. However, Torak must have his own reason to do that.


    After all, the reason Torak was there in the first place was because he needed to save Raine, thus she couldn''t blame him or this was the right time to think about that.


    When the debris and dirt had settled, Raine dashed to Torak side and clutched onto his sleeves. "Torak, how about the other?"


    If the house collapsed, crumbled just like that and burned, how about the other Lycans? Wouldn''t they die too? But, if that was true, how about Raphael? Torak wouldn''t kill his second in command, right?


    That didn''t sound well for Raine.


    "They are all right." As Torak said that, he nodded at certain direction.


    Out of instinct, Raine followed Torak''s line of sight and found around thirty Lycans walked out of the debris with fire surrounded their body, yet it didn''t burn them and even their shirt untouched.


    They trudged forward, and Raphael was among them. He looked batter and had a big wound on his neck.


    Raine was shocked, yet she was very glad and relief. They were fine and Raphael also.


    "Can I trouble you to take care of them?" Torak pushed Raine''s loose hair behind her ear lovingly.


    Torak did it this because he knew, Serefina''s method was riskier. Not to mention Serefina just recovered from her monthly ''hermitage'', to kill around twenty creatures like that how much blood that Raine needed to draw?


    But, this action that Torak had taken also has its own risk.


    "Okay." Raine nodded her head fervently as she ran toward Raphael first and tried her best to show her ability.


    To let their pack see that their Luna wasn''t a mistress in damsel, she could do something for their pack. To help them and Torak was so proud of her.


    Calleb also joined Raine to help whatever he could do, leaving Serefina and Torak alone.


    "I don''t know if you can use the firebird like that." Serefina looked at the distance, at the collapsed house that still burning. "It seems work."


    "What her chance to leave this place?" Torak glanced at Serefina beside him. "Is she strong enough to return to our pack?"


    Serefina tilted her head. "She is strong." She said tersely. "Yet, she still doesn''t know how to control her power."


    "It doesn''t matter." Torak shook his head. He was very proud of the current Raine, for other abilities that she has, she could develop them over time. "All I need to know if her soul is able to take it if I bring her to our territory?"


    Serefina narrowed her eyes at Raine, who was tending the Lycan''s wound. "Let''s see¡­ after all, she is better now." Just like what Serefina had thought that this place had helped Raine to progress faster.


    Torak sighed in relief after he got the witch assurance. He lifted his hand and the small bird appeared on the tip of his fingers. It majestic plumage had turned dull as the little thing fell on Torak''s palm.


    "You will be in trouble if something happen to that thing." Serefina remarked as she glanced at the bird and walked forward to help Raine.


    The little bird''s breathed heavily as he rested on Torak''s palm, it red eyes blinked a couple of times before they were closed, leaving his chest rises and falls, the only indication that the firebird was still alive.


    It didn''t take a long time before another back up came and helped their injured fellow to leave that place after Raine take a good care of them.


    "I am done," Raine informed Torak as she stared at something in his hands. "What is this? is this the bird before?" she nudged it weak body with her finger.


    "Yes," Torak answered curtly as he placed the little bird on Raine''s palm. "Can you take care of it also?"


    Raine shifted her eyes from the bird to Torak''s face, his expression didn''t say much. The Alpha only smiled warmly at his mate like what he always did.


    "Of course." Raine nodded and cradled the bird carefully. "What your plan? How we will leave this place?"


    "Don''t worry about that, our car will be here." Torak dr.a.p.ed a jacket on Raine''s shoulder that Calleb had given to him as the sun started to illuminate that place.


    "Torak, with this¡­" Raphael held his neck, the wound had closed, but it still left a scar there, maybe it could disappear or maybe not. But, that didn''t matter. "¡­ they will add another charge for you."


    Before, Torak was a suspect of the collapsed of the library that killed hundreds people because of his pictures when he left the scene were posted online.


    However now, Torak wouldn''t be able to avoid the indictment with these evidences, he would have nowhere to hide in this City, or maybe in this Country.


    Not to mention they were still unsure, how many people from human world that they could trust at this moment.


    "It doesn''t matter anymore we will leave this place soon." Torak saw a horde of car that came to pick them up.


    Raphael looked at Torak and then understood what he meant as the Beta nodded. "Alright, I will arrange everything accordingly."


    With that, Raphael walked away and made an arrangement, together with Calleb and the other Lycans.


    "We will go now." Torak opened the car door for Raine as he carried Raine''s backpack.


    Raine turned her body to catch a glimpse of the ruined of their house. It was still burning.


    Somehow, Raine felt sad. After all, she had lived in that house for a long time and that house also held many memories for her¡­


    "Hm¡­ Let''s go." Raine scooted into the car.

 Chapter 353 - STOP THE CAR!

    "Don''t forget your bunny." Calleb came forward with a white bunny in his hand, he held the bunny long ears as he placed the other animal on Raine''s lap.


    "Thank you¡­" Raine held the docile bunny, which apparently hurt its leg and tried to heal it.


    However, as Raine tried to heal the bunny, she also realized that the bird in her hand didn''t show progress. It still looked sickly.


    Torak then got into the car and sat beside her while Calleb sat behind the wheel followed by Serefina, for Raphael and Jack, they would drive another car behind them.


    "Torak, why I can''t heal the bird?" Raine showed the little bird in her hand to Torak. "I can heal the bunny, but why this bird still looks like it is dying?" she frowned.


    From the rear view mirror, Serefina threw a look to Torak, yet the Alpha ignored her.


    "This is a mystical beast. Its condition is different." Torak explained it to Raine.


    "Oh¡­" Raine nodded her head. Torak''s reason sounded make sense for her, thus she didn''t ask further and tried to keep the bird closed to her, perhaps, by doing that she could heal the bird faster.


    Meanwhile their cars had entered highway that would bring them to the airport directly. Raphael had arranged everything.


    When they reached the Airport, Donovan''s private airplane would take them back to the Red River City, Torak''s territory, once they were there, they would be safe.


    "Serefina." Raine called the witch after a long period of silence before they reached the Airport.


    "Hm?" Serefina hummed with eyes still closed, she seemed in pain and was lethargic, even her complexion looked so pale.


    "I stopped the time again when we visited the Blue Moon pack." Raine forgot to tell her about this detail and only remembered it now.


    "You did?" Serefina opened her eyes, but she closed them again when the sunlight fell on her face. "You did it or you unintentionally did it?" she wanted the specific condition.


    "I think¡­" Raine stopped to think about that for a moment. "I think, I unintentionally did it."


    "So, you still don''t know how to control it, correct?" Serefina concluded.


    "Well, yeah¡­" Raine dragged her words. "But, that is not what I want to ask."


    "So, what is it?"


    "When the time stopped, I am very sure the time was stop, the child that possessed with the dark magic could move¡­" Raine then explained briefly about Jade and how she knew about the dark tunnel under the bed, and also about Clarice. "¡­ I mean, how the child could move when everything was still. The time was stop and I am sure about that, because Calleb also didn''t move." She emphasized the time.


    Serefina opened her green lime eyes again and slightly squinted them against the blazing sun, as she was in deep thought.


    Torak and Calleb were also waiting for Serefina''s conjecture, as they couldn''t figure out how the child could move under such circ.u.mstances.


    Before long, she spoke with certainty. "Your blood."


    "My blood?" Raine''s frown deepened, but Torak''s expression turned rigid upon hearing the witch''s answer.


    "Yes, they used your blood to the child, so he could move even though you used your abilities." Serefina said. She was sure with her statement, because there was no other reason about how the child could move.


    "And how about the other creatures inside the house? Do they have my blood too?" Raine remembered the devil had drawn her blood without she realized it when they were in the library not too long time ago. "But, they just have a droplet of my blood, how it could be fed too many creatures?"


    "Maybe not all the creatures are given your blood. Probably the twenty five creatures back then, didn''t have it." Serefina shrugged her shoulder as she drummed her fingers on her laps. "But, whatever it is, since they have your blood, it will not good for us."


    "What they are able to do with my blood, Serefina?" Raine also scared with the potential danger that she unintentionally had created.


    "Since the devil couldn''t touch your blood, it will be the dark witches'' work and the dark witches are cunning creatures." Serefina sighed deeply. "Just expects for the worse."


    Raine was shocked, her blood could put them in such condition.


    Feeling his mate distress, Torak comforted Raine by pulling her body close to him and rubbed her upper arms.


    "They will not hurt you." Torak said.


    Yet, the thing that truly made Raine anxious was the devil would hurt many people, many Lycanthropes when they tried to save her.


    Raine didn''t know which one was worse, putting herself in danger or seeing those Lycanthropes put themselves in front of Raine and died in order to keep her safe.


    Whatever it would be, she didn''t want both circ.u.mstance happened in their near future.


    All they could do now was to get out of this city and returned to Torak''s territory, once they were there, they could move freely and has more people to protect their own place.


    However, their plan didn''t go as smoothly as they expected.


    This city had been under the devil''s control. Most of the respected figure had gone crazy and possessed by the dark magic.


    The incident that happened in Torak''s house just happened less than half an hour, but they had caught the news and sent an order to catch Torak dead or alive.


    The first place that the people from police department tried to secure was, of course, the Airport. As long as Torak couldn''t leave this city, they would be able to have their hand on him.


    "Stop the car." Serefina said all of sudden.


    "What? Why?" Calleb glanced at the witch not understood her intention. They couldn''t stop the car in the middle of the highway.


    [Calleb, stop the car.] Raphael mind linked all the Lycanthropes. [Everyone, stop the car. We can not move further.]


    Torak let out a low, deep growl when he commanded. [Stop the car and turnaround.]

 Chapter 354 - WHERE DID YOU PUT IT?

    "What is happening?" Raine looked at Torak and stared at the far distance, yet Raine could see nothing.


    "They blocked our way." Torak growled.


    Though Raine couldn''t see what Torak and Serefina had seen, she believed the two of them that there was some danger in front of them.


    With the warning from Raphael and the command from Torak, around ten cars made a U- turn and crossed to another lane.


    Their action caused many cars stopped abruptly and almost created a dreadful cars accident, fortunately that thing didn''t happen.


    "Where should we go?" Calleb drove quickly out of the curses of the other drivers. They didn''t have time to say sorry to them.


    "Drive to the south." Torak said grimly. "We need to split up."


    Calleb then mind linked the other Lycans to relay Torak''s order, thus after they knew their destination, the ten cars that followed Torak''s dispersed and took different exit route out of the driveway.


    There was only one car that was still following them, Raine assumed it was Raphael and Jack''s car.


    "You will go to the south?" Serefina narrowed her eyes. "What is it? You have an ally there? I thought this city is so far from any other Lycan''s territory."


    "The southern part is closer to Alpha Romulus''s territory, Silver Moon pack. I will inform him to send back up." Torak said as he pulled out his phone from his pocket.


    Calleb sped up and Serefina turned on the radio, somehow she managed to find police radio channel.


    Raine was surprised when she heard the police were talking about Torak Donovan that they had issued an order to shot on the spot.


    At least that was Raine''s conclusion after hearing that for half an hour, they looked for Torak Donovan everywhere for his crime to kill twenty five police officers, one of them was a senior, respected figure in the police department.


    Not only that, they also charged Torak for another crime. The collapsed of the Library building. At first Torak was only a witness in this case, but in matter of half day, they had changed Torak''s status to a suspect.


    Now, Torak was the most wanted person in this city.


    Raine furrowed her eyebrows deeply when she heard they were allowed to shot Torak on the spot. "Why they do that?" She hugged Torak tightly, scared if something bad happened to him.


    Raine couldn''t imagine if they shot him. Would Torak survived? She didn''t want to think about that or the possibilities Torak would get hurt.


    "It''s alright Raine, the Alpha will not die by a bullet or two." Calleb looked at Raine through the rear view mirror, trying to calm her down as if he knew what was Raine thinking.


    "Your information doesn''t help." Raine said, frowning. Even though Torak wouldn''t die, it didn''t mean he wouldn''t feel the pain.


    Raine hated the thought something would hurt her mate.


    Meanwhile, Torak was talking to Alpha Romulus on the phone. He also heard what Raine''s said and could feel her fear for him.


    He pushed Raine''s head against his chest to appease her as Raine snuggled closer toward Torak.


    "Get off the highway." Torak said to Calleb and the Gamma did as he was told, followed by Raphael behind them.


    Both cars get off the highway and used roads in urban areas, avoiding the cops and traffic.


    "Is it safe to drive to the south part? We will pass the Donovan''s building." Raine voiced out her concern. The southern part was near Donovan''s building, thus Raine slightly worried if they drove passed that area, after all, the police must have been there to investigate that place. "They will recognize Torak''s car, right?"


    "No. We will change the car." Calleb told Raine.


    As he said that, he turned left and drove the car to a secluded place. This road was only enough for two cars and was canopied with trees on both sides.


    Because of that, this desolated road looked creepy and made Raine a little bit scare, but then she remembered that the people around her could be scarier than any kind of human.


    After that, the car pulled over in front of a house. This house looked well taken care of and has a beautiful maple trees on the left and right sides.


    The house didn''t have a fence but has a beautiful garden that filled with purple roses. That kind of weird, yet fascinating for Raine to see this rare color of rose flower.


    Raine put the little bird in her front pocket, near her chest and hugged her bunny as she carried her bag, but Torak took the bag and let Raine to carry the bunny only as they got off the car.


    Once they were out of the car an old man came out of the house, he was very short for a man, even Raine was taller than him, his nose was crook and he has a white hair on the back of his head while his front head was bald.


    The old man approached Torak and bowed his body very deep, almost touched his nose to the ground.


    "Alpha¡­" His voice like someone sighing and his yellow teeth could be seen when he raised his head and smiled at Torak and the other. "Oh, there is the great witch, Serefina, too, visiting my humble house."


    For some reason the old man politeness made Raine cringed. She stood closer to Torak while hugging her bunny.


    "Is that the Luna? The Alpha''s destined mate?" His big green eyes stared at Raine intensely. "I have heard about you Luna¡­ you looked so beautiful than what those Lycan''s said."


    Raine smiled awkwardly, but Torak stepped forward, shielding Raine from that man gazes.


    "Have you prepared what I asked?" Torak talked as he walked closer to that man and Calleb and Raphael stood in Torak''s place.


    "Sure, sure Alpha¡­ please come inside." The man opened his arm, welcoming his honor guests.


    "Stop your pretense and just show us where did you put it." Serefina was really impatient now.

 Chapter 355 - TAINTED SOUL

    "The great witch''s temper is never change, always on point." It was unsure whether the old man was praising Serefina or he just scorned at her.


    Serefina didn''t heed his words and kept her eyes staring at him intensely.


    Meanwhile, Torak didn''t wait for Serefina''s staring contest or for the man''s fake politeness as he sniffed the air and walked toward the backyard of the house, followed by the other.


    The old man tailed behind them with his short legs, seemingly didn''t mind with Torak roaming around his yard, or maybe he already knew that lying to the Alpha was a futile attempt.


    "Who is that man?" Raine whispered at Calleb. She glanced at the old man from time to time.


    "Dwarf." Calleb answered as he placed his hand over her shoulder. "Don''t look, just ignore him." He added.


    Yet, Raine couldn''t help but took another glance at the dwarf as he smiled back at Raine with his yellow teeth. This time, Raine took Calleb''s advice.


    She didn''t know if dwarf also existed in her world. The only dwarf that Raine knew was the one in bed time stories.


    Torak led the way with Raine and Calleb right behind him and Serefina, Raphael, Jack were in front of the dwarf.


    "What we are looking for?" Raine hugged her docile bunny and felt the bird in her front pocket.


    "A vehicle so we can leave this city faster." Calleb informed Raine.


    Not like how it looked, the length of the house was actually longer than it looked from the front side.


    And then, in the end of the house there was a garage with wooden door that looked so old. This part of the building was not connected to the main building and seemed almost fell apart.


    After that, Torak opened the big wooden door with ease as the door let out a shriek that hurt their ears.


    Dust and dirt flew in the air and they could see nothing until they settled.


    As if those things didn''t bother him, Torak stepped inside the dark place and his figure immediately disappeared into the darkness.


    However, seconds later the lamps inside the building was turned on and the light that illuminated the place flashed an image of a ''vehicle'' that Calleb was talking about.


    It was a helicopter.


    Raine covered her mouth with her palm to avoid breathing the debris as she walked inside the building and stood beside Torak.


    "We will leave by using this helicopter?" Raine pointed her fingers to the big helicopter in front of her, enchanted by its large blades.


    "Yes, my love." Torak put his arm around her shoulder as he stared at the dwarf. "Have you prepared everything?"


    The dwarf nodded his head while grinning. "Of course. Everything is well prepared. You are ready to go."


    Raine, who heard that, frowned. This place looked like an abandoned place, what if the helicopter was broken? This things didn''t look like well taken care of.


    Torak then nodded at Raphael and the Beta, along with Calleb and Jack moved. They took the steel chain that etched on the base of the helicopter, which has wheels underneath, and started pulling the helicopter out of the building.


    "Torak, are you sure that helicopter is safe?" Raine looked at the place around her and doubted the dwarf''s words. "This place looks so shabby."


    "Yes, but the helicopter is actually clean if you take a closer look." Torak grabbed her hand and walked out of the room.


    Once the helicopter was outside, the sunlight fell on its steel body and showed how well- crafted the helicopter was.


    Though there were a little bit dirt on it body, but it didn''t look as shabby as the building behind Raine, just like what Torak said.


    Apparently the dwarf only took care of the helicopter but not with the place. Fortunately the back yard was spacious enough that would allow them to fly it from there.


    Torak then talked with the other men, discussing something that Raine couldn''t hear, leaving her with Serefina and the dwarf.


    "Luna¡­ I am so glad to see you here." The dwarf started to talk to Raine.


    "Uhm, thank you." Raine replied awkwardly as she glanced at the witch, who didn''t care with the conversation that the dwarf wanted to start with her.


    "Luna¡­ you have a black soul." Said the dwarf, hissing.


    "What?" Raine frowned, what he meant by that?


    "You can''t control your power yet because your soul is tainted." The dwarf elaborated, yet Raine still couldn''t understand what he meant by saying that.


    "What do you mean?" and how he knew that Raine was still unable to control her power?


    "You have been touched by something dark. It tainted your soul. You are not as pure as you thought." The way the dwarf talked sounded like a riddle for Raine.


    "I don''t think I understand what you are saying." Raine glanced at Serefina, asking for her to decipher the dwarf''s complicated words.


    However, Serefina seemed not interested with that, as she leaned her body against the wooden door and closed her eyes.


    Perhaps she was still recovering from whatever she had been through last night.


    The dwarf crept closer at Raine and she, out of instinct, moved away from the creepy dwarf.


    "You only manage to see the fleeting image of the past and future, am I right?" he asked.


    Raine nodded because he said the right thing. "Do you know why?"


    "Like I said, you have been touched with something evil, Luna. That''s why you can''t control your power."


    "Ok, that''s enough. Stop talking nonsense or I will turn you into a frog." Serefina suddenly cut the dwarf''s words icily and grabbed Raine''s wrist to walk away from him.


    "I will not dare to not obey the great witch warning." The dwarf bowed his head deeply.


    But once Serefina had turned her back, he raised his head and stared at Raine, while mouthing; ''You are tainted.''


    Raine was unsure with what the dwarf said, but if his words were true, she wanted to hear more.

 Chapter 356 - ASSEMBLY

    "Wait." Raine tugged her wrist from Serefina''s grasp. "He said he knows something about my power."


    Serefina was squinted her eyes at Raine before she shifted her gaze at the dwarf, whose smirk was so unsightly. "If I were you, I wouldn''t listen to his craps."


    After saying that, Serefina grabbed Raine''s wrist again and pulled her toward Torak and the other.


    In the witch''s eyes, everything that came out from the dwarf''s mouth, shouldn''t be trusted. She knew the dwarf long enough to make this judgment.


    Yet, Raine still kept looking at the dwarf, hesitated. "What if the dwarf knows something?" in this situation, Raine really wanted to develop and increase her power as fast as she could, but there would be this feeling.


    The feeling that something was obstructed her.


    "I know him too well to tell you that he knows nothing except talking bullshit." Serefina said nonchalantly.


    Actually, Serefina''s words sounded more reliable, but something told Raine the otherwise about the dwarf.


    She kept looking at the dwarf, who stayed in his spot, didn''t move even an inch from there.


    Was that true?


    However, Raine didn''t have time to ask because Torak had walked toward her and helped her to climb the helicopter.


    As she was seated on the back seat, Torak strapped Raine there, didn''t allow her to move. Serefina did the same to herself as she sat right next to Raine.


    Not long after that, Torak and Calleb sat on the front as Torak turned on the engine and the rotor started spinning.


    The sound of it was like chopping sound, but much way louder.


    "We leave Raphael and Jack?!" Raine shouted above the pulsing noise around her.


    "We will meet them at the border!" Torak replied as this machine started to ascend from the ground.


    Raine glanced at Raphael and Jack, who were covering their face with their arms from the hard wind caused by the spinning blades.


    And the last thing that Raine saw before they left that place was the smirking dwarf.


    ==============


    Raine''s first experienced to ride a helicopter wasn''t all bad, except she hate to fly in such small space with Serefina and Torak quarreled nonstop.


    Both of them has dispute in every topic, or they always have problems to debate.


    Raine was scare at the point she couldn''t sit still and kept glancing at the city below her, as she thought; if they were about to have crash landing, would they survive? Maybe the three of them would, because they were immortal, supernatural creatures and had awesome power and strength.


    But, how about her? Raine was sure she would be a porridge once her body collided with the ground.


    Thankfully, Raine''s silly thought didn''t happen.


    Because, aside Torak was a great pilot and the quarrel between Serefina and he, actually they worked quite well together.


    Serefina managed to do her magic, so they could leave the city undetected.


    As for Raphael and Jack, Calleb told her that they would turn into their beast, which was faster and easier for them to move.


    Raphael and Jack also would come with the other Lycans that had split with them since they left the airport.


    Raine was glad to hear that.


    They flew for around forty minutes before Torak decided to land on one of tall buildings that have a letter ''H'' on the roof. The helipad.


    Once they safely landed, Torak got off of his seat and helped Raine with her straps, as Serefina was too lazy to help her and Raine was confused with it.


    When Raine stood steadily on the ground, Torak took her hand and walked dignifiedly toward a lot of people who were waiting for them.


    Someone stepped forward to greet Torak while people behind him slightly lowered their head at the sight of their Supreme Alpha. This wasn''t a sight that they could see every day.


    "Alpha."


    This person has a deep and husky voice and looked older a few years from Torak, but Raine couldn''t tell as the Lycans aged differently.


    "This is your Luna." Torak replied him calmly, slightly put Raine in front of him to introduce her.


    "Luna." The man was Alpha Romulus, who was on the phone with Torak when they were in the car.


    "Hm, hallo." Raine said awkwardly. She didn''t know how to respond him.


    Fortunately, Alpha Romulus sensed her discomfort and smiled politely. "How are you Luna?"


    "I am good." Raine responded sheepishly and Torak took over the conversation.


    They walked inside an elevator, followed by Calleb, Serefina, Alpha Romulus and his Beta, Henry. The Beta has a lanky body and slightly taller than Calleb with olive skin tone and black eyes.


    Raine couldn''t tell if that was his real eyes color or the beast inside him was peeking.


    Nonetheless, Raine felt safer among Torak''s people. They would leave this place for sure and went to Torak''s territory.


    But, then Raine remembered her vision about the blood in her hands when she touched Sunny. If they left this place, she wouldn''t have a chance to meet her, right? So, what about that vision? It had not happened yet.


    Though Raine was confused, she didn''t bother with that anymore, probably her vision also could be wrong and she was more than glad if the dreadful scene didn''t happen.


    "There are four Alphas that have arrived here when I called for them to come." Romulus informed Torak as they walked out of the elevator and passed corridor after corridor. "The other Alphas are on the way and ready for your order."


    "Good." Torak nodded, pleased with Romulus''s efficiency.


    Afterward, Romulus opened a sophisticated door that led them to a multipurpose room where there were four men with imposing manner and another twenty men behind them.


    All of sudden the atmosphere turned heavy as all of them has very strong aura.


    "Alpha." All of the people inside the room spoke in unison when Torak stepped inside the room.


    "And our Luna." Romulus opened his palm in front of Raine to introduce her.

 Chapter 357 - THE ANDOORI FAMILY

    When Romulus introduce Raine as their Luna, all of the people inside the room took another glance at Raine, yet still politely treated her as they treated Torak and murmured their greeting. "Luna."


    This time Raine just nodded formally.


    Of course the sight of Raine right now, was way too different from the image of Luna that was inside their head. This wasn''t the first time and, seemingly, wouldn''t be the last.


    With the delicate white bunny in her arms and her delicate body along with the soft vibrant that emanated from Raine, no wonder if they doubted her as their Luna.


    Though they had heard about Raine, but actually this was the first time for them to see her in person.


    There was disappointment in the way they saw Raine as they expected someone stronger and bolder as they leader, someone who could match with Torak''s strong personality, especially in the moment like this.


    Raine had gotten used to the way they stare at her, thus she didn''t want to bother herself with their early judgment.


    Romulus gave the head chair to Torak and put another chair next to him for Raine as they stood beside their respective chair and only seated when Torak and Raine had sat down.


    Raine knew this was an important meeting, but still their imposing aura suffocated her nonetheless.


    The white bunny apparently sensed her discomfort and rubbed its fluffy head against Raine''s palm that earned scratch on the back of its ear from her.


    The five Alphas and Serefina were sitting around the rectangular table and waited for Torak to give orders to them.


    Meanwhile, Calleb was standing right behind Raine and Torak, just like the other Betas or Gammas from the other Alpha, did.


    "Alpha, may I know what is happening in Fulbright city?" Alpha Chris asked Torak politely, he looked younger among the Alphas.


    "Serefina will explain it for you." Torak nodded at Serefina, who didn''t expect this. Her perfect brows furrowed slightly.


    When Torak mentioned Serefina''s name, there was a wave of murmur among them.


    "You are Serefina? The great witch?" Asked Alpha Cris, looking at Serefina, who was sitting next to him. "The last time I heard about you was when you left the realm."


    Needless to say about the cause of Serefina left the realm, because all of them knew about Serefina''s relationship with Torak older brother.


    This was also another thing that made Serefina''s mood turned sour. She hated it when irrelevant people were talking carelessly about her.


    "Gentlemen, let''s focus on the problem at hand." Serefina''s voice boomed inside the room as her slender figure stood up with radiant.


    Raine was sure, if Serefina were a Lycan, she would be a perfect female Alpha with her assertive personality.


    She would be a perfect image for Luna in those Alpha''s eyes.


    "So, I want to make you aware about something¡­"


    And with that, Serefina breakdown all the things that had occurred and was happening in the Fulbright city.


    Her voice and intonation was so clear, the detail and the sequence of even that she explained was understandable, so she didn''t need to repeat herself.


    "So, it is true that our Luna is guardian angel?" One of the Alpha looked at Raine with expression that devoid from any emotion.


    "Alpha, is she really your destined mate?" It was so hard for them to believe that they had to bow down to a creature that once they didn''t even put in their eyes.


    Not only Serefina whose face turned unsightly by their questions, because the only thing that they talked about after her long explanation was this.


    Meanwhile, Torak who saw his own people were disrespecting his mate right before his eyes boldly, suddenly stood up.


    This action caused them to swallow another question that had reached their tongue.


    "She is my destined mate. The mate that was promised by the moon goddess herself!" Torak''s fearsome voice boomed inside the room, sending shiver down to their spine as they lowered their head submissively. "She is my equal and your Luna!"


    It went without saying that the Alphas would treat Raine with respect, yet Raine doubted that they truly respect her


    And the focus of this meeting back to what the steps that they should take about the devil''s plan.


    First of all, the Supreme Alpha needed to go back to his own territory, but this would be tricky because, now, Torak was the most wanted person in this country.


    Yet, this didn''t mean they couldn''t do anything about this.


    "The plane will be ready tomorrow, Alpha." Alpha Romulus said after he finished speaking to someone over the phone.


    Apparently this city didn''t have an airport, thus there was no airplane that available. Not to mention, Romulus just got news about Torak.


    Torak Donovan''s name was everywhere now, it would risk if they had a confrontation with human.


    After that, the discussion for another thirty minutes before Torak wrapped it up.


    ===============


    Through the window of the car, Raine could see the helicopter atop of one of the tallest building.


    Now, they were going to a safe place to take a rest before they took a flight back to red river city.


    "Serefina." Raine was sitting on the back seat with Serefina while Torak was driving and Calleb was busy with his laptop. "What if the dwarf knows something about my power that we don''t know? Somehow, his words bother me."


    Serefina waved her hand nonchalantly while closing her eyes. She looked so tired. "Don''t waste your time to think about his nonsensical words."


    "But, what if?" Raine insisted.


    "There is no ''if''." Serefin kicked the seat in front of her and startled Calleb. "Do you trust the dwarf''s words?"


    Calleb growled at Serefina, but he answered her. "I will not trust him even if he said the world is around."


    "Don''t think about that." Torak added.


    "Hey, the Donovan company is taken over by your friend." Calleb informed them. "Her family cooperates with de Medici family."


    "Who?" Raine asked.


    "Sunny, the Andoori family."

 Chapter 358 - A DREAM

    The mentioned of Sunny''s name made Raine frowned.


    "After they made motions to remove Torak''s position, the head of de Medici family, Reiz, pointed the Andoori family as they new partner." Calleb read the new report from his laptop and sneered. "Reiz¡­ it is Belphegor."


    Reiz de Medici was the name that Belphegor used to be the head of that family, staying close to Torak to attack at the first opportunity given.


    Torak had seen this coming, yet because his priority to stay in Fulbright city was Raine, he had no problem losing that company.


    And now Raine was strong enough for them to return to red river city, whatever happened to that company, Torak had no qualms.


    "Do you know that Sunny''s family has been looking for support because their company is almost bankrupt?" Calleb tilted his head to look at Raine.


    "I don''t know, we never talk about that." Raine murmured, avoiding the topic.


    Actually, Raine had heard about this from two people already. First, it was from Stephan, who had warned her about Sunny and the second, it was from Alice Harper when they met when Raine was buying lingerie.


    At the same time also, she had that vision, the vision where Raine''s hands were covered with blood the moment she touched Sunny.


    Somehow, Raine felt there was a connection among these shattered pieces, she just couldn''t find the red strings between them yet.


    The sky turned dark and the sound of pitter patter from outside the car window was the only sound that could be heard inside the quiet car.


    "Is it still far away?" Raine asked Torak as she leaned forward to place her chin on his shoulder, slightly felt sleepy.


    Torak caressed her cheek with one hand and kissed her forehead. "We are almost there."


    "Okey." Raine kissed his shoulder, ignoring Calleb who glued his eyes on the screen of his laptop, and leaned against her seat again.


    The sound of the rain made Raine fell asleep¡­


    ==============


    "Carry her." Torak told Calleb when they had arrived and Torak had turned off the engine. "And take the bunny with you."


    "Huh? Carry who? Raine?" Calleb blinked his eyes as he asked Torak innocently.


    However, his question made Torak glowered down at him. Needless to say that his guess was completely wrong.


    Torak then opened the passenger car and carefully carried the sleeping Raine inside the house, while Calleb was nudging Serefina''s cheek, didn''t want to take Torak''s advice to carry her.


    "Hey, witch. Wake up! We are here." Calleb kept nudging her with his finger. "Witch, wake up!"


    Yet, before Calleb could nudge her again, his body froze and Serefina''s green lime eyes glared at him.


    "Stay there." Serefina said coldly.


    "What? No!" Calleb howled at the witch because his body couldn''t move. "Hey, comeback, don''t do this!"


    "Don''t worry, you will be free in fifteen minutes." Serefina didn''t even stop when she said that.


    The drizzling rain was nothing, but to stand under it in fifteen minutes, sure thing, Calleb would be soaking wet when he could move again.


    "D*mn you witch!" cursed Calleb under his breath.


    The rain had started to wet his clothes, yet before fifteen minutes passed, Calleb could move again.


    Though the Gamma was confused, he wouldn''t waste his time to think under the drizzling rain and soaked himself.


    ==============


    As the night turned darker, the rain falling in heavy drops. The sound of thunder in the gloomy sky, woke Raine up from her deep slumber.


    She woke with a start as she immediately scanned her surroundings and found she was alone inside this unfamiliar room.


    Raine frowned and called Torak. "Torak¡­ are you here?" However, there was no one answered her. "Torak?"


    Because Torak didn''t answer, Raine decided to get off of the bed and walked out of the room.


    The corridor was empty.


    "Torak?" Raine walked along the corridor as she called out for everyone. "Serefina? Calleb?"


    No one answer.


    Raine stopped walking when she realized this corridor was too far and she couldn''t see the end of it. This was so strange and Raine didn''t want to take another step again.


    Yet, when she turned around, she found the same scene behind her. The door of the room was no longer there.


    The only light inside this corridor was oil lamps that etched on the wall of the corridor, Raine stick her back against the wall behind her as she looked at the big window in front of her.


    The scene from the window wasn''t like she was in the right era.


    Did she traveled back the time again? How she could do this without her knowing?


    And the important question was; where is she now? What should she do here?


    Raine tried to calm herself down and closed her eyes, expecting the scene would change the moment she open them.


    Raine almost jumped in scare when she heard someone was calling her name, but she was in pure relief when she heard it carefully.


    This was the voice that Raine was very familiar, the only voice that she fond of.


    "Torak?" Raine smiled brightly when she watched Torak was coming from the direction of the room before. "Torak, I am sorry, I thought I am lost."


    Raine approached Torak happily and was about to give him a hug when she realized there was something weird was going on.


    Raine couldn''t touch Torak and as if her body was made of smoke, Torak just walked pass her, without noticing she was there.


    And all of sudden Raine''s eyes was flashed with blinding light and everything was so bright for her to see.


    "Raine, wake up!" Someone shook her shoulder. "Wake up Raine."


    Raine was still calling for Torak.


    "Wake up!"


    And Raine opened her eyes widely, she bolted up and breathed heavily.


    "It''s okay, it''s just a dream." Said Serefina who was sitting next to her, patting her shoulder.


    Yet, the only question that Raine had was; "Where is Torak?"

 Chapter 359 - OLD FRIEND

    Torak carried the sleeping Raine toward the house and tucked her under the blanket before he went outside for awhile to meet Calleb and Serefina also Alpha Crish and Alpha Romulus who came in different cars.


    They were talking about what was happening in the Fulbright city as they talk and also about Raphael and the other Lycans whereabouts.


    Apparently, Raphael and Jack had just met the other Lycans and were going to meet Torak and the others at the airport when they were leaving for the red river city.


    Their discussion last for two hours and from time to time, Torak would excuse himself to check on Raine. He didn''t feel at ease when he had to leave his mate alone, though this house was heavily guarded.


    However, when he excused himself to check on Raine again, from the corner of his eyes, he saw her fleeting dress, turning around the corner of the kitchen.


    Torak frowned and followed her, he thought Raine might be thirsty and looked for something to drink, thus he didn''t speed up his pace.


    Yet, when Torak arrived in the kitchen he didn''t see Raine there.


    The kitchen was not very big, so there wouldn''t be a corner for her to hide. If that was the case, where is her?


    "Raine?" Torak called out her name, uneasiness laced in his voice. "Raine, where are you?"


    Torak walked toward the door that connected the kitchen to the backyard. Even though he doubted that Raine could move very fast and be so quiet to open the door and suddenly disappear, moreover, what she was doing roaming a stranger place wasn''t like her.


    Yet, Torak need to check on her.


    He opened the door that was unlocked. Maybe she did go out of the house.


    The backyard of the house was only a small yard with no trees and only had bushes along the tall and thick wall that surrounded the house.


    "Raine?" Torak called out her name again, he tried to sniff the air, but he couldn''t pick her scent. "Raine, are you here?" his voice was getting louder as he quickened his pace to check every corner of this yard.


    But, before he could walk further away from the back door, someone held his waist, hugging him. This action made Torak turned his body and ready to attack, whoever behind him.


    Having their back to be touched, alarmed the Alpha.


    However, his hand dropped and his body turned stiff when he watched his beautiful mate, staring at him with her doe- eyes.


    "Raine¡­" he sighed in relief.


    Rained hugged him and nuzzled her head against Torak''s chest like a docile kitten. Torak reciprocated her action and hugged her a little bit tighter as he rested his chin on top of her head.


    "Where have you been? Why did you go out of the house?" Torak questioned her with frown.


    "I was bored." Raine replied softly, she raised her head and looked Torak with her beautiful smile etched on her rosy lips.


    "Don''t roam around alone, you scared me." Torak reprimanded her lightly.


    Upon hearing that, Raine chuckled and grinned, showing her white teeth. "I will not if you kiss me." She said shamelessly.


    Torak raised his eyebrows when he heard his mate bold suggestion. "Sure."


    Slowly, Torak put his palms on both sides of her face as he bent over to catch her lips. Yet, when his warm palms made skin contacted with her cold cheeks, a flicker of understanding flashed his eyes.


    "My love, where is the bird?" Torak asked in tender voice, his breathe fanned her face and made Raine closed her eyes in anticipation.


    "What bird?" she asked, didn''t know that her answer would be a death sentence for her.


    Not so long after the question left her lips. Torak pressed his hands so hard on both side of her face and crushed her head.


    A short shrill screamed pierced the quiet night before her body dropped to the ground, bleeding in gruesome scene that would make a faint- hearted person passed out.


    The moment the life left her, the girl entire being slightly change and Torak didn''t need to confirm that whatever she was, she wasn''t Raine.


    His eyes could be deceived by the girl appearance, which looked exactly like his mate, but the spark from skin to skin contact, was a dead giveaway for him to know that she wasn''t his mate.


    Torak was about to return inside the house to look for Raine in the bedroom when something happened to his entire body.


    He felt the excruciating pain as if his blood flowed in reversed. Regardless the pain was so unbearable, it wasn''t enough to make Torak dropped to his knees.


    The Alpha closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, the pain made his mind clearer. Torak was almost certain the dead of the impostor was the cause of this.


    The only question was; what would happen? Would this kill him? How long he would be in this excruciating pain?


    The moment Torak felt the pain subsided he was almost lost his breath. His sharp eyes opened as he scanned his surroundings.


    Torak didn''t have slightest surprise when he found himself was no longer at the backyard of the safe house, instead, he was inside a dim place, like a bar.


    Torak was squinted his eyes when his angry gaze fell on the figure that he knew too well.


    "Don''t give me that look Alpha." Lucifer grinned from ear to ear as he greeted Torak with a woman besie him.


    The woman has dark hair and lips, which curved upwards, looked like she was always smiling.


    "I think you can read the Alpha very well¡­" the woman mused.


    "Of course. We are old friend after all." Lucifer walked closer toward Torak, offering a gentle and harmless smile as he gestured for the Alpha to take a seat in front of him.


    "Tell me, did he kiss my creature or he kill her?" but, after a moment of contemplation, she decided. "I think it''s the former."

 Chapter 360 - LETS FIND OUT, SHALL WE?

    Torak didn''t welcome Lucifer gesture that invited him for a drink, the Alpha chose to stand in front of the devil defiantly.


    He looked around and realized that this probably a place where Raine had seen in her dream. A bar.


    Today, the witch from the blue moon pack, which Raine ordered to be killed, supposed to meet with the devil if she was still alive.


    As it turned out, Torak was the one who came to this place.


    Just like what Raine said, the future would alter when something happen in the present.


    "Tell me, did he kiss my creature or he kill her?" but, after a moment of contemplation, she decided. "I think it''s the former."


    The witch''s voice stung Torak''s ears as he shifted his gaze toward the woman with red shawl over her shoulder, she took a seat next to Lucifer.


    "Tell me how do you know that the girl wasn''t your mate?" The woman was very curious to know how her masterpiece could be discovered so fast.


    She was confident to say that no one could see the difference between her creation and the real one, since she has the guardian angel''s blood.


    However, Torak didn''t want to waste his breath to explain such a thing to insignificant person like her.


    Torak put his focus back toward the devil. "What do you want?" he asked icily.


    "Glory. Pride. Absolute power to rule all the creatures under my feet." Lucifer replied Torak''s question with chuckle, yet there was a truth in his answer.


    "How you could achieve your goal by keeping me here?" Torak didn''t budge when he heard the malicious chuckle.


    "Of course my target. No. our target¡­" Lucifer corrected himself. "¡­ is your mate all this time."


    "You will not be able to touch her." Torak pushed his words out of his gritted teeth.


    "Maybe not now." Lucifer shrugged his shoulder. "But I will be able to do it soon, or should I say we will be able to do it soon?" He muttered the last sentence to himself.


    Torak was squinted his blue eyes dangerously.


    "I wonder why do you still stand there and glower at me. Knowing you, Alpha, for centuries, you would have pounced on me the moment I mention your mate." Lucifer tilted his head, feigned an innocent expression. "But then, I realized that you don''t have your spirit beast with you."


    This was a trap. Ever since Torak returned from the blue moon pack, he had walked straight to the devils'' trap.


    Originally, Torak could sense it, he just too absorbed to protect Raine because of her view and all of the nonsense history about how to win the battle by sacrificing the guardian angel.


    Torak ignored the fact that the devil had run his plan ahead of him.


    Torak''s eyes didn''t turn into his black or red color because the beast in him was too weak to show up.


    The devil had arranged all of this and left him with no other choice.


    From the visit of the police officers that suddenly went rampant and fired their gun toward his people to the dead of the twenty five polices along with the respected figure of Mr. Brian that turned Torak into the suspect of many crimes.


    Apparently, Lucifer had calculated that Torak would use his firebird to kill the creatures from hell that the devils had created.


    Lucifer knew a little bit of Serefina little secret about her monthly ''hermitage'' that would exhaust herself.


    Knowing Torak''s overprotectiveness toward his mate and his acknowledge that the only thing that could kill those creatures would be his mate''s blood, Torak definitely would not allow it.


    Thus, the only option was his firebird.


    This was a unique bond between the Lycan and the spirit animal, apparently not all the Lycan could posses that spirit beast.


    This was only the privilege of the white Lycan. The precious white Lycan.


    Until there, everything ran according to Lucifer''s plan.


    "With or without it, I will not touch my mate." Torak stated grimly as his blue eyes dimmed. "You will not find her."


    "Are you sure?" Lucifer raised his glass as an offer before he gulped down the liquid. "Do you really think what you have done this past six months to clean up your pack from traitors is a success?" Lucifer chuckled lightly. "There will always be a rat among the wolves."


    The supposed to be safe house, apparently wasn''t safe enough, if the devil was able to sneak his paw inside the place and trick Torak with ease.


    Torak had realized it too. This was the first thought that flashed his mind when he discovered the woman that he met wasn''t Raine.


    "There will be always the people who greed enough to seize the power and be the supreme Alpha. Those people had no qualms when they had to betray even his own soul. The kind of people that deem to rot in hell."


    Lucifer continued his monologue.


    "Do you think what will happen to your mate if you are no longer able protect her?" the woman beside Lucifer poured another glass for him with sickly smile pestered on his black lips.


    All this while the respect that those Lycans gave to Raine was because Torak''s present, thus what would happen to her when she lost her back up?


    Not to mention in the pack where the traitors were lurking from every dark corners.


    Torak listened to all of Lucifer rumbles without batting an eye. He didn''t budge from his place or changed his expression. His face was devoid from all emotions. No one would be able to tell what was Torak thinking now.


    However, the next line of Lucifer''s words were said near Torak''s ear as he stood behind the Alpha in lightning speed.


    "Let''s find out, shall we?" Lucifer asked breathily.


    Torak, in his current state, didn''t see it coming.


    Yet, before the Alpha could respond Lucifer had conjured an intricate dagger from thin air and slashed it down to Torak''s neck.


    The devil beheaded the Alpha.

 Chapter 361 - THIS IS NOT GOOD

    Raine''s eyes were glued to the storm outside the window where the heavy rain had created weird patterns on the surface of the glass.


    It has been a day since Torak disappeared and no one knew his whereabouts.


    That night, after Torak tucked Raine on the bed, they were having a meeting and Torak would occasionally come to the bedroom to check on her.


    However, the last time he went to check her, Torak didn''t return for some time until they heard an ear- piercing sound from the back yard. A woman''s voice.


    At first they thought it was Raine, but second latter, they knew it wasn''t her voice.


    Yet, when they arrived at the backyard, Torak had disappeared and only left a dead body of a woman, whose face had crushed and was hard to recognize.


    They knew, it was Torak doing, but the Alpha was nowhere to be found until they heard another whimper from the direction of Raine''s bedroom.


    As soon as they saw her, she was trashing in her sleep as if she was having a nightmare.


    And the first question that came from her mouth the moment she was awake made them realized something must have happened toward Torak.


    "Still no clue?" Raine asked Calleb, who approached her with a bowl of rice and meat. Raine had not yet had a proper meal since Torak was missing.


    "He will be fine." Calleb reassured Raine. "He is not a weak Lycan. He will come back to you as soon as possible."


    Raine didn''t budge when Calleb gave her the bowl in his hand. "You have to eat something," he tried to coax her.


    "I don''t have appetite to eat." Raine pulled her legs and wrapped her arms around them, hugging herself.


    "You have to." Calleb was being stubborn. "You will not get anything if you act this way."


    Raine buried her face on her knees. She really couldn''t swallow anything.


    "Stop that act!" there was this irritating voice that one could easily guess whose voice was belong to. "Eat your food or I will shove it down your throat!"


    Raine raised her head, annoyed by her overbearing character, but didn''t have strength to confront the witch.


    "What!?" Serefina sat down on the sofa opposite from her, her green lime eyes ablaze with irk. "Do you really think by starving yourself you will get what you want?! Your act doesn''t help in this case, you only make people around you worry! Like Torak''s disappearance is not enough to give us a headache." Serefina grumbled loudly as she


    "So, can you use some of your magic to find him since you are a great witch?!" Raine retorted angrily, she had had enough with Serefina''s bossy attitude, especially at times like this.


    Serefina raised an eyebrow. "You are his mate. Why? Can''t your mate bond do something about this?" the witch bit back snidely.


    Serefina snarky remarks made Raine stood up and stomped her feet toward her bedroom.


    Seeing the quarreled between the women, Calleb only could sigh helplessly. He hoped Raphael was here, so he would know what to do about this situation.


    Calleb then sat down and ate the food inside the bowl that supposed to be Raine''s. "So, do you have any idea what happened to Torak? Or better, where he is now?"


    Serefina glowered at the Gamma and closed her eyes. "The body of the girl in the backyard last night had a trace of dark magic, my guess¡­" Serefina drawled as her mind formed an opinion. "They used magic to lure Torak out of the house."


    "With a girl?" Callebb rolled his eyes. "You know, there is no woman in this world could make the Alpha infatuated except his own mate."


    Serefina threw Calle a look that saying; idiot. "What if the girl looks like his own mate?"


    When Serefina said this, there was something click in Calleb''s mind as he started form an understanding of this entire situation. "Do you mean¡­"


    "Whatever you think right now." Serefina solidified Calleb''s conjecture after she saw he had formed an understanding.


    Their situation didn''t get any better after knowing this.


    There were around ten Alphas with their own pack whose looking for Torak''s whereabouts since the Supreme Alpha had gone missing since last night, yet until this very second no one gave a satisfying information.


    Meanwhile, Raphael, Jack and the other Lycan stayed in the Fulbright city, they didn''t continue to come here because they were also looking for Torak there.


    Since dark magic and witches involved in this chaotic situation, then everything could happen. For Torak to move to Fulbright city in matter of second, it wasn''t impossible for that to happen.


    There were many unpredictable things that, even, Serefina couldn''t pinpoint.


    Calleb sighed in frustration when he thought about this.


    But, when Serefina and Calleb were in deep thought, they heard rushing footsteps that came from Raine''s room direction, not so long, the Luna came while holding something in her hands. Her expression was very panicked.


    "Serefina, what happen to this?!" Raine''s voice laced with fear as she showed the creature in her palms.


    "What?" Serefina opened her green lime eyes and gazed at something in Raine''s hand.


    "The bird''s feathers keep falling." Raine''s voice was stuck in her throat.


    The bird was fine when the last time she saw it. Weak, but fine. However, when Raine checked on it just now, the bird looked like it was in its last breath and it beautiful golden feathers kept falling.


    The bird was the one that Torak gave to her and she was told to heal it, yet it didn''t heal as fast as Raine wanted, but because Torak said the bird was a supernatural creature so it took longer.


    Raine didn''t know why she felt very sad when she looked the weak bird. She was afraid of something.


    Somehow, Raine felt the bird has some connection with Torak. Thus, if the bird was like this, so¡­


    Raine tried to get rid of this thought when she heard Serefina mumbled.


    "This is not good."

 Chapter 362 - TAKE ME TO HIM

    "This is not good." Serefina mumbled under her breath, but it was loud enough for Raine and Calleb to hear.


    "What do you mean this is not good?" Raine sat down next to Serefina, cradling the weak bird in her palms. "Is this bird has some connection with Torak?"


    Raine knew this sounded weird, but for some reason this was make sense. She had not yet asked about the bird to Torak and how he had this little creature around him when the other Lycans didn''t have it.


    "This creature is the beast''s soul." Serefina blurted out, didn''t try to hide anything from her. "This is a deep secret of white Lycan. No one knows about this except them."


    And Serefina knew this secret just because she had spent decades with Jedrek. Even Calleb didn''t know about this.


    But, since he was one of Torak''s trusted people, Serefina just laid the information for them to know.


    "The Lycans are stronger and have extraordinarily sharp senses. But, for the legendary white Lycan their senses enhanced further. However¡­" Serefina glanced at the small little bird in Raine''s palms. "Their beast side is not easy to be tamed, thus moon goddess gave another supernatural creature to balance the ferocity of the beast."


    Needless to say the supernatural creature that was given to Torak was this firebird.


    "Then, what does all this mean?" Raine felt her chest caved in, she had bad omen about Torak was being away from his firebird and the condition of this bird right now. "Torak didn''t look sick or he was in pain when he gave the bird to me."


    Raine remembered that Torak was perfectly fine.


    "He is not, but his beast is." Serefina run her slender fingers on the feathers of the bird, it small chest rose and fell occasionally. "This condition is the opposite of Torak''s condition when he made the library building collapsed and killed many people."


    At that time, Torak''s human side became weaker than his beast because he had harmed so many human that went against the rule of this realm.


    That was why his ferocious beast appeared on the surface of his consciousness.


    However, right now. This was the opposite.


    Since Torak had used the firebird strength to kill those creatures that the devil and the witches sent to them, the beast was so weak.


    Probably that was also the reason why Torak was easier to become the target and fall for the dark witches'' schemes.


    Raine listened attentively. "So, what is mean when the condition of the bird is like this?" though she asked the question, but Raine was afraid to listen for the answer, somehow she knew what the witch would say.


    "He is¡­ in danger." Serefina simplified her reply, but of course Raine and Calleb were able to grasp something more than the word ''danger'' from Serefina.


    Raine found herself was having a hard time to breathe. "Can you heal it?" she asked faintly, stretching her arms so the witch could see the poor little thing in her palms. Hopping Serefina could fine a solution.


    Yet, the witch shook her head. "I am afraid I can''t."


    ===============


    Raine spent her afternoon until midnight inside her room. She ate her lunch and dinner inside the room, only because Serefina said she needed more strength to keep the bird alive.


    The taste of the meals were like dry sands in her mouth, yet Raine didn''t complain and kept eating.


    Chewing, swallowing, chewing and swallowing again, without really tasted it. All she needed was extra strength to keep her power enough to keep the bird alive as long as possible, since Raine didn''t know what she had to do.


    "Torak, where are you? Can you hear me?" Raine wept, she kept the bird closed to her chest, in attempt to make this little creature felt warmer.


    "I don''t know what I should do¡­" Raine whispered to the empty room as she stared into the darkness. "Can you tell me where is Torak? Or, can you take me to see him? I really need him¡­" a tear fell on the head of the weak bird as it let out a gentle squalled.


    When the time slipped away and the moon rose above the starry night, Raine''s consciousness started to fade away as tired and anxiety engulfed her mind and body.


    However, she was actually awake enough to hear that voice.


    ''Raine.''


    He called her name just like how Raine remembered it. His voice was always tender when he talked to her, no matter what the circ.u.mstances.


    ''Raine.''


    He called her again, but Raine just listened. Her vision and mind clouded with white fog, or maybe it was because Raine was dreaming?


    Raine was unsure with her current state.


    If this was a real or this only happened in her mind, but the voice unceasingly echoed in her ears.


    ''Raine. wake up my love.''


    Raine gulped hard, ''Torak?'' she called out his name in uncertainty. She started to question herself, whether she answered him in her dream or she really spoke his name.


    ''My love.''


    And that was it.


    Raine''s eyes snapped open and felt a little bit of headache because of the sudden movement. At first she didn''t know where she was. But, then¡­ she started to recognize the interior of this place.


    Raine abruptly stood up to make sure she wasn''t seeing things. Only when she scanned the entire room carefully she was so sure that she was indeed in this place.


    From the leather seat next to the floor- to- the ceiling window and the sofa she sat down. She wouldn''t mistake this place.


    After all Raine had spent weeks in this room to prepare for her exam.


    Raine was in Torak''s office. The office of the Donovan Company that was located in Fulbright city.


    Raine was actually there and she didn''t know how and why!?


    The only thing that her memories could provide was Torak''s voice. She heard him and here she was.


    Raine then lowered her eyes and realized she was still holding the little bird in her palms.

 Chapter 363 - BACK TO FULBRIGHT CITY

    This office room was exactly like the last time she was here. Nothing change, including the password in the private elevator that brought her to the bas.e.m.e.nt.


    Raine was very confused about why she was there, she didn''t have any idea.


    Inside the elevator, Raine put the little bird on her pocket jacket as she felt something heavy and hard inside. It was her phone.


    Raine had never felt so grateful for sleeping without changing her clothes as she still kept everything with her, like her phone, her wallet and still wore her warm jacket in this slightly cold night.


    First thing that Raine had to do was to find a hotel to stay and thought about this over also, she needed to call Calleb, Serefina and Raphael. She could meet the Beta since they were in the same city now.


    Thus, Raine shuffled between the car, afraid if she was caught by the CCTV there. She covered her head with her hoodie and barefooted toward the exit of the parking lot.


    Raine knew this place very well and could avoid the security if she was careful enough.


    The only reason she didn''t want to be seen by anyone that she was here, because she heard this Company had been acquired by de Medici Family, which Belphegor, oddly enough, was the head of the family.


    However, there was another thing that bothered Raine too. de Medici family pointed Andoori Family to be their partner as the replacement of Torak Donovan.


    It was weird enough because as long as Raine could remember, Andoori family wasn''t an outstanding or prominent family in this city. They wouldn''t offer many benefits for the de Medici family.


    And also the fact that Raine became closer and closer to Sunny and her vision too. This thought scare her when she remembered how much blood on her hand in her vision.


    Raine took a deep breath, now she walked on the street across the Donovan building. She needed to find a hotel, a cheap one.


    Not because she didn''t have money. Raine, fortunately, brought her wallet with her, so all the card inside was enough for her to stay in the most expensive hotel.


    But, she couldn''t do that, knowing Torak had become the most wanted person after his crime of killing many police officers and the people inside the library building, they would absolutely look for her too.


    Thus Raine looked for a cheap hotel that didn''t have a complicated procedure to check in.


    Raine knew one place that would be perfect for her now.


    "One room please." Raine said in low voice, covering half of her face as she stood in front of a reception table, which was a middle age woman sitting.


    The woman looked at Raine, as she maintained a calm expression, and said the price. After Raine paid for her room, the woman gave her the key.


    "Is today is Friday, may 8th?" Raine wanted to make sure that she just moved to another place and not jumped to another years. She was tired with this.


    "Yes." The woman replied as she yawned. "Third floor, the eighth room from the stairs." She added.


    "Got it." Raine was about to leave when the woman shouted at her again.


    "Use the stairs, the elevator doesn''t work." She informed her in her thick accent.


    "Okey." Raine kept her words very short as she jogged to the third floor by stairs.


    The eighth room from the stairs was actually the last room at the corner of this hallway. This place was usually used by people who only looked for a short stay or the backpacker who was short of money or any other brief activity that Raine didn''t want to think about it.


    The moment she was inside her room, Raine let out her breath that she didn''t realize she had been holding, her tense shoulder also slightly relaxed.


    Raine scanned her room briefly.


    There was only a single bed in white sheet and a pillow, a small bedside table and a table with a chair that face the window, from her window, she could see the Donovan building a bit far from here.


    Raine made sure the door was locked before she walked toward the bed and laid her tired body.


    Raine felt something moving inside her pocket and pulled out the bird. "Did you do all this?" she questioned the bird, which let out a weak squeal.


    She looked into the creature red eyes and put it on her chest before she made a phone call to Calleb.


    "Why are you calling me when you are only inside your room?" Calleb was still awake, apparently, because Torak had gone missing and Raphael also wasn''t there, he had a lot of things in his hand that needed to be handled.


    The Gamma had to coordinate with the other Alphas to gain information about Torak, the movement in the Fulbright city or anything that out of ordinary.


    "I am not inside my room." Raine glanced at the clock on the wall. It showed three o''clock in the morning.


    "Wait, what!?"


    From across the phone Raine could hear Calleb''s heavy footstep stomping the floor when he stormed toward her bedroom.


    Not long, Calleb roared over the phone. ??Where are you!?" he sounded very angry because he thought Raine had sneaked out of her bedroom and did something stupid. "Why are you not inside your room?!"


    "Relax. Let me explain." Raine tried to calm him down, but Calleb had riled up before she could utter her explanation.


    "Girl, you better stay where you are and don''t roam around alone until I get to you!" Calleb was breathless when Raine heard a jingling sound of car key. "Now tell me where are you!?" his voice raised a few octave.


    Raine was quite irritated by the way Calleb talked to her, he had not yet heard her explanation, but already jumped into conclusion.


    "I am in Fulbright city. Inside a cheap hotel near the Donovan building!" Raine bit back. "And no. I am not a girl. I am your Luna!"

 Chapter 364 - I AM STILL IN FULBRIGHT CITY

    The way Raine mentioned her title, her tone was so strong, just like how the Luna supposed to be.


    This sudden fierce behavior of Raine made Calleb stopped in his track and regretted his words. Sometime, because they were too close, Calleb would forget his position and reprimanded Raine like his little sister.


    This was his mistake, because regardless how Raine looked at him like an older brother, she was still his Luna.


    The way he talked harshly to her was a form of disrespect to his leader. In other pack, his action was difficult to be pardoned, at least he would be demoted by now.


    "I am sorry, Raine. I was just too panicked because you are not inside your room." Calleb sighed deeply. "Now tell me, how can you be in the fulbright city?" this wasn''t make sense, or maybe Calleb heard it wrongly?


    "I don''t know¡­ when I opened my eyes, I was already inside Torak''s office room." Raine frowned as her free hand caressed the bird on her chest.


    Afterward, Raine told Calleb everything and the Gamma listened to her attentively.


    "Raine, listen to me. Don''t move from that hotel, I will call Raphael to inform him that you are there, so he could pick you up and bring you back here." Calleb spoke quickly as he was trying to hold back the sudden urge to crush his phone.


    Torak had gone missing and now Riane, unknowingly, was in the city miles away from here. There must be something wrong somewhere, like there was someone playing with them.


    The first thing that popped up in his head was; a traitor.


    It wasn''t surprised if there was a traitor among the Alphas since Torak was still looking for the opportunity to reveal their true skin one by one.


    Except Alpha Ryan, there must be someone out there who wanted to stab Torak behind his back.


    "You got it?" Calleb demanded Raine''s reply.


    "Got it." Raine nodded, though her mind was still trying to figure out how she could, all of sudden, in this fulbright city.


    "Be careful Raine, I will call Raphael now." Calleb warned her anxiously. "Talk to you later."


    "Bye." And with that the line was cut off.


    Raine stared at the ceiling of the room while caressing the bird as she fell into a deep slumber, into a dreamless sleep.


    For some reason she felt very exhausted.


    ==============


    When Raine opened her eyes, it was when she heard a loud ringing tone very near to her ears. She groaned and turned her body, but the sound was very irritating and wouldn''t stop.


    At the moment, she finally sat down and rubbed the sleepiness away from her eyes, she looked around and then finally the realization hit her as the memories of last night was brought back in her mind.


    Raine gasped and looked for the little bird, she found the little creature was also fast asleep beside her, it breathing was shallow.


    Carefully, Raine scooped the bird in her palm and wrapped it under the blanket as her phone kept ringing.


    Only after she settled the bird, Raine picked her phone and frowned. Her heart skipped a beat as a bad premonition crept on the back of her head.


    It was Sunny.


    Why she called her?


    Gritting her teeth. Raine wouldn''t find out anything if she didn''t pick her call, right? "Yes?" she kept her greeting as normal as possible.


    "Raine, where are you? I am so worry about you and also Cassey, James, Kai and Connor, everyone wanted to know that you are all right." Sunny''s distinctive voice flooded from the other line of the phone.


    Raine''s eyes casted down as she replied curtly. "I am fine. Don''t worry." Her voice was so firm.


    "Where are you now? Do you read the news? The police is looking for Torak Donovan. " Sunny reported.


    "Don''t worry about me, I am fine." Raine kept her answer short.


    Because Raine didn''t talk and ask anything back, as if she wanted to end it as soon as possible, thus the conversation turned a little bit awkward.


    From the other end of the phone, Raine could hear Sunny cleared her throat. "Raine, about my family that took over the Donovan company¡­" she hung her words, hoping Raine would end it for her.


    Knowing Raine, Sunny hoped she would say; it''s all right.


    Yet, Raine said nothing as she waited for Sunny to complete her sentence.


    Leaving without any other choice, Sunny continued. "I know it''s not right for my family to make this deal with de Medici family, but I just want you to know that I¡­" Sunny struggled to find the right word to say and Raine didn''t help her. "¡­ that I will always be your friend. Raine, are you angry with me?"


    "No." Raine finally said something. "You have nothing to do with your family decision." She said to ease Sunny''s conscience.


    "I am glad if you think that way." Sunny sighed in relief.


    "Sunny."


    "Yes?"


    "May I know who the person in charge in de Medici family for the collusion?" Raine asked in deep voice, her eyes remained tranquil while Sunny was slightly taken aback by the word ''colussion''.


    "Mmh¡­ it is, Mr. Reiz de Medici." Sunny answered in weird tone.


    "Reiz de Medici." Raine repeated his name. She knew that Reiz de Medici was no other than Belphegor, the devil.


    When she thought about this, an idea flashed before her eyes.


    Maybe she could find Torak''s whereabouts faster if she could use this opportunity. The reason he was here might be because the bird had brought him here. After all it was the beast''s soul.


    It sounded weird, yet after what Raine had been through, she was open to all the possibilities, no matter how nonsense they were.


    "Sunny, do you know that Torak is missing?" Raine asked as she caressed the bird. "And I am still in Fulbright city for some reason. I am looking for him."


    "Really?" Sunny was surprised.

 Chapter 365 - SHE WAS IN RUSH

    "Really?" Sunny was surprised.


    "Yes." Raine admitted it readily. "He disappeared last night."


    "Disappeared? What do you mean with disappeared?" Sunny was startled, her voice laced with anxiety that she shouldn''t have. "I thought you and Torak went out of the city."


    "Went out of the city?" Raine''s placid black eyes flickered. "I have never mentioned that I went out of the city."


    "Oh, that is only my own thought." Sunny reasoned, murmuring. "Because the police couldn''t find both of you¡­"


    That reason was indeed make sense, but Raine felt there was something strange with the way Sunny said it.


    Sunny has a bright personality, thus if she felt something that bothered her, it wasn''t hard to spot it. Raine knew her enough to say that Sunny was hiding something while they were talking.


    However, this was within Raine''s prediction. Of course, she hid something from her.


    The moment Raine returned to this city and how her vision was getting close to what would happen, she realized this was something that she couldn''t avoid or she knew how to avoid it.


    Thus, since she wasn''t able to prevent it from happening, why she didn''t face it and figure out what would actually happen.


    Raine was in deep thought before she nodded and agreed. "Hm, we went out of the city."


    "But, but¡­ you said that you are still in fulbright city." Sunny reminded her about what she said earlier.


    "Because I thought Torak returned to this city." Raine replied. "After all, he left the company that he had painstakingly established just like that. I think he still has some important thing to do and settle a few things, so I come here."


    That was totally a lie and Raine knew she was lying. Torak wouldn''t bat an eye even if they took over the company and froze his assets there.


    Raine just wanted to give Sunny an excuse to call her again. Because if what Raine''s guess was true, she would.


    "Raine, just you know that I don''t think Torak did all of that things that they said in media." Sunny said.


    "Don''t worry about that, the truth will come to light." Raine didn''t really think that they would need the truth of the situation. All they wanted was to have Torak''s head.


    "Oh¡­" Sunny mumbled. "If I find some news about Torak, I will let you know¡­ maybe, he was looking for those investors and his previous business partners¡­" She kept rumbling.


    Raine didn''t really care about what she was talking, neither she was listening to it.


    "Yes, please do." Raine looked at the bustling city down there through the window and the Donovan building, not so far from her place. "I have to go, please call me if you hear something about Torak."


    "Yes, but Raine¡­" Sunny was hesitated.


    "Hm?"


    "Where are you?" Sunny asked, her voice sounded like she didn''t want Raine to answer her.


    Of course, she wouldn''t. "If you have news about Torak, I will come to you." Raine''s message was very clear and she hoped that person would be able to get it.


    "Alright. Take care of yourself." Sunny bid her goodbye, but Raine had cut the call.


    Raine knew the decision that she took right now was very risky, but this was a faster way for her to find him.


    Raine didn''t have much time, the bird looked like it would die anytime. She was in rush. The only thing that she wished was for everything to run smoothly¡­


    She typed something on her phone and waited for the reply.


    It didn''t take so long for Calleb to inform her about Raphael''s number and within less than five minutes, Raine was in the phone call with the furious Beta.


    "No! Raine, I object your idea!" Raphael said sternly. "I will be there in a few hours, until then, don''t do anything rush."


    "For now, I will not." Raine agreed, but she had not finished yet. "But, if they responded to my offer, then I will act accordingly.??


    "Raine, that''s too dangerous!" Raphael was exasperated by his Luna.


    "Torak is in danger! The more time we waste, the closer Torak is to death!" Raine gripped her phone tightly as she caressed the bird tenderly. "I will never risk that."


    There was a determination in Raine''s voice and Raphael couldn''t find any room to negotiate it with her.


    "Tell me what your plan¡­" Raphael yielded.


    ==============


    "She is in this city¡­" Sunny put down her phone as she stared at her shoes, feeling bad for her friend.


    In front of the young girl were her father and a man with beautiful golden eyes, next to him were two other woman.


    "Mr. Reiz, what do you want to do with this?" Mr. Andoori asked Belphegor beside him in puzzled.


    Andoori Sr felt something was not right when de Medici family accepted their offer, not to mention it was far better than he expected, a position as the replacement of Torak Donovan! Who wouldn''t take that golden opportunity?


    Yet, he still couldn''t find the reason why and Reiz de Medici wouldn''t tell him anything. Andoori Sr just accepted his position right now just like that.


    "Alright." Belphegor clapped his hands with smile on his lips. "I just need that from you, you can go now."


    Andoori Sr looked at his daughter whose face laced with complicated emotion, her eyes quivered as she stared back at her father. However, Andoori shook his head, indicating that they didn''t need to know and walked out of the room.


    Regardless her father silent warning, Sunny still approached Belphegor. "What you will do to her?"


    Belphegor raised his eyebrows upon hearing the girl''s question. "We will do nothing. You can relax." He stretched out his hand and caressed the girl''s cheeks. "I will need you to call her again later."


    Sunny felt something cold slithered on her face when they made skin to skin contact and abruptly stepped back. She didn''t like this man or the fact that her father joined de Medici family.

 Chapter 366 - MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE ANGEL AND THE DEVIL

    "How do you think she can be in the Fulbright city?" Calleb asked Serefina, who was sitting across the table.


    Calleb had just informed their pack in red river city and utilized their resources to find information about Torak''s whereabouts as much as possible.


    Not only that, the pack that was led by the seven Alphas who had betrayed Torak before also got a strict rule and once their people from the red river city came, they would go to the fulbright city if they couldn''t find the Alpha until then.


    This was a serious case, not only because this involved human world, but also the fact that the awakening of the devils drew near.


    Serefina didn''t answer him immediately, her green lime eyes fixed on the closed door as she was in deep thought.


    "The thing that happened to Raine is not the same like what had happened to Torak." Calleb grew frustrated.


    He came into this conclusion because if it was the devil doing, then Raine wouldn''t be able to make a contact with him.


    "Forget about the disappearance of Raine for awhile. Don''t you think something is weird?" Serefina spoke as if she was daydreaming, her eyes were still etched at the closed door.


    "What is weird?" Calleb frowned, his eyes traced the same spot where Serefina was looking at, yet he couldn''t spot anything weird.


    "We have talked about the traitors among Torak''s pack." Serefina shifted her gaze on Calleb''s face. "What if there is one here as well?"


    Calleb''s frown deepened. "Among the Alphas who helped with the search?"


    "We can''t rule out all the possibilities." Serefina voiced out her own thought. "Instead of worrying about Raine, why don''t you think that there must be something will happen here since they got rid of Torak."


    "What your guess?" Calleb leaned over to Serefina.


    "They will start to make their move." Serefina then added. "Soon."


    ==============


    Raine was having her dinner on her own as she tried to figure out how to preserve the tiny live on her palm.


    The bird''s condition didn''t get worse, yet it didn''t get better too.


    Is Torak in danger? How is he now? Raine couldn''t help, but became more and more nervous as the time passed.


    "What should I do to you little one¡­" Raine nudged the little bird as she tried to feed it, but it didn''t seem like to eat human''s food and she didn''t know what it like, thus Raine only gave it water, drop by drop.


    Not long after that, just like how Raine had predicted, yet it came sooner. The phone call from Sunny.


    Her phone rang a few times before Raine picked up her call.


    "Yes?" Raine''s voice turned rigid as she looked at the time; eight o''clock sharp.


    "Raine¡­" Sunny called her name breathily. "Where are you?"


    "Do you know Torak whereabouts?" Raine didn''t want to waste any more time as she glanced at the tiny life in her hand.


    "Yes, yes¡­" Sunny answered readily.


    Raine raised an eyebrow. Were the devils not suspicious at all? They easily got fooled?


    Raine was expecting Sunny wouldn''t be so blatant to tell her directly that she had found Torak, Raine thought Sunny would give her some clues, which guided her toward Torak. Not direct confession like this.


    Yet, since Sunny knew, so Raine would take every opportunity to find her mate.


    "Can you come to the address that I will give to you?" Sunny asked again, her voice sounded lower than normal.


    "Sure." There was a fleeting complicated emotion before Raine resumed her composure and calmly asked. "Will you come with me as well?"


    "Yes, I will meet you there." Sunny then hang up the phone.


    Raine put her phone down when a few second later it rang, a notification that she just received a message. There was an address when she opened it.


    The only reason why Raine didn''t ask anything, because she knew what would be waiting for her the moment she came.


    And just like her, the other party also knew the phone call between Raine and Sunny was only pretense to relay her message to them.


    Raine''s message was clear; she wanted to know where Torak was.


    And this, how the devil replied to her.


    Raine placed her palms against her thumping heart as she closed her eyes. It was a lie if she said she wasn''t afraid, of course she was, yet she knew this wasn''t the right time to let her fear conquered herself.


    ''Everything will be all right.'' Raine chanted to herself.


    The moment she opened her eyes, there was determination in those beautiful dark eyes, as dark as the bleak night.


    Raine picked up her phone and made a call as the other party picked it up on the second ring.


    "Raph. I just got the address." Raine said rigidly.


    ==============


    Raine walked under the canopies of the shadow of buildings and trees. The only source of light below this gloomy night was the lamp post along the street that led her to a three- story building.


    She readjusted her jacket and made sure her face was covered under her hoodie as she walked down this path.


    "Raine." Sunny waved her hand when she saw Raine and ran toward her.


    Sunny was wearing body- hugging dress and jeans, she looked paler without her make up as her hair tied into a messy bun on top of her head.


    "I miss you." Sunny hugged Raine a little bit tighter as Raine reciprocated it casually.


    "I miss you too." Raine imitated.


    "Ehm, I saw¡­ Torak Donovan¡­ mh, I meant¡­" she fidgeted as she talked, avoiding Raine''s eyes, trying to find the right reason or excuse to explain herself. "Someone told me that¡­"


    "I know, let''s get there." Raine spared her the explanation, as she didn''t need someone to tell lie and waste her time.


    Every second was important for Raine and nothing needed to be explained when the situation had reached this point.


    "Oh, yes¡­ right. let''s go." Sunny stammered as she led the way reluctantly.

 Chapter 367 - I WANT YOUR BLOOD

    Raine followed her silently.


    The silence that stretched between them was so hard to be ignored. The interaction between them was near like stranger, there was no trace that could say they were friend, as if both of them knew what would happen next and that wasn''t something that they looked forward.


    It was ten o''clock and the building was only guarded by two securities that they met at the entrance. Almost all the light had turned off and only left a few to illuminate the corridors that they passed.


    Apparently the building didn''t have elevator, thus they used the stairs to reach the highest place. This building was like a small start- up company that specialized in advertising as Raine could see many banners and advertis.e.m.e.nt along the wall.


    But, whatever it was, Raine didn''t think about it further as she had another important thing in her mind.


    She could feel her blood rushed in her vein and the anxiety grew along with the steps that she took, the corridors looked confusing and the light was dimmer as they walked further, venturing inside this building.


    Raine neither asked something nor she showed her fear in front of Sunny. She just walked along with her in silence.


    Perhaps the mutual understanding also stretched out to Sunny. She knew that Raine knew what she did and it didn''t help in her case, she felt remorse for putting Raine in this kind of situation.


    "We almost there." Sunny murmured before they climbed the last staircase before they reached the rooftop.


    Raine didn''t answer her as she put her focus on herself and played hundreds of possibilities that could happen in a matter of a few minutes later.


    Would she be able to see Torak directly? Or the devils would ask her to do something?


    Raine was clueless, but she came prepare.


    Once the door was opened, she could see there were four people inside and Raine had seen three of them.


    Belphegor, Andromalius, a woman that she saw in her vision when she touched the witch in blue moon pack and a woman that she had never seen, wearing tutu skirt. She looked almost angelic if Raine couldn''t say she was an evil beauty.


    The woman that Raine had seen in her vision has black lips and hair, she looked at Raine with smirk on her devilish face and Raine felt there was something off about her, but she couldn''t pin point what it was.


    Meanwhile, Raine had only seen Andromalius once or twice in the past, but she was very sure it was the devil who owned the territory in fulbright city.


    Raine then shifted her gaze toward Belphegor, whose face sculpted beautifully as his golden eyes complimented his skin perfectly.


    "Raine, long time no see¡­" Belphegor sighed upon seeing Raine''s figure that emerged from behind the door.


    The woman with black hair threw Raine a lopsided smile that didn''t reach her eyes as they filled with malicious intent. Raine could feel it, the black hair woman had had put her interest on her since the first moment she laid her eyes on Raine.


    Her tongue licked her black lips couple of time as her eyes stared at Raine like a predator, looking at its prey.


    "Where is Torak." Raine didn''t want to spend the next second for unnecessary pleasantry. She wanted to get it down straight to the business.


    Raine''s eyes hardened and her body tensed, as she took their gazes on her, especially the black hair woman, Raine lingered a little bit longer when their eyes met with each other.


    A smirk on that woman''s face told Raine that she was done for, without Torak who always protected her and without the bunch of Lycans that called her as their Luna, Raine was nothing except an easy target.


    "You are very impatient, just like that Lycan¡­" the woman who wore tutu skirt twirled her hair with her forefinger as she rested her head against Belphegor''s upper arms.


    "Where is him?" Raine asked sternly as she repeated her question, her voice was as cold and gloomy as the evening breeze. She fixed her eyes on the sloth.


    "Honest answer?" He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "I don''t know." He shrugged his shoulder while smiling.


    Raine didn''t respond to his honesty, she stayed quiet.


    "But, I do have a clue about his whereabouts." Belphegor talked playfully.


    Yet, Raine showed him that she wasn''t there to amuse him and his crony. "Keep talking."


    Andromalius laughed harder when he heard Raine''s remark. "How bold!" He clapped his hands happily as he grinned widely at Raine. "I remember the first time I saw you. You are so timid and not speak this loud." He reminisced.


    "I don''t have time to remember that." Raine stated coldly as she glowered at Belphegor. "So, what is the clue?"


    Meanwhile, next to Raine, Sunny was at loss about the thing that they were talking about.


    Did Mr. Reiz kidnap Torak Donovan? Raine knew all of them?


    Sunny knew this was a trap for Raine and she was very sure that Raine also had figured out this was a scheme for her, yet Sunny couldn''t understand, why Raine wanted to walk straight without hesitation to this place?


    Wasn''t that the same as suicide?


    If it wasn''t because for her family, Sunny wouldn''t do something like this. She was genuinely didn''t know what Mr. Reiz had planned for Raine.


    Sunny just hoped nothing bad would happen from this weird meeting.


    "I want a bargain." The woman in black hair finally talked after her staring contest with Raine.


    "I guess you will not ask for money, won''t you?" Raine replied snidely.


    The woman laughed eerily, even the wind that blew felt chiller on Raine''s skin when she heard her shrill- like- a- laugh.


    "You have a good sense of humor angel." That woman then fished out a small bottle from her pocket and flew it mid air as it moved on its own toward Raine. She was a witch. "I want your blood inside."

 Chapter 368 - NO, I WILL NOT

    "What if I decline?" Raine didn''t take the bottle that stop mid air as she looked at the witch. Is she a dark witch?


    "Do you think you can?" the witch mused, pinching her chin as she reciprocated Raine''s gaze.


    Raine didn''t want to concede from this argument. "Tell me, where is Torak," she said firmly.


    Since she had ordered to kill the witch, the future altered. In her vision before, it was Belphegor, Jenedieth and the witch that were meeting the witch from the blue moon pack, inside a place like a bar, but now it turned out this way and Raine slightly at loss.


    Yet, to give her blood, she knew that wasn''t a good decision, knowing a drop of her blood alone could make a chaotic situation like what had happened back then with the police.


    And now they demanded a full bottle of it¡­ What an army they could make out of it?


    "Do you really think that Torak is here?" Andromalius smiled boringly. "You should learn one or two things from Torak when it comes to situation like this, so you are not easily fooled. Oh, by the way, I like the way you informed us by using your dear little friend."


    Sunny shrunk back when Andromalius''s eyes fell on her. "Raine, I am sorry¡­" she whimpered, yet Raine didn''t have time to console her.


    "He is with Lucifer." Said the woman in tutu skirt. "What?"


    That woman raised her head and looked at the witch and Andromalius who glowered at her while Belphegor too lazy to even tear his eyes from Raine.


    "She is helpless, what else she can do? Even though we let her know about it." the woman shrugged he shoulder. "Do you think she can walk out from this alive without our permission?"


    True to her words, with Raine who came here alone, without any back up, what else this weak guardian angel could do? It would be forever etched to their mind, how weak the guardian angel were.


    "What else I can do?" Raine smirked as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What if I said, Torak is in a place like a bar with Lucifer?"


    This was a gambling. Raine was just guessing based on what her vision told her before this and the change in their facial expressions told Raine that what she said was true.


    [Raph, do you know where is the bar?] Raine mind- linked Raphael, who stayed guard not too far from there.


    [I do.] Raphael answered. [But, you will not be able to find it unless you have something from the people inside.]


    It was useless if they knew the place, but couldn''t find the location or even entered it.


    Raine slightly frowned. [Like what?]


    [Part of their body, something that close to them, something that is touched by their power.] Raphael listed.


    When Raine heard that, she really wanted to clap her hand. Something that consist their power?


    Raine''s eyes gleamed with joy when she took another look at the small bottle that still hang mid- air, within her arm reach.


    What a fortune that she has¡­ Without second thought, Raine grabbed the bottle and twirled it in her hand.


    "I think you are very good at guessing things." Andromalius gave an uncertain answer, whether what Raine had guessed was right, or it was a mere guess.


    "Raine¡­ I really don''t know about this¡­" Sunny stepped forward after receiving a knowing stare from the witch and gave Raine a dagger to help her to draw the blood out of her body. "I am sorry¡­ I have to do this for my family."


    Raine turned her head, and this was the first time she looked at Sunny, the very first friend that she has.


    How time flew very fast, Raine slightly reminisce the memories when they were together, chatting, shopping and all the conversation that happened, but here they were, Sunny offered Raine a dagger to hurt herself.


    ''


    "You don''t need to be sorry. You only do what you have to do." Raine took the dagger from Sunny and held it tightly.


    There was silence that stretched in the air until the witch opened her mouth and spoke impatiently. "What are you waiting for? Do it!"


    [Raph¡­] Raine dragged her words.


    At the same time, Belphegor realized there was something wrong with this situation. A devilish smirk crept on his handsome face as he talked in his honey like voice. "She is not alone¡­"


    [Now.]


    There were three things that happened almost at the same time.


    There was a thunderous growl that split the serene night, it was like a sign for Raine to make her move.


    "Let''s go!" Raine grabbed Sunny''s hand and tugged her along with her as they ran toward the door.


    And then Belphegor moved very fast, which human''s eyes couldn''t catch his motion, one second Belphegor was thirty meter away from Raine and Sunny, and now he was standing right before Raine''s eyes.


    Behind Raine, Raphael, Jack and the other Lycans that had met with Raphael when they split up, had their own share of fight with the three people.


    Once they were there, Raphael immediately looked for Raine, but their Luna was closer to Belphegor than to him.


    With thunderous roar, the beast moved on his four legs as fast as he could.


    But, that wasn''t fast enough as in the beast red eyes, he could see the devil had raised his hand and grabbed Raine''s neck as he shoved Sunny aside with his other free hand.


    The poor girl''s body flew several meters away before crashing into the wall.


    "You will come with me." The devil smirked upon seeing Raine''s unyielding eyes. He couldn''t draw Raine''s blood alone as it would harm himself, thus he couldn''t just crushed her neck and secreted the blood out of her body.


    "No, I will not." Raine replied in difficulty, surprisingly the same smirk appeared on Raine''s lips as she raised her hand.

 Chapter 369 - THE VISION

    Raine came in full preparation. She wasn''t stupid and arrogant enough to think that she could defeat the devils by herself or the fact that those devils would keep their words like a gentleman.


    With Belphegor was holding her neck, Raine wrapped her hands around his wrist. Of course, to push him away was only an empty wish for Raine, her strength wouldn''t match the devil.


    However, she knew what his weakness and used it against him wisely.


    Without the devil knew it, Raine had smeared her palms with her own blood. No, she didn''t cut herself with the dagger that Sunny gave to her. Raine had her blood drawn before she came here, because more or less, she knew what she would face.


    Once Raine''s palms, which have her blood on it, made skin to skin contact with Belphegor, he screamed in agony and abruptly dropped Raine to the ground.


    Yet, before Belphegor could even recover from his shock, a beast jumped over Raine''s head and pounced on the devil.


    Seeing this, Raine immediately rolled her body away from their battle. She would have died if she lingered there longer.


    Crawling, Raine approached Sunny, who was sobbing as she felt her entire body was in pain.


    "We have to go from here!" Raine informed Sunny and tried to help her to stand up, despite her complain.


    "What happened?" Sunny asked breathily. She looked at the scene behind her, but her puzzled expression told Raine that she didn''t see what she saw.


    Raine couldn''t fathom what she was seeing and didn''t have to figure that out as she was too busy to help Sunny walk and dodge the attack that she couldn''t see in order to get out from that rooftop, which now had turned into a battlefield.


    Sunny grimace and whined in every steps that they took when they walked down the stairs.


    Raphael would be able to find Raine, hence she didn''t worry about that, the only thing that she needed to do now was to protect herself and Sunny.


    Raine was sure Raphael and the other would be able to take care of them.


    "Raine, what happened there? Do you see that? Why they want your blood?" Sunny was always a chatter, even in this situation she has many things to ask.


    "It is much better for you to not know about this." Raine murmured under her breath, Sunny was not a fatty, but she was taller than Raine, therefore, she was a little bit struggling when she had to support her.


    "Raine, I am sorry, I have to do this because my family is being threatened by Mr. Reiz¡­" Sunny tried to explain herself.


    "It''s all right." Raine couldn''t find a reason to blame all of this on her as the Andoori family was only out of luck for being caught in the middle of this catastrophe situation between the creatures that they didn''t even know exist.


    "My family is in need for financial support and Mr. Reiz from de Medici family offered his help¡­" Sunny went on with her rant.


    In the other hand, Raine knew she wouldn''t be able to stop Sunny from ranting her words and explaining herself, thus she let her be.


    Amidst of Sunny''s rumble, Raine was trying to find a way out from there and tried to remember the way back to the entrance door.


    "¡­ I want to decline Mr. Reiz''s order, but my father said I have to do this for our family¡­" Sunny said regretfully. She gritted her teeth, trying to bear the pain.


    However, when they reached the first floor as they walked down the same corridor that they passed before, all of sudden Sunny stopped talking and shoved Raine inside a small room right next to her.


    Caught out of guard, Raine stumbled and fell to the ground as she heard a loud sound of door being closed.


    Raine immediately backed away and stood up. Her eyes turned rigid when she watched how Sunny''s eyes had turned red.


    Those eyes were the same eyes like the child in the blue moon pack and also the eyes of those twenty five polices that came to their house a few days ago.


    Raine could feel the chill that ran down her spine.


    Was this the time for her vision to come true? Sunny would kill her because she was possessed by dark magic?


    So, it was true that the blood in Raine''s hands was her own blood? Would she die now?


    Raine remembered how difficult for them to defeat the child, if it wasn''t because of Torak that the one who holding the child so Raine could give the final blow, Raine didn''t think she would stand a chance.


    But, why Sunny wasn''t affected by Raine''s blood when she helped her out from the rooftop, but then Raine realized that Sunny was wearing leather jacket and gloves, the details that she had missed.


    Sunny''s lips split into an eerie smile when she tilted her head to scrutinize Raine.


    "Sunny¡­" Raine called out her name, hoping she would answer her or she could find a little bit sanity in her friend, but it was only a wishful thinking as Raine also knew there was no way out from this situation.


    It was either she or Sunny who would die.


    Raine felt her throat tightened. The memories of Sunny and their other friends flashed before her eyes, such happy memories back then.


    How they used to laugh and quarrel and how Sunny used to talk very fast and reprimanded her about silly things.


    But, is this how it would end?


    Raine''s finger clutched tightly on the dagger in her hand, the dagger that Sunny gave to her before. Sunny''s condition couldn''t be helped anymore¡­


    When Sunny moved very fast to approach Raine, at the same time, both of the girls raised their hands and made slashing movements.


    Raine managed to hurt her, but that wasn''t the action that stopped Sunny, because the only thing that could stop her was Raine''s blood and that was exactly what happened when Sunny pierced her hand through Raine''s chest.

 Chapter 370 - HEARTBREAKING DECISION

    Raine was coughing blood so hard when excruciating pain spread her entire body before the feeling of numbness paralyzed her as she fell to the ground, breathing erratically.


    Before her eyes, she watched how Sunny fell on her knees as she roared in pain because of Raine''s blood that sprayed on her face and body.


    The blood indeed harmed and stopped her, in matter of second Sunny had slumped on the floor, yet Raine''s condition couldn''t be saved.


    She choked on her own blood, not to mention the blood that pooled beneath her body, the dim light of the room revealed her pale face as she fluttered her eyes.


    In her blurry sight, Raine tried to stay conscious, mustering her will to survive from this, though she didn''t know how when her condition was this bad.


    The last thing Raine saw before blacking out was the expressionless face of Sunny.


    NO!


    Raine shouted in her head when black dots tainted her vision.


    NO!


    "NO!!!" Raine roared.


    She shouted very loud until she hurt her throat before she felt someone shook her shoulder.


    "Raine. What happened?!" someone shook her shoulder again before her voice registered in her consciousness. "Raine, open your eyes!"


    "Raine!"


    And then, Raine opened her eyes immediately. Her eyes were very sharp as they glowered at Sunny beside her.


    Raine gasped loudly and her body was trembling uncontrollably, and when realization hit her, she knew she had travelled back time again.


    The same thing that happened when she was attacked by those reporters outside of Torak''s office when they were trying to burn her alive inside the car.


    "Raine, what happened?" Sunny backed away slightly because the sight of Raine''s expression right now was so terrifying. "Everything is all right?" she asked carefully, afraid to startle Raine.


    Raine tore her eyes from Sunny and looked at her surroundings, she was in the corridor again, trying to escape from the battle that happened on the rooftop.


    Raine needed sometime to calm herself and her trembling body, after all she was too close to death or maybe she would have died if it wasn''t because of her ability.


    But, then¡­ that only meant one thing¡­


    Raine raised her head and looked at Sunny with complicated emotion. "I am fine¡­" her voice sounded hoarser than normal. "We have to go¡­"


    "Oh, right¡­" Sunny, hesitantly, wrapped her arm again around Raine''s shoulder. "Let''s go."


    "Sunny, what did you say before?" Raine asked calmly, too calm for Sunny to notice there was something different with Raine.


    "Oh, I said¡­" Sunny tried to remember her last sentences before Raine acting strangely. "¡­ I want to decline Mr. Reiz''s order, but my father said I have to do this for our family¡­"


    That''s it. That was the last sentences from Sunny.


    "¡­ sorry." Raine whispered.


    "Hm?" Sunny lowered her head to catch what Raine said. "What?"


    From the corner of her eyes, Raine could see the room where Sunny would shove her inside and kill both of them, just a few steps away.


    "I am sorry." Raine repeated as she stilled her heart and a look of determination flashed on her eyes.


    "Why are you the one apologizing? Don''t¡­" Sunny had not yet finished her words when Raine touched her face with her hand that smeared with her blood, the same blood that she used to make Belphegor released her.


    At first, Sunny blinked her eyes innocently, the last expression of her that would attach in Raine''s mind whenever she remembered this very moment.


    Sunny was confused at first, but in the next second, her eyes opened widely as the color changed into bloody red.


    Sunny roared with the voice that wasn''t even hers. She raised her hand, which her nails were as sharp as razor, but Raine was faster than her, as she drew a dagger from her h.i.p.s and stabbed Sunny''s chest with it.


    A shrill scream filled the air, echoed through the wall in the corridor as Sunny''s body fell on the floor. The front of Raine''s clothes stained with blood.


    Raine didn''t know how long she was standing there, her vision and mind were clouded, as if she was staring through thick curtain of mist, until Raphael''s voice called out her name behind her back.


    "Raine, are you all right?" Raphael walked hastily at the girl, who was at loss in front of her friend''s dead body.


    In one glance, Raphael could tell what exactly happened there and now, Raine was in shocked.


    "Raine¡­" Raphael patted her shoulder and ready to see her tears that streaming down her face, yet he didn''t see it.


    Raine didn''t cry, she was very calm and collected, though her hands were slightly trembling, but her mental''s state was way better than what Raphael expected.


    Raphael then took off his jacket and covered Sunny''s body with it while Jack did the same thing and covered the poor girl''s face.


    Raine turned around, staring at her own hands that covered with blood.


    This was it.


    This was how her vision looked like, her hands were covered with blood, not hers, but Sunny''s. Should she feel relief because it wasn''t she who died in the end?


    Raine felt bad to think that way.


    But, with Sunny, who had been possessed with dark magic, Raine couldn''t do anything to help her.


    Raine had seen and experienced it, if she didn''t do what she had done now.


    She didn''t have a choice¡­ but, why she felt like someone who was trying to justify her own action? The guilty feeling gnawed her heart alive.


    And then Raine remembered what Serefina had said to her, long¡­ very long time ago, when she was still too afraid to even look other people straight in their eyes.


    What Serefina had said was true¡­


    There would be time when Raine had to face something crueler that she could imagine and she had to make a quick decision out of it¡­


    The worst part was, Raine realized this wouldn''t be the last heart- breaking decision that she had to endure.


    "Let''s go." Raine said to the other Lycan''s impassively as she walked out of the building.

 Chapter 371 - IT IS NOT A GOOD SIGN

    There were no tears or whining, there was something in the way Raine brought herself, she looked more resolute and fearless than ever.


    Raphael stared at Raine''s back, this attitude was the thing that he wished she would have one day, to posses the trait of the Luna, just like the way she showed him now.


    Yet when she already had it, Raphael thought it was quite terrifying, as he witnessed how Raine had changed in this span of time.


    Raine changed under his watch, from the girl who would easily scare and wouldn''t talk a word to people around her to the girl who was able to kill her own friend and didn''t even shed a tear for it.


    Raphael knew, this was a difficult decision for her, not that Raine wasn''t sad, but she controlled herself very well and knew what she had to do.


    Raine no more needed someone to tell her that the decision he made was not something he could avoid.


    Meanwhile, the other Lycans that came with Raphael and Jack saw their Luna in new light.


    They should admit the first impression of Raine wasn''t very satisfying. They just couldn''t help but to think why a weak creature like guardian angel could be their Luna, they thought it was another curse from the Moon Goddess after she cursed their Alpha mateless.


    Yet, they witnessed how their Luna''s ability saved them from annihilation in the Blue Moon pack by issued an order to kill the witch, without batting an eye.


    It was their Luna too, who had killed the child who was possessed by the dark magic and now the same thing happened again with her friend and she carried herself with conviction as she knew the right thing to do.


    ==============


    "Something happened." Romulus entered the room, where there were eight Alphas there together with Calleb and Serefina.


    They were talking about the things that they would do once the other Lycans from red river city arrived there.


    However, Romulus interruption made all the attention inside the room was on him.


    "What is it?" Alpha Derek from Eclipse pack, was the one who asked. His dark hazel eyes scrutinized his fellow Alpha intently, didn''t like to be disturbed when he was talking.


    Yet, Alpha Romulus brushed the irritation gaze from Alpha Derek and fixed his eyes on Calleb. "Are you sure, you have been looking for Alpha Ryan from Blue Moon pack?"


    Calleb frowned. What with that question? "Yes, I have." He replied, slightly puzzled. "What''s wrong?"


    A complicated emotion flashed on Alpha Ryan''s face. "Because he is here."


    "What do you mean he is here?" Calleb sniffed the air that action was followed by the other Alphas as they did the same thing.


    Only then they realized there was weird smell, but not only one, it was like hundreds of strangers were approaching them.


    All the people inside the room were not aware of this because there were a lot of Lycans and Werewolf around them from different packs at the meantime in order to gather their people to find their Supreme Alpha.


    Calleb growled as he stormed out of the room.


    How dare that trash came to show his face at time like this!? Calleb still remembered what that woman said, Ryan had forcefully marked her, though she wasn''t his mate, and this fact disgusted the Gamma.


    Outside of the house, in the front yard, a Lycan guard apparently was about to inform Calleb for Ryan''s visit, but Calleb already been there, walking down the stairs to approach the traitor, who was standing a few meter away from him.


    "Gamma Calleb." Ryan greeted Calleb impassively as he nodded out of politeness. The traitor didn''t come alone as he brought another trashes with him.


    Calleb and the other Alphas that followed behind him spotted Jenedieth and Gary, Ryan''s beta.


    "Who allows them to cross the territory!" Calleb roared, it was so rare to see the easy going Gamma was in his wits end.


    "I did." Someone answered from the crowd.


    All heads whipped toward the source of the voice and found Alpha Ralph stepped out from behind Calleb.


    He sauntered the yard and stood next to Alpha Ryan and Jenedieth.


    "What is the meaning of all this?" Calleb glowered at the traitors in front of him. Just like what Serefina and his suspicion, there was traitor among them.


    Calleb just didn''t expect it would be Alpha Ralph from Glory Wind Pack, as he was famous with his loyalty toward Donovan''s family.


    However, instead of answering Calleb''s answering Ryan took that moment to make a devastating announcement.


    Ignoring the hostility in the air, he spoke. "YOUR ALPHA IS DIED!" Ryan''s voice thundered in that vast yard, made all the people there were able to hear him clearly. "PLEDGE YOUR LOYALTY TO ME AND I WILL SPARE YOUR LIFE!"


    This statement inviting another loud thunderous growled from the Alphas behind Calleb''s back as the beast that resided inside of them threatened to come out, to wreck some havoc.


    Yet, before there was a move that could lead to a gruesome battle, Alpha Ralph stepped forward and Calleb almost clawed his face if it wasn''t because of Serefina held him back.


    "Listen to me my dearest fellow Alpha." Alpha Ralph talked in his sickening sweet tone as he opened his arms widely, trying to play the role of moderator. "Think about this again! Donovan''s family had ruled our kind for as long as we could remember!"


    True to his words, because Donovan was the first Lycanthropes that walked on this solid ground. It was understandable that they were blessed by the moon goddess for many things, yet in the three brothers'' case, they were cursed for their atrocity.


    "This is the time to change it!" Ralph''s eyes were ablaze with determination for every words that he said. "Torak Donovan has grown very weak as he has a guardian angel as his destined mate!"


    With the mentioned of guardian angel, there was a change in the air and Calleb felt this wasn''t a good sign.

 Chapter 372 - PRIDE AND GLORY

    "What do you mean with that!?" Alpha Romulus stepped next to Calleb as he growled. "Guardian angel or not, she is our Luna!"


    "Our Luna?" Jenedieth tilted her pretty head. "She is your Luna not us!" She bit back just like the old time, how she would defy everyone who has differ perception with her.


    Jenedieth used to think that she was the Luna, the right mate for Torak and the best candidate for the Supreme Luna before Raine came and ruined everything!


    His father was killed, she was tortured and expelled from the pack. The worst part was; she couldn''t say that she was part of this pack any longer as her beast inside her had died.


    Yet, Jenedieth wouldn''t back down just like that. The devils who had given her the second chance to live again, has a perfect plan to destroy Torak.


    In the past, Jenedieth had offered her help, the last chance for Torak to take her hand and made her the Luna of the pack, but he turned her offer down without batting an eye.


    Jenedieth remembered very well what he did at that time.


    And now, it was her turn to show him that everything Torak cherished would turn into ashes under her feet.


    Though Torak was dead, maybe Jenedieth could send his mate to accompany him in tartarus.


    Such a great idea, right?


    "So, who do you think the Luna? You?" Serefina ran her mocking gaze on Jenedieth. "You think, you are a Luna when you are no longer a Lycan?"


    This revelation made all the Lycan shifted their focus on the witch, waiting for her next words.


    "You have given your soul to the devil and now you come here to claim the throne that even not yours." Serefina crossed her arms in front of her chest.


    This provoking words made Jenedieth took two steps closer toward the witch, whose lips curved upward in disgusting smile.


    Calleb glanced at Serefina beside him and this was the first time that he was so grateful for Serefina''s sharp tongue as he wouldn''t be able to make a snarky remark the way the witch did.


    At the very least, Calleb had a woman who could handle another woman at his side.


    "Give the soul to the devil?" Alpha Chris was squinted his eyes at Jenedieth, he had never heard any news since the one when she was expelled from the pack.


    Giving the soul to the devil was a dark ritual and of course it didn''t sound good in the ears of those Lycanthropes, since they were sworn enemy for centuries.


    "What do you mean by Torak has died?" Alpha Barry stepped forward and brought the main concern of Alpha Ryan declaration before.


    "Lucifer had killed him." Alpha Ryan said solemnly. "Alpha Torak had been defeated by the devil and rot in tartarus now."


    There was silent that ensued after this declaration.


    Some of the Alphas'' eyes turned red, ready to lash out, whether this information was right or wrong, the truth has not yet come out.


    "Now," Alpha Ryan clapped his hands as he gathered their attention. "Just like what we already know it. The war will come. Alpha Torak had mentioned this too long time ago."


    Alpha Ryan stopped talking as to give a dramatic effect for his speech.


    "But, we will have this rare opportunity to prevent the war from happening." Alpha Ryan took Jenedieth''s hand, his rightful mate, as he continued. "With the death of Torak Donovan, no one from you will stand a chance to go against the devil!"


    Alpha Ryan glanced at Jenedieth beside him with a small smile on his lips, as he was glad to finally be able to rule this new era with his destined mate.


    "I will spare anyone who pledge their loyalty to me!" He righteously as his voice very firm and propitious for everyone to hear.


    Another silent that stretched among the two parties as they gritted their teeth, waiting for the result of the ''inspirational speech'' from Alpha Ryan.


    The Lycan didn''t mind for having another war with the devil, but with the absent of their Leader, how they supposed to stand another battle?


    They would like headless chicken, running around the area without anyone to guide them.


    As the Alpha of their own respective pack, they needed someone as strong as Torak to control them, because less than that, they wouldn''t bow their head ever.


    However, in this confusion situation and Torak had been missing for days without any clues whether he was alive or die, they couldn''t make a decision and judged if Alpha Ryan was telling the truth or not.


    Yet, there was a soft and sweet voice like honey that interrupted the solemn moment.


    "Join you?" Serefina chuckled. "And bowing their head to the devil?" Serefina spread her hands toward all the Lycans around her. "Isn''t the same like you have declared your loss before even the war started?"


    Serefina used this method to show another point of Alpha Ryan''s offer. After all, the Lycans were too haughty to put their pride aside and admitted defeat without even have a single fight.


    "I don''t know, but I don''t find the idea of bowing my head and pride to the devil is an appealing idea." Serefina shrugged. "I don''t think I can live the rest of my eternity in happiness when I know all of that is just a chance that is given by my enemy."


    Serefina had pointed out where the offer from Alpha Ryan was only suitable for people who didn''t have a shred of pride in them.


    As prideful creatures, the Lycanthropes would take this concern seriously.


    However, not all the Alpha thought the same thing.


    There were always those people who sought glory and better opportunity rather than to put their loyalty into their bone or had their pride above their heads.


    Two Alphas stepped out from behind Calleb and stood next to Ryan. This action was despised by the other Alphas as they itched to claw their face.

 Chapter 373 - SEREFINAS SNARKY COMMENT

    "Chrystal water pack will pledge our loyalty." Alpha Danny announced.


    "Winter lake pack will pledge our loyalty." Alpha Brian announced as he stood next to Alpha Danny.


    Now, the two Alphas have announced to the other Lycans that they changed their ground and put their loyalty somewhere else.


    It was a shame for some of their pack members that their Alpha had chosen this decision, but they could do nothing to prevent it and only could follow their Alpha''s order.


    And now, Alpha Ryan had three Alphas along with their pack at his side.


    "I will remember this, the day when you change your loyalty to someone else except Donovan." Calleb said it through his gritted teeth.


    "The Alpha is dead Gamma, what else do you expect from someone who couldn''t preserve their own life? We need new leaders!" Alpha Danny replied righteously. He thought what he did was the right decision, later he would know it was only the beginning of his downfall.


    "IT''S NOT CONFIRMED YET WHETHER THE ALPHA IS ALIVE OR DIE!" Calleb roared. He was starting to get sick with those Alphas'' greediness.


    "We have been looking for Torak Donovan for days, but there is not a single clue about his whereabouts!" Alpha Brian shouted, he hoped he could knock some sense to his other fellow Alpha. "I will not risk my own pack for fighting the war that we couldn''t win."


    "The war that you couldn''t win?" Serefina gave him another snarky comment. "I don''t know if the Alpha from winter lake pack is such a pessimistic person, it''s not even started yet, but he already lost his guts."


    Serefina chuckled that incurred the wrath of the Alpha, but Alpha Ryan stood in front of Alpha Brian to prevent him from attacking the witch.


    Though Serefina looked like a weak woman, but she was called as the great witch not for nothing.


    "What right do you have, when you are not even the part of the pack!" Alpha Ryan talked in his Alpha''s voice, that managed to send shiver down to the other werewolves around them in low rank.


    But, it would not affect anything to the Alphas and their first and second in command as it was lack of its authority, after all Alpha Ryan was a beta and didn''t have Alpha''s blood ran down his veins.


    Unfortunately, the same thing applied to Serefina. Especially her, who had spent most of the time bickering with Torak, the voice of Alpha Ryan was nothing but a light breeze in her ears.


    "The same thing applies to her." Serefina nodded at Jenedieth. "She is no longer a Lycan, so what right does she have to be here?"


    Serefina''s words truly annoyed Jenedieth, her beautiful calm fa?ade cracked as she stomped forward to give the witch one or two lessons.


    However, Jenedieth forgot, Serefina wasn''t someone that she could intimidate easily. She wasn''t the type who would be bullied by other, in fact she was used to bully other.


    Raine was one of the best example, though she would fight with Torak over and over again, Serefina wouldn''t change her treatment toward the guardian angel.


    Thus, Jenedieth attempt to make Serefina bowed her haughty head, was a waste of time.


    Seeing Jenedieth, who stormed toward her direction, a sly smirk curved on the corner of Serefina''s lips as she mused.


    "You will die witch!!!" Jenedieth roared as she pounced onto Serefina.


    Alpha Ryan who saw the event that turned before his eyes didn''t have time to stop Jenedieth.


    Meanwhile, Calleb was ready to defend Serefina from the attack of Jenedieth, yet Serefina shoved him aside and raised her hand to stop the angry woman herself.


    Serefina gave Calleb a side look that was saying; ''what are you doing? I can handle this just fine.''


    Calleb just rolled his eyes upon seeing the silence message that Serefina gave to him, he felt stupid for worrying the witch.


    "Are we going to do this the whole day?" Serefina snickered at Jenedieth who couldn''t move or talk.


    She was the woman, who had captured Alpha Jedrek''s heart. Made the Alpha wreck havoc and turned the realm upside down because of her disappearance centuries ago.


    Thus, Jenedieth should know better to not provoke Serefina.


    Seeing his mate was in predicament, Alpha Ryan growled loudly as he turned into his beast and was about to attack the witch for hurting his mate.


    However, Calleb was quick to respond as he, also, turned into his big grey wolf and tackled Alpha Ryan''s beast mid air.


    The Alpha beast growled loudly as his body collided with the solid ground, but before he could stand back and launched another attack, there was a sweet, yet strong and filled with authority voice that stopped them in their track.


    "ENOUGH!"


    Most of the people there, were very engrossed with the fight between the two warring parties as they were late to realize there was the third party that make their way into the center of the combat zone.


    The sound of her voice was very contradicting with the loud growling sound from the beasts, yet it was enough to make them stop and stood in alert.


    "You can put her down Serefina." Raine made her way with Raphael and Jack on both of her sides. Behind her, there was another entourage of the Lycan warriors who were Torak''s most loyal people that were appointed to protect Raine and obeyed her order in his absent.


    At first those loyal Lycans were slightly reluctance to do so, before they only showed their respect toward Raine just in the presence of their Alpha.


    However, after witnessing how decisive and fierce Raine was, without they realized it, they had seen her as their Luna.


    And their point of view of Raine was having a heavy weight to influence the other Alphas'' judgment about her.


    "Sure." Serefina shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly as she released Jenedieth and dropped her to the ground. "You are lucky I am not in the mood to crush every particle of your body into dust."


    At the very least the witch gave Raine some face and not defied her order in front of hundreds people there.

 Chapter 374 - HER FAVOR

    "Jenedieth, we meet again." Raine strolled toward Calleb grey wolf and stood next to Serefina, as she stared down at Jenedieth, who was still sitting on the ground. "It''s been a long time since the last time I saw you."


    Jenedieth glowered at Raine, as she tried to stand up with dignity. "Yes, the last time I saw you, you are not talking this much," She said snidely.


    Yet, Raine didn''t even bother with her remark and nodded in agreement. "Thankfully, I have changed quite a bit."


    Actually, even Serefina and all the Alphas there, also the people had noticed there was something different in the way Raine carried herself.


    It was only mere few days since her mysterious disappearance, but the aura around her felt more complicated and assertive.


    "I remember clearly that Torak had expelled you from his territory, may I know what are you doing here?" Raine asked calmly as if she was talking to her friend about the weather.


    Serefina couldn''t help but raised her eyebrow, fascinated by Raine sudden change of attitude. She had thought her to act this way since the first time they met and only now Raine met her expectation.


    Serefina was eager to see how Raine would handle this matter.


    "You dare to talk to me arrogantly." Jenedieth gritted her teeth, yet her lips curved into a beautiful sinister smile.


    "Why can''t I?" Raine tilted her head as she gave Jenedieth an innocent look. "Don''t tell me that you are trying to sabotage my position as Luna from this pack."


    This was the first time for Raine to claim her position as the Luna of the pack. Her statement not only surprised Serefina and the other Lycans who came with her, but also the Alphas, they would have never thought a guardian angel, as a timid creature, could possibly make a declaration like that.


    As the mentioned of Raine position as the Luna of the pack, Jenedieth laughed heartily until tear appeared from the corner of her eyes.


    With her eyes, Jenedieth swept a mocking gaze at the rest of the Alphas, who still chose to stand at Torak side, knowing the Supreme Alpha was no longer there.


    "You will pledge your loyalty to a creature like her?" Jenedieth pointed her sharp nail at Raine''s face as a look of disgust appeared on her face. "Not to mention she is a guardian angel, weak creature that couldn''t even defend themselves during the war, but the fact that she is a human, it''s something that you can''t ignore." Jenedieth spoke provokingly.


    The impression of the weak guardian angel had etched in the Lycans'' head for centuries, thus it was also the same impression when they knew Raine was also the one and the same.


    This fact also increased the Alpha dissatisfaction with the Torak''s decision.


    Because of Jenedieth and Torak closeness in the past, they used to see Jenedieth as they soon- to- be Luna, because no one else met the criteria and expectation of the Alphas about their supreme Luna, except Jenedieth.


    But, the situation was different now, Jenedieth was just someone who has been expelled from the pack and Raine was the destined mate of their Alpha.


    "The fact that I am the Luna of the pack, is something that you shouldn''t ignore." Raine corrected Jenedieth''s statement.


    "Or what?" Jenedieth asked haughtily. At this time, Calleb and Alpha Ryan had turned into their human form and stood opposite each other.


    "Or, I will punish those who defied me." Raine''s voice was like a summer breeze, very light and warm, but the way Raine looked at Jenedieth when she said those words, was a sight to behold.


    Raine''s dark beautiful eyes sparked with determination as though she meant every words she said, or maybe she indeed meant it.


    "Since you are already here and violated my territory, I will not let you go easily this time." Raine declared.


    "Do you think, what can you do, huh?" Jenedieth raised her chin arrogantly as she stepped back to show Raine that she had brought her own people to take care of this situation.


    Actually, half of the people that with her was Alpha Brian and Alpha Danny''s pack member.


    Jenedieth and Ryan''s intention to come there was very clear; to announce the death of Torak Donovan and seized the opportunity to enroll as the new ruler of hundreds pack and thousands of Lycans.


    With the help of the devils and the fact that there were no reasons for them to reject her, Jenedieth was confident she could get her revenge.


    Especially to the pack member who had abandoned her once Torak discarded her from the pack, but seeing Raine now, Jenedieth should calculate her plan again.


    "I could have your head rolled on the ground in my word," Raine said. Her voice neither very loud or fierce, but it was the right amount to send chill down to everyone spine.


    The way Raine dealt with them was very different from Torak, but the air around her showed anyone who had bad ideas to look down on her, because of the reality that she was guardian angel and human, to rethink their opinion.


    Jenedieth clamped her mouth as her lips tightened into a thin line. Next to Jenedieth, Ryan stepped forward and glowered at Raine as he gestured for his people to be ready to attack.


    "Think about that again." Raine smirked as she raised her hand.


    The front yard of the safe house was very vast, it could easily fit for hundreds of people with tall and thick walls surrounded the area, but from behind those walls, many Lycan beasts jumped over it and let out a menacing growl loudly as if they announced their present.


    Either Jenedieth and Ryan or the three Alphas whose loyalty had shifted, was aware about them because the moment they put their loyalty to the Alpha aside from Torak, they were not part of the pack anymore.


    "Clarice asked me a favor," Raine''s eyes set in determination.

 Chapter 375 - NEED HIM ALIVE

    When Raine mentioned Clarice''s name and remembered what she had been through because of Ryan, especially their son, Jade, Raine couldn''t help but felt her anger rose from her stomach to her throat.


    Clarice''s eyes that filled with anguish, when she spoke to Raine about her last wish, were something that she would never forget.


    "Clarice¡­" Alpha Ryan said her name with disgust, he pulled Jenedieth closer as he kissed her forehead and smirked. "That woman is not even my mate."


    Raine''s face remained expressionless upon hearing Alpha Rayan''s reply, after all, what she would expect from someone as low as him?


    Raine stepped back, she was slightly behind Serefina as Calleb and Raphael moved forward, seemingly knew what would be Raine''s next order.


    Just like what they have thought, Raine raised her hand again and spoke in her sweet and timid tone, yet there was an authority that laced in her voice.


    "Kill them all."


    With that was being said, there were another waves of beasts that jumped over the walls, they roared and growled as they easily outnumbered the people that Ryan and Jenedieth had brought with them, also the member of the three pack under, Alpha Brian, Alpha Danny and Alpha Ralph.


    The huge number of the beast that came with Raine not only shocked Calleb and Serefina who didn''t know about this, but also the remaining five Alphas behind them.


    Those reinforcements were the beast from red river city, which they had been discussing with Calleb. Needless to say, those beasts were Torak''s original pack member.


    In matter of second, that place was being turned upside down, the vast front yard with beautiful garden and fountain had become a battlefield.


    Angry roars and shrill screams filled the air that could make everyone who heard that shivered in fear.


    Serefina grabbed Raine''s wrist to pull her inside the house as those beasts had wrecked havoc. If they didn''t careful enough, it would be they who got clawed accidentally.


    "Over here." Serefina used her magic to protect Raine and herself from the situation around them.


    With Serefina fast paces, Raine had to run to catch up with her. It was a good thing that Serefina used her magic to protect them because at that time, there was a beast that jumped onto Raine once both of them were inside the house.


    The shield of magic repelled it attempted and its body bounced backward as if the beast just hit a solid wall.


    When the beast wanted to stand back another beast had clawed its head as they went into another battle.


    However, the second beast busted down the door with ease and stormed toward Raine, from red- brick color of its fur and it eyes, one could easily guess that it was Alpha Ralph.


    The beast growled and roared loudly before she pounced onto Raine in her second attempt, yet Serefina responded very fast and was way too strong for the Alpha werewolf like Ralph.


    With a flick of the witch''s finger the beast dropped his head to the ground as he let out a whimper, as if he was calling for someone because he wasn''t able to move even his paw.


    Raine knew how bad it felt like to be unable to move, Serefina once did the same thing to her.


    Just when Serefina''s green lime eyes turned slightly darker as hideous thought flickered in her pretty head, another beast broke the window glass and ran to the red- brick color beast.


    There was no need for genius to guess who the beast was. Of course, it was Alpha Ryan, he was very invested to kill Raine.


    Without further ado, the beast tried to attack Serefina, but his measly attempt was the same action that Alpha Ralph had done.


    Followed the Alpha Ryan''s beast was another bigger beast with his beautiful grey fur color. Raine swore the big grey beast smirked at her before he pounced onto the Alpha Ryan''s beast and tackled him down with ease.


    At this point, this was very clear, the plan that Ryan and Jenedieth had manifested wasn''t going as they expected.


    "So, tell me how do you find those Lycan from the red river city?" Serefina shifted her attention toward Raine while still holding the beast on the ground as the fight between Ryan and Calleb still continued.


    The witch asked as if the commotion out there meant nothing for her.


    Geez, at least she could wait until the situation calmed before posting a question to Raine, yet the gaze from her slightly dark green lime eyes, told Raine that she wanted the answer now.


    "I met them mid way." Raine glanced at Alpha Ralph''s beast, which was still trying to free himself from the witch magic.


    "And how about the blood on the front of your body? Is that the same blood that you had seen in your vision?" Serefina nodded at the stained of blood that wasn''t covered by the jacket that Raphael gave to her.


    "Yes, it is." Raine nodded. This was indeed the blood that she saw in her vision, though she would have never thought it would end that way for her and Sunny.


    But, Raine had come to term with herself. She would do everything to save Sunny if there was a way, yet unfortunately there wasn''t, thus she could only do what she could do.


    "So, tell me that you can control your own power now." Serefina looked at Raine expectantly. It was such a waste to have a great power, but didn''t know how to control it.


    "No." Raine didn''t live up the witch''s expectation. "I still don''t know."


    Upon hearing that, Serefina let out a frustrated growl as she pushed Alpha Ryan''s beast harder to the ground.


    "You will kill him." Raine noticed that the beast had rolled his eyes as he started to shift back to his human form.


    "Don''t you order to kill them?" Serefina raised an eyebrow questioningly.


    "I still need him alive if you don''t mind." Raine shrugged her shoulder.

 Chapter 376 - RAINES FIERCENESS

    Serefina rolled her eyes as she stopped to torture the poor Alpha who had turned into his human''s form, but still was not able to free himself.


    To escape Serefina''s magic was a waste of effort if Raine could say, unless you were more powerful than her, but as a Lycan, of course that wasn''t the case.


    The battle last for another fifteen minutes before the vast yard filled with a lot of dead body from Alpha Ryan and Jenedieth''s side.


    Their plan was completely going wrong, as they didn''t expect Raine would come along with the reinforcement from the red river city.


    Not only that, Raine shouldn''t be there in the first place because Belphegor supposedly had taken care of her by now. This unexpected element had ruined everything.


    As for the blood on Raine''s shirt, Serefina didn''t ask any further because she didn''t interest to find out about it, for her, as long as Raine was fine, everything else didn''t matter.


    "Belphegor and Andromalius managed to escape also Lilith." Raine informed Serefina while staring at the four Alphas in front of her and Jenedieth.


    Raine knew recently that the woman in tutu skirt was a succubus when Raphael told her the three people managed to runaway and they just managed to kill the witch, who came with them.


    "But, we killed the witch." And then Raine added. "Also my friend." Her voice turned gloomy with the mentioned of Sunny.


    "My condolence." Serefina folded her arms in front of her chest as she looked at the scene that unfolded before her eyes.


    Jenedieth''s eyes flickered with another color aside from its original color of dull blue.


    "You don''t need to say something that you didn''t mean to." Raine felt like it was an insult to the dead when Serefina said her condolence recklessly.


    "Then, I will not say anything about that." Serefina shrugged as she fixed her eyes on Jenedieth that looked a little bit off. "So the witch is dead," she murmured.


    "Yes, unfortunately the three of them managed to escape." Raine felt slightly dejected by the fact.


    "It''s not easy to defeat the remaining three, you will need more than just power and maybe a little bit of luck," Serefina commented. "About the witch¡­ It was a long time issue about the join force between the witch from northern coven with the vampire and I guess the devil had taken both of the creatures under their wings now."


    "Is that very dangerous for having the two creatures?" Raine heard crackled from outside the house and could see a dark smoke floated in the air.


    It seemed they had been burning the dead bodies while the survivors, mostly were those who have surrendered, were gathered in the yard and under strict supervision.


    Inside the house it was only those who related to this matter like the Alphas and their Beta and Gamma.


    "You will not get away with this easily." Jenedieth hissed under her breath, staring at Raine threateningly.


    She was so upset and mad because she was not able to join the fight earlier, as her beast was no longer there.


    Jenedieth despised that fact she couldn''t tear Raine''s face with her claws, that desire was stronger than anything else at this moment, especially when she watched how Raine and Serefina were looking at her.


    Jenedieth almost turned crazy because of that, if it wasn''t because Alpha Romulus''s beta who held her down, she would have pounced onto Raine.


    "Still talking big even at this moment." Serefina clicked her tongue when she heard Jenedieth''s empty threat.


    "Torak is dead!" Jenedieth roared, hoping she could gather those people attention, trying her best to manipulate the remaining five Alphas on Torak''s side. "What do you want from the dead person?! Do you think he could comeback from tartarus and ruled this realm again!?" Jenedieth growled viciously.


    "What proves do you have to say that Alpha Torak is dead?!" Romulus stepped forward, his voice laced with anger and disbelief.


    "Because he went to the devil and was killed right there and then. His body had vanished from this world and no matter how hard you are trying to find him, you will find nothing!" Jenedieth said viciously.


    Since Torak didn''t choose her as his mate and enrolled as the Luna, then it would be best if he just died.


    If Jenedieth couldn''t have Torak and the position, no one else could! That was what Jenedieth thought. She raised her head to look Raine as a devilish smirk appeared on the corner of her lips.


    "What a pity¡­" Jenedieth scoffed. "¡­Our era will be ruled by a weak Luna and all of you choose her instead of me!"


    Raine stepped forward and the person who held Jenedieth back, exerted more strength to keep her in her place as she struggled to make a move on Raine.


    There were some of the Lycan from red river city and all the Lycan who had been with Torak and Raine since the beginning, they had witnessed how a delicate flower like Raine could have a strength power inside of her.


    At first, the Lycan from Red River city also didn''t agree with the decision that they had to bow their head down toward a guardian angel, but the Lycans who had been with Torak longer convinced them.


    Even now, their hearts were still conflicted by the fact they should take Raine''s order. They remembered how the timid and easily scared girl that Torak brought home months ago.


    It was understandable, as they didn''t witness how Raine had improved since the last time they met her inside the pack house.


    "Just so you know," Raine stopped walking right before Jenedieth''s eyes. "Torak is not dead yet, and I will bring him back." Her voice was like a beautiful melody when she said this.


    "You are delusional." Jenedieth laughed heartily.


    After saying that, Raine gestured to the man to slap Jenedieth on the face until she couldn''t utter a single word about Torak.

 Chapter 377 - DEATH

    Raine didn''t use her own hand because she didn''t want to hurt herself, moreover those Lycan had enough strength to make Jenedieth suffered enough.


    Next to Jenedieth was Alpha Ryan with battered face, he growled loudly to stop the Lycan for hurting his mate, it was kind of torture for him to see Jenedieth was being humiliated right before his eyes while he could do nothing except sprouting profanities.


    Raine didn''t stop the Lycan and stayed quiet when Alpha Ryan''s wrath was directed toward her, after all he couldn''t do anything aside from talking nonsense.


    This was for Clarice and her son, yet this kind of torture was still very light compared to what Ryan had done to them.


    Only when Jenedieth couldn''t move anymore and her face was very swollen for being slapped so hard a few times, Raine raised her hand to stop the Lycan and he stopped.


    This action made Serefina curios, how could Raine gain their respect in this short time? She was sure, last time she checked those Lycan wouldn''t even care with Raine existence when Torak was not around.


    "You b*tch!!!" Alpha Ryan tried to free himself from Raphael and was about to attack Raine, yet before he could move a muscle a swift kick laid on the back of his head that made his face kissed the ground very hard.


    Raphael, who was holding Ryan, stumbled forward because Ryan dragged him along when he fell, fortunately the Beta could regain his footing very fast and glared at Calleb, who just kicked the Alpha from blue moon pack.


    "He needs to be taught a lesson or two." Calleb shrugged his shoulder as he gave Raphael an innocent look.


    The Beta glared and resumed to restrain Alpha Ryan.


    Thought he had been kicked by Calleb, Ryan didn''t stop to voice out his provocation. "You keep saying that Torak is still alive, but you don''t have proof for that!"


    Raine stepped forward, made herself was seen by those traitors. "Do you?" she dropped down to herknees, so she could have eye to eye conversation with this despicable creature in front of her. "Do you have any proof that he is dead?"


    Raine asked the same question that stirred the Alphas'' opinion and the Lycans around them.


    "Tell me, do you have proof for that?" Raine tilted her head, looked at Alpha Ryan menacingly. "Or do you bring any proof with you?"


    Alpha Ryan couldn''t answer that because the moment Torak Donovan dropped dead after being attacked by Lucifer, his body turned into dust.


    It was strange, but Lucifer said Torak Donovan was no more, except Alpha Ryan interpreted it wrongly, it meant Torak was dead. There was no other meaning than that.


    "Do you have proof if he is still alive? All of you have been searching for him for days, yet no one could grasp a single whisper about his whereabouts, if Torak Donovan is very strong, do you think he is still missing until this day?!"


    Alpha Ryan tried to make the other Alpha confused, he could tell that they were still reluctant to acknowledge Raine as their Luna and Ryan would use this opportunity to turn the table.


    However, he would never have a chance to do so.


    "He. Is. My. Mate." Raine uttered every single word. "I will know, whether he is alive or die."


    "It doesn''t proof anything!" Alpha Ryan bit back with scorn. "Torak Donovan is dead and that is the truth!"


    And then, in his last attempt to sway those Alphas there, Alpha Ryan said his last piece loudly.


    "Torak Donovan is dead! And the war will come, we can prevent the war from happening by handing this woman over to the devils!" thought the last sentences was something that Alpha Ryan made up, but he was not care about the detail.


    It was evidence that the Devil looked for the guardian angel and as for what they would do to her, he had no concern whatsoever.


    "So, what you will get from succ.u.mb yourself to the devil?" Unexpectedly, Alpha Romulus stepped forward and voiced out his opinion, he stood tall beside Raine as he glowered down at Alpha Ryan. "I will opt for another war if I have to lower my head toward something so distasteful."


    "Do you think she is not distasteful enough?!" Alpha Brian roared as he directed his furious gaze toward Raine. "You will choose to succ.u.mb yourself under this weak and worthless creature?!"


    Romulus gritted his teeth. "She is the Alpha''s mate for reason." He said in low snarled. "And if she has a way to find the Alpha, I will do everything that I could to find him."


    Alpha Romulus then shifted his gaze toward Raine as he added. "If it''s not, than she was worthless."


    Alpha Romulus''s declaration almost like he pledged his loyalty to the pack, but if one understood it enough, it was only another way to say; if Raine couldn''t meet up their expectation to find Torak just like what she said earlier, then he wouldn''t mind to kill her by himself.


    The message was clear for some of people there, including Raine.


    After hearing Alpha Romulus''s brave statement, Raine stood up and glanced over at Serefina and the witch nodded her head as if saying; ''do it. whatever you want to do.''


    And that was exactly what Raine did.


    "Thank you for your opinion Alpha Romulus." Raine''s voice neither too loud or strict, it was the right amount of sweetness and maturity.


    Her voice was like a summer breeze, yet it carried a deathly statement after that.


    "I assure you that I can find Torak and I will. But, I will ensure that justice is upheld." Raine looked at Calleb and Raphael as she found new courage in the way they looked at her, to say her piece. "What the punishment for the traitor?" Raine asked Raphael.


    "Death." Raphael answered simply.


    Raine nodded and spoke with her tender voice. "Do it then, starting from him." She pointed Alpha Brian.

 Chapter 378 - RAINES PUNISHMENT

    Raine''s order was something that they would never expect, it was only Serefina and Raphael who didn''t surprise by this.


    As Raphael had seen how Raine handled it very well when she had to kill her own friend, Serefina knew from the determination in Raine''s eyes that the girl wasn''t the same little girl, who would be scared of something gruesome.


    Raine had been through a lot of hardship and witnessed many gruesome scenes to be able to reach this point of calmness.


    Maybe the disappearance of Torak was a trigger for her as she always saw Torak as the most important person in her life.


    Raine would do everything to save him and she did what she had to do. If by became stronger and had a heart like a stone were two of the requirements for her to increase the possibility to save Torak then she was doing it very well.


    Without saying anything, Raphael executed the first order from his Luna swiftly. He was half shifted as his hand turned into claw and he cut Alpha Brian???s head in a single movement with ease.


    Many Lycans there had seen this kind of bothering punishment and wouldn''t flinch when Alpha Brian''s head rolled on the ground, yet what they didn''t expect was Raine also kept her expression straight, though she didn''t look to the bloody scene, her eyes showed no emotions whatsoever.


    Wasn''t this one of the trait that they wanted from their Luna? Then Raine would give it to them.


    Because if Raine lost this moment, she wouldn''t only lost her chance to save Torak and gained their respect, but also, she would be in danger.


    Once those Alphas saw Raine''s incapabilities they would disregard her and Raine didn''t have time to deal with them when every second was very important for her to save Torak.


    Raine could feel it, the bird became weaker now.


    After all, Raine had been through a lot. She had lost her parents since she was a little child, being in mental institution and got abused by a man there, living in the orphanage with fear, got to know this fascinating, yet cruel world of supernatural creatures, kill someone and been killed.


    And recently she just killed a little boy and her first friend.


    What else Raine wouldn''t go through to save the love of her life?


    In the other hand, she wasn''t at fault. Those Lycans indeed deserved such punishment for betraying Torak and put him in danger.


    Another head rolled to the ground, this time, it was Alpha Ralph.


    "Can you make her stop crying Serefina?" Raine asked the witch as it was a little bit annoying to hear her weeping.


    Fear filled the air, as the only scream that could be heard was the wailing sound from Jenedieth upon witnessing her supporter''s head fell one by one, before her voice lost it sound.


    When it came to Alpha Ryan, he still glared at Raine viciously, not even blinked when his life died out from his eyes.


    With that, Raine had fulfilled Clarice''s last wish.


    When Raphael stood behind Jenedieth, he stopped and looked at Raine, waiting for her instruction whether she would kill her too or she had something in her mind.


    Raine shifted her attention to Jenedieth, whose face had turned as white as sheet. She didn''t look as haughty as herself one hour ago.


    "You are not a Lycan anymore." Raine stated as she took two steps forward to stand right before Jenedieth as a gentle smile appeared on the corner of her lips to irritate her. "You are also not a human or any other creature, so who are you?" Raine raised her eyebrow questioningly.


    "I would like to spare your life, but if I let you go, you will bother me again and again." Raine inched closer. She could be in this close because Jenedieth wouldn''t be able to hurt her without her beast, without her beast she was only like a normal human being. "And I will not take that risk."


    With that was being said, Raine stepped back and let Raphael to end her life.


    Jenedieth, Ryan and the three Alphas who betrayed Torak, wouldn''t have thought that they plan by coming here to seize the opportunity to became the new ruler of the Lycanthropes because of the absent of Torak, would bring them to their death sentence.


    Raine slightly frowned, but the fleeting emotion that flickered in her eyes immediately disappeared as if it wasn''t there in the first place, left her with straight face.


    "Who is next!?" Raine asked, sweeping her gaze at the people around her. "Step forward to anyone who wants to pledge their loyalty to them!" she nodded to the dead bodies that being carried away out of the house, leaving trailed of blood in its wake.


    Silence.


    No one dare to talk and when Raine''s gaze, once again, fell on them, those Alphas fell to their knees and hailed her name.


    It was the recognition that Raine wanted. This was what she needed.


    The atmosphere turned solemn when they pledged their loyalty to their new Luna, even without the presence of the Alpha, it was the Luna duty to take the lead.


    The way Raine dealt with those traitors, they could say that decision met up with their expectation.


    "Luna, may I know how we could find the Alpha?" Alpha Chris, the younger Alpha based on his appearance, asked politely.


    Instead of answered his question, Raine turned to face Serefina and fished out a small bottle from her pocket.


    "Can you bring us to this place?" Raine gave the bottle that consisted with the witch''s magic from the last time. Raphael knew that place, but they needed something that consisted with their magic and Raine just had this one. "It is the place that looks like a bar."


    "I know." Serefina nodded, "but the problem is, I can''t move all of them¡­" She opened her hand and waved to all the Lycans there.


    "I can."


    A voice interrupted them all of sudden.

 Chapter 379 - RAINES DECLARATION

    This sudden interruption made all the heads there whipped toward the source of the voice and it was Raine who recognized him first.


    "Aeon." Raine looked at the shadow warrior with complicated look. "What are you doing here?"


    It was understandable that Raine was alerted by his appearance. The last time she encountered him, was when the devil deceived them and drew her blood that caused all of this calamity.


    Raine didn''t want that to happen again, yet she wouldn''t let those Lycans to hurt the shadow warrior either.


    "Stop!" Raine ordered sternly to those Lycans that was on their edge upon seeing Aeon.


    "He is a shadow warrior!" the older Alpha recognized Aeon right away. "His kind supposed to be death long time ago."


    Of course, because it was the Lycanthropes who had slaughtered them mercilessly as they took away the guardian angel from them. Raine had experienced that nightmare first hand to know it very well.


    "Kill him." one of the Alpha ordered his Gamma and a few member of his pack to attack Aeon, On the other hand, the tendrils of shadow emerged from beneath Aeon to protect him.


    Raine was slightly irritated with the scene that unfolded before her eyes. "I said STOP!"


    This fight wouldn''t bring them nowhere if they insisted to continue with this, yet Raine didn''t have time for this.


    "Luna, he is up to no good!" one of the Alpha protested. "We must to kill him right away, he must belong to the devil."


    Raine just gained their trust and yet she already had to argue with her pack member. "No. I want to hear why he is here."


    Aeon wouldn''t take this huge risk to appear in front of the Lycanthropes if he didn''t have something very important to tell Raine.


    Or, this could be another scheme¡­


    "I said STOP Aeon!" Raine raised her voice when she saw Aeon still didn''t control his shadow. If the fight broke out, Aeon would be dead for sure as he was only alone against hundreds of Lycan.


    Not to mention the witch beside her, who very itched to spell some destructive magic on the shadow warrior.


    Serefina was still very irritated because of their last encountered. Well, Raine could say the same thing too.


    Because of Aeon, Torak was injured as he suffered in his beast form for quite a long time before Raine came.


    Raine wanted to step forward, but Calleb reached him and grabbed her wrist as he shook his head. She just gained the other Lycans'' trust and respect, if Raine was about to step between the shadow warrior and the Alphas, it wouldn''t look good on her.


    Raine understood.


    She stayed and from her standing, she asked Aeon. "What do you mean you can?"


    "I can bring all of you to the place where they took Torak." Aeon said solemnly as he put down his shadow tendrils because Raine didn''t like it.


    Aeon had tricked her once, though it was unintentional, but who could say that this time he wasn''t under some influence from the devil too?


    "How can I trust you?" Raine asked after a few moment of silence.


    This question raised protests from the Alphas. With that was being asked, it meant Raine wanted to take the shadow warrior with them, to join them.


    Raine was aware with their objection, yet just like what she said, they didn''t have much time and in need for every helps possible.


    Yet, Raine didn''t want to act recklessly and put all of them in danger, thus she had to make sure of this.


    "You know that I will never try to hurt you." Aeon looked at Raine straight in the eyes, there was sincerity in the way he looked at her. Something that was hard to be ignored. "The last time, was my mistake. I didn''t mean it neither I want to put you in such situation."


    "Luna, we can''t take him in." Alpha Chris raised his objection that followed by the other five Alphas.


    "He is a danger. He holds a grudge toward us!" Alpha Romulus snarled at Aeon. "He is up to not good."


    "Holding a grudge?" Aeon remarked at the statement of Alpha Romulus. "You had slaughter my kind mercilessly. What do you think?"


    Aeon''s reply didn''t help at all.


    The atmosphere became very tensed and all of the people there turned alerted because of his respond, yet before there was someone interrupted him, Aeon continued to talk.


    "I hold a grudge toward all the Lycanthropes here." His eyes skimmed the room briefly. "But, I come here to help her, I have nothing to do with the rest of you."


    Aeon simply wanted to help Raine.


    Because of the last time, he always thought that he owed her. Regardless, Raine didn''t heed his warning before to not come back to fulbright city, he still didn''t want something bad happened to her.


    "Why should I trust you?" Raine shook Calleb''s grip from her as she stepped forward, "You dislike Torak." She stated in matter of fact tone.


    "I hate him," Aeon stared at Raine tenderly. "Not you."


    Aeon wanted to say that he loved her, but in this situation, if he was about to say that words, Raine''s credibility would be questioned by the rest of the pack member under her.


    He didn''t want that to happen to her.


    Aeon had painstakingly escaped from Lucifer as he failed to warn Raine last time, thus he would help her this time.


    "What a great deal¡­" One of the Alpha sneered. "One is a guardian angel and one is the shadow warrior, don''t you think this is a familiar scene?"


    It was Alpha Rodrigo, his words hinted to the fact that guardian angel and the shadow warrior was a pair when they lived together long time ago.


    Raine glared at Alpha Rodrigo. "Are you trying to say that I am on his side?!"


    "I will not dare, Luna." Alpha Rodrigo bowed his head slightly.


    "If he makes a single move that threaten any of us, you can kill him," Raine declared.

 Chapter 380 - THE WITCH AND THE SHADOW WARRIOR

    This situation would get out of her hand if Raine didn''t make decision quickly, thus she stared right into Aeon''s eyes and said. "If he makes a single move that threat any of us, you can kill him," Raine declared.


    If she didn''t do this, those Alphas would start questioning her and the time was ticking, the longer they were arguing over this matter the more dangerous Torak situation was.


    Not to mention Raine wouldn''t know what she would face there or what she looked for the moment they were inside that strange bar.


    Raine just knew that she needed to be there, immediately.


    "Will you take this?" Raine asked Aeon. "If you make a move that will risk my pack member, then I will not in their way to finish you."


    Raine wanted to make it clear since the beginning, she needed to make Aeon and the rest of the member of the pack to understand where she was standing.


    Aeon held Raine''s gaze firmly before he said. "Absolutely."


    Upon hearing Aeon???s acceptance, Raine turned around and faced her pack member. "Any objection?" She wanted to make sure that she and the rest of the member were in the same term.


    All the Lycans there looked at each other, this was a big risk to take Aeon with them, but Raine had promised them her words.


    "Is it necessary to bring him with us?" Alpha Rodrigo, apparently, still couldn''t accept it.


    "Yes," Raine nodded firmly. "We will need every help possible."


    There was an awkward silence that follow until Raphael took the initiative to not waste their time anymore.


    Raine had told him about the firebird and the little bird had become weaker as they went here. It made him nervous for some reason.


    "Let''s go now," Raphael put his hand on Raine''s shoulder when there was no objection anymore from the Alphas.


    Now, Raine was slightly confused about what she had to do, she looked at Serefina who avoided her gaze. The witch despised the idea that she had to work together with Aeon, regardless, Raine still thanked her for not contradicting her words in this situation and made it become more awful.


    Her attitude was always one of a kind


    Because Serefina didn''t want to help her, Raine turned her attention toward Aeon.


    As if sensing Raine''s discomfort, Aeon inched closer to her. He stretched his arm to grab Raine''s wrist, but was held back by Calleb. The Gamma glared threateningly.


    "You can lead the way." Calleb talked in warning tone.


    Aeon shouldn''t touch Raine carelessly, especially under those Alpha''s eyes. Once they got the wrong idea, with Torak wasn''t around, Raine wouldn''t only lost their trust, but also her life.


    Despite the Alphas'' declaration that they pledged their loyalty to her, but Raine''s position was not secure enough for her to make unnecessary mistakes.


    One wrong step, and next there would be another Alpha Ryan from those five Alphas. They couldn''t risk that.


    Fortunately, Aeon didn''t refuse and after he took another glance at Raine he walked out of the house. "Over here."


    In the front yard, where they had cleaned up all that place from the carcasses of the traitors as they burned them all, Aeon stopped and looked at Serefina when all of them were already outside.


    "Come here." He waved his hand at Serefina and immediately offended the very sensitive witch.


    "What!?" Serefina started to bark. "I think you will do it all by yourself!"


    "Stop acting so arrogant, you know how this work," Aeon scowled at her attitude. "You don''t have much time," he added when he watched the witch became reluctance.


    Leaving without any other choices, Serefina grumbled as she walked closer to Aeon and stretched out her hand, which was held by the shadow warrior.


    "I really need to sanitize my hand after this." Serefina, once again, made a snarky remarks that made Raine''s heart skipped a beat. She didn''t want this to be another fight.


    Yet, Aeon just replied casually. "I can always chop off your hand if they bother you so much."


    "Okay, can we start now?" Raine approached them and cut off Serefina come back as she glared at the witch and spoke in frustration. "Not now."


    Raine was so lucky that Serefina was in her right state of mind now as she swallowed her protest.


    "Okey, that''s enough. Stay away from me." Serefina then stepped back and walked away from Aeon with unsightly expression on her scowling face.


    Raine was about to ask; didn''t they will join force or something to create some magic?


    But, before Raine could complain there was a wave of sound of people were gasping in surprised and then murmured spread around her.


    What happened?


    "That is the bar." Aeon''s figure came into Raine''s line of sight as pointed something behind her back.


    As Raine turned around, she could see a building, painted in light brown color with high roof and a welcome sign on the front door.


    Raine even didn''t notice when Aeon and Serefina had transported them here.


    But, Raine wasn''t the only person who confused with their sudden change of environment, almost all the people there were gasping in surprised, because one moment they were in their city and now they were in unknown place.


    "Luna, where are we?" one of the Alpha approached Raine as he stared at Aeon unfriendly. "Why we are suddenly here?"


    "Magic of course." Serefina replied with a ''duh'' tone when she had done washing her hand from the water that she conjured from thin air.


    Raine wished she could do the same thing as her.


    The Alpha ignored Serefina as he asked another question. "What we will do now?"


    Raine skimmed her surroundings briefly, apparently, Serefina and Aeon managed to bring them all to the front of a house, which Aeon said was the bar in her vision.


    "We will go there." Raine nodded at the house in front of her. She reached her pocket and felt the little bird''s shallow breathe.

 Chapter 381 - BICKERING

    "We can''t bring all of the people inside there." Aeon stepped forward and faced them all.


    There were too many Lycans in this area now and they would get unnecessary trouble if they wanted to go inside altogether at the same time.


    That wasn''t how it would work.


    "Any suggestion shadow?" Alpha Romulus stood in front of Raine, blocking Aeon''s eyes from staring at their Luna as if he wanted to eat her alive. That wasn''t polite and in another remark, if it wasn''t because he was still useful, Alpha Romulus would be more than happy to bite his head off.


    "Shadow?" Aeon snorted at the nickname that the Alpha gave to him, slightly growled when his line of sight was blocked by his sturdy body from seeing Raine there.


    In this situation like this, Aeon had to check his temper every now and then.


    "Okey." Raine clapped her hands and moved away from Alpha Romulus''s back. "Do you have plan?" she asked Aeon in business- like tone.


    "Just bring some people inside." Aeon answered in matter of fact tone.


    "How do you know it is safe inside?" Alpha Chris spoke up, his eyes glued to the house in front of them.


    The house was two- storey building with a dark aura surrounded it. Not to mention it was so quiet for a place like bar. The more quiet a place was, the more dangerous it was.


    "Do you know where is Torak?" Raine squinted her eyes at Aeon, trying to figure out, whether he was leading them to a trap.


    "I don''t know." Aeon said truthfully. "You want to come here, so I bring you here. Any other matter is not my concern."


    Upon hearing Aeon''s words, Raine was slightly taken aback. She realized the only clue that she had was actually only this place.


    Whether Torak was there or not, Raine wasn''t sure. She lowered her head and bit her lips, trying to think of some information that would be useful to find Torak, yet she could find nothing.


    "What they did to Torak?" Serefina voiced out her concern.


    The witch felt something dark from the house and, to be honest, if it is not needed, she didn''t want to go inside.


    "Lucifer beheaded him." Aeon said bluntly.


    It was the truth, Lucifer flaunted that fact in front of his face a few hours ago, before he went out to wreck some havoc in human world.


    Waves of murmuring sound filled the air when they heard Aeon''s statement.


    "Watch your mouth, he is not dead!" Raine snarled at Aeon, her big obsidian eyes widened in anger.


    "I didn''t say that he died." Aeon corrected Raine''s accusation.


    "You said Torak was beheaded! What do you mean with that?!" Raine shouted out loud. Was Aeon trying to make a fool out of her?


    "Yes, he was beheaded." Aeon agreed readily. "But, isn''t you holding his soul?" As he said that, the shadow warrior eyed something inside Raine''s pocket.


    Raine was stunned because Aeon knew about the spirit animal of the white Lycan, she stepped back as if trying to hide the little bird in her pocket.


    "I will not hurt it, I have told you that I am here to help you." Aeon was unusually very calm when he talked to Raine.


    She found this quite disturbing when Aeong was very understanding, especially when it came about Torak.


    Yet, Raine''s choices were very limited. She could decline his help, but she also didn''t have another way to find Torak faster.


    "What do you want to do with it?" Serefina frowned. She didn''t like the fact that the shadow warrior knew about the spirit animal.


    "I don''t know." Aeon shrugged.


    Actually it was a common thing for the shadow warrior to know the fact about the spirit animal, they had roamed around this realm for as long as the first Lycan was created, thus the secret was something that they knew as well, though they didn''t go around and talked about it.


    "But, there is a book inside this place that will tell you what will happen to the creature that leave this realm but their soul still etched in this world." Aeon added.


    "Another book." Serefina sneered. "Last time it was a book too." The witch rolled her eyes.


    "You can always go if you don''t like the idea." This reply was like a trigger to make the witch fuming mad.


    Hence, before another fighting scene was happening, Raine stepped forward and stood between the two angry creatures, which looked like they were ready to tear their opponent apart in any moment.


    "Okey, enough with all of this." Raine raised her hand to hold Aeon back, so he could stay where he stood. "Let''s go inside. We are only wasting our time in this stupid argument."


    Serefina glared at Raine, yet didn''t say anything.


    "How do you know there is no one inside?" Raine asked her last question, though the house looked empty, but at this point, she couldn''t trust whatever she saw right away and believed it as it was.


    "This is Lucifer''s place, if he is not here, no one will be here. And also¡­" Aeon glanced at Serefina as he smirked triumphantly. "A bottle that consisted with the witch magic, is not enough to bring you here, even if you are the great witch."


    It was only the people who had been marked by the devil himself who was able to visit this place. Just like him.


    However, Aeon didn''t tell Raine that piece of information, it was better to leave it unknown, there was nothing good would come out if she knew about this.


    Raine couldn''t trust Aeon a hundred percent, but they were already here. There was no way back for them.


    "So, who will go inside?" Aeon back to their topic.


    "If there is no one inside, why don''t we go together?" Raine still couldn''t get it.


    "Because, even though it is an empty house, this place is protected by dark magic." He explained.


    That was what Serefina felt since they arrived.

 Chapter 382 - SECRET PASSAGEWAY

    It was actually the dark magic that made the witch felt uncomfortable, not only that it was quite strong as well.


    "If you step any closer from this, you will burn into dust." That was one of the reason why the devil was having a good time for leaving his den. They could careless about this because it was protected so well. "I can only protect maximum of six people."


    Raine looked around. Those Lycanthropes from the red river city that came with her to take down Alpha Ryan and Jenedieth''s plot, absolutely couldn''t go inside, thus the only people left was¡­.


    "It will be me, Serefina, Calleb, Raphael, Alpha Romulus and Alpha Chris while the rest of you will stay here." Raine make a quick decision.


    "Alright." Aeon nodded with Raine''s arrangement.


    The Alphas were satisfied with Raine decision and together they went into the house.


    "Stay close to me." Aeon warned them as he extended his shadow under them, so they were walking on his shadow. ???Don''t step out from it."


    "Okey." Out of five, it was only Raine who answered his warning, though Aeon didn''t care as long as it was Raine.


    With that, they walked toward the house silently with Aeon led the way.


    They climbed three stairs and opened the door. Once the door opened, the foul smell of alcohol assaulted their nose, especially to those Lycans who have strong senses, it was so hard to ignore.


    "I assumed you know where is the book is." Serefina folded her arms in front of her chest, her nose scrunched in disgust with the smell.


    "I know." Aeon nodded.


    "You have more knowledge than I expected." Regardless it sounded like a complimented, if it came from Serefina to Aeon, then it was something that you shouldn''t be proud of that. "For an outsider like you, you know the devil well."


    Aeon didn''t answer her comment and acted as if he heard nothing as he walked down the corridor with five people in tow.


    That house was actually very clean as if someone had really taken good care of it and made an effort to keep it that way.


    However, the chill that ran down Raine''s spine was telling her there was something bad about this place.


    Aeon kept leading the way to one of the doors and the moment he opened it, Raine could see the same exact room that she had seen in her vision.


    "This is the room in your vision, right?" Aeon guessed it when he noticed Raine sudden changed of expression.


    "Yes," Raine nodded curtly.


    This was indeed the same, the exact room that she saw the witch from the blue moon pack would come, but because she had ordered her to be killed, the future altered and now something unpredictable happened.


    Aeon walked toward a bookshelf and picked a book from it. Raine thought it was the book that they had been looking for, yet instead of giving the book to Raine and found out the information that they needed, the bookshelf in front of them moved and split into two, revealing a secret passage behind it.


    "A secret room?" Serefina raised her brows, seemingly didn''t very ecstatic to see this. "I am not coming inside."


    The witch raised her hands and leaned her body against the wall nearby. Resolute with her situation.


    "But, what if we need you?" Raine didn''t want to leave the witch behind.


    "Why would you need me?" Serefina frowned as she waved her hand toward Aeon. "You have him."


    Crossing her arms, Serefina looked at Raine straight into her eyes, challenging her to force the witch. Yet, Raine knew better to not argue with Serefina if she was this stubborn.


    "Let''s get inside." Raine didn''t want to have an argumentation with Serefina when she was trying to be an **s, thus she decided to just leave her there.


    Raine didn''t know why the witch didn''t want to go inside the secret passage and tried to figure out her reason, but her mind only roamed around the possibilities of she was having a phobia.


    Maybe claustrophobia?


    Raine shrugged her shoulder as she followed Aeon to go inside the secret passage with Calleb, Raphael and the two Alphas behind her.


    This place was so dark and humid, Raine was afraid that the little bird would suffocate because she kept it inside her pocket jacket, thus she picked the little thing out and cradled it in her hand, feeling its heavy breathe.


    Just a little bit more¡­ just a little bit more¡­


    Raine chanted that words as she moved forward.


    Outside the door.


    Serefina''s sharp eyes stared at the door where they came from as her expression turned very calm, too calm until it was almost scary.


    She looked like someone who was waiting for something.


    A minute¡­


    Two minute¡­


    Nothing happened.


    However, all of sudden Serefina made a quick slashing movement as her face turned darker. She didn''t say anything when she heard a chuckle that echoed inside the room.


    The glasses made noisy tinkling sound added the creepiness in the air.


    "Hay, Serefina¡­ long time no see¡­"


    Along with that sweet voice, a girl appeared from behind the door.


    She looked so gorgeous wearing tutu skirt as her dark eyes twinkle under the light of the room.


    "Lilith¡­" Serefina mentioned her name with a lazy tone, as if she really didn''t want to face this person right now, or if she could say she was a ''person''.


    "I see you and those pathetic creatures barged into my house." Lilith walked toward the bar. She took a sophisticated bottle and poured the liquid inside to two glasses.


    "Don''t worry, I am sure this is not the first time. Moreover, this will be a quick visit." Serefina shrugged her shoulder, didn''t move an inch from where she was standing.


    "I see you look for the book¡­" Lilit murmured. "Don''t you want to know why I don''t stop you from entering that secret passage?" she asked cheerfully.

 Chapter 383 - ITS TIME TO END ALL THIS

    Serefina didn''t give any respond to Lilith''s question, her expression was devoid from any emotion as she stared right to her eyes.


    "Drink?" Lilith raised a glass at the witch while holding another glass with her right hand. "Make it floats to you with your magic, because I don''t have the ability," she chuckled as if she just said a joke.


    Serefina was standing, at least, ten meter away from Lilith and the latter didn''t want to walk over toward Serefina to give her treat.


    "No. Thanks," Serefina rejected the offer immediately. "That''s not my taste."


    The moment she finished her words, the glass in Lilith''s hand shattered into thousand pieces with a loud of sound.


    Lilith, who was holding the glass a while ago, was shocked and stepped back as she glowered at the witch. "Are you crazy!" she was very angry beyond words.


    "I guess so." Serefina shrugged her shoulder. "While this is only you and me, why don''t you entertain me with the reason why don''t you stop them from entering the passageway?"


    Lilith was still waving her hand because of the shards of the glass pricked her skin. It wasn''t something that very hurt she just exaggerated her reaction.


    "Why don''t I entertain you with the reason why I slept with Jedrek?" Lilith smirked.


    And the moment that words left her lips, all the bottles on the bar shelves exploded, all the chairs turned upside down and the shattered pieces of glass swirled within a weird wind that cut Lilith''s fair skin.


    The devil woman screamed and told the witch to stop her attack, yet Serefina wasn''t someone who could accept an order easily. She tended to do thing in the opposite direction.


    The whirlwind that consisted with the shards of glasses that engulfed Lilith''s body happened for a minute or two, but by the time Serefina decided to stop, Lilith''s clothes had torn apart.


    "Ups, I think I overdo it." Serefina grinned, but the mirth in her voice was a contradiction of the anger that had appeared on her lime green eyes.


    Once Serefina was done to make a chaos in this place, the bar was totally a mess.


    Lilith was very angry as her devil expression came out for a second, before she remained in her beautiful form.


    "I don''t think I like the subject that you suggested to me." Serefina clicked her tongue in annoyance. "You should just answer my question."


    "You are so angry because I mentioned about Jedrek?" Lilith taunted the witch, just like someone who was so dumb enough to not learn her mistake.


    "It is so bad that I can''t kill you, no matter what I do." Serefina sighed in disappointment, but then her eyes became shrewd as she flicked her fingers toward Lilith.


    The witch grazed Lilith''s cheek with broken glass and created another scream of agony that echoed throughout the room.


    Though the cut was so deep, but it didn''t bleed. Moreover, Lilith''s skin fixed itself, just like the healing ability that those Lycans had, even so, the pain was real.


    "Lucifer will be here soon! And all of you will die!" roared the devil woman. "Especially that shadow warrior, he must have known that he will not be able to live longer than this once Lucifer finds out what he is doing now."


    "Hoo¡­" Serefina nodded in understanding. "That is why you didn''t stop them from entering the secret passage. Because you tell tales to Lucifer. Isn''t you afraid that you will ruin his good mood when he is too busy in fulbright city? Charming those gullible human with his new witch?"


    Lilith was so angry to the way Serefina talked now. She grabbed a broken leg of a chair and threw it toward Serefina.


    Seeing the piece of wood flew toward her, she didn''t even flinch, because before it could hit her, the wood collided with a transparent wall that surrounded Serefina and small area around her.


    "B*tch, you don''t know how to fight. The only thing that you know is seducing people around." Serefina gave the devil woman a disdain smirk.


    But then, realization hit her. "You are not just telling Lucifer that we are here, but there must be something down there that will make sure they can''t go before he comes, am I right?"


    "This is too late for you to realize it now." This time, it was Lilith who gave Serefina a smirk.


    ==============


    "Is it the right way?" Alpha Romulus who was walking the furthest back, shouted at the shadow warrior, who was walking the front. "We have been walking for quite some time now, but there is nothing here."


    Alpha Romulus''s complained invited another criticize from Alpha Chris. "Do you really know where we will go?"


    Aeon didn''t answer them, he wasn''t willing to talk even a word with them and this annoyed the two Alphas.


    "Hey! I am talking to you!" Alpha Romulus was getting riled up from being ignored.


    "Aeon, why don''t you answer them?" Raine sighed upon seeing the shadow warrior''s attitude. "Do you really know where is the book?"


    Meanwhile, Calleb and Raphael, who were walking on both of her sides, were very quiet. Even Raine could tell that they were very tense and the complains from the Alphas didn''t help the situation at all.


    "I know this place. I have been here twice," Aeon answered Raine''s question.


    "What were you doing here?" Raine frowned.


    So, in the end, Aeon was indeed associated himself with the devils since the very beginning.


    "Something that you don''t want to know," Aeon answered curtly.


    He remembered the first time he was here was when he realized he didn''t die because of the annihilation that the Lycanthropes had done to his kind.


    He was awoken in this place. Alone.


    It was Lucifer who had given him a chance to live again and to look for Raine. He had been waiting for her for as long as Torak did.


    But, it''s time to end all this.

 Chapter 384 - WHERE IS OTHER PEOPLE!?

    Raine furrowed her eyebrow when she heard the way Aeon answered her, but she didn''t ask anything further from him.


    They were walking for another minutes before they found stairs, which leading them down.


    "Wait." Raphael held Raine''s hand before she could take a step to go down the stairs.


    "What?" Raine turned around and Raphael pulled her behind his back as he faced Aeon.


    "Do you scare?" Aeon asked Raphael in mocking tone. He didn''t know why the Beta stopped him, but he wouldn''t be there to waste his time.


    "What are you up to?" Raphael confronted the shadow guard. "Do you want to kill all of us?"


    Raphael''s statement erupted growls from the two Lycans behind them, they were ready to attack Aeon if it wasn''t because Calleb who held them back and convinced them to let Raphael talked to Aeon.


    "Why should I kill you when we are already here?" Aeon shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "I will not appear from the beginning if that is my intention."


    Aeon then glanced at the bird in Raine''s hand.


    "That bird will only last for another one hour or two," Aeon shifted his gaze from the bird and looked at Raphael. "Do you really think that bottle could lead you here?"


    Raphael didn''t say anything as he squinted his eyes dangerously.


    "Don''t look at me that way," Aeon grumbled as he waved his hand with lazy attitude. "If you think that I am Lucifer''s paw, then my answer is; yes, I was. But, because of that too, I know what you don''t know."


    "You are not now?" Calleb quipped from behind Raphael while holding back Raine, protected her in every way possible.


    "I will not be here if I was not." Aeon glared at Calleb. "Are you going to stand here or we will continue this? Noted this; I don''t care whether your Alpha is alive or not, my concern is only she."


    "How dare you to talk to our Luna like that!" Alpha Chris was about to storm forward and ripped Aeon''s mouth for talking like that about Raine.


    "Enough!" Raine was very annoyed with the way those Lycanthropes and Aeon behaved. "Stop talking and start walking!"


    Raine walked past Raphael and Aeon. "What are you waiting for?" she glared at Aeon.


    It was Aeon who said that the bird wouldn''t last for another few hours, thus why were they still wasting time to argue about something insignificant? Raine simply couldn''t understand with their ego.


    Aeon chased after Raine and walked in front of Raine while Calleb and Raphael followed them closely with the two Alphas in tow.


    After they walked down the stairs, there was another door, but before Aeon could open it, he turned around and warned all of them.


    "Whatever you see behind this close door or whoever you meet later, don''t ever show your emotion or walk away from the shadow." Aeon glanced at the shadow under their feet.


    The shadow warrior didn''t even wait for them to answer him as he opened the door and stepped inside without hesitation.


    "I will walk in first." Raphael held back Raine and followed Aeon''s step.


    Raine put back the little bird in her hand into her pocket when she entered the room and immediately shivered when cold wind blew past her face.


    It was so cold as if they were inside a refrigerator.


    Raine moved closer toward Calleb and snuggled in his embrace as the Gamma wrapped his arms around her shoulder.


    Why the temperature was very low? When it was so warm outside? Raine didn''t think that they provided air conditioner here.


    "Don''t you feel so cold?" Raine sneezed as she asked Calleb.


    "We, Lycanthropes, fortunately, have hot blood, thus this kind of coldness is still bearable." Calleb explained.


    "Oh," Raine mumbled as she felt Calleb''s hand, which dr.a.p.ed on her shoulder, was indeed warmer than hers. "I hope in this condition, I have hot blood too."


    "Don''t worry. You have ''hot headed''." Calleb chuckled on his own joke.


    "Not funny." Though she said that, there was a smiled grazed her lips.


    They walked further inside, but aside from the coldness of the temperature, this tunnel passageway wasn''t as dark as they thought, there was still glimmer of light along the way, though there was no light source there.


    And at that time, when Raine was lost in her own thought about the little bird in her hand, she saw something.


    A girl.


    Not too far from her.


    No. There are two girls.


    Raine recognized one of the girls as the girl from the vision that she saw before, the girl who was able to revive the flowers that have withered.


    But, Raine didn''t know who was the other girl.


    Who is she? Why they are here?


    Those two girls were only staring at her, yet their eyes were not really on her. It almost like they were daydreaming.


    The flower girl was holding a bucket of red flower while the other, the one that Raine had never met, she held her hand behind her back.


    Overall, Raine could see the resemblance among the three of them, especially their black hair and black eyes.


    If Serefina had told her that the girl with flower was a mate of Jedrek Donovan, then it should be safe to say that the other girl was Kace''s mate?


    Raine''s curiosity made her wanted to walk over and approached them, she even didn''t realize when she had taken three steps away from Calleb.


    And the strangest thing was; Calleb didn''t even hold her back or prevent her from leaving his side.


    Raine just realized that she left the group when Aeon held her wrist and shouted her name. "Where are you going!?"


    "Huh?" Raine was slightly confused when she watched Aeon''s stern expression. "There are two girls there."


    Raine pointed the direction of the girl before, but she couldn''t find any of them. It was only darkness.


    However, when Raine looked back at Aeon, there was another thing that shocked her. "Where is other people?!"''

 Chapter 385 - SACRIFICE

    Raine''s question made Aeon turned his body and all the four people behind him had already gone. He just chased after Raine because he watched as she walked away and Calleb didn''t even stop her.


    It was only seconds and they had gone.


    "Where are they?!" Raine became panic and bit her lips harshly while trying to catch a glimpse of Raphael or Calleb, or the two Alphas.


    "We have to find the book soon," Aeon grumbled under his breath. "Or something bad will happen to them."


    Aeon knew this place quite well, thus he assumed the other people had seen what Raine was seeing when she walked out of the group.


    "Where is the book?" Raine asked agitatedly. Torak had not yet to be found and now, another people were in danger. This kind of situation made Raine''s spirit turned sour as anxiety crept in her mind.


    "Let''s go. This way." Aeon grabbed Raine''s wrist and tugged her toward the direction that they were heading before.


    This room was getting colder because Aeon''s body didn''t provide the warmth like Calleb did.


    Aeon tried to make Raine a little bit warm by taking off his jacket and dr.a.p.ed it over her shoulder, but it didn''t help much as her body was still shivering.


    "Just a moment and we will be there." Aeon encouraged Raine to take another steps toward the book.


    Out of coldness, Raine snuggled into Aeon''s embrace as she tried to keep the little bird also warm. Rather than herself, Raine was more concerned about the bird.


    The bird was already very weak to begin, she didn''t want this coldness to make the bird''s condition worse.


    Aeon then wrapped his arm around her body, though he understood why Raine did that and why she moved closer to him, he couldn''t deny that he was happy by her gesture.


    Though it was only a fleeting moment, he wanted to cherish it. The time when Raine depended on him.


    "Here is the place." They reached another door crossed the room.


    On the second thought, actually this room was very big, almost like a grand ballroom with crystal chandelier hang very high above their head.


    Aeon pushed opened the door with both of his hand, it was another room. An empty room to be exact.


    There was nothing that worth to be seen except an opened book on top of a translucent podium.


    "Is that the book?" Raine even didn''t realize when she asked in a whisper, because this room was very quiet. She acted as if she was afraid to attract attention of someone or something.


    "Yes, it is." Aeon nodded and grabbed Raine''s hand to approach the book.


    The podium was a little bit high for Raine''s height, thus she needed to tiptoe to see the opened book, yet it was only blank page inside of it.


    "There is nothing here." Raine stated as she tilted her head to look at Aeon, who still flipping through the empty sheets. "What should we do now?"


    Raine began to panic again because she was running out of time and now if the book was a useless thing for them, they had wasted so much time. Not to mention Calleb and Raphael were missing.


    "Aeon, what should we do?" Raine urged him to talk, yet Aeon only stared deeply into the empty book with furrowed between his eyebrows.


    "Sacrifice." Aeon muttered as he shifted his gaze from the book toward a strange word, which was written on the podium, right atop of the book.


    It was a small word that engraved beautifully there.


    "What?" Raine didn''t catch what Aeon said, she tried to look the same spot that Aeon was staring at, but she couldn''t understand a thing.


    There was nothing there that interesting enough to see.


    "Step back Raine¡­" Aeon said in low voice as he traced his long fingers on the edge of the book. "Step back for a while, I think I know how to read this."


    Raine wanted to know how Aeon managed to read the blank sheets, yet the seriousness on Aeon''s face, made her to comply and didn''t ask anything again.


    Raine took three steps away from him, holding her bird close to her heart, she was waiting with anticipation while staring at Aeon''s back.


    She hope whatever he tried to do, it would succeed.


    And before Aeon could do anything, he looked over his shoulder at Raine and smiled ever tenderly.


    And then the next thing that happened before their eyes turned Raine utterly thunderstruck.


    Because when Aeon put his hands with his palms were facing the empty sheets, something happened and this wasn''t something that Raine could imagine, even not in her wildest dreams.


    Raine stood there in shock as she watched the supposed to be floor, was now fire. Flames licked the air.


    In an instant, the coldness that Raine felt before, disappeared as she felt the heat of the fire warming up her whole body.


    "Aeon, what is this!?" Raine stuttered. She moved closer toward Aeon, yet the flame only lasted for a few second before it disappeared, as if the thing that Raine had seen before was only in her mind.


    Raine clutched Aeon''s clothes and gritted her teeth, stared in disbelief at the empty room before her eyes, which a few seconds ago was on fire.


    "It''s done now." Aeon heaved a deep sigh. "We will find the Alpha."


    Raine was about to reply to him when she watched Calleb, Raphael, Alpha Romulus and Alpha Chris were there, sitting on the floor with shock expression.


    "They are comeback!" Raine ran toward Calleb and Raphael with Aeon followed behind her. "Calleb, are you alright?"


    Raine helped Calleb to stand up, but his legs were very weak as he fell on the floor again with pale face.


    Not only him, the other three people were also in the same state.


    Raphael and the two Alphas apparently regained their consciousness faster as they skimmed their surrounding in alert.


    "What happened to them?" Raine asked Aeon.


    "They had encountered something from their past or future. Something bad."

 Chapter 386 - THEY ARE COMING

    Something from the past or future? Raine was contemplating in Aeon''s explanation.


    If that was the case, how about the two girls that Raine had seen before? Were they from her future?


    Questions after questions were roaming around her head, yet she tried to shake them off, right now there was important thing that she should do. Raine didn''t have time to think about that yet.


    While Raine attending to Raphael and Calleb, Aeon moved to the two Alphas and brought them closer, so they gathered in one small circle with Aeon in the middle.


    "Calleb, this is me. Are you okay?" Raine shook the Gamma''s body lightly as his eyes were so dull.


    "I am¡­ I am¡­ fine¡­" Calleb stammered, trying to regain his own consciousness as he shook his head vigorously as if he was trying to get rid of the dreadful images right before his eyes.


    The same thing happened to Raphael and the other two Alphas.


    Raine literally could hear their ragged breathe.


    Yet, when Raine thought everything would be better as they had found the four missing people, something unexpected happened again.


    There was a loud noisy. The sound was coming from faraway place, maybe from the floor atop of them.


    The first thing that came into Raine''s mind was; Serefina. Did the witch encounter predicament?


    That loud noisy then intensified as all of them could hear the sound of terrifyingly intense rumbling. The sound was getting louder and louder until it became a deafening roar.


    Raine pressed her palms on her ears and before the sound consumed her, she found herself in a pair of arms, and she was whisked away.


    When Raine looked back, she was blinded by a flash of light, it was a fireball, which exploded only twenty meters away from her.


    Raine was dumbfounded. They were no longer inside the empty room with strange book laid alone atop of podium.


    Aeon, or Serefina, had brought them back to the surface, in the yard, in front of the house, which now had turned into debris.


    Raine watched in horror as the center of the yard was set ablaze. She held the arms of the person who held her, tightly.


    Raine skimmed her surroundings, all the Lycanthropes had shifted into their beast form and let out a howl, beckoning the other beast to gather around in pack formation, ready for the next attack.


    But then she heard what sounded like wh.i.p.s cutting through the air, the sharp and distinct cracks reverberated throughout the air, churning up dust and smoke as the winds became more intense. The beasts spread out.


    Raine squinted her eyes and scanned the scene before her eyes, it was hard to see as dust and smoke swirled in the air.


    When the things went quiet and all the debris had settled down, it was when Raine saw Lucifer and Belphegor, flying high above them with their hideous smirk on their lips.


    Both of them stared down at the yard like a predator, looking for their prey, ready to kill.


    The beasts snarled and snapped at the devils, daring them to attack while Serefina, who was standing right next to Raine, clenched her jaw and balled her fists.


    "We can''t do this," she muttered under her breath, only then Raine spotted blood trickled down from her temple, but the witch remained steadfast. "We have to go from here, they are too strong in their land."


    It was so rare to hear Serefina asked for reatreat.


    Yet, when Raine raised her head and looked at the sky, it was no longer the darkness of the night sky, it was the color of something, or unknown creatures, covered it. Something evil.


    "What is that?" Raine whispered, holding her breath as she watched those dark things moved closer, engulfed the light of all the stars.


    "Their legion." Aeon replied, very close to her ears. Then, Raine realized that she was in his embrace since the beginning.


    Raine tried to free herself from him, but he held her even tighter.


    "Witch." He stretched his hand out and waited for Serefina to grab it.


    Though she didn''t like the way the shadow warrior called her, they didn''t have time to hear her complaint.


    Thus, just like before, they touched each other and everything changed in matter of millisecond, before a fireball exploded where all of them had been standing.


    ==============


    Raine blinked her eyes a couple of time before she could adjust herself from the sudden change. She has been changing places three times less than five minutes.


    "Let me go." Raine gently removed herself from Aeon''s embrace, she didn''t want to offend him, but she wasn''t comfortable, with their proximity.


    Aeon, finally, let her go as he looked at the girl in her arms moved away from him with sad expression.


    "What you''ve got?" Serefina didn''t let Aeon to stay in his melancholic state for long time as she bothered him immediately. "Those devils will follow us here. You better have good news about your trip to the passageway."


    Actually, Serefina and Aeon worked well together, regardless their bickering every now and then, as both of them used their magic to move from the collapse bar house right in time.


    They could teleport themselves out of there, but Aeon couldn''t teleport them right away into the room where the book was placed.


    The shadow warrior didn''t appreciate the way the witch talked to him as he squinted his eyes dangerously. "The library, huh?"


    Aeon noticed that they were in the yard, in front of the collapsed library building.


    "Mm, nostalgic, isn''t it." Serefina crossed her arms in front of her chest as she replied sarcastically.


    Right at that time, there was a security guard running toward their direction with flashlight in his hand. "Hey! What are you doing there!!!" He shouted angrily and made Raine startled.


    Yet, before that man could take another step closer, Serefina had waved her hand and then his body flew a few meters away before dropped to the ground.


    "Serefina! You killed him!?" Raine was shocked.

 Chapter 387 - I DONT TRUST HIM

    Serefina just rolled her eyes upon hearing Raine''s exclaim, "Of course not, he just passed out." She waved her hand nonchalantly as she focused on the matter at hand. "So, what we''ve got now? Where is the book?"


    "We don''t need the book." Aeon''s statement made Serefina raised her eyebrows and later her voice if the shadow warrior didn''t explain it quickly. "I have read it."


    "And?" this time, it was Raphael who asked him.


    Meanwhile Raine looked at her surroundings, some of the beasts had turned into their human form and the other remained in their beasts form while the five Alphas, apparently, were not in good condition as they were attended by their respective pack members.


    The situation around the construction of the library building where so quiet as it was in progress to rebuild again.


    "Torak is indeed in tartarus." Aeon confirmed that after the fire that he watched when he did the sacrifice.


    This made Raphael frowned while Calleb was sitting on the ground, seemingly still in shock from whatever he saw earlier.


    "To open the gate to Tartarus, there is another risk that you have to know." Aeon directed his words toward Raine. "The risk is too big."


    Raine stared at Aeon directly, his gaze laced with worry and reluctance, yet Raine didn''t want to think about anything else other than how to get Torak back.


    She wanted to be selfish this time.


    "What kind of risk?" Raine asked slowly.


    "I am not sure what exactly it would be, but¡­" Aeon halted and stared deeply into Raine''s eyes as if he was going to dig a hole into her eyes. "¡­we will open the gate to hell, what do you think will happen?"


    There was a silent that follow Aeon''s question, until Serefina broke it with her careless comment like always.


    "Just open it and get Torak out of there." Serefina shrugged as if that was the obvious answer and no one seemed to notice that.


    "What do you say?" Aeon ignored Serefina''s opinion, all he needed was a word from Raine and he would do whatever she wished.


    "Do it." Raine said softly, but there was a determination in her tender voice, glancing over at Raphael and Serefina, but both of them apparently didn''t mind with whatever the risk that they should take as long as they could get Torak back.


    It wasn''t a good thing, but Raine was relieved because they agreed. She just wanted to justify her decision.


    Because whatever chaos that would happen after this, Raine would be the one who responsible for it, but if it meant she could get Torak back, then everything would be worth it.


    It sounded selfish indeed, but Raine knew this was the right thing to do, though this wasn''t a good one.


    "Understood." Aeon nodded his head as he looked at his surroundings and stopped at Raine''s obsidian eyes again. "I only hope you will never regret this decision."


    "Even if I will regret it later, I know I will choose the same decision all over again." Raine was sure with this.


    "Alright." Aeon nodded as he understood what Raine was feeling right now, he stretched out his hand toward Raine. "I need the bird now."


    "The bird?" Raine took offense with Aeon stretching hand as she was being protective. She didn''t want to give the weak bird to Aeon.


    Truth to be told, Raine didn''t trust the shadow warrior enough to give Torak''s soul to him.


    "I need it." Aeon demanded.


    Raine''s frown deepened as she stared at Aeon. "What are you going to do with the bird?"


    "I need that to get to Torak." Aeon explained to Raine. "We have come this far and I will not do a silly thing to hurt the bird."


    "Like how you will not hurt Raine when the devil managed to get her blood before?" Serefina chimed in sarcastically while rolling her eyes.


    "I will never do that if I knew what he would do." Aeon countered the witch''s words through gritted teeth.


    It wasn''t only Raine who was being deceived at that time by Lucifer, he was also suffered the same thing.


    "Sure, sure¡­ your words are very believable." Serefina didn''t stop her sarcasm at all.


    Yet, before they could decide what they should do or Aeon was able to convince Raine, all of sudden weird feeling filled the air.


    All of them looked at each other in uncertainty.


    What was happening?


    They were in the park within the construction of the library building, this place was supposed to be windy as a lot of trees surrounded them and the gloomy sky, indicating rain would fall.


    Not long after that, a group of men emerged from behind the shadow of the trees, they were wearing long black coats that swept the ground.


    Raine watched in horror as their number didn''t decrease as if there was no end from them.


    How many they were? A thousand? Two thousand?


    "Who are they?" Raine was being pulled and protected by Aeon and Raphael while Calleb started to gain his awareness about their predicament, he stood next to Raine.


    "The devil''s legion." Aeon replied to Raine.


    This was the same thing that they had seen before Aeon and Serefina brought them all here. They managed to catch up to them in matter of minutes only.


    Aeon felt the shadows rose from the depths of his heart. They swirled around his body.


    "Hello my dear."


    The sweetness of Lucifer''s voice almost made everyone by Raine''s side to puke, they snarled and growled at the threat that the devil brought.


    "So, you decided to betray me in the end." Lucifer talked to Aeon. "Why I don''t surprise."


    "You are the one who didn''t keep your promise!" Aeon was livid. "You promised me, you will never hurt her."


    Lucifer widened his eyes. "But, she is still alive." His golden eyes directed at Raine. "Though it will not be for long." He smirked devilishly.


    With that was being said, the calm in the air broke and the situation devolved to chaos.

 Chapter 388 - TARTARUS

    Apparently there were witches among them as they cast their curses, and vampires that were very eager to reach to Raine, invited by the scent of her blood.


    It was hard for Raine to put her focus because their enemies were everywhere and she was in the middle of it.


    Raine watched as Serefina tried to repel every spells and curses from the dark witches.


    Among the snarl, ears- piercing sound of bones were being broken and explosion of balls of fire, Aeon approached Raine.


    He extended his arm again hastily. "Give me the bird now if you wanted Torak to be saved, any later than this I don''t even know if we could survive this attack."


    Raine looked at the worse nightmare around her and the blood.


    Blood.


    It was everywhere.


    The Lycanthropes were outnumbered by the Devil''s legion, witches and the vampires.


    Raine''s heart was breaking upon seeing their desperate situation, Raphael and Calleb''s beast were fighting not too far from her, trying to fend off the other party from getting closer to Raine.


    There was no one to be asked for opinion, whether Raine should trust Aeon or not. After all, Aeon and Torak wasn''t in good term to begin with.


    The retaliation that those beasts gave to them wasn''t as effective as they thought.


    Their enemies had become so strong.


    There was fear and confusion reflected from Raine''s eyes when she looked back at Aeon''s stretching hand.


    This decision should be made by her, right now.


    With her shaking hand, Raine pulled out the weak bird from her pocket jacket and placed it on Aeon''s opened palm.


    "I hope you will not betray me for this." Raine asked earnestly.


    "What a beautiful thing that you have in your arms¡­ I would never have thought that he would leave his soul behind like this." Lucifer suddenly appeared only three meters away from Raine and Aeon.


    Out of instinct, Aeon put Raine behind his back and glared at the devil, whose lips form a sickening grin.


    Another beasts who watched that the devil had managed to get closer to Raine, tried they harder to attack Lucifer, yet somehow they couldn''t enter the magic protection that Lucifer had casted around the three of them.


    Not even Serefina''s magic could penetrate it.


    Around them, the bloody battle continued to rage. It was a living hell. But, Raine had not seen the hell yet.


    "Knowing the consequences, why do you still choose to side with them?" Lucifer asked Aeon, but didn''t really want to know the answer for that.


    "You know my priority since the very beginning." Aeon glowered at Lucifer as he held the bird in his right hand and Raine in his left hand, keeping both saved from the predator before their eyes.


    Or, he hoped he could protect them.


    "Very touching." Lucifer nodded and crossed his arms in front of his chest as he stared sharply at the bird. "But, you know¡­"


    This time, Aeon didn''t let Lucifer to finish his words before he did something upon their situation.


    He extended his hands to the sky and in an instant the sky turned even gloomier than before. The stars and the moon were covered by something like¡­ shadow?


    Not only that, the lights around them were consumed into the darkness of the shadow that Aeon created.


    Nobody knew until where the extended of Aeon''s shadow, but from this point of view, it was safe to say that the whole fulbright city was covered by shadow, even the light from the lamp couldn''t manage to go through it.


    Raine clutched onto Aeon''s clothes very tightly as she felt cold and dark engulfed her body, the last thing that she could see was the expression from Lucifer, he looked Aeon in anger.


    When her vision failed her, Raine''s instinct sharpened as she smell rotten flesh filled the air around her and assaulted her nostrils.


    Shrilled screams could be heard from afar and when the thick shadow that covered them evaporated.


    Raine was shock as her knees turned very weak and she dropped to the ground. The only thing that existed in her world was the sight of Torak''s head was being put on top of a small table right before her eyes.


    His eyes closed, but there wasn''t a single drop of blood around his head.


    "NOOOO!" tears were pouring from Raine''s eyes. She was lost in despair. She had lost all the senses around her, as all she could feel right now was only a big hollow in her heart.


    So big that it consumed her agony.


    Raine felt the urge to release the heavy burden in her heart, the fire that burned her entire body.


    When she lowered her head to avoid the gruesome scene that was displayed before her eyes, she felt the firebird appeared on her palms and it majestic plumage, which akin to bonfire, grew brightly upon her touch.


    Now the fire of the bird also spread on her, Raine was burning. Her fire was so bright it could illuminate the underworld for centuries, brightened the even the darkest part of the hell.


    Weird enough the fire didn''t hurt her, but it didn''t mean it could save Raine from the sorrow that she felt.


    Raine was lost herself in that process and everything would burn, not only the devils.


    Raine''s body was starting to morph into a molten ball of fire as she rose into the air.


    Even Aeon''s words couldn''t be heard, his words were only a silence scream that couldn''t reach Raine.


    The guardian angel roared angrily as a huge blaze destroyed everything around her. The wrath of Raine could fill the abyss of the Tartarus.


    Even Lucifer, his confidence smile finally faltered. The devil felt the extreme heat that radiated from the guardian angel''s body and the firebird.


    Raine''s fire expanded and she didn''t even care when she had hurt Aeon as well in the process.


    The only thing that Raine cared was the fact that Torak was dead.


    Someone had beheaded him!

 Chapter 389 - THE FLAMES THAT COVERED THEM

    Raine couldn''t comprehend that fact in her head as she immersed herself in the agony that she felt, not even Aeon''s voice could reach her.


    In his attempt to calm Raine, Aeon was burning with the heat in the air around him. The shadow warrior extended his hand to her, but he couldn''t even move an inch.


    "Raine, stop it!" Aeon covered his face from the fire, he was badly injured, but he didn''t care.


    Meanwhile, inside the molten fire that engulfed her body Raine felt there was a pair of arms that sent spark through her whole body.


    The familiar spark that she had missed for days, the spark that only belong to him.


    Raine curled herself into his embrace as in her head, she heard Torak''s voice, talking to her, calling her name, asking her to stop.


    [Torak¡­?]


    [It''s me¡­ it''s me, my love.]


    The blaze flickered for a moment, before it exploded all at once in a puff of smoke.


    Finally Raine opened her eyes. She had never looked so weak to the Alpha before this, even when Torak found her for the first time, she didn''t look like this.


    Raine now, was looking at him with sadness and exhaustion. She said nothing as tears after tears were streaming down her cheeks.


    Torak''s heart was aching, upon seeing his mate in this condition.


    "I am sorry¡­ I am so sorry. I have brought you into this mess¡­" here, Torak was holding his mate, let her body heat warmed him.


    "Torak¡­" Raine called out his name in agony, her voice was very hoarse and dry as though she would hurt her throat further if she talked more than this.


    "Yes, my love¡­ I am here." Torak ran his fingers through her black hair as Raine buried her face on his sturdy chest.


    "I saw you¡­ I saw you¡­" dead.


    Raine couldn''t bring herself to say the last word, as if it was a final verdict that the scene that she had seen before this was real.


    She didn''t want to think that scene was real.


    "You saved me. You saved me and now I am fine." Torak hugged Raine a little bit tighter now, feeling her small body shivering out of fear.


    Even Torak could feel her fear from the bond that they shared.


    Torak kissed her head and let her crying for as long as she need and that was what Raine did before she sniffled and raised her head to see her mate face.


    "Don''t leave me¡­" her voice was very pitiful and Torak''s heart clenched upon hearing the plea that laced in her voice.


    "I will not¡­" Torak shook his head and wiped away her tears. "I will not¡­"


    And once again their body were engulfed by fire from the firebird that flew on top of their head. The white light flooded their surroundings and the sound of the crackle of flames moments later.


    The sensation of falling overwhelmed Raine as she shut her eyes and held onto Torak''s body tightly.


    "Torak!?"


    "Alpha!"


    "He returns!"


    Noises sound that buzzed Raine''s ears awoke her from a nightmare. She recognized those voices and her eyes shot open in alarm.


    She was in her world again.


    Raine watched as Calleb and Raphael approached them, also the five Alphas and their pack members. They were in their human form.


    Why they were in human form? How about the battle?


    Raine skimmed her surrounding, but still didn''t let Torak go from her tight hug, her arms were akin to octopus, latched onto Torak.


    The devil''s legion, the group of men, who wore long black cloak, stood in the distance couldn''t cross the fire that encircled the Lycanthropes.


    Where did the fire come? Is it the fire that the bird had conjured or it is Serefina''s creation to ward off their enemies?


    Raine didn''t have time to think about that when the fire, all of sudden, was extinguished and showed the devil, c.o.c.king his head to the side and grinned as he halted his step a few meter away from where the Lycanthropes stood.


    "Wow! How about your reunion with your mate? Are you touched?" Lucifer meant to sound strong and daunting, but his question came out as an angry snarl.


    Raine felt all the color drain from her face.


    Torak could feel Raine''s distress and put his big palm on the back of her neck as he drew circles to soothe her tense.


    "Stay with me my love," Torak whispered to her ears as he shifted into his massive beast, putting Raine on top of his body.


    [Don''t fall and keep your head low.] Torak mind- linked Raine.


    Raine complied, she grabbed Torak''s soft white fur and lowered her head, only then she realized Torak''s beast this time was bigger than the last time she saw him.


    But, another thing happened, all of sudden Torak''s beast was covered with golden flames.


    The first thing that Raine thought was, the beast was being attacked by the Devil or the witches and this fire would burn them.


    Raine''s heart skipped a beat as she wait for the fire to burn them, yet the flames were not hot. They fluttered around her like innocent flickering lights.


    [Don''t worry. Just hold tightly to me.] Once again, Torak mind- linked her. Apparently, Torak didn''t totally lost to his beast and was still able to communicate with Raine.


    The beast felt his little mate nodded her head and then began sprinting toward Lucifer. His powerful legs were moving so fast, leading his pack with Calleb and Raphael''s beast followed closely behind.


    A rush of adrenaline pulsated through Raine''s entire body, the beast was moving with ease and fortunately Raine could find a comfortable position to place her body, so she wouldn''t fall easily.


    Raine''s legs clamped both sides of the beast torso as she was hidden underneath the beast''s flames.


    The beast, effortlessly, maneuvered through the devil''s minions as he bit or clawed them in the process and rapidly stormed toward Lucifer.

 Chapter 390 - THE CRATER

    Lucifer fair face turned hideous when they had moved very close to him. His body bulged with muscle and his head turned red as his golden eyes became darker. His entire eyes were the color of the night.


    The shadow that surrounded the city had disappeared, but lights still not came back yet, thus it was extremely dark.


    Only the full moon, the witness of this bloody battle.


    Raine tried to raise her head and shuddered with the scene around her. The smell of burnt flesh and blood began to fill the air around them.


    Roar and snarl echoed every now and then.


    From above the beast''s back, Raine watched everything that played before her eyes. She heard the guttural snarl of the Raphael''s beast before she saw it. The beast leaped from behind Torak as he caught the neck of Belphegor with his teeth, who was jumping from behind Lucifer.


    The Sloth wanted to take the opportunity that Torak was occupied with Lucifer. But, Raphael stopped him mid leap.


    Raphael swung the head of the devil in his mouth and threw him to the other attackers on his right.


    Torak growled menacingly and reared back, preparing to attack. Raine cried out and almost fell when Torak suddenly charged forward, meeting the devil and clobbered each other.


    Moments later Torak jumped, clawing through another the devil''s minion or vampires and halted for a moment, giving Raine''s enough time to readjust her position.


    The first witch beat the beast and came up to Raine''s left and lashed a spell at her, yet before the curse could befall upon her, another light hit it and repelled it.


    Raine turned around and watched Serefina was having her time, wreak havoc on the enemies around her.


    The smirk on her lips, indicating that she was having so much fun to kill those poor creatures with the assist of Calleb beside her, who did the same thing.


    Those beasts around Raine were so vicious and didn''t stop even to take a breath from killing one after another. Their primal instinct were on display.


    The creatures that the devil''s brought from the darkness, shrieked and died.


    Apparently the existence of their Alpha helped a lot to boost their spirit as they were fighting even better. This was why the Alpha''s position was a crucial part.


    Also the reason why those Lycanthropes were hesitant to fight against the devil when they thought that their Alpha had died.


    Alpha Ryan and Jenedieth had thought about it a lot, yet they miscalculated something, no, they were actually underestimated the existence of Raine.


    They would have never thought that Raine managed to survive from the attack from Belphegor and the other as they have Raine''s best friend on their side.


    In the end, that haughty mind had led them to their end.


    Raine braced herself when the beast''s legs left the ground and then dropped a hundred meters away. She thought, she would fall because of the aftereffect as her mind raced and her breathing was ragged.


    By some miracle Raine didn''t fall, but she struggled to keep her balance as the beast maneuvered through their enemies, sprinting and leaping.


    It gnashed its teeth on the enemy''s flesh.


    The scenes were gruesome as blood splattered around in the air. A surge of sheer horror surged in Raine''s veins.


    Raine didn''t know what kind of tactic that Torak''s and his pack member used, but when Raine realized it again.


    Their position had already switched. Now the Lycanthropes were circled the devil and their minions.


    Though at first they were outnumbered, but by some miracle the Lycanthropes and Serefina, managed to kill more than they think they could kill.


    The progress was very fascinating.


    At this point they could corner those devils and the remaining of Vampires and Witches.


    There was a short moment when Torak and Lucifer exchanged their gaze and snarled before Torak charged forward.


    At first Raine couldn''t see it, yet as Torak moved closer toward Lucifer, Raine could see the eerie huge crater with large fire that was dangerously out of control from beneath it.


    This was what Aeon talking about. They had opened the gate of hell. The Tartarus appeared in their realm. In human world.


    The only question that crossed her mind was; what would happen then?!


    Raine felt a chill race along her back when the Torak''s beast led the Lycanthropes stormed toward their enemy.


    The number of the devils minions were outnumbered the beast, yet the beasts were massive. They could easily overpower them.


    Torak was pressing head and unleashing the full extent of his power.


    Raine watched in astonishment as Torak''s beast tore apart the devil minions with seemingly no effort.


    The beast penetrated deep into where Lucifer standing, or flying mid air.


    The Pride flew so high above them, looked down with gloomy expression at the battle below him.


    His face became even more hideous when the Lycanthropes managed to push those devils back to Tartarus.


    Yet, he could think about that later, because right now, Torak had jumped onto him.


    Torak''s beast leaped so high and turned the look of amazement on Raine''s face shifted to horror when she had almost fallen off of the beast''s back.


    Raine cried out in fright the moment her grip loosened. She started to fall. Feeling his mate was falling from his back, the beast let out an animalistic growled.


    However, before Raine''s body fell on the fierce battle beneath her or got concussion because of the impact, a dark shadow engulfed her entire body and protected her as she landed safely on the ground, far enough from the Lycanthropes and the devils.


    "Aeon¡­?" Raine adjusted herself as she hurriedly stood up. Aeon appeared in front of her.


    "Stay here." Aeon said to Raine as his eyes met the Alpha beast eyes and he nodded ever so slightly.


    From afar, Raine watched as the beast bit down Lucifer''s leg and threw him to the flaming crater in the middle of the yard.

 Chapter 391 - IS IT OVER NOW?

    From afar, Raine watched as the beast bit down Lucifer''s leg and threw him to the flaming crater in the middle of the yard.


    Is it over now? Raine was astounded as how the event unfolded.


    Torak''s beast landed in his four legs and roared menacingly, this thunderous sound invited another beast to do the same thing, as if they were telling each other that the battle had been won by them.


    The remaining minions from hell were being pushed to the flaming crater while the Vampires and the witches tried to flee from the battle that they couldn''t win again.


    When Raine watched Torak was safe and sound, she let out her breath in relief.


    Meanwhile in the other side of the yard, where the battle of Calleb and Belphegor took place, the big grey beast snarled when the devil managed to bite down his hind leg.


    The grey beast was bleeding badly. Bite wounds and lacerations covered him. Raine bit her lips upon seeing Calleb situation.


    "We need to help him!" Raine cried to Aeon, who was holding her wrist tightly. But, the shadow warrior just shook his head.


    "You will not go anywhere, they will take care of it," Aeon spoke calmly as his eyes locked on Raine.


    "No!" Raine refused Aeon''s idea. "Calleb needs help!"


    At that time, there was an explosion that was created by the witches. It made a big hole where many beasts were standing.


    Many of them were died in an instant and this was the first time for Raine to see how angry Serefina was.


    Extending her free hands to the sky, Serefina made the gloomy cloud roiling, turning orange as if the color was the reflection of the crater down below it.


    Thunder roared so loud and stopped every fighter in the yard in their place for a moment.


    Ragged bolts of lightning soared down from the ceiling, striking the Vampires and the witches. The one that had been touched by it was electrocuted to death and many others were struck as well.


    Torak''s beast, the firebird soared to the sky and aided Serefina''s magic by sending its own fire down to their enemies, while Torak and the rest of the pack threw all the minions from hell, back to the place where they belonged.


    The yard flashed with lightning and fire as the air smelled of rotten flesh. The scene was grotesque.


    When many dead beasts was being hit by the explosion that was created by the witches and their body scattered all over the place, flew a few meter away or died on the spot and couldn''t be recognized anymore, the same thing happened to those vampires and witches, their dead bodies were beyond recognition.


    Raine turned her attention from the gruesome scene before her eyes back to where Calleb''s beast was fighting the devil.


    At that time, the devil managed to tackle Calleb''s beast to the ground, clawed his razor nails, dug the beast''s flesh with it.


    Seeing that, Raine wriggled her hands from Aeon''s tight grip, but the shadow warrior didn''t want her to be near the battle field.


    Soon after, ther was another beast let out a massive growl, the sound reverberating through the air and the ground.


    It was Torak in his flaming beast form, he charged toward the Calleb, who had shifted back into his human form and was almost beheaded by Belphegor.


    Fortunately, the devil was not quick enough to execute his plan before Torak''s beast hammered him to the ground.


    Torak was swiping his claws into Belphegor, pummeling his fists into any area of the devil''s body he could reach while the devil struggled to get free.


    This happened for a minute before Belphegor managed to flee into the dark of the night.


    With the two devils had gone, it was as easy as sweeping dust to get rid of the minions.


    Torak shifted back into his human form and extended his arm to help Calleb stood up. His Gamma was a mess with blood and wounds littered his body.


    But, he would be fine in a day or two.


    "You are disturbed," Torak stated as he looked at Calleb right in his eyes and the Gamma avoided his gaze by lowering his head.


    "I am fine," he mumbled.


    Calleb has been disturbed ever since he returned from the bas.e.m.e.nt of the Bar, where the image of his little sister was forcefully played in his mind.


    The scene where she was being killed ruthlessly by the rogue, thus his mind wasn''t in place when they were in this battle.


    Torak didn''t know this and wisely didn''t ask further about the thing that bothered Calleb because there was another more important thing to do. He walked away from Calleb and headed toward Raine.


    This was just a battle.


    Some of the beasts had shifted back into their human form and helped Serefina to heal the wounded member while the rest made a perimeter around them, be ready if there was another sneak attack.


    The flaming crater was still in the middle of the yard. Ablaze with fire, which seemingly wouldn''t cease down.


    The gate to hell was still open and seemed no one care about that, as they were busy to help themselves and each other.


    Torak walked closer toward Raine and a frown formed on his forehead when he watched Raine was trying to free her wrist from Aeon''s grip.


    "I would like to have my mate back." Torak talked in his calm voice, but it didn''t mean his tone didn''t lace with a threat if Aeon didn''t do what he asked for. "Let her go."


    Torak stared at the hand, which was holding Raine, as if he would be more than happy to snap that hand into two if it needed.


    Torak was still appreciated Aeon''s effort back then when he helped his mate, but the shadow warrior was better to not push the Alpha''s limit, because when it came about his mate, he was more than willing to take extra miles.

 Chapter 392 - GOODBYE

    Aeon heard what Torak was asking to him and his demanding tone. He shifted his eyes to Raine and there was a sorrow in his eyes.


    "I think it''s time for you to go¡­" his voice was barely a whisper as he let go of Raine reluctantly.


    Raine didn''t even take a second glance before she rushed toward Torak and hugged him tightly, she buried her face against his chest and inhaled in his scent. There was something comforting about having a physical contact with him.


    Raine had experienced more than once when she almost lost him. She was so scared and didn''t want to let him go again.


    This only made it clear for Raine the importance of Torak in her life.


    "My love¡­" Torak did the same thing as he held his mate protectively. "Thank you for saving me¡­" yet Torak felt Raine was shaking her head and tried to say something, but apparently words had failed her, thus she remained quiet and nuzzled him.


    There was a great pain upon seeing this scene for Aeon and he didn''t realize how long he had held his breathe.


    It wasn''t only Torak who had been waiting for Raine for more than century, he did the same thing. He had done everything just to be with her again.


    From selling his soul to the devil to this very moment, to the consequences that Aeon had to face. There was no escape from this.


    Aeon had gone all the way just to find her, to protect her, the only thing that he didn''t do it right was; he let Torak to meet her first.


    To let Raine depended on the Alpha.


    At this moment, Aeon wondered. Only if, if he met her sooner, would the end be different? Only if he showed himself, would he lose her again?


    Aeon wondered¡­


    Yet, there was nothing he could do now to change all of this.


    Aeon remembered how he used to follow her from the shadow and ward off any harm that would fall upon her because she could see those supernatural creatures and how her blood invited more danger than she could imagine.


    He had tried to protect her all the time, but Raine didn''t have any slightest idea about that.


    Aeon had watched every tears that fell from her beautiful eyes, he had watched how she grew up, how her fear turned her so timid, but he didn''t show himself just because Aeon thought Raine couldn''t handle it yet.


    Aeon was waiting for the right time to appear before her eyes, waiting until she grew up a little bit more.


    Regardless what he did, Torak took her away the moment he saw her, the moment he felt his mate presence.


    Probably, Aeon should have done the same thing¡­


    He shouldn''t think¡­


    After what he had done, Raine didn''t even look him in the eyes. There was a self- deprecating smile hung on the corner of his lips and this sharp pain that Aeon felt, grew stronger and stronger until it forced him to kneel.


    He clutched his chest where he could feel his heart became very weak, just like the exhausted wings of bird, flapping intermittently.


    "My love, I think you should go to him¡­" Torak whispered when he witnessed Aeon''s condition, the shadow warrior wouldn''t last for long.


    At first Raine didn''t understand what Torak meant. She raised her head to see Torak through her teary eyes.


    And then she realized that Torak was looking toward something, or¡­ someone.


    Raine followed his gaze as she turned her body and found Aeon had knelt on the ground while clutching his chest, his whole body was trembling.


    "What happen to him¡­" Raine blinked her eyes, let her tears fell rapidly on her cheeks. But, she didn''t want to move from his mate''s arms until Torak caressed her head lovingly and whispered something weird in her ears.


    "Go and see him, maybe this will be your last¡­" Torak said in understanding tone. It sounded very weird that it came from him.


    Raine, hesitantly, let go from Torak and walked toward Aeon as she knelt in front of him too and stared at the shadow warrior, who seemingly in great pain.


    "Aeon, what happen¡­?" Raine asked carefully as she brushed away her tears from her face. "Are you okey?"


    Aeon raised his head to look at Raine. His face was so pale as if there wasn''t a drop of blood in his veins, or maybe he hadn''t.


    "Are you injured?" Raine became worried, at the very least, Aeon had helped her a lot. He has the most credit this time. Raine wouldn''t be able to find Torak if it wasn''t because of him. "Let me see it."


    "No¡­" Aeon shook his head tiredly. "¡­just let me see you."


    Raine frowned and turned her body to look at Torak, who was standing two meters away from her. In normal circ.u.mstances, Torak would have stayed next to her. What happened here?


    "What happened to him?" Torak must have known something, or else he wouldn''t so generous to let Raine approached the shadow warrior, giving them space like what he did now.


    "He is dying." It was Serefina who answered Raine, behind her there was Calleb and Raphael, walking closer to them.


    "What do you mean he is dying?" Raine didn''t see that he was injured, he was perfectly fine. "Are you injured? Show me." She turned her attention on Aeon, demanding for him to show her his injuries.


    "What happened to him is not something that you can help." Serefina inched closer toward them as she stood next to Torak.


    "What do you mean with that?" Raine furrowed her brows as she felt bad omen upon seeing how they acted.


    Serefina didn''t answer Raine''s question immediately, she looked at Aeon with complicated gaze, before she spoke again. "I am sorry this happened to you." Serefina''s voice was so deep and low. She shifted her green lime eyes toward Raine, "I think this is the time where you have to say goodbye to him."

 Chapter 393 - DONT BLAME YOURSELF

    Raine couldn''t comprehend what Serefina was saying, but actually her heart had known it, it just her brain wasn''t able to discern the information right away.


    "What, why?" Raine turned to look at Aeon. His jagged breath made her scared.


    "It is the consequences that he has to face." Serefina explained patiently.


    It was weird when Serefina and Torak became very understanding. Raine was afraid because of their behavior now.


    "I don''t understand." Raine shook her head and her tears were threatening to fall again.


    "He traded his life for Torak''s." Serefina sighed deeply. "I think that is not the smartest decision, but it definitely the bravest one. We could try another method, but he chose the fastest. Sacrifice."


    However, if Aeon didn''t do what he had done, this battle this time, without Torak, even Serefina doubted the result would be the same.


    The presence of their Alpha for Lycanthropes was a boost for their courage.


    "No???" Raine looked at Aeon with fear in her eyes when her mind, finally, could register the information. "No¡­"


    It was the sacrifice? Aeon had traded his life with Torak''s?


    Raine was unsure if she knew it sooner, she would prevent Aeon from taking that action. It was true that she wanted Torak to come back to her, but she didn''t want for Aeon to suffer also.


    Raine didn''t hate him. She just didn''t want Torak and Aeon to kill each other, thus she chose to ignore him, because Torak didn''t like it when she was close to him.


    "I am sorry¡­ what should I do?" Raine sobbed and then she looked at Torak, pleading. "Torak what should we do? We have to safe him."


    In her heart, Raine would always turn to Torak whenever she felt helpless like this, because her mate was the only person who could fix it. He always has a way, right?


    Seeing the pain in his mate''s eyes, it clutched Torak''s heart with the same pain. He walked closer to her and knelt behind Raine, still giving some space for both Raine and Aeon, as he extended his arms and caressed her head tenderly.


    "I am sorry my love, but there was nothing that we could do¡­" Torak''s statement was like a final verdict.


    "But¡­ but¡­" Raine then turned her pleading gaze toward Serefina, "You can do something, right?"


    "My dear¡­" Raine didn''t want to hear this endearment. "¡­nothing we can do."


    Raine stared in disbelief as she watched how Calleb and Raphael avoided her gaze, they turned away their head from Raine in guilty.


    That wasn''t the reaction that Raine wanted.


    "Raine¡­" there was a soft voice, very feeble. "¡­it''s okey." Aeon stretched out his shaky hand and touched her cheek. There was a small smile on his lips. "I am okey now, this is my decision¡­ there is nothing to do with you¡­"


    "I am sorry¡­ tell me¡­ tell me what can I do to help you. Tell me¡­" Raine''s sobs turned into a cry, her tears fell rapidly on his finger as he wiped them away.


    "Don''t blame yourself¡­ I can''t be helped from the beginning." Aeon remembered how he had traded his soul to the devil, just to live for one more time, to meet Raine.


    And now, he had met her, Aeon shouldn''t be so greedy for asking more.


    He deemed to perish since the first moment he sealed the deal with Lucifer.


    Whether he traded his life with Torak''s or not, his end was clear from the moment he was betrayed by Lucifer.


    Though he could be with Raine, Aeon highly doubted Lucifer would be so generous to let them lived a happy life.


    This was the right thing to do. At the very least, Aeon knew Torak would have done everything for her. He loved her badly and so did Raine.


    It was a painful reality, but also the most relief one, because Raine wouldn''t be alone anymore and Torak would always be with her, to protect her, to love her.


    The pain was so excruciating over time, yet the more painful thing for him was still to see the tear in her eyes.


    "I am sorry¡­" Raine mumbled. She wanted to say another thing other than ''sorry'', but she just couldn''t find the right words to say. "I am sorry¡­"


    "Don''t be¡­" Aeon leaned over and kissed her forehead tenderly, relishing her scent for the last time and how soft her skin against his chapped lips. "I hope you well¡­"


    Torak saw it, but instead of feeling jealous, the Alpha could understand Aeon''s pain. He had to admit it that the shadow warrior''s feeling was genuine.


    After Aeon kissed her forehead, he looked at Torak and spoke between his ragged breathe. "Can you help me¡­?"


    Torak moved closer to the shadow warrior. "Yes."


    They looked at each other eyes for some time before Raphael stepped forward and helped Raine to stand up.


    "You better don''t see this¡­" Raphael whispered to her ear as he turned Raine''s head from Torak and Aeon.


    "Why?!" Raine struggled to free herself from Raphael. "What they will do?" She looked at Torak and Aeon, who was facing each other, kneeling on the ground like an old friend.


    "He has to be destroyed, or else the devil will be able to use his soulless body." There was sadness in Serefina''s voice, though she explained it bluntly. She always like that no matter what the situation. "He had a deal with the devil after all."


    "No!" Why they should destroy him!? Wasn''t he already suffering so much?! "Don''t do that!"


    "It is that or he will suffer more in Tartarus. He belongs there after all the decision he had made." Serefina looked at Raine straight in her eyes.


    That fact hit Raine so hard as she cried her eyes out and hugged Raphael tightly. "I am sorry¡­ I am sorry¡­" Raine felt this was her fault.


    Raphael turned his body, so Raine''s back was facing the Torak and Aeon, thus she wouldn''t be able to see anything.

 Chapter 394 - THE BEGINNING

    ''cause you are the piece of me


    I wish I didn''t need


    Chasing relentlessly


    Still fight and I don''t know why


    If our love is tragedy why are you my remedy


    If our love is insanity why are you my clarity.


    -Clarity. Zedd-


    **************


    Torak half shifted his hand into a claw, the sharp razor nail that would dig Aeon''s heart quickly, made it less painful for the shadow warrior.


    "Don''t let her blame herself." Aeon stared at Raine''s back, her body was shaking uncontrollably with sadness.


    Somehow, he was glad that she cried for him. It showed that he has meaning for her to worth her tears, to make her so sad like this.


    But, Aeon didn''t want Raine to be in despair for so long. There was a lot of things that she had to do and there was a lot of dangers that waited for her.


    He wanted her to be strong and he knew she would. Her kindness was something that Aeon adored the most.


    The only thing that Aeon regretted it was; because he wouldn''t be there to see that. To see her standing tall and confident.


    But, he was already very proud when he watched how Raine handled the situation with the Alphas who had betrayed her pack.


    Aeon hoped he could see it more.


    "I hope we can meet in different circ.u.mstances." Torak said as he looked at Aeon right in his eyes. "Probably we can be a friend."


    Aeon smiled ever so slightly when the pain was almost unbearable. "That sounds nice¡­" he agreed.


    "Goodbye." Torak gave Aeon a small nod to show his respect to the shadow warrior as Aeon did the same.


    "Good¡­ bye¡­"


    With that was being said, Torak jabbed his claws at his heart and crushed it in matter of millisecond, leaving the life in Aeon''s eyes fade away.


    The last thing that Aeon saw was Raine''s black hair that fluttered by the wind. What a beautiful scene to see¡­


    Before his mind failed him, Aeon remembered every moment when he watched her grew up, from the sweet little girl to a beautiful young woman.


    Aeon remembered that Raine would leave a piece of bread, in her way home, for stray cats when she still lived with her foster parents and how she would like to tie her hair into a messy bun when she did her homework.


    How time flew by in a blink of an eye¡­


    Aeon closed his eyes and all the memories of her, sealed perfectly in his crushed heart¡­


    Torak stood up with his bloody hands, feeling sorrowful for the man, who lied on the ground lifelessly with a big hole in his chest.


    Behind Torak, Serefina waved her hand and cleaned Torak''s hand from the blood and flicked her fingers to burn Aeon''s body into ashes.


    There was a moment of silence where the wind blew past them as it howled into the night¡­


    Torak walked back and took his mate into his arms.


    "It''s done¡­" Torak whispered into her ears and felt her body shivered in despair. Raine''s tears didn''t cease down for long time.


    In Aeon??s spot, there was a blue fire that burned so bright, illuminated it surroundings as the shadow that engulfed that place started to disappear and the moon shone splendidly.


    At that time, Torak''s eyes glazed, as he mind- linked all of the Lycanthropes.


    Not so long after that, all the Lycans dropped to their knees, giving their final respect to the brave shadow warrior and to their fellow Lycans who died in this battle.


    The night turned serene, except from the small sobs from the sad guardian angel in the Alpha''s arms.


    However, this is not over yet.


    It is far from over.


    It is just the beginning.


    It is just a little bit taste of how the war will be.


    Miles from their place, in red river city, near the place where centuries ago, was the village of angel, a certain river was froze for the second time.


    Apricity river.


    That magical river that was the reason why the city was called red river city, froze.


    People there was stunned and shock, the news about it was on people''s lips, but this was news for another day.


    For now, in fulbright city¡­ this place was dead.


    Lucifer and Belphegor didn''t die, they just returned to where they belonged. The place where the other five devils resided.


    There would be time when they face them all.


    But, there was still enough time to prepare for the worst case.


    Serefina walked closer toward Raine and Torak, when all the Lycanthropes had stood up and was in sorrow, there were too many dead bodies and they had lost many fellow comrades in matter of hours.


    The witch caressed Raine''s shoulder. "I think this is the right time for you to meet the other guardian angel." Serefina spoke softly.


    Raine raised her head and looked at the witch through her swollen eyes, she wiped her cheeks roughly.


    "I will meet them?" Raine asked in her hoarse voice. She was still afraid to see the burning blue flames behind her.


    Raine could feel the warmth from it, but it wasn''t enough to warm her cold heart.


    After losing Sunny, after she was forced to kill her, Raine thought her heart had strong enough to face everything, yet it wasn''t true¡­


    Her heart still bleeding when she had to watch another death from the people that close to her heart.


    Raine and Aeon''s relationship was complicated, but she wouldn''t deny that the shadow warrior had done everything for her.


    He was so close¡­ He protected her every time he could and every chance was given to him.


    At first Raine hoped he would find someone better, yet in this rate, there was no possibility for him to cherish his life¡­


    If Raine thought about it again, Aeon was so pitiful. He had been waiting for Raine for centuries, but she couldn''t reciprocate the same affection¡­


    This thought only made Raine feel worse.


    "Don''t." Torak could feel it from her as well. "He didn''t want you to feel that way. The best way to thank him is to appreciate what he had done for us."


    Raine wiped away her tears and nodded before she turned to Serefina and spoke with determination. "Let''s meet them."

 Chapter 395 - I WILL RETURN THE FAVOR

    "It is better if you stay here and do nothing about this." Maximus gave Kace an advice. "Your brother is about to go feral now."


    "He did it again." Kace squinted his blue ocean eyes while staring at trees outside of his room through a huge window.


    "Serefina betrayed him and you are suspected of helping her escape." Maximus blurted out and he didn''t budge from the door.


    Kace shifted his attention toward the man, there was disdain in the way Kace saw him. "Am I becoming prisoner now?"


    "No, you are not." His answer wasn''t convincing, especially when it came from Maximus''s mouth.


    "So?" Kace raised his perfect brows and tilted his head. His easy- going nature was nowhere to be seen at this moment.


    "Alpha Jedrek only needs more investigation about your involvement of helping Serefina to escape this realm." Maximus crossed his arms defensively, ready to fight Kace if he insisted to take a single step out of his room.


    ??In another word." Kace closed his eyes as he could feel the beast in him was on the verge of going berserk. "He doesn''t trust me." He concluded.


    Kace was born from the strongest Alpha and Luna of Lycanthropes, moreover, Kace was a Donovan. The sacred white Lycan, which ruled the realm of Lycanthropes. His Alpha''s blood was so thick, though he didn''t lead a pack like how Jedrek and Torak did.


    Therefore, the way Maximus treated him right now was rude and unacceptable, yet Kace knew better to keep his angry beast in check.


    This wasn''t the time for it yet.


    "Alpha thought you and Serefina are lover." Maximus didn''t hold the information back. "Just because the fact that you are his younger brother, who shared the same blood, he didn''t issue an order to kill you."


    The way Maximus put out his words, he implied that Kace was not grateful enough as he was still alive until now.


    As if he was trying to say that Jedrek was being merciful and generous to him right now. Maximus had belittled Kace.


    A disdain look on Kace blue eyes deepened as a smirk appeared on his lips. "Oh, wow! I don''t believe that words were coming from your mouth, a Gregory." Kace could see it, a shift of emotion in Maximus eyes.


    Maximus Gregory was the last Gregory who was spared to live. It was well known that the Gregory family was a traitor during the great war between the devil and the Lycanthropes.


    All of the male members of the Gregory family was sentenced to death by Jedrek, except Maximus, because he had surrendered himself before the treachery of the Gregory family came to light.


    Maximus also had helped them by warning Jedrek about his family betrayal.


    Because of his merit, Maximus''s life was spared, but not all the Lycanthropes happy about this, some of them still thought that Maximus should have died too.


    Regardless, no one in their right mind would disobey Jedrek''s final decision.


    But, Maximus was stripped off of his title as Jedrek''s Beta and now he was just a leader of Jedrek''s warrior. One of Jedrek''s council.


    Despite of all that fact, Jedrek and Maximus were still in good terms, as they have grown up together and known each other since they were still in the w.o.m.b.


    "Don''t play trick with my family name," Maximus said icily. This was always a taboo topic for Maximus since that day. "You know I am not guilty."


    Kace crossed his bulged arms in front of his chest, smiling harmlessly toward Maximus. The smile that didn''t reach his black eyes. "I don''t know, I was not the one who gave your entire male family members a death sentence." He shrugged nonchalantly.


    They stared at each other for a minute that felt like decade, before Maximus spoke in derision. "Yes, because I remember you are not the Alpha at that time."


    Kace was different from his other two brothers, though he had the Alpha''s blood ran through his veins, he didn''t want to take a role in Jedrek''s council or followed Torak''s step to build his own pack in another realm.


    There was something that bothered Kace about leading thousand of life under his wings, responsible to them and their family.


    That''s only because, after the great war, something changed from the way Kace saw life.


    Upon hearing Maximus snarky comment, Kace chuckled. "Fortunately I wasn''t. Because if I was, we will not have this conversation right now."


    Kace was suspected of having relationship with Serefina not for nothing. Actually, both of them were quite close, though they would bicker every now and then, but they were in good terms.


    Therefore, it was impossible if Kace didn''t pick one of two Serefina''s annoying traits.


    Maximus''s pupil dilated as he gritted his teeth, "I think we shouldn''t have this conversation from the beginning, because I have another important thing to do right now."


    "Great." Kace nodded in agreement. "Because I don''t appreciate your visit." It was a brutal truth.


    "I just want you to know," Maximus turned around and gave his back to Kace when he was about to go out of the room. "It is waste of time if you think you can escape this castle, because there are a lot of warriors at each corners of this place that ready to take you down, as you don''t have authority to say otherwise if you try to violate the Alpha''s order."


    Maximus couldn''t win the argument before, thus he tried to strike Kace''s pride as one of the great Donovan''s brother. He belittled him because he wasn''t an Alpha, someone that Kace not chose to be.


    "And one more thing." Maximus glanced at Kace through his shoulder. "I will let you know if I had killed your mate as per Alpha Jedrek''s order."


    When he heard that, Kace didn''t show any emotion on his face, but he was too calm. It was exceptionally calm until he opened his mouth and replied.


    "Sorry for the trouble. Don''t you worry, I will return the favor."

 Chapter 396 - THIS WAS THE TIME

    "Sorry for the trouble. Don''t you worry, I will return the favor." Kace spoke carelessly and smirked deviously when he saw how the expression of Maximus changed.


    Kace thought Maximus would try to attack him, but he didn''t do that as he decided to leave the room before he changed his mind and had unnecessary fight with Kace. The younger brother of Donovan was known as an ignorance person.


    The sound of the door slammed shut was reverberating through the wall. Kace''s dark eyes stared at it for long time before he walked toward the window and watched the night fell and the lights from the city near the castle was akin to the stars in the sky.


    Kace knew it.


    Jedrek would issue this order sooner or later. He was so against the fact that the moon Goddess had lifted their curse and blessed them with mate since his older brother has Serefina and thought of her as his mate.


    Jedrek didn''t care about his destined mate and he thought his other brothers also had the same idea as him without even asking a single question about it.


    Especially when they knew about what kind of creature that their mate would be.


    A guardian angel.


    Such a weak creature as the mate of the most powerful Lycan in this realm. It would turn out as a joke if there was a single soul knew about it.


    Jedrek was the firstborn, thus his pride and vanity was hundred times worse than the average Alpha. He wanted their blood to not be tainted by the lowly creature like guardian angel.


    Jedrek was very controlling, even to his own brother.


    Probably because of that too Torak chose to leave this realm and built his own empire.


    However, Kace couldn''t do the same thing. There was something that held him back. The great war not only left him with visible wound, but also there was something that shook his conscience deeply.


    Though either Torak or Kace showed his opinion about this mate thing, but deep down in Kace''s heart he was longing for having his own mate.


    Kace didn''t know about Torak. But for him, mate was the essence of their existence, at least that was how Kace sees it.


    Regardless the fact that his mate would be the weak creature of guardian angel, the information that quite disturbing.


    But, the problem was; Jedrek would kill his brother''s mate without hesitation and he was very determined about it.


    Kace closed his eyes and when he opened them, it had turned to its original blue color.


    This wasn''t the time yet to break loose. This wasn''t the right time because Kace was waiting for ''that'' signal.


    The witch would send him a cue when he could leave this realm. Having Jedrek as his brother was both bless and curse.


    Until that time, Kace needed to keep it low.


    ===============


    The year when Serefina left the realm was the darkest days of Jedrek''s regime.


    He turned feral and killed a lot of his hunter when they returned with nothing. No news about Serefina whereabouts.


    Jedrek even went to extra length to trespass other creatures'' territory and messed up with the witches from the northern coven. The council who tried to oppose and advise him otherwise would end up death right at the moment when they raised his voice.


    Jedrek didn''t believe that Serefina could leave his territory with no one realized it.


    That dark days happened for year and when Serefina''s name turned into a taboo topic, the situation became much better as well.


    There was less blood under Jedrek''s throne.


    Meanwhile, Kace was under strict supervision. He wasn''t allowed to leave his room without Jedrek''s permission.


    Even when he could leave his room, Maximus or his people would come to stick his nose too close for his liking, yet Kace ignored them all the time.


    Jedrek has no evidence that Kace was somehow involved in Serefina escaping from this place. He just knew that the night when Serefina disappeared, Kace also couldn''t be found anywhere for almost two days before he returned and said that he just shifted into his beast and enjoyed the nature.


    Though it sounded fishy, but that was what Kace always did when he couldn''t be reached.


    During that stressful period of time, the only thing that kept the youngest Donovan to strive was the thought that one day he would find his mate.


    Kace tried to think positively when he had not yet heard about the news that Maximus had managed to find anything about his or Torak''s mate.


    Except the three of them, Serefina and Maximus, Kace didn''t think that there was another people knew about this thing.


    Decades passed just like a blink of an eye, especially for those Lycans who were blessed with eternal life.


    Time wasn''t something that they needed to be worried about and also wasn''t something that they realized when days after days changed and never came back.


    Serefina''s name had never been mentioned, but it would always etch on people''s mind that their Alpha could turn the realm upside down when it came about something that he cared the most.


    Even after a hundred thousand days had passed not even a single news about Serefina could be found. She was called as the great witch not for nothing.


    She hid herself very well.


    Until today, when the sign from her finally arrived.


    It was sunny day with warm sunray bathed Kace''s body as he laid lazily on the couch in the west yard of the castle, enjoying the wind that blew his hair.


    However, all of sudden, day turned into the dark of the night as the bright sun was covered with shadow.


    The guards around Kace turned panic and urged him to go back to his room, as solar eclipse was a bad omen.


    However, Kace has his own interpretation of this phenomenon.


    This was the sign that he had been waiting for.


    This was the time.

 Chapter 397 - SOLAR ECLIPSE

    Kace sat down with dark expression on his face when two guards approached him to take him back to his bedroom.


    "My lord, you have to go back to your room now." One of the guard asked Kace respectfully. He opened his arm to show the path to the castle, as if Kace all of sudden forgot the way to get there.


    The solar eclipse wouldn''t last for long time, thus Kace had to act immediately to crossover to another realm.


    "My lord." The other guards reminded Kace because he didn''t move at all and looked out of focus. "Is there something bothering you?"


    However, instead of answering the guard''s question, Kace turned into his beast and attacked those guards.


    They didn''t expect this, hence Kace had the upper hand to knock them to the ground easily.


    It was hard enough to leave them unconscious, but not enough to take their live. Their healing ability would take around five minutes until they regained their consciousness and until then, Kace had long gone.


    ==============


    The white beast pumped his four legs as fast as he could, threw away his obstacle and left them injured, so they couldn''t chase after him.


    This solar eclipse also helped Kace''s beast to escape from the guards, who were surrounding the castle.


    As a bad omen for Lycanthropes, Jedrek as the Alpha of the Lycanthropes Kingdom, needed to be put in safety place and completed a certain ritual.


    Therefore, all of the guards would gather together in front of Selene''s temple, where Jedrek would stay inside during the solar eclipse.


    Because Kace wasn''t really into that sort of thing and didn''t really believe with the bad omen that was brought by the eclipse, he violated all the rules and escaped.


    The castle and the town nearby was very quiet as everyone chose to stay inside their room, shielded themselves from the darkness.


    Except from a few guards inside the castle, which crossed path with Kace''s white beast, there were not many people in the town that saw him.


    Among the absent of the sunlight, the movement of the beast was akin to a white shadow that pierced through the dark.


    Once Kace arrived at the border of the dessert of no return, he saw leaped through it as the familiar sensation crawled all over his fur.


    ==============


    The bustling city under the night sky was the first thing that Kace realized about his new environment. He walked along the street where many houses stood majestically on either side of the road.


    At the end of the road, Kace saw her. The woman who had managed to make his older brother turned the entire realm upside down because of losing her.


    The smile on her lips was the exact smirk that Kace remembered the last time they met each other.


    At that time, Serefina told him that she would leave the realm and the surprise part was because, instead of telling Jedrek, she was telling him.


    Kace was surprised and found her peculiar decision was something that out of her character, but she decisively didn''t want to tell him her reason when Kace asked her.


    As far as Kace knew, Serefina was head over heel for Jedrek, so did his brother to her. The question still remained; why she had to leave?


    And Kace still couldn''t figure it out until now.


    Years ago, the night Serefina left the realm, she just said that she would find his mate and would give Kace a sign when she did find her. It was a call for him to come.


    "Why do you think I want a mate? I have lived long enough without a mate, I don''t think I want it now, especially when she comes from a weak kind of creature like guardian angel." That was what Kace said at that time.


    Yet, Serefina just smiled at him and raised her head to look the full moon in the sky.


    That night was a full moon. Kace remembered it clearly.


    She looked very serene in her white dress. Any traces of hostility and arrogance, which often showed on her face, couldn''t be seen.


    "That is Jedrek''s words, not you." Serefina said with certainty, as if she could see Kace''s soul as easy as reading an open book.


    "Don''t be too confident in yourself." Kace grumbled as he crossed his arms.


    At that time, he was unsure if he wanted a mate, but the beast in him knew him better that he needed his other half. His soul. The essence of his existence.


    Therefore, Kace had waited for this moment, for more than decades.


    Waiting for Serefina''s signal and now, Kace could feel all the adrenaline rushed through his veins. The signal from Serefina appeared, so did his mate, right?


    "Don''t smirk at me." Kace greeted Serefina when they had faced each other under the street light that illuminated their surroundings.


    Serefina raised her eyebrows questioningly. "That''s how you greet me after such a long time?"


    "What? You want a hug?" Kace opened his arms widely, inviting the witch to his warm embrace.


    But, Serefina''s smile dropped as she looked at Kace with disdain in her green lime eyes. "Disgusting."


    "So?" Kace put down his arms and crossed them in front of his chest. The gesture that showed that he was a little bit nervous.


    "I think she is inside." Serefina looked over at the house across the road where they were standing.


    Kace followed the witch''s line of sight and looked at a big house with all the lights were turned on, illuminating every dark corner of the house.


    "She is inside?" Kace asked breathily. His heart was beating so fast, he didn''t know that this anticipation felt like this.


    "I think so." Serefina tilted her head.


    "What do you mean?" Kace frowned.


    Yet, before they could continue their conversation, a familiar scent assaulted Kace''s nose as he stared to the street behind the witch with hostility in his eyes.


    "Maximus." Kace said his name icily.

 Chapter 398 - HIS MATE

    "You are running away Kace." Maximus approached Kace and Serefina in steady steps. With him, there were five more Lycanthropes behind him.


    All of them were warriors from the castle, people under Maximus. They way they walked cautiously toward Kace, indicating that they were ready to fight if it was necessary.


    Kace glanced at Serefina. Well, at least he wasn''t alone, there was the great witch with him. He was sure that Serefina could handle them just fine.


    Kace had never seen Serefina as someone who needed protection, as she was always able to handle herself very well.


    "No, Max." Kace shook his head. "I meet an old friend." He nodded at Serefina and she rolled her eyes dramatically.


    "I see¡­" Maximus stopped a few meter away from them. "So, the rumor is true that both of you betray the Alpha."


    Serefina frowned. "Betray the Alpha?" she looked over at Kace to ask for explanation.


    Kace shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "There was a rumor about you when you left the realm." Serefina''s eyes told him to continue, so Kace made a brief explanation about that. "I don''t know the idiot who had spread the rumor that we are a lover."


    Serefina''s jaw dropped. "Lover?" She scrunched her nose. "With you?" the way she spoke her last words were laced with disgust. "Please, spare my wretch life."


    "You don''t have to show me that expression, you know." Kace was irritated by Serefina''s exaggerated reaction. "You can see it now and report it to my dear brother about this reaction." Kace shifted his attention to Maximus. "That was a genuine respond from use upon hearing that stupid accusation."


    Kace and Serefina treated that as a joke, but Maximus and his people behind him, didn''t have the same sense of humor like the two.


    "Why don''t you come back and explain it yourself." Maximus suggested wisely. "I am sure the Alpha will be very happy to see his mate and his brother."


    Though it sounded sweet, but Maximus''s words were wrapped with a thick sarcasm.


    "I have never asked him to stay." Serefina crossed her arms defensively while smiling at Kace beside her. "You are free to go."


    It was true that Serefina asked Kace to come to meet his mate, but the choice to see her or not was on him. Kace could just ignore the sign, but he did come.


    "No, thanks." Kace raised both of his arms, surrender. "Just say hi to my brother for me, will you? Tell him that I meet Serefina to exchange greeting, but after that we will go in different way."


    "That''s so funny, Kace." Maximus spoke coldly.


    "No, it''s not." Kace shook his head, disagreed. "Did you see me or she laughed?"


    Serefina was holding back her smile when she heard the way Kace bit back at the leader of this search party. The witch had known Maximus as the last male in the Gregory family, she knew the whole story.


    Meanwhile, Maximus eyes turned dark. "I know why you are here. I heard what both of you said a moment ago." A sly smirked appeared on the corner of his lips. "A mate, huh?"


    Kace''s careless smile disappeared as his body tensed. "You better stay away from this, Max. I will not be so lenient with you in this realm." Kace used a warning tone when he spoke.


    Unfortunately, he wasn''t an Alpha and had never been in that position, thus his dominance was quite different from his other brothers, who could easily make those Lycanthropes fell on their knees upon facing his wrath.


    Kace was too easy going to be a leader.


    But, Maximus still didn''t dare to put his guard down. Kace has fickle personality and it wasn''t very wise to trigger something dark in him, especially when he had Serefina.


    "I don''t want to fight." Maximum declared, but Kace snickered when he heard that.


    "I thought you always want to fight me." Kace taunted him. "Give yourself merit after merit, so you can clear your family name." Then he added. "I will fight you if it''s necessary."


    Maximus glared at Kace as his mouth opened slightly to say something, but before there was any words that passed his lips, his eyes glazed over.


    It was a sign when Lycanthropes were having conversations through mind link. Apparently the number of the Lycan that he brought with him was not only five.


    There were a lot more than that and the rest had been sent to do something.


    At the same time, Serefina snapped her head at the direction of the house. Her calm expression morphed into anxious.


    "Kace, you need to go inside." Serefina used demanding tone. "They did something to her." The ''her'' that Serefina''s was referring to was Kace''s mate.


    Kace didn''t ask anything further when he heard panic in Serefina''s voice, he knew that Maximus had done something toward his mate.


    As soon as Kace took his second step, he bent down his body while his bones cracked to fit his beast form.


    "KACE!" Maximus growled.


    Seeing Kace was trying to run away toward the house, Maximus immediately gave the other Lycan a cue to chase after him.


    However, Kace didn''t even bother to turn and checked what was happening behind his back, because he knew Serefina would handle them well.


    The sound of angry growl and snarl behind the white beast was the proof of it.


    The beast ran as fast as his four big legs could take him. His heart was beating rapidly as his breath ragged and panic washed over his entire being.


    Would he be too late to save his mate? Apparently the conversation was only a distraction.


    Damn it!


    This house is very big, Kace couldn''t figure out where was his mate! He couldn''t find her!


    The beast circled the house, trying to find any sign of his mate when finally he heard a shrill scream from inside the house.


    It turned the beast''s blood cold.

 Chapter 399 - A ROGUE

    The white beast barged into the house, looking for the source of the sound. Someone was crying and followed by rumble and mumble sound that echoed throughout the house.


    It seemed something bad happened and they were mourning now, mourning of something or someone who was dead.


    Kace couldn''t feel it. The mate bond. The beast couldn''t feel it.


    Once the white beast arrived in front of a beautifully carved door, there were around ten people there, sobbing, crying and comforting each other.


    The muscle of the white Lycan tensed up as his turned grim. Something bad had happened there.


    The white Lycan took his time to look the four women, who were standing outside of the door, crying on each other shoulder.


    However, none of them were his mate.


    Whether it was a bless or another curse, because whatever behind the door, it would be worse than the crying women out there.


    Kace''s beast slipped his large body into the room and his dark eyes turned murky when he watched a woman cried beside a white baby crib, another man was holding her shoulder and whispered something to her ears in order to calm her.


    Meanwhile, three other men, who appeared to be doctors, said his condolences and stood there with grieving expression etched on their face.


    The white beast walked closer toward the baby crib and looked down to the small creature, as beautiful and pure as the morning dew.


    The white beast was very tall, thus its head could see over the box without much difficulty.


    The beautiful baby puckered her pink lips and her small fingers curled. She was so beautiful with black hair and soft skin.


    But, the baby was not breathing.


    ==============


    The howling and rustling winds were the only sounds that accompanied Serefina while she was waiting for Kace to return from inside the house.


    The witch had taken care of Maximus and his people, but they should go from there immediately before the annoying Lycan came back with more people, or worse, Jedrek.


    Things would turn out very bad if that happened.


    Not so long, Serefina could see Kace''s figure walked out of the house, but he was alone. Why he is not coming with his mate?


    His expression couldn''t be read, thus Serefina didn''t know what had happened.


    "What is it?" The impatient Serefina approached Kace and asked him hastily. "Where is your mate? Something happened there?"


    However, instead of answering Serefina''s question, Kace didn''t stop to talk to her and kept walking as he posted another question. "Where is those Lycans?"


    "I take care of them, of course." Serefina walked next to him as she replied smugly. "Now, answer my question, where is your mate?"


    Kace glanced at the witch next to him and growled irritably. "Mate my **s."


    A hard slap fell on Kace''s back, but the Lycan didn''t even flinch. "Watch your words pup!"


    Kace rolled his eyes at the way Serefina addressed him, though he thought of Serefina as his older sister, but the witch seemed too engrossed with the idea and bullied him every time she could.


    Well, like a sister would¡­


    "So, what happened?" Serefina tried to catch up with Kace''s large steps as they walked away from there, leaving the house, which the witch told him that his mate was there.


    "You are wrong." Kace glared at Serefina. "My mate is not there."


    "Really?" Serefina frowned, she felt it, weird energy from inside the house. She had been looking for that weird feeling since decades ago, thus the moment she felt it, she thought she had found one of the guardian angel.


    But¡­ has she been mistaken? Serefina was so confuse.


    "Impossible¡­ I am sure of it." Serefina mumbled.


    "Like a hundred percent sure?" Kace squinted his eyes at her, doubting his own judgment if Serefina said she was certain of it. Maybe Kace should go back and checked it for the second time together with her.


    "Hmm¡­ like sixty percent." Serefina rubbed her chin, a complicated feeling flashed on her eyes.


    "D*mn you." Kace cursed. "You called me here for sixty percent?" He didn''t believe that, Serefina had never acted so reckless if she was unsure about something.


    Maybe time had finally changed her?


    "Shut up. I am so confused now. But, still sixty percent is a high chance." Serefina retorted. She didn''t want to be blamed. "How do you know she is not your mate? Did you touch her?"


    "I couldn''t sense the presence of my mate even when I was so close to the house, the only thing that pulled me closer was the crying sound, which I chose to follow." Kace recalled the moment that happened inside the house. "There were a lot of women inside the house."


    "And then?" Serefina probed. "None of them were your mate?"


    "No one from them, but there was a baby inside the room, apparently they were crying over the baby because she was dead." Kace frowned, he remembered that the baby was very beautiful with flowery scent.


    "Dead?" Serefina repeated.


    As for now, they had been walking very far from the house and turned toward a crowd place where cars and motorcycles sped on the road with bright stores on their left.


    "Yes, I think Maximus''s people managed to kill the poor baby." Kace concluded. "But, the baby was not my mate either." And he was grateful for that.


    Kace couldn''t imagine, how he would react if he saw his mate had died. He didn''t want to confront his brother, but if it was because of his order that he would lost his mate, then he would never forgive Jedrek for that.


    "Are you sure? I am glad if she was not yours, but how could I make a mistake?" Serefina denied her mistake arrogantly.


    "Everybody make a mistake or two." Kace quoted.


    "So, what you will do now? You can''t go back to the castle." Serefina ignored his words. "But if you stay here you will be¡­"


    "¡­A rogue." Kace finished her conclusion.

 Chapter 400 - IS IT HER?

    "Put that down, you idiot!" Alec slapped Kace''s hand when he tried to mess with food on the table.


    "I wonder, how can you live until this day with this kind of home cooking? Ariana is the worst cook ever." Kace grumbled when he picked overly cooked vegetables from a bowl and frowned when the slimy vegetables slipped from his fork.


    "Don''t bad mouthing my mate''s skill!" Alec slapped Kace''s back as he snatched away the fork from his hand. "After sometime, you will get used with this. Actually this is not very bad."


    Alec proved it by bringing the bowl to his mouth and gulped down the slimy vegetables in one go.


    "Yuck!" Kace grimaced when he watched that in horror. "What do you mean after ''sometime''? I have been eating this for more than thirty years and I am still not used to this.


    "Then I think you need more than a hundred years to appreciate it." Ariana chimed in as she put another bowl in front of Kace. "Here you go."


    Though Kace would complain endlessly about how poor Ariana''s cooking skill, but he would come over and over again for dinner if he had time or when he was around.


    Because Kace was often travelling to different places.


    However, this was the only place where he would stay for three or seven days before he started his journey again.


    A journey to find his mate, or the witch.


    Serefina, being the annoying self she was, the witch actually left him to fend himself, in the realm that he had no idea how to survive here while he couldn''t go back to the castle.


    After what Maximus would report to Jedrek, Kace doubted that his brother would be generous enough to let him live without losing a limb or two.


    Before Serefina disappeared, once again, she suggested for Kace to look for Torak in this realm as his second brother had established himself here.


    But, the thought of having another Alpha- brother to control his life again, Kace turned down the idea almost immediately.


    Kace didn''t want to have his brother breathed on his neck.


    Another consideration was because Kace didn''t know how Torak''s perspective about this mate things. He didn''t have an open personality, well Jedrek too.


    And Kace didn''t want to risk it by betting on something that he was unsure about.


    Thus, in a blink of eye, another decades had passed, and during that long period of time, Kace had wandered many places in order to find Serefina or his mate, if he was lucky enough, maybe he could find both as the witch also looked for her.


    Kace was always the positive type, but this long- wait sometime took a toll on him and he became frustrated with whatever he did.


    Twenty years ago Kace met Alec and his mate, Ariana. Alec was one of Torak''s people, an Alpha for certain territory under his brother.


    He had known each other ever since the great war and now he helped Kace to hide from Jedrek and Torak. Such a brave Lycan, if Kace could say.


    Alec didn''t only go against one but both of Kace''s older brothers that was one of the reasons why Kace didn''t want to stay for long time in his pack and gave him and his little family unnecessary trouble.


    Though Kace would frequently visit him.


    "Uncle Kace, spoon!"


    A little and childish voice pulled Kace out of his thought as he looked at the small child in front of him, who was giggling at him.


    "You want this spoon?" Kace raised a spoon near his hands, which had her favorite character on it.


    "Spoon!" she stretched out her little arms, asking for her spoon.


    "I will give you the spoon if you give me a hug." Yet, before Kace got what he wanted, he had a harsh smack on his back.


    "Don''t you dare to touch my daughter!" Alec growled angrily at Kace.


    "Why!?" Kace touched his aching back. "Why? She likes me!"


    "Figth! Fight! Fight!" Arabella giggled when she watched her uncle and her daddy were bickering again and her mother was busy to prepare dinner for her family.


    "You want me to fight your daddy, honey?" Kace winked at the three years old baby, who was jumping on her seat excitedly. "See? She likes me more." Kace stated and it was regarded by another blow on his back.


    "Boys! Stop it!" Ariana came with the last plate in her hands, a signature dish of lamb meat, the only thing that Kace''s taste could tolerate. "Or no one from you will have a dinner!"


    It was true that both of them have the Alpha''s blood on their veins, but in this moment, it was the woman in charge.


    "Okey." Kace and Alec replied obediently.


    "Here you go little one." Kace stretched out his arms to give the spoon to Arabella and rubbed her curly brown hair.


    However, before they could start their dinner, there was a sound of doorbell ringing.


    "Who comes at this hour?" Ariana frowned and was about to stand up before Alec stopped her and said he would check whose coming.


    Alec walked toward the door and looked at the guest through the peephole. His expression turned unsightly by what he was seeing, he immediately opened the door as the night wind blew inside the house, brought the scent of the witch and something in her arms into the house.


    "Serefina!" Alec mentioned his name in surprised. "What are you doing here?"


    Yet, before he could say anything or invited her to come into the house, Alec could hear heavy steps from behind him.


    Serefina shifted her green lime eyes from Alec to Kace, who was standing foolishly, two meters away from the doorway.


    "Hi Kace." Serefina greeted him lightly.


    "Don''t ''hi'' me!" Kace growled, but his eyes glued to a bundle that Serefina was cradling in her arms.


    "Well." Serefina shrugged. "Then, tell me. Is it her?"

 Chapter 401 - SLOWLY... SLOWLY...

    Kace smelled that scent, an intoxicating scent that drove his beast crazy. He did not even realized when he started to grumble and scared Arabella in front of him.


    "Kace, are you okay?" Ariana touched Kace''s upper arm as she looked at him worriedly. "What happened?"


    Ariana could see Kace''s blue ocean eyes had turned dark, indicating that his beast tried to surface and took over.


    "I am sorry." Kace shook his head, tried to push back his agitated beast, though his eyes still the color of the night. "I feel weird."


    Ariana squinted her eyes, but before she could ask anything further, she watched Kace abruptly stood up and walked out of the room.


    Hugging the little Arabella in her arms, she followed Kace and his mate, who had gone first, out of the dining room.


    On the other hand, Kace was unsure why he felt this agitation. No. It was his beast. The beast in him felt restless because of this scent.


    It smelled like fresh morning scent, pure and crisp. Kace felt the surge of happiness just by smelling it and he wanted more.


    At this moment, his feet worked faster than his brain did. While her mind was still riling over the scent and wandering about what the source of this intoxicating smell, his feet had brought him toward it.


    It just took less than three seconds when before Kace watched Serefina''s head over Alec''s shoulder. he halted his steps and heard how the witch greeted him casually.


    "Hi Kace." Serefina greeted him.


    ''Hi''? Kace didn''t believe with what he heard.


    Serefina had just left him for God knows how long and she was standing right in front of the door way with that sickly smile on her red lips?


    She almost drove him crazy because of the long- waited, without news, without anything and now all she could say was a simple ''hi''? As though they just parted their way yesterday.


    "Don''t ''hi'' me!" Kace growled, but his eyes caught a sight of a bundle that Serefina was cradling in her arms.


    Kace was certain that the source of this scent that drove him crazy was coming from that. Even when he couldn''t see it, he knew. His beast recognized this sensation.


    "Well." Serefina shrugged, she noticed the changed on Kace''s expression and the way his eyes couldn''t avoid the ''thing'' in her arms. She was right this time. "Then, tell me. Is it her?"


    It was like a slow motion in a movie, when Serefina showed him a sleeping baby in her arms.


    Kace felt his feet rooted to the ground as he felt his whole universe was centered in one thing, the only thing that matter for him. Even his own life was not significant compared to her.


    "What is it? What do you mean with ''is it her''?" Alec''s voice was like a whisper from faraway place that reached Kace''s ears and brought him back to the reality that he had been staring at the sleeping baby for eternity.


    And then there was a squalling sounds from behind Kace''s back, it was Ariana with her three years old baby girl.


    Her expression morphed into understanding about the situation.


    "Is it your mate? The baby is your mate?!" Ariana voiced it out in a brief explanation. The female Alpha knew it too well the way Kace stared at the baby in Serefina''s arms.


    "No way¡­" on the other hand, Alec breathed out in disbelief. "¡­she is just a baby¡­"


    Yes, that was what exactly in Kace''s mind too. She is a baby! How old is she? A month? Two months? What is this another joke from the moon goddess?


    Wait, but that wasn''t matter, right?


    Kace ignored the gasping surprised from Alec and Ariana as he walked, very slowly, toward Serefina. Toward the baby in her arms.


    Upon closer inspection, Kace didn''t doubt it again, the feeling was unreal and this was as if the long wait that he had been enduring all this time was worth it.


    Everything was worth it when Kace watched the serene of her sleeping face.


    ==============


    "Don''t you want to carry her?" Serefina grumbled as she shoved the baby toward Kace''s sturdy chest. As if electrocuted, Kace backed away almost immediately.


    "Don''t do that! You will hurt her!" Kace growled, trying to keep his voice low and didn''t wake the baby up.


    "My arms are hurt! I have been carrying her for two hours now!" Serefina protested. "You don''t want to carry her and now you don''t allow me to put her down! Do you think my arms made of steel!?" she was agitated by the way Kace acted.


    "SSTTT! SSSTT!" Kace put his forefinger in front of his lips to shut the witch. "You will wake her up!" The Lycan hissed out of frustration.


    How he could hold something so fragile like the baby? The thought of hurting her, almost drove him crazy.


    The panic flashed on Kace''s face when he watched how the baby''s soft eyebrow scrunched slightly as if she was going to wake up.


    "Uncle Kace!" Arabella called for him, but Kace put his finger on his lips again.


    "Sst! The baby is sleeping." Kace said in voice that barely a whisper.


    "Kace, you are very tense¡­" Ariana was having a headache when she watched Kace''s reaction over small thing. He would end up with high blood pressure if this continued.


    Swiftly, Ariana gave her daughter to her mate and took the baby in Serefina''s arms, as the witch breathed in relief, and cradled her.


    "Slowly¡­ slowly¡­" Kace was panic.


    "You. Sit down!" Ariana commanded the Donovan, one of the most feared Lycan, like he was just a little puppy.


    With his mate in Ariana''s arms, Kace did what he was told, yet his eyes still glued on his mate.


    "Stretched out your arms." Ariana said again.


    "No! I am not doing it!" Kace knew what Ariana was going to do, but she shoved the baby toward him regardless, out of reflect, of course Kace would hold her. "Sh*t Ariana! Don''t do that!" he cursed as bead of sweat started to form on his forehead.

 Chapter 402 - A NAME FOR HER

    "Don''t curse. The baby will hear it." Arian glared at Kace, it wasn''t only the baby, but there was her daughter too inside the room. This bad Lycan would bring bad influence!


    "I don''t know how to hold her!" Kace hissed, panic was apparent on his expression. His muscles tensed and it didn''t help him at all.


    "Just hold her head and put your other arms along her body." Ariana tried to find the most comfortable spot to place the baby in the big man arms, but he was too stiff.


    "Relax." Ariana said that word for couple of time, yet Kace didn''t listen, though he mumbled something like; ''okey'' or ''I am relax'', but he was nothing of it.


    "Hold her like that." Arian slowly removed her arms from under the blanket that wrapped around the baby.


    "No. no. Ariana¡­ I don''t think I am ready for this." Kace shook his head vigorously, but kept his arms steady. "No. Don''t! I will hurt her!"


    "You will not hurt her, you stupid Lycan!" Alec chimed in grumpily, annoyed by how Kace was being overreacted. "You have been holding Arabella, remember!?"


    "It''s not the same! Arabella was able to run when I carried her for the first time!" Kace retorted and the way the baby felt so light and soft in his embrace didn''t help at all, as if he would snap her if he held her tighter than this.


    This situation was simply too stressful.


    "If you keep holding her like that, you will break her soft neck." Serefina''s reckless comment caused her to receive not only Kace, but also Ariana and Alec''s glare.


    Kace''s nervousness was already irksome to see, no need to add on it.


    But, the witch only shrugged her shoulder as she picked a glass of water and drank it in one gulp. "I just warned him, so he knows that he could break the baby neck if he didn''t relax." But they still didn''t avert their gaze from her. "I just want to help." Yet, it didn''t sound convincing.


    "You don''t help him Serefina." Ariana chided her.


    "OH! OH! The baby is awake!" Kace''s panic voice rang through the living room, his muscled no more tensed, but it had turned into a solid stone as if the Lycan morphed into a statue. "What should I do? What should I do!?"


    "Relax!" Ariana growled in frustration as Arabella giggled behind her, shouting the same word toward Kace.


    But, Kace was overwhelmed when the baby black eyes stared at him curiously, cooing as her pink lips puckered cutely.


    In the next second, Kace found himself was smiling at the precious life in her arms. "Hello little one¡­" he greeted her and the baby gave him a toothless smile.


    ==============


    "How did you find her?" Kace had put the baby on the center of the bed with many pillows circled around her.


    He was like the overly worried father, who was afraid that his two months baby would roll around in her sleep and fell from the bed, though Ariana had told him that wouldn''t happen.


    But, of course, Kace wouldn''t listen to it and no one would stupid enough to try to persuade him to do otherwise.


    However, miraculously, the moment the baby opened her eyes and looked comfortable in his arms, Kace became relax and immersed himself by the sound of the baby cooed at his attempts to make her laugh.


    Afterward, Kace handled the baby like an expert until she fell asleep again in his arms after drinking a bottle of warm milk.


    "With a little bit this and that, information, magic, connection and my cleverness." Serefina said offhandedly and then she added. "And the moon goddess''s bless."


    She actually didn''t give him any answer, it was expected, Kace just wanted to voice out his confusion about how the witch actually managed to find his mate, especially when she was only born two months ago.


    Kace gave her a disdain look. "How about her parents? Did you just kidnap her from her family?"


    "Nah, I am not into criminal act. She is an orphan." Serefina replied lazily as she sat down on the edge of the bed.


    "So, what we will do now?" Kace shifted his attention from his lovely mate to the annoying witch. "Are we going to raise her?"


    "We?" Serefina''s eyebrows shot up questioningly. "What do you mean with ''we''? You will not involve in this, I brought her here to let you know that I have found your mate."


    Kace frowned. "What do you mean? I thought I will raise her."


    "And risk her life because of your dear brother wants her head so bad?" Serefina said mockingly.


    "Well, my brother is your lover." Kace bit back.


    Serefina brushed off his words. "Your mate, you and I, in one place. Imagine how that Lycan will get a bounty." She referred to Maximus, who was still out there, sniffing the traces of Kace and her.


    "She is just a baby¡­" Kace frowned. Would they kill her?


    "I think you forgot that it was a baby that they had killed that night." Serefina reminded him about the night when Kace decided to be a rogue because he couldn''t come back to the castle anymore as Jedrek would punish him severely, especially when he was caught with Serefina.


    The rumors about them was being a lover would be confirmed.


    Kace traced his finger on the baby chubby cheeks. Serefina was right. "What is your plan?"


    "She will live with me." Serefina said in matter of fact.


    "What?" Kace snapped his head toward her. "Why she has to live with you?" he didn''t understand the logic of it. "You said it before that her life is in danger if she lives with us both, but why do you say that you want her to live with you?"


    "Because I am good at hiding and you are not." Serefina stated the fact. "But, first of all. You have to give her a name."

 Chapter 403 - HOPE

    "She doesn''t have a name yet?" Kace was surprised as he also forgot to ask the name of the baby.


    "I want named her Serefina junior, but I don''t think you will like it." Serefina glanced at the baby, she didn''t have any idea what name would suit her, thus it was better to leave this insignificant matter to Kace to think about.


    Kace''s nose scrunched in pure disgust by her idea. He would totally go against it. What kind of name was that?


    Kace was looking at the sleeping baby, her lips slightly opened and her little pointed nose was so small. She was so vulnerable, yet she was the most substantial entity in his life.


    Kace wished nothing for her but her happiness, just like how she brought the light in the end of the tunnel of his penitence.


    And then Kace remembered this poem, the poem that he heard long time ago¡­


    [Do you believe, in what you see


    Do you believe in reality


    Do you believe in the sun that''s bright


    Do you believe in the stars in the night


    Do you believe in the birds that fly


    Do you believe in clouds and the sky


    Do you believe in wind that flows


    Do you believe in moon that glows


    Do you believe in light


    Do you believe the spoken word


    Do you believe the things you have heard


    Do you believe in the final answer


    Do you believe in the swirling dancer


    Do you believe in sound and sight


    Do you believe in moments bright


    Do you believe in taste and touch


    Do you believe that much


    Do you believe in the soul inside


    Do you believe in ecstasy and delight


    Do you believe in glory and God


    Do you believe in that thought


    Do you believe in the sky above


    Do you believe in love


    Do you believe in the heaven and the earth


    Do you believe in death and birth


    Do you believe in life


    Open your eyes with hope within


    Open the door, let light reach in


    If you believe, then you will win.]


    When Kace watched the baby, that poem echoed in his head. The only poem that he remembered because it questions many things that he wanted to ask.


    "Hope." Kace caressed the baby''s chubby cheeks and rested his forefinger on her small palm, when the baby curled her fingers around it, the warmth spread in Kace''s heart. "Her name is Hope."


    His hope¡­


    ==============


    At first Serefina disagreed with the name that Kace chose for the baby as it sounded weird, but definitely Kace wouldn''t even budge with his decision.


    Well, he has his own philosophy for this, as that name meant something for him.


    Serefina never knew that the youngest Donovan had this sensitive spot and went all the way to this cheesy name. At least, the witch thought that way because when Kace told Ariana and Alec, they liked the name.


    The second problem was; Calleb disagreed with Serefina''s decision to take away his mate and raised her all by herself.


    It wasn''t that Kace didn''t trust her to take care of Hope, but with Serefina''s personality, he didn''t think that his mate would be in good hand¡­


    But the witch argued him back.


    Her point was clear. With Kace and Serefina were not together, it would be difficult for them to be found. Especially when Kace needed to move from one place to another, in order to avoid Jedrek''s people, who were still looking for his whereabouts, even after decades had passed.


    As for Serefina, she was the master of it. She could chant as much spell as she wanted to protect her surroundings or manipulate her smell, so it was almost impossible to trace her.


    But, with Kace near her, his presence alone was a disruption for her spell.


    In the end, Kace agreed with Serefina''s idea to raise his mate with one condition; Serefina would bring his mate to meet him once a year in her birthday until she reached the age of eighteen when she had mature enough.


    Though he had to be separated, but this was for her safety.


    In the night before Serefina would bring away his mate, Kace let the baby slept in his arms, spending the entire night to keep her safe in his arms.


    "Why don''t you sleep?" Ariana sat down next to Kace as she smiled at the baby.


    "I just want to spend a little more time with her." Kace stated, there was no trace of tiredness on his face as firmly cradled the baby in his strong arms.


    "She is so cute. I bet she will be a beauty when she grows up." Ariana caressed the baby''s black hair. "I think you want her to grow up quickly." She made a conclusion.


    Yet, Kace shook his head. "No. I just want her to live happily, cherish every moment and be healthy."


    The sound of the Lycan''s voice was very genuine and pure.


    As Kace had given her, her name and watched her grew up. Kace would be everything for her. Her brother, her guardian, her protector and everything that she needed.


    He would shower her with love.


    "Hm, I agree with that¡­" Ariana nodded. "But, I still can''t believe it that you have a mate. I don''t know if the moon goddess had lifted the curse from the three of you."


    If Ariana didn''t watch the way Kace reacted around Hope, she wouldn''t believe it, but Kace''s overprotectiveness and the way he looked her it confirmed everything.


    "Not many people know about this." but now, Alec and Ariana knew about it as well.


    "Regardless, I am happy for you." Ariana said sincerely.


    "Thank you¡­" but, before even Kace could give Ariana a proper respond, Serefina had stormed inside the room and with her demanding tone, she said;


    "We need to go from here, immediately." Serefina walked over toward Kace and extending her arms, asking for Hope. "Maximus will be here in less than five minutes."

 Chapter 404 - JUST DRIVE!

    Kace growled at the information. How did that jackass know about his whereabouts?!


    "I will carry her." Kace let out a deep growled when Serefina asked Hope from his arms. His instinct didn''t let him to give his mate away when there was a danger nearby.


    Kace didn''t even trust Serefina enough to protect his mate. He was very possessive now.


    "Alright!" On the other hand, Serefina knew those eyes too well. The possessiveness that swarmed on the Lycan entire body. "If you don''t want to give the baby, get up now. We have to go immediately!"


    Serefina walked out of the living room, without even say goodbye or just a simple ''thank you'' for Alec or Ariana.


    Alec, who just managed to coax Arabella to sleep, came out from the baby''s room and immediately felt the tense in the air.


    "What happened here?" He asked, puzzled.


    On the other hand, Ariana rose to her feet and stormed out of the room and came back seconds later with a blue backpack.


    "Bring this." She shoved the blue backpack to Kace. "I have this prepared for Hope. There are everything that Hope needs for two days." As she talked to Alec to explain briefly about their situation.


    "I will go to stop him as long as I could!" Alec rushed out to meet Maximus on the way here. "After all this is Alpha Torak''s territory, he couldn''t do anything harsh in the other Donovan''s land!" he mumbled as he turned into his beast as soon as he stepped on the terrace.


    Inside the room, Ariana was talking very fast about how Kace should take care of two months old baby, she regretted that she didn''t explain it sooner and thought they still had a lot of time to do this.


    "Ariana, thank you so much!" Kace used his left hand to give the female Alpha a hug while holding baby Hope, the baby was sleeping sound and safe without any care for the world.


    "Don''t thank me, you make me cringe." Though that was what she said, but she hugged the big Lycan back.


    "KACE!" from the backyard, Serefina''s shrill voice called out his name impatiently


    Kace released Ariana and hugged the baby firmly in his arms, made sure that the blanket covered her tiny body and kept her warm.


    "Go." Ariana opened the back door, let Kace strode to where Serefina had been waiting for him with grim expression, she didn''t like to wait.


    With last nod, Kace and Serefina disappeared from Ariana''s backyard.


    ==============


    "D*mn it! where are we, witch!?" Kace cursed under his breath when in a sheer of luck, he managed to escape death and went straight away to Tartarus.


    Well, it wouldn''t be a pleasant visit.


    Kace backed away immediately from the edge of the rooftop of a building, one wrong steps and he would fall from this height, for a second, the Lycan wondered if he could survive, but of course he wouldn''t want to know with Hope in his arms.


    "Wrong place." Serefina said nonchalantly as she started to walk and ordered him to follow her.


    With huff and puff, he followed the witch regardless. Kace grumbled and checked on Hope, she had woken up from her sleep and was playing with her tiny thumbs.


    "Where are we?" Kace asked Serefina again as they walked down stair and exited from emergency door.


    "Still in white claw pack." She replied with grumble.


    White claw pack was the pack that Alec led, in another word, Serefina didn''t teleport them too far from the Alpha''s house.


    "Why don''t you bring us out from this place?" Kace protested. He was fine with all the wrestle and brawl, but with Hope nearby, that wasn''t a good option.


    "I am too tired from taking her here." Serefina glanced at the baby. "We will go to another city, I think it will take more than two days by car," she mumbled to herself as she fished out a car key from her pocket.


    The moon shone brightly on the night sky as if the moon goddess greeted them and the baby blinked her eyes slowly.


    It was so fascinating the way Hope pouted her lips and gushed, in Kace''s eyes. Everything about her is so pure and pristine.


    Hope''s weight was practically nothing, she was so tiny and precious, made Kace wondered again; how a sinner like him could be blessed with such purity.


    He determined to protect her. Not that the thought didn''t cross his mind, but this time it was more solid than ever.


    All the confusion about whether he deserved a mate or not had vanished. Kace knew from the first time he laid his eyes on her that his life had just begun.


    His salvation was already here in a bundle of joy in his arms¡­


    "Give me the baby," Serefina cut short Kace''s thought as she was about to snatch the baby away from him.


    Out of instinct, Kace growled defensively at her.


    "Stop trying to bite me!" Serefina roared back at him agitatedly. "You drive." She gave the car key to him and extended her arms, didn''t want to provoke Kace further as his eyes turned dark.


    Though Kace was most of the time warm and sunny, but the witch knew better to not aggravate the beast that resided in him.


    Kace wasn''t an Alpha, but just like his other two brothers, his beast and his human side were powerful compared to normal shifter.


    "Give me the baby." Serefina glared at Kace impatiently.


    With a heavy breath, the Lycan handed the baby and took the car key from her hands as he stuffed himself behind the wheel and started the engine.


    "Hold her firmly, but don''t too tight, you will hurt her!" Kace warned Serefina as he glared from rearview mirror.


    His blue eyes flashed with worried and anxious by the way Serefina was cradling Hope in her arms carelessly.


    Serefina frowned and gritted her teeth, the baby was fine the way she held her. The Lycan became very annoying now.


    "JUST DRIVE!"

 Chapter 405 - STOP BY

    "You just ask me to drive to the north! But, you forget to mention where exactly we are heading now!" Kace grumbled.


    He looked at the baby who was sucking on her nursing bottle, drinking her milk peacefully without care for the world as she played with the edge of her blanket and occasionally would turned her head to look at Kace and gushed.


    Ahhh¡­ how the Lycan''s heart not melted with the sight?


    "North¡­ north¡­" Kace mumbled as he turned left, entered the gas station. "Change with me, my turn to hold her."


    Kace had been driving for more than fifteen hours now, he didn''t sleep, didn''t eat and wasn''t able to hold baby Hope.


    He didn''t mind to drive for longer time, but the sight of her eyes that looked at him curiously from time to time, made Kace''s heart squalled loudly to play with the baby.


    Kace pulled over the car near a mini market, after he refueled it and turned off the engine. He opened the passenger door and took over the baby from Serefina''s hand carefully.


    Hope cooed and extended her small arms to touch Kace while giving him a toothless smile.


    "Hi little one¡­" Kace lowered his head to let Hope to tug his hair happily. The baby seemed happy to be able to do that.


    And Kace couldn''t help but smiling as well, his smile was so bright that put the sun above them into ashamed.


    The sparks that erupted from skin to skin contact, made the baby giggled. Kace felt it too. So, this was how the sparks felt when your mate touched you¡­


    The feeling that Kace had been waiting for centuries to feel it, he bent down his body and took the nursing bottle from Serefina.


    "I need to go to bathroom." The witch grumbled as she left both of them.


    Hope was a happy baby as she played with her nursing bottle and sucked on it, blinked her eyes curiously at her surroundings.


    From these three days observations, Kace could tell, Hope was easy to handle, as she would only cry if she was hungry or needed to be cleaned after she had done her business. Most of the time she would sleep or observed her surrounding silently.


    Another thing that Kace understood was; she liked the spark that she felt when he touched Kace, thus she would always extend her little arms to touch his face.


    Of course, the baby didn''t know the concept of mate, she just enjoyed the tingling feeling, just like Kace.


    The Lycan didn''t have any weird thought about how this bond would become, he enjoyed every moment with baby Hope.


    In matter of fact, Kace felt blessed because he had a chance to watch her grow. The chance that didn''t come to every Lycan as they would start to find their mate when they turned seventeen, most of them would start to look for their mate and found them around that age.


    But it wasn''t the case for Donovan''s brothers.


    Before this, they deemed to be mate- less for the rest of their eternity, yet the moon goddess lifted their curse and gave them the chance to feel this blissful feeling.


    Kace couldn''t understand, why Jedrek wanted to get rid of this peaceful feeling and suffered the pain of losing his mate. He knew that his brother was still looking for his mate to be killed and Maximus was the one who carried the order.


    But, that wasn''t his concern now, because for now, he needed to eat something as his stomach grumbled embarrassingly.


    With baby Hope in his arms and blue backpack on his back, Kace left the car while whistling happily, enter the mini market to buy something for him and Serefina.


    There were not many people there around this time, some of them were enjoying a cup of coffee while reading newspaper, at the back of this store. Old people''s habbit.


    Kace grabbed four sandwiches and two sodas, some snacks and another baby formula and diaper for Hope, the things that Ariana prepared for her had almost done and they were still long way to go from their destination.


    Well, the truth was Kace didn''t know where Serefina would bring them, but as long as this was a safe place for Hope. He didn''t mind to follow the witch''s crazy idea.


    "Do you want something baby?" Kace touched Hope''s small nose as the baby let go of her nursing bottle and giggled.


    After Kace was done to take all the snack and food for their long journey ahead, Calleb hummed happily, going to the cashier and paid everything.


    "She is so lovely¡­" the girl, behind the cashier desk, who was checking all the items that Kace would buy, squalled with the sight of Hope.


    Hope''s black eyes and hair contrasted with her fair skin, her pouted lips and chubby cheeks were other things that made people would adore her in an instant once they laid their eyes on her.


    "What is her name?" The girl stopped what she was doing and extended her arms to caress Hope''s crimson cheeks.


    However, the baby pouted and turned her head, snuggled closer to Kace''s chest while hugging her bottle. Hope had never acted this way before.


    "Oh, she is shy with stranger." The girl didn''t look upset and continue to check the item in front of her, but her eyes occasionally would glance over at baby Hope.


    "I guess." Kace replied emotionlessly, holding Hope firmly against his chest.


    "She is so cute and delicious¡­" The girl''s eyes flickered with golden color as she glanced at the baby again after she finished to put everything on the bag.


    The flicker of the golden color on the girl''s eyes was the sign for Kace to take two steps back and became very alerted by the situation.


    His body turned stiff and his eyes were the color of the night sky, as a loud growl rumbled in his chest and came from the back of his throat.

 Chapter 406 - THAT WASNT A GOOD SIGN

    The sound that Kace made, piqued the baby interest as Hope peeked through her long lashes, feeling the rumble noise from his chest.


    Kace''s dark eyes locked on the girl''s golden one as a smirk appeared on the girl''s lips tauntingly. "So¡­ who is this lovely baby? After centuries, is this what you are doing? Baby sitting?"


    The Devil knew about the prophecy about the resurrected of the guardian angel, but they were still clueless about the other prophecy, which mentioned that the guardian angel would be the Donovan''s mate.


    "She looks delicious, isn''t she?" the girl leaned her back against the rack behind her as the pair of golden eyes glued on baby Hope.


    Kace didn''t like it. His beast was aggravated when the devil''s eyes were on their mate.


    "It is better for you to not interfere with this Beelzebub." Serefina entered the mini market and strolled toward Kace and the baby, she shot him a look. "Calm down."


    This time Kace growled at the witch.


    How he supposed to calm down when the Gluttony looked at his mate with her starving eyes. She licked her bottom lips that made Kace wanted to pull her tongue and cut it off.


    Kace pressed the baby against his chest, covering her tinny figure with the blanket, hiding her from Gluttony''s eyes, as he continued to let out deep grumbles as if there was a ragging storm within him.


    "Go back to the car," Serefina spoke decisively.


    "She smelled very sweet. Different from other babies." The girl sniffed the air and sighed in delight.


    "Go back to the car! Now!" Serefina glared at the Lycan. He didn''t take an order when he wanted to destroy the devil, who smelled his mate in disgusting way. "You will hurt her!" Serefina reminded Kace grimly as her eyes glanced over the baby in Kace''s arms and his half- shifted fingers.


    At this moment, Kace''s nail had turned into claws, sharp- razor claws that would be able to cut anything in one movement, but the problem was, the baby would be hurt before he could make any move.


    Only when Kace heard Serefina''s words, he realized that he was still holding Hope in his arms and one wrong move, he would cut the baby with his claws.


    It startled Kace as his breath hitched and his body trembled because of the anger that he tried to hold back and the fear of hurting his mate.


    "Go. Now!" Serefina repeated her order when she watched how Kace had returned to his senses.


    With last livid glance, Kace stormed out of the mini market, leaving the items that he intended to buy. His hunger had long forgotten, consumed by his wrath.


    The only thing that he wanted now was to go as far away as he could from here, hiding his precious little Hope somewhere safe before he went insane with his encounter with the devil.


    Serefina was purposely not taking Hope away from Kace, because she knew once the baby left his arms the overly angry Lycan would slit the young girl''s neck without batting an eye.


    The problem was, the girl was possessed by the devil, hence there was nothing would change even if Kace killed straight away.


    The only thing for sure was only the fact that they would only add problem onto their load.


    Gluttony''s eyes followed Kace''s back until he disappeared from her sight before she shifted her attention back toward the witch and grinned.


    "The great witch Serefina¡­" she sighed. "How long have you been missing from Jedrek''s side? Don''t you miss him?" she asked tauntingly.


    Upon hearing that question, Serefina just raised her brows and was about to stroll out of the door to leave the devil behind when she asked another question.


    "What is it with the baby? She is so different¡­ she smells really good¡­" Gluttony shut her eyes as if she wanted to remember the scent of the baby that Kace was holding protectively.


    There was no way she would forget that intoxicating scent¡­


    "You better stay away from the baby." Serefina halted to say that words, but Gluttony didn''t let her go easily.


    "Is it about the time for the guardian angel resurrected?" Her golden eyes opened wide. "Is it her? The baby?" she licked her bottom lips and gulped hard.


    Serefina didn''t answer that question and proceeded to walk away from that store, she didn''t even glance to take a second glance to see how the girl behind the cashier desk fell to the floor all of sudden.


    The loud sound attracted more people to see and rushed over to help the cashier girl.


    However, when one of the men held her, her body had turned very cold and she was no longer breathing.


    "Call the ambulance, the girl is not breathing!" People were shouting inside the mini market, trying to help the girl''s life.


    But Serefina knew better there was nothing those people could do to help the poor girl, it was too late as the devil had sucked her soul dry.


    "What take you so long!?" Kace roared the moment Serefina entered the car and turned on the engine. "Let''s go from here!"


    Kace''s entire body was shaking uncontrollably from his effort to keep his beast at bay. He held baby Hope closed to his chest possessively, just like an overprotective mother who distressed over her newborn baby.


    Even the baby stretched her small body uncomfortably and squalled because she couldn''t move freely, yet Kace didn''t pay attention to it, as his focus was to urge Serefina to go away from the devil and whoever or whatever creatures that would harm his mate.


    "What is she doing here!?" Kace snarled when the car screeched and they exited the gas station.


    From the corner of their eyes, they could see Beelzebub was staring intensely from in front of the mini market''s door.


    The determination in her eyes and the way her lips curled into a devilish smirk, made Kace gritted his teeth.


    That wasn''t a good sign.

 Chapter 407 - SEREFINAS CRAZINESS

    In the end, Serefina had to drive them for another long hour before the sun set on the horizon and they decided to call it a day.


    Serefina drove the car to the parking lot at the inn and get out of the car as she stretched her stiff body because of driving for long time.


    By this time, Kace had calmed down now, yet still on alert.


    The first thing he did when he step out of the car was raising his nose and sniffing the air, searching for any odd scent that could be a threat for the three of them.


    When he was sure there was nothing odd, he took his back pack and strolled inside the inn with Serefina followed behind him after she put some spell around the area.


    Kace rather please with the precautions that Serefina did to ensure their safety. He didn''t want to meet Gluttony or any other creatures that he didn''t want to meet.


    "How many room?" the girl on the receptionist desk as Kace and smiled politely at him, asking for the general question after the boring greeting.


    "One."


    "One."


    Kace and Serefina answered almost simultaneously. The Lycan didn''t need to turn his body to see the witch was approaching him after she had done with her business.


    "One room with twin bed." Kace added more specifically and didn''t miss the slight frown from the girl''s eyebrows.


    Man and woman, with their baby, sleeping in one room. They definitely a family of three, right? But, why they slept in different bed? Or maybe¡­


    "We can provide baby crib if you want." The girl was being professional and tried to help while curiosity got the best of her at the same time.


    "No need." It was Serefina who answered her as she shot her an impatient look and extended her arm, asking for the key for their room.


    After the receptionist girl notified them one or two information and gave the key to Serefina, both of them turned their body almost immediately and headed to their room on the third floor, leaving the puzzled reception alone without even giving her a single ''thank you''.


    ==============


    After a long journey, exhaustion hit Serefina, her consciousness slipped away the moment her head touch the pillow after she finished taking a bath, leaving Kace to take care of the baby.


    Kace put a single chair beside Hope''s bed and played with the baby until late at night. He placed many pillows and blanket around her, therefore she wouldn''t fall when she was sleeping.


    Kace was also thoughtful enough to give a bottle of warm milk, so she would sleep with a full tummy. Though Hope only drank half a bottle of her milk because she had it not so long.


    Hope mostly awake at night and would sleep during the day.


    But, it didn''t take her a long time to fall asleep again and let Kace to get some rest too.


    However, in the middle of the night, the baby was crying softly. This sound was akin to alarm, which blaring inside Kace''s head.


    His eyes opened wide as they lost any traces of sleepiness. Kace snapped his head toward Hope and watched how she frowned and pouted her lips, holding back her tears while stuffing her fist into her mouth.


    What is it?


    Is she afraid of something? Kace''s eyes skimmed his surrounding briefly.


    Hungry? Because she was starting to eat her fist now¡­


    But, when the familiar smell hit Kace''s nostril, he knew too well that the baby had just pooped. He chuckled at Hope''s teary little face, feeling uncomfortable because of the dirty that she created.


    "I will clean you up okay." Kace leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Don''t cry."


    Kace skillfully removed the blanket and her diaper, before he cleaned her up and put new diaper and clothes for her.


    Only then, Kace realized that Hope didn''t have much clothes. He needed to buy some cute baby clothes for her later.


    After she had been cleaned the baby yawned again and fell asleep, curling her little fingers around Kace''s thumb.


    Kace caressed her back to ease her sleep as he covered her tinny body with blanket.


    ==============


    "Are you crazy Serefina!?" Kace''s roar was the first thing that broke the silent of the peaceful morning after he knew where they were heading to. "I will not let her leave in that kind of environment! You lost your mind!"


    Serefina glared hardly at Kace while crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively. "Do you have better idea?! I have been living there for more than decades!"


    "We are talking about Northern coven! Where the witches and vampires roamed around freely and rogue live there!" Kace adamant that the place which Serefina suggested was not safe for Hope.


    The Northern part of this realm was a dark place, where there were no exact rules there! How Serefina could think that was the safest place?


    Wasn''t it better to live just like this? Moving to one place to the other? Kace didn''t mind it at all! But, not with the idea to go to the northern area!


    "You are a rogue yourself, pup! Did you forget?" Serefina scoffed, raised her chin high in challenging manner.


    Kace snarled at Serefina''s remark, but then he lowered his tone when he felt Hope was startled in his arms.


    "That is dangerous place! Dark and dangerous!" Kace emphasized every syllable in his sentence, as calm as he could, afraid to surprised the baby again.


    "I had been hiding there for centuries! There is no harm that will fall upon her when you know how to survive there!" Serefina retorted.


    From the first time this argumentation started, the witch had come prepared and wouldn''t back down without a fight and got what she wanted.


    "And you expect me to agree with your crazy idea?! I used to admire your craziness back then, but not now when you involve my mate''s life!" Kace hissed and grumbled viciously, in order to keep his voice low.

 Chapter 408 - SHOPPING!

    "Oh, Selene! I come to help you, so don''t you dare to treat me like I am your enemy!" Serefina grumbled in frustration. She glared viciously at Kace, but the Lycan didn''t budge with his decision.


    "No need to call Selene! You don''t like her, do you?" Kace quipped sarcastically, grabbed a teether for Hope, so she wouldn''t cry agitatedly, upon hearing this endless argumentation.


    If no one from them were willing to back down, this kind of conversation would last for as long as it needed.


    Unfortunately, most of this kind of situation, would end with both of them choose their own way, yet that wasn''t the case in this situation.


    "That place is full with witches and other dark creatures!" Kace tried to make his point across, yet Serefina with her stubbornness made everything more complicated. "What in the world that you can think that Northern Coven is the safest place!?"


    "Because I was there for centuries, you fool! You didn''t listen to me, did you?!" Serefina ran her fingers to comb her hair agitatedly. "Yes, that place is full with witches, but that place also is protected with their spell and magic, so it will be hard for your brother and his people or that devil, who wanted to eat your baby, to find her! Don''t you see? The least expected place is the safest one!"


    Kace wanted to retort her statement, but something click in his mind and her point was, actually, make sense.


    But, there was only one problem.


    "She is a human." Kace brushed his cheek against Hope''s and this gestured made the baby giggled. "Those wretch creatures will know about it soon."


    "I have thought about that. No one will notice her as a human child as long as she doesn''t come out of the house." Serefina glanced at Hope briefly before she turned around and packed all of their things, which not much and most of them belonged to Hope.


    Kace furrowed his brows. "You can''t keep her inside the house for the rest of her life!" he snapped, thinking how miserable it would be for his mate to not allow to see the outside world.


    Serefina rolled her eyes dramatically when she heard Kace concern. "Relax. We will just stay there until she turned five."


    Kace put down baby Hope and made a bottle of milk for her, as this was the time for her to eat. "After that, where will you go?"


    Serefina shrugged her shoulder. "I will think about that later, we have five years to decide another safe place for her." And then she added. "Moreover, we will not enter too deep into the northern coven. I choose to live in mystic river village."


    "Mystic river village?" Kace reiterated.


    He remembered that place, it was a village under the mountain which the border of the northern coven and the realm for human.


    The last time Kace was there, was around two hundred years ago.


    There were not many people lived there and all of the people kept up with their traditions. It was an old tradition about human sacrifice to the god of the mountain.


    Kace wasn''t sure about that, but two hundred years have passed, there must be significant change, right?


    Those sacrifice ritual bothered the Lycan. Though, that wasn''t annoyed him like his former thought that Serefina would let his mate to live inside the northern coven.


    This one was more tolerable¡­


    "That village is only two days away from here, therefore we have to buy a few necessity for her." Serefina nodded at Hope who was happily sucking onto her nursing bottle, her bright dark eyes shone brilliantly. Even Serefina had to admit that the baby would be a rare beauty when she grew up.


    "Right! I want to buy a lot of toys and cute clothes and dress for her! Let''s go shopping!" Kace''s dampen mood turned better by the thought of buying those things for Hope.


    Serefina just rolled her eyes when she watched how Kace was very excited. Sometime, she wondered how the big Lycan determined to act childish all the time.


    Serefina knew him for long time to make that conclusion.


    However, the witch also knew Kace would turn into more beastly once his bottom line was crossed. Typical of those who had Alpha''s blood ran down their veins.


    ==============


    "Kace, she will not stay two months forever!" Serefina reminded the overwhelmed Lycan exasperatedly.


    Kace was near to buy the entire store for Hope, yet the baby just bit her fist or giggled and drooled without care for the world.


    "But, they are so cute!" Kace gushed when he watched a pink dress with cartoon character. "Do you want this Hope?"


    Kace gave the dress to the baby and Hope stretched out her arms in attempt to grab the dress.


    "See? She likes it!" Kace beamed and gave the dress to the sales person.


    For now, they were inside a mall in this city before they drive to the northern part for two days straight, only stop to sleep.


    "She will act the same way even if you give her a poison!" Serefina snapped at him angrily. They had been wasting their time for three hours just to buy clothes and toys for Hope.


    Probably, Kace wouldn''t stop if Serefina didn''t remind him again and again that they had to go immediately.


    The Lycan was enjoying his time with his baby mate.


    "No! That''s enough!" Serefina snatched a cute legging for one year old baby and threw it back to the rack, then she dragged Kace out of the store. "Give me your card!"


    Serefina extended her hand to him. Those clothes were for Hope, thus it was only right if Kace paid for them.


    Pouting, Kace gave the card to Serefina and talked to the baby. "Next time, when you grow older, we will go shopping together and buy more cute things for you, okey baby?"


    Hope just tilted her little head while blinking her big, adorable eyes and gushed.

 Chapter 409 - THE GIRL

    Kace was driving while Hope was sitting on her new infant safety, behind him with Serefina, playing with her new teether and teddy bear.


    Along the way, Serefina would mostly stare out of the window as if she was in deep thought, she would stay like that if Hope didn''t cry to ask their attention to be fed or cleaned.


    There was only song from radio that filled the silence inside the car or Hope''s voice that would rumble incoherently.


    And when the sky turned dark and the moon illuminated the road, Kace looked for an inn for them to stay for tonight.


    From outside people, the three of them looked like a happy family, yet the truth was slightly complicated to explain.


    Kace turned off the engine and unbuckled Hope as he carried the baby and took a backpack along with Hope''s teddy bear. The baby was sleeping again.


    The smell of milk that wafted on Kace''s nose, the moment he carried her, created a curl on his lips as he gazed at her warmly.


    Kace caressed her cheeks and kissed her forehead as happiness washed away his anxiety that he had been holding back ever since Serefina told him about her plan.


    He held her small hand as spark crept on the surface of his skin.


    Meanwhile Serefina made a reservation for them, the same arrangement; one room with twin bed without balcony because they didn''t want to create opportunity for those who haunted them to sneak behind their back.


    The night went just like before.


    Serefina would sleep almost immediately once her head touched the pillow and Kace would spare sometime to play with Hope, who was awake when he would go to sleep.


    Kace chose to sleep on the single sofa that he brought next to the bed where Hope was surrounded securely by large pillow and blanket.


    Kace was afraid that he would accidently crush the baby in his sleep, that was why he slept there.


    After feeding and cleaning her, he played with the baby until she yawned sleepily and fell asleep peacefully.


    Only then, Kace would sleep.


    When the first ray of sunlight appeared on the horizon, Serefina had woken up and took a bath while Kace would check on Hope and made a warm milk for his baby.


    "I think we will arrive at the mystic river village in the evening, but I hope we will get there before the sun set." Serefina was more like mumbling to herself while drying her brown hair with towel in her hands.


    "Do you have a place there? A house or something?" Kace asked off handedly.


    "A house." Serefina replied as she called for breakfast to be brought to their room. She didn''t bother to ask what Kace wanted because the big Lycan, literally, would eat anything as long as it was edible. There would be no protest from him.


    Kace wasn''t surprised when Serefina said she own a house there, after all she had been staying in mystic river village for very long time.


    When Kace had done to take care of Hope, he went to take a bath and when he finished, two slice sandwiches were ready for him


    And when the sun had shone brightly out of the window, the three of them left the inn.


    Kace was holding the bag while Serefina was cradling Hope in her arms, their journey to the mystic river village was very tiring.


    Only when he got there, Kace would get a proper rest.


    However, when they reached their car, Kace let out a deep low growl when he watched a girl, around the age of twelve, was leaning his back against their car.


    It wasn''t because Kace didn''t like the dirty girl would stain his car, but the fact that the girl was a shifter, was the reason why Kace let out a deep low grumble from the back of his throat.


    "Move!" Kace took a defensive stance as he stood in front of Serefina, who was holding baby Hope.


    A child or not, as long as they were shifter, they tended to be more vicious and cunning than the normal human on their age.


    The girl held her chin high and glared back at Kace. Her brown eyes flashed with irritation by the way Kace talked to her. She took a quick glance at Serefina, but couldn''t see what she was holding.


    "Bring me with you!" She declared out of the blue, squared her small shoulder and tried to be more presentable when her dirty outfit failed her miserably.


    "What on earth that make you think I will bring you with me?!" Kace scoffed and shoved the girl out of the way, so he could open the car door for Serefina as she squatted down into the car.


    "Because you are an Alpha!" the girl''s stern expression was unfazed when she looked at Kace and tried to hold his arms. "You are a werewolf!"


    Kace glared at the girl when she touched him, but she didn''t take it as the sign for her to release her hand from him, if anything, the girl clutched onto Kace tighter.


    "First, I am not a werewolf, I am a Lycan and no, I am not an Alpha. I am a rogue!" Kace snapped at her and shook his hand.


    The girl was thrown a few steps back. She hastily steadied herself and frowned at Kace, maybe she was wrong when she thought that Kace was a werewolf, but she was sure that the Kace was an Alpha.


    It was in their instinct to know the higher rank in their kind immediately when they met with one, and this submissive feeling that she felt made her certain that Kace was an Alpha.


    "Take me with you, I don''t have family! My family was murdered!" the girl quickly latched on the car window when she watched Kace had started the car engine.


    Her fist bumped onto the side of the window, but Kace didn''t care, he even didn''t spare her a single glance while baby Hope blinked her eyes curiously at the noisy sound.

 Chapter 410 - DONT INTERFERE

    After Kace drove away from the inn parking lot, nobody talked about the event with the girl before, mostly because Serefina didn''t care and Kace was too engross with the thought to reach the mystic river village before the sun was set.


    But, they didn''t know that the girl was following them by depending solely on her nose to track them.


    When Serefina needed to go to bathroom they stopped at rest area to refuel the gas and bought something to eat while the witch did her business.


    However, when Kace returned to his car with baby Hope in his arms, gushing and mumbling incoherently, he found the same girl was panting beside his car. She was sweating profusely.


    "Take me with you." Despite her ragging breath, her voice sounded firm when she asked Kace to take her with him.


    "No." Kace could see that the girl was malnourish and had been running from something before they met.


    Whatever was that, Kace didn''t want to get involve. He has enough trouble to keep him occupied for the rest of his eternity.


    Another fact that Kace realized was, apparently she could shift into her beast, or else she wouldn''t be here as her human form wouldn''t be able to chase the speed of his car.


    But, that wasn''t the point. He wouldn''t take her nonetheless.


    "Take me with you or I will die." The girl spoke grimly, her eyes quivered in her attempt to hold back her tears.


    Yet, Kace didn''t sympathize with her as he raised his eyebrows and walked past her. "So, why do you think I care?"


    Because Serefina was not there yet, Kace decided to buy ice cream, which not far from there, for himself with the strange girl followed behind him.


    "I will do everything as long as you helped me." The girl was very determined to change Kace''s mind. "I will take care of that little brat in your arms."


    She made a big mistake to call the cute baby Hope as a brat.


    Kace turned around and because of that the girl almost bumped onto him. Almost¡­ because Kace extended his arms and pushed her back until the girl fell on her back.


    Luckily, there was no one who watched that scene, or else Kace would be condemned from harassing a little girl.


    He knew the girl would be alright, a little push like that wouldn''t do any harm to their kind, no matter how haggard she looked.


    "Call her with that again, you shouldn''t worry about whatever will kill you." Kace remarked menacingly.


    The girl nodded, even if she was afraid, she didn''t show it on her face as she hastily stood up. "I will not say it again in the future."


    "What future? Do you think I will see again after this?" Kace turned around and bought an ice cream for himself, but when he watched the way the girl stared at his colorful gelato, he ordered one more and gave it to the girl as he watched Serefina had returned from the bathroom.


    "For me?" The girl stared in disbelief at the yummy ice cream and then at Kace''s stern expression.


    "Yes, so you will not follow me anymore." Kace shook the ice cream in front of the girl''s face because se didn''t move her hand to take it and the Lycan became impatient with her.


    The girl took a big gulp before she succeeded to peel her eyes from the mouth- watering ice cream to Kace. "If I don''t take the ice cream, will you take me?" though her voice was firm, but it laced with expectation.


    "Of course not. Take it or not, I will not bring you with me." Kace blurted out the brutal truth.


    The girl didn''t even flinch when Kace talked harshly at her and just kept quiet while following him.


    "You can''t come with me." Kace glared again to stop the girl from following him.


    In the other hand, Serefina just raised her eyebrows, didn''t care or want to know why the little girl was there, most likely because she had guessed it.


    "If you leave me I will die." The girl repeated her words and she received the same answer just like before.


    "I don''t care." Kace strapped Hope in her infant safety seat and gave the ice cream to Serefina, the witch scrunched her nose, but took it from him.


    "You are an Alpha." The girl kept insisting to use that term again.


    Kace was almost running out of patient. The way she mentioned the term made Kace wanted to scrap her face. It was so irritated and he didn''t like it a bit.


    "Even if I am an Alpha? Why I should bring you with me? You are not my pack member." Kace stated through his gritted teeth.


    The girl''s brown eyes shone as she tilted her head and show her neck, a submissive act. "I will pledge my loyalty to you." she said hastily.


    "And I do not accept it." Kace replied almost immediately as he slipped his body inside the car and started the engine.


    Once he closed the door, Kace stomped on the accelerator, brought them away from that place.


    However, when he took second glance at the girl through the side- view mirror, Kace watched with large eyes when a huge man was standing a few meter away from behind the girl.


    He stalked forward and strangled the little girl, who was still in daze, staring at the car.


    "Sh*t!" Kace cursed under his breath. Out of reflex, he stepped on the break.


    Fortunately, there was no car behind him or else, it would be the three of them that was in trouble.


    "What is that?!" Kace gripped the wheel tightly, leaving dent of his fingers there.


    On the other hand, Serefina looked so calm when she raised her head to look what was happening to the girl from before through the rear view mirror.


    "Snake shifter I guess." She said nonchalantly. "Don''t interfere, we have enough trouble already."

 Chapter 411 - KILL HIM!

    Snake shifter was so rare to see, but most of them didn''t leave together with their own kind, they were nomadic entity.


    And one more reason why there were not many of their kind alive was because they were cannibal and wouldn''t even bother to eat their own kind.


    "Don''t interfere, we have enough trouble already." though her voice was calm and nonchalant, but there was warning that laced in her tone.


    Of course Kace didn''t want to interfere, but¡­


    The car didn''t move when Kace stared at the side- view mirror as the huge man turned into something disgusting.


    The sand color like hair on his head had disappeared completely along with his eyebrows. His skin now littered with something that looked like scales, they were the color of light green.


    The pupil of his eyes shaped like a snake and his teeth were very sharp like razor.


    The poor little girl was grabbed by her neck as her feet were dangling a meter away from the ground. She tried to kick and escaped from his attacker, yet without footing, she lost the momentum.


    The girl tried to shift, but apparently she couldn''t do it, whether it was because the strangle around her neck, or because it was something new for her.


    For young shifter, who just shifted into their beast form, sometime they needed to concentrate more to get into the shape, so their body could accommodate their beast form.


    But, as they grew old, the transformation would be as easy as breathing.


    Apparently, that was the girl''s case. She failed to shift and would die anytime soon.


    "Kace." Serefina warned him again in deep voice, because she saw that look on his blue eyes and when she heard a low growl from his chest, she knew what kind of scene that she would see next.


    Just like the witch predicted, Kace stormed out of the car and shifted into his massive white lycan once his feet touch the ground.


    Serefina could only sigh exasperatedly and rolled her eyes by Kace''s decision.


    Didn''t he think about his mate''s safety? Why he had to save someone insignificant to them that would definitely bring trouble?! Was he crazy!? They had to get out from this place as soon as possible and here Kace was trying to save the poor little girl!


    Serefina groaned. "D*mn you lycan!" she unbuckled the strap on the baby and took her as they got out of the car. Hope was staring at the witch and cooed softly. "Your mate is annoying, you know?! Well, you also."


    In the open area of parking lot, the snake shifter had managed to make an eerie cracking sound from the neck of the poor little girl.


    He didn''t kill her straight away as he enjoyed to torture his prey and looked the despair in those brown eyes.


    The voice of the girl, asking for help, was caught on her throat as her head throbbing painfully.


    The snake shifter ran his forked tongue on his bottom lips as his slanted pupil dilated in delight by the anguish pain that smeared on the girl expression.


    However, before he could make everything became more satisfying for him, the white lycan snarled and pounced onto him.


    Forced the snake shifter to release his prey.


    Both of them fell to the ground, but with the white lycan was on top of him, he had an advantage position to attack him ruthlessly.


    Though in snake shifter''s defense, the white lycan manage to wound him. He was bleeding from several places and looked worse for wear.


    However, not so long, in his defense the creature succeeded to snap at the white lycan and sunk his teeth on the beast shoulder.


    The beast roared in pain and tried to get away from the snake by throwing heavy punches at the side of his face.


    Yet, the creature didn''t even bother to move away and ignored the blow as he kept his teeth there.


    Now, blood was pouring down from the white lycan''s shoulder and coated his pure white fur as they continued to fight.


    Regardless what the beast did, the teeth of the creature were still embedded on his shoulder.


    ''Kill him you idiot!''


    Among that chaotic situation, Serefina''s voice rang in his ears, though the witch were several meters away from the battle.


    Meanwhile, the girl finally regained her consciousness and tried to sit down with her head and neck was very sore because of what the snake shifter had done.


    She rubbed her aching neck and skimmed her surrounding until her eyes fell on the battle not far from her.


    The girl crawled back to avoid to tangle in that vicious battle. In his eyes the white Lycan was in trouble, because he couldn''t move his shoulder and limped as the snake shifter pushed him down to the ground.


    The slithery creature had the upper hand now.


    This time, the white lycan opened his paw as his razor like claws elongated and he clawed the side of his head.


    That action caused the shifter lost a big chunk of his face as blood streaming down from his wounded head, but he didn''t die yet.


    The shifter roared and growled in anguish when the pain was unbearable, but still alive.


    The gruesome scene made the girl turned away her head and covered her face with both of her hands, her young heart was not strong enough to see what would happen next.


    The blue eyes of the white lycan shone brightly and widened by the sight that he was seeing.


    Something bright flashed on the beast eyes and cut the neck of the snake shifter swiftly, in the next second, its head had rolled on the ground.


    He died.


    The effective way to kill a snake was cutting off the head.


    But, this wasn''t what the beast doing. Someone else did it, and when he turned his head, he saw Serefina was holding baby Hope in her arms.


    And once again, her voice rang in Kace''s head. ''I told you to kill him''. Her voice was very strong and annoyed.

 Chapter 412 - THEY ARE DEAD

    Bleeding, Kace shifted back into his human form as he walked past the dead body of the snake shifter that human couldn''t see.


    "I told you to kill him." Serefina repeated her words for the third time, but this time her voice didn''t echo in her head and Kace appreciated that.


    "I will not kill him if I could." Kace took off his shirt and wipe off the blood on his injured shoulder as he changed it with the new one that he took from inside the bag from the car.


    The moment he was shirtless, one could see that the big open wound started to cave in as his skin slowly closed.


    The healing ability of Lycan was always remarkable.


    "So, you will let him to bite your hand off?" Serefina didn''t appreciate Kace''s decision, though she had figured out why he didn''t want to kill the creature. The witch thought his reason was very ridiculous.


    "I can chase him away without killing him." Kace put on black shirt the moment his wound stop bleeding.


    "Yeah, I can see how he would have done that before you would do anything about the situation." Serefina spoke sarcastically. "You are getting slow."


    "There is nothing I could do in these past long decades of my life. Maybe I have to go under some training again." Kace made sure he was clean before he extended his arms to take Hope from Serefina. "My senses kind of dull."


    "That''s because you always avoid conflict." Serefina gave the baby to Kace as Hope squalled happily by the sight of him.


    "Why should I bother myself to face trouble?" Kace frowned, but it didn''t last for long, because as soon as Hope''s lovely face entered his line of sight, a broad smile tugged on his lips.


    "That''s why you can''t be the Alpha." Serefina snorted. "You are too soft and ignorance."


    Actually Kace wasn''t like this before the great war occurred, but he started to act this way when it was ended. Probably the sickly scene of the bloody war has something to do with his change of behavior.


    "Did I ever wish to be one?" Kace gave the witch disapproving look as he tossed the car key to Serefina. "You drive, I am hurt."


    Since both of his brothers led their own pack in different realm, he didn''t find in him the desire to lead something or took huge responsibility over many lives.


    It was too troublesome and to be an Alpha was out of an option for him.


    Serefina groaned and opened the car door as she sat behind the steering wheel agitatedly.


    However, after strapped Hope back onto her safety seat, Kace didn''t immediately climb on the car as he looked at the girl impassively.


    The poor little girl was just standing a few meters away from them, staring at the dead body of the snake shifter with her unwavering eyes.


    "You! Get on the car!" Kace snarled at the girl as he held the door next to Serefina opened.


    Both Serefina and the girl were staring at Kace with wide eyes, disbelief flashed on those eyes, yet with different intention.


    "It is enough for you to help her! Don''t tell me that you actually want to take her with us!?" Serefina didn''t even bother if her voice reached the girl''s ears when she approached them.


    "I will take her with us." Kace gave her an affirmative answer as he kept holding the car door opened.


    Regardless the girl heard it or not, she didn''t show it on her expression as she inched closer toward Kace.


    "Get in the car!" Kace snarled at her once again as a deep frown appeared on his forehead.


    Once the girl was inside the car, she hastily buckled herself, afraid that Kace would change his mind and left her alone to fend herself.


    She didn''t want to encounter creature like that again. She didn''t think that she would be able to escape something like that again next time or was lucky enough to have someone was helping her just in time.


    ???I don''t like you to join this car." Serefina said distastefully, because she couldn''t say anything to make Kace changed his mind. Well, she knew him too well to know that little fact.


    "Don''t mind me." The girl replied to Serefina briefly, she didn''t even look the witch in her eyes as. "That big guy who asked me to join, if you have any complain, you can tell him."


    Both Serefina and Kace raised their eyebrows at her snarky comments as they lost for words.


    The girl didn''t think there was something wrong with the way she talked. All this while, she had been defending herself and started to get used to talk whatever passed her mind without thinking about it twice.


    "You have such a gall, girl." Kace stated.


    Actually, he didn''t really care about the girl''s behavior, because her antics reminded him of Serefina. However, the witch wouldn''t take that lightly.


    "Talk to me like that again and I will throw you out of this car." Serefina growled menacingly.


    The girl stared at Serefina, but before she could say anything, the witch had flicked her fingers as blue fire appeared on the tip of her forefinger.


    "Stop agitating her. There is a baby inside and she needs to sleep." Kace groaned as he tried his best to make the witch stop her action to burn down the girl.


    After all, Kace was injured because of her and if Serefina decided to demolish her, all of his effort would pour down the drain.


    Serefina took the girl silence as the sign that she understood her position and started the engine.


    The car growl to live and they went toward their direction. Apparently, they would be behind the schedule.


    "What''s your name?" Kace asked after twenty minutes of silence.


    "Lana." The girl said almost immediately.


    "Why are you out there alone?" Kace checked on Hope and readjust her blanket.


    "Because my whole family is dead."

 Chapter 413 - FAIRYTALE

    "You said it before," Serefina cut her statement icily and this made the girl looked at her in a frown, yet she didn''t say anything.


    "Continue." Kace sighed tiredly. Serefina was one thing, but if the girl has the same personality like the witch, he was worried about how his mate would grow up later.


    Despite her scowl at Serefina, Lana continued her story, disregarding the witch entirely. "My pack was attacked by vampire one day. My father was the Gamma of the pack and told my mother, my brother and me to leave the house."


    Lana''s voice trailed off. She stared out of the window as her next explanation turned into a murmur sound.


    "My brother was the warrior of the pack, thus when he realized the situation was getting out of hand, he ran into the battle and was killed." Her voice turned gloomier as the story unfolded. "My mother hid me inside a wine barrel, so those vampires wouldn''t be able to smell my scent."


    The silence fell hard inside the car, even Serefina kept her focus on the road and didn''t bother to give her thought upon this story, which was a good sign rather than to have her run her mouth.


    "I don''t know how long I was there, but when I no longer could hear anything, I mustered up my courage and tried to get out from inside the barrel."


    Lana stopped again as Serefina drove the car exited from highway.


    "All I could see was blood everywhere and dead bodies. It was a carnage." Lana''s voice sounded steady, but there was ripple of anger that she tried to suppress.


    "I couldn''t venture to look for my mother and my father, because some of the vampires were still there, therefore I ran away."


    Lana licked her dry lips as her fingers clasped together. She was too young to experience those gruesome memories, but that how life worked. It took everything dear to you to mold you into something new, whether you would break or became stronger.


    Thankfully, Lana was the last one.


    "How long have you been running away?" Kace leaned over and nudged her with a bottle of water.


    Lana lowered her eyes and didn''t say thank you, but the way she gulped down half of the water from the bottle, showed how much she needed it.


    "The attack happened three weeks ago." Lana answered Kace after she took a deep breath and felt refresh. "Since then, I had run into some wicked creatures. Fortunately, I managed to escape from them."


    "Lock heart pack," Serefina said with her eyes still locked on the road. "Your pack before was Lock heart pack."


    There was a soft gasp that escape Lana''s lips. "How do you know that?"


    "I heard there was a pack that was demolished by vampire attack." Serefina then glanced at Kace through the rear- view mirror. "Your brother is very livid because of this."


    A small frown between Lana''s eyebrows morphed into an understanding look as she covered her mouth in surprised and turned around to look at Kace behind her seat.


    "Girl! Sit down properly!" Serefina grunted upon the sudden movement.


    However, Lana disregard her completely as she made a quick observation on Kace and asked. "You are one of the Donovan!?" she squeaked and covered her mouth.


    "What a dramatic reaction¡­" Serefina scoffed and rolled her eyes exasperatedly, yet Kace didn''t find it comfortable too, to be addressed that way.


    "Oh! Right!" Lana''s cold and stern expression from before had long gone. "I saw your white beast!"


    "You can stop talking too loud, if the baby is awake I will throw you out of the car." Kace threatened her, starting to regret his decision to bring her along with them.


    From the rear view mirror, Serefina shot him a look that said; I told you she will be a nuisance.


    "But you are the legend that my parents would often tell us before we go to sleep." No matter how hard her demeanor before, Lana was still a little girl, who had not yet lost her childish and innocent side entirely. Her reaction now proved it.


    "Wow! A legend¡­" Serefina almost laughed by that. "May I know what kind of story of the Donovan?" her voice was thick with sarcasm.


    "You don''t know?" Lana turned her head, confused. "Nobody knows?"


    "Girl, I don''t have a fairytale about them to help me to sleep." Serefina rolled her eyes again.


    "Yeah, but you sleep with one of them." Kace remarked as he raised his eyebrows defiantly, challenging the witch to retort his words.


    Instead of that, Serefina stepped on the acceleration deeper, rumbling growls behind her throat.


    Lana would have been knocked on the dashboard if it wasn''t because of her seatbelt that saved her. She shot an angry look at Serefina dan the witch ignored completely.


    However, her eyes shone when she talked about the story that her mother would tell her before she fell asleep.


    It was about the great war. How they have brought their people out of the battle with victory. The battle between the Lycanthropes and the devil.


    The way Lana recounted it for them, made the Donovan sounded so majestic that the resulted of the war was nothing but joy and pride.


    Though the truth wasn''t like that¡­


    Kace experienced all of that first hand and he knew how the feeling of despair that filled the air after the war was ended.


    It sounded nice only because the story was meant to tell as a fairytale.


    "I bet no one from your brothers know about this sweet story of them." Serefina commented.


    "I think they will not care about it either." Kace replied as he crossed his thick arms in front of his chest and glanced at the sky that had turned into a golden color. "Why didn''t you go to the other pack?" he asked Lana again to change the subject.


    Lana gritted her teeth. "They attacked the nearby packs too."

 Chapter 414 - ENJOYING THE MOMENT

    "Did he do nothing?" Kace voiced out his thought in grumble.


    "I heard the supreme Alpha had his own people to come and deal with this issue." Lana responded to Kace dissatisfied tone. "But it takes longer time because our pack is fairly remote territory of his."


    Supreme Alpha¡­


    The title made Kace thought about his second brother and the moment when they were together, leaving inside the castle with their parents.


    It was a distance memory now¡­ once that Kace rarely visited again.


    "Eat this." Kace handed a sandwich to Lana.


    The girl didn''t need to be offered twice as she munched on it eagerly and the sight tugged something in Kace''s heart that he hated to admit it.


    Well, but Kace had to say that the girl was a strong one, physically and mentally. She managed to survive this far on her own, as expected of the high rank born.


    And with Lana ended her story about the Donovan''s fairytale, the rest of their journey was filled with silence, there was only rare occasion when Hope would wake up and cry or did her business as a baby¡­


    ==============


    Just like how Kace and Serefina had expected, they arrived in the mystic river village almost very late at night and the two girls were sleeping.


    The baby on the back seat pouted her lips and clenched her fist around her brown teddy bear while the girl in the front seat curled her body in fetal position, but the moment the car engine was stopped grumbling, her eyes snapped opened. The sharp gaze on her brown eyes skimmed her surrounding in alert.


    Kace was way too familiar with that gesture. She had been in constant danger before this, of course her sense grew tenth times better.


    "We are here." Kace stopped her wondering- confusion look and opened the car door to retrieve Hope from her infant safety seat as Serefina had half- way toward a foyer of the house in front of them.


    Her house.


    Kace expected not less than this fancy building from the witch. For as long as he could see, this was the most exquisite house that he had seen in this village.


    Such a bold building¡­


    Mystic river village was a village at the foot of the mountain that surrounded by trees and forest.


    Two hundred years ago, when the last time Kace was in this village, the people here would believe that they should make human sacrifice to appease the God of the mountain.


    Well, Kace laughed hard at that bullsh*t, because he knew it better that those odd belief had something to do with the people in northern coven.


    The other realm behind the forest of that pine trees. The sacred and forbidden place for the villagers.


    In the past, Kace didn''t have to be worried about that, but now when the witch determined for his mate to live here, of course this issue would be his concern.


    "Let me bring the bag." Lana was quick on her feet when she approached Kace and tugged on the blue backpack that he carried while holding baby Hope.


    "It''s okay." Kace didn''t give the backpack to Lana as he strode into the house.


    Apparently, the witch had kept this place clean even after so long. Magically.


    "There are five rooms. You can use any room that you want." Serefina strode into the room on the first room near the living room. "But, don''t ever knock on my door or disturb me if there is nothing important."


    The witch yawn and slammed shut the door. This long trip was really taking toll on her, so did Kace.


    With baby Hope in his arms, he sniffed the air and strode toward the second bedroom on the left side of the house.


    "You hear her. Find your own room." With that was being said, Kace sauntered across the living room toward the direction of his bedroom, leaving the bewildered Lana alone.


    Just like that? They were leaving her there alone just like that?


    The little girl stared at the entrance door that still opened wide. She couldn''t help but frown by the two people ignorance.


    Whether it was the two of them were too strong, so they feared nothing, or they were just too reckless to begin with.


    But, Lana inclined to the former reason.


    Leaving the door opened was an invitation for unwanted guest to come, but knowing what kind of the unwanted guest that would come to chase people like Serefina and Kace, Lana thought a single door wouldn''t stop them.


    Thus, it was only a futile attempt to seek for safety behind the close door.


    Nonetheless, Lana strode toward the door, closed and locked it before she turned around to take this beautiful house into her eyes. It had been long time for her to sleep well, on a real bed.


    Maybe this time, she could have it¡­


    ==============


    "Are you going to let her stay?" Serefina crossed her arms as her expression turned dark.


    The sun barely reached the horizon when Kace and Serefina were having their own discussion inside the kitchen.


    "She can help you." Kace yawned and stretched his body as a satisfying cracking sound could be heard from his bones.


    "Like what? Cleaning the room?" Serefina raised her eyebrows. "Or, taking care of your mate? I wouldn''t mind for the last one."


    Kace frowned when Serefina mentioned it. He took a pity on the little girl, but not trusted her enough to take care of Hope.


    "Don''t you dare to leave them both." Kace spoke in threatening tone.


    Serefina didn''t seem to care as she shrugged her shoulder. "You will be away to know that." There was a surprised look on Kace''s expression, but before he could say anything, Serefina had cut him off. "One visit for every year. That is our deal." She reminded him.


    Kace''s eyes hardened as he clenched his jaw and talked through his gritted teeth. "You seem to really enjoy separating a mate."

 Chapter 415 - A WARNING

    Serefina rolled her eyes upon hearing his statement. "I find that is amusing." She answered off- handedly.


    "You trust her easily." Serefina brewed two cup of coffee and gave it one for Kace.


    "I don''t." He took the cup and ran his fingers on the edge of it. "But, I know she didn''t lie." When she talked about her past. He didn''t voice out the last part.


    Kace has his own way to know when people lied to his face.


    "When you will get over with it? It had been centuries since the war." Serefina grumbled as she sat down on the couch beside him. "I don''t understand you."


    Kace let out a dark chuckle as he gave her a wink. "Don''t worry, you are not the only one."


    "I heard your voice last night." Serefina blew her hot coffee slowly.


    The question sounded harmless, but it managed to drop his calm mask from his usual easy- going demeanor.


    It was only a handful people who knew about this thing and, unfortunately, Serefina was one of the ''that people''.


    Voice, wasn''t a right word to use for what the witch heard last night, the wailing sound that she heard was so loud, sharp and short, it was actually woke her up.


    Out of the three Donovan, the great war had taken a toll on Kace more than his other brothers'' had.


    More or less, Serefina knew what the reason, but she needed to confirm it just to be one hundred percent sure about her theory.


    "You can''t leave in the future if the sin from the past keeps weighing you down." The witch commented casually.


    Kace shut his mouth and didn''t have anything to say for the next ten minute that filled with silence between them until a light steps could be heard in the corridors.


    "Morning." Lana rubbed her sleepy eyes as her voice sounded like a grumble, as if the day had come early and upset her because she needed time to sleep more.


    None of the Lycan and witch who replied at her greeting, yet the little girl didn''t mind it in the slightest as she started to roam around the kitchen and made breakfast for the three of them.


    In reality, there was nothing that she could find except a box of oatmeal that was enough for the three of them.


    A moment later, three bowls of oatmeal were served before their eyes. Lana took a seat in front of Kace on the bar stool kitchen and enjoyed the breakfast, didn''t care about the stares that she received from the two people in front of her.


    "Well, I think you have a little bit useful now." Serefina spooned the oatmeal and brought it to her lips before she smelled it first.


    "I told you that it would be your loss if you don''t bring me with you." Serefina rolled her eyes dramatically upon hearing this statement. "You don''t have anything there, I think you should go to buy some ingredients." Lana spooned a mouthful of oatmeal before she continued to talk. "Give me money and I will fill your fridge, then you don''t have to worry about meal."


    "I think I will drop you to the nearby pack on my way." Kace murmured against his oatmeal.


    Lana dropped her spoon and stared wide eyes at Kace. "Why?!" Her question came out harsher than she intended to. "I have pledge my loyalty to you."


    Kace waved his hand, dismissing that statement. "I don''t accept that, don''t you know how the loyalty work? I am not an Alpha and I don''t have a pack to run, neither I intended to have one."


    Lana scrunched her nose in disgust as she retorted. "You told me about it before and though I don''t believe it that one of the Donovan is in front of me right now, eating a bowl of oatmeal that I made, I still pledge my loyalty to you." She said with determination.


    This time it was Kace turned to drop his spoon, the way Lana talked about him as if he was some kind of magnificent being that fell from his grace.


    This girl sure had a sharp tongue like the witch.


    "You saved me. That was enough reason for me to follow you." Lana resumed eating her breakfast, leaving no room for argumentation.


    "Wow." Serefina widened her eyes, amused by the girl''s attitude and the way she handle the conversation with Kace. "I think I like her a little now."


    Serefina was always a fan of this kind of behavior; bold, fearless and resolute. Just like her.


    Kace groaned. "You like her just because she managed to upset me."


    "No, actually if she promises to take care of everything that I don''t have time to handle, I will consider accepting her as my apprentice." Serefina shrugged her shoulder. "Especially, if I will always have breakfast every morning."


    Lana glared at the witch, but it didn''t cease the pompous smile that etched on her lips.


    "I don''t follow your order." Lana growled.


    "Such a hot blood you are¡­" Serefina clicked her tongue, but there was not hostility in her tone. "I bet you will change that statement in the near future."


    "I will not test that statement if I were you." Kace raised his bowl and finished the oatmeal in one go before he raised on his feet and strolled out of the kitchen. "I will check on Hope."


    The baby supposed to be awake at this hour.


    Lana tilted her head and stared at the retreating back of the character in her fairytale. "Why he is so inclined toward the baby?"


    This was something that Lana couldn''t understand and as the young blood of the shifter, her curiosity got the best of her before the warning from Serefina came.


    "Don''t try to find out about it if he doesn''t explain anything to you." Serefina also finished her bowl and stood up. "He has a bipolar personality, but I will assure you that he will kill you without much of hesitation the moment he sees you as a threat for the baby."

 Chapter 416 - WHAT IS YOUR TRUE INTENTION?

    "What the baby for him?" Lana asked as if Serefina didn''t inform her anything just a second ago.


    "Curiosity killed the cat." Serefina quipped.


    "I am a wolf, not a cat." Lana put down her spoon too and looked at Serefina with her placid brown eyes.


    There was something in her that reminded the witch about the younger version of her. Herself, who didn''t care about the world and did everything that her heart desire until her heart was no longer belong to her, when her heart was beating for someone else. For him¡­


    "Good. I will be glad if you know your place." Serefina then left the room, leaving the girl was still in daze.


    ==============


    "What are you doing hiding there?" Kace spoke without even raised his head from the baby in front of him.


    Apparently, he just bathed Hope and put on a beautiful yellow dress on her while the baby giggling and gushing on the bed.


    Lana, whose curiosity was brewing on the back of her head, couldn''t help but wanted to know more about the baby, which Kace was very possessive of.


    "I bring a bottle of milk for the baby." Lana had thought about it, just in case she was being caught staring like this.


    Pushing the door opened she walked into the room with a bottle of warm milk in her hand as she handed it to Kace once she was standing beside the bed.


    "Thank you." The lycan didn''t immediately give the bottle to Hope, who was reaching out her stubby arms on her meal eagerly, but he poured some of the milk on the back of his hand and licked it.


    After he taste it and felt there was nothing wrong, only then he dared to give it to the baby, who nipped on it happily.


    "You know how to make a bottle of milk for a baby." This fact didn''t go unnoticed by Kace. "How old are you?"


    "I used to have little cousin and occasionally would make it for him." Lana replied, still standing beside the bed while looking at Hope with her curios gaze. "I am fifteen."


    fifteen¡­


    Age for shifter indeed worked in different way from human, but her appearance that looked like twelve years old girl still made Kace frowned.


    "You don''t look like you are in your fifteen." Kace voiced out his confusion as he ran his blue ocean eyes on the girl. "You look younger."


    Lana shrugged. "Maybe because my mother was a fae."


    Kace raised his eyebrows upon hearing that confession. He had never heard that werewolf was mated to fae, yet he had never really cared about something like that.


    "What is her name?" Lana sat down on the other side of the bed as Kace''s alert eyes followed her every moves.


    It wasn''t that Lana didn''t realize that Kace became tense when she was close to the baby, but she was careless about that as her eyes locked on the baby.


    Why the great Lycan was babysitting this weak creature? A human baby on top of that. Did he not have another interesting activities to do?


    Yet, Lana kept that thought for herself as she reached out her hand to touch the baby.


    However, she had not yet managed to touch a single hair of her when Kace''s big hand grabbed her wrist. "Her name is Hope." It was like a low warning growl to keep Lana''s hand from Hope.


    "Nice name." Lana commented, drew back her hand before Kace decided to snap it. What the witch said was right. The great Lycan was very protective. "Is she your baby? But, she is not a shifter."


    Though Hope was only a baby, but another shifter could feel their own kind the moment they laid their eyes on them.


    "My baby?" Kace reiterated her question and a gruff laugh as loud as a ringing bell echoed through the room. "Yes, she is my ''baby''."


    Lana''s frown deepened when she heard that. Why she felt there was another meaning behind his words?


    "But, you don''t have mate." She blurted out without even thinking about the statement that just passed her lips. "I heard it that Donovans didn''t have mate."


    What Lana said kill the light atmosphere that was created by Kace laugh, because now the Lycan was crossing his arms in front of his sturdy chest as he observed the girl a little bit more serious.


    "You really had to watch mouth of yours." His voice wasn''t loud, but it carried warning and hostility in his tone. "I don''t know how you grew up, but I think, even the Gamma''s family will teach you some manner."


    Lana''s brown eyes snapped at Kace and they remained in staring contest for a minute before Lana dropped her gaze.


    "I lied." She said in low voice.


    "Figures." Kace nodded.


    At first, he trusted her words, but when he thought about it again and watched the way she carried herself, it was most likely some of her story was lie, if it wasn''t all.


    "So?" Kace prodded, he took Hope and cradled her in his arms carefully.


    "I didn''t lie when I say that the pack was attacked by vampires or the rest of the story." Lana''s eyes remained at the baby on Kace''s strong arms. "I lied when I said I was the Gamma daughter."


    Kace didn''t understand that, but remained silence, waiting for her to explain.


    "I was omega in the pack, because my mother is not from your kind." Lana started. "She left me with my werewolf father and never come to see me again."


    Omega¡­


    Kace was unsure there was a pack that still regarded someone for that title. As far as he knew, that position had long been removed from their hierarchy.


    "I know what you think about it." Lana shrugged her shoulder. "They gave me that position as a form to ridicule me." There was a fleeting of anger in those brown eyes.


    "I don''t care about that, I just want to know your true intention."

 Chapter 417 - CROSS HEART

    "I don''t care about that, I just want to know your true intention." Kace cut her off in the middle of her explanation and instead gazed at her sharply.


    If she was treated badly in her pack, it made sense why she didn''t look for the other pack to take her in for the fear they would treat her the same.


    That was why she was so adamant to refuse Kace from taking her to those pack earlier.


    But, that was her problem, while the only thing that concern Kace was her true intention now. If she was going to be near his mate, she had to gain his trust completely.


    "Since the attack, I have been looking for my mother, the fae." Lana let out disgruntled voice as she explain. "The last thing that I know about her that she is living in the northern coven."


    "I will not go there." Kace stated. "But, you free to go."


    Lana let out a frustration sigh before she spoke again. "No. That is not the point." She ran her fingers through her disheveled brown hair that tumbled on her shoulder. "I was looking for my mother just because I have no one. Despite the harsh environment in my old pack, but I have a place for me to sleep and eat."


    Kace would have never thought that this stubborn and rather brutish girl has a very simple mind. She just wanted to belong to something or someone or whatever¡­


    Well, that was a pure instinct of shifter, especially werewolf and Lycan, because of that same reason they created a pack for them. Because of the feeling to belong to something¡­


    But, for a rogue like Kace, he doubted he wanted something like that. He didn''t want that kind of feeling, the responsibility to tie him.


    Because the expanse of losing someone that was so dear to him was something that he couldn''t handle well.


    Meanwhile, Hope was different case. She was different reason and entity for Kace¡­


    Someone that he would gladly laid his heart open just to ensure her safety, yet she was safe enough now; gurgling and gushing every now and then, and slept away most of time.


    Even only little, Kace realized that the baby had gained some weight, though for him she was as light as a feather.


    "So, my point is¡­" Lana straightened her back with determination on her face. "I was serious when I said that I pledged my loyalty to you."


    It didn''t matter for her if Kace wasn''t an Alpha, as long as she could be part of this little group, she didn''t mind it.


    "Hm¡­" Kace didn''t shift his attention from the baby in his arms as he nodded. "You can do anything as you please, but don''t touch her."


    "Don''t touch her?" Lana raised an eyebrow at that statement. "But, who will take care of her when you left?"


    Kace didn''t need to look at the smug smile on her lips when she talked as if she had known everything. What a little brat she was¡­


    Apparently she had eavesdropped the conversation between him and Serefina.


    "Do I give you permission?" Kace bit back. "You have not yet gained my trust, little girl."


    "I am loyal to you." Lana was adamant with her words. She even huffed exasperatedly.


    Kace didn''t bother to reply to Lana as he was fascinated by the baby gentle touch when she played with a lock of his dark hair.


    "Well, I can ensure your loyalty if you don''t mind."


    All of sudden, Serefina''s voice rang inside the room that made Lana jumped and was in defense position, it was her instinct to be alerted by this kind of surprise.


    However, on the other hand, Kace didn''t even flinch when he heard that, he was used by Serefina''s intrusion after all.


    "What do you mean?" Kace asked, but it was only a formality because he was so careless about any of that. "I thought you don''t want her to be here."


    Serefina shrugged her shoulder. "Don''t get me wrong, but I have zero experience when it came about children."


    "That was why, I will not leave." Kace tugged Hope''s small hand away from him as he raised his head to look at the witch, who was standing against the window, so the glow from the sunrays fell on her background, making her looked like an angel who radiated a light in her presence.


    Whether she realized it or not, but Kace was positive that Serefina did that on purpose.


    He frowned. This lunatic witch was always full of herself¡­


    "You have to leave in order to distract your dear brother''s people." Serefina didn''t budge with their deal before. "The longer you are here, the easier for them to find all of this."


    Regardless of everything, there was weird connection between their kind, especially with royal blood that ran down their veins.


    A hunter, though extremely difficult, would eventually catch a wind about Kace whereabouts.


    That was why, Serefina didn''t want Kace to stay for long time here. Before, no one would have thought that they would hide near the northern coven, hence she wanted to keep it that way.


    "What do you suggest?" Lana asked pompously, she was certain that she would give her all to gain Kace''s trust.


    She had been living under such environment before, thus she wouldn''t let this chance slipped away.


    "You will learn how to talk to me with much manner young girl." Serefina curled her lips dangerously while Kace could only sigh.


    The lycan was able to see what kind of people that his mate would grow up with¡­ he just hopped his little baby wouldn''t take after any of the two.


    "I don''t follow your order." Lana snapped. "I follow him."


    "Okay girls, let''s settle this." Kace put down baby Hope and crossed his thick arms in front of his sturdy chest. "What do you want to do?" he nodded at Serefina, totally ignoring the hard stare that both of them gave him because of the word ''girl''.


    "Cross heart." Serefina said with malice in her tone.

 Chapter 418 - THE OATH

    "NO!" Kace immediately objected Serefina''s idea. He jumped on his feet and towered over Serefina, his action made the baby startled and started to cry. "DON''T YOU DARE TO TOUCH HER!"


    Kace roared at Lana, who was about to reach baby Hope in order to calm the crying baby. However, Kace''s harsh tone forced her to retreat and took a few steps back until her back hit the wall behind when she watched how Kace''s blue eyes shifted into his dark color.


    Despite the anger that bubbled in his chest, the way he carried baby Hope in his arms was so gentle and thoughtful.


    "Don''t you think I will allow that!?" Kace glared at Serefina, trying hard to suppress his anger.


    "Calm down." Serefina didn''t even flinch when Kace glowered at her. "I have not explained about it yet."


    "That is dark magic Serefina!" Kace admonished her. "I will not allow you to do anything with dark magic to my mate!"


    Mate¡­


    That one word that slipped from Kace''s lips didn''t go unnoticed by Lana. So, the baby is his mate? But¡­ wasn''t the Donovan cursed by the moon goddess herself?


    In the heated situation, Lana didn''t dare to inquire such a thing out loud. But this little information made everything made sense for her, the way Kace was being overprotective to the baby was akin to someone would do to their mate.


    "Now one more soul knew about it." Serefina nodded her head at Lana casually. "Don''t give me that blank expression, I know you heard it."


    Lana''s blank expression, she was trying so hard that she didn''t hear the mishap in Kace''s statement, now hardened.


    She held Serefina''s gaze and bravely admitted it. "So, why? I have pledged my loyalty to Kace, it is not a matter for me to know one or two of his secret." She said arrogantly.


    "Wow, such a loyal person that you get here, Kace." Serefina clicked her tongue mockingly.


    "You. Shut. Up." Kace tried to reign his anger. Serefina had annoyed him by saying that she would use dark magic on Hope, he didn''t need this little fella to add fuel to the fire. She wouldn''t be able to handle the flame.


    "Oh, come on!" Serefina shifted her attention to the livid Lycan in front of her, yet with the crying baby in his arms, the witch was one hundred percent sure he wouldn''t dare to shift into his beast, moreover to attack her, thus her arrogant face was still on display. "I know that is a dark magic, but not all dark magic will work badly."


    Serefina''s statement regarded by a low, deep and menacing growl the back throat of the Lycan.


    Cross heart.


    It was a dark magic, an oath, which would tie down both party by blood. Kace didn''t know exactly how it worked, but like most of the supernatural creatures, everything that related with dark magic wasn''t something that would end well.


    The worse part of it, was the fact that the blood that both parties should draw was coming from the blood from the heart.


    What was that even mean? She would cut the baby''s chest open?


    The notion of it alone made the beast that resided within him wanted to claw the witch''s face. Sometime Kace didn''t know what was going on in Serefina''s mind.


    She was too absurd to be understood.


    "I don''t care how less- bad it will be, I will not allow you to hurt her!" Kace bit back, his harsh tone made Hope crying even more. Her face turned red and her breath became ragged.


    Kace was terrified because of this, he had never seen Hope was crying until like this. He was afraid she couldn''t breathe as she choked on her tears.


    "Serefina¡­ what should I do¡­" Kace''s angry tone dropped to the anxious one when he tried to make Hope stopped crying. "Don''t cry please¡­ I am not angry with you¡­ I am not angry¡­ I will not shout again, I promise¡­ please¡­"


    Kace tried to coax the baby, yet Hope determined to cry until her tears dried and this scared the hell out of him.


    Serefina rolled her eyes and walked lazily toward Kace, as she was standing right in front of the baby, she stretched out her hand and touched the baby''s cheek.


    Straight away, her action made the baby stopped crying and closed her eyes as if she was falling asleep.


    However, this made the lycan became more frantic.


    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?!" Kace roared at Serefina, his eyes shifted from black to blue back and forth before they remained blue, though they were a few shade darker.


    "Relax!" Serefina snapped back at him and glowered angrily, she was enough to be shouted at. "She is sleeping now! I put her to sleep!"


    Even before Serefina finished her words, Kace had put his finger under Hope''s tiny nose, only when he felt the warm breath that brushed against his skin, he could relax a bit.


    His tensed muscles slowly relax as he hugged the small baby protectively, pressing her body against him to feel her heartbeat, too afraid that the pounding on her little chest would stop.


    "She will wake up without losing anything! Healthy and happy!" Serefina said dramatically, yet Kace ignored it as his eyes shot the witch an angry stare. "Alright, we have to go to business."


    Serefina clapped her hand as if it was a sign to dismiss the matter about the sleeping Hope, but once again Kace objected it.


    "No!" He tried to make his voice as deep as he could, but he couldn''t help the distress, which laced in his tone. "I will not allow you to hurt her! I will throw her away if I have to!"


    Kace glared at Lana, whose back pressed against the wall flatly.


    Serefina let out a tired sigh. "I didn''t say it has to be Hope''s blood. The oath could be taken by the two of you."

 Chapter 419 - ONE YEAR OLD

    Thick of ice had melted when seeds took root and vegetation began to grow, afterward temperatures increased before it became cool again when autumn came along with the fall of the leaves and the plants began to grow dormant¡­


    A certain man, as beautiful as the fallen leaves and as cold as the winter season, walked determinedly toward the most exquisite house in that area.


    His thick arms full with many presents and bags, yet it didn''t bother him even the slightest, if anything, he looked more radiant than usual.


    When he was already in the foyer, the door of the house had been opened by someone from inside.


    "I can smell you from miles away." A sarcastic comment rang in Kace''s ears, but he only grinned when Serefina stepped aside.


    The witch didn''t even offer him a help when Kace stumbled inside the house with his presents.


    "Where is her? Where is her?" Kace almost jumped in excitement when he heard a giggling sound that came closer.


    Once he was inside the house, the Lycan put down everything that he had been carried and rushed to find the source of the happiness that bubble in his chest only by hearing her sound.


    Kace didn''t need to look for his Hope for long time, because a girl, around the age that looked like twelve, had brought the giggling little fella toward him.


    It had been a year since the last time Kace met her and now the hair on her head has already grown beautifully.


    Dark, as dark as her eyes just like the placid night sky. Looked so serene, yet mysterious and captivating.


    The smile on her face was enough to outshine the sun out there, filled the Lycan''s life full with bliss and happiness that he had never really felt before.


    It was something amazing that how a little giggle from her could change how he saw his own life. Fascinating, isn''t it?


    "My Hope! My little star! My baby!" Kace raised the baby as high as his arms length and spun on his heels, made the baby giggle even more.


    "Oh my moon! You have three teeth!" Kace squalled and hugged Hope to inspect her more. "No, you have four! Wow!"


    On the other hand, Serefina didn''t find a little change on Hope amazing at all. What was so surprising for having four teeth? She couldn''t understand the way Kace reacted toward that small detail.


    "Could she run?" Kace didn''t even bother with Serefina''s snarky comment, or maybe he didn''t have much interest to hear the grumbling witch spewed her sarcasm everywhere.


    "She could walk a few steps." Lana generously replied his question.


    "Could she talk?" the Lycan''s blue ocean eyes glued on the baby as if he couldn''t tore his gaze away from her being.


    "Just some incoherent words." Lana shrugged and then walked to take all the presents that Kace had bought for his little mate.


    "Oh! My Hope had grown so big already!" Kace squalled once again. "I will bring you to the town and we can buy something nice, okey!?"


    "No." Serefina cut his idea icily. "I have told you that she can''t go out of this house until she turned five."


    Kace, of course, had completely forgotten about that. The big lycan pouted his lips as a frown formed on his forehead.


    "Five years?" Kace reiterated dramatically. "That means I have to wait for another four years until I can actually bring her to amus.e.m.e.nt park?"


    "That''s our deal." Serefina reminded him again and the big man could only sighed in defeat.


    However, that little fact didn''t dampen his mood for long time, because in the next second, Kace had crawled back to the presents that he had bought for Hope.


    It was all toy and beautiful dresses, some accessories and a lot more things that Serefina couldn''t figure out what kind of things that Kace had brought.


    Even the dresses that he would occasionally send to this house, were still hanging perfectly, didn''t have a chance yet to wear.


    "I told you, I will not bring any of those things when we moved four years from now." Serefina warned him.


    "It''s alright, I can buy another thing for her all over again." Kace didn''t mind, because everything for her girl had to be something new and exquisite.


    Serefina rolled her eyes upon this statement. Of course, the witch wouldn''t doubt it if someone told her that Kace had just bought out the entire store.


    Kace neither an Alpha king like Jedrek, who own a castle, nor he was the supreme Alpha like torak, who own a business empire, but become immortal being had it own peak as there was many way to stash an abundant of wealthiness.


    "Come here baby." Kace walked three steps back and squatted down as he waved his hand to Hope, who was looking at him.


    Hope blinked her curios eyes at the sparkling object in Kace''s hand, crouching down and crawling toward him.


    "Good, come here¡­ come here¡­" Kace caught his baby before she could bump onto his knees and put her on his laps. "Look, I have something for you¡­"


    Kace opened the red box with black ribbon on top of it and pulled a sparkling object from inside the box.


    It was a necklace with white pendant hang on its string. The pendant was a shape of a little moon, white full moon.


    "Do you like it?" Kace let the pendant fell in front of Hope as he held the strings, "This is your birthday presents."


    Hope stretched out her hand as she tried to catch the sparkling object. Kace let her grabbed it and played with it before he put the necklace around her neck and kissed her forehead. "Happy birthday my dear Hope!" Kace beamed when Hope hugged him.


    And just like that, Kace spent the rest of the day played with the birthday girl, as he tried to make Hope call his name that Serefina found that was a ridiculous effort.

 Chapter 420 - TWO YEARS OLD

    "Ka¡­ ce¡­"


    A big man was sitting on the grass with a little girl, blinking her eyes and tilting her head as she listened to him.


    "Ka¡­ ce¡­" Kace reiterated his name, moved his lips exaggeratedly as he tried to make the baby followed his lead, but Hope just stared blankly at him and frowned. "Kace. Said my name baby."


    The big lycan was almost crying to teach his little mate to say his name. He had spent two hours just by doing this.


    "Don''t be ridiculous, you idiot." Serefina''s words were a mocking taunt for the Lycan''s effort. "You should stop it."


    "Why?" Kace whined in frustration. "She could say your name and Lana, but why she couldn''t say my name?"


    "Because you just meet her again and she is still confused with you." Serefina grumbled.


    The witch was sitting on the chair near at the terrace of her backyard house, where Kace was trying to teach the poor little girl to call his name.


    "Give it up. She will call you if she wants." Serefina added, drinking something from her tacky yellow glass.


    "But, why?" Kace howled childishly as he watched Hope walked away from him and raised her arms, asking to be carried when she saw Lana was approaching them.


    To be ignored like this¡­ It was so painful¡­


    "I think she forgets about you." Lana picked Hope up and carried her as the little girl buried her face on the crook of the girl''s neck.


    Lana looked slightly older than the last time Kace was there, not only that, she would definitely grow into a beautiful woman someday.


    But of course the Lycan didn''t realize it because all of his focus was on his little Hope.


    Even now, he was burned with jealousy when Lana could be so close to Hope and made the little girl walked toward her for protection, instead of him and it was very annoying to see¡­


    "How she can forget about me? I had bought all of those things so she could remember me¡­" Kace wailed and then he snapped his head toward Serefina, staring in accusation at her. "Did you spell her? To forget about me?"


    Serefina rolled her eyes upon that absurd idea of his. "I don''t have time for that." She said matter of factly.


    Lana threw a disdain look to the witch. What a pathetic excuse that she spewed. Serefina was literally, absolutely, had neglected her responsibility on taking care of Hope.


    If Lana wasn''t there, she couldn''t imagine how the baby would survive under that ignorance woman care.


    "Baby¡­ why are you forgetting meeee¡­.?" Kace wailed in despair, he rose to his feet and trudged toward Hope, but his expression made Hope startled and buried her little face on the crook of Lana''s shoulder. "Huhuhuhu¡­ my baby is forgetting me¡­"


    "Shut up Kace!" Serefina snapped, annoyed by the wailing sound that the big guy produced. It didn''t suit him at all!


    Seeing the situation had turned like this, Lana took a deep breath. She thought, she was the one who would be so immature in this small group of weird people, yet, as it turned out, she was the one who mature enough to handle the situation.


    Especially, when the witch did nothing except yelling at the overgrown Lycan, who acted childishly upon the rejection of two years old toddler.


    "You can''t startle her like that." Lana explained, trying to make the Lycan stopped wailing and pouting, as he looked at her in jealousy.


    "So, what shoud I dooooo?" Kace stared at the back of Hope''s head as she clutched onto Lana''s neck for dear life, just like a baby panda.


    He wanted in Lana position.


    "Let''s get inside first." Lana led the way to go back to their house with Kace in tow, following her eagerly.


    Meanwhile, before the three of them entered the house, Serefina shouted. "I will go for awhile and return tomorrow," She locked her eyes on Kace as she added. "When I come back, I want you to leave this house."


    Kace scoffed and let out a deep growl upon that harsh comment, "she forget about me, maybe I should stay longer here."


    "Well, it''s alright. But, when your dear friend come to visit, I hope you know what you should do." Serefina shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly.


    "I have distracted them far away from this place." Kace retorted. "It will be fine if I stay for another one or two days."


    He had tried to bring those chaser and hunter away, so far from this place and yet, he just had a day to be together with Hope?!


    Serefina wouldn''t know how much Kace missed his baby girl!


    However, when he was here, his baby girl forgot about him!


    Ugh!


    How ironic was that?


    "Fine. If you really wanted to risk her life, I am good with that." Serefina''s comment hit the right spot, as he couldn''t find a word to rebuke her.


    Grumpily, the Lycan walked inside and slammed the door shut. He didn''t say anything when he followed Lana and Hope into the house.


    Lana led him into another room that apparently was decorated as playground for Hope. There were many toys there and most of them were the toys that Kace would send here occasionally.


    Hope took a doll that as big as herself, it was a customized white wolf doll that Kace sent it here eight months ago, so she would remember him.


    "That is her favorite." Lana explained.


    That explanation made the certain lycan beamed in happiness, washed away all the sorrow that he felt earlier.


    Kace approached Hope carefully and sat down in front of her. "Do you like it?" His voice was very gentle and drew Hope''s attention toward him.


    She blinked and nodded her head, hugging her white wolf doll close to her.


    "May I know what is it?" Kace caressed her soft black hair as the white pendant shone under the sunlight.


    Hope grinned and answered his question. "Wuulf."

 Chapter 421 - THREE YEARS OLD

    "NO!" Kace''s heart skipped a beat as he rushed toward a certain little girl, who was trying to climb the stairs the moment no one saw her.


    Lana walked out of her room when she heard Kace cried and found the big guy was carrying Hope to get down from the stairs.


    "Why she likes to climb the stairs?!" Kace tugged his hair in frustration as he saw Lana on the second floor, staring down at him and Hope.


    "I don''t know. She just likes it." Lana shrugged her shoulder and walked back to her room, there was something that she had to finish because Serefina needed it this evening. "I will be in my room if you need me." She said before turned on her heel and left the two people there.


    "I want stairs!" Hope tried to wriggle her small body from Kace''s grip, but it was definitely a futile attempt. "Bad brother! Climb!" Hope pounded her small fist on Kace''s chest because he didn''t let her go.


    "No! It''s dangerous!" Kace objected and carried her to the kitchen. He was making a lunch for Hope when the baby girl rushed out of the kitchen. "And I am not a bad guy."


    "Bad! Bad!" Hope kept pounding her small fist on Kace and started to cry.


    "You will fall." Kace sighed helplessly, he didn''t like it when his baby girl was about to cry like this. "You have to eat."


    "No eating." Hope covered her mouth with both of her hands and shook her head as her pigtail swung with her movement. "No eating."


    "No, you have to eat." Kace put her down on her chair and brought the bowl that filled with cereal in front of her. "Eat, okay?"


    Yet, the little girl frowned and stared at Kace with her teary eyes while pouting her lips, ready to cry her heart out.


    "No. No. No. don''t cry¡­" Kace became panic and squatted down in front of her. "Sst¡­ sst¡­"


    However, the more anxious Kace became, the more tears that spilled from her beautiful eyes until her cry echoed inside the kitchen.


    "Lana¡­ Lana¡­" Hope sobbed pitifully until her face turned red.


    Seeing his mate was crying, Kace tried to coax her and wiped away her tears. "LANA! LANA!" Even Kace cried out to call the other girl.


    "What? Why? What happened?" the sounds of Lana footsteps could be heard when she rushed down the stairs and ran on the corridor.


    The first scene that she watched was; Hope, who was crying with tears streaming down her cheeks and Kace, who seemed about to cry too.


    "What is going on here?" Lana was confused.


    "Lana¡­" Hope raised both of her arms, asking the girl to carry her. "Climb¡­" She said between her sobs.


    Lana immediately approached the little girl and picked her up from her chair. "What happened to her?"


    "She wants to climb the stairs¡­ but, it''s dangerous." Kace pouted and grimaced when Hope didn''t even want to see him.


    "Why is she like that?" Kace spoke pitifully. "Why she doesn''t like me? I just don''t want her to be hurt¡­"


    At this moment, Lana really wanted to face- palm herself because she couldn''t understand, how the legendary Kace Donovan, who managed to survive the great war and led their kind along with his two other brothers, managed to act all pitiful, childish and over sensitive like right now.


    Just because the rejection of three years old child.


    "Kace. Please. You don''t live up your name as the great Lycan." Lana glared at Kace. This man was totally clueless about how to handle his little mate.


    Well, Lana couldn''t blame him. Kace was only allowed to meet with Hope once a year and every time he came, Hope would forget about him.


    She was only a child after all.


    And Kace over protective nature didn''t help the case either. He would freak out about everything while Hope was an adventurous little child.


    Lana could already see it when Hope would always be curious about her surroundings.


    "Bad brother!" Hope cried on the crook of Lana''s shoulder.


    "Nooo¡­" Kace howled when he heard Hope''s words. "No, baby no¡­"


    Lana sent Kace a look that was saying; stay there.


    Kace, who was about to approach Hope and explain why he did not allow her to climb the stairs, as though Hope could understand him, stopped on his track and stood still obediently, watching as Lana coaxed her.


    "What do you want baby?" Lana caressed her back and nuzzled her head. The gesture that Kace envied.


    "Climb." Hope raised her head and pointed at the direction of the kitchen door, she wanted to climb the stairs.


    Indeed, this was her favorite now.


    "Alright, but after that, you have to eat." Lana tried to compromise with her


    "No." Hope shook her head and covered her mouth again.


    "If you don''t eat, then I will not let you climb the stairs." Lana''s expression turned stern.


    "Climb the stairs!" Hope pouted her lips, though her tears had stopped, but her long lashes still wet. She looked like a stubborn little girl now.


    "No eat, no climb the stairs." Lana also didn''t back down as she looked straight into her eyes. "Okey?"


    Hope lowered her eyes and snuggled into the crook of Lana''s shoulder as she replied sullenly. "Okey¡­"


    That little banter made Kace''s eyes wide in surprise. How Lana could have a conversation like that?


    "Do you want to ride a wolf?" Lana asked again and gave Kace a look.


    "Wuulf?" Hope raised her head again and bit her lips as she nodded excitedly before a smile bloomed on her face. "Hope wants wuulf!"


    "You can ask him. He can show you a wolf." Lana nodded at Kace, who was looking at her eagerly. "He can give you a wolf."


    Hope turned her attention toward Kace, thinking, while the later waiting for her reaction and the moment Hope raised her arms toward Kace, his heart swelled with happiness as he carried her.


    "Wuulf for Hope?"


    "I will give you everything, baby."

 Chapter 422 - FOUR YEARS OLD

    "Wolf!"


    The first thing that Kace heard the moment he stepped inside the house was the sound of his mate''s voice.


    The little girl ran along the corridor and opened her arms widely as she approached Kace.


    The smile on Kace''s face was so bright that put the sun into a shame. Out of instinct, Kace bent his body and caught her small body, which almost bumped onto him.


    "Hai, my baby girl!" Kace picked her up and raised her as high as his arms length that made Hope giggled excitedly.


    "Wolf!" Hope screamed. "High! High!"


    Kace spun on his heels a few times before he put Hope on his shoulder as the little girl grabbed his dark hair.


    Lana was standing not too far from them while Serefina, like the other time Kace''s visit, she was nowhere to be found.


    Yet, Kace didn''t care much about it. The witch must be taking care of something. The business that Kace didn''t want to know or got involved with.


    As long as Serefina kept this place protected and Hope was safe and sound, he didn''t mind at all, moreover Lana was always there, to take care of Hope.


    Only now Kace was able to see it, that took Lana with them had this much benefit. If it was only the witch, Kace was very sure that Hope would be neglected.


    "I want to see wolf." Hope laughed when Kace spun once again.


    "Don''t do that, she just had her meal." Lana warned Kace as she reached out her arms to carry Hope down from Kace''s shoulder.


    Yet, the baby refused and clutched on his hair even tighter. "No. Hope wants wolf!"


    Hearing that, Kace was beyond happy. The last three years when he visited Hope, she would forget about him and Kace would start all over again to approach her.


    However this year, Hope was actually waiting and running toward him. Kace was surprised, but very please nonetheless.


    It must be because last year, he had shifted right in front of Hope into his white beast, just like her favorite doll. That event must be deeply engraved in her mind and made her remembered him.


    Kace even let her to ride the white lycan and the beast was so elated as well.


    "Yeah! Hope wants wolf! Hope will get wolf!" Kace cooed, but he put her down, didn''t want to upset her little stomach because of what he did.


    At the side, Lana could only shake her head because of the Lycan''s antics and left both of them alone just like Kace''s previous visit, he would call her if he needed something.


    She had to finish the task that Serefina was given to her.


    On the other hand, Kace took Hope to the back yard and shifted into his beast, spending all day playing with Hope and let the little girl to pat him or tug his ears.


    There was a moment when Hope was running too fast and the beast was late to catch her, in the end she hurt herself.


    "Hope is hurt¡­" Hope whined as she showed the big wolf her dirty palms, which she used to support her body when she fell. "Hope dirty¡­"


    There was a small frown between her eyebrows when she looked at her beautiful dress got ruined. The beast nuzzled her hands and licked her palms.


    There were small cuts on it and that made the beast whimpered. He didn''t like it when she got hurt. No matter how small was it.


    Hope didn''t cry, but her glistening eyes indicating she would.


    However, when she felt the wet and warm tongue swept on her palms, it felt very ticklish as she giggled and drew back her hand.


    "It tickles." She hid her hand behind her back, but the smile on her face only last for a while because the moment she watched her dress again, she looked sad.


    "Let''s change your dress." Kace pat her head.


    Hope blinked her eyes when she watched Kace was squatting down on the same spot where the white wolf was there a second ago.


    She was still thinking that Kace and the white wolf were two different entities. But, she understood that whenever there was Kace, there would be the white wolf.


    "Wolf?" Hope tried to look over Kace''s shoulder as if the man before her eyes could hide the huge beast behind his back.


    "The wolf will come back to play with you again, but before that, let''s clean your wound first, okay?" Kace spoke softly at her.


    "Okay." Hope nodded and stretched out her arms, asking to be carried and Kace fulfilled her wish gladly.


    Hope wrapped her arms around Kace''s neck and buried her face on the crook of his shoulder as she smelled his scent. She liked it.


    This man smells like a chocolate, milk and cream which is so sweet and Hope likes it.


    Not to mention there was a tingling feeling every time she touched him, it wasn''t unpleasant feeling, but quite the opposite.


    Seeing the little girl warmed up with him, Kace sighed in relief, he caressed her back as he carried her inside the house.


    His steps were so light as he whistled, enjoying the moment.


    ==============


    After Kace cleaned her up and changed her clothes, Hope ran toward the table beside her bed and pulled a box out from there.


    "Hope wants hair braids." She gave the box toward Kace and hopped on the bed. She crawled and turned her long black hair to him.


    "Braids?" Kace was staring at the box in her hands that filled with colorful hairbands.


    "Hurry. Hurry. Hurry¡­" Hope urged him while hugging her white wolf doll.


    However, even after half an hour passed the braids that Hope wanted had not done yet. The little girl stared at Kace with scowl on her cute face.


    "I am sorry baby girl, but I don''t know how to do it¡­" Kace cowered under his mate sullen expression.


    He made a mental note to learn it.

 Chapter 423 - FIVE YEARS OLD

    "So, where will you go next?" Kace was braiding Hope''s hair skillfully while the little girl was playing with her white wolf doll and another doll that resemble her; long black hair, fair skin and eyes that were as beautiful as black tourmaline stone.


    "Red river city." Serefina didn''t shift her attention from the book that she was reading, flipping through the pages, she has been looking for something from that odd huge book, which looked so old.


    "What?" Kace snapped his head and gave Serefina a questioning look that demanded for answer. "That is Torak''s territory."


    "Exactly." Serefina murmured, still not taking away her eyes from the book on her laps.


    "No way!" Kace objected, his voice a little bit harsh and made Hope turned her head curiously, but when she saw he was smiling sweetly at her, the little girl resumed playing with her dolls again.


    Yet, the moment Hope didn''t see it, Kace''s expression turned rigid once again.


    "Why do you want to live in his territory?!" Kace hissed, trying to not raise his tone and startled Hope. "Why do you always take risks?!"


    "Why? Torak is not Jedrek, he didn''t give an order to hunt down your mate." Serefina answered casually as she leaned her back against the backrest of the sofa.


    "Yes." That was true but, "we don''t know if he wants a mate or not." Kace was trying to make his point across. "He has never shown any interest to find his mate and when he knows that Jedrek was crazy enough to issue an order to finish the resurrected of the guardian angel, he did nothing."


    "But that also doesn''t mean he agrees." Serefina countered.


    "So, do you want to gamble in this?" Kace could feel that this conversation would go nowhere except another complicated discussion.


    "I always win the bet." Serefina shrugged, glancing at Kace''s direction before she resumed perusing her book.


    "Tell me why do you insist to go to his territory?" Actually, rather than Jedrek, Kace would choose to deal with Torak. At least his second brother wasn''t as crazy as the first one.


    "The same reason why I chose this place five years ago." Serefina frowned because she couldn''t find whatever she was searching on her book.


    Kace tied the end of the braid of Hope''s hair and kissed her head as the girl touched her braided hair and a satisfied smile appeared on her lips before she resumed to play again.


    "Do you think Torak will not able to find you?" Kace questioned her.


    "Why he has to care about me? I will be his last priority." Serefina said in matter of fact tone.


    Torak was busy with his pack and his company, moreover Serefina and Torak couldn''t be said was in good terms, thus there was no reason for him to be alarmed by the witch visit.


    However, it didn''t mean that Serefina would come knocking on his territory with open arms and revealed herself. Of course, she wouldn''t do that.


    Serefina would stay in his territory without being noticed.


    "What if¡­" Kace was about to retort the witch''s statement when she cut him off icily and closed her book with irritation in her eyes.


    "Look!" Serefina glared at Kace. "I was the one who found her. I care about her being just like you do. do you think I will let her die after what I had been through to find her?"


    Well, though Serefina neglected Hope thoroughly and completely let Lana to take care of the little girl, but she would always ensure her safety.


    "Don''t be ridiculous, pup." Serefina sneered and Kace growled at her. "Moreover, Jedrek will be more careful in his brother''s territory, since both of them are very territorial."


    Despite Kace wasn''t one hundred percent agreed with Serefina''s idea, he disagreed with most of her idea though, but what she said was true.


    "She needs to go to school also." Serefina added.


    There was only one school in this area and Serefina didn''t want Hope''s presence drew unnecessary attention from people from northern coven.


    It was fine as long as she was inside this house, but out there, there would be more than a handful witches and vampires that would start to realize about her original.


    Being in Torak''s territory would be a better choice for now.


    ==============


    Kace put Hope on her bed after the little girl was tired enough chasing after his beast''s tail. It was her favorite. She would rub her face again his soft fur and giggled when it tickled her skin.


    The beast purred in delight when he felt his mate was happy.


    Kace tucked the blanket until her chin, put the wolf doll beside her and made sure the temperature in her room wasn''t too cool or hot, so she could sleep comfortably. He brushed away a lock of her hair and caressed her chubby cheeks.


    Kace was sure, he could stay all night just looking at her. Hope''s sleeping face was very serene that made Kace forgot all of his trouble.


    However, he had to go and when the night was getting dark, he walked out of Hope''s bedroom and walked inside his car before driving away from that house.


    There was no need to notify anyone about his leaving, because Serefina would know it the moment he stepped away from the foyer.


    However, the thing that Kace didn''t know was that a certain someone was staring at the car that he drove away.


    Lana was standing behind the window in the other room next to the leaving room, her brown eyes looked complicated.


    "Stop it."


    Lana nearly jumped in scared when all of sudden Serefina''s voice rang from behind her back.


    "What?!" She snapped at the witch as she turned her body to face her, whether it was because she felt guilty or surprised that caused her strong reaction.


    "I have been there and felt that. So, my gentle reminder for you; stop it."


    "I don''t know what you are talking about."


    "Of course you know."

 Chapter 424 - SIX YEARS OLD

    "Today is not her birthday. What are you doing here?" Serefina just woke up because she heard a noisy sound from outside of her bedroom.


    The three of them moved to red river city and bought a fancy apartment with four bedrooms. The witch wouldn''t settle with something that less than this though.


    They moved three months ago after taking care of all the doc.u.ments that they needed to stay in that city. Especially doc.u.ments for Hope to enroll her in school.


    "What am I doing here?" Kace was braiding Hope''s hair while the little girl was eating her breakfast. "Of course to see her on the first day of her school, right baby?"


    "Right!" Hope grinned at Kace excitedly. "Will I ride your wolf to school?"


    Serefina shot Kace a dagger look when she heard that. Kace had recklessly showed the beast to Hope and now, he had to deal with it so the little girl wouldn''t say anything.


    "Baby, don''t talk about wolf to other people, okay?" Kace ignored Serefina''s warning glare. He knew what he had to do and Hope was big enough to understand this.


    "But, why?" Hope tilted her head cutely, her long lashes fluttered like a butterfly and made Kace wanted to pinch her cheeks.


    "Because this is a secret." Kace put his forefinger in front of his lips. "This is a secret between the two of us."


    "But, why?" Hope wanted a detail explanation about why she couldn''t tell anything about the white wolf. She wanted to show it to her new friends.


    "Because¡­" Kace furrowed his eyebrows, trying to find a way to explain it to her. "Because if you tell anyone about the white wolf, then the white wolf doesn''t want to play with Hope again."


    Hope''s face turned sad when she heard that, but of course, there would be another question that she wanted to know. "But, why?"


    That single line of question was her favorite words recently. She had been asking about everything around her and would ask Lana or Serefina relentlessly.


    And now that line of question started to give the lycan a headache, yet he still loved the way it sounded from her nonetheless.


    "Because the white wolf is very shy and he doesn''t want to befriend with other child." Kace wiped away dripping sauce from the corner of Hope''s lips with his thumb.


    "But, I am also a child." Hope was being critical now. "But, white wolf wants to play with me."


    "Yes, because white wolf only like Hope. He doesn''t like to play with other children." Kace was very patient when he talked to her. "Moreover, your friend will not be able to see the white wolf."


    "But, why? I can see the white wolf." Hope''s eyes grew big with this information and Kace chuckled by how cute she looked now.


    "Because the white wolf belongs to Hope only, therefore, only Hope can see him, except from Serefina and Lana." Kace explained it softly.


    "But, I want to show the white wolf to my new friend." She pouted her lips as her fingers playing with her pendant.


    "I am sorry my dear, but white wolf doesn''t want it." Kace looked apologetic. "Okay?"


    Hope lowered her head, at first she was so happy when Kace came this morning, usually he would come after long time.


    And while Kace away, Hope couldn''t play with the white wolf.


    "After you return from school, let''s play with the white wolf shall we?" Kace persuaded the sullen Hope as he brushed his hands on her tender cheeks.


    Though the gaze on her eyes were still upset, but she nodded anyway. "Okay."


    "This is our secret, okay?" Kace asked again just to make sure his baby girl would slip a word about the wolf.


    "Okay."


    "Good girl, now finish your breakfast and I will drop you to your school." Kace kissed her forehead and stood up to face the annoying witch. "Let''s talk somewhere."


    Serefina rolled her eyes and let out an irritated sigh as she followed the lycan to the balcony.


    "What is it now? Are you using your chance to meet her next year, that''s why you are here?" Serefina didn''t bother to hide the fact that she was annoyed by seeing Kace now.


    "Stop that sarcastic comment, we have another important thing to deal with." Kace leaned his back against the rail.


    "What? I have enough trouble already, don''t you dare to add it on my plate." Serefina crossed her arms and glowered.


    "This is already on your plate witch." Kace bit back. This would be their usual bickering if she was in her mood swing, which was almost every time. "Beelzebub has been looking for Hope since our encountered six years ago."


    Gluttony was one of the seven devils. He wouldn''t let go his prey once he set his eyes on it, especially children and women.


    This past six years, Kace has been distracting Maximus about his whereabouts or Serefina and Hope, along with that, he was also chased after Beelzebub, yet she was so cunning and was hard to follow.


    Serefina didn''t look surprised when she heard that, it was indicating that she already knew it and it didn''t surprised Kace either.


    "What you will do about that?" Kace frowned.


    Since they were in this different territory and away from the protection of the spells from the northern coven, it would be easier for the devil to track down his mate, the thought only managed to boil Kace''s blood with anger.


    "You could do nothing about it." Serefina shrugged her shoulder and was regarded a hard look by Kace.


    "What do you mean we can''t do anything about it?" Kace was beyond annoyed by the witch ignorance attitude.


    "You can''t destroy Gluttony just because you want to, she and the other devils are different entity." Serefina twirled her hair, which had already grown very long until it reached her waist. It was time to cut it. "Have you forgotten about the real reason why the guardian angels are being resurrected?"

 Chapter 425 - SIX YEARS OLD (2)

    Of course not.


    Kace would never forget about what the cruel reason for him and his other brothers were blessed with mate.


    For the reason why their curse was lifted.


    Actually this love was a bless and curse at the same time.


    Kace just couldn''t wrap it in his head yet and chose to ignore that fact.


    "I know." Kace''s answer was a low, deep, grumbled as he averted his gaze toward the city landscape before his eyes, let the sunlight bathed his body.


    And then there was sounds of light footsteps that Kace was way too familiar and before her small figure appeared, her scent had managed to appease the raging anxiety that started to brew inside him.


    "Wolf!" Hope called out for Kace as she hugged his legs. "Let''s go to school!" she grinned at him and showed her tinny teeth.


    It was almost immediately when Kace grinned back at her and picked her up from the ground that made the little girl squalled in delight as she wrapped her arms around his neck.


    "Let''s go to your school, my little munchkin." Kace nuzzled her cheeks.


    "You spoil her too much." Serefina squinted her eyes. Didn''t really like the way Kace treated Hope. She didn''t want the little girl to grow up into a weak woman, who would grin and act foolishly.


    "She is my mate, of course I will spoil her." Kace shot her a look that said; what is wrong with you?


    Serefina could only scoff and follow the two of them inside again.


    Kace was helping Hope with her shoelaces when Serefina was enjoying her morning coffee when he asked.


    "I don''t see Lana, where is she?" Kace didn''t lift his head from Hope''s shoes, but he just realized that Lana was not around.


    When he entered the apartment, he could still smell her scent, but now there was not, as if she had gone since Kace stepped inside.


    "She is running my errand." Serefina answered lightly, sipping on her coffee. She had warned the girl to stay as far as she could from Kace and apparently Lana took that advice seriously.


    Well, that was for her own good though.


    "Hm¡­" Kace didn''t pursue the matter further as he finished the knot on Hope''s shoes and carried her small bag on his shoulder before he helped his little girl to stand up. "I will drive her to school, but I don''t think I can manage to pick her up."


    "Lana or I will pick her up." Serefina knew what Kace wanted to say.


    "Make sure you are not late." There was a warning tone that laced in Kace''s grumble. He didn''t trust the witch in this matter, knowing her personality, she could appear hours after the school ended and Hope needed to wait for that long time.


    "I know, I know¡­" Serefina waved her hand nonchalantly, without even looking at Kace''s direction.


    However, she felt someone was tugging her sleeves and when she turned her attention, Hope was standing there, asking Serefina to bend down a little bit with her action.


    "What do you want?" Serefina frowned, yet she still bent her body slightly so her ears could reach the little girl''s mouth.


    And then, a soft kiss was pressed against the witch cheek as a childish voice rang in her ears. "I am going to go to school, bye Serefina."


    Kace, who watched the entire event, was frowning in displease by his mate action. "You don''t have to kiss her, you know."


    Serefina''s face didn''t show any reaction or she said something to Hope for her kiss, only when the sound of the door was being closed, she touched her cheek absentmindedly, which had been kissed by the little girl.


    ==============


    "Are you going to be alright if I leave you alone here, baby?" Kace stared at the building that filled with children around Hope''s age, they were also accompanied by their parents, some with only their mother or father and there were more with both of them.


    "Yes." Hope was practically jumping with excitement when she watched there were a lot of children there.


    Kace could understand it. She had been kept from the outside world for the first six years of her age and now to have other friends, except the boring Lana and Serefina, must feel great to her.


    "There is something that I can help?" there was a sweet sound that greeted them from Kace''s left side as the owner of that voice appeared in his line of sight. "I am Ariel, the teacher here and I think she will be my new student."


    Kace smiled back at the teacher. She was a young woman in her twenties and has blue light eyes that matched with her short blonde hair, she has dimple on her left cheekbone and was smiling very sweetly at him.


    Kace didn''t like her, yet he smiled nonetheless.


    The kind of smile that could make the young woman fluttered and lowered her gaze to look for the curios little girl.


    Actually, she was attracted by Kace''s figure. With that face and body, she was not surprised if he said he was a model.


    The nonchalant air around him only added his charm, besides his blue ocean eyes and his black long hair that reached his shoulder that he tied behind his nape.


    Kace was too lazy to cut his hair and what else, he liked this style as his baby girl would play with his hair and sometime braided it, that was one of the reasons why he didn''t cut it short.


    "Hai, what is your name?" Ariel dropped to her knees so she was in the same eyes level with Hope.


    "Hope." Hope said curtly, for some reason she didn''t like this overly sweet teacher.


    "Nice name." Ariel clapped her hands and was about to tousle her head, but the little girl avoid it.


    "Don''t touch my hair, wolf had braided it for me." Her frown deepened as she hid behind Kace''s legs.

 Chapter 426 - SIX YEARS OLD (3)

    Ariel''s hand froze mid air, yet her smile was still on her lips as she caught the words. "Wolf?"


    Hope hugged Kace''s legs, didn''t want that teacher to ruin her hair. She liked her braid so much and Kace was not often around to give made it for her, while Lana was never done it as beautiful as Kace''s and Serefina¡­


    Well, she often went outside and even when she was around, she would be too busy to play with Hope.


    "Hahaha¡­" Kace let out a dry laughed. True his baby girl didn''t tell other people about the white wolf, but she didn''t change the way she called him. "It''s me¡­ that''s my nickname. I am sorry, but she doesn''t like people to touch her hair."


    Kace smoothed the situation with his charming smile.


    Ariel reciprocated Kace''s smile sweetly as she shook her head and made her blonde hairs flapped against her face.


    Her blue light eyes shone with infatuation when she looked at Kace. "It''s alright, I can understand, some children dislike certain thing. You don''t have to be sorry for that."


    Well, actually Kace was not¡­


    "I think we will be best friend later, right Hope?" Ariel asked the girl, but she refused to look at her. Awkwardly, Ariel shifted her attention back to Kace. "And you are?"


    "I am¡­" Kace was about to answer that when Hope''s voice interrupted.


    "My wolf." She said firmly.


    Kace let out helpless chuckle and caressed the girl''s face tenderly. "Yes, yes¡­ you are right." because that was what he always told her. Her wolf.


    "Hahaha¡­ she is so cute." Ariel didn''t think of that seriously. "Are you her brother?" he looked too young to be her father, though it was possible if he had her when he was very young.


    "You can say so." Kace shrugged his shoulder, didn''t give the curious young woman a definitive answer.


    "Oh." Ariel didn''t know how to react on that answer and at the same time, she was being called by her fellow teacher. "I think I have to go now. See you later inside the class Hope and¡­"


    Ariel didn''t know Kace''s name except the way Hope called him, but the man seemed didn''t know her intention or he pretended to not know it.


    "Well, see you later¡­" Ariel smiled sheepishly and walked back to the person who had called her.


    Once Ariel had gone, Kace dropped to her knees and looked at Hope with raising eyebrows. "Why were you treating her like that? She is your teacher."


    Even though the little girl''s behavior amused him, but Kace didn''t want her to get trouble with that woman. He wanted her to have a normal life, for as long as he could provide her, before everything became a mess.


    "I don''t like her touching my hair." Hope pouted sullenly as she held Kace''s gaze bravely. "I don''t like her.


    Kace had to admit it that he didn''t like the teacher either.


    ==============


    Hope was running toward the only person that she was familiar with, despite her surprise because Serefina was the one who picked her up after her first day.


    "Where is wolf?" Hope was looking behind Serefina, searching for the presence of Kace, but she couldn''t find him.


    "He is busy." Serefina opened the car door and let the little girl slipped into the front of seat and strapped herself with seatbelt.


    "Will he come for dinner?" Kace had promised her to play with the white wolf when she returned from school.


    "No." Serefina hoped Kace wouldn''t appear in front of her door too often.


    "Will he come tomorrow?" Hope kept asking, but Serefina slammed the car door shut and this made the little girl pouted her lips.


    "He promised me to play with me." Hope''s voice reached Serefina''s ears the moment she opened the door to her seat.


    However, before she could answer the little girl''s annoying question, someone had made a pleasantries talk with her.


    "Good afternoon, are you Hope''s family?" Ariel approached Serefina timidly, feeling intimidated by the figure before her eyes.


    Serefina looked like a beautiful tycoon and wasn''t as easy going as the man in this morning, who had dropped Hope.


    "Yes." Serefina answered curtly, she didn''t hide the annoyed expression on her face.


    "Oh, my name is Ariel. I am Hope''s home teacher." Ariel gave Serefina a perfect smile that didn''t reach her eyes. "I just want to discuss something with you about Hope."


    At first, Ariel wished to meet with the mysterious man, but it was such a pity that her another guardian who came to pick her up.


    "What is it?" Serefina asked impatiently.


    "Maybe we can discuss this inside." Ariel gestured Serefina to come with her to his office room, because it was quite uncomfortable to stand there and discussed this matter.


    Yet, Serefina didn''t move even an inch and crossed her slender arms impatiently. "Just say it here."


    Ariel was surprised, but she concealed it quickly and tried to persuade Serefina again. "I am sorry ma''am, but I think we need to talk this in private." There was urgency by the way Ariel spoke.


    "I don''t have too much time." Serefina glanced at her wrist watch and shot her another impatient look. "If you can''t say it now, we can discuss about it later."


    Serefina would be always her rude self, especially to those who she didn''t think worth her attention.


    Ariel looked like she was in trouble to explain the matter at hand, but when she watched Serefina was about to enter her car, she spoke hastily.


    "Ma''am, do you know that Hope has imaginary friends?" Ariel talked hesitantly. If it was a normal imaginary friend that children around her age had, she wouldn''t mind like this, but Hope''s behavior during her class truly bothered her.


    "Imaginary friend?" Serefina raised her eyebrows, though she already knew what was this about.


    "Yes, she said she saw something. I mean, she has more than ten imaginary friends and¡­"


    But, Serefina cut her off. "Maybe it is you who can''t see them¡­" And with that, Serefina drove away from the parking lot, didn''t bother to talk further with the teacher.

 Chapter 427 - SEVEN YEARS OLD

    "What happened to you?" Serefina stared at the crying little Hope before her green lime eyes demanded an explanation from Ariel.


    Today was one of those very rare days when Serefina had time to pick Hope up from her school and found the little girl was crying her eyes out until her breath turned rasps.


    Ariel, who walked her out from the school gates, was looking at Serefina apologetically and started to speak timidly.


    "I am sorry Mrs. Manson," She started, Ariel knew Serefina as Hope''s mother because that was what on the paper said, as for Lana she was Hope''s sister and would often drive and pick up the little girl if it wasn''t Serefina herself, who did that.


    As for the man that Ariel saw a year ago, she had never seen him since their last encounter.


    Just like always, Serefina completely ignored Ariel and walked toward Hope as she still covered her face with her hands.


    "Stop crying." Serefina''s voice was firm with no trace of warm laced on it. "I said stop crying." This time her voice sounded firmer than before and made Ariel flinched.


    "Mrs. Manson¡­" Ariel tried to talk to Serefina, but the witch refused to look at her.


    However, Hope choked twice before she stopped her sobbing and put down her hands as she stared at Serefina with teary eyes. Though her cry had stopped, but her tinny shoulders were still shaking from the after outburst.


    "Talk to me what happened." Serefina demanded, disregarded Ariel, who was still standing there.


    If Serefina thought Ariel was someone not important, then she wouldn''t waste her seconds for her, not even spared her a glance.


    As for Ariel, the school where she was working was one of the most prestigious schools in this red river city, hence all the children there must come from prominent family, though she had never heard about Manson family, but Ariel wouldn''t treat Hope recklessly, especially after she witnessed how arrogant Hope''s mother was.


    "There was a boy¡­" Ariel tried to explain to Serefina, but the later shot her an icy glare.


    "I asked her, not you." Serefina became impatient. "Tell me what happened." she shifted her eyes toward Hope again.


    "It was Drake¡­" Hope talked in her soft, quiver voice as she played with the edge of her shirt nervously. She didn''t like it when Serefina was glaring at her. "He bullied me¡­"


    "Bullied you?" Serefina''s face turned unsightly.


    "So, it was¡­" Ariel tried to explain it hastily, but Serefina had raised her hands to stop her from spouting another words.


    "Why he bullied you?" Serefina frowned. How come someone under her was bullied easily?


    "Because¡­ because¡­" Hope fidgeted, she averted her gazes elsewhere before she answered. "Because my front tooth is missing¡­" she pursed her lips sullenly.


    Hope had just starting to lose her baby teeth a few weeks ago and now her front tooth was missing that made the little girl quite upset because how she looked like without her tooth.


    Serefina raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Then, what did you do?"


    "Hm?" Hope choke once again and blinked her eyes as a tear fell on her cheek that she wiped it immediately because she knew Serefina didn''t like to see her cry.


    "What did you do to him after he mocked you about your missing tooth." Serefina elaborated her words impatiently.


    Hope shook her head. "Nothing¡­" she said timidly.


    "Mrs. Mason, please don''t be angry¡­ I had given Drake a punishment because his rude behavior." Ariel interrupted again, didn''t want Serefina to misunderstanding the situation.


    "What kind of punishment that you give him?" this time, Serefina turned her head to look at Ariel.


    Ariel bit her lips nervously under Serefina''s hard gaze. This woman was always scary to look at. "I asked the boy to apologize to Hope."


    "And?" Serefina raised her eyebrows.


    "And I gave him a punishment to write down ten pages of apologize for Hope." Ariel dropped her gaze as she fidgeted. For some reason, she couldn''t bring herself to look at the woman in front of her. Mrs. Mason has this overbearing aura.


    "And?" Serefina asked the same question impatiently, didn''t even care when she watched Ariel had started to cower under her eyes.


    "I think¡­ I think that punishment was enough for the boy. They are still children." Ariel tried to find an excuse to justify her decision. It was the right punishment as she had followed the school rules, yet Serefina made it, as if it wasn''t enough.


    There was an uncomfortable silence that followed afterward before Serefina talked to Hope coldly. "Next time, if there is someone bullied you like that again, punch them in their face. Got it?"


    "Mrs. Mason¡­ you can''t teach your daughter like that." Ariel startled when she heard her.


    Yet, Serefina didn''t bother to argue with the home teacher as she ushered Hope into the car, leaving Ariel in her puzzle state.


    She could just shake her head helplessly and prayed that Serefina didn''t mean her words, unknowing to her, it was really the opposite.


    "Do you remember what I said before?" Serefina glared at the little girl beside her. "If someone bullied you, you have to punch them in the face, so they will stop doing that."


    Hope bit her bottom lips as she kept silence for awhile before she answered. "But, what if I don''t have a friend anymore because of that?"


    Hope had been struggling to have a friend because she kept seeing things that all of her friends couldn''t see it.


    They thought Hope was weird as she kept talking about something that they couldn''t understand.


    Only when Lana had a nice talked with her and explained one or two things that she had to know, Hope started to ignore those creatures that her friends couldn''t see it.


    And Kace said she was not a weird child. Hope was special because she could see them.


    "What''s the point of having friend that will hurt your feeling? You don''t need to have bunch of idiot to be called as friends, you just need some who keeps you happy."

 Chapter 428 - SEVEN YEARS OLD (2)

    "What the hell you are doing right now?!" Serefina was truly upset because the moment she opened the door, she found Kace was sitting comfortably on the sofa with his wolfish grin pulled on his lips.


    How frustrating it would be to have this creature around?!


    Ever since, Serefina couldn''t use the same reason why she demanded for Kace to visit Hope only once a year, this crazy lycan kept coming at least once a month.


    They were in the heart of Torak''s territory and under the protection of her spell as well, thus it would be more lenient for Kace to meet Hope regularly.


    Knowing Torak''s temper, Jedrek''s people would be more carefully around this red river city.


    Moreover, it had been decades since both brothers were talking with each other, thus it wouldn''t be pretty if there were dispute over trespassing the other territory.


    "Wolf!" Hope practically threw her backpack and jumped onto Kace''s arms.


    "My little Hope!" ignoring the witch''s complain, Kace squeezed Hope''s small body, feeling the warmth that radiated from her and relishing her scent.


    However, he felt there was something wrong.


    Kace sat down and put her on his laps as he scrutinized her face. "Did you cry?" there was a stain of tears on her cheeks and her beautiful eyes were a little bit swollen. "Did she scold you?"


    The lycan shot the witch dagger look, which reciprocated with the same hostility.


    Serefina didn''t bother to explain because the little fella would be more than glad to chatter about it with Kace, thus she chose to go back to her room.


    "No." Hope shook her head. "It wasn''t Serefina. It was Drake." She pouted.


    "Who is this Drake?!" Kace growled viciously upon hearing a man name was the cause of his mate crying.


    "My schoolmate." Hope answered.


    Kace''s anger a little bit subsided when he knew it was only a child around her age, but it didn''t mean he wasn''t upset because that boy was dare enough to make his precious Hope swollen her eyes.


    However, there was another thing that piqued Kace curiosity. "Why do you keep covering your mouth?" he frowned. "Let me see it."


    Yet, Hope shook her head vigorously and refused to put her hand down.


    Her strange action made Kace''s frown deepened. "What? What happened? Are you hurt?"


    "No."


    "Let me see it."


    "No."


    "Hope."


    "No."


    Kace couldn''t take it anymore, he pried her hands away from her mouth despite the little girl protest. "Let me see it Hope. Did he hurt you? Did he hit you?"


    If that was true, kid or not, Kace would deal with him.


    Once Kace managed to put her down, Hope closed her mouth tightly. Refused to talk. This only increased Kace''s curiosity.


    "What happened?" Kace took a closer look on her face, but except of the stain of her tears, he saw nothing there.


    There was no bruise, there was no cut and the most important thing was; he didn''t smell blood on her. She was perfectly fine.


    "She just missed her front tooth." Lana walked past the living room as she headed toward''s Serefina''s room.


    She was trying to not be around Kace as much as possible, especially when he was with Hope.


    "Missing front tooth?" Kace raised his eyebrows, but when he turned his head to ask Lana, the girl had disappeared.


    Though Kace was a little bit wonder why Lana wouldn''t be around whenever he came, as matter of fact, Kace had not had a proper talk with Lana since three years ago.


    The girl would look so busy with the task that Serefina had given to her. Kace didn''t want to know what it was, as long as she took care of Hope, he was fine.


    It would be only her shadow that Kace watched and her voice that could be heard once in a while.


    Yet, Kace didn''t think much about it as his focus was on Hope.


    "Have you started losing your baby teeth?" Kace asked excitedly. He tried to open Hope''s mouth. "Open, open, I want to see."


    Hope swatted away his hand as she glared at him and covered her mouth again. "No!"


    Inside her room, Serefina could hear both of them argumentation. Sometime she was wonder, which one more childish between the two.


    "Alright. Alright." Kace raised both of his hands, surrendered, but the amused in his blue eyes didn''t fade away. "So, tell me what this Drake did to you?" His voice turned serious.


    Kace didn''t like to see his mate was crying and moreover, he wouldn''t tolerate it even if he was only a kid.


    And then, Hope spent half an hour to tell Kace what Drake had told her and why she was crying as Kace listened to her every words patiently.


    During the time she was talking, there was a moment when Hope forgot and put down her hands as her missing teeth was clearly visible.


    "¡­ Serefina said that I have to punch him on his face if he bothered me again." Hope ended her story with what Serefina had told to her home teacher.


    "Of course you have to do that!" Kace exclaimed, he pumped his fist in the air as a sign that he was completely agreed with Serefina''s statement.


    Hope stared at the excitement that radiated from Kace and got a little bit confused. "But, I have never punched anyone before¡­"


    "There will always the first time for everything babe." Kace grinned. "Don''t let them to get away easily after mocking you." he tousled her hair lovingly.


    "But, what if he calls for his parents?" Hope was afraid if it involved a.d.u.l.ts. "I don''t have parents."


    Actually, Hope was a little bit sad when she watched how the other children had their own parents while she had none. She averted her eyes from Kace.


    "Baby girl." Kace gripped her chin softly so she could see him in the eyes. "You don''t have them, but you have me, Serefina and Lana. Are you unhappy with us?"

 Chapter 429 - SEVEN YEARS OLD (3)

    "No¡­" Hope threw her arms around Kace''s neck and buried her face on the crook of his shoulder. "I love you all." She said softly.


    Kace hugged her small figure tightly, but not strong enough to hurt her. "I know you do."


    He cradled her like that for a few moments until her small voice broke the silence. "Why I don''t have parents? Do they not want me?"


    Kace rubbed her back as he leaned against the backrest of the sofa. "Of course they want you. They love you." He placed a tender kiss on her forehead as he could feel that fact had upset her.


    The fact that she didn''t have parents.


    The fact that Hope didn''t realize it until she enrolled in her school and watched that she was different. She knew Serefina wasn''t her mother and Lana was not her sister, just like people assumed they were.


    "So, why they are not here with me?" Hope raised her head and looked at Kace sullenly. "I had never seen them."


    There was slightly frown on Kace''s face when he heard Hope''s words as he didn''t know how to explain it. "I will explain it when you grew older, okay?" for the meantime, he would settle with that.


    "But I am older." Hope pulled her lips into a frown. "I am big already."


    "Yes, you are a big girl now." Kace agreed. "But, I will tell you when you are bigger than this. Okay?" until that moment, Kace would find a way to explain the whole situation to her.


    Though Hope disagreed with Kace''s idea, it could be seen from the way her eyes shone in dissent, yet she nodded anyway.


    "Alright, are you still upset now?" Kace tucked her stray hair behind her ears and the little girl nodded again. "How about we go out to buy some ice cream and snack?"


    "Yes!" just like the bright sun that appeared after gloomy days, Hope''s smile bloomed beautifully.


    "Change your dress first, I have to talk about something with Serefina first, okay?" Kace put her down and she ran toward her bedroom excitedly. "Be careful, or you will trip."


    Yet, she still ran along the corridor regardless Kace''s warning and he could only shake his head helplessly.


    Kace stood up and walked toward Serefina''s bedroom, but before he could knock on the door, the witch had opened it.


    "What?" Serefina closed the door behind her and crossed her arms as she stared at Kace.


    "I will bring Hope outside for a moment." Kace told Serefina about his plan. "She is quite upset because of what happened in the school, we will take a walk for awhile."


    Serefina raised her eyebrows. "You will risk our situation."


    "She had been locked for five years in her early life and now you have been locked her for another two years." Kace argued.


    "She goes to school." Serefina said in matter of fact.


    "Yes, but she needs to see the outside world too." Kace pulled his lips into a scowl. He didn''t want Hope to be locked away from the world. That wasn''t life that he wanted to show her.


    "Alright." unexpectedly Serefina agreed. She shrugged and was about to enter her room again. "Come back before sunset."


    Because after the sun had set, her magic would wear off, the magic that helped them to hide from unnecessary trouble and uninvited creatures.


    "Don''t worry, we will come back before that." Kace gave her a wolfish grin, but a second later his face turned serious. "Have you heard something about Gluttony?"


    Kace lost the devil''s tracks two months ago when he tried to escape from Jedrek''s people. Until now, Kace still led them to the west side of this realm, made them believe if he was there.


    Serefina thought about that for a little while longer before she spoke in concern. "Be careful. She is the determined one." But, then she added. "Well, the seven of them are very determined on their target too."


    ==============


    "I can''t see it." Hope jumped a few times, but because of the crowd on the street, she couldn''t see anything.


    Apparently, it was the season for festivity and there was a long parade and carnival on the street. Hope was very excited because this was the first time she watched something like this.


    "I want to see it." Hope used Kace''s feet as her footing, yet it didn''t help much with her height all she could see was only the back of people in front of her.


    Kace let out joyful chuckled upon seeing his little mate futile attempt, he liked the way her eyebrows scrunched in frustration or the way she got angry and annoyed.


    But, definitely Kace wouldn''t ruin his precious little thing mood now, just to enjoy a look of annoyance on her face.


    "Come here." Kace bent his body to pick her up as if she was weight nothing, well that was true though. Hope was like a cotton; fluffy, cute and pure, everything that Kace loved.


    "WHOA!" The lycan picked her up and put her on his shoulder, let both of her legs dangled on the front side of his body as he held her h.i.p.s carefully and Hope grabbed onto his hair.


    "Can you see it now?" Kace raised his head just in time to see how her face beamed in happiness and her obsidian eyes shone beautifully.


    "Yes!" Hope laughed and clapped her hands, following the music from the parade in front of her. She was very happy, smiling widely, forgetting her missing tooth.


    And for Kace, there was nothing else that he wanted in this world, he would trade everything in his possession only to see those dazzling happiness from her face.


    Unknown to them, there was a pair of golden eyes that stared at them widely among the crowd. Her golden eyes too, shinning in delight as she licked her lips and gulped hard.


    A wick devilish smile tugged on her lips. She finally found her¡­

 Chapter 430 - EIGHT YEARS OLD

    "Hachi!"


    The sound of that made Kace panicked even more, he hurriedly went back to Hope''s bedroom while bringing a bowl of warm soup in his hand.


    "Baby¡­" Kace crouched down beside Hope''s bed and touched her scorching hot forehead. "How do you feel?"


    "My head aching¡­" Hope''s voice sounded very pitiful as a tear escape from her eyes, it wasn''t because she was in so much pain that she was crying, but the heat from her fever that made her eyes felt like they were burning.


    Kace wiped her tear, but her skin was very hot when he touched her, the feeling didn''t settle well with him.


    Lana was coming inside the room a while later. "We can''t go out in this kind of weather." She said in regret. Her eyes flickered between Hope and Kace in the same anxiety.


    "D*mn!" Kace cursed out loud as he gritted his teeth.


    There was snow storm outside and no cars could make it through in this kind of weather with harsh wind howled and freezing cold, it was simply too dangerous.


    "Where is Serefina!?" Kace snapped at Lana angrily. Not because he was angry to her, but rather because he couldn''t keep calm in this situation, knowing there was only little options that left for him while the witch was nowhere to be found in this critical juncture.


    "She left since two days ago." Lana informed him. "I don''t know where she is."


    Serefina had left the apartment since two days ago without saying anything like always and until now she had not yet returned. Usually, Serefina would come back after three days up to a week.


    "Don''t you have any medicine?" Kace rubbed his face harshly as he stared at Hope''s face, which as red as tomatoes.


    When he was calling this morning to talk to Hope, Lana told him that she was sick and when Kace heard Hope was crying over the phone, he ran for miles in his beast form in this bad weather because there was not transportation operated at this moment.


    Hope stretched out her arms as her teary eyes looked at Kace, pleading.


    Kace knew what she wanted and immediately pulled her up and hugged her. He sat down on her bed and leaned against the wall behind him with Hope buried her face on his chest and hugged his waist, just like a baby panda.


    Hope felt better this way, the tingling feeling that she felt every time she touched him, helped to subside her aching joints.


    She nuzzled her head, looking for comfortable position as Kace wrapped her in blanket.


    "She needs to eat first before she drinks the medicine." Lana reminded him. "She has not yet eat anything since this morning."


    That explanation made another waves of frustration rolled in Kace''s throat as a growl vibrated from his chest.


    Hope whimpered when she heard that.


    "Baby, eat something okay?" Kace tried to persuade her, but she shook her head weakly.


    In this condition everything that she ate would feel terrible no matter how delicious the food. Hope also had tried to eat a few spoon of porridge only ended up she threw up right after she swallow it.


    Kace felt his chest caved in only by the sight how pale Hope now.


    "How she could fall sick like this!?" Kace glared at Lana and she lowered her head, too afraid to look him straight in the eyes, as she could see the beast scampered on the edge of his mind.


    "I think¡­ I think¡­" Lana gulped hard. "I bring her outside to play yesterday and I think we came back late¡­"


    His grip on the rail on the feet of Hope''s bed tightened as it left a dent there because he couldn''t contain his anger. The hand that still holding Hope was shaking.


    Kace sighed a deep breath, if he let his anger consumed him now, he would end up hurting his mate and that was the very last thing that he wished to happen.


    "How far the nearest hospital?" Kace asked with his eyes closed, focused solely on Hope''s heartbeat, which thumping against his chest.


    "It''s around three hours walk from here." Lana fidgeted when she realized what Kace would do. "The weather outside is very bad, you will not make it through."


    And as if on cue, Hope was vomiting again. She vomited right on Kace''s body, tears started streaming down her pale face and she whimpered pitifully after that.


    "I am hurt¡­" Hope sobbed while Kace cleaned her mouth. The stress on his face was clear to see.


    "I know baby, I know¡­ we will bring you to the Hospital, alright?" He gave Hope to Lana, so she wouldn''t dirty herself with the vomit on Kace''s front shirt.


    However, Hope extended her arms, trying to reach Kace. She didn''t want to be separated from him and the helplessness in her eyes made Kace''s heart hurt badly.


    Once Kace had changed his shirt and Lana had cleaned her up, he hugged the little girl tightly. "We will go to the hospital now."


    Three hours by walking. Kace could make it one and half hours or two.


    As a Lycan, their body temperature was unusually hotter than human, that was why Kace managed to run for miles in this kind of weather without freezing.


    Kace put thick jacket on Hope and wrapped her in blanket before he strapped her on his back and zipped the larger jacket around their body so Hope could be protected from the harsh wind outside.


    The warm that Hope felt started to form sweats on her forehead, yet once they were outside, the temperature would drop drastically compared to this room.


    ==============


    The ragging snow storm started to calm when a huge man walked into the hospital lobby along with a girl behind him.


    This made the other nurses and people there stared at them blankly. How this two people managed to come to this hospital in this kind of situation?


    "Where is the doctor!?" the man practically glared at everyone there, who were still in a daze.

 Chapter 431 - EIGHT YEARS OLD (2)

    There were three nurses that came toward Kace and asked what they could do to help him, even asked if he was hurt somewhere.


    Lana shook the remaining snow on her body and scoffed loudly, didn''t even bother to hide the disgust on her face, when she heard that. From their eyes, she knew what the things that had drawn them toward Kace.


    Good look was really an asset¡­


    Lana then helped Kace to unwrap Hope from behind his back and as the other people watched them, they were gasping loudly when they saw a little girl from behind him, wearing thick jacket and blanket.


    Immediately, one of the nurse took stretcher with her and let Kace put Hope on it, at this time, the little girl clutched onto him tightly.


    She didn''t want to be far from him.


    "Kace¡­" She whined unconsciously, her brows furrowed as her eyes shut, her expression showed how much pain that she was enduring now.


    This sight made the beast whimpered.


    "I am here baby. I am here¡­" Kace put her down, but Hope grabbed his sleeves and curled her body while hugging her hands.


    Together with the three nurses, Kace followed inside the emergency room with Lana followed closely behind them.


    ==============


    It took less than two hours to give Hope a thorough check.


    After some injection, they put IV drips on her and wore an identity bracelet on her other hands, for now they let her stay inside a personal ward.


    Kace was sitting on the chair beside Hope''s bed, staring at his mate pale complexion with concern was written all over his face.


    A nurse just came a while ago to take a sample of Hope''s blood and left afterward.


    "Kace, you need to take a rest." Lana tried to pull him from his reverie. "I am sorry that I didn''t take look after her well and cause this."


    There was remorse in her voice and to hear Lana apologize was a very rare occasion. This girl was very stubborn and cold- hearted, yet the way she took care of Hope was beyond Kace''s expectation.


    Who knows, someone like Lana could be so gentle to the little girl? Maybe because she had a bad experience as a child, thus she didn''t want the same thing happened to Hope, who didn''t have parents just like her.


    After the examination and injection, Hope''s breaths turned even, though she looked still weak, but at least she didn''t cry in pain anymore.


    "No, it''s not your fault." Kace shook his head and let out a deep sigh. He then stood up and faced Lana.


    The little girl that he met eight years ago had grown up into a beautiful woman without him knowing it, because most of the time that Kace visited Hope, he would put all of his attention on his little mate, forgetting all the things around him.


    Furthermore, Lana would be absent, going somewhere to leave Kace and Hope alone.


    Therefore, only now that Kace realized that Lana had become taller than the last time he remembered.


    Kace put his hand on top of Lana''s head and tousled her hair. The stubborn and brazen little girl from years ago had turned out to be like this. The thing that Kace like the most from her was the fierceness in those brown eyes.


    "You have grown up." Kace said as he put down his hand and walked toward the door. "I will buy something for us, there is something that you want?"


    "Huh?" Lana stuttered and whipped her head toward Kace. "I¡­ no. I don''t need anything. Thanks." For some reason, she became nervous.


    Lana wanted to curse at herself for her stupid reaction, she thought Kace would laugh at her or became suspicious, yet he just waved his hand and walked out of the room while saying; he would be back in ten minutes.


    Once the door was closed, Lana clutched the front of her shirt, where her thumping heart was beating loudly.


    She could feel the heat that crept on her face and her neck, it was so lucky of her that Kace didn''t see her in this kind of state or else¡­


    Or else¡­


    Lana bit her bottom lips nervously and touched her head where Kace had tousled her before¡­


    This is not good¡­


    ===============


    "Don''t give me that look." Kace groaned as he raised his head from Hope''s bed.


    He was tired and his aching head didn''t help his case, but he refused to leave Hope''s bedside and chose to sleep there, which definitely wasn''t the best sleep that he ever had.


    His large body bent in strange way.


    Actually, he had smelled him when she was still walking outside the corridor and had guessed this would be the scene that would be unfolded the moment the witch was here.


    "Why did you bring her here?" Serefina cold voice travelled to Kace''s ears when he rubbed the tiredness from his eyes.


    "Don''t you see? She is sick!" Kace hissed menacingly at the witch. What kind of question that she spewed?


    "That wasn''t the point!" Serefina shook her head in frustration, her lime green eyes skimmed the room briefly.


    Hope was still sleeping after a doctor change her IV drips and injected sedative into it, so she could take a rest while Lana curled her body on the sofa with a covered her body.


    "Wake up!" Serefina flicked her fingers to wake her up.


    As if electrocuted, Lana immediately opened her eyes and looked at her surrounding in alert.


    "You don''t have to do that." Kace frowned.


    However, Serefina ignored him as she talked hastily. "Stay awake when we leave." Afterward, she ushered Kace out of the ward.


    Lana blinked her eyes in confusion when they caught a sight of the blanket on her body. She didn''t remember wear one before.


    "What is it?!" Kace swatted Serefina''s hand on him irritably.


    "Did you let them to take her blood?" Serefina didn''t stop as she walked along the corridor hastily.


    Kace''s eyes flickered with surprise. "Yes."

 Chapter 432 - NINE YEARS OLD

    Serefina raised her eyebrows when she looked at Hope. The little girl was covered in blood and mud.


    "What the hell happened to her?" Serefina crossed her arms. She didn''t appreciate the sight of Hope right now.


    "Mrs. Mason, please your words¡­" Ariel, Hope''s home teacher, whispered to Serefina timidly. She was still afraid of this woman, even now.


    "Oh, this is the way you talk." Mrs. Ramirez, Drake''s mother, sneered at Serefina. She raised her chin and crossed her arms haughtily. "I will not wonder why your daughter is very rude."


    Serefina shifted the attention of her green lime eyes toward the woman who was talking with hostility just a second ago.


    Even that small gesture, managed to make Ariel gulped hard. She felt like she was watching a thriller movie, where the murderer was gazing down on their victim.


    Probably, Mrs. Ramirez also felt the same chill that ran down her spine and wanted to lower her head to avert Serefina''s eyes, yet her prideful- self made her glared back at Serefina instead.


    Wrong move¡­


    "Hm¡­ nice analogy." Serefina hummed. "I will not wonder if your son is like a girl, since you are a woman, of course."


    If that statement meant to be a joke, then it wasn''t funny at all, but if it meant to be a sarcasm, apparently it was too blunt.


    "Do you want to say that my boy like a girl!" Mrs. Ramirez blew up her top and was about to rush toward Serefina.


    However, one hard look from the witch was enough to make her stop on her track. Those glaring green lime eyes were very terrifying, as if they were not from this world.


    Which was half true¡­


    "Please, calm down Mrs. Mason, Mrs. Ramirez." Mrs. Maya, the head principal tried to ease the tenses that started to build up in the air as he cleared his throat. "We will ask to the children first about what was happening."


    Then, Mrs. Maya gave a meaningful look to Ariel.


    "Drake, will you tell me what happened?" Ariel asked softly at Drake. She didn''t know what was exactly happening because when they were fighting it was break time and there were only a few students there.


    Most of them said that Drake had been bothering Hope by tugging her hair a couple of time. Ariel knew that Hope didn''t like if someone touched her hair, she had experienced it since the first day of school.


    "Hope ignored me!" Drake pointed his fingers toward Hope with accusation that burned in his black eyes. "I was talking to her, but she didn''t reply!"


    "I don''t want to talk with you!" Hope shouted at him, her soft expression turned hard as she gritted her teeth.


    Her hair was slightly disheveled, also her shirt.


    "See?! She is very rude!" this time, it was Mrs. Ramirez who pointed her finger toward the little girl with accusation. "How this prestigious school could accept a girl as rude as her?!"


    Serefina didn''t say anything as she rubbed her chin with tedious look.


    Lana was running some errand for her, that was why it was her, which should be there and dealt with the situation.


    Hope glanced at Serefina, looking for comfort after being shouted, yet she didn''t do anything and just stood there with boring expression.


    "Mrs. Ramirez please calm down." Mrs. Maya''s voice a little bit stern now. "You can''t talk to a child in that way. Let''s hear what Drake say first."


    "There is no need for that! It must be this girl, who acted outrageous! Therefore, Drake taught her some lesson!" Mrs. Ramirez talked boldly.


    "Mrs. Ramirez." Mrs. Maya sighed helplessly. "That is not the way we teach our students."


    Mrs. Ramirez scoffed loudly. "Are you not ashamed to have a daughter like her?" she directed that question toward Serefina, because she had not yet said anything after that bold statement. "Well, I can see that she got that from you."


    Unexpectedly, Serefina started with a chuckle on that statement, but then it turned into a mocking laugh. She covered her mouth and flashed harmless smile on the people inside the room.


    Not to mention those people, even Hope was confused about why she was laughing now.


    "You are talking about shame?" Serefina snorted in the end of her laugh.


    The sound of it was quite enchanting in their ears, just like under the spell, Mrs. Maya didn''t interrupt her like she did to Mrs. Ramirez.


    "I will be more embarrassed if I have a child like your son." Serefina''s flashed toward the little boy, who was immediately hiding behind her mother. "He was crying because fighting a girl? The girl who is smaller than him? Is he even a boy? Maybe you are mistaken his gender." Serfina gave a disdain look to Mrs. Ramirez. "Very embarrassing."


    "Mrs. Mason, we can talk¡­" Ariel was trying to calm both parties, but unfortunately for her, Serefina had not yet done.


    "If he is my son, I will definitely disown him after this," she sneered. "Crying after fighting with a girl?"


    "You! How dare you talking to me like that!" Though her voice was very loud, but deep in her heart, she felt embarrassed because what she said was true. "You don''t know me!?"


    "The same question." Serefina tilted her head and gave her vicious smile. "You don''t know me?"


    And with that question from her, the entire room fell into silence.


    ===============


    "You used your magic." Hope was trying to catch up with Serefina when they walked out of the school building to the parking lot.


    "Hm." Serefina didn''t bother to hide the fact that she used her magic to make Mrs. Ramirez apologize to her and Hope.


    "But, that''s not fair." Hope grumbled.


    "Why it''s not fair? I used my ability."


    "But, you are a witch."


    Serefina rolled her eyes. "So, is that my fault that she wasn''t born as a witch?"


    That statement made the little girl giggled.


    "Listen. Next time, if you want to punch him, punch him hard until he couldn''t talk. Understood?"


    "Understood."

 Chapter 433 - NINE YEARS OLD (2)

    "What the hell happened to you?!"


    That was the first impression of Kace when he watched Hope walked into the apartment with blood and mud all over her body as Serefina had not yet cleaned her up.


    "Kace!" Hope ran toward Kace and jumped with arms opened, she knew that he would catch her. "You are here!"


    Serefina drew a depress sigh when she watched the lycan was visiting again. "Yeah, he is here." Then she walked straight toward her room, didn''t want to be bothered with the those people.


    "No!" Kace caught Hope, but he didn''t swing her like he always did, instead he put her down and scrutinized her face and this made her pouted her lips. "What happened to you? Did you fight with someone?"


    Hope nodded her head vigorously, her eyes shone brilliantly when she spoke. "I did! I gave Drake a punch on his face!" She balled her small fist and punched the air.


    Kace raised his eyebrows. "You punched him?" he knew who was Drake.


    That boy had annoyed Hope since the first day of their school, but this was the first time that they actually fought with each other.


    "Yes! I punched him like this!" Hope swung her arms and then used her feet to kick the air. "And kicked him like this!"


    Seeing how energetic his mate, a big panic that Kace felt before was disappeared, though he was still concern with a small cut on her forehead.


    "Okay, my precious one, I guess you win the fight?" Kace brushed away stray hair from her forehead to see if she got another cut, but to his relieve it was only dirt and the blood was not her either.


    "Yes! I made him cry!" Hope jumped excitedly. "Do you believe it? I made a boy cry!"


    Kace chuckled as he picked her up from the ground and kissed her forehead. "Yes, I believe it. You will make men cry when you grew up, my little one. But, now we will clean up your wound, alright?"


    Hope didn''t understand what Kace was talking about, but she didn''t fuss over it and let Kace to put her down on the edge of her bed while he went outside to get medicine box.


    Kace come back not so long after that and squatted down in front of Hope.


    "Kace." Hope asked while looking how diligent and gentle Kace when he cleaned her wound.


    "Hm?" Kace replied without lifting his head. "What is it babe?"


    "Do you feel that?" Hope grimaced a bit when Kace poked her wound on her knee cup, apparently she hurt that part too.


    "Feel what?" Kace blew the wound because Hope was in pain when he brushed the cotton with alcohol on it.


    "This." Hope put spread her fingers and put her palm on the side of Kace''s face as the tingling feeling crept from the skin to skin contact. "Do you feel it?"


    Absolutely Kace would feel the same sensation, "Yes."


    "Why I just feel this when I touch you?" Hope put her hand down and tilted her head. Her habit when she was confused. "But, when I touched other people I don''t feel this ticklish?"


    Kace put plaster on the cut of her knee cup before he sat down on the bad and angled her head to face him.


    The cut on her forehead wasn''t bad either, but by seeing there was dry blood there, the sight didn''t settle well with Kace or his beast. He frowned slightly.


    "When you grow up, I will tell you." Kace smiled at her.


    Hope was only nine years old, how he explained this to her? Told her that she is his mate? This wasn''t the right time yet.


    Hope pouted sullenly. "Why don''t you tell me now?" The older she gets, the more critical her way of thinking. "Is it because of the wolf inside of you?"


    Hope poked Kace''s chest with her finger and glanced up at him while he was cleaning her wound.


    "Yes, you can say that." Kace nodded.


    "But, why I don''t feel the same way when I touched Lana? She has a wolf too." Hope just knew that Lana could turn into a wolf a year ago, when she was sick and Kace took her to the hospital, Lana shifted into her brown wolf and it was so beautiful, though not as beautiful as the white one.


    "Yes, but her wolf is different from mine." Kace put a plaster on her wound that immediately made Hope stopped asking question as she grimaced in pain.


    Kace chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Go and clean up. You smell like mud." Yet he didn''t mind it, her scent was always the best smell for him.


    "Will you let the wolf to play with me?" Hope jumped from her bed and looked at Kace expectantly.


    "Sure." Kace agreed, how he couldn''t agree under those eyes?


    Hope was literally jumping up and down when she went to the bathroom.


    Afterward, Kace walked out of her room and found Serefina was in the living room, staring blankly at the book in her laps.


    "Have you found her?" Serefina asked the moment Kace sat down across from her. She lifted her gaze from whatever book that she was reading. "I can feel it. She is around this area."


    Kace rubbed his face harshly when he heard that question. "No." he hated that answer. "I have been looking around this area, but I couldn''t find her."


    Serefina could sense it since months ago that Gluttony had been poking around the edge of her protection, but because the devil didn''t have scent, it was quite hard to track her down.


    "I am pretty sure she is near." Serefina mumbled, she didn''t like it when someone scouted her area.


    "She is very agile and good at hiding" Kace grumbled, but then he started to notice this. "Where is Lana? She will disappear if I am here."


    "She runs my errand." Serefina answered curtly, perusing her book once again.

 Chapter 434 - TEN YEARS OLD

    "What are you doing Hope?" Kace stood on the doorway of Hope''s bedroom after he observed what his little girl was doing.


    Hope was dabbing a pink color of lipstick on her lips and tried to curl her long straight black hair. Kace was sure that the ''tools'' that she used was coming from Serefina''s bedroom, because there was no way she would get it by her own.


    Hope was startled as she whipped her head toward the door and stared at Kace wide- eyes. She jumped from her seat and rushed toward him.


    "You have to knock before you enter my room." Hope pushed Kace and closed the door. Afterward, there was a soft ''click'' sound that indicating she just locked her door.


    Kace was standing right outside the locked door with blank expression, for a minute he just couldn''t wrap it in his head.


    What the hell happened to his baby girl!?


    It was almost a year since the last time Kace met Hope, because he was busy cashing after Gluttony and avoiding Jedrek''s people, for the later he wondered why his brother didn''t just let him alone?! It had been decades! What else did he want from him?!


    Yet, Kace knew what exactly Jedrek wanted was; Serefina. The witch.


    Why Jedrek had not yet found his mate? So, he could stop his infatuation toward that quirky witch. But, then Kace was afraid that he had managed to kill his mate.


    Whatever it was, Kace didn''t mind, as long as he didn''t touch his mate. But, for Jedrek that wouldn''t be the case¡­ he had issued an order to kill his mate after all.


    However, what the hell happened to his baby girl!?


    When she started to use those make up and tried to make herself pretty? No. She was already pretty! But, why she did that?


    Hope had never closed the door right before Kace''s face like this before. Usually, she would jump to him and demanded to see his wolf cutely.


    So, what is it now? What happened during this year?


    Kace was dumfounded for another minutes until the door was opened and produced Hope from behind it.


    Fortunately, she had wiped away her pink lipstick, but the curls were still there. Kace found himself lost for words.


    "What is it little one?" Kace asked softly. He could tell that his mate was starting to regret her action earlier.


    Hope fluttered her lashes and looked at Kace with pout tugged on her lips. "I am not little anymore¡­" she said timidly, barely a whisper, yet Kace could hear it clearly nonetheless.


    Kace''s eyebrows rose questioningly. Despite there were no words that came from his lips, he stared a hole on her head.


    "Is that Serefina''s?" Kace asked after he watched how his little mate started to feel uncomfortable with the silence that stretched between them.


    Hope nodded timidly.


    "Did Serefina know that?" Kace tousled her hair like he always did and he could feel Hope became relax. She was afraid that Kace would get angry at her.


    Kace was shock, but he wasn??t angry with her.


    Hope shook her head. "She will get mad if she knows you touched her things." Kace knew that witch well, she would get fussy over Hope was touching her things and coming into her room.


    It was a good thing that Serefina was away while Lana, after she opened the door for Kace, she disappeared again, like usual.


    "I know." Hope answered timidly. She bit her lips nervously.


    "So? Why did you take that from her?" Kace grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen where he made a glass of warm chocolate.


    "Because my friends use that too¡­" Hope was sitting on the barstool, playing with her curls.


    Kace had to admit that she looked so cute with that hair style, yet in his eyes she looked very cute whatever she did, thus that judgment couldn''t be justified.


    "They used that inside of school?" Kace raised his eyebrows. Was that allowed?


    "No." Hope lifted her head and looked at Kace. "They tried to wear their mother''s make up in their house and took pictures of it. They tried to dress up like their mother."


    "And they showed it those pictures to you?" Kace guessed it right when he saw his little girl nodded. "And then you want to try it too?"


    "Yes." Hope admitted, but then her expression turned sad. "But, I don''t have mother, so I think Serefina is the closest one to it, that''s why I¡­" Hope stopped, but Kace knew what she wanted to say.


    "Drink this." Kace pushed the glass of warm chocolate toward her and sat across from Hope as he took a sip from his own glass.


    As children reached the age of ten, many would start to think of themselves as being almost teenagers, while some would start looking and acting more mature, others would remain more child- like, both physically and emotionally.


    Kace though, the former reason was what happened to Hope. She started to imitate and admire someone older than her.


    The problem was; since Hope was very rare to go outside and met other people, the only a.d.u.l.t with strong presence in this house was only Serefina.


    Kace just regretted that his baby girl has to take the witch as her rolled model.


    "Are you angry with me?" Hope sipped her chocolate, fluttering her lashes from behind her glass.


    "Angry? Of course not." Kace chuckled. "You have grown up well" he stretched out his hand and tousled her hair, but stopped when she frowned because he had ruined her curls.


    Kace sighed.


    "I just want you to stay like this a little bit longer." Kace murmured, retracting his hands from her, unknowing to him, Hope was still frowning because she lost the ticklish feeling that she liked it. "Let''s buy the things that you want when you got a little bit older, okay?" he didn''t want Hope got trouble with Serefina because of this.


    "Okay!" Hope replied cheerfully.

 Chapter 435 - ELEVEN YEARS OLD

    "Kace¡­ why don''t you buy me a phone?" Hope put the side of her face flatted to the table while staring at him, pleading. "All my friends have a phone. Why I don''t have?" she asked sullenly.


    It has been four months since Hope wanted a phone for herself, so she could communicate with her other friends, because Serefina wouldn''t allow her to go outside most of the time.


    However, Kace didn''t know this. He just visited her again after a few months.


    He got an information that led him back to the northern coven where Serefina told him that Hope''s blood was there. Possessed by one of the witch there.


    Kace didn''t know how Serefina knew it, but when he was there with her, it was true that one of the dark witch had used Hope''s blood for something terrible.


    It was blood that was lost from the hospital a few years ago when Hope was sick. Her blood as the guardian angel was very crucial, but then not much creatures knew about that.


    Therefore, Serefina and Kace was trying real hard to find out who was the one who had stolen it. Apparently, it led them back to the northern coven. It was a witch doing.


    But, how they could know that?


    "A phone?" Kace was hugging her waist while they were watching a movie in the living room, just the two of them.


    "Yes, yes¡­" Hope nodded vigorously, excited that Kace didn''t reject it right away.


    Hope had been asking this to Serefina, but she didn''t want to buy it for her and most of the time, she wouldn''t be at home.


    Meanwhile, Lana wouldn''t do anything if she didn''t get a green light from Kace or Serefina. It was a useless attempt to ask her anyway.


    And Hope last choice was Kace. She was pretty sure Kace would give in to her, because all of this time he would always give everything that she wanted.


    "All my friends have it, it is only me that don''t have a phone." Hope buried her face on his chest, acting all childish. She felt safe whenever she was with him and it was so natural to hug or be with Kace.


    "Will you buy it for me?" Hope murmured, yet there was a grin pulled on her lips when Kace dr.a.p.ed his arms on her back to caress her hair. She liked the feeling of his touch, though she still didn''t know why she felt this way only when she was with him.


    "Of course, my little angel." Kace chuckled upon hearing the pleading in her tone.


    "Really?" Hope raised her head and beamed at him. "When we will buy it?"


    "Hmm¡­" Kace stroke his chin and thought about it for a while. "I can''t come here tomorrow and I don''t know when I can visit you again¡­"


    Hope''s face fell when she heard that, the stars in her dark night like eyes, died out when she heard that.


    But, Kace''s laugh sounded like a breeze wind in her ears. "What if we go now?" He glanced at the sun that was still on the horizon. "It is still two o''clock."


    Serefina would be very pissed if Kace took Hope away when the sun had set, but it would be fine in the broad daylight.


    "Yes! Let''s go!" Hope gave Kace a kiss on his left cheek.


    ==============


    Hope was happily licking her ice cream when they walked in front of beauty store, which sell a lot of make up kit, she stopped and stared at it with longing in her eyes.


    "Can I have that also?" Hope pointed her finger at a champagne pink lipstick on display.


    They just bought a phone for Hope and now she asked for more, yet deep down, Hope knew Kace would fulfill her wishes.


    "Can I?" Hope tugged on Kace''s sleeves beside her. "Please?" she pouted her lips and that was all she needed to do to get an affirm nod from Kace.


    Kace felt an urge to face- palmed himself for this, but when he watched how happy his little mate was, he could just sigh helplessly.


    "No too much make up." Kace raised his finger as he talked sternly. ???You are still young. There is no need for you to cake your skin with those products."


    His voice more like a mother, who was talking to their children for not being naughty, though it wasn''t quite close.


    Hope just agreed with whatever Kace said and he wondered if she really heard him.


    With the happy Hope beside him, Kace entered the store and immediately bought the thing that she wanted and then left before she wanted another.


    Kace didn''t know if he could say ''no'' to her, especially when she acted cutely.


    Hope was very happy and Kace could see from the way she was smiling and the vibe that she gave off. Seeing her like this, there was a satisfied feeling within him that he couldn''t elaborate with words.


    Kace felt he was very blessed to have her in his life¡­


    The sun was almost set and they needed to go home before it was getting dark. But, when they were walking in the parking lot, Hope suddenly stopped and stared on her left.


    "What is it Hope?" Kace also stopped and followed her line of sight.


    There was nothing particular there, except parents with their two children, just came out from their car.


    "Do you know him?" Kace tilted his head at Hope.


    Now she was eleven years old, she was getting tall. The tip of her head reached Kace''s elbow now, but of course she would grow taller in a few years later.


    "Hm¡­ the older one is my classmate." Hope answered timidly, barely a whisper and when that family walked past them, Hope was hiding behind him.


    "If he is your classmate, so why are you hiding?" Kace asked curiously, yet he still hid her nonetheless.


    Hope shook her head. "No, nothing. Let''s go home."


    And Kace swore he saw her blushing.

 Chapter 436 - TWELVE YEARS OLD

    "Who are you texting?" Kace frowned when Hope was busy with her phone, even when he came, Kace wasn''t welcomed with a warm hug like before.


    Instead, he found Hope was sitting on the living room, giggling over her phone, yet the moment she saw Kace, she put down her phone hastily as her expression turned tense.


    This kind of reaction made Kace frowned.


    "When did you come?" Hope asked, trying to hide her nervousness by avoiding kace''s eyes, as if she was being caught red handed doing something illegal.


    "Just now." Kace flopped his body beside Hope, but she was only getting tensed by the proximity. "What?"


    "What?" Hope was trying to create some space between the two of them smoothly, but it was too obvious for Kace as he grabbed her wrist.


    "Why do you react like that to me?" Kace stared at her conflicted black eyes, gripping her chin when Hope trying to avoid his eyes.


    "No. I don''t. Like what?" The pitch of Hope''s voice was slightly higher than she intended and this made Kace squinted his eyes dangerously.


    "You are hiding something from me Hope." Kace stated, he nodded affirmatively with his own words. He knew she was hiding something from him.


    Hope swatted his hand and stood up. "No. I don''t. Why are you asking me that way? As if I was stealing something from you."


    "You know that is not what I meant." Kace crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was trying to figure out, what happened with Hope, he felt like they grew apart.


    "I will do my homework." Hope mumbled after they were in staring contest that felt like forever.


    After saying that, Hope was literally running toward her bedroom and closed her door with a soft clicking sound, which indicating she just locked her door.


    Kace was flabbergasted, didn''t know how he should react to that.


    He was coming here because he missed his little angel, but now she became a private person and¡­ a little bit rebellious¡­? If Kace could say¡­


    Kace was very familiar with the sight in those eyes. Because one time in the past, he had those kind of look too.


    He sighed deeply when realization hit him hard. His baby girl had started to grow into a teenager. She would like to socialize herself with her surroundings more and followed her friends, maybe she would forget about him.


    That thought made him sullen. Well, Kace should expect this.


    However, what else he could do? It was not appropriate to make a move on twelve years old girl! That idea alone freaked him out!


    Maybe Kace just had to give her time that she needed, so she could enjoyed her youth, gave her a normal life like the other teenager around her age, before everything got messed.


    Yes, everything would get messed eventually, with the devil out there and the war that Serefina was trying to discuss every now and then, but Kace just turned down the conversation when she started.


    Kace didn''t want to think about that. He wanted to enjoy the moment with Hope without the fear about what would happen in the future.


    Especially when this relationship started not in common way.


    Kace pinched the bridge of his nose as he leaned his back against the backrest of the sofa. The tiredness immediately flooded his system and as soon as he closed his eyes, he was light a light bulb that goes out.


    He had been investigating some matter with Serefina, chasing after Gluttony, which was still roaming around this area and trying to avoid Maximus.


    That guy was really annoying. It was pretty hard to make him believed that Kace was in certain place more than a week, because after that, he would start to realize that Kace deceived him¡­ again.


    All of that mess finally took a toll on him¡­


    ==============


    Kace didn''t know how long he had slept, but when he felt there was someone near him and tried to get closer to him, he was full alert.


    Before that person could touch him, Kace''s eyes snapped at the intruder as his hand moved very fast to catch their hands and was about to break their bones.


    Yet, he immediately pushed that person away when he recognized her, even under this dimly lit room. When his mind started to work, her scent reached him.


    "Lana, what are you doing?" Kace rubbed her face harshly.


    He had been sleeping like this for as long as he could remember. Since he became a rogue and Maximus was determined to bite his head off.


    "Are you okay?" Kace watched as Lana rubbed her wrist, which Kace was holding before, maybe coincidentally he had indeed broken her bones. Kace moved closer toward Lana to see how much that he had done. "I am sorry," he murmured apologetically.


    "No, it''s alright." Lana resumed her cold expression as she put down her hand. "I saw you fell asleep, so I just wanted to give a blanket."


    Kace followed Lana''s eyes, which staring at the blue blanket on the floor.


    "But, since you are already awake, why don''t you go to the guest room?" Lana immediately stood up.


    Fortunately the lack of the light managed to hide the blush on her face or maybe Kace was too sleepy to see that.


    "No, it''s alright." Kace glanced at the clock there and stood up, stretching his body and yawning. "I have to go."


    "Go?" Lana frowned. It was three o''clock in the morning, where did he want to go?


    "I have so many things to do." The corner of Kace''s lips pulled into a wolfish grin. "Can you help me to pay close attention to Hope? She was acting strangely."


    "She is a teenager now." Lana grumbled.


    "I know." Kace ran his fingers through his shoulder- length black hair in frustration. "I just don''t want her to meet some jerks out there." His voice became a growl as he extended his hand and tousled Lana''s hair. "Okay?"


    "Okay."

 Chapter 437 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD

    "What do you meant she is not at home?!" Kace was infuriated by the phone call that came from Lana, she just told him that Hope was not in the school when she picked her up like usual and her phone couldn''t be contacted.


    His grip on the glass tightened before it shattered into thousands pieces when Kace ended the phone call with Lana.


    The man next to him raised his eyebrows questioningly, yet he didn''t surprise by the sudden outburst or with the way the wound on Kace''s hand healed faster than normal human.


    Even the moment he asked about what was happening, the skin on Kace''s palm had mended together, leaving only traces of blood.


    "My girl is not home." Kace answered that man question, grumbling as he took his jacket and hastily went out of the bar.


    "Is he okay going out like that? He just broke a glass." a woman with seductive smile asked Leon. Apparently, she didn''t manage to see how the wound on Kace''s palm had healed even before he walked out of that place. She was clueless about that man healing ability.


    "He will be fine." Leon glanced at the exit door that Kace had taken, but his figure had long disappeared. "It is someone who will be in trouble."


    The woman twirled her curly brown hair as she walked toward Leon and sat on the barstool where Kace was sitting a while ago.


    "Why don''t you tell me about your friend? He is hot." She winked at Leon, yet the man only chuckled and shook his head.


    "You better forget about him," he advised. "You can''t handle him."


    The woman raised her eyebrows as her eyes shone brightly. "I like that kind of man."


    ==============


    Kace drove his car like a madman, receiving many curses along the way to Hope''s school.


    This girl was becoming stubborn and stubborn day by day. Last time Kace met her, she was adamant to go to camp with her friends in pine forest.


    The problem was, pine forest was near Raven village, which was the location of Torak''s pack house. Sure enough, no matter how many kisses that Hope gave to him or how many time she fluttered her long lashes with her pleading eyes, Kace would never allow her to join that stupid camp activities.


    Hope was very upset since that.


    Kace could understand that she was a teenager and needed to be socializing with her surrounding or hang out with her friends occasionally.


    However, their condition right now, wouldn''t allow her to do that, especially when she had not yet aware about the danger that lurked around her.


    Serefina had told Kace to tell her about what was happening with their world, but Kace always turned it down. Reasoning that Hope was only thirteen and she needed more time to enjoy her normal life before they boomed her with this prophecy and all.


    Yet, the normal life that Kace meant to give to her was a very strict life that she was not allowed to go to certain place without him or Lana.


    Unfortunately that wasn''t the life that Hope wanted and she started her rebellious act.


    "Where is she?!" Kace asked the moment he got out of the car and approached Lana, who had been waiting for him in front of the school gates. "Any news from her?"


    At the same time Kace asked that, he tried to call Hope''s number, but she didn''t pick up her phone. The lycan let out a frustrated growl as he shoved back his phone to his pocket.


    "I have asked around and some of Hope''s friends said that the last time they saw her, she was with Alyssa and Rena, but they didn''t know where they were going." Lana reported it to Kace and he cursed out loud.


    Alyssa and Rena were Hope''s best friends, they were quite close from what Hope always told him in her story about her school.


    "Have you asked their numbers?" Kace''s eyes flickered to black and this made Lana nervous. Black eyes for Lycan wasn''t a good sign, it meant they were really pissed now.


    "Yes, yes¡­" Lana nodded immediately, but her expression didn''t turn any better. "But I couldn''t reach their number too."


    "D*mnt it!" Kace was livid. His hands were shaking uncontrollably, fighting the urge to turn into his beast.


    Kace closed his eyes and tried to control himself as his nose raised, sniffing the air around him, searching for his mate''s scent.


    Lana probably couldn''t do it, because as the werewolf her senses were not as advance as Kace because he was a lycan.


    Added that to the fact, he has the alpha blood ran through his system and Hope was his mate, of course Kace could pick even the faintest scent of her.


    Kace growled as he rushed into the school building, crossing the vast yard in such speed that Lana had to overwork her legs just to catch up with his pace.


    At this hour many students had returned home when some of them were inside the class for additional lessons.


    Thus, there was no one witnessed such abnormality from two people there.


    Kace stopped when he reached the school backyard. Hope scent was stopped there. It seemed she got in the car along with her two other friends.


    However, the thing that bother Kace the most was; he picked another strangers scent that were vanished along with his mate''s.


    It wasn''t only Hope and her other two friends, there were other people too with them.


    "Shift!" Kace growled before he leapt forward and his body shifted into his Lycan''s form, as smooth as he walks.


    The majestic white Lycan appeared before Lana''s eyes and she didn''t need to think further when she followed Kace''s lead and shifted into her brown wolf.


    Kace gave the control to his beast to track down his mate, as it would be easier to depend on it.


    It would take miles for them before they could find her.

 Chapter 438 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD (2)

    Hope was biting her lips and faking her smile since the moment she got into the car with Alyssa and Rena along with the other three men, who were older than her.


    Those three men were people that Alyssa befriended with online for these few months.


    Alyssa had told Hope that it would be okay, because they would come back before night. They would just hang out together to certain place that Hope had never heard of it.


    Well, she couldn''t be blamed as this was the first time for her to be away from home without Kace or Lana.


    Hope knew those two people would freak out the moment they knew it. Probably they had known it at this time.


    She just wished Kace wouldn''t wreck some havoc later.


    Hope glanced at the front seat where Alyssa was talking to the three men. They were definitely older than the three of the girls.


    Sebastian was nineteen, Gary was seventeen and Aidan was seventeen too. They came from different city and this had been planned by Alyssa and Rena since a week ago.


    When Hope agreed to do this at that time, she was not in her right mind.


    She knew it wasn''t the right things to do, but no one from Kace, Serefina or Lana who gave her the freedom that she wanted and the rebellious part of her pushed this thought to accept both of her best friend''s offer to hang out with those three men.


    Hope was quite excited when she agreed to it and looked forward to this day, yet when this was actually happening, the only thought that roamed around her head since she left her school building was what Kace would think of her.


    The guilty feeling ate the last pieces of excitement that she felt.


    "Why are you so quite?" Aidan, the man who was sitting right in front of Hope in the middle seat asked her while flashing his beautiful smile.


    "Huh?" that question snapped Hope from her reverie as she reciprocated his smile that didn''t reach her eyes at all. "No, I am fine."


    "Don''t worry about her. This is the first time she is hanging out like this." Alyssa, who was sitting on the front seat next to Sebastian, who currently driving, chimed in as she winked her eyes at Hope.


    "Really?" Gary turned his head to look at Hope, he was sitting next to Aidan in the middle seat and had been grumpy since the first time they met.


    "She has strict family." Rena nudged her side and grinned.


    This line of question had put Hope under the spotlight as they looked at her questioningly and Alyssa''s big mouth didn''t help her case.


    "Not only strict, she is not allowed to go anywhere without her baby sitter. Who is her name Hope? Luna? Lani? Ah, Lana right?" Alyssa snapped her fingers.


    It was very obvious that Alyssa was the most talkative one among the three of them as she was the one who had been doing the talking since hours ago, engaging with cheesy conversations or flirting back with Sebastian.


    Well, one could say that Alyssa was very bold with her opposite s.e.x while Rena would join with them every now and then.


    And for Hope¡­ she had been very quite the whole time.


    For some reason Hope didn''t feel safe with them, maybe because she didn''t know and never met the three guys or maybe because she was used to Kace''s company as Hope never went out with other men except him.


    "She is not my baby sitter, she is my sister." Hope corrected Alyssa''s statement, her voice was slightly defensive, as she didn''t like the way she talk about Lana.


    Hope had grown up with Lana, she had taken care of her even until now, thus she wouldn''t allow anyone to talk bad about her.


    Fortunately, Alyssa got the message and didn''t talk much about it again, though she knew that Lana wasn''t Hope''s biological sister.


    "Wow! This is your first time?" Aidan blinked his eyes and stared at Hope in disbelief. She hated the way he stared at her.


    "With friends? Yes." Hope admitted.


    "Trying to rebel from your family, huh?" Gary snorted as he leaned back against his seat and ignored the rest of the conversation, feeling grumpy again.


    "Then we should make this memorable!" Aidan clapped his hand like a child. Hope hated it too.


    "Where are we going?" Hope ignored the excitement in Aidan''s eyes and his bright smile, when she asked no one in particular.


    "We will go to Oriole city." Sebastian answered Hope.


    Oriole city was the next city after the red river, it would take at least three hours to reach there and Hope frowned.


    It was stupid of her to not ask their destination.


    "What are we going there?" Hope furrowed her brows. "You said that we will come back before night." There was an accusation that laced in Hope''s voice toward Alyssa.


    Yet, her best friend didn''t take it seriously as she grinned at her and replied offhandedly. "The night is still very long, honey??? we will come back before twelve o''clock."


    Alyssa made it sounded like Hope was kind of Cinderella and all of the people inside the car were laughing that joke, except Hope.


    She regretted her decision now and wanted all of this ended quickly, so she could go back home and received her punishment.


    "Don''t be upset." Rena nudged her again and whispered when she watched that Hope''s mood had dampened. "Try to enjoy this moment. Isn''t this what you want?"


    Is it?


    "I don''t know¡­" Hope shook her head, she knew her mood had affected Rena beside her. "I just felt bad about this, especially when I have to lie and avoid Kace."


    That was true. Mostly, she felt guilty to disappoint him.


    Rena squinted her eyes and bit her lips, her gesture when she was thinking about something. "What is Kace for you? He is not your father or brother. He is not even blood related to you, right?"

 Chapter 439 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD (3)

    That question rang in Hope''s ears and mind until they reached Oriole city.


    Hope had known him for as long as she could remember. When she started to remember thing, he had been there with his smile and easy going personality.


    But, what is he for her? Hope knew that her family is not normal. Hell, she is not normal too. Sometimes she would see something that other couldn''t see it.


    Though she wasn''t afraid because she had seen Kace turned into his beautiful white wolf since her tender age, or Lana who would turn into her brown one and Serefina, despite she couldn''t turn into anything, but Hope one thousands percent sure, she was a witch.


    That''s her family and Hope didn''t mind it.


    Actually, she was quite thrill she has different family than other, but the way they tried to restrain her freedom was something that Hope found it irritating.


    Most of the time, Hope would space out and didn''t join in the conversation, though Aidan tried to ask a few question that she turned it down with only ''yes'', ''right'' and ''absolutely'', afterward the man gave up and talked to Rena instead.


    Hope felt bad for her sour mood, but she just didn''t feel comfortable anymore. They were talking in innuendo and occasionally would hint something in different way.


    In the end, Hope chose to turn on her phone and sent a message for Kace, she knew Lana would talk to him once she found out that she was missing.


    Hope was too afraid to hear Kace''s outburst if she called him directly, because no matter how much Kace would tolerate her, the moment he was angry, no one would want to be the receiving end of it.


    After that, Hope followed them to get out of the car and bought two bottle of mineral water to moisten her dry throat and Rena, that girl chose to stay inside the car.


    "Have you tried this?" Aidan''s voice rang from behind Hope as his stretching arm passed her shoulder to take a bottle of soda from the higher place.


    Hope flinched didn''t like this proximity at all. She side step and murmured. "No." before she left him to pay her own drink to the cashier.


    But, as she walked she could feel that Aidan followed closely behind her.


    "Let me." Aidan said as he put down his own drink and paid for their drinks. Hope didn''t mind it, as she didn''t want to make a fuss over a little bit money. "I see you not comfortable with our journey here."


    Once again Aidan was trying to strike a conversation with this quiet girl. With her fair skin that contradicted her long black hair and eyes, Hope looked astounding and very beautiful for the girl in her age.


    Of course, she would grow up to be more beautiful in a few years later. Aidan wouldn''t miss this opportunity.


    "I just think what kind of punishment that I will receive once I reached home." Hope shrugged, trying to keep the conversation as short as she could without asking in return.


    Aidan chuckled when he heard Hope''s answer and ran his fingers through his hair. "Don''t worry, they will not kill you."


    Seeing the smile on Aidan''s face, Hope took that as a joke and gave him a half hearted smile. Well, they definitely wouldn''t kill her, but they would make sure the days after this was something that Hope didn''t look forward.


    "Where is Alyssa?" Hope and Aidan were the first to reach their car and there was only Rena there. She didn''t mention the missing Sebastian and Gary, as she didn''t care about them.


    Rena shrugged, her expression turned sullen when she watched Aidan followed closely behind Hope. "Alyssa went with Sebastian." She answered curtly.


    "How about Gary?" Aidan leaned his tall body against their car while Rena was staring at the two of them from the car window.


    "Toilet." Rena replied as she received a bottle of mineral water from Hope.


    "Where are we going?" Hope asked again, the last message that she sent to Kace only informed him that she was in the Oriole city but didn''t mention her exact location as she also clueless where they were going to.


    "To Sebastian''s home." Aidan finished his drink and tossed the empty can toward the nearby trash bin.


    "What are we doing there?" Hope found herself was frowning while the tone of her voice was higher that she intended, yet this time, she didn''t bother to hide her disagreement. "You said we will go back before late night?"


    If they were going to spend time in someone house, they would be too late to go back to their city as it took another three hours before they reached there.


    Hope threw an accusation look to Rena, which the later return her gaze sheepishly. "Well, if you return late at night or tomorrow morning, it will not make any different with the punishment that you will receive, right?" she tried to justify herself.


    "What?" Hope was squinted her eyes at her. This was how her friend thought about her getting punishment? They took it lightly and disregard her opinion. "You didn''t say anything about it!"


    Rena grimaced upon hearing the harsh tone in Hope''s voice. "Hope, why don''t you just enjoy it? It is very rare for you to find this opportunity. You always complain about how they took it from you."


    Yes, Hope wanted to rebel a little from those people, but when she was in this situation, she felt stupid.


    "I don''t believe it!" Hope groaned in disbelieve as she walked away to find some space to calm herself.


    She could hear Rena was calling her, but it was only Aidan who actually ran after her, maybe he told Rena to stay. Hope was too furious to find out.


    "Don''t be upset." Aidan managed to catch up with her.


    But, when Hope felt Aidan''s arm dr.a.p.ed on her shoulder she shoved him away and glared at him. "Don''t touch me!"

 Chapter 440 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD (4)

    As though he just electrocuted, Aidan pulled his arms off Hope''s shoulder and raised both of his hands in surrender. "Calm down. I only wanted to comfort you."


    Seeing the shock in Aidan''s face, Hope''s hard gaze softened a little bit, but her lips still pulled into a frown. "I am sorry. I didn''t mean to yell at you, but I am just not used to people touching my hair." She shook her head.


    Yet, in contradiction, Hope liked it when Kace did that, because of the tingling feeling that erupted on her skin, giving a goosebumps all over her body when they made skin to skin contact.


    "It''s okay. My mistake actually." A friendly grin appeared on his lips again as he followed Hope to enter the mini market, where they just bought drinks.


    "Why they don''t allow you to go out by yourself? I meant your family, you are old enough to take care of yourself." Aidan shrugged his shoulder. "Well, I had travelled to the other city when I was just eleven."


    Hope raised her eyebrows, but didn''t reply to his statement as she picked a bag of ch.i.p.s from the rack and two bars of chocolate.


    "I will not talk about that if you don''t comfortable to share your story." Aidan ran his fingers on his hair nervously.


    "They worry too much, I think." Hope finally answered after a few moment of silence. It was impossible to say that she saw those creatures that no one could see it and that was one of the reason, which Serefina and Kace gave to her when she asked why she couldn''t go out by herself.


    Some of those creatures were scary, but as scary as they were, Hope used to see them and she was fine with that.


    There was no real danger had fallen upon her caused by those creatures, as long as Hope pretended that she couldn''t see them, they would leave her alone.


    Just like what was happening now.


    From the corner of her eyes, Hope could see a dark grey wolf, just as big as Lana''s, walked past the street and turned into human form when no one notice it.


    Sometime Hope felt like she was living in fantasy, but here she was, living with those creatures and a witch. A snarky witch on top of that.


    "Hm¡­" Aidan rubbed his chin. "I heard they were not your real family."


    Hope gave Aiden a side glance before she muttered her answer. "Real or not, they are taking care of me since I was a baby."


    Hope felt her answer was getting sharp and sharp, she was not in the right mood and would snap every time she could, or at least that how she felt now.


    "Oh, okay." Aidan grimaced, but he didn''t give up as he tried to strike another conversation. "You have unique name."


    He tried and Hope just answered with a short replied. "I know."


    She knew where this name came from, Lana told her. It was Kace, he gave her this name from the only poetry that he knew.


    It quite romantic actually¡­


    However¡­


    What is Kace for her? Or, be more specific, what is her for Kace? A few thing that Hope knew about him was; he was a lycan, an older creature than werewolf and had a great senses among the shifter, and one thing for sure he didn''t seem get older.


    Kace was exactly the same person in her early memory about him. Not grew old at all.


    And another thing that puzzled Hope was the way he treated her. He was so caring and affectionate. Oh, and the tingling feeling.


    Sigh¡­


    Hope had a lot of unanswered question that swirled on her head and every time she voiced them out, Kace would only say she would know when the time is right.


    "Hey." A tapped on Hope''s shoulder pulled her out from her reverie. "You are spacing out." Aidan grinned as he helped her to carry the snacks from her arms, walking toward the cashier.


    "I will pay." Hope pushed away Aidan''s hand, which was about to hand the money.


    Something on Hope''s face made Aidan nodded, didn''t want to make the girl more upset than this, even though her lips curled into a pout, she looked so cute than ever, Aidan thought.


    ==============


    The car stopped in front of a huge blue house, which Hope assumed was Sebastian''s as they had told her that they would spend time here for a few hours before Sebastian drove them back to their city.


    Alyssa had apologized to Hope because of her ridiculous idea, but since they were already here, nothing they could do now.


    Hope was furious, but she kept it for herself. She couldn''t blame Alyssa and Rena for everything that happened, it was her choice too to join them in this rebellious act.


    Feeling stupid was understatement to what Hope felt right now. She felt horrible.


    The second messages that she sent to Kace was mentioning where she was right now and how sorry she was.


    Apparently Sebastian came from well off family, the furniture inside the house screamed how much money that his parents had spent.


    "My parents are not home until tomorrow, just go to the backyard I will have someone to prepare barbecue for us." Sebastian grinned at Alyssa, both of them didn''t stop flirting with each other.


    "Try to enjoy this moment! You don''t know when will you can experience this again." Rena circled her arm on Hope''s shoulder. Her hazel eyes beamed in excitement when she watched there was a swimming pool in the back yard.


    Yet, the thing that drew Hope''s attention was a woman who was smiling at her from across the swimming pool, her golden eyes shone brightly under the moonlight.


    She was so fascinating, but also creepy.


    Their eyes locked together and for some reason Hope didn''t like the way she stared at her.


    "What are you looking at?" Rena asked beside her.

 Chapter 441 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD (5)

    "That woman." Hope nodded at the creepy woman with golden eyes, who was still smiling at her. "She has beautiful eyes." She murmured.


    "Hm?" yet Rena frowned and followed Hope''s line of sight to see nothing. "What woman? I don''t see someone there."


    Rena''s comment made Hope freeze and turned her head slowly, as natural as she could, hope that the other woman didn''t realize it, though it was impossible, as their eyes had already met.


    "Nothing. Never mind that." Hope grabbed Rena''s wrist to pull her to join with Aidan and Gary, at the side where two servants were helping them to prepare the barbecue stuff.


    Rena frowned at Hope, but she didn''t ask anymore question when Sebastian and Alyssa joined them and the small party began.


    ==============


    Hope was checking her phone again and again. The time almost hit midnight, but this small party was far from over.


    Now she truly regretted her decision when Sebastian called his other friends to come and joined them.


    Ten boys around the age of fifteen to twenty and three more girls, just a few years older than Hope and her friends.


    This barbecued party turned wilder with music and all. Hope hated it to the bones.


    She checked her phone once again and risked to be scolded when she tried to call Kace''s number, but his phone was not active, Lana too.


    Now, Hope was sitting at the corner, the most quiet place in this backyard, away from the people who were dancing happily near the swimming pool. Alyssa and Rena were among them.


    Hope didn''t know if her two best friends were like that. It seemed this wasn''t the first time they were in this kind of situation as they could fit in just fine with new people.


    Well, unfortunately Hope didn''t have the ability to adapt that fast. Even when almost all the boys there were trying to make a conversation with her, she chose to scurry away and hid herself here.


    Not to mention the woman with the golden eyes, who was still staring at Hope from the same position where she first saw her.


    It was not normal for those creatures to directly look her in the eyes, yet as though she knew Hope could see her, that woman confirmed it.


    Once again, Hope tried to call Kace''s number, but it didn''t go through. He was still out of reach.


    "What are you doing, hiding alone here?" it was Aidan, again. He slurred as he plopped his body down next to Hope.


    Aidan''s body was reeked with alcohol, but he looked sober enough for someone who had drank too much.


    "Were you trying to call home?" Aidan glanced at the phone in Hope''s hand. "Don''t worry, Sebastian would drive the three of you back."


    Hope could only roll her eyes dramatically. She highly doubted that, seeing how Alyssa and Sebastian were nowhere to be seen.


    "Nice necklace." Aidan commented when he saw Hope was playing with her pendant absentmindedly. "Can I see it?"


    The necklace was the same necklace that Kace had given her for her first birthday, Lana told her about it and she always wore it ever since.


    "Please, just for a little while." Aidan prodded, he stretched out his hand, asking Hope to allow him to take a look of it.


    Hope was hesitated, she never took off the necklace before, yet what harm could have done by her letting Aidan see it for a little while, right?


    Thus, she pulled the necklace over her head and put it on Aidan''s opened palm, the ray of the moon fell on the pendant, which was a replica of the moon too.


    However, the moment the necklace was with Aidan, he stood up and held it high to scrutinize it with his amber eyes.


    "This is a beautiful necklace." He said like a murmur.


    Hope felt uncomfortable for some reason, she got anxious, especially when she didn''t see the woman with golden eyes again across the swimming pool.


    Where did she go?


    "Yes, it is." Hope stood up next to Aidan as she extended her hands, asking her necklace back. "Can I have my necklace?"


    Yet, the moment Aidan tilted his head to look back at her, his eyes no longer the color of amber, but it was golden. The same color as the woman that she saw.


    Aidan didn''t say anything, but he grabbed the necklace and crushed it into dust only by using his single hand.


    Hope''s mind worked very late to discern the scene before her eyes. She was standing there, staring at the shattering pieces of her necklace that blew with the wind and when her eyes traced back to Aidan''s eyes, only that time that she knew she was in deep trouble.


    "You are not Aidan." That statement passed her lips in a whisper, but Aidan just smiled at her¡­ creepily with the eyes that not even his.


    Hope squinted her eyes at Aidan or whatever he was now, from the corner of her eyes she could see Alyssa, Rena, Sebastian and all of his friends were clueless about the thing that happened here.


    Hope took a shaky breath as she glanced over at them, ready to run.


    However, before she could take a step away, everything had turned dark. The first thought that flashed Hope''s mind was; she passed out.


    Yet, when Hope heard there were two or three girls screaming in surprised she knew, that wasn''t the case, apparently it was power failure.


    Realizing she was still standing in front of Aidan, which part of his soul was not his anymore, Hope immediately ran toward the crowd and found Alyssa.


    "We have to get out from here!" Hope informed them nervously.


    "It''s alright, Sebastian is already gone to check it." Alyssa giggled at Hope''s expression, she just thought her friend only exaggerated her reaction.


    "No. You don''t understand, we have to get out from here! Now!" Hope was half screaming at Alyssa and this made the girl wide her eyes questioningly.

 Chapter 442 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD (6)

    "What happened? Is something wrong?" Alyssa frowned upon seeing how upset Hope was.


    Everything was wrong!


    Hope wanted to scream that words to Alyssa, yet before that could slip passed her lips, the situation proved that she was right.


    At first, a piercing and shrill sound could be heard in the distance followed by a wave of question ''what happened?'' among the crowd.


    Hope and Alyssa also followed the source of it until they watched one of the Sebastian''s girl friend, had laid on the ground, having seizure and then she didn''t move at all.


    "Sh*t! what happened to her?!" almost all the boy sobered up from the alcohol effect, once they witnessed another girl was having the same seizures before she dropped to the ground and stayed still.


    "Check on them! What happened to them!" the only girl who was left from her group was too afraid to approach her friends, her body was shaking uncontrollably beside a blonde guy.


    "Did they overdose?" one of the nearest guy crouched down and inspected his girl friend, concern in his eyes.


    "No way! They didn''t use anything, we are just drinking." The last girl cried out, there was no way her friend had taken something without her knowing it. They were together all the time.


    "Oh, Sh*t! D*mn!" the guy cursed out loud as he crawled backward, trying to stay away from the two girls.


    "What? What happened?" automatically, the crowd that circled the two bodies on the ground, taking three steps away too, scared because of the guy''s reaction.


    The guy was helped to stand up and with shaking finger, he pointed at the two girls while speaking in a hoarse voice. "The girls¡­ they are dead!" he exclaimed.


    An uproar erupted from the crowd as they tried to be as far away as they could from the two bodies, yet near enough to shot an anxious look to the girls'' body.


    "Hope." Alyssa whipped her head toward Hope beside her, fear in those eyes. "Hope, you know something about this?" it was weird enough for Hope to react that way, but when Alyssa saw what was happening, probably Hope knew something about this.


    "No. I don''t." Hope''s eyes locked on the dead bodies, it felt like she didn''t have the strange to look away from it. "Are they really dead?" she asked with shaking voice.


    Hope had been warned to not go out alone after the dark and not to take off her necklace, yet she violated those rules.


    However, how she could have known the consequences would be like this!


    Hope shook her head vigorously. Maybe¡­ maybe this was only coincidence? This couldn''t be happening just because she broke the rules, right?


    It was too far- fetched to think that way.


    "Hope, I am afraid." Alyssa whimpered beside her and grabbed Hope''s hand tightly.


    To say Hope was afraid too, it was understatement, because she could see more than what Alyssa or those people there could see it.


    Hope darted her attention toward Aidan, yet he had gone, the spot where he was standing minutes ago had empty and her necklace had been destroyed.


    "Let''s get Sebastian, he must know what to do." Alyssa let out shaky breath and grabbed Hope''s wrist, tugging her along with her to enter the house through the same door where Sebastian had disappeared to check on the electricity power with some servants.


    "Where is Rena? We have to get her too." Hope tried to slow down Alyssa, but she was too afraid to stay in the back yard.


    "It''s alright, Rena went inside the house with Gary not long before that happened." Alyssa grumbled, trying to find her way in this dark house. It was only the ray of the moonlight from the huge window that lining at their left side in the corridor that illuminated that place. "I am sure she is fine."


    Hope prayed that was true. She didn''t want anything bad happened to people that she knew.


    The further they went inside the house, the darker it became. "Alyssa, do you know where we will go? You know this place?"


    Alyssa stopped in the room that looked like a gym, frustration was written all over her face and this didn''t settle well with Hope. "I don''t know Hope, this is the first time I am being here too." she groaned.


    "So, why did you tug me here?" Hope let out a frustration groan of herself by Alyssa recklessness.


    "I remembered I came from that door and turned this way to reach the front door." Alyssa defended herself.


    Hope let out a frustrated groan when they had to retrace back to the corridor where they came before.


    However, when they were about to turn around, someone walked straight toward them and bumped Alyssa, because she walked ahead of Hope while dragging her.


    "Ouch!" Alyssa''s hand immediately let go of Hope''s wrist and flew to her face, her nose was a little bit hurt because of the sturdy body that she bumped onto. "What the heck!" she cursed.


    "Oh, I am sorry!"


    Hope froze in an instant when she heard that voice and the person that they encountered. Out of instinct she pulled Alyssa away from him.


    "What?" Alyssa rubbed her nose and looked at Hope questioningly. "What are you afraid of? He is Aidan." She grumbled, why Hope acted very strange in this past hour?


    Hope ignored Alyssa complained, but her hand gripped her tightly, didn''t let Alyssa to walk over toward Aidan.


    Frustrated, Alyssa let Hope to hold her as she asked Aidan. "Where is Sebastian? Have you seen him?"


    Aidan shrugged. "I see him there." He pointed toward the other corridor, "he was looking for you."


    Alyssa let out audible sigh and smiled with relief. "Let''s go there." she was about to walk toward the direction that Aidan told her, but Hope didn''t budge and held her still.


    "Hope! What is it now!?" Hope action started to make her irritated.


    But, Hope just locked her eyes on Aidan and spoke slowly. "You have golden eyes color."

 Chapter 443 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD (7)

    Alyssa whipped her head toward Aidan and frowned. "I don''t know if your eyes are golden." Yet, she shrugged that fact off. "Whatever, let''s find Sebastian."


    Alyssa tugged her hand away from Hope, but she didn''t want to release her and this really pissed her off. "Hope, I don''t know what is wrong with you! If you don''t want to go, I will go alone!" Alyssa snapped at her.


    A smile pulled on the corner of Aidan''s lips. "Yes, Hope. Why don''t you leave her alone, so we can talk?" his voice was slightly hoarse and deep, but Alyssa didn''t notice that.


    She tugged her hand hard from Hope and immediately dashed away from her and Aidan while shouting over her shoulder. "I will find Sebastian and Rena, just stay with Aidan!" her voice was upset, but it laced with concern too.


    "Hello, dear." Aidan spoke with throaty voice.


    Hope''s expression turned hard as she glanced over Aidan''s shoulder to find a way to escape from this predicament. She didn''t know what happened with Aidan or maybe he was possessed by something, but she was glad that he left Alyssa alone.


    "I don''t know you." if Hope was afraid, she didn''t show it on her face. "What do you want from me?"


    As she talked, Hope crept her back along the wall very naturally, slowly shifted their position, but she didn''t immediately ran away, knowing whatever possessed Aidan would tackle her to the ground in a blink of an eye.


    She needed more time to think about it.


    "What a clich¨¦ question¡­" Aidan sneered, he licked his lips as his golden eyes shone even brighter. "I have been looking for you since you are a baby."


    Hope frowned. Since she was a baby? What was that mean? That was why Serefina and Kace were very adamant to not let her out of their sight? Because there was a creepy creature that looked after her? Why they didn''t tell her?


    It would be easier for Hope if those three people could just tell her everything. They didn''t need to hide it since Hope could understand their reason now.


    Hope was upset, but she was still aware there was a danger that lurking around in the form of human in front of her.


    "Well, now you find me." Hope walked back to the direction where Alyssa had gone. However, she still considered her choice, because this creature seemed to not take interest toward her friend.


    Wouldn''t that endanger them if Hope ran toward them? For now, Hope was sure that this creature only wanted her.


    "Did you kill those two girls?" Hope tried to buy as much time as she could.


    Unexpectedly, Aidan chuckled upon hearing Hope''s question. "Oh, I like it. I like their soul." He tilted his head and flashed Hope a harmless smile. "But I like you better."


    Gluttony remembered the first time she laid her eyes on her and her intoxicating scent as if inviting her to consume her whole.


    Yet, Kace and the witch were on the way and they had been keeping the girl all this time. Not only that, even when Gluttony managed to find her a few years ago, she couldn''t come closer because of the protection that Serefina had placed on her.


    The necklace.


    That thing prevented her to come near this source of smell.


    However, tonight, without the protection of Serefina and the lycan around, she was free to do anything toward her, especially after she destroyed that necklace. Hope last protection.


    Five years ago, Gluttony also came across with a little girl, who had this same intoxicating scent. Afterward she sent two people to go to the girl''s house, unfortunately those two stupid creatures failed and the little girl was gone.


    That made Gluttony frustrated, because either that little girl or this girl in front of her, they were both had that inviting scent that she couldn''t resist.


    Gluttony liked young soul better.


    "Come to me and no one would get hurt.?? Aidan extended his arms, trying to close the gap between them, but Hope took another step to avoid him.


    "Why should I listen to you?" Hope''s black eyes shone fiercely under the moonlight that streamed down from the big window behind her. She looked very beautiful.


    ¡­and delicious in Gluttony''s mind.


    "You killed two girls." Hope glanced at the other side of the corridor, there was a door, which would lead to the side yard.


    Hope and Alyssa accidentally opened that door when they looked for the main door earier.


    "They were nothing." Aidan crossed his arms, his golden eyes traced along Hope''s line of sight and found the same door. He chuckled. "Don''t waste your time to think a way of escaping this situation." than his chuckled turned even creepier. "You will not stand a chance."


    Hope straightened her back as the door just right beside her. She glanced at it briefly. "So, why don''t you tell me, why were you looking for me?"


    "I don''t know." Aidan shrugged his shoulder and crossed his arms. "You smell good I guess."


    Despite her fear, she felt disgusted, though Aidan was being possessed by something now, but to actually hear it out loud from his lips, it still sounded disgusting and Hope didn''t like it in the slightest.


    It sounded pervert.


    "You kept asking me questions." Aidan walked over toward Hope, but this time the girl didn''t move, she stood her ground with sharp eyes. "This is my turn to ask you."


    Hope raised her eyebrows, "Well, I guess you are too kind, asking your prey in their last breath?"


    Aidan chuckled. "You are special dear. I think I enjoy this moment, feeling your fear in the air and how you are trying hard to conceal how scare you are now."


    Hope gritted her teeth and glanced at the door again. "Well, if you want to ask me, just do it." She shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly as she felt the vibration on her pocket, someone was calling her now.


    Who is it? Kace?

 Chapter 444 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD (8)

    "Why are you with the Donovan?" Aidan stopped three steps away from Hope, leaning his body against the wall next to him, didn''t even bother when he watched Hope was grabbing the handle of the door, ready to flee. "You know who is he?"


    Hope knew Kace''s last name was Donovan, but¡­ "That the same question that I want to ask him too if you don''t mind to let me live a little bit longer." Hope answered offhandedly. She reached her pocket and swept her hand across her phone screen that she assumed it would answer the call, whoever it is.


    "Hmm." Aidan rubbed his chin. "So, you don''t know?" his voice a little bit off as he contemplated. "Don''t you think that you are too ignorance, little girl?"


    Hope scoffed. She had been living with Serefina for as long as she could remember, of course there were one or two traits of that witch that she got. Especially, her arrogant personality when it came to threat.


    "If you know him very well, then you should have known he would come to this house, right in the second corridor where it next to gym." Hope rumbled about her location, so whatever the caller was could hear that, moreover if that was really Kace.


    "Are you trying to give your location?" Aidan''s golden eyes traced her body and stopped at her pocket, where Hope''s phone was.


    Hope didn''t say anything, but her silence broke in that very second when she felt something exploded on her pocket.


    Hope dropped to the floor, clutching her h.i.p.s where she could feel her phone had been shattered and the sharp shard pierced her jeans and skin. Her breath hitched with the pain that came after that.


    She bit her bottom lips to stop her from crying. She could feel the area on her h.i.p.s soaked with liquid. Blood?


    Hope gritted her teeth as she shot a menacing glare at Aidan or whatever he was at this moment.


    The pain was so real! She had never felt this kind of pain before. No. Kace and Lana would make sure she would never be in any kind of pain before!


    There was a moment when she fell from the stairs and Kace would wreck some havoc just to get her to the hospital, though it was still bearable. He scolded Lana for so long because of that.


    Aidan sniffed the air with eyes closed, relishing the scent of Hope''s blood that almost like a drug for him and this made Hope felt disgusted just to see him.


    "It is so annoying to be in this body¡­" Aidan murmured as he ambled toward Hope, who was still crouching on the floor, clutching her bleeding h.i.p.s.


    Hope tried to move away from Aidan, but the pain prevented her to do so.


    "I wonder, what are you?" Aidan dropped to his knees and stared at Hope''s eyes. The helpless sight of her pulled a harmless smile on his lips. "I have never come across scent like this except a few years ago¡­"


    Gluttony still remembered clearly that child''s scent even now, it would be great if he had that girl and this one¡­


    Aidan gripped Hope''s chin as the girl glared at him menacingly and this only made him chuckles. "Such a brave girl you are¡­"


    Aidan''s golden eyes traced down at the Hope''s fingers where her blood soaked through the fabric of her pants.


    He stretched out his hand to touch the liquid, but a deep frown morphed on his face when he looked at his forefinger, the tip of it which made contact with Hope''s blood was badly charred.


    "What happened with this?" Aidan''s grip on Hope''s chin loosened as he stared at his finger. "How could this happen?"


    Aidan was puzzled, but Hope was at lost as well. Because their close proximity, she could see how her blood had that effect on him, yet her mind worked faster to help herself from this situation.


    Looking at the burn on Aidan''s finger, she knew what she has to do.


    Hope raised her bloody hand and pushed Aidan away from her with that very hand, smeared her blood on his face.


    Gluttony didn''t expect this move from Hope, thus this action caught him out of guard as he stumbled backward while covering his face. It burned badly.


    A shrill scream followed afterward, echoing in that empty corridor. Hope watched how Aidan rolled on the floor, clutching his face as he screamed in pain.


    Even with that commotion there was no one came to look what was happening, Hope became wonder what had happened to the rest of her friends.


    Yet, she couldn''t stay there any longer and wait for Aidan to recover, or became too upset to even engage in conversation like before.


    Thus, ignoring the seared pain that shot through her h.i.p.s, Hope opened the door beside her and pushed herself out of that house.


    She closed the door and used it as her support to stand up. The pain made her groan and curse under her breath.


    Now, there was no way for her to make a contact to Kace since whatever creature that possessed Aidan had destroyed it.


    She had to find another way, but first, she had to find the main gate so she could escape from this house. It would take enormous effort with her bleeding h.i.p.s.


    Ignoring the pain, Hope drag herself along the side yard, she still could hear Aidan''s scream before it became very quite.


    The power had not yet fixed, hence the only light that helped Hope to see was only the pale moonlight.


    Instead of being in the middle of the city, Hope felt like she was in middle of nowhere, everything was very dark and quiet.


    Hope didn''t know how long she had walked, but the moment her eyes caught a sight of the white wolf, she could feel her tensed body relax almost immediately.


    However, the white wolf snarled and dashed toward her with his sharp fangs on full display.

 Chapter 445 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD (9)

    "KACE!" Hope screamed on the top of her lungs when she watched the white wolf dashed toward her with his sharp fangs and claws.


    Out of instinct, Hope dropped to the ground and covered her head between her hands, she thought Kace was about to attack her based on the vicious look on his red eyes.


    However, the pain that she expected didn''t come, instead there was a loud menacing snarl and growl from behind her.


    Slowly, with thumping heart, Hope pried her eyes opened and watched in horror when the white lycan was trying to tear a woman apart.


    Hope had never seen her before, but from the look of it, apparently the woman was another supernatural creature and when Hope''s eyes landed on her golden one, she knew immediately who she was¡­


    Those golden eyes¡­


    Was she the creature that possessed Aidan earlier?


    Hope was very astounded by what she was witnessing until something soft touched the side of her body.


    She flinched and was about to fight and run away again when her eyes caught a sight of brown wolf beside her.


    "Lana!" Hope exclaimed in surprise as the feeling of relief flooded her system and let her to take relax. With Kace and Lana were here, she was safe now.


    The brown wolf nudged on Hope''s h.i.p.s and she grimaced. "It''s okay¡­" She mumbled and let the brown wolf to help her to stand up, moved to the side so they wouldn''t catch within the fight that occurred.


    Hope supported her body with the wall behind her and watched as the white Lycan tore the woman''s neck and threw her ruthlessly to the nearby tree.


    The tree shook and let out a cracking sound, ye it didn''t fall.


    The woman crawled with her arms to avoid the vicious attack from the white lycan and rolled her body aside.


    At this point, Hope had forgotten about the pain on her h.i.p.s. The scene before her eyes was something that she had never seen before. She had never known that the gentle white wolf could turn into something so brutal like this.


    It didn''t mean Hope mind it, after all, the woman had possessed her friend''s body and almost killed her if Kace and Lana didn''t come right in time.


    When the fight was still happening, another growls and snarls could be heard from the distance and it wasn''t only one or two, from the sound of it, it seemed there were at least ten werewolves or Lycans were coming toward their direction.


    Hope could feel the brown wolf, which was standing in front of her, tensed. She let out a low and deep growl on her own.


    What is it? Are they not friends? Since they were coming from the same kind, Hope thought they would help them, yet the long howl from the white lycan told her, it seemed that wasn''t the case.


    The disturbance made the white Lycan stopped with his attack, unfortunately that one moment was used by the woman to escape, the time her figure ran toward the tree, she disappeared, leaving only white smoke as she vanished without a trace.


    The white lycan snarl and growl in his anger, seeing his prey managed to get away.


    But, everything happened really fast when because the same moment the woman with golden eyes disappeared into thin air, there were around twenty werewolves and Lycans came into Hope''s line of sight.


    The brown wolf in front of Hope anxiously pushed her against the wall, hiding her figure from the creatures that had just come.


    Yet, it was futile attempt because they could sniff her scent from where they were standing in their four sturdy legs.


    Fortunately, the majestic and livid white lycan before their eyes was enough to draw their attention from Hope.


    Among the crowd of huge wolves, there was one big grey wolf that stepped forward. Though that wolf wasn''t as big as the white one, but its size was bigger than the other creatures that came with him.


    The two creatures stared at each other for a few seconds before the big grey wolf lowered its head and showed its neck.


    Hope recognized that as a sign of submissive. Kace had told her about one or two rules within his kinds and it was also indicated that Kace held higher position compared to the rest of the werewolves and lycans there.


    That fact alone was enough to make Hope sighed in relief.


    She couldn''t imagine if Kace had to fight those twenty creatures, though Lana would help, Hope doubted they would have an upper hand.


    Afterward, there was an ear- piercing cracking sound from the big grey wolf as he shifted into his human''s form.


    He was a man, who was only slightly shorter from Kace, wearing torn jeans and tee shirt, yet the around him showed that he was someone with high rank that couldn''t be underestimated.


    "My name is Calleb Watson. I am Gamma supreme in Torak Donovan pack." That man introduced himself. "I assume you are the brother of our Alpha."


    Calleb used question mark in the end of his sentence as he stared at the white lycan before him. It was well known that there were only three white lycan and all of them were Donovan.


    Whoever they were, they couldn''t disregard the royal family from their kinds, though this was not the other Donovan''s land.


    To answer Calleb question, Kace shifted back into his human form with his clothes and pants intact. His blue eyes were still the color of blood, but he was aware enough with his surrounding and has fully control over his beast.


    "Gluttony is in your land and you don''t know about that." Kace growled in deep voice, his eyes bore a hole on the Gamma. "Yet, because of you, she managed to escape."


    "We know she is in our land and we have been chasing after her in these past years." Calleb admitted. "I guess you are Kace Donovan, would you like to meet your brother to talk about this?"

 Chapter 446 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD (10)

    Kace sneered while he folded his thick arms in front of his chest, glaring at the Gamma sternly as if he just asked something that totally wrong. "Do you think I am here to meet him?"


    Calleb smiled harmlessly, he was that kind of man who would always be smiling regardless of the situation. "My apologize, but this is Alpha Torak''s territory. I think, at least, you wanted to say ''hi'' to your brother."


    "Say ''hi'' to him from me." Kace waved his hand toward Calleb and his blood red eyes gradually turned into its initial ocean blue. "I think with bunch of wolves that you bring here, you can still manage to look for the devil." Kace nodded at the rest of the shifter behind Calleb who were still in their beast form, showing their neck to the royal family member.


    Calleb rubbed his chin, "I think you know it is impossible for us to track her since she had vanished."


    "Whatever." Kace answered nonchalantly. "Don''t bother to report this to Torak, I will be on my way out of this city after I am done to take care of my friend."


    "You know that I couldn''t do that, I will have to report everything that happened here to my Alpha." Calleb flashed an apologetic smile, yet it didn''t reach his eyes.


    Afterward, he tilted his head toward the direction of the brown wolf, but his main focus wasn''t on that creature, because he could smell it.


    "You befriend with human?" Calleb''s smile fell as he frowned and asked Kace.


    "That is none of your business." Once again, the color of his eyes changed into dark one, the harsh tone in his voice made a few werewolves among the crowd with lower rank whimpered.


    Kace wasn''t an Alpha of some pack, but he was still the royal family of the Lycantrhopes.


    Seeing Kace was showing his temper, Calleb tried to pacify the angry lycan. "I am sorry for my rude comment, but is there any way that I could help you with?"


    Hope was slightly surprised by how polite that lycan treated Kace, despite the fact they were in their territory.


    Based on what she knew, Lycans and other shifters, they were very authoritarian towards their territory and Kace was in theirs.


    However, it seemed this fact didn''t bother them, not to mention they offered their help too.


    "Sure. I need to go to hospital to check on my friend injuries, so I will need a car." Kace flashed the Gamma with his lazy smirk. "Don''t worry, I will leave it once I get out of this city."


    "Sure." Calleb flashed him a boyish smile as he gestured to the rest of his kind to retreat. "If there is nothing else that I could do, I will take my leave. The Alpha would love to know what is happening here."


    With the mentioned of Torak, Kace didn''t bother to respond. "You can leave now." he waved his hand impatiently.


    "Farewell Kace Donovan." Calleb gave him a slight nod before he retreated and joined his pack member.


    Once they were gone, the yard turned quite, but the power was still not fixed, thus darkness still canopied the entire area.


    Kace''s gaze turned toward the brown wolf as she stepped aside to reveal a young girl, who was supporting herself against the wall.


    Upon seeing Kace was walking toward her, Hope became nervous and wanted so bad to bury her face on the brown fur of Lana''s wolf.


    Hope dropped her head as suddenly she took interest on her own feet until a pair of shoes appeared in her line of sight, Kace''s shoes.


    Kace took a deep breath as he could smell a strong scent of blood from Hope, a deep frown appeared on his forehead while his eyes traced along her small figure and stopped on her blood soaked h.i.p.s.


    The moment Kace squatted down in front of her, Hope was startled and attempted to move away, but his strong hand held her to stop her from moving.


    "Don''t move." Kace grumbled.


    Hope flinched by how smooth his words, she expected him to scold her or at least snapped at her, yet there was only concern laced in his grumble.


    "Is it hurt?" Kace raised his head to meet Hope''s eyes, which had filled with tears that was about to stream on her cheeks. "That hurt?"


    Hope gulped down her sob. It wasn''t the pain on her h.i.p.s that made her wanted to cry by the gentleness in his voice that made her eyes watery.


    "Come. Don''t cry." Kace stood up and carefully carried Hope in his arms as easy as she weight nothing. Probably for Kace that was true. "I am sorry for coming late."


    Kace meant it when he apologized for the mistake that Hope had created.


    For some reason, Hope felt her chest caved in and the feeling of regrets flooded her entire body, she sobbed on the crook of Kace''s shoulder while he walked toward the exit gate that she couldn''t find it.


    "Don''t cry, we will go to the hospital and they will take care of you." Kace kissed her forehead, hugged her even tighter against his chest. There was nothing that Kace wanted now except for Hope to not feel any pain.


    "I thought you will be angry at me¡­" Hope said between her sobs, barely a whisper.


    Kace sighed deeply. "I am not angry at you, I am worried." He stared at Hope for a while before she looked away and buried her face again. "You don''t know how worried I was¡­"


    Kace almost lost himself when he couldn''t find Hope and the faint scent of her suddenly vanished when he was right in front of this house, as if there was some magic that intervened with his search.


    His heart almost burst with anger when he caught the scent of her blood that indicating that she was injured.


    "You almost make my heart stop beating, girl¡­" Kace said softly.

 Chapter 447 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD (11)

    "You spoil her too much!" Serfina''s angry voice boomed inside the hospital ward, where Hope was laying unconscious after she got stitches on her h.i.p.s.


    "Lower your voice." Kace shot her a warning look. "She is sleeping now!"


    Serefina gritted her teeth as she glanced at Hope on the hospital bed, though her voice was not as loud as before, but the anger that laced in her tone didn''t dissipate.


    "If she keeps doing this in the future, I will be the one who discipline her." Serefina lashed out and stormed out of the room.


    The witch just came from Sebastian''s house, where she had to ''take care'' of the mess that Hope had created. Of course she wasn''t happy at all when she heard about this and too livid to stay in the same room with Kace and his teenage mate.


    Meanwhile, Lana was not there, like usual, she would stay away from Kace whenever he was with Hope.


    Kace sighed deeply when Serefina was no longer inside the room, he then sat down on the seat beside Hope''s bed and caressed her cheek.


    "She is gone, you can wake up now." He said softly. Kace visibly could see that Hope slightly flinched. "I know you are already awake."


    Fluttering her lashes that akin to the wings of butterfly, Hope opened her eyes and stared at Kace sheepishly, before she dropped her gaze and took a sudden interest with her fingers.


    "I am sorry that I cause you so much problem." Hope murmured, barely a whisper, yet Kace could hear it nonetheless.


    "Now you know why we are not allowing you to go out alone?" Kace''s expression turned stern along with her voice and the moment he retracted his hand, he could see that Hope slightly flinched again. "Because it is too dangerous for you."


    "I know and I am sorry." Hope bit her bottom lips. "I was just upset, but I will not do that again." most teenager would say something like that to appease their angry parents.


    "What makes you upset?" Kace softened his feature when he saw how sullen Hope''s expression now, apparently the restriction from them had upset her.


    "I can not hang around with my friend just like the other teenager." Hope pouted and sulked upon hearing Kace''s question.


    Kace knew regardless the danger that lurked around her, Hope was still teenager and it was their mistake to not explain it to her properly about what was going on with their life, with her life.


    At that time there was a nurse who came inside the room. She gave the best smile that she could muster toward Kace and pleasantries words before she injected something inside Hope''s IV drips tube.


    After she gave one or two advises for Hope to take a rest and everything would be better tomorrow, she left the room, leaving only Kace and Hope alone again.


    "What is that creature that came after me?" Hope stared at Kace timidly, after she was sure that the man before her eyes wasn''t angry and didn''t pull that scary look anymore, her gaze became firm and demanded an answer.


    "Beelzebub. The devil, or you can call her Gluttony." Kace sighed, it seemed the time for him to explain everything to Hope was due.


    Maybe not now because of her condition, but it would happen in the near future. Serefina had been fussy over this matter.


    The witch wanted Hope to know it all, yet at that time Kace still thought he could prevent to overstress Hope regarding this matter.


    However, after tonight attack, he knew that he owed her explanation.


    "She is the bad guy, right?" Hope moved to find comfortable position as she laid on the side of her unharmed body.


    Kace readjusted the quilt around her.


    "Have all of you been keeping me safe from her?" Hope yawned, apparently the medicine that had been injected on her drips started to kick in.


    "She included." Kace nodded, caressed her head and made Hope''s eyes became heavy because of the tickles feeling every time Kace touched her, yet she refused to fall asleep, no when Kace was willing to answer her questions that had been rummaging her head for years.


    "How many creatures are after me?" Hope asked, fluttering her lashes and biting her lips to prevent her from yawning.


    Kace looked at the white ceiling, high above them before those beautiful ocean blue eyes stared at Hope once again. "There are many."


    Hope frowned. "Is that the reason why you always insist on not leaving me alone?"


    "Yes, little angel." Kace nodded, half of it was true.


    "That creature was injured when she touched my blood." Hope informed Kace. "Maybe we can fight her. You know, like Bonnie and Clyde¡­"


    It seemed the medicine had clouded her mind now.


    Kace chuckled. "Sleep baby girl."


    "No, I have more questions to ask." Hope frowned, trying to fight the urge to just close her eyes and let the darkness took over.


    "You can ask me later." Kace persuaded.


    But, Hope didn''t listen to him. "The boy named Aidan was possessed by that creature." She yawned. "Is he died? I touched him with my blood and his face was charred." She frowned when the image jumped in the front of her mind.


    "He is fine, slightly disfigured, but fine." Upon seeing the frown didn''t not disappear from Hope''s eyebrows, Kace added. "His family wealthy enough to get him plastic surgery."


    This time Hope let out a soft chuckled that mixed with her another yawns. "How about my other friend?"


    Kace didn''t answer immediately, he caressed her cheek and erupted the spark between them. Hope likes it. "Serefina had their memories erased about this tonight event and your friends had been sent home."


    "Hm." Hope mumbled. "Kace?"


    "Yes?"


    "What are you?" Hope''s voice was barely a whisper this time. "Are you like my guardian angel?"


    Kace smiled, "Kind of." It was the other way actually.


    "Hm¡­" Hope hummed before her breathing turned even and Kace kissed her forehead.


    "Sleep my angel."

 Chapter 448 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD (12)

    Hope was packing her belongings sullenly, she just discharged from hospital yesterday and Serefina had arranged everything for her.


    They would move out of this city.


    Hope was upset, but her guilty stopped her from complaining. Actually this was the best result that she could get.


    Whatever Kace told Serefina, it worked.


    The witch didn''t scold her or she was being punished after the ruckus that she had created, but her decision couldn''t be changed this time.


    She was determined for them to move from this city, therefore, here Hope was, pull and stuck all of her books, clothes and all of her precious possession.


    Lana came to her room after she had done with her things to check on her.


    "Can''t I, at least say goodbye to my friends?" Hope raised her head, staring at Lana with her doe- eyes, pleading.


    Lana was always her friends since Hope early memories, she didn''t seem ages and only looked more stunning every time Hope has time to observe her.


    Well, she looked aging, yet for her case she only looked more mature and s.e.xy in her callous personality, but gentle enough if it came about Hope.


    The first time Hope was aware about the attraction for the opposite s.e.x, she thought Kace was with Lana. Because why not? Both of them were beautiful and perfect with each other, not to mention they were from same kind.


    "They will not remember you." Lana helped Hope to pack her things that she had been doing it half heartedly.


    Hope''s jaw dropped open, she knew what exactly was that mean. "How far Serefina had erased their memories!?" She could hear her own voice was shaking and her question came out as a high pitch voice.


    "All about the event that night and¡­" Lana paused to stuff all of Hope''s book inside a box. "¡­ all about you."


    Hope couldn''t believe it! She thought Serefina would only make them forget about what was happening in Sebastian''s house, not to erase all of the memory about her entirely.


    "All about me?" that was cruel.


    "I am sorry Hope, but yes." Lana tousled her head, offered a little bit sympathy before she finished what Hope couldn''t do because of the shock that was going through her systems rendered her speechless and paralyzed.


    It was true that not all the memories was the happy one, but even it was a sad memory, Hope still chose not to forget it.


    No. She still had it, but not with the other people that she had created those memories with. They forgot about that, forgot about her.


    Probably and most likely it was true, they no longer remembered that she actually ever existed. Hope knew how powerful the witch was.


    Before, she always admired her for that, dreaming if she was also a witch like her, but now she could feel the hatred that engulfed her heart.


    What Serefina had done was too meant. She didn''t have to do that, right?


    ==============


    It was a serene night after the fight in the red river city and Lana was a little bit restless by the fact that they would go back to the mystic river village, near the northern coven, again.


    There was something that didn''t settle well with her with that fact.


    The first time she joined Kace and Serefina was because she was heading to the northern coven to find her fae mother after her own pack was being attacked by vampire.


    Yet, when she was there and became part of this small family, well she couldn''t say this was a family, but still what Serefina, Hope and Kace offered to her was the close one, Lana no longer cared to find out about her mother in northern coven.


    However now, after the ruckus that Hope had done, they would go back to that place and Lana didn''t think that was the best idea, at least not for her, especially when Serefina had a plan for her that she couldn''t refuse.


    A knock on the table startled her and made her jumped out of her skin. Lana whipped her head in alert with stern look on her face, but her feature softened when she caught a sight of Kace, standing right before her eyes with arms crossed over his chest.


    "What are you thinking until you don''t realize I am here?" He asked with a small frown between his eyebrows.


    "Oh, no¡­" Lana gulped hard and shook her head, she was too engrossed with her own thought that she failed to notice him.


    "Don''t blame yourself, Hope was in her rebellion age." Kace grinned with his own statement. "It''s not your fault."


    "Hm." Lana hummed as she lowered her head. Honestly, she indeed felt guilty for what Hope had done, it seemed like she had failed to look after her, but that wasn''t the reason why she was spacing out. "Hope is sulking in her room since this afternoon."


    Lana decided to change the topic and she was very sure Kace wouldn''t miss it the moment she mentioned his mate.


    "What happen to her?" He straightened his back, ready to dash out toward Hope''s room, whether Lana gave her the answer or not.


    And she chose to answer it. "She is upset because Serefina erased all of her friends'' memories about her."


    Right on cue, the moment Lana finished her sentences, Kace stomped his feet toward the direction of Hope''s room while grumbling something like; ''this witch!'', ''Stupid Serefina!''.


    Lana followed Kace figured until he disappeared at the corner of the corridor.


    How nice was it to have someone who looked after you¡­ Hope was lucky to have someone like Kace, to be his mate.


    Sometime Lana envied the little girl for her ignorance, clueless about what she had and how cruel this world could be.


    Lana slumped on her seat, staring blankly at the spot where Kace was standing a while ago. She had been staring at his empty spot for these past thirteen years¡­

 Chapter 449 - THIRTEEN YEARS OLD (13)

    The moment Kace opened the bedroom door, totally darkness greeted his eyes, yet he let it be, as he could see his mate just fine in this kind of condition.


    Hope''s small body crouched down under the blanket that covered her whole figure, pillows scattered around her, if it wasn''t because her uneven breathing, she was perfectly hid on her own bed.


    Kace walked inside the room and sat down at the edge of her bed after shoving away a few pillows, so he could take a closer look at the bundle beside him.


    Extending his eyes, Kace gave pats on Hope''s head but didn''t say anything.


    They kept quiet for long time with only her occasion sobs and Kace''s breathing that could be heard inside the dark bedroom.


    It happened until the little girl decided to come out from her hiding place and regarded Kace with her teary eyes.


    Hope thought Kace wouldn''t be able to see her in this darkness, but Kace could see her regardless, even the faint strain of streaming tears on her cheeks or her wet lashes. He could see it all.


    "Serefina erased my friends'' memories about me." Hope''s voice came out hoarser than she thought, but it didn''t stop her from complaining to Kace. "She didn''t need to do that, right? Is it the way she punished me?"


    Kace couldn''t help it as he scooped Hope''s body and placed her in his laps, cradled her in his arms and patted her back to soothe her dejection.


    It worked well when Hope stopped sobbing and nuzzled her face on his chest, looking for another form of comfort.


    "Serefina did not punish you, it is her way to keep you safe." Kace said in soft voice, he could hear Hope scoffed against the fabric of his front shirt and this made him laugh. "I agreed with you that her method looks very cruel, but she means good, yet don''t know how to show that side of her emotions."


    Kace knew what he was saying right now was true. He has known her for centuries now and even when they were still in their realm, before the great war happened, it was always him who was able to get along well with her during her stay in the castle.


    If he thought about it, he should be proud of himself because not many people could stand her sharp tongue and quirky remarked.


    "She is so mean!" the little angel in Kace''s arms bit back, didn''t like when he defended the witch and he could only grimace upon hearing Hope''s sharp voice.


    "I know. I know¡­" Kace patted her head to appease her anger.


    "They will not remember me." Hope was sobbing again and kept rumbling about the memories that she had created with her other friends for hours, venting out her frustration while Kace would only let out a hum to acknowledge her complains.


    "I tried to attract his attention and we are getting close now, but he will not remember me again after this¡­" Hope''s rumbling reached the point where she talked about the boy in her class that she had crush on him.


    "Wait. What?" The hand that pat Hope''s back stopped as his body stiffened. Kace found himself was gritting his teeth. "What boy?"


    As if she was just awaken from her long reverie, Hope was startled, she didn''t know why she felt very comfortable and blurted out that story about Ian.


    It was only Alyssa and Rena who knew that she had a crush on him and also helped to create opportunity for Hope to talk to him during their break. Ian was a senior, he was only two years older than them.


    "My senior¡­" Hope said timidly, biting her lips. She didn''t know why suddenly she felt nervous to let Kace knew about this.


    It was only normal right for the girl around her age to have a crush on other boy, right?


    Hope was unsure if Kace agreed with that logic based on his reaction right now.


    "And you what? You like him?" Kace asked incredulously. Oh, Selene¡­


    You did not only give me a drooling baby as my mate, but now as she grew up, she actually likes a teenage boy? It is too hard for him¡­


    How the lycan could compete with the boy that barely reached the age of fifteen? Fifteen years were nothing in his world. That amount of time would fly by in a blink of an eye.


    The worst part was because Kace couldn''t tell Hope that she was his and she was his mate, the person that he dedicated every single breath and every single beat of his heart for¡­


    What a cruel reality that kace had to face¡­


    And now he was forced to hear his mate complained about another guy without him could do nothing!


    Where was the mate- bond that all of the mate shifter would feel it? Couldn''t she feel it too? Was it only him that could feel the pull?


    Oh, right! Serefina had mentioned it, it would only him who would feel it and the mate- bond only worked on him not on both sides.


    In another way, Hope could fall in love with other men as her heart pleased and for him? Kace would be doom¡­


    At this moment of time, Kace was glad and had the sudden urged to thank Serefina for what she had done.


    Well, the sympathy and sadness that he felt for Hope had evaporated into thin air since Hope mentioned her senior, Ian.


    "Hm. I wish Serefina did not only erase his memories, but also his existence." Kace grumbled when he heard Hope was rumbling about that boy.


    Hope raised her head, "what?" she was not sure with what she heard from Kace.


    "Nothing." Kace shook his head, trying to get rid his jealousy that started to root in his chest. "Happy birthday my angel."


    "Oh, right! Today is my birthday!" Hope spoke excitedly and Kace leaned over to kiss her forehead.

 Chapter 450 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD

    New school, new friends and new rule.


    Hope sighed. She was in her last grades in middle school. So, why she should move to this remote place? Hope didn''t understand, from all over the places and cities, why Serefina should choose mystic river village?


    From the sound of it, it gave Hope a goosebumps, she never heard about this place before, though Lana had told her that they had been living there for five years when she was a child, but she didn''t remember anything about this place.


    Well, Hope guessed she was too young to remember a thing.


    However the new building of her school was nothing like her old one. This was just¡­ a little bit¡­ old.


    Her old school was one of the famous middle school in the red river city, sophisticated and modern with an artistic touch.


    Hope sighed. Why they don''t just let her stay for another one year so she could graduate from that school?


    Now, she really regretted what she had done, the consequences were not worthy at all!


    Hope gritted her teeth and clutched her bag tightly to suppress the disappointment in her eyes upon seeing the old building.


    To placate her, Kace had bought everything that she wanted and fought with Serefina because he was spoiling her too much, but it didn''t make Hope less upset.


    She wanted to go back to her previous school and be with her friends. She didn''t want to start it from the beginning again with people who she would only know for one year before all of them enrolled in the high school.


    Though in this kind of place it was most likely Hope would see the same people even when she went to high school.


    There were not many options here after all.


    Hope walked toward the administration room and met a women with curly blonde hair, which tumbled on her shoulder, she wore golden spectacles that covered almost half of her face.


    "Are you Hope Mason?" the woman smiled brightly and Hope couldn''t help but return the gesture.


    Well, this was not as bad as she thought.


    "Yes." Hope nodded and gave her a large brown envelope for her registration.


    While she checked on Hope''s doc.u.ments, she introduced herself. "You can call me Mrs. Abby." She glanced at Hope to see her nodding her head and continued. "Why did you decide to move here from the big city like red river?"


    "My mother wants to move here. She is from here." That was the best reason that Hope could muster, she didn''t think that the first person that she met would want to know the detail.


    "Oh, really?" Mrs. Abby raised her brows. "I had never heard about a family named Mason before. You know, this is small village even your neighbor could hear when you breathing." She winked at Hope before her eyes drifted to the computer in front of her again.


    "That''s creepy." Hope mumbled.


    "Why are you moving in your last grade?" it was not common to move in their last year, especially to another place faraway.


    Hope shrugged her shoulder. "You need to ask that to my Mother if you want to know the detail." She didn''t think Mrs. Abby wanted to know the real reason.


    "Oh! You live in that big house? The one at the end of the apple street?" Mrs. Abby was surprised when she read Hope''s address.


    "I guess so." Hope didn''t really remember the name of the of the street, but she was sure that the house that Serefina owned was the biggest house in this village.


    "That house has been empty for a long time." Mrs. Abby moved her chair to the other side of the table and took a few doc.u.ments from the printer. "Be careful with ghost."


    Hope was half laughing when she watched Mrs. Abby smiled teasingly at her as she gave her a blue folder.


    "Don''t worry, my mother is scarier than ghost." And I had seen something worse than that. But, Hope didn''t voice out her last statement.


    Mrs. Abby laughed along with her as she shook her head, made the curls flapped her face. "Most of teenager will say that."


    Hope leaned over and talked in whisper. "Yes, and actually I can see ghost."


    "Nice joke." Mrs. Abby laughed dryly, but her eyes told Hope that she wasn''t that kind of person who was into horror movies.


    "Thank you, Mrs. Abby." Hope straightened her back and waved the woman goodbye.


    "You are welcome dear. If you need something else you can ask me here." Mrs. Abby waved at the sweet girl.


    "Sure." and Hope walked out of the administration room to find her next class.


    ==============


    Hope walked through the corridors with a map on her hand and locker number. Since it was written 2046, thus she thought it would be in the second floor, but when she arrived there, her number was not there at all. It started with 3.


    Hope frowned. Why didn''t they mention it as well what floor exactly her locker would be.


    "In trouble?"


    Someone''s voice echoed next to Hope''s ears, too close for her liking. Out of reflect, Hope turned around to see a boy was grinning at her, amused by her reaction.


    "I don''t have bad intention." He raised both of his hands, surrendered.


    Well, funny. Hope gave him a dry smile that didn''t reach her eyes. "Help me then." She blurted out and made the boy widened his hazel eyes in surprised before the grin made its way back to his lips.


    "Give me." Though he said that, but before Hope could give him the folder, he had snatched it from her.


    How rude. Hope was squinted her eyes, if she wasn''t a new student she would have slapped his head for acting so brazen.


    Yet, Hope was newcomer, so she needed to be more lenient.


    "So, your name is Hope. Nice name." he commented with another silly grin before he waved his hand. "Follow me."

 Chapter 451 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (2)

    Hope followed him absentmindedly as she listened to his chatter.


    Practically, this boy had turned into some kind of tour guide who would let Hope know every part of this school.


    Honestly, Hope didn''t think that she would be able to remember all of it, but she kept quiet the entire journey to the first floor again.


    "You know, you are so quiet for a girl." The boy suddenly turned around to face Hope, his lips slightly pursed as his hazel eyes scrutinized the girl before him.


    If it wasn''t because Hope''s good reflex, she would have bumped onto him and created such a drama scene, gladly she stopped before that could happen.


    "Maybe it is you, who talk too much." Hope crossed her arms while glaring at the boy that his name was still unknown.


    "Hm¡­" The boy tapped his fingers on his chin, contemplating Hope''s words. "Maybe." He shrugged and resumed walking. "I like your name, somehow it gives me a ''hope''." He winked at Hope beside him.


    Hope rolled her eyes dramatically. "So, what''s your name? Pervert?"


    Unexpectedly, the boy laughed so hard as if he had just heard the best joke of the year. "Good one!" He exclaimed as he jumped three stairs at a time. "But, no. My name is Ian." He grinned.


    Hope just nodded, acknowledge his name.


    They walked in another corridor before Ian stopped again and turned his body abruptly, good thing Hope didn''t walk behind him.


    "This is your locker and that is mine." He pointed to opposite locker from Hope, despite not being asked.


    "Thanks." Hope said curtly, offered him a small smile before she opened her locker with the key that Mrs. Abby had given to her.


    "We are in the same class, let''s go there together." Ian beamed when he checked Hope''s schedule since the folder was still in his hands.


    "Okay." Hope extended her hands to silently ask her folder back, she didn''t want this creepy boy looked through her classes.


    Ian put the folder on top of Hope''s opened palm and walked again to the opposite direction where they came.


    "If your locker is in the first floor, what are you doing in the second floor?" Hope just realized it while they were walking, she tried to strike a conversation because the silence was awkward.


    Maybe because what Hope said before about him being noisy, thus he didn''t talk much now.


    "Me? I followed your scent." Again, that strange grin appeared on his lips. "You smell like dark chocolate, sweet and warm."


    "Forget that I ever asked." Hope quickened her steps, she didn''t want to walk with this weirdo who was talking about her scent.


    "Where are you going? Here is our class." Ian grabbed Hope''s wrist and pulled her back while his other hand opened the door beside him.


    At this time there were many students, roaming around the corridors or simply talking with their friends there.


    It goes without saying, what Ian did to her had drawn their attention, not to mention Hope was a new face that they had never seen.


    "Sit here." Ian pulled Hope to sit beside him, the last row of the seat near the door. "Don''t worry, if there is someone try to bully you here, you can count on me." Ian pointed his own chest.


    "Don''t worry I can handle myself just fine." Hope replied callously, but didn''t move from her seat. Despite how annoying Ian was, she preferred to not have enemy in her first day.


    In different light, it was good enough to have Ian around since she didn''t know anyone here.


    But, it didn''t mean Hope was ignorance, she could feel the strange looks that the other students threw at her.


    "Are you famous here?" Hope turned to look at Ian.


    "Kind of." Ian smiled. "You can say so."


    "Oh, good... I will not be surprised if there is someone who wants to talk privately with me later." Hope remarked sarcastically.


    "That''s the peak of being a friend of famous people." Ian wiggled his eyebrows. "Afraid?"


    Hope wanted to laugh out loud, but she settled by unladylike snort. "Don''t be too friendly with me."


    "Why? I thought we have a lot in common." Ian retorted.


    "Enlighten me, how do you know we have something in common." Hope rolled her eyes, at this point she was considering to find another empty seat. "Just because you helped me, it doesn''t mean we are friend yet."


    "For example¡­" Ian closed his eyes for three seconds before he opened them and pointed his finger toward the big window across from their seat.


    "You and I can see the big brown wolf out there while the rest of the people here, can not." Ian spoke lazily to give ignorance effect, as if he was talking about the weather and not something like supernatural creatures, which not all the people could see it.


    "What?!" Hope???s jaw dropped as she darted her gaze at the brown wolf that he pointed.


    It was Lana''s wolf. What she was doing here? But, Hope could ask that later, the most important thing right now was to ask this ''friendly'' boy.


    "How can you see it?!" Hope lowered her voice.


    For fourteen years she had been living, Hope had never come across with someone who could see those creatures too, except for the people in her house, of course.


    "So, consider me as your friend now?" Ian crossed his arms haughtily.


    "I would love to have you as my friend!" Hope giggled as she nodded eagerly.


    Maybe moving here wasn''t a bad idea at all! Hope had never had a friend who she could share this little secret of her.


    Not to mention Kace and Lana prevented her to know more about their world while Serefina¡­ well, Hope too afraid to ask anything to her if it''s not necessary


    But now, since Ian was here, Hope could ask everything that she wanted to know, right?


    "I know you will." Ian snickered.

 Chapter 452 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (3)

    "What is this?" Hope whispered at Ian beside her.


    When the bell rang for afternoon break, Ian popped out of nowhere and immediately ushered Hope to the other side of the school building where she introduced her to two other people.


    "This is the girl that I told you in the math class!" Ian was very happy as he gave Hope a little bit push, so she could be the center of attention.


    "Uhm, hi." Hope waved her hand at them awkwardly, one boy and one girl, but in closer look she recognized the boy had the same exact face like Ian. She blinked her eyes and shifted them back and forth between Ian and the other boy.


    "I know." The other boy sighed. "This stupid mutt is my twin, so stop staring at me like that."


    "I am sorry." Hope said sheepishly as she took a seat in front of the girl while Ian plopped his body next to her. "This is my first time to see twin and both of you look very identical."


    Ian grinned. "He is Ethan, my younger brother and he is Rossie, my stupid younger sister." His voice softened when he mentioned his sister, who waved at Hope.


    Ethan was slightly leaner than Ian, with the same hazel eyes and golden brown hair along with their warm skin tone, they were perfect portray of the boys next door.


    Only, Ethan wasn''t as vocal as Ian, but without closer inspection, it was hard to tell them apart.


    While Rossie¡­ her expression reminded Hope of a cute little puppy that was at lost. She looked like she was the obedient one with his dark platinum hair color and pair of hazel eyes.


    "She is in eight grades." Ian told Hope.


    "So?" Hope opened her lunch box, Lana would make it for her every day because she was strictly forbidden from eating anything without their permission.


    Sometime, Hope wondered, whose random person would poison her, but after what happened last time, she was more than willing to oblige.


    "So, all of you can see ''them'' too?" Hope lowered her voice.


    "''Them''?" Rossie opened her burrito and took a bite. "Who is ''them''?"


    Rossie has shoulder length hair with curl on the end of it, there was a stain of sauce on the corner of her lips that wiped off immediately by Ethan.


    Hmm. Despite his slightly ignorant personality, but he was taking good care of his sibling.


    "Supernatural creature." Ian answered his sister''s question while Ethan answered Hope''s


    "We are one of ''them'', of course we are able to see it." Ethan drank his juice and didn''t seem to eat anything.


    "We?" Hope caught that word with frown. "You mean the three of you?"


    "Including you of course." Ian said in matter of fact as he leaned over to take a bite of burrito in Rossie''s hands, but before he could do that, Ethan had pushed his head away and glared.


    The message on his twin was clear; stay away from her! She is eating!


    Hope was fascinated by the way they interacted with each other. Was this a sibling relationship looked like?


    Hope never experienced it and never had a chance to see it because all of her friends were not very close to their sibling.


    "Including me?" Hope kindly pushed her lunch box and silently gave permission for Ian to take whatever he liked from it. "I don''t think so."


    Ian plopped a sausage into his mouth. "What do you mean, you don''t think so?" Ian talked while eating. "You are a werewolf too, I can smell it."


    Only then Hope understood what Ian meant when he said he was following his scent this morning and met her in the second floor.


    "I think you are wrong." Hope was quite sure the scent of shifter that lingered on her body wasn''t hers. It probably Lana or Kace, since the later just visited her last night. "This is not my scent."


    Hope sniffed her sweatshirt, though she couldn''t smell anything except her own cologne, but she was sure those creatures with acute nose could tell the different.


    "No." Ian protested, not so happy for the possibility that he was wrong. "I am sure you are a werewolf. You can''t deceive my nose." He tapped his pointed nose.


    However, before Hope could protest again, Ethan had leaned over and sniffed her more thoroughly as his nose scrunched.


    "I don''t think this is her smell." Ethan said before he straightened his back. "It most likely she lives with shifter, thus her scent almost like them."


    His guess was right.


    Hope was unsure if she could tell them or not about Kace, Serefina and Lana. It must be Kace and Lana''s scent that mixed with her since Serefina was rarely at home.


    Ian sniffed Hope''s shoulder, too close for her liking, but thankfully Ethan pushed away his twin''s head and glared at him.


    "Really?" Ian frowned. "I think you are right." He talked to his brother and drifted his attention back to Hope while eating another sausage from her lunch box. "Now, she smelled like human."


    "If she is a human you are in big trouble." Rossie chimed in, her round eyes glared at her brother. "We are not allowed to reveal our existence to human." She lowered her voice and stared at Hope warily.


    "Why so?" Hope knew that she wasn''t allowed to tell her friend about her ''special'' family, because all the people out there that she met couldn''t see what she was able to see, but the three people in front of her was different.


    Rossie didn''t talk as she sat closer toward Ethan, eating her burrito.


    "Because human shouldn''t know we are exist." Ethan explained it simply.


    "I am in big trouble!" Ian widened his eyes and took the last sausage from Hope''s lunch box as he leaned back his body as if she would attack him in the next second.


    Ethan looked at his twin''s reaction with disdain. "The question is; why she lives with shifter and is able to see them in their beast form."

 Chapter 453 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (4)

    Now Hope received the three people attention. She bit her lips as she reminded herself to be careful with what she would say.


    Hope just met with them and didn''t really know them very well, not to mention this was her first day, though Ian and his siblings looked reliable, but she didn''t want to upset Serefina further by telling something about her family to the outsider.


    "I live with them since I was a baby. I don''t know why." Hope answered, that wasn''t a lie.


    "Since a baby?" Ian frowned. "That is strange. It is not common for shifter to take care of human''s child¡­" they tend to hate them, actually. But, Ian didn''t voice out his last statement.


    "Really?" This time, it was Hope who was surprised, but if she thought about this again, Serefina was always very hostile every time she had to have a conversation with her teacher whenever she picked her up from school.


    But, Lana and Kace didn''t seem like that¡­


    "Are they mistreated you?" Ian asked again, his eyes slanted as if he could smell a lie in Hope''s answer.


    "No." Raine shook her head. "They treated me very well." Except for the weird restriction to not go out by herself after the sun set, which Hope understood the reason behind it, they have treated her very well.


    Especially Kace, he would literally grant every Hope''s wishes.


    "Maybe her family is a rogue." Rossie blinked her eyes at Hope, finishing her burrito and wiping her mouth.


    "Rogue? What is that?" Hope never heard that term and most likely it wasn''t the common term that human would use.


    "You don''t know what is rogue?" Ethan furrowed his brows at Hope was at lost.


    "This is interesting." Ian leaned over and scrutinized Hope''s face as he tried to find his answer on her face, which was a stupid thought. "You are not a shifter but lives with them and you don''t seem know about shifter''s life."


    "So, she is human?" Rossie still bothered with the fact that Hope was human, yet they were talking about their world to her. "Is it okay that we are talking about this to her?"


    "Yes, she is human." Ian nodded, but his eyes still locked on Hope. "But, she is not ordinary human, I think."


    Hope didn''t understand what Ian was talking about. "What do you mean?"


    "Tell me." Ian moved closer and Ethan threw an empty bottle toward him, that he caught before it could hit his head without even looking at it. "Do you have super power ability?"


    "Like what?" Hope had never had a conversation like this and she was more than excited to know more about the things that Kace and Serefina kept holding back to tell her. Kace would always say; he would let her know when she was older.


    Well, she was older now since the last time he said that.


    "Like super strength, super speed, laser vision, invisibility or something?" Ian was very eager to know more about this.


    From the corner of Hope''s eyes she could see, even Ethan and Rossie were listening.


    "Of course not. I don''t have that kind of power." Hope laughed. "There are people who have power like that?" she asked incredulously.


    "I have never heard." Ian shrugged his shoulder.


    "But, witch absolutely can do those kinds of thing." Rossie''s hazel eyes shined, intrigued by the topics they discussed.


    "Some, yes. But, not all." Ethan replied.


    "But, that is still cool." Rossie was stubborn with her opinion and Ethan didn''t dissent her again.


    Well, that''s kind of cool. Hope agreed as she remembered how she used to admire Serefina''s magic before she used it to erase her friends'' memories.


    Even now, Hope was still upset at her, but Serefina didn''t seem to mind or even bother to apologize at all.


    "You have not answered my question." Hope reminded them. "What is rogue?"


    It was Ian and Ethan who explained it to Hope about what was the term of rogue meant in their world.


    Basically, rogue was a lone wolf that didn''t join any pack, just like their family, and this piece of information surprised Hope.


    She did know that werewolves and Lycanthropes formed their own pack and the biggest pack in red river city was Torak Donovan''s pack, which covered all the packs across the nation.


    Hope just knew about this after that incident in Sebastian''s house, Kace told her a little bit about this and to her surprise, Torak Donovan was Kace second brother that he had never met for years now.


    Ethan also explained to Hope about hierarchy in werewolves and Lycan''s world, about the role of Alpha, Beta and Gamma.


    This information was a mind blowing for Hope, she knew there was a pack, but would have never thought that it was very complicated with many roles in there.


    "So, why all of you chose to be a rogue?" Hope was curious, she was thirsty to know more about it.


    Ethan and Ian were staring at each other before Ian spoke callously. "Family problem."


    "Oh." Hope couldn''t pursue the reason if their answer was that.


    Apparently, most of the rogue was not very welcomed when they trespass another pack territory without permission, thus they chose to live here because no one owned this land.


    "Because, from what I heard, there is a portal to another realm behind the forest." Ian''s voice was barely a whisper.


    "What portal?" Hope couldn''t help, but mimicked his gesture as she talked secretively.


    "Another world, another realm. The world of magic." Ian gave Hope a suggestive grin.


    "Stop trying to corrupt her to break the law." Ethan growled, the same growl that Kace would do every time he was talking to Serefina and they had different opinion, though Kace was more powerful.


    "What law? We are not allowed to enter the forest?" Hope just arrived here a week ago and literally didn''t took a step out of the house.


    "There is this law here¡­" Ian ignored Ethan''s glare and continued.

 Chapter 454 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (5)

    "What kind of law?" Hope asked eagerly. This conversation was getting more and more interesting. At this point she had forgotten that she just met them for hours. In Ethan and Rossie case, it was less than an hour to be exact.


    However, Hope felt excited as if she had known them for years.


    Finally, she found someone who could share this kind of thing and was able to see that most people couldn''t see it.


    This was kind of conversation that Hope really wanted, rather than talking about fashion and boys. Supernatural world was way more interesting for her since she had been living with them.


    "No one is allowed to enter the forest, without permission of course. Both human and shifters or witches, vampires, well you name it." Ian shrugged. "You will get lost there."


    "Because there were many people who entered the forest and didn''t come back, people in this village thought that forest is cursed, thus it is forbidden to walk there." Rossie chimed in, apparently has the same interest of this kind of topic just like Hope.


    "But, we, supernatural creature, know that there is another portal to go to another realm where missing people would go if they couldn''t return to this village." Ian added.


    "How all of you know about this? Have you been there?" Hope threw a suspicious look to Ian.


    "Kind of trying to prove the story." Ian grinned.


    "If human is forbidden to go there, but why it implies to supernatural creatures too? Isn''t everything in there is from the same kind as you?" Hope didn''t understand. It was understandable if human was not allowed there, but why shifters too?


    "Because there is dark creatures resided there." Ian shrugged. "It is ironic that we take a shelter here near their realm because this is the safest place for us, rogue, since there are very few places that we can live, to stay away from those packs."


    Why don''t you join the pack then? That was the question that Hope wanted to ask, but she remembered that Ethan had said it was a family problem, hence she kept her mouth shut.


    Moreover, Hope was not in better position too, if the definition of rogue was that, then she had two rogues at house.


    And then, they were chatting a few more things about the law in this village and the forbidden forest, before the siblings filled Hope in with the information about werewolves and Lycanthropes.


    Well, Hope learned a lot from this one hour conversation about the shifter world rather than living with two shifters and one witch for fourteen years.


    "What is mate?" Hope asked curiously when Rossie mentioned about mate.


    This time it was the little girl, who explained it to Hope with sparkle in her eyes. "It is your half soul, our kind believe that moon goddess had given all of the shifters in pairs, all we have to do is to find our own mate."


    Hope raised her brows, she had never heard something like that. "Wow! How romantic¡­" Hope felt giddy when she heard that while the two boys rolled their eyes, this was the topic that girls liked after all. "How do you know your mate?"


    "There are a few way to know your mate, but most of the case, it happened at the same time." Rossie loosened up with Hope now as she leaned over to tell her this piece of information. "Your mate scent is like parfume that only is made for you."


    Hope blinked her eyes. Maybe for those shifters who had acute nose, it was possible, but for her who could barely smell another a faint scent, it was impossible.


    But, again¡­ Hope was not a shifter, so how she could have a mate? Stupid¡­ she scolded herself for imagining thing like that.


    What to do, the way Rossie mentioned it, it sounded very romantic and Hope wished to be able to experience that.


    "And the way you look your mate eyes, you will feel the pull of mate bond that will make you to be near your mate forever." Rossie grinned giddily, but she had not yet done. "And the last thing¡­"


    "What is it?" Hope asked again. Rossie made it sound like love at first sight and made one believed there were still true love in this cruel world.


    "When you touch your mate, you will feel the spark that erupted from your skin to skin contact." Rossie''s focus was solely on Hope now, though she was the very person who was reluctant to inform Hope further about their kind.


    "Spark?" Hope furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you meant with spark?"


    "I don''t have idea about that because I have not experienced it yet, but from what I heard, it is like a tingling feeling that spread on your skin, like spark."


    Rossie elaborated more detail about the spark that she mentioned, but all Hope could think was the same exact feeling when she touched Kace.


    However, before Hope could ask further the bell rang and they had to be separated.


    ==============


    "How is your first day?" Lana asked when Hope closed the car door.


    She was tasked to pick up Hope from her school and observed the situation here, if it was safe enough for Hope to be in this village.


    "Good." Hope put her bag on her laps and buckled herself or else Lana wouldn''t start the engine and they would never reach home.


    Safety first. That was what Lana would say.


    "What?" Hope furrowed her brows when Lana tried to sniff her and scrunched her nose afterward.


    "There is shifter in your school." Lana stated, it wasn''t a question. meant, she knew for sure about Hope''s new friends.


    "Really? I don''t know." For some reason, Hope didn''t want Lana to know about them, she didn''t want to move again. Knowing Serefina, there was a high chance she would decide to choose that option. "How do you know?"


    "I can smell it." Lana replied curtly.

 Chapter 455 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (6)

    Hope began smelling herself, her hands, her sweatshirt, but she was not able to sense anything aside from her parfume.


    "What smell?" Hoper frowned. "I don''t smell anything."


    Lana turned on the engine and the car started to move toward their house while both of them chatted inside.


    "You will not be able to smell it, but I am different, remember?" Lana glanced at the sullen Hope.


    "Yeah, I know that you are different." Hope rolled her eyes dramatically and turned on the radio, but it couldn''t catch any program. "Is it broken?"


    She was trying to divert Lana''s attention from asking her about her new friend and the ''shifter smell'' on her, because as creepy as it sounded, sometime Hope wondered if Lana actually knew when she was lying.


    "No. It is hard to get a signal around here." Lana mumbled as she threw another glance at Hope.


    In her previous school, of course there were a few shifters there, but they were children in the pack, the only reason why they couldn''t smell Hope was because the necklace that Kace gave to her when she was a baby, yet it had been destroyed by Gluttony, based on what Hope told them.


    However, the scent that Lana smelled from Hope at this moment was the rogue.


    Did Hope come in contact with rogue? Or one of her friend was a rogue? She had to find out about this before Kace had a panic attack about the safety of his mate and quarreled with Serefina again.


    Despite, Lana didn''t pursue the matter about the rogue''s smell on Hope, but this would be her next task the moment she informed this to the witch.


    Lana and Serefina couldn''t be said were being in good term, actually both of them were in mutual need while with Kace, since the vow the Lycan seemed had forgotten about that and had never mentioned it again.


    "Lana¡­" Hope mumbled her name.


    And Lana hummed in response.


    "Why are we not living in the pack?" Hope tried to sound like she didn''t care. "You know, most of your kind lives in a pack."


    But, without Hope knew it, the question that she asked had concluded Lana''s suspicion toward her that she had been talking with the rogue.


    It was not usual for Hope to ask anything about werewolf world.


    "I have one before I met Serefina and Kace." Lana told Hope with her eyes still on the road when she turned her head and stared at her in surprise.


    "What happened?" Now the sound of Hope''s voice was no longer ignorance.


    "My previous pack was attacked by vampire." Lana answered her truthfully. "I am the last survivor of that pack," then she added. "I guess¡­"


    "Vampire?" Hope''s eyes widened in disbelieve. "It feels unreal to hear something like this¡­"


    Serefina glanced at her way. "You have seen me and Kace turn into our beast and Serefina was doing witchy thing." She pointed the truth.


    "No, I meant¡­ I had never seen any vampire before." Hope elaborated. "It feels unreal because I had never seen them."


    "Don''t ever wish to see them. Our kind is not in good term with them and since you carry around our scent, it will not end up good." Lana made Hope grimaced with her bluntness.


    "Do vampire not walk in the daylight? Because of that you are not allowed me to go out by myself alone after the sunset?" something clicked in Hope''s mind.


    "No. they walk in the daylight." Lana drove to the garage. "And yes, they are one of the reasons why we don''t allow you to go out alone, but Hope¡­"


    Lana turned off the engine of the car and turned her body to face her. Lana expression created a furrow between Hope''s brows. She was very serious when she continued.


    "¡­the universe is so big, there is so many mysteries in it and vampire, shifter, devil are not the only predator out there. So, be careful who you hang out with."


    Though it sounded like Lana was giving Hope advice about her last action, but from the sound of it, there was underlying meaning from it.


    "Okay." Hope tried to smile, but failed.


    Lana could hear how nervous Hope became, but she didn''t expose her and acted as if everything was fine, at least for now.


    ==============


    Hope was eating alone because Serefina and Lana were going out, ever since she turned thirteen, there would be occasion when the two of them would leave her alone.


    Because they thought Hope could handle herself now.


    It didn''t mean she was protest or something, but before they go, Serefina would send her a threat or two to make sure she didn''t step out of the house, which Hope always obeyed until this time.


    However, Hope didn''t like it when she had to eat alone, it felt so lonely when all she could hear was the noisy that she made.


    "Don''t spacing out while you are eating."


    Kace''s sudden voice caused Hope to choke on her food and the lycan immediately gave a glass of water to her.


    "Drink this." Kace was panic, he didn''t know that Hope would be surprised.


    The moment Kace massage her neck and when their fingers touched each other, Hope could feel the spark that Rossie had mentioned before.


    But, for now she had to save her life first before she wondered about that. Hope drank the water painfully until the clog in her throat disappeared.


    "Don''t do that!" Hope snapped irritably at Kace.


    "Sorry, I don''t know that you would be surprised." Kace scratched his head, it was apparent there was a little bit stress by the accident before on his face. "Why are you alone here?"


    Kace couldn''t smell Lana or Serefina''s scent.


    "Both of them have something to do." Hope mumbled.


    "Ah, this witch!" Kace grumbled under his breath as he poured a glass of water for himself.


    "Hm, Kace¡­" Hope was hesitant whether she had to ask this or not.


    "Hm?"

 Chapter 456 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (7)

    "Can I ask you about something?" Hope was very careful with what she wanted to say next, she fidgeted on her seat and her appetite disappeared.


    Kace could sense her nervousness and sat down beside her. It was so rare to see Hope was being restless around him when she wanted to ask something.


    "What is it?" Kace leaned over, too close for Hope, which made her leaned back.


    "I want to know what the meaning of¡­" Hope didn''t know why all of sudden it became very hard to talk with Kace. She had never felt this way before.


    "Of?" Kace prodded, he frowned, became more curious about what Hope wanted to tell him since she had never acted this way before.


    "Hmm¡­" Hope lowered her head.


    "Hm?" Kace leaned over even more to see her expression, which was hid behind the curtain of her long black hair. "What? You make me nervous."


    If Hope kept acting like this, Kace''s imagination would turn wild and he would start to imagine the worst.


    "What is¡­ ''mate''?" Hope raised her head only to see Kace''s face was only a few centimeter away from her. This made her heartbeat accelerated.


    On the other hand, Kace was caught out of guard by Hope''s question. Why all of sudden she asked this kind of thing? Or, more important thing was; from whom she knew about this?


    Kace was sure, Lana would never mention something like this, let alone Serefina. The witch would always have better thing to do other than talking about ''mate'' and everything entail.


    Kace''s expression turned from curious to be more curious. "From whom you heard about this little one?"


    "I am not little one." Hope mumbled under her breath. She disliked it when Kace always thought of her as a small child.


    "Alright," Kace didn''t lose his serious expression. "From whom you heard about this Hope?"


    "I¡­" Hope forgot to find an excuse for this. "I¡­ Lana told me¡­" that was the best thing that she could think in this moment.


    But, of course it was unbelievable for Kace as he knew his little mate too well, after all he had taken care of her poop and pee since she was only a baby.


    "Hope, you know that I know you are lying, right?" Kace was surprised that Hope started to lie to him, but to think about it again, she was a teenager now.


    Hope was starting to have her own secret.


    "You do not answer my question." Hope tried to cover her nervousness by acting bold, yet Kace could see it through her poor act.


    "You don''t answer my question either." Kace retorted.


    "But, I asked you first." Hope didn''t want to back down. Since she had asked about it, then she had to find the answer.


    Unexpectedly, Kace answered it. "''Mate'' is a soulmate for my kind. Someone who destined to be with you for the rest of your eternity."


    "Huh?" this time, it was Hope who was surprised by Kace''s bluntness. "Like girlfriend and boyfriend? Husband and wife?" those were the closest example that Hope could imagine.


    The sound of guttural laugh echoed through the dining room, as Kace''s chest raise and fall rapidly. He had never thought about the mate bond in that way.


    Whether it was boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife, once you found your mate, you would bound together for the rest of your life, thus those tittles meant nothing for their kind.


    "Why are you laughing?" Hope huffed, irritated because Kace found her statement was amusing. Did she say something wrong? Why he was laughing heartily?


    "Well, you can say that." Kace grinned.


    "But, that didn''t answer my question, why are you laughing?" Hope still disliked the fact that she was being laughed. "There is something funny about my statement?"


    "No." Kace shook his head. "Of course not. However¡­"


    "However?" at this point, Hope was very curious about their world, this was the first time she was talking about this kind of topic, though before Kace and Lana had explained a few things about their world, but it was only something on the surface.


    "Our kind values our mate highly." Kace leaned back against his seat. "Even those terms sound inappropriate."


    "What do you mean?" Hope blinked her eyes, trying to discern the information.


    "When human said they would die for their partner, most of them would say it figuratively, while in our case we will do it, literally." Kace looked at Hope with a spark in those beautiful blue eyes. "Living our life without a mate is a boring kind of life." Kace added.


    By the meaning of ''boring'' it was an understatement of what kind of life that Kace had been through before he found Hope.


    "Wow¡­" Hope drawled. "That sounds¡­ romantic."


    Kace laughed once again. "I don''t know if you find dying is romantic."


    "So¡­" Hope cleared her throat. This was the question that made her more nervous than before. "¡­did you find your mate?"


    "I did." Kace nodded affirmatively.


    Hope scratched the back of her head and played with her hair absentmindedly. Even though Kace knew what Hope would ask next, he didn''t say anything as he wanted her to say it.


    "Lana?" the moment that name left her lips, she knew very sure it was only her finding an excuse to attest her suspicion.


    Kace gave her a smile, the one that very warm and not like his goofy smile, which he always showed her all this time. "Hope, if you want to talk about this, I will assume you already know who the person is."


    Hope gulped hard as she averted his gaze. "I don''t know," she mumbled. Why all of sudden the atmosphere turned very heavy? She had never felt this way every time she talked with Kace before.


    "It is you." Kace said it in matter of fact. "You are my mate."


    "Huh?" despite the fact her guess turned out right, but Hope was still surprised that Kace admitted it easily.

 Chapter 457 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (8)

    Kace didn''t know that he would break this news this way, he had been thinking about the most complicated case, when the situation forced him to explain this to Hope.


    Just like what had been nagged by Serefina since a year ago, Kace had to tell Hope about this sooner or later.


    Yet, Kace would have never imagined this news was actually brought by Hope herself, she made a way for Kace to discuss this.


    "Me?" Hope pointed herself with her forefinger, her expression was incredulous. "But, how?"


    "I don''t have the answer for that Hope." Kace was all serious now. Hope wanted him to not treat her like a child, therefore he wouldn''t treat her like one. "It wasn''t me who has the privilege to choose my own mate."


    Hope was at lost for words for a few minutes and Kace was very patient to wait for her next reaction.


    "But, don''t you think I am too young for you?" Hope was still didn''t believe it, though there was somewhere in the corner of her heart, the smallest part of her that was relieved to hear that.


    "I don''t think about you in that way." Kace raised his eyebrows.


    Hope blinked her eyes adorably since she couldn''t understand Kace''s contradictive statement. "You said that I am your mate, but you also said you don''t think about me that way?"


    "At least not until you had come into the right age to think about that." Kace nodded to himself. Hope was fourteen now, she was in early teenager state, probably they could have this kind of conversation again after three years from now.


    "No." Hope didn''t know why, but she rejected the idea. "I want to choose my own boyfriend," she said sullenly.


    Kace and Hope were staring at each other for more than ten seconds before the former finally broke the silence between them. "Sure." He nodded. "You can choose whoever boy to be your boyfriend."


    The sound of Kace''s voice was very pleasant, but Hope knew for sure, there was underlying meaning from his words and her guess was right.


    "But if he touches mine, I will make sure he loses his hand," Kace said those words in languid tone as if he didn''t mean every words he said when the truth was; he would prove otherwise.


    "I am not yours." Hope widened her eyes in disbelief, her rebellious side was triggered. She was raised by Serefina after all, thus in one or two occasion, she would show this self- sufficient side of her. "I am not a thing. You don''t own me."


    Hope didn''t know why she found out the need to defy Kace. Probably because she was still quest her own identity, but all of sudden Kace had claimed her as his.


    Hope didn''t really dislike the idea, since Kace wasn''t bad at all. Damn! He was hot, actually! And Hope was blushing because of this thought.


    Honestly, Hope had never seen a man as good looking as him.


    However, this feeling was complicated. She felt the need to deny it and didn''t want to be claimed that way.


    "You are mine, Hope. Just like how I am yours." Kace shrugged his shoulder as his goofy smile returned on his lips. "I think this is enough for you for now. We will talk about this later when you grow older."


    "You always talk like that," Hope grumbled.


    Kace stood up and kissed her forehead.


    Despite Hope had said she refused to be Kace''s mate, but it came very natural for her to be kissed by Kace and she didn''t mind it at all.


    ==============


    Hope was biting the tip of his pen when the teacher was explaining about story from the past, the girl was spacing out while looking out of the window until she felt someone nudged her side.


    Hope whipped her head toward Ian beside her while glaring and mouthing ''what?''


    As a reply, Ian pushed his book over to Hope, on the surface of it was his handwriting that said; ''what are you thinking? You have been spacing out since the first class.''


    Hope frowned when she read that. She realized that her action must attracted this boy attention because he was very talkative and most of the time today, Hope ignored him.


    Hope took her pen and scribbled under his sentences. ''Nothing''.


    Actually, Hope was thinking about her conversation with Kace last night and it felt like she just opened a pandora box. She didn''t know how to discern this information.


    Kace was¡­ old.


    Hope was not sure how old he was, though his face was still the same like her first memory about him, but Hope didn''t think she wanted to be with him.


    However, in contrary, the moment Hope was with Kace, the interaction that they shared, it felt very natural.


    Kace had said that she didn''t need to think about this, at least not now, when she was only fourteen years old, but Hope couldn''t help it.


    And if Hope thought about the days that she spent with Kace¡­ all of those days were filled with her either drooling crying, or throwing tantrum like a baby.


    Maybe this was only her self- consciousness, but she didn''t think that she had left a good memory for Kace to remember.


    Lana had told her that Kace was the one who would change her diapers when he was around when Hope was a baby.


    They used to laugh about how Hope had peed or pooped on him in some occasion when Kace was holding her.


    It was funny memories and Hope would taunt him about this occasionally.


    But, not now.


    Those memories were nightmares!


    Hope didn''t know why her view about Kace changed all of sudden when she heard she was his mate. Wasn''t she not like the idea?


    If that was the case, she didn''t need to feel bother like how she felt right now, right?


    "I feel like I am going to die soon." Hope whispered, she covered her face with her palms.

 Chapter 458 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (9)

    "What are you talking about?" Ian whispered back at her. "What? Do you have some rare disease or something?"


    Hope didn''t hear that, as she was busy to cover her face and whined in low voice.


    After a couple of attempts to ask Hope about what she was talking about and got no response, Ian gave up and waited for another fifteen minutes before the bell rang.


    Hope looked lethargic when she put back her things inside her backpack and followed Ian out of the classroom to meet with his other two siblings.


    "Hey, are you all right? You look terrible." Rossie commented when she met Hope''s unsightly expression.


    "I feel terrible." Hope nodded at the younger sibling as they walked out of the school building.


    Ussualy, Lana''s car had been waiting for Hope at the entrance of the gate and she would part way with the siblings before she reached there, because Hope didn''t want Lana to know about the three of them.


    Knowing how Serefina and Kace, Hope was pretty sure, they wouldn''t agree if she befriended with other creatures, though Lana and Kace basically rogue as well, yet the title as a rogue wasn''t a good term in their world, apparently.


    However, Hope was preoccupied by her own shameful memories and didn''t realize it, instead of Lana, it was Kace who picked her up and now he was walking toward her direction.


    Hope just realized it, when she heard a sound, like a snarl, from Ethan. However, in the next second his snarl became a whimper.


    Hope whipped her head to see what was going on with Ethan, only to see Ethan, Ian and Rossie were having this dreadful expression etched on their face, as if they were seeing their nightmare in this broad daylight.


    "What happened?" Hope blinked her eyes in confusion when Rossie moved away from her and hid behind Ethan''s back. "What are you afraid of?"


    Hope caught Ian''s eyes and he signaled her to look ahead and she did. Her line of sight ended on the figure of Kace, who was walking closer toward them.


    As a werewolf, the three siblings could sense greater predator, that was why they acted that way the moment their eyes fell on Kace.


    Not to mention Kace''s strong presence was akin to the feeling of a beggar met their king. Helpless and was at lost. They were forced to submit before him. After all they were just pups.


    "What are you doing here?" Hope snapped at Kace irritably. "Where is Lana?"


    Rossie whimpered when she heard the way Hope talked to the man in such disrespectful way. She was afraid for her.


    Last night when Kace asked her about who had told her about mate, Hope couldn''t lie to Kace as he knew very well when she did it.


    Who would have thought he would come to her school to meet with the siblings?


    "She is out with Serefina." Kace answered without even spared Hope a glance as is blue ocean eyes fixed on the three pups in front of him. "So, this is your friends?"


    Hope''s body turned stiff, she stepped in front of Ian and Ethan who were shielding their little sister out of Kace''s eyes.


    "What? What do you want to do with my friend?" Hope became defensive. She still remembered how Serefina had wiped out all the memories of her friends about her.


    Did they really expect her to live as a loner? Avoiding all social interactions? Not making any friends? Hope would breakdown if that was what they wanted from her.


    Kace shifted his eyes from the siblings to his agitated little mate as he knew what was running inside her pretty little head.


    "I will do nothing." Kace extended his hand and tousled her hair. "Relax."


    All of the students, teachers and all the people around them set their eyes on the tall man who walked with such strong aura around him.


    Their attention were captivated by him as he was a sight to behold. Kace''s blue ocean eyes made them drawn in his charm.


    Because Hope was used with Kace''s presence, of course, she didn''t know this kind of effect on the other people for Kace.


    "So, why are you here?" Hope brushed aside his hand from her head as she fixed her messy hair, thanks to Kace.


    "Pick you up of course." Kace shrugged his shoulder innocently, yet Hope knew this man was not genuine with his intention.


    "Let''s go home then." Hope grabbed his arms and was about to drag him away, but he didn''t budge.


    "This is your friends, right?" Kace smiled at Ian and Ethan who had turned very stiff by now as if they were a thief who was caught red handed with evidence. "Why don''t invite them to our house? We can order pizza while watching a movie."


    Hope stopped struggling to drag Kace away from there and, instead, looked at the man with curious gaze.


    "What all of you say?" Kace smiled harmlessly, but it didn''t stop them from shivering. "Hm?"


    "Mm¡­ we¡­" Ian stole a glance or two at Kace.


    "Hm?" Kace raised an eyebrow. "I don''t take a rejection very well."


    "Kace!" Hope glared at him as she pinched at the big bad wolf. She remembered that she used to call him wolf when she was a child. "Don''t threaten my friend!"


    The pinch on his waist had no affect on him, Kace widened his eyes innocently. "I don''t." then he turned his attention back toward the siblings. "Did I threaten you?"


    "No." Ian and Ethan answered in unison, even before their mind could process it.


    "See?" Kace spoke nonchalantly. "Let''s go then."


    Kace wrapped his arms around Hope''s shoulder as he took his little mate away toward their car, which was parked right in front of the entrance gate.


    "What do you want?" Hope hissed at Kace and watched the three followed them helplessly.


    "Nothing." Kace grinned. "I just want to know your friends."

 Chapter 459 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (10)

    Six boxes of pizza, soft drinks, other snacks and nice movie, but none of them could melt the icy cold atmosphere.


    "What a nice movie." Kace commented.


    At least out of five people inside the living room, there was one who really enjoyed this situation. Raine thought bitterly.


    During the movie, no one was talking.


    Rossie was sitting at the far away position from Kace, next to Rossie was Ian and Ethan sat near Hope, the three of them stuffed in the long sofa.


    While Hope was stuck with Kace on the second sofa.


    "It is only you who enjoy it." Hope sneered. She didn''t know what kind of power that Kace possessed to be able to make all of her friends didn''t even complain a single word about this.


    "Why? You don''t like it?" Kace raised his eyebrows at Hope and shifted his attention to the other three. "Do you want to watch another movie?"


    "No, no¡­"


    "No, thanks."


    Ian and Ethan immediately waved their hands in panic. They would die because of too much pressure if Kace forced them to watch another movie with him.


    Kace was very overbearing for them to handle.


    At this time, Rossie tugged Ian''s sleeve and whispered something to him, once she was done whispering, Ian looked over at Kace and spoke with trembling voice.


    "Actually, we have to go home¡­" Ian gulped hardly. "Our parents will be very worry if we don''t return now."


    If the situation was slightly different, Hope would have loved it if for her friends to visit her house. This would be the first time for her friend to come over.


    Thanks to Kace, but the ambience was not like what she imagined.


    "Alright, I will drive you home." Kace stood up on his feet and stretched his stiff muscles. "Let''s go."


    "What? No!" Ian and Ethan talked simultaneously as they threw an SOS kind of look to Hope, begging for her grace to save their a** from this intimidating shifter.


    "Why? Do you want to turn down my generous offer?" Kace crossed his arms in front of his chest in intimidation.


    "No, of course not." Ian replied in panic as he could feel his younger sister was shivering beside him.


    "Okay, get up then or your parent will be panic, thinking I kidnapped their children." Kace picked the car key from the table and whistled as he walked out of the living room to turn on the car engine.


    "Hope." Rossie sprung to her feet and approached her. "He is very scary."


    Scary?


    Hope had never felt that way about Kace, even when he fought the devil in his beast form on their previous encounter, she was not afraid of him.


    Because deep down in her heart, Hope knew that Kace would never hurt her no matter what the reason was.


    Yet, Hope still consoled Rossie by patting her back. "Don''t worry he will not hurt you."


    "Hope, what is he? An Alpha?" Ethan asked worriedly. He was the coolest among the siblings, but Hope still felt his nervousness.


    "I don''t think he is an Alpha. We are same, rogue, like you." This statement from Hope also confirmed their suspicion that Hope was living with shape shifter.


    "Impossible." Ethan''s brows furrowed deepened. "He was nothing like rogue. We could feel his authority and dominance nature."


    "Well, do you see any pack here?" Hope retorted. No pack, no Alpha.


    "But, why he has that strong aura?" Ian half- whispered at Raine, his gaze darted at the front door occasionally, afraid Kace would rush into the house and strangled him because of his comment.


    "I don''t know." Hope shrugged her shoulder. How she supposed to know when she felt nothing except the warm of the tingling feeling that she felt every time he touched her?


    Ian and Ethan looked at each other in confusion.


    "Hope, I don''t think I can take a ride with him." Rossie looked at Hope with her teary eyes, the stress that she felt was way too much and she couldn''t handle it well.


    "It''s alright, I will go with you." this was the best way to handle the situation for the meantime.


    "I really don''t mind if I have to walk from here to our house." Ian shivered at the thought that the dangerous shifter would come to their house. "I don''t feel comfortable for him to know where we are living."


    "Like Kace said before." Hope glanced to the door. "He didn''t take a rejection very well."


    All of them knew that they didn''t have a choice in this matter, because if Kace really wanted to know where they were living it was as easy as moving his finger.


    The four of them walked out of the house and hopped into the car. It was obvious that Hope would take the front seat and received an incredulous gaze from Kace upon seeing her there.


    "What are you doing here?" Kace frowned.


    "Make sure you will not eat my friends.??? Hope huffed and even in that state, Kace found her very adorable as he pinched her rosy cheek.


    ==============


    The car stopped in front of a small house with the front yard was full of roses. It was very beautiful house and the smell of the roses filled the air around them.


    Only now Hope understood why sometime she would smell rose scent from the siblings.


    Once the car stopped, Rossie immediately got off of the car and looked for the safety of her house.


    "Thank you." Ethan said rigidly as he climbed out of the car after his twin brother who didn''t say a word as he rushed toward the house because he caught a sight of his mother was tending the roses.


    Hope could see it, why Ian was such in hurry, it was their instinct to feel the greater predator around them and also their instinct to protect their family from it.


    But, what surprised Hope the most was Kace turned off the car and opened the car door. "What are you doing!?"

 Chapter 460 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (11)

    Hope widened her eyes in surprised when she watched Kace got down from the car and waltzed through the yard filled with roses.


    Well, it a sight to behold when he did that and Hope found herself gawked at his broad shoulder when she supposed to run after him and dragged him back to the car before he frightened the poor family.


    When her consciousness snapped, Hope rushed toward Kace, who had stood tall at the terrace of the siblings'' house.


    Ethan was standing tall before his mother while Ian was standing one step ahead of his twins, protecting both.


    On the other hands, Kace was crossing his arms only five steps away from them, in this proximity, if Kace decided to lash out in his beast form, Hope highly doubted that Ian and Ethan would stand a chance against him.


    Hope had seen how Kace fought as the beast, he was, by any means, was fierce and brutal, feral even and his beast size was so massive.


    "Kace, what are you doing?!" Hope shrieked, she threw herself in front of Kace and hugged his body, hoping this was enough to restrain him if that silly thought of attacking her friend''s family ever crossed his mind. "Let''s go home!"


    Hope''s heart dropped when she watched the way Kace smirked as he tilted his head to catch a glimpse of the woman behind the twins.


    He did not spare Hope a glance.


    "Stand down pups, you don''t know who you are challenging." Kace''s voice came out very relax and laced with amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "GET OUT OF OUR HOUSE!" Ethan snarled at Kace and this made Hope jumped out of her skin, she had never heard Ethan snarled at anyone before, though he wasn''t as friendly as Ian, but Hope didn''t think he was someone who would take out his frustration on someone


    Kace freed one of his arms from Hope''s tight hug rather easily, as Hope thought he would jump into an action because being shouted at, Kace was placing his big palms on the back of Hope''s back, caressing her long hair in soothing movement as if he tried to calm her tensed nerves and provide comfort.


    "Move boys, you don''t talk to our guest like that."


    All of sudden, there was a sweet and stern voice from behind Ethan as a woman tried to make her way out from the protection of her sons, but they didn''t budge at all.


    "Mom, you don''t know him!" Ethan tried to hold back her mother, who was glaring at him now. "He is dangerous!"


    Kace chuckled upon hearing that. "Well, do you know me mutt?"


    Honestly speaking, Ethan and Ian didn''t know the man before their eyes. They acted the way they did now just because they felt the immense power and authority that radiated out of Kace and the feeling of being intimidated didn''t settle well with werewolf, especially the rogue, as they lived all by themselves and didn''t take the hierarchy of their kind.


    "Don''t talk to my children that way Kace, I will beat you." The woman, finally managed to get out of her Ethan'' cage and stood beside Ian.


    She looked like a woman in her late twenty, but it would be impossible, because she wouldn''t have children who was already as big as the twins.


    But Hope remembered, those shifters aged differently.


    However, the things that shock Hope wasn''t how young the woman was, the fact that the woman talked that way to Kace, startled her.


    "Hi, Sophia." Kace grinned from ear to ear as he waved his hand at the woman.


    Apparently, it wasn''t only Hope, who was in great shock, but Ian and Ethan as well, both of them threw incredulous look to their mother and Kace back and forth.


    "Do you know him, mom?!" Ian shrieked with wide eyes.


    "Do you know them?" Hope raised her head to look at Kace, ignoring the fact that the big bad wolf was messing with her hair. "Kace!"


    Hope was frustrated because Kace was laughing hard upon seeing his little mate stressful expression. "I know her." he finally admitted when he watched the woman walked toward him with sullen expression. "Hi, Sophia. Long time no see."


    The woman named Sophia didn''t seem please with the way Kace greeted her, she still has this stern expression on her face. "This is how you greet your old friend after years? By insulting their pups?"


    Sophia was still upset because Kace called her children mutt.


    On the other hand, Kace raised both of his hands. "They offended me first."


    Sophia sighed and shook her head. "Still very childish."


    "Oh, I can smell you, you brat!" there was a loud voice boomed from inside the house when a man as tall as Kace stepped out of the threshold followed by the scared Rossie, clutching her father''s shirt.


    Kace let out a guttural laugh as he freed himself from Hope''s arms and gave Sophia a hug.


    Everyone''s eyes were bulging out of their socket and the man growled angrily. "Hands off of my mate you brat!"


    Sophia didn''t look surprised by the sudden proximity, she just looked annoyed and when Kace moved to hug the man, he stepped away to avoid him.


    "Don''t touch me!" the man grumbled loudly.


    "At least give me a welcoming hug, you heartless wolf." Kace complained as he opened his arms widely, but all he got was only a pat on his shoulder. "You are still very tactless, Sterling." He followed the man into the house, leaving the teenagers'' jaw dropped in shocked.


    "Mom, do you know him?" Rossie was hugging her mother''s arm while looking at her father and Kace, who was walking into the house. Her beautiful eyes laced with concern and curiosity.


    "I know him." Sophia confirmed with an affirmative nod. "Ian, stop snarling. Ethan, brew some tea for our guest and Rossie, help me to prepare dinner." Sophia distributed her orders to her children as she grumbled. "This Lycan will gobble up our food storage."

 Chapter 461 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (12)

    "Why don''t you tell me earlier that you know their parents!?" Hope demanded an explanation from Kace on their way back home, inside the car, after witnessing the interaction between Kace and Sophia and her husband, Sterling.


    They were an old friend and very close on top of that. They were comfortable of exchanging threat or growl at each other most of the time during dinner while the children could only grimace by the scene that unfolded before their eyes.


    "Because it will spoil the fun!" Kace exclaimed while laughing out loud.


    "You almost made my friend got a heart attack, you know?!" Then Hope mumbled. "I almost got a heart attack."


    "Why?" Kace couldn''t contain the happiness in his eyes after successfully fooling his innocent little mate. He glanced at the sullen expression on Hope''s face and couldn''t help to not pinch her rosy cheek.


    "I thought you will go berserk like last time." Hope swatted Kace''s hand away from her cheek while glaring at him for pinching her out of the blue.


    "Last time and this time is different case, sweetheart." Kace parked the car in front of their house. "I will never do any harm to someone you love."


    And Kace meant his every word.


    "Really?" Hope was slightly skeptical when she heard that, remembered the last people who made friend with her were not able to recognize her anymore.


    Kace replied as if he could read what was going through his mate''s head. "If you are referring to your friends, I will say that I was innocent about that. It was Serefina and when it was done, nothing I could do to help them, I am not a witch after all."


    Kace was right, if the decision was left on his hand, he would never do that to Hope. Having someone, who once very close to you, suddenly forgot about your existence was simply very suck and there was no way in hell he wanted Hope to experience that kind of feeling.


    "I know." Hope replied sheepishly as she lowered her head, he was just very upset at Serefina and wouldn''t be able to voice out her frustration so she took it out on Kace. "I am sorry, I didn''t mean to blame you for something that you didn''t do."


    "Don''t be so down like that. I don''t like it when you are upset." Kace tousled her hair and this time Hope let him do whatever he pleased. Her hair already became a bird nest because of Kace''s habit, so she didn''t see the use to stop him now.


    Kace got off of the car after turned off the engine and was about to walk toward the house when he realized Hope was still inside the car.


    With a small frown, he walked back to her and knocked on the window as it rolled down and revealed Hope''s sullen expression.


    "Are you still mad?" Kace asked, his blue eyes stared at Hope''s black one, trying to figure out what happened with her.


    "Kace, do you think I am really your mate?" Hope blurted out.


    Kace was slightly taken aback with her question, but didn''t avoid to answer it. "I don''t think." He shook his head. "I can feel it."


    "But I am too young for you." Hope argued. "How old are you?" suddenly Kace''s age became her concern.


    There was a fleeting amus.e.m.e.nt on his blue ocean eyes when he heard this question. Kace didn''t answer her immediately and enjoyed the impatient look on Hope''s face. "Hmm¡­ let me think¡­ I don''t know the exact number. We don''t celebrate our birthday after all¡­"


    "Your estimation?" Hope leaned over, afraid she couldn''t hear Kace''s answer.


    "I am around seven hundred years older than you." Kace grinned and laughed out loud when Hope let out a loud gasp in horror.


    "You are old!!!" she exclaimed.


    "I am, but I am as good looking as any of your peer." Kace wiggled his eyebrows. "I know you think that I am handsome."


    He realized the way Hope looked at him.


    "No way!" Hope huffed, crossing her hands as she was trying to conceal her embarrassment by feigning her anger. "Don''t you think that you are quite a pedophile?"


    Kace chuckled, Hope was indeed raised by Serefina and inherited her sharp tongue. "If you calculated it with human time, well, all of the shifters are pedophile." Kace nodded in his own statement. "Most of the shifter will find their destined mate after fifty or so years."


    "You know what? I have read this article, it said; normally the big gap in age difference, can be a problem in a relationship. It will not work."


    Hope tried to look like a grown up woman when all Kace saw was a teenager who didn''t want to be treated less than she expected.


    "That article was written by human. I am not human and we will not be a normal couple, so it will not count." Kace replied, efficiently made Hope tongue- tied.


    The little girl needed more and a lot of experience to outspoken the cunning Lycan before her eyes.


    "You are a big bad wolf." Hope groaned, but both of them were laughing in the next second.


    In the fresh and clear air of the evening night, the sound of their laugh was like a pure bliss of heavenly melody that rang through the front yard of their house.


    "Let''s go, you will catch a cold if you are out here for long time." Kace opened the car door and helped her to get down from the car.


    Both of them walked toward the foyer as Kace fished out the key from his pocket and shoved it to the key hole.


    But, he stopped midway when the door was slightly opened, his nose scrunched and he whipped his head toward Hope direction with horror dancing in his eyes.


    "Hope are you hurt?" Kace grabbed her shoulder and made a quick observation on her body.


    "No." Hope was confused too.


    "I smell blood on you."

 Chapter 462 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (13)

    "I smell blood on you." Kace''s blue eyes darkened a few shade when he inspected her body again, but he couldn''t find anything.


    "No, I am not hurt." Hope was confused as she followed Kace''s line of sight to observe her own body. No way she didn''t know whether she was hurt or not.


    "I can smell blood on you." Kace mumbled the same thing absentmindedly. "There is quite a lot of blood."


    Hope twirled in Kace''s arm as she showed him her back and heard when Kace''s breath hitched.


    "Why what happened?" Hope became panic. "There is something wrong?''


    But then the voice that answered her filled with hesitation and slightly faltered. Kace spoke like someone who was reluctant to answer a difficult question. "Hope, you know¡­ I think¡­ uhm."


    "What is it?" Hope snapped and turned around to see Kace was scratching his head.


    "I think you are in your period." He finished it with a sheepish smile. "Did you forget your date?"


    "Period?" Hope''s brows scrunched together, but when the realization hit her, her eyes widened in shock and she rushed in to the house, leaving Kace in daze.


    Kace had never dealt with this kind of condition, thus he didn''t know what was exactly going on or the possibility that it was Hope''s firs period.


    He just came out from his reverie when he heard Hope called his name from the bathroom.


    "Yes, I am here." Kace knock the door once to let Hope knew he was there, so she could stop calling his name.


    "Kace, I need you to buy me ''that'' thing." Hope said timidly.


    If Kace wasn''t a shifter and just a normal human being, he would have a hard time to hear what Hope was talking from behind the close door.


    "What ''thing''?" but then, Kace corrected himself by nodded his head in understanding. "Oh, alright. I will be right back."


    Kace heard Hope was saying ''please hurry'' when he raced to the car and drove to the nearest convenient store to get the necessity.


    ==============


    Kace didn''t know what he should buy, thus he just bought one of each type and drove back home immediately before the female cashier could bore a hole on the back of his skull.


    "Hope." Kace knocked on the door of the bathroom. "Here."


    Hope opened the door slightly and extended her arms to receive the item that she needed. "Why did you buy so many?" Hope murmured as she closed the door again. "I will not use all of this."


    "I don''t know what should I buy, at least you can have a fun choose it." Kace could hear Hope was chuckling.


    After that, Kace opened his phone and started to browse about what he should do to help her. This was her first period and from what he heard, it would be uncomfortable for her.


    Inside the bathroom, after Hope was done with her business, she poked her head to see no one there, but he could hear rustling sound from the kitchen. It must be Kace.


    Hope''s bedroom was only the end of this corridor and she didn''t think she wanted to meet with Kace after he watched her bleeding on her pants. It was so embarrassing.


    And just like what the other embarrassing memories, Hope felt her dignity left her body. Well, that was exaggerated.


    But, this incident only added to the list of ''stupid'' things that Hope had done in front of Kace. For some reason, Hope was very self- conscious about her image in front of him.


    Though she had said that she didn''t want him to claim her as his mate and wanted to have an option for this matter, but unconsciously she had been trying to act like a decent woman to match Kace. At least this was what she thought.


    She wanted to look more mature and less troublesome for Kace, so he could stop to call her ''little one'' and treated her like a child.


    Hope rushed toward her bedroom with towel around her lower body because her pants was stained with blood and she had to wash it after she wore clean pants.


    Inside the bedroom she put on a blue jogging pants and rushed back to the bathroom to wash her bloody pants when she heard Kace was still making something inside the kitchen.


    The man had not done yet when Hope walked back to her bedroom and lied down on her bed, with her face buried on her soft pillow.


    However, before Hope could fall asleep, she heard the door of her room was being pushed open and a warm smell wafted her nose.


    "What is it?" Hope turned her head lazily as she watched Kace walked into her room with a brown glass in his hand.


    "I read this on line, it said it could ease the pain during period." Kace sat down on the edge of her bed as he handed the glass to her.


    Hope received it. "Tea?" she looked at Kace questioningly.


    "Chamomile tea. I found it in the kitchen." Kace was planning to buy it if he couldn''t find it in the kitchen, but fortunately Lana had bought it.


    "You know, you suppose to serve tea in a cup not a glass." Hope smiled contentedly when the warm liquid was cascading down her throat. It taste good, she had never known that they had this delicious tea at home.


    "Both look same for me." Kace shrugged nonchalantly. "Have you had period cramps?"


    Hope thought about it for a while, "No, I am fine. I think I don''t have period cramps, thankfully, I heard it will hurt so bad."


    Kace nodded, seemed relief as well.


    "I feel bad." Hope said after she took her third sip of the tea.


    "Why? You need to go to see a doctor?" Kace took this seriously.


    "No, it''s not that." Hope shook her head. "I don''t want you to see me¡­ like ''that''"


    At first Kace didn''t understand, but then he realized what Hope was talking about. "I have seen worse Hope. Trust me."

 Chapter 463 - FOURTEEN YEARS OLD (14)

    "What do you mean you had seen worse?" Hope leaned back against the head board and looked at Kace warily.


    "I had seen more blood than that." Kace shrugged nonchalantly, but then he looked at Hope mischievously. "And after you pooped and peed on me, do you think a small blood could compare to that?"


    Kace knocked Hope''s head softly.


    "Go sleep. Don''t think too much about that." Kace took the empty glass and put it on the bed side table as he tucked her in.


    Hope laid flat on her stomach and Kace gave a massage on her lower back that made Hope sighed in contentment.


    "Kace?" Hope mumbled with her eyes closed.


    "Hm?" Kace hummed in response.


    "Did I trouble you?" Hope asked.


    "No." Kace answered lightly.


    "Even when I peed on you?" Hope''s eyebrows scrunched up.


    "Even after you did what you had done on me." Kace said softly, his voice was like a lullaby for Hope.


    "If I am not your mate, would you treat me the same?" Hope yawned, the chamomile tea helped her relax and Kace helped her to feel better.


    "If you are not my mate, I don''t think we will meet at all. But, it doesn''t mean I will treat other people poorly. I will not lash out without reason, right?" Kace smiled when he heard Hope chuckled.


    "I am glad we met." Hope opened her eyes and stared at Kace.


    "Mmh, so do I." Kace nodded, agreed with her. At this point, he had to remind himself to thank Serefina for this. Despite she was always being very annoying, arrogant and all, but she did something that change his life entirely. The witch gave him Hope. "So, do you change your mind? You said it last night that you didn''t want me as your mate?"


    "I will reconsider it." Hope grinned. "Auw! What''s that for?"


    Hope swatted Kace''s hand from her back because he pinched her waist.


    "Oh, I will see what kind of guy who will dare enough to date you." Kace feigned an angry face that made Hope laughed.


    "Well, until this time, you are still the handsome guy that I have ever seen." Hope complimented him.


    Kace let out a soft laugh before he resumed to massage her back again. "Sleep Hope."


    "What about Lana?" Hope yawned once again.


    "What about her?" Kace watched the girl''s eyelashes fluttered as she fought her drowsiness.


    "She looks mature and less troublesome. She is dependable." Her sleepy voice laced with envy. "Don''t you find her attractive? While me, I am just a pain in the a**." Hope grumbled.


    "Don''t compare yourself to her and well¡­ you are my favorite pain in the a**."


    But of them laughed and when Hope finally fell asleep she got the best sleep.


    ==============


    "What are you doing?" Hope was ready to go to school when she came to the kitchen and sat on the bar stool, staring at Kace''s back.


    "Looking something for breakfast." Kace had opened all the wooden cupboard and found nothing.


    "When Serefina and Lana are not at home, they will leave me with money to buy something to eat and I haven''t shopped yet." Hope checked her backpack to see if she didn''t miss anything there.


    "So, what will you eat for breakfast?" Kace widened his eyes in surprised he didn''t know about this.


    Serefina¡­


    Kace really wanted to talk in long sentences of profanities to the witch.


    "I will buy it at school if I am not late." Hope shrugged her shoulder.


    "Let''s go then." Kace grabbed her backpack and walked toward the front door with Hope followed behind him with a big silly grin on her face.


    ==============


    "So, that''s the reason why you only visit me once a year?" Hope shoved a hotdog to her mouth. Both of them were in fast food restaurant near Hope''s school building to get their breakfast. "To distract your brother''s tracker?"


    "I don''t want him to know where I am." Kace finished his own hotdog and moved to another one. "You can say he is very stubborn."


    "But, if your brother is really in love with Serefina why they don''t get back together?" Hope tilted her head. "I had never seen Serefina dated anyone either."


    The image of Serefina dated someone except his overbearing brother was ridiculous in Kace''s head. The witch probably would turn the poor guy into a frog if he slipped with his words.


    "Well, it is complicated. My brother will eventually find his mate and Serefina will be in awkward position." Kace just told Hope whatever she wanted to know, but didn''t say about his brother had been hunting her down to be killed. It would too much for her to handle for now.


    Kace fished out something from his pocket and gave it to Hope a small black card.


    "You give me money?" Hope shamelessly took the card, afraid if Kace would change his mind and snatch it away again.


    "I will not worry if Lana is around, but since both of them are often away and I can''t be here for long time, I don''t want you starve." Kace continued to eat his second hotdog, staring at the happy girl in front of him. "Don''t buy something that will bring trouble. Understood?"


    "Okay." Hope nodded her head. "How much inside?" she was very happy to have her personal card. She thought it was nice to have Kace as her boyfriend, she could buy everything she wanted.


    It didn''t mean Hope was lack of something, but Lana was very strict and wouldn''t allow her to buy something unimportant.


    "Check to find out." Kace laughed when he watched Hope was very excited. The Lycan was hellbound to spoil his mate.


    Mystic River village was a small village, far away from the hustle bustle big city, although you have a lot of money to spend, but there were only a few items desirable to buy.


    "Wow! You are the best!" Hope raised her two thumbs up.

 Chapter 464 - FIFTEEN YEARS OLD

    ''I will come back as soon as possible.''


    Hope woke up with a start when that haunting voice echoed inside her head, she reached her cell phone under her pillow and watched the digital clock showed her it was only one in the morning, still plenty of time to fall asleep again.


    However, Hope couldn''t close her eyes without recounting the last moment she saw Kace when he left her, again.


    It was the same day when Kace gave her the black card. That day, Hope thought she would find Kace picked her up from school again, but it was Lana.


    And at that time, she knew Kace had gone. Fortunately, they got home in time, just for Hope to see Kace was about to drive away from their house.


    Of course, Hope got down from the car and confronted him. And that was what he said.


    ''Don''t worry, I will come back as soon as possible.'' He tousled her hair and kissed her forehead before he left.


    Before, Hope didn''t feel this sad when he left her. After all, he only came around once a year and Hope only thought of him as a great big brother.


    Yet, these past two years, Kace came often and she was used with his presence, especially after the incident in the red river city.


    Knowing they were mate and what the meaning of mate was, kind of very romantic and Hope, in that age, liked the idea.


    Although she denied it in front of Kace.


    However, after almost a year, there was no news whatsoever from Kace and he had not appeared ever since that day.


    Hope didn''t know how to contact him. The only news she got about Kace was from Lana.


    Lana knew Kace whereabouts and everytime Hope was asking about Kace, she would have this dilemma; she wanted to know about him, but became upset because it was Lana who told her everything.


    Hope got off of her bed and walked toward the kitchen. Her throat felt very scratchy and hurt, she needed to get a glass of water.


    And when Hope reached the kitchen, she could hear Lana''s voice from the living room. She was talking with someone over the phone.


    Even after Hope was done and her throat slightly better, Lana was still talking.


    It was midnight and Serefina was also at home. Who she is talking to? Maybe¡­


    Just when Hope reached the living room, she watched Lana turned off her phone. "Who are you talking to?" Hope asked with her hoarse voice.


    "Oh, did I wake you up?" Lana didn''t startle she just type something away.


    "No." Hope walked closer. "Who are you talking to?" she repeated her question.


    "Kace." Lana answered curtly.


    "Kace? Why he didn''t talk to me?" Hope felt her heart turned heavy. Upset.


    "We are only talking about what Serefina told me." Lana put away her phone.


    "I want his number." Hope demanded. She just woke up because of Kace''s annoying promise and now he really called someone, but ''that'' someone was not her.


    Lana gave Hope an apologetic smile. "I am afraid you can''t do that. Probably this time he had thrown away his phone."


    "Call him." Hope pointed Lana''s phone and she did what Hope wanted.


    When Lana put the call through the speaker, it was the machine answered the call. Just like Lana said, Kace had thrown away his phone.


    "Don''t worry, he will come back soon." Lana tried to appease her, but Hope had turned around and walked back to her room without saying anything.


    ==============


    Hope woke up again in the morning when Lana came into her bedroom and opened all the windows so the morning glory of the sunlight could intrude her eyes.


    "You are late for school. Get up!" Lana tried to make the sleepy girl stood up on her feet by talking out loud and flooding the room with light.


    However, she realized something when Hope just laid down and covered her face.


    "What happened?" Lana took a seat beside the bed and check on her. "You got fever." She mumbled.


    "Great." Hope replied with her scratchy voice and snuggled into her warm blanket. "Now, I have a reason to skip school."


    "Don''t be ridiculous." Lana stood up and walked out from the room while Hope touched her forehead. She was indeed having a fever. It has been a long time since she was sick.


    Lana come back not long after that and brought a thermometer with her.


    "Thirty eight point seven." She read it. "I will make something for you to eat before you take the medicine, but if you are not feeling better, we will go to the hospital."


    "There is no need to worry, this is just a fever. I will just sleep." Hope was ready to sleep again when Lana spoke before she left the room.


    "He will be frantic if he knows you are sick."


    ==============


    Hope was woken up when she felt someone touched her forehead and changed the damp towel on her forehead.


    She had taken the medicine this evening and apparently her fever had not yet subsided, but Hope refused to go to the hospital. She felt she would be fine in the next day.


    "Kace¡­?" Hope squinted her eyes to look at the man beside her, she recognized him right away even in this dimly lit room.


    "Sst¡­ just sleep, I will be here." He put the cold towel against Hope burning forehead and wiped her sweat.


    The after effect of the medicine was very strong, Hope was fighting her sleepiness to see Kace, he looked so worn out in his leather jacket. "You are here?"


    "I am here¡­" Kace took her hand and squeezed it gently, his ocean blue eyes shimmered with sadness upon seeing Hope''s current condition.


    "You never call me." Hope complained, although her voice was barely a whisper.


    "I know and I am sorry for that." Kace apologized. "But, I hope you understand¡­ once I return, I will never leave you again."

 Chapter 465 - SIXTEEN YEARS OLD

    "Why are you so grumpy in the morning?" Ian closed his locker next to Hope while Ethan stood beside his twin brother, eating his breakfast sleepily.


    These two people stuck with Hope in the same school and class. What to do? In this small village there were not many options that could choose.


    Ever since Kace visited their house, they would complain to Hope that their parents wanted them to put their eyes on Hope, for ''protection'' or some short.


    Ian would say it was troublesome, but Hope knew he was more than willing to follow her around just to know about Kace Donovan.


    Apparently Donovan''s family was a well known family for their kind. Like a royal family if Hope didn''t misinterpret it when the siblings explained to her.


    "Nothing." Hope slammed the locker door shut with a loud bang sound.


    Ian stared at Ethan who was startled as well, just like the rest of the students nearby. "She is really something," he muttered.


    "Don''t disturb her." Rossie came from the other side of the corridor, hugging her backpack as she gave a bottle of water for Ethan. "She has been upset because she found out Lana was talking to Kace again."


    Ian raised his eyebrows. "Why he did that?"


    This year Rossie came to the same high school as Hope and her two brothers, thus there was not any different from their middle school. It would always the four of them as they didn''t mingle with the other student quite often.


    The siblings caught up with Hope before they entered their class and sat down on the end of the table. Rossie come to join them because the bell has not rang.


    "Why he called Lana, but not you?" Ian asked as he sat down on his seat next to Hope while Rossie took the seat in front of her.


    "How should I know that?" Hope snapped at him, she was very upset.


    The last time she met Kace was when she was sick, but Hope was not sure if Kace came that night, because the time she woke up, her fever had subsided and the annoying lycan had gone.


    When Hope asked Lana, she didn''t know about that and was pretty certain Kace didn''t come. However, his presence was still lingered there¡­


    Hope put her forehead against the table. "Are you sure that the mate couldn''t separate with each other for too long?" She asked pitifully at Ian and Rossie while Ethan was reading his book, didn''t want to get involve with Hope''s love sick story.


    "It should be like that¡­" Rossie gave some thought about it.


    "But, he has been away for two years without any news! He called Lana occasionally, but not me!" Hope hissed through gritted teeth.


    Maybe, it would be fine if there was no any news about Kace, but as it turned out, she caught Lana was talking with Kace a couple of time through the phone when he didn''t even bother to call her.


    "Am I really his mate?" Hope whined.


    "You know what? I found a rumor about Donovan brother." Ethan finally joined the conversation and put down his book.


    "What is it?" Rossie asked eagerly. She was always excited to know more about the progress of Hope''s love line with Kace.


    She always dreamed to have her own mate and the only person who has it that she knew, aside from her parents, was only Hope.


    The younger siblings always thought it was romantic, well, Hope also thought the same until Kace left her for two years straight.


    "I heard, the Donovan brothers were cursed for not having a mate for the rest of the eternity." Ethan said in confusion look. "But, if that is the case, then what is you?"


    This piece of information didn''t light up Hope''s mood at all. "Maybe I am a mistake." She said sullenly.


    "That must be not true." Rossie frowned, holding her arms in front of her chest. "Hope feels the spark every time they are making skin to skin contact."


    Ethan shrugged his shoulder. "I am just saying what I heard."


    Right at that time, the bell rang and Rossie sprinted out of the class to go to her classroom and when the bell stopped ringing, a woman, who Hope knew very well for her life, was walking into the room.


    It was Lana.


    Great!


    As if it was not enough for Hope to see her inside the house, she had to see her inside the school too. This was one of Serefina''s great plans.


    Lana worked as an art teacher in this high school ever since Hope enrolled as the high school student. However, Lana didn''t seem enjoy this job either, she wasn''t a social person, thus becoming a teacher that should deal with a lot of students was something that annoyed her.


    Actually, Serefina had told her this role ever since Hope was still in the middle school, but for some reason there was a change of plan.


    Hope propped her head with her hand as she scribbled absentmindedly while listening to Lana''s boring voice for the next one and half hour.


    ==============


    When the last class has ended, every face inside the class suddenly lit up and came into alive, not like their boring state a few minutes ago.


    It happened to Hope as well, though there was nothing she could do once she reached home, she was still a normal student who would prefer the life out of school.


    Usually, Hope would come to the siblings'' house, played a few game with them before Lana would pick her up from there.


    Maybe it was Kace, but apparently Serefina didn''t object when Hope befriended with them, or probably just like Kace, Serefina also knew Ian''s parents¡­


    "Hi, Hope¡­" A boy''s voice greeted her and Hope gave him a faint smile.


    Hope knew him. He was Oliver, their senior. "Yes?"


    "I wonder if you want to go with me, there is new¡­" his sentences cut short when Ian chimed in.


    "Then keep wondering."

 Chapter 466 - DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO LEAVE?

    "There is new teacher." Ian mumbled leaned over toward Hope''s table as both of them stared at the entrance gate. Wishing the class would be over soon, yet it was impossible, they still had three hours before they could be free from school.


    "New teacher?" Hope raised her eyebrows as she sighed and leaned back against her seat. "We will graduate less than three months, why they hired a new teacher? Moreover, Mr. Wentworth will come back." Hope frowned.


    They supposed to have a P.E class now, but before all of the students could change their clothes, Ms. Meredith came and informed them that Mr. Wentworth had an accident and needed to be hospitalized, thus there would be a replacement for him.


    Therefore they were inside the class, waiting for the new teacher to come and introduce himself.


    "I thought it is Mr. Miller who will teach us." Ian back to his seat next to Hope and put his face flat on the table. Boring.


    In this last years, Ethan didn''t have the same class with Hope and Ian, hence it was Ian who stuck with Hope for their entire years in this high school.


    He didn''t complain though, just like Hope, since they had their own little secret about the supernatural world, it was way more comfortable to hang out together.


    However, Hope just started date the boy who had been courting her for the last one year.


    Ian and Ethan, of course, objected this idea as they gave her dozens of advices, because Kace would obviously not take this too well, after all they were tasked to look after her and they assumed this included part of their task.


    But Hope countered them by saying; He was gone for years without news. With that, they were tongue tied. It was Kace fault.


    And, speaking of the devil¡­


    "Hope!"


    Ian grimaced even before he could hear the voice of the young boy as his scent wafted his nose.


    Hope turned her head and smiled at Oliver, she waved his hand casually as she watched him sauntered the room and stopped right next to Hope, blocking Ian with his tall and muscular body.


    "I heard Mr. Wentworth is hospitalized, so you don''t have class now, right?" Ian smiled at Hope and talked softly to her.


    "We have, the replacement will come, so you better shu, shu¡­" Ian waved his hand, gesturing Oliver to go away from their class or anywhere near Hope.


    "Do we have a problem here?" Oliver turned around to face Ian, disgusting look on his face.


    Oliver and Ian had been like this ever since Oliver tried to get close to Hope. At first, Oliver thought Hope and Ian were together, but after some inspection, they were merely close friend. That''s why Oliver couldn''t understand why this guy was being overprotective to her?


    "We will always have a problem every time you come to her." Ian''s boring eyes suddenly came to live. He liked this provocation and Hope knew where this would lead to.


    "Okay, enough boys." Hope tugged Ian''s arm and sent a glare to Ian. "I don''t have a plan to be in the center of this drama, alright?"


    Hope scanned her eyes toward the other students that had been curious about the progress of the scene before their eyes, but once Hope glared back at them, they whipped their head away and seemed to busy themselves.


    Hope didn''t really associate herself with the other students except the siblings, but it didn''t mean they could mess with her.


    The first year of school, Hope beat up a boy who tried to corner her just because she looked sweet and quiet, the boy thought he could do something to her and only ended up being hospitalized because Hope hit his head with a brick.


    The most relief part was Serefina didn''t complain or scold Hope for that, she dealt with the parents of the boy and settled things down easily. Of course, with a little bit snarky comments here and there.


    And when Hope asked why she didn''t get angry because of that, Serefina just shrugged her shoulder and said; "If it was me, then we would be at his funeral not in the hospital."


    Hope shut her mouth, and she thought, it was the time when she forgave the witch because she had erased all of her friends'' memories.


    "I just want to ask you if you want to skip class and go out with me? I want to show you something." Oliver sounded annoyed, not because of Hope.


    However, before Hope could reply to his offer, Ian interrupted them again and this agitated Oliver further.


    "Hooopeeee¡­" Ian drawled, yet his eyes focused on something in front of the class.


    "What again!?" Oliver snapped, but immediately shut up when he watched toward Ian''s line of sight.


    Hope was the last one who realized it and when her eyes followed them, she could feel her heart dropped to her stomach by the sight of him.


    Yes, it is him!


    Hope felt her stomach did summersault and her heart hammered her ribcage painfully as she couldn''t take her eyes away from those beautiful ocean eyes.


    He looked exactly like the last time Hope remembered him, if she couldn''t say he looked much hotter with his shoulder length black hair that he tied it behind his nape.


    Hope felt her world spun just by looking at him. Damn! He was gorgeous!


    But, his eyes darkened a few shade when he traced down to Hope''s intertwined fingers with Oliver.


    As if electrocuted, Hope immediately freed her hand and somehow felt guilty. She did not even hear Oliver''s voice, which mumbled at her, saying he had to go.


    "Where are you going? I will start the class." Kace''s voice rang through the classroom as the other students also mesmerized by their new teacher''s beauty.


    "I am sorry sir, but I shouldn''t be here." Oliver said apologetically and was about to go when Kace sat down on his table and spoke languidly.


    "Did I give you permission to leave?"

 Chapter 467 - YOU WILL KILL THE POOR BOY

    Kace''s voice sounded arrogant, but also s.e.xy at the same time. How he could do that? Hope talked to herself as she narrowed her eyes at the man whose blue eyes didn''t leave Oliver.


    Meanwhile, Oliver was in awkward position. The noise in the class died down with the presence of their new teacher.


    All the female students would gawk at Kace''s handsome face and his too perfect body as the boy would just sit there, feeling intimidated by his presence.


    Kace seemed to know this and he enjoyed the attention that directed toward him.


    "Did I give you permission to leave?" Kace repeated his question, demanding for answer and crossed his bulging arms in front of his chest.


    Show off!


    Hope scoffed as she sat down, paid zero attention to her boyfriend''s predicament situation as her black eyes fixed on the guy who left her for three whole years without a single news!


    "No, sir." Oliver shook his head, tried to contain his voice, as he didn''t want to humiliate himself further than this.


    Kace had put him under the limelight, it was either he behaved and waltzed himself out from this situation or pissed the new teacher, which he didn''t know how his character was, and got punishment for escaping his class.


    "So, what are you doing inside this class?" Kace smiled harmlessly and made all the female students'' heart fluttered.


    "He asked Hope to escape the class with him!" It was Ian who spoke out loud, receiving a glare from Hope and Oliver. He was trying to take Kace''s good side.


    "Escaping class, huh?" Kace tilted his head and smirked. "Good, you can stay here then." He nodded and plopped down from the table that he was sat.


    It was awkward for Oliver to stand behind Ian''s seat, but he couldn''t see an empty seat there. "I am sorry Sir, I will go back to my class."


    "I would like to have you here." Kace raised his eyebrows, feigning a hurt look across his face because of Oliver''s rejection. "Have a seat please."


    "There is no empty seat here." Oliver frowned, he was unsure why this new teacher didn''t let him off. "I am sorry for coming to your class, sir. I will take my leave."


    "No, please stay. So we will know each other too, since I am new here." Kace opened waved his hand to ask Oliver to come closer toward him.


    Hope was dumbstruck, she felt like she was out of place. She didn''t even know what was going on with Oliver since she was too shocked with the realization Kace was there.


    And became her teacher.


    Lana was a teacher in this school too.


    What happened with those people?


    On the other side, Kace still opened his arms, inviting Oliver to come closer.


    Hesitantly, Oliver walked over and glanced a few times toward Hope. Wrong move, because Kace caught his gesture and felt his wolf scratched his head.


    Oliver felt humiliated in front of his girlfriend by this incident and threw a hostile look to Ian because of his comment, without him knowing the true predator was lurking at him.


    "Good, you can sit there." Kace nodded at his chair, which facing the whole class.


    Hope was staring unbelievably at Kace, whose use his authority to ''punish'' Oliver from escaping class, even though today was his first day.


    "You are in trouble, girl." Ian whispered at Hope and received a glare from her.


    In front of the class, Oliver was sitting on the seat, which was intended for teacher while Kace introduced himself in fun way that made the tense atmosphere from before, disappeared.


    All the students would laugh and be more interactive with whatever he said and because Kace came late, today P.E class replaced with introducing session until the bell rang.


    Once Kace waved goodbye to the class all of the girls squalled with each other and said something like; ''he is so handsome.'' Or, ''he is very funny.'' Or, ''He is my new favorite teacher.''


    Hope frowned, hearing those comments, somehow, irritated her. She couldn''t wait until the school finished and she could confront the bad big wolf!


    Hope fumed when she heard a girl exclaimed she wanted to be Kace''s girlfriend.


    "So, will you break up with that boy?" Ian nodded his head at the direction of Oliver, who was walking out of the class with angry expression.


    "No, what would I?" Hope was stubborn.


    The siblings could see when Hope accepted Oliver, she was only annoyed at Kace.


    "You know what? If you keep being stubborn like this, you are killing that poor boy slowly." Ian shook his head.


    ==============


    Hope couldn''t find Kace and Lana when the school has ended, not in the teacher''s room or anywhere possible for teacher to come.


    Oliver had asked Hope to go with him again, but she was not in the mood to hang out with him, thus Hope chose to walk back home.


    Since the high school and their house were only ten minutes by foot, Hope rarely went to school with Lana or returned together.


    People from the school only knew both of them were cousin, thus it was normal to see them together.


    Just like the other day, Hope would walk with the siblings and after she couldn''t find Kace inside the school, she really wanted to reach her home immediately.


    But, sh didn''t need to do that, because before she turned at a crossroads, a yellow car honked behind them.


    "Get in." Kace''s face was framed with the car window, his expression was devoid from any emotion.


    And when Hope didn''t move to get into the car, Kace got off and strode toward her. He flashed the siblings a warm smile and even greeted them. "Hi, Rossie." Rossie waved her hand timidly as a reply, but when Kace''s eyes fell on Ian and Ethan, they became hard. "We will talk again later boys."


    And with that, Kace ushered Hope toward the car and strapped her before he sat down behind the steering wheel.

 Chapter 468 - MARK

    During the five minute drive, no one talked inside the car. Hope was staring at the flashing trees out there, yet the truth was; she was checking on Kace through his reflection on the surface of glass.


    Deep down, she was thrilled knowing Kace had returned and was sitting next to her, but she was also anxious because he didn''t say anything ever since they were only alone inside the car.


    Hope wanted to break the silence, but was unsure about what she had to say to him. a ''hallo'' would be too weird.


    When the car finally stopped in front of the house, Calleb turned off the engine, but didn''t get out from the car while Hope unbuckled her seatbelt.


    "Don''t you want to say something to me?" Kace turned his body and stopped what Hope was doing. He strapped her again.


    "No." Hope raised her head and snapped at him, she could see Kace furrowed his eyebrows.


    "Are you sure?" Kace ignored Hope attempted to free her hand from his grip.


    "Yes."


    "You don''t want to scold me?"


    "No."


    "Curse at me?"


    "No."


    "Hit me or kick me?"


    "Will you hit me back?" Hope narrowed her eyes.


    Kace chuckled upon hearing that. "I will never do that, even if you kill me I will die in peace."


    "You are being hypocrite." Hope bit the hand that gripped her. She thought, she would hear Kace''s scream or at least his breath hitched. But there was nothing.


    When Hope peeked at him through her long lashes, she watched how Kace didn''t even flinch, he stared at her with this serene look on his face.


    Realized it was a futile attempt to hurt him, Hope let go his hand and opened the car door, stomped her feet toward the house.


    However, before she could reach the door, Kace had stopped her by pulling her body against his sturdy chest. His warm breath fanned her nape and this sent shivered down her spine along with the spark that erupted from their skin to skin contact.


    Hope remembered how she missed this feeling.


    "I miss you my sweet Hope." Kace whispered to her ears, his hoarse voice laced with longing.


    "You don''t miss me enough to call me." Hope said those words through gritted teeth. She didn''t know she was this upset because of Kace''s absence. But, right now she felt like crying because she was agitated.


    "I want to, but it''s a little bit complicated back then." Kace frowned when he remembered what he had been through just to settle down here a little bit longer.


    "But, you called Lana. You talked to her." Hope remembered how she caught Lana was talking to Kace over the phone and he would hang up without asking about her.


    "I can''t talk to you. There was something going on at that time." Kace said in apologetic tone. His arms tightened around Hope''s body as he buried his face on her shoulder.


    Being hugged from behind like this, has its own advantage because Kace wouldn''t be able to see her face, which had turned into a bright red.


    But, she forgot, Kace could hear her heartbeat that thumping wildly against her chest and he smiled to know he had this affect on her.


    Hope, being angry, was within his prediction. However, it was also warm his heart to know she still cared for him.


    "Can you stop doing that in front of my house?"


    Hope was startled when she heard Serefina''s cold voice, she immediately wiggled her body out of Kace''s arms, but Kace didn''t seem to mind it when the witch glowered at him.


    Kace put his arms around Hope''s waist as he turned around to face Serefina whose face had turned unsightly.


    "Can you explain it to me why the hell you are a teacher in her school?!" Serefina''s short red hair tied in the same style as Kace.


    Kace grinned. "Let''s go inside and talk."


    "Really Kace! I really wanted to burn you alive!" Serefina bellowed as she sent the lycan a dagger look.


    Behind Serefina it was Lana, she was still wearing the same clothes that she used in the school. Apparently she just came.


    "I hope she really burns you alive." Hope commented as she swatted Kace''s hand away from her waist.


    "Do you think you can escape?" Kace grabbed Hope''s wrist and pulled her back until her small body bumped his chest. "We still have something to talk to."


    "No, we don''t." Hope refused to look at into his eyes. Her voice was coming hoarser. "There is nothing I want to talk to you."


    That was a lie. Hope really wanted to pursue his explanation for leaving without any news.


    "Of course there is. Let''s start with the guy named Oliver." Kace grabbed Hope''s shoulder and put her arm- length. "Do you think you can escape after you betray me, you foolish girl." Kace knocked her head gently before he leaned down and kissed the spot where he hit her, just like years ago.


    "I don''t betray you!" Hope snapped at him, but couldn''t help the blush that spread around her face. "I don''t accept that mate thing, remember?!"


    Kace shrugged and grinned at her. "Whether you accept it or not, since you have marked me, I will stake my claim on you."


    "Mark? When did I mark you?" Hope frowned, as long as she knew from the sibling, the lycan would stake their claim by leaving a mark on their mate''s neck.


    Hope had seen the mark on Sophia''s neck and it was beautiful. She wanted it too¡­


    Ah! No! No!


    Hope shook her head inwardly.


    "You bit me and left your mark." Kace raised the hand that Hope had bitten when they were inside the car. "Wait for my turn to mark you, babe." He winked at her before walked inside the house to face the angry witch.


    "That''s not a mark!" Hope screamed in frustration, but all she could hear was Kace''s laughter.

 Chapter 469 - PRUDE

    On the other side, Lana walked past the fuming Hope with expression that devoid from any emotion. She had seen how Kace and Hope interaction, and it was enough for her to know her own place.


    At least, she hoped she knew before this feeling became more unbearable.


    "Lana, did you know Kace will come back today? He becomes a substitute of Mr. Wentworth." Hope followed Lana inside their house.


    "No, I don''t know." Lana shook her head as she went inside her bedroom with Hope followed behind her just like a lost puppy. "I think Serefina also didn''t know about this."


    "Yes, I can see how angry she was." Hope plopped down on Lana''s bed and hugged her pillow. "Why he come back? If he takes a job as a teacher in our school, then it means he will not go in the near future, right?"


    The possibility of Kace wouldn''t roam around outside world and would stay for longer time, excited her, though Hope wouldn''t admit it.


    "It depends." Lana changed her clothes to tee shirt and jeans, her everyday outfit.


    "What do you mean?" Hope frowned, already dislike the idea of the possibility Kace would go again.


    "The fact that Kace returns out of the blue, he must have plan on his own. It depends if he could convince Serefina. Or¡­" Lana pulled her backpack from under her bed.


    "Or?" Hope followed Lana''s movement with her eyes.


    "Or¡­ whether Serefina will agree or not, Kace will stay anyway." Lana shrugged her shoulder. "You know right, both of them are stubborn."


    "Yeah. It''s hard to live with them." Hope nodded.


    "You are stubborn too." Lana glanced at her and took the backpack with her to stuff some clothes inside.


    "I am not." Hope pouted. Well, sometime she was stubborn, but not all the time like the two of them. "Where are you going?"


    Lana was rearranging her things as if she would go for days. It had been a while since Lana had gone for a secret mission that Serefina gave to her since she worked as an art teacher.


    "I have to go somewhere." Lana said without turning her back.


    "That stupid mission again?" Hope scoffed. She disliked it when they had to leave her alone in this house. Sometime, Hope would come over to the siblings house and stayed overnight there.


    Lana chuckled when she heard that. "Serefina will tell you off if she heard how you address her task."


    "It''s alright, she is with Kace now." Hope also laughed lightly. "I wonder what they are talking about."


    ==============


    "I thought you will tell me off or at least throw one or two fireballs." Kace grinned when Serefina was only staring dagger at him since five minute ago.


    He was looking at Serefina while running his hand on the surface of the window, inside Serefina''s bedroom.


    "No, I want to kill you now!" Serefina glowered. "What the hell do you think you are doing here?!"


    Kace sighed deeply and tiredly. "Don''t worry, Jedrek''s people will not find me here."


    Serefina raised her eyebrows. "What have you done to them?"


    Kace shook his head. "I hurt Maximus."


    Maximus was the lycan who had been tracking him down for centuries and failed in every attempt as this world was very big and he just worked alone.


    Maximus only had two missions, find Kace''s mate and killed her or dragged the younger brother of Donovan back to their realms.


    Since it involved Kace, thus Maximus only paid attention toward Kace. He always thought as long as he found Kace, he would find his mate too.


    "Explain to me what do you mean with hurt?" Serefina narrowed her eyes. "Normal ''hurt'' will not bedridden a lycan." She said in matter of fact tone.


    "Let''s say I put him only an inch away from his death bed." Kace still talked lightly, but his eyes flickered with uneasiness. He didn''t like the fact he almost killed Maximus, though that person did nothing but hunted him down all the time.


    "Oh, wow!" Serefina raised an eyebrow sarcastically. "Finally you come to your senses."


    "Don''t say it like I want to kill him." Kace narrowed his eyes at her. "I don''t have a choice."


    Serefina didn''t interest with what he was saying. "So, why do you think, no one will come after you?"


    Kace walked to Serefina''s bed, but she glared at him. She didn''t like someone sat down on her bed. "Because Maximus is Jedrek trusted person." Kace plopped down on the couch near the bed, looked exhausted. "Jedrek will not give the task to kill my mate to other lycan and take the risk that more people know about the prophecy, about the Donovan will mate with guardian angel."


    Kace knew Jedrek was too prideful to have a guardian angel as his mate. He despised them. He just hoped the moment his brother met his mate, he wouldn''t do anything stupid.


    But then he looked at Serefina. It was such a pity that they couldn''t be together. It was only when with Serefina when his brother looked normal.


    "I think he will wait until Maximus recover." Kace added as he leaned against the backrest and closed his eyes.


    "Something happened to you right?" Serefina''s green lime eyes scrutinized the lycan''s body and her brows furrowed. "You are dying."


    Kace opened his eyes and rolled them incredulously. "Don''t exaggerate the situation I am just injured, not dying."


    Apparently his battle with Maximus had affected Kace as well. During the fight, he couldn''t let his beast took control completely. He was hesitated and didn''t want to lose it to his bloodl.u.s.t instinct. Therefore it led to this.


    "Your spirit beast is injured." Serefina corrected herself.


    "Hm." Kace nodded. "That is one of my reason to recuperate here."


    "Let''s see, how bad your wound." Serefina sat down beside him.


    Kace frowned. "It''s on my back. I have to take off my clothes."


    Serefina rolled her eyes. "Don''t act prude. Take it off!"

 Chapter 470 - WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

    Serefina rolled her eyes. "Don''t act prude. Take it off!" She snapped at Kace when he crossed his arms in front of his chest comically as if protecting his dignity. "I had seen the three of you n.a.k.e.d."


    "But, Jedrek''s body is the only thing that you will imagine, right?" Kace said teasingly.


    "Talk like that again and I will make your wound look like a scratch compared to what I will do to you." Serefina''s voice was very calm, but she didn''t miss her point.


    "Alright, alright. No need to threaten me like that." Kace took off his clothes and turned his back to face Serefina.


    The witch''s eyes opened wide in shock. "You are so stupid." She said in pure irritation. "If someone like Maximus, who has lower rank than you could beat you up like this, I don''t know how you will face the upcoming war."


    "Don''t talk about war." Kace''s shoulder tensed as he let out a low- short growl.


    "It will happen." Serefina raised her hand as a light appeared on the tip of her forefinger. "No matter how you will deny it. It will happen."


    "The war will not happen. We live in peace now." Kace said stubbornly. He hated it when people was talking about war.


    "Why do you think you have your mate now?" Serefina threw the question, which the answer was very obvious.


    The prophecy was right. The spirit of guardian angels would breathe in human''s child and the three of them would be the mate of the three infamous beast of Donovan.


    It was a bless and curse, at least that was what the Donovan''s thought the first time they heard about their curse was being lifted.


    A bless, because having a mate was a bless to their eternity life, but also a curse as guardian angel was the weakest creatures in their hierarchy. Lycanthropes despised them.


    But, not now, at least for Kace. He loved Hope from the first time he laid his eyes on her when she was still a baby, even before that.


    The thought of having a mate and be with her was the only reason why Kace was in this kind of situation now, instead of letting his brother to kill his mate brutally.


    "Can we talk about that later and focus on my wound first please." Kace felt uncomfortable with the topic.


    "You can''t run away forever from this. Sooner or later you need to think about this." Serefina traced the light on the tip of her finger on the surface of Kace''s wound.


    "Then I choose to think about that later." Kace knew the true purpose of the resurrection of the guardian angel, he just didn''t want to think about it now when he just comeback from years of separation from his mate.


    Serefina could only sigh in defeat. If Kace didn''t want to talk about it, then she wouldn''t have a choice, but change the topic. She was not in the mood to argue with this guy.


    "Did you find any clues about where her blood is?" Serefina traced her hand to the second line of his wound.


    There were four lines of deep wounds on Kace''s back, it was clear to see what caused it. A shape shifter had clawed his back rather brutally.


    However, the thing that confused Serefina was; why he didn''t heal? With his healing ability, Kace would recover within days and it was impossible to hurt his spirit, yet even with her magic, the wound wouldn''t close. Despite the fact she wasn''t a healer, but it was still odd.


    "I do." Kace nodded. The blood that Serefina referring was the blood that was being taken from the hospital when Hope was sick.


    Ever since the blood was taken, something horrible happened within the supernatural creatures. Though it wasn''t a big incident, but the fact it could lead into something big, wasn''t an appealing idea. Someone, who owned Hope''s blood, definitely wasn''t someone with good intention.


    "What is it?" Serefina had not yet exchange information with Kace for months, thus both of them needed more time to catch up with everything.


    "It leads me to the northern coven." Kace replied, feeling a breeze of cold wind from behind his back. It must be Serefina.


    "What is it? Witch?" It was most likely that creature had involved themselves in this.


    "No, it''s not a witch. Its Fae." Kace also frowned when he gave this information to her. "I know what you think about this."


    "Fae is not an aggressive creature. Most of them like to leave in peace." Serefina frowned. If it was about aggression, then Fae would be the last creature after the guardian angel who had that kind of trait.


    "I know, that''s why it''s confusing. Moreover, what is a Fae doing in the northern coven when that place is very¡­ cryptic." Kace furrowed his eyebrows.


    As far as Kace knew, the northern coven was limited only for the witches, no shape shifter really went there as that place was very dark and magical.


    That was why, mystic river village was the best place to hide for rogue like Waggle family, the siblings, and them.


    However, as the creatures that filled with pride, most of them didn''t want to come here and looked for protection from other creatures'' magic and power.


    Thus, this village was still avoided by many of them.


    "Do you have any idea why your wounds don''t heal?" Serefina gave up, befuddled and gestured for Kace to put on his shirt again.


    "I don''t know." Kace scratched his head. "When I fought him, he looked a little bit off."


    "Tell me." Serefina demanded.


    However, before Kace could say anything, the door was pushed open and Hope''s figure appeared.


    "Serefina, Lana wants me to tell you¡­ what are you two doing!?" Hope''s eyes widened in disbelieve. The scene before her eyes was; Kace, who just put on his clothes and Serefina, who was slightly panting. They were both surprised. "Are you¡­?!"

 Chapter 471 - STOP SEEING HIM

    Serefina stared at Hope with dull eyes while Kace tilted his head, didn''t quite understand what Hope was trying to say.


    "Are you¡­ together?" Hope stuttered to finish her words.


    "WHAT?!" Serefina barked in disbelieve as disgusted expression crossed her face and she stood up.


    Hope jerked away when she heard her angry tone. Ups! Misspoke¡­ "No, no¡­ I am just¡­ what I meant, you good together. It is rare to see you are getting along well¡­"


    Hope raised her hands when a pillow, magically, was thrown toward her direction. However, before the pillow could hit her, Kace had sped up and swatted it away.


    "Hei! Don''t get physical with my mate!" Kace bellowed and hid Hope behind his back.


    "Get out! Before I throw you out from this house!" Serefina flared up. She disliked the thing that Hope tried to imply. Get along with Kace?! Huh! He just brought trouble for her!


    "Go, go, go¡­!" Kace pushed Hope out of the room before the door slammed shut right behind his back.


    Both of them were startled and covered their ears as the sound of it reverberated through the house.


    "Lana said she is going now because she has to stop in another place!" Hope shouted to the close door and received a bumping sound as a reply, it seemed Serefina threw the pillow against the door again. "Why she is so upset?" Hope muttered sullenly. "I am just saying¡­"


    However, Kace knocked her head softly. "You silly girl. What is inside your dirty little head."


    "Hei! I don''t try to imply anything, I was just saying what I saw." Hope protested and both of them walked along the corridor toward the living room.


    Apparently, Hope didn''t see the wounds on Kace''s back when she entered the room.


    "Never in million lives your silly thought would happen." Kace chuckled, he had never imagined to be together with Serefina, the idea alone was absurd.


    Hope pouted her lips sullenly as she sat down beside Kace and turned on the television, searching for interesting program to watch.


    Meanwhile, Kace had found the most interesting thing to see. The girl beside him, who was oblivious with the way he looked at her.


    "Why are you dating that boy?" Kace played with the tip of Hope''s black hair. It has gotten longer since the last time he met her.


    Not only that, everything about her was change, in good way. The live in her black eyes, her fierce personality¡­ she has also become taller and her body shaped beautifully.


    Hope was no longer the child who would call him ''wolf'' or ran around with her diapers. Kace loved those memories of her when she was only a little girl, though he wasn''t around very often.


    However, he loved her more now.


    "Why? I don''t have a boyfriend, why I can''t get one?" Hope crossed her arms defensively. Kace could see that she was nervous, her thumping heart told him everything.


    "How about me?" Kace leaned his back against armrest and stared at her lazily. "Didn''t I tell you that you are mine?"


    Hope gritted her teeth, praying that her face didn''t turn red because of Kace''s bold statement. She was still mad because he didn''t call her for three years!


    "I am not your possession!" Hope snapped, managed to sound angry. "What do you expect? You don''t even call me."


    "Are you upset because I didn''t give you any news?" Kace tilted her head, observing her reaction.


    "No, whatever. You can do everything that you want. I don''t care." Hope huffed and focused her attention on the television. Well, she was trying¡­ it was hard to concentrate at something when a hot guy beside you was staring intently, as if he wanted to eat you whole.


    "If I say sorry, will you forgive me?" Kace asked again after a long silence.


    "No." Hope said curtly, but she liked it when Kace coaxed her.


    "What should I do to make it up to you?" Kace tucked stray of her hair behind her ear and he could see her hard expression softened. "I came when you were sick. You know that right? So, you can''t count it as three years straight."


    "You came?" Hope whipped her head and looked at Kace with wide eyes.


    "Do you forget about that?" Kace feigned sad expression, but Hope slapped his shoulder and glared at him, already knew his fa?ade. "Of course I came. You were sick after all." He chuckled and tousled her hair.


    "I thought it was a dream." Hope mumbled as she fixed her hair.


    "A dream? Did you think you were dreaming about prince charming?" Kace beamed with happiness. He had been waiting for the moment when he could tease her without being awkward.


    "No. I thought I dream of meeting an evil wolf. It''s literally a nightmare." Hope sneered and this made the certain Lycan threw his head back, laughing hard. "But, Lana said she didn''t know if you come back."


    "No, Lana didn''t know, but Serefina did." Kace stopped laughing and grimaced. "She burned my fur with fireball."


    This time it was Hope, who was laughing hard, she could imagine the two of them were fighting. Of course, she knew no one of them would really hurt each other, but imagining Kace''s white beast was being chased by the witch and her fireball, was very interesting.


    "What are you laughing for?" Kace frowned. "She almost burned me."


    "Oh, please. She will not kill you." Hope rolled her eyes, still laughing and Kace loved to hear the sound of her voice.


    "Back to the topic." Kace suddenly turned serious and Hope stopped laughing, peering at him warily. "From now on, stop seeing him."


    Kace leaned over, so he was so close to her. Hope could see his irises, the beautiful shades of blue and silver.


    "Of course I can''t do that¡­" Hope felt muddleheaded as her voice turned hoarser. "He is very good to me."


    "Do you like him?"


    "Huh?"


    "Did he kiss you?"

 Chapter 472 - PLAYING WITH FIRE

    "What?" Hope''s eyes widened in surprised.


    "Did he kiss you?" Kace leaned closer, his eyes narrowed dangerously at her.


    "No." Hope blurted out without having a chance to think straight, she shook her head as her heart beating very fast. "I mean¡­"


    "Good." Kace pulled away and grinned, his easy- going nature returned. "It wouldn''t be good for him." he smirked devilishly.


    "You can''t hurt him." Hope glared at her, but her blushing face couldn''t hide what she felt about this.


    "I will not." Kace shook his head. "I will win you over. I have told you before, once I returned, I will never leave you again."


    Sometime, it was very good to hear when a man showed his feeling without restriction. A little bit possessiveness along with Kace''s gentle voice was enough to make Hope bit down her lips to prevent herself from smiling.


    "I will see what you will do." Hope threw sofa cushion toward him, stood up and ran toward her room.


    Once Hope was inside the protection of her bedroom, she closed the door and locked it. The moment no one could see her, a huge grin appeared on her face.


    Hope threw her body on the bed and squalled on her pillow, she raised her head, grabbed the white wolf doll and hugged it tightly against her chest. Hope felt very happy.


    Without her knowing, in the living room, Kace shook his head as he heard what was going on inside Hope''s bedroom.


    "If you want to play hard- to- get, at least don''t be so blunt, girl." He chuckled to himself, but then the pain on his back made him frown.


    ==============


    "Where is Kace?" Hope was about to make breakfast, but she only met the sleepy witch at the kitchen bar stool while Lana was still on her mission. Hope could only roll her eyes upon hearing the word ''mission''.


    "He lives somewhere else." Serefina yawned.


    "Why?" Hope slightly felt disappointed.


    "Because I don''t want him to live here after he came out of the blue with his lovely plan." Serefina stretched out her body and Hope grimaced when she heard the sarcasm in her voice.


    Hope couldn''t believe it, both of them had known each other for centuries, knowing their personalities like night and day.


    "Where does he live?" Hope put a simple sandwich in front of Serefina and a glass of warm water. The witch didn''t like to drink milk.


    "What do you want? Live with him since you have come to age?" Serefina bit her sandwich.


    Hope almost choked on her milk when she heard that. "Of course not." she managed to say after coughing a couple of time.


    "Good. Because he is your teacher now, it will be nice if both of you restraint yourself in the public." Serefina said nonchalantly as she drank her water and yawned again.


    "No, we don''t have that kind of relationship." Hope blushed. What is Serefina trying to say? It doesn''t look like they will hold hands in public right?


    "Nice. Because I start to like your human boyfriend." Serefina yawned again.


    It was very rare occasion when Serefina would agree with Hope''s decision, though Serefina, surprisingly, didn''t scold her when Hope dated Oliver, but the witch also showed her disgust toward her relationship.


    "You just said it because you want to annoy Kace." Hope mumbled and Serefina just shrugged.


    "It feels good to annoy him."


    Hope chuckled when she heard that. She agreed with that.


    ==============


    P.E class was only once a week, thus even when they were in the same building there was no many occasion Hope could see Kace.


    "Hei, are you looking for him?" Ian was eating his lunch unceremoniously while Ethan just came, bringing a tray full of food for Hope and Rossie.


    "No." Hope lied bluntly as she took the food and thanked Ethan.


    Ian was observing her since five minutes ago and she kept turning her head every time someone walked through the canteen door.


    "You are a bad liar." Ian scoffed and stuffed his face with food.


    "Don''t disturb her." Rossie scolded her brother.


    It was lunch time and like usual, the four of them would take a seat near the window at the corner of the canteen, so they could see the whole room from there.


    "Are you planning to break up with Oliver now?" Rossie asked Hope with concern in her voice. "I don''t think Kace will be fine."


    "No, he is fine." Hope smiled at Rossie as she ate her food. "He said, he will win me over."


    Ethan and Ian looked at each other, confused.


    "I don''t understand a girl." Ethan murmured.


    "I don''t understand her." Ian chimed in.


    But, right at that time, Hope spotted Kace walked through the door and she immediately stood up. Hope brought her food over to Oliver and his friend''s table.


    "What is Hope doing?" Rossie widened her eyes in disbelieve.


    "Kace will kill that guy." Ethan commented when he watched what was going to happen.


    "No, it is Hope who kills the guy." Ian corrected his twin.


    Since they started dating, Hope had said that she didn''t want to eat together with his friend, because most of them were very noisy and annoying while Oliver couldn''t stand be in the same table with Ian for more than five minutes.


    That was why they had never been together when lunch time.


    "Wow! What''s bring you here." Oliver gave Hope huge smiled as he watched his girl sat down beside him.


    "I want to eat with you." Hope shrugged, yet from the corner of her eyes, she could see Kace was looking toward her direction.


    Somehow, this made Hope excited to see what would be Kace''s reaction.


    "I am happy to hear that, babe." Oliver grinned and Hope grimaced when she heard the endearment. It didn''t feel the same when Kace said it.


    Yet, Hope turned speechless when she watched Kace walked straight toward their table with devilish smirk on his suave face.


    What will he do?

 Chapter 473 - NO!

    "Hope, right?" Kace stopped in front of Oliver''s table.


    With his presence, all the conversation in that long table, immediately died down as their head turned to look at the new P.E teacher.


    Hope didn''t know if Kace would directly confront her like this, she thought it would only annoy him and he would scold her later.


    "Yes." Hope''s lips were slightly ajar as she could feel all the attention was directed toward her.


    "Good, I need your help. Can you come with me for a while?" Kace asked with warm smile.


    "This is lunch time," Oliver protested. He was still upset because of the incident a few days ago. It was simply embarrassing. "She needs to take a break too."


    "Hope, come with me." Kace completely ignored Oliver''s words as his eyes fixed on Hope''s.


    "Sir¡­" Oliver wanted to complain again, but Hope had put his hand on his shoulder to stop him.


    This small gesture made Kace narrowed his eyes slightly, didn''t like the fact that his mate was touching another male right before his eyes.


    "It''s okay, I will go." Hope stood up and looked at Kace. "Sir?"


    Kace smiled softly and walked away from the canteen, he never gave a single glance toward Oliver or his friend as his eyes focused on her.


    "What do you want? This is school." Hope followed behind Kace with light steps, trying to not look obvious that she was close to this new teacher.


    "Saved you from the situation." Kace said lightly.


    "What do you mean?" Hope didn''t understand. "I was sitting with my boyfriend and his friend."


    All of sudden, Kace stopped walking and turned his back, fortunately Hope has a good reflex, so she didn''t need to bump her face straight to his solid chest.


    "You can''t lie to me, sweety." Kace nudged her nose softly with his forefinger and laughed when Hope''s expression turned unsightly. "You don''t like it when you have to sit with people that you don''t familiar with."


    He knew that? No one ever notice that.


    Hope wanted to refuse his theory, but it would sound pathetic and she didn''t want to give Kace another reason to laugh in front of her face.


    "Thank you for saving me." Hope said it sarcastically.


    "Anytime beautiful." Kace didn''t mind it with Hope''s attitude. "Where are you going?"


    After saying that, Hope turned around to leave him. "Go back to my class."


    However, Kace grabbed the hoodie on her jacket and dragged her. "I said I need you right? So, you have to help me."


    "What?" Hope thought it was only an excuse. "No, let go." She hissed, looking around with worry, she didn''t want to be the object of gossip of those female students.


    However, Kace seemed oblivious with Hope''s concern.


    ==============


    "Don''t apply as a teacher if you are this lazy!" Hope was grumbling, staring dagger at the lycan beside her.


    They were inside the indoor basketball court of the school building with Hope was checking the inventories there.


    It happened that, every three months Mr. Wentworth would do the inventories checking, but since Kace was his substitute, thus it became his task.


    Yet, this lycan was too lazy to do that.


    "I am not lazy, I am just tired." Kace laid back in the middle of the court and used his arms as pillow.


    This school building only has one indoor place for P.E, hence all the stuff for P.E was put there. No need to say that there were many things there.


    "There are many things here." Hope complained. "I don''t think I can finish it before the bell rings."


    "It''s alright, just do what can be done." Kace replied with soft voice with his eyes closed.


    "You only used me." Hope grumbled and Kace chuckled.


    "Feel free to get back at me."


    And then there was a silence as Hope was roaming around that place and wrote on the paper on the clipboard.


    "Kace?"


    "Hm?"


    "I thought you are sleeping."


    "Almost."


    "How do you apply as a teacher behind Serefina''s back?" knowing Serefina, she would know it before Kace could step inside the village.


    "She was busy and I have a great link."


    "Oh."


    And then silence again.


    Just like what Hope had thought, the bell rang and she couldn''t even finish half of it. With a sigh, Hope dragged her feet to come closer to the sleeping Lycan.


    It had been a long time since the last time Hope watched Kace was sleeping peacefully like this.


    She crouched down and stared at him, got lost in thought as she forgot that the bell had stopped ringing five minutes ago.


    It was very strange when a man could appear very fierce, but also gentle at the same time. Possessive, but considerate, reckless but also knew his responsibility¡­


    Hope stretched her arms to touch Kace''s eyebrows and traced the bridge of his nose, his lips, his chin¡­


    At that time, she saw something on his neck.


    What is that?


    A scar?


    Hope leaned over to see clearly what the dark line on the back of his neck. Because Kace''s hair was a little bit long, thus his nape was covered with it.


    However, the moment Hope''s fingertips brushed his neck, Kace opened his eyes and they were as black as the night sky.


    Hope didn''t have time to think when all of sudden her back hit the concrete floor and Kace had pinned her under his body with his canines elongated.


    Hope gasped, it was terrifying to say the least.


    However, before something bad happened, Kace regained his composure as his eyes slowly returned into his blue one.


    "Hope¡­?" His voice came out very hoarse.


    When Kace had snapped from his defensive state and realized what he was doing, horror filled his eyes.


    "No! Hope¡­ I am sorry, did I hurt you?" Kace moved fast from above Hope and helped her to sit down, his eyes scanned his mate body worriedly and felt terrible when he watched Hope rubbed her head.

 Chapter 474 - THIS GIRL!

    Neck was the sensitive spot for werewolf and Lycan. Their enemy could kill them the moment they got a hold of their neck, they could snap or slit their neck and there was no chance to heal.


    Therefore, after so many years Kace lived in pursuit by Jedrek''s people and many creatures that wanted him to be dead, he used to not lower his guard even when he was sleeping.


    Hope''s touch on his face was something that his subconscious didn''t read as a threat, but when she touched Kace''s neck, it was another thing entirely.


    "Did you hurt?" Kace''s brows furrowed as he rubbed the place where Hope touched before. "Is it hurt?"


    "A little bit." Hope murmured and let Kace eased the pain by rubbing her head gently. They were so close.


    While Kace''s focus was on Hope''s head, Hope''s focus was on how fragrant he smelled.


    "I am sorry Hope." Kace''s brows creased in concern.


    "It''s alright." It was hurt, after all her head hit the concrete floor all of sudden, but it was still bearable.


    "Do we need to go to the hospital?" Kace stared at the girl in front of him, but Hope''s grimace expression broke into a small laugh.


    "There is nothing serious, why we need to go to the hospital? They will laugh at me." Hope beamed with a big smile while staring at Kace as if saying that his idea was ridiculous.


    However, Kace didn''t laugh with her. He couldn''t find anything about that ridiculous. One wrong move and he was not in his right mind in time, Hope could be death.


    Kace shuddered by that thought.


    "I am sorry Hope." He apologized very sincere and this made Hope a little bit puzzled.


    She had never seen Kace like this before, "What happened to you? I am okay." Hope grinned to lighten Kace''s mood. "Rather than my head, I am more concern with my class. I think I am late. If I get yelled at then it''s your fault." Hope pouted.


    "Whose class?" Kace sighed in relief when he saw Hope was fine.


    "Ms. Jessica."


    "Don''t worry." Kace smiled and rubbed her head as he stood up and extended his hand to help Hope. "I will walk you to your class."


    "What will you do?" Hope received his helping hand and stood up.


    "I will use my charm." Kace gave the girl his devilish smirk that made Hope rolled her eyes and laughed.


    "What happened with your neck?" Hope spotted a small on his neck that she was about to touch before. "Is that a wound? Where did you get that?"


    "This?" Kace touched his neck and rubbed it. "From fighting."


    ==============


    "Hope!"


    Hope was waiting Ethan and Rossie at the entrance gate when Oliver called her and this automatically made Ian, beside her, threw a disgusting look to the boy.


    "Why don''t you break up with him? You date him just because you were upset with Kace, right?" Ian hissed at Hope while staring dagger at Oliver, who was coming closer toward them.


    "I can''t break up with him out of the blue." Hope grimaced. This time, this was her fault.


    "Just say it. Simple." Ian rolled his eyes.


    "I will." Hope replied before Oliver stopped in front of her. "Hai."


    "Hope, are you alright? What Mr. Wolfe did to you?" Oliver looked at her with concern.


    The corner of Hope''s lips twitched slightly when she heard that name. Kace was really tacky by choosing that name as his last name.


    When Hope asked about that, he said it was cute. Really, a grown up man like Kace, who was able to turn into a beast was talking about something cute, that was hilarious.


    "I am alright, he did nothing. He just asked me to help him to count the inventories in the indoor basketball court." Hope replied truthfully, took a glance at Ian, who seemed boring.


    "I am glad." Oliver sighed in relief and this made Ian opened his mouth to throw one or two of his opinion like usual, but he swallowed it after he caught Hope''s angry stare.


    "Are you going home?" Hope asked him. Usually, Ian practiced soccer after school.


    "Yes, there is no practice for today." Oliver then stared at her expectantly. "Walking home with me?"


    Hope contemplated for a while before she nodded. "Sure."


    "Hope, your mother will be very angry at you if she sees you with him." Ian immediately rejected the idea.


    "Excuse me? Who are you to forbid her from going home with me?" Oliver narrowed his eyes at Ian. This guy was being noisy on his relationship with Hope since the beginning.


    "She is my twin sister." Ian blurted out nonsense.


    "Alright, enough." Hope waved her hand to both of them. "I will walk home with him, bye Ian."


    With that, before there was more argument occurred, Hope pulled Oliver''s arm and waved Ian goodbye.


    On the other hand, Ian could only watch both of them disappeared among the crowd of students. But, that was the last thing that he had to worry about.


    Because at this time, he caught ''his'' scent, coming closer toward him along with his other two siblings. As if on cue, kace''s figure appeared before his eyes when Ian turned his body.


    Ethan and Rossie were walking slightly ahead of Kace while he set his eyes on Ian.


    "Where is Hope, the two of them said she is waiting here with you." Kace''s eyes scanned his surrounding, he caught her scent, but it was faint, meaning she had gone before he came.


    "She is¡­ going home." Ian gulped, exchanging look with Ethan, who asked him silently about Hope too.


    Kace was squinted his eyes. "She is going home alone?" He knew Hope would go home with the siblings, yet the three of them were still here.


    "No, she is going home with¡­ Oliver." Ian grimaced when he watched Kace''s expression turned unsightly.


    "This girl¡­" Kace let out a low growl.

 Chapter 475 - BREAK UP!

    "It''s our first time walking home together." Oliver said as he walked leisurely beside Hope and glanced at the girl.


    It had been three months since they started dating and a month since they went out together. Hope would always give an excuse every time Oliver asked her to go out with him.


    Ever since from the beginning, Hope always distanced herself from him.


    "Yeah, right." Hope nodded and whipped her head when Oliver held her hand.


    "I just want to hold your hand." Oliver blinked his eyes upon Hope''s reaction. "You acted as if I am going to kill you." He laughed humorlessly.


    "Sorry, you surprised me." Hope gave her a small smile and let him to hold her hand.


    There was a silence before Oliver spoke when they were crossing the road. "I don''t like that new teacher."


    "Mr. Wolfe? Why?" there was a glint of amus.e.m.e.nt in Hope''s eyes when she mentioned Kace''s name. "He is nice."


    Oliver frowned as his expression turned unsightly. "You have to avoid someone like him, you know."


    "What do you mean ''someone like him''?" Even Hope could feel the irritation in her voice when Oliver badmouthing Kace.


    "I don''t like the way he looked at you. Don''t you realize that?" Oliver frowned when he watched Hope''s strong reaction.


    "Realize what?" Hope wondered if the way Kace was staring at her was that obvious until people could tell.


    "I think that new teacher likes you." Oliver frowned with his own statement.


    However, he was a man too, thus he knew what kind of look that Kace gave to her every time they met in the canteen during lunch break.


    "He only worked for two weeks, impossible if he already likes me." Hope tried to act ignorance, but she was happy to know that.


    "I don''t like it. You have to avoid him." Oliver demanded.


    "How can I avoid him? He is a teacher." Hope pulled her hand from Oliver''s grip and hugged herself.


    Seeing Hope''s reaction, Oliver couldn''t help, but blurted out. "Do you like him?"


    "Huh? No, of course not." Hope replied too fast and this only ignited Oliver''s suspicion toward her answer.


    "You like him." that was a statement, not a question. "Did you cheat on me?"


    Hope stopped walking and turned to face him. They were only one block away from Hope''s house and not many people passed this street, thus literally it was only the two of them in that street now.


    "Listen." Hope''s expression turned serious. "I know him earlier than I know you."


    "Is he your family?"


    "No."


    "Then he is dangerous. A man with eyes like him is dangerous. Stay away from him!" Oliver was very agitated to know this.


    Kace had deliberately shown this to Oliver over the past two weeks, so he could jump into this conclusion. But, of course, either Hope or he knew about this.


    "I have told you since the first time that I don''t like anyone controlling me." Hope said coldly.


    For a moment, both of them glared at each other and no one seemed willing to back down until Hope broke their staring contest and sighed.


    "I already said that we are not good to each other. This relationship will not work." This time Hope looked at Oliver resolutely. "Let''s end this."


    "What? No!" Oliver''s face turned dark when he heard that. "You want to end this because you like another guy, right?" he accused her.


    In some way, it was true, but the fact was; Hope had liked this ''another guy'' since before she met Oliver.


    "Oh, don''t act so innocent." Hope''s expression turned dark as well. "You don''t really like me, it is only your curiosity, right?"


    "What nonsense you are talking about?" Oliver grabbed Hope''s shoulder tightly until it hurt, but Hope didn''t show it on her face.


    "I know you only want to know me because I live in the biggest house in this village and I am not associated with other people except from the siblings. You think it is cool for you to be with me, am I right?" Hope smirked to mask the pain on her shoulder.


    Hope knew all of this from Ian.


    The peak of being werewolf was; they have incredible hearing ability and Ian always told Hope about what Oliver was talking with his friends about her, from across the room.


    Oliver and his friends thought Hope couldn''t hear it, which was true, but Ian, Ethan and Rossie were different case.


    Maybe Ian would lie, but Rossie would not.


    This was one of the reasons why Ian always acted very hostile toward Oliver, because this guy didn''t have a good intention toward Hope.


    Actually, Hope didn''t mind it, for the fact she didn''t have feeling for him, thus it didn''t hurt when she knew what Oliver was talking to his friends.


    "So, you want to break up with me?" Oliver narrowed his eyes dangerously.


    "Yes." and Hope replied resolutely.


    However, the moment that answer left her lips, Oliver forced her toward an empty alley and pushed her against the wall.


    "Do you think it''s easy to break up with me?!" Oliver barked right in front of Hope''s face.


    Hope felt the grip on her shoulder moved to her face as Oliver held her jaw with his thumb and forefinger.


    "I don''t take a break up nicely." He spoke icily and glared at Hope. "I have been nice to you all this time and let you play with your pathetic friends and this what you give me?! Don''t think you can do whatever you wish!"


    Hope saw that coming, she knew what Oliver would do next. Hence, before his disgusting lips could touch hers, Hope lifted her leg and kicked him right on the spot where he wouldn''t be able to bear the pain.


    In an instant, Oliver howled in pain when the breath was gone from his body as he stumbled backward.


    "Do you think it''s easy to threaten me?" Hope tidied up her crumpled clothes and slightly messy hair. "I don''t take a coercion nicely too."

 Chapter 476 - TROUBLE

    "Hey, calm down okay." Ian clutched his seatbelt tightly, beside him, Kace was driving the car like a madman while on the backseat, Rossie was being hugged by Ethan. "I know we have remarkable healing ability, but it doesn''t mean we are immune to pain."


    Kace ignored his rumble.


    He was upset because Hope was going home with that brat. Kace knew, for days, Hope had been trying to make him jealous. Well, that girl tried to give him a hard time because she was still angry for the three years Kace didn''t call her, which he could understand.


    But, going home with him alone? Kace really wanted to pinch her rosy cheeks.


    However, before Kace could reach their home, he saw Hope was being pushed toward an empty alley by Oliver.


    It was all Kace needed to slam the break and got out of the car. His veins were bulging and his beast clawed his conscience when he watched his mate was being cornered.


    "Kace, calm down!" Ian went after Kace hurriedly. Panic on his face. This was one of the reasons that no creatures should mess with a Lycan''s mate. They would turn into a battle mode. "Let me go to them, I will punch that guy, okay!?"


    Ian tried to drag Kace back to the car, but he was way too strong for a young werewolf like him and one glare from Kace was all it needed to make the pup whimpered and released his hand from him.


    But, before they could walk closer and Kace wrecked some havoc there, they heard a shrill scream from the alley where Oliver had dragged Hope.


    Kace and Ian were standing not too far, but close enough to see what was happening there without Hope or Oliver noticed their presence.


    On the ground they could see Oliver was groaning in pain and then Hope''s voice travelled from the alley before her slender figure appeared in Kace''s line of sight, towering above the poor boy.


    "Do you think it''s easy to threaten me?" Hope brushed the invisible dirt from her clothes and caressed her long black hair. "I don''t take a coercion nicely too."


    The girl didn''t talk loudly, but it was enough for the four supernatural creatures near her to hear what she was saying.


    There was a soft giggle from Rossie while Ian''s jaw dropped. "What did she just do?"


    "I have told you that she could take care of herself." Ethan didn''t seem surprised to see this.


    Hope sneered when she watched Oliver was groaning in pain on the ground, then she bent her body to take her backpack and headed home, grumbling something incoherently with annoyed expression.


    The girl didn''t seem notice about the four people who were watching her. Too upset to even care about her surroundings.


    When Hope had walked a few meters away from the empty alley, the siblings turned his attention toward Kace, who didn''t move an inch from his spot.


    And what they saw was surprised them. Kace''s face beamed with satisfaction while his lips curled into a smug smile.


    "That''s my girl!" he exclaimed proudly.


    The lycan, who was two minutes ago, ready to tear the boy''s body into pieces, now was crossing his arms and lifting his chin arrogantly.


    "You shouldn''t mess with my girl, human!" Kace sneered when he watched Oliver was trying to stand with a suffering expression.


    Ian didn''t know, whether he had to feel relief because the bloody event did not happen, or he wanted to face palmed himself because of Kace''s self- contented expression was annoying.


    "Can you drive?" Kace''s eyes zeroed in Hope''s back when he asked.


    Ian frowned upon hearing the question. "Yes, I can."


    "Take it." Kace threw the car key toward Ian and walked away after he added. "I will get the car from your house latter."


    Fortunately, Ian has a good reflex, thus before the car key hit his face, he already grabbed it. It was unsure, whether Kace do it on purpose or not.


    "Wait! I don''t have a license!" Ian shouted at Kace, but the latter ignored him completely as he jogged toward the center of his gravity. "You are a teacher, at least be responsible to your students!"


    "He will not hear you." Rossie tapped his brother''s shoulder, smile on her face as she looked at Kace.


    "Why are you smiling like a fool?" Ian was very moody now. The problem was, his mother would scold him nonstop for driving. Not to mention he took his siblings with him.


    Their parents just didn''t believe him enough with the safety of Ethan and Rossie, even though he was the older son of the family.


    "Don''t raise your voice on her." Ethan knocked Ian''s head, but his brother dodged it in time. "Let''s go home."


    "Kace is very cute." Rossie squealed and this earned a glare from Ian and Ethan. "I want a mate like him."


    "No. Not someone annoying like him." Ian grumbled as he walked toward the car. "If our mother know about this, she will scold to no end."


    "Stop complaining." Ethan opened the back seat for Rossie before he jumped to the front seat beside Ian.


    "This lycan is a trouble." Ian still grumbled when he turn on the engine.


    Meanwhile, the trouble lycan was walking behind Hope with a huge grin on his face as he put his arm around Hope''s shoulder.


    Hope gasped loudly as she thought it was Oliver, thus without even looking at the guy beside her, Hope elbowed him.


    "Very feisty aren''t you?" Kace didn''t even flinch when he received that sudden attack.


    "Kace! Don''t do that! You surprised me!" Hope exclaimed when she watched Kace was laughing heartily. "What are you doing here?"


    "Walk you home." Kace shrugged nonchalantly.


    "Did you¡­" see what I was doing to Oliver? That was what Hope wanted to ask, but Kace had cut her sentences.


    "Do you want to go on a date with me?" Kace asked.

 Chapter 477 - I HAVE A DATE

    "What?" Hope widened her eyes, surprised with Kace''s request, but then she narrowed her eyes. "You saw it, right?" her voice laced with accusation.


    "Saw what?" Kace feigned an innocent face, but Hope elbowed him again and he laughed out loud. "You look very captivating when you are angry."


    "Oh, in that case I will get angry every day." Hope rolled her eyes and pouted her lips.


    "But, I loved your smile better." Kace leaned over and kissed her temple right in front of the house. "Don''t kick me, okay."


    After that, Kace moved away from Hope as if the girl would throw a punch because of what he did. Well, it was nearly impossible, as he had kissed her for over seventeen years.


    "Come here, I will give you a good slap across your silly face." Hope gritted her teeth, she was unsure, whether she was shy because of the kiss or she wanted to stop herself from smiling.


    "Uuu¡­ my little girl is very fierce, she has grown up!" his laugh was getting louder upon seeing Hope was annoyed by his teasing.


    "Come here, you bad wolf!" Hope didn''t know since when Kace was being such a tease like this. She remembered Kace like an older brother to her.


    At least until she reached thirteen years old, because after Hope knew about all the mate things, she could feel it that she saw him differently.


    However, Kace now, was expressing his affection freely. As if he had been waiting for this moment for long time, which was true.


    Hope was seventeen years old now, it wouldn''t be awkward if Kace wooed her.


    "Date me." Kace said in his deep voice, the moment he caught Hope and pulled her into a tight hug until she couldn''t move to kick or hit him again.


    "Why should I?" though she questioned him, but she already hugged the lycan back. Relishing the moment when the spark dancing on her skin. This feeling was magical.


    "Because I am handsome, rich, affectionate, funny, reliable, you named it." Kace listed and it got a giggle from Hope.


    "It has been a long time since I saw you shifted into your white wolf, I kind of miss him." Hope placed her chin against his chest as she looked at Kace expectantly.


    "The wolf is tired, I will show you another time." Kace pushed her hair from her face. "Get ready, I will pick you up at four."


    After saying that, Kace let go of her and Hope didn''t really like the distance between them. "Why don''t you come inside?"


    Hope was confused, Kace usually would live in this house every time he came to visit her, but why now, since he decided to settle down, he chose to live in different place?


    Actually, the only answer for her question was as clear as day if Hope wanted to know it badly, it was simply because she had grown up into a young beautiful woman with the right curves on her body and Kace was, after all, a man.


    As Kace knew Hope quite well, he didn''t think the girl would like his rush advanced.


    Another reason was because there were a few things he had to handle and it would be more convenient if he lived alone for the meantime.


    "I need to get the car from Ian''s house." Kace stared the young girl in front of him, traced his eyes to the juncture of her slender neck, where he would mark her.


    "Where will we go?" Hope casually asked, actually she didn''t mind wherever Kace would bring her.


    "Somewhere out of this village." Kace grinned when he watched a flash of surprise on her eyes.


    "We will go out from this village?" It was a shocking idea. After years Hope was not allowed to go out because of the event three years ago, now Kace said he would take her somewhere out of this village.


    "Is it okay?" Hope became concern, though she loved the idea to go to the city, but she didn''t want to make another trouble for Kace. "Serefina wouldn''t be upset?"


    "I am with you." Kace said in matter of factly.


    If last time Hope was gotten into trouble because she was trying to run away with her friends, now she was with Kace, meaning; it would relatively safe.


    "Okay!" Hope literally jumped and hugged Kace before she rushed back toward her house giddily, grinning from ear to ear.


    At this time, Kace hoped he could hear what his little mate was thinking.


    ==============


    "So, do you think that Maximus has something to do with black magic?" Sterling saw the ugly four lines of wounds on Kace''s back.


    "This is obviously not a poison, I will heal within weeks if it is." Kace put on his clothes again and turned to face his old friend.


    "What did Serefina say about this?" Sterling crossed his arms as he leaned against the backrest of his chair.


    Both of them were currently in the kitchen, enjoying a glass of coffee that Sophia made.


    "We didn''t have enough time to discuss this." Kace remembered their conversation was cut short because Hope barged in and pissed the witch with her innocent comment. "And now she is not around."


    Since Hope had grown older, Serefina and Lana became more often to leave her alone. Actually, this made Kace worried, but apparently the protection that she left around the house, worked just fine.


    "You have to find a way to know what kind of magic is that." Sterling glanced at the scar on Kace''s neck, which wasn''t covered by his clothes. "But, is it possible for Jedrek to allow his man to use dark magic on you?"


    "I don''t know." Kace shrugged as he stood up. "But, he has been trying to track my mate''s whereabouts. To kill her." his tone turned darker when he said it.


    "Where are you going?" Sterling frowned, seeing Kace was about to go.


    "I have a date." Kace grinned and then yelled. "Ian! Where is my car key!?"

 Chapter 478 - A MOVIE

    "Where are we going?" Hope was very giddy. She didn''t look like a girl who just broke up with her boyfriend.


    Probably, Hope didn''t think of Oliver as her boyfriend and didn''t feel guilty too because that boy had seen and treated her wrongly.


    "Watching a movie?" Kace raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Or do you have something in your pretty little head?" He tousled her hair and enjoyed the moment when Hope''s expression turned unsightly as she slapped his upper arm.


    "Don''t mess with my hair." She pouted cutely and this only made Kace laughed, he was very happy now. "Hm! Watching movie? Cool!"


    "Check, what movies are playing in the Kingstone city?" Kace gave her his phone as his eyes focused on the road ahead.


    Kingstone city was the closest city to mystic river village and since the small village didn''t have a theater, thus the only way to watch a movie was to go to the Kingstone city.


    The distance between two places was around half an hour by car.


    "What genre will you prefer?" Hope took the phone and started to search what kind of movies were playing now.


    "I am fine with all genres." Kace shrugged his shoulder, actually he wasn''t into a movie, but teenager like Hope, usually, would go on a date by watching one, thus Kace wanted to experience it too with Hope.


    "Thriller." Hope saw one of the posters that picked her interest. "I want to see thriller movie."


    "Are you sure?" Kace glanced at the girl beside him. "Thriller movie for our first date?"


    "Why not?" Hope beamed with her choice of movie. "We need some adrenaline!"


    "What an absurd reason." Kace chuckled. "Thriller movie then."


    after that, Hope spent her time until they reached the Kingstone city by singing on the top of her lungs. Her voice was not really harmonious and she often missed the tone, but Kace enjoyed it nonetheless.


    Kace glanced at Hope for the dozens of times since they got into the car, the girl was wearing blue tee shirt with white skirt, which was ten centimeter bellow her knees.


    She was so cute with her hair was tied up into a messy bun.


    "White and blue, huh?" Kace grinned as he teased her. "Is that represent my color?" his blue eyes and his white beast.


    However, Hope didn''t answer his question, she just pulled out her tongue and made a face. "Don''t be so c.o.c.ky!"


    After that, she sang again, not care about her surroundings, as she felt very happy now.


    ==============


    Inside the theatre, Kace and Hope were like most of the couple there; holding hands, teasing each other and smiling most of the time.


    Kace was sure there was no one who knew them there, people from the village was very rare to go to this city, as they would prefer to go to Iloned city, which was bigger than this and only took ten minutes longer.


    Hope didn''t know why, but she really enjoyed the moment and felt very comfortable with Kace beside her. Probably because she had known this man all her life.


    It felt very natural to be with Kace, holding hand, talking and everything as if they had been a couple for years.


    With ice chocolate in her hands, a small box of popcorn and a handsome guy beside her, Hope walked into the theatre happily.


    This moment was very perfect!


    Until she heard a woman''s voice called Kace''s name.


    There were many kinds of women, but this one, who was approaching them with her slender legs and full b.r.e.a.s.t was the kind that Hope disliked the most.


    "It really is you." The woman curly chestnut- color hair tumbled on her shoulder as she walked, beside her, there was a man as tall as Kace.


    "Abby." Kace acknowledge the woman curtly as he pulled Hope closer toward him, which automatically drew the woman''s attention toward her. "Leon." This time Kace grinned when he greeted the man behind the woman named Abby.


    "What are you doing here?" Leon raised his eyebrows amused with this sudden encounter.


    "Dating my girl." Kace nodded at Hope, put the limelight on her head as he smiled proudly.


    "This is the girl¡­" Leon''s hazel eyes traveled to the girl beside Kace. "Time really flies, she has come at the age that you can date her now."


    Abby tilted her head as she scrutinized the girl in front of her and Hope really didn''t like the way she stared at her, which she reciprocated with a cynical smile.


    "What the two of you doing here?" Kace knew Hope was uncomfortable with this situation. "I thought you were in the southeast."


    "There will be a coven in the north and every witch is invited." Abby replied to Kace''s question. "And he wanted to come with me, since it had been years since the last time he was in the north." She tilted her head toward leon.


    Hope was at lost with this conversation, as she didn''t have any idea what they were talking about right now.


    However, she hated it when every time Abby was answering Kace''s question, though those questions were not directed to her.


    It was clear to see that Kace didn''t want to talk to Abby, but this woman turned blind eyes to every sign that Kace gave to her.


    Such an annoying person¡­


    "Kace," Hope tugged his sleeves, "The movie is about to start."


    "We will go first then," Kace was directed his words toward Leon.


    But then, Abby had Kace''s ticket in her hands. "Oh, this your seat number." She raised the ticket.


    "Give it back to me." Kace talked solemnly, but his eyes flickered with the color of red.


    Leon, who saw this situation, immediately snatched the ticket from Abby''s hand and returned it back to Kace.


    "Our seat next to you, why don''t we go together." And all of sudden, from empty air, Abby conjured two tickets with number of the seat next to Kace and Hope. "Let''s go?"

 Chapter 479 - HUMILIATION

    Even from the very beginning, Hope already disliked this girl. Her rosy lips pouted and her expression turned unsightly when she watched Abby walked ahead of them.


    "Do you want to watch another movie?" Kace caressed her head to draw Hope''s attention back to him.


    Abby, who heard that, turned around and blinked her eyes innocently. "Why?" her voice was incredibly soft, as if Hope''s reaction hurt her tender heart. "You don''t want to go together watch the movie with me?"


    Hope''s frown deepened. Her beautiful obsidian black eyes traveled back and forth from Kace and Abby, but then her lips pulled into a smile as she hugged Kace''s arm possessively.


    "Why not?" she said cheerfully.


    Hope''s sudden change of mood caught Kace by surprised.


    Abby slightly raised her eyebrows while Leon only chuckled as he muttered, "It will be interesting¡­"


    Hope threw a confrontation look toward Abby when she waltzed past her with Kace in her arms. She slightly raised her chin and sneered.


    Of course this gesture didn''t go unnoticed by Kace and he felt his heart swelled with pride the moment he saw Hope was being possessive over him.


    Kace let go her hand and put his hand on her shoulder as he kissed her temple, as if he supported her reaction. Hope reciprocated this gesture by resting her head on Kace''s chest.


    "What the hell they are doing?" Abby gritted her teeth as her eyes zeroed in on the two lovebirds.


    "Not sure. You wouldn''t know if you don''t have someone you love and love you back." Leon grinned as he took the magical ticket from Abby''s hand and gave it to the lady, who was standing right in front of the theatre door.


    "She is only dirty human child." Abby''s words laced with malice.


    "I don''t think Kace think the same as you about the dirty human child." Leon walked toward Abby, flashed her with his beautiful smile.


    "Are you on my side or her side?" Abby followed behind Leon, flicked her hair with irritation on her eyes.


    "I am on my side." Leon said lightly.


    Leon had known Kace for decades and he also knew about Hope. The problem was; his sister, Abby, didn''t know about this and probably wouldn''t know it in the near future that her attempt to make Kace set his eyes on her was a futile effort.


    "Don''t embarrass yourself." Leon warned his sister when Abby pushed him away and walked toward their seat beside Kace.


    However, upon seeing Abby''s blatant intention, Hope pushed Kace to sit on the other seat as she plopped down beside Abby.


    "Sit." Hope blinked her eyes at her, the same innocent eyes that Abby gave to her a moment ago. "You don''t want to sit next to me?"


    "Of course, I would love too." Abby feigned her happy smile as she sat down grumpily beside Hope while Leon was sitting next to her.


    When the movie started and all the adds popped out, Kace leaned over to whisper something to Hope''s ears.


    "I love it when you are being possessive like this." His warm breath brushed her ears and made Hope slightly shuddered.


    "I am not being possessive." Hope whispered back, rejected Kace''s statement immediately.


    But, all Kace said was only. "So cute."


    ===============


    When the movie ended and all of the people was walking out of the movie theatre while talking about the movie, Leon walked toward Kace, the lycan was teasing his mate happily, didn''t even bother to give Abby a second glance.


    "Kace, since we meet here, there is something that I need to tell you now." Leon gave Hope an apologetic smile. "Can you lend me your boyfriend for a while, beautiful?"


    "Don''t talk to my mate like that." Kace''s eyes hardened, he disliked another man called Hope endearingly.


    "Sorry." Leon raised both of his hands. "Can we talk then?"


    "Let''s go Hope, they need to talk about important thing." Abby crossed her arms in front of her ample b.r.e.a.s.t. "I will accompany you since I already know what they are going to talk about. So, you will not be alone. How about we buy an ice cream over there? I want one."


    The way Abby said it, it implied an underlying meaning that she knew more about the things regarding Kace than Hope herself.


    And the ice cream? Who did she think she was talking to? A five years old kid? Damn this girl!


    This annoyed Hope greatly. Probably because of the rush of adrenaline or maybe because of the provocation that the girl gave to her, but Hope clutched onto Kace''s arms tightly.


    "I want to hear it too." She stared at Kace resolutely. "Why can''t I know?"


    This was their first date after, finally, Kace decided to stay beside her and if what Kace said was true, he would never leave her again, so why Hope couldn''t know whatever his businesses or secrets were?


    She thought to herself.


    However, when Hope saw there was no reaction from Kace, she felt her stomach flipped.


    Maybe, she was just being childish now, putting herself in a competition that she didn''t know exactly what the situation was.


    If Kace refused her childish behavior for being a nosy girl in front of Abby, Hope didn''t know if she could handle the humiliation.


    Well, she didn''t think about it. Maybe, she had stepped over his boundaries? They just started this relationship, right?


    Hope''s resolution faltered. She bit her lips as the silence from Kace made her nervous.


    People who were walking out of the theatre had gradually gone and now there were only the four of them in this empty corridor.


    "Of course you could stay." Kace was only teasing her. He would never embarrass his mate that way, especially when their first date was ruined because of meeting these two people.


    The smile that Hope showed to Kace was something that made his beast purred in delight.


    But, Hope didn''t stop there to entertain him, she turned around and faced Abby, with mocking smile she said. "You can buy your own ice cream, right?"

 Chapter 480 - I HAVE GROWN UP!

    Hope was quite irritated when in the end Abby stayed with them to hear whatever Leon was going to tell Kace.


    Actually, Hope didn''t really understand what Leon was saying, but because Kace had told her earlier to not ask any question and he would answer all of her curiosity the moment they were alone, thus Hope kept quiet, though her head was trying to figure out what the topic of this conversation.


    "Just like what you thought, that thing is indeed in that place." Leon said firmly as he sipped his coffee.


    Now, they were inside a coffee shop, enjoying a cup of coffee while Hope, who didn''t like to drink coffee, was eating her croissant with a bottle of mineral water.


    "Do you know what exactly owned it?" Kace asked, playing with Hope''s hair absentmindedly, as if by doing so, it helped him to think.


    At first Hope wondered why Kace and Leon were talking in riddle, but when she raised her head and witnessed the confusion etched on Abby''s expression, she realized that the slender girl didn''t have any idea what they were saying too, despite her declaration before.


    Ha! Eat that girl!


    Abby couldn''t ask or demand an explanation from Kace or Leon because she had said that she knew what they were going to talk about.


    Although Hope was in the same position as Abby, but she could always ask Kace the moment they were going back to the village and for Abby¡­ Hope wasn''t sure if Leon would let her know, he didn''t look very fond of her.


    "The thing that you mentioned before." Leon contemplated. "There is a lot of things that you don''t know in that place. Be careful."


    Kace sighed and caressed Hope''s cheeks, "I will."


    ==============


    "I don''t understand what you were saying." Hope said the moment she got into the car. After the long conversation, they were finally going back home.


    Kace chuckled as he turned on the engine and drove away from the parking lot. "I know you don''t."


    "So?" Hope raised her eyebrows, waiting eagerly for Kace''s explanation. "What is that with ''that thing'', ''that place'', ''that creature''?"


    "Will you stop asking if I said I don''t want to explain it to you?" Kace paid parking fees and turned toward the main road.


    "No." Hope answered immediately and this earned a soft knock on her head from the lycan.


    "Always eager to know more."


    "You don''t like it?"


    "I love that."


    Both of them chuckled.


    "So?" Hope still didn''t let Kace changed the subject.


    "I don''t know where I have to start the explanation." Kace said in matter of fact. "This things are related to one another."


    Hope bit her lips, unsure if she had to say it or not, but then she thought there was no harm to try. "Why don''t you tell me from the very beginning?"


    Kace tilted his head as he stared at Hope. "The very beginning?"


    "From how all of you guys could adopt me." Hope said it firmly. "You said it before, years ago that you will tell me everything when I am older. Now, I think is the right time."


    The conversation in the coffee shop with Leon was only one from dozens things that Hope wanted to know and needed Kace''s explanation.


    Hope didn''t forget about that. Maybe, in the surface she looked like any normal careless teenager and was ignorance about her surroundings and the things that she was able to see when another people couldn''t see them.


    She wasn''t that ignorance, because she knew there was a secret behind all of this.


    Why she lived with Lycan, werewolf and witch?


    Why she didn''t know her real parents and what happened to them?


    Why she was able to see those creatures while the other could see nothing?


    There were so many mysteries that needed answers and Hope had been waiting the right moment to have this conversation with Kace.


    Unexpectedly, Kace pulled over to the dark side of the road before he turned his attention toward Hope. "Do you really want to know about everything?"


    Hope held his gaze calmly as she nodded. "Yes. You promised me to explain everything to me when I am older."


    Kace narrowed his eyes, "This will be a though topic to talk about."


    "I am aware." Hope nodded. Of course she knew, there was a high chance that the explanation would take a bad turn and she discovered something that would hurt her.


    But, Serefina always said; knowing the truth is always better.


    Since Hope was growing up under the witch''s influences, though there was a time when she didn''t agree with her, but she always held some degree of respect toward the witch.


    Hope had asked Serefina about the questions that roamed around her head, but the witch would always have this weird expression.


    Living with Serefina for her whole life, Hope could say that Serefina didn''t really like to hold back information that was not necessary to conceal.


    And the fact that Serefina couldn''t tell Hope, was not because she didn''t want to, but there was someone who told her to not do that.


    Hope had thought about this and the only answer was because of Kace. Because she was his mate and she was his responsibility.


    It sounded weird, but that was the only explanation of Serefina''s reaction every time Hope threw the questions.


    In spite of the fact that Serefina and Kace would often fight every time they saw each other, but they respected the other person''s decision too.


    Hence, since Kace wanted Serefina to not reveal this piece of information yet, the witch wouldn''t say anything.


    "You have changed¡­ you become slightly bold now." Kace expression softened when he witnessed this side of his mate.


    "No," Hope shook her head, her eyes glowed with purity, but there was a resolution in them. "I didn''t change. You are not around very often when I was child, then you had been missing for three years, and when you were not with me, I have grown up."

 Chapter 481 - SELF- CHANGE

    Kace widened his eyes and his lips pulled into an astonished smile.


    "Wasn''t that a great speech?" Hop grinned.


    "Indeed." Kace agreed readily.


    "But, I am still waiting here for you to speak." Despite Hope acted as if she was only joking around, when actually she was serious about her questions. "What happened to my parents?"


    Kace sighed deeply. "I think this will be a very long conversation." He started the engine and drove back to the road.


    "Don''t worry, we have the whole night and tomorrow and the day after that." Hope grinned and adjusted her sitting position, so she could face him properly. "I am all ears."


    "About your parents¡­" the time showed it was ten o''clock when they were driving through the night with a long story that must be told.


    The street light and a few passing cars were the only thing that prominent that night aside from whatever news that Kace would tell Hope.


    "Both of your parents have died." Kace broke the information in a very simple way possible, after that he glanced at Hope beside him, afraid if she was going to cry.


    However, the girl just stared at him while asking. "What caused it?"


    "Your father had a car accident when you were still in your mother''s w.o.m.b and your mother died when she delivered you." Kace kept staring at Hope and the road back and forth, trying to engage her reaction.


    But, all he got was only a regretful sigh. "That''s one of the reasons I have thought about." She nodded to herself. "And then? How did Serefina find me?"


    "That''s it?" Kace raised his eyebrows. "You are not going to cry your eyes out after finding the truth that your parents have died?"


    "Don''t be so dramatic." Hope slapped his arms. "I don''t even know them. Yes, it was a pity knowing I will never have a chance to see them, but to say I will cry my heart out is very exaggerated, how can I shed tears for someone that I don''t even know???


    Though what Hope said sounded cold, but it was very logic for her. She had never met them and didn''t have an emotional attachment to them, moreover this reason was within her expectation.


    Yes, there was a regret, but not strong enough to turn her into a crying mess.


    Apparently, Serefina took an important role in developing Hope''s character to be a logical person and bold enough to defend herself, just like how she handled Oliver and Abby by herself.


    Kace didn''t complain, if anything, he liked it when Hope has a strong character. He was hesitant to tell her about this because he didn''t want to see her sad, but it seemed it wouldn''t be the case now.


    "Very logic." Kace nodded in agreement. "And then, how did Serefina find me?"


    "About that, you have to ask Serefina yourself. She didn''t tell me anything even when I asked." Kace shrugged. "She only said it was her obligation to find you."


    Hope frowned as she tilted her head. "That''s weird, if I don''t know Serefina, I will assume she had something to do with the death of my parents."


    Kace chuckled. "That is farfetched."


    "Right?" Hope rolled her eyes, living with Serefina over years, she had ruled out that possibility. "But, why she didn''t want to tell you anything about that?"


    "That''s something I want to know too." Kace remembered Serefina changed right after the war with the devil ended and the witch decided to leave the realm along with Jedrek, the love of her life, if Kace could say.


    "How about my other family? No one was looking for a missing baby?" Hope wanted to know about this if she had other relatives, yet it didn''t mean she was going to see them soon, she only wanted to know, that''s all.


    "I think Serefina did something to your other relatives'' memories about you." Kace glanced at Hope when they reached the mystic river village''s border. "You know, like what she had done to your friends back then when you were in the red river city."


    Hope nodded her head slowly.


    "But, if you want to meet them, we can find free time to go, they are in different region." Kace gave her an offer. "Serefina told me about them when she gave you to me."


    Hope stared at the familiar road ahead of her as she thought about the offer. "I don''t think that is necessary." She decided. "They don''t even remember about my existence and I don''t know them at all. It is pointless."


    "Hm, I see your point." Kace, once again, glanced at his mate. He always saw Hope as a cheerful little gir with adorable smile.


    However, what he watched now was a young woman with a deep thought and rational. Kace would never expect that one day he would have this kind of conversation with her and witnessed how calm her reaction could be.


    Indeed, Hope was right, when he had gone for three years, she have grown up and the moment of his visit once a year, was not enough for him to get to know her character deeper.


    "Are you going to answer all my questions?" Hope asked carefully. The question about her parents was one of many things that she wanted to ask.


    Kace pulled over his car in front of the house and shifted in his seat to face his eager little mate. "If I answer all your questions, will you forgive me for the past three years for not calling you?"


    Hope crossed her arms and stared at him.


    In Kace''s eyes, she looked adorable and made him couldn''t help himself to not pinch her cheeks.


    "What is that for?" Hope groaned as she swatted his hand away.


    "For being so cute." Kace chuckled seeing Hope was being upset.


    "I will think about that, because that will be my another questions. It will depend on what your reason for leaving me without news at all."

 Chapter 482 - THE GUARDIAN ANGEL

    "I will try." Kace grinned, got out of the car and opened the gate before he walked back and then drove inside the garage. "I just want to make sure, how many questions that you have?"


    "Hm, three or four or more¡­" Hope answered him, unsure.


    "It seems it will be a long night." After he parked the car, Kace turned off the engine. "Are you sure, your pretty little head could take it all?"


    Hope shrugged. "I will try my best to absorb every information like a dry towel."


    Kace laughed upon hearing her weird analogy. He got out of the car and closed the gate with Hope followed behind him to enter the house.


    "So, tell me what are your questions?" Kace took off his black leather jacket and dr.a.p.ed it on the back of the sofa as he plopped down there, looked exhausted. "Come, sit here." He patted the spot beside him.


    "First of all, I want to know why Serefina took me? I mean there will be hundreds babies out there with similar background story like me. But, why me?" Hope sat down beside Kace and stared at him eagerly.


    This was the moment that Hope had been waiting for years, while Kace wanted to talk about it, then Hope would ask everything that she had been dying for to know.


    Kace has this trouble look on his face as if he did not really want to talk about this, but did not totally want to hide it from Hope too.


    "You promised me years ago that you will tell me everything." Hope prodded. "Don''t go back with your own words."


    If Kace refused to tell her, Hope had a few plans in her minds to make him talk and all of that was including she didn''t want to talk to him ever.


    "I don''t." Kace stretched out his hand and tucked Hope''s strand hair behind her ear. "I am just confused how to start it."


    Hope didn''t talk again as she wait for him to start his explanation. But, when Kace still kept shutting his mouth and playing with her hair absentmindedly, the girl frowned. "I have been waiting for ten minutes now."


    "I have been waiting for you for seventeen years, you know." Kace smiled tenderly at her.


    "You can''t compare it that way." Hope protested. "I am just¡­" yet, her sentences was cut when Kace started to talk.


    "There was a prophecy and a war, centuries ago." Kace shifted his attention from her hair to her eyes. "Between the Lycanthropes and the devil."


    Hope pulled her legs against her chest and hugged herself, finding a comfortable position to listen to Kace''s explanation.


    "Oh, I forgot to mention the curse." Kace mentioned it lightly, as if it meant nothing to him, when the truth was the other way around.


    "A curse about you, who can''t have a mate?" Hope tried to guess and based on the expression that Kace gave to her, apparently her guess was on point. "Ethan told me about this. They said this curse about the Donovan brothers is quite popular among your kind."


    This was also one of the reasons, which confused Hope and the thing that Hope had been discussed the most with the siblings.


    "It''s a shame to have that curse and the reason behind it." Kace said solemnly.


    The moon Goddess wouldn''t curse them if there was nothing outrageous that they had done and it was something that Kace didn''t want to talk about or he wanted Hope to know about this.


    "If that''s the case, what am I to you then? You said I am your mate?" Hope would be very disappointed if Kace said she wasn''t his mate. Very sad and down even.


    Knowing about the curse and the fact Kace didn''t call her for years, was a great combination for Hope to feel insecure every time she thought about him and the possibility that Kace was mistaken her as his mate.


    "Of course you are my mate. There is no doubt about that." Kace was very serious this time. "The moon goddess lifted the curse when the lycanthropes won the war against the devil."


    Hope beamed with delight when she heard this. "So, I like a gift for you?"


    Kace tapped his fingers on the seat as he contemplated. It sounded weird. "I would like to say you are a bless."


    Hope giggled when she heard that and adjusted her sitting position. She figured out that using Kace''s lap as a pillow was a good idea, thus she rested her head on his lap with his hand played with her hair.


    "Can I be arrogant for a moment?" Hope was laughing, her voice was akin to a beautiful melody in Kace''s ears. "You had done a bad thing and moon goddess got angry and cursed you, but because you won the war against the evil creatures, moon goddess was happy and gave me to you, right?"


    There was nothing wrong with what Hope said, but the way she phrased it, it sounded very simple and almost like a fairy- tale story.


    The Donovan not only had done any regular ''bad thing'' and the war wasn''t an easy moment, moreover, Kace had to wait for Hope for hundreds of years, to finally able to touch his mate, experienced this spark and heart beating moment whenever he was with her.


    "Right." but, Kace agreed nonetheless. "But if you are going to be so arrogant, probably I don''t need to say the best part of it."


    "Say it, say it!" Hope squealed and tugged kace''s sleeves, eager to hear more.


    "You are not an ordinary human, you are a guardian angel." Kace gave in and told her. "Guardian angels became extinct during the war, but the moon goddess said, they would be resurrected into human child and be the Donovan''s mates. You are one of the three guardian angels."


    However, there was something Hope really wanted to know once she heard that. "Why are they extinct?"

 Chapter 483 - THE PROPHECY

    It sounded very amazing to hear that and almost unbelievable to say the least after Hope heard Kace''s explanation about his mate that turned out to be a guardian angel, which was herself.


    Hope knew she was different from others people and since she had been living with supernatural creatures for her entire life, could see them when other people couldn''t, Hope was not too surprised to learn that she was one of them.


    A guardian angel¡­? Hm¡­ sounded cool!


    But there was something that piqued her interest the most from Kace information.


    "Why are they extinct?" Hope asked with furrowed on her eyebrows. "Are there other creatures that are also extinct?" Hope kept asking.


    Kace stared down at Hope, who was laying on his laps. "No," He said curtly.


    "Is there another reason why only guardian angels are extinct?" Hope could feel Kace''s peculiar mood the moment she asked about this.


    "Because they were not built for war." Kace replied and added. "Guardian angels are spiritually strong, but their physic makes them the weakest creature."


    "Really?" Hope widened her eyes. "I think I don''t really like the part that the guardian angel is the weakest creature." She frowned. Hope was not accustomed to think that she was weak.


    "That''s why you have me as your mate, to balance the world." Kace laughed out loud when he watched Hope''s face turned unsightly.


    "I am not grateful." Hope spoke irritably and this only made Kace''s laugh louder.


    "For me that is a false paradigm. Because when guardian angel''s physic is weak, but like I said, they are the strongest spirit ever." Kace pinched her small nose lightly. He liked to touch her and seemed has a hard time to put his hands off of her. "The problem is, the world we live in now, doesn''t appreciate that part, when all the creatures want is a power and authority that requires us to have physical strength."


    What Kace said makes sense. He didn''t want peace for the world, as it was a farfetched wishing and Kace was not na?ve to expect that.


    But, in the world where dog bit dog, who would care enough to have a spiritual strength?


    On the other hand, more or less, Hope could grasp the surface of this information and knew where the guardian angel was standing in this realm.


    Hence, Hope moved to another question. "If they were extinct, then why guardian angels are being resurrected now?" Hope added. "I assume there are two more like me out there since you said the guardian angels are also bestowed to your brothers."


    "Yes, it supposed to be there are two more like you for my annoying brother." Kace grinned. It couldn''t be said Kace was in good term with his brothers. Their relationship was very tense lately.


    "Did they found theirs?" Hope was curious, she wanted to see what the other guardian angel looked like.


    "I don''t know. We are kind of, lost contact with each other." Kace tried to phrase it as simple as possible.


    "Then why the guardian angel is being resurrected now?" Hope asked curiously. "Is there a purpose for that?"


    Hope''s sensibility to see through the situation surprised Kace again. She had been asking about the most important part of the whole secrets that was hidden from her until now.


    "There is¡­" Kace nodded. At this point, he was unsure whether it was the right choice to tell her or not. But Hope''s eyes told him to continue. "In the first war, together with the guardian angel, Lycanthropes and a few other creatures we managed to suppress the devil''s power. Not destroy them, only weaken them."


    "Wait." Something clicked in Hope''s mind as she started to grasp this pattern. "You want to say with the resurrection of the guardian angel, there will be another war with the devil?"


    "You are very smart!" Kace pinched her cheeks. "Just like I expected from my mate."


    Hope pulled out her tongue and sneered. "What kind of war? Is it like Game of Thrones kind of war?" Hope shifted her position and now she laid flat on her stomach.


    "Why I have an impression that you are excited about this?" Kace leaned over to observe Hope''s expression closer.


    "I don''t¡­" Hope shook her head vigorously. "I just think it is cool that my life has a purpose and I have an important mission to save the world!" Hope exclaimed, her eyes beamed with enthusiasm.


    The corner of Kace''s lips twitched when he heard that. "You are watching movie too much!" he knock her head. "Instead of thriller, we should have watched romance in our first date."


    Hope pouted. "No way. I want my life to be filled with action and challenge instead of tears and erratic emotions." Hope sat down and stared at Kace straight into his blue ocean eyes. "Kicking some evil creature is more fun than crying because of the misunderstandings that often occur in love, right?"


    "I know this." Kace sighed helplessly. ??I shouldn''t leave you with Serefina. This is a mistake from the beginning." He shook his head regretfully.


    "So, what we should do now? Is there some weapon that we need to find? Or will we go into a journey to find a powerful sage to help us win this war? Is this what Serefina, Lana and you have been doing all this time? Recruiting more creatures to help win the war?"


    Kace narrowed his eyes, he was caught by surprise with Hope''s reaction upon this matter. "I don''t know if your reaction will be like this."


    Hope laughed when she watched Kace''s disbelieve expression. "What do you expect?"


    But, the thing that Hope forgot to ask for detail was; how the guardian angel helped during the war that caused them to become extinct from this realm. Hope was not aware about this, at least, not now when she was too excited with the possibilities in her head.


    "Now, tell me why you didn''t call me when you could call Lana?"

 Chapter 484 - WINGS

    "Now, tell me why you didn''t call me when you could call Lana?" Hope asked in stern voice. The fact that Kace was calling Lana and didn''t want to talk to her, had been bothering Hope to say the least.


    "Because I fought someone who can read my mind and I don''t want that creature to have an access more to know about you further." Kace caressed her cheeks, "Since you are always inside my mind, calling you would only make me think about you a lot. You are quite a distraction, you know?"


    Kace then leaned over to kiss her temple while whispered against her skin. "A beautiful distraction."


    Hope felt giddy and wanted to squeal when she heard Kace''s words, but she didn''t do that and embarrassed herself to act like a silly teenager, well, although she was indeed a silly teenager for a certain point.


    "It''s already late, why don''t you go to sleep?" Kace whispered again, sounded sweet and gentle.


    However, Hope snapped from her bubble of daydream as she caught the underlying meaning from Kace''s action.


    "Are you trying to distract me?" Hope narrowed her eyes as she slapped Kace''s hand away from her. "Do you want to avoid the next question, don''t you?"


    Kace laughed out loud again when Hope pushed him from her. "How can you see it right away?"


    "Seriously Kace." Hope crossed her arms, annoyed by him. "Did you kill the creature?" Hope didn''t give Kace the opportunity to change the topic.


    "No, I hurt him, but I didn''t kill him." Kace admitted. He just¡­ couldn''t bring himself to kill that creature. Something held him back from giving in to his animalistic side. The same thing also happened when he fought Maximus and caused him this great wound on his back.


    Not only that, Kace could start to feel his beast side was gradually becoming weak because of the constant oppression that Kace gave to himself.


    "You don''t?" Hope tilted her head when she heard that, "Was that a good idea to leave your enemy alive out there?"


    Kace gave a small kiss on her forehead before he stood up. "You sound more and more like Serefina." After saying that, Kace walked toward the kitchen. "I am hungry, I will make noodles, do you want one?" he shouted from the kitchen.


    Hope jumped down from the sofa and trotted toward the kitchen too. "No, but I still have many questions for you."


    "Relax, I will answer all of that, but I still need to eat. I can''t concentrate if I am hungry." Kace winked at Hope, who was sitting on the bar stool now.


    "So, this creature had prevented you from calling me because you thought by being in contact with me, you wouldn''t be able to stop thinking about me?" Hope surmised. "It doesn''t sound convincing. How can you prevent yourself from thinking about something?"


    Kace boiled water and started to make his own noodles. "I did thinking about you, but as I cut all the contact with you and focused on the matter at hand, that thought was less prominent in my mind."


    Hope propped her head with her hands on the kitchen islands as she contemplated, thinking about Kace''s explanation.


    "Was that help? Doesn''t that mean that thought is still in your head?" Hope watched Kace moved swiftly from side to side as he cooked his supper.


    "Well, he was not that powerful to dig deeper into my mind." Kace shrugged. "Thankfully."


    "Okay." For the meantime, Hope would satisfy with this explanation. "How about the two people that we met in the theatre, you seemed to know that annoying woman pretty well." Hope''s voice laced with accusation.


    "Both of them are witches from northern coven and apparently, there is another gathering there that required them to come to this village." Kace tried his noodles and nodded in satisfaction at the tastes in his mouth before he brought the noodles to the kitchen islands and sat across from Hope.


    "Then what were you talking about earlier? About ''this thing??? and ''that thing''." Hope took another fork and ate the noodles, despite she said she didn''t want to eat it.


    "Your blood." Kace pushed the bowl and placed it in the middle so they could eat it together. "When you were sick, I took you to the hospital and they got your blood."


    "Was that when I was eight years old?" Hope remembered the last time she was sick and was being admitted to the hospital. It was snow hard at that time.


    "Yes." Kace nodded as he separated the egg yolk from the white one, because she didn''t like it.


    "There is a problem with my blood?" Hope ate the white one while Kace ate the egg yolk.


    Afterward, Kace ended up explaining everything to Hope about the guardian angel and how her blood could be used for something evil, not only that, Hope also learned that her spirit power could be sapped.


    If that happened, she would end up like an empty shell without soul.


    Hope frowned when she heard Kace''s explanation as she ate all the noodles and Kace could only sigh helplessly. Didn''t she say, she didn''t want to eat?


    "That was my mistake to not careful enough. I didn''t think clearly when we were in the hospital." Kace admitted. "A few things had happened in the supernatural realm and Serefina guessed; there is something to do with the blood that they took from you."


    "Bad thing?" Hope put down the bowl and looked at Kace worriedly.


    "Bad thing." Kace took the bowl and put it down in the sink.


    "So, it means you, Serefina and Lana have been trying to track down the blood?" Hope asked curiously.


    "That is only one of the missions." Kace poured a glass of water and gave it to Hope as he sat down again.


    "I just realized now the reason why the devil woman back then was hurt because of my blood." Hope drawled. "As an angel, shouldn''t I have wings, no?"

 Chapter 485 - IT WILL BE EASIER FOR US

    "Wings?" Kace widened his eyes and then chuckled. "Do you really think every angel have wings?"


    "They don''t?" Hope''s face fell in disappointment.


    "I don''t know. The only angel I ever met was guardian angel and they obviously didn''t have wings." Kace tell the truth.


    "What other strength do I have besides my blood that can harm the devil?" Hope gulped down her drink and looked at Kace eagerly. "Can''t I become invisible or move things without touching them?"


    "You watched too much movie girl." Kace tousled her head and Hope rested her chin on the table as she yawned.


    "There are a lot of things that I want to ask you¡­" but, after eating and felt satiated, Hope became sleepy.


    "You can ask me tomorrow." Kace stared at his sleepy mate, she looked adorable no matter what she did. "I will be around, you don''t need to be so rush."


    "I am afraid you will go all of sudden and disappear and I have to wait for another years until you come back without any news again." Hope pouted, but she enjoyed Kace''s touch on her head. She was like a little kitty now, asking to be rubbed.


    "I had told you, once I come back I will not go again." Kace propped his head while playing with her hair.


    "You better keep your word, because if you go again, then the moment you return I will not only have a boyfriend but I will be the wife of another man." Hope threatened him and this earned a low growl from Kace.


    "I will shred that man into pieces." Kace said in low voice, but his tone laced with malice and this made Hope opened her eyes widely.


    "That is why you have to keep your promise." Hope glared at him. "I am still upset, you know."


    "I intend to keep my promise this time, but don''t say something like that again." Kace couldn''t content himself when he had to imagine another man touched his mate. "Now, go to sleep will you? It is late already."


    Hope sat straight and raised her arms to stretch her body, feeling her tense muscle relaxed. "Alright."


    However, before Hope could stand up and went to bed, Lana walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of water for herself.


    "You return early." Kace greeted Lana while the later didn''t seem like she noticed Kace and Hope there as she drank her water unhurriedly before she replied.


    "There is something that Serefina needs to know." Lana answered without looking at Kace. "But, I think she is not here."


    "I thought she went to catch up with you." Kace slightly furrowed her brows.


    On the other hand, Hope didn''t seem like she wanted to sleep. Her sleepiness had evaporated into thin air, there was no way she wanted to leave Kace alone with Lana.


    Called her childish, but the thought of them being alone didn''t settle well with her, added that to the fact these past three years, Kace would always call Lana.


    Despite the explanation that Kace gave to her, it wouldn''t change the fact that those three years they had grown closer to each other, right?


    "No, she didn''t come. You know, she hates being there." Lana took off her jacket and put it on the bar stool beside Hope.


    "She is never change." Kace murmured and then turned to look at Hope. "Why don''t you go to your room, you said you are sleepy?"


    "No, I am fine now." Hope jumped from the bar stool and hugged Lana, "I miss you!"


    Lana hugged her back, "I only left for two weeks."


    "Lana, did you know that I am a guardian angel?" Hope kept hugging her when she asked. Hope was ten centimeter shorter than Lana, thus she needed to look up if she wanted to see her eyes. "Kace just told me about that."


    Lana didn''t immediately answer Hope''s statement, she threw Kace a questioning look. "You told her?"


    "I did." Kace admitted. "Serefina had been nagging me to tell her about all of this."


    "Hm," Lana only nodded as a response before she put her attention toward Hope. "I knew."


    "How long have you known about this?" Hope didn''t surprise at all, but the fact that Lana and Kace shared the same understanding made her slightly felt uneasy.


    "Since the beginning." Lana shrugged her shoulder and casually let go of Hope''s arms from her body.


    "You have been keeping this secret from me." Hope feigned to be upset as she tried to strike a conversation so she could stay there and not to let the two of them alone.


    "I am not keeping this secret from you, but I can''t tell you even if I want." Lana boiled water to make a bowl of noodles, she was very hungry after the long journey.


    "What is that mean?" Hope didn''t understand. "You want to tell me, but you can''t."


    "Yes, since I have been tied down with a vow with Kace, I can''t do anything without his consent." Lana said it casually and with her back was facing Hope, she couldn''t see how the girl''s face slightly changed.


    "Vow? What is that? What kind of vow?" Hope crossed her arms in front of her chest, her black obsidian eyes darted from Lana and Kace back and forth. She didn''t like this information.


    Why it sounded very intimate?


    "When we found you, it was only a few days away before we met Lana, thus we didn''t really trust her." Kace didn''t notice Hope''s mood changed as he busied checking his phone.


    "Yeah, and the witch forced me to take a vow so I will not betray anyone of this family." There was sarcasm in the way Lana said the word ''family''. "Since you already know your true self, I think in the future it will be easier for us to tell you if something happens because all the tasks I have done is related to you." Lana said lightly.

 Chapter 486 - THE OTHER GUARDIAN ANGEL

    "Is that about the blood?" Hope asked, the frown on her face did not disappear.


    "Yes, and more information about guardian angel because your kind had disappeared decades ago, there is not much information about it." Lana finally gave Hope a decent answer about this topic, because before, Lana would only brush away her question and repeated her monotonous answer; ''You can ask about this to Kace or Serefina''.


    "Why are you looking for Serefina?" Kace raised his head from his phone and turned to look at Lana. It was rare to see Lana neglected the task, which was given to her if it wasn''t for something more important.


    Lana brought a bowl of noodles to the kitchen islands and sat down beside Kace, because the bar stool next to him was closer to her position.


    Hope bit her lips upon seeing how close Lana and Kace became, but her dissatisfaction evaporated the moment she heard Lana''s answer.


    "Apparently your brother had found his mate." Lana blew her noodles before she ate it.


    "What? Which brother?" Kace was surprised by this information, he put down his phone and faced Lana, giving his full attention toward her.


    "Torak." Lana answered after she swallowed her food.


    Kace''s eyes slightly turned dark, "Did he kill his mate?" he wouldn''t be surprised if he did.


    "No," Lana looked to the far distance as she contemplated for the answer. "I think he is fond of his newly found mate."


    "Really?" this news surprised him now. "He didn''t despise her?"


    "Wait, did your brother found his mate? It means there is another guardian angel like me?" Hope eyes flickered with excitement. "But, why did he want to kill his mate?"


    "Because it is our nature to look down on creatures that weaker than us and guardian angel is the weakest creature in the food chain." Lana answered casually.


    What Lana said was a common knowledge in their world and since Kace had told Hope about her true self, thus she assumed the girl also knew about this fact.


    Yet, she was wrong¡­


    "What¡­?" Hope darted her eyes to Kace as realization hit her. "You want to kill your mate because you are ashamed of them?"


    "My brother, not me." Kace corrected.


    "You don''t tell her that your other brother wants to kill her?" Lana pointed her fork toward Hope as she stared at Kace innocently, "I thought you have told her everything."


    "Your brother wants to kill me?!" Hope could feel her heart was beating very fast now. "But, why? Didn''t you tell me that a mate is the most important part of shape shifter''s life? Why he wants to kill his own brothers'' mates?"


    "Not only his own brothers'', but also his as well." Lana added. "But, Kace had not yet told you about this?"


    "No, I don''t know." Hope shook her head and threw an accusation look to Kace.


    "Thank you Lana, now she knows." Kace frowned there was a hint of sarcasm in the way he talked to the woman beside him.


    "Never mind, I am glad I can help you." Lana spoke nonchalantly as she drank her water and continued to eat.


    "Is that one of the reason why you always on run? And rarely comes to see me over these years?" Hope narrowed her eyes at Kace. "Why don''t you tell me? And why your brother wants to kill his brothers'' mates?"


    "For your first question the answer is ''yes''. I am not unwilling to tell you about this, it''s just our previous conversation has not yet reached this point." Kace stared at Hope, who was looking at him cautiously. "Don''t look at me like that Hope, you know I will never hurt you."


    "But, why your brother wants me dead?" Hope frowned. Deep down, she was aware Kace would never hurt her, but the fact that his brother had this intention still shook her.


    "That is¡­" Kace made an uncomfortable expression, as if he was being forced to tell a story that he didn''t want to say. "¡­ the reason behind it, is slightly complicated."


    "His first brother, Jedrek Donovan, has a relationship with Serefina and since Serefina knew the moon goddess would bestow a mate upon him, she left him." Lana explained it to Hope plainly. "I think that is the reason why Jedrek wants to kill his mate and his brothers''."


    "Thank you for your explanation." The corner of Kace''s lips twitched when Lana explained the problematic story in an easy way.


    "You are welcome." Lana finished her noodles and stretched out her body, feeling full and exhausted.


    "I don''t know that Serefina has this interesting love story!" Hope''s face beamed, as if someone had enlightened her.


    "Now you know." Lana noted.


    "But, don''t talk about this matter to the witch, she will be very upset," Kace warned Hope when he saw mischievous smile on his mate''s face. "Never ever mention this."


    Hope pouted when Kace talked to her sternly. "I know."


    "So, Torak didn''t kill his mate?" Kace mumbled. "It means the mate bond is stronger than his hatred¡­"


    "But, the thing that I wonder is; why he could find his mate, when we have been looking for her for almost seventeen years and never found any clue about it?" Lana frowned when she remembered how many troubles she had been through to find the other guardian angel and as if someone was blocking their effort, they found nothing. "Is it because they are mate?"


    "Probably." Kace nodded. He knew that Serefina and Lana had been looking for the other guardian angel. He would help them occasionally, but thanked to Jedrek, he always kept him occupied for running away from Maximus when Kace was not chasing after the Gluttony.


    "So, your second brother didn''t kill his mate, it means he loves her? Can I meet with the other guardian angel? Is she able to see what I see?" Hope was very excited to know this.


    "I think we have to ask Serefina about that. Torak has sent a hunter named James to look for her," Lana said.

 Chapter 487 - GOOD NIGHT KISS

    "Where is Serefina now?" Hope was very excited. "Kace, can''t we come to your brother place?"


    "What do you expect?" Kace stretched out his body and felt the pain on his back as he frowned slightly, but no one noticed this small gesture of discomfort. "Knocking his door and said; ''can I see your mate?'' like that?"


    "Why? Can''t we do that?" Hope blinked her eyes innocently, she didn''t understand why they couldn''t do that? "He is your brother."


    "Yes, that fact doesn''t change anything." Kace disagreed immediately. "My other brother has been looking for me to find you and harm you. You will not go near any of my brother until I know their clear intention, especially Jedrek." Because Kace still considered Torak''s decision to keep his mate. Does he mean it?


    There was a time when Kace was very close with Jedrek and Torak. The three of them were actually very close, it''s just that it happened at such a long time ago, until it felt like a very distant dream¡­


    "Why is Torak looking for Serefina?" Kace felt bad for disappointing Hope, but it was for her safety. Though Torak accepted his mate and had never messed with him, but being in constant hunted, had developed this bad habit for Kace.


    Although on the surface he looked like an easy- going person and careless, but when it came to Hope, Kace wasn''t a tolerance person.


    "I think because he wants to know more about his mate, after all, before all of this, no one is willing to put more effort to know about the existence of the guardian angel." Lana gave her opini as put the empty bowl on the sink and poured a glass of water for her. "If there is nothing you want to discuss, I will go back to my room."


    After Lana was sure no one wanted to talk, she walked out of the kitchen, straight to her bedroom.


    "Then, why don''t you sleep now?" Kace turned his attention on Hope. "Don''t you say you were sleepy?"


    "I will go to sleep." Hope jumped down from the bar stool. Since Lana had gone to her bedroom, she felt at ease.


    Kace also went out of the kitchen with Hope, to walk her to her bedroom. He stopped in front of her door and leaned over to kiss her temple while Hope yawning widely.


    It almost three o''clock in the morning and Hope rarely still awoke at this hours.


    This time, Kace didn''t step into her bedroom and tucked her into bed, because in this age, he thought it was not proper for him to do so¡­ unless, Hope allowed him.


    Yet, seeing how Hope stood in front of him and didn''t give a space for him to go past the door, that gesture alone had already told him his boundary.


    "But, kace¡­" Hope leaned against her door frame as she stared at the man in front of her with sleepy face.


    "Hm?" Kace hummed.


    "This still bother me to know your brother wants to kill me¡­ is your kind despise someone like me a lot? I know, compare to you, I am the weak one, but I don''t think I am that weak¡­" Hope''s words jumbled up as she tried to convey her point. "You know¡­ I am not weak."


    "I know you are not weak." Kace could see Hope was agitated because of that statement. "Don''t think about it too much. Jedrek is a jerk."


    "Even though you said that, it doesn''t really helpful for me to feel better." Hope pouted, being very sleepy turned her became grumpier.


    "Sleep tight. Good night, babe." Kace chuckled and immediately bid her good night.


    "Good night." Hope tip toed and kissed his cheek before she closed the door immediately.


    Behind the close door, Hope felt she had been awoken by her own sudden action. She rushed toward her bed and threw herself on the soft mattress as she covered her face with her pillow.


    Oh, please! That wasn''t the first time she kissed him! She had done that countless time when she was only a child!


    Yet, why the feeling right now was very different? Hope could feel her chest was about to burst because of her nervousness.


    Ugh!


    Why it was very different? Maybe this feeling was intensified because she didn''t meet for three years. Hence, Kace''s image as a good big brother gradually faded away and now, Hope saw him as a man.


    Hope thought that was the most logical theory that she could come up with.


    But, whatever it was, she aside from her nervousness because of her bold action, she felt giddy and happy.


    Meanwhile, outside the door, Kace stared at the closed door as he smiled to himself. The way Hope was blushing right after she kissed him, didn''t go unnoticed by him and this softened his feature and melted his heart.


    "Kace, can we talk for awhile?" Lana looked at Kace impassively as she stood a few meter away from him in the corridor.


    "Hha?" Kace was so occupied with his own thought until he didn''t realize that Lana had been standing there and watched everything that happened there.


    "We need to talk about the wound on your back." Lana nodded her head as a sign for Kace to follow her. Kace complied and walked behind her without any questions.


    Lana led the way to the terrace beside of the house, near Serefina''s bedroom and stopped there. "Sit first, let me see the wound."


    Kace sat down and took off his shirt to reveal his back, though the four line of wounds were still there, but it didn''t prevent Lana from wandering her eyes to relish the view before her eyes.


    "Does your wound still hurt?" Lana sat down behind Kace as she traced her fingers along the wounds, just like what Serefina had done, the tip of Lana''s finger flickered with light.


    "Sometime." Kace admitted. "You have improved your ability. It is odd to know a she werewolf could do this magic too."

 Chapter 488 - I AM WORRIED ABOUT YOU

    "Half she- werewolf," Lana corrected him while trying to heal Kace''s wounds, although the effect was not really pronounced, at the very least, his wounds wouldn''t get worse. "I have fae''s blood in my vein."


    "Right¡­" Kace mumbled as he felt the warm on his skin from the tip of Lana''s fingers, which touched his skin. "Any news about your mother?"


    Aside from all the tasks that Serefina had given to her regarding the guardian angel and to track down Gluttony along with Kace, Lana also has been searching for her mother when they arrived in this village for the second time.


    "No." there was a small frown between his eyebrows when she replied. "I think that is not something important for me now and I don''t understand why Serefina is very adamant for me to find the fae. It is not like I can enter the northern coven as I wish¡­"


    It was hard to go to that realm when you are not a creature with magical ability such as witch or fae while Serefina, as the last pure blood witch, didn''t really like to mingle with the other witches.


    The realm in northern coven was a mysterious place, even Kace had never stepped a foot there.


    "Don''t you want to see your mother?" Kace tilted his head to look at Lana, but she placed her hands on both sides of his face from behind firmly.


    "Don''t move," Lana warned him and then continued what she was doing.


    "Alright." Kace remembered the first time he met Lana, she was only a little girl with a sharp tongue, who seemed very bold and was in a deep trouble for being a rogue in her early age.


    She was looking for her mother at that time.


    "I was looking for my mother because at that time, I don''t have someone to rely on and I think I was too young to be able to defend myself from the creatures that hunted me. I have to survive." Lana shrugged her shoulder. "But, I couldn''t use those reasons again now. Though Serefina is really annoying and exhaust my energy to talk to her, but she is also reliable and now I can protect myself just fine."


    Lana had gotten what she needed. A place to stay and food every day, thus she didn''t wish to find her mother anymore, but Serefina seemed has different thought in her mind.


    "Serefina must have her own reason for doing this." Kace muttered.


    "Hm." Lana hummed as a reply, she kept tracing Kace''s back even when she supposed to end this healing session.


    "What will you do if the war is about to happen?" Lana suddenly asked, she just wanted to kept conversing with Kace. "You know that you have to reunite with your other brothers in order to win this war again."


    Kace furrowed his eyebrows, he disliked this topic and didn''t want to think about that.


    "Moreover, with Hope. Have you told her about the war? Does she know her role in this war?" Lana knew Serefina had been reminding Kace about this, but the lycan would always brush away this topic.


    "We don''t need to talk about it, that is something that will not necessarily happen." Kace''s frown deepened. He felt unease whenever he was being reminded about this.


    "You have seen the sign. It will happen sooner or later." Lana emphasized her words with her eyes fixed on Kace''s back.


    "Can we talk about something else?" in his discomfort, Kace didn''t even realize when all Lana did was only tracing her fingers on his back.


    "If what Serefina said is true, her life is in great danger if the war happens." Ignoring Kace''s words, Lana kept rumbling. "There is a possibility for you to lose your mate in order to win the war."


    "I will never let that happen!" Kace let out a low growl, their conversation had reached the point where he despised the most. He regarded this with a contemptuous sneer.


    "That is why we have to figure out another way to save Hope, but I think you should have to reconcile with your other brothers and be in the right term with your beast." Lana knew the problem that Kace faced regarding his beast.


    It was not common for any shifter to repress their own beast to the degree that they lost their instinct to kill.


    Killing and being killed was a common occurrence in their world, it was part of survival instinct and it would be a serious case if they lost it.


    "My beast is fine." Kace replied curtly, feeling the fingers, which tracing his back had stopped.


    "I can feel your beast is dying there." Lana disagreed with Kace''s statement. "You know, the peak of being half fae, you can feel the spirit around you¡­ and the spirit of your beast is weakening."


    Kace didn''t answer that statement, his eyes hardened.


    Lana bit her lips upon seeing the gashes on Kace''s back. She was not able to heal it and even with their kind remarkable healing ability and Kace as the white lycan, the wounds still not closed.


    It has been more than two weeks, but his condition didn''t become better.


    Though Lana didn''t show it, but she was very worried about Kace''s condition. One of the reasons she was going to the northern coven was because Serefina had told her about Kace''s condition and they needed to find a powerful Fae or healer there.


    Although the impact of Kace''s injury was due to himself who had suppressed his animal instincts, but because of the lycan didn''t want to fix the situation, his condition wouldn''t be better in near future.


    "Have you done?" Kace asked because he couldn''t feel Lana''s fingers on his back for a while now. His voice was devoid from any emotion, as he didn''t wish to talk about his condition or the war or the possibility he would lose his mate.


    There was no answer from Lana, but Kace''s body turned stiff when he felt Lana was hugging him from behind and whispered. "I am worried about you."

 Chapter 489 - DONT EVER DO THAT AGAIN!

    Lana didn''t know what got into her when she circled her arms around Kace''s torso and rested her forehead against his back.


    "I am worried about you¡­" she heard herself whispered against Kace''s skin and the body in her arms became stilled.


    Lana was worried about Kace and that was the truth, this was a genuine feeling that she felt for him for over seventeen years now.


    Regardless her effort to avoid him or her futile attempt to ignore her feeling, the affection that Lana has for Kace was honest.


    She knew how much Kace loved Hope because of the mate bond between them and Lana could see the little girl has the same feeling for this lycan.


    But, if the war happened and Kace would lose his mate, how he could cope up with the pain?


    It was pathetic that Lana has to repeat the same story as the witch. Just like Serefina, she loved someone who didn''t belong to them.


    Lana knew, Serefina''s another intention for giving her many tasks that should required her to be away from Kace, especially during his visit.


    All this time, she just accepted it. Lana thought she would forget about this feeling, that this feeling was a fleeting moment of affection, gratefulness because Kace had saved her life.


    But, seeing Kace was in pain and the horrible wounds on his back, Lana couldn''t help herself, she wanted to be near him, as close as possible.


    The feeling of his warm skin against hers only lasted for a moment before all of that disappeared and a deep growled rang in her ears.


    Lana raised her head only to meet the dark eyes from the beast under Kace''s human skin. His body was shaking, his beast was fighting his human side to take control, to teach the werewolf in front of his eyes a lesson for touching him in improper way.


    "Don''t ever f*cking do that again!" Kace''s eyes flickered from black to red, as his blood boiled in his veins. He spoke through gritted teeth and was having a hard time to control his beast.


    Even though the monster inside of him have weakened but that did not mean the human side of Kace simply accepted the action that Lana have been done.


    It was outrageous!


    Lana gulped down hardly, her lips parted but she failed to produce any sound or explanation, which Kace wouldn''t want to hear now. He had heard enough Lana''s rumbling for tonight and he didn''t want more of that.


    Very quickly, Kace took his clothes and walked away from that house with anger reverberated in every step that he took.


    Leaving Lana was still in daze.


    It happened very fast and the moment she realized what she had done, she was alone in that terrace. A dry smile pulled on her lips, knowing she would be in great trouble now.


    ==============


    Hope scribbled something on her book while listening to Lana''s explanation about today lesson, her monotonous voice echoed through the whole room and bored a few students until they decided to fall asleep during her class.


    Hope knew that Lana was aware about that, but like usual, she didn''t give a d*mn about the way how she taught her students.


    After all, she was here not because she wanted to be here, it was just because she couldn''t refuse the witch and was tied down with the vow with Kace.


    For the last case, Hope was slightly agitated. Why both of them had that kind of vow? She couldn''t comprehend it.


    No, her jealousy couldn''t understand it.


    Hope pouted and continued to scribble something on her book until Ian, who was sitting next to her, nudged her arm.


    "What?" Hope hissed as she turned around to see Ian was nodding his head to the window beside her.


    "Look." Ian spoke in low voice. "That woman has been looking to your direction since ten minutes ago."


    Hope narrowed her eyes at the figure across the school gate, it was a woman who was wearing a brown floppy hat with a black sunglasses that covered half of her face, but from the way she angled her head, Hope agreed with Ian that the woman was looking toward her direction.


    "I have never seen that woman¡­" Hope frowned and returned her focus on her book. "Maybe she is looking at someone else and not me."


    "Impossible." Ian refused Hope''s statement readily, his hazel eyes fixed on the woman''s figure. "She is not a human, you know."


    Hope whipped her head to see the woman again, but she couldn''t pinpoint anything from her that made Ian could say she wasn''t a human.


    "She looks human for me." Hope shrugged, but her eyes were still on the woman with floppy hat.


    A yellow long dress and black boats with sling bags, fluttering blonde hair behind her back, nothing was unusual and Hope was too lazy to find out what that woman was.


    She had been seeing those creatures for years and now she was at the point, she didn''t need to pay extra attention for them.


    "It is hard to say it, but my instinct which tell me¡­" Ian plopped down on his seat again and followed the rest of Lana''s boring explanation.


    When the bell rang and it was the time for another teacher and lesson, Lana repeated her lines of ''goodbye'' before she gave another tasks that Hope was very sure, she had never really cared enough to check it.


    Afterward, Lana''s tall body disappeared behind the door.


    "Hope, Ms. Rellin left her book, why don''t you give it back to her?" Celline approached Hope while giving her the book that Lana had left behind.


    "Alright," Hope answered lightly, she knew most of the student didn''t want to be near Lana because of her dark aura, which as if telling people to stay away from her.


    Hope stood up, she didn''t mind to deliver the book, maybe she could catch a glimpse of Kace in the teacher''s room.

 Chapter 490 - SET THE LINE

    It was very easy for Lana to find where Kace was right now, as his scent was something that Lana had familiarized for years.


    Like how it was easy for Lana to find him, it was also easy for Kace to know that she was approaching him.


    Since what happened four days ago, Kace had not yet come to Serefina''s house, most of the time, he would meet Hope after school and picked her up from the siblings'' house before both of them went somewhere and Kace would drop her right in front of the house.


    Kace didn''t mean to avoid Lana, he just didn''t want to meet her and heard her explanation for her action that night.


    To say he was angry was an understatement.


    Kace always thought of her as his younger sister, but what she did that night had showed her intention and crossed the line, while Kace could keep his livid beast at bay, he was unsure if he met Lana now, he wouldn''t snap at her.


    For the sake of what she had done for him and his mate, he didn''t want to do that, but knowing her feeling for him, had turned everything became awkward and tense.


    Maybe the lycan needed time to adjust his feeling about the whole situation, but one thing was certain, the situation wouldn''t go on as before.


    However, at this moment, when there were around forty students that surrounded him, Kace had nowhere to go and forced to face Lana.


    A few students were throwing a meaningful look and wiggled their eyebrows toward him upon seeing Lana was walking toward their directions.


    Despite being a new teacher, Kace was actually getting along pretty well with everyone there, whether it was teachers or students.


    "Mr. Wolfie, can we talk for awhile please?" even Lana has that strange look on her face when she mentioned his name. What a weird name that Kace picked for himself.


    Kace''s eyes flickered to dark one for a second before they returned to its initial blue color when Kace waved his hand for Lana to follow him.


    A few students whistled behind their back, but not like usual, Kace didn''t give any response to them. He kept walking with Lana followed behind him.


    They walked in silence along the empty corridor and passed a few classes where the students were studying and threw a glance toward both of them through the window.


    Kace only stopped when they reached an empty class. He opened the door and let Lana walked first before he closed the door behind him.


    "Make it quick." Kace leaned against the door, stayed away from her as he folded his arms.


    He did this not only because of the reason he was still upset, but because the beast in him felt disgusted to be near this woman. Kace couldn''t help it, the feeling of his beast surged through his system and he couldn''t refuse it.


    Though the power of the beast was being suppressed by its owner, this did not prevent the beast from expressing its feelings emotionally.


    "Can I ask for apologize?" Lana''s expression was devoid from any emotions, just like her usual facial expression.


    "Apology accepted, if that''s what you need," Kace replied almost immediately and was about to walk out of the room, but Lana stopped him.


    "Is hugging you a very big mistake?" Lana clenched her hands, waiting for his answer.


    "You know it is." Kace turned to face her again and his answer came out short and cold.


    "Can you just pretend that I didn''t do it?" Lana furrowed her eyebrows.


    Couldn''t meet Kace for four days was not a big deal for her, but knowing they were not in good terms was something else.


    Lana knew it was a mistake, but she couldn''t help it when her feeling got the best of her and she was too drawn by the situation at that time, which then led her to not able to think clearly.


    "Let''s pretend that didn''t happen then." Kace agreed casually. "Don''t look for me like that again, I don''t want those human to think about something absurd."


    "I have been taking care of your mate for her entire life, but only one mistake and you throw away that fact?" Lana furrowed her eyebrows.


    "Are you trying to talk about who is indebted to whom?" Kace narrowed his eyes.


    Lana shut her mouth immediately, because she knew; she living with them, was her own choice and if it wasn''t because of Kace who chose to ignore Serefina''s warning and saved her life, Lana would have died now.


    "I am sure you are aware about my feeling for you." Lana talked about something else, the thing that she had kept for many years and she thought she would forget about it as time goes by, yet she was totally wrong.


    The feeling got worse the moment she watched Hope reciprocated Kace''s affection. She didn''t want to hate the girl or hurt her feeling because, as weird as it sounded, she raised Hope and thought of her like her own sister.


    "It''s crystal clear now about your feeling toward me." Kace then added. "And I think it is plain to see how I despised being touched the way you touched me."


    Lana was about to say something when Kace didn''t even give her a chance to talk and set the line between them.


    "I am grateful for what you have done toward Hope, but I want you to obliterate your feeling for me, because it will not bring you anything but pain." Kace''s expression softened. "You will find your mate sooner or later and at that time you will understand how I feel."


    For Kace, it''s better to give Lana a harsh response rather than to give comforting words that would be misinterpreted and led to another misunderstanding.


    "I heard you are looking for me."


    All of sudden Serefina''s voice rang through the empty room, before both of them could see her figure, sitting on the table near the window.

 Chapter 491 - I HUGGED HIM

    Serefina''s sudden voice startled both Kace and Lana as they whipped their head at the same time toward the source of the sound.


    "What happened?" Serefina was wearing a green long dress that reached her knees and yellow boats, with her red hair, her overall appearance was very eyes- catching.


    Kace furrowed his brows as he felt the various color on the witch was quite irritated. "What are you doing here?"


    "I miss you." Serefina winked at Kace, apparently she was in good mood and slightly drunk as Kace could smell alcohol from her.


    "Crazy witch." Kace muttered. "Were you visiting your old friend again?"


    "Hm." Serefina nodded her head and sighed deeply while closing her eyes as though she was trying to sober up within a second, which was possible in her case.


    The moment Serefina opened her eyes, they were shining brightly in the color of green.


    "So, what news do you have for me?" Serefina fixed her attention toward Lana, who was standing only three steps away from her.


    "Torak sent his best hunter, James, to look for you." Lana answered her immediately, staring at the line of trees through the window behind the witch, avoiding her eyes. "He found his mate."


    "Hm, he found him¡­" Serefina touched her chin, as she was deep in thought. "How he could find her when we are not able to catch a whiff from her?"


    "Maybe because she is his mate." Kace chimed in. He had discussed this possibility with Lana before the woman acted outrageous. "You know, the mate bond and instinct."


    Serefina rolled her eyes when she heard Kace mentioned the mate bond and Lana slightly fidgeted. Both of them were in the same boat, after all.


    "I doubt that." Serefina rejected the idea. "I feel there is a magical power has been hiding the girl, but I could be wrong." She shrugged her shoulder, didn''t want to make a random speculation.


    The most important part was the second guardian angel had been found and Torak was not crazy enough like his older brother to kill his mate.


    With the thought of Jedrek, there was a wave of uneasiness hit the witch''s heart. She dismissed it immediately.


    "What are you going to do? Will you let Hope to meet the other guardian angel?" Lana''s question earned a low menacing growl from Kace.


    From the beginning Kace did not agree if Hope met with any of his brother before he was certain that they wouldn''t harm his mate. Not even Torak, though he decided to keep his own mate alive.


    "No," Serefina was in the same page with Kace at this moment. "This is not the right time to reunite them."


    "Then, what will you do?" Lana looked like she was not affected by Kace''s strong reaction.


    Serefina contemplated for awhile and answered while staring at Kace. "I will see why he needs me there."


    There was silence that ensued after Serefina''s statement. Awkwardness spread in the air from Kace and Lana, and this didn''t go unnoticed by Serefina.


    "Have you found the person who can cure him?" Serefina was a witch not a healer, though she was powerful enough and the things that hurt Kace was something related to black magic, but it was still beyond her ability.


    "No," Lana answered in a matter of fact tone. "I will try again to find that person in different place."


    "No need for that." Kace cut this conversation. "It will heal with time. My healing ability will heal the wound, I just need to take a rest and everything will be find."


    "No, it will not." Serefina shook her head as she stood up and walked toward the lycan. "That is black magic and it has been proven your healing ability couldn''t handle it."


    "I will find the person sooner." Lana ignored a glare that Kace threw to her direction, her eyes focused on Serefina.


    "Who is this person you are looking for?" Kace asked impatiently. "Tell me and I will find them."


    At this point, Serefina already felt there was something wrong going on between the two of them. "This person is in the northern coven, will you manage to enter that realm?" she asked casually.


    Entered the northern coven was not an easy task, especially when almost all the creatures there didn''t appreciate the existence of shape shifter.


    "Show me how and I will do it." Kace didn''t back down because of that fact. If Lana was going to hold this against him and it would be better to make everything clear now.


    "Do you really think¡­" Serefina''s words died down as the three of them tilted their head toward the door, which a second later was being pushed by someone from the outside.


    "Lana¡­?" Hope''s soft voice traveled into Kace''s ears as her head poked from behind the door. "Kace you are also here and¡­ Serefina?" Hope frowned at the witch. "Why are you here?"


    Serefina rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh, please¡­ why I can''t be here?"


    "See, I told you, there is your mother there¡­" Ian''s voice rang from behind Hope, but his figure couldn''t be seen as he was afraid to confront the three people inside the room at the same time.


    Facing one of them had already overwhelmed him, moreover all three at once. Nothing good was coming out from meeting them, not to mention they were having a bad temper for some random reasons.


    When Hope went to deliver Lana''s book, Ian wanted to go with her, thus when they couldn''t find Lana inside the teacher''s room, Ian tracked her and discovered Lana was with Kace, yet half way here, he caught Serefina''s scent too.


    "Let''s go." Kace dr.a.p.ed his arms on Hope''s shoulder as he ushered the girl out of the room, ignoring his mate protest about Lana''s book.


    Once there was only Serefina and Lana there, the witch narrowed her eyes at the she- werewolf in front of her. "What happened between you and Kace?"


    Didn''t want to beat around the bush, Lana answered honestly. "I hugged him."

 Chapter 492 - YOU WILL KILL YOURSELF

    Serefina raised her eyebrows when she heard that. "You hugged him?" and there was a sinister smile appeared on her red lips. "How many times have I warned you until all of my words could get through the thick skull of yours?"


    Serefina had told Lana countless time to not let her feeling toward Kace spread like a disease in her heart, but in the end, who would be able to control someone''s feeling?


    "It was just a hug." Lana was being stubborn and still felt unfair because of the strong reaction of Serefina and Kace. "Why? Have you never hugged him?"


    In her frustration, Lana threw an absurd question about this situation. Perhaps, for normal relationsh.i.p.s, Serefina and Kace would have shared a hug or two in their centuries of life, but apparently it wasn''t the case for them and Lana had asked wrong question.


    "Why should I hug him?" Serefina frowned her eyebrows as her nose scrunched with the idea of her hugging Kace.


    "I¡­" Lana lowered her head, knowing her mistake. "My feeling got the best of me and Kace has been very angry since that night," she admitted.


    With heavy steps, Lana walked toward the nearby chair and plopped down there. Her eyes closed as she threw her head back.


    "Your action was an offense for him," Serefina stated. As one of the most possessive creatures, almost all the lycanthropes wouldn''t like to touch their opposite s.e.x if it wasn''t their own mate, especially those who had found their mate.


    "I know¡­ I just couldn''t help it." Lana looked tired when she said this.


    "You are killing yourself if you don''t stop this." Serefina had said it more than ten times and now it was just like passing words in Lana''s ears.


    "Is this how you feel?" Lana muttered. "Is this how you feel when you learned Jedrek would have a mate on his own? That was why you chose to run?"


    Lana felt bitter when she realized she shared something in common with Serefina. She was young and have not lived too long, but her constant journey due to her assignment from the witch, forced her to learn a lot of information, including story about Serefina and Jedrek.


    The part where Jedrek was having a mate was her own thinking because no one knew about this fact out there.


    Lana thought her rhetorical question wouldn''t be answered by the witch, yet she proved it wrong by speaking the truth. "I didn''t run away. I just didn''t have a choice."


    "Why do you have no choice?" Lana opened her eyes and stared at the witch, who was sitting on the chair three tables from her.


    "Long story my girl¡­ long story¡­" Serefina mumbled to herself, but in the end she didn''t tell Lana anything about it.


    "When will you leave to meet Torak?" Lana changed their topic, knowing Serefina, she wouldn''t get anything even if she lingered in that question.


    "Soon." Serefina didn''t give the specific time. "But, I want you to still complete the task that I gave to you."


    Lana didn''t answer this, yet Serefina knew she would.


    ===============


    "What are you doing there with Lana?" Hope narrowed her eyes questioningly.


    "There is Serefina also there." Kace corrected her statement.


    Kace was saying the truth, despite he didn''t explain the part that Serefina just appeared in the middle of his conversation with Lana.


    Ian followed behind the two of them, looked happy enough because he could escape the class.


    "Why are you looking for Lana?" Kace tried to change the topic.


    "She left her book in my class and I wanted to give it back to her, but she was not in the teacher''s room, so did you¡­" Hope exposed her true intention.


    "Your true intention is to see me, isn''t it?" Kace bumped onto her lightly.


    "Why? You don''t like it?" Hope crossed her arms, feigning an upset expression. She bumped onto him too, but Kace didn''t even budge.


    "I loved it." Kace laughed.


    "Guys, can you stop that? We are still inside the school." Ian complained from behind them.


    "With the two of you super hearing ability, no one will know." Hope replied, they would act as any normal teacher and student if there was someone approached them. Unless, they were creatures without scent, Kace would know right away.


    Speaking about creature¡­


    "Kace, I saw a woman out of our school gate during Lana''s class." Hope remembered that woman from earlier and decided to tell Kace.


    Although she thought there was nothing wrong with that woman, but the way she stared at her for long time made Hope felt slightly uncomfortable.


    "A woman?" Kace halted his stepped and grabbed Hope''s wrist to make her stop too. "What woman?"


    Hope shrugged her shoulder and glanced at Ian, ask for his help to explain the situation toward Kace.


    "That woman had been staring at Hope during the class and I let Hope knew because I thought she knew her." Ian surmised the story. "But, I am sure, she that woman is not human¡­ shape shifter, probably¡­ that woman gave a strange vibe." he was unsure.


    "How that woman looks like?" Kace disliked the fact there was another creature notice about Hope''s existence.


    Ian then explained about how that woman looked like in detail, as the explanation went further, the frown on Kace''s face grew deeper.


    "Do you know that woman?" Ian asked after he finished describing the woman.


    Unfortunately, Kace shook his head. "No, I don''t think I have met a woman with that description."


    "Maybe she just a guest," Ian contemplated. "Witch or vampire¡­"


    "What witch and vampire are doing in this village?" Kace knocked Ian''s head, this time slightly harder than the one he always gave Hope. "They will go straight to the forest and open the portal to the northern coven.


    "I am still not done talking." Ian protested while rubbing his head dramatically. "You don''t know? Every three years there will be a festivity in this city."

 Chapter 493 - RESTLESS KACE

    "I know about the festivity."Kace said lightly. "It will happen two weeks from now." it was the same time as the gathering that would happen in the northern coven.


    The reason why Abby and Leon were here and roamed around in the Kingstone city, away from the place where they belonged.


    "Oh, I didn''t come at the festival before because I was sick." Hope looked at Kace. "Can we go to the festival together?"


    "I don''t think that will be a good idea," Kace mumbled. "There will be a lot of creatures there and I don''t like the vampires."


    Rumor said it that the witches and the vampire had work on making an affiliation between the two kinds. Thus, it was common to see Vampires near the territories of the witches or otherwise.


    "Do you think that woman is a vampire?" Ian asked Kace while they were walking toward their class.


    "How should I know? You are the one who saw that woman." Kace put his arms around Hope''s shoulder, felt a little bit tense because there was another creature set their eyes on his mate. "Don''t go anywhere alone, even inside the school."


    Hope wanted to reject that idea. She didn''t think it was a big problem, she just mentioned it because of her curiosity only, probably Kace knew about the woman.


    However, her refusal died down on her throat when she watched how rigid Kace''s facial expression. He took this matter seriously.


    Then, instead of becoming a stubborn child, Hope agreed to ease Kace''s agitation. "Okay."


    ==============


    It has been two days since Hope and Ian saw that woman and she never appeared again. At this point, Hope only thought there was nothing to be worried about.


    Yet, Kace had different thought. He always picked and dropped Hope, despite Kace didn''t come into the house, but he would always make sure that he wouldn''t go until Hope reached the terrace and entered the house.


    He became a little bit more possessive and overprotective.


    Hope didn''t mind it at all, she loved to have him near her, but she couldn''t help her curiosity. "What really happened? You look more tense than usual. "


    They were inside Lana''s car while the owner would go home alone, Hope didn''t know how she reached home, but she assumed Lana would go in her beast form.


    Since it was Lana''s car, no one would be suspicious that it was Kace who drives the car and not Lana.


    "Nothing in particular." Kace turned the car into the garage and parked there.


    "No, there is something happened right? I can see it on your expression." Hope didn''t want him to tell her a lie. "There." she raised her hand and pointed the furrow between Kace''s eyebrows.


    "There is nothing to be worried about." Kace unbuckled his seatbelt.


    "Is it about the woman that I saw a few days ago?" Hope didn''t to let go of this topic. "It is about her, right?"


    Kace sighed when he had to face his stubborn mate, but then he nodded. "Yes."


    "I never saw her again." Hope leaned against Kace''s big palm, which cupped the side of her face, she liked his touch and the spark that erupted between them whenever they made skin to skin contact. "Maybe what Ian said was true, she just passed by because of the upcoming festival of this village attracted many other creatures."


    "That is another problem. I don''t like it when those creatures gather together here." Especially when they were creatures that did not get along pretty well with the shape shifters.


    "You can''t help it, if I am not mistaken, this village is within their territory, right? We are the outsider here." Hope shrugged her shoulder. "I wonder how the festival will turn out."


    "You will not go anywhere Hope." Kace climbed out of the car and opened the car door for her. "You will not go the festival which surrounded by dangerous creatures."


    Hope pouted her lips, "You are a dangerous creature, why is it fine for me to be near you?" she asked sullenly.


    "Because I am your mate, you silly girl." Kace chuckled and kissed her temple.


    "Boyfriend." Hope corrected. "It is weird to hear that."


    "And it is weird to hear the word ''boyfriend'' when I know all I want is to spend the rest of my existence with you," Kace retorted.


    Hope rolled her eyes upon hearing that sweet declaration, but she knew in Kace''s case that was probably true, as the lycan wouldn''t be together with someone who wasn''t their mate.


    The lycan who rejected their mate and chose someone else was unheard. At least that was what Ian told Hope.


    However, Hope really wanted to see the festival. The last time it was happening, she was sick and only could hear the exciting story from the siblings.


    "But, why Ian, Ethan and Rossie could attend the festival? They are werewolf and I am human." ''Guardian angel in human skin'' that was how Lana called her.


    "We are, indeed, not in good terms with them, but it is not necessary for us to bite their head off once we see one. As long as there is no confrontation, everything will be fine." Kace took Hope''s hand and led her toward the house.


    "You will come inside?" Hope raised her eyebrows, after days Kace acted as if he didn''t want to take a step inside, now he was very eager to enter the house.


    "I want to make sure, the witch will be here when the festival is happening," Kace replied as they entered the house and the lycan started to pinpoint Serefina''s position based on her scent.


    She was inside her room.


    "Take a rest." Kace tousled her hair and gave her a brief smile before he walked toward Serefina''s bedroom.


    "Why is he very anxious?" Hope mumbled to herself when Kace disappeared from her line of sight.


    "Hope, can we talk for a while?" Lana''s voice startled Hope as she suddenly poked her head from her bedroom, which the door next to where Hope was standing.

 Chapter 494 - STAB HIM

    "Hm? What is it?" Hope walked into Lana''s bedroom as she held the door open for her.


    Once Hope was inside Lana''s unique scent engulfed her, it was the smell of fresh lavender and peppermint.


    Lana closed the door and sat down next to Hope on the edge of her bed. She didn''t think it would be great idea to tell the girl about this, but Kace was stubborn and his mate was the only way to soften his bad temper.


    For now, after what had happened, Kace would never hear whatever Lana said, not even a single word from her mouth.


    Lana was well aware they needed time to adjust with their situation after Lana''s confession, it would be awkward and tensed to say the least and she also knew the beast inside of Kace was livid by her action, it would affect Kace''s mood as well.


    But, she had told him the truth and, even though it was pitiful that they turned out to be like this, Lana didn''t regret her action.


    She had been holding it back for years and a confession was all she needed. It wasn''t her personality to hide something that she desperate the other person to know.


    Just like this time¡­


    "What do you want to tell me?" Hope frowned. Why everyone was very tensed recently? She could see it on Lana''s expression.


    "This is about Kace." Lana started. "You have to help me with this."


    With the mention of Kace''s name and followed by the word ''help'', Hope could feel her frown deepened and her curiosity was piqued. "What happened to him?"


    Lana hugged herself, the gesture that she always made every time she felt anxious and this didn''t help with Hope''s case, because she didn''t response to her question immediately.


    "What happened to him?" Hope repeated her question impatiently. What happened with this people and secret? Why it seemed they were holding much of it?


    "I don''t know if you notice this, but Kace has wounds on his back." Lana broke down the news.


    But, unexpectedly, Hope wasn''t surprised by this information. "I noticed that." That was the time when Kace, unconsciously, pinned her down, almost attacking her, because she touched his neck. There was a small part of his wound peeking out from behind the shirt he was wearing.


    "You know about the wound?" Lana raised her brows, surprised.


    "Not really," Hope mumbled and then she told her about what was happening inside the indoor basketball court. "I think he just startled because I touched him out of the blue. But, I saw the wound on his neck."


    Apparently, the part that Hope had seen was not even twenty percent of the whole wounds that Kace had on his back.


    "What happened to him?" Hope became anxious when she heard this, "Is he in danger? Is the injury severe?"


    The fact that Hope couldn''t read anything from Lana''s facial expression, irritated her. She had a sudden urged to shake her body so she could talk faster rather than to keep her waiting like this.


    Lana was lost deep in thought.


    The moment Lana decided to open her golden mouth was like years for Hope. Well, she was exaggerated it.


    But, the thought of Kace was having serious injuries made her stomach knotted itself three times over.


    "For now he is not in danger, but if the wound just left like that, he will." Lana stated. "He needs help."


    Hope moved closer toward Lana, her face showing her confusion over this problem. "Then help him. How can we help him? Why don''t we help him?"


    Hope was glad Lana told her about this, she wouldn''t have known about this if Lana didn''t mention it first. As for the wound, Hope would think that was only ordinary wound.


    Yet, when Hope thought about it again, how Kace could have a wound when their kind''s healing ability was remarkable?


    And if Lana was trying to tell her about this, there must be something really wrong was going on now.


    "What is the problem?" Hope did not understand which direction this conversation would take.


    "The problem is; he refused to be helped." Lana spoke impassively. "I need you to convince him."


    "Why Kace doesn''t want to be helped?" This confused her further.


    Actually it wasn''t that Kace didn''t want to be helped, but that stubborn lycan didn''t want to have anything to do with Lana anymore.


    Though Kace, on the surface, looked like an easy- going person and less cruel compared to his other brothers, but he had a temper too.


    If it were Jedrek or Torak, Lana would not only receive a harsh scolding from him, but maybe she was already in a deep dungeon, wasn''t able to see the outside world anymore.


    But, Lana was hesitated to tell Hope about this. She had received the hatred look from Kace, for now she didn''t want to have it from Hope as well.


    "I can''t tell you in detail, but I want you to help me to convince him to do this¡­" Lana bit her lips nervously and Hope raised her eyebrows upon seeing that gesture.


    Lana never did that. Just how nervous she was right now?


    "What is it?" what the thing that Lana couldn''t do, but she could? All this time, Hope would occasionally be slightly jealous of Lana''s capability¡­


    "There is someone that I have to meet. This person will be able to cure Kace''s wound, but I need his blood." Serefina told her to ask this to Kace, but she was very sure, seeing their situation now, Kace wouldn''t do it for her.


    "I will do it." Hope agreed readily.


    "But, I need the blood straight from his heart." Lana held Hope''s hand when she was about to go, asking Kace for his blood, she assumed.


    "Straight from his heart?" Hope plopped down on the bed again. "How do I do it? Stab him in his heart? He will die!" Hope screeched when she imagined herself stabbing him.

 Chapter 495 - WHAT THEY HAD DONE

    "No, he will not die just from being stabbed." Lana shook her head vigorously, dismissed Hope''s wild imagination from her head. She didn''t like to hear that too.


    It would be easy if Kace was willing to do it himself and sounded less scary too.


    "No, I don''t want to do that!" Hope pulled her hand from Lana and looked at her anxiously. "There is no other way which more civil? It sounds like I am going to kill him."


    "It requires thousand people like you to hurt him." Lana expressed her thought, from thinking of Hope as a guardian angel and ordinary human.


    But, Lana failed to see in different side, she didn''t think of Hope as Kace''s mate, which one word from her, would send the beast to the deepest hell of agony.


    Hope''s eyebrows furrowed as she was in a deep thought. "Tell me everything." She raised her head and there was a resolution in her obsidian eyes. "Makes me understand about this whole situation. I know there are a lot of things that Kace didn''t tell me and I don''t know how to ask about it when I don''t even know what I should ask."


    It was confusing for Hope, she felt there were a lot of things going on around her, but she couldn''t put her finger on it.


    While it may be true Kace would answer every question that Hope asked, he wouldn''t explain beyond the questions he was given and Hope didn''t know where she should start.


    "Why he has that wound on his back? And why he didn''t heal from the wound already?" Hope prepared herself to hear the worst. "Why he doesn''t want to be helped?"


    Lana sighed. No one in this house who was not stubborn. "Do you really want to hear this? This explanation will be very complicated."


    "I am ready with the complexity." Hope determined to know every detail about Kace. Even after the last explanation from Kace and a few question from her here and there, Hope still felt she didn''t know much about him.


    "Alright, if that what you want." Lana sighed. "Kace has two different types of injuries at this time."


    Hope took Lana''s pillow and hugged it, finding a comfortable position to hear the rest of her explanation.


    "The wound that you saw, it was caused by black magic. Therefore, even with our kind remarkable healing ability, Kace has a trouble to heal himself." Lana stopped to see Hope''s reaction before she continued. "I think you already know about the black magic and what harm it could bring to someone who suffered from it."


    Yes, Hope knew about that, in very rare occasion when Serefina was in good mood, she would teach her one or two things about the supernatural realm and the creatures within.


    Such magical things Hope thought were only a myth or fairytale, but they actually existed. Existed side by side with human world.


    "If he is still stubborn, the consequences will be dire. Therefore, I need you to convince him." Lana clenched and unclenched her hands.


    "I will do it, but the thing that I don''t get it is; why he refuses your help? He is not someone who carelessly doesn''t think of his own safety." Hope pointed out the truth.


    It was very silly for Kace, for whatever reason he has to neglect his own safety, if he rejected Lana''s help. Something was not right with his attitude or¡­ maybe there was something else?


    "About that¡­" Lana''s voice slightly faltered under Hope''s curious gaze. "¡­you can ask Kace yourself." She left it that way.


    Hope made a mental note to ask about this to Kace, seeing Lana didn''t want to spill anything, it would only waste of time to persuade her otherwise. "What about the other wound?"


    Lana was relieved because Hope didn''t linger in that matter. "The other wound is about his beast."


    "His beast? His beast also hurt? How could the beast get hurt? Is it the same wound behind Kace''s back?" Hope didn''t know much about the beast, all she knew was; those shape- shifters could turn into another form aside their human form.


    "No, it is not the same, this kind of injuries is difficult to treat." Lana explained. "Beast for us is like a spirit."


    "Then, how could you hurt the spirit? It doesn''t have a form." Hope didn''t understand this logic. If you don''t have a constitution, how someone could hurt you?


    But, Hope was thinking in her human logic while the matter in front of her was not something that human could comprehend easily.


    "Spirit could be hurt. It is like a human''s feeling. The feeling doesn''t need to take any form, but you will still feel the pain." Lana gave the analogy of this case.


    "I think you are right¡­" Hope nodded her head in agreement. "Does this mean someone hurt his feeling?"


    "No, it is not someone else. It is Kace who hurt himself." Lana rummaged her brain to find an easy way to explain this.


    "Wait, I don''t understand¡­" Hope straightened her posture and tied up her hair into a messy bun. "Why does he hurt himself?"


    "This is an incomplete story that I got from Serefina." Lana stared at the door, afraid if Kace suddenly made an appearance.


    Even Serefina had warned her to never mention this story.


    "Do you know about the curse of Donovan brother?" Lana shifted her attention toward Hope.


    "I know." Of course she did. Hope had been discussing that information about Donovan''s curse with the sibling over two years when Kace chose to leave her without any news. "They were cursed for being mateless for their entire eternity."


    "Right." Lana nodded.


    "But, the moon goddess had lifted the curse because they had done a good deed and here I am!" Hope opened her arms widely as a bright smile appear on her lips. She loved this fact to the bone!


    Lana gave her a wry smile when she talked again. "But did you know what the deed that they had done to receive the curse?"

 Chapter 496 - KARMA

    "Where are you going?" Kace asked when he watched Serefina was about to go with her small suitcase.


    "To meet your brother," Serefina replied curtly as she put on her sunglasses. "I want to see the guardian angel that he found."


    "Wait, wait¡­" Kace raised his hands up to prevent the witch from walking out of the bedroom. "Do say you will be away from this village? For how long?"


    "I don''t know," Serefina shrugged her shoulder. "It depends on how the situation there. Maybe a week, two weeks, a month¡­ I don''t know."


    "How about here?" Kace didn''t like this arrangement. "There will be a festival along with the gathering in the northern coven in two weeks."


    "I am aware of that." Serefina nodded and walked back to sit on the edge of her bed as she contemplated.


    The previous festival Serefina was here to strengthen the protection spell around the house to prevent unnecessary trouble from happening from other creatures.


    "I think it will be fine as long Hope stays inside the house," Serefina was contemplating her answer. "It is not necessary for me to stay here."


    "Are you sure?" Kace still has his doubt with Serefina''s decision. "What if those wretch creatures find this place?"


    "They shouldn''t be able to find this place." Serefina frowned. "Do you starting to doubt my ability?" there was an accusation laced in her voice.


    "What if I say ''yes''?" Kace rolled his eyes at the witch. "I will take Hope away from this village." He declared.


    "And risk exposing her to the greater danger out there?" Serefina challenge him. "Stay inside the house and she will be fine. My spell will protect her."


    "Are you sure?" Kace narrowed his eyes.


    "You and Lana will be here, what else you have to worry about?" Serefina started to show her temper and became impatient because of Kace''s endless anxiety. "Your little mate will be fine, those creatures will only pass through this village before they reach the forest and go to the northern coven realm."


    Kace crossed his arms and contemplated. "Somehow the upcoming festival makes my beast restless."


    "Speaking about your beast." Serefina''s expression turned very serious. "You can''t let your spirit condition in its current state for too long."


    Kace didn''t response to that.


    ==============


    "Impossible¡­" Hope murmured, her eyebrows scrunched up as she stared at Lana in disbelieve. "It is impossible for them to do something horrible like that, right?"


    Hope refused to believe Kace had done that together with his two other brothers. She could feel her body shaking from the news that Lana just told her.


    "That''s the truth. I don''t believe it too when the first time I heard about it." Lana looked at Hope worriedly, apparently the revelation was too much for her to handle.


    Hope always saw Kace as a perfect figure and to have that kind of sin was something that could destroy his image in the girl''s mind.


    "It''s impossible the three of them killed theirs'' mates?!" Hope''s breathe hitched as her mind was trying to discern the information.


    Hope held her head with both of her hands, she felt like it was going to explode soon. She gulped hard and blinked her eyes in disbelieve.


    Lana just told her about what had happened in the past, about what sin that the three Donovan brothers had committed that caused the curse upon them.


    There was a time when the Donovan''s brothers hunted every shifters'' mates and killed them all, caused many uproar in the supernatural realm.


    The reason was because; as the leader and royal family of the Lycanthropes, they wanted more territory for their kind.


    Fought in bloody battle was a second nature for their beast, especially to those beasts, which was still feral and had strong animal instinct.


    They wouldn''t stop until they got what they wanted. The Donovan wouldn''t stop until they got what they wanted.


    Hope just knew now that shape shifter was not only werewolf and Lycanthropes, but there were a lot more out there, which now too afraid to go into the light. They chose to live under the shadow because of what was happening centuries ago.


    "You will not see them often or maybe you will never see them in your entire life. Me myself had just seen two of them. Bear shifter and serpent shifter." Lana explained.


    "Why they did that? I meant¡­ why they kill other creatures'' mates?" Hope bit her lips as shiver ran down her spine when she imagined it.


    "Maybe Kace had told you about this, but mate is the essence of our kind existence. It wouldn''t be a big problem if you have not yet met your mate, but once you met them, your soul becomes complete and there is nothing you want except to be near your mate." Lana spoke with rigid expression. "Your mate is the gravity of your life and for losing something as important as that, it will drive them crazy and the pain is too great to bear."


    Hope gritted her teeth. That''s why the moon goddess cursed them as such. The karma for the deed that they had done.


    "The Donovan not only targeted their mate, but also the children and even the unborn child. Therefore they are on the verge of extinction now." Lana said it sadly. "I am telling you this not because I want to change the way you see Kace, but this history has something to do with the pain, the burden and regret that Kace has been suffering."


    "They killed the children and unborn child?" Hope''s voice was barely a whisper as she felt a stung in her eyes and a drop of tear fell on her cheek. "How they could do something so cruel like that?"


    "Hope¡­" Lana stretched out her hand to give her a comfort, but Hope refused it. "Kace is having a hard time accepting that part of himself too. He hurts himself and this kind of pain is a torture for his spirit, his beast."

 Chapter 497 - HE WAS HURTING HIMSELF

    Hope was struggling to understand Kace''s pain, but she would continue to be reminded by the action that he had done. It was terrible beyond words.


    And in the end, it was very hard for hope to sympathize with him. Hope was shocked by this revelation and didn''t know how to give a proper response or reaction.


    "Hope, I don''t tell you all of this, to make you feel how you feel right now toward him." Lana softened her voice. "He regrets all of that and this regret has been tormenting him, it almost kills him."


    Hope''s mind was disarray. She knew that Kace could be cruel, but she would have never imagined the severity of his cruelty.


    "It had been centuries and he was just a young Lycan with hot blood who wanted to prove himself as the youngest child in the royal family such as Donovan. I think it was like a burden for him too." Lana glanced at the door once again and added. "The thing that I want to emphasize it to you is; if you don''t help him now, he will suffer from greater harm that caused by himself."


    Hope bit down her lips, contemplating on her own feeling


    "It is unheard for a shape shifter to fight against his own beast to the point that they hurt themselves." Despite all the things that happened between Kace and herself, also her complicated feelings, Lana was still worried about Kace, knowing the harm that would befall upon him if this condition remained for long time, not to mention Kace was suffering from another injuries as well.


    "How do you know all of this?" Hope asked after a few moment of silence. She felt her stomach churned uncomfortably. She disliked this fact about Kace, it shattered everything that she had seen from him.


    But, if this was reality and Kace was not like the person she imagined, why should she be angry? Wouldn''t she be angrier if she was lied to and didn''t know the truth?


    "I have spent seventeen years to do everything that Serefina told me to do, naturally I know two or three important information like this." Lana felt uncomfortable as she fidgeted. "Hope, don''t let this information clouded your judgment about him. After all, centuries had passed and he couldn''t undo what he had done."


    Hope bit her lips and stared at the soft sheet beneath her feet as she hugged Lana''s pillow that smell like her.


    "When you were doing something extraordinary out there, I was just learning to walk and made some trouble." Hope mumbled to herself. "I am jealous of you¡­" she said this in low voice, ashamed to herself.


    After all, Hope was only seventeen, she was a teenager who sometimes felt insecure upon what she had done or what she didn''t do enough.


    And Hope felt, compared to Lana, she had done nothing and this feeling made her jealous, yet when she was jealous of her, she didn''t feel better either.


    There was a bitter smile on Lana''s lips when she heard this. "You don''t know how much I envy you, Hope." And she meant these words.


    When Hope was about to talk about something, the door was being pushed open and Kace stood there with puzzled expression.


    "I thought you were in room." Kace spoke softly.


    As if Lana had known Kace was looking for Hope because she had been glancing over to the door often, she stood up. "I will leave you here, there is something I want to talk to Serefina."


    When Lana walked past Kace, they were exchanging a glance briefly and Hope missed to see this.


    "What happened?" Kace walked over and sat down on the spot where Lana was sitting a moment ago. "You look not well." He stretched out his hand to check Raine''s forehead, but she spoke before he could touch her.


    "Why didn''t you tell me you were hurt?" Hope rested her chin on the pillow that she was hugging, peered at Kace through her long lashes.


    His shock expression didn''t go unnoticed by Hope as she pressed her lips into a thin line. She was confused with her own feeling, a while ago, she felt horrible for what Kace and his brother had done toward those poor shape shifters'' mates.


    However, when she saw Kace right before her eyes, seeing the man that she had known for her entire life, her body and heart remembered how well he had treated her and how happy she was when she was just near him.


    That horrible feeling vanished into a thin air¡­ Just like what Lana had told her earlier, the only thing that concerned Hope now was Kace''s condition.


    "You are hurt and you don''t tell me anything about it." Hope could hear her own voice that slightly hoarse. She was not going to cry, right? What should she cry about?


    "Who told you about this?" Though Kace asked this, but he already knew who the person who had told her.


    Hope didn''t answer him. She kept her lips shut as she stared at Kace with gloomy expression.


    Kace sighed deeply upon seeing his little mate like this. "Come here." He opened his arms, wanted to feel her body near him.


    Although Hope still didn''t say anything, but she complied and snuggled into his warm embrace, resting her head on his shoulder as Kace did the same too, relishing her unique scent that could subsided the turmoil in him.


    "You won''t want to see this." Kace whispered and felt Hope shook her head. "This is nothing, I will take care of it."


    "I want to see it." Hope was stubborn and she wanted to see it no matter what Kace told her.


    Knowing this, Kace sighed and released her body. "You don''t have to worry about this."


    Hope didn''t answer that, but the way she stared at Kace, let the lycan knew she wouldn''t change her mind.


    With a deep sighed, Kace complied¡­


    And the sight on his back, brought tears to her eyes.

 Chapter 498 - I WANT TO KILL HIS MATE

    Kace took off his clothes slowly and put it aside. At first, Hope couldn''t see is as she sat on his laps, therefore, she moved away and crawled around his body until the sight on his back fell on her vision.


    Hope gasped loudly, covering her mouth to stop herself from screaming upon seeing the ugly gashes behind Kace''s back.


    "Kace¡­" she wanted to say something else, but the words wouldn''t seem to form. She was staring at four long and deep wounds, which tore Kace''s skin.


    Her mind couldn''t comprehend how Kace didn''t show any reaction or slightest sign that he was in pain when he had these wounds on his back.


    Hope even didn''t realize when she started to sob and tear after tear fell on her cheeks as her body trembling in fear.


    Seeing Hope was crying uncontrollably, Kace immediately put his shirt on and pulled her into his arms, caressing her back while saying something to make her stop worrying about him.


    "I am alright, this is not hurt. You don''t need to cry." But, his attempt failed miserably when Hope chose to ignore his words and cried harder. "Don''t cry, don''t cry¡­ I am okay, I will take care of it, the wound will disappear in no time." Kace blurted out everything he thought could stop Hope from crying.


    And again, Hope proved him wrong to even make this attempt. She sob- screamed on the top of her lungs, as if saying she didn''t believe him and he should stop talking that way to her.


    In the end, Kace could only pat her back, praying to the moon goddess so his little mate could be a little calmer. At this point, there was no point in making Hope stopped crying, Lana and Serefina must have heard it.


    It took longer time for Hope to catch her breath and stopped crying, by the time her tears stopped falling, her eyes was swollen and red. She clutched onto Kace''s neck tighter and wetted his clothes, yet Kace didn''t mind it a little bit.


    He kept caressing her back, providing the comfort that she needed. This was the first time for Hope to see Kace was in great injuries and this shocked her.


    Knowing it from Lana and seeing it by herself was completely different.


    "Is¡­ Is that hurt?" Hope rubbed her swollen eyes harshly to stop herself from crying, she stared at Kace''s face in blurry vision


    "This is not hurt anymore." Kace wiped away her tears and kissed her temple.


    "Lie." Hope pouted her lips, glaring. How could such injuries not hurt?


    "I am not lie." Kace shook his head. "Sometime it hurts, but now I am fine." He gave her a reassuring smile.


    "You have to treat those wounds." Hope choked in her words.


    "I will, of course I will." Kace pulled away a loose strand of Hope''s hair from her face. She looked very adorable even after that breakdown.


    "Lana said¡­ she could help you." Hope didn''t want to beat around the bush. How she could take Kace''s blood, which flowing from his heart without him knowing it? That was impossible.


    Only if she had Serefina''s magic, maybe she could do that. Thus, the best way to settle this, was to talk directly to him.


    "She needs your blood." Hope continued after she wiped away her annoying tears that kept falling on her cheeks. "The blood from your heart."


    Kace sighed. He should have known that this would happen, once Lana couldn''t get it by herself, she would use another way.


    "Hope¡­" Kace was about to talk, but Hope knew it would be a refusal, thus she cut him off.


    "What happened between you and Lana?" Hope frowned, "Why are you two acting strange lately?" She was aware about it.


    "I will talk to Lana about this." Kace relented.


    ==============


    "Are you going to the red river city to meet Kace''s brother?" Lana didn''t even knock the door when she entered Serefina''s room.


    Actually there was no need for that as they were living with magical creatures who would know every move in this house.


    Yet, the witch still got annoyed by this.


    "How many time should I tell you to knock first." Serefina threw a dagger look to Lana, who was standing in the doorway.


    "When will you leave?" Lana ignored her protest and stepped inside the bedroom, leaning her body against the small table near the door.


    "Today, tonight." Serefina shifted her attention to the view from her bedroom window.


    There was a silence when both women didn''t talk. They were busy with their own thought.


    Four minutes passed and Serefina was the one who broke the silence. "I see you used Hope to convince Kace."


    "There is no other way to make him do it voluntarily," Lana admitted. "Serefina¡­" She called her hesitantly.


    "Hm?"


    "How do you feel when you find out Jedrek will have a mate?" Lana asked after a few moment of hesitation.


    "How I feel?" There was a small furrow on her perfect brows when she heard this, though her eyes glued to the view behind the window glass. "I feel exactly what you feel now."


    It was ironic to say the least that the two of them had a similar fate. This was the only thing that they share with each other and the only topic they could talk without raising their vocal cords.


    "I want to kill whoever will be Jedrek''s mate, tearing her body and drank her blood." A sinister smirk appeared on Serefina''s lips when she imagined that, but there was a sharp pain, which tugged her heart whenever she mentioned his name. "Kill the woman who destined to live her life with him. I know you want to do that too to Hope."


    "No! I¡­" Lana raised her head abruptly, but her words failed her, as she couldn''t find a proper rebuttal.


    Serefina ignored that as she continued. "But, thinking about the agony he will endure because of it, made me stop. Just like you."

 Chapter 499 - SEREFINA TENDENCY

    "I don''t mean any harm on Hope," Lana spoke with uncertainty. She felt like being flayed with Serefina''s words. It wasn''t a good feeling to say the least. The witch lived too long to see through her defense.


    "I wish you mean what you say." Serefina turned to look at the view from her window again. Such a beautiful world out there when one could only see in a small frame like this, because the moment you saw the whole picture, it wasn''t the best place to live.


    "Of course I meant it." the tone that Lana used was too harsh to be heard as genuine statement.


    Serefina didn''t argue with her again.


    "Serefina¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "What will you do when you meet with his mate?" Lana asked, her mind was like a whirlwind now, confusing her further about what she wanted and what she needed.


    About that¡­


    Serefina didn''t have an answer¡­


    But, fortunately she didn''t need to answer that, at least for now, because Kace entered the room without knocking and this made the witch sighed exasperatedly.


    "Did my bedroom turn into a gathering place?!" she hissed agitatedly. "Why doesn''t anyone knock on the door?"


    "Is that necessary? When you already know who will come and know that I will enter the room regardless your consent." Kace walked in and stood in front of Serefina.


    On the other hand, Hope followed behind him silently and plopped down on the single sofa, walking as quiet as she could, trying to not get the anyone attention.


    Lana glanced at Hope and saw she gave her small nod. She had expected this. Kace''s answer was too predictable if it regarding his mate.


    However, Lana was relieved that Kace finally gave in. He needed this. Her focus now turned to Kace and Serefina.


    "Tell me who is the person that you are looking for in the northern coven. I will look for them." Kace talked directly to the witch.


    Serefina glanced at Lana briefly, who was still standing beside the door, before she gave the attention that the lycan demanded.


    "You can''t go there alone," Serefina said in finality. "You know it very well that place is not for shape shifter like you."


    "You must know the way to enter the northern coven for shape shifter like me." Kace used the same tone to rebut her statement. "I just need to know the person I need to find and ways to enter that realm."


    "You will not survive there." Serefina held his gaze as the words slipped her lips with inevitability. "No, if you are going alone." Her lime green eyes fell on Lana, suggesting something that Kace should have known it from the beginning.


    Lana straightened her back when she realized where this conversation would lead to. "I can go by myself," She immediately answered the question that had not been asked. "I will find that person this time." She added, wishing her nervousness didn''t got caught by them.


    What was in Serefina''s mind? Was she suggesting her to go with Kace alone? Was she out of her mind?


    Not to mention to go alone with Kace, Lana was having a hard time be near him and for important note, Kace and she were not in good term now.


    Lana glanced at Kace fearfully. The prospect of being in a mission with him was something that made her heart thumped rapidly.


    If Kace agreed, this wouldn''t be their first mission together, but this would be their first mission together after he knew how Lana felt about him. Wouldn''t this be awkward?


    Only if he agreed. Lana thought bitterly.


    "How long it would take to find the person and comeback?" surprisingly, Kace''s question this time was directed to Lana. "How long it would take to find the person and comeback?" He repeated his question because Lana did not answer him.


    "Uh?" Lana snapped out from her deep thought as she regained her composure. "Because Serefina has gotten more information regarding this person location, I think if everything goes well, it will take no more than one week." Lana wanted to slap herself because of acting so weird.


    Fortunately, Kace didn''t point it out, but his declaration next was caught Lana by surprised.


    "I will go with you," Kace said in monotonous tone.


    If the journey no more than one week, he would be able to return before the festival to make sure Hope didn''t take a step out of the house during that period of time.


    "What?" Lana was surprised. "No, you don''t have to." She was panicked with the prospect of being with him for days. It would be awkward as hell, for certain.


    "Didn''t you say that shape shifter can''t enter the realm?" Hope chimed in. She disliked the idea of Lana and Kace were being together for days too. Though what the two women thought had very different reasons.


    "No, I didn''t say something like that." Serefina disagreed with Hope''s statement. "Kace will not be able to enter the northern coven realm alone, but it is different case if he goes with Lana. I think this will shorten their travel time." Serefina shrugged nonchalantly and this received a narrow gaze from both Lana and Hope.


    Hope felt slightly off with Serefina''s decision.


    "It settled then." Kace nodded his head. He walked toward Hope and grabbed her hand. "Let me know when will you leave."


    With that being said, Kace exited the room along with Hope, whose expression said that she still had more to say regarding this situation.


    "What is your intention?" Lana threw Serefina a questioning look.


    "What? I want to help both of you. You need his help to finish this job faster and as the person who is the core of this mission, it is only natural for him to go." Serefina has innocent expression on her face.


    Narrowing her eyes, Lana voiced out what was in her mind. "You have a tendency to separate mates."


    "You learn a lot."

 Chapter 500 - KILLING EACH OTHER

    It wasn''t because Serefina wanted to do this, the tendency happened just like that because this was the only less harm way to console her crestfallen heart. Separated them and let them felt a tiny bit of her feeling of hopelessness.


    It was unfair and Serefina knew that, but she couldn''t help it. After all, she was a creature with feeling and there would be a sudden sharp of painful emotion whenever she watched a mate being together.


    This was ridiculous, but also the most humane part of her.


    "If there is nothing more, I will go now." Serefina stood up and took her small suitcase. "I don''t know when I will return, but after the matter with Kace, I want you to keep looking for your fae mother."


    "Why should I see her? After years of searching, I don''t think I am going to meet her in my whole life." Lana let out a mocking laugh, her eyes shone with disgust.


    "You will need her one day and thank me later." Serefina walked toward the door, stopped for awhile to see Lana''s expression.


    "What? Now you develop some kind of ability to see the future?" Lana raised her eyes defiantly. She didn''t know why Serefina was very adamant for her to keep looking for her mother in the northern coven or wherever the fairies lived.


    "I would love to have that kind of ability, but I am afraid I will disappoint you." Serefina shrugged as she flicked her hair from her shoulder. "This suggestion only based on my experience alone, besides you have nothing to lose if you keep looking for her, right?"


    Lana didn''t answer her immediately, as she still thought that was unnecessary thing to do, but there was a tiny part in her heart, which knew, she was doing the right thing.


    This was only, everything that Serefina told her was akin to mystery.


    "May you have a good journey with him." Serefina patted Lana''s shoulder.


    "Are you mocking me?" Serefina should have known, this would be a torture for Lana, but she kept doing whatever her heart wants.


    ==============


    "Do you really need to go?" Hope asked with sullen expression. She disliked to be away from Kace and hated when it would be a journey only for Kace and Lana. "Lana said she could go alone."


    "Yes, she said it." Kace nodded as he cupped Hope''s face with both of his hands and raised her head so their eyes could meet. "But, this journey is about me. Don''t you think it is unfair for her to do everything alone while I am waiting here and do nothing?"


    Hope really wanted to be an ignorance brat and answered it with ''yes'', but she knew Kace''s intention was right. If it was her, she would do the same thing too.


    How could she just sat back and accepted everything readily?


    "Serefina said it is a dangerous place." Hope changed the topic.


    "Lana and I will be fine. She had been there a few times and Serefina will not allow me to come if the chance for me to come out alive near zero," Kace joked, but Hope didn''t take it well. "I will return before the festival." He promised.


    He had to return before the festival. No matter what, Kace had to make sure Hope was inside the house during that event and not ventured outside.


    With her adventurous and curious personality, it was very possible if Hope didn''t even listen to his warning and went all the way to satiate her desire to know one or two new things.


    "Can I go with you?" Hope felt stupid for asking this question, as she knew the answer even before the question left her lips.


    "You know the answer babe," Kace said regretfully, kissing her temple.


    ==============


    "Why are you so insistent on going to the northern coven with me?" Lana found Kace was eating alone in the kitchen in the middle of the night. At this time, Hope had slept and Kace chose to stay there instead of going back to his own house.


    "It is only right if I am the one who is going to find that person. After all, it is my wound that need to be healed." Kace ate his noodles, replying to Lana''s question without even lifting his head to meet her in the eyes.


    "I don''t mind to go alone." Lana took a hesitate step toward Kace.


    "I mind." Kace replied curtly, he raised his head and met Lana''s eyes.


    "You don''t need to feel like you owe me something." Lana then remembered what she had said before, "I wouldn''t be here if it was not because of you."


    Lana regretted it when she brought how she had been taking care of his mate for years. When she thought about it, that really sounded insincere.


    Regardless the fact she was jealous of Hope for being his mate, Lana had taken care of Hope like her little sister and one wrong sentence ruined everything.


    "I don''t want to talk about who indebted to whom." Kace put down her fork and drank from the glass beside him. "My reason behind my decision is very simple."


    "That place will be very dangerous," Lana murmured as she sat down across from Kace.


    "That only reinforces my reason for not letting you go alone," Kace said simply.


    "Stop talking like that." Lana frowned, he shouldn''t show any concern for her. "That only makes me hard to ignore you."


    "I don''t care if you died, but Serefina is not here and I need to take care of the wound on my back." Kace stared at Lana. "Just think like this."


    It sounded harsh, but it was better to hear it this way rather than the one with concern.


    "This journey will be awkward," Lana mumbled again. "I won''t be surprised if we end up killing each other."


    "Then we have to finish it before we kill each other." Kace shrugged his shoulder and continued to eat.

 Chapter 501 - THE WHITE BEAST

    "So, he is going to that forest?" Rosie snuggled under the warm blanket while looking at Hope, who was laying beside her.


    Thanked to the over- anxious Kace, that Lycan made Hope stayed together with the siblings when he was away with Lana.


    Tonight was the fourth night Hope stayed at their house and would continue for the next week. Of course Sterling and Sophia didn''t mind it all, over the years they thought of Hope as their own.


    "Yes¡­" Hope sighed. "With Lana¡­"


    Hope rolled her body and lay down on her stomach as her eyes wondered to the nightstand lamp beside the bed, but her mind was somewhere far away from this place.


    "Do you think this is ridiculous if I said I am jealous of Lana?" Hope mumbled.


    Beside her, Rosie stared at the ceiling as she contemplated for the answer of Hope''s question. "Why are jealous of her?"


    Hope didn''t hesitate when she answered this. "She has everything that I don''t. Smart, charming, beautiful, reliable, independent, strong, attractive¡­ the list can go on for two days," Hope said exaggeratedly. "She has bigger b.o.o.b.s as well¡­"


    Rosie chuckled when she heard the last words from Hope, but the girl only buried her face on the pillow, mumbling something incoherently.


    "I think Kace didn''t mind even if you have flat chest." Rossie tried to assure Hope, but only earned a glare from her. "I am serious. That is the reason why do you have a mate, someone who will accept you no matter what your situation or condition."


    "You always talk about these mate things with glimmer in your eyes, do you really want that bad to meet your mate?" Hope giggled. Every time they were talking about mate, Rossie would always have that kind of expression on her face.


    "Of course I want!" Rossie rolled her body to face Hope beside her. "I will love to know everything about my mate!" she felt giddy.


    "Don''t you think this mate bond is a deception?" Hope ever heard Serefina mentioned something like this. "If it is not because of the mate bond, then every shape shifters will be free to love whoever they want."


    Hope could relate to this statement. If centuries ago, those shape shifters didn''t have this kind of mate bond, they wouldn''t live in unbearable agony when the Donovan brother slaughtered their mate.


    They would definitely be sad and had a breakdown moment, but wouldn''t lead to suicide or irrecoverable state.


    Based on what Hope knew about this, losing their mate was the pain that no creatures would able to handle it.


    "For non shape shifter, this mate thing is really farfetched matter and nonsensical. But for us, mate is something that the moon goddess herself blesses upon you." Rossie adjusted her position to make herself comfortable. "But, do you believe if everyone has their own pair?"


    Well, everyone did have the person who would be, either their spouse, partner or someone who would spend the rest of their life with them, right? If you are lucky enough, but most people did.


    "The concept is the same, for us." Rossie could see Hope''s answer though she didn''t say it out loud. "It just, the moon goddess makes it easier for us to be with the one who we destined to be."


    "You make it sounds beautiful." Hope pouted her lips, she missed Kace already, despite it has not been twenty- four hours they separated.


    Rossie grinned. "Having your mate in your life is indeed beautiful."


    Such a sweet girl. Hope thought. She wondered what kind of man who would be lucky enough to have her as his mate.


    ==============


    Footstep sounded outside of the door forced Hope to open her eyes sleepily. There was a faint knock at the door that followed.


    Tilted her head, Hope found Rossie was sleeping soundlessly beside her and the knocking sound could be heard again.


    Who is this? Hope thought as she climbed off of the bed and walked toward the door, didn''t want to wake Rossie up. Maybe this is Ian or Ethan¡­


    However, when Hope opened the door there was no one there, only an empty and gloomy corridor that she could see.


    Frowning, she thought this was another prank from Ian because he couldn''t sleep. Was he so bored that he bothered other people in the middle of the night?


    Hope was about to close the door when she heard a low howling sound from outside of the house. She blinked her eyes and immediately sobered up.


    Called her crazy or maybe she just missed him, but Hope could distinguish the howl of Kace''s beast. With that realization, warm chocolate scent hit her nostril as a name escape from her lips.


    "Kace¡­?" Hope frowned.


    As the howls continued to echo throughout the house, Hope found herself walking toward the source of the beast''s sound.


    Inside the dim lit living room, Hope carefully opened the front door, trying to not make any sounds as much as possible.


    The furrow between her eyebrows deepened when she heard the howl turned into a whimper, as if the beast was in some short of discomfort or¡­ pain?


    When finally Hope could open the door, she gasped.


    "What is this¡­" Hope said in bewilderment. She wanted to say more, but the words wouldn''t seem to form from her lips.


    She was staring at a beautiful torch- lit courtyard, which filled only with a single tree, vivid flowers and velvety grass.


    This sight was definitely not the front yard of the sibling''s house. Where was she?


    But, the thing that calmed her down was the fact of a beast with its fur as pure as the color of snow, was sitting on his hind legs, staring at her with those beautiful ocean blue eyes.


    "Kace¡­?" Hope was still worried about her surroundings, but the sight of the beast made her kept walking. "Kace, is that you?" She took a few steps closer when she heard the beast whimper again and lower its head.

 Chapter 502 - FIREFLIES

    The beast was as beautiful as the last time Hope remembered it, the big size wolf lowered its head and whimpered again when Hope stayed still and didn''t take another steps to close the distance between them.


    The beast closed its eyes and made a low noisy sound again, encouraging Hope to touch its big head.


    Forgetting about her strange surroundings, Hope took another step closer toward the beast as its eyes opened and showed its beautiful ocean blue color, which slightly dimmed.


    When Hope was close enough to the beast, she stretched out her hands to pat its head and feel the fluffy of its soft fur.


    The beast made a soft satisfied sound as its nudged Hope''s palm to stroke its head. The beast was like a docile big fluffy wolf until Hope''s eyes caught a sight of its back.


    There, Hope watched in horror when four lines gashes could be seen, the same wounds that Kace showed her the other day on his back. Hope was petrified.


    In Kace''s beast form and his white fur, the wounds were obtrusive. Only by seeing it, Hope could feel how much paint that Kace had to endure.


    "What happened? You said, you will take care of the wound?" Hope''s questions were heard as a soft whisper. "Why are you here?"


    The beast closed its eyes and let Hope touched him as the girl before its eyes kneeled and hugged him. The warm tears from Hope''s eyes fell on its fur as small sobs could be heard from her lips.


    "Can you go back to your human form?" Hope asked, they couldn''t communicate if Kace stayed in this form.


    However the beast let out another soft whimper and Hope took that as a ''no''.


    "Are you in pain?" Hope kept asking. She stretched out her hand further to touch the edge of the still- bleeding wound behind the beast''s back.


    The beast growled deeply with a warning tone when the tip of Hope''s fingers grazed its fur near the wound and the beast''s body became so stiff.


    "I will not hurt you¡­" Hope''s whispered to the beast''s ear.


    It sounded very ridiculous as Hope supposed to be the one who had to worry of getting hurt. With the beast''s head on her shoulder, the big wolf could bite off her head within second and left her headless, killing her as easy as breathing.


    But, of course Hope knew he wouldn''t do that, thus she caressed where its wounds where¡­


    "Why are you still hurt?" Hope mumbled to herself. "Where is Lana?"


    Hope then realized her strange environment and let go of the beast as she scanned her surroundings, looking for Lana, but the girl was nowhere to be found.


    "Where is Lana? Something happened to her?" panic laced in her voice when she stood up and looked around again, but still found nothing.


    Hope rested her hand on the beast''s head, caressing its soft fur as she felt the beast nuzzled against her touch.


    However, another thing happened again at that time.


    In the vast courtyard with a beautiful torch lit and a single tree with green leaves in every its every branches also the velvety grass, all of it suddenly fluttered as if there was a breeze of wind that blew them.


    Hope didn''t realize it at first, but when the light from the torched flickered and the sparks from its flames floated in the air, Hope realize one thing.


    Every single particle in Hope''s line of sight, gradually and slowly, turned into fireflies¡­ the scenery before her eyes was so breathtaking and heart- stirring. Hope had never seen something as beautiful as this.


    Millions of fireflies flew to one direction¡­ soaring high into the sky toward the moon that shone brightly in the dark of the night.


    Hope was flabbergasted as she was too drawn by the beauty of the light flickering from the fireflies before her eyes.


    "What is this¡­?" her question was barely a whisper, but her hand that rested on the beast''s head felt something was off¡­


    It almost felt like the warm on her palm started to fade away just like the fireflies, which disappeared into the dark night.


    Hope looked down and watched the beast''s glimmered with the same light as the fireflies, its blue ocean eyes faded until they were the same color as its fur and, slowly, its lids dropped.


    "No¡­" Hope choked in her own voice when her hands couldn''t touch the beast''s anymore.


    The beast was still there, but its body turned translucent and couldn''t be touched, it was now only a vague image of a big wolf with its head dropped to the ground.


    Just like smoke, his image became blurry and with the blow of the wind, it disappeared¡­


    Small gasps escaped Hope''s lips, she quickly placing her hands over her mouth as her eyes became wider.


    What was happening?!


    Hope blinked her eyes to clear her vision, but in her fourth attempts everything went dark. She heard an ear- splitting scream from somewhere, but soon realized it came from her.


    The problem was; Hope couldn''t stop, not being able to see was something horrible to experience, not to mention the last thing that she witnessed.


    "Hope! Hope!"


    Someone called her name and shook her body, along with that the darkness disappeared as her eyes was infiltrated by the bright light.


    "Hope! What happened?! Stop screaming!" Rossie''s voice could be heard above Hope''s head.


    It took Hope another second to realize that it was a dream, a very horrible nightmare!


    "Hope." Rossie''s voice was filled with worried. "What happened? Nightmare?"


    From the distance both of them could hear a few hurried steps before the door was forced to be opened by Sterling. A loud growl ruptured his throat as his red eyes scanned the room, looking for any threat.


    "What happened!?" Sterling roared, behind him the twins and Sophia rushed into the room with worried expression. "What is happening here!?"

 Chapter 503 - DEAD SOULS

    "Fireflies¡­?" Ethan said it in confusion as he bit a straw from his juice.


    The four of them, once again, end up in the canteen when lunch break and were sitting on their usual seat.


    While beside Ethan, Ian yawned widely and rested his head on the table, using his arms as a pillow with his eyes slightly closed.


    Hope felt a little bit guilty because of the commotion that she had caused this early morning. That stupid nightmare had woken up the whole house and made Sterling became a full version of overprotective the head of family.


    Sterling actually turned into his beast and scoured the area near the house, despite Hope had told him it was only a bad dream, the terrible one.


    "There is this ancient story," Ethan continued to speak when Rossie comeback with a tray full of her lunch. "This telling about fireflies."


    "Were you reading a weird book again?" Rossie sat down next to Ethan and nudged Ian head so he could wake up and ate his lunch.


    ??This is knowledge about our kind, you should read it sometime," Ethan retorted. "What do you mean weird book." He knocked his sister head lightly and this reminded Hope of Kace, the way he always joked around with her and treated her the way Hope had never been treated before.


    The feeling that Hope would only get from him.


    "So, what this about with the fireflies." Hope just told the sibling about the detail of her nightmare while Sterling and Sophia only knew that she had a very bad dream.


    It was awkward to tell them that she was dreaming about Kace, for some reason, Hope felt embarrassed. She felt like a love- sick girl, who couldn''t bear to part with her boyfriend.


    "Firefly is a symbol of spirit." Ethan told them, trying to remember an ancient story that he had read before.


    "What do you mean with spirit? There are a lot of thing about spirit." Ian chimed in as he gobbled up his lunch sleepily and Rossie could only furrow her eyebrow in disagreement.


    ???Firefly is a symbol of the soul of the dead," Ethan explained. "In some folklore they believed if someone dies their souls will turn into fireflies."


    "Then¡­" Ian drawled. "What do you mean with your theory? Do you want to say Hope was in cemetery when she was dreaming about Kace?"


    Ethan frowned. "No, that is not what I meant. The main focus here is the fact Kace''s beast turned into fireflies and faded away."


    "What? Do you want to say that Kace''s spirit is dead?" Ian''s jaw dropped as he stared at his twins with wide eyes.


    Sometime Hope forgot if they were twins as they had very different personalities.


    However, there was another important matter which caught Hope''s attention. Maybe Ian just mentioned it casually, but what if it was true?


    Hope remembered what Lana had told her, she said Kace''s spirit was wounded too. Did that mean Kace was¡­


    She shook her head, didn''t want to think something bad about him. She was afraid it would jinx him and Lana.


    Kace would come back, that was what he had promised her and Lana was with him. Both of them would be fine.


    After all, it was just a dream. A dream, which felt almost very real.


    Yet, Hope couldn''t concentrate with the rest of their conversation as her mind lingered around her terrible nightmare last night


    ==============


    Some malnourished kids run around dusty street and disappear into a hut. Beneath, it was a massive sea of rocks and gravel instead of smooth ground. This place was almost like a dessert.


    "Are you sure this is the entrance?" Kace furrowed his eyebrows when he saw high wall overgrown with tall grass near the horizon, it meant, whatever place that they were heading now was still so faraway than Kace expected.


    "Yes," Lana nodded curtly, her eyes didn''t wander around to see the poor environment surrounded her while Kace couldn''t help, but grimace every time there was a kid, who stared at him with their pleading gaze as if they needed his help.


    "These kids¡­" Kace stole another glance at the kids, who was standing not too far from him.


    "Don''t look at them and more importantly, don''t talk to them." Lana warned Kace again. Her expression was devoid from any emotions.


    The further they walked, the more people they met.


    Kace and Lana passed a circle of people smoking something out of a pipe, their eyes gazed to nothingness, as though if there was mayhem right before their eyes, they would only resume what they were doing right now, without even care to give their surrounding a glance.


    "What is this place?" Kace couldn''t help his curiosity as he narrowed his eyes at the people there.


    Despite the fact that they went to this realm through a pines forest, the world behind those green habitation was this almost dying place.


    "The border between two worlds," Lana answered Kace curiosity.


    This was the first time for this lycan to cross the border and everything here was something that he had never seen or expected.


    "It is common here to leave those people starved like that?" Kace had seen the aftermath of war and this kind of sight wasn''t something that he missed to see in his entire eternity ever again.


    "The witches and vampires here don''t think them as people," Lana glanced briefly at Kace before they continued to walk toward the high wall. "These people here are their guinea pig."


    Kace whipped his head toward Lana. He didn''t say anything, but his eyes conveyed his disgust to the idea.


    Well, he wouldn''t feel this way centuries ago, the days before they were cursed or the war with the devils.


    However, their casual discussion didn''t last for long time when a man stood tall a few meter away from Lana and Kace, yet all of sudden he hunched over on all fours.

 Chapter 504 - FERAL BEAST

    The man body spasmed violently, his whole body convulsing as his back started elongating and the muscles in his body started to engorge.


    When he hunched over on all fours toward Kace and Lana, his claws started extending from his fingers and his fangs from his mouth. The air filled with dozens of snapping bones.


    Kace had never seen this kind of shifting before, but Lana did. Her eyes zeroed in at the creatures which charged toward them now.


    Kace and Lana moved away at the same time when that beast lurched toward the spot where they were a second ago.


    A piercing howl echoed through the hot atmosphere surrounded them. The malnourished kids ran toward their hut, seeking for protection from whoever inside there, while the people with pipe stayed still where they were, didn''t seem notice about what was going on not too far from them.


    The beast was the color of mud, dirty and feral. And its chased after Lana as the woman turned into her own wolf.


    Lana''s wolf was as big as the muddy color one, but even the spectators could see the power difference between them.


    The feral beast ran rampant, chasing after Lana and easily tackled her to the ground. Loud of ear- piercing howls and growls filled the air


    It was a close call when the feral beast almost bit Lana''s neck and ended her right there and then, a white lycan smashed its side and forced him to move away from the brown wolf beneath him.


    The magnificent white lycan was fighting off the other beast, slamming it into the gravel and rocks on the road, attempting to subdue it.


    Debris and dust covered the sight on the spot where the two beasts were fighting brutally. Roars and snarls from them could change this whole place into a real battlefield.


    Lana turned into her human form as she clutched her injured arms, she didn''t expect that and was caught out off guard when she was being attacked.


    Hoisting herself up, she moved away when the white lycan just sunk his claws into the feral beast''s back. When Lana tumbled away, the two beasts brought their fight to the other side of this dessert like place.


    The white lycan was bigger than the muddy wolf, but every attack that he attempted didn''t hit the vital part of his opponent, thus this fight took longer time than it needed.


    Lana could see the four line of gashes behind the white lycan''s back, he didn''t get that wound fromm this fight, but even with that wounds, the white lycan still has the upper hand in this battle.


    They wrestled and tore at one another under this bright sunlight, as if they wouldn''t stop until one of them couldn''t stand on their legs anymore.


    And with one last ear- splitting roar, the white Lycan sunk his razor fangs on the beast''s neck as blood sprayed on its white fur.


    The feral beast collapsed to the ground and turned into his human''s form with his neck split open.


    The white lycan took another steps back, its magnificent body shook as his human form stood in its place.


    Kace''s eyes gradually turned into his initial ocean blue as he stared at the man, who pooled on his own blood on the ground. His breathing ragged and his black eyes fought back the sleepiness that engulfed him, the darkness that would consume him into nothingness.


    "Let''s go." Lana approached Kace, who was still standing while staring at the man in daze. "We have wasted our time here."


    At this point, Lana''s wound on her arms had healed and all that''s left was only traces of blood on her torn sleeves.


    Yet, Kace didn''t take another step to follow the woman, he was still standing there with furrowed eyebrows.


    "What are you doing? We have to go now." Lana frowned as she stepped in his line of sight. "Don''t tell you are thinking what I am thinking now."


    As if Lana could guess what was inside Kace''s mind, her gaze turned hard.


    "Yes, I am thinking what you are thinking now." Kace nodded and stepped forward to approach the man, who second ago was about to kill Lana and him.


    "You can''t save him!" Lana said exasperatedly when she watched Kace crouched down and put his big palm on the man''s split open wound.


    Kace ignored Lana''s words as he stared at the man. He has black eyes, so it wasn''t because he was still under the beast''s control, but this was the original color of his eyes.


    His chapped lips reminded Kace of someone, who had not drank water for days, as they moved and formed a pleading words.


    "Help¡­"


    That was all the man said in his voice that barely a whisper before he closed his eyes. Died.


    ==============


    "You don''t have to feel guilty because of that," Lana spoke with concern as she glanced at Kace beside her for the tenth times as they walked toward the high wall.


    Kace didn''t answer. He refused to talk after he witnessed the way that man died with a pleading word hung on his lips.


    There was something that bothered Kace greatly, aside from the fact he had killed another creature, let his beast to take control for a second and tasted the blood that its always wanted because Kace always suppressed its desire for blood and more more blood.


    "It is our nature to kill another creatures, which threatened our live." Lana walked in front of Kace as the sun had almost set in the horizon. "We live in the world where we have to kill in order to survive."


    Kace narrowed his eyes at Lana''s back. He didn''t agree with her statement. "I think I live long enough and went through many wars to know the value of someone''s life," he spoke in boring tone. "And for some reason I think that man shifted into his feral beast out of his will. I want to know about that, but unfortunately, I killed him instead."

 Chapter 505 - NORTHERN COVEN REALM

    "You don''t have to worry about that. There will be many unpredictable things happen the moment we enter the realm," Lana was standing in front of the high wall, where fungus and moss vined on its surface.


    However, they couldn''t see the door from there.


    "How do we go inside?" Kace scoured the entire high wall. "Jump over it?" On that moment, it was the only way since it was impossible to smash the wall open.


    "No," Lana ran her fingers on the surface of the sleek moss, contemplating. "Take my hand!" she stretched out her hand for Kace to take.


    The lycan didn''t welcome the invitation immediately. "What is it?" he stared at Lana''s opened palm with a frown between his brows.


    "I am not seducing you, but if you want to go through into the other realm, you have to take my hand." Lana said impatiently while Kace rolled his eyes.


    "I didn''t say you would seduce me. I mean, what would happen if I take your hand? The high wall will collapse?" Kace grabbed Lana''s hand.


    This casual action made the girl slightly lowered her head and turned around, so Kace wouldn''t be able to see her expression now.


    "We''re going through this wall now," Lana mumbled to him. She raised her other hand and made a caress-like motion to the moss-covered wall.


    In the next second, the moss and fungus melted away, just like an ice cube under the bright sunlight. Not only that, the wall also disappeared along with the melting moss.


    "How did you do that?" Kace asked in awe. He knew that Lana can do one or two magic tricks, but what she was doing now was like a full blood witch.


    "Fae''s blood," Lana answered curtly, her brows twisted in concentration. "It helps."


    While waiting for the high wall to melt and create a passageway for them, Kace engaged in a casual talk with her. "How''s the progress of your mother search going?"


    "Not really good." Lana shrugged her shoulder and pulled Kace''s hand with hers when she stepped across the other realm.


    The lack of light at the other side of the world made Kace squinted his eyes and wondered, what kind of world they''d about to enter?


    Despite the border between two worlds had bright sun over their head,which seemed could burn everything under its scorching light, gravels and rocks beneath their feet, there was nothing but the vast desert as far as their eyes could see. Despite all that, this side was completely dark.


    Kace and Lana were standing in an evergreen forest, like the pine forest near the Mystic River village, only the vegetation here was slightly different. Above their head, there was no moon which light could guide them.


    The only source of light was the flickering fireflies that surrounded them. Their glimmering faint lightsradiated from their body.


    "What is this place?" Kace raised his hand to nudge the firefly with his finger.


    "The land of the dead," Lana answered. It was fortunate for them, as shape shifters they had a great vision. Despite this place lacked of light, they could see their way just find.


    "The land of the dead?" Kace let go of Lana''s hand and didn''t notice a small frown between the girl''s brows. "What a name for this nice place." He was still immersed with the faint glow from the fireflies.


    "That''s what I thought when I came here." Lana agreed with Kace''s opinion.


    "How could you be here?"


    "Serefina told me, taught me and misled me to go into this place," Lana grunted as she led the way.


    "That sounds like Serefina," Kace chuckled lightly.


    They were having this light conversation while they were walking inside the forest, accompanied by the fireflies. The sight was breathtakingly beautiful.


    Two people, walking inside the deep forest, challenging their fate in this foreign realm, talking lightly and exchanging smile every now and then, it would be more fascinating if they were a lover.


    However, unfortunately, the reality was different, as they were not destined for each other.


    Kace and Lana walked for almost an hour or so, nobody knew the exact time then.


    When the dense of the forest unraveled and the fireflies that was left accompanying them was less than a couple, Kace started to see a brighter light from afar, coming from a small town.


    Lamp streets and building illuminated the night.


    "A town?" Kace raised his brows. "So, northern coven is a town?" he had never been in this place, thus it slightly confused him to see this.


    Kace thought Northern Coven would as gloomy as the creatures which lived there, but apparently this place was quite similar tothe Mystic River village.


    "It''s only one place, and there are many places in this Northern Coven realm, which either the witches or vampires had not yet set their feet on its land," Lana explained as they walked toward the small town.


    "How do we find the person who can cure my wounds?" Kace wanted to ask this since the very beginning, but Lana refused to answer him before they trespass the border of this realm.


    "Here." Lana grabbed something from her pocket and gave it to Kace to see. "Serefina gave me this to find that person."


    Kace took that thing from Lana''s hand and examined it. "A candle?" between his callous fingers were a small white candle.


    There was nothing peculiar about this candle, it was just like any ordinary candle that Kace had seen a thousand times.


    "What are we going to do with this candle?" He played with that small thing, weighing it on his palm before Lana took it away from him.


    "This is our clue to find that person," Lana said.


    "Who is exactly this person?" Kace grew impatient when Lana didn''t explain about the person who was going to treat his wound and heal him.


    Now, they had entered the town with buildings surrounded them.


    "A priestess," she replied.

 Chapter 506 - I AM SORRY

    "A priestess?" Kace reiterated in questioning tone. His eyes widened and looked at the girl beside him in disbelieve. "Do you really think this priestess could save me?" there was resentment in the way Kace asked this.


    "Serefina thinks this priestess could save you," Lana corrected, after all she just did the task that Serefina gave to her.


    "What this priestess will do? Praying for me while burning that candle? You must be kidding me," Kace looked at the bar which Lana chose to enter.


    "If that works, why not?" Lana shrugged and was about to enter the bar when Kace grabbed her hand and forced her to turn around and faced him.


    "This sounds very ridiculous," Kace grunted. "How long it will take until we find that priestess with only a single clue?" and to say the only clue they had was the very ordinary candle, sounded so pitiful in Kace''s ears. "We need to go back before the festival."


    "Calm down," Lana didn''t pull her hand from Kace''s grip, she just reciprocated his gaze. "Hope is with that family and we have warned to not come to the festival."


    "Knowing her, do you think she will comply obediently, especially when we don''t return as per the time we promised her?" Kace knew the girl wouldn''t be so lenient upon being lied to.


    And Lana knew it as well. "We will return before the festival," she assured him.


    "I am not sure with meeting the priestess, but since we are already here, let''s finish this as soon as possible." Kace didn''t feel excited to meet the priestess at all.


    "I know this will be your reaction, that was why Serefina told me to not tell anything until we are here." Lana pushed open the door and walked into the bar.


    "I think both of you have grown to know me very well," Kace replied as he followed her.


    Apparently the bar was out of business now as Kace could see all the chair was upside down and a few spots were covered with white sheet. Another thing that Kace realized was; there was no one there neither the door was closed.


    Lana didn''t seem to bother with this fact and walked toward the stairs, beside her, Kace didn''t question the girl about this as he assumed she knew what she had to do.


    Both of them climbed the stairs in silence.


    On the second floor, there was only one hallway, which led them to the only door in the end of it and Lana was heading there.


    This place was very quiet, too quiet for Kace liking and had nothing. No scent, no sound. This place was completely empty, but what they were doing here?


    Did Lana want to get something from this place?


    Lana stopped in front of the wooden black door with intricate carving on the surface of the door. Again, as if she owned this place, Lana didn''t even bother to knock and pushed the door with her body.


    However after a few attempts, apparently her strength was not enough to make the door budge and her face contorted with annoyance.


    Kace still didn''t say anything when he grabbed Lana''s shoulder and pulled her away. Kace replaced her spot and tried to push the door.


    It was indeed very heavy, but in his second attempts the door opened with a loud screeching sound that made Kace scrunched his nose. The sound agitated his ears while Lana had covered hers with both hands.


    The scene behind the door threw Kace out of guard as the view before his eyes, once again, made him scrunched his brows tightly.


    "Did all the doors in this realm will lead you to another world or something?" Kace held the door open just enough for Lana to go into the room, no, this was not a room.


    This place was covered in a crystal white snow, Kace took a deep breath in the fresh, cold air. They were in the mountain.


    "Where are we exactly?" Kace spoke in a sigh, his voice turning to fog in the freezing air. Snow and ice clung to the bare branches of the forest trees. Yes, another forest!


    Kace could feel his head spun with this fact, they had changed environment four times just within six hours.


    "I don''t know if this will be snow over here," Lana mumbled, she shook the fallen snow on her head and tightened the jacket around her body. "The walk will be slightly difficult.''


    "Worry not, my entire life has been difficult, I am kind of used to that now," Kace replied with a small grunt and this made Lana smile a little bit.


    Both of them stayed standing there for a minute more as their eyes locked on the white- encrusted top of the mountain before Lana decided it was time to keep moving.


    "Let''s go," she said as she took steps ahead.


    Kace followed behind her silently, he didn''t have trouble to keep up with Lana even in this snowy environment.


    Along the way Lana would grumble here and there, brushing the snow from her head and clothes. It was clear to see this beautiful white snow had agitated her, especially when the snow reached her knees and she was having difficulty to walk.


    Lana had stumbled a few times during this walk and Kace would be there to catch her to gain her footing again. "Do you always walk so clumsily?" he couldn''t help, but teased her.


    "No! It''s just hard to walk with this snow everywhere!" Lana shot him a scowl and ignored the heat rising to her cheeks in embarrassment.


    Kace''s whole demeanor changed, he gave her apologetic smile. "I am sorry," he said softly.


    "For?" Lana was busy to keep her balance. "You don''t have to be sorry for this, it didn''t look like you are the one who creates this weather."


    But, Kace shook his head. "I am sorry because I spoke harshly to you at that time."

 Chapter 507 - THE CITY OF SPIRIT

    Lana''s body turned stiff, she was clueless that Kace would talk about it in this situation. Well, actually there wasn''t a good topic for this condition too.


    "I think I am too harsh with my reaction," he admitted. After all, Lana had been there during the time when he was not able to be with Hope and kept her safe.


    Though, his beast couldn''t accept what Lana had done, but his human side, the side where his emotion and feeling made everything became more complicated, realized his reaction was too crude.


    "I can understand," Lana mumbled. "Actually I don''t have intention to let you know about my feeling for you¡­ it''s just¡­" She lost her words, hesitated to explain herself.


    Cold wind blew and they clutched their jacket even tighter around their body.


    "¡­ it''s just I was too carried away." Lana admitted, she didn''t really want Kace to hear this and wished the wind would bring her confession away.


    "Understand." Kace nodded.


    "Thank you," Lana bit her lips. "I know my place." She added.


    "But, I hope we will not tangle in this matter anymore," Kace held Lana''s elbow when she was about to fall again, "Because one day, you will find your own mate. Someone who you could claim as yours."


    "I hope so." Lana meant her words, maybe only by finding her own mate, she could stop torturing herself with her feeling for Kace. She was afraid jealousy and envy would eat her alive.


    With the mention of ''Hope'', Kace could feel his heart ached, he missed his little mate already. Why he had to leave her alone again when he could see her every day since he arrived in this village and decided to stay?


    If this wasn''t because of these troublesome wounds, he would be next to Hope and teased the girl to no end. Maybe went on a date again to watch a movie or two, and shopping, and romantic dinner¡­ there were hundreds of plan that roamed around Kace''s mind and all of that included Hope in it.


    He wondered what she was doing now? He had to come back before the festival.


    "Where we will go now?" Kace asked against the howling wind.


    "We will enter the vampire territory behind this mountain," Lana shook her head from the snow that rested on top of her hair.


    It was fortunate enough for them to have this kind of body, because if they were only human, they would have froze to death by now in this harsh and cold environment.


    "Is it the only way?" Kace asked again, this time he was walking in front of Lana, so she could be protected from the cold wind and was easier to walk by following Kace''s footsteps.


    "This is the only way that I know," Lana replied.


    "Who we will meet after this? A vampire?" Kace didn''t like the idea. Vampire and wolf were a sworn enemy since centuries ago.


    The only things that held them back from biting off each other neck every time they met was a treaty of peace between th''e two leaders.


    Yet, even though both parties had agreed for almost every points of the agreement, but the hostility between them were still something that should be questioned.


    "No, we will not meet with the vampire." Apparently Lana also didn''t like the idea as well, her tone dropped when she thought about the vampire, after all that creature was responsible for the damage to her Pack before.


    "So, who will we meet?" Kace glanced at Lana behind his body, slightly worried that she wouldn''t be able to keep up with his pace, but relieved when she was only one foot away from him.


    "A candlemaiden," Lana answered almost immediately, as if she had predicted this question from Kace.


    "A candlemaiden?" Kace slightly raised his eyebrows. "I have never heard of such a creature." He roamed his memories, but couldn''t find anything that ring the bell about that name.


    "A candlemaiden is human with great spiritual strength," Lana explained.


    "So, why we have to see this candlemaide when we are supposed to find the priestess?" Kace shook his head to get rid the snow from his head.


    "Because¡­" Lana tightened the jacket around her body, she felt slightly cold. "By finding her, we will be able to find the priestess sooner."


    "What a tiresome journey," Kace grumbled.


    "I thought the northern coven only filled with witches and vampires."


    "There are a lot more creatures here that outside world don''t know about them."


    It was clear to see, during Lana''s searching for her mother, Serefina had assigned her to go back and forth this realm, it came out surprising as her knowledge became very handy at time like this.


    "Where we could find this candlemaiden?" Kace asked impatiently.


    This journey, this uncertainty, this unknown creatures and this foreign land, made him restless. Maximus sure knew how to give him trouble after trouble.


    "I heard she lives in the city nearby this mountain," Lana answered, but when she received a glare from Kace because of her indecisive answer, she hurriedly added. "Serefina had confirmed it, the candlemaiden lives there."


    Kace clicked his tongue, he always thought, only if Serefina willing to bow her head slightly and came here herself rather than asked Lana to do all the job in this northern coven, half of their issues should have been solved this time around.


    It took them longer than Lana predicted to reach the city nearby with the snow slowed down their paces. It was called City of spirit. What a name¡­


    The moment they reached the city of spirit, the sun had raised above their head and illuminated the city bellow the hill.


    The houses were all snug up against each other, each doorframe a riot of color that mirrored the whole street. Magenta leaned against azure, which pushed against orange, which clashed with deep green of its neighbor. The rooftops were staggered, some jutting above others.

 Chapter 508 - STAY OVERNIGHT

    Children ran down the streets, laughing and shouting and darting between people who carried basket at their h.i.p.s.


    "What are they? They look lika human." Kace sniffed the air, but found it strange because he couldn''t smell anything from them. They were scentless.


    "Human," Lana replied grimly.


    Despite the happy atmosphere that surrounded them, Lana''s expression was the contrary. She looked upset about something.


    "No way, they don''t smell like one." Kace scrunched his nose. "Actually, they don''t have any scent on them."


    "They are humans who are abducted by fairies when they were only babies. Some fairies have a habit to swap their children with human children."


    "For what purpose?" Kace felt he had not yet seen this world enough, there were many things that he didn''t know.


    "So, they could use human children as their slaves," Lana walked among the people with Kace next to her. "Not all fairies do that, but they who did it had a close tied with the witches."


    "But they don''t have scent." Kace still bothered by this fact.


    "Yes, they don''t. They had being fed by fairies potion for years. I guess that''s the reason why we couldn''t smell them." Lana stepped aside when a small boy was about to bump onto her. "This is how they got the candlemaiden. Human with strong spirit power."


    "You know about a lot of things about this world," Kace stated in awe.


    "You will eventually learn, even if you don''t want to, if you spent the last seventeen years roaming around this world and had many task about their kind." Lana shrugged. Serefina made sure she learned about her origin, about her fae''s mother.


    "And what about the fairies'' children in human world?" Kace walked along the street to the spot where were less people.


    "Those children will realize if they are different, whether it''s the way their thinking or their body, and in the age of fifteen or so, their parents would come to explain the situation. If they accept it well, they will live, if not, those fairies'' parent will kill their own child. After all, supernatural creatures like us couldn''t reveal our existence to the human world."


    With Lana''s explanation they walked toward a different alley. The street before was filled with brilliant colors and colorful people. Those variant color was overwhelming, until sudden alley revealed the city sprawled beneath them, nothing but dark and gloomy rooftops and the endless of shrubbery.


    Kace started to get used with this frequent change of environment.


    Colorful houses turning into these gloomy shops and the streets were almost empty. This side was totally different from the place before.


    Snow was no longer falling, but the air was still cold.


    Finally, when the sunny afternoon had given way to an evening fog, Lana stopped in front of an inn. It was a long day and Kace could feel tiredness started to take a toll on him.


    Not minding its worn plain exterior or the pungent smell of fish that clung to the warehouses around it, all Kace wanted to do was to soak his feet in warm water. He hoped there was one here.


    Kace watched several people in dark cloak that covered almost their entire faces brought a lantern on their hand with a few children no older than ten years old, scampering around those strange people with cloak that Kace assumed was the witch.


    A strange man, who was standing behind the reception desk, with his ghostly pale skin and white blonde hair, was talking to Lana about reservation.


    Lana asked for two room, but unfortunately they only had one room available.


    "The festival is around the corner and we have so many visitors here," the man spoke in boring tone.


    Lana wanted to argue, but Kace cut her. "It''s fine, give the room." Kace didn''t see what the point of arguing when he said there was no more room in this inn. If what that man said was true, then most of the inn would be fully booked as well and Kace was not in the mood to walk on that eerie street again.


    The man looked pleased with Kace''s decision and gave the key room to him.


    "Third floor," he said to inform Kace, who already walked away and waved his hand to acknowledge him.


    "Kace, do you know what this means?" Lana hissed, she jogged beside Kace. "We will stay in one room." she couldn''t mask the panic in her voice.


    "He said there is no more room here." Kace climbed the stars, trying as much as possible to avoid the other people.


    "They must have an extra room." Lana couldn''t hide that she was nervous and Kace couldn''t ignore the tiredness.


    These wounds surely had weakened him.


    "Look." Kace suddenly stopped and stared at Lana. "I am very tired and all I want is only a good night sleep and saving as much as energy for tomorrow, so we could roam around this place to find that candlemaiden. If you are very nervous because we will be in the same room¡­" of course Kace was able to sense that from Lana. "Just think of me as a wooden log. I will sleep on the couch, definitely we will not share the bed, and we don''t have to talk with each other. Alright?"


    "Alright," Lana said meekly as she lowered her head to avoid those beautiful ocean blue eyes.


    "Good," Kace nodded, his body was aching all over.


    If he remembered correctly, they had been through a desert, a feral beast, a forest, a mountain, a city and now they were in this creepy inn. Kace really exhausted and he could see Lana felt the same.


    "Hope will kill me if she knows about this," Lana mumbled, but her face turned crimson red, she still couldn''t get rid the fact she would sleep in the same room with Kace.


    "My sweet mate will not kill anyone," he said softly. "She is an angel."


    "An angel who has been raised by a witch like Serefina."

 Chapter 509 - THERE WOULD BE NO OTHER CHANCE

    "An angel who has been raised by a witch like Serefina," Lana sighed and added. "After all she has a trait as a human."


    "Alright, maybe she will kill us if she found out about this." There was humor in the way Kace said it, but then the tiredness almost knocked him off. "Let''s talk about that later¡­" he felt his eyelids dropped.


    And when they found their room number, Kace opened the door and kicked his shoes and threw his backpack before he walked toward the bathroom.


    "I will take a shower first," he mumbled and trudged directly to the other door. Not long after that, there was a sound of running water.


    Lana put down her own backpack and scoured this small room. This room was indeed only fit for one person. A single bed, a single sofa and a small cabinet, next to the bed, with bed lamp on top of it.


    Lana stared at the sofa, it was too small to accommodate Kace''s body, but she was very sure, Kace wouldn''t agree if she suggested for him to take the bed.


    For some reason, Lana was very nervous and couldn''t calm herself down. She bit her lips and stared at the bathroom door every now and then, hearing the running water came to stop eventually.


    From behind it, Kace stepped out with mist from hot water as his background. His damp hair and droplet of water that trickled down his neck looked seductive enough in Lana''s eyes.


    The young werewolf couldn''t take her eyes from him, especially when his white tee shirt sculpted his abs perfectly.


    "I am done, I will sleep now," Kace''s voice was very heavy and his eyes almost closed when he walked toward the sofa. He stretched his body on that small sofa and closed his eyes with his hair still wet. Kace was dead tired.


    Lana bit her lips as she stole a glance at Kace and found the lycan had fallen asleep in matter of second. As a shape shifter, usually they would have stronger stamina than any other creatures, but this time, Kace looked very exhausted because of his wound.


    Shaking her head to get rid some dirty thought from her mind, Lana walked toward the bathroom to get cold showers.


    ==============


    The first news that Serefina got the moment she arrived in the red river city was; the guardian angel, which was Torak''s mate, was being hospitalized.


    She didn''t have any idea how the angel became sick? From what she heard, Torak treated his mate pretty well, which meant, Serefina could save herself from the unnecessary drama such as; persuading the lycan to accept his mate and explained the importance of their situation.


    Serefina could only guess that the angel only got a common flu, just like any normal human. She ruled out the option the thought about Torak became violent toward the poor angel.


    However, the moment Serefina arrived at the hospital, only then she could smell something fishy.


    The floor where Torak and his little mate were, was being guarded very thight. Lycan strolled around and Serefina could sense the tense in the air.


    Not only that, the fact that Torak had provided excessive protection like this, could only one thing; there must be something happen with the guardian angel.


    Serefina walked throughout the hallway, sending her magic here and there, so no guards could step in to hold her back.


    It was quite easy when you could manipulate other people as you wish for certain amount of time and in a matter of second, Serefina had stood in front of the guardian angel''s ward.


    "VVIP¡­" Serefina sneered. From the other side of the door, she could hear noises from inside.


    This would be the first time she would meet again with Jedrek''s second brother and not like with Kace, Serefina was not too familiar with him.


    Because of the harsh wind outside, Serefina was wearing her windbreaker and shawl around her neck. pushing opened the door she walked in confidently. "Am I interrupting?"


    ==============


    Lana stepped out from the bathroom, looked fresh and a little bit more energetic after a good shower. She was wearing tee shirt and sweatpants in the same color of brown.


    Her cheeks flushed and her hair wet with a few droplets fell on the floor, escaped from her towel.


    Yet, the first thing that seized her attention was a soft heavy breathing sound, which coming from the sofa where Kace was sleeping now. Of course this sound was coming from him.


    As if the man on the sofa was the gravity of her existence, Lana walked toward him absentmindedly and the moment she realized what she was doing, her hand had caressed Kace''s soft hair, pushing the strands away from his face.


    Lana didn''t know from where she got this courage, but the fact that Kace didn''t even awake after her touch, encouraged her to do more than this.


    With her shaking hand, her slender fingers traced Kace''s jaw line, relishing the sight how vulnerable this man now.


    Kace was very tired and in so much pain, until he couldn''t realize what the girl, whom he trusted, was doing to him.


    Lana gulped hard when her eyes savoring the sight of Kace''s full lips, which slightly open. Her heart was beating fast against her ribcage and she became worried that the sound of it would wake Kace up.


    Lana wanted to retract her hands and didn''t want to take advantage from Kace''s unconscious state now, but, instead of pushing herself away, Lana chose to lean over.


    She was slightly hesitated when Kace''s eyelashes slightly fluttered, Lana froze in her position, which only a fist away from him.


    However, when Kace''s breathing became even and he seemed oblivious about what was going to happen, Lana leaned closer.


    She didn''t know what has gotten into her to have this idea or this gut to do this¡­


    All she knew, there would be no other chance anymore for her.

 Chapter 510 - A CLOSE CALL

    Lana was very close, extremely close for her own good, she was about to close her eyes and savored the sin that she nearly committed when all of sudden her eyes caught Kace''s red eyes, which abruptly opened.


    His eyes were not the beautiful ocean blue color, but the bloodshot red one.


    Being caught out off guard from the indecent act she was about to do, Lana let out a short yelp as her body jerked away from Kace.


    Lana fell with a soft thud on her back, her hand covered her mouth and her eyes widened in horror.


    What should I do now? What should I do now?


    With her quivering lips, she tried to form an excuse for her action. "Kace¡­ I¡­" yet, apparently, her words failed her, as she couldn''t calm her beating heart. In this rate, she wouldn''t be able to talk or fixed the situation.


    And again, what situation that she should be fixed? When everything was as clear as a day about what she was going to do to him, taking advantage of hid condition.


    Lana gulped hard and was about to cry when Kace''s red eyes locked on hers. Regret and guilty washed over her body, seeped into every particles of her body.


    She was already at the point where she resigned herself to what would happen to her. This situation couldn''t be saved anymore.


    Stupid Lana!


    She really wanted to curse and slap herself for even having that kind of thought. Lana felt like she was not herself a few seconds ago for committing something out of her character.


    Yet, she wouldn''t regret it if everything went as she wanted, and this thought alone made her sick. Lana didn''t know she has this sordid side in her.


    She lost track of time under Kace''s bloodshot glare, but when a few moment later Kace''s eyes slowly closed, Lana felt there was a huge burden was being lifted from her shoulder, allowed her to breathe in relieved.


    What was that?


    Lana had thought the worst case possible. If the last time she was hugging him and he was so livid to even look at her for a few days, the more horrible things than being ignored should have happened by now the moment he knew she was about to kiss him, right?


    But, Kace just closed his eyes like that? What does it mean? Was he falling asleep again? So, what was happening before?


    It felt like, even Kace didn''t realize what was happening a few moment ago. Was that his subconscious that prevented Lana from doing that or his beast, which came to the surface and gave her a warning.


    Whatever it was, Lana stood up quickly and rushed to her bed, covering herself with blanket. Her heart pummeled in her chest and it seemed she would have trouble to sleep now.


    She bit her lips and peeked at Kace from under the blanket, but it seemed the lycan was fast asleep.


    So, what did she just see?


    ==============


    When the sun kissed Lana''s face and she felt someone shook her body, she groaned.


    "Wake up, we need to go, right?" Kace''s voice was akin to a beautiful song from Lana''s dream, so soft and warm, she wanted to indulge herself in it longer.


    But, a flash of memory hit her hard and made her jumped from her bed. This sudden action also took Kace by surprised as he jerked away from the bed.


    "What happened?!" his eyes scanned the entire room in alert, looking for any threat. However, there was no other creature inside the room except the two of them.


    "No, no¡­ nothing¡­" Lana shook her head, fl.u.s.tered by her own reaction. Her eyes stared at Kace warily, trying to find hostility in him, but the lycan before her eyes acted normal.


    Very normal until Lana thought last night was only a dream. A very dangerous dream.


    "Did I surprise you?" Kace raised his eyebrows, amus.e.m.e.nt dancing on the corner of his lips when he said that. "Don''t worry, even if you unconscious n.a.k.e.d in front of me, I will not do anything to you."


    That was absolute fact that Kace could tell her. There was no way he would touch any other woman except his own mate, Hope. Her name itself reminded him how he missed her.


    Kace just wanted to finish this journey and returned to her as soon as possible. If he thought about it again, he felt like a lovesick teenager when his age was older than some of the mummies.


    Moreover, despite the hugging incident before, Kace still thought of Lana as his younger sister, this one of the reasons why he was upset because Lana has feeling for him.


    Kace arranged his backpack, ready to go within a minute, as he crouched down to check his belonging, he missed how Lana''s face turned like a ripe tomatoes when he didn''t see it.


    Lana was heading for the bathroom. She felt her heart and brain boiled with embarrassment.


    Kace was clueless about his predicament last night. It should be he was the one who had to be more careful around Lana when he was in unconscious state.


    Lana felt dreadful.


    It took her a long time before she finished her bath and stepped out from the bathroom, fully clothed with her hair slightly damp.


    However, the important point now was; the rapid thumping in her heart had slightly decreased. She didn''t want Kace to know. But his bloodshed red eyes kept her on edge every time she saw him.


    "Eat this first." Kace threw a sandwich to Lana, which she caught it mid- air. "I bought it when you were sleeping. I think the taste a little bit salty." He scrunched his nose, sitting on the sofa where he used for sleeping.


    "Thanks," Lana mumbled and took a bite.


    In all honesty, she couldn''t taste anything from that sandwich as her mind was in disarray, it played the scene from last night. She was so close to touch his lips with hers.

 Chapter 511 - CHRISTAL

    "Are we ready to go now?" Kace tossed the wrapper of the sandwich to the dustbin and stood up.


    At this time, Lana had finished her own sandwich and was drinking a glass of water unhurriedly, she peeked at Kace and took a big gulp.


    "Yeah," she said, putting down the glass and grabbed her backpack.


    Both of them went to the reception desk for returning the key, along the way there, many people, which Kace knew as witches and vampires, turned their head and let out a mall grunt through their sharp teeth whenever Kace ran into them.


    They knew what Kace and Lana were, and though Lana''s scent slightly different from any other werewolf, but the fact she wasn''t from this realm couldn''t be hid.


    Mostly Kace would ignore them or return their glare if he started to feel uncomfortably from the intensity.


    When they reached the reception desk, Lana gave the key room to the young man from last night as she smiled a little.


    "You shouldn''t be here," the young man said as he retrieved the key from Lana. "Both of you shouldn''t be here when the festival happens."


    "Thanks for your advice," Lana mumbled as she walked away from the reception desk toward the entrance of the inn.


    Thought the inn was quite lively in the morning, but the street was still gloomy even when the ray of the sun illuminated every dark corner of this town.


    The feeling of dampness hung in the air as they walked along the nearly empty street. Maybe the day was too early for people to go out.


    But, this street didn''t give any comfort for both of them to walk around recklessly, somehow, either Kace or Lana, both of them felt as if there was someone else who kept their eyes on them.


    Though when they turned around and couldn''t find anything at all.


    It took them another four hour before they reached to different parts of this mysterious northern coven realm.


    This realm was not like other dimension that Kace been before, thought there was some part where Kace found it was quite normal, but the rest of it was akin to a ghost town with barely people that they could see.


    "Where are we heading?" Kace glanced at his surroundings, this place was quite creepy as Lana led them to the narrow alley where there was less people there.


    "The house of the candlemaiden," Lana answered.


    They were walking under the shadow of the building flanked them from both side.


    "She has a house in this town?" Kace asked incredulously and Lana threw him a questioning look. "No, I thought this candlemaiden person would live in forest or mountain since she sounds like a holly person."


    Kace''s lack of imagination made Lana rolled her eyes as she thought this lycan was being ridiculous.


    "Of course she has a house, she is a resident of this town." Lana then stopped in front of a shop with the sign next to its door. It read:


    Christal.


    Candlemaiden.


    Kace raised his brows upon reading the sign. "That''s it?" he would have never thought that the house of the candlemaiden would be so blunt like this.


    This person called candlemaiden was living in a shop and put their name on the sign, as if announced what they were.


    This kind of place reminded Kace of the place of the fortune teller. Was the candlemaiden also same like a fortune teller too?


    Kace was not sure with the answer neither he wanted to know.


    Lana walked closer to the shop''s terrace with Kace followed behind her, she looked through the windows. It didn''t seem like anyone was in.


    No lights were on inside. Lana then tried the handle, but the door wouldn''t move.


    "Do you want to barge into this shop?" Kace asked her, thinking this girl was being ridiculous to actually expect the door wouldn''t be locked.


    "Do you have any idea?" Lana crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying to look calm with her heart beating so fast. She just became awkward around him.


    Sometime, when you felt very nervous, you would end up do something out of ordinary and dump, just like what Lana did just now.


    "Why not use a more polite way?" Kace stood in front of the door and rapped his knuckles against it sharply.


    There were a few sounds of movement before the door opened. "Who''s there?" a voice, as sweet as nectar sounded from inside.


    After that, a beautiful young girl with black hair opened the door, she was almost as young as Hope with the same figure like his little mate.


    "Who are¡­ you?" she didn''t open the door widely for Kace and Lana to go through, but just enough for the two to see her figure behind slightly opened door.


    Lana stepped forward and stood in front of Kace, so she could face the young girl in front of her. "We are looking for the candlemaiden," she said firmly.


    The girl didn''t move a little bit, but her slightly frown expression told them that she didn''t like their visit.


    "The candlemaiden will not see people from outside of our community,??? she said in low and soft voice, but Kace could feel there was hesitation in the way she talked. "Please leave."


    And everything happened way too fast; the girl was about to close the door, Lana realized what she was going to do and held the door with her bare hand, trying to stop the girl from shutting the door right before their face.


    "No, stop! Argh!" Lana let out a grunt when her hand was being squeezed against the door and its frame.


    Kace didn''t have time to think about what he was doing when he pushed the door opened, it flew from its hinges and made the young girl flung a few meter away, her body skidded on the floor.


    The commotion was very loud and this attracted another person inside this shop attention.

 Chapter 512 - ASKING FOR HELP

    "What is happening here?" a hoarse voice stopped the commotion that Kace and Lana had created and from behind an antique cabinet a woman stepped in.


    The two shape shifters were flabbergasted when they saw this woman, especially when the girl, who was splayed on the floor, quickly stood up and sprinted toward the second woman.


    "Christal!" she screeched, hiding behind the woman named christal''s back.


    Kace furrowed his brows as he shot the woman before his eyes a puzzle look. If this woman was the candlemaiden, then she was far from what he imagined.


    Since the title of candlemaiden sounded like a call to a girl, thus Kace thought he would meet with someone as young as Hope, or at least just the same age like the girl, who he had pushed away from the door before.


    However, his expectation didn''t meet the reality when he watched the candlemaiden named christal, even Lana couldn''t hide her surprised as well, it was clear to see this was her first time to see her.


    Christal was not a young delicate girl and didn''t seem like someone who has a strong spirit whatover. She was a wrinkled old woman who walked with a limp and hair that had turned all white. Her eyes were hazy as if there was fog that covered her vision.


    At first Kace thought she was blind until her grey eyes shot him a hard stare. Christal didn''t talk and resumed that way until she opened her mouth.


    "Both of you are shifters. What are shifters doing in the land of the witch?" her voice slightly shaky and crude, but she spoke with power and confidence, as if by provoking the two predators there, she wouldn''t endanger her own life and the little girl behind her back.


    "We are here to look for the candlemaiden," Lana spoke, broke the staring contest between Christal and Kace, apparently both of them engrossed to analyze one another. "And if you are the person that we are looking for, then we need you to tell us where the priestess is." Lana didn''t have time to beat around the bush as she blurted out what their intention.


    "The priestess?" Christal sneered as she raised her eyebrows, staring at Lana as if she grew three heads now. The kind of look that Kace despised the most.


    The way Christal was looking at Lana was the similar way how the vampire looked down on the shape shifter.


    Kace disliked this old woman in an instant.


    "Why do you think I will let you meet with the priestess?" Christal crossed her arms in front of her chest, despite her fragile figure she looked imperious and overbearing.


    "How about this?" Lana fished out a candle from her backpack. This was an ordinary candle that Serefina had given to her, which Kace had seen it too.


    In Kace opinion, there was nothing special with this, but Christal''s reaction showed them otherwise. Her arrogance''s attitude started to fade away as both of her arms dropped beside her body.


    Christal''s body was shaking, as if she was about to cry. "How can you get that?!" her long finger pointed at the candle in Lana''s hand. She looked very shock to say the least.


    However, before Lana could answer that, Christal had already known the answer.


    "This must be Serefina, right?!" she talked trough gritted teeth. "That witch!" Christal screamed in exasperation. Her breathing became erratic and the girl behind her back took initiative to get a chair for her.


    "Calm down, my lady." The girl was panic, but she still found a chance to shoot Lana a dagger look. It was because of her that the lady she was served became like this.


    Meanwhile, Lana could only pout her lips, frowning. She did nothing, but why she was the one who received this old woman''s hostility?


    From the look of it, Kace and Lana were very certain that Serefina had tricked this poor Christal, so the witch could gain her candle, which was very important to her.


    Knowing the nature of Serefina was likely that their guess was correct. The witch was indeed a double dealer with a sharp tongue.


    "That witch said she would borrow the candle for only a moment! But, it has been fifty years!" Christal bristled. "If she didn''t help me back then, there was no way I will give the candle to her!"


    Long story short, the young Christal almost died because of her encounter with those wasted creatures near the border between two worlds.


    Kace and Lana concluded that must be the same creature that they met in the same place before they entered this realm.


    Out of gratitude, Christal allowed the witch to borrow her candle for a few days, yet this candle only returned to her just now.


    "So, what do you want?" The candlemaiden crossed her legs and resumed her arrogance attitude as she looked at the two shape shifters in disdain.


    Regardless the way she treated both of them, the fact she asked and willing to help was enough for Kace, he didn''t want to waste another moment here.


    Found the priestess, healed his wounds and then he could go back to his little mate. Period.


    Kace took the candle form Lana''s hand, he took to step closer before he stretched his arm, offered the candle to the rightful owner.


    "We want to meet with the priestess, how can we find her?" Kace kept his voice as polite as possible.


    Christal looked at the candle in Kace''s hand for a brief moment before her old eyes traced back to the Lycan''s face.


    Instead of taking her candle, she grabbed Kace''s wrist while furrowing her eyebrows. Her voice came out as a whisper.


    "Your spirit is asking for help."


    With that was being said, the candle in Kace''s hand lit up and its flames turned its surrounding into a pitch dark rapidly.


    All of this happened very fast and when Kace realized, he had turned into his beast.

 Chapter 513 - HE IS DYING

    Kace had turned into his beast, the white Lycan, but he had no power over it. This almost felt like Kace was an onlooker who was watching the beast howling to the dark night.


    The white beast''s howl continued and it sounded very disturbing, as if the beast was calling for someone, as if the beast was asking for help.


    Maybe the candlemaiden was right, even Kace could feel the distress in its outcry. After all, the beast was being suppressed for such a long time by its own owner.


    But to whom was he asking for help?


    As an onlooker, Kace was standing right beside the white Lycan, he looked at his surroundings and realized he didn''t know this place, he had never been in a place like this before.


    Kace felt the tranquility of this place, as if the velvety grass, vivid flowers and a single tree behind him were breathing, alive.


    This was a beautiful courtyard with torch- lit surrounded him. The source of the light aside from the moon above and his beast kept howling into something that he couldn''t see.


    Kace was startled when he heard a familiar voice that he loved. She called his name¡­


    "Kace?"


    Hope appeared out of nowhere and stood a few meters away from the white lycan while Kace could only stared at her beauty, captivated by the way she moved and the bewilderment in her eyes.


    Hope knew his beast, thus she knew it was him. However, she couldn''t see the man, who was standing next to the white lycan as her eyes focused on the other part of him. His soul. His spirit. His beast¡­


    "Kace, is that you?" Hope took a few steps closer when she heard the beast whimper and lower its head, even Kace was flabbergasted by the way his beast acted in front of their mate.


    The confusion in Hope''s eyes vanished, upon seeing her surrounding, the moment she caught a sight of Kace''s beast.


    Apparently this little mate of his was also surprised with this place, this also left a question for Kace; how she could get here?


    This place was not Northern Coven realm and this wasn''t a human realm as well.


    When Hope was close enough to the beast, she stretched out her hands to pat its head and the beast responded by nudging her hand, encouraged her to do more while wagging its bushy tail.


    On the other hand, Kace smiled bitterly. His beast almost like a lap dog¡­


    But then, the tranquility in Riane''s eyes shifted as she watched in horror the four lines gashes on the beast''s back. Definitely the same wounds that Kace had.


    She was petrified, after all the ugly wounds looked very obtrusive against the beast soft white fur.


    "What happened? You said, you will take care of the wound?" her voice was barely a whisper and her eyes started brimming with tears.


    "I do, I am taking care of my wounds, but I don''t know why I end up here." Kace couldn''t see the sadness in Hope''s eyes, her fear for him. "How can you be here?"


    Kace stretched out his hand, was about to pull Hope into his embrace, yet he couldn''t touch her, as if he was made of smoke, his hand passed through her body.


    Not only that, Kace just realized that Hope was not able to see or hear him.


    "What the hell?!" Kace cursed under his breath, looking at his own hands, but there was nothing strange about them.


    However, why he couldn''t touch her?!


    At this point, Kace was not aware that both of them were in different dimension. This place was not exist.


    Kace''s eyebrows furrowed deeply, trying to comprehend this whole situation and then he came into a conclusion that all of this had something to do with the candlemaiden and the candle that she had lit before Kace was here.


    Since he could only watch his beast was interacting with Hope, Kace could only wish there was nothing bad would happen, as if the beast went feral or something¡­


    Thus, when Hope was trying to touch its wounds and the beast growled, Kace was terrified.


    "No! Step back Hope! Don''t come closer! Don''t touch him!?? Kace made a futile effort to warn Hope when the latter didn''t even seem to notice his existence there.


    The beast could bite off Hope''s head within second, killing her as easy as breathing, just like what it had done centuries ago. A killing machine, a bloodthirsty beast.


    Kace could only relax a little bit when, apparently, the beast recognized their mate and, just like Kace, he didn''t want to hurt her. This understanding was enough to put him at ease.


    However, all of sudden, everything around them turned into thousands of flickering light. Those lights floated in the air and upon closer looked, one could see that was a sea of fireflies¡­


    The scenery was so breathtakingly beautiful, this was almost like the moment when Kace was in the land of the dead.


    The fireflies flew in the air before they were taken care by the wind that blew them away to the night sky.


    Small gasp, which escaped Hope''s lips, telling Kace there was more happening and when he turned around to look, he witnessed how the white beast joined the light as it turned into fireflies itself.


    What was happening?!


    The beast closed its eyes and let out the last whimper, and just smoke, its image turned blurry¡­


    It wasn''t only Hope, who didn''t believe by what she was seeing, even Kace couldn''t comprehend what the meaning of this.


    Kace blinked his eyes and everything was gone and now he was back to the old shop, standing in front of the old candlemaiden.


    "What was that?" His question was coming out very hoarse.


    "Your beast is dying," Christal said in her deep voice. "You don''t even trust your own beast."


    "What?" Kace took a step back.


    "Your beast is asking for help to your mate."

 Chapter 514 - HOPE WAS UPSET

    "Stop sighing like that, I could hear that even from hundreds meter away," Rossie chuckled as she walked next to Hope with a tray full of food in her hands.


    "The festival will be held in three days and they still haven''t returned. Something must have happened to them." Hope came up with this conclusion since two days ago when she realized there was no sign of Kace or Lana from coming back.


    They had lunch break and were in canteen when they talked about Hope''s concern regarding Kace and Lana whereabouts.


    "Maybe they are just late," Rossie nudged Hope''s arm when they was about to walk toward their usual seat. "He dated someone right after you dumped him."


    Rossie pointed at Oliver with her sharp chin, giggling.


    "I was so stupid," Hope just realized now how immature she was for dating Oliver just because Kace disappeared for years without any news.


    Not because the silly reason she had to wait for him, but because Oliver was totally a jerk. At first he seemed like a good guy, yet after what had happened, it was Hope to be blamed for choosing him.


    He started to spread some nasty rumor about Hope was being in relationship with the new teacher.


    Well, that was true in some way, yet when no one knew about this and he just ran his mouth as he wished, Hope could feel the mixture of disdain and resentment for him, especially when he added the story here and there¡­ like a typical jackass.


    And now he showed off his new relationship with Norah, one of busybody girl who helped to fan the rumor.


    Thankfully, with Hope''s track record the aftereffect not really bad for her. Those people were still worried to rub her in the wrong way. They wouldn''t want to end like the other students, who tried to provoke her.


    However, it didn''t mean they don''t talk behind her back.


    "You were stupid," Rossie agreed with Hope as they walked past Oliver and his friend''s table.


    Hope was restless to know nothing about Kace and Lana. It almost felt like those three years when he left her, but this time, this feeling was amplified.


    Hope was very tensed up lately.


    Unfortunately, when Hope felt like she needed a platform to vent out her frustration, someone offered it.


    Norah was, actually, trying to get her attention by talking out loud, enough for Hope and Rossie to hear that when they walked past their table.


    "I know you will not serious with a weird girl like her," Norah leaned her body to Oliver beside her as her eyes fixed on Hope. "She is very nasty, right? Having an affair with a teacher? Someone way older than her."


    Hope sneered, this girl would have a heart attack when he knew how old Kace was. But, Norah didn''t stop playing with fire.


    All the people there knew better to not provoke Hope, as they wouldn''t win any argument with her or they could lay a hand on her, it had been proven, but Norah seemingly turned blind eyes for that fact.


    "Not only she has weird personality, she has a strange family as well. I wonder where is her father? I think her father was not able to stand both mother and daughter¡­" Norah continued in mocking tone.


    If this was some other day, Hope wouldn''t mind her statement about her family at all, as she didn''t care much about this concept of family, moreover, Serefina was not her mother just like how the people here thought she was.


    It was ridiculous and was a waste of time to get angry over something like that, because Hope wouldn''t be able to explain how ''special'' her family was.


    However, Hope turned around and approached the busybody girl, not because she was upset, but it was more likely because she needed something or someone to vent out her irritation of her situation right now.


    "What did you say?" Hope put her tray on the table, right in front of Norah. "I have a weird family?" she crossed her arms and smirked.


    Norah didn''t see it coming, she was startled, but composed herself quickly. "Yes,?? she said it out loud. "That''s why Oliver broke up with you!" Norah stood up and mimicked Hope''s gesture, she raised her chin defiantly.


    Unexpectedly, Hope was laughing when she heard that. "You told her that''s the reason why we broke up? Because of my weird family?"


    Norah was baffled to face someone like this and Oliver''s jaw hardened as he gritted his teeth. It was embarrassing enough to meet with Hope after the last time, but since Hope didn''t pay attention to the rumor about them, he became slightly arrogant.


    "Of course¡­" Norah was about to talk something nasty when Hope beat her into it.


    "Is the ''thing'' between your legs is all right now? Because I can make it worse if you keep trying to challenge my patient, stop it while I am still nice." Hope grabbed a chicken thigh from her tray and bit it slowly.


    "Hope!" Oliver fumed. "Don''t talking nonsense! You are only angry because we broke up!" his face turned red and this amused Hope as she kept chewing on her chicken thigh.


    At this moment, they had become a center of attention there. No one could eat their meal and was enjoying the scene before their eyes. It had been a long time since Hope was having a fight like this.


    Even Rossie didn''t stop her, she knew that Hope needed this. Actually, to see Hope work up with her frustration this way was better than have to hear her whining all the time.


    "And for you," ignoring Oliver, Hope fixed her attention on Norah. "You like my secondhand that much? Why don''t you take this? Maybe you like it."


    "What¡­" just like before, Norah didn''t have a chance to talk.


    Without warning Hope had shoved the remaining chicken leg in her hand to Norah''s mouth.

 Chapter 515 - AN AUNT

    Hope was very upset. Despite of being upset, she enjoyed the look that was given by Norah, Oliver and the rest of the people, who watched this. There was a feeling of satisfaction that she felt.


    Norah immediately spat the chicken leg and rubbed her mouth with her sleeves harshly, "Hope!" and screamed exasperatedly.


    Behind the girl, Oliver glared at Hope because of what she had done to his new girl, his chest rose and fell, filled with anger. And yet Hope didn''t care at all of how he felt about it.


    "You can''t do that to her!" Oliver pulled Norah behind his back, attempting to protect her from Hope. But that attempt only made Hope laughed. How ridiculous.


    "Why can''t I? I just did." Hope shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly.


    "If you''re angry¡­" Oliver wanted to act heroic in front of everyone and showed them how wicked Hope was. He ended up being cut off icily and not being able to finish his words.


    "Angry? Oh, please¡­ you overestimated yourself." There was a glimpse of sinister smile dancing on her lips when she said this.


    Before this confrontation was going south, someone came to Rossie and whispered something to her and stepped back. She was too afraid to talk directly to Hope at this moment.


    "Hope." Rossie grabbed her by her sleeves to get her attention. "Your aunt comes to see you."


    Hope turned around and spotted the confusion in Rossie''s eyes. "My aunt?" she knitted her brows, the same confusion reflected on her eyes.


    Because both of them knew, that Hope didn''t have an aunt to begin with.


    Who is this person?


    ==============


    "Are you sure, you will meet her?" Ian asked her when they walked in the corridor, with Ethan and Rossie followed behind them. "You know that you don''t have any aunt or relatives, right?"


    "Of course I am aware." Hope rolled her eyes, Ian has been bothering her with this since they left the canteen. "There is no way all of a sudden I have an aunt."


    "Then you don''t have to meet her, she could be someone dangerous." Ian furrowed his eyebrows, still objected the fact that Hope wanted to meet with this mysterious woman.


    "My curiosity wouldn''t let me sleep tonight if I don''t find out." Hope refused to mind what he said. Besides, she couldn''t reject this meeting. After all the woman came here and asked for her, the teachers would come to fetch her if Hope didn''t show up.


    "You have to be careful," Ian grabbed Hope''s arm to stop her before she could push open the door to the room, where the woman had been waiting for her.


    "Of course," Hope said lightly. She patted Ian''s shoulder and glanced briefly at Ethan and Rossie.


    "We will be here," Ethan let her know as he leaned his tall build against the wall across the room.


    "You don''t have to do that, you have class to attend." Hope smiled sweetly. "But, I appreciate that."


    After saying that, Hope pushed the door open and walked inside. She could still hear Rossie talked to her brothers, assured them that Hope would be fine before she closed the door and met her visitor.


    This was a small room and was only used for counseling purposes or parents meeting.


    There, sitting with her legs crossed on a brown sofa, was a woman with a beautiful smile on her lips. They were bright colored red that one would mistake them as blood.


    The thought of it alone made Hope shivered, for some reason, this woman gave some similar dangerous vibes like Serefina when she was pissed.


    "Hello, Hope." The woman leaned her back against the sofa and tilted her head. She was wearing a knee-length yellow lacy dress, with pearl necklace around her slender neck. "Nice to see you again," she took off her sunglasses.


    "Do I know you?" Hope stopped behind the sofa and stood there, she felt it was necessary to put some distance between them. Just in case¡­


    Apparently it was a good idea to have the siblings waiting for her outside, at least she knew if this woman was up to no good, she could always scream and they would come to help her.


    Hope had been warned, since the festival was around the corner, there were many supernatural creatures came to this village. She had been avoiding roaming outside after the sun set.


    Not only that, afraid of what would happen to her, Sterling and Sophia suggested her to skip the school just a day before the festival. Hope agreed to that.


    "I don''t think you know me, but I do know you." The woman waved her hand as a gesture for Hope to take a seat next to her. "Don''t worry, I don''t bite," she chuckled when Hope didn''t budge.


    "I''m fine here," Hope ignored the mocking tone in her voice, since she was too absorbed with her gut feeling regarding the woman in front of her eyes. Hope felt like she had seen her somewhere. "Tell me, what do you want?"


    The woman didn''t seem offended by Hope''s rude behavior, rather she looked at her with amused curiosity. "As expected of someone who was raised by Serefina."


    "Do you know her?" Hope narrowed her eyes. The fact that the woman knows Serefina had failed on making Hope at ease, she could be a foe, since the witch didn''t get along very well with many people. Hell, she didn''t get along with other witches, let alone people, or shape shifter itself. But, still she was respected.


    "Of course.In fact, we arefriends." The woman smiled sweetly.


    "Serefina doesn''t have a friend." Hope glanced at the door behind her and was about to run if this woman made a sudden move to approach her, yet she looked rather relax, even Hope''s wariness didn''t bother her.


    "She has, I am the only friend of her." she shrugged, "I know she doesn''t get along with many people, but don''t you think it is rude to assume it out based on that?"


    "I am done here," Hope didn''t want to stay there longer, if this conversation was going nowhere.


    "But, I am not."

 Chapter 516 - COME WITH ME

    Hope turned around and was about to walk out of the room when she heard that woman''s reply. Ignoring her, she kept walking only to find herself was not inside the same room as before.


    Hope was startled, but didn''t panic as Serefina had done the same thing a few times before when she was too lazy to look more like ''a human''.


    "You''re a witch," Hope turned to face the woman, irritation filled in her voice when her eyes met hers. "What do you want?"


    The witch was still sitting on the same seat like before, but the room had disappeared and was replaced by a beautiful garden with a fountain of seven dwarves on her left side. A big tree canopied both of them and velvety grass beneath her feet.


    In another occasion, Hope would appreciate the scenery, but not this time. She was too upset for being transported without her consent.


    Hope knew she was trapped there, and there was no way she could get out from whatever place she was in now, without the willingness of the witch herself, but Hope refused to show anything that could be assumed as fear or weakness to the witch.


    "Actually, I am here to help you," the witch shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly and then stood up graciously. "But, I need something in return." She smiled at her.


    "I don''t need your help, and I will not give you anything," Hope was glad her voice was not shaking.


    "Are you sure? Even if I say I can help you to meet your mate?" she smiled triumphantly when Hope''s expression slightly changed. "Haven''t you been anxious all this time because Kace had not yet come as he had promised you?"


    "How did you know?" Hope''s question was barely a whisper, she squinted her eyes, trying to figure this woman out, but there was nothing she could find.


    "Serefina told me. I have told you earlier, I am a friend of that witch, remember?" She closed the distance between them, but Hope relieved she didn''t force herself to be extremely near her, which made her uncomfortable.


    Yet, a second later Hope remembered something. "I think I have seen you." When she said this, the feeling was amplified and now she was certain this witch was the same woman from that day. "You are the woman who was standing across my school weeks ago."


    "That would be me." She nodded, satisfied. "I am glad that you remember me, even though you were pretending to not see me at that time."


    "Then, you supposed to know I want to keep it that way." Living with Serefina and facing her peculiarity had its own benefit. It made threatening the girl to be an uneasy job, even in a disadvantage situation like this.


    The woman contemplated, but amus.e.m.e.nt was clearly seen on her hazel eyes. "I have never met a guardian angel as fierce as you before¡­" she murmured.


    "Why do you think I will trust you?"¡ªand how do you know that Kace is my mate? But, Hope didn''t say the last question out loud as she stood there, trying to figure out, whether this witch was a friend or a foe.


    There were not many people knew about Hope''s identity as Kace''s mate or a guardian angel. Probably, Serefina indeed had told her about that? Hope was unsure.


    "I don''t need you to trust me, I want to make a deal with you," she said in such a thick, straightforward manner. Her reason for being there to meet the angel not for gaining her trust, but to get something from her.


    "I know better not to make a deal with a witch." That was a basic knowledge after she knew what happened to Lana.The girl was bound for life because of the agreement she made with Kace, thanks to Serefina for that.


    "Hm," she hummed, nodding her head in agreement. "Serefina taught you well."


    And after she said that, their surrounding around them changed again. Now, they were in the previous small room, in Hope''s school and Hope was standing only one step away from the door.


    "Don''t give me that look," she chuckled when she watched how Hope curled her eyebrows showing her deep distrust. "Don''t tell me that you are upset because we are no longer in the garden again. You have class to attend and moreover, I don''t have intention to restrain you."


    "Thank you for your understanding," Hope responded sarcastically, but when she was about to open the door, that woman talked again.


    "Think about my offer again if you really want to meet your mate," she said languidly. "I have nothing to lose. After all, Serefina had me promised her to help if Kace and Lana still didn''t return even when the festival began."


    This woman knew too much for Hope liking. It felt almost like Serefina, indeed, had told her everything about it. However, Hope never heard Serefina mentioned someone as her friend or maybe because Hope didn''t know much about her.


    "Why they still hasn''t return until now?" Hope couldn''t help, but asked her. She was no longer able to hide her worries about what happened to them.


    "I don''t know, that??s why I will go there to find out."


    "You will enter the pine forest? The Northern Coven realm?" Hope asked in low voice, but she couldn''t hide her surprise.


    "There is no need to be surprised. Just like what you have found out now, I am a witch. It is only natural for me to join the festival, right?"


    "And you will take me there to join your witches kind and vampire?" Hope smirked. "No, thanks."


    "Find me in the festival, where the torch is lit, THAT if you change your mind." She didn''t look upset or offended by Hope''s rejection, as if she had known how her reaction would be. "If you care enough to find your mate."


    Hope opened the door harshly and slammed it shut, she didn''t even give a damn to her last words, though it has lingered in her mind since that very moment.

 Chapter 517 - HOPES DECISION

    Days had passed and in a blink of an eye, today was the third day since Hope met with the witch in her school, meaning tonight was the festival.


    "But, I''m very sure that I didn''t hear anything from inside the room." Rossie put on her uniform while Hope was still lying lazily on the bed, since today was the festival, she was told to stay inside the house and couldn''t take a single step outside. "See, I told you that''s strange."


    "There is nothing strange about that, she is a witch after all. She is able to do that." Hope yawned and curled herself into a ball while hugging her pillow.


    "Maybe." Rossie shrugged her shoulder. "The only witch that I have ever seen is Serefina, though we live, practically, near one of those witches, yet I have never seen Serefina did her magic."


    "You wouldn''t want to see, it is not something you want to experience." Hope told them about what the witch had offered to her, but didn''t say anything about being transported to another place. They would become irrationally freaked for nothing.


    "If you said so¡­" Rossie mumbled, combing her hair with her fingers while looking at her reflection on the mirror. "You will not go out there and meet her, won''t you?" she asked casually, but from the way she was staring at Hope through the mirror showed her concern.


    "I won''t, why would I?" Hope closed her eyes. "People have told me not to go, even Kace made sure of it, so that I won''t have the slightest chance to go. So with all that in mind, I don''t think I will risk my life for someone that I don''t even know."


    Hope''s reason made sense, yet the way she talked about that, almost sounded like an advice to herself. She shut her eyes closed, so she wouldn''t meet Rossie''s sharp one and the more she thought about it, the more restless she became.


    What if that woman was telling the truth and she was, indeed, a friend of Serefina? And Serefina had ordered her to help Kace and Lana if something happened to them.


    Something must have happened to them. They should have returned by now.


    But, even if something REALLY happened to them, having the witch there, wouldn''t help with anything right? She couldn''t turn into a powerful beast or could performthe kind of magic like Serefina did.


    Yet, why was that woman insisted for Hope to come with her? And what exactly she wanted from her as the bargain?


    Hope sighed.


    "Let''s go eat breakfast." Rossie slapped Hope''s back and laughed when Hope grunted. It was hurt. "Lazy, get up!"


    ==============


    Since Hope was not allowed to go out of the house, she could only stayed inside Rossie''s bedroom while reading a book, which she was not able to finish the first paragraph even after an hour had passed.


    Her mind wondered to the possibilities that could happen if she decided to trust that witch, shaking her head and tried to get rid of that idea, but then a few seconds later, she found herself was wondering the same thing again, and this repeated the whole time.


    A little part of her trusted that woman''s words blindly and wanted to go out to meet her, asked the witch to take her to the Northern Coven realm, but the other part of her, which the rational one, knew that was not even an option.


    She was not only endanger herself, but also risked the safety of everyone here by disobeying Kace and Serefina''s warning.


    What if that witch was a dark witch and she was only playing tricks on her? Serefina and Lana had told her, how evil those dark witches were.


    "Argh!" putting down her book, Hope was staring at the clock, it was two in the afternoon, meant the festival would be held around five more hours from now.


    "What should I do?" Hope bit her finger and pulled the blanket to cover her face, trying to sleep.


    Sleeping was the best escaping way to get rid of this anxiety, but the problem was, how could she fall asleep when her eyes couldbarely close properly?


    Honestly speaking, Hope really dying to meet Kace. To make sure with her own eyes that he was fine. Hope didn''t want to wait any longer since the due time had passed.


    "Kace should be here by now, unless something bad happened to him," Hope mumbled to herself and frowned when she imagined Kace and Lana were facing trouble now. "But, even if I go with that witch, what can I do?"


    At this rate, Hope really wanted to know what else the guardian angel could do. She regretted it that she didn''t have time to ask about this.


    "I couldn''t fly," Hope kept mumbling to herself, it helped her to sort her thought out. "But, my blood could harm a devil, but they are witches and vampire, not devil! Ugh!" she ended up became more frustrated than before.


    But then, the image of the white lycan appeared before her eyes, the way he whimpered and how he responded to her touch. The gashes behind his back¡­


    "What does it mean?" Hope turned her body and stared at the ceiling, "Was he trying to ask for help from me?"


    It looked like that.


    And the fireflies¡­


    The white lycan turned into thousand fireflies, though the scene was breathtakingly beautiful, but it was also pained her heart. Hope felt like she had been through a lifetime of agony.


    Maybe it was only her, looking for justification of her action. But, this was all Hope needed to make her decision.


    She bit her lips as her body tensed and her adrenaline peaked. It would be dangerous, but the thought of the white beast was waiting for her and needed her help was enough to make her jumped from her bed and thought about the way to get out from this house.


    Hope was sure, almost ninety percent sure that the beast needed her and that vision was not only an empty vision.

 Chapter 518 - HER HOPE

    "There''s a torch in the festival?" Hope asked while washing all the dirty plates after their dinner with Rossie, who was cleaning the table. All the men were in the living room while Sophia was preparing some cookies for them.


    "Yes, there is. The festival will start when the torch is lit." Rossie put another dirty bowl in the sink. "You have never been in the festival, have you?" she stated.


    "And I think, I''d never will." Hope pouted her lips, trying to act normal, which was hard to do if you lived surrounded by those supernatural creatures, who was able to sniff your lies.


    Fortunately, they didn''t pay attention to Hope and as long as she wouldn''t do something strange, Hope thought she would be fine until she could execute her plan. Hopefully everything would be fine¡­


    "Tell me how the festival is, you had been there the last time it was held, right?" Hope dried her hand with towel and turned around to face Rossie. If she was going to go there alone, at least she had to know how the situation there.


    Her plan was simple; fled from this house unnoticed, went to the festival, looked for the torch and met with the witch. Sounded like a simple and nice plan, yet Hope was unsure she could go until the final steps run smoothly.


    Meanwhile, here she was, trying to gather any information that could help her to escape.


    Hope knew, her reason for doing this was inexplicably ridiculous, yet she couldn''t help but felt the beast was asking for her help. Kace needed her.


    Though, it would be too risky, but it would worth a shot.


    "The festival is a masquerade, where people from this village wear beautiful masks and dresses." Rossie shrugged her shoulder. "There is also this role game during the festival,"


    "What kind of game?" Hope was clueless about it all because she had never been there and was never put any interest on finding out about the festival.


    Rossie then explained about the role game. Apparently, three people would be chosen as witches, and each of these witches are tasked to bring a small golden balls, and hide them behind their dress or shirt, so no one would find out. It was the task of other villagers to find out the witches among them.


    Also each witches had to snatch one flower that was previously put behind everyone''s back.


    That was why, they must be more vigilant and trusted the right person to watch their back.


    The game would last until the torch was completely burned off or until the identity of the three witches were revealed.


    It sounded like a game that Hope would love to play and she would definitely join if she wasn''t in this kind of situation.


    "The story behind this game is quite ironic," Rossie said as they walked to the living room, where the rest of the family were watching the football match from the TV, "It is said that this game was created to banish all the witches away and all their allies too, because witches are associated with something evil and could make someone ran out of good luck."


    Hope started to see the ironic part of it.


    Those villagers thought they were chasing away the witches out of their land. But, Hope and all the supernatural creatures aroundknew that this village stood still where it is now, all because of the power of the witches.


    This place was the nearest to where human and witches'' realm was located and yet, the villagers held this festival.


    "Hm, I think so¡­" Hope mumbled while nodding her head, agreed.


    In the next hour, Hope stayed together with the family, watched football and laughed with them. But, when the clock hit eight, she stood up.


    "Where are you going?" Ian asked, seeing Hope was about to go.


    "Take a bath," she replied curtly.


    "At this hour?" Rossie turned her body and stared at Hope.


    "It''s hot, I''m soaked with sweat¡­" Hope frowned as she fanned her face with her hand. "Be right back."


    No one asked anymore questions, as they knew Hope would often do something peculiar like this and Hope was indeed taking a bath. They could hear the water running in bathroom and weren''t suspicious at all.


    Actually, Hope needed a bath to lessen her scent, because it was definitely impossible to get rid of her own scent completely, but at least this will slow those with remarkable noses in the living room,on tracking her down once they noticed her absent.


    This was important because realistically speaking, there is no chance that Hope would outrun those beasts.


    Hope scrubbed every inch of her skin until it turned red, after that, she wore a t-shirt, jacket and jeans in which pocketsstuffed with flowers that she picked from Sophia''s garden. All that, just to cover her scent.


    Finished with that, Hope made sure that no one was nearby, that everyone was still in the living room. And apparently they were. Hope could hear everyone''s voice there.


    Using a small window beside the bathroom, Hope lifted herself with the support of a wooden chair. It was hard to fit herself in that small window, but at the end she managed to do it after five minutes of struggling.


    Hope landed on the soft ground with her hands covered her head, as she fell upside down.


    However, Hope didn''t have time to complain about her arms that got hurt from falling, as she stood up hastily and rushed toward the dark of the night.


    It wasn''t hard to know which direction she should take, since the festival itself was easy to spot, and then Hope could see the bright light of it from the distance.


    All Hope could do was to run towards that direction before anyone noticed and caught her in the middle of her escape plan.


    Another wish; she hoped her decision this time was the right thing to do and was not going to cause another problem to her and many people.

 Chapter 519 - WHERE IS THE WITCH?

    Hope ran with all of her might, she was too afraid to slow down and kept looking behind her shoulder to see if there was someone or a werewolf who ran after her, but to her relief there was no one there.


    The almost empty street wasn''t look that scary for her now, since she had another thing that needs to be aware of.


    The area where the festival was being held was in the heart of this village, almost everyone werethere, gathered at the event.


    The closer Hope to the festival, the more people she saw wearing beautiful mask to cover their faces.


    There was noisy sound from people chattering and music welcomed her when she was there, out of breath. She would dare to slow down her pace and took a deep breath, only when she was surrounded by people.


    Hope had never run like that before and she didn''t think that she wanted to do it again in any time soon.


    "Mask?" a stall keeper, which was a man in his early forty, passed her a white mask since he saw Hope didn''t have it. "Masquerade without a mask is not nice," he said with a grin.


    "Alright," Hope took the mask from that man and gave him the money, along with that, the flowers that she had stuffed inside her pocket was handed over too.


    "Wow, thank you for the flower¡ªwait, I have not given your change yet," the stall keeper shouted at the girl who had ran into the crowd, as if he heard her answer.


    "You can keep it!" and with that her small body disappeared, mingling with the crowd.


    Hope was too anxious to be bothered about the change, because what she needed now was to go to where the torch was, and it was hard to move with all the people went from every direction, surrounded her.


    Hope was glad with the mask that covered her face, but also anxious to see this sea of people whose face couldn''t be seen in front of her.


    Hope wouldn''t know if there was a witch or vampire among them, but again, she would never know unless those creatures did something peculiar.


    The torch was placed on a higher stage and was surrounded by people who were dancing while circling it. However, Hope was not able to see the woman.


    She was getting nervous.


    Licking her dry lips several times, Hope moved toward the stage.


    The festival was packed with masks and happy smiles everywhere, if Hope wasn''t in her current situation, she would drowned in nothing but joy.


    However, now it wasn''t the right time to think about that.


    Her mind raced along with her legs, forcing her way forward, yet even when Hope had joined the dancing around the stage, she still couldn''t see the woman.


    Has she already left?


    Hope could feel the twinge in her heart telling her that she had lost the opportunity to meet with Kace and knew about the reason why he wasn''t here yet.


    She cursed herself under her breath for her stupidity.


    Hope craned her neck to see around her, but since her height was not taller than some people around her, it was hard to have a clear view.


    "Hey, lady¡­"


    A husky voice greeted Hope''s ears as cold breath fanned her neck. Startled, Hope turned around only to see a man wearing a red mask, smiling at her creepily.


    "Are you looking for someone?"


    Hope''s hand was tangled with him, since they were doing the dancing circling the stage. This man was on her left side while a slender woman was on her right.


    "It''s none of your business," Hope hissed, she acted arrogant to cover her fear, there was something from this man that made her wary.


    Is he one of the supernatural creatures, who came to join the festival? No one could answer that question and Hope couldn''t ask.


    "Hmm," He hummed and tightened his arms around Hope''s while moving, following the rhythm and the movements of the music and all the people there. "Let me guess, waiting for your shapeshifter partner?"


    With that question, Hope jerked away her hand, yet he tightened his grip and chuckled, "Don''t worry, I will not do any harm on you. We have that stupid treaty between our kinds, remember?" he said it with humorless tone.


    That treaty was the only thing that kept both creatures from killing each other every time they ran into each other, but it was also considered as a joke for some of them.


    Since both creatures were too strong headed, a little friction was enough for them to forget all of that at once.


    "You better stay away from me," Hope whispered harshly at him.


    It wasn''t a new thing for Hope for being mistaken as a shapeshifter. Even Ian thought of her as one of their kind the first time they met. And now, since Hope had been living with the siblings'' family for more than a week, she was sure, it was even harder to distinguish her scent as human, and not even with the flowers on her pocket could help.


    "Wow! You are fierce." He feigned surprised. "Why don''t you enjoy the festival, since it is rare to see your kind around this village?"


    "Let go of my hand!?? Hope gritted her teeth, though she was angry at¡ªwhatever creature he was¡ªthis man, her eyes still focusedon the surroundings, trying to find that damn woman.


    Now her frustration had turned into anger. How could she promised to offer her one thing, but didn''t keep her own word?


    "Let her go!"


    There was another voice from behind Hope and his voice was very familiar in her ears, without even seeing who it was, she knew who this person was.


    "Ethan!" Hope screeched, she was thrilled and grateful, but at the same time her mind had pictured another trouble which coming on her way.


    If Ethan was here, then, she was not only had to run from this annoying man, but also from the siblings!


    Where is that witch!?

 Chapter 520 - SHOULD WE LEAVE NOW?

    "Oh, is this the shifter that you have been waiting for?" the man released Hope''s arm immediately as Ethan pulled the girl to stand beside him, out from the circle of dancing people.


    "You better back off!" Ethan growled and glowered at him. He pulled Hope to his back as he sent the man away only by his glare.


    "Wow, easy shifter," he said mockingly, raising both of his hands in the air, giving a surrender-like gesture, yet there was no trace of fear in his brown eyes. "Or should I call you a rogue? You smell like one." He shrugged his shoulder before disappeared among the crowd with his laugh echoed along the loud music.


    Afterward, there were only the two of them, standing out of the circle, Ethan grabbed Hope''s wrist and dragged her away from the crowded people.


    "What are you doing here?!" He hissed viciously at the girl in front of him.


    They were standing beside a hotdog stall under a pine tree, away from the crowd and the stage¡ªwhere the torch was lit up.


    Hope grimaced upon realizing that Ethan could look scary too.


    Ethan narrowed his eyes with suspicion, as he talked to her in low voice, but enough for Hope to hear the clear distress behind it. "You''re here to meet that woman, right?" He guessed it correctly.


    Hope''s silence was a solid answer for Ethan''s question.


    Bamboozled, the boy widened his eyes in disbelieve as he talked with high pitch voice. "I thought we agreed that the woman was only talking nonsense! You said it yourself!" he said exasperatedly. From afar he could see his twin was approaching them, apparently managed to find their secluded location.


    "Well, I changed my mind," Hope mumbled, feeling slightly guilty because she had run away from them.


    "Listen¡ª"


    But, Ethan cut her off. "No, you listen to me and stop making trouble for yourself. We will go back home now."


    "No!" Hope shook her head disagreeing. "I can''t go back now." She forced to free her hand from his grip. Ethan''s grip was very tight, she felt like her wrist snapped into two.


    "So, do you think all that woman said is true?" Ethan crossed his arms, he stood still with emotionless expression. "Oh, Hope! You know better not to trust a witch! They are wicked creature! And you are being deceived!"


    "I was raised by a witch," Hope dropped that fact firmly.


    Despite the fact that witches were the most cunningof all creatures, but Hope couldn''t ignore the fact that she was raised by one. She was fully aware of Serefina''s cunningness, but to put it in a bad term, somehow, Hope couldn''t accept it. Instead, she was rather slightly offended whenever someone badmouthing her. Even though that wasn''t what Ethan''s true intention at all.


    "Serefina is different case," Ethan retorted.


    However, before their bickering could go further, Ian had approached them, slightly panting. "Hope! Damn girl! Don''t ever do that again!" he was out breath. "We had been running for twenty minutes without stopping, looking for you!"


    "I''m sorry about that, but I am not going back with you guys!" Hope crossed her arms, stubbornness was written all over her face. She had decided what she truly wanted, and had done so much efforts to escape from their house.


    And she would stay there until she met the witch or, at least, until this festival ended. So far she had seen, nothing seemed dangerous enough for her to get hurt from. The man from earlier, actually, didn''t hurt her.


    Probably, Kace and Serefina were exaggerating the real situation. Knowing Kace, he was most likely would do something like that.


    The thing is, Hope was too nervous and anxious, desperately wanted to know what was happening to Kace and Lana. Thus, if she was given a chance to know their condition and situation now, she was more than willing to take the risk.


    "You are being unreasonable!" Ian glared at the girl before his eyes and stood beside his twin, at this time, both of them really looked exactly the same, as if there was a mirror in front of one of them.


    "My vision," Hope''s voice softened, she hated to argue with Ian and Ethan, especially Ethan, since he was being too soft to her all the time. "I had a vision previously about Kace! There must be something about it, and I''m sure of it! Besides, looking at the current situation,that both of them are still missing¡ªdon''t you think it was some kind of a sign?"


    "What kind of sign do you think it is? That Kace and Lana are in danger?" said Ethan bluntly. "You should stop this, you will not help them at all by creating such a ruckus like this!"


    "Go home with us and wait for them to return, that''s all you can do Hope. That''s all you can do to help this situation." Ian added. Though he was slightly concernabout Lana and Kace, and also realized that Hope probably was right; after all they were mate and they shared a special bond between them.


    However, Ian didn''t want to take the blame from encouraging Hope for doing this.


    "No!" Hope rejected the idea immediately, her expression harden because of their words. She knew, compared to them, her chance to help was near zero, but to hear it brutallybeing said directly by them, was still annoying.


    "Who said she couldn''t help?"


    All of a sudden the woman that Hope had been waiting for appeared behind the twins, she walked comfortably with a can of coke and a hotdog in her hands, munching happily. Her attitude was different from the last time Hope had seen her. Now, she looked more casual and laid- back.


    "I won''t ask her to come with me if she couldn''t help me," she said, while walking straight towards Hope and stood beside her.


    "Where were you? I have been looking all over for you!" said Hope with irritation.


    "I''m sorry, I thought you will not come. You seemed very determined when you rejected me."


    "Well, I changed my mind," Hope murmured.


    "So, should we leave now?" that woman took the last bite.

 Chapter 521 - CRAZY IDEA

    Hope was more than glad to hear that, but at the same time, it was the opposite for the two boys in front of her.


    "She won''t go anywhere, witch!" Ethan stretched out his arms to reach for Hope, yet the girl dodged him swiftly and took two steps back, so she was out of his arms-reach. "Hope!" he called her name in frustration.


    It was rare for Ethan to lose his calmness and it could only mean, that he was very upset at the moment.


    "Hope, come back here!" Ian did the same thing, his tone was hardened, but his eyes locked on the witch.


    Hope bit her lips and gritted her teeth, actually she didn''t wish to have this talk in front of Ethan and Ian, but the situation didn''t allow her to have much choices, so she ignored the twins and turned her attention towards the woman.


    "Tell me what do you want from me?" days ago she said she would help her if Hope was willing to give her something, and until now she still didn''t know what did the witch wanted from her in return.


    "Are you sure, do you want to talk about this here?" she squeezed the wrapper in her hand and it disappeared within her palm. "I don''t think we should discuss it here."


    All of a sudden, that woman did the same thing she did when she visited Hope''s school. Not exactly like the last time, this time, in a blink of an eye, they were inside the pine forest.


    "We can talk here," her clothes changed as well. Seconds ago, she was wearing blue t-shirt and leather jacket with the mask that matched her washed-off color jeans, now she was wearing a long white dress with yellow shawl around her heck.


    The ambience that she gave off also changed, she looked more serious and resolved.


    "Where are we!!?"


    A screech voice sounded from their left side and from a big pine tree Ian and Ethan came out with dreadful look on their faces.


    "You brought them here?" Hope didn''t even flinch when she realized her surrounding had changed, but the appearance of the twins made her frown.


    "Yes, I did," she said languidly. "Just in case they want to accuse me for kidnapping you." She smiled but it didn''t reach her eyes as they stared at Ian and Ethan, who were running towards Hope and stood beside the girl.


    "Where are we!?" Ian repeated his question, shielding Hope behind his back.


    Actually, Hope wanted to push him away, since she was impatient to know what kind of deal that the witch wanted from her. However, she appreciated the twins'' gesture. They always acted like brothers, and as someone who didn''t have any siblings, Hope cherished them so much.


    "Near the border of the Northern Coven Realm." That woman waved her hands and pointed at a peculiar tree that was standing behind the three teenagers in front of her. "That tree is the passageway for us to go to the other realm. "


    On sync, the three of them turned their body and stared at the tree behind their back. Among the pine trees that surrounded them, this tree was similar to apple tree, only there was not a single leave to be seen that grew from its dry branches, as if this weird¨Clooking tree died long time ago.


    From afar¡ªthough Hope couldn''t hear it, but the twins were able to pick up the noises from the festival. They were not teleported that far.


    "What do you want from me?" Hope became impatient to know what this witch was up to. She was worried if her request was something that she couldn''t fulfill, as she wanted to go to the other realm so badly.


    Not only because she wanted to know what had happened to both Kace and Lana, but also her sense adventure pumped her up. She was thrilled to know that she would go beyond this boring village.


    "This is something easy." She shrugged her shoulder. "I want your blood, which taken willingly," she said lightly, as if this wasn''t a big deal.


    Probably not, but Hope knew what her bloodmeans for those creatures. A long time ago, Kace had recklessly let her blood being drawn and this caused the wrath of Serefina.


    Kace once told her that her blood held a significant power and was dangerous. It could be used for something outrageous and the result would be the worst beyond words.


    Meanwhile, for the sibling, they didn''t know the catastrophe that could be brought by Hope''s blood. The only thing in their mind was thatclearly this witch would bring nothing but harm to her and they wouldn''t allow that.


    "We are leaving," Ethan said coldly, he grabbed Hope''s wrist and was about to walk away with Ian followed behind him when Hope pulled her hand off from his grip.


    "No, wait!" Hope used all of her might to free herself from Ethan and took another step back to prevent herself being caught again. "Explain to me, why should I give you my blood willingly? What do you want to do with it!?"


    If the witch wanted, she could draw her blood anytime. She could do it when they were inside Hope''s school, during their first meeting.


    After all, Hope didn''t have that kind of strength in her to protect herself from the magic that the witch was capable to do.


    There was no need for her to go that far to bring her there and promised her anything. Why would she go through some hazards that could be waiting for them, just to help her?


    "The blood, that is drawn willingly, is more powerful than the forced one." She shrugged her shoulder as if that was an easy question and Hope should have known that.


    This was the worst part.


    Hope frowned.


    If the forced one was enough to make Serefina and Kace tracked down the creature, who had stolen it, then what about the blood which was taken willingly? Could it be somehow lethal?


    However, some crazy ideas flashed in through her mind. Crazy enough to make her heart beat so fast.

 Chapter 522 - HIS TRUE INTENTION

    "What''s your name, you haven''t told me yet." Hope was trying to buy some time for her to think about any idea to control the situation, as it was quite tricky. If this witch realized it, then Hope didn''t have any other choice but to obey to her demand.


    "Oh, how rude I am," That woman looked apologetic, but if one took a closer look, it was only someinsincere empty words that she said to them. "I am Lidya."


    As expected, Hope never heard Serefina mentioned her name at all. But, it was also true that Serefina had never mentioned anyone at all.


    "Well, Lidya." Hope cleared her throat to hide her nervousness. "All you want is my blood, right?"


    "That you have to give me, WILLINGLY." She emphasized this part. It would be useless if she took it by force.


    "NO!" Ian roared, he stepped forward and glowered at Hope. "Don''t be stupid!" he hissed viciously, his eyes turned black, the same color as Kace''s eyes when his beast came to the surface that one time he lost his patience.


    Ignoring Ian''s protest, Hope focused her attention to the witch and said, "Alright, I will give you my blood willingly, only if you''d take me to where Kace and Lana are. And you have to keep me save until I meet them." Hope crossed her arms, "Do we have our deal?"


    "Deal," Lidya said without hesitation. But, without her knowing it, she had fallen into Hope''s cunningness.


    "How much blood that you will draw from me?" Hope asked suspiciously, she didn''t want to be sucked dry by this witch.


    "A small bottle of this," Lidya conjured a bottle out of thin air.


    "No, smaller than that." Hope shook her head, dissaproved it.


    Sullenly, Lidya made the bottle, which was floating in the air, smaller. However, Hope kept shaking her head until the size of the bottle was no bigger than Lidya''s thumb. Only then, the girl nodded.


    "This includes protecting me from any harm." Hope wanted to make sure that she was safe with Lidya.


    "Okay," Lidya agreed quickly, she waved her hand and conjured a dim blue light, which turned into a rope made of smoke.


    Lidya held the end of it while the other end of this smoke-like-rope, circled Hope''s wrist and tied them together before it disappeared magically.


    It was the way witches made vows, as if it was a way of reminderfor them to keep their own words.


    Ian and Ethan witnessed what the witch did, their eyes widened in disbelieve. They were trying to stop it but that translucent thing couldn''t be touched. The smoke was a symbol of a deal that was made between Lidya and Hope.


    On the other hand, there was a slight smirk on Hope''s lips. Thanked to the lack of light on her surroundings, no one noticed that.


    "Alright, let''s go." Hope was about to go with Lidya when Ian stopped her.


    "Hope, you are not serious about this, right?" Ian narrowed his eyes dangerously, he was upset because of her decision. "You will go out of nowhere with that woman? You don''t even know her!" he shouted in frustration, struggling to make his point clear to her.


    Ian was right about this, but Hope knew better about the witches'' vow.


    Witches'' vow was not a trivial thing and the consequences would be dreadful when one failed to keep their words, that''s why Hope emphasized her other demands of condition was that she wanted to be protected.


    "I will be fine, I know what I''m doing." Hope leaned over, as she tiptoed, she whispered something to Ian''s ear. "I have a plan, you don''t have to worry about me."


    Ian couldn''t be happy that Hope had her own plan and that she was aware about this whole situation, yet he couldn''t help but became restless.


    "Hope, I promised Kace to keep you save." Ian''s expression froze as he gritted his teeth. "My father is coming here to look for you, there was a commotion inside the house when we realized that you were not at home."


    Ian''s words made Hope felt guilty. "I am sorry for causing so much trouble for your family." Hope frowned, "But, I have to do this. I can''t wait any longer in this absolute uncertainty."


    They shared a tacit understanding, but for Ian, letting her go just like that, was beyond complicated.


    "I will go with you." Ian nodded his head as if he was trying to convince himself for saying that. "Ethan and I will go with you."


    "Did I say something that I want to go?" Ethan protested.


    However, Hope was so excited to know that the twins wanted to go with her, "Really? Of course I would love to have both of you join me on this journey!"


    "What? No!" Lidya disliked the idea too. "Did I say I want to bring extra baggage with me?"


    "Why? You don''t want to bring them with us?" Hope snapped her head at Lidya. "They are strong and reliable, they could help you more than what I could offer."


    "They are shapeshifters," Lidya pointed the fact. "And shapeshifters are not welcomed in this realm we''re about to go."


    "Kace and Lana went there." Hope didn''t want to let go of the opportunity of bringing the twins with her.


    "That is a different case!" Lidya was upset. She looked like someone who would stomp her feet out of deep vexation. But, seeing the determination on her face, she relented. "Fine! But, if something happened to them, I refuse to take responsibility at all. They could come with us, but I can''t guarantee their safety."


    Hope was unsure if what''s ahead of them would be dangerous for them or not, since Lidya refused to protect them. Hence, she glanced at Ian.


    "Fine." He said resolutely. "We can protect ourselves."


    Ethan, who was standing behind Hope and his twin, could only shake his head as he took steps forward. "Aside from protecting her, it is because you are also curious about Northern Coven Realm, right?"


    He could read his twin''s true intention like an open book. This adventurous side of Ian was on the same energy as the girl. There was no chance for Ethan to talk him out of what was decided.

 Chapter 523 - TWILIGHT

    Kace gulpeddown the water that cooled and smoothed his throat. He woke up nervously and scanned his surroundings while Lana put down the glass on the table next to the bed, she helped him to sit down as she put more pillow to support his back.


    "What happened?" His voice came out raspy and hoarse, Kace couldn''t recall what had happened to him and the cause of his aching head.


    "Don''t move so much, you''ve been out for three days." Lana informed him, but she didn''t spot the reaction that she expected.


    Lana thought Kace would jump from his bed and roared anxiously, because they had wasted three days when they supposed to be back around this time as the festival would be held tonight.


    However, Kace just held his head and closed his eyes, he seemed in pain.


    "Where are we?" he asked again, his voice still liked someone who was scratching glass with their nails.


    "Inside the shop of the candlemaiden," Lana told him, her eyes focused on Kace''s knitted brows. Did he forget about what had happened?


    "Candlemaiden?" Kace opened his eyes and they fixed on Lana''s.


    The reality hit Kace hard. His eyes grew wider and, as if he forgot about his aching head, Kace jumped from his bed, but his body couldn''t take that sudden move as he swayed and almost fell on the floor.


    There.


    There was the reaction that Lana expected. Probably, because of his headache, Kace''s memories didn''t work that well the first time he woke up. However, since he remembered their priority to come to this place, nothing would stop him from leaving.


    Lana quickly held him back, so his body wouldn''t hit the small table beside the bed. "Are you alright?" she frowned, worry was written all over her face.


    "We have to go now!" Kace straightened his back and looked at Lana sternly. "When will the festival begin?"


    "Tonight." Lana answered immediately.


    "We can''t go to look for the priestess, we have to go back to the village." Kace''s expression turned hard.


    "No, we have to continue our journey to the priestess place!" Lana objected the idea fervently. The Candlemaiden had agreed to help find the priestess and the only thing left was going to the direction that Christal had told them.


    Why they had to return when they already half way there? Kace''s wound needed to be treated and the fact that he was unconscious for three days, was the proof of how serious the wound was. Lana wouldn''t let Kace returned when they were already that close to find the cure for him.


    "No!" Kace glowered at Lana. "Hope will unnecessarily worry about us, I promised her to come back before the festival!" he was fl.u.s.tered to find out that he had been passed out for three days straight. What was happening to him?


    The last thing he remembered was the vision about Hope and his beast. His beast turned into fireflies and everything went dark before he was in this shop again.


    Kace remembered Christal was talking about his beast was asking for help and it asked his mate for help. What was that even mean?


    Kace didn''t have a chance to ask before his body shut down on him and the next thing he knew, he was dead asleep until he woke up a few minutes ago.


    "Stop thinking like she''s only the little girl that you used to tease! She had grown up now, she is able to take care of herself!" Lana shouted at him.


    Half of it was because she could no longer tolerate the way he spoiled her, it was getting ridiculous, but the rest was due to her jealousy. Lana had to admit it, probably she had turned into someone like Serefina.


    Someone who was not able to be with the person they cherished the most, but was forced to see how devoted he was to another woman. The worst part, she had to help him and be supportive.


    Lana was bound to help Kace and protect what dear to him because of the stupid vow that Serefina forced her to do it. Well, at that time she did it willingly.


    "She would do something stupid," Kace said grimly.


    Upon hearing this, she let out a helpless sigh. "She stays in the house that packed with a family of werewolves, do you think it''s easy to sneak up behind their back? Think about that before you decided to go back!" Lana snapped at Kace.


    What Lana was saying actually made sense. Hope had near to zero chance to escape the house and go to the festival, no matter how hard she tried to.


    "We need to go once you have felt better." Lana tried to persuade him again, seeing Kace was doubting all she said earlier, she added more. "We have come this far, it would be a total waste of time, if you are being determined to go back. And Kace, remember, your wounds need to be treated, if we go back now we must repeat what we have been through to go this far. Hope will not be happy to know that you have to go for the second time."


    Maybe what Lana said was right, Hope would be safe there. Kace just needed to make up with her later with a bunch of apologizes and dates. If that wasn''t enough, he would let her to tell him all she wanted and Kace would grant all of her wishes.


    Sounded sweet, but na?ve at the same time. For some reason, Kace still felt unease, despite what he already knew that Hope wouldn''t be able to go out by herself. He hoped that was true.


    "Fine." Kace relented. He stared at the sky, the soft glowing light when the sun was below the horizon, reminded him of her. This kind of twilight was a perfect symbol of loneliness. He missed her so bad. He wished she was here with him¡­


    "Alright, we will leave tomorrow morning." Lana was relieved because he had agreed.

 Chapter 524 - THE LOST SOULS

    There were noise from afar that reached the four people inside the pine forest. It almost sounded like hundreds of people were celebrating on something.


    "What is that?" Hope frowned, she turned around to see the direction of the festival.


    "I think they found the three small golden balls," Ian answered. By finding the three golden balls, it meant the festival came to end as they had found the witches among them.


    Hope smiled sullenly, "I hope on the next festival, I would be able to participate. I think it will be nice," she murmured regretfully. She hoped to come with Kace for the next festival.


    "Everyone, listen carefully." Lidya stopped all of a sudden and turned around to face the three teenagers behind her. "The portal to the Northern Coven Realm will be opened once the torch went out. I need you to wear this."


    Lidya handed Hope a purple cloak. This cloak looked shabby, the supposed to be bright purple color had faded, and it almost turned into brown color.


    "Why should I wear this?" Hope held the cloak with both her thumb and forefinger, in arm-length. "This doesn''t look wearable."


    "You need that to cover your scent, no one should know that you are a guardian angel." Lidya explained briefly.


    "Guardian angel? What is that?" Ian and Ethan asked simultaneously. They directed their eyes on Hope, yet Hope ignored them.


    "Why? Because we will enter the territory of witches and vampires? How about them?" Hope pointed Ian and Ethan with her chin. "They''re not welcomed in that realm too, right?"


    "They will be fine." Lidya rolled her eyes. "But, we will be in great danger if they know your true self. No¡ªYOU will be in great danger."


    "Hold on!" Ian raised his hands, as he was confused with this conversation. "What do you mean with guardian angel? And why would she be in great danger?"


    "This is a long story." Hope patted Ian''s shoulder. "I will tell you on our way to find Kace and Lana."


    "I think I have read something about a guardian angel," Ethan touched his chin, contemplating. As expected from someone who befriended books. "Isn''t guardian angels are the creatures that had extinct centuries ago?" He directed his question towards Lidya.


    "She said she will explain it to you, why don''t you ask her instead?" Lidya raised her left brow, nodding at Hope. "We don''t have much time for this. Wear your cloak now before those creatures come! You must hide your scent this instant!"


    Hope was lucky enough the vampire from earlier couldn''t pick up her scent, due to the werewolf''s scent around her body and the flowers that she stuffed on her pockets. However, she couldn''t hope for the same thing to happen.


    Though Hope was still unsure what kind of danger that would happen if they knew about her true identity, but she was not in the mood to find out.


    Thus, reluctantly, Hope wore the shabby cloak. "This looks like a gunny sack," she complained.


    "Don''t worry, you look perfect." Lidya smirked, enjoying Hope''s misfortune. "Actually, this cloak is imitation, because the real one had long gone since the last family of pure blood witches nearly extinct."


    It would extinct with Serefina carried the last blood of it. She was the last pure blood that was still alive now.


    Hope and the twins didn''t pay attention to Lidya''s words, as they were not interested to know the origin of this cloak


    Suddenly, there was something in this dark forest that caught their attention.


    "Do you hear that?" Hope stood closer toward Ian, she narrowed her eyes to find the source of the sound that she heard. "Footsteps?"


    "Yes," Ian nodded, "and there are many of them."


    "Vampires¡­ witches¡­" Ethan sniffed the air, but then he scrunched his nose. "There are so many of them¡­"


    "Of course," Lidya walked in circle around them. "The festival has come to end. It''s time for ''them'' to go home."


    "I don''t know if this kind of thing would happen. I went to the last festival and didn''t even realize there were this many of those creatures visited the village." Ethan could see now. Those creatures were approaching the spot where they were standing.


    "Don''t move, don''t talk and don''t walk out of the circle," Lidya stepped out from the circle that she had made.


    Only now Hope and the twins realized the circle that Lidya had made glowed in dim yellow light around their ankles.


    "What?" Ian knitted his brows, but Ethan stopped him by placing his hand to cover his mouth. He sent him a warning glare.


    From inside the circle, Hope stood closer toward the twins as she watched in awe, one by one, people were coming out of the bushes and behind the pine trees.


    If Hope didn''t know better, she would assume they were human, but no, she knew they were not. From their cold eyes to their rigid nature, those people walked with dignity and were looking arrogant.


    There were ten¡­ twenty¡­ forty¡­ seventy¡­ one hundred¡­ Hope couldn''t count anymore¡­


    She realized that the festival was indeed packed with many people, but seeing them now, Hope started to think that those people from the festival were all supernatural creatures.


    How could it be possible?


    It took around twenty minutes until all of those creatures walked past the dying apple trees, as they were heading towards the part of the forest, which was darker.


    "I don''t know there are this many of them¡­" Hope murmured under her breath, but it was loud enough for the last two people to turn their head and looked at Lidya.


    "Did you say something?" the man with bald head scanned his surroundings with his dark eyes.


    "You heard something?" Lidya acted innocently.


    That man narrowed his eyes at Lidya. "What are you doing here? The portal will be closed soon to keep those lost souls."


    "I will be right there," Lidya gave himand his companion a fake smile.


    Somehow, Hope had a bad feeling when he mentioned ''the lost souls''.

 Chapter 525 - A SACRED PLACE

    That man didn''t move after he toldLidya about the lost souls, his arms sneaked around the blonde woman beside him, but his eyes stared at the spot where Hope, Ian and Ethan were standing.


    Seeing this situation, apparently this glowing circle that Lidyacreated previously, made the three teenagers invisible. However, that was not the time for them to let their guards down and take the situation lightly. Because it was still a possible threat


    That man moved closer towardsLidya and sniffed her.


    "Are you a dog?" Lidya crossed her arms as her sharp eyes, glared at him, loathing his rude, unacceptable gesture.


    "You smell like one," that man countered. "Don''t play with shapeshifters too much, I almost mistaken you from them," he sneered and walked away with the woman in his arms.


    Hope''s shoulder, which was pressed against Ian''s chest, could feel the rumble of rage inside. Ian truly hated the way that man said about his kind. Fortunately, Ethan''s temper was not as bad as Ian, he put his hand on his twin brother''s shoulder to stop him from shaking out of anger.


    Once that man and his woman were out of their sight and the glowing circle around them had vanished, Ian roared, expressing his anger.


    "Why didn''t you say anything when he insulted us?!" Ian stepped forward and stood in front of Lidya, trying to confront her after what just happened he could not let go of.


    Meanwhile, the witch only stared at the angry teenager, fully unconcerned. "Why should I say anything?" she walked past him. "You are not my kind and we barely met for me to stand up for you."


    Hope now understood why Serefina could be friend with Lidya. AlthoughLidyawas not as sardonic as Serefina, but in terms of insulting people, both of them were on the same level.


    How frustrating it would be to have the two witches around at the same time. Hope started to think of some unpleasant scenes would possibly happen once their temper flared at the same time.


    "Can we go now?" Hope grabbed Ian''s arm to stop him from unnecessary argumentation that he definitely couldn''t win it. Hope knew better not to argue with a witch.


    Lidya gave them last glance before she walked ahead. "Stay close."


    They walked towards the same direction as the other witches and vampires ahead of them. The dead apple tree beside them. Its dried branches canopied them, looked frightening as if it were alive and the hole in the middle of its trunk, looking like an eye that followed them.


    "Ian, are you sure we have to go to the other realm?" Ethan stopped his twins from following Lidya and Hope.


    "Do you want to leave her enter the realm alone?" Ian answered him with another question.


    "You know that''s not what I meant." Ethan frowned. "We can convince Hope to go back with us." But his voice sounded hesitated.


    "Even you know what the result would be." Ian picked the doubtful tone in his voice.


    "How about father and the other? They will look for us." They came to the festival with their father, but split somehow when looking for Hope, while their mom and Rossie stayed at home.


    "We wouldn''t be gone for long," Ian reassured him. "Once we find Kace, we''ll ask him to talk father out, so that he won''t beat us to death." He patted his twins.


    "How do you know that we won''tbe gone for long?" Ethan squinted his eyes. "Don''t tell me you just made it up."


    Ignoring Ethan''s protest, Ian smiled cheekily. "Besides, don''t you want to know about the world outside of that village? You''ve been reading thousands of books, but has zero experience. This is the right time for you to experience something real, in actual real life!"


    They knew each other so much that Ian knew the right words to say and what was his twin brother''s deepest desire. Well, it was not only Ethan who had gotten bored with the life in that village, but Ian as well.


    "Guys! What are you doing there?!" Hope shouted a few meters ahead from them. "Come on!" she was afraid Lidya would leave the two of them alone.


    "Let''s go!" Ian slapped his brother shoulder and ran towards Hope happily.


    ==============


    "Stay for ten minutes more and then leave after midnight." Christal eyed the lycan before her eyes. Her attitude didn''t warm up a little bit even after what had happened.


    Kace was putting on his shoes. Though he still wasn''t fully recovered, but he didn''t want to stay there any longer. He wanted to meet the priestess as soon as possible, so he could return to Hope immediately.


    For some reason, he felt restless knowing he had broken his promise to her. He didn''t do it intentionally, but after the vision that he saw, as if his strength was sucked out from his body, Kace collapsed and fell unconscious for three days straight.


    Christal shrugged her shoulder, "I just want you to know that the land where the priestess lives is not the place for shapeshifters like both of you." She sat down on her old squeaky rotten chair, supported her weight.


    "What do you mean?" Lana took her backpack.


    "That land is a sacred place, where many weak creatures seek asylum from those vampires and witches. I am sure you have seen what those weak creatures turned into after failed experiments," Christal said, her eyes turned a few shades darker. After all, most of the creatures were human-shape like her. If she was not gifted as a candlemaiden, she would be one of those poor victims.


    What Christal said, reminded Kace and Lana about those people that they met in the border between two worlds. The feral beast¡­


    The witches and vampires never considered them as beings, they were just guinea pig¡­


    Kace didn''t show it on the surface, but there was a rumble in his chest that showed his resentment.


    "What I want to say is, you need a human to ask for permission from the priestess to enter the land." Christal added.


    But, before she could talk further, there was a knock on the door.

 Chapter 526 - A SHOP WITH A SIGN

    "There is no different between the village and this place." Ian examined his surroundings with his eyes, the darkness of the night didn''t seem to affect and limit his vision, though there were only a little light in the almost empty street. "Just¡­ this place reeks of witches and vampires." He scrunched his nose disgusted by the unbearable smell.


    Hope pulled Ian''s sleeves, trying to stop him from getting to Lidya''s nerves, but apparently the witch in front of them has a better temper than Serefina, because if it was her, she would have turned this strong-headed young werewolf, into something beyond their imagination.


    However, aside from his endless complaint, Hope could see in their eyes that the twins were enjoying this new environment, so did she¡­


    After crossed through the portal near the almost died apple tree, they entered a village with colorful rooftop and cheerful children roamed around the street, the ambiance was very warm, as if happiness floated in the air, but Ian and Ethan found it strange because they didn''t have any scent on them. From their feature alone, they were almost certain that they were human.


    Hope couldn''t argue with that because she didn''t have a remarkable nose like them.


    However, even the moment they entered this realm, they couldn''t see the people that came earlier.


    When Hope asked about those people, Lidya only explained that they went to a different place from them, because she was clueless and didn''t want to ask more questions before.


    Hope had seen how irritated Lidya was with Ian''s endless chatter. However, the further they walked, the more frightening the places they surrounded with.


    "Lidya, are you sure, Kace and Lana went into a place like this?" Hope tightened her cloak around her body as she looked at her surroundings worriedly.


    She was beyond grateful that the siblings took the initiative to come with her, or else, probably Hope would have cursed herself right now for taking such reckless decision like this.


    Being with Lidya alone in a creepy place like this was a nightmare she did not wish to experience any time soon.


    "I don''t know which path they took." Lidya, who had been walking two steps ahead, flicked her fingers and the torches along this street were lit up, yet when Ethan walked past them, the torches went out automatically. That was a beauty of magic that Hope really wanted to possess.


    Fortunately, she couldn''t. Being a guardian angel, didn''t make her life easier. What a shame¡­


    "There are three ways to come into this realm and I am not sure which one they took." Lidya added. "Moreover, there are many streets that would lead us to that place."


    "What place?" Ethan asked from behind Hope and Ian. He kept looking at his back and felt there was someone who was watching them.


    "The candlemaiden''s place," Lidya replied, kept flicking her fingers to conjure another flame on the torches along their way. "Serefina told Lana to come to see the candlemaiden. If you are lucky, we can find Kace and Lana there if not¡­" She didn''t continue.


    "If not?" Hope demanded. She really hated when someone didn''t finish what they were going to say.


    "If not¡­" Lidya drawled. "We have to use all kinds of methods to make the candlemaiden tell us where they are. And by ''all kinds of methods'', I mean anything at all."


    Hope didn''t want to know what Lidya meant by anything.


    At this moment, the street was empty and they were like walking in an endless passageway.


    "You don''t have any other route?" Hope crept closer toward Ian and he placed his hand on her shoulder. Ian could feel the girl anxiousness. "You said there are many streets could lead us reach the candlemaiden place, but why did you choose this creepy one?"


    "Because¡­" the flames from the torches provided them with warm, yet it couldn''t get rid of the eerie feelings that this place was a sceneof a nightmare. "Aside from this route, other streets would be more dangerous for the three of you and I don''t want to get unnecessary trouble because of you. Tonight is the festival, we should wait for midnight to roam around this place with shapeshifters and a guardian angel, but I don''t want to waste our time. Thus, try not to complain so much. You would see something creepier than this if I chose another route. Trust me. It''ll be worse."


    Lidya ended her preach. Probably, that was the longest sentences that she ever said since the first time Hope met her.


    Hope moved away when she felt someone rushed beside her, as it turned out, it was Ethan. He strode past Hope and stood beside Lidya.


    At first, Hope thought Ian wanted to say something harsh to the witch because of her preach, but he talked in low voice, thickened with obvious anxiety.


    "You felt it also right?" Ethan''s hazel eyes examined his surroundings. "We have been followed."


    "What?" Hope turned her body to see behind her, but only darkness that greeted her. She could feel Ian''s grip on her shoulder tightened as they walked a little bit closer towardsLidya.


    "What do you mean with that?" Ian demanded, his eyes wandered. "I don''t see anyone."


    Ignoring Ian, Lidya nodded at Ethan. "You have a very sharp sense," she said. "Yes, we are being followed."


    "What is that? I couldn''t see or hear anything," Ian said with frustration, there were less than a handful people who knew that Ian was afraid of ghost.


    Again, ignoring Ian, Lidya talked to Ethan. "Don''t worry, all of you will be fine. Those creatures dislike the brightness from this light." She flicked her fingers again and conjured another flames on the torches to illuminate their path.


    "What kind of creatures are they?" Ian shuddered. He didn''t want to meet something that he couldn''t hear or see.


    "We are here." Lidya didn''t bother to answer Ian''s question, as they reached a shop with a sign next to its door. It read:


    Christal.


    Candlemaiden.


    "That''s very obvious¡­" Hope murmured. She would have never thought the house of the candlemaiden would be obvious like this.


    "Why don''t you knock the door?" Lidya eyed Ethan beside her.

 Chapter 527 - WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?

    "What I want to say to you is, that you need a human to ask for permission from the priestess to enter the land." said Christal as the knock on the door interrupted her.


    "What do you mean with that?" Kace tried to ignore the knock on the door, he was too absorbed and focused to find out what this candlemaiden meant with they couldn''t meet the priestess without a human? Why things seemed to get out of hands and turn more and more difficult for him now?


    "Like I told you before, the place where the priestess lives is a sacred land. Except human with no bad intention, while other creatures need permission from the priestess herself to enter that land." Christal glanced at the door, which was being knocked.


    "Didn''t you say before that place is an asylum for weak creatures? Do you mean that all weak creatures are human?" Kace couldn''t comprehend this logic. "This makes no sense," he hissed while looking puzzled.


    "No. You misunderstood what I''ve said." Christal shook her head. "But, as shapeshifter, you are absolutely, undeniably, has a high spirit energy. That is the thing that will hold you back. That land is a spiritual place, built with pure spell, which is different magic than those possessed by witches."


    The knock on the door, now turned into banging, suggesting that whoever the person at the door, was eager to come in.


    "But, maybe you can enter that place since your spirit is vulnerably weak now." Christal contemplated her own words for a while.


    The banging on the door was getting louder.


    "Are you expecting a guest?" Kace felt irritated by the sound.


    "No, I don''t." Christal shook her head. Despite what she said, she didn''t look surprised to find someone was looking for her in the middle of the night.


    Kace and Lana glanced at the door with knitted brows.


    "But, why don''t you open it? Maybe these guests will help you." Christal added.


    Kace and Lana didn''t miss the plural words used by the candlemaiden. How didshe know how many people were out there?


    "I''ll open the door," Lana murmured, she was about to approach the door when Kace held her back.


    "No. Let me," he said while pulling Lana away from the door. If these guests were some hostile creatures, at least, Kace was stronger than Lana, though the beast inside of him was in weak state.


    The door was being knocked from someone outside, that person apparently had lost their temper as the banging sound was increased.


    However, upon a closer distance, Kace recognized the scent of this visitor¡ª


    No way! What they are doing here?!


    ==============


    "Maybe there is no one inside this shop." Ethan turned to look at Lidya. He had been knocking the door for some time, but no answer from inside. He couldn''t hear anything.


    "Or, maybe they are sleeping," Hope chimed in. She tightened the cloak around her body, had mixed feelings about this gloomy surroundings. If it was not for the flames that Lidya had conjured, this street would be dark and frightening, and for Hope would have rushed to the door and forcedly kicked it open.


    Well, she was not sure if she could do that¡­


    Moreover, Lidya had said there was something in the dark that had been tailing them, although she didn''t explain what it was, but Hope didn''t really want to find out what kind of creatures they were. She was sure it wasn''t something she''d be thrilled to find out about.


    "No, they''re not," Lidya replied confidently.


    "Are you sure this is the place where we can find them? They had gone for almost a week and us¡­" Hope tried to count the time that had passed of their journey. "Four? Five hours? There is a long gap between us and them."


    "Like I told you before," Lidya glanced at the door again and Ethan was still trying to get attention from whoever inside by knocking it harder. "If we can''t find Kace and Lana here, we will ask the person inside to tell us where they are going."


    Just like Serefina''s instruction, they definitely stopped by here first, aside from Kace''s issues, there was something that Serefina had to return.


    "Besides," Lidya added. "There are three ways to come into this realm. What we took is the easiest way because you came with a witch like me, and since the other one is not possible, even for us to take, they must''ve taken the last, and took shelter here."


    "Is that the hardest way?" Hope frowned, the thought of Kace and Lana had gone through such strugglesmade her feele unease.


    "If you want to say so," Lidya replied. "But, that is the safest way for shapeshifters to avoid the unnecessary clash with witches and vampires."


    "They don''t open the door." Said Ethan as he kicked the door harshly. Annoyed.


    Hope really wanted to go inside and find out whether Kace was there or not, she became impatient.


    However, before Hope could walk forward and kick the door, Ian had done that. He banged his fist against the wooden door with all of his might.


    Hope was surprised the door was still standing and didn''t collapse under Ian''s strength.


    Ian kept banging and kicking the door for some time until they could hear a weak rustling sound from the other side of the door before it threw opened.


    "You!?"


    The familiar voice and the figure that Hope had been missing for more than two weeks now, standing tall in front of her, framed with the dim light from the room inside.


    Ian''s shock expression shifted into a big wolfish grin. "Hi!" he raised his hands awkwardly.


    "What are you doing here??!" Kace''s bafflement was overlapped with another sight that was caught by his eyes.


    He didn''t say anything, but strode in large steps, approaching Hope as he pulled her into his big-bear hug.


    Kace buried his nose on the curve of her shoulder. The spark erupted, dancing on their skins and he could feel his beast hummed in satisfied


    However, there was something odd that Kace realized. The spark was there, but he couldn''t smell her scent.


    Abruptly, Kace let go of her and put her within his arm-length. His brows knitted while his ocean blue eyes stared at the girl in front of him.

 Chapter 528 - NO WAY!

    "Kace?" Hope was confused with the stare that Kace gave to her. "What happened?"


    "I can''t smell you¡­" he said in hesitation. This fact bothered him.


    "Oh," Hope realized what was bothering him. "This probably because of this cloak." She pointed the purple cloak that she was wearing.


    "Where did you get this?" Only then Kace looked around towards the people who had come with Hope. There was no way this girl could enter this realm alone.


    And when Kace''s eyes fell on the woman witch, he sighed deeply, as if there was a huge burden that was thrown at his face. "You¡­"


    "Yes, me¡­" Lidya nodded her head slightly, but her eyes shone defiantly. "Serefina''s order."


    "I knew it," Kace said grimly, "If it was not for her, you definitely wouldn''t come. But¡­" his voice became stern. "What the hell are you doing?! Why did you bring her here!?"


    Just like Serefina, Lidya also had gotten used with Kace''s erratic temper whenever he faced some absurdity.


    "She missed you and you missed her, don''t you think you should thank me, for reuniting both of you?" Lidya twirled her hair between her fingers. "I didn''t force her, she wanted to come."


    Kace shifted his attention towards Hope and glared at her.


    "She came to my school to meet me and gave me an offer to come to meet you, of course I''d go." Hope hugged Kace.


    Hope couldn''t believe what Lidya had just said, she literally put the blame on her and made it sounded like she was the one who proposed this idea.


    It was true that Kace wouldn''t scold her whatsoever like he''d do to the other people there, but Hope still didn''t want to be in his bad side at all and get scolded even for just a little, especially after two weeks they didn''t see each other.


    "She came to my school to meet me and gave me an offer to come to meet you, of course I''d go." Hope hugged Kace tightly, she stared at Kace with her puppy eyes, pouting her lips and Kace was tongue-tied. "I won''t be here if she didn''t come to me firsthand with that offer."


    On the other hand, Lidya was surprised by the way Hope switched her words, but then she smirked, as expected of someone who was raised by Serefina. This girl was quick-witted.


    Seeing Hope was hugging him like this, Kace gritted his teeth. He was mad, but couldn''t say a word to her, thus he turned his head bellow at the twins.


    "Why didn''t you stop her!!?" He roared at them.


    The poor siblings moved away upon hearing the harsh tone in Kace''s voice, "We tried!" Ian whimpered, "Do you think it''s easy to stop her?"


    Well, that''s true, even Kace couldn''t do much when he had to face the girl directly.


    "Aren''t you happy to see me?" Hope asked sullenly, placing her hands on Kace''s face, so they could talk eye to eye.


    Kace''s hard expression softened. "Of course I am happy to see you¡­" he said immediately, didn''t want to aggravate her further.


    "Good. That''s all I need to know." Hope nodded on her own words.


    "Hope¡­ I don''t mean to say that I''m not happy to see you, but the situation is different. It''s not safe for you to be here." Kace tried to persuade her.


    "If I''m not mistaken, you always say that you will protect me. Has it changed now?" Hope let go of Kace and crossed her arms.


    "Of course not," Kace replied without hesitation.


    "Good, then we don''t have any problem anymore here," Hope smiled sweetly as she walked past him, "Now, can we come inside?"


    "Hope¡­" Kace felt helpless. He missed her, indeed, and wanted to be near her. However, the situation now was different.


    "Kace." Hope turned around and glared at him. "You were so close on breaking your own promise again." she said menacingly.


    With that one sentence, Kace became speechless.


    "Alright, let''s go inside. It is scary out here." Ian shivered when he watched Lidya put out the flame on the torches.


    The three teenagers went inside the shop happily, just like when Hansel and Gretel found a house made of cakes and candies. The three of them were very excited to see what kind of person a candlemaiden was.


    "What were you thinking inside your head when you decided to bring her here?" when it was only Kace and Lidya alone, both of them strolled inside the shop with slow steps. "I''m absolutely sure, Serefina didn''t ask you to do this."


    Even with Serefina''s absence at the moment, that requiring her to go to Torak''s place, to take care of his mate. Kace knew for sure Serefina wouldn''t risk to expose Hope like this. Even she herself never wish to ever be there again and had been trying to avoid entering this realm as much as possible.


    "No she did not," Lidya admitted.


    "So, why did you¡­"


    "I improvised." She winked at him and rushed toward the house, leaving Kace behind. Of course Lidya wouldn''t say anything about the deal between her and Hope


    "Damn. I hate witches," Kace grumbled.


    Kace was happy beyond words when he saw Hope was there, but the fact she was here to accompany him to meet the priestess, didn''t feel like the right thing for him. He didn''t want his mate got involved in this mess ahead of them.


    From inside the house, Kace could hear Hope''s squeal when she called out for Lana. He could imagine Lana was being squeezed by that girl and this brought a smile on his lips.


    Actually, that wasn''t because Kace didn''t realize it, he knew that Hope was slightly jealous towards Lana, yet she seemed always forgot about her feelings from time to time. Only when she witnessed Kace and Lana interacted with each other then she would throw them a glare, otherwise, she always thought of Lana as her older sister.


    It was cute to say anyway to see how Hope could get jealous, yet Kace wouldn''t provoke it intentionally. He didn''t want his mate to feel insecure.

 Chapter 529 - SET OFF

    Kace leaned against the wall behind him as he watched helplessly how Hope, Ian and Ethan observed the room. Their eyes wandered from corner to corner of the room.


    "Is she the candlemaiden?"


    Kace could hear Hope whispered to Lana beside her and when she nodded her head, Hope''s expression became confused. At this time she must have felt the same thing as Kace before, even the twins stared at Christal in disbelieve, their imagination about a cute girl as a candlemaiden must have shattered by now.


    "Lidya¡­" Christal ignored the stares that was thrown to her and shifted her attention towards the witch. "It''s been a long time since the last time we met."


    "For you yes," Lidya replied casually. "For me forty years are only a speck of time."


    "Indeed." She agreed and then her grey eyes found Kace across the room, she smiled, but this only gave the lycan a goosebumps. "You can go now, the people that you need are already here."


    Kace frowned, "what do you mean¡­" he lost his words when finally understand what she said.


    Christal''s words echoed in his head; ''As I told you before, the place where the priestess lives is a sacred land. Except human with no ill intention, other creatures need permission from the priestess herself to enter that land.''


    The only human here aside from Christal was¡­


    Kace stared at Hope, who blinked her eyes innocently, asking for the meaning of his gaze.


    No way!


    "No way!" Kace knew where this conversation would end. He strode across the room and pulled Hope behind his back, as if the white-haired old lady could harm his mate. "Do you think I will let her to come with me?! I will send her back to where she should be!" His grip on Hope''s wrist tightened. Even when the girl grimaced in pain, Kace didn''t realize that his grip was hurting her.


    "I didn''t say you should bring her with you to find the priestess who can help you to treat your wound, though it would be dangerous if you prolong your treatment." Well, Hope didn''t know Hope about this before, but she did now.


    "Christal!" Kace couldn''t say anything anymore, except calling her name with resentment at the tip of his tongue. Hope, who heard what she said, wouldn''t let this slip away just like that.


    "Shouldn''t you thank me because I made your journey easier?" Christal huffed. "In this case, I want to thank you because you had brought back my candle."


    "How do you know she will come?" Kace narrowed his eyes dangerously at the candlemaiden.


    "I am a candlemaiden," she smiled righteously, her lips pulled into a proud smile, which was directed to herself. "I am talking to the spirit. A helpless delicate being which none of you could see¡­ they tell me everything as they are everywhere."


    "Like a ghost?" Ian chimed in, he shuddered with his own words.


    Christal chuckled upon hearing that. "No, my child¡­ they are not a ghost. They are spirit. Everything has its own soul, even grass in the meadow."


    Ignoring the puzzle behind what Christal said, Hope swung Kace''s hand from her wrist and stepped forward. "Really? Do you think I can help him?" this was another twist she didn''t expect to find out. For her to be able to help Kace, was her only wish. She wanted to do this for a long time, but the fact that she was only a human without any supernatural power, held her back.


    She didn''t really consider her own blood to be a supernatural power, since it was not really useful in her opinion.


    "No!"


    "Yes!"


    Kace glared at Christal because of her answer. "Hope, listen¡­"


    "No!" Hope turned around and glared at Kace. "I don''t want to listen to you!"


    Kace realized if he kept pushing her away he would upset her, thus he looked around, looking for a possible back up. Unfortunately, there was none among them were looking to his direction.


    Ian and Ethan seemed enjoying their best time here by completely absorbed by a flower vase on top of a table, Lana ignored him by standing a little bit away from him and Lidya¡ªthe witch didn''t care much about all the conflict ongoing, after all, she was the one who had brought Hope here.


    "Tell me what should I do to help him?" Hope walked closer to Christal and sat down on a chair beside her. She had come so far to this place and finally met with Kace, but the fact that he had not been treated yet made her deeply concerned.


    Turned out something happened here and Hope found out that she could help him. How great does that sound?


    And then, Christal ended up telling her everything. Kace tried to interrupt them, but one look from Hope, stopped him from saying what he meant to say.


    Kace had never thought that Hope could be very forbidding if she wishes to.


    "Take this candle with you and this will guide you to the sacred place." Christal gave Hope a white candle, which was not bigger than her thumb, the wick blazed with blue flames.


    "What if the fire died out?" Hope took the candle, but it didn''t provide any warm even when she ran her fingers on the blue flames, she could touch it without getting burned.


    "The fire will not die out." Christal informed her.


    And as soon as the candlemaiden told her that, Hope tried to blow the candle, "Oh, it really doesn''t die out."


    "You don''t need to blow it too," Christal giggled. She liked this girl, but since she knew Hope''s true- self, she pitied the fate destined for her.


    "I will go with you," Hope decided. She jumped happily toward Kace and smiled innocently, as if she was not aware that Kace objected her decision. "Let''s go!"


    "I don''t think this is a good decision for the three of you to come with me." Kace gave a hard look to Ian and Ethan also.


    "Why don''t we do vote?" Ian suggested courageously. "Whoever don''t agree, raise your hand."


    But, no one budged.


    "That''s not fair." Kace protested, crossing his arms, but he still didn''t get the support that he needed.

 Chapter 530 - VACATION

    "I don''t know if this is the right decision to let her come with us." Kace pushed away a strand of hair from Hope''s sleeping face. The girl used his laps as pillow for her to sleep, apparently the trip to get here had taken a toll on her.


    Hope could barely open her eyes when they were inside this carriage, despite her strong will to go on this long journey to the sacred land, to meet with the priestess.


    Inside the carriage, there were only Kace, Hope and Lana while Lidya, Ian and Ethan were in different carriage behind them.


    This realm was something one could only imagine, even the carriage was pulled by two strangest animals that some of them had never seen before. They were like horses, but white, with fat yellow stripes.


    The first time Hope saw them, she scurried away behind Kace''s back, even the twins jumped and hid behind Lana.


    Kace chuckled when he watched Hope widened her eyes, drowned in between curious and scared.


    Only when Kace reassured her that those animals wouldn''t bite, Hope took a step forward to observe the strange animals, yet she still didn''t want to touch them.


    Maybe, having Hope in this boring journey was a great idea. At least, his focus wouldn''t be distracted by thinking of her every seconds of his breath.


    He liked it when Hope was close to him and he could touch her rosy cheeks or played with her soft dark hair every time he wanted.


    Hope was surrounded by many shapeshifters and despite the fact that Lidya was not a pure blood witch like Serefina, she was quite reliable. Kace had known her for years already and she was the only witch friend that Serefina had. Even so, it was rare for Serefina to talk about Lidya or what she was doing the last time she came to visit her.


    "If she''s here to help, then it is the right decision to keep her here." Lana propped her chin with her fist as she stared at the trees along the road outside the carriage. The sky started to turn bright as the sun, surely yet very slowly, rose at the horizon.


    "We don''t know what we''re about to face," Kace muttered. "I just don''t want see her to get hurt."


    "She won''t. And you don''t need to worry about it. Because there are many of us here will protect her." There was this thick sarcasm detected in the way Lana answered him.


    Since they set off in this journey to the sacred place where the priestess lived, Lana turned a little bit cold towardsKace. Almost like she wished she was not there.


    Kace could feel it, but he knew her reason, thus he tried to act as if nothing happen. Initially, Kace suggested for Lidya to be in the same carriage as him and Hope.


    However, Lana didn''t want to be in the same carriage with the teenagers or to be in the same place with Lidya. Facing a witch like Serefina was enough for her to have to deal with a witch. She didn''t wish to face another witch. Because for her, to deal with one witch was enough experience of a lifetime.


    Therefore, the only option left for Lana, was to stay with the couple. It was really a tight spot for Lana to have to deal with the situation and her own feelings too, but Kace couldn''t do anything about it. It was her battle, she should have known from the beginning that her feeling was forbidden.


    Along this journey, it was so quiet, either in Kace''s carriage or in Lidya and the siblings''.


    The witch had fallen asleep when they were inside the carriage, Ian followed after that. It was only Ethan who was still awake until they reached their destination.


    They arrived at a place similar to a harbor with many big sh.i.p.s were moored to the pier. People roamed around with loud of yowl and yell filled the air.


    The noise from outside their carriage brought those sleeping people inside back to the reality.


    Hope rubbed her face as she wandered her eyes sleepily. "Where are we?" she yawned. "Have we reached the sacred place?"


    "Of course not yet," Kace tousled her hair and made it messier, "We have to take a ship to go to the other land."


    The candlemaiden told them the raw directions, but she couldn''t give the exact location, therefore, the candle that Raine brought with her, would tell them where they had to go.


    Hope yawned and stretched both of her arms.


    "My neck is hurt," she complained. With the way she was sleeping in this small carriage, of course she would hurt her neck.


    "Don''t be such a baby. You will be fine once we are out there." Despite what he said, his hand rubbing her neck softly to lessen her pain.


    After Kace said that, the carriage stopped.


    Hope still couldn''t understand how these strange animals worked. Those animals could actually know where to go without anyone guided them and they didn''t get lost at all.


    How these animals could be smarter than her? As someone who would often get lost in direction, Hope was slightly irritated.


    And when Kace helped her to get down from the carriage, the animal turned its head and gave Hope a smirk.


    Hope wasn''t sure if that was the right term. However, one thing for sure, she was quite interested in them.


    But, there was another thing that picked Hope''s interest the most, it was her surroundings. Ian and Ethan joined her when they had gotten off their carriage.


    "I have never known that there''s such a place like this exist," Ian murmured and Ethan couldn''t stop himself from observing his surrounding too.


    There were shops along the front-shore that were just now opening for the day.


    Hope practically squalled as they walked along the displays and sitting in the front of the stores with Kace beside her and Ian was on the other side.


    However, in their excitement, Ethan dampened their mood by saying. "We have an exam in four days."


    "Oh, please, shut up!" Ian growled.


    "Don''t spoil the fun, we are in vacation now!" Hope grunted.

 Chapter 531 - THEM

    "We''re not in vacation!" Kace knocked Ian''s head causing the boy wailed in pain.


    "Why did you hit me? It was Hope who said that we''re in a vacation!" he felt unfairly wronged. He just told Ethan to shut up, but why did he get hit?


    Yet, Kace didn''t feel what he did was wrong, the lycan wrapped his arms around Hope''s shoulder as they walked along the streets.


    Seeing how frustrated Ian was, Hope chuckled, she also wrapped her arms around his h.i.p.s as she knew Kace would treat her no less than this.


    See? Wasn''t this like how a perfect vacation would be? Hope got Kace beside her and aside from Lidya, she was happy to have people that she cared aboutbeing around her. Having the twins there in the journey was like having a mood booster every time, they could be funny but also annoying at the same time.


    This street was too packed from people going around. It was hard for the group to come through, but Kace managed to shove those few people around away, from any possibility of getting Hope squeezed inside the crowd.


    The lycan became overly protective over his mate and Hope liked it when he showed concern for her. She loved the way Kace showed his feeling and affection.


    There was a blush staining her cheeks and she kept glancing over the man beside her shyly every few seconds.


    "Does your back still hurt?" Hope asked softly while glancing through all the pretty necklaces hanging from a string on one of the stands.


    "I am fine. You don''t need to worry." Kace gave her a dashing smile to assure her.


    "I had this vision, it was a dream about you but felt real¡­" Hope said as she recalled the strange dream where she saw the white lycan.


    "Hmm," Kace hummed. "The fireflies."


    "You know that too?" Hope turned her head and looked at Kace with her wide eyes. "You had the same dream too?"


    Kace gave some thought when he answered her. "You can say so¡­ it was the candlemaiden doing."


    "Christal? What did she do exactly?" her guess was right, there was some meaning behind it. "What is that mean?"


    Kace glanced at the curious girl and smirked naughtily. "To relay my message that I missed you." He winked at her and earned a slap across his arms and some of her giggles.


    They continued to walk until they reached the ship that waited patiently in the water. A ship with this size could board on no less than three hundred passengers and it would take at least a day voyage to the sacred place.


    Hope and Ian were madly excited to embark in their journey with this ship, even though Ethan didn''t show it on his face, but he also felt the same energy as the other two, his eyes flickered with enthusiasm.


    "This is amazing¡­" Hope murmured, wandered her eyes around her surroundings.


    "Don''t move carelessly or you will get lost." Kace tightened his grip on her shoulder, to keep the overly excited girl stayed in her place.


    The six of them climbed the ship''s aisle in two lines, Lidya and Lana walked ahead with Kace and Hope behind them, while the twin right behind the couple.


    ==============


    "I will be in the room next to yours." Kace patted Hope''s head, as they turned towards the door halfway down the ship''s second level. There were three in total.


    The first, being the upper deck, the second, was traveler quarters and the third, was for the ship''s workers and food storage.


    Once they arrived at their room, Lana pushed the door opened and walked in, followed by Lidya. Probably, both of them were too tired to even give the men a ''goodbye''. They chucked their backpack and bag a swung across the small room before Lidya closed the door with a flick from her wrist, even though Hope was still right outside.


    "Get some sleep, you need it." Kace nudged open the small door with his large shoulder. "Don''t be alone with Lidya," he said, barely a whisper.


    Hope didn''t ask why because she knew the reason of Kace''s warning. Only if Kace knew that Hope had made a deal with the witch, Hope was certain the lycan would be incensed.


    "Okay," Hope nodded obediently. "But, I just woke up, I can''t fall asleep again." she had been sleeping on their way to the harbor.


    "Are you hungry?" Kace''s eyes softened when he saw Hope was pouting her lips.


    "Extremely!" hope said exaggeratedly while rubbing her flat tummy.


    Kace leaned over and kissed her temple. "Let''s have a breakfast, but give me ten minutes to take a quick bath."


    Hope grinned from ear to ear, "Okay! I will wait for you inside the room."


    See? This vacation is absolutely perfect! Hope closed the door while humming a song that she knew.


    Inside the room there were two bunk beds which the lower bed had been occupied by the two women, thus, the only option left for Hope was to take the bed above Lidya or Lana.


    Hope walked towards Lana''s bed and saw how exhausted she was. The young female werewolf had curled her body into a shrimp and closed her eyes as her breathe became even.


    She must be so tired and as Hope remembered, it seemed that Lana didn''t take a single wink of sleep at all when they were inside the carriage.


    No matter how jealous Hope was to her, she always consider and think of Lana as her big sister. She took a blanket from the second cabinet near her and put it on her.


    Hope was about to take off her cloak when suddenly a warning voice rang from Lidya.


    "Don''t take off your cloak."


    "You scared me!" Hope hissed. "Why?"


    "For your own safety," she said simply.


    "Why do you think I''d be in danger? The festival is over and nothing happened last night." Hope didn''t see or couldn''t seeanything that was potentially a dangerous threat to her.


    "The festival is over, but instead of in your human realm, you are here, in this realm." Lidya shifted in her bed and stared at Hope. "Just because you are able to see the shifters in their beast form, it doesn''t mean you could see ''everything'', not many eyes could see ''them'', you know."

 Chapter 532 - OLD MAGIC

    "What do you mean with ''them''?" Hope frowned as she glanced at Lana, apparently, she was too tired to be bothered by the conversation between Hope and Lidya.


    "We, the witch, believe in the existence of spirits, other beings that have no form." Lidya''s eyes stared straight into Hope''s. "That is where we got our magic from."


    Hope wasn''t sure that she understood what Lidya was saying. She knew about spirit, but did not have a deep understanding about it.


    "This is an old magic." She added. "And just like human. Not all spirits are nice, consequently, we have this dark witches. All of theseare connected to each other."


    "Okay¡­" Hope drawled, "I am confused now."


    "You will understand when the right time has come. This realm is built by those spirit, you will need them when you face the upcoming war."


    After explaining all that to her, Lidya closed her eyes.


    Hope thought she would opened them again and gave her another confusing lectures, yet her breathe became even. She fell asleep.


    She fell asleep right after she gave Hope a headache by her half-explainedknowledge about those spirit-witch-relation things and this realm. Yeah great!


    However, the next thing she knew, there was a knock on the door and Kace''s voice sounded from behind the door.


    Forgetting about the puzzle in Lidya''s words, she contemplated for a while, whether to take off the cloak or not, but she ended up kept wearing it, just in case.


    Hope happily walked towards the door and opened it just to find Kace on his black sweater and jeans, smiling at her. The kind of smile that could make Hope grin foolishly.


    "Let''s eat," Kace tousled her hair and grabbed her hand as they walked to the first deck.


    ==============


    After breakfast, Kace took Hope to the upper deck to see the sea and got some fresh air. The twin were fast asleep after their head hit the pillow, thus it was only the couple who roamed around the ship.


    Actually, Kace felt exhausted. He had not slept since last night. It seemed the three days when he got a long sleep was not enough for him.


    However, having Hope there made things different for him. Upon seeing her in person, he just realized how much he missed his little mate.


    Kace was leaning against the railing of the top deck, he looked up, staring at the soft ray of the sun with Hope right beside him.


    Hope was looking at the water with the color of soft blue with shade of green, glimmered softly under the torch of the sun light.


    There were many people in this upper deck, maybe those travelers were as tired as the twins.


    "Do you think there are strange creatures that pull this ship?" Hope tilted her head to see Kace beside her. "You know, like the Moxars that pulled our carriage before."


    Kace chuckled upon hearing her question. "Your imagination runs pretty wild."


    "Why? Is that wrong to assume that?" Hope pouted her lips. "I think we''re in a fairytale-like-world, with magical beasts live alongside of witches and vampires. I even thought of seeing a king and queen, is there a king and queen here?"


    With the mentioned of ''King'', Kace''s mind wandered to his brother. Jedrek. He was a King¡­ the Lycan King.


    "There is a King, but not in this realm," Kace answered curtly.


    "Oh¡­" Hope knew whom Kace was referred to, and talking about his older brother wouldn''t be a pleasant conversation for Kace.


    Although, Hope was quite sure even if she asked any questions about Jedrek, Kace would likely answer all of her questions, but she didn''t want to see Kace to feel unease by bringing up the topic.


    There was a comfortable quiet moment that stretched between them and even the sun was above their head, the heat was still bearable.


    And that moment was the perfect thing to have with a company of your soulmate beside you, simply to pass that moment together.


    "Come here¡­" Kace grabbed Hope''s hand and pulled her to come with him.


    The lycan brought his mate to a long wooden bench as he sat her down and used her thigh as a pillow. Kace put Hope''s hand on his hair and asked her to stroke his head.


    "Let me sleep for a while¡­" he murmured and closed his eyes.


    "Hey, if you want to sleep we can go back," Hope whispered, she ran her fingers on his long hair, which was so soft in her touch.


    "No, that way you can''t repay me for landing you my thigh earlier." Kace became stingy.


    "What a great man you are¡­" Hope said scornfully, but ended up smiling after that. Maybe, playing with his hair under the shadow of the pole while looking at the calm sea was not a bad idea afterall.


    This upper deck was peacefully quiet and Kace had snored softly even before Hope could realize it.


    Hope leaned her back against the backrest of the bench and hummed a song that she knew. She didn''t have a single clue what would happen in this so-called sacred place where the priestess lived or if this journey would be as smooth as their plan, but she hoped Kace''s wounds could be treated before it got even worse.


    Hope closed her eyes, relishing this moment, when all of a sudden there was a voice that greeted her.


    "There you are¡­"


    The girl opened her eyes and immediately regretted the sight that she was seeing.


    "My sense is right that you are here¡­"


    Well, apparently this journey would be interesting.


    "Abby," Hope hissed her name. She wanted to ask why she was here when her own mind answered it.


    This young witch was there to attend the festival and this was her place after all. Behind her, Leon followed, looking as charming as the last time Hope saw him, yet she didn''t feel glad to see them at all.


    "Thank you for still remembering my name. But, what is it your name again?" Abby smirked, her eyes didn''t leave Kace''s sleeping face.


    "She''s Hope." Leon chimed in.


    "Thank you for still remembering my name, apparently you''ve proven nothing but better memory than her." Hope smirked.

 Chapter 533 - GET LOST!

    "I dare you to say it again!!!" Abby was furious, she strode to approach Hope, but Leon was faster to grab her shoulder and pulled her back. "LET ME GO!"


    "Stop it!" Leon warned his sister.


    "Yeah, stop it," Hope said in mocking tone. "Don''t you see? Kace is sleeping right now. You are bothering us."


    One encounter was enough for Hope to reach an understanding of that Abby and her, would never be in good term. Ever.


    "So you prefer someone else than your own sister? Are you on her side now?" Abby was beyond upset by the way Leon treated her.


    "Now I know why you wanted to board onto this ship." Leon glared at her. "You''re wasting our time, we should''ve gone back to the southeast right after the festival ended."


    Abby knew, but she accidentally heard a conversation between some elder witches about the Lycan. Apparently, there were a few lycans which had crossed this realm, some of them before the festival and some of it during the festival.


    Lycans were common to cross the northern coven realm, but since they mentioned about Lycan from Donovan''s blood line, Abby knew right away that must be Kace.


    His peculiar energy had a strange vibe once he stepped inside this realm, therefore, those eldest witches were able to pinpoint his location.


    It was strange to know that the lycan was visiting the candlemaiden house.


    But, of course Abby wouldn''t mention anything about this to her brother. Leon was never taking her side about this.


    "To be late two or three days will not change anything." Abby puffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively.


    "If only I knew this, I will not follow you onto this ship." Leon sighed regretfully.


    "Then you will taste the wrath of father." Abby retorted defiantly.


    "Let''s see, who will get the wrath of father once he finds out about the truth, that you have been tailing a lycan?" Leon challenged her.


    "Great!" Hope''s voice was slightly above a whisper, but her tone was very harsh. "But, can you have this conversation somewhere else, please? Someone here is trying to get some rest." Hope didn''t care with the hard glare that Abby threw to her direction as her eyes focused on Leon, this man was easier to talk to.


    Frown on Leon''s lips disappeared and rather replaced by a tender smile, seeing how Hope handled the situation.


    "Sure, I am sorry for disturbing the both of you." Leon nodded his head slightly as gestured to his sister to go with him.


    However, it was very silly of her to ignore her brother''s gesture and tried to approach Hope again.


    "Don''t you know that I am his mate!?" Abby squinted her eyes at Hope.


    Leon, literally, slapped his forehead. How embarrassing that statement is?! He didn''t know whether Hope knew what the meaning of ''mate'' or not, but seeing her surprised expression, followed by her chirpy laugh, he realized that Kace had told her about this matter. He felt bad for his sister.


    "Oh, really?! I don''t know if Kace has two mates?" Hope sneered after she laughed loudly. "Aside from me¡­" She raised her chin proudly as she threw that fact to Abby''s face.


    "Mate?" Abby raised her eyebrow questioningly. "Are you kidding me?" she laughed wryly. "Donovans don''t have mates."


    At least, that was what Abby knew. The curse that they bear was not a secret anymore to anyone. Thus, when Hope said she was Kace''s mate, it was a silly joke in her eyes, despite not long ago she was the one to claim herself as Kace''s mate.


    "Oh, really?" Hope mimicked Abby''s expression, "But, you just said you are his mate? So, what is that? A false claim?"


    This time, Leon was the one who laughed. "Nice!" he raised both of his thumbs for Hope, disregarding his own sister was fuming mad beside him.


    Hope furrowed her brows, staring at Leon in confusion. If Kace didn''t tell her, she wouldn''t know that both of them were siblings, because seeing how Leon helped her to mock Abby, no one would believe he was the older brother.


    "Leon! Shut up!" Abby stomped her feet angrily, but this only made Leon laughed harder.


    "QUIET!"


    A harsh voice made Abby jerked away and Leon stopped laughing, even Hope shrieked. Kace, who was lying on her laps had sat down and glowered at Abby.


    "Ka¡­ ce¡­" Abby stammered and if Hope was not in shock, she would find Abby''s reaction was funny.


    "GET LOST!"


    Only now they realized that the color of Kace''s eyes were not blue, but they were black, pitch black.


    Even Leon found Kace''s strong rejection was odd. He knew Kace disliked Abby, but he had never acted so aggressive like this and those eyes¡­ they shined with hostility.


    "Kace, are you okay?" Leon pulled Abby behind his back as his body, out of instinct, leaned over in defense.


    "TAKE THAT BITCH AWAY FROM ME!"


    Hope flinched. No matter how angry Kace was, he had never cursed someone like this before. What happened to him?


    Leon looked at Hope, his eyes reflected the same confusion like her.


    ''Go¡­'' Hope mouthed at him, despite she didn''t know what was going on with Kace, but it would be the best for the sibling to leave this scene. Apparently, the beast within Kace had taken control.


    "Alright¡­" Leon threw another worry glance at Hope, but the girl nodded her head determinedly. "Let''s go."


    Leon took Abby along with him on his side, as he walked towards the stairs that would bring them to the first deck. As they walked Leon glanced, a couple of time, over his shoulder toward Kace, who was still had his eyes on their back.


    This time, fortunately, Abby didn''t struggle to refuse his brother, she was too shocked to discern the way Kace talked to her earlier. He was too harsh!


    After Abby and Leon left them alone, Kace turned his body and fixed his black eyes on Hope.


    For some reason, Hope feared the way Kace was staring at her now. "Kace¡­?"


    "Yes, my lovely¡­" Kace smiled as he leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

 Chapter 534 - WHO ARE YOU?!

    "Kace!" Hope moved away until her head hit the pole behind her and she whimpered in pain because of it.


    What was that? Did he just kiss me like that?!


    "Let me look," Kace''s voice was gruffly as he rubbed the place where Hope hit her head. "You silly girl. Why did you avoid me?"


    Surprised, Hope was trying to put some distance between them, but Kace was sitting next to her and held her face firmly.


    "What are you doing?!" she couldn''t avoid the panic thatcovered her voice. Hope looked at Kace, but his eyes were still all dangerously black. Why they didn''t return to its original blue color as they usually would? That was odd.


    Kace''s eyes would only turned black if he was furious and his beast came to the surface on threatening situation, yet, even though that happened. Kace had never acted so strangely like this, as if he turned into something else.


    "Kissed you," Kace said simply.


    Hope blushed. Well, that was very obvious, but that wasn''t the answer to what she wanted to ask! Normal Kace wouldn''t do something like that, right? Hope bit her lips, she was not sure too¡­


    "Kace?" Hope called him softly.


    "Hm?" Kacewas still in his black eyes, stared at Hope with an obvious admiration dancing in his eyes.


    "Is that you?" Hope asked carefully. Maybe there was an alien who entered his body?


    "You are so adorable my lovely Hope," He leaned over and pecked her lips again.


    "Kace!" Hope pushed him away and covered her lips. Within less than a minute he had kissed her twice! That wasn''t a real kiss, but Hope was still surprised by Kace''s sudden change of behavior. "Stop it!"


    "Why?" Kace chuckled, his eyes still locked on her, as if he could eat her whole right here, right now. They filled with adoration, devotion, love and¡­ l.u.s.t?


    Hope was not sure with the last one, but she could feel his vibe was different.


    "You are my mate, why can''t I touch you¡­" he caressed her hair, "¡­ or kiss you¡­" He ran his fingers on the back of Hope''s backhand, which still covering her mouth, "¡­ and do more?"


    "Kace!" Hope was mortified, she stood up hastily. "Is that really you!?"


    Another laughed from him. However, Kace''s laugh died down immediately as his nose scrunched and a low growl vibrated from his chest.


    Hope didn''t know what the cause of Kace''s sudden hostility until she saw Lana walked towards them.


    "I was looking for you." Lana approached them, "You were not in your room." She rubbed her eyes, apparently she just woke up.


    "I am with¡­ Kace." Hope glanced at Kace as she moved away from him to rush toward Lana. She stopped her from coming closer.


    This act made Kace growled a little bit louder than before and his black eyes staring sharply at Lana, didn''t like the fact that Hope sought refuge to Lana.


    "Kace, what happened with you?" Lana frowned, she stop walking and put some distance between them. Every creature knew, black eyes for shifters was not a good sign. "What happened to him?" she asked Hope instead when Kace refused to talk to her.


    "I don''t know," Hope shook her head. "He took a nap, but when he woke up, his behavior had changed drastically."


    Lana''s sleepiness had disappeared into thin air, her eyes became alert when she scrutinized the creature before her eyes. It was Kace, even his scent was him, but the hostility in his eyes was something that was hard to be ignored.


    "Kace¡­" she tried to talk, but he snapped at her coldly.


    "Stay away from my mate!" he stalked towards Lana and Hope. "You ungrateful mutt!"


    "What?!" Lana was taken aback with the way Kace insulted her, even Hope''s jaw dropped open.


    If it was Abby, Hope wouldn''t mind if Kace treated her badly, but it was Lana! How he could call her ''mutt'' without a second thought?! Moreover, Kace didn''t seem to show some remorse after saying that.


    Didn''t Kace always treat Lana as his sister?


    "Lana, I think there''s something wrong with him¡­" Hope whispered in panic when Kace stood in front of them, his hand stretched out to pull Hope away from Lana, but she was quick to react.


    Lana swatted his hand and glared at Kace. "Kace, what do you mean with this?!" she was furious after the insult, but also confused with the man before her eyes.


    "Do that again and I will snap your neck." Kace replied in low and cold voice. Though his expression was devoid from any emotion, but the threat in his words was not something to be taken lightly.


    "Stop it Kace! This is not funny anymore!" Hope stepped forward, no longer hiding behind Lana''s back.


    Whether Kace would really do it or not, Hope didn''t want to take a risk to find out. Kace was not in his right mind now.


    "Don''t be mad," Kace tilted his head, a devilish smirk appear on the corner of his lips. "If you don''t want me to kill her, you just need to ask."


    Kace stretched out his hand again to touch Hope, but she swatted his hand away. "Stop touching me!" Hope grumbled.


    "But, I like it," he said in a straight tone.


    Hope wanted to slap him! That was an embarrassing answer, especially in front of Lana.


    Meanwhile, Lana''s eyes slightly darker when she heard that, she could feel her chest burned with something called jealousy.


    "Hope, call Lidya to come here." Lana ordered her through gritted teeth.


    "How dare you to give an order to my mate!" Kace growled dangerously.


    "I''ll go," Hope decided. They had to find out what was happening to Kace. "You!" she pointed her forefinger toward Kace''s face. "If you hurt Lana, I will never forgive you!"


    After saying that, Hope ran away from the upper deck to find the witch, maybe Kace was stroke by strange magic.


    "How na?ve my mate is¡­" Kace chuckled. "I want to know her reaction when she finds out what you were going to do that night..." he gave Lana a sly smile.

 Chapter 535 - YOUR NECK IS TOO BARE

    What Lana suspected was true, she had seen those eyes before. It was the same eyes that had glared at her that night when she was out of her mind and was about to kiss him.


    "You are his beast," Lana was narrowed her eyes. She was sure about this. "How can you take control?"


    As long as Lana remembered, the beast in Kace was very weak for Lycanthropes with Donovan''s blood, especially after the never ending suppression that Kace had done and the wounds that he endured right now, therefore how could this beast possibly take the control of him now? It didn''t make any sense at all.


    Kace turned his head up and looked at the sky, the blinding light from the sun fell on his face. "This place¡­ is magical¡­"


    "Give back the control to Kace," Lana said sternly. She was not sure with what this beast wanted and how could he do this, or why Kace didn''t take the control back immediately?


    "How funny you are." He sneered. "I am Kace."


    It was a bit confusing, but what the beast said was true, since they were the same person. However, for shapeshifters, as they had the spirit of the beast, they had this animalistic instinct, which could use as their defense and aggression.


    The human side had to learn how to control this animalistic instinct to not to cause trouble for themselves. Some shifters had their beast''s side more dominant, but some shifters had their human''s side more dominant.


    It depended on which side received more training.


    Just like warriors, their beast''s side was more dominant, especially when they felt there was a threat nearby.


    However, as an Alpha or as the descendant of Alpha''s blood, like the Donovans, the strength of their both sides were in harmony.


    It happened to Kace centuries ago until he decided to turn his back on his beast. That wasn''t a wise move to say the least, as shapeshifters shouldn''t ignore their other soul.


    "Kace was too soft on you when he rebuked you about that time you were hugging him, he was too na?ve. If only he gave me control that night in the inn, you will not be standing here, glaring at me." Kace spoke in an eerie cold tone. "Now, since my mate would be upset if I kill you, you are once again safe."


    Lana couldn''t say anything about that. She felt her face flushed in red color, she was ashamed. Despite of all the words that Kace had said. It was notthemoment that she wanted to be brought back.


    "Talking rubbish about your dedication of raising my mate? If it was not for me, you wouldn''t have a chance to survive another minute from the attack of snake shifter¡­" Kace sighed as he looked at Lana disdainfully. "What did you say back then? Oh, I still remember that¡­" he hummed.


    Lana could feel her hands trembling. She didn''t like to face this side of Kace. She could sense the hostility and resentment in every word that came out from his lips.


    "Let me refresh your memory, you ungrateful mutt¡­ ''If you leave me I will die''¡­" Kace blurted out. "And there is another¡­ ''I will do everything as long as you help me''¡­ is that enough? Should I remind you again about your other pleas?"


    "Enough!" Lana gritted her teeth. She remembered how desperate she was at that time.


    "Good!" Kace nodded in satisfaction. "Even without the vow between you and me, you should know your place and be willing to give your life for me¡­ don''t twist the fact and make me look like a fool by saying you had been taking a good care of my mate. That''s your words to take care of her the moment I saved you''re ass!"


    Lana lowered her head, she didn''t dare to see the way Kace was looking at her right now.


    "Now, you know why I call you ungrateful mutt, right? You shouldn''t be angry because of that¡­" Kace looked at the vast sea, which shined brightly under the sunlight. "Don''t take my human side for granted for his compassion." His eyes flickered into red color. "This is the last warning.???


    It was true the beast couldn''t hurt Lana or even to touch her, because of Hope. But it doesn''t mean he couldn''t hurt her in other way.


    His mate was way too precious for him and as the silence stretched out in the upper deck, the beast wondered why he had not yet marked his mate? He was upset with this fact.


    He wanted his mate to bear his mark. Shouldn''t Kace have marked her since she wasold enoughalready?


    When Kacewas thinking about his mate, her intoxicating scent hit his sense. She had come back with the witch.


    "Are you alright?" Hope approached Lana, who looked very pale. "He didn''t do anything to you, right?"


    Kace snorted as he rolled his eyes. "I will not hurt her if that would make you sad."


    Hope threw him a glare, even the way he talked also different. "What happened with him? He is not like himself." Hope shifted her attention toward Lidya.


    Lidya yawned and stretched her body. She was very sleepy. "It''s him," she said languidly. "There is nothing strange."


    "But, it''s not him!" Hope objected stubbornly. "Don''t you see? Kace wouldn''t act like this. Not this way."


    "It''s his beast. Meaning, it''s him." Lidya spoke with finality, she seemed bored with the topic and annoyed profoundly because her sleep was disturbed for such boring matter. "You don''t need to worry, the Kace that you used to know will come back before we reach the shore."


    Kace didn''t care about what Lidya said as he gave Hope his undivided attention. "Your neck is too bare, my little one."


    "I don''t like you call me that, and¡­" Hope frowned, "what is that even mean?"


    But, Lana knew exactly what Kace meant, her body turned stiff. "Kace, you are not in your right mind."


    "What does it mean? What is he talking about?" Hope looked at Lana, demanding for answer.


    "I want you. To mark you," Kace strode towards Hope.

 Chapter 536 - SLEEPY

    "NO! You can''t do this without her consent!" Lana rejected it immediately, she pushed Hope behind her back and received a mocking smile from Kace, as if he was saying;if I want to do it, no one could stop me. Even though that was true.


    Lana fl.u.s.tered, after the beast''s warning earlier, she shouldn''t have interfered with this, but she found it hard for her to know that they were going to strengthen their bond.


    "Little one, come here." Kace stretched out his hand and zeroed his attention only to her. He was determined to do what he had decided.


    However, Hope shook her head like a rattle drum. "No, I''m not coming there!" she shrieked.


    Hope remembered that the marking was an activity that involved canines, biting and blood, despite what Rossie had explained once, that it is a sacred ritual for shapeshifters who had found their other half¡ªmate¡ªand that it''d cause pain which wouldn''t last long, but¡­


    Even Rossie had not yet met her mate, so how could she say for sure that the pain was supposed to be bearable? What did she know about it, anyway to say that? Especially when Kace was not in his right mind, wouldn''t it possible for him to make mistake later and eat her flesh instead?


    Hope shivered when these ugly scenes played in her head, it would be such a bloody, gory mess. Her imagination was running wild.


    Kace frowned, he tilted his head and stared at Hope, as if she was a little girl who refused to eat. "You are my mate, this something that I should have done a long time ago."


    Hope pouted, "Lidya!" she called her, asking for someone to back her up in that situation. If Kace insisted to mark her, Lana wouldn''t be able to hold him back. "Tell him to not even think about that!"


    "Why should I?" she yawned again. "He is your mate, sooner or later he will mark you." With that was being said, she turned around to leave the scene. "Just hang on for a few more hours, he will return to normal."


    ==============


    A few more hours?!


    Hope grumbled internally. It had been ten hours and Kace had not yet returned to normal. His eyes were still dark black as black as dark night itself and he was still bothering her about this stupid marking.


    "No!" Hope snapped at him. She had lost count of how much she had shouted at him.


    At first, Hope was slightly afraid of Kace, but somehow she realized that this beast could be more childish than Kace and he wouldn''t do something that Hope didn''t approve of.


    "Why!?" Kace leaned his back and crossed his arms, his expression hardened.


    They were in the first deck, enjoying their dinner, but all Kace did was bothering Hope and demanding to bite her!


    What a great conversation!


    "Take off that cloak! I can''t smell your scent and this is very frustrating!" If he was not demanding to mark her, then he would ask Hope to take off her cloak and complaining how it covered her scent from him, over and over again.


    "Lidya! Tell him!" Hope turned to glare at Lidya.


    "Even you can''t make the point clear, across and delivered to him, how do you thinkthat I could do better than you?" Lidya shrugged her shoulder and resumed eating. Didn''t even bother to involve herself in this mess.


    "Lana¡­" Hope turned to Lana, who avoided looking into her eyes. Meanwhile, the twins buried their nose on their bowl.


    "Eat more, you are so skinny!" Kace grumbled, he shoved a mouthful chicken b.r.e.a.s.t onto her mouth. "I don''t understand how this Kace took care of you!"


    "You were away most of the time." Lana tried to engage more civil conversation, despite her fear because of Kace''s warning earlier that morning.


    "And I wonder why did he agree to everything that witch said." Kace didn''t even spare Lana a glance when he was talking, he was too busy to feed his sulking mate.


    "That''s for Hope''s safety too," Lana said.


    Of course the beast knew very well why his weak human side of him agreed to Serefina''s arrangement, but knowing it and agreeing with it were two different things.


    "She is safe with me." Kace''s grip on the spoon tightened. This female werewolf really didn''t know her place and kept crossing his boundaries.


    "Hope is¡ª" Lana''s words cut short coldly.


    "She is safe with me!" Kace growled with finality. When suddenly many people who were sitting three tables from them, turned their head to look at him.


    The beast disliked the sudden attention that was given to him, he was about to stand up, but the spark that erupted on the surface of his skin because of his mate''s touch, stopped him immediately.


    "I am done here, let''s get some fresh air." Normal Kace wouldn''t seek for a fight every now and then, but his beast was something entirely different. He didn''t care who he picked a fight with.


    The beast frowned, he narrowed his dark eyes to look at Hope for some time.


    "Please¡­" Hope pleaded. There was no way Hope would let this beast went berserk here.


    "Let''s go," he grumbled again and took her hand to walk out of that dining hall.


    "Don''t forget, we will disembark in two hours." Lidya reminded them.


    Kace didn''t answer to that, thus Hope murmured a reply to the witch. "Okay." She still could hear the twins sighed with relief when the beast chose to leave.


    Hope let the beast guided her, but then they turned to go to the second deck, instead of the upper deck, she asked in confusion.


    "Where are we going?" Hope looked around, they were heading for their room apparently.


    "Sleep with me," Kace said lightly, he didn''t slow down either.


    "W-What?!" Hope screeched, mortified. "No!" oh, this beast is unbelievable!


    But, Kace deafened his ears to her complain and opened the door of his room before he shoved Hope inside and locked the door.


    "Kace! You know I''ll be so mad if you cross the line!" Hope''s voice was very stern in her desperation, especially when Kace pushed her effortlessly to the bed. Hope shrieked in fear.


    However, the next thing that the beast did was lay his head on her lap. He closed his eyes and spoke sleepily.


    "I am sleepy."

 Chapter 537 - LET HER

    And suddenly, the monster in him, fell to silence as he rested his head on her lap.


    Hope was surprised to see how fast Kace fell asleep. His breath became even and his expression less hostile than before.


    Indeed, he looked so tired.


    As long as Hope remembered, aside from the short before Kace''s consciousness was taken by his own beast, he had not yet slept since last night.


    Hope sighed. She moved carefully, so Kace wouldn''t wake up, to find a more comfortable position. She reached a blanket and covered his body to keep him warm before she ran her fingers through his long hair and played with them, just like how Kace loved to play with hers.


    "Why is your human side and your monster side are so different?" Hope mumbled. She had to admit it, that the beast side of him was not as scary as she thought it''d be, yet she still missed the gentle and caring Kace the most. She also missed to stare into his blue ocean eyes.


    "Bad wolf," Hope nudged her forefinger onto his squishy cheeks and smiled softly. She hoped after this everything would go according to their plans.


    The wounds on Kace''s back seemed getting uglier, though Hope didn''t see it clearly, but the last time the openedpart of his wound was not as long as this.


    Kace, who was lying on his stomach, gave an easy access for Hope to see his back when she pulled his shirt slightly.


    The wounds were getting bigger, longer and darker.


    Hope made a side note to herself to ask about who had hurt him so bad like this,Kace didn''t seem to be weak enough to be hurt until he suffered a great lose.


    She ran her fingerson the surface of his deep cut opened wounds and grimaced when she imagined how painful it would be for him.


    If it was her, Hope would be wailing in pain every night and day if she had those kind of wounds.


    "Get better soon, please¡­" Hope leaned over and kissed Kace''s temple as the beast sighed in satisfaction in his sleep.


    ==============


    "Why are you following us?!" Hope roared angrily as she turned her body and faced Abby, who shamelessly followed behind them.


    "Why?" Abby feigned innocently. She hid behind Leon, as if Hope would bite her off. Well, if she could, she would. "The ship will return every two weeks, so I don''t have any other choice except to follow you."


    "Why do you have to follow us?" Lana disliked the idea of having an addition of people that she didn''t know into the group. "You can just stay and rent a room."


    "Honestly, I don''t know this place, this is my first time to be here." This time, it was Leon who was talking.


    He also didn''t have any options left, because they had never have such plan to embark into that ship if it was not for his sister''s crazy idea to tail onKace.


    Meanwhile, the lycan, who had attracted the witch girl''s attention, seemed didn''t care for the world as he put his arms around Hope''s slender waist.


    He couldn''t be bothered about who came with them or what their concern, as long as his mate was with him, he had nothing to complain.


    As if being stared at the whole time was not awkward enough, all of a sudden, Kace carried Hope bridal style with his expression that devoid from any emotion.


    "Kace! Put me down! What are you doing!?" Hope shrieked and then she added in a hiss. "This is so embarrassing, you know! Put me down!"


    Despite Hope''s dangerous glare, Kace didn''t consideronto granting her wish. "You are tired."


    "Says who?!" Hope could feel her cheeks were getting warm as well as she could feel the stare that she got from the rest of the people in the group.


    Lana, who witnessed that, turned her face away to avoid the painful scene before her eyes, her fists beside her body clenched and unclenched as her long finger embedded deeply onto her skin.


    The twins also did the same, but their face showed that they didn''t want to see this sudden public display of affection.


    Why does this beast become more shameless than the normal Kace? Or, maybe she just didn''t know that Kace, actually, was this shameless?


    Meanwhile, Leon and Lidya could only sigh helplessly.


    "Stop struggling, will you?" Kace frowned at Hope''s futile attempt to get down.


    Pouting, Hope huffed her irritation. Well, actually, after walking for two hours, Hope was at the point of exhaustion, her legs cramped and she was slightly hungry.


    However, when she turned around and looked at those supernatural creatures around her that didn''t even break a sweat, she felt ashamed if she asked for a break. They were in a rush and she didn''t want to slow them down.


    Regardless, Kace noticed her erratic breathing and knew immediately that his little mate was on the verge of breaking down.


    "She can walk just fine, why do you have to carry her like that?"


    From behind Kace, Hope could hear Abby was grumbling. The witch girl was staring sharply at her.


    Abby was so upset and in her right hand, she conjured a blue flame. Leon, who was walking a step away in front of her, didn''t realize what his sister was going to do, but Lidya did.


    In a blink of an eye, Lidya had stood right behind Abby''s back and caught her hand. The flame extinguished with her touch as she whispered at the young witch.


    "He will rip you apart if you hurt her, you know that," Lidya spoke languidly. "Be wise and cherish your life. The beast doesn''t have compassion for an irrelevant girl like you."


    A few meters away in front of them, Hope watched everything unfold, but she couldn''t hear what Lidya was saying to Abby.


    Nonetheless, Hope wrapped her arms around Kace''s neck and rested her head on the curve of his neck while staring at Abby provokingly.


    Hope was aware that she was protected by those people around her, thus if that witch girl insisted to come along with them, let her be¡­

 Chapter 538 - WORTH YOUR LIFE

    However, she wouldn''t be so careless to let her guard down, after all, she had no real power to go against her head on.


    While Leon and Abby still didn''t know what their purpose was to come there, though Hope could see the confusions on Leon''s eyes clearly, he was so wise not to ask.


    Meanwhile, Abby was busy following Kace like a headless chicken. In fact, she didn''t care where they were really going, because as long as she could be near Hope''s mate, she would absolutely be satisfied.


    Silently, Hope was grateful that Kace''s beast had taken control at a time like this. The beast could bite off Abby''s head without a second thought if that witch girl were even trying to do something harmful to her.Let alone on trying to seduce Kace her way.


    Well, if the beast did that horrible thing to Abby, there was nothing that Hope could do to stop him, right?


    They had been walking in this small town for two hours already since they disembarked off the ship and, out of the blue, Leon and Abby had joined their small group.


    At first they thought, they shared the same direction as the witch siblings, but after some time, it was quite obvious that they were following them after having no idea of where to go.


    However, since Lidya was in charge in this journey, Hope believed she would do something about them.


    She was not imaginative enough to have Leon and Abby to follow them, right?


    Being carried by Kace was convenient enough for Hope. She didn''t need to overwork her short legs to catch up with those supernatural creatures'' speed and in the other hand, she could enjoy the view that was offered by this small town comfortably.


    Since the sun had risen above their head, this town was drownedinthe warm ray of the sun, and glimmered under its light.


    Since the sun had risen, the bustling town came to live and the sight of Kace was carrying Hope, was really something to behold.


    "Kace I think I''m fine now, you can put me down," Hope whispered at him and glanced at her surroundings, those people didn''t hide their intention to look back at her and this was really awkward.


    "We will take a rest here." Kace indeed put Hope down, but he led the group into an old bar. His little mate needed something to eat, this was almost eight hours since the last time she ate something.


    The beast didn''t even bother to see if the other people would follow him or not, because he knew, they would definitely do what he told.


    "I don''t know that Kace has this side of him. He actually takes the lead," Ian whispered at Lana when they followed him to enter the bar.


    "No wonder, it''s only natural. He was born an Alpha after all," Lana replied casually, but the fact that Kace took the lead made him seemed more mature than of all those time she remembered him.


    Lana tried hard to pry her eyes from his back, as she didn''t want Hope to notice her over attention on her mate, but it was easier said than done.


    The sight of overbearing Kacemade the young female werewolfoverwhelmed.


    Kace intentionally took a seat with only two chairs there and when Ethan came closer while dragging an extra chair, instead he got this vicious threatening growl from Kace that forced him to back off.


    Ian immediately came to rescue his dense twins. "Don''t disturb them, come here." He glanced at Hope, who threw them an apologetic look, she also didn''t have any idea how to handle the beast in front of her.


    Lana took the twins to sit with her and ordered the best food that the place could offer, yet it still wasn''t up to their standard.


    Meanwhile, Lidya plopped down on the chair, on the table next to Leon and Abby.


    This place was actually bigger than its appearance from the outside and inside there were only a few people, who were eating and drinking. From the clothes that they wore and the simple backpack that they carried, apparently they were also in a long journey, just like Kace''s group.


    Not only for those voyagers. From the look of it too, this town turned out to be a transit place for those vagabonds.


    "So, I will talk straight to the point." Lidya opened the conversation without beating around the bush. "I don''t wish to see both of you in our next move. You can choose to stay here or¡ª" She shrugged her shoulder. "¡ªdo whatever you want."


    Abby frowned, "Listen¡ª"


    But, her word was cut short by Lidya. "I don''t want to hear it."


    Upon listening to the blunt rejection, Abby''s expression turned to an unpleasant look. She turned her head towards her brother.


    "And I don''t want to hear anything from you either." Lidya didn''t give Leon a chance to say anything.


    "Look¡ª" Leon tried.


    "I don''t want to."


    Ignoring Lidya''s repetitive rejection, Leon continued his explanation regardless. "I know we were in the wrong to follow your group without permission in the first place, but I have told you that we have never been in here, in this part of this realm."


    "This is your realm, what is it that you are afraid of?" Lidya rolled her eyes.


    "This is yours too." Leon emphasized his words. "And we are from the Southeast Coven, not here." Though they were from the same kind, but every realm has its own dangers and unspoken rules.


    This land was part of an ancient place of the Northern Coven. At first Leon was not aware about this, but since they were here for a week until the next ship came to take them back to the mainland, it was not a wise move to act arrogant.


    "We could help." Abby offered with her brilliant eyes, she didn''t care that her hidden agenda to follow this group had been exposed. "We are more capable than the human that you bring." She was referring to Hope, because she was the only human here.


    The cloak, indeed, hid her scent well, but Abby had met her before. She was ignoring the fact that she was Kace''s mate, because simply she still didn''t believe it. In her mind, Kace was one of the curse Lycans.


    Lidya chuckled when she heard that and said, "A strand of her hair is worth your life."

 Chapter 539 - YOU KNOW I AM RIGHT

    Lidya''s statement was like an insult for Abby and she should have known that the witch was indeed trying to insult her.


    "Can''t we go together with you?" Leon ignored Abby''s displease, nothing went well whenever his little sister opened her mouth. "Is there a way for us to join your journey?"


    "Do you think, I will waste my time talking to you here to do a bargain?" Lidya mocked Leon''s attempt. "And for you lady," she directed her eyes at Abby. "Watch your mouth."


    After saying her piece, Lidya stood up and walked away to join Lana and the twins'' table, leaving Leon and Abby.


    "Why are they protecting a human like her!? She is nothing but a burden!" Abby gritted her teeth, her expression turned unsightly, but she didn''t dare to say it out loud. "What is so special about her?!"


    "She is Kace''s mate." Leon sighed deeply as he gulped down his drink. "That''s what you get when you belittle someone else''s mate." Leon didn''t have any intention to defend his sister.


    They had never been in good terms and Leon didn''t want to fix it either. They were coming here together just because it was an order to attend the get-together in this Northern Coven realm.


    "The Donovans don''t have mate, they are cursed Lycans." Abby crossed her arms stubbornly.


    Leon sneered as he rolled his eyes. "Whatever that could help you sleep at night."


    Meanwhile, not so far from their table, a certain beast was in an argumentation with his little mate, who seemed very upset.


    "Can''t you give the control back to Kace!?" Hope stabbed her chicken b.r.e.a.s.t angrily, as if the poor chicken had committed a sinful action before it was grilled.


    "But, I am Kace!" The beast growled. "We are the same!"


    "No¡­" Hope wanted to cry. She had had enough with this beast and was fed up with the situation. "I don''t care! I want to eat with my friend!"


    "No, you eat with me!" the beast grabbed Hope''s wrist and forced her to sit down again. "I want to eat with you!"


    "You are annoying!" Hope hissed viciously at him.


    "I just want to eat with my mate. What''s wrong with that?" Kace pulled Hope''s chair closer to him, so the girl couldn''t move freely. "I have never eat with you, why don''t you just finish this damn chicken peacefully?!"


    "Why don''t we eat with them, so I can stop complaining?!" Hope crossed her arms and leaned against the backrest chair, annoyed. "It''s not like you have never eat with me before."


    "I have not." Kace stared at Hope with his dark eyes and his expression was devoid from any emotion. "My human side had been suppressing me for more than decades."


    There was a small frown between Hope''s brows, but she still refused to look at him.


    "You don''t know how it feels, little one," Kace propped his elbow on the table and put his fist under his chin while tilting his head so he could see his little mate. "Being suppressed for decades, until my instinct became dull and what do I get? Wounds that don''t heal on my back?" he mocked himself.


    Hope glanced at Kace for a second, and she could see the despair in those eyes.


    "My human side abandoned me. If he doesn''t want his beast," Kace chuckled and shook his head. "If he hates his beast so much, at least he should have done a better job of taking a good care of his mate and his being." He rephrased.


    "He takes a good care of me," Hope retorted.


    "He left you for years," Kace said sternly as he stared deeply into Hope''s eyes. "You can''t argue with me with that fact."


    "He has his own reason for that." Hope murmured.


    Somehow, Hope felt ridiculous for defending Kace against himself.


    What is wrong with his human side and his beast? Why they were poles apart? Can''t they be in the same page at least for once?


    Kace despised his beast and in the other hand, the beast resented his human side.


    "I don''t accept any reasons for that. Leaving our mate behind and let that bitch witch controlled us, is not acceptable." His voice was slightly harsh as if he reprimanded no one in particular, since it was himself who he hated.


    And this time, Hope agreed. She was tongue-tied.


    It didn''t matter for those years when she was only a child, she knew nothing about this bond. Yet, for the last three years when she didn''t even get a single call from him, it was truly upsetting.


    There was a silent that stretched out between them, until Hope mumbled something. "He couldn''t come because there was this creature, who could read his mind¡­ he just wanted to keep me safe."


    In the end, Hope was still defending him.


    "But, he ended up not killing this creature and instead let him go. What a waste of three years, don''t you think?" Kace pointed out the fact.


    Yes, Kace didn''t kill the creature, who had separated them for three years.


    "That creature could return and what is he going to do? Leaving you again for another year because he thought that was the best for you? To keep you safe?" The beast confronted her. "For me, that doesn''t make senses!" he grumbled in the end.


    And for the crazy part, Hope agreed with what he said. Kace should have killed the creature, but he didn''t do it because of¡­ what? Compassion? The guilty feeling that he couldn''t bear because of what he had done almost a millennia ago?


    Kace stretched out his hand and put his fingers under her chin, "You know what I am saying is right."


    Hope looked at the beast in the eyes. Everything that she believed falter with his new standpoints. She agreed with him.


    Not only that, in those black eyes, she could see how much the beast was hurt to be treated that way by his own self.


    "Are you trying to make me hate the other part of you?" Hope whispered her question.

 Chapter 540 - THE HUNTER

    "No, of course not." He shook his head. "No matter how incapable my human side is, he''s still and would always be a part of me." With the tip of his fingers he caressed Hope''s cheeks lightly. "I just want you to know my point of view."


    The beast had been shutting out for a very long time, which his voice and his instinct were being neglected.


    Hence, since he came to the surface, he wanted his mate to know this side of him.


    Shapeshifters were indeed a complicated being, but shapeshifters who were not in a good term with their beast was arduous.


    "You are confusing me." Hope frowned. It was Kace in front of her, but for some reason, she felt different. It almost like she was facing someone new with different personality.


    However, no matter how insane it all seemed; she liked both of them.


    Kace was warm and a teaser with his goofy smile, but his beast''s side was nothing like that. The beast was more frank and he was steadfast with what he wanted, he didn''t care about whatever reason that was thrown to him, if that meant opposing his desire.


    "I have a complex personality Hope, because both of our sides are not getting along quite well." Kace blinked his eyes when sun ray fell on his face. "But, aside from my human''s ridiculous and stupid decisions, we both equally love you and want nothing but to see you happy."


    Hope gulped hard, she could feel her face heated because of his words. Well, at least they had something common. Both of them were such a smooth talker.


    When they were in the middle of their conversation, there was a noise coming from the entrance of the bar and blocking the sunlight behind them, as they walked in.


    There were five men in their travel robe, which color had worn out. They looked like travelers, but there was something in them that gave off a sinister vibe.


    Their build were bulky and tall, as if there was nothing beneath their clothes except muscles.


    Hope wanted to say something, but stopped herself when she caught a sight of them, and when one of the men was staring back at her, she could feel the chills ran down her spine as she crept closer towards Kace.


    "Who are they?" Hope mumbled. Their entrance drew people''s inside the bar attention.


    Kace closed his eyes and his nose scrunched in disgust. "Human." He said in a low growl.


    "Human?" Hope was about to turn her head again to take a better look when Kace held her jaw to prevent her to take the second glance. "What are they doing here?"


    Instead of staring at those five men, Hope fixed her eyes on Kace.


    "I don''t know," he said nonchalantly. "But, maybe your witch''s friend know." The beast nodded at Lidya, who was approaching them.


    At the same time, two more people came to the bar, this time women.


    The two of them placed themselves between the bulky men and started to talk in a low voice, but Hope could feel their eyes were staring at the back of her head secretively.


    "It''s time for us to go," Lidya said rigidly.


    The beast could see the urgency on her eyes as he held Hope''s arms and stood up. "We are leaving." He declared, loud enough for the other two to hear.


    Ian and Ethan acquiesced in his command while Lana had carried her backpack and walked to approach Kace.


    "I want to go with you too!" Abby exclaimed, she stood up hurriedly. "Leon, let''s go!"


    However, her brother didn''t move an inch as he drank from his mug. "Didn''t you hear her before? She didn''t want us to come," He spoke casually. "We will rent an inn here until the next ship come."


    "No!" of course the young witch refused the idea immediately. "We don''t know this place and the danger here. It will be safer for us to go with them."


    "First of all, you are the one who brings this upon us," Leon reprimanded her. "Second of all, you have rubbed Kace and Lidya the wrong way. I don''t want to make the situation worse than it is now."


    Ignoring Leon''s words, Abby walked forward. However, before she could take the third step, Lidya had lifted an admonitory finger and there was an invisible barrier forced her to stop in her track, preventing her to go further.


    Abby glanced at Leon, but he did nothing to help her.


    "Coward!" Abby hissed, yet she didn''t dare to go to Kace''s group alone without the protection of his brother.


    In Kace''s current state. He would claw her heart out without a second thought. No matter what, Abby didn''t have a plan to be killed by the hand of someone that she loved.


    Despite knowing Kace was not like his usual self, also Leon and Lidya''s warning, she stubbornly wanted to be close to him.


    "This place is so strange. You can feel it too, right?" Abby plopped down on her seat again.


    Leon didn''t answer her, but he agreed with her.


    In the distance, they watched Kace''s group walked out of the door with Hope walked so close to Kace. The beast seemed like he wanted to hide the little girl from the eyes of the other people here.


    Meanwhile, Hope glanced at those strange people for the last time before Kace ushered her out of the bar, because they kept looking at her.


    "What are they?" Hope asked Lidya, who walked beside her.


    "The hunter." Lidya mentioned it almost like she was cursing. "How lucky we are¡­ the first thing that happened when we arrived, is running into them."


    "Why? Are they dangerous? What do they hunt?" Hope kept asking.


    Now, they were walking on the bustling street again with the sun above their head, fortunately for Hope, she could take a shelter under Kace''s shadow.


    "Everything." Lidya scanned her surroundings, "But, one thing for sure, our kind is not in a good term with them."


    "Your kind is not getting along with many creatures," Hope mumbled.

 Chapter 541 - I AM HELPING YOU!

    Lidya raised an eyebrow at Hope''s comment. "Everyone wants to be at the top of the food chains," she bickered. "That makes the competition became tight."


    Hope frowned, but she managed to see Kace rolled his eyes.


    "But, those people are humans." Ethan, who rarely talked, caught up with them after being pushed by the crowd.


    They were walking through a place that seemed like a market, since Hope could see many stalls were selling various kind of groceries¡ªmeat, fish, vegetables and many more.


    "Hunters are basically humans. Originally, they were poor babies who were kidnapped by fairies." Lana helped Lidya to explain their situation since she had the knowledge.


    "If, all the people here are humans, who were kidnapped by fairies when they were babies, why do they have scent?" The beast chimed in, annoyed by the people who kept bumping at him, if it wasn''t because of Hope''s effort to stop him, he would have killed one or two people there.


    The beast remembered what Lana told Kace, these people not supposed to have any scent, unlike those people that they had met in town.


    "I don''t know." Lana shrugged. "I have never been here and this is the first time I have ever seen hunters. Before, I thought their existence was only rumor."


    "The priestess is a pure spiritual being. I think by only being close to her, she''d be able to cure the fae''s magic from these people, who managed to free themselves from the slavery, either from the witches or the fairies." though Lidya was unsure with what she said. But for now, that explanation was more than enough to keep their sense of curiosity fulfilled.


    "But, most of the habitants here are humans." Ian joined the discussion.


    Ethan pondered for a moment. "Or maybe the inhabitant here are those weak creatures who sought for asylum?"


    "Where exactly is this sacred land where the priestess lives?" Ian dodged two women who were carrying baskets on their h.i.p.s. The women giggled as they walked past him and Ian gave them a sheepish smile. He earned a slap on the back of his head from his twin afterward.


    While the twin and Kace stared at Lana and Lidya, the last two people looked at Hope intently.


    "I don''t know exactly, that''s why we looked for the candlemaiden first," Lana professed. "The thing that the candlemaiden had given to you, what did it say?"


    "It doesn''t talk," Hope mumbled as she fished out a small white candle, which as big as her thumb, the wick still blazed with blue flames. "And the flame is still blue." She showed it to the other before she put it back on her pocket jacket.


    The candlemaiden only instructed them to go to this land and said that the flames would turn red when they reached the sacred place or the priestess nearby. Great! That was really helpful¡­


    Kace scoffed. "And you said we would be able to go back before the festival when in reality, the ship only comes once a week and now we don''t really know where this damn priestess is." He glared at Lana.


    "If I didn''t say it the way I said it, then you won''t come, right?" Lana retorted rightfully, yet didn''t dare to look back at the beast.


    There was a vicious rumble from within Kace''s chest when he heard Lana''s justification. How dare this female werewolf fooled him that way?!


    "So, where should we go now?" Hope was glad that she decided to come with Lidya here, or else she wouldn''t be able to see Kace for¡­ how long? A week? Two? A month? Who knew?


    They were walking out of the bustling market and were in a quieter street, where there were only two or three people walked past them.


    They were giving this small group of people a second glance, as though no one noticed their gesture.


    "I¡­ I don''t know¡­" Lana answered while looking fl.u.s.tered under Kace''s hard look. "What else Serefina told you?" she turned to Lidya.


    "Why do you ask me?" Lidya crossed her arms. "This was originally your job."


    "But, Serefina told you to come and help us, right?" Lana retorted.


    "Keep walking," Lidya answered, unsure. "This land is not that big. It will not take a long time before we find the priestess or, at least, come close to her."


    Lana grunted. She couldn''t imagine if she really went to this place alone just like how she originally planned, probably she wouldn''t be able to come back even after months.


    Hope could only sigh helplessly. When the twins busied themselves looking at their surroundings, Lana and Lidya bickered at each other, while Kace didn''t even care where they were as long as he had his mate in his arms, he already felt contented.


    When they walked deeper into this quiet street and away from the market, the sounds of nature greeted them and this brought peace to their ears.


    Well, aside from the stress and their current confusions, there was at least something that they could enjoy at this moment.


    However, this peace was disturbed by some loud of footsteps and everything went very fast.


    First, Hope could feel Kace''s body tensed up and a loud snarl from Lana, Ethan and Ian, while Lidya screamed something incoherently, which laced with urgency.


    The next second, something blasted in front of Hope with a bright blinding light. Her eyes forced to shut as a shriek came out from her mouth.


    In Hope''s blinding state, Kace''s hand disappeared from her h.i.p.s and in his place someone dragged her away to a different direction.


    The absent of the spark from this touch, telling Hope that this person was not Kace.


    "Let me go! Kace!" Hope could hear a loud howl from afar as she was being carried over this man''s shoulder.


    Hope kept struggling by hitting the man''s back and when her eyes could adjust with her surroundings again, she caught a sight of a dagger on that man''s h.i.p.s. Without a second thought, Hope took the dagger and stabbed it on his back.


    "Damn!" That man threw Hope to the ground. "YOU STAB ME WHEN I AM HELPING YOU ESCAPE FROM THOSE BEASTS AND WITCH!?"

 Chapter 542 - HE IS COMING

    He roared angrily at Hope.


    The girl crawled away from him until her back hit a tree behind her. When the sight of this man loomed in, Hope recognized him as the man from the bar. He was the one who stared back at her then.


    Hope wanted to stand up, but fell back to the ground with a grunt. Apparently, she hurt her ankle.


    The man didn''t bother with her as his veins bulged out when he clenched his jaw tightly to ready himself from the pain that was about to kick in, as he pulled the dagger out of his arse.


    He wailed in pain when the dagger, that was drenched with blood, managed to get pulled out. He tossed it aside and stomped a couple of time, in hope that the pain would stop.


    In another time, Hope would apologize to him. She didn''t think straight when she stabbed him in that place, but for now, her mind was reeling to find a way to escape from this man.


    Even now, Hope could still hear a loud snarl and howl from Kace''s beast along with the other three, who must be Ethan, Ian and Lana.


    Even from this far, Hope could still distinguish Kace''s howl. It sounded very powerful and filled with wrath.


    But, what was holding him back? Why he had not found her yet? Hope was trying to stand up again with the support of the tree behind her. Winching in pain, Hope tried to take a step.


    The sharp pain made her shut her eyes and willed herself to ignore it. But, it was so hard when Hope had to take the second step and the third step and being grounded again.


    "Where do you think you are going?!" the man held her on the ground by straddling her.


    Hope fl.u.s.tered with this suggestive position, but the tense of the situation helped her to get her mind straight.


    Was not able to use her leg to kick this man away, Hope pounded his chest with her bare hands. Even though, that wasn''t a good idea either since this men''s chest was as solid as rock.


    "STOP IT! OR THEY WILL FIND YOU!"


    "LET THEM FIND ME! WHY ARE YOU TAKING ME AWAY FROM THEM!?"


    "I HELP YOU TO ESCAPE FROM YOUR CAPTORS!"


    Only then Hope realized there was something the matter withthe situation. Apparently, there was a misunderstanding between them.


    "What?" Hope stopped struggling as both of her wrist being held by this man, only used a single hand. What a show off for strength!


    That man panted lightly, glad this little girl stopped attacking him. "I am helping you to escape from them, I am not here to hurt you!"


    Hope blinked her eyes a couple of times, trying to discern his intention.


    "Why do you think I need your help?" Hope didn''t feel like she had ever asked him or his men to help her. In any case, she was afraid of them.


    "You stared at me when you walked out of the bar." He knitted his brows upon hearing her question.


    Hope didn''t know whether she had to laugh or cry, but this whole situation was totally a big misunderstanding.


    "No! I wasn''t asking for help!" Hope sighed exasperatedly. "I stared at you because I was afraid of you."


    "Afraid?" That man was growing an even more confusion in him. "You were afraid of me?" He scrutinized Hope''s expression and when the girl below him nodded, he let out wry laugh. "You were afraid of me instead of those beasts?"


    "They are my friends!" and mate¡­ but Hope wouldn''t let him know about that, there was no point of letting him to know this information. "Now, get off of me!" she pushed him away, but the man didn''t budge.


    "Werewolf and Lycanthropes don''t befriend with humans. They kill us. They kill those who are inferior to them." The man''s eyes flickered with hostility. "Don''t be a fool."


    "First of all, can you move aside please? I am not comfortable with this position." Hope wiggled her hands. "You''re hurting me."


    That man''s tight grip would leave some ugly marks on her wrist and if Kace''s beast saw this, things would turn out of control very fast.


    "Sorry,?? he grunted with his guttural voice as he moved away from Hope and helped her stood up. "You hurt your ankle?"


    He watched how Hope grimaced when her left legs touched the ground as she couldn''t stand straight.


    "Thanks to you for throwing me to the ground like a piece of garbage," Hope spoke sarcastically.


    "Thanks to you for stabbing my arse, now I have similar problem like you," He countered her with the same tone and Hope had to admit her wrongdoing.


    "You attacked us and separated me from my friends!" unfortunately, she was not willing to back down yet.


    "You call them friends? Did they do something to your brain?" That man was about to touch Hope''s head, but she swatted his hand away. "Maybe the witch casted a spell on her," he talked to himself.


    "Enough, I will go back to my friends." Hope couldn''t find any further reason for her to stay longer with this man as she could hear Kace''s beast cry for his mate from afar.


    "Wait! You can''t go to them! You will be safe with us!" That man stopped Hope''s movement, simply by holding her shoulder and with her injured legs, this was enough to stop her. "Just because you are wearing this cloak,you think I won''t know you are a human?"


    Hope slapped her forehead. She forgot about this cloak, that was why Kace couldn''t pin point her position.


    Since she couldn''t move and this man was stubbornly holding her back, the only thing that Hope could do was to remove her cloak and let the beast knew her location.


    The cry from afar stopped for a while before the ground was shaking with a loud roared. The beast could smell her.


    "You better let me go now if you don''t want to get hurt." Hope smirked. "He is coming."

 Chapter 543 - CARNAGE

    That man narrowed his eyes, he looked at Hope quizzically. "If he wants to come, let him come," he said calmly and put his fingers on his lips then he whistled.


    As if it was on cue, there were around fifteen people came out from the bushes and behind the trees, wearing the same cloak like the one that this man wore. Those people were his henchmen.


    They circled Hope and that man with spears in their hands.


    Hope wanted to tell them that their mortality and spears wouldn''t be able to hold back the white beast, but then Hope realized, a metal was tied on the tip of the spear. It was not an ordinary metal, but silver.


    Apparently, these hunters knew their opponent pretty well and Hope began to worry.


    "If you took me because you think my life is in danger, rest assured, I am more than happy to be with them rather than in here to be with you," Hope blabbered. She was looking around her and realized they were ready for a battle.


    Hope definitely didn''t want to see they hurt Kace, yet she also didn''t want to see them being clawed and butchered by the beast either.


    They didn''t have an ill intention to begin with, but they used the wrong way. In Kace''s state now, the beast wouldn''t know how to have a civil discussion.


    "I am warning you, you better leave this place now." Hope clenched her jaw when her ears caught the sounds of the roaring beast.


    In matter of seconds, Hope could see the flashing of the white fur among the bushes and trees.


    "GET READY!" That man marked a signal to the fifteen men around him as they raised the spear in their hands,waiting for his cue.


    "No!" ignoring the pain in her ankle, Hope walked forward and was about to stop him when that man made such a big mistake by holding her wrist and pulled her closer to him.


    The white beast dashed as quickly as a strike of lightning, easily dodging trees as he shot through the pointing spears from the hunters around Hope and that man.


    In that second, Hope could see the beast''s eyes no longer black, they were red and all it wanted was blood.


    A lot of blood.


    Hope could feel the chills ran down her spine when she realized what was about to happen next.


    The beast leapt very high with his elongated canines that was as sharp as a blade, was on full display, ready to tear everything.


    The beast roared and that man, who was holding Hope, pushed her away. Too strong for her. Not to mention holding her ground, the girl was having difficulty to stand.


    Hope could feel her body, literally, flew in the air and was only two seconds away before she collided with the tree trunk behind her, if it wasn''t because of the white beast''s fast movement.


    In his rage, his mate was still his priority. The possibility of Hope was getting hurt made the beast shifted his first concern, this also saved the man from being killed.


    Hope closed her eyes, readied herself for the impact, but all she could feel was a soft landing and the spark that erupted to her entire body.


    Slowly, she opened her eyes as her voice came out very hoarse. "Kace¡­?" it was him. Hope let out a sigh of relief.


    However, it was a perfect distraction.


    Hope barely caught her breath before one hunter jumped from behind, raising his spear, ready to stab the beast with the silver metal.


    The white beast couldn''t dodge it in time either. It was because of the old wounds on his back that slowed him down or because if he moved recklessly, the spear might get the wrong target and it could be Hope.


    Pain flooded the beast''s system, a roar erupting from his throat as he swiped blindly at his attackers.


    The old wounds and the spear marred his back with newly gushing blood. Apparently, the spear dug into his calf, cutting through the artery and spurting blood everywhere.


    Not only the beast was weakened with the old wounds, but the silver was another excruciating pain for him to bear.


    Whenever the beast made a small move, it felt like a set of barbs latched onto him, yet he stubbornly kept his mate behind his back. Pushed her away so she would be away from any possible harm in this one-beast-against-sixteen-men battle.


    Spears and daggers slashed the air onto the white beast''s flesh. Since it was made of silver, he couldn''t be healed as fast as ordinary wounds.


    The sixteen men, took turns to attack the beast, one stabbing him and the other did their best to keep him incapacitated.


    The fact that those hunter managed to corner the white lycan, was a proof that this was not their first battle with supernatural creatures. They knew how to handle him and were knowledgeable of their weaknesses.


    "NO! STOP IT! DON''T HURT HIM!" Hope watched in horror when the beast''s fur sopping wet and the blood turning him from white to scarlet.


    There were a few injured men that were being dragged away by their fellow hunters, but the rest of them were still way too much for the beast to beat alone.


    Hope couldn''t believe it. The powerful Lycan was losing. She had seen how Kace fought in his beast form before and it wasn''t like this.


    She never would have thought that his injuries were this serious.


    Blood. There were blood everywhere. It stained the rock and grass in front of her feet.


    When the beast managed to bite one of the hunter''s hands and he spat the arm from its bloody mouth like it was a garbage, the blood splashed against Hope''s shoes and pant leg, she could feel her stomach lurched.


    She wailed. "STOP! PLEASE STOP!"


    Where is Ian? Ethan? Lana and Lidya? Where are they?!


    It was a carnage.


    Hope couldn''t watch any longer, her chest caved in with fear as her head spinning. Instinctually, her body started to move forward when one hunter sneaked behind the beast and raised his spear.

 Chapter 544 - WHERE. IS. HE?!

    Hope threw herself between the enrage beast and the knife-edge, lethal spear. No one expected she would do this to protect the beast.


    The hunters were still thinking that this girl was somehow under some kind of spell that made her to be willing to travel with those insidious creatures.


    However, to see how furious this beast to get the girl back and protected her at all cost, even though the beast himself was bleeding badly¡ªthe blood that was covering the grass, ground and trees, was enough to drawn one man to death. But it didn''t stop the beast to fight them with all its might.


    Meanwhile, Hope, who was meddling in between the stabbing line of the hunters, got what was predicted. She had never experienced an excruciating pain like this before when the sharp tip of the silver blade stabbed her shoulder blade.


    She could feel the air was sucked out of her lungs and left her body breathless when it fell on the bloody ground beneath her feet.


    The impact of her fall was nothing to be compare with the pain that she endured now. She bit her lips when the numb feelings crept from the tip of her fingers and bit her lips to keep herself awake.


    But, the temptation of the darkness was like the only consolation for the unbearable pain that she felt.


    The last thing that Hope could hear was the cry from the beast near her. It sounded like a wounded animal that thundered her eardrum.


    ==============


    Hope woke up dizzy and as soon as her mind worked, it forced her to remember everything.


    Currently, she was lying on the bed, but she could feel the entire place was shaking as if she was inside a vehicle or something, yet, it definitely was not a car. She had not seen one since the first time she entered this Northern Coven realm.


    This place was like the Middle-Agesera filled with many supernatural creatures, magic, and also those hunters...


    When finally Hope could open her eyes, they were brimming with a genuine wonder.


    She pondered for another two minutes before she decided that she was inside a carriage. The same type of carriage that she rode together with the others to go to the harbor just a few days ago.


    She wanted to jump from the bed, but the movement on this carriage made her head incredibly dizzy.


    "You are awake?"


    A guttural voice sounded from the behind the curtainthat divided the carriage from the coachmen seat, before a man that Hope had seen before came out from behind it.


    He was the same man who had kidnapped her from Kace and, cowardly, together with his fifteen men, surrounded the wounded white beast.


    "Where is he?!" Hope was slightly glad when she heard her voice didn''t shake when she said that, so the other person could see how serious she was now.


    Despite her dizziness, Hope''s main focus was to know how Kace and the other''s condition.


    "You are really under the witch''s spell, aren''t you?" That man was still holding onto his own conviction.


    "Where is he?" Hope didn''t budge from her initial question. She wouldn''t say anything else except this question until he answered it.


    "There is no way you will act like this if you are not under that witch''s spell," he mumbled to himself, holding his chin and staring at her.


    "WHERE. IS. HE!?" Hope lost it. She wanted the answer and she wanted it now.


    However, after she strained her vocal, a sharp pain shot from her back to her dizzy mind made it clearer, but at the same time the pain made her gritted her teeth and clenched her fist as the memory flashed in fromthat time when she was being stabbed reappeared.


    "You need to calm down," that man took a flask from his h.i.p.s and gave it to Hope, yet she swatted it away until the water splashed both of them in the process.


    "Answer me!" Hope bit down her lips. She was frustrated. Why did this man say nothing except nonsense? Why didn''t he let her know where her friends and mate were?"


    "I have been trying to be nice to you!" his voice was stern so did his expression, it seemed like he almost ran out of his patience to handle Hope''s temper.


    "I don''t need you to be nice to me when you are the one who had caused this!" Hope exploded. "Your man almost killed me! Do you think you were saving me? And just because I stared at you at the bar, you assumed that I was asking for your help?! No, I don''t need your help! I want my friend back!"


    This sounded very stupid and this misunderstanding was fatal.


    That man narrowed his eyes at Hope. He remembered and witnessed it clearly, if it was not because of the beast pushed away his man, who couldn''t stop his movement to stab the beast, Hope would have died by now.


    The spear was not only made of silver, but it was also coated with poison. At that time, he thought the beast would bite her off and killed the girl, but instead, it turned out the beast licked her wound. He knew what meaning of that.


    As if to answer Hope''s question, the carriage suddenly stopped and there was a loud commotion that could be heard before a man opened the carriage door and reported their situation.


    "The beast went berserk again!" he shouted to the man with urgency.


    No need for him to tell, even Hope could hear the howl and snarl from Kace''s beast, though the sound of it tore her heart, but at the same time she was glad, Kace was alright¡­ that at least, he was alive.


    "Damn! This is already the third time that the spell didn''t work on him." That man grumbled and jumped out of the carriage, didn''t even bother with the girl anymore.


    Of course Hope wouldn''t just sit there obediently and continued her beautiful nap, ignoring the pain, Hope followed him.


    And the sight that she saw was heart-wrenching.

 Chapter 545 - TAMING THE BEAST

    Hope actually had to face the beast inside a big cage. There were three spears on his back and blood had turned his white fur to crimson color.


    The sight of it alone made Hope trembling in fear as if she could feel his pain. However, despite of that, the beast seemed oblivious with his condition, as he kept banging his body against the metal bars, barring his canines when thunderous roar split the air.


    Though the beast was inside the cage, but the hunters who were outside had the same warry look when they approached him.


    "Sedate him again!" That man, who seemed like the leader of these hunters, who had misunderstood Hope''s gesture that led to this misunderstanding, ordered the hunter near him with stoic look.


    "No!" Hope tried to get down from the carriage when she said that, but her ankle was too weak to hold her body and the pain on her back didn''t help either. "Let me do it!"


    That man sighed irritably when he helped her to get off of the carriage by holding her waist. "You will not be able to calm him."


    Hope freed herself when her feet touched the ground and she could find her footing steadily. "So, do you think your method would do a better job?" she spoke mockingly.


    Hope didn''t wait for his permission, she didn''t even know what she was going to do, yet she was sure the beast was looking for her.


    When she walked ahead, two hunters stopped her from moving forward. Hope was ready to have a tough argument when she heard the same man spoke in his guttural voice.


    "Let her." He dismissed his man. "I have helped you enough, if you insist that the beast will not eat you, go ahead and try to calm him." He used his hands gesture to emphasize his words. "I will only watch if the beast claws the stubbornness out of your head." He was upset because Hope didn''t listen to him at all.


    Yet, at the same time, he was unsure if that was what the beast would do, after all it had done nothing except protecting this mysterious human girl.


    Hope glanced at the man over her shoulder. "Watch me," she said cynically.


    Hope proved her words, she walked ahead and approached the furious beast a step at time, her ankle had not healed yet, but it wasn''t her top concern right now.


    When Hope was getting closer, she could see another cage, the same size like the one that held Kace''s beast inside.


    The other cage was filled with three people, they were Ethan, Ian and Lana, each of them was in their human form.


    Hope slightly relieved when she spot them, though Lana was lying on it floor, but her shallow breathing told her that she was alive.


    But, where is Lidya? Hope couldn''t see her anywhere. Is she fine?


    "Hope! You have to stop Kace, or else he will kill himself!" Ian shouted at Hope from behind the metal bar. The three of them were in the middle of the cage, they seemed didn''t dare to move freely and Hope would know why. "The metal bars are made of silver, he will not able to stand it any longer!"


    That answered the question why the three of them huddled together in the middle of it.


    Hope walked past a few hunters, who were looking at her as if she had grown a second head. At this moment, all eyes were fixed on her, yet her beautiful eyes only set on the enraged white beast before her eyes.


    Behind her, that man followed her movement closely as well, though the girl walked limply because she hurt her ankle, but there was no doubt in every steps that she took.


    He could see what the beast had done to her, after she got stabbed, it had an effect on her.


    Normally, with wound like her, she wouldn''t be able to walk right now. He was also worried that his man would kill her accidentally. They didn''t kill human or those weak creatures, which had been used as guinea pig, they protected them, but lycanthropes, werewolves, and witches were not one of them.


    Those supernatural creatures were on the top of food chains. Therefore, he was flabbergasted when he knew Hope got along with them pretty well.


    That must''ve been because of the spell, right? He knitted his brows when he couldn''t find the answer. Meanwhile, Hope was getting closer to the beast.


    The cage was being held by eight people with four ropes in their hands to prevent the cage didn''t topple over when the beast went berserk inside.


    "Open the cage," Hope spoke to the person nearby when she was only a few meters away from the beast.


    On the other hand, the beast stopped banging the cage, as its snout smelled the air. Among the scent of blood that coated its fur, he smelled his mate scent and found her figure not too far from him.


    "We can''t do that." The man shook his head after he got a ''no'' from his leader.


    Hope didn''t argue with that as she expected that answer. Well, she asked because, just in case their leader could be more lenient to her somehow.


    For now, the beast had stopped completely, his red eyes stared at his mate intently and there was a whimper and growl when he watched how Hope walked towards him with her limp foot.


    "Kace¡­" Hope called him. Her voice was shaking, flooded with emotion by seeing the scene of his current condition. She stretched out her hands through the metal bars and touched the beast''s snout as he snuggled his big head towards her opened palm.


    It didn''t take that long until Hope''s hand covered with the blood on its fur. But, the spark helped to calm the both of them.


    The beast lowered his head and closed his eyes as he purred, his breathing became even and started to calm.


    Hope could hear a lot of gasps from the hunters who were watching, when she managed to tame the beast.

 Chapter 546 - WRECK HAVOC

    Hope could see how the silver had hurt him. Under his bloody fur, she could see the burned scars littered on the surface of his fur. It looked awfully painful, just like the rest of his wounds. Even Hope could smell the scent of metal in the air.


    Yet, the beast calmed down for only a minute before he started to bang the cage again.


    "No, stop!" Hope desperately stretched out her arms to touch him, to calm him, but the beast didn''t stop.


    The cage rattled loudly when the beast whacked its head against the metal bars, as if this was only some ordinary metal bars and not made of silver that could hurt him whenever he touched them.


    There were more hunters who came forward to help those eight people, who were holding the ropes to keep the cage steady, but in the end, it was just another futile attempt to stop the beast.


    The cage was swayed heavily by the force of everything that the beast did.


    "Watch out!" the man from before, who was being asked by Hope to open the cage, rushed towards her and pulled the girl away before the cage was being knocked down and hit the ground hardly.


    Dust were everywhere when the big cage cracked, it only needed a last blow for the beast to break and freed himself while the hunters were watching in horror at what the beast was more than capable to do.


    Was that even possible that the silver bars couldn''t hold him back!?


    "Get ready!!!" the leader of the hunter roared his command and the men around him grabbed their weapons once again. Ready for another battle.


    "No, no, no¡­ not again¡­" Hope mumbled while shaking her head, she felt terrible as her legs were trembling uncontrollably.


    The scene that unfolded before her eyes was like another nightmare of the day¡­ maybe Hope just slept for four or five hours now, since the sun just started to fall on the horizon and casted their shadow longer.


    However, bathing under the twilight, only set off her fear and uneasiness about the dreadful thing that might happen next.


    It was like a slow motion movie when the beast wrecked havoc inside the cracked silver cage that confined him.


    The moment it freed itself, the beast didn''t think for another second before he lunged his body to the man near Hope and bit off his head fiercely.


    Another blood spurted from the headless body onto Hope''s clothes. Now, the girl was confused, which one she feared the most.


    Whether she feared the hunters would hurt the beast or the beast would kill all of them. Either way, she didn''t want to know the result as she felt her stomach churned uncomfortably.


    "Hope! Don''t look!"


    From afar Hope could hear someone was calling her name. Ian? Or¡­ Ethan? In normal situation she would be able to distinguish their voices, but there was nothing normal about the situation now.


    "HOPE! LOOK AT HERE!" Ethan shouted again when he watched Hope''s whole body was trembling, she didn''t even dare to move a finger.


    The sound of those hunter met the end of their lives was something not everyone could handle, even Ian was lost for words.


    The older twin didn''t want to see what he saw, but he was not able to look away either, as if there was a strong force that made him to comply to witness all of these horrible things.


    Thankfully, Ethan slapped his face so hard until his tears stung his eyes, "Don''t look you idiot!" Ethan pushed his brother''s head down, so he could only stare at Lana''s sleeping face. The female werewolf still had not regained her conscious yet.


    "Hope! Look at me!" Ethan resumed calling for the girl, which sitting on the ground, trembling and on the verge of mental breakdown.


    "HOPE!" Ethan snapped at her and finally got her attention as she startled and turned her head toward him. "Look at me and cover your ears," he instructed. "Look at me and cover your ears." He repeated his words when Hope just stared at him blankly.


    The sound of bone cracking and earth-shattering wailed in agony, slowly faded when Hope raised both of her hands and pressed her palms against her ears to prevent any sounds to come into her mind.


    Overall, there were not only sixteen hunters there, there were more of them. Probably, during the fight earlier, some of them engaged the battle with the three werewolves and the witch and the rest took care of Kace.


    But, now when the beast had severely injured and had to fight the number of hunters tripled from the last time he fought, the beast could manage.


    Added that to the spear made of silver and coated with poison that still stuck on his back. Where did he get this strength from? Kace''s condition became very confusing.


    "Good, keep looking at me," Ethan cooed at her, as he stared into her eyes intently. He didn''t wish to see the bloody scene too. This was too much for him. The battle last longer than they thought and it felt longer than it should be.


    When the sound of it had decreased, the beast leap in front of Hope and he was bloodier than ever. He stalked towards her as his canines in full display.


    Hope gulped down hardly, she felt there was a big rock was shoved down her throat. Her hands, which had grown numb, fell on the side of her body while their eyes met each other. Red to black.


    "Ka¡­ ce¡­" Hope called his name throatily.


    The beast''s body was trembling and from his fur, blood was dripping, creating traces on the ground as he approached his mate.


    Tears escaped from Hope''s eyes, she didn''t know what this tears for, but the sight of the beast made her heart ached painfully.


    Despite her fear earlier and the fact there were dozens of dead body strewed behind her back, who were the victims of the beast''s brutalism, Hope stretched out her arms shakily and hugged the beast''s neck when he was close enough to her.

 Chapter 547 - THROW UP

    The huge white Lycan''s body trembling in Hope''s embrace. His four legs gave in as he rested his big, bloody head on her laps. His breathing became shallow and his red eyes dimmed.


    "Kace¡­ wake up¡­" Hope stammered. Her hand shakily scratched the back of the beast''s ears and made him purr lightly, yet his eyes shut close.


    Even in her fear, Hope realized there was something more frightening compared to the horrible scene that surrounded her.


    Her mind worked so fast, as her eyes blinked rapidly to get rid of the tears that made her vision become blurry.


    Hope turned her head towards Ethan''s direction and shouted as loud as she could, putting aside her turmoil emotion. "What¡­ what should I do?"


    Ethan didn''t have any idea what suggestions he had to give to Hope. "He is still breathing." He could see it from the movement on the beast''s chest. "It''s good, maybe he is just asleep."


    Hope stroked the beast bloody fur until her hands were covered with blood. And only with that sight, made her head spin. She didn''t have to be a shapeshifter to smell the thick metallic scent in the air since there was a lot of blood pooled around her.


    "Hope. Hope," Ethan called her again until the girl gave him her attention. "Help me to get out of here."


    Hope didn''t move for two seconds before her mind discerned his words. "Oh, right¡­" slowly, she put the beast''s head on the ground and earned a small grunt from him. The beast disliked the absence of her presence, but Hope had to do something now.


    "I will be back soon," Hope whispered to the beast''s ears and gave him a last stroke on his scruff before she got up and walked towards the second cage, where Ethan, Ian and Lana were.


    The cage was locked with, at least, ten padlocks, which each of it was as big as her palms. The metal bars were also thicker than the usual one.


    When Hope looked into this closely, she wondered how the beast could break it, even on his current injured condition. It was impossible in any case for it to happen, yet the beast did it.


    "How am I supposed to open this with?" Hope looked at the padlocks helplessly. Those werewolves inside couldn''t even touch it since it was made of silver.


    "You have to find the key," Ethan said firmly, but his expression turned unsightly.


    "How?" Hope knew the answer even before she asked.


    "You have to find the key¡­" Ethan gulped down, "Maybe¡­ the key is somewhere inside the pocket of one of those hunters¡­"


    Hope was on the verge of crying when her guess was right. She didn''t want to look at the scene behind her back, she really didn''t want to turn around at all and, let alone going on a thorough search mission around this particular area only to look for some small keys.


    "I am sorry," Ethan really meant his words, if he could, he wouldn''t ask this from her. This was too cruel, even for him.


    "What happened to Lana?" Hope was trying to adjust her emotion by asking questions, maybe she was also buying time for herself, before she really had to go and do it.


    "She¡­ is fine¡­ she got stabbed with spears a few times, she just needs some time to heal." Ethan nodded at Lana while his brother was quiet. This was the quietest that Ian had ever been in his entire existence.


    "Where is Lidya?" Hope couldn''t see her anywhere. If she was here, she could do her magic to open this cage without keys, right? Or, she could come up with a spell to retrieve the keys somehow for them.


    "I don''t know¡­" Ethan shook his head lightly. "The hunters separated us and the last time I saw her, she was fighting ten of them."


    "She could be anywhere¡­" Hope mumbled, refusing to believe something bad happened to Lidya. "It needs more than ten hunters to take her down, right?"


    "Right," Ethan agreed. It was easier to convince themselves rather than went with whatever worse scenarios inside their mind.


    There was a moment of silence afterward.


    "Hope¡­"


    "I know¡­ give me a moment."


    "Okay," Ethan didn''t say anything again for another moment.


    "Is the scene behind my back really THAT bad?" Hope tried to ask this as casual as she could, but was not able to hide the shaking in her voice.


    "From one to ten?" Ethan was unsure how to describe it.


    "Give me a number, Ethan, what number?"


    "Nine¡­?" Ethan grimaced.


    "That''s bad." Hope mimicked his expression.


    "Well, everyone has different standards." Ethan tried to light her up, to make their situation less horrible, yet failed miserably.


    "I don''t think I am above your standard." Hope took a deep breath. "Alright¡­ let''s do this."


    Actually there was no ''us'' in this finding key mission, there was only her, who had to roam around the dead bodies in their hideous unidentified form, after being mutilated by the beast.


    "Can''t we take this cage down like what Kace did?" Ian finally spoke with his ''brilliant'' idea.


    "You cannot even touch it," Ethan said this pronouncedly. "Not to mention break it."


    "But, he did it¡­" Ian nodded at the beast not so far from them.


    Ethan narrowed his eyes and spoke in a defeated tone. "He is more of a beast than all of us. The kind of beast we would never ever surpass in terms of power, even after the three of us joined force."


    Ian moved to the side and stretched out his hand to touch the silver bars, but retracted his hand as soon as he touched them.


    "I told you¡­" Ethan said.


    Hope clenched her fists beside her body and, slower than ever, turned around to face the reality. She had prepared herself for the worst. She remembered all the gory scenes from all of the thriller movies that she liked so much.


    It wouldn''t be that horrible, right? She had seen something similar like this, though it was only from a movie screen and she knew those were all fake.


    The moment Hope caught a sight of the scene behind her back, she threw up. Her legs gave in as she crouched down beside the cage to empty herself. Emptied her stomach until there was nothing left already.

 Chapter 548 - WORSE SITUATION

    "Hope, are you alright?!" Ian asked frantically, he and Ethan moved closer to her, but not that close to touch the silver bars. "¡ªit''s okay, take it easy¡­ take it easy¡­" he cooed her.


    Both of them didn''t know what else to say except some empty encouraging words.


    "Are you okay now?" Ethan asked again when Hope had stopped throwing up.


    "No¡­" Hope brushed away her hair from her sweaty forehead. "I am not okay," she said sullenly. Her hands and whole body was trembling.


    "I am sorry Hope, you have to do this¡­" Ethan and Ian grimaced, saying the same thing.


    Hope didn''t say anything, she wiped her sweat and tears before she took a deep breath to calm her thumping heart and raging stomach, in case she would throw up again after seeing the gruesome scene for the second time.


    Slowly, Hope turned her head and, first, spotted the white beast, who was lying on the ground. Despite he had not yet moved an inch since he closed his eyes, the rose and fell of his chest was the only indication that he was still alive.


    Stilled her heart for the heart-wrenching battlefield that caused by the same beast, Hope''s eyes moved from the beast to the scene after him.


    Hope thought, no matter how many times she watched this kind of scene on the movies, she would never get used to this in real life. Her legs threatened to give up when she tried to stand up. Then, her back hit the cage behind her, and the siblings patted her shoulder through the bars, risking themselves touching the silver.


    "Take your time Hope, take your time," Ethan spoke in his best reassuring tone. They couldn''t rush her or else, she would have another mental breakdown at that very moment.


    "I couldn''t believe it¡­ Kace had done this¡­" Hope stammered. She forced herself to see, to see the massacre before her eyes. She swallowed hard as if there was a palm size stone was shoving down her throat.


    "He did it to help us¡­ it''s his natural instinct to protect you¡­" Ethan gave an understanding to Hope.


    "I know¡­" Hope nodded slowly. She knew the reason behind the beast''s act, but knowing it didn''t reduce the fear that gripped her heart.


    "How about Lana? She is not awaken yet?" Hope glanced at the female werewolf, who was still lying unconscious.


    "No, she is not." Ian frowned. "It would take a longer time than we expected for her to regain her consciousness I guess¡­" Lana''s condition alone was weird.


    When the siblings had woken up way long before, the girl still didn''t give any sign that she would wake up anytime soon.


    Hope needed another ten minutes to calm herself and mustered her courage to take one step at time.


    Seeing this from afar was already a challenge for her quivering heart, not to mention she had to walk among this disturbing scene to look for the key, which she didn''t even have any idea where to start to look for it.


    Hope licked her dry lips and clenched her fist, she approached the first man that Kace had killed. The man who stood next to her when the beast set himself free.


    Hope covered her mouth when another wave of nausea hit her asshe closed her eyes upon seeing the unsightly dead body. Poor man¡­


    Biting her tongue, Hope opened her eyes and they were blazed with determination. At this rate, the sun would have set before she could find that key and by then she there would be nothing to illuminate her surroundings. She had to move fast.


    The orange light from the twilight sky was the only light that could help her in this almost impossible mission. Thus, she didn''t have time to whine or being scared, their situation didn''t allow her to do so.


    She needed the siblings out from that cage and helped her to bring Kace away, to get themselves out of this situation, real fast.


    With that new courage, Hope moved from another appalling dead body to the other. Triedto not think too much about this and just moved as fast as she could.


    Yet, that key was nowhere to be found.


    "Where is that key!?" Hope was mad to herself, she was getting frustrated when there was only a little bit glim of light left from the sunset behind the horizon. "I CAN''T FIND THE KEY!" Hope shouted at Ethan and Ian out of her desperation.


    Every time she looked at her hand, she was akin to someone who was wearing red gloves, they were trembling as if she was a ninety-nine-year-old grandma.


    Ethan and Ian looked at each other and grimaced. What could they do from that cage except encouraging her?


    "Keep looking, you will find it in one of that men''s pocket!" Ian said.


    "Try to look inside the carriage!" Ethan said suggesting that maybe they put it there. There were three carriages there, one of them was the carriage where Hope had been sleeping on.


    "Oh." That idea had not crossed her mind. Didn''t want to waste any more time, she rushed towards the first carriage near her. Hope''s figure disappeared behind the carriage.


    "What should we do now?" Ian shifted his eyes from the massacre and looked at Lana, "Why hasn''t she regained consciousness yet?"


    "I don''t know¡­" Ethan sighed, but his eyes still focused on their surroundings and at the beast, which hadn''t move after he killed all those hunters. Finally, the wounds and the exhaustion took a toll on him.


    "Do you know where Lidya is?" Ian asked randomly.


    Ethan rolled his eyes. "How am I supposed to know that?" he was annoyed.


    "I know, I know¡­ I just need something to talk about. I can''t take this silent well." Ian shivered when the night wind blew past his body.


    "Oh, no!" Ethan''s breathe hitched as his eyes widened in fear.He thought that the situation would not get worse than this, the universe proved him wrong.


    "What? What happened?" Ian immediately turned his body. At first, he didn''t know what Ethan was seeing, but then he saw it too. "Oh, crap!" he cursed under his breath.


    "Hope! Get out from there!" Ethan shouted frantically.

 Chapter 549 - COME HERE AND SEE IT!

    From the carnage before their eyes, they could see there was actually someone, who managed to survive from the beast brutalism.


    He caught blood a few time, only to add more blood on the scene. In this dark road where the light of the moon was covered behind the trees, the man shook his head and rose on his feet.


    He threw a hard glare toward Ethan and Ian, who were shouting to inform Hope.


    A killing intent shrouded him upon realizing that he had lost all of his men. His hands trembling and his body almost collapsed again, yet he managed to stand still by holding a spear stuck near him. He looked down and found his fellow hunter was dead in a gruesome condition.


    Anger spread through his being and when he caught a sight of the beast that had killed all of his friends, he only saw red.


    Anger that bubbled up inside his chest only made him more determined to finish off the beast, who seemed too exhausted to even move a finger.


    He stalked toward him with spear in his hand.


    "HOPE! GET OUT FROM THERE!" Ethan shouted again, he didn''t know if this was wise to ask Hope to face this hunter, who apparently wanted to slash Kace''s beast, but if they did nothing and let the hunter got his way, Kace would die for sure.


    "GET AWAY FROM HIM, YOU MONGREL HUMAN!" Ian hollered, his eyes widened in fear when that hunter took one step after another to approach Kace''s beast, dragging his bloody body with the help of spear in his left hand while his right hand hung lifelessly beside his body.


    Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Hope was very upset to herself because she couldn''t find the key no matter how hard she tried to look for it.


    She was about to look inside the last cabinet when she heard Ian and Ethan called out his name, telling her to get out from the carriage immediately.


    What happened?!


    Hope didn''t have time to think when her body took over upon hearing the urgency in the way they called her.


    Ignoring the pain on her ankle and her back that felt like the wound almost split opened again, Hope jumped from the carriage''s door and spotted the hunter, who was approaching Kace, right away.


    "No, no!" Hope muttered to herself as her legs started to run. That man wanted to kill Kace!


    In normal occasion, with her size and strenght there was no way she would be able to stop him, but this time there was nothing normal. Moreover, that man was greatly injured.


    No matter how much Hope wanted to ignore the pain in her ankle, it turned out slowed her down, as she couldn''t run as fast as she wanted.


    With the distance between them, there was no way Hope could reach him before he managed to stab his spear on Kace.


    Therefore, out of frustration, Hope looked around and grabbed whatever thing that she could throw to the hunter.


    Fortunately, there was a stick, originaly it was a spear which had been split into two, without thinking twice, Hope threw it with all of her might, hoped it got to him.


    Yet, the reality was not always as expected. Losing it momentum, the stick dropped to the ground pathetically.


    Hope groaned frustratedly when she watched how that man was getting close to Kace. He only six more steps to get to him while Hope was still distance away from them.


    Who would have thought there was a survivor from this carnage?! Hope overworked her brain to think of the solution, as she couldn''t reach him in time!


    Paying no attention to the screaming siblings, who tried to irate the hunter and divert his attention, thought that was a futile attempt, Hope looked around her with knitted brows while chanting to herself; there is no time to be scare!


    When she found what she was looking for, the hunter was only two steps away from Kace, he had raised the spear in his hand and was about to stab the beast to his death.


    "IF YOU KILL HIM, I WILL KILL YOUR FRIEND TOO!" Hope shouted fiercely. She was holding a man''s head on her laps with a spear head in her other hand. "TOUCH HIM AND I WILL SLIT HIS THROAT!"


    The thing that Hope was saying managed to make the hunter stopped on his track. He turned around to look at the girl and the man on her laps. He didn''t know if there was another survivor aside from him.


    The hunter narrowed his eyes, he couldn''t tell whether the man that Hope held as hostage was alive or death since his face was facing the girl.


    "He is died! The beast killed him!" the hunter roared after sometime he couldn''t see any movement from the other man.


    "No, he is not!" Hope objected stubbornly. "He is still alive! He is still breathing!" she held the head of spear near the man''s neck. "He is unconscious, but still alive!"


    The hunter didn''t trust her immediately, from where he was standing that man was as dead as the other.


    But, what if¡­


    "Stay away from him!" Hope became bold when she watched that hunter was considering her words. "You can still save him if you treat his wound immediately!" she added.


    However, the truth was; the man on Hope''s laps was, indeed, died.


    Before, she only looked for corpse which still in good condition to deceive him. With the distance between them, the hunter wouldn''t be able to tell whether she was saying the truth or not. The darkness also helped Hope to cover the truth.


    This was a horrifying experience for Hope to hold a dead body so close like this, yet the situation forced her to do this and she didn''t have many choices left.


    "NO! HE IS DIED!" The hunter barked in anger.


    "COME HERE AND SEE IT YOURSELF!" Hope retorted in the same way.

 Chapter 550 - DECEIVED

    That man looked hesitated for a while, but his eyes hardened when he made his decision. "No," he said coldly. "You will not kill him." He was very sure with his words.


    It didn''t need a long time for him to know this girl that she even wouldn''t be able to hurt a mosquito. She looked very delicate with soft personality. At least, that was the first impression that he got when he saw her for the first time.


    Hope gulped down, though her expression didn''t show her shock, but her trembling hand was visible to see for Ethan and Ian understood the whole situation.


    Hope was only bragging about the fact that man was being alive and now, since the other hunter thought the girl wouldn''t be able to hurt the dead man, it was up to Hope what she was going to do next to convince the hunter.


    "Are you sure?" Hope''s voice was slightly trembling. She hoped, she didn''t have to do this. "Do you really think I will not be able to kill him?"


    The hunter was about to turn around and ignored her when the corner of his eyes caught a sight of the girl''s movement and out of instinct, he turned around with wide eyes in shock.


    "Forgive me¡­" Hope whispered to herself and the corpse on her laps. It wasn''t necessary to apologize, after all, the dead man wouldn''t be able to voice out his complain.


    Actually, Hope didn''t want to hurt the dead body, but what choice that she had when that man didn''t believe her? She had to do everything to make the hunter stay away from Kace.


    Hope stabbed the head of the spear on the man''s neck and glowered at the hunter while fresh blood spurted from the new wound.


    "Make another move toward him and I will kill him right now!" Hope said in menacing tone, at the very least, the dead body wouldn''t feel any pain with whatever the girl would do to him.


    Hope could see fear mixed with anger flashed on that man''s eyes. If he could, maybe he would kill Hope first.


    It was because of the girl that his fellow hunters were dead now. This girl and her despicable friends!


    "I came with the intention to save you! But, you do this as return?!" the hunter moved closer toward Hope while dragging the same spear that he would use to kill Kace. "Your beast killed all of my fellow hunters! And now you are threatening me!?" he asked incredulously.


    "I have never asked you to save me! I have told you that all of this is your misunderstanding! I have told you to run while you can!" Hope was slightly relief that the hunter walked away from Kace, "But, you chose to ignore me and play hero!"


    She was saying the truth. Hope had warned them to release her and stop provoking the beast, challenging him. If only they listened to her and stopped their crazy idea that Hope was asking to be rescued, the situation wouldn''t turn very wrong like this.


    "Bulsh*t!" The hunter bellowed. He was very angry as he picked up his pace and was standing in front of Hope in no time. "Stay away from my friend!"


    And Hope gladly did. She rose on her feet and took a step back. Now what?! She had managed to make this man to not kill Kace, at least for the time being, but it was impossible for them to have a discussion to short out this situation.


    Once this man new that Hope lied to him. He, probably, would kill her instead. Now, it was her life that was in danger as that man crept closer toward the dead body that he assumed was still alive.


    Hope moved secretively, positioned herself behind that hunter.


    On the other hand, the hunter was approaching his man while calling his name, even without seeing his face and with the lack of light, he could still recognize his comrade.


    "Bern," he called his name. "Bern, are you alright?" he asked while rolling his body, so he could see him clearly. "Bern?" the new wound that Hope had stabbed still bleeding, the hunter placed his palm to cover his neck, in order to stop the blood from oozing out.


    However, he realized something as his body turned stiff and he whipped his head toward Hope. The girl had stood behind him while holding the spear in her hand, pointing the sharp metal to his face.


    "YOU KILL HIM!?" He thought Bern must have died because Hope stabbed him.


    "No!" Hope shook her head, her hands were shaking while holding the spear. "He was dead before I even stabbed him." The hostility in the hunter''s eyes forced Hope to take another step back.


    Upon hearing Hope''s words, the hunter finally realized that he was being fooled by her. "YOU!?"


    "HOPE, KILL HIM!" Ian shouted from behind the bar. "KILL HIM!"


    Yet, Ethan shoved him aside. "Do you know what are you talking about?! You ask her to kill someone?! Are you out of your mind?!"


    "So, will you prefer that he killed her?!" Ian retorted.


    That was right, at this point, there was no room for discussion, but how Hope could kill someone else when her whole body was shaking uncontrollably?


    The furious hunter hollered to the dark night. Not only he had lost all of his men, but he was being fooled too!


    "Go away and I will let you live!" Hope was still trying to put some air, but that was only an empty threat, which the hunter could see it right through her eyes.


    "Do you think you still can fool me for the second time?!" forgetting the wounds that littered his body, the hunter moved very fast toward Hope and snatched the spear from her hands.


    The sudden forced and her injured ankle didn''t do Hope any good as she tumbled and sat on the ground with the Hunter raised the spear above his head.

 Chapter 551 - THEY ARE NOT HUMAN

    Hope could hear Ethan and Ian screaming voice, shouting many things that Hope couldn''t hear clearly, because the only thing that she could focus now was the head of the spear that coming down toward her.


    This is it? This is it?


    Hope didn''t believe she would die like this? Seriously! Only if she was not a guardian angel and a witch instead, she would be very glad to turn this man into a frog!


    With the last strength that she had, Hope pushed herself to roll over her body, dodging the spear only by a fortune.


    The head of the spear stuck on the ground where she was sitting only a millisecond ago. It could split her skull into two if she moved any slower or her brain freeze any longer.


    That was a close call!


    With a groan, Hope forced herself to stand up. She cursed under her breath when she put her weight on her injured ankle and her back screamed in agony. Hope could feel the wound reopened again because of her movement.


    How great! She was stabbed a few hours ago and a few hours later a crazy man, who literally saved her life by tending her wound, wanted to kill her in the same way!


    Didn''t he think that he had wasted his previous work?!


    Ugh! Nevermind!


    Hope stopped blabbering inside her head and focused in the matter at hand. She had to find a way to stop him without killing him, which was an impossible task to do.


    The hunter roared and started to chase her, throwing the spear, yet Hope dodged it again with the help of the siblings'' instruction, as she didn''t have time to even glance over her back.


    When Hope was trying to think while running for her life, she heard a horde of footsteps from afar. The sound of it was very loud until she felt the earth was shaking.


    Out of nowhere, Hope was being surrounded by¡­ Hope didn''t know how to name them. She was so shock until she fell on the ground, kneeling. Her eyes pondered at her surrounding and her mouth slightly agap, yet there was no voice that came out.


    What are they!? The question was ringing inside her head without being able to escape her lips.


    In this point, Hope failed to notice the danger that still lurking from the last hunter. Seeing Hope dropped to her knees, he used this moment to throw another spear in his hand toward the girl when a harsh voice rung in that gloomy night.


    "ENOUGH!" His voice was very powerful until the hunter freeze in his place and the birds that perched on branches flew away, too afraid to stay and watched another scene unfolded.


    Hope swallowed hard, she was circled. She took in the man who was shouting at the hunter to stop him before, the man with voice that laced with dominant.


    However, he wasn''t a man at all.


    He was very big, probably as big as Kace''s beast. His shoulders were broad and they dropped into a ripped torso, his body built with muscle, but the part of him that captured Hope''s attention was his waist down.


    Because¡­ the lower half of him, from the torso, was horse¡­


    Hope shook her head, she thought she was daydreaming, but she was not. First, because this was not day anymore as the sky as dark as her hair and second, it was hard to say that it was not reality that she witnessed before her eyes. They looked very real!


    They are centaur!


    "Centaur¡­" Hope finally could say it even in low voice that barely a whisper. Her eyes wide with shock. Even after she confirmed it was a real thing, Hope still questioned her sanity.


    Hope shouldn''t be this shock since she lived surrounded by supernatural creatures like werewolf, lycan and witch, but she used to think of centaur as imaginary creatures, yet here they were, standing tall before her eyes.


    The centaur near her looked amused. "Indeed we are."


    Shivers ran down Hope''s spine when she heard he talked specifically to her. She didn''t know what to say with this turn of event.


    Hope started to consider the option that she had; she couldn''t run, but even if she could she wouldn''t be able to outrun centaurs, especially when there was so many of them.


    "I will kill her!!!" the hunter was still hell bent to kill Hope, once again he raised the spear in his hand and rushed toward the girl on the ground.


    However, before he could do any harm, the centaur in front of Hope stepped forward and effectively stopped him for the second time. He clasped his hands in front of his bare chest. "I am the chief."


    "Step aside, Chiron! She and her friends killed my men! They killed our people!" the hunter didn''t seem afraid of the centaur named Chiron.


    "That''s not how we handle this matter Leroy," he spoke in deep and shooting tone.


    Inside the cage, Ian and Ethan also didn''t know what to say as they were as quiet as the gentle breeze.


    "I don''t care how you will handle this matter!" Leroy spat, "She killed my friend and now I will kill her!"


    "As long as I know, it is that beast, who had killed your men." Chiron nodded at the beast, not far from them. "We don''t kill human."


    "What do you know!?" Leroy was wrathful. "You are not even a human!"


    His last statement earned a wave of displeased from the other centaurs.


    "We stand together in this land to protect our people. Human or not." Chiron spoke after the chorus died down.


    Leroy still looked having a difficulty to contain his anger, but gradually he knew his mistakes. "They killed our people!" yet still stubborn with his argument.


    "I can see that¡­" Chiron spoke in gloomy tone as he gestured to the other centaurs to bring back the dead body. "But, the priestess wants to see them."

 Chapter 552 - CHIRON

    "What do you mean with the priestess wants to see them?" Leroy didn''t understand what Chiron was talking about. "How the priestess knows about this?"


    The priestess had not been out of her room since a year ago and only a little girl who served her that was allowed to come and met her.


    "The stars that told me," Chiron raised his head to the gloomy sky, which there was not even a single star that could be seen.


    There was moment when Leroy thought that he completely clueless about the way centaurs were talking and this was that moment.


    Though they had been living alongside each other for years now, but it didn''t make them, human, got the idea of the stars that the centaurs often talking.


    "The stars told you and you told the priestess?" Leroy shook his head incredulously, he didn''t have time to listen to his story about the stars. "You are right." He nodded. "I can''t kill her, because she is human, then I will kill the beast, because this despicable creature that had killed our people!"


    "No!" Hope sprung on her feet to stop him, but it was not necessary when the other centaurs had done it for her.


    "The priestess wants the beast alive," Chiron spoke as he gestured toward the other centaurs to go to Kace''s beast.


    "What are you going to do to him?!" Hope was about to follow the centaur, who approached Kace when her shoulder was grabbed by Chiron and prevented her from moving.


    "Relax," he said in his shooting tone again. "He will check on your mate."


    Hope was slightly taken aback when she heard Chiron addressed Kace as her mate. Did he know? Or, he just mentioned Kace was her mate as ''mate'' for a fellow friend?


    Hope was puzzled.


    Now, the other centaurs, except Chiron and one, who has very tanned skin, with bow and arrow on his back, stayed with Hope and the incessant Leroy.


    "YOU WANT TO SAY THAT WE WILL LET THAT VILE BEAST LIVE?" Leroy''s chest rose and fell when he couldn''t hold back his anger.


    "That was what the priestess wants." Chiron nodded solemnly.


    Hope was getting lost further. She didn''t understand how these two creatures with different personalities could be in the same community. She could feel there was zero understanding between them and this was not their first time to have their argumentation clashed.


    "I don''t believe this!" Leroy threw his hands exasperatedly as he glowered at Hope, who was standing behind Chiron''s horse body.


    "I will have my people to bring back your men to the village." Chiron''s voice didn''t falter even a bit under Leroy''s menacing glare. "I think their families want to bury their body."


    Hope could hear how Leroy gnashed his teeth when he heard that. "What the priestess want with them?!"


    "I don''t know," Chiron answered truthfully as he tilted his head toward his fellow centaur, who checked on Kace''s beast. "How is him?"


    "I need him to return to his human form, chief." the other centaur replied to his chief.


    Chiron lowered his head to look at Hope. "Girl, do you think you can ask him to shift back?"


    "I don''t think so," Hope glanced at Kace. "He is unconscious. I can''t talk to him."


    Chiron nodded in understanding. "Why don''t you go back? The centaurs will accompany you until the gate," he talked to Leroy.


    "I don''t need you to tell me what I have to do!" Leroy turned on his heels, still fuming. "I will ask the priestess what she will do with those vile beasts! You better be there when we burry these people!"


    "I will be there for the funeral," Chiron still answered him politely, despite Leroy''s attitude.


    Hope became more and more confused with the situation that she faced now. There were so many thing that happened within a day, she was overwhelmed.


    "Can I go to him?" Chiron had proved that he meant no harm toward her and Kace, thus, Hope could relax a bit, though she wouldn???t put her guard down. She had not fully trusted these centaurs yet.


    "Of course," Chiron nodded solemnly, "Your mate needs you."


    There, he talked about ''mate'' again. However, Hope didn''t want to have another questioning session when her body and mind was too tired to think about another mystery.


    Limply, Hope trudged toward, where the beast was still lying down, its fur had turned into dark red with no sign he would wake up soon.


    Chiron followed behind her closely. The sound of his hooves against the muddy ground, somehow, relaxing.


    Hope crouched down beside the beast''s body. "Is he alright?" she ran her fingers on its sticky fur.


    "He will be fine," Chiron said in deep voice.


    After a few minutes, Hope whipped her head toward the cage while saying. "My friends!" she totally forgot about Ethan and Ian.


    However, when Hope saw the cage, there had been three centaurs, who were trying to open the padlocks.


    Only then, Hope sighed in relief and shifted her focus at the chief centaur. "Why did you help me?"


    The centaur just gave her a warm smile and looked up the sky. "It''s been written on the stars."


    The corner of Hope''s lips twitched, at this moment, she agreed that the centaur had a different way to communicate with each other.


    "You are here now, that''s what important." Chiron lowered his head again and looked at Hope tenderly, as if she was his muse or something.


    "Do you know that I will be here?" Hope frowned, she knew about the myth that centaur was reading the stars and constellation or whatever that was, since Hope didn''t pay much attention to it.


    But, to know that the chief of the centaur had known beforehand that she would come to this place¡­ what he was? A clairvoyant?


    Yet, the answer of Chiron was beyond Hope''s best guess. "I know that you will be resurrected."

 Chapter 553 - WAS THERE SOMEONE INSIDE?

    Hope woke up with a start. Her head was dazed when she looked at her surroundings. She was not familiar with this place and she panicked for a few seconds before she started to remember what had happened last night.


    All the memories flooded her mind without being able to stop it. That was not a pleasant flashback to say the least.


    Hope laid back down again and sighed deeply while staring at the ceiling. She needed to get up, but her body was screaming to take another minute to rest.


    Last night, the centaur took her, Ian and Ethan to this house. The house, where a family of three were living at the outer village.


    Meanwhile, because Kace was still in his beast form, they placed him inside a barn, a building that was beside this house. They made sure that Kace was fine there before Hope was willing to leave him alone.


    Hope thought that she would have a hard time to sleep after what had happened, but the reality turned out otherwise, once her head touched the soft pillow and warm blanket was dr.a.p.ed over her body, her mind shut down almost immediately.


    She was exhausted and in pain.


    When they reached this house, a woman who looked like in her thirties, that Hope assumed was the mother of the young girl, had put a new bandage on her wounds, on her back, and treated her injured ankle.


    On the other hand, thanks to their healing ability, Ian and Ethan didn''t have to be bothered with their wounds, because they had healed even before they reached this house.


    Hope turned her body and found Lana was still sleeping, on the second bed near the door. There was a frown on her forehead.


    Why was she still not awakened? If it was because of the thing that those hunters had done to her, to put her to sleep, why Ian and Ethan were fine?


    Or, maybe those hunters put different things on her system?


    Hope jumped from her bed, which was a wrong decision, she forgot that her left ankle was still in pain. Hope grunted while clenching her fist when the wave of pain sucked out her breath.


    She regretted her reckless action immediately.


    Limping, she trudged towards the bed where Lana was sleeping, she nudged her finger on her cheek while calling her. "Lana. Wake up."


    No response.


    Hope had expected this, but for some reasons, she kept doing the same thing over and over again until someone pushed open the door.


    "Ah, you are awake!"


    A little girl around the age of seven, waltzed into the room. Her voice sounded like a chirping bird, her eyes were big and she had a pair of long eyelashes. She was so beautiful, and looked like a living doll.


    When she walked, her curly hair bounced on her shoulder.


    "Mother and father went to the farm, and your two other friends had their breakfast, only you and your sister who haven''t had breakfast." She brought a tray that looked bigger than her tiny hands with two bowl of porridge on it.


    In an instant, Hope took the tray and smiled at the little girl. "Thank you."


    "You are welcome." She grinned and showed her missing tooth. This reminded Hope when she missed her front tooth as well, and the memory brought another bright smile on her face. "I am afraid your other two friends would eat all the food, they had eaten three bowls of porridge."


    Hope chuckled, Ethan and Ian most likely would do something like that when they were starving.


    "Thank you for saving my breakfast from them." Hope put down the tray and took one bowl for her, she just realized now that she was also starving. She couldn''t remember when the last time she had a proper meal.


    "Why don''t you wake your sister up?" the girl sat down on the bed where Hope was sleeping last night.


    "I already woke her up, but she is still sleeping." Hope frowned at the tasteless bland porridge, but she was hungry, so she kept eating. "What is your name?"


    "Bree," the girl said in her childish voice. "What yours?"


    "I am Hope," Hope said. "Nice to meet you Bree, I like your name."


    "I like your name too," Bree smiled. "My mother always says that we must always have hope."


    Hope grinned. She had to ask Kace why he gave her this name, there must be some story behind it, right?


    "Bree, I have another friend inside your barn. Do you happen to know if he''s already awake or not?" Hope swallowed the porridge without tasting it again, so she could finish it faster.


    "Mother and father don''t allow me to come near the barn," Bree pouted, wiggled her legs.


    "Oh," Hope hummed. She understood, maybe Mr. and Mrs. Lori were afraid that the beast would harm little Bree.


    A little while later, Hope put down her bowl and glanced at Lana''s sleeping face. She had to ask the centaur about Lana. Why wasn''t she awake? And also Lidya¡­


    There were so many things that Hope needed answers for, but there was nothing she could do for the meantime.


    First thing first. "I want to go to Barn, would you like to come with me?" Hope stood up.


    "But, mother said not to go to the barn." Bree wanted to go, but she couldn''t and since Mr. and Mrs. Lori were on the farm, she couldn''t ask them to give her permission.


    "Okay," Hope walked towards the door. "Can I leave my sister with you?"


    Bree nodded, but her expression told Hope that she wanted to come with her. "Okay¡­"


    "Thank you."


    After saying that, Hope walked towards the living room, but couldn''t find Ian or Ethan, yet she didn''t want to waste her time by looking for them. The siblings could be anywhere.


    Hope strode across the living room and opened the door to the foyer. The barn was right beside the house.


    From here, Hope could see that the barn''s door was opened.


    Was there someone inside?

 Chapter 554 - HE WAS CRYING

    Hope walked slowly towards the barn, she was alert of her surroundings. There were too many things that happened yesterday, than her seventeen years of life. It was never in her wildest imagination, that she would be able to handle more than that.


    Afraid there was another hunter would jump before her eyes, with cautious steps, she peeked her head to inside the barn.


    However, what she saw then put her in relief immediately.


    "If you were going to come here, why didn''t you come and get me first?" Hope strolled inside the barn where Ian and Ethan were sitting next to the white beast.


    Last night, Hope made sure to clean the beast from the blood that stained its fur, so he could rest more comfortably.


    "We thought you were still sleeping," Ian answered without raising his head from looking at the sleeping beast.


    "Yes, I was. An hour ago." Hope crouched down between Ethan and Ian. Naturally, she stretched out her hand to touch the soft fur of the beast. "Lana has not woken up," she said to no one in particular.


    "Yes, I saw her when we came to your room while you were still sleeping," Ethan mumbled. "Do you think she got some kind of brain injury? That somehow put her into a coma?"


    Hope and Ian snapped their head to look at Ethan. "Do you think werewolves could get brain injury?" Hope frowned.


    "Don''t be ridiculous. Even if she got it, she should be healed by now," Ian mumbled and shook his head to get rid of Ethan''s nonsense idea.


    "So, why do you think she has not woken up yet?" Ian grumbled while caressing the beast''s fur. "Kace also has the same condition as her."


    "You are right¡­" hope just realized it. "We need to ask Chiron."


    "Who is Chiron?" Ian looked at Hope, puzzled.


    "The centaur chief from last night." Hope ran her fingers on the back of the beast''s ears, she knew the beast like it when she touched him there. Still, there was no response.


    "You made friends with him, how nice." Ian concluded, there was a sarcastic tone in the way he spoke, yet Hope and Ethan didn''t pick on him. They didn''t need another unnecessary argument right now.


    And also, Hope didn''t know whether she should tell them, about her being a guardian angel or not. She wanted to know how Chiron found out about this. As long as she could remember, there were not many people who knew about it aside from Kace, Lana, and Serefina.


    Well, Lidya knew about this guardian angel''s thing.


    "We still don''t know where Lidya is, now." Hope felt restless. She was afraid that something bad happened to the witch. Lidya would''ve come to find them if she was fine, right?


    The fact that she was still missing made Hope became even more anxious.


    "I think we need to talk to the centaur," Ian spoke.


    "We need to ask Mr. or Mrs. Lori how we can talk to them." Ethan suggested.


    They spent another few hours inside the barn with the sleeping beast, talking about this and that occasionally, but most of the time, they were busy with their own thoughts.


    When the afternoon came, Ian and Ethan decided to go back to the house to check on Lana''s condition, but Hope insisted that she wanted to stay with Kace.


    Because Mr. and Mrs. Lori would only go back in the evening, since there was nothing Hope could do inside the house. Thus it would be more convenient for her to stay next to Kace, just in case, an unbelievable thing would happen, like he woke up by miracle or something.


    After many futile attempts to persuade her, Ian and Ethan decided to let her be. Maybe the two needed their moment alone.


    With that thought, the siblings walked out of the barn, leaving the mate alone.


    Hope laid down next to the beast, staring at him. The charred wound from the silver had almost completely healed and his old wound on his back, still looked the same.


    Maybe it was just Hope''s imagination, but the claw marks didn''t seem so frightening than the last time she saw it.


    "Why don''t you wake up? I miss you¡­" Hope kissed the beast''s front leg and used it as a pillow for her neck and she fell asleep.


    The sound of the wind from the afternoon breeze and chirping birds from the distance helped Hope to relax as the scent of chocolate from the beast drifted her to her slumber.


    There was some point when Hope was aware that she was asleep and knew this was only a dream, but she just couldn''t force herself to wake up.


    Because there was this sudden urge to walk down this path.


    There was a long road in front of her, the kind of long road that you would only see in a desert, with nothing on her left or right.


    The lights dimmed in every step she took, but Hope didn''t feel afraid with this odd situation. Neither had she panicked when she saw someone crouching down at the end of that road.


    It was a man, burying his face between his knees while he hugged his legs tightly.


    "Hello?" Hope approached that man. Somehow she knew him. His scent was something that she would always miss. "Are you okay?"


    Hope crouched down in front of that man, staring at him, waiting for him to raise his head, yet he didn''t do it, neither had he replied to her.


    As if it was natural for her to do this, Hope stretched out her hand and patted the man''s head. "It''s alright." She didn''t know why she said it. "Everything is alright."


    There, Hope felt it. The spark that erupted from her touch. The man also felt the same as he raised his head and stared at her with his deep ocean blue eyes.


    Hope held her breath when she saw him.


    It was Kace. Looked younger almost like a teenager, as if he was the same age as Ian and Ethan. And the thing that caught Hope''s attention was that he was crying.

 Chapter 555 - THE DEMON WOMAN

    "Hope¡­"


    There was a voice, but it didn''t come from the young Kace in front of her. The young version of Kace was still crying silently pressing his lips together into a thin line.


    "Hope?"


    There, the voice could be heard again. This time the voice sounded closer and when someone shook her shoulder, Hope turned her head to look behind her.


    "Hope, wake up."


    Ian''s face came to her sight. Hope frowned. Ian was also in her dream? However, when Hope turned her head again to see the young version of Kace, all she could see was only the beast, still lied down beside her.


    "What happened?" Hope groaned, a little bit upset because her dream was interrupted.


    "Mr. and Mrs. Lori returned. Do you want to come and ask them? Or, Ethan and I tell you about it later?" Ian asked. Hope looked tired and reluctant to leave Kace alone inside the barn, thus he thought maybe she wanted to stay there.


    However, Hope shook her head. "No, I''ll go too." She stretched her body and sat down.


    "Are you sure, you want to leave him?" Ian nodded at the beast.


    "He will be fine," Hope caressed his fur tenderly before she stood up and patted her clothes to get rid of the hays off of her, Ian was helping by picking out the hays from her hair.


    "Let''s go." Ian waved his hand and walked towards the door.


    With a heavy heart, she took the last glance at the sleeping beast, then left him alone there, while talking to herself; ''I will come back soon.''


    ==============


    Hope knew that wasn''t only a dream. There must be something. Just like her previous dream about Kace''s beast, which turned into fireflies.


    Unfortunately, neither the first dream about the beast nor the recent dream about the younger version of Kace, Hope understood. She just went with her gut feeling, that something was wrong and those dreams had special meaning.


    Hope''s line of thoughts were interrupted when Ian opened the door for her, and then her eyes caught a sight of Mr. and Mrs. Lori, who were sitting on the sofa in the living room.


    "Good evening Mr. Lori, Mrs. Lori." Hope nodded at each of them politely and sat down beside Ethan, who was talking to them when they entered the room. "Thank you for helping us."


    Ian sat down beside Hope, sandwiched the girl in the middle.


    Outside, the sun was almost set. Yesterday, it was around this time, when the carnage was happening. The beast went berserk and killed more than three dozens of hunters.


    "Please, don''t mention it." Mr. Lori waved his hand, diminishing the rigid atmosphere among them as he leaned his back against the backrest. "Chiron needed us to help you, of course we will do it gladly."


    They were human, no doubt about that, yet they acted as if seeing a half-human-half-horse creature wasn''t something out of ordinary. Probably, Hope also would act the same way, if only she stayed a long time there.


    But, she would love to go back to her world as soon as they had done whatever it was needed to be done there.


    "Can we meet him?" Hope asked straight to the point. "We also need to see the priestess." Hope added.


    "Our friend needs her help," Ian chimed in.


    "We lost one of our friends too." Ethan remembered that they had not heard anything about Lidya since they were separated yesterday.


    Mr. and Mrs. Lori looked at each other, this time Mrs. Lori who answered them. "We can help you to meet Chiron, but about the priestess¡­" then she took another glance at her husband. "It has been a year since the last time we saw the priestess."


    "What happened to her?" Ethan asked.


    "A year ago there was a demon woman who trespassed our land. The hunters, the centaurs and all the supernatural creatures were looking for her and then there was a fight." Mrs. Lori looked at her husband.


    As if it was on cue, Mr. Lori continued the story. "The priestess fought against the demon woman under The Mountain of Uzu." He raised his hand and pointed at the shadow of a mountain that they could see through the glass of the window. "They fought for two days and two nights."


    Hope and the siblings looked at each other, but didn''t say anything as they listened to Mr. Lori when he tried to remember the event from the past.


    "When the priestess came back from Mount Uzu, she was greatly injured, but the demon woman was defeated," Mr. Lori said.


    "Ever since that day, the priestess has been too weak to come out of her chamber. And only one person who could see her¡ªa young maiden who was appointed to take care of whatever her needs was, and relays her messages to the young maiden, if ever she had something to say to others." Mrs. Lori wrapped the story.


    "But, I think Chiron had talked to her," Hope remembered the reason that Chiron had told Leroy about, when he stopped him from getting Hope killed yesterday.


    "No one has ever really talked to the priestess since that day." Mrs. Lori watched as her daughter walked towards her with a doll in her hands. "However, the priestess and the centaurs have their unique way to communicate with each other."


    "Just like what the centaurs are good at, they read the stars." Mr. Lori added. "And the priestess is the protector of this place, her spirit is so strong that they both have a common way to see things."


    ==============


    "What do you think?" Ethan asked Hope when he helped her to clean the dining room.


    They just had their dinner and Hope and the siblings insisted on cleaning up the mess after their meal as a token of their gratitude because Mr. and Mrs. Lori were nothing, but very nice to them.


    However, that was not the only reason they adamantly wanted to do it. It was rather because the three of them needed some time to discuss something, before the centaur came to see them. The centaur usually would come out of their den when the night fell.


    Hope took out the candle, which flames were still blue, indicating that the priestess was not nearby.

 Chapter 556 - NOSY QUESTIONS

    "I don''t know," Hope said languidly while holding her candle.


    The Candlemaiden said that the small candle would guide them to see the priestess, and they would know if she was nearby if the flames turned red.


    But, seeing how blue the candle between her fingers, maybe they were not close enough?


    "This is very confusing and those people who are supposed to guide us, currently cannot do anything," Ian commented as he put a dirty plate on the sink.


    "Right," Hope mumbled as she washed the plate that Ian put on the sink, carelessly. "Let''s focus on the most important thing first."


    "Everything is important now," Ian wiped the plate and after it dried, he gave it to Ethan, so he could put it inside the cabinet.


    "We can''t handle everything at once," Ethan chimed in. "Let''s focus on how to make Kace shift back to his human form or how to wake Lana up. They know more about this world than we do."


    "Right," Hope agreed as she dried her hands with a towel.


    "I would be so upset if we stuck here forever," Ian didn''t stop grumbling. "I truly hope that there''d be no more surprises in the near future."


    "We hope the same thing," Ethan nodded as he sat down on the dining chair.


    Their Dinner was not as bad as their breakfast and lunch, but for the twins. Though the food was not as good as what they had back home, the portion was definitely not enough for their stomach. Yet, they couldn''t ask for more since there was nothing left for them to eat.


    Apparently, this family didn''t have any idea how big the appetite of these young werewolves.


    Rapid sound of footsteps let them know that little Bree was running towards the dining room. Her voice echoed in the corridor before her small figure appeared.


    "Hope! Ethan! Ian!" she screamed and in the background they could hear Mrs. Lori who warned her little girl to not run along the corridor, which, of course, was being ignored. "They''re coming! The centaurs are here!"


    Little Bree was being picked by Ethan before she could run around the kitchen and bumped into something.


    Since the siblings also had a sister, they both got along pretty fast, not to mention the little girl was the kind of child who was full of energy and would smile or grin all the time.


    "Higher! Higher!" Bree squalled and giggled when Ethan raised her within his arm length.


    "Let''s go, we''ll see the centaur!" Ethan carried her in his arms as Bree clutched onto him like a baby koala. "Do you like centaur?"


    "I like them, they are very kind!" Bree beamed when she talked about what the centaur had told her.


    Apparently, Bree had been in their den and occasionally, they would bring her to see the sky while telling her a story or two.


    From Bree''s standpoint and the way Mr. and Mrs. Lori depicted the village where the priestess was living, it seemed like those centaurs didn''t involve themselves with whatever the things that the hunters would do.


    It is almost like the centaurs were the advisor while the hunters were the guard of the village, along with a few other shapeshifters that were living in their community.


    Both siblings seemed a little bit brightened up when they teased little Bree, as Hope followed behind them.


    In the front yard, they could see Mr. and Mrs. Lori talking to Chiron. Aside from the chief, there were other four centaurs that came with him, they just stayed a few meters away from them. Above, the moon light fell on their bare chest and tall figure.


    "Good evening everyone¡­" Chiron slightly nodded to Ian and Ethan, he gave a big, warm smile when he saw Hope followed behind them.


    "Chiron!" Bree stretched out her short arms, asking to be carried by the centaur, which he gladly granted.


    "How are you little fellow?" Chiron touched her nose while smiling warmly at the little girl in his arms.


    "I am good. I am friends with Hope, Ian and Ethan." Bree reported this news to him.


    "Wonderful," Chiron nodded and then he averted his eyes towards Hope and the siblings. "I guess all of you have many questions to be asked."


    "Yes¡ª" But, before Ethan could talk further, Chiron had interrupted him.


    "But, I think let''s see the lycan first, shall we?" Chiron handed Bree to her mother and caressed her cheek lightly before he turned around and walked towards the barn, without waiting for the three people behind him to answer his rhetorical question or to check whether they followed him or not.


    Definitely, Hope and the siblings would follow him, what other choice that they had?


    "Don''t you want to come with us?" Hope turned around to look at the family of three, she remembered Bree wanted to see the beast, but was not allowed to come near the barn.


    However, Mr. and Mrs. Lori gave strange responses as they were visibly startled. "No, we will wait here."


    Hope frowned, but didn''t ask why they looked so afraid of her suggestion. "Alright."


    The other four centaurs followed them, but there was one that came forward and walked alongside Chiron.


    "Do you think Centaurs also have a concept of mate?" Ian whispered at Hope, who just caught up with them.


    "How would I know?" Hope threw him a look. She was not a shapeshifter.


    Ignoring Hope''s comment, Ian started to talk again. "Do you think the female centaur beside him is his mate?"


    To answer Ian''s question, Chiron stopped in front of the barn''s door before he opened it and said in his deep and shooting tone. "Yes, we have the concept of mate and no, she is not my mate. My mate was killed centuries ago."


    There was no hostility in the way Chiron answered Ian''s nosy question, but it managed to shut him up. He glanced at his shoes awkwardly.


    He thought the centaurs didn''t have a remarkable hearing ability like they had, yet his assumption had been proven wrong.

 Chapter 557 - FRESH AIR

    "This is Carina," Chiron introduced the woman beside him as she smiled politely towards the three teenagers. "She is our healer."


    Hope and the twins nodded their head like children who had been reprimanded.


    "Nice to meet you Carina." Hope waved her hand and earned a nod from the female centaur.


    After that, the three of them followed behind Chiron and Carina solemnly when they entered the barn, and didn''t dare to address another question as the atmosphere became awkward. Thanks to Ian previously.


    Inside the barn, just like the last time they saw it, Kace''s beast was lying motionlessly on a stack of hay, covered with a warm blanket that Hope dr.a.p.ed on his body before.


    The rise and fall movement of his chest was the only thing that indicated he was still breathing, alive.


    Chiron and the woman approached the beast quietly, even their steps couldn''t be heard in this quiet place.


    "This is magic." Carina bent his front horse-legs, so she could touch the beast''s head. Her long fingers traced the wounds behind the beast'' back.


    "Witch''s magic?" Chiron asked.


    Carina didn''t answer immediately, she halted her fingers an inch away from the wounds and expressed her uncertainty, "No, this is old magic, not from the witches. I think this is fae''s magic."


    There were a lot of types of magic asides from the witches'' and one of them was fae''s. Lana, who was a half-fae, had proven that she could cast certain spells, though it was not as powerful as the witches.


    And since they had never met with any faes, Lana''s true ability was still unknown. To what extentcould they use their power?


    "Fae," Chiron reiterated. "Faes live in different land, most of them are in the mainland."


    The mainland that Chiron mentioned was the Northern Coven, where faes, witches and vampires lived together and made their own habitat. Those creatures were powerful enough to say the least and the rumor about theirjoint force had been spread.


    The problem was not because the witches and faes finally entered into an agreement, but the purposes of their union, what they worried about.


    There were more activities that happened ever since, and there were a lot more creaturesthat disappeared in their experiment.


    Chiron glanced at the girl, whose eyes shone brightly like the stars above them and then to the white beast, who was lying motionlessly. The prophecy would come true.


    "Can you help him?" Hope asked, she walked forward and crouched down beside the female centaur. Even now, she was still fascinated by their feature and when Hope looked at her up close like this, their tanned skin was as smooth as marble stone.


    "I can''t fix his wound, but I think I can wake him up." Carina nodded to her own words. "He had rested enough."


    "Yes please, I was thinking the same thing," Hope replied hastily. She couldn''t wait to see Kaceopen his eyes again. She missed him, either it was his beast or human side, she missed all of him.


    "Will do, lady." Carina smiled politely at Hope and she blushed because of the way she called her.


    "You can just call me Hope," Hope murmured.


    "Beautiful name for a beautiful lady." She stretched out her hand and put her fingers under Hope''s chin. "You have a path that is not easy. I see a beautiful soul with a peerless spirit."


    "Thank you," Hope said shyly, but what Carina was about to say next, erased her smile completely.


    "But, I see death surround you," Carina said in the same tone she praised the girl.


    "Carina," Chiron''s voice laced with warning. "Let''s finish our business here."


    Carina''s big eyes shifted to Chiron and back to Hope before she released her chin and focused on the beast in front of her.


    Hope could feel the siblings moved nervously behind her, but Hope didn''t have time to give them her extra attention after hearing what Carina said.


    What did she mean with those unsettling words?


    Hope couldn''t understand why the more she knew about this realm, the more confused she became and now she was afraid of what Carina just said.


    The dream.


    The prophecy.


    About her being the guardian angel.


    The centaur.


    The curse.


    Hope didn''t know where she had to start even if she was given a chance to ask.


    The centaurs had their own magic, but not all of them were gifted with such power. Fortunately, Carina did.


    She was chanting a spell in a strange language that sounded like a song while caressing the beast''s white fur, especially on the surface of his wound.


    And now, she had been doing that for ten minutes already, but nothing happened to Kace. Would it work?


    Hope was extremely tense while watching what Carina did, but her mind buzzed with many unanswered questions.


    When she was starting to bite her nails, someone squeezed her shoulder gently.


    "I think you need some fresh air," Chiron spoke, retracting his hand when he already got her attention. "Let''s take a walk and let your friends wait for your mate."


    There he was, addressing Kace as her mate again.


    Hope was reluctant to leave the beast''s side, but there was nothing she could do more here to help. Maybe, taking a walk with Chiron was not a bad idea after all.


    And it seemed like the chief of the centaur had the same intention like Hope, since he only offered this to the girl and not to the other two brothers.


    "I want to take a walk too," Ian declared, he didn''t want to let Hope bealone with this creature.


    But Ethan glowered at him while saying. "No, we will stay here, in case Carina needs something." He was sensible enough to catch the hidden meaning behind Chiron''s words.


    Hope nodded. "Yes, I would love to. I think fresh air is all I need right now."


    "Iam going to tell you a story about the stars." Chiron stretched out his hand to help Hope stand up and then both of them walked out of the barn.

 Chapter 558 - STORY FROM THE PAST

    Hope followed behind the Centaur, leaving the barn behind them as they walked under the moonlight. The sound of Chiron''s hooves against the grass, somehowsoothed the girl''s nerves.


    She walked slightly behind, so she could stare at him without being noticed, at least that was what she thought. If she could have her phone with her, she would take one or two photos secretly for her personal doc.u.mentation.


    After all, who would believe this honestly? Even if she showed it to someone else in her world. No one would believe the centaur that walked beside her was a real deal, an actual living, breathing creature.


    Both of them fell into a deep silence, but this was a comfortable silence that Hope enjoyed. She didn''t talk because Chiron said he would tell her a story about the stars and, as childish as it sounded, Hope was looking forward to it.


    Knowing that there was someone looking after Kace and Lana, and knew Carina would take care of them. It was only a matter of time until both of them awake, this new understanding helped Hope relax a little.


    "Do you know about the saying that the stars tell you stories about the past?" Chiron asked when they walked towards a big tree in the middle of the prairie.


    Hope contemplated for a while before she answered, "I think I have heard something like that, but I don''t know what thatmeans."


    Chiron glanced at the young girl beside her, smiling warmly, and stopped walking. This made Hope stop as well.


    "You must be curious how I know about what I said to you." Chiron gazed at the night sky. There were not many stars.


    "You mean about Kace being my mate and about the resurrection? How do you know about all of that?" This was Serefina''s trait that Hope was showing to the centaur. She didn''t like to beat around the bush and asked away the question that she wanted to know whenever she had the chance.


    Chiron raised his hand and pointed to one star that was brighter than the rest. "When you gaze up into the night sky, you are looking into the past. The bright star Sirius eight light years away, it means; the light hitting your eyes tonight has been traveling for eight years."


    Hope was never a big fan of astronomy, but hearing how Chiron said it, it sounded interesting.


    "There are many stars with ranges from sixty to one hundred twenty five light years away, when you see them, you are seeing the light from before you were born." Chiron put his hand down and gazed solemnly to the night sky. "That''s how we know our history."


    For Hope this was merely a fascinating theory about how people could see the light from the past, but for Chiron the centaur, they talked about this as if this was a matter of life and death.


    However¡­ "That is a beautiful theory, yet it doesn''t answer my question," Hope stated carefully.


    "There," Chiron pointed to another star in the sky, this one was not as bright as the first one he showedto Hope. "That star is what we call the guardian. The star of the guardian angel."


    Hope watched the star with a dim light, this one was the farthest star from where she could see.


    "That star had disappeared for centuries, but seventeen years ago, it made an appearance in the north sky," Chiron explained. "Over the years it''s getting brighter."


    Hope knew the story about the resurrection of the guardian angel, but she didn''t know what the cause of their extinction was. "Do you know why the guardian angels are extinct?"


    For other people, to know that they had a soul of another supernatural creature such as guardian angel, that was probably a mind-blowing revelation, but for Hope she had gotten used to this kind of information.


    Especially since she was talking to a real centaur now, what else would she not believe? As crazy as it seemed, anything is possible from now on.


    Chiron didn''t answer her question immediately, he tilted his head and stared at the direction of the barn. "The answer is personal. You can ask your mate."


    Hope concluded that the centaur knew more than he showed it to her. "I lost my friend, she is a witch."


    "Witches hardly accepted here," Chiron said.


    "Do you think the hunters captured her?" Hope''s expression changed and panic surfaced vividly, overwhelmed her.


    "The last hunter that survived from that night was sent home together with his friends'' dead bodies, and no, I didn''t see the witch among them," Chiron replied, his eyes were still staring at the barn.


    "Do you know where I can find her? I came here to look for the priestess. Can you help me to meet her?" If the centaur didn''t know how to find Lidya, maybe the priestess did. There was no harm of trying.


    "She is there," the centaur pointed at the direction where mountain Uzustood on the horizon.


    Hope was puzzled, "She is there?" But, the village was in the opposite direction¡­ "Isn''t she in the village?"


    However, before Chiron could reply to her question, or Hope was able to demand for another explanation, there was an uproar from the direction of the barn.


    It was a loud and vicious growl that Hope had not heard for these past two days.


    "What happened there?" Hope started to run when Chiron had been a few meters away from her. With his physic, it was easy to outrun her.


    From afar, Hope could hear Ethan and Ian were trying to talk something incoherently.


    Chiron had reached the barn''s door when Hope was still halfway there, but she managed to hear what the siblings were saying.


    "She is here to help!"


    "Calm down Kace!"


    "Hope is fine!"


    "She is fine!"


    "Hope!"


    Hope was out of breath when she reached the door and watched Kace who was being held back by Ethan and Ian, in his human form.


    His bright ocean blue eyes focused on her when he caught the sight of the girl and, somehow, Hope could feel his angst and apprehension only by staring into his eyes.

 Chapter 559 - I REMEMBER YOU

    Kace was still slightly confused with his surroundings, but the first thing that came into his mind was his mate, Hope. And then the scene of how the beast''s wrath was rampant, without him who was not able to control his monstrous side then.


    He felt like he had been sleeping for way too long. But despite he was deep in his sleep, he still could comprehend what was happening around him while being out of reach from control, Kace felt like he was being under water, literally.


    He felt exhausted, but the thought of Hope and the last thing that he could remember, turned him furious and frustrated. He needed to see his mate, he needed to know that Hope was fine, that she was safe.


    When he couldn''t see her or smell her scent, everything in him screamed with fear. He was afraid if something had happened to her and if he failed to protect her.


    Kace''s furious eyes caught a sight of the female centaur and out of instinct, he growled at her loudly, caused the female to rise on her horse-foot and took two steps back.


    Afterward, Kace felt there were two people holding him back, prevented him from lunging onto the centaur or did something unforgivable.


    Meanwhile, no one warned Ian and Ethan that Kace would wake up with this sour mood. He, literally, woke up with killing mode activated around his system.


    "Kace! Stop it!"


    "Hope is fine!"


    "Hope!"


    The siblings started to cry for Hope to come.


    Fortunately, Kace was still not strong enough to throw them across the room, or else, they would have been writhing in pain for daring enough upon their attempt on taking him down.


    "HOPE!" Ian screamed exasperatedly towards the door when he watched the one who came was Chiron instead of the girl.


    The centaur chief placed himself between the angry Lycan and his fellow female centaur. Staring down at Kace without doing anything.


    Why would he just stand there?! Ethan thought. Why didn''t he bring Hope with him? Wasn''t she supposed to return along with him?


    When Kace almost broke free from the sibling''s grip, Hope appeared. She was panting hard when she talked.


    "What happened?" her eyes skimmed the room and it didn''t take a long time for her to catch the sight of Kace.


    On the other hand, Kace stopped moving. He stared towards the girl without blinking. And then she rushed at him and threw herself to his opened arms.


    The feeling was surreal when the spark erupted between them. When this tingly feeling wrapped Hope''s body in his safe embrace.


    "Hope¡­" Kace''s body was trembling because of relief. "My hope¡­" he buried his face on the curve of Hope''s shoulder, taking the liberty to breathe in her intoxicating scent.


    Kace was like an addict and Hope was his special drug that calmed his nerves.


    "You are awake." Hope''s voice was croaked when she started sobbing and hugged him tighter, afraid he would fall asleep again. He had been sleeping for a long time and she had become worried.


    Kace pressed her against him, wanting to feel her more. He couldn''t imagine if something bad happened to her while he wasn''t there to protect her in this strange land.


    Seeing the beast had been tamed, Ian and Ethan slowly moved aside and let the two of them have their own moment for a little while.


    Hope wanted to stay like this forever and she could tell that Kace also wanted the same thing, but there was another urgent matter that they must sort out.


    When the euphoria had ceased down, Hope wriggled her body from Kace''s tight hug. He let her go, but the lycan placed his hand on her waist instead.


    Only now Kace realized there was another centaur inside the room and his instinct was to hide Hope behind him as he growled deeply.


    "It''s alright Kace, they are here to help us." Hope stroked the beast''s back.


    "Yes, they helped us." Ian chimed in, but still didn''t want to come close to the lycan. He and Ethan stayed beside Carina and Chiron.


    Kace and Chiron exchanged looks in silence before finally Kace became a little bit relaxed, yet he still kept Hope close to him.


    "Bring the other woman that you said has the same condition like him." Carina tilted her head to the twins.


    Ian and Ethan looked at each other. "She is asleep, why don''t we go inside the room?" Ethan suggested.


    "I think Kace also needs a proper bath and meal." Ian added.


    However, Chiron shook his head. "We don''t enter human''s houses."


    That statement was a little bit confusing for them. Was that their law? But, Chiron and Mr. and Mrs. Lori seemed close enough to visit each other, why didn''t they enter their house?


    "Centaur doesn''t enter other creatures'' properties. It shows their respect to them." Unexpectedly, Kace spoke as he stood up, though his movement was a little bit clumsy, but his voice was firm. "Creatures with high morals."


    Chiron gave Kace a small nod. "I will take that as a compliment."


    That was one of the reasons why the centaurs were rarely seen inside the village. They protected those inside by monitoring potential danger from outside.


    "I thought your people are already extinct." Kace shifted his dim blue eyes toward the female centaur, who stood tall beside the male.


    Chiron took a step forward and covered Carina from Kace''s stern gaze. "We managed to survive." Like usual, Chiron spoke with his calm and deep tone, as if there was nothing that could break his calm nature.


    "And all of you live in this realm." Kace concluded. "This is not your place."


    Hope could see it, there was a tinge of anger that flashed on Carina''s eyes, but she hid it by looking away to the front yard.


    All of a sudden the atmosphere became tense again.


    "I will carry Lana here." Ian volunteered, he didn''t think he wanted to see another outburst, as he walked out of the barn, Ethan followed him.


    There was silence until Kace spoke again. "I remember you."

 Chapter 560 - NOT IN THE PAST AND NOT NOW

    "I remember you," Kace said it again, his blue eyes never left Chiron''s as he put on a defensive stance.


    Hope, who was placed beside his back, couldn''t understand how the situation ended up escalating that quickly, as she watched how things unfolded silently. She didn''t dare to ask, yet she didn''t need to, because from their conversation she would understand the connection between the two.


    Apparently both of them had met, years ago? Centuries ago? This must be the time where those stars came from.


    "I am glad you remember me," Chiron answered with the same calm tone, despite Kace who had turned a little bit aggressive.


    "You should remember us," Carina said cynically. She still didn''t want to look at Kace as she glared at the door.


    "What do you want?" Kace breathed deeply, his grip tightened around Hope''s wrist. "All of that happened in the past." He became more and more defensive with every word that he said.


    "Nothing can change the past." Chiron agreed readily. He took a step forward, but stopped when Kace snarled him a warning.


    Carina whipped her head and was about to move forward furiously with the disrespect that Kace threw to her leader.


    The situation would have turned ugly if Chiron didn''t stop her in time and calmed her down.


    "You shouldn''t bring me here and help him!" Carina shouted angrily, but her fierce eyes directed towards Kace. "I should have killed him instead of helping him!"


    "Carina." Chiron placed his hand on her shoulder and talked sternly. "Wait for the other woman outside."


    Carina ignored his words, but she, no longer, forced herself to barrage towards Kace.


    "Carina. Outside." Chiron spoke again, his eyes fixed on hers.


    After the second order, reluctantly, Carina complied, though the sound of her hooves against the ground sounded a little bit louder than necessary.


    After Carina left the barn, Chiron spoke to Kace again. "I will not apologize for how she behaved."


    If Kace previously said how centaur had a high moral, this time Hope could see why. As a chief of the centaurs, Chiron held his ground and spoke just like how the leader should.


    There must be something in the past between Kace and Chiron, or bigger than that. Something between Lycanthropes and centaurs? Hope was starting to analyze the situation.


    "Of course you won''t," Kace retorted coldly.


    "Just like you, who will not apologize for the thing that you had done centuries ago." Chiron didn''t even blink when he said this.


    Hope glanced at Kace. Maybe it was because he just woke up from a long sleep, or maybe because he was still injured, but Hope could see how pale his face was right now.


    "What do you want?" Kace asked through gritted teeth, his grip tightened even more on Hope''s wrist. He could snap her hand by accident at this rate. "I will fight you to death if you dare to lay a hand on her."


    Hope shifted her attention towards Chiron, whose expression didn''t even change even the slightest. What did Kace mean with that just now? The centaurs had treated them nothing, but with care. If it wasn''t because of them, she could have been dead by now and Kace wouldn''t have woken up now just to throw a threat and be ungrateful to him like this.


    "You don''t change even after centuries have passed." Chiron looked at Hope, who was hidden behind Kace''s back. "Even after you get a second chance, when your curse is lifted, and finally blessed with your mate."


    "I don''t need those words." Kace was furious, but at some point, his voice laced with¡­ shame. "What do you want? Another war?!"


    Hope was startled when Kace talked about war, but Chiron didn''t even flinch when he heard the hostility in his voice.


    "You know our kind is not the type who would start a war. Not in the past and not even now." Chiron stood tall and his hooves tapped the ground lightly.


    Outside of the barn, they could hear Ian and Ethan were complaining when Carina instructed them to put Lana on the ground instead of bringing her inside.


    However, the twins were not good in argumentation, especially with a woman, who was taller and more authoritative than them.


    While grumbling here and there, Ian put down Lana''s body after Ethan took off his jacket and put it on the ground.


    Carina repeated the same thing that she had done to Kace.


    Inside the barn.


    "When your anger has subsided, maybe we can talk more calmly," Chiron gave Kace and Hope a small nod as a form or respect before he walked out of the barn to approach the female centaur and the other.


    "Kace, you shouldn''t treat him like that," Hope complained when Chiron was out of their sight. "They did nothing but be nice and helpful to us. They even help you to regain your consciousness. Your hostility doesn''t make sense."


    "You don''t understand, Hope. You don''t understand." Kace tumbled and fell on his back while murmuring the same thing.


    "Why? What do I not understand?" Hope crouched down, facing him. Her hand was getting numb, but she let him hold her.


    Kace raised his head and looked towards the front yard, from their position, they couldn''t see them, but they could still hear Ian and Ethan were murmuring something here and there.


    The lycan was silent for a moment, as if he was trying to get rid of a bad memory out of his head, fighting with himself again.


    "I want to see Lana''s condition, would you wait here or¡­" Hope couldn''t finish her words, when Kace pulled her into a tight hug. He held her as if his life depended on it.


    "Kace¡­?"


    "Please, don''t come near him," He whispered, almost like a plea.


    And then, somehow, everything fell into place when Hope put it together.


    Centuries ago.


    The death of Chiron''s mate.


    The supernatural creature kind that is almost extinct.


    And the younger version of Kace that Hope had seen in her dream; crouching down while hugging himself and crying.

 Chapter 561 - THE REVELATION

    Kace didn''t know that Hope knew what he had done to end up being cursed for not having a mate for his entire eternity, though that curse had been lifted and here Hope was so perfect in his eyes.


    Hope didn''t have any proof to prove if her theory was right, but from their conversation and the way Kace fidgeted every time Chiron was talking about the past and the war between the two kinds, Hope somehow knew most of her point was right.


    The Donovans had killed many creatures'' mates, including the centaurs'', to expand their territory and one of it was Chiron''s mate.


    The centaur moved from that realm and came here, guarding the priestess and this land, making this place their new home.


    That was why, Kace asked; why they were here when this was not their place.


    And now, Kace was afraid that Chiron and the centaurs would do the same thing to him. As if this was a karma that really came for him this time.


    If this was a story about other people, where Hope was not included, she would say; Kace deserved it, if those centaurs took his mate.


    After what he had done, losing a mate was something he had to experience, feeling the pain when they took the essence of those poor creatures'' existence.


    However, things were not as simple as that. It would be Hope''s life that was put at stake, and she could feel the fear that Kace felt.


    Yet, if the centaurs wanted her to die, they didn''t have to do what they had done. Chiron just needed to do nothing when Leroy, the hunter, wanted to kill her and the others so bad.


    Instead, the centaur helped them and kept them safe inside this house and provided them with everything they needed.


    Thus, if it was not about revenge, then what did all this mean?


    Hope and Kace stayed in that position until they heard Ian was calling their name cautiously, feeling awkward because he had to interrupt their moment.


    "Hope, Kace¡­"


    Kace didn''t move, he kept hugging Hope as if there was nothing really interesting to make him move an inch, yet Hope wriggled her body until she could face Ian, who was standing on the doorway.


    "What happened?" Hope asked, her voice a little bit twisted, her mind was spinning with the new revelation and other bunch of questions.


    "Carina needs Kace," Ian shifted his eyes on the Lycan, who didn''t give any reaction upon hearing his name. "She said something about; magic and needs Kace to wake Lana up."


    Hope frowned. Why did they need Kace to wake Lana up? Carina could wake Kace up with no trouble at all.


    Despite that thought, Hope still talked to Kace. "Kace, we need to go, Lana needs you. She has been sleeping longer than you did," she spoke softly, stroking his back. "Kace, let''s go."


    At first, Kace didn''t give any reaction, as if he had turned deaf, but in another second, he sighed deeply and nodded slowly.


    "Stay with me," he spoke seriously.


    Hope wanted to argue with him, saying that the centaur wouldn''t do them any harm, but she was not sure with that either.There was still the possibility that they had some sort of hidden agenda behind their kindness and what more, this wasn''t the right time to start another quarrel with Kace.


    Hence, Hope just nodded obediently and let Kace help her stand up and both of them walked to the fresh air of the evening breeze.


    Lana was lying on the ground not too far from them with Carina and Ethan squatted down beside her and Chiron, who was standing tall behind them.


    Kace looked at the centaur worriedly as he kept Hope close to him.


    "What happened to her?" Kace asked Carina in a rigid voice.


    "Her soul connects with yours," Carina answered the same way Kace spoke to her and in an instant the atmosphere became very thick with the tension that was surfaced in the air.


    Carina still didn''t want to look at Kace and focused her attention on Lana.


    "What does it mean?" Ethan asked. He looked at Carina and Kace, then back to Lana.


    "The vow," Carina said simply. "She has taken an oath to obey him. If something happens to him, her life will be in danger too."


    "How could that possibly happen?" Hope asked, she was shocked.


    She thought the vow that Lana and Kace were talking about back then was not something as serious as this. In her eyes, it was nothing like a vow to pledge Lana''s loyalty to Kace.


    On the other hand, Kace also thought the same thing. He didn''t know the effect of that oath would be like this, Serefina didn''t say anything about this.


    But, if Kace thought about this again, knowing Serefina, the witch who would most likely do something beyond their imagination, especially the unexpected like this.


    If, at that time, Lana did any harm to Hope, she would indirectly hurt Kace too, and that would affect her immediately. It was very vicious of Serefina to think about this method, but at the same time, this ensured Hope''s safety in the hand of strangers.


    This must take a great amount of pain from Kace to put Lana in this current state now, since Kace had been injured before, but nothing happened to Lana.


    And yes, to see Hope was being stabbed right before the beast''s eyes, must be a great pain for Kace''s body and spirit.


    "What should we do now?" Hope asked again, looking very worried about Lana.


    Carina drew a small knife from her h.i.p.s, seeing that, Kace became tense. There was a rumble within his chest, which was ready to explode if Carina made any threatening move. However, she only said, "give me your hand."


    "What do you want?" Hope became defensive when she watched the knife in Carina''s hand.


    "His blood will help." And when Hope''s expression showed her that she didn''t believe it, Carina added. "Do you prefer for him to kiss her instead?"


    This time, Hope blushed as she shook her head vigorously. "No."

 Chapter 562 - THE INVITATION

    "Your hand." Carina said rigidly. She still didn''t want to see the lycan right in his eyes, afraid the anger would force her to do something that she would regret later.


    Without a word, Kace stretched his hand and put it under Carina''s line of sight and without a single cue, Carina slashed her small knife on Kace''s hand.


    Hope gasped when she watched fresh blood spurted from Kace''s opened wound. Her gut feeling told her that Carina must''ve done it on purpose. Because, she didn''t need to cut Kace''s hand so viciously to make such a deep wound when all she needed was only a drop or two from his blood.


    "Don''t you think that too much?!" Hope was half screaming at the female centaur as she hastily grabbed Kace''s hand and pressed his opened wound, where his blood was dripping out.


    Hope found out that she was not as sick as before when she saw blood, thanks to her life-and-death moment that she recently experienced, she became more resilient to something bloody like this.


    "He will not die," Carina commented casually while Chiron didn''t say anything and the sibling just knitted their brows, didn''t seem happy to see another bloody scene.


    Of course, Kace wouldn''t die because of this cut, but it didn''t mean he couldn''t feel the pain, right?


    Hope raised her head to see Kace''s expression only to find his face was devoid from any emotion, not even the pain. The lycan didn''t even flinch when Carina cut his hand.


    "Does it hurt?" Hope asked in a low voice, her hand was still pressing the wound with the hem of her dress, because she couldn''t find any clean towel or something similar that she could use to do the job.


    "No," Kace glanced at his wound nonchalantly. The moment he said this, his wound started to heal, though it was slower than usual.


    Despite that fact, Hope was still upset with what Carina did to Kace. She wiped the blood from his hand with her dress and when she finished, the wound had healed completely. Hope sighed in relief.


    "Do you mean, if Kace died, Lana will die too?" Ian brought up the topic again. "And if Lana died, the same thing will happen to Kace?"


    Hope''s breath hitched when she heard that, as she set her eyes on Carina, waiting for her explanation.


    "Since the lycan is the pivot of this vow, the same thing will not happen to him if this girl dies, but she will definitely die if he is greatly injured or if he dies," Carina replied.


    Kace narrowed his eyes, he didn''t know the vow that he took recklessly years ago, would be so serious. He should have known not to underestimate that witch.


    "Why would she want to make a strange oath like that?" Ian frowned and stole a glance at Kace, but he couldn''t bring himself to ask the question that was already on the tip of his tongue.


    Of course, the answer was because; they wanted to keep Hope safe from a stranger who just joined their small ''family''.


    However, Kace didn''t say anything about this. His eyes fixed on Lana as he intertwined his fingers with Hope.


    No one answered Ian''s question and Ethan nudged him to stop talking, thus the chatter Ian didn''t address another question.


    There was a small movement from Lana, her eyelids fluttered and her brows knitted as though she was in discomfort.


    "You can bring her back inside." Carina then stood up on her hooves and stepped back until she was beside Chiron.


    For someone who said they were not mates, they shared the same vibe as if they were a lover.


    "She will be fine for now," Carina looked away when she said this and found Chiron''s eyes staring at her. Both of them were silent for a moment before the chief of the centaur nodded his head.


    In tacit understanding, Carina walked back towards the other centaurs nearby to join them, who had been waiting since the beginning.


    "Let me," Kace spoke all of sudden, as he let go of Hope''s hand and stood up, taking Lana''s body from Ian.


    "It''s okay, I will¡­" Ian glanced at Hope, who was also confused with Kace''s sudden act.


    "Show the way," Kace said sternly. "Hope, stay with me." He carried Lana in his arms, but he didn''t let Hope out of his sight too.


    The weight of Lana''s body meant nothing for Kace, but the burden and remorse that the lycan felt almost crushed him into pieces.


    How many more people have to get hurt because of what he did? This feeling was horrible beyond words and Kace felt disgusted towards himself.


    "Hope, come here," Kace said in a low voice when Hope didn''t move from where she was standing.


    Actually, Hope wanted to stay and had another conversation with Chiron, but seeing how the situation turned out now, she couldn''t do that. Hence she followed Kace and the siblings, back to the house.


    However, when they just took three steps away, Chiron spoke again. "Tomorrow will be the funeral of the hunters that were killed that night," he halted and watched how Kace''s body turned stiff. "The village will burn the body after the sunset. If you like it, you can come with Mr. and Mrs. Lori."


    No one could decipher the meaning behind Chiron''s words, whether he wanted to mock Kace or disparage him. Whatever it was, that couldn''t be seen in his expression and the tone that he used.


    Would the people, the family of the victims from the brutalism of the beast, would like it?To see the killer of their family member?


    Why would Chiron give this kind of invitation?


    "If there is nothing else, I will excuse myself and my people." He spoke solemnly as he turned around and walked towards the other centaurs.


    The six of them disappeared behind the trees, yet Kace didn''t move ever since. His blue eyes clouded with something that Hope couldn''t understand.


    "Kace," Hope tugged his tattered shirt. "Are you alright?"


    Kace didn''t answer her, but he said in a deep voice. "Let''s go."

 Chapter 563 - HOW DO YOU KNOW?

    "Kace?" Hope approached him. "I have been looking for you because you are not in your room."


    Kace was leaning his tall body against the wall, he was standing on the terrace, staring at the distance where the village was located, surrounded by a wall for protection.


    "Why? You miss me?" Kace tilted his head and grinned, just like how he used to be.


    If Hope didn''t know him better, she would have thought, the lycan had returned to his usual easy-going personality.


    However, now she realized that he just returned to his fa?ade.


    Hope walked towards him and hugged him tightly, feeling his body against hers as she buried her face on his chest.


    "What? What happened?" Kace traced her long black hair while watching the sun finally rise behind the mountain.


    This was a quiet morning, so calm and serene as if its purity could wash away all the sins that he had done or cleaned any traces of blood off his hands and his memory.


    The dead bodies would be buried when the sun set. The bodies of those who lost their life under his claws.


    "Nothing," Hope murmured, "I just want to stay like this with you."


    Kace looked at the top of her head and nuzzled her hair. "I didn''t know that you miss me this much," he teased her again.


    "Just now you know that I always miss you?" Hope tilted her head and rested her chin against his broad chest, staring at him adorably.


    "I don''t know that you are this bold." Kace raised his brows and kissed her temple.


    "Really?" Hope mimicked his tone when he teased her. "But, your beast was bolder." Well, his beast kissed her on the lips while he kissed her on her forehead just now as if she was a seven years old girl.


    With his beast being mentioned and brought up accidently, Kace''s body became stiff. He got the wrong idea with what Hope meant.


    Kace''s expression turned gloomy, though he tried to mask it with an awkward smile, but his eyes dimmed.


    "You don''t need to smile if you don''t want to," Hope said softly. "You don''t need to pretend in front of me."


    "I don''t."


    "Yes, you do," Hope said stubbornly.


    Kace sighed, "I always want to smile every time I am with you," He grinned.


    Maybe this had become a habit of him to hide what he really felt, because he did it effortlessly, all the time. However, Hope could see the big hole that ready to suck him completely whenever he was alone with his regrets.


    "Why did you wake up so early?" Hope resumed to lay his head against his chest, listening to his beating heart.


    "I can''t sleep. Did you forget that I have been sleeping for two whole days?" Kace reminded her, but the actual reason was because every time he closed his eyes the brutal scene reappeared.


    In his mind, he was forced to replay every moment the beast slashed its razor claws against their flesh and how the warm blood bathed his body in that battle.


    Though that bloody night was not similar like many wars that he had been through but, the feeling was still the same.


    Kace could feel their fear and how their last breath was stolen from them or how their soul left their body.


    Every moment.


    Every touch.


    Every feeling.


    Everything about that overwhelmed him and didn''t let him fall into another slumber or just to rest his tired mind and heart.


    And now, Kace had to meet with the centaurs. The supernatural creatures that they thought had gone extinct because of what they had done¡ªwhat Kace had done.


    He was too young and greedy for recognition from both of his parents and his two older brothers, but in the end. He got nothing. He ripped his own soul when he watched how those creatures wailed in pain and agony, watching their dearest one die before their eyes.


    Only by seeing them alone, Kace could see the hell amount of pain that they had to go through.


    "When Lana woke up, we will go back home," Kace said.


    "No." Hope turned her head and stared at him in disbelief. "We still have to find the priestess and if you forget, Lidya is still missing. We need to look for her too."


    Kace knew as soon as he voiced out his idea, Hope would turn down this idea immediately. "I don''t need the priestess, somehow, my wounds are getting better, I think it just needs some time to heal."


    Hope didn''t believe it. Was it because of what Carina had done to him? Her magic healed him? Whatever it was, Hope wouldn''t believe him until she saw it with her own eyes.


    However, there was another reason why they couldn''t go now.


    "Lidya is still missing. Do you want to leave her behind?" Hope narrowed her eyes when Kace averted his gaze. "Don''t tell me what you are thinking now."


    The way Kace pressed his lips into a thin line was the answer that Hope needed.


    "No, Kace¡­" Hope frowned. She let go of his body, diminishing the spark between them. It didn''t have much effect on her, but Kace felt that something important was missing. "I can understand your beast side that wants to protect me and why you killed those hunters¡­" Hope ignored it when Kace flinched with her words. "¡­but, I can''t understand your reason if you want to leave Lidya behind."


    "Hope, you don''t understand." Kace took a step forward, only for Hope to take one step back, avoiding him.


    "Then go on, try to make me understand!" Hope looked at Kace in disappointment and this made Kace become anxious and restless.


    "Those creatures," Kace sighed. "The centaurs would hurt you."


    That''s what he believed, because that''s what he would do if he were the centaurs.


    Revenge.


    Nothing would stop him to make the person, who took the love of his life, writhed in agony before he killed him slowly and painfully.


    "Because you killed his mate?" Hope could see the fear that was written all over Kace''s face.


    "How do you know?"

 Chapter 564 - SCRAM!

    Hope bit her lips as she spoke slowly. Her eyes locked on Kace warily. "Because I know what you did¡­" Hope could see how Kace''s eyes clouded with fear, shock and all the anxiety that crept in his heart now.


    "What had I done?" Kace never spoke so rigidly like this to Hope before, but now, he was talking to her as if Hope was a stranger.


    Hope didn''t know if she made a right decision to tell him about this, but she wanted him to come clean to her, it wouldn''t help him or their relationship if Kace kept pretending there was nothing wrong and if he was okay all the time.


    "I know the reason behind the curse that you got before." Hope forced herself to talk more. "You don''t have to pretend that you are fine all the time, if you are not."


    Kace glared at Hope and this was the first time he did this. Hope was slightly taken aback with what she saw.


    A few minutes ago, he was holding her as if she was the most precious thing for him and now he looked at her as if she was his sworn enemy. Was that possible?


    "Kace¡­" Hope''s voice slightly trembled under those black eyes, apparently, the beast wanted to resurface, but he held him back like usual. Nevertheless, Hope was afraid of him now, whether he was in control over his beast or not. "Kace¡­ you''re scaring me."


    Kace gritted his teeth, his body was shivering as his fist clenched and unclenched. "Go¡­"


    He didn''t want to do something that he would regret later, though he knew he wouldn''t hurt her, never in a million lifetimes would he do that, but Kace didn''t want Hope to see this part of him.


    He didn''t want to ruin his image in Hope''s eyes, the Kace who was only sunshine and smile.


    "SCRAM!" Kace roared and in an instant his heart broke into million pieces when he watched how Hope ran for her life, as if there was a despicable predator who was chasing after her life.


    Kace just needed some time alone, he didn''t mean to yell at her.


    Now, when Hope was not there anymore and he got what he wanted, the pain and regret suffocated him even more. His heart caved in with remorse.


    The regrets for what he had done to Hope.


    "ARGH!" Kace punched the wall beside him and left a hole as big as his fist. He really wanted to hurt himself, so he could lift a little bit of pain in his chest.


    His hand was bleeding, but it only lasted for a second before it healed again, even though Kace wished to feel more pain.


    "You ruined my house."


    There was a child-like voice that sounded from behind Kace. He didn''t realize there was another creature near him because he was too focused on what he felt.


    Kace snapped his head toward the source of the voice and found a little girl, around seven years old, holding an ugly doll, which was only twice as big as Kace''s palm, looking at him with her innocent eyes.


    "You make a hole in my house," Bree talked again as she frowned at the hole that Kace made. "You have to fix it," she demanded.


    The little girl didn''t know what she was facing right now. A half insane beast with a crazy mind and an unstable fickle mood, wasn''t a good creature to talk to.


    Ignoring the danger that lurked her, she kept talking. "Mother said, if you broke something you have to fix it."


    However, from inside the room, there was a screech sound that called on the girl''s name in panic. "Bree!"


    A woman appeared with her panic expression and in no time scooped the little girl into her embrace as she took a few steps back in fear of Kace.


    Kace''s smile was filled with derision, not because of the woman''s reaction, but because of himself.


    "What happened?" Ian''s hurried footsteps echoed when he approached Kace and Mrs. Lori, who was holding her daughter protectively, staring at Kace with worry.


    Behind Ian, Ethan and Lana followed. Despite her face being slightly pale, Lana looked better than yesterday when she couldn''t wake up at all.


    It proved that Carina''s spell did its magic and in other words, it also confirmed that Lana''s life was bound to Kace.


    Whenever Kace was hurt greatly, Lana''s life would also be in danger. This fact made Kace sick. At this point, everything seemed so wrong to him.


    "Who did this!?" Ian almost screamed when he watched a big hole on the wall.


    Bree, who wasn''t affected by the tension in the air, raised her small hand and pointed her tiny finger at Kace. "He did it," she said innocently.


    Mrs. Lori hastily grabbed her daughter''s hand, stopping her from pointing at the angry lycan. She looked at her guest with wide eyes.


    "Why did you do that?" Ian tilted his head, so dense to understand the situation.


    That question earned a slap behind his back from Ethan and Lana stepped forward when she was aware of the hostility that radiated from Kace''s being.


    Lana was not sure about what was going on, yet she had her own guess. There was something that triggered Kace for being very hostile like this.


    For someone who just woke up a few hours ago, she missed many information about what was going on when she was not around.


    "Kace, do you want to talk?" Lana took one step at time, she didn''t want to rush him or make him feel cornered. "You can talk to me."


    Kace glowered at Lana when she came closer to him.


    He and his beast didn''t need her, they wanted their mate. Kace wanted Hope. The way Hope looked at him before she ran away, didn''t settle well with him.


    That was Kace''s biggest fear, for having Hope to hate him.


    Lana received the cue as she stopped walking and just stood there.


    "Where is Hope?" Ethan asked, they needed her in times like this.

 Chapter 565 - THEY SHOULDNT BE HERE

    Kace frowned, he turned his body and stared at the direction where Hope was running to. Only then he realized what a big mistake that he made.


    Cursing under his breath, Kace rushed towards the lushes of trees and bushes, where the centaurs were going last night, the same direction where Hope disappeared.


    Kace didn''t think about this before as he indulged himself with remorse and regret, but now another fear shot his body, this was more intense than before.


    If something happened to Hope and it was because of him¡­


    Kace leapt highly and landed on all four, he shifted into his white beast and dashed towards the other side of the forest, ignoring Lana and Ethan, who were calling his name.


    His body didn''t feel well, as his beast clawed on the edge of his mind, asking to be released, upset because of what its human side did to their mate.


    ==============


    Hope was running towards the dense of the trees, she herself was confused as to why she was actually running into this direction, instead of entering the house.


    At first, she was afraid of Kace''s sudden outburst, but then she was afraid of getting lost here, yet now, when Hope realized how relaxing it was being lost in this forest, she started to enjoy her surroundings.


    Chirping bird, velvety grass, ray of the sun light that peeked through the leaves and the sound of the wind that brushed against the branches of the trees.


    She had never felt so relaxed like this before. Hope loved being here after the tension between her and Kace.


    To think about it, she wouldn''t be lost for so long since there were four shapeshifters that were gifted with remarkable sense of smell, and amazing tracking ability, they would find her in a matter of minutes once they realized Hope was not around.


    Especially the certain Lycan.


    "Hmph!" Hope crossed her arms in front of her chest as her expression turned sullen. How could he growl at her?!


    Hope knew Kace was not in his right mind when he stared at her with hostility, but she was still upset knowing Kace treated her that way.


    She walked slowly into the deepest part of the forest while relishing the scenery before her eyes and when her ears caught the sound of a stream, thoughtlessly, Hope followed the source of that sound.


    She hummed a song that she knew when she got closer to the sound of the stream until she found a small river there.


    The sunlight that fell on the surface of the water, sparkling beautifully. A smile was brought onto her lips because of that sight.


    However, before she could walk further to the river, there was a voice that warned her.


    "You will trespass our territory if you take another step towards the river." This female voice spoke in a flat tone.


    Hope turned her head, she was familiar with her voice, and when her eyes caught the sight of her, the smile on her lips broadened.


    "Hi, Carina¡­" Hope waved her hand and walked towards her without hesitation.


    The way Hope approached her brought a frown on her stoic expression. Shouldn''t she be scared or run away? There was no one here who would protect her if she wanted to hurt her.


    "I haven''t thanked you for what you did to Kace," Hope stopped walking in front of her and looked at the female centaur, whose height was passed over her head, warmly. "Thank you for what you did to Kace and Lana."


    Hope didn''t know whether Lana had woken up or not right now, because when she left her room, she was still sleeping, but she looked so much better now.


    Carina nodded her head rigidly. She didn''t know how to respond to that or why she engaged a conversation with her when her original intention was to shoo her away from their territory.


    Chiron had been preparing the funeral later, together with the hunters.


    "Go back to Lori''s family." Carina spoke as she turned around and was about to leave the girl there, but Hope followed her.


    Honestly, Hope was still fascinated with the centaur''s feature, she really wanted to stroke their skin, but wouldn''t that be rude?


    For a moment, her annoyance towards Kace was forgotten as there was something more interesting for her.


    "Carina, how many centaurs are there in your pack?" Hope asked while following her.


    Carina glanced at Hope direction, contemplating whether to answer her question or not, until she spoke curtly. "Not many," then she added sarcastically. "Thanks to your mate."


    Hope grimaced when she heard that. It reminded her with their fight.


    "Why did you help us?" Hope blurted out. She knew what Kace had done was despicable, she would understand if the centaurs were hostile and despise them, but the way they treated them was totally different. "You could have just left us when the hunter tried to kill me the other night."


    "We followed our chief???s order and didn''t question him." Carina walked a little bit fast and Hope had to run to catch up with her.


    "Can I talk to Chiron?" Hope really wanted to know more about Kace''s past since Kace never let her know anything about it, and of course, the true motive of their kindness. Was this all just a trap?


    "He is not around," Carina leapt gracefully over a dead trunk on the ground and landed like a cheetah.


    "Can you walk slowly please?" Hope was panting when she had to jump a trunk.


    As the reply, Carina stopped all of a sudden. Hope, who was running behind her, bumped onto her legs and whined.


    "Why are you¡ª"


    "Sssh!" Carina hissed, her body tensed as her eyes looked at her surroundings worriedly.


    "What happened?" Swallowed down, she complained, Hope crept closer towards her when she felt there was something amiss with the way Carina acted.


    "They shouldn''t be here¡ª" Carina mumbled. "How could they be here?" She glanced at Hope and frowned.


    "What?" Hope looked around her surroundings, but couldn''t find anything. "What do you mean?"

 Chapter 566 - UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER

    And then, Hope heard it too.A howl. It''s dark, murderous. It was close, nearly there.


    Afterward, Hope could see it, those red eyes and sharp teeth all molding into one, black mass. A mass of howling reverberating through the clearing and Hope''s head.


    The dark mass swirling around Hope and Carina, who became more and more tense. She reached a small thing from her h.i.p.s and put it on her lips. Maybe it was a trumpet? Hope didn''t know what it was, as she was too worried at the black mass around them.


    As soon as Carina put that small thing on her lips, there was a melodious sound that could be heard, rung through the clearing for a few seconds before Carina put it down and stomped her hooves aggressively, as an attempt to scare them away.


    It brought nothing but another failed attempt, as the massive black cloud-like started to break away into individual shadows with four legs, barbed tails, long fangs and red eyes.


    "What are they?!" Hope asked Carina in panic mode. She took staggering steps backward, afraid she would be kicked by Carina, but not far enough from the female centaur, for the shadow to reach her.


    "Demons," Carina answered her without averting her eyes from those wolves.


    Those shadows slowly turned into wolves, with the size as a normal wolf, it was just that they had the barbed-like tails, which looked sharp enough to cut their skin.


    There were around ten demon wolves there.


    Hope''s eyes widened in horror as one ran towards her direction with a vicious growl pulled from the creature''s lips.


    "KACE!" unconsciously, Hope called Kace, in her desperate situation, it was only his name that flashed in her mind. She held her hand up in front of her, as if that action could actually shield her to safety and stop the demon wolf from attacking.


    It bared its fangs, its red eyes glowing under the sunlight as the talons on its feet sank into the ground. Stalked towards Hope, hunting her like a prey, which was true.


    However, before that demon wolf could lunge onto Hope, Carina moved fast as she pulled Hope away and used her hind legs to kick the demon.


    The demon wolf flew a few meters above their head before its body slammed into a tree nearby. That demon wolf whimpered before it disappeared like a smoke.


    One down and there were nine more that circled them. It was the infamous deadly circle that most predatory creatures did to their prey.


    "Ah!" Hope let out a loud, ear-splitting scream as another demon lunged towards her, its fang reflecting the light from the morning sun and its talon was poised to tear her body apart.


    Hope threw herself to the ground, flung her arms over her head in some form of protection as she heard Carina did the same thing to the second attacker.


    "They are after you," Carina spoke after a brief analysis. Those red eyes locked onto Hope''s, who was currently curling her body on the ground. They didn''t even spare Carina a glance, as their focus was only on the girl.


    Carina could break free from their siege if she wanted to, especially if her assumption was right that their target was Hope, not her.


    However, if she left the girl behind without protection, she would be torn into pieces in no time. Carina didn''t know why those demon wolves were after Hope. But, she couldn''t leave her here, right?


    Slowly, Hope opened her eyes when she heard Carina''s voice and stood up immediately, skimming her surroundings with her wary eyes.


    She would like to have something to protect herself, but she didn''t have anything, moreover, how could she stand against these demon wolves? Even though she was given a knife or sword? Or, maybe a gun would do?


    Unfortunately, Hope didn''t have anything with her now, except the female centaur.


    "What do you mean they are after me?! I don''t even know them!" This was the first time for Hope to see those vicious creatures.


    "No," Carina shook her head, trying to concentrate with those wolves'' next move. "They are not supposed to be here too."


    Those demon wolves wouldn''t go astray to the centaurs'' territory. However, these ten were actually here and put a threat to them.


    Hope was not sure that she understood what Carina was saying as she was too worried with their own safety.


    However, before there was another attack, there was a loud, vicious growl from behind those demon wolves, Hope recognized this howl as a smile graced her lips.


    They are safe!


    Hope turned her head towards the direction of that earth-shattering sound, just in time to see a demon wolf flew over her head and slammed into the other demon, only inches away from Carina''s shoulder.


    A white lycan ripped viciously into the demon, sending the black wisp-like smoke to every direction. The white beast was massive and even more terrifying than the last time Hope saw it.


    When those demon wolves had disappeared, the beast let out a loud, vicious, snarl towards Carina, treating her as an enemy.


    "No," Hope jumped in between the white beast, which was ready to lunge onto the female centaur, and then Carina, whose expression had turned unsightly. "No, you can''t hurt her! She saved me!" She said hastily.


    The white beast didn''t listen to her as her body was shaking in absolute anger. Those red eyes glowed in fury as he continued to growl, demanding Hope to move away from Carina, so he could claw the centaur.


    "Kace! She saved me!" Hope shouted at the beast in desperation. The enemy had gone, but with Kace acting like this, they were not safe yet, Carina was not safe yet.


    "Kace¡­" Hope''s voice softened and as their gazes locked, she slowly reached her hand out onto him, asking him to come to her. "Kace, I am fine."


    Those red eyes were hard, furious as they flickered over every inch of Hope''s feature, before he slowly lowered his head and took a step towards his mate.

 Chapter 567 - A LIVING DESTRUCTION

    A relieved smile was brought to Hope''s lips when she watched the white lycan was approaching her slowly, though his red eyes still glanced at the female centaur behind Hope.But those eyes softened when they found his mate''s obsidian black eyes.


    The beast eased slowly towards Hope and nuzzled her palm when he got closed enough, his large paws sinking heavily into the damp grass.


    However, an arrow was shot at lightning speed toward the beast, he howled viciously when the arrow, tearing his fur and skin, was stabbed deeply on his front leg. His eyes once again ablaze in fury.


    "No!" Hope screeched when the thick, red blood began to pool on the ground. Kace was hurt and he was bleeding again.


    They were, once again, being circled. However, this time it was the centaurs that surrounded them with their bow and arrow, which were ready to shoot the beast.


    "Carina, are you okay!?" One of the centaurs asked Carina, but his eyes were still on the beast, there was nothing that Hope could see from them, except hostility.


    They were in another episode of misunderstanding the situation!


    The sound that Carina made earlier must be the sign for the other centaur to come and help her. However, they were late as Kace had arrived before them and killed all the demon wolves.


    Carina walked forward, ignoring the white beast that snarled at every centaur there. If it was not because of Hope, who was holding the beast''s neck tightly, he would have lunged onto them and tore their flesh.


    "Kace, don''t¡­" Hope was struggling to make the beast stop his way from endangering their lives even further.


    If Kace kept being like this, those centaurs would think it was really him, who had threatened Carina and made the female centaur ask for help.


    Fortunately, Carina stepped forward and stopped her fellow centaurs'' aggressiveness. "It is not him." She used her body to shield the beast and Hope, bravely gave her back towards him, as if she didn''t think that the beast could snap her neck into two in a blink of an eye.


    Probably he would have done that if it wasn''t because of Hope. The beast was still afraid to hurt his mate if he moved all of sudden, or let his mate be exposed to further danger with that many arrows being directed towards them.


    "The threat was gone," Carina spoke again and stared at the centaurs with her hard gaze. "Put down your bow and arrow, you have shot the wrong creature."


    Upon hearing that, Hope sighed in relief. This way there wouldn''t be another bloody battle. She had had enough to see blood for these last two days.


    "Put it down," Carina spoke again, this time more stern than before when she watched there was no one who averted their aim.


    Reluctantly, they put down their bow beside their body and looked at the beast and Hope with puzzled looks.


    "Why were you calling us?" a centaur with a yellow stripe on his hind legs stepped forward, his eyes still locked on the beast warily, just in case the beast is plotting another idea to attack them all of a sudden.


    "Demon wolves," Carina told them as she waved her hand to the tree nearby. On the surface of the three, there was a black char, which the demon wolf was slammed by the white beast before it disappeared into an unusual black smoke.


    "Impossible, those demons are not supposed to be here," the centaur mumbled as he inspected the black charred on the three. "Wait, this is really the demons!" He confirmed it. "But, why are they here?"


    The demon wolves'' habitat was in a deserted place near the Uzu Mountain, which was very far from the centaur''s territory; they rarely left that place.


    Thus, it was beyond strange for the demon wolves to reach here.


    "I don''t know," Carina turned around to face the beast, who was still snarling. "We have to find out what happened. Tyrox, could you go to the village and tell Chiron about this?"


    "Will do." the centaur, with yellow stripes on his hind legs, nodded his head and went to the direction of the village.


    "Now," Carina put her focus on the white beast. "Can you ask him to shift back into his human form?" she talked to Hope. "I have to pull the arrow before I can heal him. I don''t want to risk my life for being clawed as we--centaurs don''t have a healing ability like the lycan does."


    This was another piece of information for Hope. She just learned a new thing, that not all supernatural creatures had a remarkable healing ability.


    "Kace¡­" Hope stroked his fur and grimaced when she watched the place where he was being shot. He couldn''t heal if they didn''t pull the arrow from his body. "Can you shift back please?"


    As reply, Hope earned a menacing growl from Kace. It was enough to tell her that he wouldn''t shift back. They were surrounded by many centaurs, which unfortunately, in the beast''s eyes were a danger. There was no way he would put his guard down by shifting back, especially when he had his mate with him. His instinct wouldn''t allow him to do that.


    "Carina, can you ask the other centaurs to move away, please? I don''t think Kace would want to shift back when we are being surrounded like this." As if Hope could read the beast''s mind, she told Carina what exactly the beast wanted.


    "No!"


    "We will not leave Carina!"


    There was a wave of protest from those centaurs.


    "That beast will kill her!"


    "Of course not!" Hope snapped at the centaur who spoke carelessly about Kace. "He saved us! You can ask Carina! Don''t talk like that!"


    "The beast saved you, he will not give a second thought on saving our kind! He is a living destruction!" The centaur''s expression turned unsightly as he glowered at Hope and this only made the beast snarled back at him and showed his razor-sharp canines.


    Once again, the situation became tense.

 Chapter 568 - THERE IS NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT

    "Enough!" Carina''s voice rang through the clearing as she watched how this situation would unfold, once both parties were not willing to back down. "Step back!"


    "Carina! You can''t do that!" The centaur, who was standing next to her grabbed her upper arms and glowered. "Don''t you remember what that beast had done to our kind?!"


    The white lycan took a defensive stance as he tried to wriggle his neck from Hope''s tight hug, if his mate kept doing this and the battle broke out, he wouldn''t be able to move freely.


    However, that was not the thing that Hope wanted. Whether the beast Kace could handle those centaurs--despite his injuries, or not, the aftermath of this battle wouldn''t bring benefit to either the two of them.


    "You don''t need to remind me." Carina swatted the hand that grabbed her. "But, we oblige to our chief''s rule and perspicacity, and that''s what exactly I am doing now."


    Chiron didn''t wish to kill the lycan or his mate. Thus, despite her objection to such an idea, Carina would trust her chief''s judgment regarding his decision.


    Hope sighed in relief when she heard what Carina said. If she didn''t step forward, the situation would turn really ugly.


    "Step back Zerrn," Carina spoke solemnly, and didn''t leave any room for further argumentation.


    They were staring at each other''s eyes for a while before the centaur named Zerrn nodded his head rigidly and raised his hand wordlessly, as a gesture for the other centaurs to follow him.


    Their hooves stepped on the ground heavily as they turned around and left that place, leaving their female centaur near the beast that had ruined their kind centuries ago.


    When there were only the three of them, Carina turned around and faced Hope once again. She still averted her eyes from the beast.


    "Now, can you ask him to shift back?" Carina talked calmly, but the light in her eyes said more than what she showed.


    Hope nodded and stroked the spot on the back of the beast''s ears. "Kace¡­"


    The beast''s hard gaze softened when his mate touched him and those centaurs were nowhere to be seen, but he still, stubbornly, didn''t listen to Hope.


    "Kace, we need to treat your wound." Hope frowned when Kace didn''t give the response that she wanted. "Your wound keeps bleeding."


    His wound wouldn''t heal if the arrow wasn''t pulled.


    Throwing a wary gaze at Hope and slightly snarling at Carina, the beast finally took a step back when it felt everything would be alright once he shifted back to his human form.


    Hope watched how his bone cracked and his fur dispersed until it only left Kace''s human form with an arrow stabbed on his upper arms. It looked painful to see.


    Hope wanted to go to him and hug him, but she was afraid she would hurt him. "Kace, let Carina treat you, your wound¡­"


    However, before Hope could finish her sentence, Kace had grabbed the body of the arrow and pulled it out viciously. He only slightly knitted his brows when he did that, without showing any other sign that he was in pain.


    "Let''s go." Kace threw the arrow away and let the blood drip from his wound as he grabbed Hope''s hand to take her away from there.


    "Kace, but your wound needs to be treated." Hope complained.


    "Just give it some time, it will heal," Kace spoke in a flat tone, he didn''t even stop to look at Carina.


    "Carina, I am sorry," Hope couldn''t stop Kace from dragging her away, thus she only could look at the female centaur apologetically.


    Carina didn''t move, her expression didn''t even change when she watched how Kace walked away. She didn''t reply to Hope''s apology and just turned around to go in a different direction.


    "Stop," Hope pulled her hand from Kace''s tight grip, not tight enough to hurt her, but it was still impossible for Hope to free herself. "Stop!" Hope almost screamed when Kace didn''t even listen to her.


    They were walking back to The Loris'' house, Hope assumed since she really couldn''t remember the way back home, the trees around them looked similar, yet with Kace''s remarkable sense there was nothing to be worried about.


    "Kace we need to talk! You cannot treat me like a kid forever!" Hope let out a frustrated groan when Kace didn''t even budge, that man walked straight like a soldier being called for duty.


    In the end, Hope grabbed Kace''s shirt and bit his hand as hard as she could. Really, Kace''s hand was the hardest meat that Hope ever bit, she felt her tooth fall off upon trying it.


    Fortunately, that method worked for the lycan as he stopped walking and glanced down at the top of Hope''s head, her black long hair covered her face.


    "I stop walking, you can stop biting me." Kace said impassively, but there was a flicker of amus.e.m.e.nt that crossed his ocean blue eyes. "What do you want to talk about?" He asked when Hope stopped biting him, touching her teeth as if she was afraid she would lose them.


    Hope didn''t miss the chance to glare at him first before she vented out her frustration. "Why did you treat Carina like that? She just wanted to help you!"


    "I don''t need her help." Kace showed his left arm, which had stopped bleeding. It seemed he, indeed, didn''t need Carina''s magic to heal him.


    But, still¡­


    "You can talk to her or at least you can treat her better than just walked away without saying anything." Hope complained, she felt bad for Carina, when all the female centaur did was to help them.


    "There is nothing that we need to talk about." Kace crossed his arms in a defensive stance. The gesture that could be interpreted as someone who didn''t wish to talk about what they really felt.


    Hope narrowed her eyes, "Kace, do you know? When you shut people out, you will just lock yourself in a box that makes you feel a lot worse."

 Chapter 569 - HIS HOPE

    "You don''t know what you are talking about." Kace was still in his defensive stance as his eyes locked on Hope''s. He grinded his teeth to hide the thing that he really wanted to say.


    "I will never know if you don''t want to try to talk to me about that." Hope raised her hands, and cupped his face with her small hands, forcing him to slightly bend his tall body towards her, so she could stare right into his eyes. "I saw you crying."


    "I never cry." Kace''s gaze became hard when he heard that, though he furrowed his brows, he didn''t remember that he had ever cried in front of her, not even once.


    "When you were unconscious, I had this dream," Hope said with serious expression.


    "So, you saw me cry in your sleep?" Kace''s mood somewhat lightened a little bit, as he chuckled upon hearing what Hope was saying. "That was just a dream."


    "Yes, just like the dream when I saw your beast disappear, and turned into fireflies.??? Hope''s expression still didn''t change, but Kace did. "I don''t think that dreams are just ordinary dreams. I think there must be a meaning behind it. After all, just like what you said, we are mate. Our souls are bound." at least the last part was what Rossie told her about these mate things, but it didn''t mean that there was nothing serious about it, right?


    When Hope said about his beast turned into fireflies, he also remembered the last thing that the candlemaiden showed him about his beast was looking for help from his mate. All this time, Kace brushed off that fact, and only thought it was only his dream or something similar.


    Kace had never thought that Hope also saw the same thing. Did that mean they met each other around that time? Their souls? It sounded ridiculous, yet there was a small part of his heart, which believed it.


    "I think those dreams meant something." Hope continued. "Did you forget? You lost yourself to your beast when we were on the ship."


    Of course, Kace remembered that. When that happened he felt like he had turned into another personality. It felt like there was someone invading him, though that ''someone'' was also part of himself.


    The feeling of his beast that sipped through his being. His beast was like the form of his resentment to himself. The part of him that Kace hated the most.


    He detested and loathed his beast, that''s why he scorned himself and shunned other people away from him because he didn''t want them to see this part of him.


    But, when he met with the centaurs, they were the form of one of the greatest sins he had ever committed.


    It was his shame that made him treat them like that.


    If Hope asked what Carina had done to make Kace treat her like that, then there was nothing wrong with Carina or the centaurs, it was him.


    "I am sorry if I offended you when that happened," Kace spoke rigidly while avoiding Hope''s eyes.


    Hope released his face and hugged him tightly instead, "There is nothing you can do with your past and you have hurt yourself enough."


    No.


    It would never be enough.


    Those sins that Kace had committed.


    Those tears, blood and angry roar laced with pain and agony from those creatures that lost their mate.


    The sound of their voices and the curses that he heard, would hunt Kace for his entire eternity.


    However, Kace didn''t say anything about his thoughts as he buried his face on the curve of her shoulder and breathed in his mate scent. The only thing that could calm him¡­


    The only thing which could give him temporary peace that he needed.


    His Hope¡­


    His only hope.


    The afternoon sun shone above them and made everything crystal clear in Kace''s eyes, especially the girl in his arm.


    But, he smelled her scent even before Hope gave the reaction. His mate wriggled her body as she spoke her name.


    "Lana¡­" Hope blushed because Lana had been watching her hugging Kace for--she didn''t know how long Lana had been staring at them. "You are awake," she said with a happy voice, but she looked at her bashfully as she walked towards Lana with open arms.


    "Am I interrupting something?" Lana wanted to make her voice sound nonchalant, yet her eyes said differently, especially about what she actually felt inside.


    She shouldn''t have been there, stayed and watched them. But for some reason, Lana couldn''t move her legs and saved herself from the heartache that was caused by the scene.


    "Of course not," Hope hugged her tightly. "I am happy you are awake!" Hope said cheerfully, missing the expression that Lana made.


    "I am happy too." Lana reciprocated the hug casually. "Is everything okay here?"


    "Yes," Kace walked towards Hope and caressed her head lovingly. "Let''s go back."


    The lycan did that intentionally, this made Lana have to lower her head to hide her eyes and face. Actually, Kace knew Lana was around even before Hope realized her, but he let her watch it.


    Kace didn''t want to make a small gesture that could be interpreted wrongly by the young female wolf.


    Lana had known from a long time ago that her feelings wouldn''t bring anything to her and that she had to stop it right away. Kace had so much trouble already and he didn''t need more things to deal with.


    "Okay," Hope was being whisked away by Kace as he held her waist while they were walking back.


    "Mr. Lori asked if you''d like to attend the funeral at the village." Lana walked behind them, but she locked her eyes at the trees on her left side. "The centaur asked him to ask you about this."


    Hope raised her head and looked at Kace. "Me, Lana, Ian and Ethan can go to the village to ask to meet with the priestess. Maybe she knows where Lidya is. You can stay." She knew it would be hard for Kace to attend the funeral.


    However, Kace had changed his mind. "We''ll go there together."

 Chapter 570 - SIMILAR SCENE

    "Kace, are you sure you want to go to the funeral?" Hope asked as she stared at the sky.


    The sun was almost set, probably within thirty minutes it would lose its light. For now, the four of them were walking towards the village with Chiron walking a few meter ahead, behind them was Mr. and Mrs. Lori together with little Bree in their arms.


    Hope glanced a few times towards that family of three, the distance that they put between them, showed very clearly that they were afraid of them. Mrs. Lori never let Bree roam around inside the house when Kace was there.


    Hope became curious with their behaviors since they were fine with Lana and the twins, but how could they act very strangely and differently when Kace was around.


    Later Hope knew that they didn''t like the lycan because of the rumor about them--about how vicious their beast could be.


    Well, Hope couldn''t blame it, compared to werewolves, Lycan was a more complicated creature as they held more power among the shapeshifters.


    Apparently, in that realm, lycans were famous with their brutality. Plus, with the story about how the lycans eliminated many creatures and shapeshifters. Just like those centaurs, who were forced to leave their original realm--their home, to escape from the lycans'' atrocity, which in this case was the Donovans.


    "Sure," Kace answered casually, his expression didn''t show any emotion, but he had been keeping Hope close to him and didn''t let her go since they left the house.


    There was something different with the way Kace held his mate. Hope felt as if she was walking with a nervous young boy who would enter an audition.


    "You know, you don''t have¡­" Hope wanted to say that he didn''t need to attend the funeral. After all, those people were the hunters that Kace killed that night. She was also worried about the people in the village.


    They wouldn''t be so understanding to accept the killer of their family members, right? Above all that, why did Chiron give them such an offer?


    "I will go back to that house if you go too." Kace didn''t give any room for negotiation. His intention was clear, wherever Hope would go, he would follow. No questions asked.


    "We need to see the priestess to heal your wound and to ask if she knows or has any idea where Lidya is." They had been talking about this over and over again.


    "To heal my wound, you will need me, right? So, I will go," Kace said casually.


    After saying that, they walked in silence.


    When they walked closer to the village, they could see many white flags ruffled by the evening breezes and people from the village were also wearing the same color.


    Apparently, white was the color mourning in this village.


    Good thing Chiron gave them this white cloak since they didn''t have white clothes neither could they provide it for themselves at this moment.


    At the village''s gate, Hope could see Carina, Tyrox, Zarrn, and along with them a crowd of centaurs--which seemed like the whole pack of centaurs. She remembered their name, since it was only Tyrox and Zarrn''s name that Carina had mentioned when they were in the forest.


    Wordlessly, all of them, together with the horde of the centaurs walked inside the village.


    There were around fifty to seventy centaurs, who walked beside Kace and Hope. This scene was truly fascinating and stunning, not even for Hope, but apparently those villagers also stopped whatever they were doing to take a second glance towards the entourage.


    This village was surrounded by a huge wall with two entrance gates, inhabited by about a thousand people and shapeshifters or any other supernatural creatures that managed to be saved and brought there, living in one big community.


    They walked a long road towards the village square where the funeral would be held, where the dead bodies of the hunters would be burned into ashes.


    Hope glanced at Kace and she found there was a sign of discomfort in his blue ocean eyes, as if every step that he took, needed a big effort from him to keep going.


    Hope squeezed his hands, to remind him that he was not alone, and that it was okay to feel whatever he felt now.


    Kace glanced at his mate and found her beautiful smile that brought a warm sipped to his cold heart. He squeezed her hand too, as if saying he understood.


    They walked this long road wordlessly, under the eyes of the curious villagers. It seemed this was their first time to see a horde of the centaurs entering their village, since they had never left their territory before.


    "Chiron," Leroy, who led the procession of this ceremony, approached the chief of centaurs and crossed his hand in front of his chest while bending his body slightly as a form of formal greeting between them.


    "Leroy, my friends. My condolences for your loss." Chiron also did the same gesture while saying in his shooting voice.


    Leroy stared at Kace, but his impassive expression didn''t give anything for the hunter to see his feelings right now.


    Not only Leroy, but the other hunters behind him were looking towards Kace in disdain, hostility and hatred. They knew that Kace had killed their fellow hunters. While talking among themselves, they had this questioning look, wondering why Leroy would let the murderer here.


    This was all Chiron''s will, he asked Leroy to let them in and watched this whole procession.


    After that small talk, all the centaurs blended with the hunters.


    At this village square, there was a big podium made of white stone, where the dead bodies were laid on.


    Kace stood beside Chiron while Hope was at his other side and then Lana and the twins. Opposite from them, they could see all the families of the dead hunters were crying their heart out.


    Since they were right in front of them, of course, Kace could see and hear them clearly. It reminded him of something from his past.


    "Don''t you feel this scene is similar?" Chiron asked Kace.

 Chapter 571 - WHY DID YOU HELP HIM?

    "Don''t you feel this scene is similar?" Chiron asked Kace. His eyes stared at the scene before him with a gloomy expression.


    Kace gritted his teeth when he heard that and tightened his grip on Raine''s waist. The girl felt that and raised her head to see Kace''s face had turned pale and rigid with bulging veins.


    Only then, Hope realized that Chiron was talking to Kace.


    "This also happened a long time ago, centuries ago when you killed those creatures'' mates without second thought." Chiron was talking in an impassive tone. He recalled those moments in his head. "This, what happened to me, my people and those creatures when they lost their mate."


    Beside Chiron, Carina intertwined their hand silently as a form of support, as she felt the same. Her mate was killed at the same time in the past. That was a devastating time for them.


    "Could you imagine if the same thing happened to you, and you don''t have your mate right now?" Chiron''s eyes locked on the flames that engulfed those bodies, and the sound of the crying people, asking their loved one to come back.


    Those people didn''t know that the murderer was among them, standing, watching in silence while listening to what the centaur said.


    Holding his mate close to him and thinking that he couldn''t lose the essence of his existence when at the same time he killed theirs.


    It was selfish of Kace to think that he could live with his mate, and didn''t want any harm to befall upon her when those people were stripped from that privilege by his own hands.


    The story repeated itself.


    "The moon goddess bestowed this precious girl to you, cherish her." Chiron received a black stick from Leroy that he had to throw into the flame.


    It was a symbol that the living had said their farewell to the dead.


    However, instead of throwing that black stick, the centaur gave it to Kace beside him. "You do it."


    Kace couldn''t understand why Chiron wanted him to go through all of this. Watching the bodies being burned, listening to the sound of their family''s cry, and now he wanted him to say farewell to the victim of his brutality?


    "Stop it!" Hope swatted away Chiron''s hand, which was holding the stick, away from Kace''s sight, the girl glared at him. "You''re making him uncomfortable."


    Chiron frowned slightly, this action caught a few centaur''s attention as they turned their head towards Hope.


    "He doesn''t deserve to be comfortable after what he had done." Chiron said in a low and forlorn voice. "At the very least, he had to feel what we feel, though what he feels now will not fix anything. The damage had been done."


    Hope wanted to retort.


    If this was what Chiron intended for Kace to feel, Hope regretted her decision to take Kace with her to attend this funeral. She should''ve been more sensitive and knew that Kace would feel this way.


    They could find another way to meet with the priestess, not at times like this. Hope cursed herself for her stupidity.


    "You can''t¡­" Hope didn''t have a chance to let out her protest when Kace took the stick and pushed her towards Lana beside her. "Kace, you don''t have to do that." Hope hissed as she watched Kace don''t listen to her, and took one step at a time to climb the stairs to go to the podium.


    "Let him." Chiron said in his calm voice, but his eyes followed every move that Kace took.


    "What do you want from him? What is your true intention by forcing him to do this?" Hope glared at the centaur. The solemn expression on Chiron''s face made her even angrier.


    Lana kept Hope closed to her, as she listened to everything that they were talking about, but her eyes fixed on Kace. The sight of his back was so lonely, as he climbed alone to the flame of those dead bodies.


    Lana really wanted to go to Kace and walked beside him, at least he didn''t need to walk that path alone, yet she couldn''t muster the courage to do that.


    Even after what Kace had done and what he had said, Lana''s heart ached for him. It was so stupid of her to feel this way when the man that she loved didn''t even give her a glimpse of hope.


    "I am not forcing him to do anything." Chiron, finally, tilted his head to look at Hope, whose height was slightly higher than his h.i.p.s. "He chose to do it."


    "You don''t give him a choice!" Hope tried to lower her voice and not to draw unnecessary attention towards them, but it was hard to contain her anger when all she wanted to do right now was to lash out to Chiron.


    "He could reject my offer. I did not threaten him to accept all my offers." Chiron held Carina''s hand tightly. "He chose to come here because he wanted to be with you, to protect you and now he chose to come to the podium because he chose to do it, for whatever reason he has."


    Actually, what Chiron said was true. He didn''t threaten Kace or forced him to do what he was doing now.


    "Let him have some time alone with the dead. Maybe he has something to say to them for the last time, and if he is lucky, the dead could hear it in their afterlife. I think that''s what he needs. Time."


    It sounded ridiculous, yet Hope couldn''t find a word to retort him.


    Chiron shifted his gaze from Hope to Kace, whose now had reached the last stair and was about to throw the stick.


    Hope followed the centaur''s line of sight while listening to Chiron''s calm voice. "He will never be able to protect you when he can''t protect himself. He will never heal if he always refuses to see his wound and fix it."


    Hope knitted her brows when she asked. "Chiron, why did you help him, when he was the one who killed your mate?"

 Chapter 572 - YOU ARE TOO SOFT

    Chiron shifted his gaze from Hope as he answered her question with the same tone that he always used. "Because killing him directly is too kind for him."


    In other words, Chiron wanted Kace to feel all the heart breaking moments, feeling how devastated those people who lost their loved one, and so that he felt the same agony that he had created upon them.


    Killing him was too kind, because Kace would just experience one pain and then he would be free, but by living, he would feel worried over his mate, witnessed the death of the creatures that he had killed, and watched a life that he thought was meaningless turned out to be so meaningful in the eyes of others.


    Sometimes, being alive was worse than death.


    That was the punishment Chiron wanted for Kace. If he could survive through all of this, he would find peace with himself and with his past.But if he couldn''t, no one would be able to save him.


    Kace was not a monster that he once used to, now he was just a broken creature with a wounded soul. The wound that he inflicted to himself through centuries.


    Meanwhile, upon hearing that, Hope had mixed feelings. She was glad that the centaur helped them in their most crucial moment, but if Chiron''s true intention was to punish Kace this way, Hope didn''t know whether she should thank him or not.


    Hope shifted her attention back to Kace. Even the sight of his back told Hope of how much pain Kace was enduring and she felt it in her soul.


    In front of them, Kace had reached the podium, the heat of the flames before him licked his skin as he walking closer.


    And Kace smelled it, the air filled with the stench that was like rotting meat. Despite this strong unpleasant scent, the lycan didn''t even winch or wrinkle his nose when he took one more step closer.


    From that distance, he could see those dead bodies were half burned, scarred and hardened from burn marks. Their skin was peeling from their flesh, in the process of it became nothing but ashes.


    Kace had seen something like this countless times, but it still didn''t help himself to feel what he felt right now.


    ''You are too soft.''


    That was what his father told him. Long time¡­ a long, long time ago¡­


    There was a moment in the past when the three of them went to see an execution of traitors that was placed in one of the villages in their territory.


    As the sovereign of that realm, there were many creatures under the rules of their father.


    Kace was only a small child, barely able to shift into his beast form for the first time, when their father brought the siblings to see the execution.


    Little Kace didn''t know what he was about to witness. All that he knew was that his father had finally brought him together with his older brothers to go out of the kingdom.


    This was the first time for Kace, because back then, he would always be the one that was left behind while Jedrek and Torak would follow their father everywhere he went.


    "Torak, what sin those people committed?" Kace asked his second brother, slightly tilted his head since Torak was much taller than him.


    Kace watched there were five men, kneeling on the ground, with a silver stick stabbed on their tight, to prevent them from shifting or fighting back, as if it was used to weaken them.


    Little Kace only knew the execution was about punishing people who broke the rule and the highest penalty was death.


    Kace heard that from Torak''s story whenever he came from his long trip with their father and Jedrek. He didn''t really know how it felt to witness the real gruesome scene.


    After all, as the youngest of the siblings, who had never taken a step out of their beautiful kingdom with everything was provided for him.


    No one would hurt him and their mother would be there to provide some comfort whenever he needed.


    "Treason," Torak answered his little brother curtly as they followed their father and Jedrek, who were walking in front of them.


    Kace''s memories were blurred about all the details of what his father said when he started the execution.


    The first time Kace witnessed an execution, he turned his head when the red color of blood pooled on the ground, yet Torak talked in his low voice.


    "Don''t avert your eyes or father will know." Torak fixed his eyes at the scene, but he knew Kace had turned his head again to see the second execution.


    Kace remembered clearly how the executor killed the two of five traitors, and left the three to the siblings.


    First, the executor gave a silver sword to Jedrek, as per their father''s order.


    Patting Jedrek''s shoulder, their father spoke with pride. "Show no mercy to your enemy. They don''t deserve kindness."


    With that being said, Jedrek walked forward and made a clear cut on the third traitor''s neck as his head fell on the ground and blood spurted from his headless body.


    Jedrek didn''t even flinch when he had done that, and walked to Torak. He gave the silver sword to him to kill the fourth person.


    Just like Jedrek, Torak did it smoothly and walked back to give the sword to Kace.


    Little Kace received it. The sword was too heavy for him, but he managed to carry it with both of his hands.


    However, Kace at that time, didn''t know the burden that he must carry after that, was even heavier than the sword in his hands.


    Kace stood in front of the traitor, as that man begged for his life. He could feel his fear that sipped from his eyes.


    His voice was trembling, as he kept banging his head on the ground, asking for forgiveness.


    Kace hesitated, he didn''t move for some time until his father walked and approached him. He took the sword from his hand and slashed the last traitor in front of Kace.


    "Never hesitate." His father''s voice was very stern as he continued. "You are too soft."

 Chapter 573 - MEMORIES FROM THE PAST

    Little Kace lowered his head as he looked at his father''s shoes that walked away from him, and told the other people to prepare their departure.


    What Kace felt at that time, after a long waiting moment and finally his father took him with him along with his brothers, he felt that he had failed his first performance, he had left a bad first impression to his father because of his hesitation.


    However, if he was given a second chance, and if he could turn back time, he was still not sure whether he would kill that person unhesitatingly or not.


    Kace stood there, remained there as he could hear people were carrying those dead bodies away and burned them.


    The unpleasant smell from the burning flesh invaded his senses. Kace disliked it.


    He stood there unmoved until Torak approached him and patted his head. His second brother didn''t say anything as he gestured to follow him, meanwhile, Jedrek had entered their royal carriage together with their father. Kace and Torak took the second one.


    Inside the carriage, Torak didn''t say anything until Kace opened his mouth and spoke.


    "Did you kill the first person immediately?" Kace looked up to his brother, who was looking at the scenery out of the window, with a boring expression.


    Torak gazed Kace lazily as he propped his chin in the palm of his right hand. "I did."


    "You don''t feel the slightest doubt?" Kace was amazed. After all, aside from those stories that Torak told him about his journey with their father and brother, this was the first time Kace witnessed people get killed right before his eyes.


    "No." Torak answered readily.


    "Oh," Kace hummed, now he felt weird because he was the only one who failed his first attempt.


    "You are from the strongest Alpha bloodline, the sovereign of this realm, if you show any signs of hesitation when you execute those traitors, they will strike you back without holding back," Torak said in his nonchalant tone.


    In a world that is full of beasts, you don''t have a lot of options except to be the beast of your version and as one of the sovereign, the burden was far heavier.


    "We protect our family, not those who backstabbed us when we turned around," Torak shifted his eyes back to the road. "Remember that."


    Of course, Kace remembered all of that, since that day, many things happened and they had to go through many gruesome decisions and actions.


    Now, Kace was standing in front of some other burning bodies once more. He sighed deeply as he could taste the unpleasant stench in the air. His grip on the black stick tightened. The heat licked his skin as he moved one step closer.


    When Kace was close enough, he threw the black stick to the flames.


    But, no words came out from his mouth or said in his heart as he knew those words were meaningless.


    Those words wouldn''t bring back the dead to life and those words also only made Kace feel like the real moron and hypocrite.


    After that, Kace turned around to walk back to the crowd as he caught a sight of Chiron, who was looking at him with the same gaze that he had centuries ago.


    Kace remembered that day as though that just happened only yesterday.


    They just won over the centaur''s territory in an attempt to expand their own, it was Kace who led the army of lycanthropes to bring down the old race of this supernatural creature.


    The order from Jedrek was very clear, he wanted all the mates of those centaurs to be killed, no females and children were allowed to live, but Kace didn''t oblige that.


    While the other squadron of lycanthropes fought a bloody battle with the centaurs, Kace and a few of his men looked for the shelter of those warrior centaurs'' families.


    After hours of searching, they found their shelter and held them as hostages to make those centaurs bow their head without a fight.


    Kace supposed to kill them, but he didn''t.


    A new life was born at that time. The mate of the centaur''s chief just gave birth to their firstborn.


    A son.


    When there was no one there to protect anymore, the lycanthropes that Kace brought with him killed them all, it was so easy to put them to death.


    However, that wasn''t what Kace did.


    He let them live, putting them inside ten big cages, to show to their male and told them to stop fighting.


    Of course, with their mates being held captive, those male centaurs came to their knees and threw their bow and arrows.


    Kace remembered the agony that flashed in Chiron''s eyes when he could only stare at his firstborn and his mate, but was not able to touch them, to carry his son, because they were being separated.


    He even remembered that there was one night when the baby cried on the top of his lungs, asking to be fed, but there was nothing he could eat.


    And then this news traveled fast to Jedrek''s ears, as a new sovereign, having his own brother disobeying his direct order was a disgrace.


    Kace kept the situation that way and separated those mates for days, until Jedrek himself came to take care of what his brother couldn''t finish.


    "Kill them," Jedrek said in his usual commanding tone, but Kace was not any Lycanthropes, they shared the same blood, so it didn''t affect him like the others.


    "We kill traitors, but they are not." Kace objected to Jedrek''s order. He could tolerate killing other creatures when they meant dangers for his family, just like what Torak said years ago, yet this situation was different.


    However, of course Jedrek couldn''t take rejection very well.


    With the same words, he roared to his men. "KILL THEM!"


    Kace closed his eyes and when he opened them, Chiron was there, standing a few meters away, staring back at him.


    And when Kace returned to stand in his position before, next to Chiron, Hope squeezed his hands and asked in concern. "Are you alright?"

 Chapter 574 - SHE IS NOT THE PRIESTESS

    "I am fine," Kace said in a low voice. He didn''t sound convincing at all for the girl, but Hope remained silent as their fingers intertwined to each other while Carina and Chiron did the same. Their eyes were on the podium, but their mind and soul were somewhere else. No one would know what they were actually thinking at that moment.


    The procession of this funeral ended uneventfully, which was one hour later. As odd as it sounded, this was the first funeral that was attended by the whole race of the centaurs'' altogether.


    On a normal occasion, Chiron would attend a funeral with Carina or Zarrn and be the representative of the centaurs, or he would not come at all.


    That was why the whole village couldn''t help, but take a second glance towards the horde of the centaurs among them. No one really paid attention towards the extra people that those centaurs had taken with them, which was Hope¡ªwho was really grateful for that.


    Kace had been through so much, he didn''t need that kind of attention that could possibly make his feeling even worse.


    The last part was to have the priestess to end the procession. In that case she had to make an appearance.


    However, it had been a year since the villagers saw her in person after the battle with the demoness.


    Therefore, not only the villagers were thrilled to see the centaurs, but this also would be the first appearance of the priestess after such a long time.


    The priestess was the guardian of the village. The village itself was a place where many creatures lived. These were the creatures who managed to be saved or escaped from the vampires and witches from the mainland. In other words, this village was a shelter for those unfortunate, innocent creatures. Their new home.


    Beside Chiron, Leroy walked away towards a building on their left side, which would be the place where the priestess made her first appearance and ended this whole procession.


    In front of a massive white door, there was a little girl around the age of twelve, standing there, waiting for the priestess.


    The little girl was the young maiden, who had been taking care of the priestess and relayed her order since the priestess secluded herself.


    "Terra, how is the priestess?" Leroy asked the young maiden while his eyes kept looking at the white door, waiting for it to be opened.


    "The priestess is fine, but her appearance will be very short, because she still needs to recuperate." The girl called Terra answered him, her voice didn''t suit her age. She looked mature and calculative at the same time.


    Since Terra was holding an important role as the priestess''s trusted right hand, people from the village always treated her with the utmost respect, just the way they treated the priestess.


    "It is rare to see the whole race of centaurs here," Terra remarked. Since the centaurs, with their body form, looked taller than the rest of the villagers, they looked undeniably outstanding among them.


    "Wasn''t the priestess who wanted them to be here?" Leroy asked, his brows slightly knitted together.


    Terra frowned as well as she said. "No, the priestess had not given any order since four days ago."


    Four days?


    "Wait?" Leroy seemed to remember something. "Didn''t the priestess give an order to the centaurs to stop me from killing the murderer of the hunters?"


    This became very weird for Leroy.


    "You almost killed the murderer of the hunters?" Terra slightly raised her voice in disbelief. "So, what made you stop?"


    Leroy was at loss. He remembered clearly what Chiron said that night. "Because Chiron came to say he was sent by the priestess to let the beast alive."


    Shock was written all over Terra''s face. "Of course not! Why would the priestess stop you from doing so?"


    "I don''t know," Leroy and Terra shifted their eyes toward the chief of the centaur, "But, why did Chiron lie to me?"


    The centaurs had a high morale, it was unheard of that they were lying about this kind of matter, moreover to save the killer of the people from this village.


    Though Leroy was a human, thus he didn''t have a life span as long as the centaurs, but he heard the loyalty of the centaurs from his father and people before him.


    "I think you need to talk to him about this," Terra narrowed her eyes towards the people beside Chiron. "Who are those people? I had never seen them before. Are they new here?"


    Leroy knew who Terra was talking about, but he didn''t have a chance to tell her about Kace and the rest of these new people either. He could''ve let her know about the fact that Kace was the one who killed those hunters, the reason why they were here, attending this mass funeral, because at the same time the priestess came out.


    The white door was being pushed open from the inside, as a woman in her white dress and long silky white hair waltzed out of the building.


    The aura that surrounded her was amazing, she looked like a goddess herself with the way she carried herself and how she glanced towards the podium through her white mask.


    "Is she always wearing a mask?" Hope asked no one in particular.


    At first, Hope thought the priestess was a young lady or at least not someone with white hair, but on second look, it was not the body of an old woman. But, she was definitely not old enough to have all of her hair white.


    Did she dye her hair? Hope thought to herself.


    On the other hand, Chiron heard her mumbling questions and he answered her. "She is not the priestess."


    "She is not? What do you mean?" Hope tilted her head to see Chiron, even Kace also frowned upon hearing Chiron''s statement.


    And then Hope remembered about the conversation between Chiron and herself when Carina was trying to bring Kace back from his unconsciousness.


    The centaur pointed at the direction of the mountain Uzu, not to this village.


    "It''s the demon who has been pretending to be the priestess," Chiron said curtly as he freed his hand from Carina''s and touched something on his h.i.p.s, this gesture was followed by the rest of the centaurs.

 Chapter 575 - A SHRILL SCREAM

    Hope darted her eyes at his gesture and watched a shiny metal on his h.i.p.s, it was a dagger. When some of the centaurs touched their dagger on their h.i.p.s and waited for Chiron''s cue. Some of them were ready with the arrow on their right hand, while their left hand touched their bow.


    What is it?!


    Hope thought in panic. What are the centaurs trying to do here? Weren''t they one of the guardians of this village aside from the hunters? Why would they want to attack this village?


    "What are you doing?!" Kace, beside Chiron, hissed in anger. Even Lana and the siblings could feel the tense in the air from the centaurs that surrounded them. They were aware about the things that those creatures wanted to do, as fear and trepidation flashed in Lana, and the siblings'' eyes.


    "She is not the priestess," Chiron repeated what he had said and turned his head towards the lycan. "If you want to see the priestess, you have to help to take down this imposter."


    "What?!" Kace''s eyes grew wide when he heard that. "What makes you think that I want to get involved in your battle?"


    Chiron''s eyes followed the priestess every move as she walked up to the podium and positioned herself in the middle of it.


    This time, she would pray for the souls of the dead hunters and then they would let the fire live for seven days until nothing was left.


    "Because you need the priestess in order to heal your wound and find your witch friend," Chiron unsheathed his dagger and was followed by the rest, at this point there were some of the villagers that were aware about their weird gesture. "And I need your mate''s help."


    "If you thought that the priestess up there is an impostor, you can talk to those imbecile hunters!" Kace gritted his teeth, "Don''t involve my mate on this!"


    "I have talked to him." Chiron shook his head. "We will not resolve it this way if we have another way."


    "It''s your business!?? Kace seethed.


    Hope was startled by the hostility that showed from Kace''s words, the lycan was really angry when Chiron dragged Hope in his messy situation.


    "I will go now." Kace grabbed Hope''s wrist and held her close to him as he talked to Lana and the siblings. "We''re leaving now."


    Lana, Ian and Ethan looked at each other and followed Kace and Hope silently.


    At first, Hope thought Chiron would stop them and asked them to stay and helped with whatever plan he had in his head.


    However, the chief of the centaur didn''t. He didn''t even turn around to see where Kace and his small group went, neither tried to stop them at all, despite what he just said that he needed Hope''s help in this matter.


    "Kace¡­" Hope wanted to say something, but Kace glared at her and this efficiently shut her up. He knew what Hope wanted to say.


    If it was about treating Kace''s wound and to find Lidya, then Hope must be foolish to think that Kace would agree with her.


    It was hard to move among a lot of people when all the villagers packed in one place and it was harder when those centaurs started to do whatever plan they had in their mind.


    Kace thought Chiron had set them up to come here with his hidden agenda and got them involved, especially when they would go into a chaotic situation with Hope being there.He really didn''t want to get his mate in danger, for whatever reason there was.


    On the other hand, Chiron was waiting for the right moment to strike. He wouldn''t resolve this with force if Leroy listened to him.


    However, the head of the hunter brushed off his warning and let the impostor live for a year inside their community.


    Although the centaurs were respected by the villagers, they would listen to the hunters more than the centaurs. Because the villagers lived in the same place, and met with each other every day with the hunters. And with that, they''ve built this strong bond to one and another, while the centaur lived apart from them in the wild.


    When the priestess almost finished with her silent pray and was about to leave the podium, Chiron hurled the dagger in his hand.


    The small metal pierced the mask that the priestess was wearing and made her fall to the ground. It was unsure whether the dagger injured her or not, but a wave of loud shrill scream from the villagers and hunters filled the air as the mournful atmosphere turned into horror.


    "Chiron! What are you doing?!" Leroy led the hunter to the podium and shielded the fallen priestess behind their body as they unsheathed their own sword and sickle.


    "She is not the priestess!" Chiron''s voice was very loud on top of the commotion that happened around them, but his calmness was something that they couldn''t comprehend, even in that situation, he was unfazed.


    "What do you mean she is not the priestess?!" Leroy roared. He didn''t believe Chiron would come to this argument again. He thought their dispute about this had come to end.But seeing what Chiron was about to do now, the hunter realized that the chief of the centaurs still persistently assumed the idea of the priestess was an impostor.


    However, why do they have to do this at this moment? They were holding a funeral!


    Of course, the answer was because this was the first appearance of the priestess after she fought the demon woman in the mountain of Uzu, and hid herself for one long year with reason to recuperate her strength, inside her well protected place.


    "I have warned you more than you could remember!" Chiron shouted back. "Open the mask and you will know!"


    Leroy gritted his teeth, everybody knew that they couldn''t touch the priestess casually. When the priestess decided to wear a mask, Leroy thought it was because there was something she wanted to hide.


    Such as a scar, after all, the priestess was badly injured.


    Another shrill scream came from behind the hunter.

 Chapter 576 - UNDER ATTACK

    When Terra watched what was happening to the priestess, she was screaming and was about to dash towards the podium, but Leroy grabbed her hand and pulled her back.


    "Wait!" he said while giving the other hunter a cue to follow him. "Stay behind me!"


    Leroy and the other hunters made a human barricade in front of the fallen angel and Terra sneaked behind them to check on the priestess.


    The girl was slightly relieved when she didn''t see blood on the place where Chiron''s dagger stabbed the head of the priestess, probably it couldn''t pierce the thick of the mask that she was wearing.


    With trembling hands, Terra tried to remove the mask from the priestess while listening to the arguments that were going on between Chiron and Leroy.


    However, when the girl managed to remove the mask from the priestess, the scene that she watched before her eyes was too frightful for her to see.


    She didn''t even realize when her ear-splitting scream interrupted the hostile exchange between the centaur and the hunter.


    "What happened?" Leroy turned his head to Terra, and found the girl was pointing her trembling finger towards the priestess''s body.


    "The priestess¡­" The girl stuttered and Leroy didn''t need Terra to finish her words to see what the thing that scared the hell out of her.


    When Leroy''s eyes landed on the priestess, he himself shrieked and he could hear a loud gasp from the other hunters beside him.


    What he watched was something beyond his wildest imagination. Even though the centaur had warned him about the priestess being an impostor, this was far from what they expected.


    The skin on the priestess''s face was peeling from her flesh with yellow eyes and blood-red pupils that were engorged from its socket. The scene was simply too terrifying to see.


    The priestess''s condition now was akin to the dead hunter''s body that was being burned, her body was scarred and hardened from burn marks. Those marks couldn''t be seen before, but now everything was deeply surreal, despite the fact that she was very alive only a few minutes ago when she led the prayer for the dead soul, now with that condition, she must be dead.


    How could she be like this?!


    Leroy immediately reached Terra and covered her eyes from the dreadful scene as he shouted to Chiron. "Chiron!!! What is going on with the priestess!?"


    Hearing the way Leroy called his name and how the other hunter''s reaction, even though he couldn''t see the priestess now, the chief of the centaur knew in an instant that they finally found something, which baffled them.


    Gracefully, the centaur climbed the stairs towards the podium as the hunters dispersed and gave him a way while lowering their weapon.


    This was not the time for battle yet.


    "What have you done to the priestess!?" Leroy seethed to the centaur. He thought the dagger was coated with some dark magic that could harm the priestess. "You used a black magic on her? You cursed her!?"


    Chiron didn''t answer his accusation immediately when he kneeled beside the ''priestess'' charred body.


    "Don''t come close to her!" Leroy was about to grab his sword again, but one look from the centaur was enough to make him stop his obtuse action.


    This was the first time Chiron glared at him, even when they were in argumentation, Chiron barely raised his tone to talk to him.


    It showed how Leroy''s foolish objection annoyed the chief of the centaurs.


    "You know my people will never use dark magic such as curse." His voice was very deep, yet laced with warning and impatient. "I have told you many times, but you keep ignoring me."


    This past year, Chiron had tried to make the hunter take the priestess out of their protection, but they kept refusing his demand.


    Chiron didn''t want to fight them just to reach the fake priestess.


    That was why during this funeral, when the priestess in obligation had no other choice, but to come out in person, was the perfect time for them to show those hunters that they had protected the wrong person.


    "But¡­ but¡­" Leroy stammered. Deep inside, he knew that Chiron''s words did make sense, but his pride prevented him to admit his wrong decision.


    Meanwhile, the other hunters were flabbergasted to see how the situation unfolded.


    "The priestess is still in the mountain of Uzu." Chiron said. "Our people can''t go through the barrier, that''s why we can''t do anything if you don''t trust me."


    "What is¡ª"


    As Chiron and Leroy were speaking, the girl in Leroy''s arms moved, and two things happened at the same time, it happened so fast almost simultaneously.


    The girl made a swiftly slashing move as she pushed Leroy''s body away from her.


    With a knife in her hand, Terra had slit Leroy''s throat and his blood spurted from the opened wound as he gagged on his own blood, his mouth opened wide, but wasn''t able to form a single word.


    Terra kicked Leroy''s body down from the podium into the dirty ground.


    At the same time, there was another wave of shrill scream from the villagers, from the direction of the entrance gates. The sound grew louder.


    "CLOSE THE GATE! CLOSE THE GATE!"


    Many people yelled the same order when the men rushed toward the gates to close it, the women gathered their children and rushed towards the safety of their home.


    Among the commotion, Hope, Kace, Lana and the siblings were caught in the middle of this messy situation.


    They had not yet reached the gates when they closed it.


    "What happened?" Hope, in the safety of her mate''s embrace, watched in dismay to the crowd of people.


    Kace sniffed the air and Hope could feel the rumble in his chest when he growled. "Damn it!"


    "We need to go back to the centaur." Lana suggested.


    ??Why? What happened?" It was so silly for Hope to try to sniff the air too when she didn''t have the shapeshifter''s remarkable nose.


    "This place is under attack!" Ethan answered her.

 Chapter 577 - UNDER ATTACK (2)

    When Ethan''s words sunk in Hope''s understanding, over the gates, which only a few meters away from her. Hope could see the same creatures that had attacked her and Carina previously this morning, as the creatures drew closer and tried to force enter the protection of the village.


    "Let''s go," Kace said grimly, as his grip on Hope''s shoulder tightened. At this rate, it was going to be impossible for them to be able to get out of the village safely now.


    Kace''s face turned unsightly as his eyes turned dark, Hope, who caught the sight of his expression shuddered involuntarily.


    Before, it was rare to see Kace in this gloomy mood. Until recently, he had been in this kind of mood again and again, as if everything around him was nothing but a complete shambles.


    Kace and Hope walked in front of Lana and the siblings, while the lycan tried to make a way back to the village square, which was also in the same chaotic situation.


    When they walked back, not only they had to squeeze themselves with the villagers, but apparently the Centaurs and the hunters worked together to rush towards the gate to provide some help in order to keep the demon wolves out of their stronghold.


    It seemed because of the urgency of the situation they put all their egos aside, and worked together for once. Kace and the rest didn''t know what had happened when they left Chiron before he could carry out his plan.


    But, one thing for sure was; it was not a good thing to be caught in the middle of their business.


    After a lot of effort, Kace managed to see Chiron, he was standing tall in the podium, surrounded by some hunters that still stayed there when the rest of them had left to the gates.


    "You are back," Chiron said, visibly relieved.


    However, Kace didn''t take that welcome nicely as he grunted at the chief of the centaurs. "IS THIS YOUR PLAN?" Kace seethed, he was too angry to be civil with Chiron.


    It was also him, who saw it first when he climbed the stairs to the podium for the second time this evening.


    Kace watched the supposed to be the priestess, was lying on the tiles of the podium with charred burns all over her skin, and her body had turned into something that was too horrible to see.


    Swiftly, before Hope could see it, he hugged her and pressed her head against his chest, "Don''t look," Kace grumbled in warning when Hope was trying to free herself.


    "What? What is it?" Hope was so curious, especially when she heard Lana''s breath hitch and the siblings let out a loud gasp upon seeing something that Kace prevented her from seeing.


    "Don''t look." This time, Kace''s voice was sterner as he hugged Hope''s body to prevent her from moving around recklessly. Hope couldn''t help it, because she was a curious little creature. "Can''t you cover her body with something!?" Kace shouted at Chiron.


    For the centaurs, the dreadful scene was not something that could make them feel uncomfortable, but Chiron did what Kace asked him, he nodded to the centaur next to him.


    The centaur took a cloak from the hunter and covered the unsightly dead body of ''the priestess'', while Leroy''s body had been carried by the other hunter, they didn''t know whether he was alive or not. In this kind of situation, the most important thing in their mind right now was how to survive.


    "Of course this is not my plan," Chiron said as his eyes fixed on the gates, from where they were standing they could hear a loud growl and snarl, the street almost empty when most of the villagers had sought safety inside their houses.


    Only the hunters and a few men were there to block the gates and prepared their weapons, just in case the situation became worse.


    "Is that her body?" Kace released Hope from him when he watched the body had been covered.


    Hope rubbed her neck, Kace held her too tightly, because she kept trying to free herself. But when she turned around to check what kind of scene that Kace hid from her, she could see nothing, because it was already covered by a brown cloak.


    "The impostor, yes." Chiron nodded. "I think the demon had called them¡­" he mumbled and shifted his eyes to Hope. "And there is something else they want."


    "What do you mean?" Subconsciously, Kace pulled Hope behind his back as his black eyes turned even darker.


    Out of instinct, Lana stepped forward and stood beside Hope.


    "You know what I mean," Chiron stared at Kace meaningfully. "You know what she is. She shouldn''t be here in the first place. I don''t know how she could survive and venture until this part of the realm."


    There was tacit understanding between Chiron and Kace as Lana became anxious. This whole situation was simply beyond unpredictable. She thought they would finish their journey within a week, but seeing the situation now, she wasn''t sure anymore when will all of this over.


    Not only they had not yet meet the priestess, because apparently there was an impostor who had been pretending to be her, but now the situation became more complicated than what they imagined. Nothing could ever be predicted when it comes to this realm.


    "The cloak," Ethan suddenly said, "The witch, Lidya, she gave her a cloak before we entered this realm and she warned her a few times to not take off that cloak."


    Chiron stared at Hope once again before he looked at Kace. "That must be it."


    "Where is that cloak?" Kace asked Hope, but his mate shook her head.


    "I don''t remember, I took it off ''that night''," Hope said carefully. When she watched how Kace became angry, she hastily added. "Sorry¡­"


    However, Kace shook his head as he tousled her hair like usual. "No, little one, I am not mad at you." He was mad to himself.


    "Let her be with my people to the hiding place," Chiron said as he tensed.


    At the same time, they could hear a loud outbreak as the gates collapsed.

 Chapter 578 - UNDER ATTACK (3)

    "I will not let her go alone." Kace glared at Chiron as he spoke sternly. This chaotic situation was way out of his expectation. He didn''t want to let Hope out of his sight. Not at times like this.


    "She will be fine, the centaurs will protect her." Chiron unsheathed his sword when the demon wolves went berserk into the village as they managed to break down the gates. "I will need you here."


    "What makes you think thatI want to be involved in your battle?!" Kace seethed. He was still upset because Hope was in this dangerous situation. If only he knew this would turn out like this, he would hoist her away despite her protest.


    "Because this will be your battle too," Chiron added immediately when he watched Kace was about to retort to him. "Those demons are looking for your mate, if we fail to hold them back, do you think you and your little group could do that?"


    It was true, if the centaurs and the hunters were not able to fight the demon wolves, Kace and Lana would be too overwhelmed to fight them all and Hope would be in more danger.


    Especially when their target was Hope. Whether or not what Chiron said was true, but it seemed the scent of guardian angel in Hope had drawn those dark creatures to look for her.


    Had it been really a catastrophe in this realm for someone like Hope? How could those creatures tell that she was different?


    Gritting his teeth, Kace growled. "You go with her!" he talked to Lana and the siblings.


    At that time, the demon wolves had reached halfway towards the village square, as the people at the podium could see how the hunters tried to fight them back. But there were simply too many of them.


    It was Zarrn, who approached Hope and stretched out his hand, "This way." He gestured for her to follow him.


    "Kace?" Hope became anxious, she didn''t want to leave Kace. He was still not completely healed, but if she stayed, there would be nothing she could do except to be a burden for him.


    Hope really wanted to cry, she clutched on his shirt. She didn''t want to let go, yet she knew she couldn''t do that. Kace couldn''t fight them properly if he was distracted.


    He couldn''t do as much as he could if she stayed there. Because he would be busy protecting her, and besides he wouldn''t let her see him that way. He would be consciously hesitant during the fight.


    "Go with them, okay? Lana, Ethan and Ian will go with you." Kace caressed her cheeks, he could see how stubborn Hope to hold back her tears and tried to look strong.


    Hope was all Kace wanted for life, the mate that he thought he would never have for his entire existence, after the punishment of the dreadful sin that he had committed. But now, he had her. The fear of what might happen to Hope if he fail to protect his mate seemed to overpower everything else.


    "Be careful," Hope''s voice was barely a whisper as she stood on the tip of her toes, and kissed his cheek before letting him go.


    "I will," Kace kissed her forehead softly. "Now, go!"


    Lana grabbed Hope''s hand and together with the siblings and three centaurs, they went to the direction where Zarrn led them.


    While running down the stairs, Hope could see Kace was still staring at her until she disappeared at the corner, as they entered a building where the fake priestess came out before.


    But, before they could enter the house, Hope stopped running and turned back to face Lana. "Do you want to go and help him?"


    Vaguely, Hope could sense how Lana''s feeling for Kace. She just didn''t know how deep it was, because she thought it was only a crush.


    Like this time, Hope could see how worried Lana was for Kace, she wanted to go to him and fought alongside with him, yet because Kace ordered her to go with Hope, she couldn''t do otherwise.


    "Lana, do you want to go to Kace?" Hope became impatient.


    "He told me to go with you," Lana averted her eyes to hide how upset she was for Kace to order her like that.


    "No. Go to him please, and help him." Hope urged her as she pushed her hand away from her.


    It was dangerous out there and Lana could get hurt too. But she wanted to be there, and Hope wanted to be of help. It was such a pity that Lana had to stick with her, when she actually could be of help for them out there.


    "Kace¡­" Lana looked eager, but she still didn''t want to disobey Kace.


    "You know that he is not completely healed yet, I will be fine with Ethan and Ian," Hope spoke urgently. "Also, there are some centaurs with me."


    Now, Hope could see Lana was faltered. It seemed she really wanted to go to Kace. Only a little bit of push was needed¡­


    "We have to go inside now!" Zarrn grew impatient when the women still had not come to a settlement.


    Hope took a deep breath. "Lana, there are too many of them. Leave me here with the centaurs, I will be okay," She spoke calmly. "You are not helping anybody by standing here with me."


    "Are you sure?" Lana bit her lips. She really wanted to go, though she knew Kace would scold her to no end when he found her there, and not being with Hope.


    He could be angry for as long as he wanted, but for now, Lana just wanted to ensure his safety. Just like what Hope said; Kace was still not ready for another battle.


    "I am sure," Hope nodded. "Be careful." She added.


    She held her gaze for a moment longer, but then Lana nodded and rushed towards the battle ahead. Where the sound of vicious snarl and roar, also throes and agony could be heard.


    This place would be ruined beyond recognition when all of this ended.


    After Lana was leaving, Zarrn ushered them to enter the safety of this huge building. "Close the door!" He said loudly to the hunter, who was guarding the door.

 Chapter 579 - UNDER ATTACK (4)

    They didn''t stop running, instead, Zarrn led them to the backyard where there were few hunters busying themselves preparing their weapon.


    They dipped their arrow, sword and dagger into a green liquid inside a large basket.


    They were facing demons after all, with those hunters being merely human. They wouldn''t be able to fight them if they didn''t have the proper knowledge about their weaknesses.


    "What was that?" Hope mumbled under her breath when Zarrn opened a secret door on the ground, lifting its heavy lids, so Hope and the twins could go inside.


    "Poison that could harm the demons," Zarrn answered her. "Now, get in."


    The three centaurs who came along with them, had stepped inside this secret passageway, followed by Ethan and Ian.


    "Careful Hope," Ian reached out for Hope to help her step down the stairs.


    Zarrn didn''t go down with them, but when he closed the lids, everything was pitch-black and silent.


    "Ethan?" Hope went panic because she couldn''t see anything, she knew Ian was holding her, but she couldn''t see Ethan, she didn''t want to lose anyone again.


    "I am here, Hope."


    Hope felt there was someone touching her left shoulder, knowing it was Ethan, then she became slightly relaxed.


    "You can see in the dark?" After a moment Hope realized, aside from her, the other could walk just fine with the lack of light.


    "You will be able to see inside the darkness if you get used to this," One of the centaurs replied to her question.


    Hope wanted to say that she didn''t want to get used to it, because in order to do so, she needed to stay in this kind of environment for a long time. No, thanks.


    "Supernatural creatures have better eyesight than humans," Ethan chimed in. "But, if you get used to this kind of environment, I think you can."


    They chatted to each other about this for another minute before finally, Hope could see some light in the distance. The light sourced from three torches, lining up beside the right side of the stone wall.


    A centaur named Biryon moved a statue that blocked the small wooden door and when the statue jerked away and started to slide over, Hope could hear voices coming from the other side of the door.


    And there, they were not inside some place like a cave anymore, or an entirely closed huge room like a hall for a refugee.But they were outside. They were in another part of the forest.


    Apparently, every house in the village had a secret passageway that led them to this part of the forest. Hope and the other only knew about this later.


    "Where are we?" Hope asked Biryon beside her. Aside from the three centaurs that came with them, there were another five more of them there.


    The other five centaurs and three hunters, they could be easily recognized because of the brown cloak that they were wearing. They gave one or two instructions to the villagers to follow them.


    "We are near the centaur''s den," Biryon said. "We will be fine there."


    Hope followed the horde of the people to go to the direction that the centaurs showed them. Occasionally, Hope would look back to the secret door.


    The moon shone brightly above them as its light illuminated their path.


    She hoped everything would be fine with Kace and Lana too¡­


    She couldn''t bear any bad news.


    ==============


    Kace watched with Chiron beside him, as all the demon wolves propelled forward, their beady dark eyes showing no sense of mercy at all.


    The lycan knew the ten demon wolves were no match for his strength. After all, he had killed that same amount of demons earlier this morning when they attacked Hope and Carina inside the forest.


    But, now before their eyes, it seemed the whole race of demon wolves had flooded the village. They were like mad dogs, uncontrollably biting and clawing everything that touched them as their snout sniffed the air as if they were looking for a certain scent.


    His mate''s scent.


    This thought alone made Kace boil in anger. How dare they target his mate!? If there was someone behind this attack, they would pay severely for their intention.


    "If this is not your plan, who do you think behind this attack?" Kace asked Chiron beside him.


    There were the whole centaurs and dozens of hunters behind Chiron and Kace, ready to enter this battle. They only waited for their leader''s cue, which was the two people in front of them.


    "The demon woman," Chiron replied simply, there was no other than that demon, who fought with the priestess a year ago, who would be able to control these demon wolves.


    They shouldn''t be here in the first place because the village was very far from their habitat.


    Kace''s bones snapping and his muscles expanding as he turned into the white beast once again. The wounds on his back were visible to see and Chiron slightly knitted his brows upon seeing that.


    "ONWARDS!" Chiron shouted and then the centaurs and the hunters ran full force with unsheathed swords,or bow, and arrow in their hands, they had come prepared.


    It didn''t take a long time before they were already deep in the throes of sparring.


    Chiron was holding the demon''s head in one hand and a bloody dagger in the other. While the white beast was lunging head first into two demons by himself.


    He dove his teeth into the first creature, sinking them into their black fur, and crushed their flesh along with their bones.


    The demon wolves let out a disgusting, gut-wrenching squeal. But the white beast didn''t let go. Instead he used his back leg to kick the second creature in the face, causing him to fly backwards a few meters away only then to be taken care of by the other hunters.


    The white beast removed his teeth from the first demon wolf and swiped his claw against the second wolf''s face.


    Those demon wolves then puffed into black smoke. Disappeared.

 Chapter 580 - UNDER ATTACK (5)

    Hunters'' bodies lifted into the air, massive talons digging bloodily into shoulders and backs as those demons killed a lot of hunters before they could be killed.


    More screams and shouts. Tearing sounds and sickening noises. Crunching, when the centaurs'' bodies were thrown and bit.


    Fear and blood could be smelled in the air. Not from the demon wolves because they didn''t bleed, but from the other party, who tried to defend their territory against this attack.


    On the other side, a black demon wolf was about to swing his huge talons onto the centaur chief when a massive white fur beast leapt into view, its large mass was tackling the demon wolf to the ground.


    However, there was something really wrong with his movement as all of a sudden, the white beast felt a searing pain on its back, and for a moment lost his concentration over the pain.


    It was only a second that was needed for the demon wolf to turn the table and dig his huge talons on his neck instead. Then, angry red spattering across the ground. Blood.


    With an ear-splitting roar, the white beast raised his sharp claws against the demon wolf and put the fight to an end.


    Yet, before the white beast could scramble on his feet, there was a second attack from another demon wolf.


    Fortunately, out of instinct, the white beast stepped aside just in time before he got another serious injury. Despite the pain on his back and the almost healed injury on his neck, the white beast still held his bearing as the two creatures were baring their teeth and glaring murderously.


    The demon wolf lunged forward again, moving to bite the white lycan on his neck. However, before he could do that the white lycan had barreled over him and managed to bring him down, his claws raking across the demon wolf''s face and making him howl in agony then disappeared into a black smoke.


    The battle of the lycan, the centaurs, and the hunters against the demonic beast took a long time before the horde of the demon wolves stopped coming and they could catch their breath.


    Apparently, among those creatures, there were two feline shifters among them. It was rare to see feline shifters these days after the massacre that the Donovans had done to the other shifters'' mates.


    By then, the village around them would need a serious reconstruction, because there was not a single house that was not damaged.


    The only good thing that came out from fighting those demon wolves was, because they didn''t leave piles of carcasses when those demons died as their bodies would turn into smoke and disappear with the wind, yet the destruction and casualty were surreal.


    There were dozens of hunters that breathed their last and more, who got badly injured, not only that, there were three centaurs cease to exist in this battle.


    Chiron was standing tall while looking down at his people. His expression was stoic, but the sorrow in his eyes was visible to see. Carina was beside him to share their pain.


    Meanwhile the others looked frustrated when they had to hold another funeral, a huge funeral than the one they had just hours ago.


    This chilly night felt more mournful when soft groans filled the air, as the cold wind was blowing and made the trees rustled like living things. The light from the moon above them was covered by dark clouds, thus they had to light the torches.


    Even when they won this battle, no one shared laughs or even a small smile.


    The white beast shifted back quickly, ignoring the pain of his bones snapping and his muscles expanding into place. Despite the fact this was the most painful shifting back that Kace had ever experienced, maybe because of his condition that led to this pain, but there was no time to focus on pain.


    Kace walked towards Chiron as his wounds started to heal, except the wounds on his back that kept throbbing.


    "I am sorry for your loss," Kace said when he stood beside the centaur.


    Chiron glanced at him and nodded solemnly. "Their time has come to end."


    Kace wanted to say more, even though he knew it wouldn''t change the fact that the race of centaurs had decreased in number once again, but he caught a figure that was not supposed to be there.


    Lana.


    She just shifted back into her human form, away from him, but Kace was able to recognize her right away.


    Blood rushed to his head when his body moved on its own toward the female werewolf, who was clutching her injured hand.


    "What are you doing here!?" Kace snapped harshly while grabbing her hand and turned her body. "You are not supposed to be here!"


    Lana was startled when she was being caught. She was fighting far enough for Kace to realize that she was there, but not too far until she couldn''t see him.


    "Where is Hope!?" Kace was furious because Lana didn''t answer his question immediately. This female werewolf shouldn''t be here.


    "Don''t worry, she is fine, the centaurs took her to the safety. Ian and Ethan are with her." Lana tried to answer him calmly, but her heart was beating as fast as she realized how much Kace was angry at her. "We can ask Chiron where they take them."


    "You don''t even know where they are!" Kace spoke through his gritted teeth.


    Kace''s eyes flickered back to the color of red, before they returned to its black color. Once again,Kace was fighting the beast in him. It was unsure, until when he would be like this. It seemed, there would be another problem that Kace had to face after he got his wound treated, if he kept doing so.


    Without words, Kace turned around to approach Chiron with Lana following behind him.


    Lana had known Kace long enough to understand that it was best to not interrupt him when he looked like that.

 Chapter 581 - CUTE

    "Why are you mad at Lana?" Hope was being held on her waist tightly by the furious lycan when they walked back to the Loris'' house.


    Kace didn''t shout or anything, he just kept ignoring the girl and this made Hope feel guilty, no matter what, it was her who had pushed Lana to follow Kace, though Kace didn''t seem to mind to agree with her suggestion.


    "It was me, who told her to come and help you." Hope glanced at Lana, who was walking a few meters away from them, her stoic expression didn''t give away what she was actually feeling inside, but her eyes showed how disappointed she was with Kace''s silent treatment.


    "Hope. She left you and I will not accept any excuses for what she did." Kace stopped walking as he faced his little mate. "You can go first," he spoke to Lana and the siblings as they walked past the couple. It seemed this would be another quarrel.


    Mr. and Mrs. Lori had reached their house and opened its door as they were still shaken by what was happening in the village. Bree, in her mother''s arms was sleeping peacefully, didn''t care for the world.


    Lana threw another glance at Kace before she followed the siblings to enter the house.


    "You don''t make any sense Kace," Hope hissed. "I am fine. You should stop treating me like a child."


    Kace gritted his teeth when the searing pain on his back returned and his voice became hoarse, yet Hope thought the man was only trying to hold back his anger. "We are in a strange place, in the realm where I don''t even know which place is safe for you. With some creatures there, holding a grudge against me!" because he killed their mates.


    Kace didn''t need to add that explanation, as Hope already knew what he meant.


    "It is you, who is holding a grudge towards yourself. The centaurs could kill me countless times, if they intended to do so, I would have died by now!" Hope remarked.


    It was hard to talk to Kace when he didn''t even realize that he had clouded his own judgment with his own fear of those creatures'' revenge. The creatures that he had hurt so badly in the past.


    Kace was taken aback when Hope talked about her death. It was hard to hear and even so hard to imagine when the lycan was forced to envision what Hope was talking. He shuddered involuntarily.


    Kace hugged her immediately, pressed her head against his chest. "Please, don''t talk like that, you don''t know how afraid I am," he spoke softly against her hair. "I will not be mad at Lana anymore, but please don''t ever talk like that."


    As odd as it sounded, the lycan was afraid what Hope was saying could actually happen somehow, someday. And he didn''t want it to happen.


    On the other hand, Hope was speechless. They were in the middle of an argument when out of the blue, Kace was hugging her like this, at this point, and how could she continue to get angry with him?


    However, when Hope was about to hug him back, Kace''s breathe hitched. "What happened?" Hope frowned, she wanted to free herself, but Kace held her even tighter.


    "No, nothing," He said after taking a deep long breath.


    "Your wounds, right?" Hope was quick to realize it. "This is your wound!" It was a statement. "Let me see it."


    "No, you don''t have to see it. I am fine." Kace buried his nose on the curve of her shoulder, but Hope groaned, annoyed.


    "Can you stop saying that you are fine, when you are not? You will not get anything from lying to me, so stop that kind of habit." Hope reprimanded him lightly.


    However, instead of denying her once more, Kace was chuckling upon hearing her berating him.


    "What are you laughing at?" Hope carefully put her hand on his h.i.p.s, she couldn''t circle her hand around his waist as she was afraid that gesture would make the pain from his wound get worse.


    "I am sure you pick that bad trait of scolding people from the witch." Kace caressed her back.


    "She taught me well," Hope chuckled.


    It was weird that their argument ended like this in a short amount of time. Because at first, it seemed they wouldn''t come into any settlement, when all the tension dissipated the moment Kace acted this way to appease Hope.


    "We need to meet Chiron first thing in the morning," Hope said and this earned a groan from Kace. "We need to find the priestess and he said I can find her."


    "Let''s talk about that later," Kace grunted.


    Ignoring what Kace was saying, Hope continued. "Your wounds seem to have become worse after the battle earlier, and we still need to find Lidya."


    "Hope, you know." Kace released her body and put her in an arms-length distance to stare into her black obsidian eyes. "If you are a lycan, you will be the female version of the Alpha."


    Hope scrunched her nose. "Is that a compliment?"


    "Of course," Kace kissed her forehead that made the girl giggled. "Let''s go back to the house. We will carry out your plan tomorrow morning."


    "Hm¡­ my plan¡­" Hope hummed. It sounded like she was a leader of this small team. "Kace, do you know what your beast wants to do the first thing he takes over your body?"


    Kace scoffed, of course he remembered that.


    This imbecile beast¡­


    Hope laughed when she saw his reaction. "Yes, he wanted to mark me."


    "Don''t worry, I will not let that thing happen again," Kace mumbled.


    "No," Hope shook her head. "Quite the opposite."


    "Huh?" Kace tilted his head to look at his smiling mate.


    "Why don''t you mark me?" Hope said casually, as if she was asking for extra allowance. "I was afraid when you suddenly acted like that, but to think about it again, actually, I like your beast. He is cute."


    "Cute?" The corner of Kace''s lips twitched as he heard that. "You hurt my pride."

 Chapter 582 - HOW ABOUT A KISS?

    Hope laughed heartily and that was the most beautiful sound that Kace always missed to hear. He could just stay for days just to hear his mate laugh like that.


    "Stop being a baby!" Hope slapped Kace''s arms. "I am still mad at you." She tried to make her expression match her words, but failed miserably. Her smile wouldn''t disappear.


    Probably because Hope had just experienced the tension of the battle just a few hours ago. Thus for having Kace here and talking to her, teasing each other like usual, well his wounds were different concerns, Hope felt more relaxed.


    "What are you mad at me for? I will be good to Lana. You have to know how worried I was when I realized you were unprotected," Kace said sullenly. They were walking back to the house hand in hand, kept their paces as slow as they could, relishing the scene around them.


    They didn''t know why Mrs. and Mr. Lori lived out of the village, but seeing them as a family of farmers, it was probably because they considered about the efficiency of time they could get by living near their farm.


    "Ian and Ethan were there to protect me," Hope retorted. How could Kace forget that they were also there protecting her?


    However, Kace scoffed when he heard Hope''s answer. "Those pups? What could they do?"


    "Kace!" Hope elbowed him playfully and this earned a laugh from the lycan. "You can''t talk like that about my friends."


    "Why? It''s true though!" Kace is persistent with his opinion. "In my world, they are considered a pup because of how young they are."


    Hope stopped walking and turned around to face Kace. The light from the moon that was shining brightly behind her back made her appearance look angelic.


    "How long is the lifespan of a lycan like you?" Hope was curious.


    Kace was charmed by his mate''s beauty and the way she frowned. "We are immortal."


    Hope bit the bottom of her lips, she had guessed this answer. She asked away because she wanted to be sure about it. "In that case¡­" she lowered her gaze, and kicked the gravel beneath her feet sullenly. "... I will grow old and die while you¡­" she raised her head to meet Kace''s beautiful blue eyes. "You will stay like this for years, decades, to centuries from now."


    Kace understood Hope''s concern. Even before this fact lingered over Hope''s consciousness, priorly it was his concern since the first time Serefina handed her to him. Therefore, he had asked this exact same question a long time ago.


    "That is not always the case¡­" Kace cradled her face in his big palms and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. Only in this moment, Kace felt at peace, even his beast stopped fighting him. Whenever Kace was close to Hope, the beast would be more gentle and well-behaved. He would be less restless and jittery.


    "What do you mean?" Hope''s eyes shone brightly when she heard that.


    Even Kace could see the glint of hope in those eyes. "Because, once I mark you, your life span will be adjusted. If it worked, you would be immortal just like me." That was what Serefina told him.


    "Really?" Hope''s eyes widened adorably. "I will live hundreds of years?"


    To think about this again, guardian angels were also immortal creatures, thus Serefina''s words could be accounted for.


    "And another hundreds of years." Hope chuckled upon seeing how childish his mate now. She was grinning from ear to ear while her eyes filled with excitement.


    "What will we do if we have that long life span?" Hope squinted her eyes and Kace knew exactly what she was thinking now. His little mate must be thinking about the places she would like to visit.


    "Everything you want." Kace leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I have enough money to satisfy your adventurous soul, once you graduate from your school."


    Hope bounced excitedly when she heard that. "That''s why I chose you over Oliver." She threw her arms around Kace''s neck and winked at him.


    "Oh, please¡­" Kace groaned. "Why do you have to compare me with that brat? He can''t even compete with half of my charm."


    "Tsk," Hope gave him a look when she thought Kace was being silly. But honestly, she agreed with him. She couldn''t compare Oliver to him. Because, not only were they from different levels, but the both of them also came from different worlds. "For a second, I thought your beast took over your body again," she spoke lightly.


    "What? I am just saying the truth," Kace laughed as he tousled her hair. "Let''s go back, you will catch a cold in this weather."


    "Wait," Hope pulled Kace back. They were just a hundred meters away from the house. "Why don''t you mark me now?" she looked at him expectantly.


    "You want me to mark you now?" Kace looked at her in amus.e.m.e.nt. "Do you know that the process is dangerous?" he tapped the tip of her nose.


    "Don''t you just bite me?" Hope tilted her head, she was clueless. "Isn''t it like the bite of those vampires in the movies? That you will drink my blood?"


    Kace scrunched his nose in disgust. "Can you stop comparing me to those dimwitted creatures?" not only she just compared him with Oliver, but now it was with the vampires?


    Hope giggled seeing how irritated Kace was. "So, why is the process dangerous?" if it wasn''t because Kace couldn''t stop from drinking her blood, thus what made it dangerous?


    "Marking is not an easy process. It''s going to hurt. It might even kill you if we are not careful enough." Kace''s voice became serious.


    "Kill me?" The question sounded like a whisper, showing her concern.


    "I have to admit it, Hope. Werewolf''s bite is dangerous and a lycan''s bite is even more lethal." He caressed her cheeks softly as his mate turned quite. "I must be a hundred percent sure that you will be fine." especially when there were never once in history that a lycan had a guardian angel as his mate.


    "Fine," Hope said bitterly. "If you can''t mark me yet, how about you kiss me?"

 Chapter 583 - A LONG NIGHT

    Kace was slightly taken aback by Hope''s bold request, but when he watched how his little mate grinned happily upon seeing his reaction, he knew that she was only teasing him.


    Well, Kace was more than happy to play along with his sweet mate.


    "Why are you running? Come here." Kace waved his hand at Hope, gesturing her to come closer, yet the girl was running towards the house. "You said you want a kiss? I will give you as many kisses as you want. Come here."


    Meanwhile, Hope was laughing heartily. It was so nice to let out some tensions by teasing each other like this, after so many deaths that occurred in less than three hours before.


    However, it didn''t last for long. If they thought the battle in the village had over, and they succeeded to drive away all the demon wolves, they were totally wrong.


    All of a sudden Kace and Hope could hear a loud scream from inside the house. It was Mrs. Lori, followed by a loud sound of explosion.


    For a moment, Hope froze, she dared not to breathe.It felt like her heart had stopped beating upon seeing what was happening before her eyes. Then, Kace reached her and pulled her back immediately.


    Kace turned his body while hugging Hope, so that his back was facing the house to protect his mate from the debris or dangerous flying object that was thrown because of the blast.


    "What is happening?" Hope shut her eyes tightly when the second explosion was heard. Though this time, it was not as loud as the first one, from the sound of it, it seemed the house was collapsed.


    Kace didn''t answer her, he carried her body and ran a few meters away. He put a great distance between them and whatever the thing that caused the explosion in order to get Hope to safety.


    When the eerie sound of the explosion had ended, Hope opened her eyes and poked her head from Kace''s strong arms, to see the scene behind his body.


    It wasn''t a good sight to see¡­


    Just like how the sound had given them the idea of what was happening.The house was indeed, had flattened to the ground.


    "What about the others?" Her voice was barely a whisper.


    Lana, Ethan, Ian, Mr. and Mrs. Lori and also¡­ Bree.


    As for the shape shifters, the three of them probably would only get some wounds.But for the humans, they wouldn''t survive that kind of explosion, right?


    Hope''s body shivered involuntarily to think what could happen to the Lori family. What was happening just now? Wasn''t the battle over?


    Meanwhile, Kace wanted to check on the rest of the people. But he didn''t want to leave Hope alone there, or brought her with him to go near the wreckage of the house. He was still not sure what the cause of it was.


    "Kace, we have to check them out," Hope spoke in a low voice, despite her fear, apparently her concern to them was greater.


    However, before Kace could decide what he should do next, a moment later, there were movements on the ground. And then, Hope watched in horror as a human''s head emerged from the ground.


    But, not just a very ugly face, there was a neck, shoulder and body too.


    The most impressive sight was its huge size¡­ it was twice of the white beast''s size.


    "What is that?" Hope managed to ask in a low whisper, as she clutched onto Kace''s shirt tightly.


    "Troll," Kace answered grimly. "The creatures in this realm are getting weirder," he mumbled. The lycan didn''t even know that trolls were still alive.Their kind was believed to be extinct centuries ago, and somehow turned out to live as a mere folklore.


    "I don''t like this realm," Hope grimaced when the troll swung its big hands and stomped his big feet on the wreckage of the house.


    "I don''t like it since the first time I stepped my foot into this realm." Kace remembered the mad wolf that he had to fight the first time he entered this realm. "The troll looks strange¡­"


    "There is nothing normal about this creature.He is so hideous." Hope scowled when she watched how the troll was drooling. Ugh!


    Even at times like this, Kace found Hope''s comment was funny. "That is not what I meant." Kace squinted his eyes at the troll. "The size of the troll¡­ I have never seen a troll with this size."


    Normally, the size of a troll was as big as a human.Although they were very strong, they also slow and dimwitted.


    However, what they were seeing right before their eyes now, was totally different.


    The troll looked as if he was looking for something in the rubble. Only when his big finger that was the size of Hope''s arm, picked something from the ground. Hope covered her mouth when she watched in horror at the thing that he picked up.


    It was Ethan, or¡­ Ian? Hope couldn''t distinguish the twins from the distance. Beside her, she could hear Kace cursing under his breath as he growled in annoyance.


    "Stay here Hope."


    As soon as he said it, Kace had turned into his white beast again. It seemed the night would be filled with another battle after battle.


    It looked like the time when they could rest was very unlikely to come any time soon.


    Hope didn''t need to be told twice, the strenuousness in Kace''s voice was enough to make her understand the danger of this situation.


    In front of her, Hope watched how the beast dashed towards the rumble and leapt as high as the troll''s arms and bit down its wrist.


    The twin''s body fell from such high, but before his body could crush to the ground, he shifted into his beast.


    It was Ethan, Hope could see the yellow streak on its neck. His beast was the color of sand. The sand colored wolf leapt to safety and whimpered.


    "Ethan!" Hope shouted as she rushed towards her friend, and helped him to walk a little bit further from the white lycan and the troll, while they were busy taking down each other.

 Chapter 584 - A LONG NIGHT (2)

    "What is that thing?" Ethan shook his head when he shifted back into his human''s form. His vision blurred and the wounds on his body started to heal itself. The perks of being a supernatural creature.


    "Troll," Hope replied, just like what Kace told her, but her eyes didn''t leave the two creatures that were trying to smash and bite each other to their death. The size of the troll and his slow movement made it easy for the white beast to get a few chunks of its flesh, which was horrendous to see.


    "Troll?" Ethan scrunched his nose. "They are real?" It was also hard to believe for the young werewolf, as he was too young to witness a living troll before they ceased to exist centuries ago.


    "Apparently, yes," Hope said grimly.


    There were many things that happened in a short amount of time. It made them hard to catch their breath and process everything to keep up with what was going on.And then now, this other strange creature was brought to them somehow.


    "We really need that cloak, Hope," said Ethan while looking at the girl beside him.


    "What cloak?" Hope totally forgot about the cloak that Lidya had given to her, since that cloak also had long gone.


    "The cloak that Lidya gave you.She said you are not allowed to take it off no matter what." And now they could see why Lidya was very insistent for Hope to wear that cloak. "Although I don''t feel there is something wrong with your scent." Ethan sniffed her, but all he could smell was only a fresh morning scent, crisp and pure.


    Since Ethan wasn''t Hope''s mate, there was nothing special about her scent. But, how did those evil creatures keep coming just by smelling her scent? Wasn''t Hope just merely a human, who fortunately mated to a lycan?


    Hope knitted her brows and smelled herself, she didn''t even know how she smelled like.


    Brushed off the topic, Hope was bringing back the important topic. "What about the others?" She stared at the ruins of the house.Apparently the white beast managed to take the troll away from it, but not far enough for Hope and Ethan to be safe to come close.


    "I am sure Lana and Ian would be fine," Ethan grimaced, the last thing he remembered was when they were inside their room, then all of a sudden there was a loud sound and the roof above their head collapsed.


    That was expected, yet¡­ "But, what about the¡­" Lori family? Hope bit her lips when she couldn''t even finish her sentence.


    What about them? It would be a miracle if they could survive from it.


    Ethan lowered his eyes as he mumbled, "I don''t know¡­"


    It was not sure whether the white beast just wanted to drive away the troll from there, or he was just too tired, or maybe he was too kind to kill the creature. Whatever it was, in full strength he should be able to take the troll down by now.


    "You stay here Hope, I will go and check." Ethan rose on his feet when he watched the battle had taken place near the farm, scaring the animals there.


    "No, I will go with you," Hope also stood up. "I don''t want to stay here alone."


    "Okay, but don''t come too close to the collapsed building. I don''t want anything to happen to you and get myself killed by Kace for that reason." Ethan warned her.


    "Alright," Hope agreed and followed him, running back to the house. And then, she stopped when Ethan raised his hand, gesturing for her to stay.


    Ethan moved swiftly and easily among the debris as his figure disappeared behind the wooden blocks.


    Hope shuddered when the cold wind was howling, brushing her face and body.From the distance, she could hear loud snarls and growls. Above her, the moonlight was shining brightly in the cloudless sky.


    "Ethan?" Hope took a step forward because she couldn''t hear anything from him for such a long moment.Or maybe he just disappeared for two minutes, but she felt like she had been standing there for hours.


    "Ethan?" Hope took another step when there was no response from him. Her heart beat so fast, as many horrible images flooded her head.


    Was he attacked by another creature? Or, was there something bad that happened to him?


    However before her imagination grew wilder. Ethan''s voice was heard from a certain place from the ruins of the house.


    "Hope, come here!"


    "Oh," Hope felt relieved when she heard his voice, "Right away!"


    Hope had trouble climbing what had been the home of the Loris.And within two minutes, Hope could see Ethan, Ian and Lana were crouching down, circling something beneath the rubble.


    "What happened?" Hope walked carefully to approach them, she could sigh in relief when she found the three people were there, safe and sound, a little bit worn out, but they were fine.


    "I think the girl is still alive," Lana muttered, she put her fingers on Bree''s nose and could feel her warm breath. "But, I don''t think Mrs. Lori could make it."


    Only then, Hope watched the position of the mother and daughter. Apparently, Mrs. Lori managed to protect her daughter, by cradling her in her arms.But as the consequences, she sacrificed her own body to bear the brunt of the collapsing building.


    Hope froze for a moment upon seeing the heart-wrenching scene in front of her, before Ian''s voice snapped her back.


    "Hope, the three of us will lift the wooden blocks, I need you to get the girl out from there," Ian instructed.


    "Oh," Hope blinked her eyes before her mind could process the instruction. "Oh, okay. I will do it." She squatted down beside Lana and upon closer look, Mrs. Lori''s dreadful condition was clear for her to see.


    Hope wanted to avert her gaze, but if she did so, how could she take Bree from her mother''s embrace?


    "In the count of three¡­" Ian took the lead as he grabbed a huge part of the wooden blocks that fell on Mrs. Lori''s h.i.p.s while Ethan and Lana took another part of it.


    Mrs. Lori''s body was in a difficult position beneath the rumble, if they took the wrong steps, Bree would be in danger.

 Chapter 585 - A LONG NIGHT (3)

    If they took the wrong movement then Bree would be buried inside these ruins. So that''s why it was crucial for Hope to take Bree as fast as she could before something bad happened.


    "One¡­ Two¡­ Three!" Ian shouted out his instruction as the three of them lifted the heavy piece of the wooden blocks that buried Mrs. Lori''s body. "Hope, take the girl!"


    Hope didn''t need to be told twice as she immediately fell to her feet and pulled Bree''s small body away from her mother''s embrace.This would be the last time and the last moment for the little girl to feel the warmth of her mother.


    "I got her!" Hope crawled back with Bree in her arms as she watched Lana and the siblings put back the heavy piece of wooden blocks, this time, it covered Mrs. Lori''s body completely. They couldn''t see her, but they knew she was there, lying motionlessly, no longer breathing.


    The three of them fell on their back as they were panting, trying to catch a breath.The wounds on their body were not completely healed yet, thus, this extra physical labor exhausted them.


    "How is she?" Ethan asked, panting. He turned his head towards Hope and little Bree.


    "I think she is fine, but she is still unconscious." Hope felt her heart ached. The little girl had to lose her mother this way, at such a young age.


    However, Hope forgot that she was no different from little Bree. She was saved by Serefina when she was only a baby, and also lost both of her parents at such a young age.


    "She will be fine. We can ask the centaurs to do their magic healing on her." Ian reassured Hope as he stood up, approaching the two girls.


    Though they just met for a few days, the siblings really bonded with little Bree. She reminded them of Rossie, their younger sister, who they left back at home. The girl must be very upset if she knew her brothers left her behind for days without a word.


    "I think she injured her head," Ian wiped off the blood that trickled down from Bree''s head. "But, it is not serious."


    Hope wanted to know how Ian knew that the injuries were not serious.But then she remembered that it was one of the perks of being a shapeshifter. Somehow they knew of how bad the condition of the other creatures was.This ability came naturally and they called this instinct. They would know whether their opponents were stronger than them or not. It applied the same in this case.


    "Where is Mr. Lori?" Hope asked. Her head skimmed her surroundings, and watched as Lana moved swiftly to the other part of the rumble.


    She stopped for a moment and sniffed the air, as if she was trying to pick a certain scent, which was true, because she was looking for Mr. Lori''s location.


    A moment later, Lana shouted to the other people, "Over here!" as all they could see was only her waving hand. Apparently she had found where Mr. Lori was.


    Ian helped Hope to stand up and offered her his help to carry Bree. But Hope just waved her hand, at the very least, carrying Bree in her hand, was the only thing she could do to help.


    When they approached where Lana was, deep down Hope wished that nothing bad would happen to Mr. Lori, since Bree had just lost her mother.


    And then, there, Hope saw a figure lying down under a piece of wreckage. She recognized him immediately.


    Of course it was Mr. Lori in his dull blue color robe, the exact same robe that he used when he attended the funeral.


    Hope could feel her heart that was beating so fast, that she hugged Bree closer to her. She clumsily walked on the rumble.


    Oh no, not Mr. Lori too¡­


    Hope fell to her feet next to Mr. Lori with Lana beside her, and the twins sat on the other side of his body.


    "Mr. Lori¡­" Ethan called him, his tone was unsteady as he tried to lift the heavy piece of wreckage off the lower half of Mr. Lori''s body.


    Ian and Lana tried to do the same, yet the wreckage didn''t even budge. And Mr. Lori''s face contorted in every small move that they made.


    They were trying desperately to move the large piece of wood off of him, even with the three shapeshifters there, it didn''t move at all.


    Seeing their efforts were in vain, and it didn''t help Mr. Lori''s condition either, as he was in immense pain right now, they stopped and tried to think of another way to save him.


    Mr. Lori''s eyes were wide and filled with fear, as they could see a dark pool of blood were already formed below his head.


    "It''s okay, we will get you out of this, alright?" Hope tried to console him.Yet, even she knew that those words were merely empty words.


    "We can''t move it," Ethan hissed grimly.


    "We need to find help," Ian looked around in panic.


    "I will go to the village and ask for help," Hope volunteered, she was about to give Bree to Lana when the female werewolf stood up.


    "No, you stay here with them, I will go to the village and ask for help. I can run faster than you." Lana said and shifted into her beast before she rushed towards the direction of the village.


    She was right, in her beast form, Lana could run ten times faster than Hope.


    Ethan attempted once again shoving the wreckage from Mr. Lori''s body, only to be disappointed by his strength. The piece of wood was very firm.


    "It is okay, Mr. Lori. Lana is looking for help," Hope said softly, her voice was shaking as well as her entire body.


    "Bree¡­" he stretched out his trembling hand and Hope moved closer to him so he could see his daughter.


    "She is fine, she is just unconscious, but she will be fine," Hope said hastily.


    "My¡­ wife?" He asked again, but Hope didn''t answer him this time. The look of defeat on Hope''s face showed him the truth more than any spoken words could.


    He just lost his wife.

 Chapter 586 - A LONG NIGHT (4)

    Hope felt her chest caved in painfully when she watched the man start to cry silently upon the loss of his wife. His tears got mixed with the blood below his head.


    Even though they just met a few days ago. But, this husband and wife had been so kind to them. Despite their tense look whenever Kace was nearby, yet it was still understandable.


    Mr. Lori''s wrinkled and worn face contorted in pain as he tried to move, but his attempts were getting weaker and weaker. He was bleeding internally and was running out of time.


    They didn''t know how long Lana would come back with the help that they needed. Normally, it would take them an hour to reach the village, just like when they had to go for the funeral. But maybe Lana could make it in ten or fifteen minutes with her speed¡­


    By then, Hope was afraid that Mr. Lori couldn''t wait that long.


    "Hope¡­ I can''t die. What will Bree become without me? My wife is dead, I am all that she has left," Mr. Lori spoke faintly between his tears as he looked at his unconscious daughter. He coughed and blood bubbled from the corner of his mouth.


    This is not good.


    He stretched out his hand and gripped the edge of Hope''s cloak, the part that he could reach.


    "Please," he begged and Hope could feel her heart was being torn apart.


    If she could, she would do anything, anything, in her power to save him. But¡­ the reality said otherwise, if the three werewolves were not able to do anything for him, what else she could do?


    "Please¡­" his eyes strayed to the twins'' face, pleading.


    "Don''t worry, Mr. Lori¡­ Lana will come with help, when the centaurs are here, they can definitely save you," Ethan said as calmly as he could through his gritted teeth. While Ian averted his eyes. He couldn''t see this.


    On the other hand, Hope had cried in silence as she bit her lips. So she wouldn''t make a sound. She hugged Bree close to her.


    For a moment, there were only grief and hopelessness that engulfed them. And then a solemn look of defeat crossed over Mr. Lori''s fading features. His lower lip trembled when he said.


    "Please¡­ take good care¡­ of Bree¡­" a tear fell in the corner of his eyes.


    Ethan looked more collected than Hope and Ian, as he understood the gravity of the situation.


    Mr. Lori''s time was coming, his consciousness was already slipping away. By the time Lana and the centaurs came, he would have gone.


    "We will." Ethan nodded solemnly as he grabbed Mr. Lori''s hand, giving as much warmth and comfort as he could. "We will take care of Bree. Don''t worry."


    Hope could feel her fat tears streaming down her cheeks. Her heart was breaking. Remorse twisting in her gut.


    There was another silent that ensued.


    The moment Hope and Ian raised their head, Mr. Lori''s glassy and vacant eyes was all they could see. His body stayed still lifelessly as Ethan put his eyelids down slowly, closing the eyes to respectfully give the absolute peace to the deceased.


    It was also Ethan, who took the initiative to tell them what they had to do next.


    "We need to go out of here." Ethan stood up. There was nothing they could do by staying there. "We need to help Kace, and go to the village, maybe we will meet Lana and the centaurs on the way."


    Hope nodded, wiped her tears harshly from her face. This time, she didn''t object when Ian offered his help to carry Bree, because Hope could feel her legs were growing weak.


    Hope watched how Mrs. Lori died, but Mr. Lori¡­ his last words, his hope to be able to live for his daughter, his wish for them to take care of Bree, were something that would always echo inside her head whenever she saw the little girl.


    "Let''s go," Ethan helped Hope to stand up and led them out of the rumble of the house.


    Not far from where they were, they could hear the sound of the white beast. He was growling and howling viciously.


    Only by hearing the sound of it, there was a tacit understanding among the three people, who immediately quickened their paces.


    ''What is happening?'' Hope thought to herself as she ran beside Ethan and locked her eyes at a certain place, where a white beast was standing tall on top of the fallen troll.


    There was something wrong with the beast, Hope could see it from afar. He writhed in pain.


    ''Did the troll manage to hurt him greatly?''


    However, when Hope saw their battle before, it goes without saying that the beast had an upper hand over the troll, so it was most unlikely that the beast would be injured.


    ''So, what happened with Kace?''


    Upon closer look, the three of them could see how the beast snapped his head and tore flesh after flesh of the poor troll, which now seemed to have already died.


    "What now?" Ian, who was carrying little Bree in his arms, took two steps back, he looked too scared to come close to the beast.


    "Hope, I don''t think you want to see this¡­?" Ethan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.


    However, Hope had caught a glimpse of the beast''s odd behavior, thus she swatted Ethan''s hand from her and walked forward.


    With her own eyes, Hope could see another horrible scene. Probably, Hope had had enough with this kind of scene, or maybe she had gotten used to all of these gory mess situations. Not long ago, she had witnessed two people die. She saw a mother sacrificing her life for her daughter, and witnessed the heartbreaking last words of a dying father to his daughter, thus what the white beast did in front of her didn''t even make her flinch.


    Hope just looked sad with her brows knitted together.


    "What is happening to Kace?" She muttered to herself, why did their situation become more and more unpredictable?


    "Look! They are here!" Ian pointed at the distance where Lana and the centaurs rushed in the clearing.

 Chapter 587 - A LONG NIGHT (5)

    A few meters away, they could see Lana''s beast and a few centaurs were running in their full speed towards them.But that wasn''t the thing that made Hope, Ian and Ethan frown.


    The fact that all the centaurs were holding their bow and stretched their arrow as long as the string could stretch out, made Ian curse under his breath.


    "What the hell¡­?" Instinctively, Ian hugged Bree a little bit tighter. Then he slightly turned his body, so he could shield the little girl, in case those centaurs were crazy enough to make them the target of their arrows.


    "Why do they aim at us!?" Ian did the same to Hope, he pulled her behind his back as they watched in horror the determination of Chiron''s expression when he led his people to aim at them.


    However, before the lethal arrows could be released, Chiron roared loudly. "GET DOWN!"


    "What?" Ian knitted his brows, he wanted to ask more, but he felt someone had tugged the back of his robe and forcefully made him kneel.


    Right at the same time, there were around ten to fifteen arrows being released in the air.One or two of the arrows brushed past their head, only slightly an inch from their skin, as they could feel the billowing of the sharp wind that followed its speed.


    Lana was the first who rushed towards the three confused teenagers there, and growled to, whatever, creature behind their back.


    When the centaurs stopped shooting their arrows, only then Hope, Ethan, and Ian dared enough to raise their head, and looked back through their shaking shoulders.Just in time to see the last demon wolf puffed into a black smoke.


    "What?!" Ian''s eyes grew wider, "But, how?!" He was having a hard time forming a full question sentence.


    Yet, it was understandable enough for the rest of them.


    The demon wolves were that close to them.But how could Ian and Ethan couldn''t feel their presence? It wouldn''t be weird if it was Hope, since she was a human. But for the shapeshifters like the siblings,having such danger at that close range like that, and didn''t even realize it, was something questionable.


    "Don''t you even notice that they were around?" Lana shifted back into her human form, as she glowered at Ian and Ethan. She couldn''t understand why they were not aware when those demon wolves were so close and were about to bite off their heads.


    "No," Ian shook his head profusely, "I couldn''t sense them, and neither can I smell them."


    Lana was still staring at him incredulously.


    "It''s weird," Chiron spoke flatly.


    "What about Mr. Lori?" Lana didn''t even bother to discuss this further, as she snapped back to her sense and remembered the reason why she left them.


    Upon hearing Lana mentioned his name, the crestfallen expression crept across the teenagers'' faces as they lowered their head.


    "I am late," Lana concluded. She didn''t seem better after finding out the fact that she just failed to save the father.


    On the other hand, Chiron gave a silent order to Zarrn, who walked away to the rumble of the house with the other three centaurs, probably to retrieve the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Lori. At the very least, that was all they could do for now.


    "What happened to him?" Chiron nodded his head to the white beast, who seemed writhed in pain as he kept tearing flesh after flesh of the dead troll, growling and snarling to nothing in particular.


    "I don''t know¡­" Hope''s voice was barely a whisper as her eyes trailed the magnificent beast.


    Lana furrowed her brows when she realized there was something odd with Kace''s beast behavior.


    "Since when has he been like that?" Chiron asked again. He took a few steps closer towards the beast, only to earn a sharp vicious snarl from him.As if he didn''t recognize him at all.


    "We don''t know. We just came here when Mr. Lori couldn''t make it, and then found that he was already in his current state like this." Ian explained as he hugged little Bree close to him.Occasionally, he would check her breathing by putting his hand in front of her small nostril. Afraid something bad would happen to her.


    Chiron looked at Carina beside him, "What do you think happened to him?"


    Carina squinted her eyes and stood two steps in front of Chiron, "I need to have a closer look, he is too far," she murmured to herself and said a little bit louder. "But, I can assure you this is not black magic."


    If it was not a black magic, so what is it?


    Now, the white beast seemed to be fighting something that they couldn''t see. However, what was he fighting about?


    "What do we have to do now?" Lana felt her heart ache when he saw the white beast was in immense pain.It almost seemed as if the beast ripped the troll apart just to elevate his own pain, which they could see didn''t really help.


    Chiron didn''t answer for a while, as he considered his option. "I think we need to wait.It is too dangerous to go near the beast now." He knew very well, a feral Lycanthropes was not something trivial. They couldn''t put their guards down, or else they would end up in a bad shape, or the worst case was that they could lose their life.


    "Wait? We can''t just wait!" Lana glowered at the centaur, a thick emotion of concern flashed on her eyes. "He is in pain! Why do we have to wait!?"


    "Lana!" Ethan shouted her name in a warning tone. Lana had become unreasonable with her behavior now. He could understand if it was Hope, since she was Kace''s mate.But Lana was¡­ Ethan didn''t know how to put it, but it seemed there was something more in the way Lana saw Kace.


    On the other hand, Hope was aware of Lana''s outburst, just how she was aware of her feelings for Kace. She was not blind to see it.


    However, there was something that couldn''t be explained that drew Hope to walk closer to the beast, and when their eyes locked, everything went completely dark.

 Chapter 588 - SOUL TO SOUL

    Hope was aware of Lana''s feelings for Kace, but at this moment, there was something else that had drawn her attention more than her understanding about that.


    There was something from the beast''s behavior that made Hope couldn''t take her eyes off of him. It was as though he was the gravity of her universe, everything around her was fading away, and even Lana''s outburst was meaningless.


    Her body seemed to have a mind of its own, made Hope walk absentmindedly towards the raging beast. Didn''t really care about the fact that the monster was in the middle of a rampage, and presently acting weird.


    "Hope, what are you doing?" Ethan was the first person who realized what Hope was going to do. He stretched out his hand to grab her wrist, and pulled her back to the safety.


    Lana stopped making a fuss with Chiron when she watched how Hope, all of a sudden, fell to the ground, lost all of her strength along with her consciousness.


    Fortunately, Ethan already held her before her head could hit the ground.


    "Hope!"


    It was the last word that Hope heard from the people around her, before everything went completely dark.


    The last scene that she remembered was when she was staring into the beast''s red eyes.It felt like those eyes could suck her soul out of her body, Hope lost all of her senses.


    It was completely silent¡­ so dark¡­ until a soft sob echoed in this nothingness.


    Who is crying?


    Hope furrowed her brows, she was not sure whether she had opened her eyes or not since the darkness that surrounded her seemed to make no difference.


    And the cry was getting loud, but with strangled sobs.


    Who is there?


    It sounded like a boy. Above of all, Hope was glad she was not alone there.But at the same time, the sound of the cry didn''t settle well with her. Hope felt like she hated whatever the thing that caused this boy to cry.


    Hope was lying on a concrete-like cold floor, her awareness probed tentatively, she wriggled her body and found she was able to move, she raised her hand and rubbed her eyes.


    Only then she realized her eyes were closed this entire time. Hope frowned. How stupid she was¡­


    She didn''t even know whether her eyes were closed or not.


    However, it wasn''t the time to berate herself because she had this sudden urge to come closer to the source of the crying sound.


    And when all of her senses came to function, the chill in the air reached her first.Her body was aching, yet her heart was distraught by the only voice there.


    Hope tried to sit up, but the motion made her head spin, leaning on her forearms, she forced herself to breathe in deeply.


    Hope blinked her eyes, once, twice¡­ to readjust her sight with the light that invaded her vision.


    And then, she found herself there, in the familiar situation that she had seen before.


    It was a young man, burying his face between his knees while he hugged his legs tightly.


    "Hello?" Hope approached that man. She knew who he was. His scent was something that she would always miss. This situation was akin to a lucid dream and d¨¦j¨¤ vu mixed together. "Are you okay?"


    Hope crouched down in front of that man, staring at him, waiting for him to raise his head.Yet, he didn''t do it, neither had he replied to her.Somehow, Hope knew he wouldn''t do it.


    Just like what she had done, not so long ago, Hope stretched out her hand and patted the man''s head. "It''s alright." She said lightly, as soft as she could to console him. "Everything is alright."


    There, Hope felt it. The spark that erupted from her touch. The man also felt the same as he raised his head and stared at her with his deep ocean blue eyes.


    It was Kace. Of course it was him. His ocean blue eyes were something that Hope loved the most.It always felt like she could lose herself in those beautiful blue colors.


    Hope remembered, this was the last scene that happened last time before Hope was awakened from her afternoon nap when Kace was still unconscious because of the aftermath battle.


    "Why are you crying?" Hope asked the teenage version of Kace, as he looked at her with confused eyes.


    He didn''t answer.


    Hope crossed her legs and sat in front of him, hand still patting his head as she smiled reassuringly to him.


    "You never cry in front of me." Hope thought this would be a long conversation, thus she adjusted her sitting position to make herself more comfortable. The boy didn''t answer her, but he was still staring at the girl in front of him. "You always smile, and it went down to me thinking that you never had any problem."


    A fat tear fell on his cheek that she brushed it away with her sleeves harshly.


    "I think I was wrong for thinking that way, because¡­ who doesn''t have problems and difficulties in this troublesome life, right?"


    The boy still didn''t answer her, but his blue eyes flickered with something that Hope could tell as¡­ an eagerness? Hope was not sure.


    "But, why don''t you share it with me?"


    Though Hope didn''t know where she was now, or what kind of situation that she was in, or why she met this younger version of Kace. But one thing that she was sure about this roller coaster situation was that being here with Kace, calming her nerves.


    Hope felt like she had a purpose to be here, to meet him, in this absurd condition and place. She felt very close to Kace in this moment.


    Felt much closer than the times they had spent together.


    Weird isn''t it?


    Yet, that was what she felt now.


    "You said I am your mate, your soul mate. Don''t you think our bond is something special?" Hope played with his curly black hair, just the way Kace always played with hers.


    "¡ªme," Kace mumbled.


    "Hmm?" Hope leaned over. ??I am sorry, what was that? I didn''t hear you."


    Kace glanced over his shoulder, "The beast scares me."

 Chapter 589 - HIS MATE

    Fear and anxiety were written all over Kace''s face when he said that.And then, he lowered his head again.


    "The beast scares you?" Hope repeated what he said and stretched out her arms to hug him.


    Kace didn''t move, he stayed still when Hope engulfed him in her warm embrace. She rested her chin on top of his head.Though this position hurt her knees, Hope stayed that way anyway.


    "Why are you scared of the beast?" Hope asked again, she stroke Kace''s back soothingly. "Isn''t the beast a part of you?"


    Hope could feel Kace shook his head as he muttered. "No, I don''t want him¡­ he''s so mean."


    A frown crept over Hope''s face when she heard that, yet she didn''t say anything and let Kace finish his words.


    "He wants to kill everything. He always forces me to kill." Kace shook his head once again. "I don''t want it."


    Hope fell silent for a moment, when she thought about this before she said, "Can I meet the beast?"


    Kace''s body was shivering when he heard what Hope was saying, he shook his head again. "I am afraid." His hands that hugged his legs, now hugged Hope''s slim waist. "He is angry now,"


    "Why is he angry?" Hope kept asking, as she occasionally would look around her, hoping she would see the beast there.


    "I don''t know," Kace said softly. "Maybe because he hates me."


    Hope kissed his head. "He doesn''t hate you."


    "He hates me. I am not competent. I am not like my brothers." Kace sobbed softly.


    "No," Hope shook her head. "Don''t say something like that."


    "The beast scares me," Kace repeated his words.


    And then, Hope saw it. There it was, the magnificent white beast, prowling behind Kace just ten meters away from them. His red eyes locked on the boy in Hope''s arms as he let out a grimly snarl.


    The young version of Kace whimpered out of fear, as he buried his head on Hope''s shoulder.His body shivered uncontrollably.


    Once again, the beast howled viciously when he saw how the boy reacted upon his appearance.


    He hated it when Kace was acting weak.Especially in front of his mate. Somehow, Hope knew it just by seeing his eyes. His bloody red eyes.


    In the next second Hope locked her eyes with the beast. And then, there was a bright light, suddenly everything changed again in a split of moment.


    Hope felt like she was just being teleported back to reality from a different dimension, as she heard many concerned voices that called her name.


    "Hope?"


    It was Ethan''s voice, even in her groggy state, Hope was still able to differentiate the twin''s voice.


    Hope''s eyes snapped open at the sound of other voices around her. There were Lana, the twins, and Carina, who were standing over her limp body.


    When Hope''s senses started to kick in, she grabbed Ian''s arms and stared at him wide-eyed. "What happened?"


    "I don''t know, you just fell unconscious all of a sudden," Ian answered, with a puzzled look on his face.


    With the help of Lana, Hope tried to sit down, leaning her body to Ethan, while Carina was staring at her intently, concern etched on her face.


    "How long was I out?" Hope'' voice came out as a whisper.


    "Only a minute or two," Ethan replied.


    When Hope still gathered her bearing, and her mind was still reeling the moment that she just experienced a while ago. It didn''t look like she was just out for a minute or two, she heard a loud sound that came from behind her back.


    Hope startled when she remembered that they were still in the middle of something before she fell into that weird dream, or it was not a dream at all¡­


    Hope turned around, as she watched in horror when the centaurs tried to hold back the angry white beast.


    "What happened?" Hope tried to stand up by holding onto Ethan, "Why didn''t Kace shift back?"


    The angry white beast wanted to get close to Hope''s small group, but the centaurs tried to divert his attention by trying to put a thick rope around its body.


    If what Ethan said was true, that Hope was only out for one or two minutes.Then, it seemed that amount of time was enough for the beast to overpower ten centaurs around him, despite their vigorous effort. Probably, it just needed three more minutes before there was the first victim.


    "I don''t know why he doesn''t shift back, it seems like he has lost himself to his beast again," Ian fidgeted when he watched the white beast''s fangs graze one of the centaur'' body.


    They needed to do something about this or else, not only those centaurs would be in danger, but also Kace would be swallowed by his own regrets the moment he snapped out of this situation now.


    "Yeah, but this time it is worse. He lost it when he was in his beast form," Ian added.


    "We need to do something before there is casualty," Lana mumbled, she shifted her feet uncomfortably when she watched how easy it was for the white beast to take down three centaurs that were coming to his way, now he was coming closer to them. "I will go and help the centaurs," Lana declared. She was getting anxious because she was worried about Kace.


    However, before Lana could shift into her beast form, and joined the crowd to restrain the white beast, there was a hand that held her back.


    "I will do it," Hope said calmly.


    "What? No!" There was a cohesive answer behind Hope that came from the siblings after they heard her intention.But, Hope chose to ignore them, and walked forward.


    "No, Hope!" Lana twisted her hand, and held the girl''s shoulder instead of stopping her gently. "Do you think you can stop him?" she asked incredulously.


    Hope turned around, and watched how Lana''s eyes flickered with incredulity. There was a tinge of annoyance as well.


    "You are not a shifter. You are just a human.He could kill you in no time," Lana spoke rightfully.


    Yes, Hope understood what Lana felt about Kace, but it didn''t mean she could treat her like she was nothing.


    Smiling, Hope answered her, "But, I am his mate."

 Chapter 590 - A NAME TO CALL HIM

    Hope could see how Lana''s expression became slightly uncomfortable. Although she tried to hide it with an awkward soft smile, then the hand that grabbed Hope''s shoulder, loosened.


    "I know, but¡­" Lana took a deep breath. She was trying to put her reason in words for Hope. "But, the fact that you are just a human, puts you in a higher chance of getting hurt. If the beast strikes you, there is a high chance you will die."


    Despite Lana''s remark that also made sense, but that was not her true reason. She knew it was wrong to be manipulative, but she wanted to take more roles in this situation. And her desires of proving herself, so that Kace could notice her effort and genuine feeling, was hard to suppress.


    "He will not hurt me," Hope stated. Even she herself was shocked at the confidence in her voice. How did she know that the white beast wouldn''t tear her body apart the moment she walked close to him?


    Yet, just as weird as it sounded, Hope believed he wouldn''t do anything that would harm her. She didn''t know where she got this confidence from.Maybe, it was the bond between them? Or, the images that she had been seeing these past few days.


    The white beast that turned into the fireflies, Kace who lost himself over his beast, the younger version of Kace who was crying out of his fear, and the white beast that looked into her eyes and seemed to want to say something as he growled at the crying boy in her arms.


    Those things seemed not related to each other, but somehow Hope could feel there was something that either the beast or Kace wanted to say his deepest feeling to her.


    "How do you know that? How can you be sure that he will not hurt you?" Lana squinted her eyes. It was clear that she was annoyed by Hope''s sudden behavior. "Did he say it to you?" she sneered.


    Even Ethan and Carina could feel this slightest hostility from the way Lana spoke to Hope this time.


    Her desires to do something for Kace overwhelmed her. She had been feigning indifference since Kace and Hope''s relationship escalated real fast.But only for this moment, she was unwilling to give the spotlight to Hope if she managed to tame the beast.Although oddly, she believed Hope would succeed.


    "He didn''t say it to me, but there is something that words couldn''t explain that heart could feel." Hope put down Lana''s hand from her shoulder. "Lana, I love you. You''re a sister to me. Please, don''t make things difficult for all of us."


    There was another meaning behind Hope''s words and it hit Lana deeply.


    She knew it.


    Hope knew her feelings for Kace, right?


    If only Hope had a remarkable hearing ability, she would hear how frantic Lana''s heart pounding in her chest right now. Unfortunately, she didn''t have it in her.


    Hope gave her a soft and harmless smile. She meant her words that she loved her, but she hoped Lana would stop to harbor that feeling for Kace. She would only hurt herself. Didn''t she know that?


    Of course, Lana knew that she would be the one who would get hurt in the end. But sometimes, people liked to deceive themselves for something that they couldn''t get.Wallowing in their pain, instead of doing what they had to do, they still held that tiny shard of false hope.


    "I will be fine," Hope shrugged her shoulder. "Beast or not, he is still Kace."


    It was true, though his human''s side and his beast were contradicting each other, but it was still him.


    Hope turned around, and looked at the beast, which was still trying to get rid of all of the nuisances around him. She took steady steps, as if she was strolling through a courtyard filled with roses and lushes, instead of walking straight towards an angry beast that was hard to tame.


    "Hope! Are you crazy?! Come back here!" Ian was about to pull Hope back, reasoned with her to stay. Because Lana let her go just like that. Why didn''t Lana stop her? They were only exchanging a few words and Lana had back down?


    "Let her," Ethan said as his arm around his dense twin''s neck. "If she said she can, let her try."


    "What do you mean let her try? Do you think she is able to stand one strike from the beast?" Ian glared at Ethan.


    Ian didn''t answer him, he just rolled his eyes incredulously, while Carina¡­ the female centaur had her eyes glued on Hope''s back.


    Under Lana''s indiscernible eyes, Hope walked closer to the commotion.


    "What are you doing here!?" Chiron was shocked when he saw Hope was only a few meters away from them, while the beast was getting more and more aggravated by the rope that the centaurs threw at him in order to tie him down.


    "It''s going to be okay, let me talk to him," Hope replied to Chiron as she locked her eyes on the beast.


    "It''s dangerous!" Chiron warned her. "He doesn''t know what he is doing now!"


    Hope shook her head, but didn''t slow her paces. "No, he knows what he wants, but because you are trying to get in his way, he is kind of upset."


    Chiron scrutinized Hope''s expression for a moment, wanting to make sure that the girl knew what she was doing, before he said hesitantly. "Are you sure? What do you think he wants?"


    For now, Hope had already stood beside Chiron with the white beast locked his red bloody eyes at her.


    The girl smiled when she tilted her head and looked at the chief of the centaurs. "Of course." She nodded to emphasize her words.


    "So, what do you think he wants?" Chiron glanced at the beast, which had stopped struggling as his focus was on the girl beside him.


    "Me." Hope''s smile widened and then she shifted her attention towards the white beast, and opened both of her arms. "Right, Wolfie?"


    It was the name that Hope always used when she was little to call the white beast.

 Chapter 591 - YES, MY LOVELY

    Though it sounded clich¨¦, and Hope''s behavior didn''t reflect the urgency of their situation now. But, in reality,the white beast reacted to that.He snarled at the other centaurs that were still preventing him from approaching his mate. He bared his blade-sharp-like fangs as he tried to bite off the horse''s body of one of the centaurs near him.


    Fortunately, that young centaur had a good reflex to dodge the lethal attack that was thrown at him, or else, he would end up like the poor giant troll, whose body could no longer be recognized.


    "Tell your people to move away," Hope said to Chiron, who was now following behind her closely.


    However, when the beast saw this, he wasn''t pleased at all as he shifted his attention towards Chiron. Then he sent a long vicious growl at the chief of the centaurs.


    Chiron knitted his brows, since he could feel the hostility that the beast directed towards him. "Are you sure?"


    "A hundred percent." Hope nodded decisively.


    Chiron raised his hand and stopped walking to follow Hope, as he watched how the girl strolled across the clearing to meet her mate.


    Chiron was aware that the mate bond was very strong, and this kind of gift was not something that could be taken lightly. He knew that there was something magical between the mate bond bearers. That one couldn''t explain or put into the right word.


    Hope stretched out her arms when she was close enough to the white beast.Even without amazing hearing ability, Hope could still feel the tension from the people, no, those supernatural creatures, behind her.She could hear their breath come to stop with every move that she took.


    The white beast''s familiar red eyes stared straight back into Hope''s, after he made sure those lowly creatures wouldn''t intervene anymore.


    The moment when Hope''s hand touched the white tufts of his fur, right away calmness washed over the beast. It was like a form of relief and something else that Hope couldn''t put her finger on.


    Though just a moment ago, this exact same beast just slaughtered a giant troll, whose size was twice as big as the beast'' body.But Hope knew this was the same beast, who would allow her to scramble on his back and fall asleep covered by its warm fur.


    A part of Hope, no, the whole part of her believed that Kace would never hurt her.


    Never.


    Hope''s stroke the beast''s ears carefully.Sure this probably looked like a suicide mission.But, fear never came to her heart.


    Kace growled loudly at Hope, causing all the birds and wildlife to flee at hearing such a feral and predator-like noise.


    The centaurs and the shapeshifters behind Hope tensed as the hairs on their body stood on end in response, and had to stop the urge to cower back.


    In spite of Kace''s vicious growl, Hope could see all of the insecurities, worries, and love were shining in the depths of his beautiful eyes.


    Hope held her ground and didn''t even flinch when she wrapped her arms around the beast''s neck.


    "It''s alright, everything is all right now. We are fine. I am fine," Hope whispered softly.


    How could she be scared of the man who chose to love her so unconditionally, and doted on her with everything he had? The man, who literally had known her for her entire life.


    Why would Hope choose to run from him, when he needed her the most at this time, just because of a mere menacing growl?


    Regardless what form he took, whether it was the beast, or the young crying boy, he was still Kace.


    Hope could feel the beast sniffing her hair, and then the air, as his snout lifted high, looking for any form of danger around them.


    After a while, Hope released the beast and stared into his, still, blood-colored red eyes, while he narrowed down to meet hers. His head lowered until his snout was only inches from Hope''s nose.


    Hope reached a hand out to touch his fur again, but then his ears perked up because of the slight noise behind Hope.


    It was Bree.


    Apparently, the little girl had woken up from her unconscious state, and was looking for her parents.


    It broke everyone''s heart when the girl didn''t stop calling for her mother and father.But Ethan, who was carrying her, couldn''t let her see her parents in such condition.


    The beast c.o.c.ked his head to the side, and trailed his eyes back to his mate.


    Hope curled her fingers around a tuft of his fur, and cupped his wolf face as she stared directly to his red eyes. "Shift back for me, okay?"


    The beast didn''t respond to her plea, he was still alarmed by the centaurs'' presence there.He seemed to not like it when the other creatures were too close to him, or too close to his mate.


    But then, after a few words from Hope, Kace''s paw turned into hands, which curled around her body, and his white fur turned into flesh.


    Within seconds, Kace had shifted back into his human''s form.


    "Hope¡­" was all he said before he fell on her laps, with his eyes closed and shallow breath.


    ==============


    Hope was sitting on the ground, beside Kace''s body.


    They were inside the Centaurs'' den since they couldn''t take her to the village, fearing her scent would drive another attack from the demon wolves.


    The village was in complete ruined condition to be able to hold back the second attack.Thus, here she was, coiling her body beside Kace, who was still asleep.


    This place was like a hut, an ugly one.Since those centaurs lived in the wild, so there was no way they could provide her with the luxury that humans needed.


    Hope yawned because she couldn''t fall asleep. It had been two days since that dreadful night, and Kace hadn''t given any sign of waking up. And because Kace was in this condition, so did Lana.


    "Hey, wake up." Hope poked Kace''s cheek with her finger lightly, and turned around to look at the window when she heard a gruff voice.


    "Yes, my lovely¡­"

 Chapter 592 - HOLD BACK

    Hope turned her head towards Kace, and watched how the big bad lycan tried to sit down with a groan. "My¡­ lovely?" the corner of Hope''s lips twitched with that endearing word. She had heard this before.


    Kace supported his head on his palm while he was sitting crossed legs, and tilted his head at Hope.With his sleepy eyes, he stared at her. "Yes, don''t you like it lovely? Lovely Hope, my lovely Hope," he mused with his own words.


    "Oh, not this again," Hope groaned. She really wanted to face palm herself for this situation.


    She thought after that night, the beast would stop and Kace would come back.But, after hearing the first sentence that came out from his mouth the moment he opened his eyes, Hope was a hundred percent sure that this was not the case she thought would turn out.


    "Why? Don''t you like to see me?" Kace frowned upon seeing Hope''s reaction. "Aren''t you glad? I thought you will be happy, and cry a river for me as you throw yourself and hug me tightly, the second you see me wake up, isn''t that what you want?"


    Hope rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "You need to get over yourself."


    "Why?" Kace knitted his brows, apparently, his decision to sit down all of a sudden made him a little bit dizzy. After all, it had been two days since he was out, thus his abrupt move didn''t help his case.


    "Happy, yes. Cry a river and throw myself to you, no." Hope glared at Kace, pouting her lips. How could this beast be so daring to come up with that idea?


    Well, normal Kace was also a bold person with such a tease personality, but this beast took it to another level. While Kace was a reserved man, even though he would tease her in every given opportunity, but his beast was¡­


    "Don''t you want to give me a kiss?" he asked sullenly.


    He really had a serious case of split personality. Other people would think that he must be having two personalities that contradicting each other, living in one body. Which, at some point was not wrong, since his beast would see Kace''s magnanimous human side, was a form of weakness.


    "No," Hope replied readily.


    "What a cold answer," he grumbled. "I remembered how bold you were when you approached me that night, weren''t you afraid that I was going to tear you apart?"


    Hope answered him without hesitation. "No, you will not do that." Then she added. "I will not be here if you do that."


    "Right," Kace nodded. "You are right." and then he leaned over, and rested his throbbing forehead on her shoulder. "I will never have a shred of courage to hurt you even when I lost myself."


    Hope already knew that. She had proved it herself.


    "Oh, you smell so nice¡­" Kace dr.a.p.ed his strong arms around Hope''s waist as he pulled her closer so his mate could lean back on his broad chest.


    Hope was alarmed, yet the warm breath of him that brushed her nape made her body shivered involuntarily. "Kace¡­" her voice came out raspy.


    "I really want to mark you." His voice filled with longing as he grazed his teeth on Hope''s neck.


    "No." Hope''s eyes opened wide. She was still reeling by the thought Kace would dig his canines beneath her skin, and tore her flesh.Moreover, Kace said it himself that the process could be dangerous if they weren''t careful enough on handling it.


    Feeling Hope''s body tensed, the beast chuckled lightly. "Don''t worry I will not do it without your consent." He kissed her hair. "But I can''t promise you I won''t, if you keep on seducing me."


    "Why on earth do you think I seduced you?!" Hope''s face burned red. This beast was really annoying! What made him get the idea that Hope was seducing him?! When they were just talking?


    Hope felt there was a rumble on his chest when he laughed heartily. Well, at least there was one of them, which was in a good mood.


    "I am hungry, let''s get something to eat. I smell something nice out there, the centaurs must be roasting a rabbit right now." Kace raised his nose and sniffed the air.


    Hope shrugged her shoulders and looked at the wooden door of the hut, "They will come to deliver food here."


    Although Hope was saying that casually, Kace picked something out with her tone. "What happened?"


    "Well, I can''t get out of this hut, since my scent will invite another demon, beast, or troll again," Hope exaggerated the way she talked. She almost died of boredness for being inside this hut.


    In order to mask her scent, the centaur put her in the middle of their den, and surrounded this hut.So that her scent would get mixed up with theirs. Not only that, they would often roast rabbit or chicken to add more smelly scent around the hut.


    Hope could say that method was effective, because these past two days had been uneventful. No giant troll, no demon wolves. Great. However, Hope was really bored. She felt like she was a prisoner.


    The centaurs said that they would try to find the cloak that Lydia had given to her, but it was unsure when they could find it.


    From the window, she could see the sun had just risen, and it left a beautiful hue of orange color on the horizon.


    "Don''t worry, if they come, I will fight them again," Kace said with confidence.


    "No!" Hope objected. "No more fight, you need to heal your wound!" she said sternly.


    Hope had seen the wound on Kace''s back, as it became uglier than before. Carina said it was because he had exerted himself.


    "You are no fun at all," Kace grumbled, burying his nose on her shoulder sullenly.


    Right at that time, Ian came inside the hut with a plate of breakfast for Hope.His cheerful voice travelled into the hut before they could see them.


    "Hope! We roasted a rabbit for you!" He opened the door of the hut, and shock was written all over his face. "It''s still early, can you guys hold back a little?!"

 Chapter 593 - THE SLEEPING BEAST

    The first thing that Ian witnessed was the way Kace cuddled Hope in his arms. This scene alone was very intimate to be presented early in the morning. What were the two of them thinking?


    Hope just realized her position and struggled to free herself, only to be hugged even tighter. "No, this is not what you think!" she panicked. This was indeed a very awkward and suggestive position.


    "Don''t worry, I will not think anything outrageous." Ian held his right hand up as he walked with a plate full of roasted rabbit, yet his expression told Hope otherwise. This boy indeed had thought of something outrageous.


    "Seriously!" Hope rolled her eyes exasperatedly. Kace also didn''t help at all by being all clingy like this, hugging her, acting like he was a five year old boy. What happened to this man''s personality and behavior?


    There were many sides of Kace that Hope had discovered, but it seemed like it didn''t stop there.Her gut feeling was telling her that there will be more to discover that would shock her.


    "You are awake!" Ian spoke cheerfully, smoothly changed the topic as he put down the plate in front of Hope.


    This small hut didn''t have a bed or anything alike at all. Thus, Hope and Kace had been lying on a stack of haystacks where they slept all this time.


    Hope couldn''t say it was convenient, but she knew she couldn''t complain about their current situation. Or otherwise, she would look like an ungrateful brat.


    "Bring another plate for me, pup. I am hungry," Kace said in his guttural voice, when he watched how Ian was sitting across from Hope. He didn''t like this boy, because of the way he touched and being near his mate more than necessary.


    He watched how intimate the two of them when they shared a joke or two.Or whenever they were talking, Hope would occasionally slap Ian''s arms playfully and Ian would do the same.


    Well, the beast didn''t like it when another man touched his mate, especially when she had not bear her mark yet.


    "Huh?" Ian raised his eyebrows questioningly. It wasn''t the order that surprised him, but the hostility in Kace''s tone that made him give Hope a look. "Sure."


    "So, what are you waiting for!?" Kace glowered, and Hope pinched his arms to warn him.


    "You don''t have to snap at him." Hope frowned, and the beast hid his face behind her neck again, grumbling something incoherently.


    "What happened?" Ian was at loss, but then he remembered. "He is¡­" his voice trailed off.


    Despite Ian not finishing his words, Hope understood what he wanted to say. "Yes, he is," she said helplessly.


    Ian grimaced when he heard that, he thought the beast wouldn''t come to the surface again after that night. However, seeing Lana''s condition now, it seemed Kace''s human side was too weak to restrain the beast, thus his beast was the one who took his consciousness over instead.


    At least, that was what Ian understood from Ethan''s long explanation about there was the possibility of how the beast would be the one that they would meet, once Kace had regained his consciousness.


    It seemed like constant battle had worn Kace out.


    And now Ethan was following Carina, almost, everywhere. Talking about the constellations, and whatever the stuffs that Ian couldn''t comprehend, leaving him alone to babysit little Bree.


    "Alright, I will get you some food, and call Carina over to check up on Kace." Ian realized his presence there was no longer wanted from the way Kace behaved.


    "Just bring the food. You don''t need to bring the centaur." Kace scoffed. This beast was akin to a cranky little child, who just woke up from his sleep.


    "Ask Carina to come quickly," Hope said, contradicting Kace''s words. There was a grumble from Kace behind her.But she could care less about his dislike towards the female centaur.


    If the beast wanted to take over Kace''s consciousness, then he had to stop complaining and get along with the others as well. After all, they were in this mission together and plus, the centaurs were doing nothing but helping them.


    "Oh, right." Ian turned around to say something that he almost forgot because of Kace. "The centaur went to the place where you dropped your cloak before, let''s hope your cloak is still there."


    ==============


    Carina came in after fifteen minutes Ian went out of the hut, she brought a concoction for Kace''s wound.Though it didn''t help to heal it, the female Centaur said that it would help keep the wound from getting worse.


    The beast, of course, was being annoying and would growl threateningly when Carina came close to him.


    It was Hope, who would glower back to stop him from making any scene.


    And apparently, the beast''s condition was not in a good state, because as soon as he ate all the food that was served for him, he would fall asleep again, exhausted. This made Hope even more worried.


    Fortunately, after the exhausting morning and afternoon, there came good news from the centaurs. They succeed in finding the cloak.


    In another word, once Kace had regained his strength for another long walk, they would be ready to set off to the Uzu Mountain.


    Kace was still fast asleep when Hope used her cloak, and walked out of the hut, to feel the night breeze after two days straight she couldn''t go anywhere. She wanted to see Lana''s condition.


    However, Hope missed little Bree, when she took a detour to go to Lana''s hut.


    Bree was walking straight to Hope''s hut, there was a bucket of wild flowers in her little arms. Hope had said that once she found her cloak she would take her to her parent''s grave.


    On the other hand, the centaurs were used to seeing the little girl around. That was why no one would have thought Bree would come to Hope''s hut alone, with the beast inside.


    "Hope?" Bree called her when she entered the hut.It was her first time to come inside, because before they wouldn''t allow her to come to this place. "Are you there?"

 Chapter 594 - AGAIN!

    The girl didn''t see Hope, but she saw there was someone sleeping with a blanket covering the entire body.


    Bree thought it was Hope, who was lying down, fast asleep as the blanket covered her body. Therefore, with a bucket of flowers in her hands, she walked closer while calling her name.


    "Hope?" Bree blinked her eyes because the light in the room was dim.It was not enough to provide the light that she needed to see.The only light that illuminated the room was the flames from the bonfire outside, since the moon was covered by the cloud. "Hope, wake up, you have been sleeping the whole day."


    The little girl took off her slippers when she got into the haystack and poked the person''s shoulder, who she thought was Hope.


    On the other hand, Kace was in his deep slumber, when a foreign scent invaded his nose. The smell of flowers and it was quite strong.


    ''Does Hope bring flowers into the hut?'' Kace scrunched his nose, as the scent was growing thicker. ''Why would she bring something like that?''


    The beast was not fully awake yet, thus he was still not aware when Bree came closer to him, thinking he was Hope.


    Only when she poked his shoulder that Kace''s eyes snapped open as he turned his body real quick and startled the little girl.


    Bree fell on her back, and her mouth was ajar when she watched it was Kace.


    But, the beast disliked this little human near him as his canines elongated.


    ==============


    Hope was entering Lana''s hut. It was Ian and Ethan, who would report to her about Lana''s condition when Hope was still inside her own hut, and was not allowed to go out.


    And now, Hope had her cloak back, she could roam around this place without being worried about those evil creatures that would hunt her down again.


    Though this cloak already had holes here and there, it was clean enough for her to use, since there was a female centaur who had washed it for her.


    "How is Lana?" Hope asked the moment she stepped inside the hut.Her eyes immediately found Lana''s figure that was lying on the same haystack that Hope used to sleep back in her hut.But, because this place was smaller than hers, now with the four of them inside, Hope had to exchange places with Ethan if she wanted to see Lana closer.


    "She has a fever," Ethan replied with his brows knitted together as he watched Lana''s condition.


    "It is not common for shapeshifters to have a fever," Ian explained. He was sitting beside Lana''s feet, while Hope was sitting near Lana''s head. "We don''t easily get sick."


    "Well, we know why she is sick," Ethan said as he sat, while hugging his long legs behind Hope. "I don''t think she will be able to join us to Mount Uzu in her current condition."


    Hope nodded.


    Chiron said it would take four days to reach Mount Uzu. Lana wouldn''t be able to withstand such a long trip. No, not when her condition was like this.


    "But, how can we leave her behind?" Ian mumbled. He didn''t want to be left behind, and took care of Lana. Especially if he had to stay with those centaurs, it would be the most uncomfortable experience for him. As selfish as it sounded, he didn''t know Lana very well and didn''t have that kind of bond that Hope shared with the female werewolf.


    However, he would feel bad to voice out what he was actually thinking. After all, they were in this mission together.


    "We''ll talk about this to Chiron, and hear what he has in mind," Hope decided, since Kace was nowhere to be helpful to ask an opinion from for this moment.


    There was a moment of silence after the siblings mumbled their agreement. Then, Ethan opened the hut''s door, and poked his head outside as if he was trying to look for someone.


    "What happened?" Hope caught that gesture, and became curious.


    "Bree didn''t come with you?" Ethan asked.


    "Bree?" Hope frowned. "No. Ah, right¡­ where is she? I had not seen her since this morning."


    "She went with Carina to pick some flowers, she said you will take her to her parent''s grave once you found your cloak. That''s why, when she heard you had it, she insisted on going to pick some flowers," Ian explained.


    "A moment ago, she said she will come to your hut, to show you the flowers that she had picked. You didn''t see her on your way here?" Ian closed the hut''s door again, and watched as Hope shook her head with knitted brows.


    Hope gave some thought, "maybe because I took a detour to come here, that''s why I missed her¡­" she contemplated.


    "Hm, maybe¡­" Ian''s voice trailed off, but then the realization hit him. "So, where is she now? Don''t tell me¡­"


    Ian didn''t finish his sentence when he looked at the other two people there, but from the horror that flashed on their eyes, he knew they were in the same understanding.


    Hope and Ethan sprung to their feet and rushed out of the hut.


    It didn''t mean that Hope believed Kace would do any harm on the girl, but¡­ the beast¡­ he had an unpredictable temper.


    ==============


    When Ethan, and Hope reached her hut with Ian following behind them, they could hear a low whimper from inside.


    Hope''s heart pounded on her chest as she imagined the worst case scenario.


    "Kace!" Ethan was the first person who opened the door hut, and readied himself to shift if the situation forced him to do so.


    Hope came in second, and her eyes widened when she watched what was happening inside the hut.


    Flowers scattered everywhere, while there the beast was, standing tall in front of them, with little Bree in his arms. Kace held her with one arm by the back of her cloak, now she looked like a little puppy that was holding its scruff.


    "Take her out!" Kace grunted while throwing Bree towards Ethan.


    It was a good thing that the werewolf had an amazing reflex, so Ethan could catch the girl just in time.


    Yet, Bree squalled in delight. "Again! Again!"

 Chapter 595 - LITTLE KITTEN

    The little girl struggled to go down from Ethan''s arms and was about to go straight towards Kace again with both of her hands held high, and a bright smile on her cherry lips.


    "Again! Again! Bree wants to be thrown again!" she moved swiftly right under the eyes of the four people inside the hut.


    Hope, and the siblings were too shocked to be able to get her back when she bumped into Kace''s legs.


    "Up! Up!" Bree squalled.


    Before, every time she wanted to approach Kace, her parents would prevent her to do so.Because they were afraid of him. Different from her parents, Bree had always been curious about the beast since they lived under the same roof, but the two of them never interacted.


    Kace looked down at the little human, who was trying to climb his body. His brows knitted, but he didn''t move and just stared at her.


    "Come here Bree, let''s play with me," Ian hastily rushed forward and picked Bree up from the ground, before the beast changed his mind and did something outrageous to endanger the little girl''s life.


    "No!" Bree pouted and stretched out her arms towards Kace when Ian carried her out of the hut.


    They still could hear her protest when Ian took her somewhere, only when Ian persuaded her to pick another bucket of flowers, then the girl stopped complaining and went along with him.


    "Where are you going?" Kace asked Hope as he strode across this small room and hugged her tightly. "I miss you."


    Hope rolled her eyes dramatically. He just woke up now and said he missed her? "I went to see Lana." There was a scoff from Kace as a reply. "She is sick because she is attached to you. It must be the result of the oath that both of you took."


    "She is sick because she is weak, just like my human side," Kace grumbled and released Hope. "I see you got your cloak already," he said it distastefully since he couldn''t smell Hope''s intoxicating scent, it quite pissed him off.


    "Yeah, they found it," Hope mumbled.


    Upon seeing the closeness between the couple, Ethan was slightly trapped feeling awkward to stay there, thus he cleared his throat and walked away clumsily while saying; "I will go to see Ian and Bree."


    However, Hope chimed in. "I will go too, I don''t want to be trapped inside this hut again, I need some fresh air!" She followed Ethan.


    And of course since Hope was not there, the beast would proceed to go out of the hut too.


    With his hand dr.a.p.ed on Hope''s slender waist protectively.The two of them and Ethan, who was walking two steps ahead from them, strolled towards the clearing where not many centaurs were there.


    From this clearing they could see the village not too far from where they were standing and, the supposed to be the Loris'' family house, was in the opposite direction. They could only see a pile of rubble from a distance.


    In front of them, Ian and Bree were picking some wild flowers near the trees.Kace could hear what the little girl was rumbling about and how patient Ian was in responding to her every babble.


    Hope swatted his hands away from her waist and raised her hands while stretching her tired body. "It feels so good!" Hope squalled as she closed her eyes to feel the chilly night wind swirled her hair and cloak.


    Both of them walked slowly as they enjoyed the scenery, despite what had happened, it was a good thing that they could have some peace for themselves, at times like this.


    "So, when will we go?" Kace broke the silence between them as he watched Ethan who joined Ian and Bree to pick up some flowers, not too far from them.


    Hope whipped her head, caught off guard by his questions. "I thought you wouldn''t like it if we went to find the priestess."


    The beast scoffed, "You will not stop until we meet the priestess and find Lydia, right?"


    Hope grinned. "This is for you too."


    "Is there something that I can do to change your mind, and carry you out of this place?" Kace raised his brows, provokingly as he already knew what Hope''s answer would be.


    "No."


    "Then, let''s meet the priestess and find the witch, so we can go out of this damn place as soon as possible," he grumbled, actually he didn''t like this plan.


    "Good," Hope said cheerfully and hugged him. Finally they were on the same page. It was very tiring to have to argue with him all the time.


    Right at that time, Bree screeched and let out a low feeble sound.


    "What happened?" Hope mumbled, but Kace had grabbed her hand to approach the little girl and the twins.


    Upon closer look, they could see Bree was on the verge of crying.


    "What happened?" Kace asked with a frown.


    Hearing his gruff voice, Bree put down her hands and ran toward Kace, hugging his legs while her hand pointed at Ian accusingly. "He scared the kitten," Bree snuffled.


    Hope squatted down and pulled Bree close to her. Because the little girl didn''t get any response from Kace, she let Hope hug her and said the same thing.


    "No!" Ian waved his hands frantically. "I didn''t mean to scare the kitten, how do I know that she wanted to catch the kitten."


    However, Bree was crying again. "Bree was talking to the kitten, but Ian scared her."


    "Ian!" Hope hissed.


    "Wait!" he held his hand up. "Why do you blame it on me? I am innocent."


    They were trying to make Bree to stop crying, even Ian was forced to shift into his beast form by Ethan, yet the beast was not as cute as the kitten, and Bree looked at him sullenly.


    They didn''t even realize that Kace wasn''t there.Only when there was a rustling sound and his voice came all of a sudden, did they realize that he briefly disappeared and just came back?


    "Here''s your kitten, now stop crying." Kace held a yellow little kitten in his hand by its scruff.

 Chapter 596 - THE STRONG PULL

    Bree raised her head when she heard the feeble meow from the little kitten, which was hanging helplessly by its scruff.


    A bright smile appeared on her lips as she approached Kace, jumping in happiness, stretching her arms to receive the kitten.


    "Careful," Kace grumbled as he put the yellow little kitten in Bree''s arms gently.


    Ethan and Ian who witnessed this were exchanging a look, it surprised them that the beast would even bother to find the kitten inside the forest around this clearing. Moreover, they didn''t know this beast had a soft spot for a little girl, as he always appeared snarling or growling to everyone except his mate.


    Bree wiped her tears from her face and received the kitten as she cradled the little yellow fur creature in her arms. The little kitten seemed too scared of Kace as it snuggled to Bree''s embrace.


    "Up!" Bree raised her free hand towards Kace. She wanted to be carried while holding her new pet. "Up!" she said it again when Kace just frowned and did nothing.


    Hope approached them and elbowed her mate. "Why don''t you carry her, so she could stop screaming?" she giggled when Kace gave her a look.


    "Do you think I am a babysitter?" he grumbled, yet he still bent his body and picked up the girl, cradled her in his right hand while his other hand entwined his fingers with Hope''s.


    Hope chuckled, but she was pleased with the beast''s behavior towards Bree. At first she thought that Kace would treat Bree like the other creatures around them, with harsh words or eyes that filled with disdain.


    "I didn''t know that you have a soft spot for children," Hope teased him as she caressed the kitten''s soft fur.


    "She reminds me of you," Kace said casually.


    Ian and Ethan were following behind them, yet far enough to give the couple some privacy.They couldn''t help but think that they were looking to a family of three.


    It looked sweet, but at the same time they grimaced when remembered that Kace was currently controlled by his beast, they didn''t know how long he would be in the right mood to respond to the little girl''s babbling.


    "Me?" Hope widened her eyes and grinned. "Why? Because she is cute like me?"


    "No," Kace shook his head and said straightforwardly. "A crybaby."


    A slap landed on Kace''s back when he finished what he was saying.


    "What was that for?" He looked down at Hope. The slap was not even close to being considered painful, but he enjoyed the sight of how his mate sullen after hearing his tease.


    "I am not a crybaby," Hope said irritatedly.


    "Said someone who cried through the night because she lost her doll," Kace pointed out the truth.


    At the age of eight, Hope lost her white wolf doll that Kace bought for her, it was her favorite after all. She was crying until the next day Kace came and brought the same doll for her.


    "You were very stubborn even as a child," Kace spoke lightly.


    "I was not!" Hope objected, puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms in front of her chest.


    Kace chuckled lightly and his voice pleased Hope''s ears, just like a beautiful melody in this starry night, especially when he bent down his body and whispered. "Don''t worry, you are cuter than her."


    Hope was surprised and whipped her head only to be kissed on her cheek by him.


    "Kace!" Hope''s cheeks blushed, he kissed her in front of Bree, and fortunately the little girl was too busy with the kitten to notice that.


    Ignoring Hope''s protest, Kace sighed deeply. "I should have just marked you when you ask me to. My human''s side is too polite."


    "You said that it is dangerous and complicated." Hope picked a red flower and played with it.


    "Right," Kace mumbled, "It is indeed dangerous, especially when it is unheard of¡ªit never ever once was the case¡ªthat someone of my kind has a mate from the human or guardian angel race."


    Hope rolled her eyes. "You are talking about one thing, and contradicting it in the next second."


    Kace shrugged his shoulder. "What am I supposed to do? I really wanted to mark you, since you have come to age. The pull is getting stronger."


    Hope didn''t know how strong it was since she didn''t feel it, but her feelings for him were genuine. She loved him, even before she loved him as a man.She had loved him as a guardian, a brother, a friend, a protector, and whatever roles that Kace had taken throughout her seventeen years of life.


    "I think I will ask the witch once we finish our business here." He was referring to Serefina.


    Hope didn''t answer that, and they continued to walk in silence. Occasionally, Bree would ask one or two things when she played with her kitten that she named Kitty.


    "What kind of name is that?" Kace scrunched his brows in protest.


    "She wanted to be named Kitty," Bree said gleefully, as she talked to Kitty. "Don''t be afraid, Kace is a kind person, his heart is as soft as a tofu."


    The corner of Kace''s lips twitched while beside her, Hope was laughing heartily, even Ian and Ethan, who heard that behind them, were trying their best to suppress their laugh.


    "I should just leave this girl inside the forest," Kace said grimly, but Hope slapped his back in return.


    But, Kace didn''t react to that as his eyes glued to the forest, this strange sudden behavior made Hope stop laughing, and followed his line of sight.


    Not long after, Hope could hear hooves pounding the ground before them, from the lushes of trees, Chiron appeared, basking his presence under the light of the moon.


    "I hope I don''t disturb the two of you," Chiron said politely.


    "You do." And with that, Kace received the third slaps from Hope.


    "What happened Chiron?" Hope asked, she wished this wasn''t another bad news.


    Apparently, he didn''t take the beast''s words as something rude. Then he replied to Hope. "I want to talk about our journey to Mount Uzu with you two."

 Chapter 597 - THE SOLUTION

    Kace grabbed Hope''s hand as they walked into the forest, where Chiron would like to explain to them about his plan for their upcoming trip to Mount Uzu.


    Bree was still with them, she was very obedient as she hugged her new furry friend, Kitty and rested her head on the curve of Kace''s shoulder.


    It was a surprising thing that Kace didn''t give back the little girl instead to the siblings and let them take her, just because Bree refused to be carried by anyone else except Kace, and clung her tiny arms around Kace''s neck.


    In front of them, Chiron took them to a place near a river, as they could hear the stream from where they were.


    It was the same River, where Hope and Carina were attacked by demon wolves for the first time.


    Chiron then stopped by the river and turned around to face the couple. As the chief of the centaurs, Chiron was taller and bigger than the rest of his kind.


    But, Hope wasn''t scared of him. For her, he was like that kind of person who would make you feel calm just by listening to his voice.


    "About our journey to Mount Uzu," Chiron started. "We can''t take you all the way to the heart of that mountain, the place I assume to be where the priestess is."


    "What do you mean with that?" Kace knitted his brows.


    "There is some kind of magic that protects that place since the battle between the priestess and the demon woman." It could mean either the priestess or the demon woman, who had casted that spell. "If I were able to penetrate that protection, I would have led my people in this rescue mission long ago."


    The only reason why they needed to prove to the hunters that the priestess that was living among them all this time was an impostor, was because they couldn''t enter that particular place in the mountain by themselves. That place was protected by some kind of magic that would not allow supernatural creatures to come closer.


    "What kind of magic?" Kace squinted his eyes, as he felt a bad premonition with the way Chiron was talking to him.


    "Supernatural creatures like us were not able to go in. We will feel this unbearable pain if we''re persistent to go into the mountain," Chiron replied.


    "If we can''t enter the mountain, so how can we find that damn priestess?" Kace hissed in annoyance, but when he watched how Chiron''s sight shifted on Hope, he immediately understood what this centaur was saying. "NO!" he roared.


    Seeing how Bree was shocked by Kace''s sudden outburst, Hope hurriedly took the little girl from the angry lycan.


    "Do you mean that I have to go inside the mountain alone?" Hope asked incredulously, she realized the reason why Kace was angry all of a sudden. Even she herself disliked the idea.


    "Forget it! Let''s go back!" Kace was too angry to talk further, he really was ridden by the horrible urge to rip the centaur in front of him into pieces for suggesting that kind of idea.


    "I am not done yet," Chiron said in his deep voice.


    "Kace, wait!" Hope bent her body to stop Kace from dragging her away. "Let''s hear him out first," she tried to bargain.


    Of course the idea of entering Mount Uzu alone was very ridiculous.Just the thought of that, Hope could already feel the fear crept beneath her skin.


    However, Chiron had not done yet, maybe he had another way out for this matter.Moreover, Kace was really needed in this.


    "No!" Kace grunted when he watched how Hope was about to retort him again. "I am not going to let you enter that mountain alone! No!"


    "I don''t want to go alone too, alright!" Hope was exasperated.She was carrying Bree and had to stop Kace from ushering her away. If it was not because of the lycan''s consideration that he would hurt Hope if he exerted more strength than this, probably now, Hope would have been swiping the dirt on the ground with her body. "Let''s hear him first."


    Chiron didn''t intervene with the scene before his eyes, he knew his intervention would only aggravate the beast, thus he let Hope talk him out.


    "Listen, if his idea this time requires me to go alone into the forest, we will go home first thing in the morning." Hope spoke in a hurry. She really hoped Chiron would give them a better idea this time or else, she wouldn''t win the argumentation against Kace when she was not even sure if she had the courage to venture inside the foreign mountain filled with beast and strange supernatural creatures.


    Only when Kace heard that, he stopped. His black eyes stared into Hope''s deeply, as if he was looking for any sign of trickery.


    "You better keep your words. I will not hesitate to put you into a sack and bring you out of this damn realm, if that is really what I have to do," Kace spoke harshly.


    "Okay, okay!" Hope nodded vigorously, she wondered whether Kace would have the heart to really put her into a sack, yet she didn''t want to find out. Turned around, she faced Chiron who had been waiting patiently with their squabble. "So? What are your suggestions? You really have a solution for this, right?"


    Chiron nodded solemnly. "I do."


    "Then talk," Kace ordered him impatiently.


    If the normal Kace would restraint himself to order someone, especially to the creature whose mate he had killed in the past, then the beast Kace didn''t even bat his eyes when he gave the order. He had that arrogant trait of an Alpha, after all, he was born as the son from the strongest Alpha.Therefore, the beast was really pissed when Kace just brushed it away, ignoring his own blood, his true nature traits.


    Fortunately, Chiron didn''t take offense to the beast''s outrageous behavior. "I said, I can''t enter the realm because I am a supernatural creature, but you as a shapeshifterare different." He took a step closer to them. "You can shift into a human form, and of course I will not let Hope enter the mountain alone, I will have the hunters to accompany her."


    "Do you think I will trust those filthy hunters to safeguard my mate?"

 Chapter 598 - OBSERVANT

    "Do you think I will trust those filthy hunters to safeguard my mate?!" Kace spoke harshly as he glowered at Chiron.


    What was this centaur thinking? Did this centaur expect that he would willingly give Hope to those hunters after what they had done to them? After they tried to take Hope away, and said they had done that to keep her safe from him?


    Moreover, Kace had killed their fellow hunters, there was no one who would guarantee that they wouldn''t take it out on Hope!


    No matter what the reason was, the beast always thought that revenge was something that would easily manipulate people''s state of mind. He would never have let Hope be in such a risky situation.


    "Take out those hunters from your plan, I will go with her by myself!" Kace growled and Bree buried her face on the crook of Hope''s neck, hugging her kitten tightly.


    Chiron narrowed his eyes as he stared at Kace, "This is just my hypothesis. I don''t know whether shapeshifters have the same effect as we do or not."


    Chiron came clean with this. The thought that shapeshifters had human form aside from their beast form, leading him to think that way, but there was no proof that this was safe to try.


    "I will take the risk," Kace said sternly, leaving no room for another argumentation as he took Bree from Hope. She had been carrying her for quite a while, her hand must be cramping by now.


    At first Bree didn''t want to let go of Hope''s neck, "I don''t want to be carried by you if you shout again¡­" said the little girl sullenly.


    "I will carry you, or do you prefer to walk alone to the hut?" Kace glared. He was not in a good mood to have another argument, especially with a human whose age was nearly one-thousandth of his age.


    "Kace, it''s okay, I will carry her. You are scaring her," Hope complained, but received another glare from Kace.


    "You won''t be able to carry her any longer than this," he stated the fact, he could see that Hope was no longer comfortable to carry Bree. "And you, don''t you know that you are heavy?"


    "Kace!" Hope hissed. Why did she feel like the beast was way more childish than Bree?


    "Come here!" Kace stretched his hands to carry Bree.


    Pouting her lips, Bree let Kace to carry her. She mumbled, "No, his heart is not as soft as tofu, he is like a paprika." She was sulking. "Bree doesn''t like paprika."


    At first, Hope was afraid that Kace would do something to Bree when she heard that, but the beast just ignored the girl''s sulking words and shifted his attention towards Chiron instead. "So, let''s hear what your plan is?"


    The night sky was cloudy, covering the light of the moon. The chilly breeze blew lazily, rustling the lush trees around them.


    Though Bree didn''t wear enough, Kace''s body heat was able to make her comfortable in his arms, snoring when the discussion between a.d.u.l.ts became too boring for her to hear.


    She fell asleep just like that, and didn''t care for the world after she made sure the yellow kitten was secured in Hope''s arms.


    The discussion between the three of them needed a quite long time before it could reach a conclusion.


    Actually, most of the time, it would be Kace and Chiron, who would meet a disagreement while Hope would only participate with ''yes'' or ''no''. As long as Kace wanted to go, showed some effort for this mission and didn''t suggest something dangerous, Hope would agree with whatever his decision be.


    When they had passed the argumentation and disagreement, the three of them walked leisurely back to the centaurs'' den.


    "I hope you will take Bree with you when you go back to your realm," Chiron said all of sudden. "She doesn''t belong here."


    Kace glanced at Chiron, "Apparently, many things don''t belong here."


    The chief of the centaur knew what Kace was indicating. This realm was not their nature, this was not the centaurs''habitat, and despite they had resided in this land for so long, their heart still belonged to somewhere else, but not there.


    This ground was not the same ground that their hooves touched for the first time when they came into their life.The wind, the sky, the stars¡­ all of these would never be the same.


    "She is not The Loris'' biological child," Chiron said, staring at the snoring little girl softly. "I found her near the border between two worlds."


    In his fuzzy human memories, Kace remembered it was the place where Lana and he were being attacked by the feral beast. The place where those guinea pigs of the witches and vampires lived.


    "She was only five years old at that time and was not able to talk out of fear," Chiron reminisced. "Now she talks like there is no tomorrow."


    Hope chuckled lightly when she heard that. What Chiron said was true. Bree was quite a chatter. She imagined if they really took her when they returned, it would be amazing for having her as her little sister.


    However, Kace didn''t immediately agree with that. "When the time comes, we will see the situation later, whether we should bring her with us or not."


    "But, why?" Hope protested, she thought Kace liked her.


    "If you think this place is not safe for her, then her being with us, will not be any safer." Kace caressed Hope''s cheeks tenderly. "There are a lot of things that Serefina and I didn''t tell you about yet, my love."


    Hope knitted her brows, she was aware that there were many things that she didn''t know. "Why don''t you tell me then?"


    "Of course, I will. But, first thing first." Kace nodded. He looked exhausted, it seemed that this long walk had worn him out.


    "I understand," Chiron said solemnly.


    "And for you." Kace suddenly stopped walking and faced the centaurs. "Do you think that I''m fool enough for not knowing that there is something you want in return for this favor."


    Chiron was surprised, but then he nodded. "You are observant."

 Chapter 599 - THANK YOU

    "Speak," Kace spoke rigidly as he adjusted Bree''s position in his arms. "What do you want?"


    That thought had never crossed Hope''s mind. She was not aware of it until now, that the centaurs had a hidden agenda as they helped them. But, what was it?


    Hope crept closer towards Kace as she waited for the chief of the centaurs'' answer.


    "There is no need to be so tense, this is just a simple request and I hope you will consider it," Chiron spoke solemnly like always.


    Kace didn''t give any reaction to that, yet his austere eyes prodded the centaur to explain further of what he meant with his words.


    Chiron took a step closer and voiced out his request. "I wish to go back to our land," he emphasized. "Our hometown, the original place where my kind should belong."


    ==============


    The next day after the night Chiron said about his true intention for helping them, about how he requested to be able to go back to their original habitat along with his kind. Kace''s condition dropped again, thus the trip to Mount Uzu should be postponed.


    Carina said that this was one of the reasons why Kace''s beast took over his consciousness.Because his human side was too weak to be able to bear the brunt, the pain.


    Every shapeshifter normally had this kind of trait, their beast would take over when their human side was not in shape, or if there was a possible danger that their other side couldn''t manage to handle.


    And since Kace''s human side was connected with Lana''s soul because of the vow that they had made, Lana''s condition was no different.


    Her consciousness had been in and out constantly.


    Only on the third day, Kace was a little bit fine for their long journey and the night before their trip. Kace went out of his tent to look for Hope only to meet with Chiron.


    "Should we take a walk for a while?" he offered politely.


    "No," Kace turned down his offer immediately.


    "I think you need some fresh air after being trapped inside the hut for days," Chiron said, still in the same tone.


    Kace knitted his brows, "I don''t need fresh air, I need my mate," He said bluntly as he started to walk again, but Chiron followed beside him.


    "What a coincidence. Hope is with Bree, and I wanted to see the little girl too," Chiron talked lightly as they walked side by side in complete awkward silence.


    Apparently the girls and the twins were in the same open space place where Bree picked up flowers.


    Yesterday, finally Hope took the little girl to her parents'' grave together with the siblings and five centaurs to ensure their safety. Of course, Kace didn''t know about that because he was still recovering his condition, otherwise, he wouldn''t stay and insist to come as well. Not to pay a visit to the death, but to feed his protective trait, scared of leaving his mate out of his sight.


    "About my request," Chiron said when they were halfway to the clearing, but from that distance they could still hear Bree''s chirping voice, and laughter from the other three teenagers.


    "I have told you that I can''t promise you anything, I am not the sovereign of that realm." Kace glanced at Chiron with irritation. "You ask the wrong person."


    Kace had told him about this that night. The fact that he couldn''t possibly bring the whole race of centaurs back to their realm, definitely the reason behind it was because Jedrek was the king there. And with that, only Jedrek, the one who could decide on this matter.


    Another reason was because Kace didn''t have a plan to go back to that place.


    Going back to the kingdom, and asking Jedrek to allow the centaurs to return? What a ridiculous plan¡­ whether Jedrek would laugh at him, or he would slaughter these poor centaurs the moment he knew that they were still alive.Neither of which was a pleasant scenario for Kace, and he was not tempted to even try.


    "I know," Chiron nodded. "But, knowing you will try, makes me slightly feel better."


    "I will not try, so don''t put your hope too high," Kace replied coldly.


    Chiron sighed deeply as he stared to the sky, and continued to try to engage a conversation with the lycan beside him. "Thank you," he said.


    "For what? I don''t even say ''yes'' to your request." Although Kace answered him impolitely, the fact that he didn''t ignore Chiron like before was something that should be counted.


    "No, not for that," Chiron shook his head, the sound of his hooves against the damp ground echoed in the forest. "I thanked you for what you had done to my mate."


    "What?" Kace knitted his brows, "You thanked me because I killed her?"


    "No, I thanked you because you had given my mate and my son what they needed during the time you confined us." Chiron remembered it very clear what Kace had done at that time.


    It was him, who gave food to his mate and their newborn son.When his son was crying on top of his lungs, asking to be fed, regardless of the situation or the strange look from the other lycanthropes and werewolves, Kace treated them very well.


    The kindness that he showed was highly unlikely coming from a creature like him.


    "Don''t flatter yourself," Kace scoffed. "That''s my human side, who had done that."


    Chiron chuckled lightly.


    "What? Is there something funny to you?" Kace glowered, he didn''t like it when he heard that sound.


    "You always said every kindness that you did was your human side''s wrongdoing, and your human side will also say the same thing when he loses control over his animal instinct. However the truth is that you are one person. It is just you, who thinks that the either side of you, is another personality."


    "I don''t understand what you are talking about," Kace grumbled as he walked faster when he watched his mate was wearing a crown made of flowers.


    It was Bree who saw him first, and with her short legs, she ran towards Kace, while hugging a bunch of flowers in her arms.


    "For you!" Bree beamed at him.

 Chapter 600 - UZU MOUNTAIN

    All the preparation was completed and they were ready to go to Mount Uzu.


    Because Lana had been unconscious, even Carina''s magic couldn''t help regain her consciousness, the twins were assigned to stay behind. At first, Ian would complain endlessly.But because Kace turned deaf ears to his whining, and Hope was not able to convince Kace otherwise, only then Ian stopped and resigned to his fate.


    For Ethan, he didn''t have a problem at all. Whether he had to stay or he needed to go.For him, as long as the decision had been made and that was the best that they could have in order to help the situation, he would follow.


    Moreover, he had been addicted to Carina''s story about the stars and learned a few things about herbs and magic. Regardless of how he would never be able to perform the latter, he liked to see how different centaurs'' magic to the witches'' magic.


    Therefore, it was only a small group of centaurs, which included Chiron and Biryon and another ten more centaurs that would escort Kace and Hope to the border of Mount Uzu.


    Since Kace didn''t agree to bring the hunters with them, thus the hunter only watched their departure from afar.


    The other night, Chiron explained to Hope of things that she missed, that Leroy had died during the invasion of the demon wolves, the girl who served the priestess was apparently an impostor as well. She had killed him and ran away.


    Therefore, the head of the hunters now was a man named Delta.


    Delta was a man in his early thirty with curly brown hair and neat beard. He was slightly bowing his head, followed by the rest of the hunter, when they watched Kace and Hope''s small group depart on their journey.


    At least, he respected the decision that was made, that Kace objected to their presence.After all, it was a journey to save their respected priestess, they must have had a great sense of responsibility joined in.


    The fact that Kace had killed many of the hunters was overshadowed by this event. Especially when they learned that it was not only Kace''s own deed, but there was also a great misunderstanding on Leroy''s side that caused their loss.


    The damage in the village was still apparent and many people had lived in fear of another attack. Not to mention the fact that the priestess, who they had served for the past one year, turned out to be an impostor.The true enemy, who lived among them and they didn''t even know it.


    The current head of the hunter, Delta, tried to learn the mistake from the previous leader by listening to Chiron''s suggestion.Thus it was easier when Chiron talked to him to not come on this journey.


    The four days journey ahead was something that no one could predict.


    However, thankfully, four days passed without anything happened. Actually, it was quite a nice trip to Mount Uzu since Hope could see how beautiful nature there was, but because of the urgency of the matter at hand and also the uncertainty ahead, she couldn''t really enjoy it as much.


    Kace acted less hostile towards Chiron, and even helped them to make a bonfire or take turns to watch when the night came.Though he didn''t have to do that, while grumbling he would insist on doing it.


    Probably, it was his beast''s side that softened since he was allowed to surface for quite a long while, or maybe it was his human''s side that gradually healed.


    Whatever it was, Hope was just glad that during this journey, the beast got along pretty well with the centaurs.


    And finally, they came to the spot where the centaurs couldn''t go through the barrier.Not only that, apparently this was the furthest that they could go.Because since an hour ago, Hope could see the centaurs were grimacing in pain as they staggered slightly.


    They kept Hope and Kace accompanied until Chiron raised his hand and stopped the entourage behind him.


    "I think this is the farthest part that we can go.Our people will not be able to go more than this." Chiron stared ahead where the mountain towered over them with white cloud around its peak. "Are you okay?" he shifted his attention towards Kace.


    Just like what they had discussed before, the supernatural creatures wouldn''t be able to enter this place, but shapeshifters were a different case since they could alter into human form.


    "I am good," Kace replied rigidly. He held Hope protectively while staring at the lushes of the trees before his eyes, which hid many uncertainties in their path ahead.


    "Are you sure?" Hope tilted her head to study Kace''s facial expression to see if there was any sign of discomfort, but his face was devoid from any emotions.


    "Let''s go." Kace didn''t even say a ''goodbye'' to the centaurs as he ushered Hope to move forward. The faster they found the priestess, the faster they could figure out how to find Lydia and returned.


    Hope turned around and waved at the Chiron, Biryon and the other ten centaurs. After four long days of journey, she had become used to having them near.


    "We will wait here until your return," Chiron said.


    At the very least, that was what they could do, since they couldn''t accompany them to the heart of the mountain.


    Hope kept waving at them until Kace turned her body around to watch her step.


    "You will stumble onto something if you keep on walking that way," he grumbled. "So, do you know where we should go? To the peak of the mountain or under?"


    Hope knitted her brows, "I don''t know. Why don''t we start with scouring the whole area?"


    Kace knocked her head softly, "Silly head," he scoffed as Hope pouted at him, "How long do you think it would take us to scour the whole area? A month? Three months? I don''t want to stay here that long."


    "So, what should we do?" Hope frowned.


    "The candle my love, the candle that the Candlemaiden had given to you," Kace reminded her exasperatedly.


    "Oh, right!" Hope slapped her forehead and searched on her pockets.

 Chapter 601 - WE WILL GO HUNT

    The blue flames of the candle flickered by the wind when Hope took it out from her pocket on her jacket.It was afternoon and the sun was above their head.If it wasn''t because of the lushes of leaves from the trees that canopied them, it would be too hot for her to wear such a cloak.


    "Here," Hope showed the little candle and gave it to Kace. The size of it was only as big as her thumb. "But I don''t know how it works."


    "The Candlemaiden didn''t say anything to you?" Kace took the candle and watched it closely, scrutinizing it from different angles.But nothing, it looked just like how any candle would look like. The difference was only at its strange blue flames that looked like it wouldn''t be extinguished when one blew its fire.


    "No." Hope tiptoed to see the candle in Kace''s hand as he raised up his head to the glimmer of the sunrays.


    "Let''s figure this out while walking." Kace handed the candle back to Hope and rested his hand on her wrist while they ventured inside the mountain.


    "Up or down?" Hope listened to the chirping bird around them, it was relaxing and like a picnic to be honest.


    "Down," Kace said.


    And with that, they walked to the base of the mountain, though the gigantic mountain was before their eyes, but the track to reach the land of its base was very vast.


    Hope thought they would reach there before the sun set, but even when the sun kissed the horizon and the forest was no longer beautiful, as it turned out to be a little bit creepy in this dimly lit place.They were not half way there, especially when they walked in Hope''s pace.After two hours, she needed to rest for fifteen to twenty minutes before they could continue.


    Fortunately, Kace didn''t say anything about her snail pace, and instead he was unexpectedly very patient. Well, he was always very patient towards her.It was Hope, who felt a little bit sorry for slowing them down.


    "We will continue tomorrow," Kace called it a day.


    Upon hearing that, Hope slumped to the ground.Her feet ached. She couldn''t imagine if she had to venture in this uncertain place, and didn''t know which direction she had to take, alone. She would have been crying now, and would rush back to where the centaurs were waiting for them.


    She was grateful that Chiron''s theory was right that Kace was able to enter the barrier in his human form.


    "I am hungry," Hope whined when Kace passed her a bottle of water. Fortunately, they didn''t have to worry about their water intake for the journey, because there were several tributaries along the way.


    Kace took off the big backpack that he carried and put it on the ground.From the inside he took out the packed food and gave it to Hope one, while he took another for him. "Let''s eat, after that we can sleep."


    Kace chose to stay at that spot, because he couldn''t pick any suspicious smell of wild animals, and also because the ground was dry over there, since they didn''t have any tents and just bought a few blankets for sleep. The weather was also great, so Hope wouldn''t freeze when the night came.


    "What will we eat for tomorrow?" Hope was concerned about their rations as they didn''t bring much food to last for days.


    "We will hunt tomorrow," Kace winked at her as he took a mouthful of roasted chicken thighs.


    "You can''t shift into your beast," Hope frowned, "We don''t know what will happen if you did." The centaurs had made it clear since the beginning, that supernatural creatures were not welcomed there.


    "Oh, right¡­" Kace nodded his head. "So, why don''t you hunt for me? You know, sometimes female lions hunt."


    Hope rolled her eyes, "I am not a lion and you are not either."


    Kace chuckled when he watched Hope give him a look. "You are right." He leaned over and kissed Hope chubby cheeks when she munched on her food.


    "Don''t disturb me, I am eating." She pushed him away. "Once we return you have to treat me to a lavish meal."


    "Alright," Kace continued to savor his food. "Everything for you, my lovely."


    Hope had to bite her tongue in order to stop her from smiling.No matter how many times she heard that endearing words from Kace, she loved it to the bone.


    After they ate and chatted for a little while, Hope yawned. She was exhausted. These past four days were the most tiring days in her whole existence, she had never walked in such a great distance.


    "Come here." Kace put the blanket on the ground and beckoned Hope to lie down.


    "Should we take turns to stand guard?" Hope asked sleepily, since it was only the two of them, it was only right for Hope to take turns with Kace.


    "Just sleep, I will wake you up when I am sleepy," Kace sat down and leaned over to the tree behind him, as he gestured for Hope to rest her head on his lap.


    Hope did and yawned again when she rested her head. "Okay, wake me up when you are sleepy," she reminded him.


    "Of course," Kace nodded to assure her.


    Hope closed her eyes and was about to sleep when she said softly. "It''s a good thing that the fireflies are surrounding us, they are beautiful," she mumbled.


    "Fireflies?" Kace frowned, "what do you mean with fireflies?"


    Kace wanted to ask what she meant with fireflies because Kace could see nothing around them. However, Hope had fallen asleep.


    Maybe she just talked in her sleep. With that thought, Kace raised his head and looked up the starry night sky. There were many things roaming around his head. Many questions without answers.


    The beast felt restless.


    Sometime through the night, when the cold wind blew Hope''s sleeping face, she felt her body ache because of her sleeping position, yet when she turned her body around to find a comfortable position, she realized one thing; Kace was not there.

 Chapter 602 - BUT, I AM NOT

    Hope remembered that she fell asleep on Kace''s lap, but there was nothing under her head when she was awake.


    She gasped loudly when she opened her eyes, and she realized that she was no longer in the place where she was falling asleep previously. And worse than that, Kace was nowhere to be found.


    "Kace!?" Her voice filled with panic when she scoured her surroundings hastily, but nothing changed, she couldn''t see anything except the pitch-darkness surrounded her.


    Hope moved her hands and her fingers and palms touched the hard cold concrete beneath her. The wet and chill atmosphere in the air reached her face, as she felt her throbbing shoulder, the pain that woke her up earlier.


    Panic rushed in her system as she tried to sit up, but the motion made her head spin. Leaning on her forearms, Hope forced herself to breathe in deeply, to calm her thumping heart.


    Where is she now?!


    Hope blinked a couple of times, willing her eyes to adjust to the darkness that engulfed her.But there was no light that could help her in this case.


    Hope gritted her teeth to suppress the sudden panic and fear that she felt. This was not the time for it. She must pull herself together in order to be able to function during that critical situation, in that unknown, mysterious environment.


    She sat up then began feeling the floor around her, stretching out her hand in the dark, trying to reach out onto something, or touching anything that could help her to understand her surroundings better.


    Is she in a cell? A room? Or what?


    Should she call Kace again? But, what if she notified her kidnapper?


    The floor extended beneath her bare foot, apparently her kidnapper took good care of her as they removed her shoes.But thankfully they didn''t take away her cloak. Hope didn''t need another trouble for now.


    Her fingers extended until they touched a cold concrete wall. "Hello?" Hope whispered and called to the darkness, unsure whether she wanted someone to answer her or not.


    No one answered her.


    Hope spent the next twenty minutes searching for a door, window or anything that she could use to escape from this unknown place.


    And weird enough, there was nothing. Literally nothing. So, how could they put her inside this place? This was so weird.


    Or, maybe¡­


    They put me in from above?


    Hope raised her head to see above her head, yet, of course the darkness prevented her from seeing anything.


    Finally, frustrated with her situation, and couldn''t find a way to escape from this place she called out once more. "Hello?!"


    No one answered.


    "Is there anyone here?!"


    Silence greeted her.


    "Hey!!!" Hope shouted on top of her lungs. "What do you want from me!?"


    And then another fear crept in when there was still no answer or any movement.


    Did they just leave me here?


    That thought created another ripples of fear in her blood and her system. It seemed to notify her kidnapper that she had woken up was not a bad idea.


    "Hey!!!" Hope pounded the concrete wall beside her to create a loud of noise except her own voice that echoed creepily. "Is there anyone here!? HEI!"


    It took a while for Hope to hear a voice from a distance.And just as he had expected, there seemed to be a door or a hole in the ceiling above her head.


    There was a rattling sound.


    "Who is out there?!" Hope shouted to the source of the sound from above her head, her voice tinged with fear, as she didn''t know whether that person would open the door or maybe they wanted to lock her up in this darkness.


    Just the thought alone made her shuddered.


    However, a second later Hope covered her eyes with her hands when the light suddenly hit her eyes, illuminating the place in front of her from a square hole, two meters away, above her head.


    The way the light illuminated this place was akin to the movie that she watched when the main character had just been enlightened.


    At least, that was how Hope portrayed her situation now, as she walked hastily under the light.


    "Who is there?" Hope''s body was basking under the light, yet she couldn''t see anyone there because it was too bright for her eyes.


    "So, you are awake now?" Came a girl''s voice that Hope had never heard before.


    "Where am I?!" Hope''s eyes still couldn''t adjust with the light.But all of a sudden she felt everything around her turned so bright.


    The source of light was no longer the light from above her head, but it was almost like there was someone who turned on the lamp inside the dark room that she stayed in.


    "Ugh!" Hope grunted, her head spinning. However, not only that, when she took a few steps back, she couldn''t find the concrete wall behind her to lean on.


    Hence, Hope could only use her hearing to identify the movement around her.


    "You can go now."


    There was the second voice, a woman too, but from her voice, Hope could tell that she was more mature than the first one.


    Hope blinked her eyes rapidly and rubbed her eyes hastily when she felt someone walk closer to her direction, and when she felt the woman touch her shoulder, Hope swatted her hand away and moved to the side only to bump into something.


    It was a table, from the sound of the shattering glass, apparently Hope had created some mess there.


    "Dear, dear¡­ careful with your steps."


    Hope opened her eyes and this time she could see well.At first the figure in front of her was only a blur and she couldn''t identify who the woman in front of her was, until her vision became clearer and her brows knitted together into a tight knot.


    She remembered this woman!


    How could she forget about her!?


    She met her when she was only thirteen years old, four years ago, her encounter with this woman was the reason why Serefina had to move her from Fulbright City to the remote village.


    Her golden eyes stared at her mockingly.


    "I remember you," Hope said.


    "I am glad to hear that," she replied.


    "But, I am not."

 Chapter 603 - THE DEMON WOMAN

    "But, I am not." Hope retorted fiercely when she remembered what had happened the last time she met with this demoness.


    There was a frown that crossed her expression when she heard the way Hope replied to her. "You grew up to be a very insolent girl," she scoffed and turned around, facing her back to Hope.


    Though she did that, it was out of question that Hope would be able to take a slight advantage the moment the demon woman was looking the other way. It was a reckless move.


    Hope''s eyes landed on a square wooden lid on the floor.As an understanding downed on her, the demon woman had moved her here from the room down there.


    And then her eyes scanned the room around her quickly.


    Except the table that Hope just bumped, there were only two chairs and a big window inside this room. The room alone was actually very big with a brown door opposite from her. Was this a hall of a building? Hope didn''t have any idea, where she was or what this demoness would do to her.


    Where is Kace?!


    Hope was trying to see whether there was some spot that she missed, where probably this woman hid him somewhere.


    But, nothing. This room was as vacant as an empty aula, without anything that Hope could use as a weapon or for her protection.


    However, a second later, she remembered something that she could use. This one definitely could ward off the demoness, yet when Hope thought about hurting herself intentionally, she frowned.


    Accidentally bleeding was one thing, but to purposely bleed it was a very unpleasant feeling.


    "Where is Kace?" Hope asked in a demanding tone. She walked slowly and swiftly, creeping across the room to the brown door.


    The demon woman turned around and faced Hope once again, her golden eyes shone brightly under the beautiful crystal lamp above their head.


    "I wonder¡­" her voice trailed off, she was ignoring Hope''s question as her eyes studied the girl in front of her. "What are you to that lycan?" she tilted her head.


    Hope was unsure of how she was supposed to answer that question.That''s why she remained silent. She remembered what Lana said to her about the Moon Goddess'' curse.And the fact that the extremely few numbers of people who knew that Kace had a mate. Because of the curse that was bestowed on him by the Moon Goddess, it was well known that the Donovans would never have a mate for their entire eternity.


    And another reason why they kept this as a secret, because Hope''s life would be in danger if Kace''s enemies found out about this. Thus, she needed to be careful to not reveal that information.


    Hope thought, this was the moment when she had to keep her mouth shut about her being Kace''s mate. She decided on that.


    "What do you think I am to him?" Hope answered her question with another question, she didn''t know how long this conversation would go.But she was pretty sure, the next thing that the demon woman would do to her wouldn''t be a pleasant experience.


    The demon woman chuckled lightly. "You are so brave, do you know that? But, bravery alone is not enough to save you now." The woman raised her hands and stared at her long, red nails. "Yet, I still wonder, what are you to him? Except a guardian angel¡­" she lifted her head, just in time to see a slight furrow on Hope''s forehead.


    Hope didn''t say anything about it, as she kept her distance from her and took a few steps back, nearing herself to the door.


    "Oh, yes¡­ of course I know what you are," the woman smiled creepily. "I heard that prophecy. No wonder I am so drawn to you¡­ your scent is so different even when you were only an infant. I love infants," she said in this tone like she was talking about her favorite food, and this made Hope feel sick.


    "Where is Kace?" Hope asked the same question through her gritted teeth. "What do you want from me?"


    The woman shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant manner. "Apparently, his injuries are pretty bad. It is already good enough for him to manage to come so far."


    "Where is he!!?" Hope roared, this woman really tested her patient.


    "He is in this place, of course." She chuckled. "Do you want to see him?"


    Hope didn''t answer that childish question.


    "I can let you see him, but what about you do me a favor?" The woman''s eyes shone brightly. "Why don''t you give me your power willingly?" she suggested.


    ''What did she mean with giving her my power willingly? Do I even have power?'' Hope thought to herself, if she knew what kind of power that she held at this moment, definitely she wouldn''t waste her time talking to her. Especially, when the demon woman looked very eager to have it.


    "Sure," Hope said lightly as she nodded. "I will give you everything you want with conditions. First, I want to see Kace. Second, I want to find my friend Lydia, the witch.Third, I want to meet with the priestess so she can heal Kace''s injuries.Fourth, I want the priestess to return to the village safely.Fifth, I want to go back to my realm with all of my friends.Sixth¡ª" Hope crossed her arms in front of her chest. "¡ªif you can fulfill all of my requests then I will give you my power willingly."


    The demon woman''s expression turned unsightly the more Hope was listing her wish. "Do you think I will do that?"


    Hope shrugged her shoulder in a nonchalant manner. "Then we don''t have the deal." The way Hope was talking now didn''t let the demon know how her heart was pounding inside her chest nervously. "I guess you will not show me where Kace is, therefore, I will find him myself." she said confidently. At least as confidence as she could.


    Hope was walking to the door, her paces neither slow nor in a hurry.Yet, when Hope reached the door, there was one thing that was strange about the situation, and it stuck in her mind; the demon didn''t stop her at all.

 Chapter 604 - THE MAGIC AROUND THE WATERFALL

    It was so strange to begin with for the demon not stopping her. But Hope didn''t want to turn around and showed that demon how nervous she was. She knew that the demon''s golden eyes were glued on her back. If it was possible they could bore some hole behind her skull. Fortunately, they couldn''t.


    At first, Hope thought, she wouldn''t be able to push the door, but as it turned out she managed to move it effortlessly.


    This is weird.


    Was the thing behind this door scarier than the one here?


    She wanted to not go, but to turn around just to see the demon woman looked at her mockingly, was not a good option either.


    Finally, bracing her heart, Hope went out of the room, leaving the demon behind her. If she said Kace was here, then Hope would find him no matter what.Moreover, there was no use from staying there.


    It was very quiet inside the room, after Hope was no longer there while the woman just stood, staring at the closed door with a creepy smile etched on her red lips.


    "Beelzebub, do you let her leave just like that?" There was a girl''s voice echoing inside that room, her figure appeared out of nowhere, as if the air around them condensed and formed her body.


    At the same time, the big room turned into a blurry image until everything just faded away. The crystal lamp, the two chairs, the table and window, everything just dematerialized and left them with the scene of the forest, at the base of Mount Uzu.


    It was bizarre, but that was how magic worked.


    "How long do you think she could survive out there?" The demon woman named Beelzebub, the Gluttony, who had her eyes on Hope since the time when she was only an infant. That demon smirked devilishly as she turned her body around and faced Terra, the little girl who served the priestess.


    She was one of the reasons why the devil could manipulate the whole village for such a long time, and as well as the downfall of the priestess.


    The felon who had killed the priestess.


    Terra appeared as only a little girl, but her devilish nature was on par with the true devil before her eyes.


    The priestess kept Terra next to her because she could sense her demonic aura, trying to suppress and helping the abandoned little girl to fight her own demon.Yet in the end it seemed all of that came to naught.


    "Not long¡­ but, it doesn''t matter.She can roam around out there until the next decades, and I will sap her power whenever I feel like it." Beelzebub let out a cackling sound.


    Terra shrugged, her usual innocent eyes turned sharp when a wick smile spread on her lips. "The children are ready for you¡­"


    "Hmm, I love children. They are so pure and innocent." She remembered after she met Hope for the first time, she came across an eight year old girl, who had the same intoxicating scent like Hope.


    However, the two supernatural creatures that she sent to figure out what the girl was, never returned to her. Even now, she wondered if that girl was also a guardian angel.


    ==============


    Hope was flabbergasted when she closed the door behind her body, she was utterly speechless with what she saw before her eyes.


    Her normal human brain thought she would meet a corridor or a passageway or another room or anything, but not this.


    An unseen moonlight threw its light above her head, causing the waterfall to glow.


    The majestic waterfall looked magical, it was swishing over the rock.Thundering down into a pool, like a gigantic water spout. When it toppled into the pool, it foamed at the bottom while the rest of the pool was as clear as cellophane, enabling Hope to see down into the rocky bottom.


    Hope gasped in astonishment at the clarity of it.


    Such beautiful scenery she was seeing. With this vociferous sound, how could she didn''t hear anything from the other side of the door?


    However, it didn???t last for long, when Hope realized the door behind her had disappeared.She knew she was teleported to another place again, just like how the demon had teleported her from the dark dungeon to the bright room before.


    Hope didn''t waste another time when she started her search.


    She had seen this waterfall from afar before with Kace. Maybe, if she could pinpoint her location now, there''s a chance that she would be able to go back to the place where she was with Kace before.


    Of which the chances were almost zero because Hope knew that her sense of direction was beyond bad.


    Hope began to walk restlessly, and her anxiousness only grew bigger as she kept circling in the same place over and over again.


    It seemed like she walked at the same place because no matter what direction she would take, or how long she would walk, she would end up at the exact same place.


    This made her very angry and frustrated. And on top of that, she was tired.


    "Argh!" On her attempts, her legs gave up as she slumped down on the velvety grass, kneading her aching legs as her eyes scanned her surroundings once again.


    Yet, nothing has changed.


    Her fear had been pushed behind her back, clouded by her irritation. What the hell that the demon wanted from trapping her inside this kind of magical place?!


    Hope stared at the starry sky above her head as she squeezed her brain to think of a solution.Any solution, the craziest one would also sound good.


    Yet, nothing crossed her mind.


    But, then she remembered one thing. "If I can''t find Kace, maybe he could find me," Hope mumbled to no one in particular.


    She sat up straight and looked at the cloak that she was wearing.


    As long as Kace was not bound, or chained somewhere, he could find her¡­ probably. At least, this was something¡ªthe only thing that Hope could try.


    However, if Kace could smell her, so could other creatures.

 Chapter 605 - LED BY THE SOUL OF THE DEAD

    Hope grunted, but to think about it again¡­ the demon wouldn''t let her die under the hands of her underlings, right? For instance, the demon wolves perhaps, or the troll?


    Hope was unsure.


    However, there was no harm in trying, or maybe there was?


    "Whatever," Hope hissed as she took off her cloak and folded it beside her.Now, all that she could do was to wait, whether this would work or not.


    When Hope folded the cloak, her fingers brushed against something hard inside the pocket, only then she remembered about the candle.


    Hope took it out and stared at the blue flames. "Really¡­" she sighed in frustration. "I don''t know what I should do with you." Since there was no one to talk to, Hope had a monologue to herself. "Why didn''t the Candlemaiden make it easier? She could just give me something more useful, or something that can tell me directly where the priestess is, not a candle which I don''t even know what it does."


    Hope blew out the candle, but like what had happened, the fire still didn''t go out.Then she lifted the candle in her hands at eye level, and pondered what she could do with it when the corner of her eyes caught something.


    At first, it was just one flickering thing, but then there were two, three, and five¡ªand in a minute, the whole place was filled with them.


    The fireflies.


    Hope was dumbstruck by the amount of the fireflies around her, this was twice the number of fireflies she had last seen and they were utterly beautiful.


    Hope had seen them since the first time Kace and she parted ways with the centaur, but because their number was not significant, she didn''t say anything about it and just thought it was only an ordinary thing.


    Then Hope remembered the last thing she saw before she fell asleep, and before she was captured by the demon woman, she saw those fireflies too.


    "What is this?" Hope whispered and asked no one in particular.


    Some of the fireflies perched gently on the branches trees as the wind stirred them gently and some of it flickered around Hope.


    "How beautiful¡­" her voice was a soft whisper. However, the thing that made her gasped loudly was when her eyes caught the blue flames in her candle turned into the color of red.


    It could only mean one thing; the priestess was near.


    But where?!


    Hope whipped her head from left to right, trying to see if there was someone there. She stood up and stepped on a big rock near the pond that was made because of the waterfall.


    Hope craned her neck and sharpened her sight and hearing, yet there was nothing.She was still alone there. The priestess didn''t suddenly appear from the bushes or out of thin air, neither from the pond.


    Hope clicked her tongue, annoyed. The last thing that she wanted now was another riddle. She jumped down from the rock and picked up her cloak.


    When the beautiful fireflies flickered away right in front of her face, Hope realized the movement from them.


    The fireflies that were previously scattered around Hope, now gathered in one direction. Hope tilted her head as she put the pieces together, and with hesitant steps, she followed the firefly in the same direction she had taken before.


    ==============


    Just like what she thought, the fireflies wanted her to follow them, yet Hope was unsure where they were taking her, as she kept walking to the different part of the mountain.


    But, one thing made her mood better, the fact that she was no longer circling the same area. This told her that her decision was right.


    Hope didn''t wear her cloak on purpose, maybe this way, Kace could find her faster before other supernatural creatures did.


    And one more thing that Hope noticed was the more she followed the fireflies the more their number increased, and their light under the sun rays were akin to such a beautiful speck of dust that was glimmering, floating in the air.


    "What are those fireflies?" Hope mumbled to herself as she quickened her steps to keep up with them.


    She remembered a past chat with Ethan about the fireflies when Hope had just gotten a dream about Kace''s beast.He said that based on ancient stories about the supernatural creatures, those fireflies were symbols of spirit, the soul of the dead.


    Hope didn''t know what he meant until she entered a cave where the fireflies led her to.


    She was standing at the cave mouth when the wind shrieked through the hollows and gaps of the cave like banshees haunting a graveyard.


    "Is there a ghost inside?" Hope hesitated to take another step, but then she shook her head vigorously, after seeing the demon itself, and surrounded by supernatural creatures, and had a life and death experience, a ghost wouldn''t scare her anymore, compared to what she had been through. Hope was at the point where she would befriend with the ghost just so that she wouldn''t feel alone.


    Bracing her heart, she took a decisive step into the cave. The cave was built of the muddy brown rock of the cliff, the stone that was guarding the entrance, was jagged and uneven, arranged in such a way that it would be difficult for passerby to spot. If it was not for the fireflies that led her, she would miss this place entirely.


    Inside, only the flickering of the fireflies that illuminated the dark place.


    Hope moved around by following the damp wall of the cave with her hands, when all of a sudden, flaming torches sparked to life, lighting up the tunnel ahead and bathing the entire cavern in a flickering orange glow.


    And the fireflies vanished¡­


    Hope frowned when her guide disappeared, yet when she saw there was an open area ahead of her, she kept moving forward.


    Only then, she understood what Ethan meant with the fireflies were symbols of the death.Because right before her eyes, there were thousands of carcasses scattered on the cave''s ground.

 Chapter 606 - THE SORROWFUL SOULS

    Hope stared apprehensively at the scene before her eyes. Her breath quickened as her legs gave up her weight, and she fell down to a ragged ground of the cave.


    There were around thousands of carcasses there. Hope closed her eyes and hoped, whatever she saw now would disappear the moment she opened them.


    Unfortunately, that didn''t happen when she peeked through her lashes.


    Closing her eyes again, she leaned her body against the damp wall of the cave while adjusting her breath.


    Those fireflies¡­


    "I really met with the ghosts," Hope whined. Why did she have to see all of this?


    It took a while for Hope to set herself out and opened her eyes again. The flames of the torches danced in her eyes, as she stared at the cave ceiling and proceeded to turn her head and looked at the piles of bones on her left side.


    That part of the cave was in an oval shape with a hole in the center at the ceiling of the cave. The bright sunlight highlighted those poor dead bodies.


    When Hope managed to calm herself down, she could see that they were children''s bodies. Their tiny head and tiny arms were akin to those human skeleton models.


    If Hope didn''t see the clothes that they were still wearing, she wouldn''t be so sure like this. Those ragged clothes and cloak were the distinguishing clothes in this realm.


    Hope didn''t have any idea what those poor children had gone through, why their corpses looked like that.


    But then, another thing happened. The fireflies came back. But not only that, they morphed into something.


    Hope could see the presence of someone or¡­ many of them¡­


    Right before her eyes, hundreds of ghostly children were standing. Floating above the carcasses, staring at Hope with their, almost translucent eyes.


    Hope''s breath caught in her chest. What she was seeing couldn''t possibly be true¡­ could it?


    "I can''t believe it¡­" Hope whispered in disbelief. "You are¡­ ghosts?"


    In all honesty, Hope had not seen this many ghosts, besides the ones from her nightmares. But she didn''t know what else to call them.


    Hope was pretty sure that her face was horrified as the children looked at her sadly. She felt bad for that.


    "Why are you taking me here?" Hope wished they could understand her. She waited for any response, but it didn''t come.


    "They couldn''t talk."


    Coming a soft voice like a breeze from the back of the crowded children. Those children dispersed and gave a way to a beautiful young woman, with white hair and a crystal blue jade on the center of her forehead.


    Her hair was extremely long, and she was wearing a white cloak. Adding to the fact that she was also a ghost, her body was completely like a white thin smoke, floating in the air.


    Even so, her voice was strong and gentle at the same time. She walked, no, she glided from the back of the crowd straight in front of Hope.


    "You are¡­ dead," Hope stated in a low voice. When the priestess smiled, Hope grimaced with her own words.


    "Yes, I am." She nodded to emphasize her statement.


    If the priestess was dead, then why would Chiron say that she could meet her in this mountain? Kace wouldn''t agree to come here if the only person that they were looking for was already dead.


    Hope wouldn''t agree to go too.


    However, in a way, Chiron didn''t lie, Hope indeed met with the priestess. Her spirit¡­


    "What happened? I come to¡­" Hope stammered, she didn''t believe her journey here was a naught. Not to mention she was separated from Kace.


    "I know what your purpose is to come to this mountain," the priestess kept a sad smile, "unfortunately, I no longer belong to this realm."


    Hope was crestfallen. She threw the candle off her hand angrily. Ghost or not, the fact that the sole reason why they were here right now, had gone, Hope was mad beyond words. Their time and efforts were wasted. So many unfortunate things happened for nothing?


    However, she didn''t know to whom she could vent her anger.


    "Don''t be so upset," the priestess frowned when she watched Hope''s body was shaking from head to toe. "If the only reason for you to see me is to heal your mate''s wound, then you already had the cure for it."


    Hope raised her head. "Where?"


    "Before that, will you take a walk with me? There is something I want to show you." The priestess opened her arms, in an inviting gesture.


    Hope didn''t immediately follow her, she was hesitant. She didn''t want to walk among the ghosts, yet there was something in the way those children stared at her. The sadness from their eyes crept in her heart and she could feel it in her soul.


    "What do you want to show me?" Hope knitted her brows, averted her eyes from those children.


    "Your friends," but before Hope could interrupt her, she added. "Don''t worry, your mate is on his way."


    ==============


    Kace didn''t believe it that he lost Hope right under his nose. He didn''t feel anything when he realized he had dozed off. How could he be so stupid to fall asleep?!


    "Hope!?" the beast roared "HOPE!"


    He had been running without stopping for this whole morning, and afternoon. Sweat dripping from his forehead as his clothes stuck uncomfortably to his skin.


    "SHIT!" he cursed loudly.


    His heart was beating fast, and his whole body was trembling. His instinct forced him to shift and scour the entire mountain in his beast form. Yet the moment his bones began to dislocate, wave after wave of strange pain washed over him.


    He couldn''t shift, or the pain would be so unbearable. This was what Chiron was talking about. No supernatural creatures were allowed to enter this place.


    Whether this barrier was put by the priestess or the demon woman, but it sure worked.


    Kace cursed again, again, and again.


    His mind was in complete disarray when he caught her scent. The only scent that belongs to her¡­

 Chapter 607 - CONFUSING ANSWER

    Kace sharpened his hearing as he heard the strange sounds of the insects and other animals that resided there. The smell of rich soil, and vegetation permeated the air as he watched the large green leaves and twisted trunks of this part of the forest.


    Kace became restless and impatient. The fact that he couldn''t shift was a cherry on top of his anxiousness. He could do more than this if only he could transform to his beast form.


    And then it hit him gently, the wind that carried the scent he longed for. It was her scent, no doubt about it.


    Gritting his teeth, he picked the faint scent and let his instinct take control. He couldn''t lose it.


    The wind that carried Hope''s scent, led Kace to the other part of the waterfall. The place he had passed twice when he was looking for Hope.


    Her pleasing scent grew stronger when Kace came near a strange cave. He sniffed the air and without any doubt, Hope was there not so long ago. She was close.


    Without a second thought, Kace went into the cave.Only he didn''t know that it wasn''t the wind that brought Hope''s scent to him, but the thousands of fireflies that surrounded the beast, which he was not able to see.


    ==============


    "Where are you taking me?" Hope followed the priestess, she was a step behind her, surrounded by the children whose bodies are translucent. She could see the other children behind the other one through their being.


    It was frightening enough for one to see it, but at the same time fascinating in a strange way. They looked like smoke that usually came from boiling water.


    Yet, their eyes¡­ the way they stared at her¡­ the sadness in those innocent eyes were palpable.


    Hope was trying hard to not look at them, but there was something that forced her to turn her head again and again.


    Curiosity? Hope was unsure.


    There was a part of her that wanted to console the children.Yet, she didn''t know how, and what should she say? She was sorry for what had happened to them?


    Hope shook her head and focused on the answer from the priestess for her question.


    "To your friends," the priestess turned around and grinned. "I saved your friend when I still had enough energy to roam outside of the barrier."


    Her smile was contagious as Hope reciprocated it without even realizing it. The priestess looked so young, no older than twenty five years old. How cruel the demon woman was to kill her.


    "How do you fight the demon?" Hope asked, she was curious. Maybe she could use her method instead of her blood when the time needed, just in case.


    At least, she knew how to protect herself instead of waiting for someone to save her ass.


    She tapped her chin with her forefinger and smiled softly at Hope as she slowed down her paces, even though it actually looked more like she was floating.


    Despite the fact that Hope had just met with her for less than ten minutes, she could tell from her gesture alone about how beautiful and warm her personality was. No wonder the whole village loved her.


    "Every creature¡­ or human," she added, "had their own spirit, this is the power that comes from inside of you." the priestess touched Hope''s chest. "Something that the demons don''t have.The true battle with the demon was a battle of will. So, if you ask me how I fought her, actually, even you have been fighting your own demon."


    Hope frowned. "I don''t think I understand what you are saying¡­"


    The priestess chuckled, the sound was like a chirping bird in the morning.


    "The demon or the devil will always feed you with fear, anxiety, doubt, distrust and all the negative feelings. It is up to you whether you will surrender to that or you will fight for your own light."


    She continued to talk to her as they walked deeper into the cave.


    "In times of desperation, the devil will grow stronger, and do you know why you are still able to see me and these children? Even though we are no longer in this world, and our souls should have perished and disappeared." she asked rhetorically.


    Hope shook her head, actually, she was not sure that she could grasp half of her explanation.


    "Because these children still hope that one day they can meet their families again," the priestess waved her hands towards the children around them, "they are the children who went missing during the last year, both from this realm and from your realm."


    Hope looked at her surroundings. "Your answer confuses me," she mumbled, yet she felt the sadness that was not her own feeling. Ever since she saw the children, she had been feeling that way. "So, what do you want me to do? You will not ask me to resurrect them, won''t you?"


    The priestess giggled and shook her head. "Of course not, you will not be able to do that even if I ask."


    "Glad you know that," Hope muttered. They had reached the end of the tunnel that Hope could see. There was another flickering light from its left side, it seemed there was another space there. "The devil woman doesn''t know about this place?"


    "She knows, but she can''t enter." The priestess turned to the direction of the light, as Hope jogged after her. "I personally guard this place, and used my last strength to cast a spell around this cave."


    "You casted the spell around this cave to prevent the devil from coming inside, but the devil casted the spell around this mountain to prevent anyone from helping you," Hope stated.


    "That is not true," she looked at Hope meaningfully. "You are here to help me, to help these children. Chiron told me that you will come."


    And when Hope walked into a bigger space after the long tunnel, her sight fell on Lydia''s body, lying on the ground.


    But, not only her, there were also two other people beside the witch.


    Abby and Leon.

 Chapter 608 - DISTRUSTING EACH OTHER

    "What happened to them?" Hope hastily approached Lydia''s body and knelt beside her.


    The first thing that Hope did was to check whether Lydia was breathing or not. Then she sighed in relief when she felt Lydia''s shallow warm breathe under her forefinger.


    "Don''t worry, the three of them are alive, just lost consciousness." the priestess also knelt beside Hope, and stared at the sleeping Lydia with contemplated expression.


    Hope glanced at Abby and Leon then nodded.Actually, she didn''t really care for the witch sibling, especially Abby.She thought the two of them had long gone with the next ship and had already half-way back to wherever they were heading initially.


    "What happened to her?" Hope grabbed Lydia''s hand. They were exceptionally cold.


    "She fell off of a cliff," the priestess replied.


    "Fell from a cliff?" Hope raised her eyebrows, "how could she be like this just by falling?" it didn''t make sense for Hope. With the power that the witch had, she should''ve been able to prevent any major damage to herself.


    "She fought ten hunters at that time," The priestess explained, but when she saw Hope''s expression, she continued her explanation. "Yes, the hunters are merely human, but they were also armed with knowledge about the weaknesses of all supernatural creatures."


    And then Hope remembered how they expertly handled the white beast, and could stand the battle for such a long time.Moreover, they managed to cage the beast inside a silver cage, even though the aftermath of it was not a pleasant end for the hunters.


    Hope underestimated them, those hunters were actually more capable than Hope expected.


    "How do we wake her up?" Hope needed Lydia to be fully awake to help their situation right now.


    The priestess caressed Lydia''s cheek and said softly. "She will wake up when she feels better, for now the energy from this place is enough to replenish her strength,this also applies to both of them." The priestess nodded to Abby and Leon.


    So, the point was, it''s only a matter of time until they all wake up.


    Hope pulled her legs closed to her chest and hugged them while resting her chin on her knees. "You said, Kace will be here soon?" Hope glanced at the priestess. "How do you know that? How did he know this place?"


    "Every creature has their own magic.A priestess''s magic like mine is something that the devil woman didn''t expect." The priestess also sat beside Hope. "Your mate will come the same way you found this place."


    "You guide him here?" Hope concluded.


    "They guided you here¡­" The priestess waved her hand to the translucent children that surrounded the two of them. As they morphed into thousands of fireflies again, illuminating that place with their yellow flickering light. "Oh, right. The devil woman, her name is Beelzebub, The Gluttony," she told her.


    "Beelzebub?" Hope''s eyes flashed with curiosity.


    "She is one of the seven deadly sins," the priestess paused for a while to see Hope''s reaction before she continued. "I guess you already know who you are, am I right?"


    "A guardian angel?" Hope answered her immediately.


    "Yes, there is a purpose of the resurrection of your race," the priestess said softly as she closed her eyes, apparently tired.


    "The war with the devil?" Kace had already told Hope about this casually back then.


    The priestess opened her eyes and smiled. "I think you are well informed."


    For the meantime, the war, which remained unknown when it would occur, did not interest Hope at all, there was one thing that was more important for her now.


    "How can I help Kace? The reason why I came here to see you was to seek help from you, but with your current condition¡­" Hope''s voice trailed off, she couldn''t finish her sentence.


    Yet, the priestess knew what exactly she wanted to know. "Actually, you didn''t have to come here and see me for my help, because the cure is already with you."


    "You said it before and I don''t understand it at all," hope said honestly.


    "You are the cure that he needs, Hope. Be it the wounds on his back, or the deep scar in his tender soul." The priestess touched Hope''s hair lightly. "You are all he needs. The perfect soul for him."


    "You still don''t answer my question about how to heal him," Hope added with an uncertainty in her tone. "If it''s true that I can cure him."


    "As a guardian angel, your blood is always what the other creatures want, because it carries more power than you can imagine.Though the devil can''t touch it, it is still highly useful and valuable for them. And for his broken soul, haven''t you already worked on it?" the priestess raised her eyebrows suggestively, her face looked more cheerful when she did it.


    The blood.


    Should Hope let Kace drink her blood? Hope grimaced with that thought, but then she asked a different question. "What do you mean I already worked on it?"


    "The dream, of course!" The priestess beamed at her. "You didn''t think those dreams were ordinary dreams, did you?"


    Actually¡­ At some point, Hope did think that way, but before she voiced out her thought, the priestess said. "He is here."


    "Who?" but, then Hope realized. "Kace?"


    Somehow, Hope knew the answer as she stood immediately, so did the priestess.


    Hope rushed towards the door and in no time already half running through the same tunnel that she had passed before.


    "Actually, the fastest way you can do to heal his wound is to let him mark you," the priestess said in a teasing tone.


    Hope almost tripped on her own feet when she heard that, and replied timidly when she already got her balance. "Well, I want to¡­ but, Kace said it would be dangerous for me¡­ if we are not careful enough."


    "Trespassing the barrier that The Gluttony casted is a dangerous thing, but here you are." The priestess chuckled. "Nothing is more dangerous than distrusting each other.Hiding your feelings, and the truth when you thought it''s best to do that. And based on the extent of my understanding, the marking process is a sacred thing that requires a lot of trust from both parties."

 Chapter 609 - GUESTS FROM THE MAINLAND

    "You should tell that to him," Hope mumbled, it was Kace who was always hiding his true feelings. Even now, Hope was still slightly upset whenever Kace refused to share the burden to his problem with her. Because he thought it was the best way to protect her.


    "He heard it," the priestess said, as she stopped jogging behind Hope and tilted her head to the side.


    Hope skidded and followed her line of sight when they fell on his favorite person in the whole world. However, before Hope could approach him, the lycan had rushed towards her and wrapped her in a big bear hug. Hugging her so tightly as if Hope would disappear if she didn''t do so.


    Hope giggled when his hair tickled her face and ears, as he buried his head on the crook of her neck. She circled her arms around his waist while stroking his back.


    "I miss you," Hope said, but Kace didn''t answer it.


    Yet, her giggle died down when she felt his whole body was trembling.


    "Kace¡­ what happened?" Hope blinked her eyes, confused with his strong reaction. He wasn''t crying, was he?


    Behind him, the sunset blazing with magnificent colors through the hole of the ceiling of the cave, dipped below the horizon as the last breath of beauty before the death of the day.


    Around them, the thousands of fireflies flickered splendidly and illuminated the impending darkness from the absence of the light of the sun, as the moonlight was covered behind the cloudy sky.


    "I thought I lost you¡­" the beast said it with difficulty.


    At this point, Hope thought it was Kace human''s side who spoke to her, yet somehow, she knew it was the beast. However, at the same time, they were one. Either it was the beast side or his human side, they were both Kace.


    Perhaps, this situation had put the both sides on the same page, synchronizing their own feelings, for the first time in a long time.


    "I am alright," Hope patted his back, letting him to hold her a little bit longer. "I am okay,"


    "Where were you? You just disappeared." Kace''s voice was rough and hoarse, while still holding her, didn''t want to let go of her yet.


    "I was captured by the devil woman, and was put under her spell near the waterfall. I couldn''t go anywhere, no matter how long I walked or which direction that I took, I would always end up at the same place again and again," Hope complained sullenly.


    "You met her?!" Kace growled, but he still refused to let Hope see his face, as he pressed her head against his chest and wrapped his other arms protectively around her waist.


    "She is the same woman that I met when I was thirteen," Hope told him, trying to steal a glance at his expression to no avail, Kace insisted to hide his face and rested his chin on top of her forehead.


    Well, he was taller, bigger and all. But the way he kept Hope in place was swift and effortless.


    "I should have not let my guard down," Kace said grimly. Now his body was shaking in anger. Hope could literally hear the grumble from inside his chest.


    "That''s not your fault," Hope consoled him, "Moreover, if that didn''t happen, I wouldn''t have met with the priestess."


    "You met the priestess too?" Kace frowned, his eyes were red. Not because he was drowned in anger, but from the emotions he was trying to hold back from surfacing; the waves of relief, the fear that had plagued his whole being because of the absence of his mate.


    "Yes, she is also the one who guided me here and¡­" Hope started to tell him everything that happened. From when she was put in a dark room that was similar to a dungeon, until that time when the fireflies came to her when she took out the candle, "¡­Lydia, Leon, and Abby are at the end of this tunnel, they are still unconscious."


    At the end of her story, Kace released Hope. Allowing her to see the red circle around his black eyes.


    "Where is she now?" Kace looked around, but there was nothing he could see, only the empty cave with piles of skeletons behind his back.


    "She is there," Hope pointed to Kace''s left side, as she frowned. Why couldn''t he see her?


    "There?" Kace pointed at the same direction, but he stared at Hope incredulously. "But, there''s no one there."


    "Huh?" Hope narrowed her eyes, "but, she is there." She insisted.


    The priestess was there, as translucent as a ghost would be. Basking under the first moonlight that fell on this cave after the cloud blew away by the wind. But Kace was not able to see her. How could that be possible?


    "Hope, I don''t think he can see me," The priestess said softly as she shook her head, "After all, I am already dead, remember?"


    "But, why can I see you?" Hope wanted to walk closer towards the priestess, but Kace held her back, because in his eyes, Hope was talking to nobody and this worried him.


    "You are a guardian angel, you have your own magic," the priestess winked at her, but then her expression turned serious. "Will you come with me? I want you to know where the devil put my body. So when the help comes, they could bring me back to the village, I feel my energy is draining out."


    ==============


    A loud shriek and other shattering glasses could be heard from a particular room.


    Terra rolled her eyes when she found out the reason for Beelzebub''s gloomy mood.


    "What happened to her?" a man with straight black hair that was combed to the back of his head and tied into a man bun, asked the girl in front of him. He was a vampire from the mainland, and he didn''t come alone.


    "I guess something is not going according to her plan," a witch with dark lips, who looked like she was always smiling, answered him while giggling.


    "You two better keep that opinion to yourself," Terra said in a warning tone, and this earned a vicious hiss from the vampire.

 Chapter 610 - THE YOUNGER DONOVAN

    "Alright, there''s no need for having an argument here¡­" the witch held her hands up as she chuckled. "We have more important matters to worry about."


    "I would be more than glad to kill this little human girl myself." The vampire huffed, he was wearing a red turtleneck sweater, which reminded everyone about blood color.


    "Unfortunately, you can''t," Terra said confidently, because she knew her value. She was right.The vampire wouldn''t be able to kill her. Because the truth was that this human girl was more useful alive than dead, at least based on Beelzebub''s judgement.


    Terra ignored the grumbling vampire when they reached a certain door, from where the sound of loud shattering glasses, and angry roar were more prominent.


    The girl knocked three times, and only pushed open the door when The Gluttony grated her to come in.


    "They are here," Terra said as she walked ahead and started to do her job, to clean the room from the broken glass on the floor.


    The room was not that big with only a table, and a dozen of glass on top of it.Apparently the devil conjured it for herself to vent out her anger. There was also an exquisite fireplace with a few spare logs that had been placed on the brick hearth and a set of flint rocks nearby.


    "What a nice place." Sarcasm in the witch''s voice when she complimented this almost-completely-empty room.


    Since there were no chairs for them to sit, as to proceed to a decent discussion, the witch kindly conjured three arm chairs out of thin air. Those chairs looked very comfortable for them to sit on, so without thinking, the witch sat on one of them.


    "Please." She waved her hand to the two vacant arm chairs for the vampire and The Gluttony. "No need to thank me," she smiled harmlessly.


    Dmitri rolled his eyes at the witch''s arrogant personality when he sat down on her left side.


    Not only that, the witch also conjured a square table complete with various kinds of drinks on it, in the middle of the three arm chairs.


    However, Beelzebub was too angry to sit down, as she was pacing back and forth, grumbling and swearing.


    "Can we talk about our plan? How long will you act like this?" Dmitri was getting impatient when two minutes had passed, and Beelzebub the Gluttony was still in her current mood, not willing to start the discussion. "We don''t have time for your bad mood."


    "Your comment really doesn''t help her," the witch clicked her tongue and shook her head, then shifted her eyes on the devil. "What happened to you?"


    "The girl is missing," Beelzebub answered through her gritted teeth. She felt utterly stupid when she heard that Hope managed to escape her spell.


    How could she escape that place!? It was still a mystery. Logically speaking, with no particular power that she possessed, Hope would''ve never been able to run away when her life was within her grasp.


    "What girl?" the witch frowned, "Is there anything special with this girl? You can have all the cute girls that you like in no time, so just sit down."


    The Gluttony was too petty to tell them that she had a guardian angel under her toes just an hour ago, before she magically disappeared.


    Seeing this wouldn''t go anywhere, and her bad temper didn''t help the situation, she sat down on the vacant arm chair. While saying in, still, angry tone. "Let''s talk about destroying that village while the centaurs aren''t there, and hunting down the youngest Donovan."


    ==============


    The priestess took Hope and Kace to the place where she was being killed, it was in another part of the cave.


    Kace didn''t agree with it, because he knew Hope would feel uncomfortable and sad.Moreover, it wasn''t the sight that he wished for Hope to see, regardless of how the condition of the priestess, but his mate insisted to go.


    Kace was not able to see the priestess nor the fireflies that Hope claimed were surrounding them, but he believed her more than anything, and didn''t slightly doubt her words.


    If she said she saw it then it was really there, as simple as that.


    The priestess led them to a place where the sound of the river flowing was clearer. There, near the underground river, among the big rocks and stalagmites, they could see the white cloak that the priestess was wearing.


    From her position alone, they could tell, after the devil and her trusted maiden killed her, they didn''t even bother to move the priestess and just left her dead body like that as it was.


    "Stay here," Kace scrunched his nose when the smell from the body hit him hard. After all, the priestess had been there for a year, and they didn''t know what was still left of her.


    "But," Hope wanted to protest, yet the priestess stopped her.


    "He is right, you don''t want to see it," the priestess said sadly, her cheerful voice, and her bright personality dimmed at that moment. "Can you please tell him to take the dagger that was stabbed on my back? That''s very precious for me¡­"


    Hope nodded and told Kace the exact thing that the priestess just told her before he went to the body.


    Respectfully, Kace approached the priestess and pulled the dagger.Afterward, he took off the jacket that he was wearing and covered her with it. Bending down, he carried the priestess and put the dead body at a better place on a big rock, under the ray of the moonlight that came through the crack above them.


    When Kace walked back to where Hope was standing, he watched how his mate was crying silently, and wrapped her in a big hug. He didn''t know what to say, and wished it was enough to ease her sadness.


    "We will take her back to the village," Kace said as he felt Hope nodded lightly. "Let''s go. We need to wake up those three." He was not really interested in waiting for them to recover.As long as they could walk, it was good enough.The beast would wake them up at any cost.

 Chapter 611 - WE HAVE TO GO NOW!

    Hope raised her head and looked at him through her wet lashes. And then she said in a hoarse voice after she was crying, "You don''t need to do that, the three of them just woke up." She told him what the priestess had just told her.


    "Good," Kace said coldly.If it wasn''t because he knew that Hope would be so mad if he gave the idea of leaving behind the three witches, he would be more than glad to waltz out of this cave, and back to the village. And proceeded to go back to their realm, as soon as possible.


    There was nothing they could do here and this journey had completely failed. The only reason they were here was because of the priestess, to ask her to heal the damn wounds on his back.Yet the priestess was gone forever, along with the sight of her dead body there.


    Hope''s mood was still down when they walked back to the other part of the cave where the priestess left Lydia, Leon and Abby.


    But, a little smile graced her lips, when Hope saw the three witches had woken up, and stared at their surroundings in daze.


    "Lydia!" Hope cried out and immediately gave the witch a warm hug. "You are awake! I am so glad!"


    Lydia almost fell on her back, when Hope all of a sudden pounced on her. "Where are we? What is this place?" she asked dizzily, seemed unable to break free from her.


    "Don''t worry, you are safe. We are inside a cave in Mount Uzu," Hope finally released the poor witch, who seemed almost suffocated by Hope''s tight hug.


    "Mount Uzu? What is that?" Lydia didn''t really remember what the last thing that had happened to her. Apparently her mind still worked on that.


    However, before Hope could talk further, or fill her in about the latest thing that had happened during her absence, both of them whipped their heads when they heard someone was screaming.


    Abby was screaming.


    Hope watched how Abby flew a few meters away, and her body hit the damp wall of the cave, beside Leon, Kace was standing while fuming mad.


    Leon was flabbergasted.He shook his head upon seeing how his sister was being hurled by Kace, yet did nothing to help her, he just mumbled absentmindedly. "Wow¡­ I bet that hurts a lot¡­"


    Apparently, when Kace approached Leon to help him to stand up, Abby was too excited to see the man from her dream. And she threw herself towards him, only to be thrown away by the man himself in reality.


    "Don''t you dare to touch me!" Kace growled in low voice, threateningly. "One more time you try to do that, I will tear you limb by limb!"


    If it was not the normal Kace. He wouldn''t be so vicious. So, it was the beast.Yet, the beast was kind enough to give her a warning, instead of doing whatever his true intention was in the first place.


    Abby whimpered softly, and looked at Kace sullenly.But didn''t dare to make another reckless move. She was not yet completely aware of her surroundings, adding that to the pain on her back, and her head after hitting the hard wall. That combination just made her feel worse.


    "So, where are we?" Leon shook his head, to clear his mind, shifted his attention towards Kace. He didn''t worry too much for his sister, something like that wouldn''t kill her. Abby would be fine in a minute.


    Kace then briefed him with their current situation. Lydia listened to it as well.


    "Hope I think you have to leave this cave now," the priestess suddenly spoke as her expression became worried.


    "What happened?" Hope frowned, she followed the priestess''s line of sight, but she just stared at the direction of the tunnel.


    "''What happened'' what?" Lydia looked at Hope questioningly, didn''t understand to whom she was talking to.


    Hope silence for a while before she turned her attention towards Kace. "We need to go from here," she said, her voice laced with fear.


    "Why? What happened?" Lydia asked, she could sense there was something wrong with Hope''s facial expression.


    "The priestess said there will be many vampires and witches. They are on their way heading here, with numerous of the witches, she is not sure if she has enough energy to guard this place." Hope relayed what the priestess told her.


    "What priestess? Didn''t you say earlier that she is dead?" Lydia frowned.


    "I will explain about it later, we don''t have time now, I will show you the way." Hope stood up and helped Lydia to get her balance.


    Lydia circled her left hand on Hope''s shoulder as the girl supported her to walk. Of course, it was the priestess, who showed Hope which direction that she needed to take.


    Seeing Hope was having difficulty to support Lydia''s weight, as the both of them trudged very slow, Kace pulled Lydia towards him and let her weight fall on him. "Show us the way," he said.


    Meanwhile, Leon approached Abby and stretched out his hand, "need help?" he asked casually. He felt better, though the world around him was still slightly spinning.


    Grumbling, Abby grabbed Leon''s hand and stood up, "why is he willing to help that witch, but threw me away without a second thought?" Abby used her brother''s body for support when they walked to follow Hope.


    "Because she didn''t have the same intention as you," Leon said while spatting the truth all over his sister.


    Abby didn''t answer that, yet she was clearly fumed as they walked along this long tunnel.


    "Why is she talking about the priestess?" Lydia asked Kace as they followed Hope.


    "Apparently she can see the spirit," Kace then added. "The souls of those who died."


    Lydia raised her eyebrows, but didn''t say anything about it. She just made a mental note at the back of her mind to tell about this progress to Serefina once they managed to get out of this place. Serefina needed to know about this.


    Meanwhile, this journey became more and more unpredictable.


    "Hope, you know the right way, don''t you?" Lydia asked, because if they had to fight those vampires, and witches, with their current condition, she was unsure if they would survive.

 Chapter 612 - THEY WILL BE THERE

    "This way," Hope mumbled, taking another turn while staring at the empty space beside her. She was nodding or muttering something as if she was talking to someone.


    "She is alright, isn''t she?" Abby frowned with the sight of Hope''s behavior, "maybe her head knocked on something before."


    Supporting his sister''s weight, Leon answered with difficulty. "You heard what Kace said, she is talking to the spirit of the dead priestess."


    "Nonsense," Abby spat. "We are supernatural creatures, what kind of creature is this dead spirit that we can''t see, but she can? She is merely human," she spoke with disdain.


    If not all humans could see the supernatural creatures, then Hope was considered one of the few gifted to be able to see them. But still, there was no way for her to be able to see something that even the supernatural creatures couldn''t see. That was beyond nonsense. At least that was what Abby thought.


    While the rest of the people knew, there were many things in this world that were beyond their wildest imaginations even for supernatural beings.


    Hope took another turn, and quickened her pace, while occasionally glancing through her shoulder to make sure all of them could catch up with her, since they were not in good shape at the moment.


    "But, there is no exit here," Hope was talking to the priestess when they met the dead end of the tunnel. She could hear Abby grumbled, saying "See? I told you she doesn''t know what she is doing." But, Hope ignored that.


    "Here, over here." The priestess pointed to a more specific side of the cave wall, two meters away on Hope''s left side.


    Before Hope could protest again that it was only another stone wall, Lydia interrupted her and staggered forward with the help of Kace.


    "I think I know this¡­" Lydia mumbled as she touched the same side of the cave wall that the priestess showed Hope. "This is magic."


    Lydia walked closer, and freed herself from Kace when she touched the wall with both of her hands, and then closed her eyes seeking concentration within her.


    Lydia was not as powerful as Serefina, but it was clear to see that the witch siblings were still not in the same level as her, while Lydia was way more advanced than them.


    Under the witch''s touch, the cave wall gradually dissolved away until they could see the other side of the forest.


    Lydia was the one who stepped out of the cave first, then followed by Kace and Hope. But when she watched this side of the forest, a frown formed on her face.


    The forest that stood before their eyes was eerie. Bugs zipped in and out of their ears, buzzing their annoying wing. Not only that, when Hope walked, the mud sucked on her foot before she got the steadiness to shake her foot free and flicked off some of the soggy clods.


    If it wasn''t because Kace was holding her, Hope was so sure that she would have fell on her back.


    "Are you sure this is the right way?" Hope asked the priestess. She was very irritated by the mud that stuck like glue on her feet.


    In that situation, when no one there could see the priestess and the thousands of fireflies that guided them, Hope was seen as if she was talking to herself.


    And it was Abby, who took this moment to throw some snarky comments. "Yeah, I have the same question! Why should we follow this girl who is talking to herself like a crazy person?"


    Hope was so irritated, and frustrated with their current situation. Added that to the priestess''s facial expression, which told her there was a possibility their situation would get worse. Despite all that, she tried to help them to the best of her ability.


    Hope needed no additional criticism at this point, especially not from someone like Abby.


    Before Hope''s mind could think what she had to say, her mouth had fired harsh words for the young witch, as if it had its own mind.


    "SHUT UP!" Hope snapped, even Kace slightly flinched as he had never seen Hope ever snapped like this before. "Did I ask you to follow me?! You are free to go! Why do I need you to follow me?! Just for your information, I was about to leave you without any hesitation, if then you didn''t wake up any time soon!!"


    Hope was panting in the end of her sudden outburst, and Abby was too shocked to think of any harsh words to reply.


    "Hope, we need to move." The priestess reminded her.


    Right.


    There were way more important things to do rather than to scold the ignorant, spoiled brat witch. She could do that later if they managed to survive from this.


    Hope took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She wished she could ask Kace to throw this girl off somewhere again. But of course that was just her emotional side. "This way," she mumbled.


    Hope was thankful with the sparks that danced on the surface of her skin, when Kace helped her to walk, it really helped.


    Kace rubbed her hair and leaned over to whisper to his mate''s ears seductively. "You are so hot, when you are angry."


    No matter how soft Kace''s words were, those people around them would be able to hear that. Behind them, Leon chuckled lightly, while Lydia glowered at the beast; ''it wasn''t the right time to have that kind of conversation!'' she gave that kind of glare.


    Hope was happy when she heard Abby stomped her feet in the sticky mud. But on the other hand, Kace''s words made her cheeks blushed attractively, and she couldn''t concentrate with what the priestess said next.


    "I am sorry what?" Hope shook her head to get rid Kace''s words from her mind.


    "I said, I can''t go further than this¡­" the priestess stopped walking, or floating in her case.


    "But, why? How can I find the way out from here?" Hope''s voice laced with panic. They were in the middle of nowhere!


    "You will be fine. Just follow the direction of the setting sun, you will meet the centaurs there. I have told Chiron about this," the priestess assured Hope again. "They will be there."

 Chapter 613 - TRAITOR!

    "But, why can''t you come with us?" Hope asked, she didn''t have the confidence to bring all of these people out of there by herself.


    "I can''t, I am sorry." The priestess''s expression turned sad. "I can barely hold on. I have used enough of my strength."


    Hope could see it, her spirit became weaker and weaker.If it wasn''t because of the contrast of her translucent body against this dark, terrifying forest, maybe Hope would have a hard time to see her.


    "I think this is our goodbye," the priestess said softly, smiling tenderly among the thousands of fireflies.


    Hope could feel her chest tightened. She hated goodbye. "It is a shame that I can''t give you a hug," Hope bit her lips to prevent her tears from streaming down her cheeks.


    It was very strange for her to feel so attached to the priestess when in fact they just met a few hours ago.


    If only Hope could meet her in flesh¡­


    Growing up with women like Lana and Serefina, without a doubt, the priestess would be the brightest, warmest and kindest woman that she had ever met.


    "You can give me a smile then." She tilted her head. "Promise me that you will find your way to the centaur, I will be happy to know that you are safe."


    Hope nodded, her voice croaked. "I promise."


    They were staring at each other for a few seconds longer before the priestess decided it was the time for them to move.


    "Go now, I will try to hold them back as best as I can." The priestess gave Hope her last warm smile before her spirit was fading away and disappeared from their sight, along with the thousands of fireflies, made the forest become even more terrifying.


    "The priestess is gone?" Lydia asked, her eyes scanned the entire forest, as if she could catch a sight of her.


    "Yes," Hope said, feeling down. "She said we have to go to the direction of the sunset, there, we will find the centaurs."


    "Centaurs? Are they on our side?" Abby asked, but Leon glared at his sister to prevent her from making the situation even worse. "But, it''s dark already, how can we know the direction of the sunset?" She looked at the sky and frowned.


    "Do you think the direction of the sunset is different in each region?" Lydia scoffed, finally Abby''s complaint got on her nerves.


    "Do you¡­" Abby wanted to retort, but she lost her voice in mid of her sentence. Her mouth opened wide, but there was no sound that they could hear.


    "If your sister keeps making trouble for us, I will make her stay here and let those vampires turn her into their guinea pig!" Lydia snapped at the siblings.


    Leon raised both of his hands, as if saying; you can do what you want.


    "This way," Lydia grumbled and led the way. It was easy enough for her to know the right direction of the sunset. And Hope was glad for that.


    ==============


    The priestess said they had to follow the direction of the sunset, but she forgot to ask how far it was¡­


    They had been walking for two hours long, but Kace still couldn''t pick any scent from the centaurs, there was no indication those creatures were nearby.


    Due to the fact no one was in good shape at the moment, all of them were so tired already.


    "Hope, are you sure the priestess said to go towards the direction of the sunset?" Lydia asked while staring at the night sky, gloomy clouds hanging above their heads, looked like it would rain soon.


    "I am sure, she said it," Hope became restless, her legs throbbing painfully, and the mud from before had hardened inside her shoes, it felt so itchy and hurt.


    Kace had been telling her to get on his back, but Hope insisted that she wanted to walk.There was no way she would let him carry her when he was not in a good condition either.


    However, right now, Hope barely could move her feet. To think of it again, she had been running the entire day, thanks to the devil woman who put her in this messed up situation.Added to the fact that she had not yet eaten anything since her last dinner with Kace that seemed like it happened a thousand year ago¡­


    Suddenly, Kace stopped walking and pulled Hope towards him as he growled loudly.His face contorted as his eyes turned red.


    That was not a good sign.


    "What happened?" though Hope asked that, but she knew the answer before Kace said it.


    "They are nearby," Kace said dangerously.


    Leon, Abby, and Lydia crept closer towards Kace and Hope.


    "We have to find a place to hide," Leon suggested, his eyes looking at his surroundings warily while at the same time keeping Abby closed to him.


    "Too late," Kace gritted his teeth as he put Hope behind his back.


    The witches that came with the vampires, must have done something to cover their scent, because Kace couldn''t smell them before they got this close.


    Hope had a bad feeling that a disaster was about to happen in no time.


    Right at that moment, they could feel several people walking behind the bushes in the dark of the forest.


    Kace''s grip on Hope''s wrist tightened as he growled deeply when eight people emerged from behind the trees.


    In a place with a very limited light like this, it was difficult for Hope to identify them, only when they were only ten steps away from them, Hope could see five men and three women, smirking at her little group.


    "Dmitri¡­" Kace said his name with venom on the tip of his tongue, but then Kace narrowed his eyes and chuckled, yet there was no humor in his red eyes, as they turned deadly cold. "Ron, from Golden Moon Pack. Kyle, from Diandrum Pack and Drake, from Rosete Pack."


    Kace mentioned the other three men, who came along with the vampire and the witches.


    And then the lycan talked in disdain. "Does Torak know that you guys betray him?"

 Chapter 614 - THE SITUATION IS GETTING OUT OF HANDS

    Alpha Ron from the Golden Moon Pack stepped forward as he grinned and showed his sharp teeth. "I think we need to have another Alpha in this case."


    Kace raised his eyebrows as he smirked, but there was no humor in those red eyes. "Speaking like someone who can beat him, huh?"


    Alpha Ron narrowed his eyes at Hope behind Kace''s back and his smug face only became uglier. "I see you are playing with a human girl now." Then he said tauntingly. "I heard a rumor about you, the youngest sibling of Donovan, is the weakest among the three¡­ Now, I can see why there is a rumor like that. After all, birds of a feather flock together."


    Anger boiled Kace''s blood.


    Not because those stupid Alphas had betrayed his brother. Not at all, Torak could handle them just fine. It was not because of his words either. But the anger that Kace felt right now was because of their situation. If this was like any other occasion, he would have shifted and dug his claws right into Alpha Ron''s face. Tore him limb to limb, and made him beg for his death.


    His chance of torturing his enemy before his last breath was taken away. It was always the beast''s favorite part of every battle, but this was also the part that his human''s side objected the most.


    Yet, because of this damn barrier, he couldn''t do that or else the pain would be unbearable for him. Not to mention his wounds were getting worse now.


    "I agree." Kace''s eyes shifted to the vampire. "Stinky creatures always look for another stinky creature to join with. However, I am very surprised that you throw your pride just to be the vampire and the witch lap dogs, I guess I thought too highly of you."


    Talking wasn''t the beast thing, but when he did it, he actually had a quite sharp tongue.


    "YOU!" Ron and the other three Alphas growled loudly, they felt insulted and that was what Kace wanted.


    Kace glanced at Lydia, but the witch looked back at him with concern. They couldn''t afford another battle, but this situation was inevitable.


    "Why don''t you and the girl come with us in peace, so no one would get hurt? We can save our time for the unnecessary battle. And you should have known which party would have the upper hand." Dmitri suggested as he looked at Kace with his sparkling eyes.


    However, another witch stepped forward, emerged from the darkness and stood beside the vampire, "I am a little bit curious about the girl. Why did Beelzebub insist for us to take her," she mumbled while staring at Hope with interest.


    Apparently they didn''t know that Hope was Kace''s mate, or the fact that she was a guardian angel. It would be better to keep it that way.


    "LYDIA!" Kace roared out loud as he leapt forward and fell on his four legs.


    Not only Hope, Lydia and the witch siblings were also surprised by Kace who actually shifted into his beast form. It was shocking because as far as they knew, there was some barrier that prevented the lycan to shift into his beast form. That was also the reason that kept the centaurs from entering this forest and chose to stay away from this place. The reason why they had to walk for hours just to get to the meeting point with the centaurs, was because they couldn''t step closer to this forest.


    But, how did Kace do that?!


    Even the other party was flabbergasted upon seeing the majestic white lycan, with gash on his back, standing proudly right before their eyes.


    Meanwhile, even Kace did manage to shift, but this was the most painful shifting that he had ever done. Even his first shift was not as painful as this. It hurt like hell!!!


    The pain gnawed every inch of his skin, made it harder for him to move, and even worse when he had to fight those imbecile creatures that threatened his mate.


    Ignoring the pain that he felt, Kace held his ground and snarled fiercely at them. Though it was hard for him to stay in that form.


    "Impossible¡­" one of the witches muttered under her breath. Her eyes glued to the beast right before her eyes with her jaw dropped open. "How did he still manage to shift under this spell?"


    "I don''t have any idea¡­" the other witch replied. Out of instinct, she took two steps back, being threatened by the beast''s hostility. His red eyes were akin to sharp arrows that would pierce anything that was staring back at him.


    And for the other three Alphas, of course they wouldn''t risk their life to shift into their beast form, because they knew how much pain that they should endure for doing so.


    "He is crazy," Alpha Drake from Rosete Pack knitted his brows tightly.


    "As expected from the Donovan bloodline," Alpha Kyle from Diandrum pack commented, but there was a vicious smirk that etched on the corner of his lips.


    After his shock, Alpha Ron became even more vicious than before, as he realized that shifting under such circ.u.mstances would drain the beast''s energy quickly. "I would like to see how he will fight the seven of us. I think it will not take a long time before we subdue him, and his ego."


    Alpha Ron already took a step forward and was about to lurch onto the big beast''s left side. He thought the beast wouldn''t be able to move freely. And even if he could, his speed wouldn''t be on par with him.


    Yet, he calculated it wrongly. Because the moment Alpha Ron leapt to the beast''s left side, and was about to dig his sharp nail and added another gash on the white lycan''s body. Kace raised his big paw and clawed Alpha Ron''s face, sending him flying a few meters away until his body collided with a tree, creating a loud cracking sound.


    Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, Lydia grabbed Hope''s wrist. "Let''s go!"


    "Wait! But, what about Kace?!" Panic laced in Hope''s voice.

 Chapter 615 - SURVIVAL INSTINCT

    Quicker than Hope''s brain could process everything that happened around her, Lydia had ushered her away from the beast that was fighting four Alphas in their human form, and a vampire.


    The only thing that resonated in Hope''s mind was; how could Kace survive that?!


    Hope really wanted to stay, but then what could she do then? Only now Hope realized how hopeless and useless she was. Hope hated herself for this. Even if she could, she would do anything in her power to help. But unfortunately, even the best thing that she could do would not help them that much.


    Hope pitied herself for being useless.


    Lydia practically dragged Hope away.It was almost unbelievable to see the witch still had the stamina to run that fast.Knowing she just woke up a few hours ago, and they just ran for two full hours.


    If it wasn''t for the adrenaline that rushed through her veins, Hope would have collapsed now.The pain from her feet made her numb, as her head became dizzy.


    Hope couldn''t see them, but she knew the three witches came for them.Since the Alphas were busy fighting the beast, it was only natural for them to go after their second prey.


    "Do something!" Abby ran beside Lydia, horror in her eyes, she didn''t look any better than Hope too. Meanwhile, Leon was nowhere to be seen, it seemed the brother was staying behind to assist Kace.


    This situation was getting out of hands.


    Especially when Hope''s legs could no longer keep up with her will to move faster. And instead,she tripped over then fell on her face first, hitting the ground.


    Hope yelped in pain when she felt her face bumped onto a tree trunk.Yet, that would be her last concern, because after that, the three of them were surrounded by the three witches from before.


    Because of Hope''s stupidity they were being caught, and it made Abby curse under her breath. Apparently Lydia''s spell had worn off. If this was any other occasion, Hope wouldn''t let the young witch off after insulting her, but their situation needed her attention more.


    "Okay, let''s make this quick, give me the girl." The witch named Shannon stretched out her hand, as if Hope would take it willingly.


    "Here! You can take her!" Abby pushed Hope''s shoulder when she just stood up from the ground, and caused her to almost fall again for the second time. If it was not because of Lydia, who held her back, falling to the ground was really what would happen to her.


    Lydia glowered at Abby, but quickly put her focus on the three witches surrounding them.


    "If you do that again, I swear I will kill you myself!" Hope hissed viciously as she tried to steady herself while panting. The running really exhausted her greatly.


    "You don''t want us to do this to you Lydia," Shannon said in her sweet voice, while shaking her head. "I know you befriend Serefina, but it doesn''t mean you can take the three of us in your current condition."


    It was true, Lydia barely managed to conjure a blasting fire, which was dodged easily by Shannon.


    But it was enough distraction for another witch to sneak behind Lidya''s back, and grabbed Hope''s shoulder then shoved her backwards while Abby did nothing to help her. Neither did she warn them that there was a sneak attack right under her nose.


    Abby had the expression that showed that she didn''t want to get involved in this situation.If taking away Hope could save her, then she was more than willing to let them take the girl.


    For the third time Hope''s head hit an oak tree and everything started to spin.


    In her lightheaded state, Hope could barely see Lydia''s yelling. As the witch that captured her dragged her into the dense forest.


    Hope tried to fight back, but her body wouldn''t cooperate. She could barely notice the sight of her surroundings, and catch her breath.


    After a short run, the witch stopped to chant a mantra to call Beelzebub.


    The witch just let Hope knelt on the ground, catching her breaths, thinking she wouldn''t be able to run away.


    However, once her lungs had filled with the air that she needed, Hope didn''t waste another second to regain her full strength because if she waited any longer, it would be too late for her to do anything.


    Hope grabbed a rough, big, stone and slammed it against the witch''s shin bone as hard as she could.Causing the witch screamed in shock and pain, ruining the spell that she chanted.


    The moment the witch lost her balance, Hope yanked her cloak until she fell on her back and immediately climbed on top of her and straddled the witch.


    The witch might be very good at their spells, or magical powers.But they weren''t that different from humans when it came to dealing with physical attacks. Melee''s attacks left them vulnerable


    Hope learned this quickly when she watched how helpless the witch was when she couldn''t chant her spell, or use her hand to conjure some magical things when Hope gave her a jab on her neck.


    The witch coughed violently from Hope''s assault. But the girl didn''t let the witch gain her strength, and she pulled the scarf around the witch''s neck with all the force she could muster.


    The witch began to swing, and push at Hope, who was straddling her. However, the girl sat on top of her and pulled the scarf even tighter, screaming when the witch swung her fist into her cheek.Yet she didn''t let go.


    Hope felt like it took forever before the witch''s body stopped writhing, and stayed still. She watched as the witch struggled for her final breaths, and the life began to drain from her eyes.


    When there was no more movement from the woman under her, Hope felt very exhausted from the exertion.


    It was too late, but when the realization hit her. Hope shuddered as her body trembled, when she realized she just killed the witch.


    She just killed someone for the first time.

 Chapter 616 - THEY ARE HERE

    Hope felt sick when she realized what she had done. Then she immediately got off from the dead body of the witch in front of her.


    She crawled away from her, and only stopped when she was far enough, away from the dead body. Her adrenaline kicked higher as she hyperventilated because of the tension.


    When the reality hit her hard, Hope needed some time to calm her raging breath, before she tried to stand up with the support of a tree trunk beside her.


    Hope shrieked the moment she heard a loud footsteps coming towards her direction, but her tense muscles loosened when she saw who it was.


    From afar, Lydia sprinted towards her.


    The witch was not in her good shape when Hope could see her tattered cloak with a few burn marks on it.Yet she was alive and that was the most important thing for Hope.


    "Are you okay?" Lydia asked her when she was close enough to see how pale the girl was, her body seemed couldn''t stop trembling.


    Lydia followed Hope''s line of sight, and watched the dead body of the witch on the ground with her mouth and eyes opened wide.


    "I killed the witch," Hope said to her with a low voice, barely a whisper.


    "Good! I will need you to kill more if you meet any situation like this again." Lydia nodded in agreement, but Hope wished this would be the last time. "You did an excellent job! Now we have to go before the other witches come."


    Behind Lydia, Hope watched Abby stagger towards them.Her face was ghastly pale, there was a cut on her left cheek, but over all, she was fine.


    "I thought she was dead," Hope scoffed disdainfully, she remembered how Abby had pushed her and caused her to be caught by the witch.


    Lydia glanced at Abby through her shoulder as she scowled. "I hope the same thing,unfortunately it is her that luck sided with this time."


    There was a small smile on Hope''s lips, as she felt slightly better after she heard Lydia''s reply.


    "Let''s go." Lydia grabbed Hope''s hand without waiting for Abby to catch up with them.


    Lydia looked older than the last time Hope saw her before she disappeared, seemingly the battle with the two witches earlier really had taken a toll on her.


    Fortunately, the light of the moon shone brightly through the leaves above their heads to illuminate their path.


    Hope was pleased when she realized Lydia took the way back to where they left Kace and Leon.


    "Let''s hope they survived," Lydia muttered under her breath.


    Even though the three women were running, they were too exhausted to get some more speed.Their movements were only slightly faster than walking, thus it took quite some time for them to reach the spot.


    Hope gasped when they came to the clearing where the white beast fought the Alphas, and the vampires.The sight that they were seeing now made her gasped. There were not only Kace and Leon there, but there were a few hunters also.


    "Why are they here?" Hope''s last encounter with the Hunter left a bitter memory in her mind, hence she wasn''t immediately happy to see them here.


    There were around twenty hunters there with Delta, the new head of the hunter, crouching down in front of Kace.


    The moment Hope''s eyes landed on Kace, who was leaning his back against the tree, she rushed towards him, and squatted down beside Delta.


    "What happened to him?!" Hope was hysterical when she watched how pale Kace was.Not only his complexion that reminded Hope of the priestess lifeless being, but also the gash that littered his skin, which seemed very hard to heal.


    Kace''s eyelashes fluttered the moment he heard Hope''s voice.


    "We were late, the moment we reached this place, he had casted away the werewolves, and the vampires.He was about to look for you, but he didn''t have enough strength." Delta explained briefly.


    Because the moment the hunters reached this place, there were only Kace and Leon there,and the scene where a lot of blood splashed on the ground, trees and stones.


    At that time, Kace had shifted back into his human form.But the aftermath of the battle drained his energy, the lycan barely took a step when he collapsed to the ground.


    Meanwhile, not far from them, someone was cleaning Leon''s wounds.


    "So, you are here to help?" Hope glanced at Delta cautiously.


    Delta knew why Hope behaved that way. Her experience with the hunters was not a pleasant memory, but he answered her politely. "Yes, I am here to help." He nodded his head.


    "How did you get here?" It was impossible for the hunters to be here, as the village and Mount Uzu were four days apart. It didn''t make sense.


    "Actually, we are only half a day away. My group departed after you, so no longer after you and the lycan entered this mountain area, we met with Chiron at the border of the barrier," Delta said solemnly. "After all, this is our priestess that you were trying to save."


    His attitude was the opposite of the previous arrogant leader of the hunters, Leroy.


    On the other hand, Hope nodded in understanding.That was why Kace couldn''t sense them, they were actually too far to be detected by the lycan''s strong senses, but not too far enough to give immediate response when they were needed.


    Hope lowered her head as she grabbed Kace''s cold hands. "I am sorry, we can''t save the priestess. She is already¡­"


    "¡­Dead." Delta finished her words. "We already know about that."


    "What?" Hope whipped her head to stare at the hunter in confusion. "If you already know, why do we have to be here?"


    Delta immediately raised both of his hands as he waved them in a denial gesture. "No, no. I didn''t know before. Chiron only told me when I and my men arrived here. He told us that the spirit of the priestess told them that you need help.But since we''ve been waiting for a long time, and you still hadn''t shown up, that''s why we came here, and also because the centaurs couldn''t enter the barrier."

 Chapter 617 - THE MONSTER THAT I LOVE

    Hope was staring at the bright moon above her head. It was only a few hours before the night ended, when she felt a movement from someone who slept on her lap.


    They were in the clearing, surrounded by the hunters who took turns to watch for the night. They chose to stay here until the sun rose, and with the help of Lydia, Leon and Abby, they casted some spells in a small area inside this forest for protection. After all the three people needed to rest and Kace was totally exhausted and lost his consciousness due to the exerted battle earlier.


    "Hope¡­" Kace''s voice was hoarse and dry when he called her name.


    Hope lowered her head, and met with Kace''s blue eyes, the lycan tried his best to keep his eyes open, but it seemed that it needed a lot of effort from him.


    Running her fingers on his curly hair, Hope said softly. "You need to rest."


    There was no answer from Kace for some time until he mumbled, "I am glad that you are fine," he spoke in a dreamy tone as his eyes closed, his breathing was shallow and this made her worry.


    However, Lydia said Kace only needed some rest to replenish his energy, and then he would be fine. The wounds from earlier also were closing in, and the small cuts couldn''t be seen anymore. Though his healing ability was slower than usual, Lydia said it was due to his lack of energy. Added that to his old wound. It simply exhausted him.


    Most of them said, normal lycan wouldn''t survive this far with the kind of wound like on Kace''s back. It was not an ordinary gash, not to mention to go into multiple battles since they arrived here.


    But, Kace was persistent.


    "You don''t know how afraid I was when I thought I couldn''t save you¡­" Kace''s voice was very soft, he took Hope''s hand and kissed it gently.


    When his soft lips touched her skin, they sent a delicate spark that made Hope shivered.


    Kace knew he loved her, even from the first time, he knew he would have died without her. But at the same time he also knew the word ''love'' wouldn''t be sufficient to describe his feelings for her.


    For his little mate.


    For his hope.


    "I love you my angel¡­" Kace said gently and his sincerity touched Hope''s soul, as she could feel his undying love for her, was something that she would cherish the most.


    "I love you too, my wolfie." Hope said cheekily as she bent down her body and kissed his forehead.


    The lycan was visibly relaxed by her touch, the knitted on his forehead loosened as his breath became more even.


    Lydia, Leon and Abby were sleeping not too far from them, and apparently were too exhausted to care for the world. But Hope couldn''t fall asleep. Although her body was very tired, and needed to rest, she couldn''t close her eyes. Instead she resumed to stare at the night sky when she thought Kace had fallen asleep while she was playing with his hair.


    However, after a long silence, Kace spoke again. "I want to hear your voice."


    "Hm?" Hope lowered her head, but her fingers still twirled a strand of his hair.


    "Talk to me¡­" Kace said sleepily.


    Hope was thinking for a moment before she decided what she wanted to say to Kace. She wanted to tell him about this, but couldn''t find the right time.


    "I tricked Lydia when she gave me the conditions to allow me to come to this realm," Hope said cheekily.


    "What conditions?" There was a faint smile on the corner of his lips, when he heard how enchanting Hope''s voice was. It was like a melody that only belonged to him.


    "She wanted my blood in exchange to take me to meet you here," Hope stared at Kace''s soft lips and his pointed nose.


    There was a slight frown on his face. "You shouldn''t agree with her."


    "I said I tricked her, remember?" Hope knew Kace would say something like that, if he was in good condition. She could imagine how Kace would tower over her, and gave her a deadly stare for agreeing to such an agreement.


    "What did you do?" Kace asked sullenly.


    "She asked for my blood in exchange to meet you and I agreed. But I didn''t tell her when I will give my blood to her. Since I have to give my blood willingly, she couldn''t force me if I don''t want to do it. So as a witch, she would live an immortal life, therefore she could wait for eternity," Hope said cheerfully.


    There was a slight smile on his tired face, but then his tone became serious. "Don''t do that ever again, you can trick her once, but witches are very cunning, I don''t want you to get into trouble."


    "I know¡­" Hope nodded, if only she had another way, and if only she didn''t know that her blood was valuable, she would have agreed without worries. But since the incident with Beelzebub four years ago, and discovered about her blood through Kace''s explanation, she knew she couldn''t be reckless when it comes to her blood.


    "Hope¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "What if I am not as good as you know me? What if I am truly a monster?"


    Kace''s sudden question caught Hope completely off guard. She could feel the sadness, and disturbance in the way Kace spoke to her.


    The lycan was being vulnerable with her, probably because of his condition that he needed reassurance from her. Or maybe because he was not fully aware about what he was saying now.


    Kace had been holding his back all this time, and acted as if he was fine all the time by showing her only his smiles, and how gentle he was with her.


    However, behind his easy going behavior on the outside, there was a part of him that even Kace didn''t want to know. Too scared to embrace that part, let alone showing it to her.


    Leaning over, Hope''s lips caressed him. "Then you will be the monster that I love," she whispered softly.

 Chapter 618 - THE PERFECT MORNING

    Hope couldn''t sleep last night. And when the first ray of the sun fell on her face, only then she felt very lethargic. Her legs were numb after being Kace''s pillow for the entire night.


    But, fortunately, when Kace woke up that morning, he looked much better.All of his wounds had healed, except for the one on his back.But at least there was no additional wound that Hope could see.


    "Are you okay?" Hope caressed Kace''s head when he opened his eyes as she yawned.


    "You don''t look so well," Kace''s black eyes stared at Hope sleepy face. She looked gaunt and this made Kace furrowed his eyebrows. He immediately sat down when he realized that he had been using Hope''s lap as a pillow while she had to be in sitting position the entire night. "Why don''t you sleep?"


    Hope''s black eye bags told him that she didn''t have enough sleep last night.


    "I am fine¡­" Hope raised both of her hands, and stretched her body until she could hear the cracking sound from her joint and sighed in relief. "Don''t worry."


    Kace didn''t believe her.


    He raised his hand and poked Hope''s legs as the girl grimaced in pain, and slapped his shoulder.


    "What are you doing!?" Hope glowered, her legs were numb and it was painful when Kace poked them. She raised her hand to prevent Kace from poking her again, ready to swat the big bad lycan.


    However, regardless of the slap that he got on his back again and Hope''s protest, he moved closer.


    "No, what are you doing!?" Hope panicked, it was painful enough to move her legs, but she didn''t want Kace to touch them too. "No, don''t touch!"


    "Can you stay still?" Kace glared at Hope and this made the girl pout her lips sullenly.


    After the girl stopped her assault on him, Kace moved to her legs.Though Hope still whimpered when Kace touched them, she didn''t hit him again.


    With care, Kace touched her legs and gave them massages, giving the right amount of pressure and made circular motion on her feet. At first, it was painful, but after a while, Hope could feel her blood circulated and she was no longer in pain.


    "Wow!" She moved her legs, and they were fine. "I don''t know if you can do massages?"


    Kace chuckled and he flicked her head lightly. "I was your P. E teacher, remember?"


    Hope frowned, "I forgot."


    She really forgot about that. It felt like her life at school was from another life. Two weeks weren''t over yet, but she felt like the life she was living in that realm was like a beautiful, peaceful dream.


    "Should I call you ''Sir''?" Hope teased him while she reached for Kace''s stretching hands and used it to support her to stand.


    Yet, Kace stole a kiss from her when she was close enough, chuckled when Hope glared at him. "A morning kiss," Kace said sweetly to her ears. While ignoring the hunters, who were stealing a glance at them.


    "Stay here, I will talk to Delta," Kace said as he walked away to talk to the head of the hunters.


    Hope didn''t know what he wanted to discuss, but he looked less gloomy than the beast that Hope met when the first time he appeared.


    Since his human side was too weak to take the control, the beast resurfaced since then.


    Seeing Lydia was awake, Hope walked towards her. "Morning."


    Lydia glanced briefly at Hope and yawned, she looked better. A good night''s sleep could indeed replenish someone''s energy.


    "Morning," Lydia greeted her, she yawned again, seemingly needing another hour of sleep, but they had to go immediately before the barrier that protected them became worn out. If that happened, their enemies could easily find them.


    Hope had told the hunter about the priestess'' body.Yet with the current situation, if they insisted to go back into the cave, it was almost like a suicide mission.Thus they needed to go back to the village as soon as possible, and think carefully about the solution and what their plan was.


    The morning in this clearing was not as terrifying as the night time. The chirping birds that perched on the branches could be heard, and also the warm sunlight that peeked through the leaves.


    If only they were not in this kind of situation, this would be a perfect morning.


    Hope could see Abby was talking about something to Leon.Both of them seemed to be having an argumentation.But that wasn''t her problem. The thing was that Hope disliked Abby from the beginning, and she didn''t really like Leon either.


    After Kace discussed something with Delta, he went back to Hope and told her that they would be ready to leave in five minutes.


    And the moment when everything was packed, the twenty five of them went to meet the centaurs at the border of the barrier that Beelzebub had casted around the mountain.


    It took another three hours before they reached the place where the centaurs had been waiting for them.


    And during the last two hours of their walk, Kace insisted for Hope to climb on his back.Apparently the girl''s constant yawn slightly irritated the lycan. He reprimanded her for not taking a good care of herself, and arrogantly said that he would''ve been fine even if Hope didn''t offer her lap.


    Hope knew Kace was not ungrateful after what she did for him.He was just worried.But still, it annoyed her to be scolded.


    Well, she took back her words that she thought the beast was being nice now, because he was still annoying.


    However, after a long squabble. Hope finally tired and hopped on his back and immediately regretted; why didn''t she do it earlier? It was so nice and comfy to rest her head on Kace''s broad shoulder.


    In the end, it didn''t take a long time before Hope fell asleep and only woke up when they saw the centaurs in the distance.


    "I will walk," Hope wriggled her body as Kace put her down.


    Yet, something happened and Hope could see it in Kace''s eyes before she even felt it.

 Chapter 619 - HE LOST HER

    Hope woke up dizzy when the sun light shone brightly on her face, she rubbed her eyes and remembered that Kace had been piggy backing her since a while¡ªshe actually didn''t know since when, because she lost track of time.


    "Put me down," Hope mumbled and yawned at Kace, she stretched her arms and legs, made the lycan slightly lose his balance and had to secure her on his back.


    "You can sleep a little bit longer," Kace said lightly as he could pick the scent of those centaurs who were nearby.


    "No, I will walk," Hope insisted, wriggling her body from him.


    "The centaurs are nearby," said Kace to her, but still didn''t want to put her down. The beast liked it when Hope''s warm breath brushed against his neck and her steady heartbeat thumped on his back, knowing she was this close and put him at ease.


    "I will walk," Hope said again, as she wriggled her body trying to break free.


    The girl was so stubborn and because Kace thought she had rested enough, he put her down. Kace looked at her as a big smile etched on her cherry lips, her complexion looked well too.


    From the distance, they could see Chiron and the rest of the centaurs that came with him. The chief of the centaurs stood tall on his four horse-legs, a long, big bow was in his right arm and a quiver was behind his back.


    With the sight of the centaurs, all of them were looking slightly cheered up, knowing that their journey had ended.All they had to do next was tore turn to the village, and created a strategy about how to retrieve the priestess'' body, and the thousands of skeletons that belonged to the missing children, from inside the cave.


    That wasn''t an easy task, but they were confident that they could think of one or two solutions.


    However, Kace didn''t know where it was coming, or even caught a glimpse of it when all of a sudden there was an arrow that hurled from thin air and pierced Hope''s chest right before his eyes.


    Blood spraying in the air, splattering on Kace''s face and cloak, as a look of pure horror on his face.


    Hope didn''t feel it at first, but the fear that tainted those black eyes of the beast made her follow his line of sight and found the tip of the arrow that pierced through her heart along with the waves of pain that turned her entire body numb.


    Kace moved fast when he watched Hope''s body was about to collapse, he stretched his arms and cradled her as he knelt.


    "LYDIA!!!" That was the first name that flashed in his mind, the person that could possibly help Hope.


    Lydia didn''t need to be called twice as she already crouched down beside Kace, she reached for the arrow and it vanished into dust, causing Hope to cough up blood.


    Kace''s body was trembling.


    "Press her wounds!" Lydia said, her voice laced with panic.


    Kace did what Lydia said, but when he pressed his trembling hand on Hope''s chest, the girl grimaced and whimpered in pain. Kace''s mind was in disarray, he frantically spoke something that Hope couldn''t comprehend and was not able to elevate her pain.


    The pain was unbearable. She was having difficulty breathing, every time Hope wanted to say something, blood rushed up to her throat, clogging her windpipe, putting her more in agony.


    "Kace! Bring her to the centaurs!" Lydia looked something behind her back that Hope couldn''t see it, but judging from her expression alone, she knew, whatever was happening, it was not something good.


    Hope shrieked when Kace carried her away towards the centaurs, cradling her bleeding body as gently as he could, but still, a little movement made Hope had to shut her eyes tightly and bite her lips.


    Vaguely, Hope could hear someone was shouting behind Kace''s back, and another screams after screams.


    She was unsure about what was happening, but when Hope heard there was a blazing sound and the air around her became warm, she realized what they were facing now.


    The witches and the vampires had caught up with them.


    But, how many of them were there? Could they fight them again? Did Kace have to fight again? He just recovered! No, all of them were not ready for a battle.


    "Please, please, please Hope¡­ open your eyes¡­"


    There was a pleading voice, sounding very pitiful. Hope felt like her heart was being stabbed twice only by hearing the sound of his voice.


    "Please stay with me¡­"


    The same voice.


    Hope gulped hard and opened her eyes, but she was not able to see anything.


    Hope felt like her body was being drowned, and the voice that called her name started to fade away, along with the numbness of her senses.


    And the last thing that she heard from that pitiful voice was a pleading from him.


    "Please¡­ don''t give up on me¡­"


    Kace couldn''t believe what he was seeing right now¡­ his mate stopped breathing. His Hope stopped breathing.


    Kace didn''t know what he should do at this moment.


    Chiron approached him, and did his best to bring her back, but Hope just didn''t move.


    Even in this clamor with the hunters, and the centaurs fought off the vampires, and the witches behind him, Kace was sure that he couldn''t hear Hope''s beating heart anymore.


    The sound from the world suddenly ceased to nothingness, as he watched Hope closed her eyes, laying on the pool of her own blood.


    Kace couldn''t feel anything, yet at the same time he felt like there was something that weighed him down, hazed his focus and clouded his mind.


    The essence of his life had disappeared, and there was no more gravity to hold him to the ground.


    And the last thing that Kace saw was red.


    "Kace."


    Someone called him, but he gave no response, as slowly, very slowly, white fur escaped from every follicle of his skin and his body shook with the force that came from within.


    "Stay away from him." The same voice warned the centaurs, coming from a woman with red hair.

 Chapter 620 - SO WAS HE

    "Serefina," Chiron called the witch''s name as he stood up and gestured to Zarrn to stay away from the Lycan.


    Not too far from them, a bunch of hunters and centaurs were snarling and squealing as the ground started to turn into a butchery. The theatre of death filled up with keening, and caterwauling sounds as the ground was sodden with blood and ichor.


    A windstorm of fire arrows was skirling and sizzling up through the sky from the spell that the witches chanted.


    There were around twenty witches, standing in the far distance, battling the hunters and the centaurs from afar, while fifty vampires slaughtered their enemy, bathing themselves with their blood and entertained their ears with their yowls and snarls.


    There were too many of them and soon it would turn into a massacre.


    "We need to help the other," Chiron gestured to Zarrn to follow him while he nodded at Serefina. He knew this witch. This was their first encounter again after several decades have passed.


    Leaving Kace with his dead mate and the witch, the head of the centaurs and his right hand man entered the ground, which had been burnished with a sickly odor rose up from it.


    "Kace," Serefina called him again, but she didn''t move forward to approach him. There was something from Kace that put the witch in full alert.


    The sight of his trembling back and the way his slow shift into his beast form, telling him there was something wrong with this lycan.


    Of course this was not any ordinary error, this was not a mishap or something of short.


    His mate was dead. His mate was killed before his eyes, and her blood was still dripping from his hands.


    His eyes were glowing with insane fury, an indescribable wrath, when his mind ran wildly couldn''t work properly.


    The sight of his mate only drove him further and further away from reality.


    "Kace, calm yourself." Even Serefina was not convinced by her own words, how could she ask a lycan, who just lost his mate to calm down? Who was she fooling? There was no way Kace would calm in this kind of situation.


    However, except talking sweetly of nothing, Serefina was also at a loss about what was happening here.


    She raised her head as she gritted her teeth.


    ''Moon Goddess, what are you up to?''


    However, there was no moon above her head, in contrast there was only the torching brightness of the sunlight¡­


    And the beast that was about to wreak havoc in a matter of seconds.


    The sound of his snapping bones were almost as eerie as the sound of the battle behind them, a tough fight for them to win.


    Kace raised his hands, which had half shifted with his majestic white fur that was covered with ember-red blood. His insane red eyes were dull with the sight.


    The white beast finally reached the last stage of his transformation, as he stood mightily on all four legs. This was the longest, the most painful and the most uncontrollable shifting that he had been through.


    As he was in full beast form, his senses became hypersensitive, he practically could smell blood, sweat and fear hanging heavily in the air, with blistering heat and glaring sun above their head.


    The beast took a tentative approach to the motionless body before him, his snout touched the girl''s pale cheeks as he whimpered in despair when the girl didn''t respond to his touch.


    An irrational agony and grief searing through his system, leaving him incapable of resisting the overpowering wave of emotion.A red haze descended over his mind and he knew no more when he charged towards the gruesome, frightening battlefield, blinded by his anger.


    Serefina watched without being able to do anything. For the first time¡ªshe was afraid of the white beast.


    She had fought Kace countless of times in his beast form before, but it was only because she knew those were harmless fights.


    But, not this time, even the air around him, frightened the witch.


    Serefina rushed back from Fulbright City when she felt there was something wrong. However, the moment she reached her house, no one was there.


    It was expected though, becauseKace had moved Hope to Sterling''s house, the werewolf, the old friend of Kace.


    Yet, when Serefina was there, they told them that Hope and the twins disappeared the night of the festival.


    Sterling and Sophia had been trying to look for their sons and Hope, but they couldn''t find them. They also told Serefina about the dream that Hope had the night before.


    It was not very difficult for the witch to put all the pieces together and understand what was actually happening. She should have known that Lydia was up to something, when she asked to come along with her.


    Especially when Serefina asked her for a favor to help Kace and Lana if both of them didn''t return until the festival in the village occurred.


    Knowing her, it was most likely that the witch had brought along Hope and the twins with her to enter this realm.Without knowing what kind of danger that they would face once they were here.


    Serefina crouched down beside Hope''s body, her brows knitted tightly, as she raised her head and faced the glaring sunlight.


    ''Why did you let this happen Selene?'' The witch questioned the Moon Goddess.


    Stretching her hands, Serefina touched Hope''s forehead, her body was still warm to her touch, but she was most likely dead.


    "What would happen if we lost one of the guardian angels?" Serefina gritted her teeth as complexity crossed her face.


    The witch stared at the bloody battle that happened before her eyes, shivering when the brutal side of the beast contributed more and more horrendous scenes in the clearing.


    Serefina shielded herself and Hope from the blasting fire that was sent by one of the witches there, when they spotted there was someone left behind.


    However, the white beast did not even turn around to check whether the fire from earlier hit his mate or not, because his mate was already dead, so was he.

 Chapter 621 - FERAL

    "What should we do now?" Chiron stood beside Serefina, who was crouching down next to Hope''s body.


    The aftermath of the two hours battle, leaving them with only five centaurs and three hunters as the remaining survivors.


    That battle wasn''t for them to win after all. Not until the white lycan entered the battlefield and raged blindly to whatever was infront of him. The beast didn''t care for the world, whether it was a friend or foe, everything within his reach would be destroyed brutally.


    Thanks to the strong Alpha blood in him, an ordinary spell or some kind of magic didn''t really have any effect on him.


    For the centaurs and the hunters who had no more hope to come out from the battle alive, of course, they could sigh in relief when they watched how the angry beast was running rampant among the vampires and the witches.


    However, their relief didn''t last for long, because once all the enemies had died or fled, the only creatures that could satisfy his bloodl.u.s.t were only them.


    Now, after they managed to escape the nightmare from the vampires and the witches, they had to face the reality where an enraged beast was staring at them with his terrifying red eyes that were clouded with rage.


    This time, there was something wrong with the beast, totally wrong! The beast had gone feral!


    He was a living destruction, but at the same time, he was about to destroy himself, and cease his own existence.


    His white fur had turned red from the witches that he had decapitated, blood dripping from his snout as his canines elongated dangerously.


    Aside from the fact that the beast was staggering when he prowled towards them. Just with the look in his eyes alone, could send chills to their bones. He looked so dark, just like a creature that just resurrected from the deepest part of hell.


    The beast let his animal instinct take control as he ran towards the survivors behind Serefina, ready to kill or be killed.


    The last bloodshed was about to unfold.


    They heard it, an ear-splitting roar, followed by a powerful impact when the beast charged straight towards the shield that Serefina had conjured and was forced to draw back. They could feel the earth shaking beneath their feet, and the shield trembling because of the second attempt.


    The beast roared again with blood in his fangs.


    "The shield will not last for long," Chiron voiced out his opinion, even though his usual calm demeanor had long gone. He looked at the beast with wide eyes, terrified about what he was capable of doing.


    "He will not last for long too," Serefina admitted, sweat forming on her forehead as she glanced at the dead body before her eyes, the dead body of the feral Lycan''s dear mate.The Lycan would tear them apart once the shield was broken. "The only thing keeping him going is his animal instinct."


    They could see, with so many battles and injuries, the beast was barely able to stand, yet he was forced to break the shield with everything he had, just to get it done.


    He would kill them in the process of killing himself.


    That was the real cost of losing a mate for a lycan, everything was no longer coherent as all of his senses turned numb and all he wanted to do was to destroy this numbness and ceased to exist.


    "We have to stop him," Serefina stated the fact, but the question was; how?


    How could they stop him without hurting him? It was an impossible task to do at this moment.


    The witch''s eyebrows knitted together when she watched how her shield crumbled. With his injured body, how could the beast still manage to have a brute force like that?!


    That was a question that left them speechless, yet it wasn''t the time to linger in that quest.


    Serefina stood up with Chiron and Delta beside her and the rest of the centaurs and hunters circled them.


    They watched with gritted teeth when the bloody beast let out an earth-shattering roar and dashed like an arrow with his insane eyes locked on the witch.


    At the same time, Serefina raised both of her hands and sent a big fireball that set fire to the beast''s fur, rendered him to stop and snarled, yet even with flames that were still burning, the beast kept staggering forward.


    It was a magic fire that couldn''t be put out so easily.


    "You will kill him," Chiron knitted his brows when the beast couldn''t pick up his speed anymore, but stubbornly still tried to take a step at a time.


    Serefina clenched her fists as her long nails embedded onto her palms. That wasn''t her intention. With a flick of her fingers, the fire went out and the beast fell on its stomach, breathing unevenly.


    Serefina walked towards the beast with a tentative step, ready to defend herself if it was needed.


    However, seeing how the beast''s condition right now, it seemed he had reached his limit.


    With the sound of snapping bones, eventually, the beast returned to his human form, supporting his body with his elbows and knees.


    "Kace?" Serefina called his name carefully.


    However, Kace didn''t hear her as he raised his head and locked his eyes on the motionless girl on the ground. He was breathing heavily.


    It took everything in him to just move his limbs and started to walk towards his lifeless mate.


    Serefina stopped in her tracks and let Kace to stumble and stagger towards Hope, blood dripping from his opened wounds, which littered all over his body.


    His every step left bloody footprints on the velvety grass beneath him.


    Once Kace was beside Hope, he crouched down and, ever very carefully and gently, cradled her in his arms, running his fingers on her soft black hair and her pale cheeks.


    The beast nuzzled her hair and nudged the side of her face, waiting for her to respond to his touch.


    Yet, nothing happened.


    A solemn tear fell down his cheek, the beast looked calm compared to his feral action earlier.Then he buried his nose on the crook of Hope neck, the spot where her scent still lingered.

 Chapter 622 - THE START OF SOMETHING

    Kace closed his eyes, relishing the electrifying tingles that emanated from their touch. The spark was still there, though it was very faint and could hardly be felt.


    "Kace," Serefina tried to come closer, the beast had been hugging his dead mate for almost an hour now.


    But, within seconds, Kace growled ferociously, he was guarding and protecting his mate from anyone who dared to come close. He snarled dangerously through his extended canines.


    His body had half shifted again, but he couldn''t pull through to the last form of his beast. He was too tired to do so, too wounded to muster enough strength to do that, yet he still looked very feral even in his half-shifted form like right now.


    Serefina stopped coming closer. Kace wasn''t in his right mind now. No one would be in their right mind after losing their mate.


    In the far distance, Leon and Abby stood still, while looking at things that just unfolded, didn''t even dare to say a word. They had never seen Kace like this. The man that they had known for more than decades was someone who wouldn''t kill his enemy without batting an eye, if he had another option. But there they were, not too far from them was the evidence of his brutality. It was weird, but to see him like this was more bizarre.


    Meanwhile, Lydia was too afraid to see her old friend, Serefina. She wouldn''t come out from this disaster in one piece. After all, she was the one who brought Hope here. The witch was standing behind the siblings with a troubled expression, too afraid to even breathe.


    Hope''s unconscious body laid there, not moving, with no signs of life at all as the beast hugged her body. Letting the blood from her chest, tainted his already messy clothes. He suffered horrendous pain and this was the one kind of pain that destroyed every piece of his soul, stripped him off from reality.


    Suddenly he was brought to that time in the past. The scenes flashed before Kace''s eyes, the one when he killed those poor creatures'' mate long ago, the sound of their voice wailing in pain rang in his ears.


    How those creatures watched helplessly at their dying mate right before their eyes without anything they could do.


    He felt it now.


    His mate. His hope. The one person that perfectly crafted for him was gone, and all Kace could do was watch her as she slipped away into the nothingness.


    Concurrently, Kace could feel their bond becoming weaker.


    His love, his salvation, his hope¡­


    The beast in Kace''s head was frantic, he was clawing, whimpering and howling, but maybe¡­ it was he. It was him in his desperate state. On the brink of craziness.


    And gradually, once magical tingles were now nothing more than a soft dull prickle. He was losing her for real.


    But then, Kace heard that¡­ the most angelic voice that he adored the most, the only voice that he was willing to give up everything just to hear it again.


    ''Kace, don''t give up on me¡­''


    Kace raised his head as his eyes fell on his mate, but Hope still didn''t move. Not even her lips.


    However, when Kace looked at his surroundings, he was alone. There were no Serefina, no the centaurs, not even the hunter or the siblings.


    He was with Hope alone.


    ''Kace, don''t give up on me¡­''


    Her voice again, whispering on the wind to his ears.


    But Hope didn''t move. She was still. Motionless and dead.


    "Hope?" Kace''s voice was like a rickety door, hurting the one who heard it, as if he had not used it in a long time.


    ''I can feel your sadness¡­''


    "Hope where are you?" Kace hugged Hope''s body even tighter, but his eyes scanned his surroundings frantically.


    It was her voice, Kace was certain that it was her voice. However, where did her voice come from?


    Kace was not in the same forest as before, and in his muddleheaded state, he was certain with this.


    And then, there¡­ Kace watched her, as transparent as a white smoke, Hope''s figure was crouching down beside her very own body, staring at Kace sadly.


    Kace stared at her with wide eyes as his hoarse voice pleaded, "don''t leave me¡­"


    A pure translucent tear fell on her cheek, when she leaned over and kissed Kace''s lips. It felt like there was a breeze that caressed his lips softly and prompted Kace to close his eyes.


    ''Mark me¡­''


    With that being said, the softness of her lips was gone, yet the feeling lingered a bit longer.


    And when Kace opened his eyes, he was back to the same forest with Serefina and the other creatures around him, concern etched on their faces.


    Lowering his head down, Kace''s blue eyes met with his mate''s face.


    Mark me.


    Her words echoed in his head, in spite of his calm expression now. There were raging questions inside his head.


    What did that supposed to mean? Mark her? Did Hope just say he had to mark her? But, what if it''s just an illusion?


    Her spirit¡­


    "Kace¡­?" Serefina called his name again, as she took one step closer gingerly. "What are you doing?"


    They were gasping in horror when Kace''s canines extended.


    Serefina froze when Kace tilted Hope''s head gently and licked to clean her sweet spot from her blood.


    Kace''s blood rushed in his system as his heart hammered inside his ribcage painfully. And when he inhaled sharply, his canines clamped down hard on Hope''s neck, his sharp fangs pierced through her skin, adding more blood in the process.


    "No!" Serefina was about to rush towards the lycan, who was currently marking his dead mate, yet Chiron''s arms held her back steadily.


    "Let him finish it," Chiron said in a deep tone, his eyes fixed on the scene before him.


    "But," Serefina was about to retort back when Chiron cut her sentences.


    "Whether his action will give a different result, the girl passed away nonetheless." Chiron stated. "He is her mate,"


    Nothing happened in the first ten second. But then, Hope''s body twitched between Kace''s locked jaws, with his veins nearly drained of blood, what was left escaped and splattered with every jolt and jerk.

 Chapter 623 - WE WILL RETURN

    Hours or maybe days had passed with Kace stared silently to his motionless mate, who was laying on the bed.


    The horrendous and terrifying feeling about losing his mate still lingered in every inch of Kace''s memories, reminding him about the kind of agony and pain that he had to endure if he lost her.


    Kace refused to talk, to eat, to sleep for days.


    If it was not because of Serefina''s stubbornness, the lycan probably would have died before his mate would.


    The only thing that he did was staring at Hope, holding her hand while looking for any possible signs of her that would indicate if she would wake up any time soon. He did all that, only to be disappointed again and again.


    Yet, it didn''t stop his unbreakable hope.


    Occasionally, Kace would put his finger under Hope''s nose, just to make sure she was still breathing.From time to time, he would rest his ears gently on top of her chest, just to hear Hope''s faint beating heart.


    No matter how faint it was, the sound was the only thing that could assure the lycan that he had not lost her just yet.


    Serefina entered the room, carrying a tray that filled with food and fruits, behind her, Lana followed suit.


    It had been four days since Kace placed his mark on his mate and brought her back from the spirit world. Magically retained Hope''s life.


    The witch couldn''t understand how the lycan did that, and Chiron''s explanation didn''t help her much to understand the situation as the centaur''s reason involved many subjects that Serefina had no interest in hearing. It involved things such as, the stars, and prophecy.


    Serefina had had enough with everything that involved prophecy.


    The last prophecy that the witch heard was this thing that had put her in a bunch of messed up situations between those Donovans and their mates.


    "She is healing," Serefina said in a low voice as she put the tray on the table near the bed. But, like usual, Kace didn''t respond to that as he resumed staring at Hope.


    Apparently, the marking process did not only bring back Hope from her death, but also healed Kace''s wound, though it still left some scars behind his back, but the scar was healing gradually as the result was visible over the time.


    Serefina witnessed it herself, how the wounds on his back, his opened skin slowly closed, melding into itself. The deep tear skin was one of the evidence of battles. Although the damaged tissue was all repaired, it still left behind some dark purple scars, where the openings had sealed shut.


    Kace would have those horrendous scars for the rest of his life, but he''s healed and that''s what''s important now.


    "You just need to give her some time to wake up," Serefina spoke again as she sat down on the edge of the bed, opposite from Kace.


    Serefina too, her complexion looked well now, after she teleported all of them to the village, she passed out for a day.


    Fortunately, at the same time, Lana had recovered and awakened, only to find herself having an obligation to care for Serefina and Kace. While Serefina was easy to handle, it was different for Kace. He didn''t even budge to whatever words Lana said to him.


    "This village won''t be a safe place for long," said Serafina, despite the silent treatment that Kace gave to her, she still updated him with the information. "Chiron and Delta have a plan to move all of the villagers."


    Losing one or two underlings was not a problem for Beelzebub.But for Kace, it was him who had killed half of them, and that gave a great impact to The Gluttony''s plan.


    The attack on this village faced a setback, because of the white lycan''s enraged that killed most of the witches and vampires.


    But, that didn''t mean Beelzebub wouldn''t try something more any time soon.


    "It''s either we follow them to the safety place, or we return," Serefina continued. "With my current strength, I can''t teleport all of us straight to Mystic River Village.Therefore, we could still go with the other option we have. Which is, taking the same path you took to get here."


    The problem was that Hope''s condition was very concerning. The journey back would take days.But to follow the centaurs and the hunters was not a good option either.


    There was no guarantee if there would be no danger on their way to the safety place.


    "They will abandon this village tomorrow," Serefina finished her sentence as she stared at Kace. The lycan needed to make a quick decision, because this concerned his mate.


    "We will return," Kace said tersely.


    Serefina waved her hand at Lana, who silently walked out of the room.She would inform Chiron that they wouldn''t join them.


    However, before Lana could close the door, Kace spoke clearly. "I need to talk to Chiron, tell him to come here when you meet him."


    "Alright," Lana nodded and closed the door behind her.


    When it was only the three of them inside the room, Serefina sighed deeply when she had to face Kace''s silence.


    "I think I need to go now," Serefina rose from her seat and walked out of the room, leaving Kace alone with Hope. "Don''t forget to eat your meal, you need all the strength for our journey back."


    Once it was only the two of them, Kace stretched out his hands and caressed Hope''s pale cheeks silently.


    He traced his fingers along her jawline to her soft lips and felt her warm breath under his finger. Kace was afraid if Hope suddenly stopped breathing. Only the thought of it alone would send chills down his spine.


    He couldn''t lose her again.


    Carefully, Kace leaned over and kissed Hope''s soft lips carefully, the kiss lastedfor a long time as it carried the beast''s nervousness, sadness and his yearning to see her smile and hear her voice again.


    Kace was aware that he had sapped some of Hope''s energy when he marked her.That was why his wounds were healed, to the point where he managed to stay awake until this moment, despite the tiredness and exhaustion for everything that he had been through.


    Kace despised himself for doing that. Maybe that was one of the reasons why Hope still had not yet woke up.

 Chapter 624 - SEPARATE WAYS

    Chiron entered the room not long after Serefina left, and his eyes directed to the tray filled with food for Kace, which he didn''t touch at all.


    His hooves tapped the ground softly when he walked closer.


    "I heard you will return to your realm," Chiron started. His eyes fell on Hope''s pale face, the girl had not yet woken up ever since that day.


    The centaur did not know how she came here, but apparently the witch named Lydia had brought the girl here, and that fact alone had incurred Serefina''s wrath. Well, she taught her fellow witch a good lesson the first thing she did when she woke up.


    Now, she sent Lydia to escort the centaurs and threatened her that she would hunt her down if Lydia dared to do otherwise without her permission.


    The mighty witch Serefina was truly scary when she showed how she meant her threat.Not even her old friend was spared.


    "That''s not even my realm to begin with," Kace spoke softly, as his blue eyes fixed on Hope.


    Just like the centaur, the realm where the humans lived, had never been the place where he belonged. Both of them were forced to leave their realm because of their circ.u.mstances.


    On the other hand, Chiron didn''t argue with him about his statement as he took Serefina''s place before, and gazed down at Hope.


    "I think she will be fine, when she is strong enough, she will come back to you," Chiron said as he placed fresh daisies beside Hope. "Beautiful flowers for a new beginning."


    Kace looked at the flower and nodded. "Thank you," then he added. "She will love it."


    "How is the wound on your back?" though it was Kace, who asked him to come, but since the beginning it was Chiron, who tried to engage the conversation with him.


    "It heals," he said tersely.


    Kace was reluctant to talk about his wounds, because it reminded him about what had happened and how it almost cost Hope''s life.


    "Good to hear that," Chiron nodded.


    There was silence between them. Meanwhile, Chiron no longer talked and Kace had not started to speak about his intention to call the centaur.


    "I am sorry," Kace finally broke the silence between them.His eyes shifted to the centaur before him. He looked exactly like the leader of the centaurs from centuries ago, whose mate had been killed by him.


    This was not the first time Kace apologized to Chiron about what he had done.But this time, the apology came from the experience that he had to go through.Just to know how much agony it cost him that he had to pay for almost losing his mate.


    Kace knew how it felt now.


    "It happened," Chiron said with a straight face, it was unsure whether he forgave him or not. Maybe the centaur had been treating them extremely well, but forgiveness was a complicated feeling.


    It was akin to someone, who was able to smile brightly in front of the person that they hate. Hypocrites? Yes. However, sometimes we did that multiple times.


    In Chiron''s case, the centaur just thought that no matter how much he hated Kace, it would never bring his mate back to life. Not to mention, the cause of death of his mate was not entirely Kace''s fault


    "I am glad you still have her, there are no creatures who deserve to go under such pain," Chiron said wisely, but it was like a salty water that was poured on Kace''s wounds. "You should cherish her."


    "I will," Kace replied with an expression devoid of emotion. "And thank you for everything that you have done for us." It was the most sincere gratitude that Kace showed to him.


    Chiron studied the beast in front of him, but he was not the arrogant beast that he met before.Neither was he the young man that despised himself most of the time. The man before him was like someone who had learnt something, and whatever it was, Chiron hoped it would ease his burden.


    After Chiron felt there was nothing that they needed to talk about, he excused himself.


    It was indeed a very short conversation with limited words, but the feeling of that brief moment was what counted the most.


    "Don''t forget your meal, Serefina will throw some tantrum if you skipped it again," Chiron reminded him lightly. "The journey ahead was very long."


    Kace didn''t respond to him, but at least the centaur knew that he was listening.


    When Kace was alone again with Hope, he took off his shoes and climbed on the bed.Carefully, he cradled her in his arms as he fell asleep with her unique scent lingered his senses. It gave a calm effect for his tense nerves.


    It didn''t take a long time before Kace gave up to his tiredness and his eyes betrayed him.


    ==============


    When the morning sun illuminated the village, the first thing that one could see was two parties exchanging their farewell, in front of the entrance gate of the village.


    Lydia had to go with the centaurs or else, Serefina''s would release her wrath and finish her off without a second thought.But before that, to appease the angry of her old friend, Lydia told her everything about what Hope was capable to do.


    Hope was talking, and able to see the spirit of the dead. It could only mean that the girl had awakened her own abilities without the guidance of others. It was still a mystery for Serefina about how those angels could revive their power.


    Maybe life and death experience, and also extreme circ.u.mstances could provoke their strength to come to the surface?


    Serefina had an idea to try this on Torak''s mate as well¡­


    "I think this is a goodbye," Chiron smiled with Carina beside him, looking at the other parties solemnly.


    "We will meet again," Kace said. Somehow, he knew they would meet again.


    "I hope so," Chiron nodded politely, he called their name one by one before he excused himself and his small group, leaving that place.


    "Let''s go." Serefina didn''t want to stay any longer in that place too.

 Chapter 625 - ON THEIR WAY

    Hope felt a warm light that streamed across her closed eyelids.But not bright enough to hurt her eyes, as another spark danced on her left hand.


    Hope groaned softly when sudden pain shot through her neck, tears pooled in her eyes. It hurt so much¡­


    Hope tried to raise her hand to touch her neck, but someone held her gently and a soft voice whispered in her ears.


    "Ssstt, it''s okay Hope, you are okay¡­"


    Hope whimpered faintly. Her neck hurts.


    Then, Hope felt there was something cool, and wet pressed against her throbbing neck.It gave a little comfort, but she couldn''t help but cry even though she didn''t open her eyes. It hurt so much. Hope sobbed.


    "It is okay, Hope, calm down, don''t cry¡­" though his voice sounded gentle, but it laced with panic when he shouted to the door. "SEREFINA!"


    Hope didn''t want to stop crying, she wanted to curl into a ball until the pain on her neck and chest went away, yet her body was too impossibly heavy to move, and her chest felt like she had just been stabbed, which was true.


    Hope cried harder.


    "Don''t cry please¡­ tell me which part hurts?" his voice sounded more desperate now.


    Her aching neck, and chest throbbed painfully again, and she sobbed even harder.


    "SEREFINA!" he shouted again, and in the next second, Hope could hear the door swung open and several footsteps entered the room.


    Hope couldn''t talk, it felt like her voice failed her, and her throat was very dry.


    "Drink this." Kace helped Hope to sit down by carefully holding on her waist and supporting her back.But the bandage on her neck made his gaze turn dark. He hated it when he saw Hope was hurt, especially when it was because of him.


    This was not the way Kace wanted to mark her, but then, he didn''t have any other option left. Kace could just be grateful that he didn''t lose her.


    Something touched Hope''s bottom lips and then a soft, cool liquid brushed against her tongue as she slightly opened her mouth.


    As a wave of cold relief washed over the dryness in her throat, her breathing was at ease.Though the pain had not dissipated yet.


    "Hurt¡­" Hope whimpered with her eyes closed when she found her voice again.


    "Which part is hurt?" Kace''s panicked voice could be heard, he tried to hold her as gentle as he could.But he was also trying to calm himself from his worry.


    "My chest¡­ neck¡­" Hope replied ever so softly, her eyebrows wrinkled in discomfort.


    "Serefina, she is in pain," Kace said through his gritted teeth. Hope could only imagine how his expression was right now. Because her eyes still closed, unwilling to cooperate with her.


    And then, Hope felt someone touch her hand. Serefina? Most likely it was her.


    In the next second, Hope''s breathing eased as a relief washed over her being, and Kace put her back into the soft pillow.


    "You will feel better when you wake up again," Serefina said and Hope was half way back to her deep slumber.


    ==============


    The second time Hope woke up, she opened her eyes, feeling dizzy because her surroundings suddenly swayed along with the whole room.


    Raising her hand, she touched her aching neck where she felt the thick bandage placed.But the notion made her head throbbing in dizziness.


    And then, Hope''s eyes caught a small window in the room, which was a porthole.


    She was on a ship.


    Her eyebrows furrowed, but then, she heard a faint snoring sound from beside her. And there she found Kace next to her, sleeping with his head rested on his arms while his hand held hers.


    At that time, every memory came to Hope''s mind like a force.


    Hope remembered the severe pain that she felt when she watched an arrow pierced through her chest. And how her blood dripped, and also the horror in Kace''s scared expression.


    Hope touched her chest carefully and felt the dull pain there. It seemed her wound had closed. However, what about her neck? The pain was almost the same as the one on her chest, yet she didn''t remember that she hurt her neck.


    Or maybe, someone had shot an arrow at her neck as well? The thought of that sent chills down to her spine.


    Maybe because of Hope''s sudden move, the man, who was sleeping peacefully beside her, suddenly raised his head, his blue eyes flashed in alarm, scanning the room for the possible danger.


    Kace had been like that since Hope lost her consciousness. He couldn''t really put his guard down. Every time there was a movement, he would jolt awake.


    But, when his blue eyes fell on Hope''s face, they softened. "Hey, my little angel¡­" he greeted her with his voice as he reached for a glass of water.


    Hope blinked her eyes and let Kace help her drink by supporting her back.


    "How are you feeling? Your chest and neck are still hurt?" Kace put aside the glass when Hope drank half of it.


    "¡­little bit¡­" Hope''s voice was barely a whisper when she spoke.


    "Are you hungry?" Kace smiled when he could hear her voice again. It had been a long time, and Kace really missed her.


    Hope nodded faintly.


    Now that Kace had mentioned it, Hope could feel her stomach grumble as if there was a horde of horse inside.


    Definitely, Kace could hear that too.


    He laid her back on the soft pillow and walked towards the door, but he didn''t leave the room as he talked to someone there.


    From the voice who replied to him, it seemed like it was Lana that he was talking to.


    Hope wanted to ask where they were, but she felt very lethargic.


    "We are on the ship, we are on our way back home," Kace replied to her unspoken question, and sat down beside Hope again.


    It was strange that Kace somehow knew what she wanted to ask.But Hope was too tired to find out, therefore, after she finished her meal, she went back to her deep slumber.

 Chapter 626 - HOME SWEET HOME

    The third time Hope woke up was when Kace piggy backed her again.


    Hope mumbled softly near his ears, and her voice drew Kace''s attention as he tilted his head and stopped walking.


    Hope was still lightheaded when Kace said something to Lana. And then Lana gave her some water to moisten her dry throat and chapped lips.


    After getting over her thirst, Hope snuggled down her head on Kace''s nape again, continued her sleep with thousands of fireflies flying around her.


    If only Hope was well, and could open her eyes like normally, and if only she could put her attention for a while at her surroundings, she would find this wonderful sight of the fireflies dancing in the night like joyous memories in her dream.The flickering light from their small being radiating into the starry night as buzz of excitement could be heard from these tiny glimmers of light.


    Unfortunately, Hope was too tired to witness it and fell back to sleep right away after she got her water.


    The warm from Kace''s body, and his unique scent lulled her into deep slumber.


    ==============


    After a long journey to go back to their house in Mystic River Village, finally they were there, and arrived at their house at midnight.


    Leon and Abby went separate ways once they were out of the northern coven realm.Or else, Serefina''s limited patience couldn''t stay tested to keep up with the witch siblings any longer.


    Their journey back was smooth sailing, despite Serefina''s dislike of that realm, but at the very least, she was the infamous witch, the last pure blood witch, thus no one wanted to mess up with her.


    And for Beelzebub, though the devil didn''t chase them to the mainland, nor mobilized her underlings to capture Kace or Hope, they still couldn''t put their guard down.


    The fact that the devil had resided there for such a long time was another concern for Serefina. The mainland of that realm was not only the habitat for the witches, but there were also other supernatural creatures among them.


    It was such a complicated community there.But if Beelzebub managed to gain complete control, it was not good news for their side.


    Meanwhile, the moment they reached their house, Lana called Sterling to pick his sons up, and the man came straight away to Serefina''s house in his beast form.


    His veins bulge in anger.If it wasn''t because of Serefina''s words, the angry werewolf father would flip right there and then.


    "You can kill your sons outside, don''t make a fuss inside my house," Serefina waved her hands with knitted brows when he watched the werewolf fuming mad, and dragged the siblings out of the house.


    About what Sterling would do to his sons, it wasn''t her problem anymore.Because she had had enough trouble in her hands at the moment.


    Two guardian angels that had their own circ.u.mstances, was simply too much for Serefina to handle. Moreover, this was not a task that she liked. Not even in the slightest.


    "You better take a rest," Serefina mumbled to Lana as she watched Kace enter Hope''s bedroom.


    Lana nodded sleepily as she walked towards her bedroom and closed her door.


    In an instant, the house fell into a pit of silence. Even the witch could hear the rattling sound of branches against the window and the night winds.


    Serefina trudged towards her room, she clutched her chest and her breathing became shallow with every step that she took. Her face contorted, as if she was under great pain.


    Once Serefina reached her room, she locked it and slid down to the floor with her back facing the door, her breathing uneven.


    From her trembling lips, she chanted a spell in an ancient language, over and over. The witch had to stop a few times to catch her breath when the immense pain gnawed in every inch of her skin.


    It was the time.


    The moment when once in every month she had to endure this suffering.


    Her raging breath was the only sound that echoed in her empty room, and when she had completed her spell a loud scream escaped her lips as her body collapsed on the floor.


    Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she writhed in agony, clutching her chest and her head, screaming on the top of her lungs and cursed under her shallow breath.


    Cursing to the Moon Goddess above. Cursing to the damn second life that she had to live. Cursing to her loved one, the person that couldn''t be hers. Cursing to everything that she had to go through just to see him for the last time. Cursing for the love that she couldn''t have¡­


    Lonely tears fell on her cheek, wetted her red hair as the pain became more and more unbearable.


    She hated herself for choosing this path for herself.


    She hated herself for being so weak¡­


    The arrogant witch cried for the entire night, enduring her penance, alone.


    No one could hear her screaming except herself in this empty room.


    She trapped herself there with her strangled voice and her lonely soul¡­


    ==============


    Lana woke up when the first light of the sun kissed her face and yawned sleepily. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her aching body.


    It felt so nice after their journey to the northern coven.Though things didn''t go as they expected, at least Kace was fine now.


    His wounds healed with a great cost.


    Stretching her body for the last time, Lana got off of her bed and walked towards the kitchen. It was very silent this morning, apparently everyone was too tired to wake up early.


    Lana walked towards Serefina''s room after she made breakfast for the four of them, but her room was locked.


    Assuming the witch didn''t want to be disturbed, Lana went to Hope''s bedroom.


    Hope''s bedroom door was slightly ajar, and when Lana pushed it slightly, she witnessed how Kace cradled Hope in his sleep, wrapped his arms around her body protectively.


    And then Lana''s eyes fell on the tender flesh on Hope''s neck, where Kace had marked her.

 Chapter 627 - WHAT IS SHE TALKING ABOUT?!

    Lana took a step to enter the room, she stood there for a while, staring at the mark on Hope''s neck. Grimaced.


    Her eyebrows knitted together when she watched the two of them sleep soundlessly.Even Kace was not aware of her presence as he cradled Hope in his arms. Too tired to notice Lana.


    Without thinking, Lana took another step towards the bed.


    This time, her eyes fell on Kace''s black hair, which had fallen over his face. She was not sure of what was in her head then, when she stretched out her hand and brushed Kace''s hair aside gently.


    Kace looked frail. Vulnerable.


    Normal Kace would show the world his bright side, grinning with an intimidating gaze once in a while if he was not in a good mood, and if someone annoyed him.But he would never turn into the brutal beast he was, like for the past few days when they were in the northern coven realm.


    However, everything just messed up, and too many things happened in a short amount of time.


    Kace now didn''t look like his usual self and Lana felt sorry for what he had been through. The always confident and cheerful Kace, now became quiet.


    It had been a long time since Lana saw his carefree smile.


    Because his mate was in her current condition, Kace was almost like punishing himself for letting this happened to Hope.


    No words could calm his anxiety, and somehow, Lana could feel she was mad at Hope for making Kace like this.


    It was wrong. Lana knew, yet she couldn''t help it.


    Lana let her gaze roamed over Kace''s face, admiring how perfect he was.If only Kace wanted to start his own pack, he would be a great Alpha, just like his two older brothers.Yet the youngest Donovan didn''t want to go down on the same path like them.


    Lana really wanted to touch Kace''s full lips, which parted slightly as he breathed deeply, low and slow.


    However, Lana stopped herself when she watched Kace mumble in his sleep, his eyebrows knitting together.


    Seeing Kace was about to wake up, Lana took two steps back and cleared her throat.


    "Morning. Your breakfast is ready." Lana felt stupid to say that.


    And before she could hear Kace''s reply, she had rushed out of the bedroom.


    On the bed, Kace rubbed his sleepy eyes.He heard the door was being closed, but the first thing that crossed his mind was not Lana, who told him about the breakfast or the fact that she was inside the room for who knows how long.The first thing that Kace did was to check on the girl in his arms.


    Kace put his fingers under her nose, but her shallow breath didn''t put him at ease. He slid his body slightly lower, and rested his ears on her chest to hear her beating heart.And only then, the lycan could sigh in relief.


    Kace looked at Hope, who seemed to not have enough energy to open her eyes, too tired to even breathe properly.


    For the past five days, Hope''s consciousness had been in and out.Most of the time she would sleep like this, woke up only for a few minutes before she took another rest again.


    Serefina told Kace that she was recovering, but the lycan didn''t see any sign of her getting better. Probably, it was only him, who had been overthinking on everything.But he just couldn''t shake off his anxiety that he felt.


    "I will come back," Kace whispered softly to her as he leaned over, and kissed her temple.


    Gingerly, Kace got off of the bed, and pulled the blanket for Hope. So that it covered her fragile body perfectly.Only when he thought it would be fine to leave her for a while, Kace walked out of the bedroom.


    Inside the kitchen, Kace met Lana, but he couldn''t find Serefina anywhere.


    "Where is Serefina?" Kace asked as he sniffed the air to find only the faint scent of the witch that lingered in the air.It was either she was still inside her room, or she had just left to go to Fulbright City, taking care of his brother''s mate.


    The thought of that vexed Kace. His mate needed help as well!


    "I think she is still inside her bedroom," Lana mumbled while drinking her tea. She averted her eyes, but Kace''s mind was in disarray to notice that. "Her bedroom is locked!" she added hurriedly when she watched Kace strode towards the witch''s bedroom.


    Yet, Kace kept walking, ignoring her words, and Lana could do nothing about it.


    "Serefina." Kace slammed his fist on the door, waiting for a while.But, there was no answer from inside. "Serefina, are you there?" The lycan slightly raised his voice, but still, there was no answer. "Serefina!"


    All of a sudden the door swung open, and revealed the witch with her red hair, glowering at him.


    "What?!" she snapped at him. "I need my beauty sleep you know?!"


    Kace knitted his brows and spoke in his serious tone. "You look horrible."


    Serefina didn''t appreciate those words at all. "You don''t look any better," She retorted, closing the door behind her, and leaned against it as she faced the lycan. "If you want to ask about Hope''s condition, I have to tell you that I don''t have any idea about that." Serefina had told Kace about this several times."But, she will recover, no need to worry."


    Kace didn''t like the way Serefina brushed off this topic. "Don''t you know something that would help her to recover faster?"


    Serefina gave him a look. "I am a witch, not a healer." Then she added. "I can feel her spirit is getting stronger, it is only a matter of time until she''s fully recovered."


    "Actually, I''ve been wanting to ask; should we move away from here, since the devil is nearby?" After all, Beelzebub was nearby.


    Though Kace had changed the topic, Serefina was still talking about the same subject. "At the end, we need Hope to recover faster¡­ the war with demons is drawing near."


    "Pardon me?" Kace''s voice was very rigid. He almost lost his mate, and now she''s talking about war?

 Chapter 628 - JUST YOU AND ME

    Kace couldn''t believe his own ears, what was inside this witch''s mind that made her think it was the right time to talk about war?


    Hell no! Kace wouldn''t be part of that!!!


    Serefina must have lost her mind to think that Kace would welcome such a topic right now.


    "You are talking about war with the demon, when not long ago, I almost lost my mate?" Kace''s eyes hardened as his jaw clenched tightly. "You must be kidding me," Kace chuckled, but there was no humor in it.


    Serefina''s expression turned serious.Though her face was still pale from what she had gone through last night, the importance to make Kace understood their situation was much bigger than her suffering.


    "You know the true purpose of the guardian angels being resurrected," Serefina''s tone was as rigid as his. "Don''t tell me you have forgotten it."


    Kace took a step closer, so he could look into Serefina''s lime green eyes directly, "But, I never said that I agree with that."


    The difference in height between them, made Kace look both dominant and dangerous.Yet it didn''t stop the witch from saying her part.


    "You can''t deny it. That is the purpose of her life." Serefina gritted her teeth. "She can''t run from her fate, and neither can you!"


    If the witch could add more, she was also in the same position. She didn''t have a choice but to live this second life that was given to her. She had been pondering her choice back then.But even now, the answer was still the same. That if she could turn back time, she would choose this kind of life over again.


    That''s how pathetic she was. And the witch couldn''t help but mocked herself.


    But, before Kace could give her any response, Lana appeared on the corner, curiously intrigued by the conversation between the witch and Kace. Because she heard the way the two of them were talking to each other, but their voices were too low for her to comprehend their conversation.


    "Everything is alright here?" Lana approached them, her eyes were staring back and forth between Serefina and Kace.


    There was a brief silence, and an awkward moment when Kace and Serefina didn''t even move, or avert their eyes from each other.


    "Or, maybe I will go back later after both of you finish your staring contest," Lana spoke stiffly as she took a few steps back. "I will check on Hope."


    "No need. I will do it," Kace said curtly. He moved away from Serefina, but before he could turn around and walked towards Hope''s room, he ensured one more thing. "You said, you don''t know how to improve Hope''s condition, right?"


    Serefina knitted her eyebrows, she didn''t know what Kace wanted to say by asking that same questions over, and over again. "Yes."


    Kace nodded slightly before he strode toward Hope''s bedroom.


    When it was only the two of them, Lana faced the witch. "What is it?" she crossed her arms in front of her chest as she stared at Serefina. "You provoke him again? In times like this?"


    "I just corrected his way of thinking, and said what he should''ve already known," Serefina didn''t look sorry for what she said, but there was a flash of uneasiness in her eyes. There were tons of things that were bothering her.


    "You know what? I don''t understand you." Lana shook her head. "I feel like I want to curse for every statement that came out from your brilliant mind."


    Serefina raised an eyebrow at her and spoke mockingly. "Thank you. But, you don''t need to break a sweat for that."


    Lana sighed. She had been dealing with Serefina for almost half of her life now.It was a fact that she grew up with her, under her care and order.But she still couldn''t fully understand the witch.


    "Maybe you can use a different approach next time Serefina, I know you meant well." Lana tilted her head. "You just let out your frustration to every single person that you met, trying to make them feel bad because you don''t feel good about yourself. That''s irritating and immature, especially for someone who has lived long enough like you."


    Unexpectedly, Serefina chuckled. "So, should I pretend to be a good girl, and sneak around just to stare at the man that I have a crush with?" she directed her green lime eyes at Lana. "Like you did?"


    Lana grinded her teeth, as she clenched her jaws, her face turned red because of Serefina''s remark.


    The witch knew.


    "We have our own way to deal with these shitty feelings.Just because I don''t do what you do, doesn''t mean you are doing the right thing." Serefina spoke mockingly and she turned around to enter her room after saying her last pieces. "And I need you to go somewhere."


    ==============


    "I will go for a few days," Lana told Kace when she ran into him in the kitchen, before she left to carry out Serefina''s orders.


    "Hmm," Kace hummed when he made a glass of warm milk for Hope.


    Lana hesitated, "I know sometimes Serefina is very annoying. Don''t mind her words."


    "Where is she?" Kace didn''t bother with Lana''s comforting words.


    "She already left this afternoon." But, the witch sent her away in the middle of the night...


    "I see," Kace replied, but then he didn''t say anything more.


    Seeing Kace was not in the mood to talk, Lana sighed. "Okay, I will go now."


    "Be careful."


    And then that was the last thing that Lana heard from him before she headed outside.


    When Lana was no longer there, Kace walked towards Hope''s room with a glass of warm milk in his hand.His expression was devoid from any emotion. He was too calm¡­


    Kace opened the bedroom door, and a soft smile appeared on his lips when he watched Hope was awake.


    "Hai, my little angel." Kace approached her, and kissed her temple, "How do you feel?"


    "¡­Good," Hope mumbled weakly.


    Kace then cradled her in his arms, as he helped her to drink the warm milk. "I want to take you somewhere¡ª" there was a flash of determination in Kace''s eyes. "¡ªjust you and me."

 Chapter 629 - ORDERS TO KILL

    Day turned into evening twilight when the dark surface of the moon gradually stole the brilliant light from the sun.


    Everywhere people could see, the sunny spots became crescent in form, as the reflection of images of the now narrowing sun.


    At the beginning of this, people still could hear insects still chirping in the grass.Birds sang and animals quietly continued their grazing.But a sense of uneasiness seemed gradually to steal over all life.


    Birds'' songs diminished, as those poor creatures flew anxiously for a moment, and sought for safety. Insects fell quiet, and the landscape grew darker and darker.


    The blue sky changed quickly into duskier, and a death-like daydream seized upon everything earthly.


    The crowds of people in the street were awed into silence. Trivial chatter, and senseless joking died down. The world fell into a pit of silence.


    Behind the thick cobblestone walls, there was an imposing castle that held more history than any living thing that had walked on the surface of the earth.Standing there tall and proud, was the Lord of that place, gazing out to the dark day from one of the dozen windows inside his chamber.


    He dressed in his regal clothes, the kind you only saw on someone, who you wouldn''t want to mess with. Everything about him screamed danger, even his presence alone was an enigma. He scared the other people without giving an effort.That''s just the way that man was, born as the first born of the strongest Alpha.


    Jedrek took in his chamber with a single sweep, as his dark blue eyes settled on a man who was standing near the door, bowing his head solemnly.


    "My Lord," Maximus greeted him. "Your brother just ran away."


    "And I wonder why you are here instead of dragging him back?" Jedrek''s voice was neither loud nor stern, but the other people knew how dead serious he was.


    "Some people chased after him, but he had gone to the other realm before we could take him back. Now, I will lead some people after him," Maximus replied. His voice was as calm as his bearing, but then he added. "I think he went to meet her."


    Jedrek''s eyes darkened a few shades, he knew what Maximus meant by ''her''.It was no other than Serefina.


    Her name was a taboo topic to mention in front of him, but every once in a while, Maximus would faintly remind the Alpha King about that. Not straightforwardly, but tactfully.


    "Drag him back," Jedrek said his order viciously. He didn''t say anything about Serefina.


    "Right away, my Lord." There was a faint smirk on the corner of Maximus''s lips that didn''t go unnoticed by Jedrek.


    But, before Maximus left the chamber, there was a voice that echoed in Jedrek''s head.


    [He went to meet his mate.] The voice was very rough, and scratchy just like someone who had not touched any water to moisten their dry throat. [You know what you have to do.]


    "Maximus," Jedrek called him back before he closed the door.


    Maximus stopped and turned around to face his Alpha. "Yes, my Lord?"


    "Kace will meet his mate, kill the infant." Jedrek didn''t even bat his eyes when he ordered the killing of an innocent newborn.


    Maximus''s eyes glowed with evil intent. "Will do, my Lord."


    With a soft click sound, the door was closed, and the room fell into silence once again before an angry voice boomed inside Jedrek''s head.


    [YOU DIDN''T DO WHAT I TOLD YOU TO DO!]


    It was the same voice that spoke to him before. He used a mind-link to talk to Jedrek. Meaning, he was close enough to reach him, but was in a hiding place because no one could see him inside that quiet chamber.


    [WHY DON''T YOU LISTEN!?]


    But, the Alpha blocked him before he could talk any further.


    ==============


    Maximus shifted back into his human form when he stood in front of a well-crafted door that was decorated childishly. He scowled at the selected pink color.


    The house was very quiet, probably because it had passed midnight.Thus no one was around.


    Maximus stretched out his hand, and pushed the door open as the smell of fresh lilac invaded his nose.


    The room was spacious, and dominated with soft purple and pink color.Inside a cradle, there was a three month old baby, covered with a white blanket.


    Maximus stood beside the crib with his aloofness to the world, watching as the newborn greeted him with a smile as sweet as newly bloomed flowers.Her tiny fingers curled into a small fist when she raised her hands.


    She was very small, smaller than Maximus expected with her brilliant eyes stared at him. The newborn looked so delicate and smelled so divine.


    He couldn''t believe how tiny new humans were and how vulnerable they were.


    Yet, all of the pureness that Maximus witnessed from the baby couldn''t touch his black heart and shake off his sinister intentions.


    The lycan smiled viciously at the newborn.She blinked her eyes a couple of times, then her lips curled in an attempt to cry, looking for the safety of her mother.


    The baby was too young to understand, but still, she was sensitive enough to feel uncomfortable under the murky gaze of this stranger.


    However, before she could cry, Maximus had stretched his right hand, aiming to her soft neck. The baby stifled her last cry before her breath left her.


    It was an easy job. Maximus thought. There was no challenge, no blood, no scream, were all the parts that he liked the most when it comes to murdering. Unfortunately, he just didn''t get to experience all those things. Not for this one.


    Maximus tilted his head as he heard soft footsteps approaching the room, and the door was being opened at the same time he shifted back into his grey beast form, grinning derisively when he watched the mother of the baby check on her newborn.


    However, when she realized there was something wrong with her daughter, she screamed on top of her lungs.


    And that''s what part Maximus loved the most.

 Chapter 630 - THE MOON GODDESS

    Moonlight shone brightly inside the room that was filled with heart-wrenching cries from a woman.Inside that room, the woman was crying beside the empty cradle where her beautiful newborn baby girl was sleeping a few hours ago. But now the baby was no longer breathing.


    The mother cradled her daughter close to her, as tears streamed down her face like a river during a heavy rainy season.Beside her, the father didn''t look any better as he rubbed his face roughly, whispering words of encouragement to his wife and himself as well. Meanwhile, the people around the grieving parents were sobbing silently, feeling their pain.


    Doctor who lived next door had been called to check on their little angel.But, nothing he could do to help her.


    Nevertheless, they already knew it the moment they saw an ugly mark around their daughter''s neck, they knew that they had lost her¡­


    In front of them, a woman with a divine beauty was standing just a few meters away from them.Yet, no one was aware of her presence.


    Her long flowing hair was adorned with a crescent moon crown. She was wearing a silver dress, as her body radiated the hazy moonlight.


    She was Selene, the Moon Goddess. Her brilliant eyes dimmed slightly when she watched the infant in her mother''s arms.


    She was standing there all night.Watching those human mourning for the passing of the innocent soul. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes never left the newborn.


    When the horrible night passed, and the first light of the sun illuminated the gloomy room, the baby was finally left lying alone in her cradle while the people busied themselves preparing for her funeral.


    The parents needed some time to calm themselves as they wondered and pondered what had happened to their beautiful child.


    The light from the sun kissed the baby as the Goddess walked towards her. She ran her fingers on her pale cheeks, and caressed her puckered lips. The baby''s little fingers curled up helplessly.


    "My poor child," Selene whispered.


    And then, minutes later, when someone entered the room, they couldn''t find the baby in her crib anymore.


    She was gone.


    ==============


    "I killed the baby," Maximus reported it to the Alpha.


    Outside of the window of Jedrek''s royal chamber, the moon shone brightly.But he didn''t appreciate its beauty, not even a little bit.


    "But apparently the baby was not your brother''s mate," Maximus added with his head slightly lowered in shame. He just found out about this information six months after the night when he killed the baby himself. "For Alpha Torak, we are having a hard time entering his territory. Your second brother doesn''t seem to want you to interfere in his business there."


    "Leave him," Jedrek spoke tersely.


    Afterward he didn''t say anything, or gave his thoughts about the information of his other brother. He just stared at the red liquid inside his crystal glass between his fingers.


    "Any order, my Lord?" The awkward silence from his Alpha made Maximus feel uneasy. He feared his Alpha the most when he didn''t talk like this.


    Jedrek tilted his head, spared him a single glance before he returned his attention back to his glass. "You know your order," he spoke rigidly.


    Of course, Maximus knew. After all, he had been chasing Kace for these past six months. That damn lycan was too good at running away.Not only that, Maximus didn''t expect Kace knew pretty well about the human realm.


    The youngest Donovan, who always appeared unreliable, and careless, was actually good at something and had a decent survival instinct.


    "Leave," Jedrek waved his hand to dismiss him.


    Yet, Maximus took reluctant steps when his eyes fixed on the glass in Jedrek''s hand. "You need to drink that Alpha, so you can feel more relaxed."


    Jedrek gave a side eyes look, yet he raised his glass, and drank all the liquid inside it.


    However, once the door was closed.He spit all of that, and crushed the glass in his hand, the sharp shard stabbed his palm and blood was oozing out before the wound healed in a matter of seconds.


    Jedrek didn''t even flinch when it happened, but his eyes looked dull, and dangerous.


    His mind reeled on the information about the baby that was killed half a year ago.


    If she was not Kace''s mate, then the possibility was that the baby was either Torak''s mate or his¡­


    The chance was fifty percent that he had killed his own mate.


    Which was¡­


    Good.


    ==============


    It was another lazy evening when a young teenage girl walked in the garden filled with purple lilac flowers, humming a song that only she knew, just to kill her time.


    Her skin was as fair as jade with her long black hair tumbling over her shoulders, and falling freely down her back. Her hair reached all the way to her h.i.p.s, swaying gently in the evening breeze.


    She was a beauty and no one will argue with that statement.


    However this evening, her cheerful demeanor couldn''t be seen. And instead, her expression contorted in a disagreement.


    She knew this time would come, but she had never agreed since the first time Selene told her about that story.


    The story of the Alpha King who killed his mate.


    She wanted to be anywhere, but near that kind of person, or¡­ that kind of lycan in this case.


    "My answer is still ''no''," she said,pouting her lips as she turned around to face the Moon Goddess, who appeared out of nowhere. She could feel her presence, thus she knew that the person she had been waiting for, finally graced her with her presence.


    Selene walked towards her, and every step that she took left sparkling dust in her wake, just like always, the Goddess looked heavenly.


    "Unfortunately, you don''t have a choice for this," Selene stared at her softly. "It is the time. Today you are turning seventeen, you can''t deny the responsibility any longer, Lilac."


    All the lilac flowers around the two women slightly withered.


    "Why do I have to go to the man who wants to kill me?" Lilac couldn''t understand.

 Chapter 631 - ITS TIME FOR YOU TO GO

    "So that he could learn that what he had done was wrong," Selene replied with the same answer.


    Lilac groaned in frustration. "If he doesn''t want me, I don''t want him either." She was quite stubborn for a guardian angel.


    "That''s not how it works," Selene chuckled as she touched her hair. "You know that."


    "Well, I don''t want to be with him," Lilac mumbled, lowering her head as she recalled the gruesome story about the lycan who killed his own mate. "He wants to kill me."


    "Lilac," Selene sighed as she put her fingers under Lilac''s chin and made her raise her head. "Why don''t you teach him some lessons? You are strong enough to protect yourself, and kind enough to show him how he is supposed to treat his mate. I know you can.After all, you are destined to be together for a reason."


    However, Lilac was not convinced by Selene''s words.


    "I am the one who raised you." And saved you from death. However, the last sentence didn''t leave the Goddess''s lips. "I am the one who put the bond between you and him."


    "Can''t you just break the bond? I don''t think he would mind it," Lilac suggested. "Well, I don''t mind it."


    Selene''s melodic laugh echoed in the garden of lilac flowers. But her gaze turned helpless when she watched how the flowers were withering.


    This garden was a perfect reflection of Lilac''s current feeling.


    "Don''t be so down. I love to see how fierce you can be." Selene retracted her hand, and strolled around the garden with Lilac following beside her. "Plus, since you just turned seventeen, you are not allowed to live in this realm anymore."


    "If I''m not allowed to live here, where am I supposed to go then?" Lilac frowned.Even though she asked that question, she already knew the answer before Selene replied to her.


    "To the place where your mate is," Serefina had said it thousands of times, but she didn''t mind saying it again and again. "You know the purpose of your life, Lilac."


    Lilac fell silent, as if she didn''t hear the last statement. She understood, but it didn''t mean she accepted that.


    Understanding and acceptance were two different things.


    Lilac had been raised for seventeen years with the song about the purpose of the resurrection of the guardian angels being sung in her ears, every single night.


    How could she not understand? She understood it very well, and knew there was a bigger picture ahead of her, than the fact that there was a beast who wanted to kill her. She had a mission to accomplish. She lived her life for that, and now was the time.


    "When will I meet with the other two guardian angels?" Lilac asked, relented. She hated to argue with Selene. First, because she wouldn''t win, and second, because she loved her with all of her heart.


    Lilac had never had a real family, and the Moon Goddess was the closest to something considered as family.Yet, Selene always told Lilac that she shouldn''t think that way about her.


    "You will meet them eventually, someone named Serefina will bring you all together," Selene said.But, she had never mentioned who Serefina was for Jedrek.


    "Serefina?" Lilac repeated her name.


    "Now, this will be our last meeting." Selene stopped walking as she faced the girl beside her. "I think it''s time for you to go."


    Lilac didn''t answer her immediately.But instead she made a request. "I want to see my family, can I?"


    Selene smiled and leaned over to kiss her temple as she replied, "Of course, you can."


    ==============


    Lilac was standing on a pavement in front of a blue house. She was staring into its front yard where a family of three was having their private picnic.


    A three year old girl was running around the velvety grass, with her father chasing behind her, and her mother laughing heartily when their daughter sought for protection.


    The three of them laughed like they didn''t care for the world. They had a cute little girl after such a long waiting time. There was nothing that they wanted more except to see their little girl grew up healthily.


    There was a bitter smile that grazed on Lilac''s lips when she watched that happy scene. It was something that she would have experienced, if only she didn''t have an insane mate who wanted to kill her.


    She would have been there. Playing and laughing with her parents and her little sister.


    Lilac bit down her lower lips to stop herself from being a cry baby and pulled herself together. She had a responsibility to carry out and mission to accomplish.


    Under the warm sunlight and the passing cars, random music was playing from an opened window from neighbor houses, Lilac was standing there for another fifteen minutes before she decided to leave.


    She walked along the bustling street, lowering her baseball cap so she wouldn''t need to meet the eyes of any supernatural creatures around her.


    Yet, there was always one that was curious enough to approach her.


    "I know you can see me," he said in a low voice near Lilac''s ear, as he walked beside her. "What are you?"


    This man was dressed in white clothes, looked normal for being a human.But unfortunately, he was not.Even humans weren''t able to see him.


    He was a demon.


    Just a wandering demon.


    Recently, Lilac could feel the darkness grew thicker than usual.


    There must be something happening in this realm.No.In all realms to be exact. And she realized that this was one of her tasks to make things right.


    "Are you trying to ignore me?" That demon chuckled upon seeing Lilac''s effort to run away from him as she quickened her paces.


    However, Lilac didn''t go to a crowded place.Instead, she turned around and went to a rather quiet park. In this hour, it was hard to meet people there.


    When Lilac was sure no one was around, she turned around and faced the demon with a smirk surfaced on the corner of her lips. "So what? What are you going to do about it, if I can see you?"

 Chapter 632 - WIN THE CONTROL OVER HIS BEAST

    The demon raised one of his eyebrows as he stared at her, amused. "So, you indeed can see me."


    Lilac was not in a good mood to play with this demon.But, to think about it again, maybe this was a wise way to vent out her frustration.


    The girl glared at the demon fearlessly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.She mimicked his devilish smile, and said defiantly, "What now?"


    There was a flash of surprise that crossed his face for a brief moment, but it disappeared quickly. His golden eyes stared down at the girl in front of him. He tilted his head and said, "Fae? Witch? Vampire?" trying to make a guess and define what this girl was.But none of it was close enough to describe Lilac. "It is impossible that you are human."


    "Oh, please¡­" Lilac rolled her eyes when she heard that, and gave him a look.


    "Interesting," he snickered and took another step to close the distance between them. "If you don''t want to let me know, I will find out myself."


    Yet, before the demon could touch her.There was something tugging at his legs, and crept up his body so fast and tight, making him unable to move.


    "What¡­?" He widened his eyes when he watched how the vines beneath him slithered on his body, and wrapped him tightly as if it had its own mind. "WHAT ARE YOU!?" panic laced in his voice.


    Meanwhile, Lilac took out a dagger from her ankle and pricked her forefinger. Blood started to ooze out of the wound. Lilac frowned, but she was used to this pain.


    "Do you want to know what I am?" Lilac walked closer, and stood right before the demon.Yet there was nothing he could do with his body that was bound by these vines.


    The demon could only stand there, and watch when Lilac raised her bleeding finger and touched his forehead.The moment her blood made a physical contact with him, the vines squeezed him even tighter.


    Lilac didn''t even flinch when he shouted with all his might before his entire body puffed off into black smoke, and then disappeared into thin air.


    That man was just a weak demon, which recently has increased by numbers. This fact was very worrying, since this was one of the signs the darkness had grown stronger, and they were getting closer to the war.


    Once the demon vanished, Lilac flicked her fingers and the vines returned to the ground, leaving no traces of the incident.


    "I think it''s about time to meet him," Lilac mumbled gloomily.


    Then, the girl walked past through the middle path between two trees that grew in a row, but she did not appear on the other side. Because she was stepping into another realm, and started her new adventure.


    ==============


    Lilac walked with aloofness, ignoring the stare that she received from every lycans in that street.


    For other creatures, her scent couldn''t really be smelled, but it was a different case when it came to lycans and werewolves.Their remarkable noses couldn''t be underestimated.


    Actually, they weren''t really familiar with the scent of lilac, but her pleasant smell was enough to make them take a second glance towards her.


    Though it was quite uncomfortable to be stared at, but,there was only one thing that was important for Lilac right now.


    She needed to get to the castle and meet the beast before she changed her mind and sulked to the Moon Goddess.


    Lilac quickened her steps, leaving a strong lilac scent in her path. After all, she was named after the flower because she smelled like that.


    Lilac itself could mean many things,depending on the color.But Lilac loved the purple one the most, a symbol of ''first love''. It was quite ironic to give a thought about that again.


    It took her three hours to walk to the castle since she entered this realm.


    However, arriving at the castle didn''t stop her troubles.It only added another headache to her. It was impossible for Lilac to be able to meet Jedrek as easily as strolling in the garden.But, she could think of a way to get to him quickly, or made him find her first.


    "Step back!" one of the guards shouted at Lilac when she walked straight towards the majestic entrance gates.


    Despite the fact that it was the first time for Lilac to be there, she feared nothing. There would be more awful situations if she didn''t do what was supposed to be done.


    Lilac didn''t listen to him, as she walked ahead.But then, the other guard stepped forward and blocked her way.


    "Step back lady, or someone will get hurt." The guard growled at her as she started to shift into his beast.


    "Agree, some people might get hurt," Lilac flashed him a harmless smile.


    ==============


    "What is happening?" one of Jedrek''s seven generals frowned.His name was Sebastian, he walked towards the door and barked to the guards nearby. "What''s with this noise!? What''s this all about!?"


    Inside the room, an impromptu meeting was held to discuss an important issue related to the devils'' ongoing attacks.


    Jedrek was also there, listening to the clamoring and roaring sound that shook the entire castle.


    Something was wrong¡­


    The Alpha King didn''t wait for Sebastian to get his answer as he randomly mind-linked one of the guards, and got the answer almost immediately.


    [We are under attack, My Lord!] A panic voice replied to Jedrek, and this could also be heard by the rest of the people inside the room.


    In an instant, Jedrek led his seven generals and his beta to the source of the ongoing chaos that was taking place in the great hall.


    The closer they walked, the louder the chaos could be heard.


    "My Lord, you don''t need to personally come¡­" However, before Lyrus, Jedrek''s Beta, could finish his sentence, he was rewarded with the Alpha King''s deadly gaze, which rendered him to stop his sentence.


    Yet, before Jedrek could witness what was happening in his great hall, an intoxicating scent hit him hard. He growled dangerously in order to win control over his beast.


    He knew what this was.

 Chapter 633 - GOOD DAY TO YOU, MY LORD!

    Jedrek had never smelled something so intoxicating and maddening like this. He didn''t know what kind of scent this was. Blooming flower? But, what kind of flower? Since Jedrek was not a fan of those fragile things, his mind couldn''t find the answer.


    Yet, the scent alone almost drove him and his beast crazy.


    The scent hit him hard until he could barely walk.And then, the sudden stop that he made, evoked the questioning looks of the eight people behind him.


    It was Lyrus, who came to his side and asked. "Everything is alright, My Lord?"


    Jedrek''s jaw clenched tightly, that people could see his bulging veins on his neck and forehead.


    Lyrus frowned upon seeing Jedrek''s condition. "I will check on¡­"


    Yet, before Lyrus could finish his words, Jedrek had raised his hand, signaling to his seven generals to go first.


    Concerning looks etched on their face, yet they didn''t have the courage to question their Alpha after seeing his expression now. It almost seemed like Jedrek was on the verge of an outburst.


    "We will go and check," Maximus said in a deep voice as he led the other six generals to go to the great hall, leaving their Alpha and his Beta.


    Roars and deafening sound continued. They could feel the castle was shaking, the windows were rattling when a loud explosion was heard suddenly from the direction of the great hall.


    "What is really happening there?!" Lyrus snapped his head towards the direction where the seven generals had gone. Beside him, Jedrek was still quiet. "Jedrek, we need to go and see what is going on there." His voice was so rigid when he could feel the seven generals ahead of them had shifted into their beast.


    If the generals were forced to shift into their beasts form, then there must be something beyond dangerous was going on.And also, just from the sound alone, Lyrus could tell that they should go into the great hall to find out what happened.


    But¡­


    "I will take you to your chamber if you don''t feel well¡­" Lyrus offered his help, but the Alpha glowered at him.


    "Watch your mouth," Jedrek spoke through his clenched teeth as he started to walk again.


    Lyrus sighed deeply as he closed his eyes to compose himself. It was hard to keep up with Jedrek even after this long time. It only became harder compared to the time when he was not holding his current title as Beta.


    If it weren''t for the Gregory family''s betrayal act back then when the Great War occurred, Lyrus wouldn''t be in this position right now.


    Placing his loyalty above his own personal feeling, Lyrus followed Jedrek to the great hall where the thundering sound became more palpable.


    ==============


    Meanwhile, in the great hall, a young girl was standing proudly among the debris and the chaos that she initiated.


    Her long black hair fluttered by the wind while her hands were doing a swift motion to keep everything out of her way.


    Her expression was devoid from any emotion, but even with the dust swirled beneath her feet and dr.a.p.ed on her shoulder and hair, it didn''t cease her beauty.


    She strolled forward with ease when all the beasts were tightly bound by the roots of the plants that broke through the floor and window of the castle.


    All the beasts were flabbergasted by the sight, and the remarkable attack since they had never faced something like this before.


    What was she? A witch? But, they had never seen this kind of witch''s magic.


    An angry and thundering roar echoed inside the great hall, it almost sounded like there were hundreds of beasts ready to be slaughtered.


    They tried to bite off the roots'' vines around their bodies, but they failed as those things would only grow stronger and faster. It''s almost like they were fighting an endless battle against nature.


    Those beast guards had already been tamed when the seven generals came.


    Furious looks washed on their expression when at the same time, bloodl.u.s.t flashed on their eyes upon seeing what this merely girl had done to their proud guards.


    The great hall was no longer the sacred place where an important decision and events were being held.Within less than an hour, it had turned into a woodland.


    How could this possibly happen?!


    "WHO ARE YOU!?" Sebastian, the vice general, who was known for his bad temper, stepped forward in fury.His body was shaking in anger.


    The girl was brave enough to stare back into the general''s eyes. She seized them up one by one before she answered the general''s question.


    "I am Lilac." She gave them a harmless smile and added. "A guardian angel."


    "NONSENSE!" Sebastian roared once again as he lurched forward and shifted into his beast. His transformation was smooth, as he had done it countless times.


    Seeing their second general was in his battle mode, the rest of five people followed him as they turned into their ferocious beasts form.


    It was only Maximus, who left behind. He was squinting his eyes calculatedly, they were fixed to the girl in the middle of the messy battlefield.


    A guardian angel¡­


    Which guardian angel? He killed one of the guardian angels.If he wasn''t mistaken, the baby that he killed years ago, was really a guardian angel.


    Even if the girl before his eyes was really a guardian angel, it was still impossible that she held such a power to be a guardian angel. It was well known that guardian angels were weak creatures, or else they wouldn''t seek protection from shadow warriors hundreds of years ago.


    "ENOUGH!"


    Maximus was snapped out from his reverie when he watched how Sebastian was ready to bite off the girl''s head, because she was too busy with the other generals'' speed.Yet, he was forced to stop by his Alpha''s order.


    Jedrek stepped forward, his eyes turned red. It was clear for Maximus to see how hard Jedrek was trying to control his beast.


    On the other hand, the girl named Lilac tilted her head, and sneered. "Good day to you, My Lord."


    A smirk crept on Maximus''s lips.


    Interesting¡­

 Chapter 634 - TEMPTATION

    The last six lycans that lurched forward towards her, were different from the other guards that Lilac had taken down easily.


    It almost felt like the roots and vines that slithered and glided in Lilac''s command were not able to keep up with their speed.On top of that, there were six of them.


    Lilac gritted her teeth when she concentrated to keep them away from her. However, it was hard to put up her guard in all six directions at the same time.


    They didn''t give Lilac a break, even to breathe. One attack after another. It was more difficult than Lilac expected to get a firm hold of them.


    And then, there was the time when Lilac was too occupied by the three beasts that circled her and the other two that were about to attack her simultaneously from her right and left side, she forgot that she missed one more beast.


    The grey beast sneaked around her back. It was a close call for Lilac when she realized the beast''s sudden movement.But, if it was not for the thunderous voice that stopped them and made those beasts lose their bearing for a few seconds, Lilac would have laid on the ground in her own pool of blood.


    "ENOUGH!"


    The Alpha King''s voice was enough to rattle the window and shake the ground beneath them.It also caused the six beasts to winch as though they were in pain.


    Once Lilac got this two seconds chance, she immediately moved her hands swiftly to tie those beasts down as fast as she could.


    The six beasts roared in anger when they were subdued before a young, delicate girl like Lilac. It was simply a humiliation for them.


    Only when Lilac was sure that it was safe enough to drift her attention away from her opponents, she turned around and faced the Alpha King.He was standing on the top of the grand staircase, he was donned in fine clothes, which could only be worn by the royal family.


    Lilac was ready to see the man, who was cowardly enough to kill a baby.


    To kill her.


    Lilac was ready to spit out her contempt towards the lycan. But the moment when she caught a sight of him, all of the words died down in her throat. He was unlike any beings that she had seen before.


    Lilac knew his red eyes, which contrasted with his light skin and black clothing, they were not the original color of his eyes.She couldn''t help herself, but to find it to be rather appealing.


    However, Lilac quickly composed herself.Although she was fascinated by the Alpha King''s attractiveness that she found in his appearance, her lips pulled into a sneer when she spoke snidely. "Good day to you, My Lord."


    Actually that wasn''t the greeting that Lilac had prepared, but after those words left her lips, she felt it was the most suitable approach for her at this moment.


    On the other hand, Jedrek''s eyes fixed on the girl who was standing haughtily among the destruction that she had created in his very own castle.


    Jedrek knew what she was. He knew even before he could see her in person. The pull was so strong that it took all of his might to control his beast, and his possessiveness to not claim her.


    This feeling repulsed him, but at the same time, it stirred something inside the Alpha as his beast became too antsy to stay calm.


    It was well known for the shapeshifters, that at the first time meeting their mate, it was going to be the hardest time for them to resist the temptation of the mate bond.


    Things got even worse when he was the Alpha. The stronger the Alpha, the stronger the pull of the mate bond would be.


    Jedrek tried to appear indifferent, just like how he was used to show the world, but failed. His contorted face and bulging veins didn''t allow him to appear that way.


    Jedrek didn''t look convincing, especially when her sharp voice rang in his ears¡­


    "What is this?!" Jedrek managed to find his voice.His words came out through his gritted teeth, as his bloodshot red eyes never left the exquisite, and delicate figure of the young lady before his eyes.


    The defiant act that Lilac showed to him, only made Jedrek want to subdue her even more, just like how her black eyes burned his cold fa?ade.


    "There are a lot of things that we need to talk about." Lilac took a step forward and watched his eyes hardened with every step that she took.


    "Get out of my castle when I am still being nice." Apart from the side of Jedrek that was infatuated with this young girl, there was a small part of him that was still sane.That small part was questioning how it was possible for a guardian angel to have this kind of power.


    Their kind was widely known as the weakest creatures in their food chain. However, how could it be possible for a single guardian angel to take down the entire guard, and six of his generals?


    This really didn''t make sense. It simply was not in tune to all the knowledge they knew about guardian angels.


    Their kind shouldn''t be this strong.


    Lilac frowned as she put her hands on her h.i.p.s. "Since when have you been nice to me?"


    If one took a closer look, they would realize she was wearing a white tee shirt and jeans under her blue cloak.The way she was dressed just simply showed that she was not from this realm.


    During their little conversation, a lot of guards had rushed inside the great hall, circled around Lilac, ready to take her down at any moment.


    Besides Jedrek, Maximus was aware of Alpha''s strange behavior. He was smiling beneath his concerned look when he asked him. "Your order, My Lord?"


    Jedrek didn''t avert his eyes from Lilac.No, he couldn''t take his eyes from her, but the words that came out from his mouth were as cold as a frozen river. "Kill her!"


    Lilac scoffed. "Why don''t you come, and get me yourself? Am I too tempting for you to resist?"

 Chapter 635 - FIGHTING THE ALPHA KING

    And that was the time when Jedrek turned around and shifted. He transformed into this majestic beautiful white beast. His transition was smooth and graceful. Lilac just stood there and trapped in her own fascination over the white beast. Leading to unconsciously let her guard down for that brief moment of awe and amazement.


    The white beast stood mighty in his legs. Despite the tension of the situation in the room, and his reason for transforming into his beast form, surprisingly there was no growl, nor snarl coming from him. He didn''t need to do all that. The truth is, his presence alone was dominating everyone''s attention in the room. His being was truly and undoubtedly the emphasis of his alpha energy.


    He was definitely the King.


    Realizing herself for being off-guard, she groaned softly. She was rather annoyed of herself. How could she not? She just couldn''t believe it, that for a brief moment, she was this silly young girl who was charmed by the gorgeous creature in front of her. Then, she saved herself from her own annoyance by quickly pulling herself together.


    Although, she must admit that he was indeed gorgeous.


    Lilac watched him in an unconcealed bewilderment. Making it obvious for everyone to see that this was her first encounter with a white lycan in his beast form. Then again, she couldn''t help herself but to admire his beautiful white fur. They looked strangely soft that she wanted to just jump and drown herself in its softness.


    And it made her wonder how it would feel to touch this beast''s fur.


    However, it was not only her who felt the attraction. The amount of the intense feeling was also present in Jedrek''s inner being. But he felt it far beyond that.


    He realized that it was a huge mistake for letting the beast in him have his way. No, part of him wanted the same thing too, either his human side and the beast side. They both wanted to claim what belonged to them. The girl before him was his right as a proud lycan.


    The King wanted to claim his Queen. Ignoring the mate-bond felt like he was battling the gravity. It was hard to ignore the strong, overpowering pull, and it was too heavy to endure. It was almost impossible to shake off the feeling. He couldn''t take his eyes off of this young maiden before his eyes. There was something behind this girl''s dark, defiant eyes that was holding the Lycan King captive, and refused to let go.


    The King caught himself relished in her enchantment.


    After a long while that felt like forever, and the effort that felt like a battle, the white lycan finally looked away. Taking his eyes off of her. He freed himself from trapping inside the endless adoration limbo towards the girl. And he charged forward in new determination.


    Suddenly Lilac snapped out of her daydream. It felt like a slap of reality when the bloodl.u.s.t emerged in the beast''s eyes. She clenched her teeth, and balled her fists for the inevitable attack that was about to happen when she watched how the lycan ran towards her.


    The spell was broken.


    And here they were, becoming each other''s enemies in their first encounter.


    Her adrenaline kicked in when suddenly vines and roots moved faster than ever, intertwined with each other, creating a much bigger and stronger thing. It became a lethal weapon that was trying to take down the King and stabbing him viciously, as more roots emerged from the ground. But the beast either dodged them easily or tore his way through it.


    That was impossible!


    Lilac''s heart was pounding inside her chest, just like a bird who was aggressively trying to get free from its cage. She could feel her blood flushed up and down her body when fear crept in.


    She couldn''t stop him.


    Lilac couldn''t even slow him down!


    Like a predator he was, the beast lurched towards her to attack. But she bent down for cover, and at the same time, her vines walloped the beast''s right side, forcing him to miss his target, which was the girl''s head.


    Lilac saw it was her only chance to get away from the beast. And she knew that striking the beast like that was not helping the situation any better, but at least she was saved from a brief, close threat. Then, as she moved, she could hear the menacing growl from the beast. He sounded furious after missing his target. The sound of his growl sent chills down her spine.


    Who wouldn''t sound like that, after a random girl from a totally different realm came to his castle, and had the audacity to ruin his castle with her magic roots and vines? On top of that, which creature in the right mind, wouldn''t turn lethal after being taunt in front of his underlings in his own castle? Oh yeah, and this creature was a Lycan King with an alpha blood running in his veins.


    Whatever had happened, it already happened. She realized how wrong strategy was, and she regretted it. But, she was not sorry either. Her regret wouldn''t save her life. And besides, she had no other choice, had she?


    Lilac didn''t expect the white beast to be this tough and Jedrek would actually want to tear her apart. Wasn''t he supposed to be bound by the mate-bond? Wasn''t the mate-bond supposed to prevent him from harming her? How could he overcome such a strong bond?


    He was literally a beast!


    Lilac hissed under her breath when she barely dodged his attack once more. The beast''s sharp claws were inches away above her head. It was so close that she thought it was a pure dumb luck when she managed to escape his attack.


    "Damn!" Lilac cursed when her kneecap was stabbed by a sharp edge of the ruin. It was the price she had to pay for avoiding her attacker. Although it was better than death, she still could feel pain from it. It was bleeding, yet she realized that it was not the right time to whine.


    Lilac barricaded herself with the growing roots. She glued her eyes on that beast''s every move. He circled her, prowling like the predator he was.


    At that point, she also realized that, despite being surrounded by the guards and the six lycans she fought earlier, none of them moved from their place. None of them seemed to have the supposed intention of helping their king in his hunt, his battle against her.


    She glanced at her surroundings, considering her options she had in hand. And the best choice she had was to get out from this great hall. Then, she executed her strategy accordingly. While directing her vines to attack the beast, Lilac dashed towards a big hole that she created during her fight with the guards.


    She never thought she would experience a long run like that when she finally reached the hole. And that was how she escaped from that place. Although the beast was still on his heels.


    Once she was out, Lilac closed the hole with thick roots and vines, blocking the beast''s way to get to her. She knew it wouldn''t take the angry beast long before he could tear the obstacles that she made apart. But, it was the only attempt she could come up with in order to slow him down.


    The blazing sun was hot on her skin, and the dry wind whirled her cloak and hair when she ran towards a garden nearby. She had seen this garden on her way into the great hall. She just had to cross this garden in order to reach the entrance gate.


    As for what she would do next, she would figure it out later. Then, she could hear another roar from the Alpha King. He was clearly fueled with so much anger to sound like that. She wasn''t sure if Jedrek would be lenient after what she had said. His pride wouldn''t let her live.


    So, in the end, I would die in his hand? No way!¡ªshe thought. But she shook her head to get rid of her thoughts. Then, eventually, Lilac stopped running. She couldn''t help but to stop, she was losing her breath. However, fear gripped her heart when her precious air was knocked out of her for a few, long, fearful seconds.


    Lilac quickly reached to her ankle and drew her silver dagger before her back hit the ground, with the powerful beast pinned her down. Out of instinct, she stabbed her silver dagger right through the beast''s shoulder. He couldn''t help but to let out a deafening roar.


    Upon closer look, Lilac was surprised by how huge the beast was. With every pound of his weight alone, he was more than capable of crushing her and sending her to death instantly.

 Chapter 636 - THE MATE BOND

    [BACK OFF!]


    Jedrek roared through the mind-link when he watched one of his generals was about to make a sneak attack on Lilac. He didn''t need their help to take this girl down. It was between him and her.


    However, it remained unclear why he was so forbidding about the idea of them helping him. Whether it was because of his pride that made him so eager and insisting on defeating this girl alone, or was it because of his fear. At the back of his mind, he feared that they would harm her. Because deep down, he knew that they were more than capable of tearing his mate''s body apart once this girl ran out of her energy.


    Harm her? It could''ve been his desire if it wasn''t because of the stupid mate-bond. But it somehow prevented him from doing so. He couldn''t bring himself to do what he was naturally good at. Killing.


    Jedrek once again, watched his mate escape his attack. She went through the hole on a wall, and she grew roots from the ground to cover it up. What was she thinking? That the roots was supposed to slow him down? Little did she know, NOTHING could hold the beast back! He was beyond furious and fueled by so much anger.


    Although, he must admit that part of him was amused with her little effort. He watched her failing again and again on attempts to run away from him. This became a chasing game, one of his favorite parts while acting as a predator.


    However, it was only a minor part of him. A small part of the beast in him who needed his mate. It was in their nature to long for their mate, wanting to be as close as possible to the gravity that he was bound to. But, Jedrek wouldn''t allow himself to crumble and surrender to that fate. He will kill her.


    In his second attempt, the beast successfully tore down the roots that blocked his way. Then, he let go all of his senses to lead his way. His legs moved faster towards the irresistible scent of his mate. He could feel that she was not that far away.


    The beast spotted her slowing down. She struggled to catch her breath. That was his only chance, and he used it to pounce on her, just like what a predator would do to its prey. He brought her down, and pinned her under his big paw. His claws threatened to tear her delicate skin. Blood spilling could happen in any second.


    However, before he could do that, he was brought to something unexpected. A silver dagger in her hand stabbed him through his shoulder. This sneaky girl was a sly, and he did not see that coming at all. Her irresistible sweet fragrance was nothing but her scent. She was not as sweet as her scent. She was a fighter, and somehow he was pleased with her trait.


    It took him one single touch, and the sparks erupted between them. The perks of touching your own mate, the temptation was hard to describe, and impossible to resist. He found himself lulled in serenity, and that sensation caught him off-guard.


    The beast cursed at the moon goddess for that. This only made things arduous for him. They were so close, too close for the beast liking. He could feel her heart beating so fast under his paw. Her hot, shaky breath brushed his fur satisfyingly, it sent shivers down his spine.


    Not only Jedrek who was brought into something unexpected. It was the same for Lilac. Her eyes were filled with shock and fear. But, it was because of the sparks. She had never felt something like this before! She didn''t see that coming.


    Selene never told her about this. She tried to remember any of Selene''s careful explanations to her. And none of it was even close enough to describe the delightful feeling that stirred up inside her stomach.


    At that moment, Lilac realized that she was so close to death. The beast could strike her any moment now. But, something that could not be explained made her stay there. Somehow she didn''t want to run away from it. So stupid!


    Lilac''s hand was still holding the dagger that she had used to stab the beast. But apparently, in that brief moment, none of them seemed to care about anything. Until, the beast let out a deafening roar.


    "Ahhh!" Lilac screamed in pain when she felt the beast''s claws pierced her skin, spilling her blood. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable final attack from the beast. Thinking that some of his giant fangs would absolutely rip her throat and deliver her to a painful death in any seconds now. But, it just never came.


    Lilac was trembling in fear. She was terrified when she felt the hot breath caressing her skin, neck, shoulder, and the base of her throat. His fangs grazed the wound that he made and started licking her blood.


    Lilac''s eyes fluttered. She opened them slowly to look at the beast that was standing above her. She moved her frail neck that was gently held under his gigantic paw. He didn''t kill her, or at least not yet. Lilac and the beast stayed silent for a few long minutes.


    It felt like eternity. Even an insane idea managed to cross her mind that she would love to stay the way they were now for as long as possible. But then, she shook her head to get rid of this stupid thought. Her slight movement ended up stretching her wound that was being licked by the beast.


    A soft whimper escaped her lips. Then, the beast''s paw finally let go of Lilac''s throat, but he didn''t move off of her. When he raised his head, she couldn''t help but to think if there were any animals she had seen that were as big as him. And she couldn''t remember one.


    Lilac gulped hard, forcing her whimper down to her throat when he lowered his head to lock their eyes in that intense stare. Even in her predicament, Lilac still found the beast was hauntingly beautiful.


    Damn! Didn''t Selene say that this bond would only affect Jedrek?¡ªshe thought.


    "Why do you want to kill me?" Lilac asked with her voice that sounded no more than a whisper. She let go the silver dagger that she had been holding, and let it stuck there on his left shoulder where she stabbed him before.


    Lilac closed her eyes and groaned when the blazing sun hit her vision so suddenly when the beast finally eased slowly off of her, and moved away from her. Once her eyes could adjust with the light, she tried to sit down.


    And then, she found the Lycan King, the King of all Alphas, was standing tall right before her in his human form, staring down with unfathomable emotion. He reached his left shoulder and pulled out the silver dagger. He didn''t even flinch, as if it was nothing for him. And she saw blood start to seep through his white clothes.


    "Why do you want to kill me?" Lilac asked again, this time her voice was slightly louder and braver. Because this was the only question that she needed to know the answer to.


    "Because you are weak," Jedrek answered without hesitation. "I despise your kind!" His voice was pleasant to hear, but his words carried only pain to her.


    "I don''t want it too!" Lilac glared at Jedrek as she stood up. "I don''t care about this stupid mate-bond! You can be with whoever you want. But I''m here for something more important than that!"

 Chapter 638 - SHADY DEALS

    If only Maximus was surprised, he wouldn''t show it on his face. He would rather hide it behind his unwavering smile. "I just followed my King''s order at that time. I hope you won''t hold a grudge on me."


    Lilac chuckled upon hearing what he just said. "What am I supposed to say? Should I say, ''Oh, Let bygones be bygones dear!'' or, do you expect me to pet your head and say ''Oh Maximus is a good boy!''??" said Lilac, talking like how a person would talk sweetly to a dog.


    She then quickly spotted how his emotion was stirring inside him after hearing her sarcasm. Her words had unfailingly triggered his anger that was slowly increasing through his eyes. Who wouldn''t react like that? She insulted him straight in his face!


    However, the moment he spoke again, whatever wrath he felt, it didn''t reflect in his tone. He was a manipulative person after all. "I like the ''let bygones be bygones'' part. Besides, you won''t be here if you don''t have a strong reason, am I right?"


    Lilac didn''t answer his question, and Maximus took it as a ''yes''. "Let me offer you my help," said Maximus sweetly. He sounded just like an a.d.u.l.t who was talking to a cranky little child. Hearing that, Lilac couldn''t help but to raise her eyebrows and said, "Do you think you can help me?"


    "I will do my best to meet your expectations," said Maximus, sounding like a polite gentleman. Lilac really couldn''t believe it. How could this man have the audacity to shamelessly appear in front of her, offered this alleged helping hand? As if what he had done years ago was nothing.


    Yet, she chose to play along with him. "Do you think you can convince him?"


    "War is about to occur and it was already mentioned in the prophecy. The appearance of guardian angels was one of the signs." said Maximus, explaining his standpoint. "The King will put the interests of the kingdom above personal interests."


    "Okay, but you don''t answer my question though, and you know that, right?"


    Maximus gave her another harmless smile and said, "We have the same goal therefore it depends on how we convince him." Then, Lilac walked towards him, and snapped at him, "First of all, there is no ''we'' and there will never be. And second, I will never forget what you had done years ago."


    Maximus sighed. "If there is someone that you want to blame, it''s your mate. I wouldn''t have done that if it was not because of his order."


    "So, with all that being said just now, why do you think I will trust you now?"


    "Because you don''t have the privilege to make another choice," said Maximus loud, and clear.


    ==============


    Maximus escorted Lilac to the north wing of the palace. It was the farthest part of the castle from the King''s chamber and the great hall. So, the chance of Lilac would run into Jedrek was most unlikely.


    "All the servants in this part of the castle are mute and deaf. So, you don''t need to worry about them." Then Maximus opened the first chamber when they reached the third floor. Lilac frowned when she heard that. It was weird for having them as servants. But it wouldn''t be so odd if they intentionally did that as a job.


    "They won''t be on my list of things to worry about." said the girl. Maximus chuckled lightly upon hearing her response. He stepped inside the room and followed by Lilac behind him. "I will not be around often, but if you have a plan about how to convince the King, let me know." said Maximus.


    Lilac tilted her head as she gave him a sweet smile. "Of course, I would love to share my thoughts with you." The sarcasm in her tone was so hard to ignore. But, Maximus didn''t mind it even a little bit. Then, he excused himself, and left.


    Lilac watched as he closed the door behind him after giving her a polite, pretentious bow. Only when she was left alone, was when she gave her new room a close attention. Despite being considered as an abandoned place of the castle, she thought that this part of the castle was decent enough for a human like her to live in.


    The room was big enough for her. There was a seating area with a fireplace, and a few cushions on a red rug on the floor. But, of all things in her room, what caught her eyes the most was the long windows lined in stones. They were beautifully placed on this wall where from there, she could see the view of the city. When the night came, it would look even more beautiful to see.


    Although, she would''ve liked it even more if there was a balcony there. She then realized that she shouldn''t be so picky about the room. Especially when she was actually living under her enemy''s roof. She was rather lucky to not end up in a dungeon after the destruction she had done to his castle.


    At least she had a place to stay now. Or else, where did she supposed to go? Would Selene listen to her complain if the situation ended up worse? She was unsure of that. The Moon Goddess said it clearly that from now on she was on her own.


    Lilac went to her bed. She was about to lay there and give her injuries some care. Then, suddenly the door swung open. At first, she thought it was Maximus. Instead of him, she found a young woman who looked slightly older than her. She walked inside her room with a tray of foods in her hands.


    Seeing this, Lilac just raised her brows in confusion. Wow, I got to experience a room service too in this castle? What is this place, a five stars hotel?¡ªshe thought sarcastically. The young woman glanced at Lilac, but didn''t say anything. She just put the food on the table near the fireplace silently, and left.


    Lilac walked closer to the fireplace. She inspected her food. There was a roasted chicken, a bowl of soup, and a few fruits. The food didn''t look so bad. But she was sane enough to not eat anything from this castle. It was bad enough that she ended up involved in a shady deal with Maximus, and accepted his invitation to stay.


    She stared at the door carefully, and thought if there was anything she could do about it. She had to do something with it. So that no one would enter this room as they pleased.


    ==============


    "Your Majesty, what do you mean that you let her go, Sir?" asked Sebastian who was confused. "Is it true that she is a guardian angel?" he asked again another question to his King who had just returned from his battle with the girl.


    "Impossible!" Kyle, the third general spat. "The guardian angels aren''t capable of such things that she did. She must be a witch!"


    There was a small argument going on inside the room for a while, until someone noticed Jedrek''s shoulder, pointed it out openly and said, "Your Majesty, your shoulder is bleeding, Sir."

 Chapter 639 - CANT FEEL THEIR BEAST

    "Your Majesty, your shoulder is bleeding, Sir!" It was Tordoff who noticed the stain of blood that was smearing on Jedrek''s white clothes. Their king glanced at his own shoulder with a stoic expression. He completely forgot about the stabbing wound that she got from Lilac a while ago.


    Because it was a silver dagger that she used to stab him, it would heal slower than it would''ve been if it was done by any other than silver. Jedrek frowned. But then, he remembered about the blood of guardian angels.


    Not only that those creatures were spiritually strong, making them the targets of many other creatures who wanted to sap their power. But, their blood also held an equal power. Jedrek tested it just now, and knew it was true.


    "Hm," a short hum was the only answer he could give as a response, but his expression told them that he didn''t want to talk further more about this. The three generals got the hidden message, and moved onto their previous topic.


    "But, if the girl is really a guardian angel, then we need to have her." Tordoff touched his chin, as he was deep in his thoughts. But, little did he know, the ''we need to have her'' part was making the Alpha King''s eyes turn darker a few shades. He despised the way Turdoff used ''we'' in his sentence.


    Jedrek had no other choice but to remain as quiet as if it was nothing that mattered. "Why--" Kyle was about to say something, but Sebastian had to cut him. He suddenly remembered something from his memory, "The prophecy."


    "Right!" Kyle widened his eyes. He remembered the same thing as he continued, "The war with the devils." But, Jedrek didn''t give his opinion about this. His fingers intertwined to each other, a sign that he was deep in his thoughts. However, it was not only him who didn''t speak a word. Lyrus also didn''t participate in the small argument among the three generals inside the room.


    The Beta''s mind was thinking about Jedrek''s strange behaviour. Based on what happened, there were more than enough reasons for Jedrek to kill her, right there and then. This mysterious girl had done so much damage to the castle, wrecked some havoc inside the great hall, and whatever happened between them during the battle.


    Plus, talking about guardian angels, it reminded Lyrus to Jedrek''s resentment towards their kind. It remained the same the last time he checked. Despite they needed the guardian angel for the upcoming war, Jedrek''s prideful and arrogant nature just wouldn''t allow the girl to walk freely after what she had done.


    Then, Lyrus glanced at Jedrek who was sitting in his chair, apparently not listening to the chatter of his subordinates. There was something more about the girl that Lyrus didn''t know, and he could feel it.


    "Alpha, we need to find that girl again." said Sebastian boldly. It was not what he was going to say exactly. Actually he wanted to know Jedrek''s reason for letting the girl go. But Sebastian knew better that it would just trigger the Alpha''s wrath. And that was the last thing he wanted to happen after what had just occurred during the day.


    The room filled with silence. But not long after, Jedrek ended the silence with his rigid tone in his voice and said, "We don''t need her." Sebastian was about to say something more to it, and the unwanted wrath turned out to really happen in the end.


    Jedrek really snapped at Sebastian. "This is not up for discussion!" said Jedrek in finality, while leaving no room for argumentation. "If it''s war that those devils wanted, then war is what they will get from me!" They didn''t need help from guardian angels. They didn''t need their power to win the war.


    Because, the last time he checked, they had won the first Great War. If they could win in the past, they could win it again IF a war was really going to happen soon. At least that was what Jedrek thought. His mind was in a complete mess.


    The only thing he wanted when it came to guardian angels was that he wished nothing but to be as far as he could, away from them. Especially that girl Lilac. He hated the effect that he had on her. Although it was pleasant. But, it was also forbidden.


    The room became quieter than before. Even the wind seemed to not dare to enter the room. However, Jedrek forgot the sweet victory they got during the war was largely the result of the sacrifice of guardian angels, causing the extinction of their kind.


    At the same time, after Jedrek said what he said, the door swung open. And his fifth general, Rowan, came in. His lean body was not as jacked as the other generals, but his dark aura was enough to put anyone a few meters away from him.


    "What is it?" said Lyrus while knitting his brows. He was concerned with what Rowan was about to deliver, judging only by the troubled expression in Rowan''s face. Rowan nodded slightly to Lyrus before he put his attention on Jedrek.


    The urgency of the matter was well delivered by his voice now as he said, "Your Majesty, something happened in the central city, Sir." He moved forward and stopped right on the opposite of Jedrek''s table. The other three generals moved closer too, because it was such a rare event to see Rowan being anxious.


    "What happened?" Lyrus asked again.


    "I can''t explain it in words, I think you need to see what is happening, so you will understand the situation better," Rowan said gloomily.


    ==============


    "This is the first case," Rowan led Jedrek and the others into a house.


    The house was located on the outskirts of the city center. It had three floors, and on the ground floor there was a spacious living room with large windows that had views of the beautiful courtyard outside. The flowers outside could be seen from the inside.


    To put simple, this was a perfect place to live, the outside scenery that the house offered was beautiful. But, what happened on the inside was something they were not expected. Jedrek''s expression right now couldn''t be seen under the hood he was wearing.


    He would hide his identity whenever he went outside of the castle. Wearing a hooded robe was one of the ways of hiding his identity. So that people would assume that he was barely out of his stronghold.


    Inside the room, there were around four guards who were on duty. They bowed their head deeply upon seeing the King''s presence, even though they could barely see his face. But they knew it was him.


    The Alpha, his Beta, and his four generals kept walking fast along the corridor. Climbed up the stairs to the third floor, and stopped at the second door. With a soft ''click'' sound, Rowan opened that door. And there they could see two women, laying on the bed with their eyes closed.


    "What is this?" asked Sebastian impatiently. There was nothing weird about those sleeping women.


    "Can''t you feel that?" Rowan frowned at Sebastian.


    "That they are shifters?" Lyrus walked closer as he observed one of the women there.


    "Yes," Rowan answered assertively.


    "But, I can''t feel their beast inside them," Tordoff mumbled while getting confused by the situation.

 Chapter 640 - LOST THEIR SOUL

    "Their inner beast had been torn off of them. They''re not there anymore," Jedrek said, staring at the sleeping women. He had felt it the moment he saw them. Their beasts were missing. For Lycans, their inner wolf was like a soul for humans. What would happen if someone lost their soul?


    There was a rare case in the past where the inner wolf of a Lycan was killed, but the owner''s body was still alive. However, it was the only case that ever happened, until now.


    Kyle checked on their pulse. "But, they''re alive." he was as anxious as Rowan before. It was like they were sleeping.


    "Who would do this? How could they have the power to rip a shapeshifter''s inner beast, without even killing them? And why, what is their purpose behind this?" said Lyrus who had been analyzing the situation.


    "The devil," Jedrek finally figured it out. He was squinting his eyes at the two women before he gave an order. "Kill them both." His order made everyone in the room including the Beta freeze for a brief second. They weren''t prepared to hear such an order from him, right after discovering this brutal case.


    They knew Jedrek was ruthless towards his enemy, but they didn''t expect that he would order them to kill someone who had just been attacked by the devil. Or, perhaps the Alpha knew something that they didn''t know?


    Knowing that these women were their people too, Lyrus opened his mouth, trying to argue and said, "But, Your Majesty, if I may, Sir, they are still alive¡ª" However, before he could finish what he was going to say, Jedrek stopped him by throwing a cold stare at him. Jedrek really disliked whenever Lyrus argued with him.


    Aside from the fact that Lyrus took Maximus''s place as his Beta fairly, Jedrek still couldn''t get along well enough with Lyrus. Even though now, Lyrus was his Beta. He preferred Maximus compared to Lyrus in terms of talking. Maximus always knew when to shut his lips tight or when to open them.


    "The devil had done this before. Even if these women are alive after this, they will only be another subject to them. Those devils will make these women their slave or something," said Jedrek calmly while showing no emotion in his expression. Then, he turned his attention to his generals.


    He looked at them one by one, searching for anyone in the room who would have any objections to his order. None of them seemed to have the nerve to speak. They averted their gaze from their King.


    Jedrek was right after all. By the time the two women wake up, they will be the subject of the devils. They were no longer his people. Their loyalty would belong to the devils. Soon enough, those women would be a danger, a threat to the kingdom. Keeping them alive would be something he would regret after.


    "Understood, Alpha." said Sebastian when he raised his shifted right hand to kill the women with his sharp wolf claws. Jedrek turned around and walked out of the room with Lyrus, and Rowan followed behind him, while Kyle and Tordoff were left behind and stayed with Sebastian.


    "You said this is the first case?" Jedrek asked as they walked down the stairs. Rowan nodded his head and told his King all the details that he knew about this case, "There have been several cases from last week, but it happened to random people, and different areas."


    "Who are the two women?" Lyrus asked, knowing what Jedrek wanted to know. Because the Alpha was always in an observant mood and rarely talked.


    Rowan shrugged his shoulder. "They are just ordinary citizens who apparently had been missing for a week. They were found at night by a watchman near the city center." And he added, "The watchman felt that it was strange, because they smell like a dead lycan. That''s why he reported it."


    Jedrek nodded. "Find out all the details about this incident. And, kill all those shapeshifters whose inner beast was destroyed. As I said, they would become threats to the kingdom. So, I don''t want any unnecessary trouble in the future."


    "Understood, Alpha." Rowan bowed his head slightly, stopped following him and headed to a different direction.


    "And Lyrus," Jedrek called his Beta, but didn''t slow down, or even spare him a glance. "Don''t question my decision." Hearing this gloomy remark, the only thing Lyrus could do was, to keep his head low, and then replied solemnly to his King, "Understood, Alpha."


    By now, Lyrus had learned what he just learned. To not question the king''s decision. But, sometimes, he just couldn''t help it. Because he couldn''t understand some of the decisions that Jedrek made. He needed reasons behind decisions. But unfortunately, he couldn''t have it when the King simply refused to provide him reasons.


    ==============


    "I heard you are looking for me?" A woman with red hair swayed her way when she entered Jedrek''s study room. Jedrek turned his attention to see the slender, beautiful woman with lavender scent all over her. However, his mind was thinking about another scent that had been latched inside his head.


    He still couldn''t figure out what kind of delicious scent that the girl had. "I believe that Lyrus had told you about the recent issues," said Jedrek. He didn''t want to waste his time by having unnecessary chats with this witch. But the witch pouted her red lips at Jedrek''s bluntness.


    She walked closer to the Lycan King without hesitation. It looked like this witch had used to doing it countless times. In fact she had. She stopped right in front of Jedrek, who was sitting in his chair. She leaned her body against the table to face the Alpha.


    "That is the right decision to kill those women," she knew what Jedrek wanted to hear, and was sly enough to agree with whatever he did. Part of it was because she sought Jedrek''s affection, but the rest was because she loved violence.


    Although little did she know, the two only reasons why Jedrek was looking for her were; her knowledge and her body. The witch moved closer to him, "They had lost their souls to the devil. It was right to kill them before they become unnecessary trouble for you."


    "Find out more about it," said Jedrek as he welcomed the witch''s touch on his shoulder.


    "There is actually a grimoire that can tell you about this. A grimoire of the pure blood witch." The witch glanced at Jedrek seductively, she knew the words ''pure blood witch'' would affect him so much. And she added, "Unfortunately, no one knows where to find the grimoire."


    Jedrek moved quickly and in no time, he was towering over her. He pushed the witch against the table. But, the witch just giggled, she knew he wanted her lips. Before her lips were claimed by the Alpha, she said lightly, "But, don''t worry, I have another way to gather useful information.

 Chapter 641 - HIM

    "She stabbed you," Violet stared at Jedrek''s left shoulder. There was no scar there, and the wound was healed completely. But somehow, the witch knew about it.


    Violet supported her body with her elbow, revealing her skin under the glowing sunlight that came through a big window. She was laying on a large sofa, l.u.s.ting after Jedrek''s body. Their meeting sessions would always end up like this.


    Not that she was complaining, in fact, she was happy to share intimacy with the Alpha. They had been like this for as long as she could remember. "You can go now." Then Jedrek wore his clothes again. Even after what they had done, once he was satisfied, he would turn back into his usual heartless self again.


    Violet was used to this character of Jedrek. She knew better not to expect anything for their relationship. Although it would be a lie to say that after years they had been together, she never aimed for the impossible. Of course she had. But, at the end, she realized that their relationship was nothing more than sharing some warmth whenever he needed it.


    She knew who was in Jedrek''s mind whenever they were together. Her red hair reminded him of someone he treasured the most, someone that he would never be able to forget. Violet sighed when she stretched her body lazily. She ignored him as she laid flat on her stomach and kept talking.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek went back to his work again.


    "Is she really a guardian angel?" Violet asked while wiggling her legs, showing her glowing back under the sunlight. But Jedrek didn''t answer her. He was drowned in his work. "I have never seen one. Can I meet her?" Violet asked again. But again, no answer from Jedrek.


    "I will take that as a ''yes''," said Violet, jumping to her own conclusion. "I have seen the destruction in the great hall, and it doesn''t look like it was done by a weak guardian angel." Everybody knew how weak guardian angels were. Even though their kind had long been extinct from existence. They were known to be weak creatures.


    Still, there was no answer from Jedrek.


    "I''m really curious, maybe I will pay a visit to the north wing."


    Finally, Jedrek spared her a glance as he knitted his brows. The north wing area was an abandoned part of the castle. Why would this witch want to go there? Judging by the glance that he threw her, Violet realized that she knew something that he didn''t.


    "You don''t know, do you?" Violet twirled her red hair between her fingers. "Maximus took that girl to stay there." After hearing what the witch said, Jedrek resumed his focus back on the report in front of him. Apparently, he wasn''t interested in that revelation.


    Sighing deeply, Violet pouted her lips because Jedrek refused to talk. "Don''t worry, I''ll give you the information that I promised you, as soon as possible." At the same time, before Violet could speak further, someone was knocking at the door. Without minding his bed partner who was still n.a.k.e.d, Jedrek granted his entrance.


    Lyrus opened the door and came in. He immediately averted his gaze from the n.a.k.e.d woman on the sofa. He knew what Jedrek was doing inside with Violet. Because he smelled their pheromones, that''s why he knocked on the door first before coming in. But Lyrus didn''t expect for his eyes to be rewarded with the sight of the witch''s body.


    "Jedrek!!!" Violet shrieked when she met Lyrus''s eyes. Lyrus had immediately turned his head away, but the witch was still furious by Jedrek''s lack of respect. In a blink of an eye, Violet teleported herself somewhere, leaving only her dress and undergarments on the floor.


    "You should''ve not let me enter if she is still here," Lyrus mumbled as he approached Jedrek. Jedrek could hear the Beta''s complaint, but he completely ignored it. "Any news?" Jedrek said. He watched as Lyrus sat on the chair opposite him. He had a new report from yesterday''s incident.


    "Apparently, this only happened in your brother''s territory." said Lyrus.


    Jedrek raised his head and met Lyrus''s concerned eyes. "Torak?"


    "Yes," Lyrus replied.


    "Find out more about that," Jedrek said in a low voice. He contemplated for a while, calculating for what to do next. "And also put someone to watch the situation in his territory."


    "Yes, Your Majesty." Lyrus nodded, but he didn''t get up. There was something else that weighed his mind. He was unsure if it was his place to say it. But he thought it would be better to let the King know his concern. "Regarding the guardian angel. I think we should keep her with us, whether she is useful or not. But, it''s better to keep her close than let her fall into the enemy''s hands."


    He turned his head at his Beta. He was about to lash out. But in the end, he asked for Lyrus to find Maximus instead. "Tell Maximus to come here." Lyrus knew that his concerns would only be ignored. However, he still kept his respect towards his Alpha and excused himself. He knew that Jedrek would only listen to Maximus more than him, as his Beta.


    After Lyrus left, Jedrek leaned his back against his chair. He closed his eyes. Actually, he didn''t want to think about anything right now. His mind was in a complete mess at the moment. He couldn''t think of anything as to solve his problems.


    His beast had been in a bad temper ever since he met Lilac. Her delicious scent still lingered in his mind even now. And he hated the fact that he missed her. This stupid mate-bond! He really wanted to kill her, but he just couldn''t bring himself to do so.


    It didn''t take so long for Maximus to come and presented himself in front of his Alpha. His signature sly smile etched on his lips. Maximus slightly bowed his head solemnly, "Are you looking for me, Your Majesty?"


    "Who told you to keep her inside the north wing?" Jedrek stood on his feet and prowled towards his general. Maximus raised his head to meet Jedrek''s dark eyes, he didn''t look surprised to see his Alpha''s reaction. In fact, it was as he expected, he knew it would be like this.


    "Your Majesty, the guardian angel is needed for the upcoming war, Sir," Maximus said calmly with his controlled voice. "It was a mistake to kill her years ago. You should''ve listened to ''him''. In fact it is a miracle that she turned out to be alive after all that."


    Jedrek moved fast, and in no time, Maximus''s neck was wrapped around his fingers. He threw him across the room. "I LISTEN TO NO ONE!" he roared in anger.

 Chapter 642 - DARK DESIRE

    Maximus struggled on his feet while trying to stay away from the angry lycan. For a split second, there was a hint of derision in his dark eyes. He concealed it well, and didn''t show it in his expression. With his calm voice he said, "My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty."


    "You better stay away from this matter Maximus!" Jedrek said through his clenched teeth. He had been losing complete control over his own temper ever since he met Lilac. He didn''t need someone to drive him closer to her even more!


    "Jedrek," Maximus rose on his feet. He was just trying to reason with the king. "It will get even harder to control ''his'' temper, if you kill the girl now. Don''t you remember how he bursted in rage uncontrollably the last time you ordered me to kill her?"


    Jedrek''s canines elongated dangerously, his anger was starting to surface. In a cold and heartless tone he said, "Don''t you remember what I did to him after?" Hearing what Jedrek just said, Maximus shut his lips. It brought him back to the past. The memory was clear in his mind, how ruthless this man could be towards his own flesh and blood.


    Seeing Maximus was living up to the horrendous memories in his mind, Jedrek gave him another warning, "Remember that, and you will remember your place."


    After that, the Lycan King walked out of the room, leaving the general alone. Maximus''s entire body was shaking uncontrollably. It was clear to see that he was burning in his anger. It was so intense that he couldn''t contain it any longer. Failing in control over his anger, Maximus unleashed the monster inside him.


    He leapt forward and shifted into a majestic looking golden wolf. And then, he rushed out of the room through the opened window.


    ==============


    With a few urgent matters at hand to handle, it was indeed a long day for Jedrek. Meanwhile, another important matter from Rowan had to be included into his list. He reported that he found other strange cases where Lycans and werewolves had been stripped off from their inner beasts. Still the same with the last one, they were found asleep, alive, but smelled like they were dead.


    In just a few days, this issue became more and more concerning. It could bring a definite threat to the kingdom in the future. If this continued, then there would be a wave of rampant panic among the people. Because, they already knew that there were a good number of cases where people were missing. And they thought that the missing people had not been found.


    And for that reason, the people should never find out that the King had issued an order to kill those soulless people, who had been reported missing for days. If they did, there would be more than a wave of rampant panic.


    The day ended when the sun set on the horizon. The night sky embraced the glory of the moon once more. Only then, everything seemed to slow down, letting the Alpha King have a break from his exhausting long day. He strolled aimlessly in his castle for hours to clear up his mind. However, when he let his instinct take over, his feet were brought to a different place, out of his usual route.


    Unconsciously he was brought to the north wing of his castle. This was something unusual for Jedrek to roam around that particular area. He couldn''t even remember when the last time he was there. This part of the castle was the place where his chamber was, decades ago, when she was still here. The time when everything was not as complicated as now.


    It was said that the curse that was given to him was actually a gift. But now, what was said to be a gift, turned out to be the real punishment for Jedrek. He stared at his surroundings. He was not sure why he was there, but with every step that he took, he could finally smell the scent of that girl. That fiery-beautiful little girl.


    The sparks that he felt the moment their skin touched was an otherworldly feeling. Never had he felt this kind of feeling in all his long life. He craved for more and here he was, following his instinct to reach to her. Her sweet fragrance surrounded his whole being when he climbed the stairs. He didn''t need to be told which chamber Lilac was. Her scent alone was the only thing he needed to locate her.


    The pull was so strong that the ruthless Lycan King felt dizzy. He was fighting the beast inside him. A battle of choosing between what the beast desired, and what his sane mind should do. Every ounce of his very soul cried out for his mate to fill the void in her absence. It was wrong to stand there, staring at the closed door.


    He assumed he must''ve been completely out of his mind when he decided to reach for the handle, and opened that door. And when her scent got stronger, everything felt more exhilarating and unrestrained. There was no way to turn back now. Neither did Jedrek want to leave that place. He felt this was where he belonged, or at least it was what the beast thought.


    Jedrek knew that he shouldn''t give in to this dangerous urge. But after an exhausting day, and a long period of restrain, his will faded. Jedrek found himself compelled to walk towards the bed, even when he told himself to turn back. He didn''t even notice the change in his surroundings where tree branches grew on the surface of the wall, or the velvety grass that covered the tiles beneath his feet.


    The roots that Lilac had put around to protect her, and block any intruder, somehow gave away to him. They cleared his path, making his way to the beauty on the bed. It was as though those strange nature welcomed him.


    The room was dark, but that didn''t limit his eyes from seeing the shape of Lilac''s figure.


    ***


    Lilac was bored and exhausted after putting all those protection around her. It took her days to make it perfect. Now her room was akin to a jungle. But she didn''t care not even a little. All as long as she could get a good night''s sleep at peace.


    She pulled on a loose nightshirt when she got ready for bed. It felt so good to be surrounded by nature like this. And now, she didn''t have to worry about intruders. Whoever it was, they would not be able to enter her room as they pleased, or at least she would know if there was someone trying to break in forcedly.


    She turned the light off and crawled into bed, snuggling under the covers. However, when her consciousness was about to fade, she felt something. Someone. There was someone inside the room with her. Lilac knitted her brows when she felt this person''s movement in the dark.


    She wondered inside her head, trying to figure out how this person could enter this room without making any sound. After all the efforts she pulled to guarantee for her safety inside the room? Lilac didn''t have time to find out the answer when her hand slid down under her pillow, grabbing her silver dagger.

 Chapter 643 - MATE

    Lilac could feel the intruder was getting closer. Her adrenaline kicked in when she was so sure the intruder was inches away from her. The sleepiness that clouded her mind vanished, like it was never there just a couple minutes ago. So many things appeared in her mind. She was wondering how this person could pass the barrier that she made. It was supposed to be impossible to do that!


    But then, she realized that despite her current situation, it was oddly enough that she had no sense of danger at all. Could this intruder didn''t mean any harm to her? She couldn''t explain this feeling, she just somehow knew that she wouldn''t be harmed. Her grip on the hilt of her dagger tightened when this shadowy person bent his body and knelt beside her bed.


    The girl was laying on her stomach, with her face facing the intruder. She was nervous and didn''t even realize that she was holding her breath. She tried her best to remain calm and pretend to be in a deep sleep. All in order to conceal her tension. She braced herself to whatever that was about to happen.


    Then, his hand slid across her cheek affectionately, and the sparks spread all over her cheeks the moment their skin touched. His light touch ignited thousands of butterflies in her stomach. Lilac knew immediately who he was. There was no one else could cause this feeling on her. But then again, it was impossible for him to be there. Could this be a dream? Am I dreaming? ¨Cshe thought.


    This touch was completely different from the last time they met. At that time, his touch was rough, and filled with anger. She could see the conflict he was battling at that time, he was torn between wanting to kill her and was powerless against the mate-bond. But now, his touch was full of affection, and pure tenderness. She never thought he would have such traits in him.


    Jedrek''s calloused fingers brushed against Lilac''s lips. His touch this time sent shivers down to the core of her body. Her head started to spin and her body was reeling, wanting for more of his touch. The wind blew, clearing the night sky from clouds. The sight of the moon and its glory light revealed. The moonlight was not enough to kill the darkness inside the room, but it was enough for Jedrek to see her face.


    "Mate..." was what he said so quietly in the dark. The guardian angel parted her lips the moment she heard what he said. Oh, Selene¡­¡ªshe said inside her head. It was all her doings.


    The two creatures in the room were gleaming under the moonlight. They felt like they were under a spell. A spell that was sent by the Moon Goddess to help to ease the hatred between the two souls, blessing their mating bond.


    Lilac couldn''t stay any longer. She decided to open her eyes. And then Jedrek met her eyes. They were as clear as the Apricity River, the river that would never freeze no matter how cold it became. It was so clear for him to see the bottom of it. The beast wanted her.


    The Alpha leaned over when he placed a kiss on her slightly parted lips. Lilac didn''t seem to know what was happening. But she didn''t care either when she let go of herself, and returned his kiss clumsily. Jedrek groaned when Lilac landed her fingers in his hair, and welcomed his touch. The feeling was something that he had never tasted before.


    He pushed her gently so she could lay on her back with him hovering above her. She wrapped her hands around his neck as he pinned her to the bed. His lips left hers as they found her neck. The beast licked the sweet spot where he should place his mark against his mate''s skin. The mark that would scream she was his. Claiming her truly as his.


    When his breathing intensified, something finally snapped him back to his sanity. Jedrek backed away and stood up, moving away from the bed. He left his destined mate just a second before he claimed what belonged to him. Not only him, had the same thing happened to Lilac. She bolted to sit down, staring at Jedrek with horror in her eyes.


    She couldn''t see his expression because the wind blew again, making the clouds lingered and covered the moon, setting the room in darkness once again. Her breathing was erratic as she could still feel the tingling feeling from Jedrek''s touch. Her body was trembling as she clenched her lips tightly. She didn''t know what to do, or what kind of expression that she had to put to face Jedrek.


    It was embarrassing! But, how could she not feel that way a minute ago. They stayed like that for what it felt like eternity, before Jedrek startled her again with his sudden move. For a second Lilac thought he would approach her again. A part of her wanted that. But she had to accept the embarrassment and the disappointment, when she found out the lycan chose to stride away towards the door, leaving her.


    The roots, and the vines moved to where they were supposed to be. They moved along to cover the path that he left. Hell! How could her power betray her? and let Jedrek walk inside her room just like that?! Lilac''s jaw dropped, she was beyond confused, disoriented with what just happened. Did he just...kiss her?


    Lilac touched her lips and her neck. She could feel her warm skin under her palm. She couldn''t help but looking back to what just happened. The worst part wasn''t the kiss. No, she wouldn''t add that to her list of sin. The worst part of it was when she just let him have his way.


    ==============


    Jedrek walked in fury. It felt like he was about to go to a battlefield. His fists clenched tightly beside his body. He grinded his teeth harshly, thinking it would help to contain his anger. His anger that was growing inside him uncontrollably, seemed impossible to subside anytime soon. It was so intense that people around him could tell that he was fuming mad about something.


    When the Alpha King walked past the guards, they lowered their head. They didn''t even dare to breathe the same air as him in his presence. His dark vibe set the entire castle restless. Tonight was exceptionally quiet as Jedrek spent his time in his throne room. He intertwined his fingers when his eyes were flickering back and forth from black to red.


    Jedrek was in conflict. He hated the fact that for a moment, he gave in to his strong desire for having his mate. This was something that he didn''t know how to handle anymore. He craved for her. And now, after he tasted the sweet touch of her, and how it felt like to be with her, he couldn''t help himself but to want some more of it. However, his pride would never settle and allow him to indulge with this idea.


    He wouldn''t bow his head and surrender to that girl.


    The sweet little girl.

 Chapter 644 - PATHETIC

    The atmosphere inside the castle remained the same that night. The Lycan King was the cause of it. His mood was dominated by this overwhelming anger. No one in the castle was brave enough to come close to the Alpha. Not a single soul would walk past the throne room. If one''s destination required walking near that room, they would choose to take a detour, even though it would be a longer walk.


    Not even Jedrek''s generals would show their face upon him, not if their presence weren''t needed. They knew better to not disturb him in his current temper. They thought that there must be something that was bothering him. They would assume it was caused by the issue with the devils, the missing people, and the soulless creatures. But, it never crossed their mind that it had something to do with Lilac.


    Aside from Maximus, and some ''special'' servants, no one knew Lilac had been living inside the castle, at the north wing to be exact. That she had been there for three days already now.


    The sun rose at the east, a sign of a new day had begun. And when the sunlight illuminated the room, only then, Jedrek finally moved from his throne. He walked towards the direction of his chamber, and he entered the library. Inside the library, there were rows of neatly lined up books, organized in such ways. On one side, there were floor cushions, and leathered arm chairs with a few tables.


    On the other side of that lavish library, there was a huge glass window showing the outside scenery. Jedrek walked towards a built-in sliding bookcase. He pushed it aside to reveal a secret passage. It was originally designed as an escape pathway for the royal family, if ever the situation forced them to flee from the enemy''s siege. But it had never been used since the first time the castle was built.


    The Donovans were the strongest of all royals. They were strong enough to never put themselves in any situation that required them to run away. This castle had always been a stronghold during every war that occurred throughout the generations. Behind that secret passage, laid a tunnel of infinite darkness. Jedrek walked that long path of the tunnel, leading him to the only door at the end of it.


    Just like the wall along the tunnel, the surface of the wooden black door was covered with graffiti. But this one, there were a few claws that dented on it. An animal claws. Jedrek stretched out his hand to reach its handle and strolled inside.


    "YOU BASTARD!"


    There was a thundering roar the moment Jedrek entered the room. Someone rushed towards him, trying to throw him a punch in his guts, but Jedrek had accustomed to this treatment. Because every time he paid a visit there, ''he'' would welcome him with a punch or any physical attack. Therefore, this time, before ''he'' could give him a blow, Jedrek caught his fist first, and kicked him on his chest.


    The man''s body flew a few meters away before hitting the wall behind him. Dusts were showering above his head, but they didn''t stop him from rising to his feet and leapt forward. He was about to shift, but before he could do that, Jedrek snapped at him.


    "CUT IT OUT!" Jedrek was exploding. His anger had doubled since the last time he lost control over his dark desire, and did something that he shouldn''t. The man stood up, still indignant. He stopped his shifting phase. Now, he was standing tall with a strong dominance aura all over his entire body.


    "You are getting bold day by day. You now even have the nerve to challenge me and deny my order!" The man crossed his bulging arms in front of his chest. Displeased with his offspring.


    Jedrek was trying hard to calm down, containing his anger, "Do not tell me what to do, Janus! I am not coming here to hear your pathetic plea." That man''s blue eyes turned dark when he heard his son. Jedrek''s voice was not loud, but every word that he said was venomous enough to sting one''s pride. "I am still your father!!" Janus growled.


    "And I am your Alpha!" Jedrek didn''t back down either. He stared at the former Alpha before his eyes with hatred. "Stop manipulating people! You don''t seem to be grateful enough despite the fact that I let you live this long!"


    Hearing what his son just said, made Janus throw his head and laugh like a maniac. The eerie sound echoed through the whole room, sending shivers to anyone who heard that. However, Jedrek had faced his old man countless times. It''d take more than an atrocious laugh to make him flinch. Jedrek didn''t come to watch his father laughing over something that he didn''t even understand, so he was leaving.


    It was an oval room with nothing there except seven doors that were placed surrounding the wall. Above them the sunlight shone brightly. The soft looking clouds in the sky could be seen from where they stood. How ironic to think of it as a perfect day.


    "So, now I live under your mercy?" The sarcasm in Janus''s voice was enough to make Jedrek stop walking away from him. Jedrek turned around and said coldly, "Do you not?"


    The amus.e.m.e.nt in Janus''s eyes faded immediately. But before he could speak, his son cut him to it, "I should''ve killed you centuries ago when I snatched the Alpha title right under your nose." Jedrek flashed him a rare smirk. It was not a mischievous smirk, but a smirk out of disgust.


    "You indeed had killed me, son." Janus mimicked Jedrek''s smirk. After all, his ruthless trait came from him. His own father. "You just couldn''t get rid of me."


    "Well then, you can rot here for all I care." Jedrek didn''t spare him a glance when he walked away to enter one of the doors.


    "I saw what you did to the girl in the north wing." Once again, Janus managed to make him stop. "Do you think I have completely failed? Even without me whining to tell you that you should keep the guardian angel, you will do it eventually."


    Hearing the mocking remark in the way his father talked, made Jedrek''s grip on the handle of that door in his hand tightened. Seeing how his words had affected his son again, he then continued, "See? You are so pathetic in front of your little mate," Janus said derisively.

 Chapter 645 - A SECRET ORDER

    Jedrek ignored his remark. Meanwhile, the beast inside him was affected by that. All the beast wanted was to rip Janus''s face again, just like how he did it years ago. Janus got what he deserved years ago when he was being too noisy, and had the audacity to be displeased with Jedrek''s decision to kill the guardian angel.


    However, that was a wasting of time. Because Janus wouldn''t die. How could Jedrek possibly kill a person who was already dead? Yes, Jedrek had killed him the moment he challenged his own father for the title and the throne. It was not normal for the royal family to inherit the throne that way. Because eventually, the title would be his. But, it was not the case for Jedrek. He earned that title in the most despicable way.


    It was an utter humiliation for his father to ascend from his throne in such a way. But, there were more than a handful of unspeakable reasons for Jedrek to do what he did. That''s why he would never regret his action. He just got to do what he got to do.


    And for that reason, Janus was still there, stuck in that petty secret tunnel. All because of his own doings. For such a long time, he had not been the Alpha that he used to be, nor the father that Jedrek respected. Jedrek left that man alone there.


    Then, Jedrek entered a room. He strolled straight to a beautiful, huge bed that was dominating most of this room. The bed that was meant for a King. A beautiful woman was laying there. She was surrounded by cushions and covered with a luxurious blanket made of silk. Her beauty was once well known throughout the realm. Her fresh scent was like a morning dew. She was the mother of all the lycans, and werewolves.


    She was The Queen. The Luna. She was Jedrek''s mother.


    Jedrek sat silently beside her. He took his mother''s hand and caressed it gently. But, there was no response from her. Her steady breathing was the only indication that assured him of her being alive. Another reminder that his misery would continue. But, what was the difference? He had been through all bad things. And here he was, standing tall on his own. That was his way. That was how he survived.


    The happy family had long gone. Looking back to what it was, only made Jedrek want to laugh. It was actually a mess. Then, there was the sound of footsteps entering the room. But the Alpha didn''t budge from his position when another familiar scent came to his senses. A young woman was walking inside the room. She was there to change the flowers with the new freshly picked.


    She didn''t dare to look at the Alpha. But, even though this young woman was mute and deaf, she could tell with only a single glance, that this man had been through so much.


    ==============


    Lilac was pacing back and forth. She couldn''t sleep after the intrusion last night. And now, the sun had reached the horizon, her head was throbbing painfully. She couldn''t help but to think about every tiny bit of what was happening last night. She kept wondering how she could be so easy to throw herself at him! Oh, in the name of Goddess above!¡ªshe thought.


    He was the exact same man who ordered a hitman to kill her years ago! Although it was the hitman who did the job. But still, it was his call, it was his order. In other words, yes, he did kill her! She wouldn''t be here today alive, and well if it was not because of the Moon Goddess'' graciousness. The life that she had now, along with the gift of the power she possessed, were all given by the Moon Goddess.


    If it was not because of the mate-bond between them, last night Jedrek would absolutely bite her head off of her body. And last night, she kissed the same ruthless man. Great!


    Lilac''s lips formed a self-deprecation smile. She just couldn''t stop thinking about how she didn''t find it to be wrong. The sparks that she felt whenever he touched her was something that made her curious, and wanted to explore more.


    "Don''t be stupid!" Lilac knocked her head to force herself to go back to her senses. But then, her stomach growled in protest. She had not been eating a decent meal since the first day she arrived there. Even though the servant always came to deliver her meal, Lilac wouldn''t even sniff the food they brought her. She thought it was the only logical thing to do, since she was under her enemy''s roof.


    She knew better to not shove anything down her throat recklessly. Because there was still the possibility that the food was a courtesy of her own enemy! If that was the case, then she was under a threat of losing her life again. She couldn''t die now. At least not now. She still had an important mission at her hand.


    And then, she extended her hand to pick an apple from the tree that she grew inside the room. The plants that she grew on the wall, was the only thing she ate for the past three days. But it no longer could stop her craving for real foods. Upon realizing that, Lilac groaned. Maybe, she could try to sneak out of the castle to find something to appease her hunger.


    ==============


    "Are you sure Alpha?" Tordoff asked him in confusion. He was called earlier to present himself to the King. He thought he wasn''t the only one who was summoned by the King to see him. He thought that the moment when he got to the king''s study, he would see the other generals too. But there Tordoff was, in the King''s study room feeling a little bit bamboozled with the fact that he was indeed the only one.


    He heard about how bad the Alpha''s temper was this morning. Every living soul in the castle had been avoiding crossing paths with him. They were even scared just to hear his footsteps. All because of how bad his temper had been since this morning. Despite being one of His Majesty''s trusted generals, Tordoff was no different than the other living soul in the castle. He feared the King profoundly.


    Even after years of being His Majesty''s generals, not even once he could understand Jedrek''s unpredictable mood. So that''s being said, the last thing that Tordoff wanted was being on the King''s bad side. "How could she be there?" Tordoff couldn''t help but frown with the revelation. However, once the question left his lips, he knew almost immediately, how he just made a terrible mistake this time.


    He should''ve not let that unnecessary question slip away. Especially when Jedrek didn''t seem to have the intention to answer any of his questions. "Understood, Alpha. I will do as you say." Said Tordoff quickly. Inside his mind, he started to wonder why Jedrek would want the guardian angel now. When three days ago, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere else except near the guardian angel.


    And now he asked one of his generals to look after her? It was never the case. Tordoff never even once came across any situation when Jedrek asked for someone to be protected. And on top of that, he was not allowed to tell about this to any single soul. Not even the other generals. And how could the guardian angel end up in the north wing, anyway? Who brought her there?


    Tordoff would oblige to every order that was given to him. It was the King himself who gave the order, how could he say ''No''? But, it didn''t stop Tordoff''s curious mind to think of why the Alpha wanted to keep the guardian angel safe, even from his own Beta, and the other generals. Why would the Alpha go behind the other generals'' back by keeping this mission a secret between them?


    It took Tordoff around fifteen minutes to get to the north wing where the guardian angel lived. Tordoff stood in front of the building. It looked so lonely because this was an abandoned area where not many people would walk by. Well, of course there were the special servants around. But there were not many of them anyway. Then, Tordoff sniffed the air. And immediately he knew that the guardian angel was there.

 Chapter 646 - AN INTERESTING YOUNG GIRL

    Lilac decided to go out of the castle, to find something edible to eat. But, she immediately realized that she had to sneak in order to go out of the castle. Because people would notice her unfamiliar face once she strolled out of the north wing. She didn''t know exactly what she should do?


    Despite her complicated relationship with Jedrek, she was on an important mission. That was why she was there, living in his castle. So that it would be easier for her, if ever she needed to see the Lycan King. She was sent there to make him aware of the upcoming war. But it was clear to see that Jedrek seemed to have completely ignored all about what she had to say. He thought it was none of his business.


    Actually, if she wanted to meet the white lycan, she could. For her, it was rather an easy thing to do. She could just go and wreck some havoc like a couple days ago. And ultimately, Jedrek would absolutely run in his beast form to capture her, or fight her¡ªthat sounded more like him. But after what happened between them last night, she was reluctant to see him.


    However, that was not her priority now, she just needed to go out for groceries and then come back after, right? But in order to go out, it would likely involve some pinning down actions, and fighting some wolves and lycans. So, to make it simple, leaving the castle, and returning discreetly wasn''t a good idea either. Lilac knew that it would be impossible.


    The girl was pacing back and forth, thinking about any options that she had for a solution. She gave up, and had to accept her fate of eating only apples. But then, she heard someone was approaching her direction. She turned to her combat mode. She armed herself with the vines, and roots coiling around her hands.


    The man approached her with a smile on his face. A frown formed on Lilac''s forehead when she watched the friendly gesture that he gave. "Good morning," Tordoff greeted her. He was unfazed with Lilac''s combat mode, but wise enough to stop walking a few meters away from her.


    "My morning was great before you came," said Lilac. Tordoff chuckled upon hearing her sharp remark, and didn''t even bother to reply back. "Who are you?" asked Lilac, while trying to learn her surroundings, she could be ambushed if she wasn''t careful enough.


    "I am one of Jedrek''s seven generals. I believe we fought the other day." He still appeared friendly to Lilac, while looking unoffended by the way she answered him. Well, he wouldn''t expect to see her being delighted to have a chat with someone she just fought three days ago.


    "Yes, I remember. The six of you ganged up on me at the same time, how gentleman!" This time, Tordoff''s face scrunched as he took Lilac''s sarcasm. He realized that his new assignment wouldn''t be boring at all. Because, he had to deal with all of her snarky attitudes from now on. He needed to start to get used to it.


    "I am sorry about that," he didn''t sound to be sorry for anything. "But, actually you outnumbered us with your vines and roots."


    "Ha haha, how funny!" Lilac laughed scornfully, but then her expression hardened. "What do you want?"


    "I am here because of an order." Tordoff admitted it truthfully.


    "Who sent you? Maximus?" That was the only name that crossed her mind.


    "Maximus?" Tordoff tilted his head. When he did so, he didn''t look like a fierce general that Lilac came across three days ago. He looked more like a young, carefree, regular guy. "Why would he have anything to do with this?"


    Lilac scrunched her nose and shrugged her shoulder. "I don''t know, he was the one who told me to stay here."


    If Tordoff was surprised, he wouldn''t show it on his face. Then he resumed with his wolfish smile, "I don''t know that Maximus was the one who offered this place for you." However, Tordoff made sure to let Jedrek know about this in his upcoming report. "But, his choice was not bad at all, since almost no one would come to this side of the castle."


    Lilac tried to see if he was lying, but she knew he was not. "So, who ordered you to come here?"


    "His Majesty himself, the Alpha King." He replied sternly. She chuckled in disbelief upon hearing his answer. "Jedrek?"


    Tordoff slightly frowned by the way she addressed his Alpha. "Well, that is his name, yes."


    "Why is it? He wants to apologize by sending you here?" Lilac was surprised by what was happening now. What is it? A kiss could actually change his mind overnight?


    "Why should he?" Tordoff blinked his eyes innocently, before he explained himself. "I am here to guard you."


    "Guard me?" Lilac repeated his strange statement in confusion. But then, she realized the intention behind it. "Oh wait, you mean guard me like a prisoner?" she scoffed. "Well, thanks. But, I don''t need a bodyguard. I am more than capable of taking care of myself, and we both know that."


    The roots and vines flared, creating a halo form around her body. A smirk crept on Lilac''s lips upon seeing that the general was slightly taken aback.


    "Woah! Easy!" He held both his hands in front of him. "I am not here to settle scores with you."


    Lilac raised her eyebrows. "Oh really?"


    "And you are not a prisoner, His Majesty the Alpha King said that you are free to roam around the castle." Tordoff couldn''t take his eyes off of the vines, and the roots around Lilac. He didn''t fear it, instead he was amazed by it. "But, of course, there are places that you are not allowed to enter."


    Tordoff looked at Lilac carefully this time. He thought that she was an interesting young girl. She was so free with her emotions, and her face showed everything she was feeling. She had no inhabitations, completely confident in who, and what she was. The general almost didn''t believe that the girl in front of him was the rumored weak guardian angel. She could be anything, but weak, she was not.


    "Good.?? Lilac nodded, she was not over the moon with what Tordoff just said. There must be something wrong somewhere, and she was more than willing to figure it out. It became more suspicious now since Jedrek was behind this order. There was no way he would go easy on her, right? "Now, I want to go to the city center. Can I go and come back as I please?"


    "Sure," Tordoff replied almost immediately. "But, may I know what you want to do there?"


    "Buy some food," Lilac said, shrugging her shoulder.


    "You can get any food that you want here."


    "I will not eat anything that is provided by my enemy."


    Unexpectedly, Tordoff laughed. "You''re funny."


    "Excuse me, but, which part of my words was funny to you?"

 Chapter 648 - SOMETHING CAUGHT HIS ATTENTION

    Lilac chuckled. She gave Tordoff a smug smile, and his jaw dropped upon seeing the boldness of the guardian angel. She stood up there, dusting the dirt from her dress, "Like I told you, I am more than capable of taking care of myself. Don''t worry about me, I got me. Alright now, let''s see what this thing is!"


    Now, she was leading him. She sashayed away towards the bushes to see whatever she caught earlier. It took the general seconds until he brought himself to follow behind her. Like the lycan he was, Tordoff didn''t like it at all to be dominated, surpassed in power by a young girl. While at the same time, he just couldn''t help himself but to be impressed by this girl.


    "Over here!" Lilac waved her hand, Tordoff let out an annoying growl. There they found an old man. But, they weren''t some ordinary creature who can be deceived easily with the old man''s appearance. For he was not an ordinary old man. He was a weak demon. Although weak, he was still a demon. "Is this the creature that you smelled earlier?" Lilac glanced over her shoulder to find Tordoff was there.


    Without caring for what he would think, Lilac reached to her ankle and pulled her silver dagger that she always kept there. This time, the dagger was not meant to be pointed at the lycan. Meanwhile, the old man was struggling to free himself from the snare of her tendrils all over him, he would''ve cussed at Lilac if only she had not covered his mouth with the tendrils.


    She looked at the silver dagger in her hand, and with a swift move, Lilac cut her palm to draw some blood. It looked like she had done this countless times. But then she stabbed it too deeply when Tordoff startled her. For seconds, she was oblivious of his presence. That''s why she got startled. But Tordoff was there to snatch the dagger from Lilac, "What are you doing?" he said. The both of them grimaced.


    He dropped the dagger, "Silver," and hissed.


    "Argh! It hurt!" Lilac glared at Tordoff while holding her bleeding palm. But upon seeing what the girl just did to herself, was only making him alarmed. "Are you out of your mind? Why did you cut yourself!" said Tordoff while tearing the edge of his clothes. He wrapped it immediately on her palm to stop the bleeding.


    "For this!" Lilac snapped at him. She raised her other hand that was coated with her blood, and smeared it on the demon before she squeezed him with her vines. Immediately, the demon''s body billowed into black ashy smoke, and disappeared into thin air.


    Tordoff raised his eyebrows in confusion, "You don''t have to do that! Even though there are not many demons in this area, the guards can easily throw them out of our territory."


    "Driving them away is not the same as destroying them. What you just saw now, was me completely getting rid of them. We need to destroy them completely Tordoff, don''t you see that the darkness is getting stronger now? Don''t you feel it?" After that, Tordoff was still not replying. Lilac realized that she needed to explain more of it so that he would understand her point.


    "You see, their number had doubled increasingly. Sooner or later, you will definitely see these demons often than before. It is one of the signs that the war with the darkness is imminent. And I am sure that you have heard about the other sign, which involves the resurrection of the guardian angels. And here I am Tordoff, I''m one of the signs. With all the signs here, and you all are still going to ignore it?"


    Tordoff shook his head. "I know about the prophecy, but whether we will participate in the war or not, that is not for me to decide."


    "Oh, you know it will happen Tordoff! I know that you can at least put some words about it to your King!" Lilac now sounded frustrated.


    In return to her outburst, Tordoff gave her a bitter smile, "His Majesty the Alpha King listens to no one."


    Lilac dropped her hand, immediately realizing how foolish she was to even elaborate her important point to Tordoff who was only a general, knowing that the only one she needed to actually talk about this matter to, was someone else. "Oh, you''re right! It''s Jedrek that I need to convince about this. Let''s go!"


    "No, wait." Tordoff stopped her.


    "What?" Lilac raised her eyebrows questioningly. "The demon is gone."


    "It''s not the demon that I smelled." Tordoff sniffed the air. "Plus, demons don''t have any scent to begin with." He turned his head to his left side, and followed the odd scent.


    The girl attempted to sniff the air, hoping she would catch a little of whatever the lycan smelt. But she couldn''t smell anything in particular. With her wounded hand cradled on her other hand, she followed behind Tordoff. The general walked through the bushes easily. Lilac just needed to flick her fingers to get through. And, the bushes around her would make a clean way for her to pass through.


    Laying there on the ground with eyes closed, was a body of a woman. It was not that far from where they found the demon. Seeing just a glimpse of it, made Lilac walk faster as she gasped in shock. Lilac stopped beside Tordoff who were crouching down beside the body. "Is she alive?" Lilac stretched her hand to see if there were any signs of a beating heart through the pulse on that woman''s hand.


    But before she could actually do that, Tordoff pulled her hand away, preventing her from touching the poor woman. "She is alive." he answered under his breath. And then he muttered some words that she couldn''t hear.


    "What happened to her?" she asked again, because she knew that there were more to it.


    Instead of giving the girl some answer to her question, Tordoff tilted his head to look at her. From the way he was frowning, she knew that whatever it was, he knew the answer to her question but too hesitant whether or not he should tell her.


    He was unsure about how much information that he could give to this guardian angel. His Alpha King indeed had ordered him to look after Lilac, but to what extent? Was that including sharing a few information? "I can''t answer your question now." Tordoff shook his head and helped Lilac to stand up. "We have to leave, it is getting dark."


    "And we leave her here?" Lilac widened her eyes in disbelief, but Tordoff didn''t need to answer that when two guards came to the scene.


    "Let''s go."


    And with that, they leave the woman under the care of the two guards.


    ==============


    Jedrek was standing on the balcony. The sky above him had turned to dark once more. It was night already, and the crescent moon was shining dimly. There he was, gazing off into the distance to the gate. "So, you finally decided to let her stay," said Maximus who approached behind him. He handed him a glass of liquid that he should drink regularly.


    Jedrek held the glass in his hand but didn''t seem to have the desire to taste it.


    "As I expected, in the end you will listen to your father." Maximus looked at Jedrek. He was still silent. It would be just like most of the time that this would be a one-sided conversation.


    "See? There will always be benefits of keeping her by our side. I can feel it, this girl is different from the rest of her extinct race." Maximus nodded to his statement. "We can kill her at the right time. No need to worry, the pain you will feel afterwards can be handled properly."


    From afar, Jedrek caught a glimpse of Lilac, who was walking side by side with Tordoff. They were just walking through the main gates. A sudden jumpy feeling came to him the moment he caught the sight of her. There was one thing that caught his attention. Her left hand was injured.

 Chapter 649 - SHE WILL BE KILLED EVENTUALLY

    Jedrek narrowed his eyes at the unskillful bandage wrap on Lilac''s left hand. For someone who was injured, she didn''t look in pain at all. But, it didn''t dismiss the fact that she was injured. Nor did it help ease his mind upon discovering this. Beside him, Maximus frowned when he watched Lilac, and Tordoff walking together.


    And then he asked, "Your Majesty, why is the guardian angel with Tordoff, Sir?"


    "I am keeping tabs on her," said Jedrek, replying to Maximus''s question. He looked down to the red liquid inside his glass, and swirled it casually.


    Maximus looked at Jedrek intensely while talking nonsense. He was desperately trying to figure out the Lycan King''s emotion right now. He was searching for some response in his eyes to the sight of his mate being together with another man.


    Yet, Jedrek didn''t show any emotion at all. There was only his usual cold demeanor shown on the surface as he half-listened to Maximus, and nothing else. The first general kept talking about all the benefits that they could get with keeping the guardian angel alive by their side, and killing her later after using her. He mentioned about the pain that Jedrek would experience after terminating his mate.


    He had the nerve to say that the pain of losing his mate would be nothing, saying that Jedrek would be able to handle it. Oh, Maximus just didn''t know what pain was¡­


    "You just need to drink that regularly." Maximus nodded at the drink in Jedrek''s hand that he kept on swirling.


    "What about the progress of your search for Kace and his mate? Tell me about that instead." Jedrek seemed to change the topic since he put zero interest in any of Maximus''s babble, while watching as Tordoff escorted Lilac to the north wing, and their figures disappeared in the dark night. They were already too far from his sight.


    Meanwhile, Maximus chuckled upon hearing his question. He shook his head, "That spoilt brat is very smart, he has been avoiding me in the most astute way possible. Not only that, it seems like he knows the human realm very well. I don''t even remember if he had been there for that long before to the point where he could tell every corner of the realm."


    Maximus talked like a proud brother the moment when he was talking about Kace, and his brilliant escape strategy. But one could see his true emotion through his vicious eyes that glinted with murderous intent. He couldn''t get rid of the fact that Kace always got away from his grip. His failure bruised his pride tremendously. And he wouldn''t stop until he restored it by capturing that youngest Donovan in his hand.


    Jedrek shoved the glass towards Maximus, and he caught it out of instinct. Jedrek now looked a little offended, "Address him properly, no matter what, he is still and will always be a royalty, and above all, part of the Donovans." Jedrek said calmly. But he showed a clear warning behind his words. He was displeased with Maximus''s disrespectful manner towards his brother.


    The corner of Maximus'' lips tugged upward when he heard that, "Are you sure, you still want to kill his mate when you keep yours?" he asked in a mocking tone. But then, Jedrek turned around and met Maximus''s vicious eyes. Still there was no emotion behind his eyes could be seen. "She will be killed in the end, didn''t you say that?"


    Maximus nodded in satisfaction. "Right, as you wish, Your Majesty, Sir."


    ==============


    Lilac''s bleeding was still not close to stopping. Tordoff sighed as he realized that the girl didn''t have the fast healing ability, unlike the lycan he was. Because she was not a shapeshifter. That''s why he brought her to see the healer to check on her injury, instead of escorting her directly to the north wing.


    The healer lived in the castle, not far from the north wing. Since shapeshifters had the healing ability, the service of the healer was not needed that often. When they got there, the old healer saw Tordoff first and nodded upon seeing the general''s arrival. Then, she put her attention on Lilac. "What happened to you child? Who stabbed you?" asked the old healer, she was a little concerned with her condition.


    "I stabbed myself," Lilac murmured her answer. She told Tordoff that they didn''t have to go to see the healer for her wound. But Tordoff kept insisting, and there they were. The healer said the wound would be fine after three days, and that her hand would just like brand new after a few weeks. But, it was not a pleasing answer for him. He thought it was too long for a wound recovery.


    He was worried because the young general was under the obligation of keeping her safe after all. It was his duty to protect her. The old healer widened her eyes and looked at Tordoff. There was something in his expression that told her to not question anything. And then, she mumbled, "I will get something to stitch your wound."


    When it was only the two of them, Lilac confronted the general. "Really, don''t you remember that you were trying to kill me three days ago? Now you''re making a fuss over this wound?" Lilac waved her injured hand at him mockingly. In response, he just chuckled, then took a seat near the door. "Well, that was different. You barged into the castle with your magical super plants that we had never seen before."


    "So, what is the difference now?" Lilac raised her eyebrows.


    "Now I know that you are a guardian angel," he replied simply.


    "As long as I could remember, that time, I introduced myself as a guardian angel." Lilac reminded him.


    Tordoff raised his eyebrow, mimicked Lilac''s tone when he answered her. "Yeah right, you introduced yourself after you turned the great hall into a small forest. All with our guards bonded to the floor, and the wall. How could you expect us to pay attention to your introduction?"


    "Well, for my defense, I''d like to say that they didn''t die." Lilac justified her action.


    "Barely," Tordoff corrected her and gave her a smile when he saw the guardian angel was pouting her lips. She was clearly annoyed. And then he added, "Now I know you will not kill them, but it was a different case at that time."


    "What? If it''s not because of this stupid order that Jedrek tasked you to, telling you to look after me, I am more than certain that we would have been in the middle of another battle right now."


    "But we are not," said Tordoff making his point. "And I am glad that His Majesty the Alpha King considered his decision again, knowing that you are a guardian angel." Hearing his answer was not enough to stop her from getting annoyed. Thus, she scoffed. Jedrek had known her identity as a guardian angel, and his mate a long, long time ago. Way before she barged into his castle, the first time they met.


    It could not be denied that their first encounter wasn''t pleasant either.


    "Right. Thanks to his generosity. I''m so grateful." Lilac nodded quickly, she wished to end this discussion as soon as possible. "Tell him that I am so grateful about it," she added sarcastically.


    Not long after that, the healer came back. She started by cleaning Lilac''s wound, and then stitched her skin to close the hideous looking wound. While all that was ongoing, Tordoff watched, and studied her face closely. He learned that except the small frown between her brows, the girl didn''t show any sign of discomfort at all. He found it odd, and could not believe that the girl was really a guardian angel.

 Chapter 650 - DO YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT HIS SECRET?

    [Stabbed her own hand?]


    A question in Jedrek''s mind echoed inside Tordoff''s head. Although the question was given through the mind-link, it was clear to see the presence of concern behind his question. It was rare for Tordoff to get mind-linked by the Alpha during an important meeting. They were discussing the recent devil''s attacks that were targeting shapeshifters.


    The number of victims had been increasing. And there were more victims coming. One was the one that Tordoff and Lilac found on their way back to the castle.


    [Yes, Your Majesty, and her blood completely obliterated the demon from existence, Sir.] Tordoff tried to maintain his facial expression straight while listening to Rowan''s rumbling about the victims. Tordoff was rather surprised with the sudden mind-link from the Alpha King. He cleared his throat to conceal his surprise gasp. The Alpha King asked him about what happened during the outing with the girl.


    All the people around the table knew about the woman that he and Lilac found, but then he gave a strict order to not spill anything about the guardian angel to anybody. Tordoff stole a glance at his Alpha king. He didn''t like the cold and overbearing voice in his head. No emotion in it, he could only feel his usual cold demeanor. It was unpleasant. He was indeed the Alpha.


    And then inside his head was silent. There were no more questions from Jedrek, making them focus on the matter at hand. Their attention was suddenly caught by the news that they knew it was coming. With victims growing significantly in number, people apparently started to become anxious.


    The people were so petrified with the fact that the missing people were still not yet to be found, even after the imperial search order was issued and executed. But, little did they know, the searching team that was sent to the field was not on a mission of finding the missing people. Their true purpose was to kill those victims who were found soulless in comatose. It had to be done.


    However, this could not continue. If it was, things would definitely blow out of proportion in no time. After all, the people were not stupid enough. They would find out that there was something amiss in the way the imperial handled the matter.


    ==============


    Lilac entered her room and waved her hand, fixing the roots and vines behind her. They were supposed to cave in, and create a defensive, impenetrable wall if ever there was some danger threatening while she was sleeping. Until now, she still wondered how Jedrek could easily enter her room that night.


    She shrugged off that thought immediately. It was not the right time to worry about it. Now, she was extremely exhausted. Her body was desperately asking for a good night''s sleep. A proper rest without disturbance. She stripped off her dress and walked towards the bathroom to clean up. She was so tired that she brushed her teeth with eyes half closed.


    She put on a comfortable nightgown, and off she was to bed. She pulled her blanket up to her chin. The warmth that was provided by the blanket engulfed her whole in satisfaction. The rattling sound of the wind outside lulled her to sleep, she was ready to dive in a dream. But, it didn''t last for long when she heard someone was knocking on her door, asking for her attention.


    Lilac frowned, but didn''t make a move to open the door. She thought, whoever it was would leave her alone once realized she didn''t give any response. Unfortunately, it was just like any other day ever since she came to this realm. Nothing went according to her plan. She couldn''t hold back her grunt then got up. Irritated with the sound, she dragged her body off the bed while rubbing her sleepy eyes.


    Rubbing her eyes didn''t help to get rid of her sleepiness, but the knock on the door was getting louder. She forcibly brought herself to the door and yanked it open. Her vexation was the fuel to whatever she was about to do to the person behind that door. She was so close onto snapping. "What?!"


    "Wow! Easy." Maximus raised both of his hands when he saw the angry face who opened the door. The nest-like hair on her head was hard to miss. Then, he realized that his presence was interrupting her sleep. But he didn''t care at all. His innocent smile still etched on his lips.


    Lilac shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "You," she spluttered. "Don''t you know what time it is?"


    Maximus put down his hands. "It looks like the king has changed his mind and let you stay. He even sent Tordoff to look after you all day, right? How could you make such progress in less than three days?"


    Lilac leaned her body against the door frames, observing the man in front of her. She was still half awake, questioning her own consciousness. Am I imagining things? Does he know about Jedrek''s visit?¡ªshe thought.


    "Why don''t you ask him? It''s not like I asked him to send someone to look after me. So, what makes you think that I know what is inside his mind?" Lilac was annoyed for being bothered with this kind of question. "Geez, is this it? My quality sleep was intruded for this? If you don''t have anything more important to say, I''m going back to sleep, now."


    She turned away and was about to slam the door on his face. But then he said, "I want to invite you somewhere."


    She halted. "Where?" asked her suspiciously.


    "Somewhere. This is a secret place of His Majesty the Alpha King." His expression remained the same when he said it.


    "Jedrek?" Lilac knitted her brows. "Why should I go to his secret place? What makes you think that I would go there?"


    "So that you can get to know him better," Maximus answered lightly.


    Lilac scowled, "Look, all I want is for him to stop being ignorant, and start to care about the upcoming war. It''s so close, I know you can feel it too. I''d be more than grateful if he shows a slight sign of awareness about the war, why don''t he do something about it in his spare time? Because that was the only reason why I''m here. I don''t care about his secret place!" said the girl, making her point.


    Yes, it''s true that Lilac wanted to see what kind of man who gave an order to kill an innocent baby. In fact, she wanted more than ''see'' this man, she wanted to get the sweet revenge that she always imagined. But, it was her personal grudge. It was not the main reason why she was there. Her main mission must come first. The mission that was given by Selene, the Moon Goddess.


    Lilac was grateful for what Selene did for her. She saved her life, and gave her a second chance. But, every breath that she took came with a great price. She had to do something in return to pay for it. Lilac didn''t mind with all that, because she knew that her mission was about something bigger, more important than anything.


    The only thing that she couldn''t understand was why would Selene mixed things up, relating Jedrek to her in an odd situation with the mate-bond between them. She thought that their complicated relationship would only make her mission even harder. It really didn''t help at all.


    "Are you sure, you don''t want to know about this secret place?" There was a glimpse of surprise behind Maximus''s smile.


    "There is a reason why it is a secret. And I never wish to snoop on anybody''s secret!"

 Chapter 651 - SHE IS NOT ALLOWED HERE

    The morning came to the north wing, another knock on the door woke Lilac up. She didn''t want to open, was thinking about ignoring the door and went back to sleep. Whoever that person behind the door seemed determined and won''t budge until she opened. Great, what now?--she thought.


    She forced herself to open her heavy eyes, as she pushed away the blanket off her body. "Ugh! Can''t I get a proper good sleep?" she mumbled, irritated. The sunlight greeted her eyes. Its brightness was a sign that it was time for her to get up. She dropped her foot to the floor and sat on the bed for a couple good seconds, and then decided to stand up.


    She dragged herself to the door, and ready to confront the one who was behind it. The knock sound felt like a gavel that was being hammered against her skull. She couldn''t sleep well last night despite her exhaustion. Her body was screaming to get some rest. But it was her mind that kept on working all night, ignoring what the body terribly wanted.


    "What?!" Lilac snapped when she opened her door. She thought she would meet the sight of Maximus''s face, thus she was prepared to get annoyed by his presence. It was logical to assume Maximus to be the culprit behind the door, because he had done this just last night. However, the person behind that door was not the lycan. It was the young servant who had been serving her ever since she resided there.


    It was rather odd to find the young servant to knock on her door, because most of the time she wouldn''t even bother to come inside the room whenever she had to deliver her food. She would put her food on the floor in front of her door, since she couldn''t come inside the room anymore.


    Lilac was slightly embarrassed that she just snapped at the innocent servant. She softened her voice and said, "What do you want?" She really didn''t mean to be mad, it was just her mood was not always the best in the morning. "I am sorry, what is it?" Lilac apologized to her, even though she knew that the young servant wouldn''t be able to listen or reply to her.


    The young servant offered her a sheepish smile while looking at her. She extended her hand to give her a letter to Lilac. Lilac returned with her cheerful smile, feeling guilty over her rude behavior earlier. She accepted the letter. The servant bowed a little and left immediately.


    A letter? What could it be?¡ªshe thought. Lilac opened the envelope and raised her brows questioningly. She read what was written on the small paper inside. "Breakfast? Who sent it?" Lilac chased after the young servant, but she disappeared right at the corner and she couldn''t find her anywhere. She stared at the envelope in her hand, contemplating whether she would go or not.


    ==============


    Lilac walked on the hallway where there were many servants chattering with each other. But then, they hushed away, lowering their head upon realizing her presence. She could feel their eyes on her back when she walked past them. Who would possibly forget her? She was ultimately well known as the person behind the destruction inside the great hall. Even now, the reconstruction had not yet finished.


    They had to pull many big trees and roots as big as their body off the floor and the wall. Lilac didn''t regret even the slightest of her action. It had to be done to remind them not to cross her, ever. Showing them what she was capable of doing, if ever someone tried to mess with her.


    She walked past down another hallway. And her eyes were widened the moment she saw the sight of the lavish interior. The three chandeliers above her head were looking grand, reflecting the sunlight to the marble floor beneath her feet. The wall was all glossy stained wood. The tapestry decoration that hung on the wall made everything look even more regal.


    Along the hallway, there were a few dozen high windows. They were lined on each side of the wall, allowing the light to illuminate that part of the castle beautifully. Before that, Lilac didn''t notice how magnificent this place was. She found herself enjoying the picturesque sight of her surroundings for the first time ever since she set her foot in that castle.


    She was somehow grateful for the breakfast invitation, for she would never get the chance to see this exquisite view if it was not because she was on her way to the breakfast site. To think about it again, it was good enough that the letter gave her details of where she should head to get to the breakfast site. But the girl wondered, who invited her?


    Lilac walked until she could see the sight of a golden door at the end of the hallway. It was a big door with two guards guarding at each side of the door. At first, she thought her presence would not be welcomed, that she would be stopped by those guards. But then, as she came closer to that door, one of the guards opened the door for her, and bowed politely to her.


    Hmmm, the invitation seemed to be real after all, or else, these guards wouldn''t allow her to enter this room. Lilac stepped inside the room and found three pairs of eyes greeting her. The uncanny confusion in those eyes were clear for her to see. Her attention couldn''t be drawn to anything, more than to a pair of blue eyes that belonged to the man sitting at the head of the table.


    It was the king himself. If the king was surprised, it couldn''t be seen from his eyes. He stared at Lilac without blinking as the conversation died down upon her arrival. "Eeeh?" the more she learned the situation, and the silence inside the room, the more awkward she felt. She stood there feeling like a fool, yet no one invited her to sit. Their confused eyes were directed at her.


    Aside from Jedrek, the only person she knew was Tordoff. But he couldn''t make the decision of inviting her to sit under the presence of the king--the Alpha. It seemed to her that neither Jedrek, nor Tordoff was the one who wrote the breakfast invitation letter. And for the rest of the generals in the room, she didn''t know them. They must''ve been one of the lycans that she fought in the great hall on her first day.


    The awkwardness grew more than she could endure. Lilac decided to turn around and leave. It was her only choice to save her face from the embarrassment. She thought that it wouldn''t be that hard to pretend like she was entering the wrong room. But then, to her surprise, a feminine voice greeted her.


    "You are here!" Violet squealed.


    Lilac''s eyes caught her movement, a girl. She had the most beautiful red hair. Her feature was bewitching. So delicate, and radiant. This time, Lilac herself had to admit that the girl''s beauty was heavenly. But, who is she? Do I know her? Have we met before?¡ªshe thought.


    Lilac tilted her head, she avoided the girl''s touch when she approached casually and was about to clasp her hands with her. "I am the one who invited you to join our breakfast." said Violet.


    "Do I know you?" Lilac frowned, questioningly.


    "No." The girl shook her head, admitting the fact. Her beautiful red hair tumbled on her shoulder. "But, I know you, and I want to know more about you."


    Lilac knew that the girl''s intention was perhaps just for being sweet and all. But for some reason, Lilac couldn''t help herself to not like this girl who was trying to be too close to her. She was uncomfortable.


    "Come! We can talk over breakfast." Violet grabbed Lilac''s arm invitingly.


    However, before she could drag her to the table, Jedrek''s voice echoed inside that dining room. "She''s not allowed here."

 Chapter 652 - A WEAK GUARDIAN ANGEL

    "Uh..excuse me?!" Lilac scowled. She took a step forward and held the Alpha King''s gaze. "I will not be here if it was not for the invitation!"


    "You are not allowed here," he repeated the same exact cold answer. Hearing the despicable answer, Lilac didn''t know how to act. He made her look like she was desperate to be part of the breakfast occasion. She felt wronged, and speechless. She didn''t know whether to laugh or cry in the situation.


    Her reasoning behind showing up was not because she wanted to join, and stay for the breakfast event. She initially took it as a good opportunity to have a decent discussion with Jedrek. Unfortunately, it turned out to be just like any of her plans, this one also didn''t get to go accordingly.


    On his seat, Jedrek remained silent. Her eyes fixed on him. It was his motionless expression that irritated her the most. Fine!¡ªshe thought.


    "Well, since now I know that my presence is not welcomed here, I will excuse myself. And for you," Lilac snapped now, and her gaze fell on Violet, "Please, make sure to let him know before you invite me." Despite Lilac''s harsh words, Violet smiled at her. This only made her frowned even more. There was no more reason for her to stay, she turned away to leave.


    But when she was about to walk away, then Violet held her arms. Lilac was a little bit fl.u.s.tered by this girl''s gesture. Why does this girl keep insisting on my presence? What does she really want from me?¡ªshe thought.


    "Wait, I invited her because I need her in this discussion. Haven''t I told you that I know about how to solve your current problem, last night?" Violet giggled like a teenager. But there was more to her sentence. Somehow, she purposely emphasized the word ''last night''. What was it about last night? Lilac didn''t like the flirty woman, but interested to hear what she was about to say next.


    From the little information that she could understand, she realized a couple things for sure. She might be new in that realm, but she was not stupid. She could tell that there must be something going on in the kingdom. And the victim that she and Tordoff found yesterday, was definitely not the first.


    Still on his seat, this time Jedrek gave a reaction as he slightly flinched. He narrowed his eyes, and the red-haired young woman saw that. The little change in his expression was more than enough to make Violet immediately go on and elaborate further the meaning behind her intention. But Lilac noticed something. The connection that Violet and Jedrek shared was hard to miss. Lilac scoffed internally.


    "Come here, we will discuss it after breakfast." Violet nudged Lilac softly as she made her way toward Jedrek and sat beside him. "Oh, I''m sorry. I forgot to introduce myself, I''m Violet, the Alpha''s advisor." She winked. Lilac knitted her brows upon receiving a wink from her. Does she always do that?¡ªshe thought. She couldn''t be more curious about this creature.


    Firstly, she wasn''t a human for sure. Second, she definitely wasn''t a shapeshifter either. Lilac could feel it. She would immediately know if she was facing a shapeshifter, she could tell from their different body temperature. Then, what is she? Could she be a witch? It was the most likely of this case.


    Lilac didn''t move. She was contemplating. It was humiliating enough to be put in a situation where her presence wasn''t welcomed, making her uncomfortable like previously. That was why she decided to leave. She didn''t want to be actually asked to leave the room this time. But, on the other hand, she had to know what was happening here. She needed to know the problem they were going to discuss.


    Once Violet had sat down, Jedrek continued eating his breakfast. The king seemed to completely ignore Lilac''s presence. He hummed to respond to whatever the red-haired woman said to him. However, Lilac doubted the king was listening.


    "Come here." Tordoff waved his hand and gave her a grin. Seeing now his Alpha didn''t bother to try onto dismissing Lilac again, made Tordoff assume that whatever Violet''s information was, it was more important than his resentment toward the guardian angel. Tordoff believed that the king would always put the kingdom first over his personal matter.


    But, he just couldn''t put his finger on whatever the king''s reason behind the secret order he had tasked him on. To protect the guardian angel, and no matter what, keep this order secret between them and only them. Not even his other generals should know about this. The secret order was not based on hatred, at least he knew that for sure. There must be something more complicated than that.


    "Let''s eat our breakfast." Tordoff waved his hand again when he watched that Lilac still didn''t move. Lilac''s eyes shifted back to Jedrek after Tordoff''s first invitation, but the Alpha didn''t bother to meet her eyes as he ate a chunk of meat in front of him while listening to his advisor''s whispering voice. On the second call, Lilac strolled towards Tordoff. She sat next to him.


    "That is Rowan," Tordoff pointed to the general, who was sitting on the opposite table from them. Rowan nodded slightly and offered Lilac a polite smile. "It is a pleasure to see you again, guardian angel."


    "Lilac, please," she spoke faintly.


    "Oh, I know your name, you made it clear in our first encounter. It''s just us, how ignorant we are." said Rowan fluidly. Lilac couldn''t tell if he was being friendly or sarcastic towards her. Therefore, she only gave him a polite smile, not trying to talk about this matter further. It was not the case for Rowan. He seemed to be reluctant to let go of this topic.


    He hushed Violet''s whispering voice towards Jedrek, and the Alpha didn''t seem to be bothered with that. Then Rowan started to talk again, "I have never seen such power, especially for it coming from a weak guardian angel," this time, clearly Rowan was speaking based on his knowledge about guardian angels, based on the whole race''s general traits.


    Lilac rolled her eyes dramatically in response to what Rowan had to say about her long extinct race. The word ''weak'' was the one that triggered her snappy attitude. But then she managed to contain her emotion, because she realized that it was just how these shifters picture guardian angels. But still.


    What does he know about guardian angels anyway? How could he value such lowly of them? Was he even born when guardian angels were still around?¡ªshe thought. The guardian angels were indeed extinct centuries ago, and no matter how old Rowan was, he didn''t look as old as Jedrek, Maximus, and Lyrus. Lilac seriously doubted that Rowan had even met a guardian angel apart from herself.


    "Their extinction is the solid proof of their weakness," Rowan said, then it followed with a light shrug.


    In other words, Rowan was pointing to how weak guardian angels were, that they were not strong enough even to preserve their life.


    "Their extinction is the solid proof that your kind wouldn''t have been able to win the war without my kind," Lilac bit back sharply, added a smile on her lips to soften her snarky reply. Lilac could see a flash of anger on Rowan''s eyes when he heard that. Seeing that, Lilac was more than ready to destroy another hall in this castle, if things really had to go down the hard way to the worst.


    They should stop to think that way about guardian angels, even so after what Lilac had done. She could take six of the generals at the same time, thus she was confident she could subdue him alone in matter of seconds. All just to prove and to let him know how ''weak'' guardian angel was.

 Chapter 653 - BREAKFAST

    Lilac couldn''t take it anymore. She made her own judgement, because she knew the entire story about the war, and the guardian angels'' extinction. Just sitting still after hearing what Rowan had to say about it seemed so wrong. She wouldn''t lower her head and accept the insult that those imbecile shifters threw about her entire extinct race.


    Their wrong perception about guardian angels needed to stop, for it would only form another misunderstanding over and over again. It was true that most of the guardian angels were physically weak, but it didn''t mean that they were not blessed with some power to protect themselves.


    They might be soft and kind, but weak they were not. It was only that they were blessed with compassion, and a deep sense of mercy, making them too kind to even hurt their enemy. They let all those powers sink deep within them.


    Little did they know, Lilac and the other two guardian angels were different than those guardian angels who were extinct centuries ago. They were being resurrected to life as humans, to have another purpose. They were carrying out a crucial mission. Lilac wouldn''t just sit there and let any humiliation be thrown at her or her kind.


    Even after what she showed of what she was capable of doing, those shifters were still in denial. Rowan was about to argue to her. It was Tordoff who made him stop. He sent him a look, his narrowed eyes said it all silently. A warning seemingly delivered through mind-link between the two. And with that, Rowan held back and dropped the topic.


    "Alright, we''re here to eat and listen to this precious information that Violet had received." Tordoff clapped his hand signing that the argument was over. Lilac glanced at Jedrek and found him sitting there, looked oblivious about the small argumentation that occurred just a second ago. All while enjoying the touch of the red-haired woman.


    She frowned. Aren''t they getting too physical now? Why didn''t they find a room for themselves to do that?¡ªshe said to herself inside her head. With the unsettling sight of them getting too physical, Lilac couldn''t erase that sight from her memory. Suddenly, an urge surfaced on her head, wanting to smother the both of them with her roots and vines.


    "Here, eat this." beside her, Tordoff had filled a large plate with a large piece of meat, and some other food. Since he didn''t know what Lilac would prefer for breakfast, he filled her plate with a bunch of all that were there. Sullenly, Lilac stared at the place. "Oh, I don''t eat meat. I don''t like the taste," she said, pushing the plate away from her. Her eyes found gr.a.p.es and reached for it.


    "Don''t tell me you will just eat that." Tordoff now was baffled. He knew that she had been eating apples for three days straight the other day, but he didn''t believe she would actually only eat fruits. How could someone hold on with only fruit in their stomach? How could there be someone who can function without consuming meat?


    ???I told you, I will not eat anything from the enemy''s place." Lilac put a gr.a.p.e into her mouth.


    "That gr.a.p.e also from your so-called enemy''s place." Rowan nodded his head pointing at the sprig of gr.a.p.es in Lilac''s hand.


    "This is different." Lilac plopped another gr.a.p.e into her mouth, since Jedrek was acting like she was invisible, she would do the same and helped herself.


    "What''s the difference? The fruit also came from the same table," Rowan scowled, thinking that Lilac was making no sense.


    Lilac turned her expression, and rested her hand on top of the table. She stared at Rowan who were now starting to look like a student whining for an explanation. "This is from nature. I will know immediately if you tampered with it, I could tell for sure. But for the other¡­" Lilac waved her hands at the rest of the food. "I don''t have any idea." She shrugged her shoulders and continued to enjoy her chosen food.


    And with that, the conversation ran quite smoothly. Being at the same table with them, Lilac learned quite a lot. She learned that Tordoff and Rowan had completely different personalities. If Tordoff was the glowing sun, then Rowan was the gloomy night. One could not resist but to notice the dark aura that exuded surrounding him. Apart from that, Rowan was as annoying as his Alpha.


    He was still occupied, and was having his own moment with his so-called advisor. Now Lilac was certain of what kind of advice that Violet had provided for Jedrek, apart from the important one.


    "Hey, try this." Tordoff gave Lilac a boiled egg. "I feel bad if you just eat that." He threw a nasty look at the gr.a.p.es. "I told you I will not eat this." Lilac pushed away the boiled egg and took another sprig of gr.a.p.es instead.


    "This is fun," Tordoff said with a huge wolfish grin on his lips. "Try to crack it like this." He hit the egg against his forehead and the shell cracked, so it was easy to peel it off. "See? You just need to knock it with something hard."


    Lilac watched as Tordoff enjoyed his boiled egg. And then a mischievous idea flashed in her mind. Before she could think further about her action, she grabbed another boiled egg and smashed it against Tordoff''s forehead until its shell cracked.


    "What are you doing?" He rubbed his forehead, surprised by the sudden attack.


    "You are right, this is fun!" Lilac exclaimed, laughing heartily upon seeing Tordoff''s sullen expression. There was even a flash of amus.e.m.e.nt in Rowan''s cold eyes for a second. How about Jedrek? Lilac couldn''t help it. She was curious about his reaction. Would he even react to that?¡ªshe thought, tilted her head to see the king''s expression.


    Jedrek remained the same. He was looking at his advisor beside him, smiled ear to ear at Violet. Seeing the smile that formed in his lips, made Lilac think of the beauty that he was. That, if only he would smile like that more and get rid of his cold demeanor. However, his smile was for Violet. Or, was it only what Lilac thought?


    ==============


    After breakfast, they were still sitting at the dining table, but all the food had been taken away by the servants. They were supposed to give the leftovers to the omega.


    Lilac hated it when she found out that Jedrek still enacted a rank of omega. That rank should have been abolished, yet she didn''t want to argue with Jedrek when they were about to hear important information from Violet.


    Jedrek clasped his fingers together as he listened to Violet. But from the corner of his eyes, he could see how close Lilac sat beside Tordoff, their arms even accidentally brushed against each other every now and then as she readjusted her position.


    Lilac seemed to have been good friends with Tordoff, in spite of the short span of time they had together. It was clearly seen that she looked relaxed in his companion.


    Somehow, Jedrek despised this. Although he knew that the feeling was due to the beast in him who couldn''t bear to be away from its mate, especially when they just met each other.


    Though there was a case when someone rejected their mate, it was not common for their kind to do so.


    Jedrek reached his goblet, and chugged down the liquid inside. While drinking, his eyes took a glimpse of his mate, as he remembered her mischievous act with the boiled egg. And the sound of her laughter was still ringing in his head.

 Chapter 654 - A TASK FOR MAXIMUS

    "So, do you think I can bring back their beast soul to those shifters?" Lilac frowned in doubt "I don''t know, I just have never heard something like that before."


    "Really?" Violet who now looked at Jedrek, threw him a meaningful look.


    Lilac raised her eyebrows the moment she understood who Violet was talking about. "It seems you have mistaken me for the other guardian angels, I don''t hold the same power like the other." Lilac was aware that there were the other two guardian angels out there. Although their identity was still unknown, it would be someone else''s task given by Selene to find them.


    Lilac really wanted to meet her own kind, the other guardian angels. But at the same time, she was bound to stay and fulfill her own mission. Her contribution in restoring the balance is far from completed, and it would not be easy unfortunately.


    "What do you mean? You are the same kind." Rowan interrupted, he folded his thick, muscular arms in front of his chest. Lilac wanted to give him a quality lecture about guardian angels, and about herself, but then she just wasn''t in the mood to do so. "Yes, but we have different abilities. Each guardian angel is special. I won''t be able to do what the other guardian angels do, and vice versa."


    Violet slumped her shoulder frustratingly. Her long explanations were wasted. She pouted her lips childishly. "So, you are useless then," she said simply, shrugging her shoulder.


    Lilac let out a dry chuckle as she stared at the advisor beside Jedrek. "Excuse me?" Lilac said. The sweet fa?ade that Violet threw on her earlier was nowhere to be seen. She didn''t even spare Lilac a glance now, as if she was not worthy of her time anymore.


    "Oh! Actually, the last time I heard, there was a guardian angel seen in the human realm." Violet turned her head to Jedrek, she spoke enthusiastically about this almost forgotten information. Now, Lilac could see what game this red-haired woman was playing. She seemed obsessed to seek attention from Jedrek, waiting for the Alpha to praise her, but it never happened.


    Well, Lilac could only pity her for that. As an advisor, she should have known better that she would never get any of his praise. She should never expect anything from him. It was her job to begin with. When Lilac was still assessing Violet and what her true intention, then suddenly Jedrek rose on his feet and gave an order before he left the dining room.


    "Tell Maximus to come to my study room."


    Jedrek didn''t order it to a certain person in the room, but Rowan stood up and took the initiative to carry on this order. Then he followed his Alpha to walk out of the room, leaving the three people alone.


    ==============


    "That will be another reason for us to find your brother," said Maximus.


    The two of them were inside Jedrek''s study room. They were discussing the information that Violet just told Jedrek after breakfast. Maximus couldn''t join them during breakfast because Jedrek assigned him for another task. But as soon as he heard about this, Maximus was elated.


    Jedrek still wanted Maximus to go after Kace and his guardian angel mate, but at the same time Jedrek had been giving Maximus some other tasks that he couldn''t put aside lightly. It made him put the hunting game on postpone for too long.


    Maximus wasn''t happy about Kace''s escape ability. He always managed to avoid every single trap that Maximus had planted in order to capture him. But now, finally it seemed like Jedrek had more than enough reason to put Maximus back on field mission to capture Kace. Now Maximus was sure that Jedrek would focus him on this mission.


    "Bring the guardian angel, alive." Jedrek intertwined his fingers while leaning his back against his chair.


    "Alive?" Maximus raised his head, giving Jedrek a questioning look. "So, you want this guardian angel also...alive. Alive?!?" he was surprised by his order, and Jedrek could also see the mocking intention hidden behind Maximus''s tone.


    "She would be useless if she''s dead." Jedrek''s blue eyes turned black when his beast was forced to surface and step in, confronting Maximus''s disrespectful act. He couldn''t let this one slip away. He couldn''t tolerate it like the last time.


    Maximus realized that he had just crossed the line, and he could now feel his own beast whimpering inside his head when Jedrek used his Alpha''s voice, subduing him in a matter of seconds. After a while, the general raised his head to meet the Alpha''s eyes once again. "And Kace? What should I do to him?" Maximus''s eyes lit up with confidence, thinking that he could catch the lycan this time.


    "He will come running once we have his mate," Jedrek said firmly.


    "Will do, Your Majesty." Maximus slightly lowered his head and showed his neck. He hated it, but couldn''t help it too. In terms of dominance, Maximus was far from Jedrek who was the firstborn of Donovan.


    Jedrek didn''t say a word when he dismissed the man before his eyes. If it wasn''t because of the value of his life, general or not, his head would have rolled on the ground long ago. Especially since Maximus clearly didn''t fully pledge his loyalty to him, the new Alpha, the lycan king. Jedrek knew every cheap trick that Maximus pulled.


    "How about the guardian angel who belongs to your other brother, Torak?" Maximus stopped on his way out. He almost forgot about this.


    Jedrek''s people were everywhere, and they had heard what was happening on Torak''s side. It was most likely that Torak had found his mate as well. It was easier to keep tabs on Torak since he had his own pack. A large pack that was almost as big as this, with him as the supreme Alpha.


    Jedrek just sat there and didn''t answer his question. But, Maximus could see the glare in the king''s gaze, letting him know that it wasn''t his place to put his nose on. Lowering his angry gaze, Maximus proceeded to walk out of the room.


    ==============


    "I have a job for you," Maximus leaned his body against the door frame as he watched Violet brushing her damp red hair after her shower.


    "This must be something important that you didn''t even bother to knock on the door first." Violet could feel Maximus''s eyes that bore on her skin, but she didn''t mind it at all. Instead, she gave the general a seductive smile that invited him to come into her room, then slammed the door close behind him.


    "Of course this is important." He leaned over to smell the witch, placing a kiss on her nape.


    Violet giggled and turned around to face Maximus. "Kissing another woman when you have a mate?"


    "She won''t complain."

 Chapter 655 - DROP YOUR ACTING

    It had been three days since the breakfast she was invited. It was also the last time Lilac saw Jedrek. Every time she went to his place, it was either Jedrek was not around or he refused to see her. Maximus was hardly around. It had been a while since the last time he saw him. Suddenly Lilac was brought back to the moment when Maximus came by, trying to get her to see Jedrek''s secret place.


    She just didn''t think that it was the right thing to do. The idea of snooping on someone else''s secret felt so wrong to her. Therefore, Lilac didn''t have much choice these days. She spent most of her time with Tordoff, but he was also busy dealing with the current problem. Lilac didn''t know much about this, because Tordoff was unwilling to let her know.


    It was something about the devil tearing the shapeshifters'' soul. That was the only thing she knew about this matter. It felt like she was intentionally kept in the dark by whoever it was. But she guessed it was Jedrek''s doing. Who else had this kind of absolute power over things in this realm?


    Actually, even though Lilac didn''t hold the same ability like the other guardian angels, it was possible that she would be able to help them in another way with her knowledge. But of course, the Alpha king wanted to play hero by himself.


    Ugh!


    Lilac stared at the ceiling of her room, she was thinking. It was almost a week since she came to this realm, but she was far from making any progress on her mission. Turned out, it was an extremely tough job to get to close to Jedrek. All she wanted was to make Jedrek realize that his ignorance needed to stop, for it could jeopardize everything when the war broke out.


    Should I listen to Maximus? Should I go to Jedrek''s secret place? Maybe I could find something there?¡ªshe thought. "Where is Maximus anyway?" she murmured to herself, and got up off her bed. She wanted to talk to him. She found it odd that this time, she wished to see him, when usually she hoped to never have to cross paths with him.


    But then, a wry smile beamed on her face. She just realized something. Both Jedrek and Maximus were the people responsible behind her death. But there she was, chasing after them, desperately trying to make them aware of the impending danger that lurked from the dark.


    Lilac really wanted to knock that thick stubborn head of Jedrek, so that she could make her point clear and he could understand. Well, she would deal with Jedrek and Maximus later when she got the chance to do so. For now, she needed to do something since her days were getting stagnant.


    She changed her clothes and wore her cloak, Lilac was about to go out of her room when she heard someone knocking on her door. This could only be either Tordoff, or Maximus! So, she walked faster to reach the door. But then, she saw someone that she never expected to ever come knocking on her door.


    "Violet!?" Lilac frowned when she found the red-haired witch behind her door. Yes, Lilac knew that Violet was a witch. Tordoff told her about Violet, and was generous enough to add that this witch had this ambiguous, vague relationship with the Alpha king. Turned out, Tordoff could be a big mouth sometimes, she would know some gossip from him.


    But apparently, the thing about Violet and Jedrek wasn''t a secret here. Lilac could only shrug her shoulder when she heard that. But on some rare occasion, when her mind went black, the explanation echoed in her mind again, and all that she could do was to take a heavy breath.


    "Yes, it''s me! Glad that you still remember my name." The witch beamed with a smile, acting like she just met with an old friend. But this time, Lilac wasn''t a fool. She wouldn''t be deceived by the sweet smile on her face. Lilac will never forget that moment when the witch called her useless in front of everyone. But then, here she was, showing up at her door like there was nothing happening between them.


    Lilac folded her arms, leaning her body against the doorframe. She was not trying to conceal her ill feeling towards the witch''s presence, she rather making it obvious how displeased she was to see her. Violet stood there, she was wearing her purple dress that made her appearance hard to ignore. Especially with her beautiful red hair. She was gaudy.


    "What do you want?" Lilac asked impassively while analyzing the witch.


    "Can you come with me? I want to show you something." Violet looked at her expectantly. Lilac rolled her eyes, thinking how she finally figured out this witch, how she could so easily read her like a book. She could see her pattern and behavior.


    This witch was the kind of person who would act like you were the most important person in her eyes, only if she wanted something from you. She would be friendly and kind to you because she needed something from you. But, if you didn''t live up to her expectations, she would not even glance at you.


    "What!?" Lilac wasn''t interested at all to be near this witch.


    "You''ll know once we get there, come on!" She gave Lilac her utmost sweet, and innocent smile with stars twinkled in her eyes.


    "No." Lilac didn''t budge. "Let me know first. What is this place? If I find it interesting, then I''ll go with you. But if I don''t, then I won''t go. I have other things to do anyway."


    Violet frowned, pouting her lips when she heard Lilac''s harsh reply. "Do you think I will hurt you?" Violet acted like Lilac had wronged her.


    But, the guardian angel stood her ground, "Yes." And then she mimicked Violet''s pretentious, sullen expression, and talked mockingly. "Do you think your smile can fool me? I know you want something from me."


    Then, immediately Violet''s sullen expression hardened. She looked at Lilac sharply with her eyes. Her friendliness vanished. Her calculative personality was the only thing that was left. It was almost like watching one person change personality in a matter of seconds.


    "That''s better." Lilac nodded when she watched how Violet finally shed her skin, showing her true color. "Now, tell me what do you want?"


    "I want you to come with me to Jedrek''s secret place," Violet said. Now she said what she wanted bluntly. She was looking at her long fingers, thinking that it could show Lilac her subtle threatening message. That she would scratch Lilac''s face if she dared to turn down her invitation.


    Once again, Lilac mimicked her gesture by playing with a sharp wood stick in her hand, twirling it between her fingers.


    "I am surprised that you offered me the same thing as Maximus. I guess this so-called secret place is not really a secret, huh?" Lilac raised her brows defiantly. "Did Jedrek know about this?"


    "Of course not," Violet said truthfully. "Actually, there are a few people who know about this place, it''s just that they are not allowed to enter."


    "So, why do you think I should go there when everyone''s not allowed? And, what makes you think that I would go willingly to someone else''s secret place?" Lilac asked, she already felt there was something wrong with Maximus and Violet''s intention. They appeared to be so insisting on her going there.


    Plus, it was not just anyone, it was her king''s secret place. Definitely, there was a risk of going there behind his back. Not that I care or anything but, how dare her!¡ªshe thought.

 Chapter 656 - WHY SHOULD I GO WITH YOU?

    Violet now was getting annoyed by Lilac''s sarcastic question. She really did not expect to find the guardian angel to have such a sharp tongue like this. And above that, never had she imagined that a guardian angel would use her foul mouth against her. It now felt slightly like an attack. The knowledge about guardian angels that had been engraved on everyone''s minds, was nothing like this.


    Even so, Violet knew better to not show her true emotion on her face, especially in front of this questionable guardian angel. So then, she put on her smile that was as beautiful as ever.


    "Because you will need to see this to know Jedrek better." she answered Lilac. She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Do you think the Alpha king will do your bidding without you knowing anything about him? You have to try a different approach, right?"


    Frankly speaking, Violet herself had no idea what Maximus intended to do. There was something with this mysterious secret tunnel. Violet was sent by Maximus to persuade Lilac to get into that secret tunnel, when in reality even she had never stepped her feet on this tunnel.


    To think about it again, she would be in great trouble if Jedrek found out about this. But, Maximus promised her something that she couldn''t refuse in exchange for her service. The witch realized that this was a dangerous gamble. But after calculating things out, it seemed to her that she could get more of the advantages than the downsides of it. Thus, she decided to agree with Maximus''s offer.


    She thought that yes, definitely Jedrek would get mad once he finds out about it. But it wouldn''t last long until he asked for her company again. Violet firmly believed in the relationship between her and Jedrek. The decades that they spent together was the fundamental of her reasoning for this matter. Thus she was strongly confident with that.


    "Where is Maximus?" Lilac narrowed her eyes.


    "Not long ago he just got a mission from Jedrek, so he won''t be around for a while," said Violet. Maximus was away on a mission. Violet could read it from his vicious grin on his face where he was going. He was ordered by Jedrek to go on a hunt for his brother, Kace Donovan, again. But the whole truth about Maximus''s whereabouts was something that she didn''t need to share with Lilac.


    On the other hand, Lilac didn''t move at all, contemplating her choices. And then, she decided what was best in her current situation. "Show me the way." She was not proud of her decision. After putting the choices to her consideration, the probability of getting closer to a progress was high. Besides, even before Violet came, she was thinking about going anyway, and meant to ask Maximus about it.


    ==============


    "Come here," Violet waved her hand at Lilac, wanting her to follow her. While tip-toeing their way to this secret place and trying not to be seen by anyone, Lilac enjoyed the scenery behind the lined up huge windows on her right side.


    She was immersed with the beautiful sight of trees, and the small garden that could be seen from there. They were glittering in the midday sun with chirping birds that perched on the branches. She couldn''t help herself but to imagine herself lying on her back, bathed under the sunshine and the clear sky.


    What else could she do? She grew up in that kind of environment, so it was only natural for her to be fond of it. Liking what she was seeing, Lilac made sure to remind herself next time to visit that small garden, since she was not under restriction to roam around the castle. Besides, that garden wasn''t the part of the forbidden place that Tordoff had mentioned before.


    "Jedrek is not in this quarter and I have to get rid of your scent here, or else, both of us will get into trouble." Violet grumbled as they climbed the trees.


    Lilac rolled her eyes, "If you''re that afraid that he will find out about this, you shouldn''t push your luck by inviting me here. What if he won''t be as forgiving as that time when you invited me for breakfast?"


    The witch glanced at Lilac from over her shoulder, she gave her a nasty look. "Actually, I can''t wait to receive his punishment." She winked at her.


    Lilac''s wittiness was not to be underestimated, the girl was sharp enough to pick up the subtle innuendo in the way Violet answered it. "Whatever," she muttered under her breath. "How do you know he''s not here, anyway?" Although Lilac decided to go on with Violet''s plan, still the idea of being caught red-handed during the sneak in was problematic to her.


    "His habit." She turned right when they had reached the top of the stairs. "He will not be near his chamber around this time."


    "His chamber?" Lilac caught up with her. Suddenly, the witch walked way faster than before, practically Lilac had to jog, trying to catch up with her pace.


    "There, his chamber." Violet was pointing to the door at the end of the hallway. "Why? You want to go inside?" The witch wink at Lilac.


    "So that you can run to Jedrek and tell him that I barge into his room?" Lilac raised her eyebrows. "No, thanks."


    "You are quite witty." Violet chuckled.


    "If you meant it as a compliment, then thanks, I''m flattered," said Lilac sarcastically.


    After an awkward joke between the two women, Violet led Lilac to a grand room. It was a library.


    "So, the secret door is supposed to be here?" Lilac looked at her surroundings, where row after row of neatly lined up books were placed. Needless to say, the library was sublime. The huge glass window that was covering one part of the room would only make it even more majestic. "A very typical place where you''ll find some secret doors." Lilac jeered.


    On the other hand, Violet didn''t respond to Lilac''s remark. She was busy running her fingers on the bookshelf, trying to find something.


    "What now? So, you don''t even know where the secret door is?" Lilac yawned, acting like she was getting bored of waiting. It was obvious that Violet had never even been to this so-called secret place. If she had, she should''ve been able to find the door right away.


    "Shut up!" The witch snapped at the guardian angel. Knowing that the witch was now annoyed, Lilac chuckled helplessly.


    Finding the entrance way into the secret place took her longer than she expected. It was her first time too. Maximus''s instruction the other night was the only thing that she relied on.


    "How long do I have to wait?" Lilac leaned her back against the bookshelf, while staring at her nails. She was bored of waiting.


    Meanwhile, Violet was in the other row of the bookshelf, grumbling while struggling to find the way in.


    "Shut¡ª" Violet couldn''t finish what she was going to say, she didn''t have the chance to. She screamed on top of her lungs with all her might. A loud sound of falling books followed after her scream.


    Lilac was startled by the sound. Alarmed, she ran towards the witch without a second thought. "What happened?"


    However, what she was about to find was a horrendous sight. There, Jedrek was holding Violet by her neck, raising her up high that the witch''s foot was far off the ground. There was no trace of emotion in his face, not even a sign of mercy in his eyes when Violet was struggling to break free from his grip. She was pounding, and scratching, but the Alpha king didn''t even budge.


    The witch''s face turned all red by the time Lilac got there near them.

 Chapter 657 - GET RID OF HER

    "It looks like there was a lot of things had happened on Torak''s side as well." Lyrus contemplated while leaning his back on his seat, facing his Alpha. They were the strange phenomenon that had been happening around them nowadays. The number of the case was getting high each days. Lyrus was ordered to investigate, and gather information about it.


    In front of Lyrus, Jedrek was listening to his report. He was quiet, not even gave his thought about it. Although his body was present in the room, it was clear for anyone to see that the King''s mind was elsewhere. There was something else in his mind, bothering him profoundly. Yet, no one could really tell what was bothering him these days.


    "The same thing happened to a female lycan named Jenedieth. Her soul has been torn from her body, making her to no longer be a shapeshifter." said Lyrus. "However, it turned out that she is now appeared to be sane enough for someone who had lost her soul."


    Jedrek shifted his attention upon hearing the news. It was worth the shock for it was somewhat a progress to their investigation. This new information could perhaps lead to a true understanding of what was going on.


    But then, "Your Majesty, if I may, Sir, maybe we shouldn''t kill all the victims right away?" Lyrus tried to express his opinion.


    In fact, there were about five people who were kept under surveillance, still unconscious but breathing. They were preserved as it was, because Jedrek wanted to find out what exactly would happen to them once they woke up. But apart from the five people, the other fallen victims were all killed right away after they were found. The number was not to be forsaken.


    There were hundreds of victims already, and counting. Even so, there was no guarantee that the five people would be kept alive once Jedrek had done with them.


    "And what? Let the devil collect what belongs to them later?" Jedrek raised his eyebrows to Lyrus, questioning his opinion.


    Lyrus sighed deeply. With the number of case that kept on growing quickly, people started to become anxious, and worried. Because there were that many people whose family member was still missing. Even after the royal search order was undergone, still not a single soul returned to their family. It''s not that they couldn''t find them, it''s just that they were ordered to kill them right away once found.


    "Your Majesty, Sir¡ª" Lyrus was about to say something more to it, but Jedrek raised his hand. The Beta stopped. The look in Jedrek''s eyes indicated that he was in the middle of a mind-link with someone.


    "What?!" Jedrek hissed viciously under his breath when he heard what the other person told him through the mind-link. His emotion was then peaked, his eyes turned dark. He was controlled by the beast in him. There was a low dangerous growl reverberated in his chest. He was trying to contain his anger, fighting the beast so that it won''t consume him wholly.


    ==============


    That scent was the first thing that he sensed. It was the sweetest scent that had ever invaded all of his senses. It hit him hard that he would paralyze happily for it. He knew to whom this scent belonged to.


    But, he didn''t have time to indulge himself in his mate''s presence. The door to the library was opened, and Lilac''s unique scent became more and more palpable with every step that he took. Her voice echoed softly inside the room, but Jedrek fought his beast for dominant as he approached the witch that had violated his rule.


    His anger was possessing him to his very vain. He was enjoying the sight of Violet screamed and thrashed, the moment he held her up high by her neck. Her face got redder with each passing second. This was what she deserved for the crime she committed.


    "STOP IT!"


    Lilac pulled down Jedrek''s muscular arm, trying to make him lowered his hand that was grabbing Violet''s neck. But she failed. He didn''t even budge from her interference. She felt like she was holding onto a trunk. Lilac never thought that his body would feel like this. He was literally built of muscle.


    "You''re going to kill her!" Lilac screamed. But all that she got was only an irritated look from the Alpha. He kept on putting his focus on Violet, squeezing her very tight. And then, he threw her away.


    Lilac was petrified by the sight she just witnessed. Violet''s body flew across the room, to the other side where her body hit a bookshelf. She watched the witch tumbled down to the ground, and heavy books fell down on her, trapping her body beneath it.


    Lilac gasped in horror by that scene. She knew that Jedrek was cruel, but to hurt a woman without batting an eye was just such a brutal thing to do. She didn''t expect to experience of witnessing such violence. It was a good wake-up call, a sort of reminder that this lycan was the same man who gave a killing order of an innocent baby.


    "Jedrek!" Lilac glared at him, but the lycan only stared at her with the same emotionless expression. He didn''t look sorry for what he had done at all. If anything, the only thing she could see was the profound resentment behind his dark eyes.


    Although Lilac was not never been in good terms with Violet, and whatever happened to her was not her responsibility, but the guardian angel was still have mercy for her. It was wrong to put pity on the witch, especially when now Jedrek''s focus shifted on her before she even realized it.


    Lilac was about to approach Violet who was writhing under the bookshelf. But before she could make her move towards her direction, she felt her hand was grabbed forcefully by Jedrek. And the next thing she knew was when she was being dragged out of the library by the hand of the one who was believed to be her mate.


    The Alpha king couldn''t control his strength, and even doubled it with Lilac''s attempt on breaking free from his grip. It only made things worse. His grip then became deadly, he could hear the sound of cracking bones under his pressure. Lilac screamed in agony. The pain was almost unbearable for her to endure. She heard that eerie cracking sound too. Jedrek had broken her left arm.


    Only then, Jedrek let her go. She fell down crashing the ground. She bit her bottom lips while clutching her left arm, trying hard to prevent herself from screaming in pain. Meanwhile, Jedrek didn''t do anything to help his mate, who was currently suffering in pain in front of his eyes. Yet, his clenched jaw showed a little bit of emotion that he felt. But it didn''t last so long.


    They were approached by a crowds of guards. "Your Majesty, Sir." One of the guards stepped forward, he didn''t know what to do with the situation. The only thing that they stared at was the vicious girl, who destroyed the great hall the other day. She was kneeling on the ground, bending her body while sobbing in pain.


    "Throw her to the dungeon," Jedrek said and then he turned around to walk back into the library. She had one thing left to deal with. It shouldn''t be left undone. The witch. He had enough with this creature, she had been deemed to be useless nowadays. It was time to get rid of her.

 Chapter 658 - SACRIFICE

    Inside the library, under the crumbling bookshelf, there was a faint sound of a woman''s cry. It was Violet, the witch. She was trying to break free from the heavy woods that were trapping her body under, and moved away from the bookshelf ruins. But there was something else that made her whimpering in fear. It was someone whose wrath she feared the most.


    "Jedrek...I''m...I''m sorry¡ª," She sobbed the moment she saw that man was approaching her. His dark eyes were so intensely predacious, she realized that her life was about to end in any moment then. He exuded this unsettling predatory energy. The beast was ready to pounce on its prey.


    But then, he bent his body down, and easily lifted the bookshelf from Violet''s body. His action could be out of pity, or perhaps he had another plan inside his vicious mind about what to do with Violet. One thing for sure, the lycan king was not going to spare the witch for mercy.


    "Jedrek..," Violet looked at him with her teary eyes, she cried him a river. "I don''t know...this is not my doing," the witch shook her head vigorously, hanging onto the edge of Jedrek''s cloak so tight. Jedrek didn''t move, he didn''t even budge when Violet tried to get up by clinging onto him.


    "Jedrek," Violet threw her arms around the Alpha''s body. She sobbed in sorrow, acting like she was the one who had been wronged for a crime she swore she did not commit. She tried to blame it all to Maximus for the unspeakable thing that she did. "It was Maximus... It was all his doing. He was the one who told me to come inside¡­ I will not dare if it wasn''t because of his order."


    He didn''t reply to her plea and confession. The lycan king''s silence was more frightening than his angry roar. Seeing that there was no response from Jedrek, Violet realized that her excuse was not enough. She kept on talking to convince the Alpha king that she was innocent.


    "Maximus told me to bring the guardian angel inside the room¡­ he¡­ he offered me¡­" Violet took a big gulp when she had to mention the truth, there was a deal that she made with Maximus. "He offered me one of your magical treasures¡­ I am so sorry."


    Violet thought she could use their relationship as a shield, or as a card to get away from her crime. She was foolish to expect that even though she was caught red-handed, Jedrek would be lenient and forgiving. She was assuming that he would put their relationship as a consideration to it. But she was wrong all along. The look in his face was the proof. He looked far from mercy.


    What she didn''t know was thatJedrek didn''t even have a shred of affection towards her at all. No matter how many nights they had spent together, no matter how useful Violet was to him, once the witch crossed his boundary that he set, there was no way to return. Prying the arms that wrapped tightly around his body, Jedrek cupped Violet''s chin between his fingers, as he stared down to the witch.


    "Do you think I don''t know?" Jedrek said in a low and husky voice. It was not the voice that would usually be a turn on for Violet. Not this time. The way he spoke, and stared at her was nothing, but a menacing looking. "I know what the both of you did behind my back."


    Violet gasped. She could feel her heart was on her throat. She started to cry even harder, and begged for forgiveness.


    "You have not only broken one rule, but many of it. And now you are begging for forgiveness? Have you forgotten who I am?" He made his words clear and detached. Violet''s body was trembling in fear because of it. "Now, you want to go and see what''s inside?" a smirk appeared in the corner of his lips. It was a sign that something gruesome was about to happen.


    Violet''s breathing was faster. She felt her fear gripped her heart tightly, and fought the rising panic in her. But then, the next thing she knew, Jedrek was dragging her towards the direction of which she was looking for the secret door earlier.


    "No! What are you doing?! Where are you taking me?!" Violet screamed when Jedrek opened the built- in sliding bookcase and took her inside. The secret passage greeted them with an eerie silence. Behind it, the tunnel was forming an infinite darkness. A dim light showed the path to where Jedrek was dragging the witch along the way. Violet knew there was something horrendous would unfold.


    With her free hand, Violet tried to conjure some magic. She was trying to escape the insane king. It was hard to do that, especially since he was a Donovan. Not all magic could work on the Donovans, their special blood was known to be immune to some magic.


    "Jedrek, please...I''m begging you...forgive me! I will never do it again!" Helpless, and unable to break free from Jedrek''s tight grip, Violet begged him again. "I promise, I will never do it again! Please remember what I have done for you, take pity on me¡­" But Jedrek still ignored that.


    When they reached the only door in the tunnel, Jedrek stopped. He spun her so that she could face him. "Didn''t you wish to know what''s inside, right?" Jedrek held her close to him. "Let''s go inside, and fulfill your curiosity."


    "No." Violet shook her head vigorously in horror. "No, I don''t want to know." Whatever behind it, it wouldn''t be something pleasant for Violet if Jedrek offered it this way. Didn''t heed to any of Violet''s pleas, now Jedrek pushed open the wooden black door that was covered with scratches.


    Once he stepped inside, Jedrek twisted Violet''s arms. They could hear the unsettling cracking bone sound. Her bones shattered under his great force. He hurled Violet''s body inside the room, and watched straight-facedly when the witch fell to the ground in the middle of the oval-shaped room.


    Violet cried in agony. She could no longer use her arms for protection from whatever it was that would come to her and attack. Her breathing hitched, and her body convulsed. She laid there helplessly. Her words were no longer coherent.


    "YOU WANT THIS? TAKE IT!" Jedrek''s voice thundered to no one in particular inside the room.


    From the dark corner of the room, Janus walked over, and watched in disdain at the witch on the ground before he shifted his attention to his firstborn son.


    "Jedrek," he sighed. "I didn''t know that you would sacrifice your plaything for this. Do you perhaps feel sorry?"


    Jedrek''s eyes turned bloodshot red when he glared back at his father.


    "In the end, you can''t give her up¡­" Janus shook his head mockingly. "What is it? Do you mean to say that the mate bond gets in the way, that you couldn''t bring yourself to do it?"


    After saying that, the darkness behind him crept closer as if it was alive. Closer and closer, until it consumed the witch''s body and smothered her scream.

 Chapter 659 - I ONCE HAD A MATE

    That so-called secret place was no secret to all the residents of the castle. They all knew it was there somewhere in the castle, but they just wouldn''t dare to go there, let alone snoop in what was inside! They feared their king extremely. They knew better to never cross their king. The room itself was forbidden even to his most trusted seven generals, and his Beta.


    Knowing how the king''s temper was, once someone got in his bad side, there would be dreadful consequences to bear. Especially when one was no longer useful or had value in his eyes, just like that witch. Violet was so ignorant. She overvalued herself like a fool she was, thus her awful end was expected.


    Once the darkness moved away, it went to where it belonged, at the corner of the room. The eerie silence between the father and son was the only thing that was left inside the room. But Janus was still there in the dark. He moved forward to confront Jedrek.


    "Say it all you want, that you despise me! But you always ended up keeping your end of the bargain." Janus tilted his head, a smug smile beamed on his lips. "You are indeed my son."


    Jedrek turned around and walked away. He was not in the mood to listen to his father''s nonsense. The main ''show'' had ended, so there was no more reason for him to stay. With the end of Violet''s life, there was no longer a witch inside his castle, and he needed to find the replacement to it soon.


    "Don''t blame me for what I have done, because you will do the same when you were in my shoes!" said Janus. It was the last thing Jedrek heard before he slammed the door shut behind his back. However, it was not the first time Janus said that sentence, and surely it wouldn''t be his last.


    ================


    There was water dripping down from the ceiling to ground, the sound of it echoed through the dark dungeon walls. The smell of this place was awful, almost impossible to bear. For whoever inside it would be reminded of death that lurked from its every corner.


    Tears fell from Lilac''s eyes down to her cheeks, and crashed the odorous moisture on the ground. She held her left hand tightly. She bit her lips in order to endure the pain that she felt. But, it didn''t work at all. Lilac was a guardian angel, but her physical was no different to those of humans. This kind of injury would be painful to her, and it weakened her.


    She didn''t have a healing ability to reduce pain in her hand, neither could she use her magic in her current state. She was having a hard time even lifting her own body. She had never felt this kind of pain before. All her life, when she was still under the Moon Goddess''s training, she was never seriously injured. At least not this bad like now. This was her first experience of feeling her bones being broken.


    She closed her eyes, and felt another tear streaming down her face again. She recalled in her mind what Jedrek had done to her. But the darkness and the quietness surrounding her was bringing her comfort, and peace. Lilac didn''t know how long she had been there for. Every passing second was like an eternity for her.


    But then, her instinct caught a movement, the sound of approaching footsteps in the dark. She snapped back to reality, realizing that the eternity in the darkness wasn''t the end of her punishment. The footsteps could bring more agony, worse than what she already had.


    Hope raised her right hand to wipe her tears, and with a great effort, she tilted her head slightly. She grimaced in pain when she moved her other hand. And then, she saw a shadow in the passageway, a figure carrying a lantern in hand. The light was warm and soft, but she couldn''t adjust her eyes to it immediately. She raised her right hand to shield her eyes from the light.


    "Lilac?" the man called her tenderly. She knew right away to whom the voice belonged to. It was Tordoff. He put aside the lantern. Lilac could see his figure, but the general didn''t come closer. He was standing behind the bars.


    "I brought this." He slid a folded blanket through the gapping bars, and dropped it next to her. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned for her.


    "Well, if you asked me that question a week ago, then yes, I was alright," her answer was a straight, full sarcasm. She didn''t mean to act that way, especially since Tordoff was being all nice to her. "Sorry," she muttered under her breath. It was nice to be around with Tordoff. In this situation, and strange place he was the only person that was close enough to be considered as a friend.


    "Don''t be sorry," Tordoff said while sighing regretfully. "I know that His Majesty, the Alpha King had overreacted¡­" his voice trailed off and Lilac picked up the unsaid sentence.


    "But I should have not listened to Violet and went with her," Lilac said bitterly.


    Tordoff sat down, and pulled his legs closed to his chest. He rested his chin on his knees, watching Lilac who was struggling to put on the blanket around her body.


    "I can''t open the cell, but I will keep you company through the night," Tordoff said softly.


    The expression on her face changed, it turned gentle and soft. "What about the day? Will he still keep me here?" Lilac snuggled under the blanket, the warmth that was offered by the blanket soothed her pain slightly.


    Now Tordoff''s expression changed, he looked sad by the question that he knew the disappointing answer to. "I don''t know. It was not up to me to decide."


    Lilac nodded. "Would you really stay the whole night here?"


    "I will be here." Tordoff nodded.


    "You have a kind soul," said Lilac.


    Tordoff could only let out a wry laugh in response. "You only said that because I''m not the one who put you in here."


    Lilac grinned. "Yeah, I think I was being a little bit sensitive now." In her current situation, to feel the kindness from others was supposed to be something very unlikely for her to experience. Of course, now that she received it from Tordoff, she felt grateful beyond words. There was silence between them for a brief moment. But then, Lilac was the one who broke the ice between them.


    "What about Violet?" Lilac asked. It wasn''t because she was concerned about the witch or anything. It was not the right time to place her concern towards the witch. Not when she was not in any better situation either. She was just curious.


    "About Violet," He turned sour when he mentioned the witch''s name. Judging by the way he said it, it wasn''t a good sign. "Let''s say that this dungeon is a far more comfortable place, and you''re considered extremely lucky to be here, compared to her now."


    Though Lilac didn''t know how much damage that Violet had suffered, she wasn''t curious enough to ask further about it. Thus, she dropped that topic and moved on.


    "Do you have a mate?" Lilac looked at Tordoff, she wanted to know his feelings towards his mate.


    In the dimly lit room, she couldn''t really see Tordoff''s expression that was turning rigid when he answered her. "I once had a mate."

 Chapter 660 - FURIOUS

    "I once had a mate." said Tordoff. It was clear to hear his sorrow behind his voice. But to really understand his feelings, she would need to see his face. Unfortunately, she couldn''t. The expression in his face was buried in his folded arms, leaving only his copper-colored eyes exposed to the dim light of the dungeon.


    "What happened?" Lilac narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better sight of him.


    "She died," he said simply, but there were the most complicated feelings followed behind his words.


    Lilac bit her lips when she heard the heart-shattering confession from the lycan. It reminded her of what Selene told her a long time ago. She said that losing half of your soul, your mate, was not something that all lycans, and werewolves could bear. From experiencing such tragedy, some of them would die because of the unbearable pain, and some would go feral. Only very few of the shifters could make it through.


    With what Selene had told her, all this time Lilac was convinced that although Jedrek was trying to kill her long when she was only an infant, this time when they finally met with each other, he wouldn''t even try to bring himself to hurt her. Or that he couldn''t do it. And she believed it.


    However what she believed had to go down. Her recent experience proved that she was all wrong. It was completely wrong to underestimate what that monstrous lycan was capable of doing.


    "I''m sorry to hear that." Lilac offered her condolences to Tordoff. But again, he could just let out a dry laugh that echoed through the empty cell.


    "You don''t have to feel sorry," he said as he shook his head. "She didn''t even know that I was her mate when she died."


    Lilac frowned. She found herself drawn to Tordoff''s story. She was curious, and without realizing it, her pain on her broken arm was somehow forgotten. "What do you mean?"


    Tordoff sighed deeply before he recalled his first encounter with his mate. "She was a beautiful lycan, a warrior. Some of her pack members went rogue and attacked her pack. She was badly injured and died not long after that."


    There was silence again after that. But Lilac kept quiet, so that she wouldn''t interrupt the sorrow that Tordoff felt. "I smelled her scent." a faint smile beamed on the corner of his lips. "The most alluring smell that I ever came across. The beast inside me started to wail, urging me to find out who owned that scent. But, the moment I found her, it was too late."


    There was something about his story that somehow pulled down her heart. She watched how heartbroken Tordoff was. The sight of him that way was hurtful. She wanted to move closer and comfort him, but it was impossible for her to do that.


    "The pain of losing my partner wasn''t that bad, because the bond between us wasn''t that deep yet. I overcame the pain somehow. After all, we didn''t even know each other anyway. That fact really helped me a lot in getting through it all. But I always find myself thinking that it would be nice if she were still alive." Tordoff flashed Lilac a silly grin, an attempt to brush off his current feelings.


    "She must be a beautiful girl," Lilac said softly, because she really didn''t know what to say.


    "Yes. She was." Tordoff agreed.


    And with the sad story ended, the both of them spent the entire night talking about so many other things, until Lilac was too tired and fell asleep.


    ==============


    PRANG!!!


    Another poor vase was shattered to the ground. Jedrek furiously hurled it against the wall. His entire body was shaking as his canines elongated. He was trying his best to reign his anger that coursed in his veins. The Alpha king almost shifted into the beast. It took him a tremendous effort to win the battle against the beast within, and stay in his human skin.


    The beast was enraged for what he had done to Lilac. The sound of her broken bones and her cry from earlier echoed in his head repeatedly. It was a whole another level of torture for him and the beast especially. Yet, Jedrek didn''t give in to it, he was determined to not come around and check on Lilac. His bold heartless determination caused him to be in his current state.


    PRANG!!!


    This time, Jedrek smashed a gigantic mirror. The glass shattered beneath his feet. His blood was dripping down from his knuckles, but it didn''t last long. In no time, the blood stopped. His cut open skin was closed, leaving no trace of any wounds. However, his mind wandered back to Lilac again. How was her broken arm? Had someone treated her wound?


    With that thought crossing his mind, Jedrek smashed another thing within his sight.


    "Jedrek what happened?!" Lyrus came inside the room when he felt Jedrek''s beast was surfacing. He looked at the shattering pieces on the ground "What are you doing?" The Beta was flabbergasted the moment he watched the entire chamber that had turned into a tremendous huge mess. And also, he was deeply confused by the Alpha king who didn''t look like himself.


    "Jedrek," Lyrus called him again carefully. He didn''t want to end up receiving the Alpha king''s wrath. One could see that Jedrek was on the verge of losing himself to the beast. Jedrek turned around slowly, he glowered at Lyrus. The anger that he felt shook his entire being, all that he could see was red.


    "GET OUT!! LEAVE!!" His voice thundered inside the wreckage chamber, his voice held an unimaginably powerful force. It made Lyrus take a few steps back in fear. The Beta didn''t need to be told twice. Once he realized that there was no way he could talk things out with Jedrek in his current state, he went out of the room and stayed outside. The beast roared in anger, destroying everything that he touched.


    Lyrus was dumbfounded. He had never seen Jedrek to be this mad. Not since Serefina fled from this realm.


    ==============


    Lilac woke up when she heard a rustling sound, but her eyelids were too heavy to open. It needed a great effort for her to adjust her vision with the dim light surrounding her. The lantern that Tordoff brought had burnt out.


    "Tordoff...?" Lilac called him softly.


    She heard the general''s erratic breathing, and was concerned by it.


    "Are you okay?" her voice was barely heard, almost like a whisper inside this cold dungeon.


    "I''m alright," Tordoff finally answered her.


    "What''s wrong? What happened?" Lilac was worried. He didn''t sound like he was okay. There was something bothering him, she could tell it for sure.


    "I''m fine," the way he answered her wasn''t convincing at all.


    "I know there''s something going on! You are anything but fine!" Lilac moved slightly to get a better look at Tordoff. But then the pain in her arm appeared again, reminding her about her broken arm. She gritted her teeth when the wave of pain washed over her, helplessly trying hard to endure it.


    "I''m fine, it''s just¡­" Tordoff hesitated. "His Majesty the Alpha king is currently furious."

 Chapter 661 - ABOMINATION

    "Furious?" Lilac frowned. What would it be this time?


    "I can feel it through the mind-link." Tordoff took a deep breath. She could feel that he was now breathing unusually.


    "Angry because of the secret room?" She was getting curious, and eager to find out about what was the matter with Jedrek this time.


    "I don''t know. Maybe." Tordoff shook his head. "It could also be because he lost the witch," he guessed. To think about it again, it was possible since there was this ambiguous relationship between him and that witch.


    "He must be feeling really awful right now¡­" Lilac sneered. She pitied the witch the most. What if Jedrek really had done something terrible to that witch? Her pity for her lessened, she snapped herself out of it when the pounding in her head felt like it could kill her.


    The headache hammered inside Lilac''s head, and on top of that, the pain in her broken left arm was getting worse.


    "I can''t just stay. I have to leave to find out what happened." Tordoff stood up. He looked at Lilac once more. "I will ask someone to bring food for you." He sounded sorry. Somehow, he felt bad about leaving her alone there. But on the other hand, he really had to leave.


    Hearing what he just said about food and all, made her feel like it was the moment for a sarcastic comment. She really was contemplating on saying something about it, because how it deserved one. Food? Of all things, he was concerned about my food intake?¡ªshe thought. In fact, food was at the bottom list of all things that she needed now.


    However, she thought about how considerate Tordoff had been to her, how nice of him to be such company through the night, she couldn''t say something hurtful to him. Instead "Thank you," Lilac mumbled softly. Then, she heard Tordoff''s footsteps echo, and felt them getting further away from the dungeon.


    She heard the sound of metal clunk, a door was being opened, and then closed. The guardian angel was once more alone in this dreary room. Lilac moved her hand. She touched her forehead, and felt her skin was burning under her palm. She got a fever.


    ==============


    When Tordoff arrived at the King''s chamber, there was Sebastian, Kyle, Rowan, and Lyrus. They were standing in front of the door. A thundering roar echoed in the hallway from the other side of that door, inside the room. The Alpha king was in rage.


    "What is going on here?" Tordoff asked Lyrus, his brows wrinkled when he received a wave of agony from the Alpha king''s fury state. Meanwhile, the king was brutalizing everything that he could destroy inside his chamber.


    "I''m wondering the same thing." Lyrus shook his head helplessly. Nobody had any idea of what was the cause of it. What''s gotten into the Alpha king''s mind to be in this state of mind?


    "Did he perhaps receive any news about Serefina?" Rowan tried to guess it. The king would only be on the warpath like this, if he heard any news about that witch, Serefina. However, it had been a long time since they heard anything related to her. So, what could it be now?


    "No." Lyrus shook his head again.


    "Where is Maximus?" Sebastian looked around and didn''t find the first general. "He should be here to talk to him."


    Lyrus narrowed his eyes when he heard that. He was Jedrek''s official Beta. But everybody always thought of Maximus as the one who could manage to calm the Alpha king down whenever he got into a state like his current situation.


    This was ridiculous!


    "Alpha gave an order to him," Tordoff replied, his face tainted with an awful emotion that didn''t belong to him.


    "What about Violet? Where is she?" Sebastian asked Tordoff.


    "Don''t you know about her wrongdoing? Haven''t heard about the thing she did? The crime that she committed?" Lyrus gave Sebastian an unpleasant look. "I''m pretty sure, she''s dead now."


    Seeing the tension between Lyrus and Sebastian, Rowan stepped forward to provide the general some information that he missed. By the time Rowan was done with his explanation about the things that happened in the castle during Sebastian''s absence, suddenly the bedroom door opened. That door swung so hard that it almost fell off its hinges.


    The four generals and the Beta lowered their heads submissively. They moved back when Jedrek stormed off to the library. Anger still lingered in him, all the generals felt that. Stepped into the library, the Alpha king slammed the door shut, it felt like the castle was shaking when he did that.


    Once the door shut, Jedrek headed straight towards the built-in sliding door, the secret entrance. Knowing that nobody would dare to even think about coming in and check on him inside the library, he made his way effortlessly to the dark tunnel without being bothered to close the sliding door behind him. He rushed straight to the wooden door at the end of that tunnel.


    "JANUS!"


    Jedrek roared and found his father was standing in the same spot where he stood the last time he came.


    "What is it my son?" Janus looked at his son with arrogance in his eyes. He didn''t even try to conceal the disdain look in the way he was staring at him.


    "This is over!" Jedrek said grimly. He was fighting his beast that had been objecting the decision that he made on a whim.


    Janus didn''t give the response that Jedrek expected. Instead, he tilted his head while folding his hand behind his back, and said calmly, "You will never have the courage to do that, son."


    "Are you challenging me now?!" Jedrek snarled at Janus for his deviant answer. The Alpha blood in him demanded for the man to submit, and bow down. However, it wasn''t an easy thing to subdue the former Alpha, though he was long dead.


    "Have you forgotten? You had killed me, son!" Janus stared back at him, and gave his son a flash of mocking smile. "What do you think you can do now?" he raised his eyes.


    Jedrek almost shifted into his beast, the white fur sprouted on the surface of his skin, and a set of his talons came out.


    "Or perhaps, do you want to kill your mother too?" Janus sneered. "Like I told before, you will never be able to bring yourself to do that. What would Torak and Kace think about you, if words come out? Especially since you have been hunting down Kace and his mate." Janus laughed, as though what he just said was a good joke.


    Jedrek ignored him, it was a pointless argumentation anyway. It didn''t deserve his precious time. He strode straight to the same room where his mother had been lying all this time. She had been unconscious for centuries by now.


    The Alpha King didn''t bring anything, but his sharp talon would definitely be sufficient to slit anyone''s throat that he wanted. Tear anyone limb to limb. With that look in his face, he was filled with determination. Jedrek entered that room unhesitantly under Janus''s hard gaze. He shouted behind his son''s back before he slammed the door in his face.


    "YOU WILL NEVER DO THAT! YOU ABOMINABLE SON! I CURSE YOU IF YOU DO THAT!"


    The scream from Janus didn''t stop Jedrek from approaching his mother.


    "Leave!" Jedrek shouted to the special servant.


    It wasn''t Jedrek''s voice that made her leave, but the feeling of being in danger that made her scamper away.

 Chapter 662 - STRONG WILL

    It wasn''t Jedrek''s voice that made her leave, but the feeling of being in danger that made her scamper away, after all she couldn''t hear or say anything.


    After the special servant left the room, there was nothing that could stop Jedrek from ending his own mother''s life, the Queen of the Lycanthropes.


    People who didn''t know would think that the former king and queen were in their long journey, and enjoying their time together after the king gave his throne to his successor, his firstborn son. What they didn''t know was that there were more to it, the truth hidden behind a closed curtain. A cruel reality of a family, where the son took down his father from the throne, and claimed it his.


    No one knew the truth. Except for some, the extremely few people.


    Jedrek crept closer towards his mother. Determination rounded in his eyes. His blood was boiling in anger. The idea to end Diana''s life had been planned since as long as Jedrek could remember. It needed to be done in order to stop her suffering. But it always ended up to remain undone as a mere plan. Nothing could prepare him to actually do it.


    It was easier for him when he had to challenge Janus for the throne. It was easier to end Janus. He kept on reminding himself about the crime that Janus had committed. That thought helped him to justify his action.


    But, Diana¡­


    She had done nothing that could potentially put harm to the kingdom. All she did was lay there, and do nothing. Her mate, Janus was worried over her that eventually turned him insane. This matter had been going on for too long. It needed to end.


    As the successor of the throne, the current ruler of the sovereign in this realm, he had to make sure that everything went smoothly. Yet, he had been keeping the possible threat right under his roof.


    Jedrek''s eyes turned black. He could feel his beast was restless at the edge of his mind. The beast was bothered by the thought of harming Diana. The bond between mother and son was as strong as ever, and this one was an obstacle for the Alpha king.


    He had to get rid of that feeling. The same thing applied to his feelings that was caused by the mate-bond between him and Lilac. It was important to dismiss those feelings once for all. Especially since Janus, and the devils behind him already knew his weakness, nothing would benefit him if he kept on being this way.


    Janus played his card really well. Or else, Jedrek would absolutely impeach him under an accusation of being wrapped around the devils'' fingers. The atmosphere was so thick and awful. Jedrek could feel Diana''s pulse on her bare neck, thumping wildly against his palm. As though she knew what would come next if Jedrek ever managed to overcome whatever that was holding him back.


    "You know it shouldn''t end like this."


    A voice that was as soft as feathers sounded. But, the moment Jedrek heard that voice, one could immediately see the fury that was coursing through his vein. He knew whose voice was that, and he wasn''t pleased to hear it. Nonetheless, he kept his grip steady on Diana''s neck. His claws started to dig the skin, leaving a trail of blood beneath the pillow.


    "We can make it right, if you give me what I want," she said lightly, persuading him to stop doing whatever he was doing now. "You know you can make another choice. The easy choice." The woman walked in silent across the room and stood beside Jedrek. She landed her hand on his shoulder, and caressed him with her long nails, all the way to his jaw.


    "I can help you to numb the pain, just like how I helped you to end your suffering when that witch left you." said the woman seductively, leaning down her body so that she could whisper to him. "Just come to me, and you will feel better."


    He let out a low dangerous growl from inside his chest, the moment he felt her cold finger touch him. Her action made her nauseous, but the Alpha kept his grip steady. The amount of will that he had to muster was greater than he could imagine. It would''ve been easier, as easy as breathing in fact, if Jedrek wanted to snap somebody else''s neck in a second.


    But it was his mother''s neck of all people. It became a thousand times harder when his feelings got on his way.


    "You know you don''t want this." The devil rested her chin on Jedrek''s shoulder, pouting her luscious lips while staring at him. Jedrek squeezed his mother''s neck tighter, until her breathing became uneven, gasping for air as her complexion turned pale.


    "We can find another way¡­" the devil caressed, and ran her fingers on the Alpha''s arm, the arm that was strangling Diana. "Let her go. You know that you will regret this." Her voice was barely a whisper, soothing like a breeze of wind.


    Jedrek gritted his teeth, there was some unfathomable emotion under his cold fa?ade.


    "You''ve killed your father, don''t you think that''s enough?" said the devil. She kept on talking, trying to assure, convince Jedrek not to kill his mother. That soothing voice was dangerous. Just like a spell that bounded the Alpha to resign to his fate. And Jedrek was fed up, had enough of it.


    In a blink of an eye, Jedrek swung his hand, and clawed that devil. His sharp claws tore her stomach, cut her body in half. Jedrek stood up and was about to vent his anger out to the lifeless body on the floor, shredding what was left of her body when he heard someone sighed behind his back.


    "You''re not supposed to do that," The devil clicked her tongue, and said sullenly while staring at her own body on the floor. "You should''ve treated me nicely when I treat you with kindness."


    Upon hearing that, Jedrek straightened his back. The anger that flashed on his expression a moment ago had vanished. To be exact, it was hidden under his cold fa?ade, again. Then, he turned around to face Asmodeous, who was leaning her back against the wall across the chamber.


    "Alright, I will make things easier for you, since I had caused you so much trouble." She tilted her head, thinking of the right deal she could offer to him. An offer that she thought he could not refuse. "I will make your mate never bother you ever again. I''ll make her fall for someone else, so that you could continue to grief over your love for the witch."


    Fall for someone else. Hearing that, only made the beast inside him start to claw at the back of his mind.


    "And the beautiful guardian angel would be taken care of by one of your generals." she continued.


    If there were any feelings that Jedrek felt when he heard that, he hid it very well. Buried it deep inside him, concealed it so that they won''t surface for the devil to see. No one would guess what he was thinking right now, especially after hearing that his own mate would be together with someone else. And of all people, it would be with one of his generals.


    "Who would be the best candidate?" Asmodeous touched her chin, before she looked back at Jedrek. ??The sweet Lilac can be Tordoff''s second mate, right?"


    After hearing the final verdict, Jedrek had the urge to fight it. He didn''t fight the devil out there, but he did fight the one who lived under the same roof with him.

 Chapter 663 - WHICH PRISONER?

    Someone came to bring a tray of food and drink for Lilac, but she couldn''t see his or her feature, as everything in her sight was blurred because of the fever she was suffering from.


    The sound of footsteps was receding in this dimly lit cell. Now, the blanket that wrapped Lilac''s body was no longer comfortable as it was drenched with her sweat.


    Her broken left arm had weakened her human body greatly and it became worse because she didn''t receive a treatment that she needed.


    Lilac rolled her body and freed herself from the blanket, feeling the cold floor against her skin and this was very nice against her burning skin.


    However, her condition would get worse if this continued.


    "Selene¡­ where are you?" Lilac whispered, hoping the moon goddess would appear and lift her pain, but deep down in her heart, the guardian angel knew that she was in this alone.


    Lilac tilted her head to look at the place where Tordoff was sitting in the entire night and wished he would come.


    She wondered when he would come again.


    ==============


    "Your Majesty?" Tordoff called for Jedrek, wasn''t sure how to respond with the new order that he received.


    "Are my words unclear?" Jedrek shot him a dagger look when the general was about to question his decision.


    "No, your Majesty." Tordoff lowered his head and clenched his fists beside his body, fighting the urge to argue with Jedrek. Not only he would strip off of his title, but he would also lose his head if he did so.


    "You will go to the southern area with Warlock, the first thing you do the next morning," Jedrek spoke with finality, didn''t leave any room for argumentation and didn''t wait for Tordoff''s answer before he turned around and walked away.


    However, Tordoff''s next question forced him to stop.


    "What about the guardian angel? Lilac?" Tordoff even didn''t realize he had asked this question. His mouth had voiced out his deepest concern for the guardian angel.


    For some reason that he didn''t know, Lilac''s pale face and how she grimaced with every moves she made, engraved in his head. He didn''t seem could get rid of it.


    "Don''t ever mention his name again, or else, I will make sure you will never utter any words," Jedrek spoke grimly. His words were akin to venom that dripped in the air.


    "Understood," Tordoff tried to make his voice as smooth as possible, but he couldn''t hide the displeasure behind his tone. The way Jedrek treated Lilac, somehow, angered him.


    And then, the conversation reached stalemate.


    ==============


    Tordoff didn''t know what bring him here, he felt restless in the entire night and couldn''t close his eyes. Even though he knew what the cause of it, he was so stubborn to brush it aside, until the first light of the sun kissed the horizon, he couldn''t help it and gave up to his irrational thought.


    Therefore, here he was, walking down the stairs toward a certain cell inside the dungeon, just two hours away from his departure to the southern region.


    It was the peak of being one of Jedrek''s seven generals, no one would question him when the guards saw him visited the dungeon early in the morning. They would only bow their head respectfully.


    Nasty odor lingered in the air when Tordoff walked past the cells for the prisoner, most of them had been there for years for the crimes that they committed, but Lilac was not there, she was in the other side of the cell.


    The side where people rarely go there.


    Tordoff''s heart quickened in every steps that he took. He sniffed the air and could smell her faint scent. However, the closer he was, the stronger he felt that something was amiss.


    "Lilac?" Tordoff called her name.


    There was no answer.


    Tordoff could feel it in his guts that the girl''s condition was getting worse and he couldn''t help it when he let out a deep annoyance growl.


    The moment he reached the front of her cell, he watched Lilac was sleeping in fetal position, her broken left arm stretched out uncomfortably.


    "Lilac?"


    Still, there was no answer except her shallow breathing that echoed faintly in her cell.


    Tordoff couldn''t see her face because her hair covered it, but no need to be a genius to know that she was black out.


    The way Lilac curled herself tugged Tordoff''s heart ruthlessly, reminding him of his deceased soul mate, a mate that he had never had time to love.


    She looked so helpless and was a polar apart from the bright girl that Tordoff had known this past week.


    His adrenaline rushed in his veins when he decided something against his Alpha''s order. His action inflicted pain when he opposed his King, but it didn''t enough to stop him.


    With ease, Tordoff managed to open the lock within seconds and reached to Lilac. Gently, he cradled her in his arms and brushed away her black hair from her face, only to see how sick she was. Her body was burning with fever and she didn''t even seem to notice her surroundings.


    Lilac''s eyebrows knitted together tightly, she whimpered when Tordoff hugged her and moved her hand.


    At this point, how could Tordoff ever leave her alone in this cell? Without knowing no one would come to save her.


    She would die and Tordoff doubted Jedrek would be kind enough to remember that he had Lilac imprisoned here.


    "It''s okay, I will bring you out of here," Tordoff whispered to her, comforting her, as he reached for the blanket that he had brought last night and wrapped the guardian angel with it, cautiously placing Lilac''s hand in more comfortable position.


    After Tordoff made sure no one would catch a glimpse of her face, carefully, he stood up and carried her out of the cell, walked back the path where he was coming from and dismissed the guards questioning look when they saw the generals brought someone from inside.


    Which prisoner that he took?

 Chapter 664 - YOU WILL NOT DIE SO EASILY

    Jedrek was talking to Lyrus about the issues regarding the devils when he felt the snap of the mate bond between him and Lilac.


    "What happened?" Lyrus asked in concern when he felt the King anxiousness.


    Jedrek didn''t answer him for a moment, as he closed his eyes and calmed his self down before he spoke grimly. "Where did you say Tordoff and Warlock?"


    Lyrus tilted his head, he didn''t understand why Jedrek asked this question, yet he answered him anyway. "They will leave to the southern region in an hour. I think they were already at the west gates."


    Jedrek gritted his teeth to fight the urge to lash out. He could feel it in his bone that Tordoff was nowhere near the west gates.


    "Find them." Jedrek stood up. "And bring them to me before they go."


    Lyrus wanted to ask about Jedrek''s sudden change, but seeing how gloomy the Alpha was, he swallowed hard his question. This was not a good time for him to interfere.


    "Will do, your majesty." Lyrus nodded his head and excused himself with question in his mind.


    However, once Lyrus was out of the room, Jedrek also dashed out of the room. Regardless his order to Lyrus, he knew that Tordoff was not there. He was somewhere else with his mate.


    Jedrek could feel it in his bone, something was wrong, the mate bond was getting weaker and weaker, since his beast was on edge since they had hurt Lilac.


    Once Jedrek stepped on the hallway, the beast inside him couldn''t take it any second longer, as he shifted into his white beast.


    ===============


    Tordoff shook his head again and again, as he realized what crime that he was committing now. However, once he watched Lilac and how vulnerable she was now, he determined to bring her out of this place.


    About where he should go? Tordoff didn''t know. He was fully aware that nowhere was safe if it was his King, who chased after them, yet he was stubborn to make sure Lilac was safe.


    Something about the girl moved his heart, in the same way when he watched his mate died before his eyes.


    Is she his second chance? Tordoff didn''t know. All he wanted to do now was to protect her from any harm.


    He ran toward the western gates since the southern gates would be packed with many guards upon their departure to the northern region, with Lilac in his arms. He could feel her breathing was getting shallow.


    "Tordoff?" Lilac stirred awake, she snuggled to his chest when the sunlight hit her face, forced her to shut her eyes tightly.


    "Don''t worry Lilac, I will bring you out from here. You will be safe." Tordoff reassured Lilac and held her close to him, despite the turmoil that he felt as he experienced mind- numbing terror and agonizing aches for fighting his Alpha''s order, he could feel his beast purred in satisfaction.


    In the other hand, Lilac gave him a small nod before she let him to bring her away.


    Right at that time, Tordoff was too distracted to reach the gates as soon as possible, added to the fact that he was used to his scent, thus the general was caught out of guard in the last second he realized what was coming after him.


    Tordoff was thrown to the side in full force. Lilac slipped from his arms, as her body dropped to the ground. He still could hear the girl gasped loudly when her body hit the ground.


    Tordoff knocked down three trees before his body stopped flying and hit a big rock. The pain almost took his breath away and his blood started to trickle down from his open wounds.


    However, he didn''t have time to wait until his wounds were closed, because in the next second, the sharp claw of the Alpha King had torn his chest. An ugly gash was apparent, as he choked in his own blood, gasping for air.


    Tordoff laid flat on his back, watched in horror when the Alpha King shifted back into his human skin, but his bloody red eyes remained, warning him that the beast was in control.


    Jedrek prowled toward his general, bared his canines and stomped on his chest to strain off the wound in Tordoff''s chest, didn''t give him time to recover.


    "Traitor." Jedrek spat those words with malice and Tordoff knew what would come next once he was marked as a traitor.


    Ignoring the pain that shattered through his body, Tordoff hit the Alpha''s leg away from his stomach and rolled onto his back. He knew Jedrek was going easy on him. The beast enjoyed to see the suffering of his opponent. It was in their nature.


    Tordoff crawled back until he created a distance between them, though it wouldn''t help him, but at least he could talk to Jedrek, bought some time to regain his bearing.


    "Your Majesty." He was coughing blood, but he wiped it away harshly before he continued to speak. "The guardian angel will die if you keep her that way¡­ she is sick."


    Jedrek didn''t give any respond to that.


    "She needs treatment for her arm. You broke her arm," Tordoff reminded him. Black dotes started to appear before his eyes because of the blood loss that he suffered.


    Yet, Jedrek didn''t listen. He stretched out his hand and his claw tore the skin on Tordoff''s left cheek. His eyes didn''t move from the lycan, who was writhing in pain before him.


    Tordoff knew, there would be nothing that he could do now, not even begging for forgiveness would be able to save his sorry life. He braced himself for the worst, prayed to the moon goddess that she would save Lilac from Jedrek''s wrath.


    The claws that dug into his skin deepened as Jedrek trailed the incision on his neck, creating another gashes.


    But, when Tordoff had given up, Jedrek stop and spoke viciously. "You will not die so easily."

 Chapter 665 - BITTERNESS

    Jedrek stepped back when he felt Lyrus came with a few guards. His eyes fixed on Tordoff''s body. It was only his raging breath that indicated he was still alive, despite all serious wounds that he suffered.


    "What happened here?" Lyrus''s eyes caught dreadful sight of Tordoff''s body. "Tordoff?" He watched in horror. The first thing that flashed in his mind was they were ambushed by an enemy, but when he saw the way Jedrek stared at his youngest general, he knew immediately, there was something more than what was seen.


    "Bring the general to the healer." Lyrus took the initiative because Jedrek didn''t speak a word. However, his next order caught him completely off guard.


    "Bring him to the dungeon for execution tomorrow," he spoke icily.


    "Execution!?" Lyrus raised his voice and immediately adjusted himself when Jedrek glowered at him. "But, Jedrek¡­" He was talking as a friend, not as a Beta. "What crime did he commit?"


    Direct execution was only for unforgiveable crime, such as; turncoat. However, there was no way Tordoff would stab his own King behind his back. Right?


    "Treachery," Jedrek said curtly and turned around to walk away while adding. "No food. No drink. No healer. He will suffer until his execution!"


    Lyrus was dumbfounded as he tried to grasp the situation, but failed to understand. "What have you done, pup?" he said sympathetically and crouched down to help Tordoff sat down before the other guards helped to carry him away to the dungeon, where he would spend his last night.


    In Jedrek''s current anger, there would be nothing that could change his decision and it would be the dead of him if Lyrus tried to interfere.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek was walking back, where Tordoff had dropped Lilac. He smelled her scent, but hated it when there was another scent that mixed near her.


    The moment, Jedrek closed enough to see Lilac, his face darkened when he watched three of the guard hovered above her, in their attempt to carry her, giving a helping hand for the poor girl, because in one look it was visible to see that Lilac needed to see a healer.


    However, it was not like that in Jedrek''s eyes.


    All he was able to understand about it was; after Tordoff was trying to bring Lilac out of this palace, the other men wanted to touch his mate again.


    Jedrek let out a dangerous low growled when he stormed toward them. The sound of it reverberated under their feet and made them jumped in shock, but one of them was too late to move out of the danger as he rewarded with a claw on his face.


    Even though the wounds would close in eventually, but the pain still sent him to his knees. The guard wailed in pain.


    The other guards who watched what was happening didn''t dare to move a step closer to the angry King. They kept their distance when Jedrek scooped Lilac''s body and strode toward the castle.


    ==============


    Don''t worry Lilac, I will bring you out from here.


    You will be safe.


    That was the last thing that she heard from Tordoff before she closed her eyes and snuggled to the warm of his embrace and also before she heard an angry growl and she was thrown to the ground in the next second.


    Lilac didn''t remember what was happening after that.


    Lilac moved groggily and tried to open her eyes to see her surroundings. Her neck felt stiff and her forehead was throbbing in pain.


    Where is Tordoff?


    She took her time to observe where she was in, but it looked like she was inside a splendid chamber, lavished with gold and silk.


    Lilac tried to sit down, but it needed a great effort from her to even move a muscle. In the end, she gave up and rested her head again on the soft pillow.


    The golden sunlight illuminated the room from behind the close white curtain. It could be morning or afternoon. Lilac lost track of time.


    How long has she been unconscious? Where is she?


    As if replying what was inside her mind, a hoarse voice sounded from her left side. From the far place of the room, hiding behind the darker spot of this chamber.


    "So, you are awake now?" Jedrek''s voice reached Lilac and it sent shiver down her spine.


    She didn''t have energy to deal with the Alpha King now. Not with her current condition. Especially when her left arm was wrapped tightly in white bandages.


    "What do you want?" She spoke hoarsely and her throat was burning in pain, as if she had not used it for long time. Probably she was right. She could have been passed out for days.


    "I already get what I want." Jedrek''s expression still hid from behind the darkness and Lilac couldn''t guess what he meant by that.


    But, her next line of question got Jedrek under his skin. "Where is Tordoff?" she remembered clearly Tordoff was about to bring her away from Jedrek, but if Jedrek was here, then something must have happened to Tordoff.


    "The first person you ask was him?" Jedrek asked bitterly. He stood up and walked toward the light, let his feature basked under the faint sunlight from the close window.


    Lilac rolled her body to the other side of this extravagant bed, trying to be as far as she could from Jedrek, who was approaching her.


    "You let the other man to hug you, but you move away from your mate?" Jedrek spoke dryly, there was a sarcasm smile on the corner of his lips. His face was unsightly.


    "You don''t want a mate!" Lilac fought back her fear and anger when she said that. "Where is Tordoff?"


    And then, Jedrek did what he had never done before; he laughed, yet there was no humor in his cold eyes.


    "He was dead. I made sure his head rolled on the floor with the sin that he committed." The sound of his own voice sounded hollow in his ears.

 Chapter 666 - YOU DONT DESERVE LOYALTY

    Lilac didn''t know what kind of response that she had to show upon hearing Jedrek''s words. How could he kill his own general without batting an eye!?


    "You lie," Lilac spoke through her greeted teeth, her voice was shaking because of the anger that coursed through her veins.


    "I am sorry that I didn''t keep his head to prove my words."Jedrek''s eyes fixed on Lilac, who was standing on the other side of the bed.


    "You bastard!" All the dizziness and wooziness disappeared, as her eyes shone brightly with enmity. Even the word hatred was not sufficient to describe what she felt now. "I hope you rot in hell! You are monster!!!" Lilac screamed on the top of her lungs, she didn''t even care when she hurt her throat.


    "Monster?" Jedrek tilted his head, his eyes darkened when he heard that words from his mate. "Yes, I am. You just realized it, my mate?"


    "Bastard!" Lilac screamed again, her black eyes blazed with fury.


    "You told me that before." Jedrek didn''t show any emotion, neither Lilac''s anger bothered him. Tha Alpha walked toward the table near him and poured a glass of water. "Here, drink this, so you can scream all you want."


    "Now I do understand why the moon goddess cursed you for not having a mate." Lilac hissed viciously as she moved toward the door, ready to escape in the first chance she got.


    "Really?" Jedrek raised his brows. "Please, enlighten me."


    "You don''t deserve an ounce of love. You have a nasty soul. You are the most loathsome person that I ever met." Lilac made sure every word were enunciated carefully, so Jedrek could feel her repulsion in every single words that came out from her mouth. "Even the devil looks like an angel compared to you."


    And for the next five minutes, Lilac tried to get on Jedrek''s nerves, to make him feel the same amount of anger that she felt now.


    However, it was only a waste of time. Jedrek didn''t seem hurt by her words. Hell! He didn''t even change his facial expression when Lilac spat all the profanities that she knew.


    And when Lilac lost for words and hyperventilated because she couldn''t handle her emotion, Jedrek leaned his back against the table and crossed his arms in front of his chest, staring at Lilac apathetically. "Go on. Are you done?"


    "I hope you rot in hell!" Lilac screamed again, as her fingers brushed the doorknob behind her back.


    "Trust me, you are not the first to hope like that," Jedrek said calmly.


    Despite all the hatred between the two of them, the Alpha King looked more calm and talkative compared to himself a few days ago when he faced Lilac.


    Lilac couldn''t stand to be near this monster, she needed to go. Everywhere was fine as long as she could get away from him.


    Hence, with her right hand, she turned the doorknob and ready to take her leave, spared herself from repulsion. However, as much as she wanted to go, she forgot that Jedrek would have killed her if he let her go easily. There must be something that he wanted from her. Needed from her.


    The door was locked and no matter how hard Lilac tried, she couldn''t break it.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek approached her with leisure steps, chuckled darkly upon seeing his mate attempt to escape from this place.


    "Why? Do you want to go to meet your lover? Are you so angry that you want to leave and can''t stand being around me?" Jedrek asked rhetorically.


    Lilac turned around and faced Jedrek, as she smirked deviantly. "Why? Can''t you tell from my expression? Should I tell you out loud that being near you is really disgusting?"


    "Then you will have to find a way to bear with it because I have no intention of letting go of you soon," Jedrek said icily. "I do apologize for killing your lover, I should have waited until you are awake, so you can see with your own eyes what the consequences of betraying me."


    "You don''t deserve loyalty, Jedrek." Lilac bit back. She didn''t want to back down, even when she didn''t have her power to protect her from Jedrek''s wrath.


    "And what happened to Tordoff will be their end too." Jedrek gritted his teeth when he shoved Lilac away, so he could open the door and disappeared behind it.


    However, when Lilac was about to open it again right after Jedrek, the door had been locked. She was sure, Jedrek wouldn''t have time to lock it.


    "What is this!?" Lilac tried to turn the knob, but the door didn''t budge. She kicked it, but nothing happened.


    The door obviously made of wood, but she couldn''t bend it with her power. She couldn''t feel it. There was something wrong here, or maybe it was because her arm had not yet healed?


    "What is this place?"


    ***


    Jedrek opened his eyes and tilted his head as he watched Lilac was fast asleep beside him. Her breathing was irregular and her brows knitted tightly.


    The Alpha stretched out his hand and smoothened the wrinkle between her brows. His thumb brushed her forehead carefully.


    There was tranquility in the air when Jedrek stared at his sleeping mate silently. No one would know what was inside his mind right now, but from the way he laid his eyes on her, one could say there was a faint helplessness and regret.


    "Your majesty." A man walked inside the room and broke the spell, forced Jedrek to withdraw his attention from Lilac. "My apologize for the interruption."


    "What is it Eaton?" Jedrek sat down swiftly and got out of bed.


    "The mind reader asked, how long you will keep her unconscious?" Eaton was Janus''s beta, but now he pledged his loyalty to the current sovereign. He knew everything just like how Jedrek knew all the dark secrets in the Donovan''s family. "Because he needs to make a preparation if you want her to be in this state longer."

 Chapter 667 - WILL DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD

    Jedrek was in desolated place, near the habitation of fairy, was surrounded and protected by their magic. No one knew this place except a handful people that Jedrek was certain with their loyalty toward him.


    Eaton was one of them. The former Beta of his father had pledged his loyalty to him long time ago, once he realized Janus had gone insane when he almost lost his mate when Diana was pregnant with Kace.


    "The mind reader asked, how long you will keep her unconscious? Because he needs to make a preparation if you want her to be in this state longer." Eaton was no longer young, but his observant judgment was as sharp as ever. "There will be a side effect too if you keep her inside the illusion."


    Eaton glanced at Lilac. Her sleeping face contorted, she must be fighting to break through the door at this time.


    "For as long as possible." Jedrek glanced at Lilac before he received his cloak and walked out of the room. "Keep your eyes around this place."


    "Will do," Eaton answered solemnly, but there was a trace of sadness when he watched Jedrek''s back when he followed him to walk along the hallway.


    Eaton had known him since the first day he was brought to this world, when everything was still sun and rainbow for the Donovan''s family.


    However, everything changed once Diana got pregnant with Kace and her condition became worse over the time.


    "Jedrek." Eaton stopped him while they were on the porch of this two- story house. "How long are you going to prolong this thing? You have to stop this before all of the situation now are getting out of hands and eventually kill you."


    Jedrek looked at Eaton and shook his head. "This is not the time yet. I have to ensure something."


    "There will no right time for the execution of the decision that you will take." Eaton hardened his gaze to the Alpha. Time truly had hardened this boy''s heart. "There is no more time now. You know that. The guardian angel is here, regardless your plan to get rid of her."


    However, Eaton''s face fell when he watched the stubbornness in Jedrek''s eyes. He knew right away that whatever he said now would fall on deaf ears.


    "Tell the mind reader to go to Kace before Maximus does." Jedrek pat Eaton''s shoulder. Make sure he finds the other guardian angel, who is with him."


    Eaton narrowed his eyes. "What you will do when he finds the other guardian angel?"


    "I will tell you once I see the three guardian angels." Jedrek didn''t stay longer, after saying his pieces, he walked away, ignoring Eaton''s questioning expression and helpless gaze.


    "I hope you know what you will do and your decision is not something that you will regret," Eaton muttered to himself while watching Jedrek''s retreating back.


    ==============


    "So, the Alpha wants me to hunt down his younger brother before Maximus can find him?" the mind reader entered the room where Lilac was still sleeping uncomfortably. "She is quite a fighter you know," he commented when he walked over to Lilac''s bed side, placing a purple lilac flower beside the bed.


    "As expected from the Alpha''s mate," Eaton followed the mind reader''s line of sight and watched as Lilac drifted, just like someone who was having a nightmare. "And yes, he wants you to go after Kace."


    The mind reader crossed his arms and looked at Eaton with disapproving look. "Jedrek''s mind is totally a mess, even I can''t read his mind in this point. He keeps changing his plan from time to time."


    "Maybe he did that, so you will not pry into his mind." Eaton shrugged his shoulder. He didn''t need to be a mind reader to know how completely mess Jedrek''s mind was. "He had told you many times to not do that, but you never listen."


    "Aren''t we his confidants?" The mind reader looked offended. "Why he didn''t share his plan with us?"


    The room was not very big and had no window, but it was comfortable enough with very few furniture and was dominated with pale blue color.


    "With all the experience that he had been through, it''s understandable."


    The mind reader looked at Eaton with disdain, "Stop taking his side and justify his every action."


    "You are right," Eaton nodded as he wiped the sweat from Lilac''s forehead. "His decisions are not always the best, but I am sure he had thought about it thoroughly before he decided that was the best option for the situation. After all, desperate times call for desperate measures." And Eaton believed Jedrek was desperate to try to put everything in the right place.


    "I will not argue with you about this." The mind reader threw his hands up, knowing really well how stubborn Eaton was.


    The former Beta of Janus had lost his mate and son due to the deal that Janus made with the devil. However, long before that time, he always thought of Jedrek as his own. After all, the Donovan''s firstborn grew under his watched, especially when Janus was too busy to find the cure for Diana.


    Even though Jedrek went with him to most of the place that Janus visited, both of them rarely spoke with each other and the communication between father and son became nothing but a formal greeting.


    Jedrek would always stick with Eaton.


    "I will go now," the mind reader spoke irritably. The thought of going to different realm didn''t really thrill him. "So, what am I going to do after I find Kace?"


    "You have to find the guardian angel, who is with him," Eaton replied.


    "Of course I know that." The mind reader rolled his eyes dramatically. "What I want to know is; what I am I going to do after I find Kace and know where the guardian angel is? Bring her here? Kill her? No matter what, she is his brother''s mate. Her dead will do more harm than good."

 Chapter 668 - THINGS THAT HAPPENED

    Eaton glanced at Lilac, who was still fast asleep, but the furrow on her brows told him that she was not in her beautiful dream.


    "No, don''t kill the guardian angel," Eaton said it calmly, though Jedrek didn''t say anything about what the mind reader would do once he found the guardian angel, but if Jedrek insisted to keep his mate alive, then he shouldn''t have any objection to keep the other guardian angel alive too. "Just find out where she is and return."


    The mind reader nodded his head, satisfied. "I do think the same." He caressed Lilac''s cheek and her wrinkled eyebrows before the girl''s expression became slightly relax. "If only he could be a little less stubborn, then things wouldn''t have gotten this complicated."


    After saying that, the mind reader straightened his back and walked toward the door.


    "Things will only go from bad to really bad from now on. I can feel that," the mind reader spoke before he walked out of the room.


    "Can???t you become a little bit optimistic?" Eaton frowned at the closed door and sighed tiredly.


    ==============


    It had been a year since Tordoff was executed by Jedrek himself inside the dungeon without the right ceremony, as a traitor, he also didn''t get a proper burial.


    And since Maximus was given a special task to go to the other realm and Warlock went to the southern region, there would be only Lyrus around the castle because Sebastian, Kyle and Rowan were busy to patch things up in the city center and smaller cities within their territory.


    The number of missing shifter had increased significantly and was still counting.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek still insisted that the matter was not made public, because in any case, they had killed many shifters and no one would ever agree for them to kill their family members, even if they were told the truth.


    Other shifters who had been spared have proven that they were normal to some extent, yet at certain times, they would show signs that they were about to go feral and be dangerous. They had no other choice, but to kill them.


    During this one year, there were small riots here and there because of this matter, not only that, there was rumor about the royal had been killing the shifter for unknown reason. Sadly, the rumor was right in a way.


    Though this problem was still under control, but there were a lot of things occurred because of these rumors in general public.


    "Visiting your mother again?" Janus spoke to Jedrek in mocking tone, his eyes fixed on his firstborn, as the aura around him became more and more dark.


    Jedrek acted like he didn''t listen what he spoke and kept walking, yet Janus caught up to him before the Alpha could walk out of the oval secret chamber.


    "You know, you can end this situation." Janus''s eyes looked wilder than the last time Jedrek saw him. "Just give the guardian angel to me and make the new deal with Mammon."


    The former Alpha looked at his son expectantly. He was similar to someone who had lost their minds and was babbling nonsense every time they opened their mouths.


    It had been ten months since the last time Jedrek gave him the sacrifice that he needed to sustain hiss fake life. Jedrek didn''t really know what would happen to Janus if this condition kept going for another month, but the situation had been worse enough for Jedrek to concern about him.


    If the Kingdom would go down. Jedrek would make sure, it went down for good.


    After all, this Kingdom was expected to be doomed since Janus made several deals with the devil to save Diana and their predicament at that time.


    "YOU CAN SAVE YOUR MOTHER AND THIS KINGDOM!" Janus roared because Jedrek didn''t give the respond that he wanted and kept his eyes away from him, as if he was too disgusted by his own father.


    However, when finally Jedrek decided to answer him, his voice was devoid from any emotion, yet his eyes spoke volume about how much resentment that he had for Janus.


    "You have lost my respect father and I will not go down in the same path that you took. If the Kingdom has to go down and mother can''t be saved, so be it. It will end the vicious cycle that you created."


    This was the longest words that Jedrek spoke since a year ago, when he put Lilac in deep illusion and sent the mind reader after Kace.


    "YOU ARE A BASTARD!"


    Janus moved forward and threw a punch on Jedrek''s face, but his fist past through him and Janus stumbled, in the other hand, Jedrek just felt a cold wind brushed his face roughly, but nothing more.


    Jedrek chuckled eerily when he heard that, ''bastard'' had been Lilac''s favorite word to call him, every time he visited her in her little illusion world.


    "You are starting to fade." Jedrek mumbled, remarked the change that Janus had, and threw him one last glance before he walked out of the room, leaving Janus went berserk there, calling for Maximus.


    Unfortunately, Jedrek had sent his confidante away, to pursue the only thing that interested him the most. His younger brother.


    Kace didn''t disappoint him. He was still very difficult to be caught like usual. Even with the mind reader in addition, none from both could go back to him and gave Jedrek Kace''s exact location, even so his mate, the guardian angel.


    "Your Majesty," Lyrus greeted Jedrek once he opened the built in sliding bookcase and emerged from the dark secret tunnel. "You need to talk to me?"


    Jedrek didn''t say a word, but he gestured his Beta to follow him.


    Once they were out of the library, Jedre turned around to face him. "I want you to go to Torak''s place and report to me what has happened there."


    From his sources, Jedrek knew there was something happen with Torak. He had been missing for days and no one knew where he was.

 Chapter 669 - SHE NEEDS TO UP HER GAME

    "Torak?" Lyrus frowned and then realized what Jedrek wanted to know. "Do you want me to find out what is happening to Torak?"


    "Yes." Jedrek shifted his gaze to the library''s door and spoke in low voice. "Bring some people with you and tell him I extend my help if he can''t handle his situation."


    Lyrus was still confuse, because as far as he knew, Jedrek had never put his finger in Torak''s problem, no matter what news he heard about his second brother.


    It was mostly because Torak would never appreciate Jedrek''s interference and also because Jedrek and Torak had not been in good term since long time ago when the second brother decided to create his own pack. They had not yet talked properly ever since.


    "Will do, your Majesty." Lyrus excused himself when he realized there was nothing Jedrek wanted to say again.


    Once Lyrus left, Jedrek would be all alone again. It didn''t bother him though, as he was used to this, but he wanted to meet someone at this time. It had been a while since the last time he visited her and his beast had become restless in his head.


    Despite the fact, there was nothing good would happen if they met with each other, but at the very least, it could calm his own beast only by looking her angry face.


    ==============


    "YOU ARE A CRAP!" Lilac threw a pillow toward Jedrek, but the lycan just swatted it away. He even didn''t bother to look.


    "Your vocabulary has increased," Jedrek remarked as he sipped his tea and sat leisurely on the same chair where he always sat every time he visited Lilac.


    "Let me out from here!" Lilac was very frustrated. She didn''t know how long she had been trapped in this room, everything seemed fuzzy in her mind.


    The oddity did not stop there, even though her arm had been healed, but Lilac still couldn''t use her power. It was so strange.


    "As you can see, the door is there." Jedrek nodded toward the door and leaned his back against the backrest of the sofa, staring at Lilac''s angry face.


    Her hair had grown longer, it reached her h.i.p.s and looked very soft under the light of the sun through the window glass. He wished he could run his fingers through her silky hair, but he was pretty sure Lilac would punch him before he could come closer.


    "The door is locked!" Lilac threw her body on the soft mattress of the bed, sighed frustratedly. "Do you think I will be here if I can open it?!"


    "The door made of wood. You can open it with your power, I remember you are good at it." Jedrek smirked, somehow he enjoyed to see how he could make Lilac became more furious than this. Pushed the wrong button and Lilac would turn as red as an apple in an instant.


    "You put something inside my food! That''s why I can''t use my power, right!?" Lilac was going back to her accusation.


    She had pondered about this for long time and made a conclusion that Jedrek had spiked her food or there was some magic around this place that prevented her from using her magic.


    "You are free not to eat the food," Jedrek said in matter of fact.


    "Do you really think I have never tried that?!" Lilac had starved herself, by refused to eat anything that appear all of sudden on the table every time she felt hungry, but nothing happened except a feeling of discomfort. She didn''t even feel weak from not eating.


    Lilac sat down on her bed and glowered at Jedrek. If she was a lycan or any shifters, she would have shifted into her beast form, unfortunately she was not and in her current situation, she was as normal as human being without her magic.


    "I know you have tried it," Jedrek agreed and this reply only annoyed Lilac further.


    "If you don''t have anything to do here except aggravated me, you better leave!" Lilac shouted at him. No matter what kind of bad and sarcastic words that she used on him, she had never succeeded to get on his nerves.


    Jedrek''s calmness was something that Lilac couldn''t understand.


    "Sure, I was about to leave after all," Jedrek said in impassive voice as he stood up and walked toward the door, granted Lilac''s wish to be left here alone.


    "I don''t see the benefit from you visiting me here from time to time. Why don''t you just kill me or leave me alone since none from both of us want to see each other," Lilac spoke through her gritted teeth.


    "I really want to do that." Jedrek turned around to face his mate. "But, as you can see here, the moon goddess has interfered with that freedom, so I do this for that shake. My beast has been restless to see you and this annoyed me too."


    There was a silence that fell between them after Jedrek said that, until Lilac walked over and stood very close to the Alpha.


    "So, it is your beast, huh?" Lilac stared at him, but not like her previous angry expression, there was nothing that Jedrek could read from her now.


    "Do you wish I am the one who wants to see you?" Jedrek tilted his head and smiled at her.


    However, instead of answering Jedrek''s question, Lilac threw her arms around Jedrek''s neck and buried her face on the crook of his shoulder as the delicious spark erupted between them.


    It had been very a long time since they touched each other and Lilac''s action caught both of them of guard for a few second before Jedrek gained his bearing again.


    "What are you doing?" his voice was very deep and husky. He didn''t hug Lilac back, but he didn''t push her away as well.


    "I want to get out of here," Lilac whined to Jedrek''s ear and her warm breath on his neck sent shiver down his spine.


    Lilac had to up her game.

 Chapter 670 - MY LITTLE FLOWER

    If Jedrek didn''t want her, at least his beast still had a feeling for her and Jedrek couldn''t completely disregard his beast''s desire for his mate, that was what Jedrek told her earlier.


    Thus, Lilac would bet on this.


    If she couldn''t fight Jedrek or take his soft side, maybe she would be able to get what she wanted from his beast.


    Lilac could sense Jedrek''s body tensed up because of their closeness and she knew right away that she had this affect on him.


    "I want to get out of here," Lilac spoke again. "Can''t you let me leave?" this time Lilac stared into Jedrek''s blue eyes.


    It was clear to see that what Lilac did now had stirred some emotion on his cold fa?ade face. However, it was not enough for Jedrek to agree immediately.


    He was staring at Lilac. Didn''t say anything. Didn''t move.


    Focusing on the pleasant spark between them, Lilac put aside her ego and resentment that she felt earlier for Jedrek and tiptoed to kiss his chin.


    "Let me go, okay?" Lilac tilted her head, staring at him innocently and expectantly. She was waiting for his reaction, but when she got none, the girl pouted her lips and looked crestfallen. "I want to go¡­ I have been inside this room for as long as I can remember," she muttered under her breath.


    If Lilac was grumbling internally, it didn''t show on her face as she continued with her newfound ability.


    "Please¡­" Lilac said softly, even her voice slightly trembled, showing her vulnerability.


    Once again, Lilac tiptoed and this time she planted a kiss on his lips. Jedrek felt surprised and Lilac immediately pulled away. Bit her lips timidly.


    Is it okay to do that? Lilac thought, suddenly felt self- conscious with what she had done.


    However, Jedrek drew his mate closer. He put both of his hands on either side of Lilac''s and kissed her back.


    That caught Lilac by surprise. She wanted to pull away, but Jedrek''s grip on her body was too strong. He pressed his body closer to her, so close until Lilac could feel his heartbeat.


    "My little flower." His voice was deep and husky, the vibrations made Lilac shudder involuntarily.


    It was her, who initiated this, but at this point, she couldn''t take it anymore.


    But, then Jedrek stopped. He pulled away, concern in his dark eyes. He brushed his finger against Lilac''s cheek and it came away wet.


    Was she crying?


    For some time, Jedrek stared at the tips of his fingers which were now wet with lilac tears. He stepped away.


    "Why are you crying?" that was the same deep and husky voice like before, but lack of warmth. He was distancing himself.


    "You hurt me," Lilac whispered, her warm tears fell on her cheek. It seemed, being imprisoned for long time, had finally taken a toll on her. She was having a mental breakdown now.


    Jedrek gritted his teeth upon hearing her answer, but when he replied, his voice sounded toneless. "I did and I will if I have to."


    After saying that, Jedrek turned around and left, leaving Lilac alone, and even though she knew that she would never be able to open the door, Lilac still walked over and tried to turn the doorknob, only to find out it was locked like she had expected.


    ***


    Jedrek opened his eyes and stared at the white ceiling above his head. He raised his finger and watched attentively, but there was no trace of Lilac''s tears there, after all, what had happened was an illusion.


    However, when he turned his head, he found Lilac was sleeping beside him, her brows knitted tightly and tears escaped from her close eyes.


    Once again, Jedrek wiped her tears away, but this time for real and Lilac whimpered softly when he touched her.


    He knew, but at the same time he didn''t understand what he felt for her. Everything was a mess. He wanted to push her away, but also wanted to keep her as close as possible.


    "Jedrek."


    Jedrek whipped his head, startled, when he heard his name was being called. He even didn''t realize since when Eaton was there, as he was in his deep thought.


    "Hm?" Jedrek shifted back his attention to Lilac and adjust her blanket before he got out of bed.


    In the other hand, Eaton watched Jedrek every movements, as he leaned his back against the frame door.


    "You should stop it." Eaton frowned. "Don''t you afraid, the moment she wakes up, she will hate you and there will be no chance for you to make it right?"


    Jedrek smiled faintly. "She came here because she hates me. If she will continue to hate me in the future, that is not a big news for me."


    "She is your mate." Eaton couldn''t believe it there was shifter who treated their own mate this way. As the Alpha, the pull of the mate bond should be enough for Jedrek to relent, yet here he was, torturing himself and his other half.


    "I am aware." Jedrek nodded. "And I killed her when she was only a few days old."


    "Jedrek." Eaton called his name in warning tone, he grimaced.


    Eaton remembered the day Jedrek gave the order, they were having a fierce argumentation, but this Lycan was too stubborn to talk to, yet now, he was given a second chance, but he screwed it again.


    "You should know that you are not walking down this path alone." Eaton sighed helplessly. "You are not your father and it is our nature to be with someone who is destined to be with us."


    Jedrek walked toward the door, but stopped because Eaton didn''t want to move away. "You are right, I am not my father." His voice sounded very rigid. "But, her presence was never in the plan and never will be."


    "She wouldn''t be here if you didn''t have a plan for her." Eaton knew he said the right thing when Jedrek shoved him away to avoid this conversation. "The castle is under attack."

 Chapter 671 - SHE IS AWAKE

    "The castle is under attack," Eaton repeated his words and managed to make Jedrek to stop for a while.


    "I know," he replied in the same hollow voice. "I can feel that. Sebastian and Kyle are in the castle to take care of it."


    There was nothing major about this attack. It was only a few rogues that conspired with unhappy citizen to break through the castle once they heard Jedrek and his generals were not there, to look for their family member.


    Most of the citizens were the people who had been long dissatisfied with the way Jedrek ruled this realm. Old problem.


    "What you will do with them?" Eaton asked.


    "Them?"


    "The rebellion."


    "Kill them, of course," Jedrek replied in matter of fact.


    "You will destroy this kingdom." Eaton''s eyes hardened, when he realized what Jedrek was about to do.


    "My father had destroyed it when he made a deal with the devil, I just prolong it." Jedrek scoffed and he knew he was saying the right thing when Eaton stopped confronting him.


    "What will you do? Do you not trust me enough to share it with me?" Eaton narrowed his eyes.


    "I will not leave her with you, if I don''t trust you," Jedrek replied before he closed the door behind him.


    He had made his point very clear. His statement not only said he trusted Eaton, but also explained indirectly that Lilac''s life mattered to him.


    Maybe the Alpha was not aware that his words had conveyed his feeling more than what he wanted to show.


    ==============


    "Let''s stop this hide and seek game and come out, will you?" Kace''s voice sounded boring, but it didn''t lack its fierceness when he glared at the end of the dark alley.


    The second Donovan had felt his presence since a year ago and had been trying to avoid him. This man had been aggravated Kace.


    He was also the reason why Kace couldn''t see his mate for long time and trying his best to not thinking about her, as he tried to stuff his head with useless things just to make his mind stopped wondering to his little mate.


    The man was a mind reader, the person who had been sent by Jedrek to hunt him down. Apparently, Maximus didn''t meet his expectation, therefore, the King of the Lycanthropes had the need to send another creature after him.


    "How are you Kace?" Killian emerged from the shadow of the alley and stood under the flickering lamp post.


    "I was good before I see you." Kace sneered.


    There was a great distance that separated them, yet it was not enough to reduce the tension between Kace and the mind reader.


    "You flatter me," Killian answered nonchalantly, brushed away the hostility in Kace''s tone. "I have come so far to see you, why don''t you invite me for a tea or coffee while talking about weather."


    Kace rolled his blue eyes. He couldn''t understand his brother. Why he always had strange people in his disposal.


    "I don''t feel like I want to invite you into anything except a fight, so I can kick your as* away from me." Kace crossed his arms in front of his chest she took leisurely steps to approach him.


    Killian didn''t move, he remained in his place, but his eyes as sharp as ever, when he concentrated to penetrate Kace''s mind.


    "What is her name?" Killian threw the bait to make Kace thought about her.


    "Who? Anna? Dalia? Rose? Martha?" Kace chuckled as he threw random names to Killian.


    "No, your mate." Killian smirked when he got a flash of a girl''s face from Kace''s mind. "She is beautiful." He nodded, smiling. "Where is she?"


    Kace had been avoiding him for a year, because he didn''t want this confrontation. Because once Killian was talking about Hope, he couldn''t help, but think about his mate as a feeling of longing coursed through in his blood. He missed her, of course.


    However if he didn''t confront him now, how long he had to outrun him and Maximus? Kace would never be able to come near Hope if Killian was tailing him from time to time.


    He was harder than Maximus to deal with.


    "You miss her, I see¡­" Killian mumbled, but before he could ask another question and led Kace to reveal Hope''s exact location in his mind, the Lycan had charged toward him with his claws elongated threateningly to tear every flesh that it could touch.


    However, before Kace could reach him, Killian had moved away swiftly, jumped and landed on the tall wall behind him.


    "I don''t want to fight, I just want to talk." The mind reader was lack of fighting skill. He was not there to fight. "I just want to know where is she?"


    Kace''s eyes turned dark when he felt there was something trying to pierce through his mind, this must be Killian''s desperate attempt to know where Hope was before he could flee from Kace and lurked around again, watching him from the dark.


    Kace wouldn''t give him another chance to endanger Hope''s life.


    "Jedrek will not kill your mate," Killian said sternly when he watched Kace started to shift into his beast form.


    And that was the last lie Kace wanted to hear.


    ==============


    It had been another weeks since Jedrek left to take care of his problem in the castle. Since the last attack, nothing major had happened, but it seemed the Alpha King was too occupied with all the problem in his hands.


    Eaton sighed and started to feed Lilac with another spoon of yellow liquid to sustain her life since she couldn''t eat anything since she was unconscious.


    But, the spoon in Eaton''s hand stopped mid- air when the old Lycan witnessed Lilac opened her eyes. She looked confused as she scanned her surrounding and fixed her eyes on Eaton.


    "Impossible¡­" he muttered under his breath. How could she wake up?


    However, Eaton didn''t have time to ask when he felt his body was being thrown away.

 Chapter 672 - I CAN AND I WILL

    Vines and roots sprang from the ground just like a huge snakes that had its own mind, it slid and moved with surprising speed.


    Eaton was completely floored with what he saw to be able to react in time. He had heard what Lilac was capable of, but it was different when he had to witness it directly.


    Moreover, Lilac was not supposed to be awake. She shouldn''t be able to gain her consciousness on her own, unless something happened to the mind reader.


    Yet, this wasn''t the right time for Eaton to worry about someone else, when his own life was in danger in the hand of the delicate girl right before his eyes.


    Eaton was bound to the wall behind him, wrapped tightly with roots and vines, so skintight until he couldn''t move his finger, even his mouth was being secured. He could feel the bitter taste of dirt and soil in his mouth.


    It was only Eaton''s eyes that were spared to see how graceful the way Lilac walked barefoot toward him, once she got out of the bed, throwing away the blanket and flicked her long black hair, which tumbling down on her shoulder.


    She looked confused, but also in high alert when she observed her surroundings. It seemed, she wanted to be in the safe side just in case Eaton was an enemy and the lycan, somehow, could understand that.


    Lilac looked very much different from her unconscious and conscious self.


    The word ''angel'' suited her when she was in defenseless state, looked very delicate and charming. However, the conscious Lilac was not someone who could be trifled with. She looked so fierce and threatening.


    "Where is this?" Lilac couldn''t find out the answer only by looking her surrounding, thus she decided to ask the question to the only living soul in this room.


    "You are in the safe place," Eaton answered her when Lilac waved her hand and get rid the vines that covered his mouth. This girl with her power was so frightening.


    Lilac stared at him impassively. "I will be the one who decide, whether I am safe or not."


    She remembered the room that she had been living since¡­ Lilac was not sure, how long she had been living in that place. It felt like months.


    She had been trapped there without her power, but when Lilac felt her power was back, she tried to push open the door and succeeded.


    However, instead of being in the hallway or somewhere, she returned to this strange room, staring at a strange man.


    All of this was very confusing for Lilac to understand, her head was throbbing.


    "Who are you?" Lilac took another cautious steps, tightening the roots around Eaton''s body until the lycan groaned in pain.


    "Eaton," Eaton replied through his gritted teeth.


    "And who are you Eaton?" Lilac took her time to interrogate him. She looked patient, but didn''t mean she wouldn''t finish him off if Eaton was trying to do something funny.


    "I am the King''s confidant," Eaton answered through his raspy voice.


    Lilac narrowed her eyes. "I don''t like the King," she said rigidly. "Or his people."


    "Lilac¡­ stop this." Eaton gagged when the root around his neck tightened, choked him. "You misunderstood him. Jedrek is trying to keep you safe."


    "Jedrek? Keep me safe?" Lilac sneered, her black eyes hardened. "The last thing I remember, he had been imprisoned me and killed Tordoff for saving me from the dungeon."


    Lilac still felt the death of Tordoff was her fault and every time she remembered this, she felt the bitterness of that fact.


    "There are a lot of thing that you don''t understand about him." Eaton struggled to catch on his breath, if this kept going like this, he would be dead. It seemed Lilac knew very well how to handle a shifter, in his current position, he was not able to move a muscle not to say shifting into his beast.


    "Unfortunately, I am not in the mood to understand him." Lilac had given time and chance to Jedrek, but he proved it to her again and again that he didn''t deserve it.


    "Don''t you come with a mission from the moon goddess? You can''t just walk away and shrug off your responsibilities, right?" Eaton was trying to make Lilac hesitated with her decision, because he could feel, in the fit of her hatred toward Jedrek, the girl was more than capable to squeeze him to his death.


    "I can and I will." Lilac had had enough with all the things that Jedrek had done to her, she didn''t want to deal with him anymore, because the first thing she would do when she met him was to make him pay for everything that he had done. Especially, when she already got her power back.


    "Lilac¡­ you will kill me if you¡­ don''t put away these things¡­" His breathing became uneven, but Lilac didn''t budge, apparently, she was no longer care and Eaton had to do something to make the girl relented. "What had happened to you was not real¡­ it was only illusion¡­ Jedrek didn''t mean to harm you??"


    ==============


    Jedrek kneaded his temple when the sound of Janus''s voice kept roaring in his mind, though he had cut the mind- link between them.


    The former Alpha had been so furious and enraged, until Jedrek needed to tell the special servant to stop coming and taking care of Diana.


    [Alpha.] the girl stood before Jedrek with her head hung low. [I am worry about Luna Diana¡­ is it okay if I don''t visit her? It had been a long time.]


    The special servant was indeed couldn''t speak or hear, but he was still a werewolf, they had another way to communicate with each other.


    "You don''t have to worry about it." After saying that, Jedrek dismissed her.


    However, his eyes turned sharp the second he felt there was something wrong.


    Jedrek felt anxious and this had something to do with the mate bond.

 Chapter 673 - MAKE IT RIGHT

    Suddenly, Jedrek shot to his feet. However, this was not because of the strangeness that he felt through the mate bond, because more or less, he knew what was happening even before he could confirm it.


    Something must have happened to Killian, the mind reader, that it woke Lilac up. It was most likely because Jedrek was not able to feel anything since Lilac was trapped in the illusion, yet now, he felt it again.


    Once again, after a few weeks since the last time Jedrek came into the secret tunnel, he was here again. Walked through the dark secret passage, the one that he had walked down countless times, yet the resentment he felt every time he was here, had not decreased one bit even though much time had passed.


    The tunnel was eerie silent, there was only Jedrek''s footsteps that echoed through the wall, which covered with graffiti.


    The Alpha King took his time to walk down this path, as it could be the last time he would be here.


    He knew he should have done this long time ago, yet at the same time he understood the excuses that he always made for not doing so.


    "Finally you are here." Janus dark voice was the one who greeted Jedrek once he stepped inside the oval chamber.


    "Glad to be here." Jedrek glanced at his father, but this time he didn''t brush him away and listened to whatever nonsense he wanted to spit.


    "Where is the sacrifice for me?" He asked through gritted teeth, his body had faded away and now he was no longer could touch Jedrek, as though his flesh had turned into a white smoke.


    "As you can see, I don''t bring any with me." Jedrek leaned his back against the wall behind him, showing his patient, as though he would give all the time that Janus had demanded since weeks ago.


    Janus glared at his son, but tried to hold back his anger. "You know what the consequences if I disappeared or your mother stop living."


    Jedrek shook his head, he looked tired. At this moment, he didn''t look like the great King, who always wore his cold fa?ade, he let out his emotion appeared on his face. "She had died long time ago. All the stupid things that you had done only prolong her life."


    "IF YOU GIVE ME THE GUARDIAN ANGEL, SHE WILL LIVE!" Janus roared in frustration, he threw Jedrek a punch, but just like before, it only past through his face and this fact only aggravated the former Alpha further.


    "But, you will kill mine." Jedrek watched Janus attentively.


    A loud laugh rang through the chamber when Janus heard Jedrek''s answer. "You don''t care about her Jedrek," Janus hissed. He was standing only a meter away from him. "Do you forget? You are the one who killed her when she was only a few days old."


    "You are right. I still haven''t forgotten that." Jedrek nodded. Agreed. "But, I prefer she died in my hand than yours."


    "YOU!" Janus almost turned feral now. Only if he could summon his beast again, he would have shifted and clawed his firstborn''s face.


    "I miss the father you were," Jedrek spoke softly, barely a whisper, yet it laced with sorrow when he recalled the memories of the past inside his head.


    "I am still your father!" Janus pronounced every words clearly.


    "No, you are not." Jedrek gave him a sorry look. "You are no longer my father, the moment you made your first deal with the devil and more so several deals after that."


    "I did that to save Diana!" Janus balled his fists beside his body. He knew better to not try to punch Jedrek again, as it would be a futile attempt. "What you did for her!?"


    Jedrek''s eyes turned dark when he replied. "I wipe out the guardian angel''s race to keep your end of the deal. Brought them to the battlefield just to draw their blood when you had sapped their power."


    Those poor guardian angels were barely alive at that time and Jedrek remembered the way those weak creatures stared at him with hatred, the things that he thought was not possible for them to do.


    ??The moon goddess told you to bring all the guardian angels, not me!" Janus retorted.


    "Indeed." Jedrek agreed once again. "But I am sure the goddess wouldn''t have agreed to help you to keep your end of deal with the devil, as she never said anything about sapping their energy."


    If Kace and Torak could accept their mate with opened arms and excitement, Jedrek couldn''t do that. This so called blessing from the moon goddess, because she had lifted their curse, was actually another punishment.


    It almost felt like the moon goddess mocked him when she bestowed the guardian angel as their mate. The very same kind that Jedrek had eradicated from this realm.


    Even more so when Jedrek found out and became part of helping Janus to fulfill his deal with the devils. One of the many things that not even Torak or Kace were aware of.


    "Don''t blame it on me," Janus sneered. "You challenged me for the Alpha title and killed me, but in the end, you helped me. That was your decision to bring all the guardian angels to me."


    Jedrek sighed deeply when he heard that. Feelings of guilt, for having killed his father with his own hands after he had challenged him to the Alpha title, ate away at his conscience.


    Jedrek thought, he could make amend by saving Diana and the only way that left, was the way that Janus had paved. Jedrek walked down the same path and that was his first mistake, which led him to another.


    "I challenged you because you threatened to kill Kace, if I didn''t give you what you want." Jedrek pushed himself from the wall and straightened his back, determination in his dark eyes. "That was my mistake and I will make it right, now."

 Chapter 674 - THE UNDERSTANDING

    "The soft- hearted Kace¡­" Janus clicked his tongue. "He is a useless son who had caused this to your mother. I will not lost anything if I lost him."


    For some reason, Diana''s health depleted when she gave birth to Kace. This fact made Janus very worried. However, he wouldn''t say something like that when he was in his right mind.


    Therefore, the man before Jedrek, was no more than a tainted soul with deranged mind. Because of the deal that Janus had made, Even though Jedrek had killed him, his soul was still alive, asking for a sacrifice to sustain his fake life.


    "The Alpha and father that I know will never say that." Jedrek narrowed his eyes. His memories about his father that he admired almost as blurry as Janus''s entire being right now.


    "Then, you don''t know about me well enough." Janus smirked like a madman.


    "I will end it today," Jedrek said curtly. He was very calm right now, almost as if not himself.


    "You will never be able to do it again, why bother to try?" Janus crossed his arms in front of his chest as he watched Jedrek walked past him to the door where Diana was fast asleep since centuries ago. "Did you forget? The last time you tried it, you incurred the wrath of your mate because you killed her lover?"


    Janus mocked him, yet Jedrek didn''t even spare him a glance when he marched toward the door.


    "You should thanks Asmodeous to bring your little mate together with the man who cared for her since you don''t want a mate in your life." Janus followed Jedrek''s movement with his eyes.


    Jedrek closed the door behind him, efficiently shut Janus''s voice. He walked toward the bed and leaned over to kiss Diana''s temple.


    "I am sorry, mother," he whispered.


    ==============


    "What will happen if Jedrek killed Diana?" Lilac narrowed her eyes at Eaton.


    "Catastrophe," answered Eaton. "We don''t know what Janus offered the devil in exchange for Diana''s life. Jedrek still hasn''t managed to figure this out."


    "What drink that Maximus gave to Jedrek?" Lilac loosened up the bound around Eaton''s body, so he could catch his breath and became more relax.


    "I am not really sure." Eaton looked hesitant to speak.


    "What is it?" Lilac took a chair and sat down in front of Eaton, she was willing to give Eaton the time that she needed, as long as this lycan was telling her the truth. This was the last chance that Lilac willing to give to understand Jedrek and his reason.


    "I am not sure if I should say this." Eaton felt uncomfortable and it had nothing to do with his current state.


    "I am waiting," Lilac said impassively.


    Sighing deeply, Eaton decided to come clean with Lilac, since she was willing to hear this, despite everything that Jedrek had put her through, she deserved the truth. Jedrek had proved it that hiding something from the people who were willing to help, didn''t bring any benefit. "Jedrek almost went feral when Serefina left him." Eaton stopped to observe Lilac''s reaction.


    Lilac knew who was Serefina. The last pure blood witch. Another creature that had been resurrected by the moon goddess besides herself.


    Jedrek''s first love.


    Lilac scoffed internally with that thought.


    "So?" If Lilac felt something when she heard Serefina''s name, she didn''t show it on her face.


    "It supposed to relieve Jedrek''s pain, but later, Jedrek figured out that it was not only to relieve the pain, but also prevented him from making the right decision."


    "Do you want to say that every wrong thing that he had done was because he drank that?" Lilac jeered at that statement, she would laugh if Eaton said ''yes'', but he didn''t.


    "No, once Jedrek realized it, he stopped drinking it." Eaton looked at the fierce girl in front of him. Her black eyes showed hatred, but also sadness. "What I want to say is; Jedrek has been living with his pain and not allowed to show it, until it becomes a habit of him to hide away his true feeling."


    "That didn''t justify for what he had done." Lilac stood her ground.


    "No. I am not on his side, especially when he ordered to kill you and the other guardian angel, only because he thought it was the right thing to do to have all of you killed before the devil could get to you first."


    "That was stupid," Lilac spoke through gritted teeth.


    "I agree." Eaton nodded. "Yet¡­"


    Lilac raised her hand to stop Eaton from talking, her passive expression turned serious as her brows furrowed tightly.


    "What happened?" Eaton frowned when he watched Lilac crouched down on the floor with her palms were facing the ground, as though she was feeling something.


    "Can''t you feel that?" Lilac asked in low tone, as she concentrated to whatever things that she felt beneath the ground.


    "No, I don''t. If it is something on the ground, I will not be able to feel it since my feet don''t step on it." Eaton was stuck on the wall, wrapped tightly by roots with his feet hung a few inches away from the ground.


    Lilac ignored what Eaton said as she focused on what she felt on the ground.


    "Earthquake?" Lilac mumbled, but then she shook her head. It was not an earthquake, but she could feel it the ground was shaking, as if there was something emerged from inside.


    "What do you feel?" Eaton frowned when he watched how serious Lilac was. Her face contorted in concentration.


    "Something is happening. The ground is shaking, but this does not happen naturally, as if some foreign forces are forcing this to happen."


    Eaton fell silent for a moment before he spoke rigidly. "Release me."


    Lilac raised her head and gave Eaton a look.


    The lycan groaned when he felt her distrust toward him. "I think it''s happening now."


    And with that, the understanding dawn on her, as she realized what was about to happen.

 Chapter 675 - KNOCKED SOME SENSE INTO HIS HEAD

    Lilac didn''t believe it.


    She was totally speechless with her own decision to come here.


    She should have gone far, far away from this realm and had nothing to do with a man named Jedrek.


    She swore, she would teach Jedrek some lesson if they had ever met again, for being such a bastard, but that wouldn''t happen any time soon.


    She needed to talk with Selene, the Moon Goddess should know better to not pair both of them, yet since the moon goddess had decided to not show herself, maybe a little rebellion from Lilac''s side could force her to appear and they could negotiate her mission.


    However, here she was, trying to break down the entrance gates of the castle with Eaton beside her.


    Lilac frowned when she was staring at the burning buildings, mounds rubbles and the screaming citizens and beasts. She didn''t believe what lay before her eyes.


    It was as if an earthquake shook the foundations of the kingdom while an asteroid plummeted from the sky.


    This was devastation.


    Lilac had been in this city central for a few weeks before the bad lycan put her into some kind of illusion magic for almost a year now, therefore, she had the opportunity to witness how beautiful the city was, despite Jedrek''s unbearable attitude and his thick- headed decisions, his people lived in glory.


    But, this was a nightmare. Created in the darkest despair and brought to life.


    "Is this the consequences? Did Jedrek know?" Lilac gulped down hard.


    "I think he already knew." Eaton frowned. "We should not be here, we have to go."


    Eaton thought this was the sign that Jedrek was talking about. The King had told him that he would know when the time came. Eaton had to bring Lilac, whether she was already awake or not, to the northern region and met his other generals there.


    However, Jedrek didn''t say anything about himself. Hell! He had never talked about what was going on in his thick- skull of mind clearly.


    "Right, we have to go.?? Lilac walked toward the entrance gates, but before she could take another step closer, Eaton had held her arm.


    "No, we have to go from this city." Eaton shook his head. "It is not safe to be here!" Eaton was half- shouting above the sound of the still- crumbling buildings. He realized what Lilac''s intention and he couldn''t let her to do that.


    Right. Lilac should not be here. Didn''t she really intend to stay away from Jedrek? Had her resolve become weak now, after what she heard about him?


    "We need to get to the castle," Lilac spoke calmly. Even she was surprised to hear how calm her voice sounded.


    But, deep down in her heart, she knew, she was doing the right thing.


    The path to the castle wouldn''t be simple. There would be more wreckage behind this gigantic wall.


    "No, Lilac." Eaton shook his head, as his grip tightened. "Jedrek doesn''t want you to be here."


    Lilac scoffed when she heard that name. "Since when I listen to him?" She tried to free her arm from Eaton, but he refused to let her go. "He is not my King, he is not my Alpha, he refused the mate bond between us and he is far from the figure of a knight with shining armor."


    "This is for your own safety." Eaton knew Jedrek was stubborn, but he couldn''t understand why did the moon goddess give a more stubborn creature to match the Alpha''s stubbornness?


    "He has made my life miserable and I will settle score with him." Since Lilac couldn''t pry Eaton''s grip from her, she used her power to do that. Roots and vines crept on Eaton''s body, sneaked on his arms and forced him to release Lilac.


    "Lilac, this is not the right time for revenge." Eaton looked at the things that glided on his arm worriedly.


    Ignoring Eaton''s words, Lilac spoke contemptuously. "If he has to die. I will be the one who kill him."


    Eaton was dumbfounded. That was a bold statement. To kill the King? But, seeing how pissed Lilac now with the fact she was unconscious for almost a year and the ability that she held, that was not impossible for her¡­


    In the other hand, without waiting for Eaton''s consent, Lilac turned around and made his way to the castle.


    "Jedrek can be anywhere!" Eaton shouted at Lilac''s back desperately as the girl stared at the closed gates, it seemed like she was thinking about how to crush that enormous and heavy iron gates.


    "He is inside!" Lilac shouted back. She could feel it. He was still inside.


    Part of him wanted lilac to give up her idea to bring down the iron gates, as it was impossible for her to do that, but part of him was curious to see what she would do, or what else could she do.


    Apparently, after sometime Lilac came to conclusion that she wouldn''t be able to destroy the annoying iron gates, no matter how strong her roots were.


    Therefore, she took three steps back and conjured more roots as big as trunk to create a magical bridge that let her jumped over the high gates and wall.


    Eaton''s jaw dropped along with the vines that held him. He shook his head in disbelieve when he witnessed how easy Lilac overcame the hurdle and how swiftly she moved.


    She left the giant bridge made of roots that traversed from the ground to the highest point of the gates. Her delicate figure disappeared when she jumped without much of hesitation to the other side of the gates.


    Maybe Jedrek was wrong all the time about this guardian angel, Eaton thought. She was nothing but weak. Whether it was her mind or soul. She was strong.


    The strongest female that Eaton had ever seen in his life.


    Probably this was what the Alpha King needed.


    To have someone to knock some sense into his head.


    Literally¡­

 Chapter 676 - COMPANION

    Lilac landed softly on the ground, in the other side of the gates, when her barefoot touched the soil, she could feel the rumbles beneath it, as if there was a creature trying to get up and rise from beneath the ground.


    Lilac tried her best to focus on finding Jedrek. But, where? This castle was too vast for her to venture and her guts feeling didn''t let her know where exactly Jedrek was now.


    However, Lilac just realized it now, the situation here was so strange, there were no guards in sight. Where those people?


    Lilac ventured inside the empty castle aimlessly, but still couldn''t find anyone.


    In no time, she reached the great hall, the one that she had destroyed when the first time Lilac met Jedrek, and this place now was even more horrible than the destruction that she had made back then.


    From the vantage point through the huge window, which lined up at both sides of the hall, Lilac could see the smokes curling up from the other buildings.


    What was happening here?!


    As Lilac was looking around to figure out what she had to do next, a figure appeared from the opened door of the great hall. Lilac clenched her fists and gathered the roots beneath her feet, readied herself for a battle.


    But, her tensed muscled slightly relax when she watched Eaton emerged from the dusty hallway.


    "So, you decided to join me?" Lilac asked sarcastically, but a smile on her face couldn''t deceive the old lycan that the girl was more than welcome for a companion.


    "Where else should I go?" Eaton shrugged his shoulder. "Where do you think Jedrek is?"


    Lilac had been thinking about that, but she didn''t have any idea where he is.


    "Why there is no one here?" this fact still bothered Lilac. "Did you see someone on your way here?"


    Eaton shook his head. "This is strange."


    "Don''t you know anything about it?" Lilac couldn''t believe how secretive Jedrek was. It was clear to see that Eaton was the most loyal confidant that he could have in his messy life, but why he even didn''t want to share his plan with him?


    This King was surely annoying!


    "He works in silence, alone." Eaton also didn''t believe this fact. Jedrek definitely wouldn''t have thought that he would collaborate with Lilac and disobey his orders.


    When the two of them were in deep thought, Eaton raised his nose and sniffed the air. "Who is there?" his brows furrowed when he tried to distinguish the scent that he smelled. "Airin, is that you?"


    Lilac followed Eaton''s line of sight and watched as a young girl that she knew as a special servant in the north wing, the place where Maximus let her to reside during her stay in this castle, emerged from across the room.


    She looked at Eaton and Lilac sheepishly and bit her lips nervously.


    The special servant named Airin walked closer with her head hung low, until her black hair covered her face.


    When Airin had stood in front of them, Eaton sighed helplessly, as he said. "Apparently, it is not only us who disobeyed the King''s order."


    Lilac wanted to know how Eaton could come into that conclusion, since she Airin couldn''t speak and Eaton didn''t say anything to confirm his statement, but then she remembered that Lycan had their own way to communicate with each other.


    "Do you know where is Jedrek?" Lilac didn''t want to waste time and immediately jumped into their main concern.


    Airin glanced at Eaton before she walked toward the door, it seemed she would lead the way to Jedrek.


    ==============


    "I thought she will lead us to the secret place inside the library," Lilac said as they ran into the north wing, the place where Lilac resided before.


    Lilac remembered that place on their way here. How she could forget about that place? When it held so much memory for her. She thought sarcastically.


    "We will go to the secret place, but not from the library, that place had been destroyed. You can''t come from there. We will take another route." Eaton explained to her.


    Lilac raised her brows, staring at Airin''s back, who was running in front of her. She didn''t expect that this girl knew more things than she showed.


    After turning at several intersections, Airin finally stopped running as she stood in front of a painting as tall as her body and pushed it aside.


    Behind it, there was a tunnel of the secret passage, which was cold and dark. The sunlight from the window across them only could manage to illuminate a few steps away from the entrance and after that, the darkness engulfed them when they walked further.


    Lilac held onto Eaton when she couldn''t see anything and wondered how the two of them didn''t seem to have problem moving around in this darkness.


    Every steps echoed off the walls on both sides of them, as they made their way through the surprisingly long passageway.


    "It will take us right to Diana''s chamber," Eaton spoke, breaking the eerily silence.


    "Do you think, Jedrek is still there?" Lilac asked. She was a little bit nervous to meet Jedrek at this point.


    The destruction of the city was proof that Jedrek had done what he was supposed to do long ago, but still, killing Diana in order to break the vicious cycle was something entirely different.


    How was Jedrek now? And moreover, they didn''t know what was waiting them when they reached the end of this tunnel.


    Despite the chilly atmosphere, sweat was already glistening on Lilac''s forehead. The passageway rose on an incline that looked as if it would never end.


    It felt like Lilac had been in another illusion, as she was not being able to see anything. She only sighed in relieved when they finally came to a stop.


    "There is a high chance that Jedrek is behind this door, are you ready?" Eaton asked, putting his hand on the door that Lilac couldn''t see, waiting for her confirmation to push it open.

 Chapter 677 - MEETING JEDREK

    Lilac bit her lips and nodded. It wasn''t the time to back down now.


    However, before Eaton could open the door, there was an earth- shattering sound that could be heard from the other side. His eyes widened when he watched the doorknob rattled in his hold.


    "What happened?!" Lilac shouted above the frenzy sound. She couldn''t see it, but she knew there was something wrong with the way Eaton''s body became tense.


    And then they heard what sounded like wh.i.p.s cutting through the air. The sharp and distinct cracks reverberated throughout the dark tunnel.


    The sound became louder and more intense.


    "MOVE!" Eaton shouted to Airin, but of course she wouldn''t be able to hear anything, thus he had to push her away. Too hard until the poor girl flew a few meter to her right side and her body bumped onto the stone wall.


    Everything happened so fast, after shoving Airin to the other side, Eaton hugged Lilac and turned them both, so the sudden blast from the door hit Eaton''s back.


    The explosion indeed hit Eaton''s back, but the blast hurled them to the other side of the stone wall.


    If it was not because of Lilac made a quick decision, to cover both of them with her power, her body would have been crushed because of the strong force of the explosion.


    "What is that?" Lilac watched in horror when she witnessed, the door had burst into flames, the fire was very hot until she could feel the heat licked her skin.


    The blaze illuminated the dark tunnel until Lilac could see every dirt and dust around her, as if everything was caught on fire.


    It took a long time before the fire subsided and the moment it had gone out, the tunnel once again plunged into darkness.


    "Eaton?" Lilac snapped to reality as she shifted her attention to Eaton, who was still hugging her. "Are you okay?"


    Eaton groaned and tried to move, but the pain made it harder for him. Once he crawled away from Lilac, he fell on his stomach.


    The light from the room, which the door had burned into ashes, allowed Lilac to see the horrible scald and blister behind his back because of the explosion before.


    "Eaton! Your back!" Lilac gasped in shock.


    Eaton''s face contorted in pain and he groaned again when he answered her. "Worry not. I just need a few moments to recover."


    He was right, the burn had slowly healed, but it took some time before the lycan could fully recover. However, Lilac didn''t have a patient to wait. Even now, she still could hear the uproar from inside the room


    "I will check on Airin," Lilac said, she was worry about the girl too. She didn''t know whether Airin got caught in the flames or she managed to escape.


    "Wait for me, don''t enter the room without me," Eaton grumbled, hating the fact that his injuries took quite a long time to heal.


    Lilac didn''t say anything as she dashed toward the other end of the tunnel. She couldn''t promise to wait for him. Her patient was running out and she wanted to know where that flame came from after made sure Airin was all right.


    "Airin?" She called for her, but there was no answer. "Airin?"


    Lilac walked further to the seemingly the ruins of the stone wall. With her bare hands, she started to pick up the stone as it looked like Airin was buried beneath it.


    Her guess was right, after moving three stones, she could see the girl, unconscious, but alive.


    Lilac summoned the roots under her feet to get Airin out from there quickly and laid her on the vacant space near the ruin.


    Airin was fine, it was only a matter of time before she gained her consciousness.


    Once again, Lilac heard the uproar from inside the room and this time she heard a familiar snarls and growls too.


    In spite of the fact, Lilac had only fought with him once, but she was sure the animal sound belonged to the Alpha King.


    Jedrek was fighting something inside that room, but what?! From the sound of it, it must be a creature much monstrous than himself. Something that could breathe fire.


    Impossible¡­


    Lilac scrambled to her feet, ignoring the warning that Eaton gave to her, she ran toward the secret chamber and halted for a moment to assess the situation before she poked her head with caution. If the fire could turn the door into dust, she didn''t want her head to be the next target.


    And inside, she watched a yellow salamander with slender body and blunt snouts, as big as the white lycan, was pinned to the ground.


    It slender body covered with black liquids that Lilac assumed was its blood and its blunt snouts were torn, leaving it impossible to breathe another fire.


    Lilac was in time to witness how vicious the white lycan when he clawed the Salamander''s stomach with his sharp talons, dug them deep until the ugly creature breathed his last.


    Lilac was floored to see such bloody scene, she didn''t even realize that her body trembled. The black liquid spurted from the salamander''s stomach and coated the white fur of the lycan with it, now the last monster looked more feral than ever with his white fur turned black.


    Lilac couldn''t take her eyes from him, until the white lycan itself, who found her. With his red- bloody eyes, he glared at the girl.


    The white lycan snarled to get her attention, but when his mate was still standing there, seemingly couldn''t take her attention out of the dead salamander, the lycan approached her with a deep growl, which reverberated through the stone wall.


    Jedrek shifted back to his human skin once he was close enough to her.


    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" He roared in anger and this efficiently got Lilac''s attention.


    Lilac didn''t appreciate Jedrek''s tone as she snapped back at him. "TO GET YOU OUT FROM HERE, OF COURSE!"

 Chapter 678 - STAY CLOSE

    Jedrek scowled, he ran his fingers through his black hair and growled deeply upon hearing what Lilac had shouted to him. "What?"


    "Let''s go!" Lilac didn''t want to spend another second with argumentation, she grabbed Jedrek''s arm and was about to pull him away from here, yet the Alpha King didn''t budge and the guardian angel didn''t have enough strength to do otherwise. "What now?!"


    "I can''t go." Jedrek stared at Lilac''s small hand that wanted to drag him along with her and relished the spark between them. The spark was there so did their bond. No matter how hard Jedrek pushed her away and hurt her, this little girl was always comeback in one way or another.


    "Of course you can!" Lilac was irritated. "Oh, please. Can we save the argumentation for later?" she asked dramatically. "Eaton and Airin are injured. They can''t move!"


    Jedrek narrowed his eyes and stepped out from the secret room to the dark tunnel, but he grabbed Lilac''s hand to go with him too, made sure she was within his sight.


    Jedrek approached Eaton first and checked on him, apparently the lycan has gained his consciousness and tried to sit down, though he looked haggard, but still, it was better to see him arguing with Jedrek.


    "Didn''t I tell you that you should go?" Jedrek glowered at him.


    "It''s not me, it''s her." Eaton nodded to Lilac, because he knew the girl would fight back while he too exhausted to argue with Jedrek. "I have told her to go, but she didn''t listen."


    Lilac frowned when she heard that. Well, that wasn''t wrong, but why she felt Eaton put the blame on her head?


    Jedrek glanced at Lilac with unreadable expression, but didn''t say anything. "Can you stand up?"


    "I guess," Eaton groaned when he tried to stand up and Jedrek didn''t do anything to help. It seemed he was annoyed beyond words to even give a hand to him.


    In the other hand, Lilac couldn''t stand it, she moved forward and was about to help Eaton when Jedrek shoved her away to the side and finally did what he had to do.


    "Airin is over there," Lilac said, walking to the other rumbles where she had laid Airin there.


    After helping Eaton to stand up Jedrek let him to walk on his own while he approached Lilac with hasty steps.


    Jedrek watched the special servant was lying on the ground, started to stir awake, as her injuries began to heal.


    "Are you all right?" Lilac crouched down and helped Airin to sit. "Come on, we have to go."


    "You three get out of here!" Jedrek spoke in deep voice, leaving no room for negotiation. He watched with rigid expression when Lilac stood right in front of him. The tip of her head only reached his shoulder, but she didn''t look intimidated at all.


    "Your grace," she said, sarcasm was very thick in her tone. "In case you have forgotten what I already said earlier, I will remind you again."


    The guardian angel looked like she was on the verge of losing her patient, yet tried hard to stay calm and this amused Jedrek to see her expression.


    "We came here to get you out from this place, so be nice and cooperate." Lilac glowered, no longer trying to hold back her anger.


    Jedrek knew she was a feisty and fierce one. Somehow, he always knew it. Nothing would make this girl to back down when he had decided on something.


    Yet, Jedrek didn''t heed to her words when the animalistic sounds erupted throughout the entire place, shaking the ground beneath them.


    "What is that?" This time, it was Eaton who was flabbergasted with the imminent danger that seemed lurking from the dark.


    "The creatures from hell," Jedrek said tonelessly, but didn''t slow down his steps to approach the door once again.


    "The creatures from hell," Eaton repeated in disbelieve. "Is that what the consequences are all about? Breaking the deal will lead us to open the gates to Tartarus?"


    "I don''t believe it too, but the reality is hard to deny," Jedrek spoke grimly. "You should go from here."


    Eaton grabbed Jedrek''s arm to stop him. "So, what are you going to do? Fight every creatures that come out?!" Anger rose in his throat. "That''s not a plan."


    "There was never a plan for this." Jedrek looked at Eaton hard.


    Both of them knew, no one expected this outcome. Who would have thought that Janus would go this far to save Diana?


    Open the Tartarus gates? It could be the end of the world. Just like what the prophecy said. They had to fight the devils once again.


    In short, another war¡­


    How could the devil had predicted this? If this was indeed the devil''s plan, they had enrooted this since the first war.


    How could that be possible?


    "Get them out of here." Jedrek shook his arm from Eaton''s grip, but then he heard his mate spoke in her sweet tone. There was no fear in the way she talked.


    "Too late," she said, putting her palms on the ground. "The other end of the passage was already covered in rubbles."


    Jedrek squinted his eyes on Lilac. "You can easily move them away."


    "This tunnel is not steady, one more clatter and maybe the entire tunnel will collapse. I don''t want to go there." Lilac shrugged her shoulder, leaving Jedrek with no other choice. "If you don''t believe me, you can go with us and see it yourself."


    Jedrek closed his eyes as he tried to content his anger. He didn''t know whether Lilac was saying the truth or not. She was hard to predict, especially when she talked so calm and with smirk on her lips, as though she was saying; I will do what I want to do and you will do what I say.


    Jedrek turned on his heel, took three long strides and grabbed Lilac''s arm as he spoke grimly, "stay close."

 Chapter 679 - DONT LOOK!

    Jedrek didn''t have any idea about the consequences of the deal that Janus made with the devils could lead them to this catastrophe. How could his father became so stupid to bend his knees in order to save his mate?!


    That was a stupid decision!


    Jedrek despised for having Lilac. No, he loathed the fact that he was having a mate, yet, he couldn''t help but started to fall into his fate.


    He couldn''t deny that he couldn''t hurt Lilac, at the very least, not after this bond gets stronger as the days go by.


    Anger rose in Jedrek''s throath, he was furious beyond words. However, one thing that he didn''t know, someone had gone to go to the extra miles for him.


    Similar thing that Janus did for Diana.


    Jedrek felt like he almost lost his temper, thus he let go Lilac''s hand. He didn''t want to crush that fragile hand again. The first time he did it was an accident and his beast almost killed him with agony. He didn''t need to feel that way at time like this.


    Meanwhile, Lilac followed Jedrek back into the previous chamber. From inside she could hear another explosion with a sound like a small bomb.


    Jedrek had just let go of Lilac''s arm, but then he flung his arms over her head and pulled her closer into the chamber when a big piece of tunnel ceiling fell straight to the floor.


    At the same time, Eaton grabbed Airin''s shoulder and pulled her away from the imminent danger, as the ceiling collapsed and blocked their way. Next moment, the two of them were standing in the dark, gazing at the solid wall of broken rock. Separated from Jedrek and Lilac.


    "Jedrek! Are you okay!?" Eaton tried to move the rock to get to him, but he had to stop before the ceiling of the tunnel collapsed again.


    Inside the chamber, Jedrek gritted his teeth when he examined Lilac''s body and looked at her terrified face. The tension loosened a little when he saw that she was okay. It was a close call. "I am fine!" Jedrek shouted back to Eaton. "Stay there, I will find a way to get to you!"


    Lilac blinked her eyes to get back to her senses, what was just happening simply too terrifying, and only then she realized that they had been separated.


    "I think I can lift those rocks," Lilac said.


    "And risk another collapsing rock when your roots emerge from the ground? No. We have to get you out from here," Jedrek said sternly.


    Lilac swatted Jedrek''s hand, which was about to drag her again. "And leave them here?!" Lilac asked in disbelieve. "No, I will not go anywhere."


    Jedrek glared at her.


    However, their argumentation was cut short when Lilac''s eyes widened in horror as she watched something behind Jedrek''s back. Something scaly and big, with its body slithering on the ground.


    "Jedrek!" she shrieked.


    Even before Lilac called his name, he knew this creature was there. Therefore, he needed to get Lilac out of here.


    Very fast. Jedrek pressed Lilac''s head to his chest, preventing her to look another second longer. He could feel his mate''s body was trembling.


    Jedrek knew what was happening behind his back through the reflection of the shadow on the stone wall.


    "Stay here," Jedrek said in stern voice. "I mean it. Stay. Here." He emphasized every word, so Lilac could understand how serious he was now.


    "What is that?" her voice cracked in fear. She knew it was not a normal serpent.


    "Basilisk," Jedrek said through gritted teeth. The creatures that came out from Tartarus were getting worse and worse.


    Lilac was panic- stricken when Jedrek turned her body around, so she faced the stone wall and let go of her. She knew what basilisk was and what this monster capable of.


    In matter of second, Lilac could hear vicious growls and snarls from behind her back. Apparently, Jedrek had shifted into his beast and fought the monster. She didn''t have any idea how he did it, as no one could see the Basilisk''s eyes.


    However, Lilac had another important task in her hand.


    There was a loud explosive sound behind her and then something heavy hit the wall near Lilac. It must be the serpent''s body. Even though Lilac couldn''t see it, but she could hear its heavy body slithering heavily across the dusty floor.


    If this situation continued, this place would collapse, thus, bending her knees, Lilac put her palms flat to the ground and did what she had to do.


    The ground was shaking, but this time not because of the monster that emerged from Tartarus, but from the power that Lilac gathered.


    The ground seemed to move with an immense waves, just as the serpent hit the wall again and the ceiling almost collapsed, branches as thick as python sprung from the ground and hit the ceiling, its gnarled bough spread and held the crumbling stones firmly.


    Lilac narrowed her eyes to keep it steady. Not only inside the chamber, Lilac also extended her power beyond it, to make sure Eaton and Airin were safe at the other side.


    "What is happening there!?" Eaton demanded answer, but Lilac barely could speak in her current state.


    However, in the next second, she felt someone grabbed her arms and spun her body. Lilac shrieked, but then realized, it was Jedrek.


    "Don''t look," Jedrek said sternly when he bent his body and put his strong arms behind her back and knees to carry her.


    Lilac did what she was told and buried her face on the crook of Jedrek''s shoulder, after took a glance of the scaly body of the basilisk. The monster was still alive.


    Jedrek brought her away and only put her down when Lilac could feel the breeze of the wind caressed her skin.


    "Go now," Jedrek said rigidly.


    "What? No, I¡­" Lilac was about to argue with him, but Jedrek kissed her deeply before he let her go and slammed the door from which they came.

 Chapter 680 - SHE WILL HURT YOU

    The door was gone.


    One second the door was there and then it was gone once Jedrek disappeared behind it.


    How could that be possible to happen? Lilac kept staring at the vacant space in front of her. She swore Jedrek had just disappeared behind the close door, which no longer there.


    "Lilac."


    Lilac jumped out of her skin when she heard someone called her name, out of instinct, she turned around in alert, ready to battle this stranger.


    However, it was not a stranger. This was the person that she knew.


    "Tordoff¡­?" Lilac was floored, everything seemed to not make sense for her.


    In front of her, it was Tordoff. The same man that she thought had been killed by Jedrek. At least, that was what he told her. But, now he was standing before her eyes without any injuries or losing any limbs.


    Or, maybe it was only another dream? Jedrek had put her into another illusion?


    "Tordoff, I thought you were¡­"


    "Dead." Tordoff finished the sentences for her. "No, I am not." He shook his head. "The King didn''t kill me."


    Lilac felt her head spun with this information.


    "I will tell you everything on our way to the safety place." Tordoff approached Lilac, but she moved away from him, seemingly still trying to comprehend this sudden situation. "We need to go to the southern region."


    Lilac ignored him as she observed her surroundings. She saw the large green leaves and twisted trunks of the jungle.


    Great! Lilac didn''t know where she was now.


    The strange sounds of the insects and distance howls greeted her ears, as the smell of rich soil and vegetation permeated the air.


    A deep growl came from behind the thick vegetation as a massive dark lycan emerged from the leaves and branches, behind the beast, there were another beasts and then the lycanthropes in their human skin.


    "Don''t worry Lilac, they are with us." Tordoff explained when he watched Lilac took a defensive stance. He didn''t need another battle with this girl, especially when she was in confusion. "They are the King''s guard."


    Lilac blinked her eyes and shifted her attention toward Tordoff, who was standing only three steps away from her while those horde of human and beast stopped in their place, a few meters away from her upon sensing her distress.


    "What the King''s guards are doing here when their King is in danger?!" Lilac snapped at Tordoff.


    The basilisk still alive, Airin and Eaton were still trapped inside the tunnel and Jedrek, stubbornly, pushing her away! Without asking her consent!


    Tordoff grimaced when he heard Lilac was shouting at him. "This is the King''s order."


    Not many people knew about Tordoff was still alive, but all of them knew the sign when they had to abandon the Kingdom and moved toward the southern region where they would join with Warlock, Rowan, Kyle and Sebastian.


    "He is not my King and I will not take his order," Lilac said grimly as she turned around and was about to leave. She could see the spire in the distance, thus she didn''t need to ask for direction.


    However, the black beast leapt over her head and landed with a soft thud in front of her, it bared his fangs threateningly.


    Lilac glared at the beast, it was clear to see that she didn''t fear him.


    "Step back Theo, she will hurt you." Tordoff warned the seventh general.


    The beast glowered, but then shifted into his human skin. "Hurt me?" he raised his brows to Tordoff. "How could she hurt me?" he asked defiantly.


    "Well, the six of us had fought her and she was able to hold us back, but if you want to have one on one fight. You can do that later." Tordoff shrugged his shoulder.


    If this had happened any other time, Lilac would have laughed to hear their banter.


    The general named Theo scoffed and was about to grab Lilac''s arm, but she dodged it swiftly.


    "I will go there." Lilac pointed the direction of the castle. "With or without your permission," she spoke coldly and started to walk.


    "You don''t have to worry about the King! He will go out from there alive!" Theo shouted at her.


    "Who said I am worry about that Jerk?!" Lilac turned around and snapped at him, she was amused by their shock expression when she called Jedrek a jerk. "My friend is trapped under the ground, I am going back to save her!"


    Lilac was not completely lying. Airin was still there, though she had not yet considered Eaton as her friend, but the special servant was the one who took care of her when she was still in the north wing.


    Theo looked at Tordoff. "Now what?" he asked in confusion. Just like what Tordoff said, they couldn''t drag Lilac to follow them without a fight and if that happened, not only it would slow them down, but it was possible there would be casualties. "She is the first person who insulted the King and we even don''t know what to do to her."


    Tordoff shook his head, he was getting a headache. "We will follow her."


    "You disobey the King''s order." Theo raised his brows questioningly.


    "This will not be the first time." Tordoff winked at Theo.


    Theo was the first general who found out that Tordoff was actually still alive, despite the rumor that said he was killed by Jedrek because he disobeyed his order and was breakout the prison with the guardian angel.


    "I hope the King will not kill you for real this time." Theo commented sarcastically as he gestured to the other guards to follow them.


    "I hope not." Tordoff sighed deeply. He stared at Lilac''s back, she seemed very determine to go back to the castle.


    The guardian angel was like a sweet little flower, but her determination was always mesmerized him. This was also what Tordoff felt about her when he decided to bring her out of the prison a year ago and incurred Jedrek''s wrath.

 Chapter 681 - RETURN TO THE CASTLE

    Although the castle looked close, it actually took four hours to walk back to the castle on foot.


    "How about the citizens?" Lilac asked after she drank some water to moisten her dry throat. "I saw there were some people still left in the city central."


    "The king has made plans for this. Once we found out something was wrong, all the guards prepared to evacuate the citizens. Maybe what you saw earlier was they evacuating people."


    Lilac contemplated. It made sense. That was why there were no people inside the castle when Lilac came with Eaton.


    "So, where are the citizens now?" Lilac was sure that those lycans and werewolves who followed them were the guards or the King''s warrior.


    "The citizens are moving to the southern region with another group of guards. We are here to observe the situation and to make sure no one left behind." Tordoff explained it to her.


    "The door¡­" Lilac frowned. "I am sure Jedrek and I came out from a door, but it disappeared."


    "That must be one of the doors inside the secret chamber." Tordoff immediately guessed what kind of door that Lilac had seen. "I have never been there, because that place is forbidden, but I heard there are seven doors that can lead you to different places."


    "Hm," Lilac hummed as she contemplated.


    Above them, the sky had turned into golden color as the sun began to hide behind the horizon and the people started to light the torches to illuminated the roads.


    "Why did Jedrek fake your death?" Lilac asked she glanced at the horde of the lycan and the beast behind him. Theo followed them, but was not close enough to hear their conversation, or maybe he was still able to hear Lilac and Tordoff, regardless the distance between them.


    "I don''t know," Tordoff shook his head and couldn''t help, but recalled what was happening inside the dungeon when he thought his King would tear him apart. "The King ordered me to go to different realm. Human realm. To follow a man named Killian."


    "What are you doing by following him? And why are you here?"


    Tordoff glanced at Lilac, unsure whether he had to tell her or not. "Killian was hurt, so I brought him back here." He decided to let her know half the truth. Tordoff didn''t know if Lilac was allowed to know about what the order that Jedrek gave to Killian.


    "Who is this Killian?" Lilac asked, still curious.


    This journey back was further than expected and the lycan didn''t want to shift and go first to check on Jedrek.


    "You asked too much." Tordoff chuckled. "I just came with Killian when this happened."


    Lilac stared at Tordoff and despite the smile on his lips, she knew she wouldn''t get any more information from him when he decided to shut his mouth. His loyalty still lay on his King.


    It took another thirty minutes for them to reach the city center.


    And the moment the city came into view, they were greeted with a destroyed castle and a kingdom in ruins.


    Lilac''s heart grew cold at the sight. She hoped there was no casualty. She walked faster and almost running when something squealed above her head. She stopped and watched as something that resembled a dragon flew above her head, but the only thing that made it looked frightening was; there were no scaly skin neither flesh, only skeleton.


    "What is that?" Lilac whispered in horror.


    "I don''t know," Tordoff answered truthfully. He exchanged glance with Theo, as their calm expression started to fade away and began to worry about their King.


    It was Lilac who broke the silent and started to run toward the castle, followed by Tordoff and the rest of the horde.


    Her heart thumping wildly in her chest as her legs tried to run faster than Theo, who was easily outrun her. It was only Tordoff, who stayed behind to keep her accompany.


    When the castle came into sight, Lilac could hear Tordoff sighed in relieve. "Don''t worry, the King is fine."


    "What? How do you know?" Lilac didn''t stop running and when she was getting closer, she was able to see Jedrek, circled by his people.


    Standing near Jedrek, it was Eaton and Airin, both of them looking exhausted, but still alive.


    Lilac stopped, breathing heavily when she watched they were fine.


    "Why do you stop here? Don''t you want to see him?" Tordoff teased Lilac, who a minute ago was so eager to find Jedrek, but now the girl looked like she was about runaway.


    Lilac scowled. "I am fine here."


    "I am glad the King is fine." Tordoff didn''t join Theo to greet Jedrek, instead he stayed with Lilac.


    "I am glad now that he realized he couldn''t avoid a war with devils." Lilac stated.


    And from behind the castle, there were another two creatures that looked like skeleton of the dragon, flying high in the night sky. It seemed Jedrek didn''t succeed to close the Tartarus gates, but he managed to come out alive with Eaton and Airin, and that was what matter now.


    Finally, after exchanged a few words with Theo, Jedrek walked toward Lilac and Tordoff.


    "Your grace." Tordoff slightly bent his body to greet Jedrek.


    Jedrek looked exhausted, but it didn''t cease the dominant aura around him and when he spoke, his voice was as calm as ever. "We head south."


    Lilac was about to walk in the end of this horde, trying to get as far away as she could from Jedrek, but the lycan grabbed her hand and entwined their fingers together when he walked.


    ==============


    It''s been a week since what happened to Aeon and Raine still feeling sorrowful about that. Torak knew, but he didn''t want to talk about it, since Raine would always avoid the topic.


    "We will go to meet Jedrek, but first I need you to find Kace," Serefina said when they were having breakfast in the pack house.

 Chapter 682 - I WILL GO WITH YOU

    After the battle with the devils in the fulbright city and the crater that appeared there, human claimed it was an asteroid plunged the earth''s atmosphere and crashed what become meteor crater.


    However, no one could hear anything when it was happening, thus there were more than a handful conspiracy theories about this, which widely circulated in the community.


    It was only those supernatural creatures who knew best about the truth behind it.


    "Kace?" Torak put more sausage on Raine''s plate. "Didn''t you say that he has disappeared? And nobody knows where he is."


    Raine cut the sausage into small pieces and stabbed it with her fork before she brought it to Torak''s lips. The Alpha shook his head, indicating that Raine should be the one who ate that, but the girl insisted.


    "I have someone to look for him, yes he is nowhere to be found. But, there is one place that I have not yet checked and I think he is there." Serefina drank her warm water.


    There were only the three of them in the dining room while the other Lycan had gone long time ago to do their daily task.


    Once the battle had ended in the fulbright city, they returned to the red river city, which they were safer, since it was Torak''s territory.


    Another reason was because Torak had become the most wanted person in this realm. All of his companies had been through investigation, as they found, inside Torak''s burning house in the fulbright city, there were around twenty corpse of police officers, which three of them were high rank police.


    Another speculation circulated among people. Some of them said Torak had been killed, but there were some people who saw Torak on the same day and the fact they couldn''t find his body, nullified that theory.


    Some of them said Torak had killed those police officers, but they couldn''t find the motive behind it, moreover, what was the point of killing those people when he had nothing to do with them and more so, set his high- priced house on fire. It was not something a businessman like Torak would do.


    This case was confusing beyond words and the person who could clear this up, had been missing ever since.


    "Where do you think is he?" Torak asked after he swallowed the sausage that Raine gave to him.


    "I think he went to northern coven realm," Serefina answered. She had been looking for Kace for nearly a year now and can''t find a single clue of where he is.


    Northern coven was the last place that Serefina wanted to visit and it was most likely Kace would go there to avoid her and Jedrek''s people, who had been looking for him.


    Even though it was not the safest place, but at least Serefina could guess who he was living with now.


    "What is he doing there?" Raine furrowed her eyebrows. She knew about a story or two about Kace and couldn''t wait to meet the Guardian Angel who was with him.


    "Hiding," Serefina replied curtly as she put down her cutleries and pushed her empty plate away.


    "What is he hiding for?" Raine frowned when Torak shoved a piece of sausage to her mouth when she was talking. She glared at him, but the Alpha only kissed her temple tenderly.


    "Hiding from the world, his responsibility for the upcoming war and¡­" Serefina halted as she dabbed her lips with napkin. "¡­his brother."


    "Torak?" Raine tilted her head toward Torak.


    "Jedrek," Serefina corrected. No matter how many years have passed, his name still had the same effect on her.


    "Oh, right." Raine just remembered the reason why Jedrek wanted to kill his brothers'' mate. That Lycan despised them. "Has he met his mate?"


    "Yes, he has," Serefina answered crudely and stood up. "We will go tomorrow, the sooner we go the better."


    "Wait, Serefina." Raine bit her lips. She knew she was not supposed to ask this, but she was curious. "Did Jedrek kill his mate?"


    Serefina didn''t turn around when she answered her, she just shrugged her shoulder. ???Apparently, no." And walked out of the dining room.


    When it was only the two of them, Raine turned toward Torak and with her big eyes she stared at him. "I will go with you."


    She was aware that Torak didn''t reject Serefina''s word, which meant he agreed to go to find Kace to northern coven realm and Raine was dead- set to follow him.


    Seeing how his mate was trying to appear dominant made him amused.


    "If I say no, will you listen?" Torak kissed the tip of her nose as he chuckled.


    "No," Raine smiled. "I will go with you."


    "Then you will go with me."


    ==============


    After Jedrek gave a few instructions to Tordoff and Theo, he went back to the carriage where Lilac had been waiting for him there. There were a lot of things for them to talk about.


    However, when Jedrek opened the carriage''s door, he found Lilac closed her eyes and leaned her head against the carriage wall.


    Yet, the most disturbing thing that Jedrek found was her hair that turned white. He had seen this before when she was put in illusion, it would happen once a month.


    And since her hair would return to normal the next day, moreover no one could explain what happened to Lilac condition, then the only person who could explain this was her.


    Carefully, Jedrek put Lilac''s head on his shoulder and covered her cold body with warm blanket.


    "What happened with your hair?" he asked in deep voice. Whether Lilac was asleep or not, she would answer if she heard him.


    "I lost my power every once in a month¡­" Lilac replied softly. She looked so fragile and vulnerable at this moment.


    "Why?"


    "In exchange for the life given by the goddess of the moon." Her voice sounded exhausted. "You killed me, remember?"


    After Jedrek heard what Lilac had said, the journey fell silent, as he kept her warm.

 Chapter 683 - YOU HAVE TO FACE IT

    It had been two months since Kace stayed with the centaurs after spending a few months to track them down and it was not an easy feat to find them, especially when he didn''t have a single clue about where they whereabouts.


    Meanwhile, though Hope''s health condition progressed a little slowly, but she looked better than months ago when the first time Kace found the centaurs and the people in the village that travelled together with them.


    "What are you thinking?" Hope was holding Kace''s face with both of her hands, implored him to meet her eyes. She knew there was something bothered her mate since days ago.


    They were inside their tent. One of the reasons why it was so hard to track the centaurs was because they kept moving to avoid Beelzebub and her minion, the dark witches and the vampires.


    "Nothing," Kace murmured, but his voice was not convincing enough even to his own ears.


    "If you want to be a liar, than you should learn it better." Hope frowned and laid back on her pillow, as Kace covered her with blanket.


    Kace sighed and lay down beside his mate. "The future. When we can stop running and live peacefully." He put his arms behind his head as Hope crept closer to him. The night was slightly chilly than the nights before.


    "Then, maybe we should stop running and face it." Hope tilted her head to look at Kace''s disagree expression. "I don''t know about this war between your kind and the devils, but I don''t think running away is the answer." Hope blinked her eyes sleepily, he got tired very quickly due to his weak condition. "Maybe Serefina can help me."


    "She said she cannot." Kace wouldn''t run away from the witch if she could do something about Hope''s condition, but she couldn''t, and instead Serefina was talking about the upcoming war. That kind of topic really irritated him.


    "Maybe she could think about something else?" Hope yawned, her eyelids started to drop and she knew this argumentation wouldn???t last for long time, thus she said between her drowsiness. "I want to go back home and meet my friends."


    Hope didn''t have a lot of friends here, or Kace could say she didn''t have any. Most of the time she would play with Bree, as the other villagers was older than he or too young to be her friends.


    "Can I come? I bring her medicine." Lidya''s voice travelled into the tent. The witch had been staying with the centaurs and the villagers since they were separated because of Serefina''s order.


    Kace had made sure she didn''t contact Serefina and reveal he and Hope''s whereabouts, although he couldn''t do anything if she did it. However, during this time, Serefina had still not been able to find them, which meant she had kept her promise.


    "Sure," Kace said softly. He glanced at Hope, who was sleeping now.


    There was a rustling sound of the cloth being raised when Lydia entered the tent. She brought a bowl of black liquid in her hand and glanced at the sleeping girl.


    "I will give it to her when she is awake." Kace readjusted Hope''s blanket and stood up. "I have something to discuss with you."


    Kace took another glance at Hope before he let Lydia to go first.


    "Are you sure, it is safe for us to go back to Uzu mountain?" The Lycan was standing in front of his tent as the chilly night wind blew against his face.


    "I don''t know about the Uzu mountain, but I assure you something is happening in the other realms and Beelzebub is no longer there." Despite being stuck here, Lydia had another way to gain information.


    "What is happening?" Kace frowned. He had been really reluctant when Chiron decided to go back to the Uzu mountain to retrieve the priestess''s body and the other children who had died because of the devil.


    However, he knew they had to do that to respect what the priestess had done to them. After all, it was her spirit who had helped Kace and the other when the confrontation with the vampires and witches broke out.


    Lydia crossed her arms in front of her chest, lowering her head. She was in deep thought. "I don''t know if this is possible."


    "What is it?" From the way Lydia was hesitated to tell him, he could feel it, it was something unpleasant.


    Lydia raised his head and her eyes met Kace''s. "I think the gates to Tartarus is already open."


    "What?" Kace furrowed his brows. "That''s impossible," he objected it strongly.


    "I do think the same," Lydia said. "But, that is what I heard."


    This news could only mean one thing for Kace; Serefina would look for him relentlessly, she wouldn''t stop until she got him and Hope.


    However, in the other hand, Kace realized how foolish of him to run away from this fate. Just like what Hope had said; if they couldn''t run from it, the only way left for them was to face it.


    When Kace was in deep thought, he felt someone tugged on his clothes and he found Bree, staring at him with her bright eyes.


    "I want to see Hope," she said childishly.


    "Sure, but she is sleeping, don''t wake her up, okay?" Kace tousled the girl''s hair.


    "I will be quiet," she whispered before ran into the tent.


    ==============


    "Do you think she will like me?" Raine was crouching down in front of her backpack, tomorrow they would leave to the northern coven, to look for Torak''s younger brother and his mate, the guardian angel.


    "No one can hate you my love." Torak kissed her temple, as he helped her to packing.


    "Coming from you, it doesn''t sound convincing." Raine pouted her lips. "I am really excited to meet with the other guardian angel!"


    Torak chuckled. He would handle this matter with his brothers and would not spoil his mate''s joy, because he knew Kace would not be easy to talk to.

 Chapter 684 - HEADING TOWARD THEIR DESTINATION

    Serefina suggested for Torak to bring only the people that he needed, and by that meant, the witch thought it would be only a handful people.


    However, who would have thought Torak would bring a pack with him?!


    Aside from Torak''s Beta, Gamma and one warrior named Jack, who would look after Raine, as if Torak would leave her side, which was impossible, there were Alpha Romulus and Alpha Chris.


    And each of the Alpha would bring their second in command and their own people, which in all totaled up to two hundred people.


    "Have you lost your mind?!" Serefina shrieked. "Do you want to declare a war with your brother?!"


    Torak frowned as he opened the door for Raine and the girl gladly crawled inside, didn''t interest to hear another argumentation between the witch and her lover.


    "We go to talk, why should I declare a war with him?" Torak leaned his body against the car as he faced the fuming witch.


    "Don''t you see? How many people that you bring with you?!" Serefina felt her head hurt. This, whether Torak didn''t know or he just intentionally wanted to give her a hard time. "Your brother is not an Alpha! He doesn''t have a horde of people at his disposal like you! If you are going to bring your pack to meet him, he will have fled miles away before you can talk to him!" she was exasperated.


    Inside the car, Raine chewed her marshmallow and shared it with Calleb, who was sitting behind the steering wheel.


    "How long do you think it will last?" Calleb nodded to the argumentation between Serefina and Torak.


    "Hm," Raine swallowed her marshmallow. "Ten minutes."


    "I said two minutes. Torak will turn a deaf ear." Calleb plopped a marshmallow into his mouth. "I bet my one month salary."


    Yet, after Calleb finished saying his last words, he got a hit on the back of his head. It was Raphael, who was standing outside of the car. He stretched out his hand through the open window beside Calleb.


    "Don''t teach her something bad!" Raphael glared at the Gamma and Raine chuckled when she heard that.


    "D*mn Lycan and their remarkable hearing!" Calleb cursed under his breath, as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "You are a lycan too!" Raine chimed in between her laugh.


    On the other side of the car, Torak answered to the witch curtly. "He has a centaur with him. I would not risk my mate''s safety on the assumption that he would be friendly with me." Torak opened the car door and didn''t let Serefina to snap back at him.


    ==============


    Jedrek watched Lilac hair as it turned back into her initial black color under the sunlight. He touched it and felt the softness of the strands.


    Lilac was still fast asleep, she looked exhausted and in her unawareness state, the girl snuggled closer to Jedrek''s embrace, searching for warm, when the cold wind came through the open carriage window, which later Jedrek closed it.


    The journey to the southern region would take a week.


    Actually, it would be easier if all of them shifted and ran in their beast form, but in Lilac current condition, Jedrek didn''t think it would be convenient for her, moreover, he needed time to think and being with his mate could calm his beast, helping him to think clearly since his beast would stop to nag at him.


    ==============


    "The Apricity River froze again," Lydia informed them. "I think we need to prepare ourselves for something unpredictable."


    Kace''s expression turned grim when he heard that, the last time that river froze was when everything turned into chaos. The dead of the shadow warrior, the extinction of the guardian angel and the paramount of that was the war with the devil.


    "You know what that means, right?" Lydia glanced at the lycan beside her.


    Yet, Kace didn''t answer her. He was in deep thought.


    "If war breaks out, then the best thing for you is to return to your brother to join forces. The devil won''t just let you go. They want your mate and they will get it no matter what. And you don''t have power in your hand except the centaurs and a few shifters." Lydia waved her hand to the group behind her.


    "I have my own force," Kace spoke grimly, as he watched Hope, who was walking in front of him, talking to Bree.


    "What kind of force?" Lydia asked curiously. "I have never heard you ever created a pack on your own."


    "No, I don''t have a pack." Kace shook his head, his expression was devoid from any emotion when he spoke. "You can say, I have reliable friends."


    After saying that, Kace walked ahead, picked up Bree and sat her on his shoulder as the little girl squalled happily, leaving Lydia pondered in her own thought.


    ==============


    "This is my first time in the northern realm," Calleb spoke to Raine beside him, while Torak and Raphael were talking to the other two Alphas before they crossed the sea to reach the sacred place, where Serefina told them that Kace was there.


    In the other hand, Hope didn''t realy hear what Calleb said as her eyes fixed on a strange creature near them.


    That creature looked like horse in the color of white with fat yellow stripes on its stomach.


    "Torak bought two sh.i.p.s for us." Serefina approached them, it looked like she had lost another argument to Torak.


    The witch hated having to come back to this place and hated it even more when they had to bring so many people that attracted the other creatures'' attention.


    Torak would say it was for their own safety, because rather than to sneak around inside this foreign land and took a detour, it would save them more time to just go all out and ended this journey as soon as possible.


    Raine laughed upon hearing that and rewarded a glare from Serefina. Recently the witch was a little bit cranky.

 Chapter 685 - ARRIVED

    "We are almost there." Tordoff approached Lilac, who was walking alone while touching every leaves that she could reach.


    "Hm," Lilac hummed. "I can feel that. A big city with enormous gates surrounded the place." She could feel it beneath her barefoot.


    Tordoff sometime forgot that Lilac has this ability. "Right. This is the second largest city in this realm. Though, the castle was not as big as the other one, but it is still a decent place for a King to reside."


    Lilac glanced toward Jedrek''s direction.


    "Really decent place," Lilac said as they stepped out of the dense forest, which had canopied them for days.


    The sun shone brightly and basked on Lilac''s body, put her under the spotlight for every eyes to see her beauty. Captivated every soul with her charm.


    And Jedrek was not an exception.


    He knew Lilac was a rare beauty, but he had never seen her in this way. She looked majestic with the way she carried herself.


    She was fierce like a fireball, yet at the same time gentle as a flower. Jedrek realized this from the first time he saw her, accepted the perception during the one year he put her into a deep sleep and the understanding deepened throughout their six days journey to the southern gates.


    Meanwhile the certain guardian angel was oblivious with the way her mate saw her now. In her eyes, Jedrek didn''t treat her any different. They were barely talking, but she had to admit the tension between them was not as thick as their first meeting.


    It seemed they had come into a mutual understanding that they needed each other to win the war against the devil and there was no time to waste on trivial arguments or denial upon the bond between them.


    Lilac watched the city below the hill, where she was standing now. A crowded city that was protected by majestic wall that looked like it could touch the sky. This was a strong fortress, which could protect the people inside from attacks from outside.


    But, she was sure, this stronghold wouldn''t stand against the force that would happen when the war broke out.


    "Beautiful isn''t it?" Tordoff said softly, yet his eyes were on Lilac instead of the beautiful city under the hill.


    "Yes," Lilac agreed. She watched the city shimmered in the sunlight.


    Tordoff stared at Lilac when the guardian angel didn''t even realize the look that the general gave to her. However, there was one person who was aware with that.


    "Tordoff," Jedrek called his general and snapped him back to reality. "I want you to go ahead and announce our arrival."


    Tordoff must obey that order. "Yes, your grace," he said and took last glance at Lilac before he departed.


    After Tordoff shifted into his beast and went ahead of them. Jedrek also continued to march toward the city.


    The Alpha King didn''t need to inform Lilac about this, but he knew she was following the group, walking as far as possible from him.


    Although Jedrek initially had a lot of things to talk to her, but he found himself couldn''t utter a word to ask her anything.


    He didn''t want her, but at the same time, she was all he needed.


    And he knew, things would go even worse starting from now.


    ==============


    "The two gates to Tartarus have been opened, the Apricity River froze for the second time and all the guardian angels are here." Calleb listed all the things that had happened. "Torak is the most wanted person in the fulbright city and now the castle had been destroyed?" Calleb shook his head dramatically. "I don''t believe this. Could things be any worse than this?"


    However, before someone answered that, the Gamma knew; things would only get worse than this.


    Calleb kept babbling as they walked through what must have been a village at some point, but now was only rubbles and ruins. It seemed the witches and the vampires where indeed came to this place and destroyed it when they realized the centaurs and the villagers had fled.


    Now, all the lycanthropes and werewolves scattered around the area, looking for something that they could use as a clue to find where the centaurs were headed.


    But, if the creatures who responsible for this mess were not able to find anything, how they could find something?


    They people who resided there had been long gone, including their scent.


    "Should we make a tent, Alpha?" Alpha Romulus asked Torak. The sun was almost set and they should call it a day.


    Torak looked around and decided they would be safe enough to make a camp here. "We will rest here."


    "Raine, I need you to come with me." Serefina approached Raine and Torak.


    "Where will you take her?" Torak asked while narrowing his eyes.


    Serefina rolled her eyes dramatically upon seeing Torak''s protectiveness, she still had not yet gotten used with the way he treated Raine, despite knowing they were surrounded by his own people and Raine was not a scaredy cat like she was a year ago.


    "There," Serefina said as she pointed her finger toward the village square not too far from them.


    At the village square, there was a big podium made of white stone, which had cracked and split in half.


    "What are you going to do there?" Torak could see there were still traces of blood stuck to the white stone.


    "I want to see if she is able to use her power. The war is on our doorstep and she needs to grasp on it quickly," Serefina said.


    Raine knew what Serefina said was right, so she tried to comfort her overprotective mate. "It''s okay, I will comeback right away. You can make a tent for us while waiting for me," Raine said sweetly as she tiptoed and kissed Torak''s chin.


    Torak was unsure about leaving Raine with Serefina. "I will go with you." He wrapped his hand around Raine''s waist as he walked her toward the ruined podium.

 Chapter 686 - FIREFLIES

    "Sure." Serefina shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly. "Do you think I will bite her?" she asked sarcastically and she followed behind Torak and Raine toward the podium.


    "You just want to upset her, right?" Raine elbowed Torak.


    "No, I want to be with you," Torak answered her with straight face, he didn''t lie when he said he wanted to be with her. Well, getting on Serefina''s nerve sounded nice too.


    Raine didn''t argue with Torak about that.


    The three of them walked toward the white podium and stopped under its stairs. From there, they could see what the function of this place was before it was destroyed.


    "They used this place to burn dead bodies." Torak walked up the stairs while holding Raine''s hand, followed by Serefina, who was observing their surroundings.


    "Yes, they were. Among the dead bodies that were burned were the dead bodies of victims of your brother''s brutality," Serefina informed them. She heard this from Lydia. Her witch friend told her everything she knew before she sent her away to follow the centaurs.


    "Kace slaughtered people?" Torak raised his eyebrows questioningly toward Serefina.


    More or less, though Kace would never admit it, but Torak knew how reluctant his younger brother was to end someone life. Kace and Jedrek had a great control over their beast, but in different aspect.


    "I think he was forced to do so since his mate was in great danger at that time," Serefina said.


    "Understandable," Torak spoke impassively. He had no empathy for the decisions and actions Kace had taken, because he would have done the same if he was him.


    "Come here, Raine," Serefina called for Raine as she crouched down on one side of the crack that had split the podium in half. "I want you to feel this."


    Serefina was putting her hands on the dirt of the podium floor and beckoned Raine to do the same thing. Raine followed Serefina''s instruction and did the same thing while Torak was kneeling beside her.


    "Concentrate," Serefina instructed and put her palm on top of Raine''s hand. "Concentrate with what you want to see."


    There was a small frown between Raine''s eyebrows. How she knew what she wanted to see? She didn''t even know what she supposed to see¡­


    In spite of that, Raine closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. She tried to tap on her magic, or whatever it was, since she was not sure she could control this. Most of the time, her ability would come and go without her consent.


    Raine tried to concentrate to the wind that blew her hair, or the sound of the cricket around her, or Serefina''s warm palms that touched her, yet nothing happened.


    The guardian angel took in a deep breath, she tried to focus on the darkness that enveloped her senses.


    A minute¡­


    Two minutes¡­


    "How is it? Do you see something?" Serefina asked, staring at her expectantly. However, the moment Raine opened her eyes, she knew the answer right away.


    "No," Raine said softly. She stared at the dirt beneath her palms with her brows furrowed deeply.


    "Or, do you feel something?" Serefina pressed. She wanted her to make some progress. They didn''t have time to be wasted.


    "No¡­" Raine''s voice was barely a whisper. "I don''t."


    Serefina clicked her tongue. There was something wrong. She must have missed something¡­ why Raine''s progress was very slow compared to Hope?


    After all, Serefina had spent more time with Raine than Hope, since Kace had taken her away to God knows where.


    Raine could feel Serefina''s disappointment. She disappointed to herself too, if she had to be honest. But, then she felt the spark on top of her head and knew it was Torak, who caressed her head.


    "It''s okay, you can try later." Torak helped Raine to stand up and wiped the dirt from her hands.


    "Right!" Serefina snapped exasperatedly. "She can try later and later and later! Let''s see how many ''later'' that she has before something really terrible happened!"


    "We just arrived! All of us are tired." Torak snapped back at the witch. "She has tried her best and if she has not lived up to your expectations it doesn''t mean he is not progressing."


    The witch seethed, but didn''t say anything when she stomped her feet angrily, walking down the podium and stormed toward camp site to make her own tent with only one swift movement, so the moment she arrived her tent was ready.


    Raine watched in amazement. How she hoped she had that kind of magic.


    "Let''s go back, you must be tired." Torak helped Raine to step down the stairs of the podium.


    "You shouldn''t defend me in front of her¡­" Raine mumbled, but Torak could hear her anyway. "What she said is true."


    Only if Raine could tap on her power¡­ maybe¡­ just maybe¡­ things would go different with Sunny or¡­ Aeon¡­


    The death of the shadow warrior was still fresh in her memory and sometime Raine would find herself crying in the middle of the night with Torak beside her, calmed her down.


    Torak didn''t say anything, but Raine knew he was aware about what she felt¡­


    "I need you to be strong," Torak started as he tucked strands of Raine''s hair behind her ears. "But, you will not make any progress when you feel depressed or desperate to make any good result. That''s not how it works."


    Raine lowered her head, she didn''t know what to say, but from the corner of her eyes, she saw something beautiful.


    Flickering in the dark night¡­


    A firefly.


    ==============


    Hope saw them again. The fireflies that flew freely in this place. They just arrived in Uzu mountain now and not like when the last time they were here, there was no barrier around this area anymore.


    It seemed what Lydia said was true, the devil and her minions had gone from this place.


    "What are you staring at?" Bree tugged Hope''s hand, staring at her curiously.


    "Fireflies," Hope answered softly.


    But, little Bree didn''t see any fireflies around them¡­

 Chapter 687 - I WANT TO GO THERE

    "What happened to you?" Jedrek came into Killian''s room. He had wanted to visit this mind reader ever since Tordoff picked him up from the other realm.


    His last encounter with Kace seemed had exhausted his energy until he found it very difficult to move. Killian was barely alive when Kace left him alone, though Jedrek''s younger brother didn''t finish him off, but it was still hard for him to recover from the blow, since he was not a shape shifter, which had a remarkable healing ability.


    "Kace found out that it was me who followed him, somehow he knew that I am a mind reader. So, he had avoided to think about his mate and didn''t come near her even once," Killian answered his King. He was sitting on the edge of his bed. The bandages had removed and left ugly scars around his chest.


    "He found out you are a mind reader?" Jedrek raised his brows questioningly.


    "Somehow he knows," Killian replied.


    Jedrek leaned his body against the table. He was in deep thought. Regarding this matter, apparently he had someone he was suspicious of. It wasn''t hard to point out who was the suspect.


    "Stay here. Eaton''s room will be next to yours." Jedrek had another problem to be handled, thus he needed to gather all of his generals.


    "Why his room had to be next to mine? Do you know who told him about me?" Killian protested under his breath. If his power had recovered, he would like to read what was inside his King''s mind. It seemed a little bit messy in there¡­ "Your grace?"


    "I have my own suspect," Jedrek said, but he didn''t elaborate further about this and walked out of the room after saying, "because all the other rooms have been occupied."


    And the door was closed.


    "That was a terrible lie," Killian grumbled as he lay on the bed. "There are around four hundreds room in this castle, how come all the rooms have been occupied?"


    ==============


    Jedrek stopped in the hallway as the night sky captivated his interest, the pale crescent moon shone like a silvery claw in the night sky, blanketed with stars that stretched to infinity.


    And for the first time in his life, he liked the serene of the night with the moonlight basking on the small garden in front of him.


    However, it didn''t last for long time when there was another thing that attracted his attention, the sweet scent of lilac¡­


    Jedrek knew she was coming to this way even before he could see her figure, but he frowned when he smelled another scent that came with her. His beast growled in displeasure.


    Especially when he heard she was laughing upon something that the other man was saying.


    Jedrek stood there until Lilac and Tordoff approached him and their laugh died down. Lilac even frowned and looked elsewhere.


    "Your Majesty," Tordoff greeted Jedrek and lowered his head.


    "Tordoff," Jedrek mentioned his name with hostility. "I am sure all the generals have gathered inside the meeting room."


    "I am on my way there, your grace," Tordoff said before he nodded to Lilac and walked ahead.


    Lilac nodded at him politely as well and turned around, was about to walk back down the path she had walked earlier.


    "I thought you will go this way." Those words left Jedrek''s lips even before he considered to say it.


    Lilac stopped and stared at him. "I was, but because that is the path that you will walk, I will not go there."


    Lilac''s voice rang in this empty hallway, but all Jedrek could hear was her strong rejection.


    "Walk with me," he said curtly, didn''t leave any room for negotiation.


    ==============


    "Can we go to the village?" Hope asked all of sudden when they were sitting on the velvety grass, under the crescent moon. Tomorrow they would start to go to the cave where those poor souls and the priestess rested.


    "Which village?" Kace asked, but his eyes fixed on the strands of Bree''s hair between his fingers, the little girl was sleeping on his laps when she was tired of playing with her little cat.


    "The village where the priestess lived before," Hope said in low voice. She knew it sounded weird, but somehow she had an urgency to visit that place. She didn''t know why she had this feeling.


    Kace raised his head and furrowed his brows. "Why?"


    This was one question that Hope couldn''t answer either. "I don''t know¡­" Hope lowered her head. "I only want to visit that village."


    Hope watched the flickered of the fireflies around her feet and was confused; why no one could see it? Apparently Kace also couldn''t see this little things, just like how no one could see the spirit of the priestess.


    Maybe what Ethan said was right after all; those flickering things were indeed the spirit. The dead spirit.


    "I don''t think we will go there Hope¡­" Kace stretched out his arm and pushed her head gently, so she could rest on his shoulder.


    Hope poked Bree''s soft cheeks, as she was in deep thought.


    She wanted to go to the village.


    "I want to go there," she said softly.


    ==============


    "Do you say something?" Raine tilted her head toward Torak, staring at him with her big eyes while munching on her dinner, a roasted sausage.


    "Hm?" Torak looked at Raine and shook his head. "No, I didn''t say anything."


    "Really?" Raine frowned.


    "What happened?" Torak leaned over, concerned about what Raine heard.


    Yet, Raine shook her head. She took another bite and contemplated. "Maybe I heard what you were thinking through the mind link?" she said with uncertainty.


    "What did you hear?" Torak asked.


    "I don''t know¡­ it was like a whisper¡­" Raine frowned.


    "And what this whisper said?" Torak pressed this issue. They were in foreign land something strange could happen and he didn''t want Raine was implicated by something bad.


    "I want to go there," Raine repeated what she heard.

 Chapter 688 - THE SAME AFFECTION

    The night wind caressed her skin, but the bonfire in front of Raine managed to keep her warm, especially with Torak beside her.


    "I want to go there?" Torak frowned, "where to?"


    Raine crept closer and Torak put his arm around his shoulder to make his mate feel safe. They were surrounded by his people and Serefina was there too, so there was nothing to worry about, yet Torak still felt protective over her.


    They had left the village three days ago and now Serefina led them to mountain Uzu. The witch said, it was the place where she met with Kace in this realm.


    In spite of the fact, she couldn''t guarantee Kace would go to the place where he almost lost his mate, but it was better than they had to roam around in this foreign land and not knowing where to go.


    "I don''t know, I have been hearing those words since we left the village¡­ like a whisper¡­ like someone was talking to the wind¡­ like she was talking to me¡­" Raine lost in her own thought, her eyes enshrouded by curiosity.


    "Raine." Torak called out her name before Raine''s mind could stray further. "What is it? What are you thinking?" concern was apparent in the lycan''s eyes upon seeing her.


    "Ah?" Raine blinked her eyes and shook her head groggily. "No, I don''t think about anything. Just¡­"


    It needed four days to reach Uzu mountain from the village, so they assumed tomorrow they would reach the place and if they still couldn''t find Kace, they needed another plan.


    "Just?" Torak pressed.


    "I just felt like¡­ something urges me to go¡­" Raine tilted her head and found Torak''s expression, in an instant she knew that she had made her mate worried. "It could mean that we are heading to the right direction, right?" she stretched her hand and caressed Torak''s face, soothing her mate with her touch.


    Torak leaned over to her touch, yet he mind- linked Calleb. [Tell Serefina to meet me.]


    ==============


    "What happened to the castle?" Lyrus inquired about the recent event. The Beta was completely surprised when he learned the castle was no more and all the citizens had moved to the southern region.


    "What happened with you when I told you to return right away?" Jedrek asked in cold tone that could make Lyrus grimaced, forgetting his initial shock.


    When his mission to come to Torak''s territory had done, Lyrus should comeback immediately and gave his report to Jedrek, yet the Beta didn''t return and it was only his men, who reported to him about what had happened.


    "My apologize, your Majesty." Lyrus lowered his head, knowing his mistake. "However, I am back with important news for you to know."


    Lyrus went straight to Jedrek''s chamber once he arrived in this castle, ignoring the warning that the other generals gave to him about their King didn''t want to be disturbed at the moment.


    However, here Lyrus was, standing under the furious glare of his King.


    "You have to wish this is important enough for me to consider not punishing you." Jedrek sat down on his chair while his Beta was still afraid to raise his head.


    Jedrek was rarely having an outburst when he was angry, but the air around him would change, the atmosphere became thick and his dominance aura was suffocating. Moreover, to the people who could sense it through the mind- link.


    Lyrus gritted his teeth when he raised his head to speak. "Torak has a mate," The Beta said it with knitted brows. "I know that this sounds hard to believe, but I watched the way he saw the girl¡­ it was different and the girl is the guardian angel."


    The Beta kept explaining about how he could come to this conclusion. In his mind the Donovans were the cursed Lycanthropes who wouldn''t get their own mate, punished by the moon goddess herself because of the abomination that they had committed.


    But, in the end, Lyrus realized one thing; Jedrek didn''t give the respond that he expected. The Alpha King was sitting there calmly, as if he was waiting for Lyrus to finish his nonsensical prattle.


    "You don''t believe me," Lyrus concluded. However, his accusation didn''t seem right, thus he changed it. "You had known about this. You know that Torak had a mate."


    "I know." Jedrek responded.


    "The guardian angel is his mate?" Lyrus frowned. "How about the curse? How could the guardian angel be his mate?"


    There was silent that fell inside that chamber when Jedrek didn''t explain about the curse that was no longer valid for them, but somehow, Lyrus managed to put the pieces together.


    There would be three guardian angels. There were three Donovans. The curses. The mates.


    And also the way Jedrek insisted to kill the guardian angel, yet he kept the guardian angel, who came straight to his door. He was keeping her safe. Even after Tordoff''s attempt to bring the guardian angel away, Jedrek forgave him. Both of them.


    Moreover, he knew Maximus was away to look for Kace, but it was not only to catch him, but also the guardian angel, who was with the younger Donovan. Why Kace cared about the guardian angel?


    Lyrus was not aware about this before, but when he thought about this again, though it was slightly different from the way Torak displayed his affection toward his guardian angel, but it seemed Lyrus could see the way Jedrek was staring at Lilac, those eyes filled with the complexity, yet the same affection.


    "Is that possible?" Lyrus''s eyes widened with surprised. No, he was flabbergasted with this revelation. "The guardian angels are the Donovans'' mates? The curse had been lifted?"


    Jedrek''s silence confirmed Lyrus''s statement. However, it was still hard to believe.


    "Is that true?" The Beta still needed for his Alpha to say it.


    However, instead of answering him, Jedrek asked another question. "What else the information that you got? Where is Torak now?"


    "Torak is with Serefina to find Kace in the northern coven," Lyrus answered.

 Chapter 689 - THIS TOO SHALL PASS

    "Torak is with Serefina to find Kace in the northern coven," Lyrus answered. He wanted to confirm his statement, but just by looking at Jedrek''s expression he could tell, that this King didn''t want to answer that question.


    However, it might sounded bizarre, yet Jedrek''s silence confirmed what Lyrus thought was absolutely impossible.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek was not interested in anything when he heard her name...


    Serefina¡­


    The witch¡­


    How long when the last time Jedrek heard someone mentioned her name? Was it years? Centuries?


    All the memories flooded back in his mind and it needed more than a strong will to hold them back, kept them in place, which was on the back of his mind. The dark place where he had sworn, he would never touch it ever again.


    Yet, here he was, holding onto his last fa?ade to appear nonchalant upon the mention of her name.


    Serefina¡­


    Her name echoed in Jedrek''s head again when he listened, half- heartedly, to the information that Lyrus tried to tell him.


    There was only one thing that shook his entire being, which was the fact that he would meet her again.


    "¡­for now, Alpha Torak and his people are in the northern coven, but the last information that I had, was them crossed the sea to the sacred place, which is in different island." Lyrus ended his long monologue and watched Jedrek''s expression.


    And this was the first time Jedrek looked like this¡­


    "Your Majesty, are you okay?" Lyrus asked with concern laced in his voice. "Do you need something?" The Beta walked over to approach Jedrek, but one look from him, stopped Lyrus in his track.


    "Yes," Jedrek answered curtly.


    "Please, what is it your grace?" Lyrus knitted his brows, he was at lost when he watched the apparent pain crossed Jedrek''s expression.


    "I want you to leave," Jedrek said through his gritted teeth.


    Unfortunately, Lyrus didn''t catch the urgency behind Jedrek''s words when he did not immediately do what Jedrek had said.


    "LEAVE!" Jedrek roared and this snapped Lyrus back to his senses as he nodded his head and walked out of the room right away, leaving the furious King alone.


    Jedrek grabbed his crystal glass and crushed it into pieces. The pain from the sharp shard that pierced his palm, comforted him to stay sane.


    He knew Serefina would come along with his two brothers and their guardian angels. He could read what this witch was up to. Went missing for centuries only to return to rally them to another war with the devils.


    "What are you doing¡­ Serefina?" Her name fell from his lips and he craved more for her presence.


    Jedrek felt that he needed the drink that Maximus had been giving him, a drink he had not consumed for a long time, to numb the dull ache that seemed so hard to get rid of, no matter how hard he tried.


    When Jedrek was struggling with his own feeling, he heard someone opened the door.


    "SCRAM!" He roared even more viciously than before.


    However, she didn''t slow down her step or even flinch when she was yelled at.


    Jedrek realized who it was even before he raised his head to see her figure, as her strong scent, though he hated to admit it, slightly calmed his nerves.


    "What do you want?" Jedrek asked through his gritted teeth.


    "You are hurt," Lilac said softly. She stopped walking right in front of Jedrek, so now it was only the table between them.


    Jedrek scoffed. He raised his hand, which he used to crush the glass, but the deep cut had healed, leaving only some blood on his palm.


    Lilac looked at him sadly. "Not there." And she pointed her finger toward Jedrek''s chest. "There."


    Jedrek gripped the edge of his wooden table until it cracked under his strong hold, yet it didn''t scare Lilac away. "Scram, when I am still being nice to you."


    Yet, the guardian angel didn''t heed his warning. She looked bitter and heartbroken.


    "Do you want to hear my advice?" Lilac asked in her toneless voice, yet she didn''t wait for Jedrek''s consent to continue. "Don''t get too deep into this pain, because there will be more pain you will feel in the future."


    "I need you to leave," Jedrek said in the same toneless tone that Lilac used. He straightened his back and glared at his mate with his dark eyes.


    "You may not like me as much as I do, but we are bound in this bond of soul mate and Selene won''t listen to our complaints. So, why don''t we get along and win this stupid war by fulfilling our respective roles?" Lilac could feel her heart was thumping badly against her chest. She tried to appear strong, but was not sure how she looked like now.


    "I said, leave." Jedrek clenched his jaw tightly.


    But, like before or the days before this, the guardian angel didn''t listen to what he said. "Mate or not, we are not going to spend our life together."


    There was a silence that fell between the two of them and Jedrek became impatient because Lilac didn''t explain what she said further. "What do you mean?"


    "You already know for sure that in order to win this battle you must sacrifice the Guardian Angels." When Lilac saw Jedrek was about to talk, she beat him to that. "The guardian angel went extinct in the first war, so in the second war the same thing would happen."


    "No. They died because they were sapped from their energy before went to war." Jedrek rejected the idea.


    "The story repeats itself. After all, the three of us should have died by now if it weren''t for the second chance that was given to us." Lilac bit her lips when she looked at Jedrek sadly. "Let''s carry out our role."


    ==============


    Serefina looked up at the stary sky, staring at the moon with her lips shut tightly, but her heart howled to the goddess above.


    If this had to end tragically, she hoped all this pain would one day go away.


    This too shall pass, right?

 Chapter 690 - THE URGENCY

    "Serefina," Calleb called the witch, "Torak is looking for you." Serefina turned around and Calleb raised his brows upon seeing how pale she was. "What happened with you?"


    Serefina tilted her head and stared at the Beta questioningly, yet didn''t say anything.


    "You look so pale, are you hungry?" Serefina was being sick was absolutely not the reason that could register into his mind, thus the only thing that he could think of was that lame words.


    This time the witch glared at him. "It is because of the moonlight, you stupid pup!" Serefina snapped at him.


    Being called pup again and again was truly upset the Gamma. "Watch your mouth witch! I will claw your head at the first chance I got." He snarled.


    However, Serefina just rolled her eyes and didn''t give him snappy answer in return like usual, the witch just walked away.


    "Don''t you think she is a little bit weird today?" Calleb asked Raphael who approached him. "She looks like she didn''t want to be here, but lead our group to this place persistently, nonetheless."


    Raphael hit the back of his head. "Mind your own business Cal. Why? Are you worried for her now?"


    "Worry? To her?" Calleb shuddered. "Nice joke, Raph!" He tried to hit Raphael, but he dodged it swiftly.


    ==============


    Serefina walked toward Torak and Raine''s tent, but before she could enter, Torak had walked out of there and almost bumped onto her.


    "So, you were looking for me?" Serefina crossed her arms in front of her chest, as her usual boring expression returned.


    "Raine has been hearing whispers ever since we arrived at the village." Torak didn''t beat around the bush when he voiced out his concern. "What do you think is that?"


    The witch frowned and looked at the tent. She was sure, Raine was sleeping now, or else, Torak wouldn''t be here and talk to her without his mate. This Alpha''s protectiveness had reached another level ever since they were in this northern coven realm. He didn''t let Raine out of his sight longer than necessary.


    "What this whisper said?" Serefina asked with concern, she was sure that this area was clear from black magic or curses. However, she had to admit there were magic that she didn''t know.


    In this northern coven realm, where witches, fairies, vampires and other unknown creatures lived together, Serefina was not sure she could recognize all of their magic. This was one of the reasons she hated for being here.


    "She couldn''t catch most of the whispers, but one that was clear for her to hear was; I want to go there." Torak repeated what Raine told him.


    "What is that mean?" Serefina frowned.


    "Do you think I will ask you if I know?" Torak asked incredulously.


    "Look." Serefina rolled her eyes dramatically. "I know most things, but not all of them." And then she added. "But, one thing for sure, she was not under any black magic or curses." She knew what concerned Torak the most.


    "How can you be so sure about that?" Torak was squinted his eyes.


    "I was the one who put the horn of unicorn on her. It can ward off curses and black magic." Serefina added more to her explanation exasperatedly when she watched Torak was still not convinced by her. "She is growing stronger than before, so the function of the unicorn''s horn also gets stronger along with her power."


    Torak stared at the tent before his eyes. "So, what do you think is that?"


    "I don''t know for sure, I need to talk to her." Serefina was about to enter the tent when Torak held her back.


    "She just fell asleep." Torak pulled her back. "You can talk to her tomorrow." The whole journey was exhausting for his mate, after all she didn''t have stamina as strong as the shifters, even though Raine didn''t complain, but Torak could tell only from the look on her face.


    Once again, Serefina rolled her eyes and threw her arms in the air. "Fine!?? she said, annoyed. "We will leave before the sun rise, make sure your sweet angel has enough sleep."


    The witch walked away and Torak entered his tent again, but Serefina was barely taking her four steps when she heard vicious roar erupted from inside the tent, pierced the serene night.


    It didn''t take another second before the Alpha stormed out of the tent, shouting orders to all the lycans and werewolves around them. Put them in alert that something horrible had happened.


    Among this chaotic situation, Serefina went into the tent and found no one there.


    Raine had gone missing.


    However, there was no trace that someone had broke into this tent or any suspicious witchcraft that she could sense, thus there was only one explanation.


    "This girl should learn to control her power right away." Serefina clicked her tongue, peevishly.


    ==============


    Hope woke up with a start. Her black eyes turned blurry, as if she was staring at unfocused object in front of her.


    "Hope? What happened?" Kace sat down immediately when he felt Hope''s body was trembling and she was slightly hyperventilating. "Bad dream?"


    Kace helped Hope to sit down and gave her a glass of water, which she drank half of it.


    "Kace, I need to go," Hope mumbled as she jumped to her feet and ran out of the tent, Kace, who was about to grab her wrist, couldn''t reach her in time.


    "Hope!" Kace called to his mate and managed to grab her wrist outside of the tent, there were a few centaurs and hunters, who were on the night duty, watching them curiously. "Where do you want to go in the middle of the night?!"


    "There is someone there." Hope pointed at the direction where the fireflies flocked together above the shadow of the trees.


    "There is no one there!" Kace didn''t let go of her, though Hope tried very hard to free herself.


    Hope couldn''t explain it, but she felt this urgency to go and find out who was there.

 Chapter 691 - INSIDE THE WOODS

    "No, there is someone there! There is someone there!" Hope became frantic and this was the first time Kace saw Hope like this.


    "Hope!" Kace held her face in his warm palms and watched her anxious eyes drifted to the dense trees, refused to look at him. "Tell me who is there."


    Hope shifted her attention toward her mate, her brows wrinkled as she bit her lips, hesitated to answer him. "I don''t know¡­ but, she is calling for me."


    "Why is she calling you?" Kace couldn''t make sense with Hope sudden outburst. They were sleeping and all of sudden she was awake and talking nonsensical things like this.


    "Because she is alone there. Afraid and vulnerable¡­" Hope was also confused with her own answer, but that was what she felt. She called for her and she needed to come.


    Kace gazed at the dense trees and saw Chiron was approaching them, along with the other centaurs because of the commotion they caused. "What is she?"


    Hope seemed like she was in deep thought. "Human¡­?" she answered with uncertainty.


    "There is no human will be able to do that." Kace shook his head. Whatever inside the dense trees, it was not human. That was for sure. There was no human here except the people that with them, the villagers.


    "What happened?" Chiron asked them when he was close enough.


    "Hope heard someone in the dense," Kace answered.


    "You heard someone in the dense?" Even Chiron was confused. How she was able to hear someone when the centaurs and shifters couldn''t pick any sounds whatsoever?


    Hope grew more agitated by the passing seconds. "Kace, please¡­" she implored with her eyes because she was frustrated to explain it.


    Kace sighed deeply. "I will go over there to check on it, but you shouldn''t come near. Understood?"


    Hope didn''t have a choice. "Understood." After all, she kicked up a fuss in the middle of the night and was not able to explain herself.


    "But, if I found whatever there is dangerous, there will be no negotiation."


    ==============


    Raine didn''t know how long it had been when she woke up, but the feeling that surrounded her didn''t seem right, the comfortable bed inside her tent had turned into rough grass, which scratched her skin.


    The air, which had been warm and sweet, was now cold and eerie.


    Raine stirred slowly, but when she sensed the change of her environment, she immediately sat up. Her big obsidian eyes, opened widely, taking her new situation.


    "Torak?" Raine whispered, calling her mate and when she realized she was alone with no one nearby, fear crept in her heart. She whimpered and stood up in alert.


    Raine was in the middle of the woods and didn''t know how she could get here. The last thing she remembered was lying down beside Torak and fell asleep.


    Raine pressed her back against a tree behind her and tilted her head to see a huge, nearly full moon in the night sky. She tried to calm her breath and think about what she had to do, assessing her circ.u.mstances.


    After all, it was not her first time being in this kind of situation, jumping from one place to another or going back and forth between past and present.


    From the look of it, apparently Raine just teleported herself to different place, which she could sigh in relieve, thus the next thing that she had to do was to find out where she was and get back to Torak.


    Sound like a plan for Raine, yet in the middle of the night and in this unknown woods, it would be wise for her to not roam around and wait until the sun came up.


    But, this stillness scared her. Raine was completely aware that she was alone.


    [Torak¡­] Raine tried to reach him through the mind link, but there was no respond. It seemed she was too far, so she couldn''t reach him. Yet, she tried again. [Torak where are you?]


    Raine rocked herself back and forth to calm herself, pressing her legs against her chest and rested her chin on her knees.


    If the quietness was not enough to frighten her, Raine started to hear rustling sounds from the bushes on her left side.


    Something was approaching her and whatever it was, this thing was very fast!


    When Raine was considering her options between ran away and stayed, hiding herself behind the trees, she watched a white lycan emerged from the bushes.


    Its white fur bathed under the moonlight, magnificently.


    Raine froze, relief coursed through her body, yet it didn''t last for long time, because the moment her eyes met with the beast dark ones, she knew right away that the white beast was not Torak.


    ==============


    "What do you mean Kace was hurt?" Jedrek asked Killian. Apparently, the mind reader forgot to mention this in his last report.


    "I am not really sure if this is true, after all he was injured after nearly beating me to death," Killian complained, "but, from what I heard Maximus asked a fae''s help to create poison to weaken him. But, I don''t know what kind of poison was that."


    "Do you think he has a chance to use it on him?" Eaton asked, he was standing beside Jedrek in his study room, where only the three of them left after the meeting with the other six generals and Beta Lyrus.


    "I think there was a fight, because Maximus was injured and stayed away from your younger sibling for some time." Killian tried to remember that piece of information.


    Eaton raised his brows and commented. "Wow! I thought Kace had the softest heart of the three of you, but I was wrong. As expected of Donovans." Eaton looked Jedrek, who was in deep thought. "You should call him back. Maximus I meant. Now Torak is going to meet Kace, he will not stand a chance against the two of them. This will only create misunderstanding on your part."

 Chapter 692 - MEETING KACE

    Jedrek''s first order was indeed to kill the guardian angel, who would be Kace''s mate, but the second order was only to find Kace and his mate whereabouts.


    However, Maximus interpreted his order differently and went extra miles to kill the younger Donovan, which Jedrek never ordered him to do like that.


    "You have to kill him," Killian said. "Maximus has been a b*tch for decades."


    "No, we can''t do that," Eaton rejected the idea.


    "And why he can''t do that? I wonder why you didn''t finish him off since you knew his loyalty wasn''t to you." Killian looked Jedrek, asking for answer.


    Yet, it was Eaton, who explained to him. "Maximus''s influence in the eastern region is great, since he was the last Gregory. Those people owed him a big favor, so if we kill him, there will be a riot there and that is the last thing we need in this situation."


    That was one of the reasons why Jedrek kept him alive.


    "Ask Sebastian and Kyle to bring him back," Jedrek ordered Killian before he dismissed him.


    "Will do," Killian said and walked out of the room.


    Since Jedrek was no longer under the influence of his father or the devils that stayed under his roof, that fact made the burden on his mind a little less. However, he still needed to face the reality that the blame was on him regarding the death of Janus and Diana.


    No matter what Eaton said to sugarcoat that fact, it didn''t make the Alpha King felt better even in the slightest.


    No one would know about this and it was something he would have to deal with throughout his eternal life.


    "Jedrek, what you will do to Maximus?" Eaton asked Jedrek carefully. This King had been less and less talking recently and Eaton was having a hard time to guess what was inside his mind.


    "The thing that I should have done long time ago." Jedrek gave him a questionable answer.


    "Jedrek, you know what will happen if you kill him." Eaton tried to remind Jedrek the thing that he had known very clear.


    Jedrek raised his head and stared into Eaton''s eyes coldly. "I killed both my parents, do you think there will be someone else that I am reluctant to kill?"


    He had done many atrocity acts, thus if he had to rule with more blood in his hands, so be it.


    He had lost his soul anyway.


    He didn''t need his soul, he just wanted to make everything went according to his plan.


    ==============


    Raine''s eyes locked on the white beast that prowled toward her, bared his fangs dangerously. She didn''t make any movement, afraid that the lycan before her would misinterpret her reaction and attacked her.


    However, at the same time her mind worked very fast, as she knew who the white beast was.


    "Kace?" Raine called his name and the beast stopped in his track. "You are Kace Donovan, right?"


    They came to this place to look for him, even though Raine didn''t know how Kace Donovan looked like, but in his white fur, the beast was definitely Torak''s younger brother.


    The beast squinted his blue eyes, which to Raine relief, his human side was in full control, thus there was nothing to be worry about it. Hopefully.


    "I came here with Torak to look for you," Raine was trying to explain herself since Kace refused to shift back into his human form. "I am Raine. Torak''s mate."


    Raine sat there with her back pressed against the tree, watching the white beast circled her and crept closer. Its snout touched Raine''s hand and she cowered away. It felt strange, though the beast looked exactly like Torak''s, but she knew it was not him and the absent of the spark between them only made Raine felt the bizzareness.


    However, in the next second, the white beast shifted into his human form before her eyes and in another second, there was a man, with almost the same feature like Torak, even they shared the same blue eyes, kneeling in front of her.


    "You smell like him," Kace groaned. This girl was indeed Torak''s mate. He could see Torak''s mark that peeked on her neck.


    In one glance, one could be mistaken this man from Torak, but in closer look, he was nothing like his older brother.


    Torak gave off a cold and dominance aura, but Kace was akin to a careless young guy with unruly nature. Though, Raine was still thinking Torak was way more handsome than him, but it was her subjective opinion, as Torak was her mate.


    "I don''t think I smell like him." Raine sniffed herself, but she couldn''t smell anything, she didn''t even know what her own smell was like.


    "What are you doing here?" Kace stood up and glanced down at Raine. He assessed the girl before his eyes and found the similarity between her and Hope.


    Both of the guardian angels had the same long black hair color and black bright eyes, yet Raine looked so timid and easily scared while Hope was more cheeky and buoyant.


    "I don''t know either," Raine said softly, she stood up and Kace could see how small she was. Did Torak not give her enough food? But, then Kace remembered Hope also only slightly taller than her.


    "What do you mean you don''t know?" Kace looked around him and sniffed the air, but he couldn''t find Torak''s scent anywhere, which was very strange. It was impossible he would leave his mate alone in this woods. "Where is him?"


    "We¡­" Raine couldn''t finish her words when she watched in horror three or four human with horse body, emerged from the dense trees. She shrieked and hid behind Kace''s back. "What is that?"


    "Centaur," Kace answered curtly, he glanced at Raine, "what are you doing?" Raine didn''t answer him, her eyes fixed on the strange creatures in front of her. "You don''t need to be afraid, they are the cutest creatures here."

 Chapter 693 - THE TWO GUARDIAN ANGELS

    "Cute?" Chiron looked at Kace incredulously, the only person who he ever heard saying that kind of word was only Hope, but it seemed, Hope''s vocabulary had contaminated Kace''s as well.


    Ignoring Chiron''s protest, Kace''s attention was on Raine. To think that the girl, who was hiding behind his back was his cold and aloof brother''s mate, didn''t seem right. How Torak could handle someone so fragile like her? It even surprised Kace that the girl had bore Torak''s mark.


    Meanwhile, it was the first time for Raine to see centaurs. She didn''t even know that the centaur was real! Torak had never mentioned about them.


    Raine clenched Kace''s shirt even tighter when they approached her and was lost for her words when one of them talked.


    They could talk! And sounded like human for her.


    "She was from the same race as Hope." Chiron nodded toward Raine. "Is she the guardian angel?"


    Even Raine couldn''t register Chiron''s question when she stared intensely at the centaur.


    Among the four centaurs, the one who was talking to Kace was the biggest one and his voice laced with dominant. He must be the leader. Raine could easily distinguish it, since she had spent a lot of time with Torak.


    Those centaurs were very big. Their bodies were built with muscle. The upper part of the centaur body was human, with broad shoulder that dropped to their torso, but from their waist down was horse.


    Raine found it was hard to believe what she was seeing now. She was curios, but at the same time frightened by them.


    "Apparently, she is the person who Hope sensed earlier," Chiron spoke and Raine missed almost the whole conversation between Chiron and Kace. "We need to go back to the tent and bring her with us."


    "No." Kace objected. "She needs to go back to Torak and I don''t want him to be close to us." Knowing Torak would track his mate down, Kace didn''t want to keep Raine near their group. He didn''t know why Raine was here, but he was sure his brother would collect his mate.


    "You will leave her alone inside the woods?" Chiron crossed his arms in front of his burly chest, while looking at Raine impassively.


    Well, it seemed he was nice, Raine thought. At least, the centaur refused to leave her here alone.


    Kace grimaced when he heard that. Of course he couldn''t let Raine to stay inside this wood alone, but he didn''t want to meet his older brother too. Things would only go south if he met him.


    "Why do you come here?" Kace turned around and exposed Raine to the centaurs.


    And when the girl lost her hiding place, she started becoming nervous under the spotlight of the attention of those centaurs and Kace.


    "We¡­ we come here to find you¡­" Raine whimpered. She felt like she was close to get a panic attack.


    In spite the fact that it had been quite a while since the last time she got it, but she couldn''t help. After all, it was in the middle of the night, inside the place that she didn''t know, among the creatures that she thought was only a myth. And the last person she thought would defend her, looked at her with displeasure.


    "Why do you want to find me?!" Kace glowered at Raine intensely and she lowered her head in fear.


    "Because¡­ the war¡­" Raine gulped hard, she felt her throat became dry.


    "How many people with you?" Kace asked grimly. He was sure, he wouldn''t like the answer.


    "Around¡­ two hundred people¡­" Raine answered truthfully.


    D*mn Torak and his people! He cursed internally. "We can''t take her with us or let Torak find us." Kace concluded. He just needed to hear the ''war'' word to know the rest of the reason why Torak marched toward this realm to find him.


    It was the same reason why Kace had fled from Serefina. Because the witch had talked about this when his mate''s condition was barely alive.


    Kace didn''t care about what would happen to the world. He just wanted to be with Hope and the rest could burn into dust for all he cared. He knew it sounded arrogant and egoistic, yet sometime what we knew and what we wanted contradicted each other.


    "Why?" Suppressing her fear, Raine raised her head to look at Kace. "The war is getting closer and we should¡­"


    "I don''t care about war." Kace cut her words icily.


    Raine narrowed her eyes. "Those words are very ignorant." She remembered what the devils had done to Sunny, to Aeon, to her life. The pain of knowing that Torak was dead, still remained vividly in Raine''s mind. And here, Kace talked that he didn''t care about the war.


    "I am very ignorant person if you don''t realize it yet." Kace spoke sharply to her.


    "You think you will be safe hiding here?" In her vexation, Raine found her voice to retort Kace''s words. "There will be more people who will die."


    "Trust me, I have told him about it many times, but he doesn''t want to hear me." Hope interrupted as she walked into the clearing area where Raine and Kace were standing, facing each other in argumentation while the rest of the centaurs simply being bystander.


    "Didn''t I tell you that you can''t come here?" Kace approached her and threw a dagger look to Zarn, who was escorting her.


    "Since when I listen to you?" Hope whispered as she tiptoed to kiss Kace''s cheek, to appease her angry mate.


    However, the moment her eyes landed on Raine, they grew brighter and the fireflies swirled around them, flickering against the darkness of the night.


    The two guardian angels stared at each others, fascinated by the other presence as they walked closer. "I don''t believe it, I finally met you."


    Hope knew by heart that the girl in front of her eyes was the guardian angel. She just knew it.


    "I have seen you," Raine said.

 Chapter 694 - UNDER THE MOONLIGHT

    Yes, Raine had seen her. She saw Hope when she went to devil''s place, to save Torak.


    Hope was standing beside the flower girl, who was holding a bucket of red flower.


    "I have seen you," Raine said. "And the other guardian angel."


    Hope beamed. She didn''t know why, but she felt happy to see her. "Really? What is your name?"


    "Raine," Raine said timidly, she held her hand, but Hope threw herself to hug her.


    "I am Hope!" she was almost shouting in her ears, but her action melted the anxiousness that Raine felt as she hugged her back.


    It was an amazing feeling. Both of them felt like they had known each other for years. As though they were the long lost sibling, who just reunited again. There was no awkwardness and it seemed very natural to hug each other.


    Both of them were overwhelmed with this feeling, until they forgot about their surroundings.


    "Don''t let your fear cloud your judgment about what the right thing to do," Chiron said, as he walked closer toward Kace and stood beside him, staring at the two guardian angels, who were dazzled by each other''s presence.


    "I will not march into the war with my mate," Kace spoke rigidly.


    "Stop running, Kace. You''ve been running for too long." Chiron squeezed Kace''s shoulder.


    ==============


    With only a touch a flower bloomed beautifully under the light of the full moon, basking its red petals with alluring beauty and swayed gently by the wind.


    Lilac grazed her finger to the other flower buds and the same thing happened, until this small garden was filled with fresh scent and she was satisfied.


    Hiding behind the freshly bloomed flowers, Lilac had zero care to the dirt beneath her feet when she chose to sit there.


    She wanted to feel like she was at home. There were too many things had happened since she arrived here and on top of that, she lost one precious year because Jedrek had put her under that stupid illusion.


    She had not yet forgiven him for that, but it also didn''t seem like the Alpha King would apologize for her lost year.


    Lilac fell on her back and let her jet black hair scattered all over the ground, dirtied herself. However, it was only at times like this that Lilac felt very comfortable and could think more calmly.


    The guardian angel stared to the night sky and watched as a firefly flickered before her eyes and a soft smile appear on her lips. "It will not be long¡­" she stretched out her hand and the firefly perched on her fingertip.


    "What are you doing here?"


    Lilac was too engross with her own thought and didn''t realize Tordoff had been staring at her in the entire time she grew all of these flowers.


    "Thinking," Lilac answered, but kept lying on the ground.


    "Mind if I join you?" Tordoff sat beside Lilac and heard the girl giggled.


    "If I say I mind, will you get up and go?" Lilac asked teasingly.


    "It is comfortable here," Tordoff ignored her objection and caressed the freshly bloomed flower. "This is beautiful. I wish I have a power like you."


    "I wish I don''t know about all of this," Lilac mumbled and lowered her hand, watching the firefly flew away.


    Her last conversation with Jedrek still lingered in the back of her head and the thing that happened afterward.


    Jedrek kissed her. It was not like the passionate kiss that they shared back then when they were in the castle or the kiss when she was under the illusion.


    Their kiss was different at that time, filled with unspeakable emotions. Jedrek didn''t force his way. It was a chaste and innocent kiss, which didn''t last for long time for both of them to savor and even left more questions after that.


    Jedrek didn''t say anything when he escorted her to her chamber beside his and only left her with a ''good night'' and a kiss on her temple.


    Later, Lilac couldn''t see him for three days straight. Not even in his chamber, in his study room, in great hall, every corner of this castle, not anywhere. He was gone and the people that she asked about him only said that he had another matter to be handled. He went out of the castle with Eaton and some of his generals.


    Lilac couldn''t comprehend the way Jedrek treated her, when she thought to treat the bond between them casually, he acted as if he wanted her, yet when Lilac took a step closer, he was out of her reach.


    Lilac had to keep reminding herself that he was the same person who had ordered Maximus to kill her, but if she was true to herself, she couldn''t find in herself to hate him as much as she thought she could.


    The soft nature of guardian angel truly added another complication in this weird situation.


    "Hei, I was asking you." Tordoff nudged Lilac''s cheek to get her attention.


    "What?" Lilac tilted her head, she was lost in her own thought. "I am sorry, I didn''t hear your question. What you asked?"


    Tordoff sighed. "You can share your problem with me, you know?"


    "Thank you for your offer," Lilac smiled beautifully, "but this is not something that I want to share. What was your question?"


    Tordoff shrugged his shoulder and dismissed his concern for her. "I asked if you want to go with me to the city? You have not been out of this castle since the first time you came, right?"


    "It sounds nice," Lilac agreed. She pushed herself to sit down and patted the dirt from her dress and hair.


    "You will like the city." Tordoff stretched out his hand and picked up a dry leaf from Lilac''s hair as she said ''thank you''.


    "If you treat me a meal, it will be perfect." Lilac grinned. It felt so easy to talk with Tordoff and she enjoyed her company.


    "Great," Tordoff mumbled while caressing Lilac''s hair.

 Chapter 695 - SHE IS YOUR QUEEN

    At first Lilac didn''t notice his touch as her mind was thinking about how it would be nice if she could talk with Jedrek as easy as she talked to Tordoff.


    But, then she realized it when Tordoff''s fingers brushed her cheeks and caressed her jaw. Lilac frowned and slightly jerked away from him as she looked at the general questioningly.


    "Dirt," Tordoff answered, but he avoided her eyes when he lowered his hand. "Why don''t you go back inside? It is getting cold in here."


    Lilac cleared her throat to get rid the awkwardness in the air when she replied to him casually. "Why? Are you cold? Afraid of getting sick?"


    "Of course, not. We, shifter, can stand even the worst weather without getting sick." Tordoff chuckled. "But, you will get sick if you stay out for long time."


    "Glad to hear that your kind has strong body," Lilac scoffed and rolled her eyes dramatically, but it only made Tordoff laughed even louder.


    "Come on, I will escort you back to your room." Tordoff stood up and held out his hand to help Lilac, which she accepted it gladly and both of them walked back to the castle, talking and laughing upon hearing the other person lame jokes.


    Away from them, behind the blurry window of one of the rooms, Jedrek watched everything that unfolded with emotionless expression.


    This was not the first time Jedrek watched Tordoff walked Lilac back to her chamber and it wouldn''t be the last either.


    "The people who had lost their family member demanded explanation from their King." Eaton reported this news to Jedrek. "You had killed many of their family members and rumor about it had spread like a wild fire."


    "Rumor will only be a rumor," Jedrek replied, he shifted his attention from the small garden to Eaton.


    "People will start to believe the rumor if don''t do anything about it." Eaton pressed this matter. "Especially if there is some truth behind this."


    ==============


    "I don''t believe it we finally met," Hope said. She put the blanket for both of them and laid down beside Raine.


    "So do I," Raine agreed. "Serefina said it was not the right time for us to meet when I knew there are another guardian angels."


    "Serefina told me the same thing." Hope pouted. "Oh, right. You said that you had seen me before this, but where?"


    "I have a vision," Raine told her and she chuckled when she watched Hope''s eyes grew bigger. "I saw you and the other guardian angel in my vision."


    "Really? That is so cool!" Hope squalled. "How do the other guardian angels look like?"


    "She is¡­ beautiful, like you." Raine smiled and Hope laughed.


    "Of course, it is impossible for us to be handsome," She said.


    "Girls sleep! It''s past midnight!" Kace shouted from outside of the tent.


    "Leave us alone! It''s girls night!" Hope shouted back at him and both of them could hear Kace grunted and groaned while stomping away.


    It seemed tonight would be long, but like what Kace said, they needed sleep. When Raine felt very tired after what happened, Hope still hadn''t fully recovered from her condition.


    Thus after a few more conversation, both of them fell asleep soundlessly.


    ==============


    "Lilac, I am sorry, I think we have to postpone our plans to go to the city." Tordoff found Lilac near the small garden when he had made a promise to take her to the city last night.


    "Why?" Lilac asked him, disappointment was apparent in her eyes. She needed distraction and being trapped inside the castle without knowing what was happening outside was a little bit frustrated.


    She had been thinking about went out to the city when Tordoff offered to take a walk there, but now h said he couldn''t?


    Lilac was up early to plan for the day, she was so excited and now Tordoff said they needed to postpone their plan?


    "The king gave me an order to catch up with Sebastian and Kyle to find Maximus." Tordoff also felt disappointed because of this sudden order, but what else could he do? "Maybe, I will be back next week, how about we leave after I come back?"


    Lilac lowered her eyes to hide her discontentment. "Actually, I can go alone."


    "No, you don''t know this city," Tordoff rejected Lilac''s idea immediately. He didn''t want her to roam around the city alone.


    "When we were still in city central, I assure you I was fine, even when I went there alone," Lilac said confidently.


    "No, just wait for my return and we will go there together," Tordoff insisted for Lilac to go with him. However, their little conversation was disturbed when the general someone approached them.


    Tordoff tilted his head toward the direction, which Jedrek would appear and was slightly frown.


    "Your Majesty," he greeted Jedrek and lowered his head in respect to his King.


    Lilac immediately turned around to see Jedrek, but avoided to see his eyes when he walked over with Lyrus next to him.


    "I believe you was given an order," Jedrek spoke rigidly, staring intensely at Tordoff when he noticed how close Tordoff stood beside Lilac.


    "Apologize your Majesty, I will go now," Tordoff grinded his teeth with displeasure.


    "I will walk with you. Come on." Lyrus took the initiative to bring the general out of this awkward situation. He signaled Tordoff to follow him.


    Reluctantly, he followed the Beta after took another glimpse at Lilac, who was still looking toward different direction.


    "Walk with me," Jedrek said.


    And that was the last thing that Tordoff heard before they turned down the corridor. He didn''t know, whether Lilac agreed or not.


    "Don''t have any idea about her," Lyrus spoke in warning tone.


    "What?" Tordoff looked at the Beta. "Who?"


    "Lilac, the guardian angel." Lyrus stopped walking and faced him.


    Tordoff knew what he meant, but he couldn''t see there was something wrong with that. "Why?"


    "Because the guardian angel is your king''s mate and she will be your queen."

 Chapter 696 - HIS GROUCHY BROTHER

    Hope and Raine were woken up when they heard Lydia''s voice rang inside their tent and felt she shook their body hastily.


    "What happened?" Hope rubbed her eyes and Raine had sat down groggily.


    "You," Lydia said while pointing her finger toward Raine. "Quickly get up and go outside before something really bad happens."


    "Huh?" Raine blinked her eyes rapidly to get her focus. "What happened?"


    "Your mate is out there fighting Kace," Lydia spoke hastily, when she finished her words they could hear vicious growls and snarls from outside.


    Without second thought, both Raine and Hope stormed out of the tent to appease their mate.


    In the clearing, there were many people, centaurs and shifters had gathered to see the two white lycans circled each other, baring their sharp- razor fangs.


    It seemed like the Donovan''s reunion was not the warm one, definitely without any affection. Instead of hugging each other they chose to claw the other brother''s face.


    [No, stop!] Raine cried through the mind- link to reach Torak. She hoped the lycan could hear her.


    Meanwhile, Hope rushed straight toward Kace''s beast, though both white Lycan had the same color and size, but somehow they could recognize their own mate.


    "No, Kace! Stop it!" Hope blocked the white beast and he snarled viciously at his mate.


    Hope''s position now, was an easy target if Torak chose to attack her, therefore the anger coursed through his veins because of Hope reckless moves.


    However, at the same time Raine did the same, she hugged the beast tightly and buried her face in his soft white fur. "I am all right, I am fine," she said hastily.


    Both of the beasts still snarled at each other, but it didn''t take a long time before they calmed down under their mate consolation.


    Hope hugged Kace''s beast and tried to make him back down, but he shook his head and locked his black eyes on his brother, as Torak did the same. No one wanted to back down.


    "STOP IT BOTH OF YOU!" Serefina''s voice boomed in the clearing. The witch stopped running and panted heavily when she reached them. "Shift back will you?! And stop snarling at each other!" Serefina snapped to the two angry beasts.


    However, it seemed her warning only incurred their wrath even further as the two beasts roared at her now.


    At least, they were on the same page when it came to the witch.


    "Oh, please!" Serefina exasperated. "If you want to kill each other, do it later! We have another important problem to be discussed!"


    The two beasts did not appreciate Serefina''s tone as they growled menacingly at her again. If it was not because of their mates, clinging onto their neck, they would have charged toward Serefina and there would be another battle that happened this morning.


    However, Serefina had known both of them well enough to lose her courage upon their snarls and growls.


    Hence, without fear, she pointed Torak with her long finger, as she spoke sternly. "Stop it. You can see yourself that Raine is safe and sound, there is nothing to be hostile!"


    And then Serefina shifted her attention toward Kace. "And you! How dare you ran away from me and took Hope with you! Shift back now! I have dozen things to talk to you!"


    Yet, just like any other day, no matter how angry Serefina and stubborn she was, the two lycans were on different level when it concerned their mates.


    "Torak, please... I am fine, they did not do anything to me. I finally met the other guardian angel, don''t you feel happy for me?" Raine coaxed her mate while running her fingers around his ear, she knew the beast loved this.


    In the other side, Hope did the same. She kissed Kace''s snout and implored with her big bright eyes.


    It took another agitating minute for both Donovan to relent and finally shifted back to their human form, but the tension was still in the air.


    Torak immediately checked on Raine and when he was sure she was fine, only then he gave his brother his attention.


    Meanwhile, Kace pushed Hope behind his back when he reciprocated Torak''s glare.


    "Do you think you can come and wreck some havoc here?!" Kace snapped at his brother. "You have got your mate, now go!"


    Torak narrowed his eyes, did not appreciate Kace''s tone at all.


    "Wreck some havoc, huh?" Torak scoffed, he placed his arm around Raine''s waist protectively. "You dare to say something like that when it was you who attacked me first?"


    It was true.


    As soon as Kace smelled Torak''s scent, his beast came to the surface and felt the urgency to drag Torak out of there. He did not want his brother to be here. It was an instinct and Kace let his beast to take control.


    Therefore, Torak did not have choice, but to fight him back.


    It was not Torak''s intention to create such a ruckus, yet if Kace wanted to make things became difficult, he was more than welcome to give it to him.


    Amidst the tension, there was sound of hooves that tapped on the ground and the leader of the centaur stepped forward.


    "Alpha Torak," Chiron greeted Torak as he bowed his head respectfully.


    Torak looked at the Centaur, the creature that was believed had been extinct, yet there they were. Alive and well.


    "Chiron," Torak mentioned his name curtly.


    He knew Chiron, though he was not there when Kace failed to meet Jedrek''s expectation and had to go to his place to eradicate those centaurs'' mates and their offspring, himself.


    "Kace, come here," Torak called to his brother. "We need to talk."


    "Do you think you can order me around?" Kace grunted.


    "Of course," Torak answered without hesitation and when he watched Kace was about to retort, he added. "I am your older brother."


    Kace groaned. "But, it doesn''t mean I will follow you."


    "Oh, you will." Torak crossed his arms while staring at his grouchy brother.

 Chapter 697 - TOO MUCH TO COMPLAIN

    After Torak said that the rest of the lycanthropes and werewolves that came with Torak arrived in the clearing too.


    In his haste, the Alpha had outran them and Serefina simply teleported herself from time to time to keep up with them, as it was impossible for the witch to run alongside the shifter in their beast''s form.


    "Chiron, I think we need some space to talk." Serefina stepped forward to stop both of brothers from glaring at each other. "We need to talk with you too."


    Chiron nodded at Serefina. "Sure, we can use one of our tents for more privacy." The centaur held out his hand to lead the way.


    However, Torak had another idea. "I need to talk to you first." He stared at Kace. "Come with me."


    "No," Kace said curtly, he crossed his arms in front of his chest defiantly. But, of course Torak wouldn''t give it to him.


    "Come. With. Me." Torak enunciated every word while staring intensely at his younger brother.


    "No." Kace stood his ground. "If you just want to talk, you don''t need to bring your people with you." He threw a nasty look toward the people behind Torak.


    Of course, Torak brought them all just in case everything was not going according to their plan, after all, they would meet the centaurs and Torak knew very well what the Donovan had done to their kind. What Jedrek had done to them.


    In spite of the fact they accepted Kace, but Torak wouldn''t rely on it, especially when Raine came along with him.


    "Back off," Torak said to Alpha Romulus on his left side and they took three steps back directly. He turned toward Raine and caressed her hair tenderly. "Stay with Calleb and Jack, okay?"


    "Okay," Raine answered immediately.


    Soon afterward, Torak walked toward Kace without hesitation. He knew his brother. He was the one who taught him how to fight centuries ago and even he realized there was big part of him that changed since that day, one thing Torak knew for sure, Kace wouldn''t resolve anything with violence.


    Just like what their father said; Kace was the kindhearted Donovan. Strongly reminded them of their mother.


    "Walk with me," Torak said as he gestured for Kace to follow him into the dense woods.


    "You sound like Jedrek," Kace spoke grumpily.


    "And you sound like mother." Torak didn''t stop walking, because he knew Kace followed him, eventually.


    "What is that meant?" he frowned.


    "Too much to complaint," Torak replied.


    With groan and grunt, Kace finally followed his older brother, but not before he warned Hope grumpily. "Stay here."


    After the two Donovan disappeared behind the dense trees, Serefina walked toward Chiron and spoke tiredly.


    "Can you show me the tent? I think I need to catch up my breath." She had been using her power constantly all night and had to deal with Torak and Kace at the same time, it exhausted her mentally and physically.


    "Serefina!" Hope pounced onto the witch until she almost lost her balance. "I miss you!"


    Serefina scoffed, but she patted Hope''s head. "You miss me, yet I have to take this annoying trip to find you."


    Hope raised her head and grinned. "I have told Kace many times to go back to mystic river village, but he simply didn''t listen to me," she complained.


    It was undeniable fact that Serefina was the most annoying person that Hope ever met, but she had grown up under her care and she wouldn''t be this strong, if it was not for Serefina''s way to teach her.


    "Where is Lana? Didn''t she come with you?" Hope looked at the massive people behind Serefina''s back, but couldn''t find her.


    "No, she will meet us in the mystic river village," Serefina said and pushed Hope away from her, she was still not used to how Hope had hugged her, though she had done this occasionally since she was only a toddler.


    Meanwhile, Raine looked at the interaction between Serefina and Hope with puzzlement. She didn''t know that Serefina could be less hostile toward guardian angel and display a tinny bit affection toward Hope. Something that she had never shown it to her.


    But then, Raine understood that Serefina had raised Hope, thus it was only natural for her to treat her a little bit warm.


    "Okay, I am tired now, I want to rest." Serefina finally managed to free herself from Hope''s arms and walked away.


    "Don''t you miss me?" Hope asked sullenly, they had not seen each other for almost a year now, but this was how she treated her?


    "No," Serefina answered shortly.


    However, this answer made Hope laughed. As expected from the witch. She couldn''t expect anything from her.


    And when Serefina had walked away with Chiron, Hope waltzed toward Raine. She had a lot of things to talk to her, last night conversation was not enough.


    But, Calleb and Jack blocked her way before she could reach Raine.


    "Where are you going?" Jack asked. "Go back to your pack."


    Hope frowned. "But, I want to talk to Raine."


    "No, don''t you hear your mate had said? You have to stay there," Calleb chimed in.


    The guardian angel turned her gaze to Calleb, she was sure she had met him somewhere. However, she couldn''t recall where or when¡­


    "Why are you treating her like that?" Raine walked toward them and the two lycans couldn''t stop her to stand beside Hope.


    "Luna, you can''t go with her¡­" Jack spoke, but Raine cut his sentence.


    "Yes, I am your Luna, so start to treat me like one," Raine retorted.


    "Raine, Torak said you should stay with us," Calleb talked.


    "Sure, you can follow me then," Raine said cheekily and grabbed Hope''s hand. "Let''s go."


    And both of them walked away toward the direction where Torak and Kace had gone while chatting happily.


    Calleb and Jack groaned, but Raphael patted their shoulder. "Go, follow them. Maybe they will hurt each other," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

 Chapter 698 - BAD INFLUENCE

    Lilac followed Jedrek to the city, they were walking side to side with Theo and Warlock behind them and behind the two generals were a few lycan warriors.


    Their small group attracted too much attention from passerby, for Lilac liking, as they bowed their head very low to their King.


    "Why are you taking me to the city?" Lilac asked while looking at her surroundings. Stand after stand


    "So, you will familiarize yourself with this realm. Starting from this city," Jedrek said.


    "And, why should I familiarize myself with all of this?" Lilac felt like it was a hard job to understand the lycan beside her. He changed his mood and the way he treated her every time they met.


    For a few days Jedrek was missing until Lilac felt she was being abandoned after their kissing the other night, as if he didn''t want have anything to do with her, but now he wanted her to familiarize herself with this realm as if she was about to live here forever.


    There was no forever for guardian angel¡­ they were resurrected for a mission¡­


    Jedrek didn''t reply to her immediately, but when he decided to answer, his words surprised Lilac. "You are my mate, it means you will be their queen too."


    Lilac raised her eyebrows at Jedrek when a lot of sarcastic words roamed around her head, but she was having a hard time to choose, which one she should use, in the end, it was only a simply question that passed her lips. "So, you relent now?"


    "I think it is too late for us to go against it." Jedrek glanced at Lilac, who was staring at him since he said those words. "You are right, the war is getting closer and that is the important thing now."


    Lilac shook her head, didn''t believe with what she heard. "Just focus on the war, there is no need for me to know about your realm."


    So, when finally the King realized what she said was true, their relationship turned from trying to hurt each other to become two people with the same interest and goal?


    Ignoring Lilac''s blunt rejection, Jedrek spoke. "There are a lot of customs that you need to know."


    Lilac scoffed, knowing her words would turn into a deaf ear. "I don''t think I will or want to learn that."


    "You will. It takes time, but you will learn. Sometime, it''s better to be thrown into water when learning how to swim." Once again Jedred didn''t heed to Lilac''s objection.


    "And sometime you drown," Lilac quipped.


    "As the future queen, no one will let you drown." Jedrek intertwined their hands together as they walked down the street, gaining curious gazes from his people.


    ==============


    "What do you think they were talking about?" Hope asked Hope as they sat down on the grass, staring at their mates who were talking at each other with face that devoid from any emotion.


    "I don''t know, it is hard to guess whether they are in argumentation or they have had truce, when they have not yet changed their facial expression since two hours ago," Hope replied.


    Raine chuckled, she liked Hope with her witty remark. She looked so bright and brave. "I am glad they don''t claw each other''s face."


    "Yeah, I am glad too." Hope laughed with her as they talked about their mate and everything, it seemed like they would never run out of topic to talk.


    Meanwhile, Calleb and Jack were standing not too far from them, guarding the two girls, who didn''t seem really care about them, as they chatted away.


    "I have never seen Raine this happy." Jack was the first guard that Torak assigned to protect Raine when Serefina took her out of their territory. At that time, Raine was barely talking and too shy to even look someone in the eyes.


    Of course, the scene before him now was something Jack never imagined would happen in a year. It seemed the witch had put extra measure in her time with Raine, but the result was proof that was what Raine needed, especially in their circ.u.mstances with the devils and their minions lurked in the dark now.


    "I think she finds another soulmate," Calleb spoke sullenly.


    "What happened with you?" Jack tilted his head as he threw the Gamma a questioning look.


    They were standing under a tree that kept raining them with dry leaves.


    "What happened with me?" Calleb frowned.


    "Your tone."


    "What happened with my tone?"


    Jack narrowed his eyes, assessing his fellow lycan. "Don''t tell me you are jealous because Luna has another friend."


    Calleb rolled his eyes dramatically, but that was not completely wrong. He indeed felt a little bit annoyed because Raine didn''t bother with him anymore.


    Calleb used to accompany Raine and was used to seeing her annoying or clinging to him all the time., thus seeing her didn''t bother with him anymore, he felt abandoned.


    Finally, after two hours long, Torak and Kace ended their conversation and went back to their mates, who had been waiting for them.


    Though Torak and Kace said for them to stay where they had left the two, but when they watched Hope and Raine followed after them, they just glanced toward their direction before continued whatever topic they were discussing.


    "Didn''t I tell you to stay with Calleb and Jack?" Torak asked Raine when he reached her.


    "There they are." Raine pointed her finger toward Calleb and Jack. "I stay with them," she said cheekily and Torak couldn''t counter that.


    "And you," Kace knocked Hope''s head lightly. "Didn''t I tell you to stay there?"


    Hope crossed her arms defiantly. "Stay where? Give specific area. I''m not wandering far from the tent."


    Kace groaned and he threw Torak a look. "Your mate brings bad influence to my mate," he accused Raine. "Let''s go eat something, I am hungry. Talking to him drain my energy." Kace grabbed Hope''s hand and took her away toward the tent.

 Chapter 699 - WARNING

    Raine frowned upon hearing that, but Torak caressed her hair and wrapped his arm around her waist. "You don''t need to listen to him."


    "He doesn''t seem to like me," Raine mumbled as both of them walked toward the tent with Calleb and Jack followed behind them.


    "He doesn''t like most of the people," Torak chuckled and reassured her.


    "What both of you talking about?" Raine asked, curious. They had been talking for two hours long. However, to think that both of them had been separated for centuries, it was normal if they had a lot of things to talk about.


    "Man to man conversation," Torak tousled her hair and chuckled when he watched Raine pouted her lips. "What about you? What both of you were talking?"


    "Girl to girl conversation." Raine used the same tone as Torak, but it didn''t sound similar, yet it made the Alpha laughed heartily seeing his mate a little bit sullen like this.


    "Did I say you are beautiful today?" Torak teased her and he could watch Raine blushed. "You are my precious one."


    ==============


    Lilac and Jedrek were having a fantastic day in the city. The sunny, clear skies and people who lined up to watch them and gave them respectful look. Noted the sarcasm.


    There was no sunny clear sky, instead the sky was as dark as charcoal with thunder, which sounded like thousand beasts had been wrecking some havoc outside of the inn since an hour ago.


    Lilac was sitting near fireplace in attempt to warm herself. Unfortunately, her body was not made of the same way the shifters did.


    "Great! Even the weather doesn''t like us to be together." Lilac said sarcastically. She was upset.


    Lilac had asked to return to the castle even before the rain started pouring down the street, yet Jedrek didn''t listen.


    The king seemed to have a tight schedule for visiting three places in this city, so the reasons for introducing Lilac to his people were not quite accurate.


    The moment Lilac realized Jedrek''s intention, she had asked to return to the castle or wander alone in the city, but of course Jedrek rejected her idea adamantly.


    However, after visiting the second place, the rain started pouring down heavily and here they were, sitting inside a tavern with Lilac couldn''t move an inch from the fireplace without shivering.


    Actually this place was cozy and quiet, and there was no a lot of people here, except for the three people who were sitting at their table obediently, not daring to make a sudden sound or movement, when they saw their King was there.


    Meanwhile, Lilac and Jedrek sat at a nice table in the corner near a fireplace.


    "Drink this," Jedrek gave Lilac a mug of warm cider, which the spices tingled in Lilac''s throat and made her caught.


    "What is that?" Lilac frowned pushed away the mug from her as if Jedrek was trying to poison her.


    "This will keep you warm." Jedrek frowned, but he put away the mug and gestured to Theo to bring another drink for her.


    "No, thanks. I am fine with the fire over here," Lilac said in bad mood, she lifted her legs and hugged them while resting her chin on top of her knees. She didn''t dress for this kind of bad weather, thus she couldn''t help but feeling cold.


    "You think I will know when it is going to rain?" Jedrek glanced at Lilac and took off his coat and threw it to her. "Wear it," he said curtly.


    The coat dropped on her knees, but Lilac kicked it away until it fell to the ground. The guardian angel didn''t appreciate that rude gesture. "No need."


    Jedrek glared at Lilac brazenness, yet the girl was more than ready for the staring contest. In the end, the King shook his head and picked up the coat from the ground, he patted it from the dirt and this time, he dr.a.p.ed the coat around Lilac carefully.


    "I don''t want¡­" Lilac was about to throw the coat away again when Jedrek caught her hand.


    "Don''t you dare," he said in warning tone.


    ???Why? You will punish me?" Lilac glared at him, she didn''t want to feel intimidated by him.


    "Try and you will see." Jedrek grinded his teeth. It had been a long time since someone rebelled against him countless time and still managed to have their head.


    And like what Jedrek had expected, Lilac raised her hand to throw the cloak from her shoulder when Jedrek moved faster and wrapped the cloak even tighter around her.


    The cloak was very big, so it was enough to wrap Lilac''s body entirely, yet when Lilac struggled to free herself from him, Jedrek lost his patient and picked Lilac up, placed the girl on his laps and hugged her.


    "You bastard! Put me down!" Lilac shouted and this drew attention from the people inside the tavern, including the two generals, who were sitting not too far from them.


    "Keep calling me that and I will kiss you in front of these people." Jedrek warned her. "And you will see how bastard I am."


    ==============


    Late at night, in one of the hallway of the castle, a man, who covered in dark cloak until no one could see his face, was standing beside an open window, while listening to a whisper. At first it was only a muffling sound and was hard to understand, yet the man managed to have a conversation with it.


    The voices sounded like human, but their tones were hard to comprehend. The sound was akin to fingernails scrapped a chalkboard.


    The whisper came from a shadow like a smoke.


    "She is his mate¡­" The man said in low voice to the shadow and then came another whisper. "I am sure of it. He had said it himself and what happened today confirmed it." The man glanced at the empty hall. He was in alert, just in case there was someone else there. "The ceremony for the Luna will come after he has dealt with Maximus."

 Chapter 700 - DONT YOU AGREE WITH ME?

    "I agree to go with you with one condition." Kace grinded his teeth in his attempt to hold back his anger. It wasn''t easy for him to finally relent to Torak''s demand.


    After a long discussion that seemed would never end, Kace was cornered by Torak, Serefina and Chiron. Unfortunately for the younger Donovan, he was not able to counter the three of them at the same time.


    Those three people were the most stubborn, persistent and too good at manipulating other. Kace''s chance to get himself out of their demand was near zero.


    "What is it?" Torak leaned his body against the backrest of his seat and looked at his grumpy brother. After a long time without seeing him he looked even crabbier than usual when it came to this kind of matter.


    Torak knew Kace''s displeasure toward Jedrek and Torak couldn''t say that he agreed with all of the rules that his older brother set, but it was his realm and he was the sovereign, thus it was only his words were prevailed.


    And this very reason too, which became one of the reasons why Torak chose to leave that realm. Aside he couldn''t stand his brother, the Alpha''s blood in him didn''t allow Torak to kneel before the King.


    All this time, the two of them had a tacit understanding to not disturb each other sovereignty, therefore, even though Jedrek was after the guardian angel and had an intention to kill them, he wouldn''t do it openly in Torak''s territory.


    However, more or less, Torak knew Jedrek had secretively infiltrated his area. His last meeting with Lyrus had proved that.


    After all, at that time, Torak had lost hope to find his mate after centuries of waiting for her, he thought the moon goddess had forgotten her own promise.


    "I want Jedrek give back Centaur''s land to them," Kace said without hesitation.


    Chiron looked at the Lycan and lowered his head solemnly as if showing his gratitude. After all, this was what he had asked to him long time ago. He thought Kace had forgotten about it.


    "You should ask him, not me," Torak said casually. "I will give it back to him if that land is within my territory, but unfortunately, it is not."


    Kace shook his head. He knew Torak would say this. "You talk to him. I don''t want to talk to him."


    "Why?" Torak asked again calmly.


    "Why?" Kace stared at his brother incredulously. "He had locked me inside the castle before I managed to escape, hunted me down by ordering his people to find me and killed my mate, and now you ask me ''why''?"


    "Don''t you want to complain directly to him? Maybe you can knock some sense into his head." Torak advised.


    Kace scoffed, he wouldn''t fall into Torak''s words. "You want me to go. You talk to him. If he agreed to give back the land to the centaur, I will go. If not¡­" He shrugged his shoulder and waved his hand before walking out of the tent, leaving Torak, Serefina and Chiron inside.


    It was the end of the conversation.


    There was silence after Kace left the tent and it was Chiron who talked first. "I know this war is important, but we have been far too long from our ancestral lands. If we have to die, we want to die in our own land."


    With that being said, Chiron nodded his head and walked out of the tent to find Kace.


    "So?" Torak tilted his head toward Serefina. She had been silent ever since Kace agreed to Torak''s demand on the terms that a little bit tricky.


    "What ''so''?" Serefina frowned at Torak. She plopped on her seat and closed her eyes. The witch seemed exhausted.


    "Why don''t you go to Jedrek and talk to him? He usually listens to you."


    Serefina threw Torak a nasty look. "Right. All I have to do is to meet him and say; hai, can you give back the centaur''s land to them? And I will expect he say ''yes'' easily¡­"


    "Maybe you can try that way," Torak said casually, but when Serefina was about to retort he added, "in the end, you have to meet him, sooner or later."


    ==============


    "Thank you for the term that you asked earlier." Chiron found Kace was lying down on a big rock, a little bit far from their campsite.


    "I didn''t ask that for you alone. That''s for me too." Kace didn''t open his eyes and let Chiron stood beside him.


    That sounded like a simple request, it wasn''t impossible to be granted, but also there was a high chance for Jedrek to turn it down without batting an eye.


    And whatever it was, Kace didn''t want to get headache and be involved in the way they convinced Jedrek to do so.


    He was not kind enough to forgive his brother for all the things that he had been through because of him.


    The wound on his back was the end of his tolerance. The cost to heal it almost made him lost Hope and he would never forget that.


    "I still need to thank you." Chiron was adamant.


    There was a silent between them before Kace spoke again. "How can you so easily forgive the person who killed your mate????


    Now, Kace had experienced that, he didn''t think he would ever ready to face the person who killed his mate calmly, just like what Chiron did right now.


    There was nothing he wanted more rather than vengeance if Jedrek''s people, Maximus, managed to locate her place and killed her.


    That d*mn lycan should rotten in hell. There was a little bit of regret that he didn''t kill him in their last encounter.


    "You were not the one who killed my mate and my firstborn, it will be wrong if I kill you," Chiron said in impassive tone. "After all, living in sorrow, knowing you lost something so dear to you, is worse than death itself. Don''t you agree with me?"

 Chapter 701 - THINGS THAT NEED TO BE FIXED

    Torak opened the tent and walked out to get some fresh air. He nodded to the two guards who were stationed in front of his tent. They would stay there to keep his mate safe.


    After line of reasoning with Kace, Torak had another argumentation with Serefina about she, who would go the other realm and met Jedrek.


    She looked reluctant, but didn''t really turn down Torak''s suggestion. The witch seemed to need a solid reason to see her ex lover. Which Torak understood and gave it to her.


    In the end, what Torak said was true. Serefina would meet Jedrek eventually and it would be best if she went there herself, while Torak would take care of the matter here before they marched there.


    All in all, the more Serefina pushed back her time to meet Jedrek, it would only prolong the discomfort and uneasiness that she felt. It would be better to put it to end right there and then, facing her own worries rather than dragged the matter longer.


    Serefina and Jedrek needed a lot of time to talk.


    And just like what Serefina always said to Raine; in their situation now, there was no time for her to wait until she was ready, because no one would ever be ready to face their own fear.


    Torak rewarded with a dagger look from Serefina when he mentioned that.


    "Are you a lycan?" A childlike voice called Torak.


    He felt someone tugged on his trouser and the Alpha lowered his gaze to meet a little girl around the age of eight stared at Torak with her bright big eyes.


    "Yes," Torak answered her.


    "Are you Kace''s big brother?" she asked again.


    "Yes," Torak replied and sat down on the grass, watching the campsite before his eyes. "What are you doing following me?" He had felt her presence since he left the tent.


    "I just want to know." Bree sat down beside Torak while hugging her cat.


    "What is your name?"


    "Bree." Bree looked at Torak and could see the similarity between Kace and him. "They said you will take Kace away."


    Torak raised her brows, caught out of guard by her question. "I will."


    Upon hearing that answer, the look in Bree''s eyes showed how shocked she was, but then they turned gloomy.


    "You don''t like it if I take him with me?" Torak looked at the little girl, who was caressing her cat.


    Bree shook her head. "I like him. He and Hope like older brother and sister for me."


    "Where is your parent?"


    "They were died when a Troll attacked our house." Bree raised her head and her eyes turned bright when she talked again. "Kace fought the troll and killed it."


    "Hm," Torak hummed. "He is brave."


    "Yes¡­ and then they said he shifted into a white lycan and¡­"


    Torak spent the next hours, listening to Bree''s story about how gallant his younger brother when he fought the troll until how kind Kace when he caught a cat for her.


    His brother hunted a cat for this little girl? Torak really wanted to laugh, as he knew Kace wasn???t an animal lover, but then he remembered he gave a bunny to Raine, even though he didn''t like it.


    ==============


    "If you don''t want to go, you can stay here. Calleb will stay with you," Torak caressed Raine''s hair while looking at uneasiness in Raine''s eyes under the scorching sun.


    They would go back to mystic river village after they buried the bones of the children, who had been kidnapped from the villages, to sacrifice to the devil. Also the body of the priestess. At least, this was the last thing they could do for them.


    "No," Raine refused. "I will go with you."


    "Actually, you don''t need to see it, we will just bring the remaining of the victim and buried them. After that, we can go. With many people we have, I am sure this will be finished before the sun goes down." Torak reassured Raine. "You can stay here with Calleb and Jack."


    Torak needed to go inside to see with his own eyes what the demons, who followed Kace had done, maybe there was something he could find out.


    "Hope will go inside the cave?" Raine asked. She watched Hope and Kace were talking not too far from them, among the shifters, centaurs, the hunter and people who were preparing to enter the cave.


    "She needs to go inside because only she, who knows where the priestess is," Torak explained to Raine.


    "I want to go too." Honestly, Raine didn''t really want to go, but she had this feeling again. The feeling that urged her to do something that even she couldn''t understand why.


    "The scenery inside can be very gruesome for you to handle," Torak spoke with concern.


    "Take her inside." Serefina came and with her usual boring expression, she stared at Raine. "Why do you want to go inside? It''s not like Torak would let you pick up those children''s bones and bury them yourself." And here she was, back with her snarky comment.


    Raine was used to the way Serefina talked to her, thus she just shrugged her mocking tone, but Torak narrowed his eyes at the witch dangerously.


    "I feel like I need to go inside," Raine said nervously, as she occasionally glanced at the cave. "And I don''t know why¡­"


    Serefina nodded. "Good. Follow your instinct. Every guardian angel awaken their power differently, maybe this is your call."


    Raine glanced at the cave again and then at Hope, who was smiling at her and waved her hand.


    "I thought you already on your way to the Kingdom." Torak looked at Serefina.


    "I will, after this," Serefina mumbled, she still looked reluctant to leave. But, when she received Torak''s intense gaze, the witch glared at her. "Once I know what''s bothering Raine I will go to see Jedrek."


    "Why Serefina has to go alone there?" Raine asked.


    "Because she has a lot of complicated things to fix," Torak answered.

 Chapter 702 - WE KNOW, BUT THEY DONT

    After Lilac and Jedrek was trapped in the tavern because of the rain, the Alpha King had better idea to introduce Lilac to their culture.


    And now, here was Lilac, trapped with Warlock as she listened to him about the history of this realm and everything that entailed.


    Lilac was not slightly happy about this and was far too boring to listen to Warlock''s monotone tone.


    "Listen." Lilac put down a book in her hands, a little bit harder when it slammed on the table that made Warlock raised his brows. "I don''t know what the use of me learning all of this when what we are facing now has nothing to do with this."


    "Because the King named you as his queen," Warlock answered curtly, but then his eyes became curios when he looked at Lilac. "Are you really his mate?"


    "I am," Lilac replied simply, as if that fact didn''t interest her at all.


    "I don''t believe it," Warlock mumbled and Lilac raised her brows, misunderstanding his words. "No, I mean; I don''t believe it because the Alpha had been cursed by the moon goddess¡­" Warlock didn''t need to elaborate further about the curse, there was tacit understanding between the people regarding this topic.


    "Well, here I am. A token of gratitude from the moon goddess because the Donovan won the war with the devil." There was a thick of sarcasm in the way Lilac spoke.


    In the other hand, Warlock wanted to ask more, yet in the end he resolved to keep all the questions for himself. It felt like he was prying into his King''s life.


    If the King said Lilac was his mate, then she was his destined mate. No question asked. "So, should we continue our lesson, your grace?"


    Lilac cringed when she heard Warlock called her ''your grace'' and threw him a look.


    "No," Lilac said sternly and stood up from her chair. "Let''s call it a day."


    "But, your ceremony will come soon. At least, you have to know about the detail for the ceremony," Warlock retorted.


    Lilac sighed and she looked at the sky through the window at her left side, twilight had fallen and the dim evening light shone through the leaves. Soon it would grow dark and Lilac had stayed there with Warlock since lunch.


    "No. Enough for today." Lilac walked out of the room, didn''t bother to listen to Warlock''s complain. "Where is Jedrek?"


    "The last time I saw him, the king was in the throne room," he informed her.


    "Okay," Lilac replied. She needed to talk about this with him.


    The moment the door was closed and Lilac was no longer inside the room, Warlock slumped on his chair. "I don''t want to do this either."


    He couldn''t understand, why Jedrek wanted to learn all of this stuff. Even if she was his mate and she would be crowned as their queen, the interaction between Lilac and Jedrek was not like someone who was interacting with their mate.


    ==============


    Eaton was shaking his head. "I don''t agree with your decision Jedrek," he voiced out his objection. "Why do want to have a mating ceremony? At time like this? I really don''t understand."


    "You don''t need to," Jedrek replied casually, he looked to the far distance. The evening sky was exceptionally beautiful at this time around, with the sound of cricket sang in the air.


    "Jedrek, it is not the right time to hold mating ceremony." Eaton was adamant to oppose Jedrek''s idea about the ceremony.


    "I didn''t say it will happen tomorrow."


    "Yes, you said it will happen right after you deal with Maximus," Eaton groaned in frustration. "I don''t even know what you will do with Eaton if the three generals, who were looking after him managed to bring him back."


    "Isn''t that very obvious?" Jedrek glanced at Eaton.


    "What?" Eaton raised his eyebrows. "You will exile him?"


    "I will kill him," Jedrek replied without hesitation. Now he had killed Diana, Janus had vanished, the castle destroyed, the city central was ruined and the gate to tartarus had opened, Maximus''s existence was no longer needed.


    "I know, the death penalty is a suitable punishment for him, but after you killed him, you have to deal with eastern region." Eaton reminded him. "His influence there is great, the eastern region will revolt once the news about Maximus''s death reached their ears."


    "I will deal with them myself," Jedrek said.


    Eaton sighed. "So, correct me if I am wrong, but your plan is to kill Maximus, hold a mating ceremony and then march toward the eastern region to deal with the rebels?"


    "More or less," Jedrek replied tonelessly.


    "Tell me Jedrek, why do you very adamant to hold the ceremony when you know this is not the right time for that?" Eaton narrowed his eyes, trying to read Jedrek''s mind, but even Killian, the mind reader, couldn''t do so, what''s more him.


    "Once the news about me having a guardian angel as my destined mate, those shifters out there, will start to reject her." After all, the image of weak creature became their queen wouldn''t very appeal to them, thanked to the general knowledge about how weak they were and nature of the shifters who looked down on the guardian angels.


    "So, do you think they will not reject her after the ceremony? Those shifters out there, despised her, therefore, why don''t we keep this matter as a secret instead of flaunting the guardian angel around?"


    "She is not that weak," Jedrek finally admitted it.


    "We know, but they don''t," Eaton said in matter of factly.


    "Then it is her job to convince them." Jedrek concluded. "Moreover, I don''t want to use the guardian angel like the first war. If she can''t deal with the people, how can she handle the war? In spite of the fact, I don''t want her as my mate, but you know very well the pain of losing your mate. I will not go through that unnecessary pain."

 Chapter 703 - THE UNEASINESS

    Eaton lowered his head and balled his fists, as the pain upon hearing what Jedrek said surged to the surface. He lost his mate because of what Janus had done.


    There was one moment of Janus craziness that he accidentally sacrificed Liz to prolong Diana''s life and since that accident, Eaton''s loyalty was no longer with him. He couldn''t serve the mad king who had killed his mate.


    When the anger started to bubble up in his throat, Eaton felt Jedrek squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "When Serefina left, I went feral. Therefore, if I lost my destined mate now, there is no need to say that I will go beyond that."


    It was easy to order Maximus to kill Lilac when she was just a baby and Jedrek had not yet met her, but now, as much as he hated to admit it, the mate bond had gotten stronger over time. It was impossible for him to feel nothing if he lost Lilac.


    There was a moment of silent as Eeaton readjusted his feeling before he continued his line of questions. "But, why the mating ceremony? You can introduce her in another way. You seem rush this thing." Eaton glanced at Jedrek. "What happened?"


    Right, Jedrek should have another way to introduce Lilac to his people, but he insisted the mating ceremony was the right event for that.


    "Like what the girl said; war is drawing near. The two gates of Tartarus have opened. It was only a matter of time before those people started to rebel to inquire about their missing family," Jedrek replied to him, but he didn''t really give the specific answer about the question that Eaton really wanted to know.


    "And you want to mess with eastern region by killing Maximus?" Eaton added.


    "I will take care all of that at once," Jedrek spoke rigidly, his eyes still stared at the far distance place and filled with¡­ longing.


    "We can deal with Maximus later." Eaton was still trying to change Jedrek''s decision. However, that was not an easy thing to do.


    "No, I will not have my enemies live under my roof again." Jedrek had had enough and he would not start it again by keeping Maximus, even as his prisoner. If the eastern region couldn''t accept this, they must know who their king was!


    Eaton sighed deeply. He relented. However, he still had other questions that remained unanswered. "But, it doesn''t answer my question. Why you have to rush the mating ceremony?"


    Jedrek didn''t answer that question, instead he resigned himself. "Goodnight, Eaton." And then walked away toward his chamber.


    Right, Jedrek rushed it. He had to do it.


    Of the many selfish things that had been decided lately, this was the most selfish thing he had to do for himself.


    Jedrek was well aware about the fact that he would meet with Serefina soon and in spite of the fact that his feeling for Lilac had gotten stronger, he still needed a solid reason to stay with her. He was not sure how he would feel when he met with Serefina after so many heartache nights that he had been through.


    It didn''t seem like the witch would come back to continue their relationship. Jedrek didn''t want it too. He had been trying to forget her for centuries and only he, who knew what kind of effort that he had done to keep going since she left him, and all of that would be trifle away if he forgave her so easily.


    Jedrek wouldn''t do that.


    However, in contrary, he didn''t know how sure he was.


    Therefore, he needed this. The mating ceremony would solidify the mate bond between him and Lilac. After that, he didn''t need unnecessary distraction when he put his focus solely on the upcoming war.


    This was a mess¡­


    ==============


    When the sun down, all the bones of the children from the cave had been buried near the waterfall, with beautiful scenery and flower petals covered their final resting place.


    It was their tradition. When the hunter would have fire when they died, the children would have the ground for them.


    During that time, Raine would stay inside the cave, to figure out the strange feeling that she felt, yet she couldn''t find anything.


    She got overly anxious throughout the process, but that was it.


    "Do you find something?" Serefina folded her arms in front of her chest, narrowing her eyes at Raine.


    Raine shook her head. She felt dejected when Serefina sighed regretfully. The witch was disappointed in her and Raine was disappointed in herself. She didn''t need for her to show it. It only added to her depression.


    Even the scenery from this place, where the picturesque waterfall, which pounding the rocks and the rich hues of red blended with orange at the horizon, wasn''t able to appease Raine''s uneasiness.


    "I will go with Hope to see the priestess," Hope mumbled and walked away.


    When Raine had walked away, Serefina turned around and glared at Calleb behind her. "Don''t you dare to comfort her now, there is something that she needs to do it alone!" She warned the Gamma, who was about to look after Raine.


    ==============


    "So, the mating ceremony, huh?" Lilac finally found Jedrek in the throne room, sitting in his throne while staring at her, yet she couldn''t read what kind of emotion that swirled in those cold eyes. "I will never have thought the thing between us will escalate so fast."


    Lilac walked across the quiet room with only the soft sound from her feet on the stone floor that could be heard, toward the King on his the throne.


    "First, you want to kill me and now you want me to be your queen." Lilac stopped right in front of Jedrek, staring straight into his dark blue eyes.


    Jedrek kept his eyes on her, even though she was being sarcastic, she still looked fascinating.


    "What the reason you want to do this? I don''t see the mating ceremony has anything to do with the war."

 Chapter 704 - DECISION

    "What the reason you want to do this? I don''t see the mating ceremony has anything to do with the war," Lilac said, she waited for Jedrek to respond, but the king determined to shut his lips tightly. "Or, it has anything to do with Serefina?"


    There was an emotion, which flashed in Jedrek''s eyes with the mention of the witch''s name and this confirmed Lilac''s statement.


    "You want to hear the truth?" Jedrek asked with expression that devoid from any emotion.


    Lilac gave him a look. "I have enough with lies."


    "Yes," Jedrek replied curtly. "It has something to do with her."


    Lilac could feel her hear beat faster. She had expected this answer, but she was still surprised when Jedrek admitted it readily.


    "Your reason?" Lilac gritted her teeth. The feelings of disappointment began to rise within her and grew sharper.


    "As you know, we cannot escape from this mate bond, and no matter how hard we try to oppose it, this bond is just getting stronger to uniting us." Jedrek stood up and got very close to her. "So, I just want to be done with it."


    Lilac was aware about it as well.


    Even though, the mate bond didn''t work the way it worked on Jedrek and despite her hatred to him, Lilac found it difficult to go all out to despise the lycan before her eyes.


    "How about Serefina?" Lilac felt bitter when she remembered Jedrek''s ex lover. "Will you run to her the moment you see her?"


    Jedrek slightly furrowed his eyebrows. "No." Therefore, he needed this mating ceremony, to claim her as his and enclosed his feeling to Serefina.


    It was ironic, when it came to physical strength, Jedrek could overpower any other creatures in this realm without much of difficulties, but when it came to feeling, he needed to think carefully, to decide what should be done.


    "So, in the end, you will choose your destined mate over your ex lover?" there was a hint of sarcasm and bitterness in the way Lilac asked him.


    "I choose what is right," Jedrek replied.


    Lilac nodded. "I hope you keep your words. We have a war ahead of us, so I don''t want to fight for your affection too. If you want to be with me, that means there are no other women." She emphasized this.


    "I want you to stay away from Tordoff too," Jedrek said. His eyes were slightly darker when he mentioned his general''s name.


    Wasn''t he the one who asked Tordoff to look after her? Yet, Lilac didn''t voice out what she thought. Their conversation currently went smoothly than she expected, thus she didn''t want to ruin it. "Done."


    And then, there was a moment of silent between them. Later, Jedrek grabbed her hand as he said, "walk with me."


    They walked out of the throne room with Jedrek was holding her hand to the small garden near this wing.


    Lilac watched her small hand that was enveloped by his big one. Everything about him was exceptionally big, even Jedrek was a head taller than his other generals.


    But, what Lilac liked the most was the fact, despite his cold demeanor, the Alpha King''s hand felt warm.


    "I have said it before, I will not live forever. How will you deal with that?" Lilac walked slightly behind him, staring at his broad shoulder.


    "I will not let you die," Jedrek said without hesitation.


    In the other hand, Lilac could feel her heart thumping rapidly against her chest, she bit her lips and lowered her head when she spoke. "If there is no mate bond between us, will you be like this?"


    "No," Jedrek answered in the same tone. "If there is no mate bond between us, we will not know each other."


    ==============


    "Why are you so quiet? Is there something that you are thinking now?" Hope asked Raine. Since they entered this cave until the time when they buried those children and went back to the cave to retrieve the priestess''s body, Raine had been very quiet.


    Only if Hope knew Raine a year ago, when she was still not able to talk, she wouldn''t say that she was quiet now.


    "Nothing," Raine raised her head and gave her a reassuring look, which was not very convincing.


    "Don''t lie. Tell me." Hope narrowed her eyes, as she glanced at their mate behind them. Torak and Kace walked side to side, but no one from them strike a conversation. They seem like strangers to each other.


    If it was not because of Hope and Raine, who insisted to come inside the cave to find where the dead body of the priestess, or one could say what remained from the priestess, absolutely Torak and Kace wouldn''t be here too.


    Followed behind Kace and Torak, there was Delta and another five more hunters.


    "Don''t you feel something?" Raine spoke in low voice, but of course the two lycan behind them could hear it too, though they didn''t show it on their expression.


    "Feel what?" Hope crept closer as she looked around her in alert. There was nothing change from this place since the last time she was here.


    "Strange feeling," Raine mumbled.


    "What do you mean with strange feeling?" Hope scrunched her eyebrows. "I don''t feel anything. Maybe you are afraid because of the scene that you had seen with those poor children."


    "No," Raine replied. "This is different feeling." However, she was not able to explain it to Hope in detail.


    They walked to a place where the sound of the river flowing was clearer. The sound came from the underground river.


    "Don''t tell me, you are afraid of ghost¡­" Hope said teasingly as she wrapped her arms around Raine''s shoulder.


    And then, they heard it. An ear- piercing scream that made Hope and Raine stopped walking.


    "What is that?" Hope looked at around her to see if she could find the person who was screaming.


    Meanwhile, Raine''s first reaction was to turn around to look for Torak instinctively, as she knew she would be safe with him.


    However, there was no one there¡­

 Chapter 705 - THE TRAITOR

    "Where are they?" Raine asked, her voice was laced with fear. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized only Hope and she were there.


    Looking at Raine who looked scared, Hope turned her head back to look for Kace and the other people, but there was no one behind them.


    "Where are they?!" Hope was flabbergasted.


    In the distance the voice of the woman who had been screaming died down and left them in eerie silent.


    Hope looked around her, but just now she realized, the fireflies that had been floating around her earlier, which had been helping them to reach this place, had gone.


    After silence, they could hear muttering voices from the same direction as the woman who screaming earlier.


    Hope was still floored with what was happening, but Raine immediately got the idea about what was going on.


    If Raine was not mistaken, apparently, they went to the past again, it was the same feeling and situation that she had been through more than twice¡­


    "Come here," Raine said as she grabbed Hope''s hand to follow her.


    Hope kept looking around and when she realized Raine was taking her toward the direction of the muttering voices, instead of where they came, she questioned her. "Where? We have to find the other."


    "Sst!" Raine put her finger to her lips to signal Hope to keep quiet, "We can''t find them now."


    "Why?" Hope asked in low voice, but she let Raine to bring her toward the other direction. "Maybe we are going too fast, so they lag behind."


    Raine shook her head regretfully. "I am afraid that is not the case."


    "What do you mean?" Hope narrowed her eyes and looked at Raine questioningly, when she pushed her to hide behind one of the stalagmites.


    "We are not in our time," Raine spoke and then added when she saw the other guardian angel was still confused. "We go back to the past."


    Hope widened her eyes in surprised and let out a dry chuckled, but then Raine covered her mouth and gave her a warning look. "I know it sounds impossible, but it is real." Raine knew what she was saying was true, as she nodded to something behind Hope''s back. "Look."


    With curiosity, Hope glanced over her shoulder and stretched her neck to look something that Raine told her behind the stalagmite.


    And there, she watched in horror, the priestess was alive! Not like her ghostly figure, with body like thin smoke that floated in the air, but in flesh.


    The priestess looked very beautiful. She was wearing the same white cloak that Hope had seen when they met for the first time.


    However, in front of the priestess, with back was facing Hope and Raine, it was the devil woman and Terra, the young maiden, who was once the priestess''s trusted person.


    The devil and the devil child!


    Yet, that was not the thing that caught Hope''s attention. The fact that she was already dead, but now that she stood before him, alive, made Hope gasp in disbelief.


    How could that be possible?!


    "She is the priestess, right?" Raine asked in low voice.


    Hope nodded absentmindedly, without averting her gaze from the three people there.


    In the other hand, Raine could understand Hope''s astonishment. She was like her before, only the different was; Raine had to face it alone and in a more unpleasant place.


    "Yes, she is," Raine nodded when Hope whipped her head to look at her. "We go back to the time when the priestess is still alive."


    Hope opened and shut her mouth, yet in the end there was only a single word that she could say. "How?"


    "My power," Raine answered it simply.


    "But, I thought¡­" Hope thought Raine was only able to see the past or the future, not literally went back to the past. "We are really in the past now¡­?"


    Raine put her finger in front of her lips again and nodded at the priestess, the devil and the young girl there. "Yes."


    Hope shifted her attention back to the three people, just in time when the priestess gave a dagger to the young girl and mumbled in vicious tone to the devil, who was kneeling in front of her, clutching her neck in pain.


    "Terra, stab her and I will seal her in this mountain," the priestess gave an order to the young maiden as she prepared to put some spells on the devil, so she couldn''t run away.


    The priestess was very focus until she didn''t see it coming. Instead of doing what she was told, Terra thrust the dagger on the priestess''s chest.


    ==============


    Lilac walked on the street with Theo beside her and another three lycan warriors that followed behind her. As if she needed protection from them?! She could protect herself just fine!


    However, Lilac didn''t say a word about her displeasure. She was having argumentation with Jedrek this morning, regarding this.


    Apparently, the rumor that said all the Alpha lycan was awfully overprotective and very authoritative was true. Lilac experienced it firsthand of what possessiveness was like.


    Jedrek didn''t allow her to go outside the castle if she didn''t bring these people with her, in the other hand, the King had another matter to be handled, so he couldn''t go with her.


    No, Lilac didn''t want Jedrek to accompany her too, but she had another matter to be handled as well in the city.


    However, Jedrek didn''t yield even after Lilac turned his throne room into a swamp. He simply said;


    "You are welcome to destroy this room, but they will go with you or forget to go anywhere beyond the gates." He didn''t budge at all.


    "Do you think I will not be able to escape from them?" Lilac was head to head with her mate.


    "And you will see what kind of punishment they will get."


    With that sentence, Lilac was fuming, she stomped her feet out of the throne room under the hard gazes from the other generals, Lyrus and Eaton.

 Chapter 706 - TERRA

    Jedrek knew very well that Lilac wouldn''t let that happened. She was like an open book that was easy to read.


    The true nature of the guardian angel, who had a gentle heart was not completely lost in her and Jedrek made good use of it.


    Even so, Lilac was still upset because of the way Jedrek treated her.


    "No need to be upset," Theo talked casually to her. "You can choose to stay inside the castle, if you don''t like to be followed. I don''t really enjoy escorting you too."


    Lilac shot him a nasty look. "Don''t push your luck general, or I will not care with the punishment that Jedrek will give to you."


    She thought, Theo would talk back to her, but the general chose to shut his mouth tightly.


    "What the punishment that Jedrek will give to you if I escape?" Lilac was curious when Theo became silence.


    The general glanced at the guardian angel and shrugged his shoulder. "Since I will not die, if he was in good mood, he will skin me alive.?? Theo chuckled when he watched Lilac widened her eyes in horror. "Don''t worry, I will recover after a week, feeling like a brand new after two weeks."


    Theo made it sounded like a joke, but Lilac didn''t find it funny at all. "You lie," she scoffed.


    Theo ran his fingers through his hair as he answered her nonchalantly. "Or he will have my head. After all, you are the person that the king had been waiting for a long time. There is no way I will walk out of his wrath alive if something happened to you."


    Lilac laughed bitterly upon hearing that. Things really had changed. Years ago, Jedrek had asked someone to kill her, but now he would kill someone if something happened to her. This was the most ridiculous irony that she had come across. However, Lilac didn''t know if this would be a good thing or the other way around.


    "You will not say those words if it was you, who was given an order from him years ago," Lilac grumbled to herself.


    "What order?" Theo looked at Lilac curiously.


    "Nothing." Lilac shook her head and walked ahead, but the general easily caught up with her.


    "But, I still don''t believe it you are a guardian angel." Theo frowned at Lilac, staring at her up and down, as if he was judging her.


    "Why? Which part that you don''t believe it? The fact that I am your King''s mate and will be your queen, or the part which I beat you all when you surrounded me with the other generals?" Lilac raised her eyebrows defiantly.


    Theo glared at Lilac when she mentioned their first fight in the castle back then, but then he sighed deeply. "Both."


    Both of them walked in the bustling street under the scorching sun, but the guardian angel didn''t bother. Lilac even completely ignored the people who look at her intensely with questioning eyes.


    She received that kind of looks when she walked with Jedrek and Theo just a few days ago and now she walked with Theo again, that kind of treatment was expected.


    Little that Lilac didn''t know was the fact that those people had already known her as their future queen, since Jedrek had never walked with any other woman since Serefina. However, Lilac''s true identity as a guardian angel was still unknown.


    "Where are we going?" Theo asked. He had been walking on this street for an hour and now the sun had risen and lunch time would come.


    "There," Lilac nodded at the direction on her left.


    Theo frowned. "What are going to do there?" he asked, feeling uneasy, but he didn''t show it on his face. "There is nothing there."


    Lilac glanced at Theo before she strode toward the direction that she wanted. Sure thing, Theo wouldn''t feel anything. However, as a guardian angel, she could feel the darkness from there.


    Lilac had sensed it from the time when she walked with Jedrek, but because of the rain, the feeling faded away. Therefore, today she wanted to make sure of it. It was very rare to sense darkness from such bustling city like this.


    The area that Lilac headed was the south side of the city, where there was only vegetation and swamp.


    People did not normally live in that area except for those who wanted to hunt in their beast form. Therefore, it was goes without saying that the place was a little bit dangerous for Lilac.


    "Wait, you shouldn''t go there." Theo stopped her by standing in front of the guardian angel, but Lilac simply moved to the other side. "There are a lot of wild animals there."


    "Wild animals?" Lilac said it mockingly, she crossed her arms when Theo tried to stop her again. "If I can handle your kind just fine, why should I be afraid of wild animals?"


    Well, that made sense¡­ Theo thought.


    Reluctantly, the general followed her, but he narrowed his eyes in concentration, especially when they got closer to the area.


    Dripping trees with black trunks, rotting vegetations and sc.u.mmy water were the sight that greeted them, with dirt and mud mixed with stagnant air that hit their sensed.


    Theo wrinkled his nose and the three Lycan warriors also didn''t like the situation here.


    But, Lilac felt otherwise, she felt invigorated for being in the nature, yet it didn''t cease the darkness that she sensed, if anything, it was only getting stronger.


    "Who is there?" one of the lycan warrior sensed something and walked over to check on it. He went behind the tree and return with a young girl. "You shouldn''t be here, what are you doing here?" the warrior asked.


    "This place is not for a pup," Theo mumbled. "Bring her back and find her parents."


    "Wait," Lilac stopped the warrior and walked closer to the young girl, who seemed like in her early adolescence age. "What is your name?"


    "Terra," the girl answered while staring at Lilac with her innocent eyes.

 Chapter 707 - TERRA (2)

    Lilac narrowed her eyes at the young girl named Terra, she moved closer and ordered the warrior to release her. "Step back," she said to the warrior and he did what he was told. "What are you doing here Terra? Where is your parent?"


    Terra blinked her eyes. "I got lost your grace," she said softly.


    "Got lost?" Lilac smiled at her softly. "How did you come here?" now, Lilac was standing two steps away from Terra, while Theo and the other lycans were standing beside her.


    "I went here with my mother and father, but then I got lost," she looked at Lilac with pitiful eyes, as if she was afraid of being here alone.


    "How long have you been lost in this forest?" Lilac asked again in the same tender tone.


    "One, two hours." Terra shrugged her shoulder. "I don''t know¡­"


    "Let the guard take her to her parents." Theo suggested to her, but Lilac raised her hand to stop it again.


    "You really think that she is lost?" Lilac glanced at Theo. "Lycan lost their pup in this swamp? Are you sure that she is one of your kind?"


    With remarkable hearing and sensing ability, it was almost impossible for the lycanthropes lost their pup, even though they were in the wild like this.


    Theo and the three lycan warriors behind Lilac sniffed the air and only then they realized. "She is human child."


    It had been so long since the last time they met with human and because they were accustomed to lilac''s scent, they didn''t think that the child they were dealing with was actually human.


    Moreover, how could there be a human child here?


    "Right," Lilac agreed as she clapped her hands. "Human child, what are you doing in the realm of the beast?"


    Realized that her lie had been exposed, Terra took a step back. Her innocent eyes hardened.


    "Now will you tell me where your parents are?" Lilac moved her hands and the roots under Terra''s feet followed her movements.


    Terra was aware that she was in danger now, thus she was about to flee when her feet was caught by one of the roots under Lilac''s control.


    "You said you want to meet with my parents! I will let you meet her!" Terra struggled to free herself, but the roots turned her helpless and nullified all of her effort.


    "Fine, just tell me where are they and I will bring you straight away to them." Lilac tied Terra on the tree.


    "You don''t need to do this. She is only a human child." Theo frowned at Lilac. "Why don''t you let her go? She is of no use to you."


    "No," Lilac rejected Theo''s idea. "She is here for a reason. A reason that I don''t like."


    It was Terra that Lilac sensed earlier. The darkness that forced her to come in this swamp area. The darkness from her that was so strong that made Lilac felt uneasy.


    The darkness was the part of human heart that was bound by something very evil. Everyone had darkness in their heart, but only if it reached to certain level that the guardian angel could feel it.


    Just how Lilac sensed Terra.


    "Bring her to the castle," Lilac ordered the three lycan warriors and they did what she said.


    "What you will get from human child? You just wasted your time. Let her rotted in this swamp," Theo said in disdain while frowning at Terra, who was struggling from the lycan that held her.


    "Information," Lilac answered without hesitation. Her eyes locked on Terra.


    "Jedrek will not agree. He dislikes human," Theo stated.


    "There are a lot of things he doesn''t like and the guardian angel is one example, but you can see where I am now," Lilac said in finality.


    ==============


    Raine didn''t see it coming, but Hope already knew this would happen, yet she was still dumbfounded by the bloody scene before her eyes.


    The only thing that Hope had experienced that close to the gruesome scene like this was when she killed the witch.


    With the witch, Hope did not feel sympathetic because she would kill or hurt her if she did not do what she had done.


    But, now it was totally different. Hope knew the priestess and she was crying with deep sorrow for some time when Kace retrieved the dagger from the priestess''s chest and moved her to another place.


    Therefore, to watch how helpless the witch now, or how her eyes widened in disbelieve upon seeing the betrayal from the young girl that she trusted, mixture of emotions flooded in her heart and turned her knees weak.


    Hope and Raine watched as Terra stabbed the priestess three times in a row and the last time, the young girl stabbed her right in her chest.


    The priestess collapsed to the ground and eventually didn''t move at all.


    "We have to save her¡­" Hope mumbled absentmindedly. She turned her head to look at Raine when she didn''t give any response. "We need to save her¡­"


    On the other hand, Raine looked more collected than Hope. She had seen this kind of scene a couple of time already. The death of her parents, the death of the lycan who harassed her, the death of Sunny, the death of Aeon and countless death that she couldn''t remember during the battle with the devil and the riot in Torak''s pack when he was claimed dead.


    Raine had watched more than enough.


    Therefore, she was more calm than Hope, who was in emotional mess, she was crying hard now.


    "Hope, we can''t save her¡­" Raine tried to shush her, but Hope''s eyes locked in horror to the priestess''s body. "There is nothing we can do. We have to go from here."


    Hope shook her head.


    "This already happened, there is nothing we can do, we cannot change the past." Raine glanced at the direction of the devil and Terra worriedly.


    And as Raine expected, the two of them had heard Hope''s voice and now Terra and the devil woman were walking towards them.

 Chapter 708 - WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!

    "Sst!" Raine looked around her, but the way where she came was too far for them to reach without being noticed. "Stop crying, Hope," Raine said helplessly, she covered Hope''s mouth with her palm.


    Eventually, Hope''s cry subsided and she glanced over her shoulder to see the devil woman and Terra were approaching toward their direction.


    "Come here," Raine said as she grabbed Hope''s hand and ran toward the direction of the dark underground passage, where they separated from Torak, Kace and the other hunters.


    "They will see us!" Hope said desperately.


    "If we stay they will find us," Raine spoke while taking Hope along with her. "I don''t know how to fight."


    Right! They didn''t know how to defend themselves. "I will ask Kace to teach me how to fight when we return," Hope mumbled between her sobs, she wiped her tears with her free hands while running.


    "Right, but we have to survive this first," Raine agreed, but her mind was too busy to think the possibility they would be caught by the devil.


    Right at that time, something was hurled passed the Hope''s head and hit the stalagmite right beside Raine''s head. It was a close call!


    Raine turned around and watched the young girl was holding another dagger and ready to lunch it to them again.


    "Raine, bring us back! I think this is already enough!" Raine shouted in fear when another dagger missed its target and they could hear the devil woman ordered something to Terra. "I don''t know why you bring us here, but I think we have to go back now."


    Raine grimaced when she heard that.


    However, when they reached a place where should have been the passage they had come from, it was not there!


    "Where is that?!" Hope touched the cave stone wall, but it was very solid. "Impossible! The passageway is supposed to be here!" she groaned in frustration.


    "Come here!" Raine grabbed Hope''s wrist and took her behind the stalagmite to hide again. "Where are the two people?" she breathed heavily.


    Hope tilted her head and looked quickly behind her, but she saw nothing. There were no one there and the only thing they could hear was the streaming river.


    "Hope, you need to bring us back to our time," Hope looked at another guardian angel beside her. It was amazing to know that Raine could bring them back to the past, but she thought it was a right time for them to return to their own mate.


    Raine bit her lips, she fidgeted. "I can''t," she said in voice that barely a whisper.


    "You can''t? What do you mean?" Hope frowned at her. "You brought us here and you should be able to bring us back, right?"


    Yet, Raine shook her head. "I can''t control my power."


    "What do you mean with that?" It took some time for Hope to discern what Raine was saying. "You can''t bring us back?"


    Raine shook her head weakly. "I don''t know how¡­"


    And Hope''s eyes widened in disbelieve. She wiped the remaining tears from her face, now the sorrowful feeling and grief that she felt a while ago when she watched the priestess was being killed had replaced with something more fearsome!


    They were trapped in the past with the devil and a young crazy girl, who was able to kill the other people without batting an eye.


    "What we should do now?" Hope crept closer toward Raine, hiding both of them as she looked around worriedly.


    "Don''t worry, we will go back to our time eventually¡­" Raine said, but even herself could hear the hesitation in her voice.


    "Someone is coming." Hope heard the sound of footsteps, someone was approaching them. She bent her body to pick two big stones, which she gave one to Raine.


    Since they didn''t have any weapon with them, they should be able to use everything they could find at this point.


    In spite of the fact, the stones wouldn''t be able to protect them, but it was better than having nothing at all.


    Raine clutched her stone tightly when the sound of the footsteps that approached them became louder. Beside her, Hope had raised her hand to attack whoever appeared from their hiding place.


    Hope could feel her heart was beating so fast when she swung her hand and was about to strike the other person, yet her opponent moved faster than her and caught her hand mid- air.


    Seeing Hope was not able to attack the other person, Raine stepped forward and raised her hand to hit the person, who held Hope''s wrist.


    However, Raine dropped the stone in her hand the moment she saw who it was.


    "Torak!" Raine pounced onto her mate and hugged him tightly.


    On the other hand, Torak immediately let go of Hope''s hand when he felt his mate in his arms, safe and sound.


    "Where have you been?!" Torak growled, but it wasn''t because he was angry, he was afraid something happened to her.


    Raine and Hope disappeared all of sudden and they couldn''t find them anywhere!


    Torak knew the two guardian angels disappearance must have something to do with Raine''s power, but it didn''t cease his worry.


    Meanwhile, Kace rushed toward them when he smelled his mate and hugged Hope tightly.


    "Are we back?" Hope asked in confusion.


    ==============


    "Why we have to question the child?" Jedrek asked Lilac in stern voice.


    The first thing Jedrek heard when he arrived at the castle was; Lilac had taken a human child into the dungeon and was about to question her.


    "Because she is not an ordinary child, Jedrek," Lilac talked in low voice, she tried to hide her agitation, but it seemed her annoyance leaked from every word that she spoke. "There is something evil inside the child."


    "Then kill her," Jedrek said simply.


    They were in the hallway where it was just the two of them under rays of the twilight and Lilac''s furious expression only made the King even more amused.

 Chapter 709 - TO BE HIS EQUAL

    "No," Lilac rejected his idea immediately. "Don''t you have anything else other than killing people?" she crossed her arms.


    "We fight the devil and now they come to our door, what else you want to do? Invite her for dinner?" Jedrek walked away toward his chamber and Lilac followed behind him, the guardian angel was not happy at all with the king''s statement.


    "We can ask her," Lilac spoke hastily. She had to half running only to keep up with Jedrek''s pace.


    "There is no need to ask, they will not say anything that is how the devil works." Jedrek didn''t slow down and let Lilac caught up with him, the guardian angel was panting, as the sound of their footsteps echoed inside the hallway.


    "She is not devil, she is human. You said yourself," Lilac retorted. "Have you forgotten?"


    "And just like you said, she has something evil inside of her," Jedrek was adamant with his decision.


    However, before he could open the door to his study room, where Lyrus and the other generals were waiting for him, Lilac hastened her pace and placed her palms against Jedrek''s chest to stop him.


    "No, I am still talking to you." Lilac had to crane her neck in order to look at Jedrek''s eyes in this close proximity. He was so tall.


    "If you are still asking to meet with the human child, we have done talking." Jedrek stopped walking and glared at Lilac. Actually, he could easily shove her away, but this time he waited for her reaction.


    "No, I will talk to her. There are a few questions that I want to ask." Lilac was adamant. It was her who had brought Terra to this castle and placed her in the dungeon, but who would have thought Theo had ordered someone to inform Jedrek immediately about this and now the King forbade her to meet with the girl.


    "Or?" Jedrek asked rigidly to his defiant mate. "Or what? You will turn this place upside down again?"


    The throne room that Lilac had turned into swamp this morning was still in the process of being repaired, because Jedrek didn''t grant her wish to go to the city alone, thus the king assumed his mate wanted to make another swamp in one of his castle rooms.


    "No, of course not." Lilac avoided Jedrek''s eyes and mumbled sheepishly.


    "Listen." Jedrek pinched her chin and tilted her head so she could meet with his gaze when he spoke. "I am the king, so stop arguing with me, especially not in front of my subject."


    Lilac swatted his hand from her chin and glared at him. "And I am your queen, so stop treating me like I am one of your subjects." Lilac squared her shoulder to look more confident. "We have agreed with this relationship, so as your equal, I want to have a say in matter like this too. If you want this to work, you can''t expect me to listen all of your words while you ignoring mine, that''s not how it works."


    Lilac was determined to put the things between them right. Jedrek had to stop acting like her words were not worthy enough to be heard.


    "You want me to treat you as my equal?" Jedrek asked after a moment of silence.


    Lilac blinked her eyes, she was on alert about what Jedrek was about to talk. "Yes."


    "Come with me," Jedrek spoke as if he was grumbling and he opened the door while taking Lilac with her into the study room.


    Meanwhile, the guardian angel was caught off guard by Jedrek''s sudden moves and stumbled forward. Fortunately, Jedrek''s hold was firm enough to avoid Lilac from embarrassing herself.


    Once the two of them were inside, there were five pairs of eyes staring at them curiously, especially at Lilac.


    "If you want to be my equal, prove yourself," Jedrek spoke in very low tone, which only Lilac could hear and then let go of her hand as he walked to his plush chair behind his fancy table, leaving Lilac alone, standing at the entrance of the door that left opened.


    Being under the hard gazes of the high rank lycanthropes was not a pleasant experience at all, and right now the Lilac was experiencing it.


    The room fell into dead silent when Jedrek sat down on his chair. However, no one seemed to be able to take their eyes off Lilac. They didn''t have any idea why she was here.


    Jedrek left Lilac right on the door step with the door opened, so she could choose, either she walked away and closed the door from outside or she entered the room and proved herself that she was worthy to be his equal.


    That was the king''s message and Lilac was well aware.


    Taking a deep breath, Lilac turned around, closed the door and entered the room with her head held high, but she hoped no one could hear the sound of her heart beating so fast as her stomach churned in discomfort because of her nervousness.


    Even though Lilac did not see it, but she could feel those eyes following every movement that the guardian angel made until she reached Jedrek''s seat and found there was no extra chair there.


    Lilac stared at Jedrek and watched as the corner of the King''s lips slightly moved upward, smirked triumphantly.


    However, Jedrek had underestimate his mate if he thought that could make the stubborn guardian angel back down and felt sorry for herself.


    With the same grin on her lips, Lilac turned and scanned the room. Unfortunately, there were no spare seats here, as if this meeting was meant only for Jedrek and his five trusted people.


    "What are you doing here? This meeting does not require your presence." Theo frowned at Lilac.


    And that was the time when Lilac decided that this general should learn how to respect her as his future queen.


    "You," Lilac nodded at Theo. "Bring me your chair."

 Chapter 710 - A LESSON FROM LILAC

    "What?" Theo frowned. "Why?" he was not a little bit happy by Lilac''s order.


    The general was aware that the guardian angel before his eyes was not a weak creature like what people had known for centuries, but he still refused to be ordered around by her. It seemed old habit died hard. His pride didn''t allow him to bow down to the guardian angel.


    However, not every lycanthrope in this room had the same thoughts as him. At least, Eaton did not.


    The former beta of Janus stood up and was about to offer his chair when Lilac shook her head. "I want his chair," she said sternly, crossing her arms, she didn''t take her eyes off Theo.


    "I will ask someone to take another chair for you," Eaton spoke again. If Lilac persisted like now, the meeting wouldn''t start, as he knew Theo wouldn''t bow his head to her.


    "No," Lilac said calmly, she shifted her attention toward Eaton and caught his gaze that said; ''don''t make things difficult,'' yet Lilac ignored it. "He should know that it is rude to reject direct order from his Luna."


    "You are not my Luna," Theo said through his gritted teeth, he glared at Lilac.


    "Not your Luna?" Lilac raised her eyebrows and tilted her head at Jedrek. "He said I am not your Luna." She shrugged her shoulder. "Then, doesn''t that make you are not an alpha?"


    "Don''t twist my word, I have never said that!" Theo''s buoyant mood was gone. Now, he was really pissed by Lilac.


    Ignoring Theo''s protests, Lilac turned his attention to the Alpha, who was sitting comfortably in his plush chair while she was fighting to find a seat for herself.


    What ridiculous situation that she was in right now!?


    "Am I not your mate?" Lilac asked Jedrek straightforwardly. "Tell them if I am not your mate."


    This concept was the same like what Jedrek used when he left her on the door step alone, left herself to choose her own decision.


    Right now, if Jedrek said Lilac was not his mate, it would be completely a lie, since it was he himself that said the guardian angel was his mate, yet if he recognized her as his, then he would have to punish Theo for refusing direct orders from his Luna, their queen.


    Jedrek could see his mate smirk when he finally spoke, "she is my mate, your Luna and Queen and the meeting will not start until she sits down."


    His voice neither loud nor harsh, but it was enough to stabilize Lilac''s position in front of his people, at least for now.


    Lilac sighed internally when she heard that, she could say she was lucky enough to have Jedrek spoke like that. It was good enough to see her mate was doing something he should have done as a mate.


    "Tell someone to bring another chair," Theo hissed to Warlock, who was sitting beside him and the general walked out of the room to inform the guard.


    Meanwhile, Theo dragged the chair over and put it beside Jedrek for Lilac to sit. However, the guardian angel thought she had to give an extra lesson for today to Theo.


    "Thank you," Lilac said sweetly to the general when he put the chair. "For giving me your chair voluntarily, you are pardoned from the punishment for refusing my direct orders."


    Next to Lilac, Jedrek glanced at his mate with amus.e.m.e.nt danced in his eyes before he started their meeting.


    ==============


    "So, you don''t know how to control your power?" Hope asked Raine when they had returned to their tent.


    After they buried the children and cremated the priestess, Torak and Kace agreed that tomorrow they would leave to the mainland and went back to the mystic river village.


    But, the people that Torak had brought with him and the centaurs would stay here along with Lydia. They would follow them to the other realm, when Torak had done talking with Jedrek about Kace''s term. The youngest Donovan was not happy a little bit to know that they would go home and reunite.


    When there was someone who asked ''why?'' he would glare at them and hissed in derision. ''he is an a**'' that was how he answered them.


    "No, I don''t." Raine shook her head regretfully.


    "Don''t you try to ask Serefina what happened with you?" Hope sat down beside Raine.


    They two of them were inside Raine and Torak''s tent and had another round of endless conversation. The two of them seemed like would never run out of topic to discuss.


    "I don''t say I am good with my power too," Hope raised her hands when she watched Raine''s dejected expression. "I don''t even know why I am seeing these fireflies everywhere I go¡­" she watched the flickering little things that even Raine couldn''t see it. "¡­or ghosts¡­" she shuddered.


    "They are the spirit of the dead people," Raine corrected Hope while chuckling when she watched her expression. It sounded a little bit creepy when Hope mentioned those spirits as ghosts, though that was not wrong either.


    "Whatever they are¡­" Hope shrugged her shoulder. "I will love to be able to control the time like you do¡­"


    "I don''t have control over my power, remember?" Raine reminded her. "Serefina has been helping me, but I don''t know what is wrong with me, why I still can''t do anything with this power of mine."


    To be honest, sometime Raine was scared if one day she unknowingly went to the past and was not able to return.


    When the two guardian angels were in deep thought, someone opened the curtain of the tent and startled them.


    "Your mate is looking for you, it is already late, Raine needs to sleep," Calleb spoke rigidly. He didn''t even bother to hide his dislike toward Hope.


    "I think I should go back," Hope stood up and hugged Raine. "Bye, Raine." When Raine walked past Calleb, she frowned. "Why I feel like you don''t like me?"

 Chapter 711 - PROVIDE YOU WITH SOLUTION

    At first Hope didn''t really feel it, but then the way Calleb talked to her and how he looked at her direction whenever she was near him, was obvious that the Gamma didn''t like her.


    And Hope didn''t know why he treated her that way.


    "Because you smell like rogue," Calleb answered curtly. He crossed his arms and showed his disinterest in her.


    Not only Hope, who was surprised by Calleb''s bluntness, Raine also was taken aback by his attitude. As long as she could remember, Calleb was the most bubbly person that she had ever met, but now the way the Gamma looked at Hope, it seemed like he was holding a grudge toward her.


    "Calleb," Raine admonished him to appear hostile toward Hope. "She is not a rogue."


    Calleb shrugged his shoulder. "She and her mate don''t have a pack, so they are rough."


    "They are with the centaurs," Raine retorted. She didn''t believe it Calleb thought that way about Hope. What is wrong with him? Since the day they fought the devil, occasionally, Calleb would look distracted and became moody.


    "You can''t call those creatures as your pack just because they have been staying with them." Calleb made his point.


    "I am sorry." This time, Hope spoke in rigid tone when she cut the conversation between Raine and Calleb. "Do I know you? Or, have I offended you in any way? I don''t think you have the right to tell me how we live."


    "I don''t," Calleb said simply. "But, since you ask me why I don''t like you, then that''s my answer." afterward Calleb waved his hand at Raine and walked out of the tent, after he notified Hope again. "Go back to your tent."


    The moment Calleb was not there, Raine and Hope looked at each other in confusion.


    "What is wrong with him?" Hope frowned, she disliked to be treated that way when she didn''t even know what she had done wrong to him.


    Raine approached Hope and smiled awkwardly. "Maybe this long journey had exhausted him. I will talk to him later, we need to sleep now, tomorrow will be another long journey."


    But, even Raine knew that didn''t answer the question; why Calleb treated Hope with hostility.


    Hope reciprocated Raine''s smile. "You don''t have to talk to him about this. I don''t really care what he thinks about me. Even before I met the centaurs, according to his logic, I have been living as a rogue since the day I could remember, so it doesn''t bother me. I am happy to live with the people that I love."


    ==============


    Lilac had been listening to the discussion between Jedrek, Lyrus, Eaton, Theo, Warlock and Rowan for almost two hours now.


    They were talking about the attack in the region under Jedrek''s territory, the rogue that wreck havoc in east region and the tensions in the society due to their family members who kept disappearing and never be found again.


    "So, what do you think?" Jedrek asked Lilac all of sudden, because the guardian angel had been a good listener since the start of the meeting and didn''t voice out a single word.


    "You keep killing their family members, so this situation should be predictable," Lilac replied simply.


    "Those people had lost their beast spirit, they are no longer shifter, and will be the puppet of the devils. We don''t need any addition of another potential enemy," Theo retorted.


    "Those people had family, they had brothers and sisters, had mate who was waiting for them to come back and probably some of them had felt something wrong had happened to their other half, that is how the mate bond works, right? And now, if you keep covering up the truth, the situation will only get worse." Lilac glowered at Theo. "And the moment they learned the truth, it will be hard for all of you to fix the situation." The guardian angel stared at the people inside the room sharply, including her mate beside her. "After all, this is what the devil wanted. They plotted for you to go against your own people."


    Since, Jedrek wanted Lilac to speak up her mind, so the guardian angel thought it would be better for them to listen to her point of view as well as her dissatisfaction with the way they handled this situation in the most barbaric way.


    After Lilac''s long monologue, the room fell into silence, as their attention were on her. However, the lycanthropes was haughty creature, they wouldn''t admit it easily, especially when it came from the guardian angel.


    "So, do you want to say that we should return those people to their family, let them live among the society and when the time came, the devils can use them to kill our kind from within? Do you think they will let us kill their family member, even though we let them learn the truth?" Eaton remarked. "That''s ridiculous."


    This was also one of their reasons why they killed those shifters that had lost their soul, because if they didn''t kill them right away, it would be a disaster if their family protected them when Jedrek took an action.


    Lilac narrowed her eyes at Theo. Since the first time they met, he had been treating her less than she deserved. Even thought, the guardian angel managed to whip his a** with her roots.


    "What do you think best to do now?" Warlock asked, but when he realized Lilac''s position, he added reluctantly. "Luna¡­"


    And Lilac answered truthfully. "I don''t know."


    "You don''t know and you sit there like you know the solution of this issue," Theo sneered and he was rewarded by Eaton''s sharp glare.


    Lilac chuckled when she heard that and Jedrek slightly shifted his gaze toward his mate, curious about what she was laughing at.


    "You made this decision without asking me, all of you even put me in the dark, and now when the situation had become like this you complained because I can''t provide you with solution?" Lilac jeered.

 Chapter 712 - HI, LITTLE FELLA!

    Dead bodies were on the ground in this solitude dungeon, which didn''t provide enough light to illuminate every dark corner.


    A woman crouched down above a dead body of a lycan warrior and puncture his chest with her sharp nail, drawing blood right from his heart. She licked it and closed her eyes.


    "Fresh blood is always the best," she m.o.a.ned.


    "You should try the royal blood," Asmodeus chuckled upon seeing Beelzebub had her own time with the dead shifters. "I had tried it for centuries."


    "I should come here sooner, instead of roaming around in the other realm," Beelzebub replied as she stood up.


    "Why should we come here to take your human maid? It will be easier to find a replacement." Asmodeus waved her hand and the iron door was opened for them.


    "I like her, she is an evil in human skin," Beelzebub chuckled delightfully. "She killed a priestess and many other people with her innocent face and smile on her lips. Oh, I love to see how vicious this little girl is."


    Behind the iron door there were a lot of people inside, and most of them were the shifters who had lost their soul, they had come out from their coma and were waiting for their execution, since there were a lot of them.


    These prisoners were the shifters, which had lost their spirit beast, that just recently found near this south region and for the shifters that they had at the city central, they had been executed even before the gates of Tartarus were opened.


    "Please, save us!"


    "Let me out of here!"


    "Open this cell!"


    "You! Open this d*mn door!"


    Wails and weeps echoed inside the cell, which filled with those shifters. They bang their head against the iron cell and kicked it until their feet bled, yet they couldn''t muster their power or shifted into their beast to help them from this dreadful situation.


    "What happened to us!?" One of the prisoners roared and slipped his hand between the iron bars to reach for Beelzebub or Asmodeus.


    "What Lucifer and the sloth want by turning them into useless shifters?" Beelzebub frowned. She had been away for too long to keep track about what her fellow devils had been doing all this time. She was too busy with her own interest.


    "Create chaos, like usual." Asmodeus shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly. "You know him, he always like to invest for this kind of thing. Moreover, we don''t need to do anything and they will destroy their own kind eventually."


    The two women walked along the corridor with countless cells lined up on their left and right side, which every one of it, filled with the shifters, wailing and shouting to them.


    "I don''t know if the guardian angel''s blood can be used this way." Beelzebub was in awe when she looked at those shifters. If they were in normal condition, they would have shifted into their beast by now. Unfortunately, they were no longer could do that.


    "Thanks to the fae who managed to get the blood from the girls," Asmodeus said.


    Ten years ago, they got the fae who had stolen a guardian angel''s blood from the hospital, when the creature was bragging about it. It was their luck to be in the same place as her, but she couldn''t say the same thing to the fae.


    "And knowing how the shadow warrior used to exploit their blood for battle, we just need to add a little bit here and there to create them." Asmodeos waved her hand toward the shifters inside the cell. "Wonderful isn''t it?"


    Beelzebub chuckled, she pushed the door of one of the cell in front of them, and it opened for them.


    The two women stepped inside the cell and found a young girl around twelve years old huddled on the corner. "Hi, little fella." Asmodeus greeted Terra cheerfully.


    Terra raised her head and an innocent smile appeared across her face. "I know you will come!"


    ==============


    "If you don''t have the solution, you shouldn''t sit there and join the meeting," Theo said softly, even he added smile on the corner of his lips, but his eyes said otherwise, as he kept ignoring the warning glare from Eaton and because Jedrek didn''t say or do anything for Lilac when his general disrespected his mate through and through, the general became bolder.


    "Then why are you still here?" Lilac leaned her back against her chair. "If I can''t join the meeting because I can''t provide a solution to you, then what about you who keep complaining in the entire meeting and still can''t solve the problem either?"


    Rowan feigned his laugh by coughing and Warlock cleared his throat while looking somewhere else while Lyrus and Eaton frowned upon hearing Lilac sarcasm. This girl surely had a sharp tongue.


    Why Jedrek always ended up with a woman with a lot of sarcasm on the tip of their tongue? Eaton still remembered how Serefina was like.


    "I reject your ways by killing them. This is not the solution we are looking for," Lilac said in firm tone.


    Theo''s outburst died down when Jedrek took his turn to talk. "What do you think we should do?" Jedrek tilted his head and watched as his mate was in deep thought. For a moment the room fell into silent before Lilac spoke again.


    "The other guardian angel is able to see the spirit. I think we need to wait for her," Lilac said. She looked at Jedrek, waiting for his rejection.


    "In another words, there are one more guardian angel who will come?" Theo raised his eyebrows


    "Actually, there are two," Lilac said cheekily and flashed him with a warm smile. Of course, this annoyed the general.


    However, a moment later, the six lycanthropes in the room growled deeply at the same time and sprang to their feet.


    "What happened?" Lilac was confused because Jedrek grabbed her arms all of sudden, forced her to stand up while the other lycan had left the room.

 Chapter 713 - HARSHER PUNISHMENT

    "Something happened in the dungeon. I want you to stay inside your chamber." Jedrek said rigidly. He didn''t want to hear her rejection right now since he was so livid.


    It was not only the dungeon, but something was happening in the front yard. Someone had killed all of the guards and released those shifters from their cells, and now they were running toward the gates to free themselves.


    However, once they reached the gates and there were people who saw them, the problem wouldn''t end up there. It would cause another ripple of protest from the citizens. They would hold solid evidence that the royal had something to do with their missing family members.


    [Close all the gates! And don''t let any of the shifters get away!] Jedrek gave an order through the mind- link and listened to their solemn replied while taking Lilac away. [Eaton. Find out who released them!]


    Lilac was panting heavily when she had to catch up with Jedrek''s quick steps. The king only stopped when he found a guard nearby and handed Lilac over to him.


    "Bring her to her chamber and make sure she stays there," Jedrek spoke sternly.


    "What? No!" Just like what Jedrek had thought, Lilac refused to listen to his order. "I am going with you!"


    Jedrek stopped walking and glared at the guardian angel, but Lilac didn''t back down easily as she craned her neck to meet with his gaze.


    "You will not like what you see," Jedrek spoke through his gritted teeth. "Stay inside your room and don''t go out until I said so."


    Lilac shook her head helplessly. She knew Jedrek wouldn''t listen to her, so words wouldn''t work on him. It would be great if she could save his energy for another important thing except argued with him.


    With that thought, Lilac walked away toward the commotion. She couldn''t listen to the noisy sound that happened in the front yard, as it was too far from where she was now, but she still could feel it.


    She ran as fast as her feet could take her, but Jedrek still managed to outrun her after saying, "don''t make a fuss with what you will see."


    Soon, his figure disappeared at the corner and when Lilac took the same turned, the king had gone. "Why is he very fast?" Lilac grumbled and looked beside her, where the guard from earlier caught up with her. "What are you doing?"


    "The king gave an order to stay with you my lady," The guard said.


    "I am not your lady!" Lilac snapped at him, venting out her frustration because of Jedrek.


    ==============


    "What happened with Calleb?" Raine was standing at the stern of the ship with Raphael beside him and Torak was talking to Calleb, but occasionally he would glance at her direction to make sure, Raine wouldn''t take any reckless movement that caused her to fall into the sea.


    "Like usually, Torak needs to talk something to him. You know him, he is a capable pup, but sometime he can be thoughtless," Raphael replied to her. He was in alert, ready to take some action if needed.


    Raine wanted to see the twilight from this part of this ship and after persuading Torak tirelessly, finally he relented.


    A moment ago, Torak was with her, but then he remembered there was something he wanted to say to Calleb when the Gamma walked past them, therefore Raphael was in charge for Raine now.


    "Calleb dislikes Hope," Raine stated, she closed her eyes when the wind brushed her face and swayed her long hair. "He said it himself." Raine added when Raphael gave her a questioning look.


    The Beta sighed deeply and didn''t answer immediately, as both of them watched the sun slowly disappeared at the line where the sky and the sea meet.


    "Calleb doesn''t dislike Hope, he doesn''t like rogue." Raphael told her. "He lost his younger sister in one of the rogue attack."


    Raine whipped her head and widened her eyes in surprised. "I have never heard about this."


    "Yes, he was training at that time for his position as gamma when his original pack was attacked. There were many casualties, including his sister." Raphael recalled the memories. "She was around your age and was a warrior in their pack."


    Raine''s expression turned gloomy. "That''s why he said he didn''t like Hope because she smelled like a rogue."


    "It was only his younger sister was left from his family, as his parents both died for the same reason." Raphael put his hand on top of Raine''s head and patted her. "It was also the memory that Calleb had seen when we went to the devil''s den not long ago, when we went to the secret passageway to get the book to save Torak."


    Raine remembered, it was also the same time when she saw Hope for the first time and the other guardian angel that she had seen first.


    "That''s why, he was a little bit distracted when we were in battle with the devil afterward," Raphael said softly and glanced at Calleb, who was nodding his head while smiling wryly at Torak, it seemed he did another silly mistake again.


    "He became moody," Raine turned around and watched Calleb was saying something to Torak.


    "It''s alright. He will be fine eventually, he only needs time to readjust his feeling. Maybe his dislike toward Hope because of the fact that she and Kace are indeed rogue, but you don''t have to think about it too much, he will just annoy them a little."


    Raine chuckled when she heard that, but her sadness comeback when her laugh died down. She walked toward Calleb.


    Torak and Calleb stopped talking when they saw Raine was approaching them, the moment she was close enough, she hugged Calleb.


    Calleb''s eyes widened in surprise, especially when Torak narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Raine, don''t you think you are hugging the wrong person? Torak was scolding me and if you act like this, my punishment can be harsher," he whined.

 Chapter 714 - IGNORANCE

    "Come here," Torak said grimly while pulling Raine away from Calleb, he kept the little girl beside him and frowned when he watched Raine was crying. "Why are you crying?"


    "Nothing," Raine mumbled as she wiped her tears.


    However, Torak wouldn''t just believe it. "What happened to her?" He glared at his Gamma and Beta.


    "I don''t know!" Calleb shrieked as he threw his hands up, shaking his head like a rattle drum. "I was here with you." Then the Gamma whipped his head toward Raphael. "Raph! What you did to her?"


    "I didn''t do anything," Raphael said, shaking his head.


    "No, Torak¡­ I am all right¡­" Raine wiped her tears and sniffled. "I am just a little bit sensitive."


    Torak groaned and dismissed the two of them. "Go."


    Raphael wrapped his arm around Calleb''s neck and half dragged him away. "Let''s go."


    "Bye, Raine!" Calleb was back to his cheerful personality as he waved his hand and winked at her.


    This flirtatious action made her giggled, especially when Torak growled and the Gamma ran away as fast as he could.


    "My patient with them has no limits," Torak grunted and shifted his attention toward Raine. "Now, tell me what happened?" He cupped her face between his palms. And watched her expression turned sullen as Raine told him what Raphael had said earlier.


    "It''s all right now, he has you as his little sister." Torak caressed Raine''s soft hair as his mate sobbed and kissed her temple. "You became more sensitive when you are in period¡­"


    Raine widened his eyes in horror her face flushed red in the evening sun.


    Ugh!


    Of course he knew and now he teased her.


    ==============


    The moment Lilac reached the front yard, she was greeted by horrible scene where many people were being tackled down by beasts, which was twice their size.


    "What is your order, Your Majesty? Should we kill them?" Lyrus asked Jedrek.


    "No, don''t kill them!" Lilac shrieked. Just a moment ago she told them to stop killing those shifters, and now this happened.


    However, Lyrus wouldn''t take order from Lilac, thus he ignored her thoroughly and looked at Jedrek, waiting for his decision.


    "We should have killed them if it was not because there were another important matter came up. This is the right time to do that." Lyrus added when he watched all of the shifter had been handled and were struggling under the beasts that pushed them to the ground.


    "No, you have to stop it," Lilac spoke more firmly now. She glared at Jedrek fiercely.


    However, despite what she said in the meeting room and how she strongly objected to Lyrus''s suggestion, Jedrek had the last say and he opted to do it anyway.


    "Kill them," Jedrek said without hesitation.


    "No!" Lilac was about to stop those beasts from tearing those people apart, but Jedrek held her hands and it was too late for her to do anything when the sound of bones cracking under the pressure of the beasts'' powerful jaws rang out, echoing in the cold night air.


    Lilac closed her eyes and turned around, but it was only heightened her other sense as she could feel every blood that drip from their lifeless body, which seeped into the ground and every struggle movement from them before they became still.


    When things got quieter, Lilac opened her eyes and turned her head to look at her mate with hostility, even the spark between them was not able to calm her down.


    "I feel like I want to kill you now." She grinded her teeth.


    And without waiting for Jedrek''s respond, she swatted his hand away, which had prevented her from doing anything and stomped her feet away from the gruesome scene, even Lilac could smell enormous amount of blood in the air.


    However, there was no guarantee that if Jedrek didn''t hold her hand, she could save them, because the incident happened so fast and those beasts'' sharp fangs were only inches away from their necks.


    Tears of anger sprung in her eyes when she stormed toward the other part of the castle. She felt disappointed toward Jedrek for never listening to her.


    "Why do you keep following me!?" Lilac stopped walking abruptly and snapped at the same guard, who had been following her.


    "I need to escort you back to your room, my lady." The guard said apprehensively, facing the angry guardian angel was quite frightening. Especially when he witnessed firsthand Lilac''s grand entrance a year ago.


    "I am not your lady!" Lilac remarked, but then she remembered something. "Did you put all the prisoner in the dungeon?"


    The guard nodded.


    "Bring me there."


    ==============


    Jedrek watched when Lilac walked away from him and gestured for Theo to take the charge in this mess while he went to the dungeon with Lyrus and Eaton.


    "Who had done this?" Jedrek asked Eaton, as they went to the east wing, where the dungeon was located.


    "We don''t know." Eaton frowned. "All the guards there were dead and they even didn''t have a chance to mind link their fellow friend that they were attacked."


    "There was no suspicious scent there," Lyrus added. His eyes kept flickering, as though he was in daze when he relayed the report that the lycan warrior told him through the mind- link. "Or any traces that indicate someone had entered the dungeon by force."


    Jedrek listened to that and hastened his pace, but the moment they reached there a sweet scent that he had grown to love, hit his nostril and made him growled deeply.


    "Didn''t I tell you to go back to your room?!" Jedrek snapped when he watched Lilac''s figure at the entrance of the dungeon, she was crouching down in front of one of the dead body with the same guard who was supposed to escort her to her room. "What are you doing here?!?"


    Lilac just threw Jedrek a look, she was still very upset because of his order earlier, thus she chose to ignore him, the way he ignored her.

 Chapter 715 - HE FELT IT TOO, RIGHT?

    "I am asking you!?" Jedrek growled in annoyance. No one ever disrespected him the way Lilac did and was still alive. But, in the end of the day, of course this fierce girl was an exception.


    Jedrek grabbed Lilac''s elbow and forced her to stand up and like what always happened before, Jedrek couldn''t control his strength, thus he ended up hurting Lilac even more.


    "You are hurting me!" Lilac snapped back at him and tried to push him away.


    This time, Jedrek didn''t insist holding her and finally let her go after seeing Lilac''s pain expression. However, he was still furious. "I told you to go back to your room!"


    "Did you hear me agree with that?" Lilac turned around and entered the gloomy dungeon.


    On the other hand, Eaton and Lyrus looked at each other, they felt a little bit awkward upon seeing the couple''s argumentation, though it looked like this wouldn''t be the last, but they swore it was the first time there was someone dared enough to argue with Jedrek after a long time.


    Stiffly, Eaton and Lyrus followed the furious royal couple into the dungeon.


    Inside, there were already several guards carrying the bodies of their dead friends, they could see how many casualties had fallen because of this mysterious attack. It seemed almost all the guards on duty had died.


    "Where did you put the girl?" Lilac asked to the guard, who had been following her.


    The guard didn''t answer her question immediately and looked at his King for confirmation, only when Jedrek nodded his head, he led the way to the deepest part of the dungeon.


    "Who had done this?" Lyrus watched as one of the guards carried one of the dead bodies with his blood were still dripping on the floor. He was curious, "why don''t their wounds heal?"


    "The devil," Torak replied the first question and Lilac replied the second one.


    "Black magic." Lilac knitted her brows when the strong stench of rotting flesh and blood mixed in the air, she glanced at Jedrek, but he seemed didn''t look bother with it. Shouldn''t he have a sharper sense of smell? "It prevented them from mind- link the other guards."


    Meanwhile, Jedrek glanced at Lilac, though she seemed to be frowning and feeling uncomfortable, but her steps was steady and without hesitation when she approached the cell where they kept the girl.


    "That makes sense." Eaton commented.


    "But, how do you know it was the devil?" Lyrus asked curiously.


    "There is no strange scent here. Those devils don''t have scent." Eaton replied and Lyrus nodded in understanding, he just remembered that the devil indeed had no scent and since they had the support of the witches, it was only fitting that what Lilac said was true.


    "Someone had opened the door," the guard said when he found the door to the girl cell was unlocked.


    "Of course, they had," Lilac grumbled and pushed the guard aside as she was about to open the door when Jedrek pulled her away and entered the room first, followed by Lilac and the other. "The devil has taken the girl."


    Lilac could feel it when she arrived at this dungeon when she could no longer feel the darkness from Terra, but she just needed to confirm and see it by herself.


    "Why can''t you feel the devil was nearby?" Lyrus crossed his arms and asked Lilac. "If you are able to feel them, you could notify us."


    "Obviously, it''s because I can''t feel them." Lilac frowned.


    "But, you can feel the darkness from the girl," Lyrus asked again. "I don''t understand why can you feel the darkness from the human girl, but you can''t feel the devil?"


    "Because they are two different things. Every human being has darkness in their heart. However, I will only be able to feel their darkness if it has reached a certain level, just like what happened to that young girl." Lilac was in deep thought, she explained while staring at the chain on the floor, the same chain that was used to arrest Terra.


    ==============


    "Didn''t you say that you would leave once you found out what was troubling Raine?" Torak glanced at Serefina, who was standing beside him.


    They were on the ship deck and only an hour before the ship docked, staring at the horizon where the orange hues had appeared, as a sign that the sun would rise soon.


    "You need someone to take you to my house," Serefina mumbled her reply. It was a lame excuse, even she knew.


    "I think Kace and Hope remember where your house is, even though they''ve been away for a year." Torak responded and the witch was grumbling something incoherently. "Do it quickly and get it done right there and then, you know from the first time that your relationship with Jedrek will not go according to what you planned by the time the moon goddess lifted this curse. That is the real reason why you left right?"


    "Mind your own business." Serefina glared at Torak and it was a rare occasion that the Alpha didn''t bite back.


    The first ray of the sun was warm and beautiful to see, it was the time when the day casted away the cloak of the night and the cold wind.


    "How did you feel when you found Raine?" Serefina asked all of sudden.


    Torak looked at the witch and realized what actually she wanted to know. "I don''t know how to put it into words," he started. "I feel like my life before meeting her is dull in comparison."


    Serefina lowered her head and watched the reflection of the ship on the clear water of the sea. "So you are happy now?"


    "She completes me," Torak said. "The word ''happy'' cannot describe what I feel. It feels like all of my sins had been forgiven when I am with her."


    "Hm," Serefina mumbled. She bit her lips when she thought; so, he felt what Torak felt too, right?

 Chapter 716 - SHE NEEDS THIS...

    Finally, after weeks of waiting, Tordoff, Sebastian and Kyle managed to bring Maximus back.


    Meanwhile, Maximus was well aware about what had happened to the castle in the city center and now Jedrek had moved his force to the castle in the southern region.


    However, he didn''t know what would greet him once he arrived there, neither Tordoff nor the other two generals knew what Jedrek would do to Maximus. They were just ordered to bring him back and here they were, entering the gates of the castle.


    "I still don''t understand why don''t you come back after you got hurt?" Kyle asked Maximus. "The situation in the city center falls apart when the castle collapses and the gates of Tartarus open."


    "I have another thing to do," Maximus grunted in low voice. He had heard about that and was surprised that Jedrek managed to push his limit to kill Diana. The king must not have drunk the drink he always gave him. It seemed Maximus had to start giving that to him again, otherwise he will be difficult to control.


    However, the thing that Maximus didn''t know was the fact that Jedrek had never been truly under his control. It was his genuine feeling for not having his own mother killed, yet things changed and he was forced to choose between awful or dreadful and the king chose something less costly.


    Something that he should have done from the beginning.


    Yet, Maximus wouldn''t know about that until it was too late for him to realize his mistake and how he had underestimated Jedrek all this time, thinking he was the one in control.


    "I will see the king tomorrow," Maximus said, as he was about to walk toward different direction.


    But, Sebastian held his hand. "No, the King wants to see you now."


    Maximus frowned. "But, it is already late."


    "But, the king wants to see you as soon as we arrived." Sebastian pressed this matter.


    "Did he tell you?" Maximus narrowed his eyes suspiciously.


    "The king just mind- linked me," Sebastian replied. "He is in the west wing. Let''s go."


    Maximus didn''t budge, thus there was a tension in the air when both generals were looking into each other eyes until Maximus swatted Sebastian''s hand and walked ahead.


    ==============


    "Where is Lana?" Hope squalled when she finally returned to her home, this house was exactly how she remembered. Since the first two months Kace brought her away, she had been asking for them to come back, yet Kace always turned it down and eventually, due to her bad condition, Hope had never asked again.


    "Lana is away. She has another mission." Serefina plopped down on the plush sofa and closed her eyes to avoid Torak and Kace''s meaningful look. She hated it when the two brothers kept reminding her about the thing that she was supposed to do.


    It was not a big deal. She just needed to go to the other realm and met Jedrek, talked to him about Kace''s term and Torak and Kace would come one or two days later.


    It really was not something big...


    Serefina sighed tiredly.


    "You should stop ordering her around," Hope complained and grabbed Raine''s hand. "Come, I will show you my room!" she was very happy to come back.


    After Raine knew the reason behind Calleb''s hostility toward Hope and Kace, she had talked to him and now the Gamma slightly held himself from making a rude remark whenever Hope and Kace were around.


    Kace sat down beside Serefina after he showed Torak, Calleb and Raphael their room. "So, I am wondering why¡­"


    "Stop!" Serefina raised her hand and glared at Kace. "I know what you are going to ask. I will go tomorrow!" she growled, maybe if she was a female lycan, she would have clawed his face by now.


    Kace frowned. "No, what I want to ask you was; can''t you see? Hope is getting better now. Why is that?"


    It was not that Kace was ungrateful, but he had tried everything and Carina had done everything that she could, but Hope''s condition was not getting better, though it didn''t get worse.


    However, seeing Hope now, she looked very healthy, as if she had never been sick in this past year.


    "The guardian angel''s healing ability," Serefina murmured, they could hear both of the girls were squalling and talking with each other from inside their room.


    "I thought the guardian angel didn''t have that kind of power¡­" Kace stared at the direction at Hope''s room and smiled tenderly, he was more than happy to know that she was back as cheerful as she was before.


    "The guardian angels have different healing abilities from the shifters," Serefina said. "But, it doesn''t mean this healing ability could heal physical injuries."


    "Why didn''t you say this a year ago?" Kace glared at Serefina.


    "I think I forgot, but it was your fault too." Serefina reciprocated Kace''s glare. "You shouldn''t runaway the day after I said that! You don''t even ask me again if I missed something. We were just coming back from the northern coven realm and you asked me that, I am not in my right mind, okay?"


    The guardian angel had extinct long enough for Serefina to forget the smallest detail about what they were able to do.


    Also that was the time when Serefina got the backlash for the life that the moon goddess gave to her. How could she remember that little detail?


    "Whatever," Kace said tiredly and leaned his back against the backrest. There was a moment of silence before he looked at the witch beside him again. "Are you going tomorrow?"


    "Hm," Serefina hummed. There was no emotion in her lime green eyes, they were empty.


    "Do you think he had found his mate?" Kace asked carefully.


    "Yes," Serefina replied dryly.


    Kace looked at her and stretched out his hand, he pushed her head so she could rest on his shoulder. At this time, the witch didn''t resist. She let Kace caressed her head.


    She needed this¡­

 Chapter 717 - DROP YOUR PRETENSE

    Maximus met Jedrek in the backyard, where he was standing alone under the moonlight, caressing a flower that Maximus didn''t even remember was there when the last time he visited this castle.


    "Your majesty," Maximus greeted Jedrek solemnly, but his eyes said otherwise. He would have dug his claws if he was able to do so right at this moment. He never liked jedrek, even since they were little.


    His Gregory family was one of the most powerful family when Janus was still an Alpha. However, because of the wrong decision that they made, Jedrek sentenced his whole family to death.


    Maximus was lucky enough to survive that massacre by pretending to turn his back on his family and gave them up. They had planned it like that when they found out that the devil would lose the war. If he didn''t do so, he would have died by now and the Gregory family line would have ended at that faithful day.


    Actually, it wasn''t only his family that turned their back on the lycanthropes, but all the dragon shifter had done that as well. However, they were still alive and was free to roam around the realm, even though there was a vow that they couldn''t break.


    All this time, Maximus carried the hatred and vengeance on his shoulder. That was why, he followed Jedrek when he was no longer put his loyalty to him. The only thing that he wanted to see was Jedrek died in the same way he demolished his entire family.


    "All of you can go." Jedrek waved his hand and let the other three general to leave him alone with Maximus.


    "I heard what happened in the city center," Maximus spoke calmly. "In the end you killed both of your parents." He arranged his words in such a way that it sounded as if Maximus didn''t blame Jedrek, but still that should make the king feel uncomfortable by presenting such a reality right before him.


    However, Jedrek didn''t even flinch when he heard that. "Right, I finally killed both of them. I should have done that earlier before more victims fell to support his fake life." He locked his blue eyes on Maximus. "My mother lived, just like what the devils promised. But, she had never opened her eyes or spoke a word. What kind of life was that?"


    It was true, Asmodeus kept her promise, but apparently Janus didn''t mention specifically what kind of life did Diana have to live.


    "I understood your point," Maximus said. "But, not only with Asmodeus your father has made a deal."


    Jedrek didn''t respond to that, he just stood there silently, waiting for Maximus to talk more. It seemed there was a tacit understanding between them now.


    "Janus promised the Kingdom to the Greed. Do you know what the consequences when you killed Diana?" Maximus plucked one of the red flowers in this garden and crushed it. "Not only you open Tartarus, but your whole Kingdom will collapse. It is only a matter of time, before it happened."


    Jedrek chuckled, but there was no humor in his blue eyes. "So, you indeed know the consequences all along."


    Jedrek never really knew the true consequences of his actions. It was only after the gates to Tartarus had opened that he thought that was what would happen, but it turned out that there was more to come.


    His father''s love to his mate was truly overwhelming. He wouldn''t bat his eyes when he handed over the kingdom to the devil.


    Jedrek didn''t know, whether he should laugh or cry for this.


    "It is already late at night, we will talk about this later. I bet you must not have been drinking that potion in quite a while. I''ll make it for you right away." Maximus said. "I heard Serefina and your two brothers are coming. I guarantee this time I will succeed in killing those Guardian angels." He was about to excuse himself when Jedrek spoke.


    "Stop your pretense," he said impassively. "No one will kill the guardian angel and I don''t remember that the last order I gave to you was to kill Kace''s mate."


    Jedrek indeed had ordered Maximus to kill guardian angel in the past, his own mate including, but his last order never mentioned anything like that. He even said he wanted the guardian angel to be brought to him alive, so Kace would return as well, knowing his mate was in Jedrek''s hands. However, the general interpreted his words differently.


    "Sure, your Majesty." Maximus turned around, as if there was nothing happened and their conversation was not important enough to hold his interest. "I will bring your drink."


    Luckily, Maximus was on high alert, so he could feel a dagger flying past his face and he dodged it in time.


    "What did that mean?" He turned around and watched Jedrek face that devoid from any emotion.


    ================


    "What are you doing in front of my door?" Lilac couldn''t sleep because she felt there was someone who was standing right in front of her chamber and as it turned out, it was Warlock.


    "Just enjoy the view," Warlock replied nonchalantly. He leaned his tall body against the wall while staring at the beautiful moon.


    Lilac narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You can enjoy the view from your own room."


    "My room doesn''t have this kind of view." Warlock glanced at Lilac and shrugged his shoulder. "You can go inside and continue to sleep."


    "Is it Jedrek''s order?" Lilac guessed, no excuse makes more sense than that. There was no way the general would be here if it was not Jedrek''s order. Despite, Warlock looked less hostile than most of the general, but there were no in good terms too, just like Lilac and Tordoff.


    "If I say ''no'', will you believe me?" Warlock raised his eyebrows.


    "What is he up to now?" Lilac groaned in annoyance.


    Warlock shrugged, but at the same time, someone approached them and called out her name.


    "Tordoff?"

 Chapter 718 - CHALLENGE FOR THE ALPHA

    "Tordoff?" Lilac called his name when his figure appeared in the hallway. "You are back."


    Tordoff grinned at her. He missed that expression and how she smelled. "I am." He glanced at Warlock. "What are you doing here?"


    "I asked the same question too." Lilac crossed her arms in front of her chest.


    "Shouldn''t you go back to your room, Tordoff?" Warlock squinted his eyes at Tordoff, he didn''t like when he was being cornered by the guardian angel and his fellow general. "This is your queen''s quarter, it will not look good if there is male lycan roams around in this place late at night."


    "You shouldn''t be here as well," Tordoff responded.


    "King''s order." Warlock shrugged his shoulder. "I will walk away if you say you are here because you will replace me." He locked his eyes on Tordoff. "But, if not, then please leave."


    "What the King wants by having you guarding the guardian angel''s door?" Tordoff was not satisfied with Warlock''s answer.


    "Apparently, she is not only a guardian angel, she is also our king''s destined mate." Warlock gave Lilac a look. He was still in denial that their king finally had his mate. All of the people thought the curse was eternal. "Probably, you have not yet heard about this because you were gone when Lyrus started to inform us."


    "No. I already knew," Tordoff said coldly. His eyes were on Lilac.


    Tordoff remembered the day when Lyrus told him about Lilac''s true identity was the same day when he had to follow Sebastian and Kyle to look for Maximus.


    ==============


    "It meant; I am no longer need your drink," Jedrek then added when he watched Maximus was about to talk, "or your service."


    Maximus narrowed his eyes. Somehow, he knew what Jedrek already learnt about his true intention. Little did he know, Jedrek had known it for a long time. The King was just very good at pretending and hid his feeling.


    "You must be in pain now. When you know Serefina will come with your brothers. I will make the drink to ease your pain.


    "You don''t need to do that kind of thing anymore." Jedrek walked slowly toward Maximus. "It has been a really long time since I last drank your potion."


    Maximus raised his eyebrows when he heard that. "You have been pretending," he stated and then chuckled. "Very well."


    The night was so cold and the cricket was so loud, yet at this moment no one paid attention to that small detail, especially when one secret had been revealed unexpectedly.


    "So, you know that I am not loyal to you?" Since Jedrek had known about it, there was no way for him to avoid this topic. Since they had dropped their fa?ade, in spite of the fact that both of them had not yet talked much, but by looking into each other''s eyes, the two of them knew how much information the other had.


    "You were not even loyal to me when you were still my Beta." Jedrek said in matter of fact tone.


    "I was loyal to you until you killed all of my family," Maximus said in very calm tone, as if he was talking about the beautiful moon. "You pardoned the dragon shifter and let them alive when they had committed the same mistake that my family had done."


    "Your family was under the lycanthropes law, where death is a punishment for traitors." Jedrek didn''t need to remind Maximus about this, he should have known it.


    This punishment had been imposed for as long as the Donovan royal family had existed and ruled this realm.


    Therefore, such crime couldn''t be pardoned. However, the dragon shifter were different, they were from different realm and were not bound by the same rules. Jedrek could pardon them as long as he saw an advantage in it.


    "Traitors?" Maximus scoffed. "So, do you think I am a traitor now?"


    Maximus still remembered how his father told him to hand their family over when the war was about to be won by the lycanthropes. At least, there was one of their family lineage that survive, so he could carry their family blood along with the vengeance.


    "You have always been a traitor," Jedrek spoke impassively.


    "Don''t forget that if something happened to me, you will face the wrath from the eastern region," Maximus jeered.


    "Don''t worry about that, I have worked on it," Jedrek replied casually.


    Maximus smirked. Looks like things were not going according to what he had planned. He couldn''t give Jedrek the same death he did to his family. This was pitiful. If only he had a little time, everything would be perfect.


    However, Maximus could do one last thing.


    "I challenge you for Alpha position," he said before he leapt forward and shifted into his beast mid- air.


    ==============


    Lilac watched the two generals talked at each other in very respectful manner, it seemed like they would have clawed each other''s face if it was not because of Lilac still standing there.


    But, one thing that Lilac realized just now.


    "Tordoff," she called his name and this automatically stopped the conversation between Warlock and him. "Did you come back because you found out where Maximus is?"


    Tordoff nodded. "Yes."


    "You managed to bring him back?" Lilac''s suspicion grew stronger. "Where is he now?"


    "He is with the king." Tordoff answered truthfully, but he didn''t understand why Lilac looked surprised. "They are having an important conversation now." He assumed the conversation must be really urgent for Jedrek to summon Maximus right away after their arrival.


    However, Lilac knew better than that.


    Jedrek was going to kill Maximus! He said it before. Because their mating ceremony would be held right after he dealt with him.


    That was why, Jedrek put Warlock in front of her door to prevent her from roaming around the castle at this time and watched something that she shouldn''t.


    This wasn''t because Lilac wanted to stop Jedrek from killing him, but ...

 Chapter 719 - THEY ARE FIGHTING

    "What are you doing?" Hope yawned when she found Raphael was standing alone at the corridor, staring at the door.


    "Huh?" Raphael was surprised, his expression was akin to someone who was caught red- handed when they stole something. "No. Nothing." He said absentmindedly. "Whose room is this?" Raphael asked.


    Hope woke up because she felt thirsty and found Raphael was staring at Lana''s bedroom. "Lana''s room, the werewolf girl who have been taking care of me," she said and yawned again. "She is a very nice girl and I miss her, but Serefina often send her away to do something."


    "You should go back to your room," Raphael smiled softly, though Hope''s personality was a little bit different from Raine, but they both have something in common, that was; their eyes would sparkle whenever they talk about the person they liked.


    "I will¡­" Hope yawned again and walked away. "Good night Raphael¡­"


    "Good night Hope¡­" Raphael smiled softly, watching as the girl entered her room. "Lana¡­" He said her name softly.


    He didn''t know what brought her here, but the moment he came into this house, this faint scent had put him restless.


    His beast had been clawing on the edge of his mind¡­ Raphael knew, this could only mean one thing...


    ==============


    "Where are you going?" Warlock grabbed Lilac''s hand just in time when she walked past him, but Tordoff held his hand and glared at the other general.


    "Let her go," Tordoff said grimly. He didn''t like it when another person touched her.


    Warlock narrowed his eyes when he felt the hostility from Tordoff. "You don''t have a say in this matter. She shouldn''t step out from her room. That is a direct order from the King," he hissed viciously.


    "But, I don''t think he will please to know you are hurting his mate," the word ''mate'' came out from Tordoff lips sounded bitter.


    "Do you see I am hurting her? I said; she should stay inside her room." Warlock took a step forward, so both of the general could stand face to face with each other.


    "Okay. Enough with this!" Lilac snapped, she was annoyed with the two lycan. "You, let him go," she said to Tordoff. "And you, let go of my hand." She glared at Warlock.


    However, no one listened to her order and they were still in that position for another seconds until Lilac shouted at them again.


    "Now!" She waved her free hand and branches from the nearby tree moved in her command, it rough bark wrapped around Tordoff and Warlock''s h.i.p.s. "Or, I will throw both of you out of my way!"


    Seeing the branches that coiled around their waist, Tordoff and Warlock finally relented and released each other hand.


    "Tordoff, tell me where Jedrek and Maximus are." Lilac looked at Tordoff.


    "Luna, you can''t go there. I have an order to make you stay inside the room, for tonight." Warlock walked ahead and stood in front of Lilac to prevent her from walking away. "The king will have my head if I don''t follow his order."


    Lilac looked at Warlock in annoyance. "If that''s what you''re worried about¡­" She moved her hand and the branches from the tree nearby hit Warlock unexpectedly and pressed him against the hard wall behind him. "Jedrek should know that sending one of his general will never be enough to stop me," Lilac said sternly.


    On the other hand, Warlock groaned as he couldn''t move a finger from the branches that wrapped his body and mouth, let alone to shift or talk, because every tiny movement that he made, caused the branches pressed him even tighter.


    Warlock could only follow Lilac and Tordoff with his eyes.


    Whatever would happen between Jedrek and Maximus wouldn''t be good if the king asked all of them to stay away from the backyard.


    ***


    Tordoff was running beside Lilac when he suddenly stopped.


    "Why?" Lilac looked around and found nothing, then she shifted back her attention on him. "What happened?"


    "Are you really the king''s mate?" Tordoff asked, his brows scrunched up and he stared deeply into Lilac''s eyes.


    On the other hand, Lilac didn''t know why Tordoff was talking about this all of sudden. This was not the right time, yet she answered him anyway. "Yes, I am his mate."


    "But Donovan is cursed to not having mate in his entire existence. I don''t get it." Tordoff frowned. That was what Tordoff believed. Most of the people believed, just like how they believed that the guardian angel was the weakest creature in the whole realm, which had no other use unless to sap their power to increase their strength.


    Lilac shrugged her shoulder and patted his upper arm. "It is very simple; the moon goddess had lifted the curse and gave them mate. You know about the prophecy, right?" she asked, yet Tordoff didn''t answer her. "I know you know that. The resurrection of guardian angel was not only a sign about the upcoming war between the devil and the lycanthropes once again, but also as a token of gratitude for the Donovan for the first war that they had won."


    "By giving you as their mate?" Tordoff couldn''t hold back the derision in his tone. "You don''t know the King," he said in low voice, but Lilac could hear him anyway.


    "You don''t know him either," Lilac responded. It was true that she still couldn''t understand Jedrek completely, but she was sure, she knew about him more than what Tordoff knew.


    Todoff shook his head. "I am sorry, I don''t mean to offend you." He wanted to say that he had seen what Jedrek had done, especially when it came to his affair. To put it simply, he was not a faithful man, but apparently this was a bad time to talk all of that.


    "No, it''s all right¡­" Lilac sighed deeply and warmed up to him. "Let''s go, I need to find him."


    Reluctantly, Tordoff led the way, but only two steps and Lilac stopped walking.


    Her face scrunched up as she spoke softly. "They are fighting."

 Chapter 720 - THE FIGHT WAS OVER

    Lilac didn''t need Tordoff to show her the way to Jedrek, because she could feel it through the vibration beneath her feet, even their vicious roars were enough to lead her to find their location.


    Lilac ran as fast as she could with Tordoff followed right behind her. Turned from one corridor to another and rushed across the small garden, where Lilac had bloomed all the flowers there, regardless it wasn''t the time for them to bloom.


    The two of them dashed toward the backyard garden, which strangely didn''t have any guard around that area. Apparently, Jedrek had everything planned. He had sent every guard away.


    It was impossible there was no one heard this loud commotion and came to check about what was happening.


    Another roar and whimper.


    Lilac felt like her heart was bursting. He had been running non- stop, not even halting to catch her breath.


    However, the moment she reached the backyard, all she could see was blood everywhere, but the two beasts were not in sight.


    Lilac walked toward the dense trees across the yard, but Tordoff held her arms to stop her. "Warlock is right, you shouldn''t be here."


    "But, we are already here." Lilac swatted his hand away and walked toward the direction where she could feel the beast''s heavy breath.


    "Let me go first," Tordoff said and walked ahead of Lilac, kept her behind his back and tramped toward the dense trees, to notify their presence.


    If Jedrek was in his beast form, and Tordoff was almost a hundred percent sure he was, he didn''t want to move recklessly around the angry beast. He had fought Jedrek''s beast once and he didn''t stand a chance, thus he knew better to not provoke him again. Even his beast felt restless when it sensed their Alpha.


    Behind Tordoff, Lilac could see long traces of blood that splattered on the trees and bushes. She didn''t want to think whose blood was that.


    And there, standing on all four, the white beast that had his jaw clamped on the other beast''s neck. It sharp- razor talons dug deeper, tearing the flesh of his opponent and created a pool of blood beneath them.


    The white beast groaned and grunted viciously even when the other beast was no longer could put up a fight.


    "Lilac, we need to go¡­" Tordoff said softly. He pushed Lilac behind him while his eyes locked on the beast.


    However, his small voice distracted the white beast from his prey. And as he lifted his head with blood was still dripping from the corner of his mouth and fangs, Lilac and Tordoff could see his red eyes.


    The white beast snarled viciously when he saw Tordoff, standing in front of Lilac, hiding the girl away behind him from the beast''s sight.


    Tordoff was well aware, red eyes for the angry beast was not a good sign, it meant their animal''s side took control over them and he didn''t know whether Jedrek would hurt Lilac or not in his state now, thus out of instinct, he needed to protect her, little did he know, his decision only aggravated the beast.


    "Lilac, get out from here," Tordoff whispered.


    "No." Lilac objected his idea firmly. "I will see him."


    "No, the king is not in his right mind, he can hurt you," Tordoff gave Lilac a glare, but the girl didn''t even flinch when the white beast snarled viciously at them.


    "I can handle him myself." Lilac moved swiftly and stood in front of Tordoff, but the general was too worry about her and once again grabbed her shoulder to prevent Lilac from moving closer toward the king.


    However, this time the beast let out a deep menacing growl while clawing his opponent face, ripped the flesh, as the blood streamed and soaked to the ground. The metallic smell was very thick in the air.


    With just one glance, Tordoff knew that Maximus stood no more. He died at the hands of the king.


    If it was ordinary shifter, they would run away in the first chance given, but Tordoff stayed. There was no way he would leave Lilac. He didn''t want the king to hurt her anymore.


    "Let me go," Lilac looked at Tordoff firmly. "You will only upset him by touching me."


    The beast prowled toward them, his red eyes fixed on Tordoff. He was ready to pounce on him and tore his hand from his mate.


    But, before it could do that, Lilac had shoved Tordoff away from her and she stepped forward, knowing what the beast''s intention. "I know how to handle him." Tordoff was about to retort, but Lilac raised her hand to stop him. She knew what she was doing. "No." she said sternly.


    It took every ounce of his will to not grab Lilac''s hand and drag her out of the danger.


    However, Lilac walked very steady to approach the white beast and stopped two steps away from him. She stretched out her hand to touch him and the beast shifted his attention toward Lilac, still baring his fangs.


    "Jedrek," Lilac called his name when their eyes met. "Come here."


    Somehow, Lilac had more faith on Jedrek when he was in his beast form than when he was in his human skin, because she knew, the beast moved out of his instinct, and his instinct told him to never hurt ther mate. That was how the mate bond worked, while his human side, had a lot of things to be considered and prevent the pull of the bond flew naturally.


    Cautiously, the white beast took a step closer toward Lilac, his eyes were still glancing back at Tordoff every now and then, before he allowed Lilac to touch his bloody snout.


    Only when he felt the spark between them, his focus was on his mate as he relished her touch.


    Lilac smiled and moved closer, so she could hug his massive head and run her fingers across the beast''s fur, which covered in blood.

 Chapter 721 - EARLY IN THE MORNING

    "How is the King?" Sebastian asked when he watched Lilac emerged from the King''s chamber.


    The last night fight had been known to everyone in this castle and Maximus''s body had been burned, he was named as a traitor and died for challenging the alpha position. His mate had been informed and she wanted to meet the king to know what exactly had happened.


    After all, his mate had been away for a year because of the king''s order, but the moment he came back, the first news that she got was Maximus had been executed for treason.


    She deserved the explanation that she wanted, but that should wait, because right now, there was another important thing to take care of.


    "He is still recovering from his injuries," Lilac replied.


    "It is impossible!" Kyle shouted. "How could the wound not heal even after one night? We are not like you," he spoke in derision while looking at Lilac.


    Here it goes again.


    Lilac really couldn''t understand this highborn Lycan for thinking of the guardian angel as low as they could when the truth was telling them otherwise.


    Probably, it was what they always said; you could defeat them, but to gain their respect was something else entirely.


    "I am very glad to know that we are not the same kind." Lilac used the same tone as Kyle when she replied. "I want someone to call the best healer in the city."


    Lilac watched Sebastian, Kyle and Warlock didn''t even budge from their position, they even acted as if they were not hearing anything.


    "You," Lilac nodded to the guard that positioned not so far from the chamber. "Call the best healer in the city."


    If the three of them were too arrogant to take orders, then Lilac would give orders to someone else. She didn''t have the time and patience to deal with their rude attitude.


    "He will not take order from you. He is the king''s guard." Sebastian enunciated every word clearly, as though if he didn''t do that, Lilac couldn''t understand him.


    From the corner of Lilac''s eyes, she could see Warlock and Kyle sneered, but it made the guardian angel smiled too.


    Lilac flashed a warm and gentle smile as she spoke. "Then he will take order from no one." Lilac locked her eyes on the guard. "Do you know that I am the king''s mate and your future queen? Do you know what happened to those people who disobeyed direct order?" She stared at the three generals as well.


    "I will find the healer, your grace." The guard was about to excuse himself when Warlock raised his hand to stop him.


    "What do you want to say? The king of the lycanthrope needs a healer?" Warlock looked at Lilac questioningly. "It is the king that we are talking about. There is no way he needs a healer."


    "If the words about the king''s sickness circulated among the people, it will cause another commotion and problem, we have already enough of it." Kyle chimed in. "The king has never been sick."


    Lilac crossed her arms and raised her chin defiantly. "He is now."


    "You must have done something to him." Sebastian narrowed his eyes as he talked to her accusingly.


    They had been waiting in front of Jedrek''s chamber since the sun had not yet risen and the only thing that prevented them from barging inside the room was because they Lyrus and Eaton didn''t allow them. It was the king chamber after all and the king was with his queen.


    However, hearing the king was ill was beyond reason and they felt they had to confirm it.


    "I did something to him?" Lilac asked incredulously and chuckled. "Can''t you hear the irony in your words? I am the weakest creature in you perception." Lilac threw them a nasty look before she continued. "Hurt the strongest creature in this realm, until he can''t recover," Lilac snickered and shook her head. "At least be consistence with your accusation."


    After Lilac said that, there were deep growls from the three generals in front of her and the guard didn??t move to carry out Lilac''s order.


    "Calm down¡­" Lilac stepped aside and revealed the closed door behind her. "If you want to go inside, go on," She said casually and waved her hand to the door handle.


    However, this sudden change of attitude made the general frowned.


    "But, Jedrek doesn''t want to see you. He said he will burn the first person who entered the room," Lilac looked at them sharply.


    Sebastian sneered. "He doesn''t want to see us, his generals, and let you come and go as you wish?"


    "Precisely," Lilac nodded.


    "If you want to lie, do it in more convincing way!" Warlock snarled, he was still upset for being trapped by Lilac''s power for hours last night. "What made you think that we would believe that?"


    "I am your queen. Disrespecting me means you disrespect your king." Lilac needed to think another way to make them respected her. She had been saying this a few time and they were still talking to her in the same manner.


    "You don''t have a coronation yet," Kyle hissed. He glared at Lilac.


    "With or without the coronation, I am still your Luna. Your Alpha''s mate." Lilac was squinted her eyes. "Go on and let we see, what the consequence that you will get for disobeying the Alpha''s direct order.


    Actually, Jedrek never mentioned anything about this. Lilac just made up this order because of what Jedrek said last night.


    ==============


    "You leave very early, don''t you?"


    The voice behind Serefina startled the witch, especially when her mind was somewhere else. She turned around and snapped at Calleb. "Can all of you, Lycan, stop bothering me?!"


    Calleb shrugged his shoulder. "I just woke up and saw you."


    Serefina groaned. Torak and Calleb had been bothering her about leaving, but now, when she was about to leave, she had to meet Calleb. Great!

 Chapter 722 - HEAVY HEARTS AND TIRED STEPS

    "You are awake," Lilac put down the book in her hands and stood up from the plush chair that she had been sitting for hours.


    Outside the window, the sun was almost set and the porridge on the bowl that was meant for Jedrek had become cold because the king had been unconscious since his last fight with Maximus.


    Jedrek was squinted his eyes and tried to move his body, but he groaned. His body felt very weak, as if he had not used it for so long. "What happened?" he asked dryly. His throat felt like he just ate sand.


    Lilac came over with a glass of water in her hand and sat down on the edge of the bed, beside him. She helped Jedrek to arrange the pillow behind him, so he could drink the water without choking.


    "You killed Maximus, but it seems he did something to you before he died." Lilac let supported Jedrek''s neck and helped him to drink.


    Jedrek caught lightly and felt slightly better when the cold water moistened his dry throat. "What he did to me?"


    "A curse," Lilac replied curtly.


    "Impossible," He sighed tiredly as he rested his head against the pillow. "Curse doesn''t work on Donovan''s blood." This why they became the royal family, aside from their strength, because they were special.


    "But, it did." Lilac put the empty glass back on the table beside the bed. "The same curse that your brother got."


    Jedrek opened his eyes and stared at Lilac. "Kace." He remembered the last news that he got about Kace was; he was injured because of his encounter with Maximus, but he managed to escape from him and almost killed the general. It was because Kace was too kind, the only thing that prevented him from killing Maximus and saved Jedrek from the job. "How do you know about this?"


    "Eaton told me," Lilac said truthfully.


    Jedrek didn''t seem very happy to hear that, especially when Lilac spoke again.


    "I called a healer. She was here when you were still sleeping¡­" Lilac''s sentence was cut short.


    "I don''t need a healer," Jedrek said grimly while glaring at his mate.


    Yet, Lilac continued her words anyway. "She didn''t know what kind of curse that you are suffering. The wounds on your back don''t seem to heal even now." her brows knitted together.


    Lilac remembered how Jedrek collapsed on her laps after his battle with Maximus. At first, she thought Jedrek was only tired, but she found the wound on his back when she changed his clothes the moment Tordoff and Eaton helped her to bring Jedrek back to his chamber.


    And strange enough, the wounds didn''t heal like it supposed to be.


    "I have asked Eaton to bury Maximus''s body and informed his mate. He sentenced to death because of treason," Lilac reported to him.


    "You are happy to play your role as a ruler while I am unconscious, aren''t you?" Jedrek sneered at Lilac.


    For a moment, Lilac didn''t answer him, she waited until Jedrek stopped giving her a disdain look and his expression became serious.


    "I am not happy to play my role as a ruler. I play my role as your mate as the Luna of the lycanthropes." Lilac enunciated every word clearly. She wanted the word sinking into Jedrek''s cold heart and made him understand that he had to stop shutting her away. "You said to me, before you lost your consciousness last night; trust no one."


    Jedrek said it twice, before he closed his eyes. However, he didn''t remember saying something like that.


    "I don''t remember," Jedrek replied.


    "Whether you remember it or not, you subconsciousness always remind you that you are not safe even in your own castle." Lilac tried to understand Jedrek.


    Living under the same roof with your enemy was the worst nightmare and Jedrek had been living in that situation for centuries. Didn''t know who can really be trusted. Put everyone in arm- length, so they couldn''t close enough to finish you off. Sleeping with one eye open. Wasn''t that very exhausting?


    Lilac really tried hard to understand him, but she needed him to cooperate too.


    "So, why do I have to trust you? Because you are my mate?" Jedrek glared at Lilac, he was still stubborn to show her his emotion and always used fear and meant words to make them stay away from him, including Lilac.


    "Because I am your mate. Because you know you can trust me." Lilac agreed with him. "In your vulnerable state, you trust me. Why don''t you trust me now? You can stop fighting alone, there is a war ahead of us to fight for. You don''t need to waste your energy to fight me. I am not your enemy."


    Jedrek didn''t like to hear that, but he was too tired to argue with Lilac now.


    "I am glad that you are so forgiving. I guess you have forgotten that I killed you years ago and recently I have put you into the world of illusions for a year." Jedrek reminded her again and waited for Lilac''s outburst.


    Yet, she didn''t do it. Lilac stared at Jedrek without saying a word, but the way her eyes looked at him as if she was looking at a boy, who was very stubborn to listen to other people''s words.


    The guardian angel looked tired to face his mate and for some reason, Jedrek felt guilty to turn her down over and over again.


    "You need to rest," Lilac said and stood up.


    ==============


    Serefina walked in the ruins of the city center and looked up at the sky, which had blackened with smoke and ashes from burning houses.


    She had heard about the catastrophe that happened in this city and about Tartarus''s gates that had been opened right in the castle.


    It would take a few days to reach the south region, but every step that she took, felt very difficult.


    Her heart grew heavier every passing second¡­

 Chapter 723 - RETURN

    "Leave it there," Lilac said to the servant to leave a basin filled with water and a washcloth that she was bringing. "All of you can leave now."


    It had been two days since Jedrek absent from morning court because his condition was still not stable and Lilac was very adamant for him to stay inside his chamber and recuperate. Strangely enough, Jedrek didn''t complain so much about this, probably because he finally realized that his condition did not allow him to appear in public.


    During these two days, his other''s generals had been bothering Lilac to meet with Jedrek, only when the king was giving them a warning through the mind- link, they ultimately stopped coming and complaining. Lilac was grateful for that. It seems that their relationship showed some progress, although it was very far to say that they were on the same page in every decision, but at least the debate between them had lessened a little.


    Lilac watched the servants left the room and closed the door behind them, only then she opened walked toward the bed and opened the curtain that blocked Jedrek from people to see him, even now Lilac didn''t allow anyone, including, Eaton and Tordoff to stay inside the room, not even Lyrus, Jedrek''s, beta was an exception. The last time he visited and Lilac refused him, his complain could be heard even after his figure had disappeared at the corner.


    Whether Jedrek was conscious or not when he warned Lilac, but the guardian angel wanted to be on the safe side.


    Jedrek looked better now, but his wounds still made Lilac worry every time she watched it.


    "Open your clothes, I will wipe your back," Lilac said and Jedrek had taken off his clothes before Lilac could put the basin.


    "Did the eastern region know about Maximus''s death?" Jedrek asked when Lilac started to wipe his arm. It felt so good to have skin to skin contact with her. He couldn''t deny that he enjoyed her company.


    "No words from Killian." Lilac replied, she did her job diligently and never raised her head to meet Jedrek''s eyes.


    "Send Eaton to the east if tomorrow still there is no news from him." Even though Jedrek was inside his chamber for two days straight and never met anyone else except Lilac, but he could still gain information through mind- link. All his generals took turns reporting what happened in the city and other domains to him.


    But, sometime Lilac would report the same thing and Jedrek would listen. Since they had never really had an interesting topic to be discussed, then these tedious problems could help too, so they wouldn''t stay silence in the entire day.


    "Okay," Lilac agreed. "I will meet Maximus''s mate this afternoon."


    "Hm," Jedrek hummed and gave Lilac his other hand.


    "After that, I will go to the city." Lilac lifted her head to see Jedrek''s expression, but he showed no emotion.


    "Take Sebastian with you and a few guards." Jedrek said.


    Situation in the city was a little tense, people started to ask about the progress of their missing family members and became a little bit violence, especially people from the city center, since the first case happened there.


    "I will go with Tordoff," Lilac said. Tordoff was adamant to accompany her to the city once he heard about her plan.


    "Sebastian." It was final, Jedrek didn''t leave any room for negotiation. And when Jedrek saw Lilac was about to reason with him, he reminded her. "I have told you to stay away from him."


    Lilac sighed and then nodded. Of course, she remembered. It was the day when they agreed to work on this relationship. She didn''t want to be the first person who broke their agreement. "I will go with Sebastian."


    "Bring Lyrus with you too," Jedrek added.


    "And? Who else?" Lilac asked sullenly. She couldn''t understand, why they always thought she was not able to protect herself and needed protection all the time. "Will you ask Kyle and Warlock to join too?"


    "Warlock and Kyle have another matter to take care of," Jedrek said simply. Instinctively, he dodged Lilac''s hand when she was about to wipe his neck and took the washcloth from her hand.


    Neck was a vulnerable spot and Jedrek would never let anyone to touch him there, not even Lilac. Not yet.


    ==============


    Lana frowned when she saw all the lights in the house on. Lana opened the gates and walked into the front yard, as she could hear a few people were talking inside the house.


    Had Serefina returned?


    If she had returned, it meant¡­ Kace was also there!


    Lana closed her eyes and she could smell Kace''s scent in the air, along with other foreign scents, but there was one particular scent that made her beast whimpered on the edge of her head.


    She opened her eyes and watched Kace emerged from the house with a plastic bag in his hand while grumbling.


    Second later, Kace''s eyes found Lana and he approached her. "What are you doing there?" he asked as if they just met with each other yesterday.


    In the past, though Kace was often away, but he would call Lana to ask about Hope. However, this past year, there was no word from Kace and Lana couldn''t hold back herself when she hugged him tightly.


    "I miss you¡­" Lana said between her sobs and this caught Kace out off guard. His na?ve mind thought that Lana had gotten rid of her feeling for him, after all, it had been a year without communication whatsoever.


    "Lana." Kace frowned. The plastic bag in his hand dropped to the ground, he was not sure whether he had to reciprocate her gesture or not. In the end, Kace just gave her pat on her shoulder. "Go inside, Hope misses you."


    "I miss you¡­" Lana insisted. "Where have you been?"


    However, their moment was interrupted when they heard a vicious growl from behind Kace''s back.


    And there, on the foyer was Raphael with red eyes.

 Chapter 724 - LONG MONOLOGUE

    A guard opened the door for Lilac, where Kaitsa, Maximus''s mate, had been waiting for her.


    She had been asking for Jedrek''s presence ever since she heard about what happened to her mate and because of Jedrek''s condition, Lilac would be meeting on his behalf.


    Once Lilac entered the room, there was a young woman with curly brown hair that reached her h.i.p.s, her pale skin looked sickly with a pair of grieving eyes that stared at Lilac in displeasure. She wished to meet Jedrek, not some random woman.


    Beside Kaitsa was her firstborn, a boy in the age of three with innocent eyes, which looked like Maximus with curly brown hair that framed his round face. There was no mistaken, it must be Ed.


    Lilac was informed enough about the pair mother and son.


    "Kaitsa," Lilac called her name softly, but the woman scrunched her brows.


    "Who are you? I want to see the king," Kaitsa stated sternly. She pulled her son behind her back, as if Lilac would hurt him. "Not a little silly girl, who will talk nonsense about my mate''s treason act!"


    "I am the king''s mate." Lilac could understand with the hostility that Kaitsa showed to her, after all, she just lost her mate, thus she didn''t take offense of it.


    Kaitsa narrowed her eyes and observed Lilac, before the understanding dawn on her. "The king''s mate? You are the rumor guardian angel?" she sneered, didn''t even bother to hide her disdain.


    "I am not a rumor, I am indeed a guardian angel," Lilac said firmly. Thanked to those generals, she started getting used with the people who underestimate her as a guardian angel.


    "I don''t want to talk with you. Where is Jedrek? I need his explanation!" Kaitsa screamed, she held Ed''s hand too firm, until the little boy flinched.


    "You can talk to me, or come back later when Jedrek''s condition has gotten better." Lilac tried to be patient with Kaitsa, but the woman was only getting angrier.


    "I DON''T WANT TO WAIT! I WANT TO TALK TO HIM! NOW!" Kaitsa''s brown eyes turned red and beside her, Ed whimpered. If Kaitsa shifted now, she would hurt the little boy. However, despite her effort to hold herself, her body started trembling.


    "Kaitsa, you will hurt your son." Lilac reminded her and nodded at Ed. "You will hurt him."


    "BRING JEDREK TO ME AND LET HIM EXPLAIN IT!" Kaitsa roared, ignoring Lilac''s warning and Ed started to cry and called his mother. The little boy was frightened.


    Upon hearing the commotion, a few guards burst into the room, three of them had turned into their beast and snarled at Kaitsa.


    Lilac raised her hand to stop them from moving closer. "Stop it Kaitsa, or someone will get hurt."


    "And that someone is going to be you!" After saying that, Kaitsa shifted into her brown beast and charged forward, in the process, she hurt Ed just like what Lilac had expected.


    And there were a few things that happened at once; roots sprang from the ground, breaking the hard and solid tiles. The guard, who had shifted into beasts rushed forward to protect Lilac from the imminent danger. Ed was thrown away with bleeding hand.


    However, Lilac didn''t budge. She stood there calmly. The only movement that she did was to control the roots that surrounded her.


    First, Lilac created a wall between her and the guards, to prevent them from intervening and then her roots slithered on the floor to meet with the brown beast and tackled her easily to the ground, yet she put up a fight really well and struggled for a few minutes before Lilac could tame her.


    "Mommy!" Ed shrieked and was about to rush to get to his mother, but Lilac caught his body first and hugged him. "No! I want mommy!"


    "Ssh¡­" Lilac hugged him a little bit tighter while talking to him. "Your mommy will be fine, she will not get hurt. I promise you."


    However, the roar and howl from the beast made the little boy became more and more anxious. He was crying and trying to kick or hit Lilac, so she could free him.


    The more the beast whimper and the harder Ed became. He didn''t listen to Lilac and was very anxious to get to his mother, but Lilac couldn''t allow that. Not now when Kaitsa was only a step away from wrecking some havoc.


    In the end, Lilac put down the wall that she created between her and the guards.


    "Bring him to the healer," Lilac said to one of the guards. Ed was too young to have the ability to heal himself like an a.d.u.l.t shifter, thus his wounds were still bleeding now. "All of you stay outside," she said sternly when no one moved.


    "We are ordered to protect you, your grace." The guard who was carrying Ed answered Lilac.


    "Do you think I need your protection?" Lilac asked. She stepped aside to reveal Kaitsa beast. "Thank you for your concern, but I am fine on my own. Now, stay outside until I call you."


    After seeing how Lilac handled the beast, all of them looked surprised, especially when they only heard about what Lilac had done when she came to find Jedrek a year ago and didn''t witness the event themselves.


    "We will be outside if you need us." the guards lowered their head respectfully and walked out of the room.


    Once, there were only her and Kaitsa''s beast, Lilac approached her and crouched down two steps from her.


    "I want you to shift back so we can talk," Lilac ordered her, but instead of listening to her, she snarled viciously.


    Lilac sighed deeply.


    "All right, if you want to have a conversation like this, I don''t mind." Lilac waved her hand and covered the beast''s snout with the roots, so she could stop snarling at her.


    "Now, listen to me¡­" Lilac crossed her legs comfortably, as she sat down on the floor, ready for a long monologue.

 Chapter 725 - THE BEASTS ARE FIGHTING

    Raphael was staring at Hope and Raine, who were chatting with each other while Torak and Kace were on their side, mesmerized by how easy both of them interacting with each other.


    On the other hand, Kace and Torak couldn''t be said that they already warmed up with each other, because if they didn''t fall into argumentation, they would ignore each other.


    However, with their mates were having a good relationship, it lessened the tension between them.


    Tomorrow, they would go to the other realm, they would go to meet Jedrek and it could also mean a family reunion for the Donovans.


    Since Serefina had gone ahead, they predicted they would arrive two days after the witch.


    "I am so excited to go!" Hope, who always became the cheerful one, squealed in delight and Raine giggled while resting her head on Torak''s shoulder. "Aren''t you excited to go too?" Hope asked Kace and elbowed him.


    Kace grimaced, but not because of the pain on his ribcages, but because he didn''t look forward to meet his older brother.


    "Not really," he grumbled in annoyance. "If I could I will be more than glad to stay with the centaurs."


    "The centaurs and my people will be heading to the castle once Serefina can convince them to give back the centaurs'' land to them." Torak chimed in.


    "You don''t need to remind me of that again!" Kace was irked by Torak''s words.


    And the second Donovan only shrugged his shoulder while pulling his mate closer to kiss her temple. "Just in case you forget."


    "All right, you don''t need to be sullen the whole day." Hope slapped his tight. "If you don''t happy to see your older brother, at least you can be happy for me because I am going to meet with the other guardian angel."


    Kace let out grunt and growl when he stood up and was mumbling something while walking toward the kitchen with the sound of Hope and Raine''s giggle.


    Raphael stared at the interaction between Hope and Kace or Raine and Torak, somehow, he started to wonder, how his interaction would be if he finally met with his mate?


    Since he smelled the scent that had put his beast anxious, Raphael was more eager to know when this woman named Lana would come. Even the name sounded beautiful in his ears and he liked to repeat it again and again in his head, more than he could remember.


    "Aren''t you bothered by the smell of this trash?"


    Raphael heard Kace''s voice from the kitchen, it seemed the youngest Donovan wanted to vent out his frustration to the trash bin.


    "No. However, it is not strange since rogue smell dominates this house." Came Calleb''s respond.


    Raphael knew what would come, so he headed toward the kitchen reluctantly and watched the two lycans were staring dagger at each other.


    "Calleb, come here, I need you to help me with something." Raphael beckoned Calleb to follow him and when he still didn''t move, Raphael stepped in to drag him out of the kitchen, leaving Kace with the black plastic bag.


    "Didn''t Torak tell you not to mess with him?" Raphael crossed his arms and looked the Gamma, who was kicking the pebble beneath his feet sullenly, when they were in the backyard.


    "I know," Calleb mumbled. "I am just saying the truth. His scent is awful," he scrunched his nose.


    "No matter what, he is still our Alpha''s younger brother, at least respect that," Raphael said. "Understood?"


    Raphael watched Calleb heaved a heavy sigh and raised his head. "Understood," he said. "Next time I will not keep that word inside my head."


    This time, Raphael was the one who heaved a heavy breath. "All right¡­ next time¡­" he didn''t finish his sentence when he smell the same scent that had put his beast on the edge of his mind, only it was stronger now.


    Raphael let out a deep growl that startled Calleb.


    "What? I said I understood." Calleb thought Raphael was growling at him, thus he raised both of his hands, but the Beta turned on his heel and rushed toward the house. "Hei! Wait! What happened?" thinking there was something bad happened, Calleb followed him immediately.


    On the other hand, Raphael barely managed to hold back his beast''s anxiety. He couldn''t even tell whether he was excited or anxious, all he wanted now, he needed, was to find the source of this intoxicating scent.


    Raphael walked past Torak in hurry, he ignored the questioning look that the Alpha gave to him or the fact that Calleb called his name.


    "What happened?" Torak asked Calleb.


    Seeing everything was fine inside the room, Calleb was confused. "Huh?" he blinked his eyes. "I thought something happened here¡­"


    But, then they heard another growl from Raphael from the front door. From the sound of it, it was not something good.


    "Stay here," Torak said to Raine and Hope.


    Meanwhile, from the porch of the house, Raphael couldn''t hold back his anger when the first thing that came to his sight was the last thing he thought might happen.


    Raphael swore, the girl was his mate. However, she was hugging another man and cried on his chest. In his furry, he didn''t even think straight when he leapt forward, shifted mid- air and when he landed on the ground, he was on all four.


    Out of instinct, feeling the intention of the beast that bolted toward him, Kace shoved Lana and shifted into his white beast just in time when the other beast pounced on him.


    There was an ear- splitting cracking bone and snarl when the two beast started to dig their sharp claws and talons onto their opponent.


    "What?!" Calleb was flabbergasted when he watched the two beasts were trying to kill each other, moreover, it was Raphael and Kace.


    On the other hand, Torak who watched this immediately turned into his white beast, roared viciously, and leapt into the battle to stop them.

 Chapter 726 - THE SAME WOUND LIKE HIS YOUNGER BROTHER

    "The king is looking for you," Sebastian said when he met Lilac after the guardian angel was talking to Kaitsa.


    For now, Kaitsa was mourning over her mate and was closely guarded so as not to harm herself, Lilac also gave an order to the guard to not give Ed to Kaitsa if she was not stable yet. Just in case she would hurt the young child like she had done earlier.


    The conversation between Lilac and Kaitsa were not going pretty well, since Kaitsa refused to shift back into her human''s form half- way during Lilac''s monologue. Most of the talking was done by Lilac and Kaitsa didn''t have any other choice except to listen to her because the situation did not allow him to speak up or fight back.


    And when Lilac thought she had explained everything that Kaitsa needed to know or possibly wanted to be asked, she left her alone, mourning, with an order to the guards outside of the room.


    "Why?" Lilac asked. "We will leave to the city now."


    "You can ask him yourself." After saying that Sebastian walked past Lilac. "Lyrus and I will wait in front of the gates with the other guards," he said impassively.


    With confusion, Lilac walked back toward Jedrek''s chamber. He must have used a mind link to give his order to Sebastian.


    Lilac walked under the scorching afternoon sun to across the yard and reached the king''s wing. It took twenty minutes of walking and when Lilac finally arrived there, she was slightly panting and sweating. The dress that she was wearing, unfortunately, was not very thick, because she preferred something as simple as possible to make it easier to move.


    The two guards, who were guarding Jedrek''s chamber, nodded their head respectfully at her and opened the door.


    Once Lilac entered the room, she found Jedrek was standing with his back facing her, in his hand there was a book with black cover.


    "Were you looking for me?" Lilac asked, she leaned her shoulder against one of the four pillar of the bed while fanning her face.


    Jedrek turned around and watched his mate flushed face, for a moment, the king didn''t say anything and relished the sight.


    "Why?" Lilac frowned upon being stared at. "Sebastian said you were looking for me?"


    Jedrek put down the book in his hand and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was wearing grey robe that covered almost all his body, apparently he just finished taking a bath, with a few droplets of water dripping from his wet hair.


    He looked s.e.xy and this made Lilac''s throat became dry.


    "I want to know what you were talking to Kaitsa," Jedrek talked in soft voice. "You didn''t allow anyone to be inside the room."


    Lilac understood. He must be curious. "I said the truth. Maximus had been betraying you and took the devil''s side, it was unforgivable crime. He challenged you for the Alpha position, so it was only right for you to take his life, since that was the rule, right?" She shrugged her shoulder.


    Lilac didn''t know the whole laws of lycanthropes, but she learned one or two things and a challenge for an Alpha position required that only one person could survive while the other would meet their end.


    After that, Lilac explained a few things for five minutes before she concluded.


    "That''s all what I said to her." Lilac told everything to Jedrek.


    "And what she said?" Jedrek walked closer toward Lilac and stood very close to her.


    This close proximity, made Lilac slightly felt nervous. "Unfortunately, she didn''t say anything." But, then she corrected her sentence. "She couldn''t say anything."


    Jedrek raised his eyebrows questioningly. "And why she couldn''t say anything? Did you cut her tongue?"


    "No. Of course not." Lilac cringed when she heard that. It was impossible she would do something horrible like that. "I tackled her down and covered her mouth so she couldn''t snarl at me. So, I spent over an hour talking alone. I am sure she was listening." Lilac grinned.


    "She must listen to you," Jedrek stretched out his hand and caressed her cheek tenderly.


    Lilac could feel her face became warm and red. There was something about their closeness that made her heart thumping wildly and the spark between them only urged her to lean over to his touch.


    "I have to go," Lilac said hoarsely, she blinked her eyes to look at Jedrek and watched his mate was looking at him intensely, the kind of gaze that she had never seen before.


    "You will go with Sebastian and Lyrus, yes?" Jedrek wanted to make sure that Lilac stayed away from Tordoff.


    "I will go with Sebastian and Lyrus," Lilac said.


    And as if, this was a common thing for them to do, as if they had done this many times, Jedrek pinched her chin and tilted her head, as he bent his body and Lilac tiptoed to meet with his kiss.


    It was an innocent kiss, only a peck on her lips, but it made Lilac''s heart fluttered.


    "Be careful," Jedrek whispered on her lips.


    "I will," Lilac said. She opened her eyes and met Jedrek''s concern gaze.


    ==============


    In one of the dark corner of the castle, a man, was standing beside an open window, the same window where he was standing a few nights before. From the grey cloak with firebird encrusted on the back of it, one could say he was one of Jedrek''s generals.


    The general was waiting, waiting for the same muffling sound and when he could hear it, a smirk crept on his lips.


    This voice sounded like human, but their tones were hard to comprehend. The sound was akin to fingernails scrapped a chalkboard.


    The whisper came from a shadow like a smoke.


    "He is injured and the wounds don''t seem to heal, just like his younger brother." He nodded and grinned. "The guardian angel will go to the city."

 Chapter 727 - PERFECT

    [SHIFT BACK!] Torak mind- linked the two furious beast. He used his Alpha''s voice to subdue them.


    In spite of the fact it was hard to do so, when on one side he had to face the same Alpha''s blood as his and on the other side, was his supreme Beta, but Torak managed to do it.


    [SHIFT BACK! NOW!] Torak roared, his voice dominated the two beasts'' mind, even Calleb, who was standing in front of Raine and Hope, flinched because of the strong force.


    Finally, after long growl and snarl, Kace and Raphael took over the control from their beast and shifted back into their human skin.


    Torak followed afterward, when the two men had stood facing each other, glaring.


    "What happened here?" Torak positioned himself between his brother and his Beta. "Why the two of you wanted to kill each other all of sudden?" Torak looked at Raphael, but his Beta ignored him, then he looked at his younger brother. "Kace?"


    "Ask him!" Kace patted the dirt from his clothes. ??He attacked me out of the blue!"


    Torak frowned, that didn''t sound like Raphael, the Beta that he knew, wouldn''t attack anyone without a strong reason. "Raph?"


    For a moment, Torak thought Raphael would turn into his beast again when his body started to tremble again, but he closed his eyes and controlled himself.


    On the other hand, Raine and Hope peeked from behind Calleb, the Gamma insisted for the two girls to stay as far away as they could from the three men in the yard.


    No one could guarantee, when they would lose their control again and the two Lycans would have his head if something happened to their mates.


    "Tell me what all of this commotion about?" Torak asked calmly, but everyone knew he was nothing, but calm. The Alpha only didn''t want to make another scene in front of his mate, so he tried to content his own anger.


    "He touched my mate," Raphael said grimly.


    There was silence that followed after Raphael said that, before Calleb was the first person who broke the tension.


    "Your mate?" Calleb asked with frown. "Who?"


    Only then Torak realized there was another person near him and when he turned around, all of the people''s eyes were focus on Lana.


    "Lana?" Hope was surprised to see her there, but then she gasped. "You are¡­ his mate?"


    Raphael groaned and marched straight toward Lana, he shoved Kace aside when he walked past him. "Come here," he grabbed Lana''s hand and both of them walked out of the house, leaving the five people in shock and speechless.


    After a long time of silence, Torak turned toward Kace. "You hugged his mate?" he narrowed his eyes at his brother.


    "I don''t know!" Kace threw his arms up while shaking his head. "I don''t know if she is his mate. We have known each other for years! Do you think I will hug her with another mind in my head? I have a mate too!" Kace was agitated by the accusing look that Torak gave to him.


    ==============


    "Stop!" Lana was screaming now when Raphael didn''t even listen to her. This strange man had been dragging her for more than half an hour and he didn''t look like he was going to stop any time soon. "Who are you? I don''t even know you!" Lana swung her hand wildly, as she received many questioning looks from the people around them.


    Finally Raphael stopped walking and turned around to face her. "I know you."


    Lana swatted his hand and this time Raphael let her go. "Really?" she asked defiantly. She tried hard to hide her feeling.


    Lana couldn''t deny that she loved the spark between them, the tingling feeling that made her heart fluttered and put her mind in a mess. Was this how it felt whey you met your mate? It was¡­ astonishingly wonderful.


    Lana took a closer look at Raphael and found she was enthralled that she was hardly noticed the people, who were looking toward their direction.


    "You are Lana and you are my mate," Raphael said simply, but there was anger that laced in his tone.


    Lana bit her lips when she heard her name on his lips. However, what Raphael said next, put her in ashamed.


    "And I found you in another man arms in our first meeting." Raphael gritted his teeth.


    At the same time, there was two men approached them upon seeing how Lana lowered her head in front of the furious man.


    "Lana, are you all right? Is this guy bothering you?" He was the people in this village and they had known Lana for quite some time now, although she was often going to another city, but they remembered her as one of the teachers at the only school in this village.


    "Scram." Raphael growled dangerously, he glowered at the two men with his dark eyes and watched as they slightly took a step back in fear. However, Lana touched his hand and smiled faintly at the man who asked her.


    "It''s okay. I am all right, we are just having an argumentation, but everything is fine," Lana tried to explain the situation to them.


    "But, you said you don''t know him." The other guy chimed in, but his eyes locked on Raphael warily.


    "No, no." Lana waved her left hand awkwardly, yet she didn''t let go of Raphael and this pleased him. "There is misunderstanding."


    After talking a few more things with them and ensured the two men that she was fine, they walked away and left the couple.


    In the entire conversation, Raphael didn''t say a word, his eyes were focus on his mate. He loved to hear her voice and smelled her sweet scent. Or, the way she talked to them and moved her hand to emphasize her words.


    Lana had short hair that only reached her shoulder. At first, Raphael thought he would like a woman with long hair and imagined Lana that way when he only knew her name, but now¡­ he thought she was perfect.

 Chapter 728 - WASTING TIME

    "Don''t you think we need to bring more guard?" Lyrus whispered to Lilac when they approached the people who gathered in the town square, asking for the king to show himself and explained to them about their missing family member.


    "If we bring more guards than this, they will think that we surround them and when they think that they are outnumbered they will become angrier and harder to control," Lilac replied in low voice as they didn''t even slow down when they walked forward through the crowd.


    "This is not a good idea to let a woman," Sebastian halted to throw Lilac a disdain look, "a guardian angel to talk with these people."


    The corner of Lilac''s lips moved upward when she patted Sebastian''s back. "Don''t worry Sebastian, if something happened and these people got out of control, I will save you," Lilac insulted him with light tone, as if she was praising him.


    Lyrus, who heard that too, pretended he was looking at the other direction, to hide his smile. This girl indeed had sharp mind and tongue. What a good combination¡­


    Then he remembered about the mate that Torak had. The moon goddess indeed found a suitable soul to match with each Donovan. If Lilac was Raine, she wouldn''t survive a day with Jedrek''s bad temperament or silenced all the generals who went against her.


    Lyrus was curious, what kind of mate that Kace had¡­


    Lilac walked ahead before she could hear Sebastian''s angry respond and stood in the middle of the people.


    Ever since Lilac walked with, well known, Jedrek''s second general and the royal Beta, every eyes were on her. They were looking with curiosity and would whisper to the people beside them.


    Lilac didn''t need to have hearing ability like those shifters to know what they were talking about. Those people were curious about her identity. The other day, she walked with the king and just a few days ago, she walked with the general Theo and now, she even walked with the king''s beta and the second general.


    Who is this young girl?


    Lilac stood in the center of the people and looked at the beautiful vistas of the city. The bright light of the sun highlighted the colorful trees, the sight that Lilac would never grow tired of witnessing, and the buildings, creating shadow that encased on her.


    However, in contrast, Lilac had to face the people who were asking for justice for their missing family member.


    "We want the explanation from the king! Who are you?!" A tall, blond- haired man in the middle of the crowd suddenly shouted at Lilac and it followed by the ripples of the same questions from the rest of the people.


    "Listen to what I have to say!" Lilac tried to shout as loud as she could, but her voice died down among the crowd.


    "No one will listen to you," Sebastian sneered, but Lilac just glanced at him and ignored him completely.


    "Do you want to silence those people?" Lyrus offered and this would go without saying that this offer would include brute force. That was the only way that worked on the shifter, they would only bow to someone more powerful than them.


    "No need." Lilac turned down the Beta''s offer and crossed her arms. "Let''s wait."


    And what Lilac meant with ''wait'', they were literally waiting for the crowd to stop asking, shouting their question.


    Lilac stood there unaffected, with Sebastian on her left side and Lyrus on her right side while the guards were standing closely, ready to take an action if it came to violence.


    Lilac was staring at the people around her, looking at them one by one in their eyes, as though she was going to remember every faces that she saw at this very moment.


    Five minutes have passed, but those people where still shouting at Lilac.


    "What are you going to do?!" Sebastian was running out of patience.


    "I said, we wait." Lilac enunciated her words firmly.


    The second general groaned and felt stupid to have to follow this girl''s order, he looked at Lyrus and asked him through his eyes, whether he knew what Lilac was up to, but the Beta didn''t have any idea. He was at lost too.


    But, after another ten minutes, the commotion finally died down, as they realized that Lilac didn''t even try to talk to them, she just stood there and stared at them until it became awkward, as though they were shouting at wall, which didn''t give any respond to what they wanted.


    When the shrill scream reduced to a mere murmur and one man stepped forward to ask her with loud voice, Lilac finally opened mouth.


    "Why don''t you talk?!" the man shouted at her.


    "If we all talk, then who will listen? I have heard you and now it''s my turn to talk." Lilac looked at them and the murmurs died down. "I want you to choose three people that you can trust, as a representative of you. You can give your list of questions to these people and they will meet with the king two days from now. The king will answer your questions in the castle."


    There were murmurs among the people, but they started to look at each other, trying to decide who would represent them.


    "I hope to see your representative three days from now." After saying that, Lilac walked away.


    "That''s it?" Sebastian asked in disbelieve.


    "That''s it." Lilac gave the general a triumphant smile as she walked past the people, who was now distracted with the order that Lilac gave earlier.


    Even though Lilac''s method seemed very simple, it managed to calm the public. At least to avoid far greater riot.


    "If you just wanted to say that, you shouldn''t have come here, you can get one of the guards to deliver your message." Sebastian rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You waste my time."


    Lilac stopped walking when she heard that. "Wasting your time? I don''t even remember that I asked you to come with me. It is Jedrek who told you, to come with me to this city. And, just like those people, it is not about the message or the order, it is about WHO delivered it." Lilac smirked contemptuously at him.


    "I think you should start to use your brain over your brawn and watch what you say. Next time I will not be very kind when you insult me in front of other people." Lilac gave a final warning, before she raised her hand to signal to the guards that they should continue on their way to the castle.


    ==============


    "We need to talk somewhere," Lana hissed to Raphael as she looked around warily. The conversation between them wouldn''t be something for human to hear.


    However, the only thing that Raphael had in his mind was the fact that Lana didn''t let go of his hand when she led the way toward a more private place, away from the staring eyes from the people in the village.


    "Right, we have a lot of things to talk about," Raphael agreed. He let Lana to take him, wherever she wanted.

 Chapter 729 - SHE IS ON HER WAY HERE

    "Are they will be all right? Don''t we need to go to find them? It almost dark and they have gone for hours." Raine looked worried about Raphael, just like Hope to Lana. She had not yet met her properly when Raphael took her out of the house to no one knew where.


    "Don''t worry, they will come back soon." Torak caressed his mate''s head, but it didn''t cease her restlessness. "I will ask Calleb to find them if they still don''t come back in an hour."


    "There is nothing to be worry about, that girl is his mate, no matter how angry he was with her, Raphael will not do something that will hurt her." Calleb added. "Moreover, tomorrow we will go to the other realm, there is no way they will not come back."


    "Okay." Raine finally relented and rested her head on Torak''s shoulder.


    The three of them were sitting in the family room with the television on but no one was watching. Meanwhile, Hope was talking with Kace somewhere, having time for themselves.


    Outside the house, the pale crescent moon shone like a silvery claw and under the infinity starry sky, Hope and Kace were sitting on the grass, leaning against each other.


    "Do you think, Lana will be fine? The two of them still haven''t returned until now," Hope murmured.


    "You are worry for nothing," Kace sighed and lay down on the ground, relishing the cold evening breeze. He stretched out his hand and played with Hope''s hair while staring at her back.


    There was a comfortable silence between them until Hope spoke. "I know Lana has feeling for you," she stated and this made Kace froze.


    The lycan was too ignorant to realize that Hope had known about this long ago. The reason why she kept quiet was because she loved both of them. No matter what, Hope always looked up to Lana as her older sister and Kace was definitely everything that she needed.


    Thus, she was afraid to confront this issue bluntly. Knowing Kace would never betray her was an assurance for Hope to ignore Lana''s feeling for her mate, though some time she would get jealous and stand up if Lana went overbroad.


    "I don''t have feeling for her. You know that," Kace said sternly and started to play with her hair again. "I think of her as my younger sister."


    Hope sighed deeply and turned her body so she could face her mate. "I know. Therefore, I am very grateful when she finally found her own mate." Hope flashed Kace a gentle smile and lay down on his chest. "I hope Raphael treats her well. She deserves to be happy."


    Hope couldn''t help but think about Serefina. The witch has a one- sided love too, but unlike Lana, who fortunate enough to meet with her mate, Serefina now was walking toward her ex- lover, who had a mate of his own. It was cruel to say the least¡­


    "He will," Kace assured her.


    "Kace?"


    "Hm?"


    "The war is getting closer, huh?"


    "Yes."


    "I want to stay like this forever."


    "So do I."


    "A war is going to kill a lot of people," Hope said sadly. That was a brutal truth about war. It didn''t matter which party won, both of them would lose something.


    ==============


    "New medicine?" Jedrek raised his eyebrows at a bowl that filled with red liquid and strong scent that Lilac brought for him.


    "Hope this one will work," Lilac said as she sat down beside the bed and handed the medicine to Jedrek. "The healer still doesn''t know about your wounds."


    "It doesn''t matter." Jedrek took the bowl from Lilac''s hand, but he didn''t drink it immediately. "I feel better now."


    "You have to drink it while it is still hot," Lilac reminded him when she watched Jedrek put down the bowl. Although their relationship had shown some progress, but on the other hand, Lilac could see how much he distrusted others, including her.


    Jedrek looked at Lilac and sniffed the red liquid. His nose slightly scrunched when the strong smell hit his nostril.


    "Don''t be a baby and bottoms up." Lilac crossed her arms, waiting for Jedrek to relent. It had been their routine now, as it would take more than thirty minutes for Lilac to convince Jedrek that the medicine was safe before he was willing to finish it.


    "I don''t need this." Jedrek gave back the bowl to Lilac and refused it. "This will not heal my wounds."


    "No, we have to try. Who knows that this one will work, right?" Lilac frowned when she watched Jedrek stood up from the bed and walked toward the bathroom.


    Not long after that, Lilac heard the sound of water and she could only sigh in annoyance. She decided that she would wait for Jedrek until the stubborn king drank his medicine, thus while waiting, she walked toward the balcony and felt refreshed when the cold evening breeze caressed her face.


    Above her, the pale crescent moon shone beautifully among the stars and the tranquility managed to put the guardian angel''s restless heart at ease.


    When the wind rattled the branches it also brought a dry leaf on her hand. The leaf had travelled so far, blown by the wind again and again all the way up to Lilac, as it gave her a message¡­


    The last pure blood witch was on her way to the southern region.


    Lilac bit her lips, she felt nervous for the reason that she had already known it, but still it didn''t make things easier for the three of them.


    She turned around right in time when Jedrek just came out from the bathroom with droplets of water dripping from his hair with grey robe clung on his well- built body.


    Lilac walked slowly to approach him and took the towel from his hand. "Let me help you."


    "You are still here?" Jedrek frowned, but he lowered his head slightly to let her dried his hair.

 Chapter 730 - I WILL SLEEP WITH YOU

    "I am," Lilac said softly. "After all you haven''t taken your medicine."


    Jedrek groaned and raised his head, so Lilac couldn''t continue what she was doing. "I said, I will not drink it," he said firmly, didn''t leave any room for negotiation, and then he took the towel from Lilac and dried his hair himself.


    Lilac followed him into the room and took the bowl that she had put on the table, beside the bed. "Why? Do you think I will poison you?" she raised the bowl to her lips and took a gulp under Jedrek stern gaze. "See? This is safe."


    It was apparent that the king didn''t appreciate what she had done. "Even if you drink it, I will not." Jedrek continued to dry his hair, ignoring Lilac''s frustration grunt.


    "Why? This is for you, how can you heal if you don''t want to drink it?" Every time Lilac saw the gruesome gashes behind Jedrek''s back, she would grimace. It looked very painful. How Jedrek could pretend that it was not?


    Lilac knew that Eaton said that Jedred had gotten used to hide his feeling, but still, Lilac wanted him to open up to her. To trust her more, but in the other hand, she couldn''t rush things between them.


    "Someone had been giving me a drink to heal my pain for decades and it turned out, it healed the pain, but it also did more damage to me." Jedrek looked at the bowl in Lilac''s hand. "Moreover, that medicine will not cure my wounds. This is black magic, not something that can be cured by drinking random medicine," he said with finality. He was so adamant with his decision now.


    "Maximus," Lilac said the name of the person who had given Jedrek the drink. "I am not Maximus."


    "Of course you were not him." Jedrek knitted his eyebrows. "Eaton told you?" he guessed it right, because it was most likely Lilac knew from him.


    "Yes," she said, nodding absentmindedly when she looked at him with inexplicable expression. "So, you will not feel the pain when Serefina left you."


    After Lilac said that, the atmosphere turned tense and Jedrek stopped his movement. His eyes were on Lilac and the intensity from the way he looked at her, put the guardian angel restless.


    "I didn''t drink it anymore the moment I know what it was." Jedrek spoke rigidly and tossed the towel on the table and then walked to his bed. "I will rest, you can stay if you like."


    Lilac was standing beside the bed, with the same bowl in her hand. "Jedrek," she called him softly.


    "Hm?"


    "When you lost Serefina, you turned feral. However, why Kaitsa didn''t do the same when she lost Maximus?" this question had been on her mind this whole day. Kaitsa looked almost normal for someone who just lost her mate. Meanwhile, Serefina even was not Jedrek''s mate, but why¡­


    Jedrek didn''t open his eyes and didn''t reply her to question either. Hence, after a few minute of waiting, Lilac thought the king had fallen asleep or simply didn''t want to answer her.


    However, when Lilac was about to walk out of the room, she heard from behind her, Jedrek''s voice.


    "It depends on how much you love that person," He said in hoarse voice. "The mate bond will slowly lose it attraction over the time, but it will take decades for that."


    Lilac gripped her dress tightly, but didn''t turn around to face Jedrek. She looked at the door with intensity that could create a hole there. "When Serefina is here, will you go to her?"


    "No, she left me," Jedrek said simply. "You are my mate and we have agreed about it."


    Lilac smiled wryly when she heard that. It was not the answer that she wanted. "Get some rest, Jedrek," she said in voice that barely a whisper and walked toward the door.


    "Lilac," Jedrek called her again when she just took her third steps.


    "Hm?"


    "You did a great job with the people in the city," he said proudly.


    ==============


    Torak carried the sleeping Raine back to their room when Raphael and Lana entered the house.


    From the look of it, it seemed both of them had settled down their matter and everything was fine, so after giving the two of them a brief glance, Torak walked away, leaving Calleb sleeping on the sofa.


    The Gamma was not even aware when Lana turned off the television or her little conversation with Raphael.


    "Go back to your room, I will come after I talk to Kace," Raphael said and kissed her temple.


    "Okay," Lana smiled and went to her room. She was very happy that they were able to make up so quickly and the fact that Raphael was so understanding.


    However, Lana wouldn''t tell about her affection toward Kace. It was in the past. Raphael didn''t have to know about that, moreover he was his mate now.


    Only now did Lana fully understand how Kace felt about Hope.


    When you had a crush with someone and when you were with your real destined mate, the feeling was so different.


    "LANA!"


    Lana was startled when Hope screamed and ran toward her. The girl literally threw herself at her, until she lost her balance and fell on the floor.


    "Hope!" Lana reprimanded her, but Hope was laughing, still clinging onto her neck.


    "I miss you! I am very happy for you!" Hope exclaimed.


    "I know, I know¡­" Lana said helplessly and patted her back. "Now, get up. You are heavy!"


    "I am not!" Hope raised her head from Lana''s neck and pouted sullenly. "Come here! Let''s go to your room! You have to tell me everything about what the two of you were talking, where are you and why are you just coming home now."


    Hope was so excited that she didn''t see Lana grimace when she spoke. "I will tell you later, why don''t you go back to your room?"


    "No, I will sleep with you," Hope grinned.

 Chapter 731 - IT WILL BE MY PLEASURE

    The door opened even before Raphael could knock it and from behind it, Kace poked his head. "What? Want to apologize?" he asked while raising his eyebrows. "I will not forgive you unless you treat me something. I am hungry."


    Raphael chuckled. "Let''s go."


    "I will get my jacket," Kace said quickly and closed the door right in front of Raphael''s face. It didn''t take long time before Kace appeared again with his leather jacket and grinned from ear to ear. "I just want to tell you, my forgiveness is not cheap."


    "Don''t worry, I can afford that, don''t you know that Donovan''s company is one of the biggest company in this realm?" Raphael asked arrogantly.


    "D*mn you," Kace cursed under his breath and both of them walked together.


    However, when they reached the family room, Calleb was awake. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and stared at the two of them.


    "You already come back," Calleb asked and yawned. "Where are you going?"


    "Find something to eat," Raphael answered.


    "His treat," Kace added and the Beta gave him a look.


    "Food? Raphael''s treat?" Calleb sprang on his feet. "I will go with you guys!" he exclaimed. All of sudden, his sleepiness disappeared.


    "Are you sure, you want to go? Don''t you hate a rogue like me?" Kace asked sarcastically upon seeing Calleb''s enthusiasm.


    "Don''t worry, I will resent you until my heart content when my stomach full," Calleb said casually and took his jacket.


    "Don''t you have any dignity?" The corner of Kace''s lips twitched. "Didn''t you say Donovan company is one of the biggest company in this realm? Then why he acts like no one ever feed him?" he complained.


    "Don''t count him. He will do anything for free food." Raphael didn''t even wait for Calleb to put on his shoes when he walked out of the house.


    "Wait!" Calleb hastily tied his shoelace and caught up with Raphael and Kace.


    When they reached the car, Raphael mind- linked Torak that he brought the two chatter lycans with him and the Alpha was fine with that as long as he could make sure the two of them didn''t create unnecessary trouble and come back in time because they would leave early in the morning.


    After several quarrels ended about who would sit in the front seat, finally Raphael relented and let the childish Calleb to drive and the immature Kace to tour guide them.


    "Yeah! Tour guide Barbie!" Calleb exclaimed as he started the engine and Kace growled deeply at him.


    The Beta started to regret his reckless decision to bring the two of them with him. They just didn''t stop arguing along the way to whatever place that Kace would bring them.


    As this was almost late at night and the village was not like the hustle city, some of the shops had closed and not many people in the street.


    "Are you sure we can find something to eat here? This place is like a ghost town," Calleb started to complain.


    "Don''t worry pup. I know this village. There is one place with a good food here." Kace ignored Calleb hard glare when he heard he called him pup.


    It didn''t take a long time before Kace told them to pull over. Calleb then drove them into a parking lot as per Kace''s direction.


    "Hm, it turns out, not as dead as I thought¡­" Calleb mumbled when he watched the parking lot was almost full.


    "It seems it we are not the only ones who hungry at this time," Kace replied.


    When Calleb finally parked the car, the three of them got off. From outsider perspective, all they could see was three handsome men, walking confidently while talking or hitting each other back playfully.


    Raphael would look like a good- looking businessman and Calleb looked like he was an heir from a respectable family, while Kace, some of the people in this village knew him, he looked nothing less than a rich man, after all, the house that Serefina owned was the biggest house in this place.


    All eyes were on them, not to mention girls, even men would take a second glance at them. Their aura was too dominant to ignore.


    The restaurant was painted with blue color and crowded, but a waitress managed to get them a table and guided them to their seat with her lips curved into sweet smile.


    "What can I get for you?" she asked, pulling out a pen and pad. She blinked at them, mesmerized by the sight before her eyes.


    The waitress took the order from the three of them and asked a few, unnecessary questions, just to stay there longer and took the advantage of staring at them. After all, it was so rare to see men like them in this remote village like this.


    And when the woman swayed her h.i.p.s away to get their order Calleb sighed dramatically. "Gosh! I thought she will never leave us!" he turned toward Kace, who was sitting beside him. "You come often in this place?"


    "I will come here with Hope or Lana, both of them will take care of those women, I don''t really care what they look like as long as I get my food." Kace rolled his eyes, but then added hastily when he got a hard look from Raphael. "I think of Lana as my little sister. No less, no more. I have known her since she was little!"


    Calleb snickered and provoked Raphael. "But, you have known Hope since she was baby, yet you fall for her anyway."


    A spoon was thrown at Calleb''s direction, but the Gamma was quick enough to catch it.


    "She is my mate, you d*mn lycan!" he glowered at Calleb, who was laughing heartily.


    When the same waitress came, she served the foods and drinks that they ordered, but she slipped a paper under Raphael''s utensils and winked at him.


    "A phone number!" Calleb pointed the paper. "I will tell Lana about it!"


    Raphael was annoyed and looked at Kace. "Would you like to join me to give him a lesson or two?"


    "It will be my pleasure¡­" Kace smirked.

 Chapter 732 - MARKED AND MATED

    "Hey, guys!" Calleb raised both of his hands. "It was just a joke, just a joke. Don''t take it seriously!" he laughed dryly when no one laugh with him.


    Calleb felt bitter since it was only him who didn''t have a mate. Their journey tomorrow to Jedrek''s place would be awful. The three of them had their own mate.


    Maybe it sounded odd, but Calleb hoped Serefina was there¡­ at least he wouldn''t feel too bitter when he was surrounded by those couples.


    Even Calleb didn''t believe with what he wished. Was he that desperate?


    "You will know how it feels when you find your other half," Raphael said, forked his spaghetti.


    "What do you think his mate is doing right now?" Kace asked Raphael after putting down his glass.


    The Beta shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "She is probably, flirting with some guys and messing up somewhere."


    "Hell, no!" Calleb exclaimed, his fork fell onto the plate with a loud clink.


    Kace and Raphael laughed hard when they watched how furious Calleb was. He literally turned red as he fumed.


    "She better be at home and buried her cute nose in a pile of books and study hard!" the Gamma huffed and puffed. "I hope she gets strict parents who will give her a curfew."


    "Don''t you think he would be a bad mate?" Kace elbowed Raphael.


    It was almost unbelievable if one thought back to what had happened. Early in the morning, the two of them tried to kill each other, but now they were partners in crime to attack their fellow lycans who were still mateless.


    "Worst," Raphael said curtly and continued to eat his food while the two of them argue about one thing to another.


    ==============


    The three of them returned late at night, they thought all of the people would be asleep right now, but the house was still so bright.


    It was Calleb, who entered the house first and found Lana was standing in front of the door with Hope beside her.


    "Where were you going?" Lana asked, narrowing her eyes dangerously at Calleb.


    "We were eating," he said, raising both of his hands. "It was them, who invited me to join them." Calleb pointed at Raphael and Kace behind him with his thumb.


    "No one ever invited you," Kace scowled at Calleb.


    "Where were you going?" Hope frowned at Kace, who came second followed by Raphael. "Why don''t you ask us to go too?"


    "My lovely baby girl," Kace said in sweet voice. "I thought you were sleeping."


    "Which restaurant did you visit?" Hope asked sullenly. "Is this the same restaurant you always visit? With the waitress named Myranda?"


    And from behind the couples, Calleb exclaimed. "Oh, that is the name of the woman who gave Raphael a phone number!" but, then he realized what calamity that he had created. "I will go to my room." Calleb murmured and retreated to his room as fast as his feet could.


    He had run his mouth recklessly again.


    "I swore! I threw away the paper!" Raphael shook his head in his attempt to convince Lana.


    "I know Myranda, she is beautiful, isn''t she?" Lana crossed her arms in front of her chest. She was upset.


    Raphael stretched out his hands and caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. "Compare to you? She is nothing." He leaned over and kissed the girl''s lips.


    ==============


    "Stop staring like that¡­" Lana groaned and pulled her jacket so it covered her neck, to hide the freshly mark on her skin. It was still swollen, but probably because Lana was a shifter too, her healing ability made the wound heal faster.


    "Why are you still able to do everything as usual?" Hope asked in disbelieve. "When Kace marked me, I was on the verge of death. He brought me back to life, but I still remember very clearly that the marking process was very painful." Hope grimaced when she remembered that.


    Kace accidentally sapped her energy and she was too weak to even stay awake for long time, not to mention to move around as if there was nothing happened, just like what Lana did now.


    "Me too," Raine chimed in. She shuddered when she remembered how frightening her marking process was. Torak was in his beast form and it was very fortunate of her that he didn''t take a chunk of her flesh too. "Torak almost killed me, as he marked me when his beast was in full control." Raine whispered, she didn''t want Torak to hear this, even now, he still felt bad about it.


    The three women were waiting for the men, who seemingly had another matter to discuss before they went to Red River city, where the portal of the other realm located.


    They could see the four of them were talking seriously in low voice near their cars.


    "Tell us, how Raphael marked you." Hope shook Lana''s arms and stared at her expectantly. "Our stories are not pleasant to hear."


    "Yes, tell us. Our marking process is a horror story¡­" Raine grimaced.


    Lana laughed awkwardly, but when she watched Raine and Hope were serious about what they were asking, she felt her throat became dry.


    "Well, we did what all mates did¡­" Lana gulped and stared at Raphael, but her mate was too focus to what Torak said. "We marked and mated¡­" Of course, Lana wouldn''t break the detail for them to hear.


    At first, there was no reaction from Hope or Raine, but then both of their eyes widened.


    "Mated???" Hope covered her mouth when she gasped.


    "Mated you mean¡­ both of you ''did'' that?" Raine was staring at Lana without blinking.


    The fact astounded Hope and Raine. "That''s so fast¡­" both of them said the same thing simultaneously.


    "No. Actually, it is normal for our kind to mark and mate at our first meeting¡­" Lana waved her hands vigorously and hastily explained it to them.


    "Really?" Hope asked in disbelieve.


    "If I remember correctly, Calleb had explained that to me in the past¡­" Raine mumbled.


    "So, you mean it''s us who are not normal," Hope stated sullenly.

 Chapter 734 - SEREFINA (2)

    There was an emotion that flashed in Serefina''s lime green eyes, but it disappeared in a blink of an eye, leaving her with stoic expression.


    Serefina continued to walk, ignoring the devils, but Asmodeus kept walking behind her.


    "Wait, what her name again? The young guardian angel? Let me think¡­" Asmodeus enjoyed this little game to annoy Serefina. "Lily? Lilian? Lalia? Oh, right! Lilac! Her name is Lilac!" she clapped her hands happily, as though she was five years old child.


    Serefina clenched her jaw tightly, but she continued to walk. She didn''t want this devil got what she wanted, yet for someone like her, it was hard to hold back her anger. She was too hot- headed for being patience.


    "I remember how angry you were when Lilith tried to seduce your man," Asmodeus mumbled, but loud enough for Serefina to hear it clearly. "I have to admit, she didn''t do her job well. She couldn''t sway Jedrek''s devotion for you."


    Serefina closed her eyes and tried to not hear whatever Asmodeus said, but it was hard to do since it was only the two of them in this forest and the devil determined to not stop until she got the reaction that she wanted.


    "But, it seems his destined mate could. He is ready to settle down and crown the girl as his queen. How are you feeling?" Asmodeus walked in light step, she was very happy, even one was able to hear it from her voice.


    Serefina could feel the anger started to rise in her throat and her breath became erratic.


    "I am sure, you are not feeling well now. Don''t you think Selene is not fair to you?" Asmodeus plucked some berries and ate them. The sky was covered with dark smoke, thus it was hard to tell whether the sun had set or not. "You were helping Jedrek to kill all the shadow guards and captured all the guardian angels to use them against us during our war¡­ but, what you got?" she asked rhetorically.


    Of course Serefina remembered that. The shadow from the shadow guards pierced through her heart and killed her.


    "You die¡­" Asmodeus said dramatically.


    This time, Serefina stopped walking and so did Asmodeus. The witch relived that moment in her head.


    At that time, she was having argumentation with Jedrek, so she went to the village and wreck havoc there, since she knew Jedrek had ordered his warriors to march there because the shadow guards refused to hand over the guardian angel.


    There was something in Jedrek''s mind until he didn''t realize that Serefina had disappeared. It was Kace, who followed her to the village of angel.


    However, the moon goddess erased his memory when she resurrected her.


    "And now, you are forced to see the only man that you love misunderstood you? And be with another woman?" Asmodeus pointed out. "Then what''s in it for you to be resurrected?"


    Furiously, Serefina turned around and glowered. "What do you want?!" She balled her fists until blue fire enveloped both of her hands, she was ready to burn this devil back to hell, if she needed to.


    "What I want?" Asmodeus asked innocently. "I just want you to be happy. After what you have done, at least Selene could spare you to be with someone you love. The moon goddess knows you love him. You will not be here if you are not. If I can speak honestly, I envy the love that you have for Jedrek."


    Serefina sneered. "A devil talking about honesty?"


    "I just point out the truth." Asmodeus shrugged her shoulder. "Did I say something wrong? I will ask you then¡­ what you get from guiding those guardian angels?"


    Serefina didn''t answer that, but she glared at her.


    "Do you think this is a blessing because the moon goddess resurrected you, so you can meet with Jedrek again? And in exchange you do all the work for her, even though you don''t want it?"


    The blue flames in Serefina''s hand grew brighter, she was ready to launch her fire at the devil if she didn''t stop talking.


    "Let''s be honest. Deep down, you really want to kill this guardian angel who has stolen Jedrek from you, right?" Asmodeus walked closer toward Serefina, kept talking with her enchanting voice. "Don''t you ever think that this is not a blessing but a punishment for you and Jedrek?"


    Asmodeus stopped right in front of Serefina and stretched out her hand to brush away the witch''s hair.


    "The punishment is because Jedrek wants to deny his own soul mate, so he can be with you and you, for imposing selfish desires on one of the goddess''s creatures." She tucked strands of Serefina''s red hair behind her ears. "This is not fair for both of you. You love him and he love you, so why the two of you can''t be together?"


    Serefina lowered her fiery gaze and watched the ground beneath her feet, missing the smirk that appear on the corner of Asmodeus''s lips.


    "The guardian angel is only an obstacle for the two of you to be together." Asmodeus leaned over and whispered on Serefina''s ears. "I know you hate her for stealing him. I know there is a part of you that want to kill the guardian angel." She smiled triumphantly when Serefina didn''t respond to her. "Join us and I promise you to get what your heart desire¡­"


    Asmodeus then planted a kiss on Serefina''s cheek before she stepped back.


    "So, what do you say?" The devil raised her eyebrows and stared at Serefina eagerly.


    Serefina finally raised her head and smiled softly. But, in the next second, she threw fireballs from her hands that burned Asmodeus within seconds.


    As the devil''s body collapsed to the ground and turned into ashes, her voice echoed in the forest. "Just a single drop of Lilac''s blood¡­ and we will take care of the rest¡­"


    Serefina didn''t bother with that voice and continued to walk away.

 Chapter 735 - SEREFINA (3)

    Serefina sheltered herself under a tree and she had to use her power too, so she wouldn''t get wet. The witch was just being stubborn to not teleport herself straight to the south region. She wasted her time.


    Above her, behind the thick smoke, which Serefina had seen all the way since she arrived at the castle, the sky was pitch black.


    The sky spat out beads of water and puddles began to form under Serefina''s feet as the rainfall became heavier.


    The murmuring of the rain through the leaves was akin to angry bees in Serefina''s ears, but she refused to help herself from this chaotic weather


    Even though Serefina could save herself from the vengeful heavy rain, but she couldn''t stop the coldness that the wind brought every time it wh.i.p.s her body.


    Occasionally, an unearthly caterwauling sound filled the air.


    The witch raised both of her hands and blew warm breath to her freezing palms. She created her own fire to keep herself warm.


    And after two hours had passed and the rain still had not stopped, Serefina was too tired to stand up, in the end she crouched down, looking at the mist created by the heavy rain.


    Serefina lowered her head and rested her forehead on her knees as she cried silently. She felt pathetic and helpless for crying like this. For feeling like this.


    Serefina remembered the last time she felt very devastated like this was when her father left her. She didn''t come to the forest where she usually met Jedrek for days.


    But, one day, when she cried silently among the blue flowers in the meadow, near her house, Jedrek managed to find her by following her scent, at that time also, she realized that the lycan was immune to some of her magic.


    Jedrek sat quietly beside her and patted her shoulder, but didn''t ask anything until Serefina told him about what had happened. He listened to her.


    He promised her that he would stay with her. He would never leave her¡­


    Well, that was a lie¡­


    Their situation now was more complicated than what they thought. Everything was not the same and both of them had been through so much. They were no longer their younger selves, who were too naive to understand that much would happen in the future, including things that they didn''t want.


    Jedrek thought, as the future King, he would get everything that he wanted, be with whomever he desires, yet things got complicated when Diana gave birth to Kace and her health began to decline.


    It was not normal for lycan to be sick¡­


    Serefina had known Kace since he was born. One night, Jedrek took Serefina to see his younger brother, in his nursery room and let Serefina held baby Kace.


    And years after that, when Jedrek was too busy with his journey with Torak and their father to visit their other domains, Serefina would play with Kace.


    It was one of the most beautiful years she had ever had.


    Serefina closed her eyes and let the puddle wetted her dress. She would dry it later when her heart was no longer in a mess.


    The rain was incessant, it snapped and crackled and continued to pouring down this realm, unfurled slowly all the flowers in the meadow.


    The same rain also pouring down on the south city, it dark clouds hanging low on the top of the castle tower.


    When someone was crying under the rain, on the other side of this realm, there was someone, standing silently while staring at the mist and relishing the petrichor that emanating from the drying grass.


    The smell soothed the king''s nerve, but also brought back memories.


    "Wear this," Lilac dr.a.p.ed warm cloak on Jedrek''s shoulder and gave him a warm cup of tea. "It is storm¡­" she mumbled while looking at the heavy rain outside and thunder in the dark sky.


    "Hm," Jedrek sniffed the tea before drinking it. It had become a habit.


    "It is terrifying. It''s my first time seeing a storm like this." Lilac tried to engage a conversation with Jedrek.


    "The rainy season is coming," Jedrek replied.


    After that, they shared a comfortable silence while drinking their hot tea to warm their body. Even after an hour, it didn''t seem like the rain would stop.


    Both of them were standing in the corridor, where the big windows lined up.


    "Tomorrow the three representatives will come," Lilac reminded him. "Are you feeling better now?" she asked, concern laced in her voice.


    "I am fine," Jedrek put down the tea cup at the table beside him. "Come, I will take you to your room." he stretched out his hand for Lilac to take.


    Lilac smiled and put down the empty cup beside his and took his hand.


    The corridor almost empty, there were only a few servants and guards that were still there and all of them would lower their head when Jedrek and Lilac walked past them.


    "The mating ceremony will be held in two weeks from now," Jedrek informed Lilac.


    The guardian angel didn''t really anticipate this event, but Jedrek seemed determined to do so as soon as possible. Perhaps, one of her reluctance was because she knew the true reason behind it. "Don''t you have to deal with the problem regarding Maximus and your people first?" Lilac asked. "I don''t think this is the right time. After all, this is not very important."


    Jedrek stopped walking in front of Lilac''s room and opened the door for her. "This is the right time and this is important." He held the door for her. "Now, take a rest."


    Lilac entered her room, but she stood in the doorway. Raising her head, Lilac stared into Jedrek''s blue eyes as she spoke. "Serefina is only two days away from here."


    After hearing that, Jedrek didn''t answer her immediately, but then he leaned over and kissed her temple. "Goodnight," he said, as if Lilac never mentioned anything.

 Chapter 736 - UNFAIR

    The kiss didn''t linger as long as the other nights and Jedrek waited until Lilac closed the door.


    Lilac stood in front of the closed door and knew that Jedrek was still standing at the other side too.


    Lilac wanted to see his reaction when she said that, and no matter how hard Jedrek tried to hide it, she was able to notice the emotion behind his cold eyes and nonchalant demeanor the moment she mentioned Serefina''s name.


    She lowered her head and trudged toward her bed. She was too tired to think about all of this and needed time to rest.


    Meanwhile, outside the door, when Jedrek heard Lilac heavy steps and the soft sound when her body lay on the bed, only then he walked away.


    On her right side, Jedrek watched the heavy rain that was still cascading down from the eerie dark night and Lilac''s words echoed in his head.


    ''Serefina is only two days away from here.''


    Then it meant, Jedrek would meet her in the next two days¡­ however, he didn''t feel like he wanted to see her now, yet the other part of his heart knew, that was only because of his fear for what would happen if he met her after centuries of waiting.


    Jedrek had never felt very restless like now, even his beast couldn''t help it, but whimpered on the edge of his head.


    He guessed it would be another sleepless night¡­


    ==============


    "You have been avoiding me," Tordoff said accusingly.


    The general managed to find Lilac before she went to the throne room, to accompany Jedrek to meet with the representatives of the people, who were asking about their missing family member.


    "Huh?" Lilac whipped her head when she felt Tordoff grabbed her shoulder to stop her. She was too distracted to realize that Tordoff had been calling her. "No, I am not. It is just, I am too busy lately."


    Tordoff sighed and narrowed his eyes. "You should try harder if you want to lie to me."


    "I am not lying," Lilac said, rolled her eyes upon his accusation. "I am really busy."


    "Busy such as taking care of the king?" There was a mocking tone in his voice. Tordoff didn''t hide the fact that he was upset.


    "That''s also included," Lilac said lightly.


    "Lilac, I want to ask you something," Tordoff said, as he walked ahead and stopped in front of Lilac.


    Lilac gave him a smile. "But, I need to go to the throne room. We will talk later, okay?"


    However, Tordoff refused her idea, he shook his head. "You and I know, there will be no later. I only want to know if I offended you somehow?"


    "Why do you think like that? You never offended me." Lilac frowned, but then she realized what Tordoff meant. "I am not avoiding Tordoff. Don''t think too much. You have always been very good to me."


    "Or, this is the king''s order?" Tordoff saw the shift of emotion in Lilac''s eyes and he knew that he had guessed it right. "So, it is really the king''s order¡­"


    "Look, listen to me¡­" Lilac sighed.


    "You hate him," Tordoff stated. "You have never listened to him." He remembered vividly that Lilac had disobeyed Jedrek''s orders more than any of the generals had ever done. "You have changed."


    "Things have changed." Lilac corrected him. "You know that I am his mate."


    Her last words hardened Tordoff''s eyes. "Yes, but he hurt you."


    "He did." Lilac nodded, agreed with him. "But, a few things happened and I can''t explain it to you. Moreover, war is coming soon, I want a small problem like this not to interfere with what we will face later."


    Tordoff looked into Lilac''s eyes and he loved the fiery and determination behind those beautiful obsidian eyes that she possessed. "Understood." He nodded and tucked strands of her hair behind her ear. "I just don''t want him to hurt you again."


    "He will not," Lilac assured him, as she moved slightly to avoid his touch, she didn''t want to hurt Tordoff. She knew his affection toward her and this was one of the reasons why she avoided him, aside from Jedrek''s order. She didn''t want to make things became more difficult. "You don''t need to worry."


    "Alright." Tordoff put down his hand, aware with Lilac''s uncomfortable gesture, but he smiled anyway. "Tell me if I can do something for you."


    "I will," Lilac said casually. "I will go now."


    "I will walk you to the throne room." Tordoff was about to follow her, but Lilac shook her head.


    "It''s okay, I know that room." Lilac hoped her rejection didn''t offend him. She smiled brightly and waved her hand.


    ==============


    Lilac arrived at the throne room a little bit late, but she could keep up with the conversation between Jedrek and the three representatives.


    All in all, the three of them gave the king twenty questions, which Jedrek answered flawless. He and Lilac had discussed about this.


    Not only this meeting could appease the anger for the families, but this also as an announcement that the war between the lycanthropes and the devil would happen once again.


    Of course this piece of information shocked them, added to the revelation about Lilac''s identity as the guardian angel. Everyone knew about the prophecy of the resurrected of the guardian angel.


    Their wrath built up when Jedrek told them that the devils were behind the missing people, which was true. He even let them to bring back the dead bodies of the shifters that he had slaughtered not so long ago and said it was the devil, who did it.


    A little bit truth and improvise were needed in this difficult time. This was the best solution that they could think to solve their problem now.


    It was not fair or the best decision, but some time they had to choose it, to avoid the worse outcome.


    Jedrek couldn''t afford to have his own people turned their back on him at this time. That was what the devils wanted.

 Chapter 737 - WAIT FOR MY REVENGE

    Brann, Jon and a woman named Yara, would be the representatives of the people started from today.


    "All of you are invited to come, one month from now for further discussion." Jedrek stood up and Lilac did the same, she was sitting right beside Jedrek, on the throne that would belong to her soon. "There will be guards, who helped you to bring back the bodies and my deep condolence for your lost."


    Brann, Jon and Yara lowered their head in gratitude and grief.


    However, when they raised their head, there was determination and wrath in those eyes. The anger for the devils that had caused this to them.


    "Thank you, your Majesty, we will be forever grateful for what you had done for us," Brann said in deep voice.


    "And congratulation for finding your destined mate," Yara said fondly as she looked at Lilac.


    They knew now that Lilac was a guardian angel, but Yara was there when Lilac stood unfazed in the middle of the people, who were shouting at her, asking for answers.


    Yara could see that Lilac was not a timid and weak guardian angel like what rumor had said. Moreover, she would be their queen some day, thus she should be treated as the queen that she deserved.


    Unfortunately, not many people had the same point of view like her. The two man at her left and right, mumbling their congratulatory only for mere formality.


    After a few words, Jedrek finally dismissed them.


    "I am glad this doesn''t turn out so bad," Lilac talked behind him when all the three representatives had escorted to the backyard, where they would retrieve their fellow shifters'' dead bodies.


    "Hm," Jedrek murmured and turned around to stare at his mate.


    "It is already noon, let''s have lunch," Lilac said and grabbed Jedrek''s hand. However, Jedrek twisted her hand and pulled his mate closer. "What are you doing?" Lilac frowned when Jedrek started to sniff her shoulder and hair.


    All the guards inside the throne room lowered their head to avoid staring at something that they shouldn''t.


    Jedrek''s nose was so close, until Lilac could feel his warm breath brushed against her skin bare skin on her neck.


    "You met Tordoff," Jedrek said in rigid voice.


    "Yes, I met him," Lilac admitted it. There was no way she could lie to him about this. Tordoff''s scent must have lingered when he touched her. "But, this was not what you think."


    All of sudden, Jedrek released her body and this made Lilac almost lost her balance, thankfully she regained her footing quickly, but that was the last thing she had to worry about now.


    "I met him when I am on my way here," Lilac tried to explain.


    "That is your excuse why you were late?" Jedrek narrowed his eyes and his voice sounded boring.


    "That is my reason. Not an excuse," Lilac corrected her.


    "I have told you to stay away from him," Jedrek said rigidly. "That''s what we agreed on, right? Have you forgotten that?"


    Lilac crossed her arms in front of her chest and somehow her defiant acted only amused the king. He liked it the way she rolled her eyes or how she clenched her jaw in annoyance.


    "Of course not. I remember it perfectly. But, it was a coincidence, we didn''t make a promise to meet with each other," Lilac said in frustration, especially when Jedrek didn''t seem to believe her. "We are living in the same castle, so there is always a possibility that we will run onto one another."


    At first, Jedrek didn''t respond to it, but then he started to climb down from his throne, leaving Lilac alone in confusion.


    Only when he had already half- way crossed the room, Jedrek turned around and frowned at Lilac. "Didn''t you say, you want to have a lunch?"


    "Huh?" Lilac was still unable to understand Jedrek''s fickle mood now. "That''s it?" she didn''t believe he would let it slide easily.


    "You said you met him because of coincidence. I trust you and I will take care of that so called coincidence." Jedrek tilted his head and gave her a meaningful smile.


    "What do you mean you will take care of that?" Lilac walked down the stairs while staring at him suspiciously. "Jedrek?"


    However, the king refused to answer that.


    ==============


    Torak and the other arrived at the raven village when the sun set and was greeted by the whole pack house, who were curious to see Kace and the guardian angels.


    Despite this was not the first time Raine was here, but this was the first time they knew that Raine was a guardian angel.


    Some of the shifters were old enough to know Kace, they exchanged hug and patted each other back.


    Apparently, they treated Kace more like a friend, but of course with respect that he deserved as the member of Donovan''s family, because no one would dare enough to approach Torak that way.


    "Oh, my dear!" Belinda literally screamed when she saw Raine and hugged her tightly before her interest switched to Hope. "Who is this? Kace, is this your mate? The other guardian angel?" Belinda slapped Kace''s shoulder, didn''t even bother to greet him properly.


    "Yes, she is my mate. Beautiful isn''t she?" Kace rubbed his shoulder, but said that proudly.


    "You are lucky to have her as your mate!" Belinda gave Hope a big hug and then said to her. "I hope he is not a disappointment for you, my dear."


    Hope chuckled and shook her head, she liked this woman immediately.


    Belinda also ecstatic when he found out that Raphael had found his mate, she greeted Lana with another big hug and then glared at Calleb. "So, when you will find yours?!"


    "I have the same question too! Do you think it is easy to see them all lovey dovey in our entire trip?" Calleb snapped back at her. "I will flaunt her in front of you when I found her, just wait for my revenge," he said sullenly.

 Chapter 738 - HE IS MINE AND MINE ONLY

    Raine was taking some snack from the kitchen while Hope and Lana were waiting for her on the top floor, where Torak and she stayed.


    Raine missed this place, this was the first place where Torak had brought her. She remembered how coward she was back then, thinking anyone would hurt her and how she wasn''t able to speak a single word. No friends or family.


    Raine also remembered the first word that came out from her lips after years of being silence, was; Torak. Even though, the story behind it was not the pleasant one, but still¡­ it was something that would always etch in her mind.


    However, now here she was¡­ she had been through so much and had lost a lot of things, yet that was all worth it.


    Now, Raine had a few people that she could call as friend and family, though they were not blood related to her, but they were family nonetheless.


    And whatever would happen in the future, as long as she had them, Raine would be forever grateful. Torak, Calleb, Raphael, Hope, Lana, Kace, Belinda and a few people in the pack, they were all the people that so dear to her.


    Even the annoying Adair¡­


    "So, you are come back?" a voice as sweet as sugar sounded from behind Raine.


    She didn''t need to turn around to see who was there, thus Raine continued to fill the bowl with snack. Since the men were inside Torak''s study room for another discussion, the girls would spend their night watching movies until they felt sleepy.


    And the best companion for that activity was; a few snack, chocolate and drink.


    "As you can see, I am here," Raine said casually. She was also remembered how Adair had destroyed the sunflowers that she and Belinda had planted, and how she claimed that she was Torak''s baby girl. This girl was really annoying!


    "Yes, I can see you and the other guardian angel," she sneered. Adair was still upset because of their last encounter. "And now you are being ordered around. I can''t see how you could possibly become a Luna for this Pack. You have no pride."


    Raine plopped a peanut into her mouth, putting another bag of snack and picking up the tray. She lost the bet with the two of them, so she should take the snacks. It was very simple, but why the way Adair said it, it became very complicated? What did this have to do with pride? Raine didn''t understand¡­


    "Move," Raine said in a bored tone.


    Adair was standing in front of the door and blocked her way.


    "Why? You will call the Alpha?" Adair crossed her arms in front of her chest. She didn''t like the fact that they had a guardian angel as the Luna of the pack. No. She didn''t like whoever became Luna.


    "I will if I have to," Raine said. She was upset with Adair, but didn''t want to force her to do something stupid, because she knew, she wouldn''t stand a chance if Adair really wanted to hurt her, moreover, at this hour, there was no one in the kitchen.


    "See? You are a coward." She mocked her.


    Yet, Raine shrugged nonchalantly. "You can say everything that you want about me, but that still will not change the fact that I am Luna in this pack."


    "Do you think everyone respect you as Luna? They respect you because you are Torak''s mate," Adair said grimly, but seeing her provocation words didn''t seem have the effect that she wanted, she became more upset.


    Raine was standing there, with a tray of food, staring at her calmly and didn''t even bother to talk back or defend herself.


    "You are weak and pathetic." Adair insulted her.


    There was an awkward silence after what Adair said and Raine was still with her calm facial expression until she spoke again.


    "You haven''t liked me since we first met, so no matter what I say, it will only waste both of our time." Raine smiled softly at her. "I don''t have time to explain myself to you, if you believe me as a weak and pathetic Luna, please believe it. That is your privilege to believe whatever you want."


    "See? You are so weak!??? Adair sneered. This time, she moved aside and let Raine to walk past her. "I pity Torak for having you as his mate."


    Raine walked past her and turned around to grin at her. "And I pity you for thinking that you are better than me, perhaps yes." She shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly. "But, we live in reality and no matter what you say, the fact that I am your Luna and Torak''s mate and everything you could ever want, is undeniable."


    "You are so pathetic!" Adair snapped. She was upset because Raine didn''t seem to take her words seriously.


    "I am, I am¡­" Raine said casually and walked away when she felt Adair yanked her shoulder and forced her to turn around.


    Raine narrowed her eyes when she watched Adair raised her hand.


    "You know what the punishment for someone who hurt their Luna?" she said rigidly. "Slap me, and you will know how weak and pathetic I am."


    Raine didn''t break the eyes contact with Adair, thus the lycan could see the threat in her eyes. She was serious with what she said.


    It sounded weird, but Adair stopped her hand mid- air. There was something in the way Raine looked at her that made her bones chill.


    "Try to stop your impulsive act or it will lead you into trouble." Raine shrugged her shoulder to free herself from Adair''s grip. "Next time, I will not be so nice to you and talk with you like this, if you don''t give me the respect I deserve."


    Adair gritted her teeth, she wanted to talk something, but somehow¡­ she was afraid.


    "And one more thing." Raine stepped closer. "Stop staring at Torak. He is mine and will be mine only."

 Chapter 739 - THE RED HAIR WITCH

    The day was so bright, with cloudless sky and the wind that caressed their skin.


    They were ready to go to the other realm and all the lycan warriors would wait for Torak''s signal to move as well, because they would need as many people as they could find.


    Kace also had made a contact with a few people, the people that he knew, which surprisingly there were many of them. They would also wait for his signal to come along and helped the preparation for the upcoming war.


    However, those were things that would happen in the future, for now, Hope just wanted to enjoy the warm sunlight on her face.


    The Raven village was very nice. She had never seen there were many shifters in one place, especially the one that stayed in one place like this. They called this a pack and the biggest building where they stayed last night was a pack house.


    It was very interesting to know that this big community led by Torak as their Alpha. Of course Hope knew all of that, but knowing and seeing with her own eyes were two different things.


    This morning, they were having a breakfast together in a big room like a hall in one big table with many chairs. It felt like she was having a big family.


    This village, the pack house and having breakfast together were a few things that Hope just discovered and looked very amazing, yet, even though Kace was not part of a pack or an Alpha, and Hope knew he wouldn''t be one, since he hated it the hierarchy, Hope would choose to go back to their house in the mystic river village, together with Serefina and Lana.


    Moreover, Kace was too adventurous to stay in one place. He promised her that he would bring her to many places when all of this over and Hope looked forward to it.


    "Hope! Come here, we will go soon!" Raine waved her hand at Hope from the front yard and Hope grinned while stepped down the stairs that were on the porch.


    On the other hand, Kace was standing not too far from the new mate, Raphael and Lana, who were kissing each other whenever they got the chance.


    "Your PDA is awful," Kace stared at them sullenly. He would love to do that with Hope too, but the girl would definitely kick him if he kissed her in front of many people like this. Almost all the people in the pack were there to see them off. His girl was just too shy, though it was a normal act for shifters to show their affection in the public.


    "I can kiss his lips if you want to see," Lana said, she just gave Raphael a peck on his check when the Beta helped her to carry a bag for their journey ahead.


    Kace groaned. "No, thanks."


    At that time, Torak called Raphael, but the Beta didn''t forget to give the younger Donovan a warning glare before he left Lana with him.


    "Oh, please, I will not eat her," Kace grunted again.


    "You know how possessive a male shifter." Especially the one who just found their mate. Lana didn''t say the last sentence, because it was a common knowledge for their kind. She crouched down and checked the bag and made sure there was nothing she forgot.


    "Nice hickey." Kace grinned when he looked down and spotted Lana''s mark. Her short hair and her position now didn''t help her to hide it.


    "This is not hickey!" Lana hissed, she stood up and tried to kick Kace''s leg, but he dodged it swiftly and laughed. "Uhm, Kace¡­"


    "Huh?" Kace''s laugh died down when he looked how awkward Lana about whatever the things that she wanted to say. "What?"


    "I am sorry about what I did in the past¡­" she started, but Kace waved his hands frantically.


    "No, no, no. Don''t talk about that, it''s so awkward. Let bygones be bygones," Kace said. He knew what Lana wanted to say, but he was not in the mood for Lana''s apology.


    "Thank you," Lana said softly. She was about to hug Kace, but he dodged her again.


    "No hug. Your boyfriend will attack me again." Kace frowned, but his eyes showed how happy he was for her. "Are you happy now?"


    ??Very," Lana grinned.


    "Good." Kace stretched out his head and tousled Lana''s head, like what he always did when she was little.


    ==============


    Serefina finally arrived at the castle. The south castle.


    Her feet became heavier with every step that she took, and the enormous building in front of her, with gigantic gates, intimidated the witch.


    However, she carried herself just fine for all the people to see. She would never show weaknesses. Not now. She had been strong for centuries and this was not the time for breakdown.


    Though, Serefina couldn''t hide her trembling hands.


    The thought of seeing Jedrek again and knowing he was on the other side of the gate, scared her.


    But, she was not the only person who felt like that¡­


    Lilac walked toward the gates, with knowledge that Serefina had entered the city and was approaching toward the castle.


    She didn''t know what to feel or what to say to the witch or how the witch would look at her, after all, Lilac had heard about how in love both Serefina and Jedrek in the past...


    Beside her, Jedrek didn''t show any emotion. His face looked solemn, but only he knew what kind of turmoil that he felt now.


    "Open the gates," Jedrek said to the guards, he grabbed Lilac''s hand and smiled at her. The kind of smile that didn''t reach his blue eyes.


    Lilac reciprocated his smile, but she tried to wriggle her hand from his, yet Jedrek didn''t let her to do it. He held her hand firmly.


    And when the gates finally opened, they could see the red hair witch, standing there with her lime green eyes stared at them.


    Serefina¡­

 Chapter 740 - YOU NEVER KNOW

    But you''ll never know unless you walk in my shoes.


    ''Cause everybody sees what they wanna see, it''s easier to judge me than to believe.


    You Never Know ¨CBlackpink-


    **************


    Actually, Jedrek didn''t need to come and met her, but he didn''t want to hide. What was the point of him hiding when eventually they would meet with each other? Serefina would stay inside the castle and there was no way to avoid her forever.


    Therefore, he chose to confront it. At least, he had his mate now¡­


    Jedrek smiled at Lilac, but his eyes were dull. He was not in the right mind to appreciate the spark between them when he grabbed her hand or the way she smiled back at him softly.


    Because the moment he ordered to open the gate, he watched the woman he had been missing for a long time. She was standing there, within his arm- length.


    Jedrek could walk toward her and touch her the way he wanted. He could walk toward her and pull her into his arms, hugging her like he had dreamed for these past centuries.


    His heart betrayed him. The mate bond between him and Lilac was not strong enough to stop his desire for Serefina.


    Jedrek grabbed Lilac''s hand even tighter when Serefina entered the castle and Lilac squeezed back his hand.


    She was still the same as the last time Jedrek saw her. The same self- confidence and arrogant aura that surrounded her, two of the many things Jedrek loved about her.


    Jedrek''s eyes locked on Serefina. All of his senses told him about their proximity, reminded him that this was what he wanted¡­ centuries ago¡­


    But, now¡­


    "Welcome back," Jedrek greeted Serefina with formality that sounded weird, even in his own ears.


    "Glad to be back," Serefina said, she then shifted her attention toward Lilac. "You must be the king''s mate. The guardian angel."


    Serefina was surprised that she managed to keep her own voice steady, despite the turmoil that she felt.


    "Nice to see you," Lilac spoke, as cheerful as she could, and gave the witch a smile that she hoped was sincere enough. "I am Lilac."


    Serefina reciprocated Lilac''s smile and the guardian angel thought everything would be all right between her and the witch, until Serefina spoke again.


    "I am sure you know who I am," she said curtly and this made Lilac''s smile faded away.


    ==============


    Serefina was sitting on the floor, next to her bed while leaning her back against the wall, which she hit the back of her head against it too.


    What happened in the last thirty minutes was the worst thing that had ever happened in her life.


    Serefina didn''t mean to be hostile toward Lilac. She had thought about this over and over again that she wouldn''t be a jerk for Jedrek''s mate. However, she couldn''t help herself.


    Her anger reached her throat and her eyes stung the moment she watched the way they were holding their hands.


    The voice in her head told her, repeating the same pathetic words.


    ''It should be her who is standing next to Jedrek. It should be her who is standing next to Jedrek.''


    The more she thought about it, the angrier she became and the feeling didn''t help at all when her tongue chose sarcasm as a way to talk to Lilac.


    Great!


    Everything just out of control.


    Good start, Serefina. She thought bitterly.


    After all, being a hateful person was her way to protect herself. So, no one would be able to see her vulnerability. She had prepared herself for long time since she knew this day would come, but all of those days and nights, where she had to hide her tears and her feeling, poured down the drain, the moment she met Jedrek in flesh.


    Unfortunately, when Serefina wanted to be left alone, someone knocked on her door


    At first, she chose to ignore it and let them knew it was terrible time to disturb her, moreover she had said she didn''t want to have a visitor, yet it seemed no one listened. The person didn''t go and the knock on the door annoyed her.


    In the end, reluctantly, Serefina stood up and trudged toward the door. She yanked it open to let whoever there, knew how upset she was.


    The witch was just about to growl when the person she saw was the last person she hoped to meet soon.


    "Can I go inside?" Lilac asked politely.


    "No," Serefina replied curtly.


    However, despite the rejection, Lilac still entered her bedroom anyway. The guardian angel found a single sofa in the corner of the room and sat there.


    "I remember that I said ''no'' when you asked me whether you were allowed to enter my room or not." Serefina narrowed her eyes and chose to stand.


    "This chat shouldn''t take more than half an hour." Lilac met Serefina''s gaze calmly and the witch had to admit she had never met a guardian angel as fierce and determine as her.


    "I hope so," Serefina replied to her with formality. The sign that she didn''t want to be attach or became close to her, so did Lilac. "What is it that you want to talk about that force you to grace me with your presence?"


    Serefina scold herself internally for being such a jerk!


    "I just want you to know that we are here for the same goal, regarding the war that will come." Raine started, but Serefina raised her hand.


    "I know that. That is the only reason why we are here." Serefina then corrected herself. "Why I am here. You don''t have to worry about what had happened between me and Jedrek in the past. It was over now."


    Lilac smirked. "I have not even said anything about your and Jedrek''s past and you can''t wait to talk about it."


    Serefina smiled harmlessly, this girl was something¡­ "I am just happy that he finally found his destined mate."


    Lilac stood up and approached her. "There is no need to lie. We both know that no one is happy in a situation like this."

 Chapter 741 - REPUTATION TO KEEP

    Lilac knew, the moment Serefina refused to shake hands with her, there was nothing would be normal between them. She could understand that. That was why she was here to straighten out the problem between them.


    However, the atmosphere became very tensed when the witch, once again, refused to let her in and without a second thought, Lilac was too upset to listen to her logic and barged into her room anyway.


    And the moment she realized it, it was already too late to retreat, and now they were in another tension situation again.


    Lilac stood up after hearing Serefina''s hypocritical words and approached her. "There is no need to lie. We both know that no one is happy in a situation like this," she said and met her gaze. "I come here to straighten out the misunderstanding between us."


    "There is no misunderstanding between us," Serefina spoke solemnly.


    "Maybe not now, but there will definitely be." Lilac looked around Serefina''s bedroom. This was one of the largest bedrooms in this castle and Jedrek put her here. "I just want to make it easy for us, so that there is no awkwardness between us."


    Serefina looked at her with a smirk on the corner of her lips and crossed her arms while staring at the guardian angel defiantly. "I am here to speak about the upcoming war, the prophecy and how do we end this. I don''t have any intention to reminisce my past with Jedrek or create new memories with him. I can assure you that."


    That was a lie and Serefina did it well. She was very proud of herself.


    "I agree with the three things that you said; the upcoming war, the prophecy and how we end this." Lilac heaved a heavy breath. "But, what if I say; I will give up on Jedrek if he wants you."


    Serefina kept her straight face when she replied that. "I heard you are raised by the moon goddess herself, so I assumed you should have known that you have to be with Jedrek." She tilted her head as her lime green eyes observed Lilac. "You and the other two guardian angels are gift for those Donovans." Derision leaked through Serefina''s lips when she said her last sentence. "So, you should stay with him. That is what the prophecy says."


    "I don''t care about the prophecy. This is my offer to you." Lilac wanted to get the bottom of this.


    "And I refused." Serefina shrugged her shoulder carelessly. "Stay with Jedrek, you look good together."


    "Another lie," Lilac sneered.


    "Just pretend you don''t know that," Serefina said casually. "Just play our roles, the moon goddess is very generous to put us in this interesting situation." There was sarcasm laced in Serefina''s words and Lilac could feel the irony of it.


    After all, Lilac had said the same thing about role to Jedrek, not long time ago.


    They held the other gazes for a few seconds longer before Lilac broke the silence between them. "When the other guardian angel will come?"


    "They will come with their mates two or three days from now," Serefina replied.


    "And their people?" Lilac watched as Serefina walked across the room to pour two drinks for them.


    "Torak''s people will come as soon as he orders, but Kace has a condition for Jedrek." Serefina put the bottle and picked the glasses as she walked toward Lilac again. "Since you are here, I want you to inform Jedrek about this."


    Lilac stared at the glass that was extended to her, but she didn''t take it. "Why should I?" she raised her head and smiled harmlessly at Serefina. "Since you are good at pretending, I want to see more of your pretense."


    Lilac ignored the glass that was offered to her, the same way Serefina had ignored her extended hand earlier.


    "You can say it yourself to Jedrek over dinner." Lilac walked toward the door and said her last words before she closed the door. "I am sorry for disturbing you."


    ==============


    Lilac walked out of Serefina''s room, but it only took her three steps before she felt her heart became heavy.


    She didn''t mean to treat her that way, it was an impulse. She felt great when she did that, but not now. She felt horrible¡­


    The only consolation that Lilac said to herself was; Serefina didn''t treat her good too, so there was nothing to be sorry about.


    When Lilac walked past the corridor on the second floor to reach Jedrek''s study room, she watched Tordoff, walked out through the gates. He looked like he was going on a long journey.


    Where is he going?


    "My lady, the king wants to see you in his study room." Lyrus spoke from behind Lilac and this startled her. "I am sorry if I startled you," the general added.


    "No, it''s okay." Lilac waved her hands. "Actually, I am on my to his study room too."


    Lyrus nodded politely and walked past her. If the Beta disliked her, then he was good at hiding it, not like a few generals, who bluntly showing their disrespect toward Lilac.


    "Beta Lyrus," Lilac called him and waited until he turned around. "Where Tordoff will go?"


    Lyrus glanced at the entrance gates and spotted Tordoff''s figure disappeared in time before the gates were closed again.


    "The king orders him to go to the eastern region because it had been a long time since the last time Killian reported back to us," Lyrus said politely, but then he stared at Lilac deeply. "You don''t need to put your concern on him. The king will not like it if he knows about this."


    "I am just asking. What is wrong with that?" Lilac frowned.


    "There is nothing wrong with that, but your mating ceremony will happen within a week. You don''t want to have a bad rumor circulate around you before that happen. Don''t let your reputation tarnish. Not everyone is on your side," Lyrus warned her.

 Chapter 742 - REJECT ME

    "I was on my way to see you when Lyrus told me that you were looking for me," Lilac said as she sat down on the chair across from him. "What happened?"


    "Why were you looking for me?" Jedrek put down a doc.u.ment in his hand and put his focus on his mate now. The same doc.u.ment that he had inspected for more than an hour now.


    "I visited Serefina''s room," Lilac told Jedrek casually. "And she said your brother, Kace, has a condition for you before he is willing to bring his people here."


    "Then don''t. We don''t need his people." Jedrek knew his brother, his demand would never be the pleasant one or tactful. Not like Torak, Kace would act out of impulse.


    "We do need as many people as we can find." Lilac emphasized her words. Both of them knew this. It was just Jedrek, who was too arrogant to admit it.


    Like Lilac, Jedrek also had issued an order to kill Kace''s mate in the past and the last order from him that was interpreted wrongly by Maximus had injured him. Of course, that fact wouldn''t help to ease the tense between them.


    "What his condition?" Jedrek pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn''t want to deal with this.


    "I don''t know." Lilac shrugged her shoulder. "I let Serefina to talk to you directly. We will have a dinner together."


    Jedrek raised his head and looked at Lilac as if she had grown another head. "What?" he asked in disbelieve. "I let her stay here because you said she will help us with the coming war."


    "She will. I didn''t say she will not." Lilac put on an innocent face upon facing the furious king in front of her. "This is just a dinner and we will discuss about our plan. Isn''t that our original plan?"


    At this point, Jedrek clenched his jaw tightly, until Lilac was worried he would crush his molars.


    "We had agreed¡­" Jedrek started, but Lilac cut him off mid- sentence.


    "Yes. You told me to stay away from Tordoff and I did." Lilac played with one of the doc.u.ment in front of her, to avoid Jedrek''s intense gaze. "But, I have never told you to stay away from Serefina, right?"


    Jedrek stood up from his seat, round the table and sat on the chair next to his mate. "What do you want?"


    Lilac bit her lips and stared out the window for a few moments before she could look at the king and said what she thought. "I give you a chance to be with her," she said grievously.


    "We have agreed with this," Jedrek said rigidly. "What chance you want to give me? When I have chosen you."


    Lilac lowered her head, she didn''t want Jedrek to see her bitterness. "I know that she still loves you and so do you. You urged the mating ceremony because you want to strengthen the bond between us, so you can cast away your feeling for her, right?"


    Lilac raised her head to see Jedrek, who refused to answer her question.


    "You don''t need to do that." Lilac smiled at him, but there was tears rolling down her cheek and this made Jedrek knitted his brows.


    Lilac thought she could endure it, going along with Jedrek''s plan to strengthen the bond between them with the mating ceremony. However, her selfishness couldn''t overshadow her conscience.


    She realized the feeling between Jedrek and Serefina the moment their eyes met at the entrance gates. No one noticed this, as both of them were staring at each other with longing.


    "Your feeling for her is genuine." Lilac stretched out her hand and caressed Jedrek''s face, "Not like what we have. We started it wrongly. There was so much hatred between us and disappointment. I don''t even understand why the moon goddess paired us, when you look so perfect with her."


    Lilac hated to admit it.


    Lilac hated to admit that she loved him. After she learned more about Jedrek and what he had endured all this time, she only wanted him to be happy.


    And if his happiness laid on Serefina, so be it. Lilac could never forget the way Jedrek stared at Serefina at the gates. Those eyes¡­ held so much pain.


    Just like what Eaton said; Jedrek had been hiding his true feeling for so long, until he forgot how to show it.


    "Reject me," Lilac said softly. "Reject me and free us from this situation. There are much more important things we have to think about. So let''s end the awkward situation between the three of us."


    How they could talk about war ahead when they had their own war within themselves?


    Lilac gave Jedrek a few moments to think about this, but when Jedrek didn''t answer her or make any decision, she took his arms and heaved a deep breath.


    If it was hard for Jedrek to do this and would be painful enough for him to reject her, then Lilac would do it for them.


    "I reject you, Jedrek¡­" Yet, before Lilac could finish her sentences, Jedrek leaned over and sealed her lips with his. He stole the remaining words from her.


    Lilac cry over their kiss and this stopped Jedrek.


    "I will never reject you and you will be my queen. We will face the war ahead," he said firmly. "The problem regarding Serefina ends here. I don''t want to discuss about this anymore."


    Jedrek wiped the tears on Lilac''s cheek and kissed her forehead.


    This is the right decision. He thought, but more to convince himself.


    ==============


    The night was dark, especially the place where there was no light, such as this corner of the castle.


    But, it didn''t bother a man in black cloak at all when he stood there, talking to himself. No. He was talking to his own shadow.


    "The witch is already here and the other guardian angels are on their way," The man spoke in guttural voice. "We just need to wait."

 Chapter 743 - I WILL LET YOU TO DECIDE

    The dining room seemed very quiet, especially when the tension that surrounded the dining table was very strong.


    Even the sumptuous, luxurious meal in front of them, couldn''t prevent them from loss of appetite.


    The food on the table was like necessity which gave them a reason to move and do something so the atmosphere didn''t feel too awkward.


    Well, Jedrek and Serefina did it flawlessly. Lilac could see how they both complement each other.


    Serefina cut her meat with such perfection and looked so elegant, so did Jedrek while Lilac, who couldn''t eat meat, stared at a bowl of vegetables in front of her and felt she wouldn''t be able to eat all of these veggies with the same manner like the witch.


    Actually, this was a trivial thing, yet Lilac was upset. She stabbed her innocent veggie and ate it silently. However, when the stillness was almost unbearable, Lilac spoke.


    "Serefina, you said Kace has a condition for Jedrek, what is it?" Lilac looked at Serefina, who was sitting across the table.


    Serefina put down her cutleries with a soft clink and wiped her lips, she raised her head and started to speak. "Right. Kace has one condition before he is willing to bring his people to join force in this war."


    "He doesn''t have people." Jedrek cut Serefina''s sentence.


    "Yes, but apparently, he knows many people, or shifters, who are willing to listen to him," Serefina said, but her eyes were on Lilac. "Such as centaurs."


    "Centaurs?" Jedrek raised her brows. "They are extinct."


    "No, they are still exist. I saw them before I came here." This time, Serefina shifted her attention toward Jedrek. "This is the condition that Kace wants."


    Jedrek narrowed his eyes and didn''t look very happy to hear whatever Serefina was about to say.


    "Kace wants you to give back their land." Serefina took her cup and sipped her drink.


    "If I refused?" Jedrek didn''t want to give the centaur''s land to them again.


    Just like the guardian angel, the centaurs also had been assumed extinct for decades. The reason why Jedrek attacked their territory was because Janus needed more power, he was so insane at that time, but too good at pretending that he was not, and unfortunately Jedrek didn''t have the courage to challenge him yet.


    But, that was not the important thing. The fact that Jedrek was the one who had slaughtered their kind was undeniable and he knew how incredibly clever the centaurs were at making long- term plans.


    Serefina shrugged her shoulder. "Kace doesn''t want to take part in this war."


    "He thought he could escape? When we lost the war, there would be no safe place for him," Jedrek spoke grimly.


    "Apparently, he doesn''t care much about that." Serefina started to cut her meat again. "Especially when he had been trying to escape from a certain someone who wanted to kill his mate." The witch bit her meat casually, as though she didn''t say something that could possibly incur the certain someone''s wrath.


    Jedrek stared at Serefina hard, yet she ignored him completely.


    The witch was upset. If she didn''t want to look at the person in the eyes, she was pretending to be fine with the situation while hiding her annoyance. Jedrek knew about that and some part of him was glad that she hadn''t changed as much as he thought. He still knew her.


    "How Kace knew them?" If the centaurs met his younger brother, they should have killed him in the first chance given, but why they didn''t do that? Even though, it was not Kace who issued an order to execute them, but their village was raided under Kace''s attack.


    "The centaurs have lived somewhere in the northern coven realm," Serefina replied. "Kace went there to heal his wounds that were given by Maximus," she glanced at Jedrek and smirk mockingly. "Thanks to you."


    "Wounds? What kind of wounds that was given by Maximus?" Lilac, who had been silence during the conversation, talked with curiosity. Was that the same wounds that Maximus gave to Jedrek too?


    "A curse. Black magic. I had never seen that before." Serefina shrugged her shoulder and continued to eat.


    "How is he now? Does he still have that wound?" Lilac was sure, it was the same wound that Jedrek had when he fought him.


    "No, he has healed," Serefina replied.


    "Jedrek¡­" Lilac was about to tell Serefina that Jedrek also suffered the same wound, probably she could see and tell them whether it was the same wound or not, but Jedrek grabbed her hand under the table and gave it squeeze as a warning.


    "What?" Serefina looked at Lilac suspiciously because she didn''t finish her sentence.


    "So, Kace wanted me to give back the centaur''s territory to them?" Jedrek narrowed his eyes. He didn''t like the idea to have the crafty creatures such as centaurs in his lands.


    It would be safe to say that they had a hidden agenda for returning. The centaurs were not na?ve and they held their grudge really well.


    Jedrek didn''t believe them. After what he had done to them and all they asked was for him to give back their land? How noble they were¡­


    "Yes." Serefina nodded. "That''s what Kace''s condition."


    Jedrek shifted his attention at Lilac, who was stabbing her veggies absentmindedly. "What do you think?"


    "Huh?" Lilac raised her head and cleared her throat to give her some time to think. "Well, like I said, we need as much people as we can find." She felt stupid for being caught brooding.


    "Alright then, I will let you decide for this matter." Jedrek spoke as he pushed his chair and stood up. "I have to go now." Afterward, Jedrek leaned over and kissed Lilac''s temple and walked away.


    That act was not only surprised Lilac, but Serefina too. Out of instinct, she averted her gaze until Jedrek was no longer inside the room and it was only the two of them before she spoke to Lilac callously.

 Chapter 744 - THE PREPARATION

    "If he let you to decide, then I will assume you will agree with me." In one glance Serefina could tell what kind of answer Lilac would give. "Then, I think our discussion is over. So, excused me." The witch wiped her mouth and stood up from her seat.


    With Jedrek and Serefina left the dining room, Lilac was sitting there alone with her food was barely touched.


    This would be a long and hard journey for them.


    ==============


    The night was glowing with the bright city lights and the starry sky. The scenery beautiful that Serefina could see from her balcony.


    She had been here once long time ago when Jedrek visited this city with his father and Torak. They met in one of the inn and spent the night there. That happened long time ago and almost felt like all of those memories came from another life.


    The witch stood there, basking with the light of the full moon. Tonight was exceptionally bright.


    Full moon¡­


    "D*mn¡­" Serefina cursed in low voice. She forgot this¡­


    This would be another long night.


    She needed to bar the door¡­ thus, she walked with her hand on the wall, tracing her fingers while changing a spell in an ancient language over and over again.


    And the moment she reached the door, she repeated the spell when the pain started to gnaw every inch of her skin and she was having a hard time to breathe.


    Serefina hated this when she was in this state. It reminded her about how vulnerable she was.


    She hated when she had to writhe in pain and begged for this to stop.


    She bit her lips very hard when she trudged toward her bed. Even the comfort of it couldn''t reduce her pain in the slightest.


    She hated all of this¡­


    ==============


    "The pure blood witch is here¡­" a man spoke in the darkness, to his own shadow and listened to what it whispered back to him. "Hmm¡­" he hummed and nodded his head.


    The shadow reported to him what it knew and the man told him what he heard. They were exchanging information¡­


    "So¡­ it happened to the witch every full moon and it happened to the guardian angel when in a moonless night¡­ hmm¡­ I know¡­ tell them about this¡­ so do I, I can feel the hatred from the witch is growing stronger in every seconds she watch her ex- lover with his mate¡­" he kept talking for a little while longer until the shadow disappeared and left the general alone in the dark.


    ==============


    Lilac was surrounded with a few servants who were asking about the preparation of the mating ceremony while Jedrek was out of sight most of the time and gave all the responsibility for the upcoming event, fully on her shoulders.


    "Silver or gold?" Keira, the woman with blonde hair, red lips and killer body, asked Lilac, she was holding a note to write down everything that they should do according to Lilac''s preference. "Gold looks regal, but silver is the Alpha color."


    "Silver then¡­" Lilac sighed. She was boring. She had been sitting on this chair and propped her head lazily for more than an hour now.


    The guardian angel couldn''t understand why she had to deal with these unimportant things? They had devils out there, who wouldn''t give a glance to wait, to tear them apart, not to mention a mating ceremony.


    Lilac had talked about this thing since two days ago since Serefina arrived. She felt a little bit bad for having this ceremony in her presence, but none of Jedrek or Serefina gave a sign that they were not comfortable with this.


    It was Lilac who was not comfortable with this.


    Jedrek would insist for this to happen before anything else, as if his life depended on this and Serefina would only reward all the preparation with expressionless face. No one would know for sure what the witch had in her mind. She was hard to predict.


    When Keira was asking about what kind of flower she wanted, Keira entered the room and stood across the table, crossing her arms arrogantly.


    This was the first time Lilac was so happy to see her after two days straight being ignored completely. But, Lilac felt like they were playing hide and seek.


    When Jedrek could smell the witch''s scent from a mile away, Serefina would know where Jedrek was, with her magic. This situation was really frustrating.


    "Leave us alone," Lilac said to Keira and the other servants.


    "But, the king said¡­" Keira didn''t finish her words, she glanced at Serefina fearfully. The female werewolf heard about one or two stories about the witch and knew that what the people had said was true.


    "What the king said?" Lilac asked, but Serefina was aware what order that possibly Jedrek gave to them.


    "Your future queen said, leave us alone." Serefina pulled a chair in front of her and sat down. "That is a direct order."


    "But¡­" Keira tried to argue with her, but Serefina cut her off.


    "Disrespecting your queen, it means disrespecting your king. Should I remind you about the punishment?" Serefina looked at her long- polished nail thoughtfully.


    "Go," Lilac didn''t want to have another headache. If Serefina finally decided to stop pretending that she was not exist, then it meant there was something important that she wanted to discuss, and by all means, Lilac was more interested to hear what the witch wanted to say rather than Keira''s endless suggestion.


    "Yes, your grace¡­" Keira lowered her head, but took another wary glance at Serefina when she left the room with three female werewolves behind her.


    "Your grace¡­" Serefina enunciated the title mockingly. "I like how it sounds."


    "I offered you the chance to have it, but you didn''t take it." Lilac shrugged and leaned her back against the backrest. "So, don''t regret it."


    "Nah, it doesn''t suit me, I don''t want to live in a golden cage." Serefina bit back.


    It seemed, their meeting would not be complete without starting with a few sarcastic words.

 Chapter 745 - THE WITCH WANTED TO KILL HER!

    "What do you want?" Lilac shrugged off Serefina''s sarcastic words and got to the main problem that brought the witch here.


    "Torak and the other are only half a day away from here, they will arrive in the evening." Serefina started.


    "I know that," Lilac said, she knew that they would come the same way she knew Serefina was already in this realm. "I have told Jedrek about that too. He didn''t look excited, but he will come to greet them."


    Serefina hadn''t seen Jedrek again since dinner a few days ago. He avoided her, just like how she did. Maybe, that was for the best.


    She thought she wouldn''t be in more pain than this, but she did. The fact that Jedrek and Lilac would have a mating ceremony, was a big blow for her.


    This seemed to solidify the fact that Jedrek was no longer hers. That it was time for Serefina to let him go for good.


    Serefina really wanted to laugh out loud whenever that thought came around. Who did she want to fool? She hated the woman before her eyes.


    "What?" Lilac frowned when she watched the hostility in Serefina''s eyes. She didn''t speak any provocative words, so why was she furious? "You came here only to tell me about that? Well, thank you¡­" Lilac didn''t know what to say at this point.


    However, when Serefina shook her head and looked at her again, the hatred in her eyes had disappeared. "I am sorry if I disturbed your important meeting about your ceremony, but I came here to know how your progress with your power."


    "Do you want to see my power?" Lilac smirked.


    "I know it is boring and your conversation earlier with your lady was more fascinating, but I need to see, how strong you are." Serefina smirked back at the guardian angel with repulsion on her face. "Don''t let Jedrek down because you are too weak to handle yourself."


    Serefina meant it when she said she didn''t want to see Lilac to drag Jedrek down with her if she was too weak to fight. She would kill the girl herself if that happened.


    Lilac frowned. She was not in the mood to fight, but to show her power, she was fine with that.


    The guardian angel waved her hand on the table and in a blink of an eye, the surface of it was covered with red roses.


    On the other hand, Serefina''s jaw dropped. She didn''t know whether she should laugh or cry. And with the same gesture that Lilac did, she lit blue fire, which burned all the flowers on the table, turned it into dark charcoal.


    Fortunately, Lilac retracted her hands in time from the table before the flame could lick her fingers.


    "Serefina!" Lilac bolted up and glowered at the witch acrossed the burning table.


    With a flick of her finger, the fire went out. Serefina raised her legs and kicked it, the table collapsed as it became dirt and dust.


    "Do you want to kill me?!" Lilac roared. Their relationship couldn''t be said in a good term, but she didn''t think that Serefina would use violence against her. "You should have warned me before you did that!"


    "Do you think your enemy will warn you before they kill you? Do you think the devils will wait for you?" Serefina walked forward, stepping on the dirt that once a big table. "Or your flowers will protect you?"


    Lilac didn''t move or took a step back, she stood her ground and let Serefina approached her. Their gaze met and there were a lot of complicated emotion that they shared, more than they could express.


    "I thought being raised by the moon goddess can help you to get stronger," Serefina sneered on her face. "But, all you can do is blooming some flowers?" she laughed mockingly. "I think too highly of you."


    Lilac narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw, when Serefina thought she would retort, the guardian angel smiled at her that put her in confusion.


    However, before Serefina could understand her smile, she heard something slithered on the floor and coiled her feet.


    In the next second, the witch was thrown across the room until her body hit the solid wall. The sound was very loud, one could say that Serefina would suffer a few broken bones.


    Even the sound of it could be heard from outside of the door. Keira''s voice travelled into the room, as she rapped her fist against the door.


    "Everything is all right inside?!" Keira didn''t dare to barge in, but the loud cracking sound from earlier made her worried.


    Lilac was about to answer to that when she felt someone strangled her neck from the back and put a the sharp side of the knife close to her throat.


    "Lesson number one, don''t put your guard down," Serefina said softly near Lilac''s ear.


    "How¡­?" Lilac was taken aback by the fact that Serefina was behind her. She glanced at the body on the floor that still writhed in pain. "But, there¡­" She pointed at Serefina''s body, yet in the next second it disappeared. "Magic¡­" She scoffed.


    "Yes, magic. They will not call me as a witch if I don''t have a magic," Serefina rolled her eyes dramatically upon hearing Lilac''s statement.


    On the other hand, those servants and guards, who were outside became even more worried when Lilac didn''t answer their call, thus they opened the door and found Lilac was being held by Serefina with a dagger on her neck.


    The sight put them on edge as the three guards immediately shifted onto their beasts and charged forward, yet before they could enter the room, Serefina created barricade of blue flames that kept them away.


    "Call the king! The witch wants to kill the queen!" Keira shouted.


    Within ten minutes the quiet morning turned into a chaos after the two were being left alone inside the room.


    "You are overdoing it!" Lilac glowered at the witch behind her.

 Chapter 746 - SHAMBLES ROOM

    When Serefina created a wall of fire that barricaded the room and prevented from the guard to enter, Lilac extinguished it and replaced with a wall of her own power, trees as big as the size of human body sprang from the floor and created a concrete wall.


    Serefina drew back her dagger and pushed Lilac away from her.


    "Oh, not bad." She clicked her tongue and looked at her provokingly. "Should we start now? I will not go easy on you."


    Lilac scoffed.


    ==============


    When a servant went to find Jedrek, the King already knew what happened. Someone had mind- linked him and break down the detail.


    He was furious to say the least. What these women were up to?! Were not they in good term in these past days?! Needless to say, there would be another room that would go under some reparation.


    With Eaton and Lyrus behind him, Jedrek ran as fast as he could, but it seemed his human form was not fast enough, thus he shifted into his beast form and leapt over the balcony and dashed toward the north wing, where the battle between two women took place.


    Eaton and Lyrus exchanged look and did the same.


    As far as they knew, both women were very hot- headed, no one could guarantee that everything would be all right with them wreck havoc inside the castle.


    Even from afar they could feel the ground was shaking under their paw, therefore, they hastened their speed. There was a possibility if they were not stopped in time, they would bring down the whole castle with them.


    ==============


    The white beast ignored all the servants and the guards there went he rushed past them and watched the trees had blocked the way into the room.


    Rumblings sound resounded throughout the hallway and debris falling off from the high ceiling.


    Jedrek was furious, with his massive- sharp talons, the white beast tore the trees apart.


    The way how easy Jedrek did that, took all the guards and servants by surprised. They had tried to do that earlier, but the trunk didn''t even scratch, yet the white beast did it as easy as a hot knife sliced butter.


    Before the king''s beast black eyes, he watched how Serefina and Lilac attack each other. Their dress tettered and there were scratches here and there on their fair skin. The smell of blood and dirt were in the air since both of them didn''t have healing ability.


    Sure enough, the room was in shambles, major reparation would be needed in this case.


    Watching from where he was standing, the two women apparently didn''t notice the king presence, they were too engrossed with their battle.


    The floor beneath Lilac''s feet had gone up in flames, as the guardian angel was trying to stamp out the fire.


    Meanwhile, Serefina had her blue flames on the tips of her fingers, as her eyes locked on Lilac with a smirk on the corner of her face, she was not in good condition too.


    But then, there was a root slithered on the floor very fast and caught Serefina''s feet. The root flung the witch across the room.


    However, before Serefina''s body could hit the wall behind her, the white beast had moved ahead and protected her.


    Serefina shrieked and accidentally burned the white fur of the beast when she hit his side instead of the wall.


    A low deep growl resounded inside the ruined room, but Jedrek shifted back into his human skin and roared when Lilac was about to launch another attack.


    "ENOUGH!" Jedrek''s voice managed to make the two women stopped fighting each other.


    The king was furious beyond words, even his eyes were still the color of blood when he watched the injuries from the two of them.


    Yet, because of Serefina''s flame, he was injured too. His cloak was burned and his left arm, which was hit by Serefina, blackened and burned.


    Fortunately, the moment he talked the charred started to heal as well.


    "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" his voice boomed and even Eaton and Lyrus, who came after Jedrek, lowered their head in submission.


    Jedrek glared at Serefina, as he steadied the witch and inspected her wounds briefly. From the look of it, she would be fine.


    After Jedrek check on the witch, he stomped toward Lilac. His anger grew palpable, when he watched her fingers were dark and bleeding. It seemed she tried to shield herself from Serefina''s fire with her barehands. What a stupid move!


    "I am asking you," Jedrek growled. "What. Is. Going. On. Here?!" He enunciated every word clearly, forced the guardian angel, who seemed too scare to even raise her head, to answer him.


    "I am¡­" Lilac stuttered. She hated to admit it, but Jedrek was very scary at the moment. "We just practice¡­" she finished her words softly. Her voice was barely a whisper.


    "Practice!?" Jedrek literally pushed the words out from his gritted teeth. "What kind of practice is this?!"


    Lilac fiddled with her fingers, she was no longer felt the pain, all she could think now was how to escape the king''s wrath. She considered to run away, but Jedrek scooped her body and strode out of the shambles room, leaving Serefina, eaton and his second in command behind.


    Only when Jedrek was out of the sight with Lilac in his arms, Eaton and Lyrus approached Serefina.


    The witch still had fire in her hands, ready to set ablaze in her command, thus the two lycans should approach her with caution.


    "Serefina, come with me¡­ we need to take care of your wound." Eaton called for Serefina as he inched closer toward her.


    The former Beta of Janus had known Serefina for very long time and knew exactly what had happened between Jedrek and her.


    However, Serefina ignored him. Her eyes were on the whole that Jedrek created when he clawed his way through the barricade that Lilac had made.


    "No need." Serefina walked past the two lycan angrily and burned down the remaining trees on her way out.

 Chapter 747 - A PROPER CONVERSATION

    "What do you think you were doing?!" Jedrek roared once he put Lilac down on her bed in her chamber, he had mind- linked someone to call a healer and the old woman had been waiting for them right in front of the door.


    "I was practicing with her!" Lilac snapped back at Jedrek. She didn''t like the tone that he had been using when he scolded her along the way here.


    She was aware, why Jedrek was angry, but¡­ but she just didn''t want to be scolded in front of Serefina.


    "What kind of practicing do you think you were doing?! You had destroyed two rooms back then when we were still in the old castle and now, were you going to tear down the whole place?!" There was a possibility that would happen if Jedrek didn''t rush there in time.


    "Why are you just scolding me?! You can ask everyone there, it was Serefina who approached me!" Lilac shouted and then grimace when the healer coated ointment on her burned fingers.


    Jedrek took a deep breath to content his anger. The way Lilac''s face scrunched in pain made his angry words stuck in his throat.


    "How is she?" he asked the healer grimly. "Is it bad?"


    The healer nodded her head solemnly. "Because she is not a shifter, the wounds will take time to be healed."


    Upon hearing the healer''s answer, Jedrek''s face darkened. He glared at Lilac for being reckless, but the guardian angel only lowered her head and pouted her lips sullenly.


    She had been endured the pain, so she didn''t need for Jedrek to scold her too.


    "How long it will take to completely heal?" Jedrek sat down beside Lilac, but she moved, so she wouldn''t be too close with him. She was angry.


    "Around a month," the healer answered gingerly and what she was afraid of happened. Jedrek was infuriated when he heard that. "She has a body like human, your majesty, so it takes time to heal completely, but it will not leave a scar if you apply the ointment regularly."


    The mating ceremony would happen less than two weeks, but Lilac was injured now. However, that was not the thing that made Jedrek mad. The fact that he was worried about his mate up to the point he lost his temper, surprised him.


    When the healer finished bandaged Lilac''s fingers, she frowned at her hands, she wouldn''t be able to use them for meantime.


    "What should I do if I cannot use my hands?" Lilac grumbled, she didn''t like the thought that Serefina beat her severely like this.


    "You can lay down and stop making trouble." Jedrek stood in front of his mate and let the healer to leave them alone, despite of Lilac refusal.


    She didn''t want to stay in the same room like Jedrek. For some reason, Lilac was upset everytime she remembered Jedrek snapped at her in front of Serefina.


    "Look at me," Jedrek ordered her, but Lilac refused it. She glared at the flower vase on top of the table, which she just put there in this morning. "Lilac, look at me."


    "No," she replied curtly.


    "Lilac." Jedrek tried to be more patient with Lilac, but everyday his mate kept testing his patient and the most frustrating thing was; he couldn''t go all out and vented his frustration on her.


    Apparently, the mate bond kept getting stronger and it stung when he watched Lilac was hurt. However, the feeling for Serefina was still somewhere around the corner of the king''s heart.


    Jedrek wouldn''t take ''no'' as an answer, he held her chin and tilted her head, so their eyes could meet.


    "Stop destroying my castle," he said rigidly. Lilac was about to protest, but Jedrek leaned over and kissed her head. "Take a rest, Keira will be here to help with whatever you need."


    After saying that, Jedrek let go of her chin and strode toward the door.


    "You put her here to spy me, so I will not destroy my room?" Lilac shouted at Jedrek sarcastically.


    Jedrek closed his eyes to content his temper, yet his beast purred with Lilac''s defiant act. "I am afraid you will have a hard time to do so with your injured hands. Take a rest little flower."


    Lilac murmured something grumpily.


    ==============


    Orange light from her palm help the witch to close her wounds. She breathed heavily when a big wound on her left arm kept bleeding.


    She ignored Eaton and Lyrus suggestion to get a healer for her. Serefina didn''t need that, she could heal herself and all she wanted now was to be alone.


    After a few moment, the orange light seeped through her skin and mended her wound, as it started to close in.


    When Serefina heard the door was being opened she was about to snap, but then remembered the door had been charmed so no one could enter.


    "Who is that?!" Serefina stood up and walked vigilantly toward the door. Her encounter with the devil in the forest, on her way here, had put her on alert.


    However, the moment she saw who was there, she hoped it was Asmodeus instead of him.


    "How is your wound?" Jedrek asked and welcomed himself to enter the room.


    "How did you come in?" Serefina narrowed her eyes.


    "Through the door," Jedrek said casually, he didn''t meet Serefina''s eyes when he took her injured arms and inspected them. Just like what he thought. The witch had healed herself, she had this ability, but still Jedrek needed to see with his own eyes that she was fine.


    "I put spell there. How can you enter my room?" Serefina pulled her hands, but Jedrek had not yet done with his observation, thus he gripped them tighter.


    "Forget? Your magic is useless against me," Jedrek mumbled and let go Serefina''s hand when he was sure, there was nothing major with her wound.


    "What do you want?" Serefina asked.


    "I think this is the right time for us to have a proper conversation."

 Chapter 748 - WHY DID YOU COMEBACK?

    "What do you want?" Serefina asked. She totally forgot about the fact that her magic didn''t work on any Donovan.


    Seeing Jedrek inside her room and checked on her were the last thing that she thought would happen today.


    The thought that he was still care for her, warmed the witch''s cold heart. However, Serefina reprimanded herself to not let her hope went too high.


    "I think this is the right time for us to have a proper conversation," Jedrek said with face that devoid from any emotion. He took a seat on the chair near a window, which showed the beautiful scenery of the backyard of the castle, where a small river streamed trhough a forest.


    Jedrek nodded his head to the seat in front of him, as a gesture for Serefina to take a seat there, since the witch didn''t have any intention to move an inch from where she was standing now.


    "You enter my room without permission." Serefina criticized him.


    "This castle and everything inside are mind, including this room." Jedrek pour two drink for him and Serefina. "Sit down and we will talk."


    "So, are you done pertending that I am not here?" Serefina took the glass, but didn''t sit down on the chair where Jedrek had pointed, instead, she stood beside the window and leaned her back against the wall.


    Jedrek was very familiar with Serefina''s temper. She would make everything difficult, whenever she was not in good mood, and now it was apparent that she wasn''t.


    "I was not pretending that you are not here, I just ignored you." Jedrek corrected her and this made Serefina scoffed disdainfully.


    "I don''t see the different," she said with harsh tone.


    Jedrek had his own consideration. At first, he didn''t want to have any conversation with Serefina, even a small talk such as a greeting, yet, doing that didn''t put him at ease at all.


    That was why, here he was, he wanted to clarify the air between them.


    "What do you want to talk about?" it was a rhetorical question, which she didn''t need to ask to find the answer. She was aware about what Jedrek was going to ask her ever since she left the realm.


    Serefina always thought about the question that Jedrek would gave her the moment they met, but she still couldn''t find the proper answer for that, even after such a long time.


    "You know what I am going to ask," Jedrek spoke grimly, despite a small smirk on the corner of his lips.


    Serefina laughed dryly. "I can''t read your mind like Killian did," she said mockingly.


    "He can never read my mind," Jedrek scoffed. He had never thought there would come a day where he could talk to Serefina again. However, the misunderstanding between them had drawn them apart.


    "Neither do I." Serefina felt stupid to beat around the bush when she talked to Jedrek now.


    Jedrek clenched his jaw tightly before he spoke stiffly. "Where have you been? Why did you leave the realm? Why did you cast away what we had? Why you had never come to me even once? Where the rumors were true about you and Kace?" He listed all of the questions in his mind, but the most important question was; "Why did you come back?"


    The last question stabbed Serefina right in his heart. She could feel the hatred that leaked from every word that came out from his lips.


    Jedrek''s last question was akin to him saying that he didn''t want to see her again, and as much as she had expected it, the words still pained her nonetheless.


    "Wow!" Serefina raised her eyebrows dramatically. "Those are a lot of questions¡­" she chuckled.


    "I have plenty of time to hear every detail of your answer." Jedrek made himself comfortable on the plush chair, waiting for Serefina to start talking, telling him a bunch of lie¡­


    They knew the other very well, up to the point they could tell when one of them was telling lie.


    It was a comforting fact in the past, but not for now, it made them felt vulnerable and too open for the pain that they would face.


    Serefina stretched out her hand and wiggled the empty glass in front of Jedrek. "Maybe if I get a little bit tipsy, I can answer all of your questions." She missed teasing him like this.


    In the past, Jedrek would smirk and gave the bottle for her, but at this moment, he poured the drink to her glass without emotion. He treated her too formal for Serefina''s like.


    "Talk now." Jedrek put down the bottle and met her gaze.


    Serefina gulped down the liquid and it felt bitter in her taste buds. "Where have I been? I have been in a village near northern coven realm, village named mystic river." She offered her empty glass again and Jedrek filled it. "And why I left the realm? Because I have my own reason."


    "That is not the answer."


    "I have never said that I will answer all of your questions." Serefina countered. "Your majesty." She added in mocking tone. "Why I left you? I have my own reason. Why I had never come back? I have my own reason."


    "So, there is no need for me to sit here and listen nothing from you." Jedrek thought she would tell a lie. But, as it turned out she dodged all of the questions.


    Jedrek was about to stand up when he heard Serefina spoke again.


    "You are a fool if you think I was with Kace, he is less attractive than you," Serefina said softly. For a moment, she talked to him the way she always teased him long time ago. It was funny at that time, but not now, because Jedrek''s facial expression barely changed.


    "But, you stay with him all those decades, right?" Jedrek didn''t miss how Serefina''s breath became shallow when she admitted it. "So, why did you come back now?"

 Chapter 749 - THIS IS OVER

    "To guide the guardian angels." Serefina answered truthfully.


    "I don''t think they need you guidience," Jedrek said wryly. In the past, both of them rarely fought with each other, they were on the same page for almost in every way, but when they did it wouldn''t turn out good.


    The last fighting that they had was a moment before Jedrek issued an order to attack the village of angel and Serefina disappeared for a few months afterward.


    Serefina kept asking about what secret that Jedrek hid from her, just like it had been mentioned, the two knew when the other were lying and the witch could see Jedrek clearly that he was hiding something from her.


    They had a big argument that day and Serefina couldn''t stand it, so she left. Jedrek didn''t chase after her, because he needed time alone. The decision that he still regretted even now.


    Some people said Serefina teleported to the village of angel and wrecked some havoc there to vent out her anger, after all that place had been destroyed and she, being helpful to add more destruction there.


    However, Kace swore he didn''t see her there. The fact was obscure at that point and no one could prove whether Serefina was there or not.


    "Don''t be so sure, you will not accept me here if you don''t think I cannot help." Serefina flicked her hair behind her shoulder.


    Her habit and Jedrek was way too familiar with that. There was a part in his heart that felt relieved that there was still something from their old days, which was still remained.


    "Lilac managed to beat you up." Jedrek pointed out to her injuries and Serefina laughed arrogantly.


    "This is flea bite. You will be mate less if I was serious to take her down," Serefina sneered at him.


    Jedrek let out a deep low growl when Serefina said that and he even didn''t realize that until he saw the look of pain crossed her eyes. The witch was hurt by his reaction and Jedrek didn''t mean it that way¡­ it was his instinct.


    "Don''t touch her," Jedrek said it. He had an urged to warn her, but it tore him when he watched Serefina looked at him with mocking eyes.


    The witch took the bottle and gulped it down and the bitterness eased her tense. It would be better if it tasted more bitter.


    "Don''t worried, I will not touch your flower girl. You can rest assure." Serefina raised her hands. "She is your mate and less than two weeks you will mark and mate her. She will be your queen as she should be. And then what?" Serefina tipped the bottle and drank half of it. "You said you will choose me over your destined mate."


    "I said it." Jedrek admitted.


    "You know what? She came to me when the first day I was here and offered me her position as your mate. But I turned it down," Serefina was slightly tipsy now, but her it was not enough to dull her pain.


    What a coincidence, Lilac made the same offer to him as well, but he turned it down. "It doesn''t surprise me. You had thrown away the same thing I offered to you decades ago when you left the realm."


    Jedrek walked closer toward Serefina and took away the bottle from her.


    "But, here you are¡­ arranging mating ceremony in my presence. Can''t you wait until the war ended? Why are you in hurry to make her your queen? To flaunt her around in front of me?" Serefina gritted her teeth, as her attempt to not let her tears wetted her cheeks.


    Jedrek looked at Serefina in the eyes when he said truthfully. "So, I can get rid of you from my mind."


    "Get rid of me?" the witch''s voice was shaking with emotion and Jedrek felt he wanted to hug her, giving her comfort, yet he didn''t do anything except standing there. "So, I am still in you mind even now?"


    "Yes," Jedrek admitted it and his beast roared in his head because he just betrayed his mate. However, how could he lie to Serefina? It was better to face it and get over it, right?


    "So, this is the end of us?" Serefina wanted to make sure if there was nothing left for her.


    "Yes," Jedrek''s voice was hoarse.


    And with that reply, tears rolling down her cheeks, it felt hot and uncomfortable as she could feel her chest was tightening.


    Serefina was not someone who would cry easily, therefore, Jedrek remembered very well what kind of occasion that caused her to shed her tear.


    And every time that happened, Jedrek would be there, just like now.


    Yet it was not the past and they were no longer the same, despite a few of their habit, which didn''t change, the situation didn''t allow Jedrek to step forward and gathered her in his arms like he used to.


    "Good," Serefin tried to smile and fail.


    "I will see you at the gates when Torak and Kace arrived." Jedrek excused himself. He didn''t want to stay any second longer than this. He wanted to find his mate and be sure that his decision was right.


    "Jedrek, forgive me," Serefina said with her broken voice.


    "For?" they had done so much when they were together, hurting each other, but in the end they would be happy again and there was nothing to be forgiven. However, apparently that wouldn''t happen now.


    "For leaving you," Serefina replied.


    "But, you will not give me the reason why you were leaving?"


    "No," Serefina said resolutely.


    ==============


    Jedrek looked for Lilac as soon as he was done talking to Serefina, but she was not in her chamber like he had told her and the guard didn''t even see her stepped out of her room.


    Thus, Jedrek followed his instinct that led him to his own chamber and there she was, sitting on a plush chair while trying to move her bandaged fingers.


    "Where were you?" she asked when Jedrek entered the room.

 Chapter 750 - SLEEP WELL, LILAC

    "Where were you?" she asked when Jedrek entered the room.


    She was seen trying to bloom a flower on the supposed to empty vase. Jedrek had never been fond of flower since Serefina didn''t like it. The witch had allergy to certain flower. Therefore, the old castle was originaly filled with bushes, trees and vines before Lilac came and changed that.


    The guardian angel with the power of nature also did the same thing here, in this castle.


    This place was usually barren, but now one could see blooming flowers everywhere, though it wasn''t the season for them to bloom. And somehow, Jedrek didn''t mind it a little bit. He felt a strange feeling of comfort whenever he saw them.


    "I don''t like red roses." Jedrek strolled across the room and watched the roses bloomed under Lilac''s touch. "They don''t suit me."


    "So, what do you like?" Lilac touched the last flower bud and it opened itself to her, unfolded its soft petals and spread its scent.


    Jedrek fell silence for a moment, he gave some thought to her question before he answered with a low and hoarse voice. "Lilac."


    Lilac chuckled upon hearing that, she closed her eyes when Jedrek leaned over and kissed her temple for a little bit longer. However, aside from the delicious spark on her skin, she felt something else from him.


    The moment Jedrek looked down to her, the guardian angel knew her guess was right.


    "So, you like lilac now?" Lilac gave him a side look and continue to fill another empty vase.


    "Your hands are injured." Jedrek pointed out the obvious, he frowned when Lilac kept moving them.


    "I am practicing." She defended herself. "And you have not answered my question."


    "I like Lilac now," Jedrek said as he sat down next to Lilac and took Lilac''s hand carefully. "You should rest in your room and stop using your hands or it will take a longer time to heal."


    Jedrek had never been too worried about her for trivial things, even though their relationship had started to grow and he had treated her very well ever since Serefina arrived at this castle, but her intuition told her that they were not as close as they seemed. There was still something between them. Either Jedrek''s feelings for Serefina or the fact that they could no longer ignore the bond between them.


    "I had been resting enough when you were gone," Lilac said. She raised her head and looked him right in the eyes. "And also, my question was; where were you going?"


    "I visited Serefina." Jedrek didn''t think twice when he answered her. This was his first intention when he looked for Lilac.


    Lilac widened her eyes upon hearing the truth. The idea of Jedrek gave Serefina a visit crossed her mind, because no matter how cold he treated Serefina since the first time the witch stepped inside the castle or how he tried so hard to pretend that she was not exist, Lilac could see his brooding look whenever he thougth no one paid attention to him.


    However, to hear Jedrek gave her an honest answer was still surprised Lilac, yet she respected it.


    "I expect it," Lilac mumbled. "You were looking for me to tell me that?"


    "Yes," Jedrek answered curtly. He looked at Lilac deeply, trying to figure out what she had in her pretty little mind, yet Lilac was too calm and Jedrek couldn''t read that.


    "How is she?" Lilac asked after a long silence that was filled with them staring into each other eyes. "I hope I gave her wounds worse than this." Lilac nodded at her bandage hands. She would be upset if Serefina didn''t even get a scratch when she had to be bandaged ang scolded by Jedrek.


    "She got a few injuries, but she''s healed now." Jedrek smiled softly when he watched Lilac didn''t really like what she heard.


    "How could that be?" Serefina was not a shifter, so it was impossible for her to have that kind of healing ability.


    "She used her magic to heal herself," Jedrek explained it plainly.


    "Oh, right." Lilac rolled her eyes dramatically. "She has that power in her."


    "You have your own power." Jedrek made his point.


    "Not as useful as hers apparently." Lilac waved her hands in front of Jedrek''s face, showing his pathetic bandages hand.


    Jedrek took her hands and helped her to stand up. "You need to rest," he said in finality, as he guided her to his bed.


    "I will rest in my room." Lilac frowned when Jedrek pushed her to resting her head on a pillow that smell like him. It brought comfort to her.


    "Rest here, so I know you will not wonder around the castle." Jedrek tucked her inside the warm quilt.


    "What are going to do?" Lilac wrapped herself comfortably inside the quilt and it was only her head that could be seen.


    "Work," Jedrek said, as he walked over to the table and picked a few doc.u.ment to be brought to the chair near the window.


    Lilac watched him in silent, but the comfort didn''t manage to make her sleepy, thus she asked the question that she really wanted to know.


    "Jedrek," Lilac called her, her eyes were downcast.


    "Hmm?" Jedrek had a doc.u.ment on his hand, a good pretense to conceal his brooding mind.


    "What were you talking about with Serefina?" Lilac stilled her heart to hear the worse, or maybe Jedrek wouldn''t tell her anything.


    "Nothing. A few argument of the past. Many unanswer questions." Jedrek put down his pretense and looked at Lilac from across the room. "But it''s over now."


    "What is over?" Even after having this conversation more than twice and it would end up with Jedrek told her that he chose her over Serefina, but it couldn''t completely convince her.


    "The thing between us." The words sounded dry in his own ears, as if it was someone else who spoke in his stead. "Sleep well, Lilac."

 Chapter 751 - THIS IS THE TIME

    The sky was gloomy when Jedrek woke Lilac up, the guards had told him that Torak and Kace were spotted outside of the city with a few people with them, they must be theirs'' mate and Torak''s Beta and Gamma.


    Since they were already nearby, it would only take them no more than two hours to arrive at the castle''s gates.


    "We need to go now," Jedrek said when Lilac finally opened her eyes sleepily. She rubbed her eyes, but then grimaced, forgot that both of her hands were injured.


    Jedrek immediately grabbed her wrist and put down her hands before he helped her to sit down.


    "This is annoying," Lilac looked at her hands sullenly.


    "You asked it yourself," Jedrek reprimanded her lightly.


    Lilac was about to retort his words, but remembered that it would involve Serefina into the conversation, thus she didn''t say anything afterwards.


    Lilac and Jedrek needed time to adjust with their odd situation and it seemed, it wouldn''t take any time soon for the three of them to get used around each other.


    "I will ask Keira to help you with the dress," Jedrek said. He tucked strands of Lilac''s hair behind her ears.


    "I can do it myself," Lilac murmured, yet Jedrek didn''t take a ''no''.


    "She will be here soon." Jedrek stood up and walked toward the door, leaving Lilac, who was staring at him with a scowl on her face because the king, once again, did what he wanted without her consent.


    Lilac didn''t use to have someone to help her dressed.


    ==============


    Keira helped Lilac to get dressed after she took a shower. Initially, the she werewolf wanted to help her to take a bath, but Lilac refused that kind gesture.


    Lilac was dressed in a golden color, which made her look stunning and her hair cascaded down her back.


    "You look so beautiful," Keira praised Lilac when she put a belt on her slender waist. The dress hugged her body perfectly.


    At first Keira didn''t think it was right to have a guardian angel as her queen, especially when people said Lilac was the king destined mate and not the chosen one. There must be a mistake somewhere.


    Just as any other people had their perspective about the guardian angel, she shared the same thought until she followed Lilac for a few days, regarding of the mating ceremony, but the more Keira spent her time with her, the more she could see that the rumor was a rumor. The hearsay was not completely true.


    After all, the guardian angel had been extinct for centuries and only a few people who lived in the same era. And even fewer people, who fortunate enough to see them in flesh.


    Yes, Lilac was soft and kind- hearted and she didn''t appear so fierce or dominant, but in some occasion she would show Keira that she had a temper too. The guardian angel would smile when she rejected her idea, even though she and the other women suggested otherwise.


    Keira was convinced that her judgment was right after seeing how Lilac fought Serefina, the pure blood witch, this morning.


    "The king will fall head over heels the moment he saw you." Keira was always good with her words until she spotted a small frown on Lilac''s expression and she remembered about the Serefina.


    The pure blood witch was the king''s ex lover and somehow she was welcomed to stay here. People started to gossip about the three of them and the stories about how the king had gone feral when Serefina left him, started to circulate again, from lips to lips.


    "I¡­" Keira tried to find the right words to say to redeem her mistake, but Lilac just shrugged it off.


    "Do you know where Jedrek is?" Lilac turned around when Keira had done with her belt and watched as her eyes turned foggy. She mind- linked someone to answer Lilac''s question.


    "The king is with Beta Lyrus in the north wing," Keira informed Lilac.


    "Oh." Lilac was always curious to know how it felt to be able to do mind- link. It was very useful.


    But then, Lilac remembered, she would be able to do so once Jedrek marked her, which fortunately, would happen less than two weeks from now.


    "Can you tell him that I will wait for him at the entrance gates?" Lilac saw Keira nodded her head. "I will go there now."


    In the same way she knew Serefina had entered the realm, Lilac knew that the other two guardian angels were near. She could feel it in her heart and for a moment, she felt better even though she would meet with Serefina again later.


    Lilac took light steps toward the gates with smile on her lips.


    This was the time¡­


    ==============


    "Stop frowning." Hope elbowed Kace beside her and looked at him worriedly. "We have agreed with this."


    "I was forced to agree to this!" Kace glared at Hope, but then his eyes softened. "I am sorry, I shouldn''t snap at you."


    Kace had been in foul mood ever since they arrived in this realm. He even had a moment where he got really grumpy when the beast inside him forced his way to the surface when they were in the city central and witnessed how that place had turned into a nightmare.


    For some reason, Kace''s instinct was to take Hope far away from this d*mn place or the upcoming war, yet he knew that was not the right thing to do.


    Because once the devils won the war, no place was safe enough for him and Hope.


    "This place is beautiful," Hope squalled beside him, but Kace only hummed as a reply. He was not in the mood to enjoy the scenery. He had been here more than he could remember and this place was not his favorite.


    The entrance gate to the castle was wide open and from a distance Kace could see the older brother he hadn''t seen in a long time.

 Chapter 752 - THE WORST REUNION

    Shock was written all over the faces of the guards that stood at the gates when they saw Torak and Kace.


    They had been informed beforehand that the other two Donovans would come today with their guardian angel mate, but even though they had never seen the other younger Donovans because they left this realm long time ago, in a single glance they would know that Torak and Kace were the brothers of the king.


    The three of them shared the same dominance aura as the children of the Donovan. Not only that, Jedrek and Torak shared the same cold expression while the younger one had a grumpy face when they walked past the gates.


    When Hope was looking around the majestic gates in awe, Raine''s eyes fixed on the girl, who was standing next to a man that resembled Torak, but he looked even scarier than her mate, as if his expression wouldn''t change no matter what the situation that he would face.


    The girl nest to Jedrek must be the guardian angel, Raine had seen her in her vision. The flower girl. She looked even more beautiful and graceful when she met her in person.


    And when Jedrek''s eyes shifted to Raine, out of instinct, she shied away behind Torak''s back, looking for protection from his mate.


    Torak was aware with Raine''s apprehension and mind- linked her. [It''s all right, you don''t need to be afraid. He will not do anything to harm you.]


    Raine raised her head and met Torak''s gaze. [He ordered to catch Kace and kill Hope.] She had a few reason to be afraid of him and she got the point.


    [He will not do such a thing now.] Torak reassured Raine. [I will give him a good lesson if he did silly thing to you.]


    Raine chuckled when she heard that, though it sounded very nice and like a casual word, but Torak meant everything that he said.


    Meanwhile, Hope seemed to have no trouble at all when she faced her mate older brother. She knew that Jedrek had been a trouble for Kace for years. However, it was not wise to provoke him when he was about to team up to beat the devils.


    Seeing the way Kace resented Jedrek, was enough for Hope to vent out her agitation too, moreover, the castle was very beautiful, the charm of this place distracted her completely. She felt like she entered a dream world.


    "Jedrek," Torak called his name in formal tone and Jedrek only nodded his head.


    On the other hand, Kace gave his brother deadly stare while keeping his mate beside him firmly, despite Hope''s attempt to free herself, the girl was ecstatic to see the other guardian angel, who was smiling at her and Raine.


    "You must be Hope and Raine!" she shouted cheerfully, but when she was about to approach her fellow guardian angel, Jedrek grabbed her wrist in time and pulled her back.


    "I only want to know if we gather here with the same purpose," Jedrek paused and reciprocated Kace''s glare. "Fully knowing why you are here?"


    "Why? Do you want to make sure I don''t do the same nasty things you had done to me all those years??? Kace glowered. He didn''t appreciate the way Jedrek talked to him.


    "I want to make sure we don''t have internal problems when we fight the same enemies in the same war." Jedrek held Lilac beside him. He wouldn''t let her close enough to Kace, just in case his little brother lost his temper.


    The three brothers were not in good terms for so long, especially when Jedrek had an order to hunt Kace and his mate down, therefore, he didn''t want his mate, who would suffer the consequences.


    "Internal problems?!" Kace roared in anger and it caused a few guards came closer to them, ready to receive an order from their king if Kace went overbroad. "Hunting me down was only a problem for you?!"


    "Kace." Torak called his name sternly, as he grabbed Kace''s shoulder. He pushed Raine back and Calleb held her protectively while Lana pulled Hope beside her.


    "So? What do you want? Revenge?" Jedrek''s grip on Lilac''s wrist was very tight, he wouldn''t let her near Kace.


    "Tell your guards to stand down!" Torak roared when he sent a dagger look toward the guards around them. It was enough to make them hesitated to come closer, yet was not enough to make them stop.


    Jedrek waved his hand and all the guards stayed in their position.


    "I told you I don''t want to come here!" Kace glared at Torak.


    How could Jedrek spoke so lightly when Kace had to endure what he had done and thought it was nothing just because they had the same goal now?


    It would be hypocritical if Kace said he would forget everything and submit to Jedrek. Maybe he was a king here, but Kace wouldn''t let his own brother trample him like that.


    "Can you three stop arguing!?" Serefina walked toward them.


    The witch was not there when they entered the gates, because she still didn''t want to meet with Jedrek or Lilac, but she heard a loud commotion, it was a signal for her to intercede, or else there would be another commotion that was out of anyone control.


    ???Can we talk inside?" Serefina glared at the three brothers. In the past, she had faced situations like this two or three times, therefore, seeing them baring their teeth was not a surprise for the witch. This was expected.


    "Control your temper." Jedrek said sternly at Kace and turned around with Lilac closed to him. He ignored the way Serefina avoided to see him and Lilac, as the king took his mate and led the way to enter the castle.


    "He is a jerk!" Kace growled.


    "Yes, he is." Serefina agreed and this received questioning look from all of them. "What?"


    "You like a jerk." Kace pointed out and Serefina just shrugged her shoulder.


    "Why? Am I not allowed to like that jerk?"

 Chapter 753 - THE WORST REUNION (2)

    "Why? I am not allowed to like that jerk?" Serefina asked casually, pretending that she was fine after witnessing how Jedrek cared for Lilac. "Come on, don''t sulk there."


    "I am not sulking! I am furious!" Kace grunted exasperatedly. He didn''t feel like he could stay any longer than a day in this place, knowing that he would live under the same roof with a man like his older brother.


    "Let''s go." Torak let go of Jedrek and took Raine''s hand. His mate''s little face looked worried. "It''s all right," he said in soft tone, the exact opposite with the way he talked to Kace and Jedrek before.


    "Torak, are you sure we can stay here? Your brother doesn''t seem to welcome us," Raine whispered softly at him. The hostility between Jedrek and Kace was very palpable.


    In spite of the fact, Kace and Torak were not really in a good term, but they wouldn''t tear the other person body apart, just because they were not on the same page, yet when it came to Jedrek, Kace seemed didn''t want have anything to do with his older brother.


    "He is the king, but this place belongs to me." The southern castle belonged to Torak and was a gift for him from their father on his named day while Kace was given the eastern castle and, of course as the firstborn, Jedrek got the main castle in the city center, which now had ruined into shambles.


    Raine didn''t really grasp the importance of that, her concern was on the hostility that Jedrek showed to them, but she nodded anyway. As long as Torak there, everything would be fine.


    ==============


    "I don''t think it was wise to say those things to your brothers," Lilac tried to talk to Jedrek when he helped her to change her bandages and put some ointment on her scalded skin.


    "It was just a warning for him to not make silly decision." Jedrek focused his attention on Lilac''s hands and became even gloomier when he watched how her skin turned red and blister.


    "It was normal for him to act that way. You are aware that what you have done to him was wrong, right?" Lilac slightly grimaced when Jedrek wrapped her hands with bandages.


    "I have my own reason to do that," Jedrek spoke curtly and helped Lilac to stand up.


    "But, they didn''t know your reason or what happened with your parents. They didn''t know that your choices were limited. Either you let them know about all of that, or you become less stubborn and hostile with them." Lilac tried to advise the king.


    Jedrek had been too hard to himself and too afraid to show his true emotions. He seemed to think that they only thing he could use to control other people and protected what important to him, was by fear.


    Lilac couldn''t blame him, Jedrek had gotten used with that method for as long as he could remember. However, Torak and Kace were his brothers, the two of them wouldn''t bend their knees like the other people or followed his words without going through meticulous discussion.


    The problem was; Jedrek was not used to discussion. He used to give an order.


    "I don''t want you to go near them." Jedrek ignored Lilac''s words completely. All this time, he had taken all the problems into his hand and solved them with his own way. He barely took other people''s advice because he didn''t trust them, therefore, this was what he did now.


    "Because you are afraid that your brothers will get revenge on you through me?" Lilac raised her eyebrows questioningly at him and smiled helplessly.


    "They will never get the chance," Jedrek said firmly. He took Lilac wrist and led them out of his chamber.


    It seemed the first task that the guardian angel had to do was to help their own mate to get along with each other. They wouldn''t go anywhere with the way they treated each other right now.


    Yet, Lilac ignored his foul mood. "So sweet," she cooed, teasingly. "But, don''t you think that you always underestimate me? I have proven to you countless time that I can protect myself."


    "Like this?" Jedrek raised Lilac''s bandages hand.


    ==============


    "Kace¡­" Hope started, but Kace had sent her a deadly glare that rendered her speechless.


    "I don''t want to hear that!" Kace growled, annoyed.


    Hope was exasperated. She huffed and plopped down on her bed. Kace still remembered the way around this castle, thus he brought them here, which was his chamber, without any help.


    Serefina suggested for them to take a rest before they started to talk with each other again. Their reunion earlier didn''t end up well. Perhaps, after some rest, the three Donovan could act more decent and came up with a truce for the resentment they had for each other so far.


    "So, what do you want? Go back to our realm?" Hope patted the space beside her, implored at Kace to sit next to her with her eyes.


    The peevish Lycan paced back and forth, but then he sat down beside his mate.


    "You have made a promise that you will help if your brother allowed the centaurs get their land again. And Serefina said, Jedrek had agreed to your term. You will not back out from your words, right?" Hope put her hand on the back of Kace''s neck to his shoulders and massaged his tense muscles. "You will disappoint the centaurs, the hunter, the shifters and the people from the village."


    Kace covered his face with both of his hands and rubbed it roughly until Hope took his hands in hers.


    "I don''t trust Jedrek," Kace said it frankly. "I don''t want you to go near him."


    Hope sighed. She could understand Kace''s worry. Honestly, she didn''t trust Jedrek too. "But, I still need to meet with Lilac."


    Kace groaned, annoyed. He looked very restless than he had been these past few days.


    "Come here," hope stretched her hand and hugged him. Somehow, it helped Kace to be more relax.

 Chapter 754 - THE DISCUSSION

    Raine looked around her. They were inside a room that was as big as the dining hall in Torak''s pack house.


    There were seven of them and they were sitting around a round table with Raine sat beside Hope and their mate sat next to them, while Jedrek sat on the right side of Torak, Lilac sat next to him with Serefina on her right side.


    The tension was palpable and the atmosphere was so thick until one could cut it with knife.


    From the gloomy aura that surrounded them, it seemed no one wanted to sit there for another second longer, yet there they were, trying to tolerating each other temper to discuss more important matter.


    Raine glanced at Lilac, who was smiling sweetly at her and Hope during the meeting, but the three of them still didn''t have a chance to get to know each other yet. It was a pity.


    Moreover, Raine had spotted the bandages on Lilac''s hands. She wondered what caused her to be injured so severely? It couldn''t be Jedrek had hurt her, right?


    Raine shifted her attention on Jedrek, but she immediately averted her gaze when the overbearing king caught her eyes. He was very scary.


    Within two hours, they had been discussing about a few important things and exchanging all the information that they knew.


    During that time, only Torak, Jedrek and Serefina would talk, while Kace would chime in every now and then.


    On the other hand, the three guardian angels seemed bored with the ongoing discussion and were more interested in each other. They seem impatient to have time for themselves.


    Just like the lycans, they also wanted to exchange information with one another.


    "When your people will arrive?" Jedrek asked his brothers in his Alpha''s tone, but it didn''t have any effect to the people inside the room.


    "They will be here next week at the latest." Torak answered Jedrek and glanced at Kace. "The centaurs and a few people will come with them as well."


    "Some of the shifters will join us, but I think it will take time before Sterling can gather them all. I don''t know exactly when they will arrive," Kace said. He was trying really hard to ignore Jedrek and suppressed his anger. He never imagined that would be a time when he sat down with his two brothers again.


    Jedrek gave some thought about it. "The southern city will not be enough to accommodate them," he said thoughtfully and this made Serefina and the other brothers realize that would be a massive people.


    "We can use the nearby town for them to reside," Torak spoke.


    "I don''t think one town is enough," Kace murmured.


    "The other town will be too far from here and it will be better if the forces are not scattered in different places." Jedrek voiced out his thought.


    "The centaurs want their land," Kace reminded him. The land of the centaur was a little bit too far from here, therefore, if Jedrek wanted to concentrate his force in one place, they should exclude the centaur.


    Jedrek stared at Kace. His youngest brother had been avoiding to look at him since the beginning of the meeting.


    "We need one of them to coordinate with us." Torak suggested. "We will need one of them as a representative of their kind, since it is impossible for us to face them one by one."


    "One of my general will arrange that." Jedrek nodded, agreed.


    "How many people we have in the first war?" Kace frowned, trying to remember. "One hundred thousand? Two?"


    "Three hundred thousand our people," Torak said.


    "And two hundred thousand of another shifters and supernatural creatures." Jedrek chimed in.


    "We have dragon shifters, a few witches and fairies at that time." Kace remembered the dragon people and their betrayal.


    "I think we have a problem with the witches." Jedrek squired his shoulder and informed them. "I killed Maximus."


    "What!?" Kace was taken aback, even Torak was surprised.


    As long as they could remember, Maximus had been a friend to Jedrek since they were little and that was one of the reasons why Jedrek saved him when he executed all the Gregory family because of treason, aside from the fact it was Maximus, who handed them over.


    "Did you realize that he had a pretty strong influence in the east when you killed him?" Kace glared at Jedrek, this was the first time since he entered the chamber that he looked at Jedrek in the eyes.


    "He is no longer useful to me," Jedrek said. He didn''t explain it and when Lilac was about to tell them the truth behind it, Jedrek held her hand firmly and this gesture didn''t except Serefina''s lime- green eyes.


    "Why? Because he didn''t manage to kill me?" Kace narrowed his eyes dangerously, he could feel the anger rose, as he let out a low growl.


    If Jedrek had done this earlier, Kace would have thanked him for doing so, but the problem was; their situation was quite complicated now and the witches in the east region were very useful if they had to face the devils in the battle.


    "Don''t flatter yourself. I will not kill him for that cheap reason." It was half a lie. Jedrek cared for his brothers, he just didn''t want to show it.


    Upon hearing that, Kace scoffed disdainfully. "You don''t even spare me the pleasure to kill him myself."


    "Why did you kill him?" As long as Torak could remember, Jedrek was not the one who would make a decision out of impulse. There must be a strong reason behind it.


    "Maximus challenged him for the Alpha title," Serefina answered that, but when she looked at Jedrek, her face turned rigid and she spoke that led them into another conclusion. "Or, at least that was what I heard."


    Though Serefina arrived in this place earlier, but she couldn''t find the truth behind Jedrek''s reckless decision by killing Maximus. He should know that his action would cost them.

 Chapter 755 - THE DISCUSSION (2)

    Maximus was Jedrek''s first Beta, but because of the treachery that his family had committed that caused them to be executed, Maximus was demoted to be the first general, but Jedrek trusted him and listened to him more than his own Beta, Lyrus.


    "He challenged you for the Alpha title?" Kace asked for confirmation, he was surprised that Maximus would be so reckless to think that he could make Jedrek knelt before him when he was not able to beat Kace.


    Yes, Kace was hurt because of him that made the younger Donovan had to travel to the northern coven realm to heal himself. However, he did give Maximus such a good fight that he almost died.


    "Yes," Jedrek answered.


    "After everything that he had done for you, finally he showed you his true color. You should execute him together with the rest of his family," Kace scoffed.


    "How about the dragon people?" Jedrek asked different thing to Torak, because he didn''t want to linger in that topic. "I heard the earth dragon is looking for their last female."


    Torak didn''t even surprise when Jedrek knew about the dragon people in his territory. "The devils kidnapped their last female."


    "I don''t trust them," Kace voiced out his opinion. "They betrayed us even without having their last female being kidnapped, so why now they will be on our side when their last hope to keep their existence is in the hand of the devil?"


    Kace got the point. The dragon people barely could be trusted or reliable enough to be a part of their strategy.


    "The vow will prevent them to do such a thing again." Serefina reminded them about the vow that the dragon people had made.


    As the consequences of their treachery, all the dragons people were forbade to shift into their beast, except for two occasions.


    "That is not enough." Torak shook his head.


    "Not only earth dragon, but also water dragon, air dragon and fire dragon, which the three of them are in your territory. Have you ever visited them?" Kace asked Jedrek.


    "No," Jedrek said. "They live at the end of my territory. As long as nothing significant happens, I don''t need to meet them."


    "I think this is the time for you to pay them a visit," Kace suggested.


    The more they talked and put their thought about the important issue at hand, the more enmity between them was almost forgotten, as they placed their focus elsewhere.


    This was a good start and the discussion was not as worse as they predicted. They just needed time to adjust with each other again, after all, they had won the first battle together and they would do it again together.


    "How about the guardian angel?" Hope, who kept quiet just like Lilac and Raine, finally opened her mouth and voiced out her question. "You have the guardian angel to win the battle in the first war, so what exactly did you do to them to win the war?"


    The discussion died down when they heard Hope''s question.


    Raine raised her head and looked at the three Donovan and Serefina with interest. She had been asking this question to Torak, but he always said that was not the right time for Raine to know about that, thus she had to wait.


    "What?" Hope stared at everyone in the room intensely. She was always curious about everything, more so when Kace refused to answer the very same question.


    "I think this is the time for them to know, don''t you think so too?" Serefina leaned forward to see the Donovans'' hard faces.


    "No, they will know about this later." Jedrek didn''t agree to Serefina.


    However, it was Lilac, who answered Hope''s question without asking permission. She agreed with Serefina. It was the time for Raine and Hope knew about this. Just like what she had expected, their mate didn''t let them know the detail of the reason why the guardian angels were extinct.


    "They sapped the guardian angel''s power and drew their blood in order to win the battle," Lilac said and Hope widened her eyes in surprised, yet when she looked at Raine, her expression didn''t change, as if she had known this. "You know about this?" Lilac asked her.


    "Yes," Raine replied softly. "I went to the past when they destroyed the village of angel."


    And now all the eyes were on Raine and this made her slightly uncomfortable. Torak could feel that and squeezed her hand to let her knew she was there and there was nothing to be afraid of.


    "The shadow warrior used to use guardian angel''s blood when they fought their enemies. They would coat their weapon with it." Raine finished it with dejected sound as she relived the memory of Aeon. She still blamed herself for not strong enough to protect the one who cared for her.


    Torak looked at Lilac disapprovingly when she mentioned that, but she simply ignored him completely and put her focus on Raine.


    "The shadow guard''s way to use the guardian angel for their own benefit and how they forced to mate with them, was one thing that the moon goddess didn''t approve." Jedrek replied to Raine, but she frowned at him.


    "But, the shadow warrior protected them." Raine didn''t agree with Jedrek. It was right that the shadow warrior took benefit from the guardian angel, but they gave their protection in return.


    "That was not how it should be." Serefina chimed in. "The reason why Selene gave an order to the lycanthropes to take the guardian angel away from the shadow warrior."


    "But, if you drew the guardian angel''s blood like what the shadow warrior did, it wouldn''t kill them, right?" Raine looked at Lilac for approval.


    "I don''t remember that we sapped the guardian angel''s power. But, when they came into the battlefield, they looked barely alive," Torak narrowed his eyes at Jedrek suspiciously. "What happened?"


    "Right," Kace seemed to have just remembered it too. "You didn''t sap their power, did you?"

 Chapter 756 - ROGUE

    They didn''t put their attention into this detail before, because for them whether the guardian angels were alive or not, was not the problem at all since they had won the battle.


    However now, it was different. They wouldn''t put their mate into possible danger again, therefore, Torak and Kace needed to know what had happened to those guardian angels before Jedrek brought them to the battlefield.


    Lilac looked at her mate next to her, but Jedrek didn''t show any emotions on the surface of his cold fa?ade.


    Yet, she didn''t think it was a right decision for her to speak about it, though she knew what Jedrek had done to her kind that brought them to the extinction.


    She was also aware about why Jedrek was very reluctant to speak about it. Because it was related to their parents, thus if he talked about this, there would be a lot of more explanation that Jedrek had to do.


    Hence, Lilac kept silence and let Jedrek to make his own decision.


    "I didn''t sap their power," Jedrek answered. It was half true, since it was Janus who did that.


    "But, in the end, what you did, killed them both. The shadow warrior and the guardian angel." Hope pointed out the obvious. "Was that really the moon goddess''s order?" she mumbled to herself. Didn''t think it was possible for the goddess to give such an order.


    Yet, Jedrek changed their topic again and talked about what they had to do with a lot of people that would come.


    The discussion lasted for another hours before Jedrek called it a day and they went back to their own chamber.


    There was a silence agreement that they wouldn''t have dinner together. Hours of discussion was very tiring and they were not in the mood to see each other for another few hours to share another conversation just yet.


    Torak stood up and followed by Kace, while Serefina had rushed out of the room once Jedrek said the meeting was enough for today.


    "I think we need to know each other," Hope said when Kace pulled her toward the door. She looked at him expectantly.


    Kace frowned. He didn''t like the idea of leaving Hope with Lilac.


    "I do think the same," Lilac said cheerfully and walked toward Hope and Raine, dodging Jedrek''s hand that was about to pull her back swiftly. "If you think that I will hurt them, that is totally wrong."


    "Oh, I don''t think you will hurt my mate, but your mate will." Kace stood in front of Hope, blocked her behind his broad back. "What happened to your hands?" he nodded at Lilac''s hands, which were wrapped with tight bandages. "He did it to you?"


    "Oh, this¡­" Lilac raised both of her hands in front of Kace as she could feel Jedrek walked closer to her and stood right behind her, just in case Kace wanted to do something stupid. "I fought Serefina," she said truthfully.


    "You fought Serefina?" Kace was surprised. He had never thought a guardian angel would be able to fight the witch. "What do you meant you fought her? By squabbling?"


    The smile on Lilac''s lips faded when she heard that. "You look down on me."


    "No," Kace replied. He just didn''t get it. "But, by what you fought her? She is called a witch for a reason."


    "Doesn''t Hope also have a power?" Lilac looked at Hope and felt Jedrek''s hand wrapped her waist protectively.


    "Yes. Seeing ghosts." Kace was rewarded by a slap from Hope because he said it as if he mocked her. "I don''t see it is useful to fight Serefina," he said grumpily while rubbing his upper arm, which was being hit by Hope.


    However, before their conversation went any further, someone knocked on the door and by the sound of it, whoever there, was having an urgency with the king.


    Kace opened the door, annoyed, because he stood closer to it.


    "Your majesty," a guard rushed inside the room and nodded toward Torak and Kace when he walked past them before he knelt in front of the king. "Rogues attack the nearby town."


    "Rogue?" Kace frowned. The last time he was here, he never heard there was rogue that attacked a town in this realm. Just how many of them until they bold enough to do that?


    "Call Eaton and Lyrus to take care of it," Jedrek said. He frowned. This guard shouldn''t come to him directly for this kind of problem. One of his general would take care of it.


    "They are there, your grace, but they are outnumbered." The guard seemed anxious when he said it.


    "Outnumbered? How many of them?" Jedrek furrowed his brows.


    The guard shook his head. "A thousand, or two¡­" He raised his head to see his furious king. "The report came from mind- link thirty minutes ago, but when we tried to contact them again, we can''t reach them, therefore Beta Lyrus and Lord Eaton went there, but they have not yet returned."


    "Lilac, stay here I mean it!" He said sternly and glared at his mate. Jedrek didn''t waste his time any longer as he rushed out while giving an order to the guard.


    "Rogue?" Kace looked at Torak, confused.


    Torak watched as his brother''s back disappeared in the corner of the corridor and then turned to Raine. "Look for Calleb and Raphael, and stay with them."


    "Where are you going? Will you go to the town?" Raine grabbed Torak''s hand tightly. She knew the answer even before Torak said it.


    "Find them and don''t roam around alone. I will come back." Torak kissed her forehead and smacked Kace''s shoulder. "Let''s go."


    "Why should I go?" Kace grumbled while rubbing his shoulder. It was hurt. However, the younger brother still followed his siblings to go the town. "Stay with them, if I found you roam around this place alone, I would scold you until daybreak." He threatened Hope before he ran to catch up with Torak and Jedrek.

 Chapter 757 - ROGUE (2)

    The light struck the sky and illuminated the gruesome scene for a few seconds, giving out the details of the bloody battle, which just ended a few minutes ago.


    Blood dripped from the three Donovan''s hands as their wounds started to close in and their scratches had disappeared.


    They had never seen this many rogue at the same time and attacked a town.


    Dead bodies piled up in one spot, some of them were still in their beast form and many had turned into their human skin.


    "How it is possible there were a lot of rogues here?" Torak wiped his bloody hands on the shirt of the last rogue that he had killed.


    Rogue, usually would attack individual, not populated place like this town. Moreover, as long as Torak could remember, there never was a massive amount of rogue like this. They could create their own pack in this number.


    "This is the first time," Jedrek replied. He crouched down and pulled a dead body by its collar and looked at closely, it was a young werewolf in the early age. "Find out about this," Jedrek talked to Lyrus, who was standing next to him.


    "Yes, your majesty." Lyrus walked away from Jedrek''s side while giving an order to the other guards.


    "They are not from this realm." Kace sniffed his bloody hands. "I think their scent is familiar¡­ I have smelled it somewhere¡­" he contemplated for a while.


    "What do you mean they are not from this realm?" Jedrek asked, as he shifted his attention toward Torak.


    If those shifters were not from this realm, the other possibility was; they were coming from the other realm, which Torak ruled.


    "There were a few cases of rogue, but they never reached this many." Torak narrowed his eyes at the sudden light from the lightning on the sky. It seemed rain would pour this area, the fire from the torches created a long shadow that outlined how many rogues and their people that had been killed during an hour of battle.


    This was not a common event.


    "They are not from Torak''s territory as well." Kace was trying to remember where he had ever smelled this scent.


    "Northern coven realm?" Someone chimed in and when Kace and Torak turned around they found their father''s Beta, Eaton, while Jedrek was aware that he was here since a few moment ago. He had been listening to them.


    "Eaton? How can you be here?" Kace frowned. Rumor said it that Beta Eaton suddenly disappeared when his mate died because of rogue attack not long after Jedrek ascended the throne and was crowned as the king for all the lycanthrope, replacing their father.


    When they heard the guard mentioned someone named Eaton, Kace and Torak didn''t think he was the same Eaton, the man that they had known during their younger age.


    "Hai, Torak." Eaton flashed Torak a smile and messed up Kace''s hair like he used to do many decades ago. "So, is it northern coven realm? I heard the witches and vampires there have joined force."


    Kace was surprised to see this man, but then he focused in the matter at hand. "No, it was not northern coven realm. This place is not Torak''s territory."


    "There are only a few places that are not his territory." Eaton nodded at Torak. He missed to see the two boys that had grown up to be someone respectable just like their father, when Janus was still in his right mind.


    "Rieka." Kace frowned. "I think I had smelled this scent from Rieka country."


    "Rieka?" Jedrek also knitted his brows. "It was the area where the first war took place."


    Torak also knew that place, not long ago, he took Raine there to see the stone that could tell you everything, where Raine was so frightened by what she saw at that time.


    Rieka was not in Torak''s territory, but it was not any other creatures'' territory as well. Hence, that place could be said as a free land.


    "What were you doing there?" Torak asked Kace. That place was far from where he found Kace or where he lived with his mate, Serefina and Lana.


    "I was avoiding his people," Kace grunted at Jedrek with distaste in every word that he spoke. "Thanks to him, I have a chance to visit many places that you would never imagine."


    Though the sarcasm in the way Kace spoke to him was very thick, but Jedrek responded to it coldly. "No need to thank me."


    "Alright!" Eaton clapped his hands to cut off Kace''s angry words and eased the unpleasant atmosphere between the two of them. "So, how you know they are the same people that you met in Rieka?"


    "I experienced an event that left a deep impression there." Kace watched as the dead body in front of him was being lifted by Jedrek''s guards. "I met two rogues eight years ago in Rieka. But, they looked strange for me."


    "What do you meant?" Torak tried to mind- linked Raphael or Calleb, but he couldn''t reach them, while Raine had always blocked her mind ever since she knew how to do it.


    "They didn''t talk, they didn''t respond anything when I asked them, and didn''t seem aware about their surroundings." Kace remembered that clearly. "They only said; ''the darkness will spread this place'', and repeat that words again and again."


    "The devils," Torak concluded. He stared at the wall, where the castle was located behind it. "We need to go back to the castle. I can''t mind link my Beta and Gamma from here."


    "I think they put some magic here, so we can''t mind- link the other shifter," Eaton said.


    "I will ask Serefina to take care of it." Kace walked ahead, he didn''t like to know that he also couldn''t hear Hope''s thought from here. "I will go back to the castle."


    Eaton looked at Jedrek and watched how he scrunched his brows. "Go. I will take care of this."

 Chapter 758 - A STRONG PRESAGE

    Raine was staring at the fire in the fireplace. It had been three hours since Torak had gone to the nearby town that was attacked by the rogue.


    When Calleb heard the words of rogue, he scrunched his nose in despise and a deep frown appeared on his face, but thankfully, he didn''t say any foul word in front of Hope and Lana.


    Raine tightened the blanket around her body and rested her chin on her knees while listening to Lilac and Hope''s conversation.


    Both of them were talking about a lot of things and Raine would listen to them, occasionally she would chime in and added a few words here and there, yet her mind was still thinking about Torak. She couldn''t mind- link him, so did Raphael and Calleb.


    Serefina said it was because of the spell that a few witches had chanted around this area, therefore they were not able to use it.


    And for now, Serefina was trying to fix the situation, for this reason she was not in this room.


    "How about you Raine?" Hope suddenly asked Raine, who had been staring at the fireplace, brooding.


    "Huh?" Raine was surprised by the sudden question. She cleared her throat when she caught Hope and Lilac''s expectant gazes. "I am sorry, I didn''t listen to the question. What did you ask earlier?"


    "See? I told you, she was not listening." Hope looked at Lilac triumphantly. "She is worrying about her mate." That was true, any creature who had eyes would agree with her.


    "You don''t have to worry Raine, there will be nothing happen to them. Need more than rogues to knock the three of them down." Lilac chuckled lightly.


    Both Lilac and Hope seemed didn''t take this matter seriously. However, Raine couldn''t feel at ease before she watched Torak with her own eyes that he was not hurt.


    After all, Raine had felt what it was like to lose Torak, when she thought the devil had beheaded him, thus she was slightly restless now.


    "What did you ask?" Raine tried to brush off Lilac and Hope''s words, who were trying to appease her worry, because no matter what they said, she wouldn''t be relieved until she saw Torak again.


    "I asked you; how about we start training tomorrow?" Hope repeated her question. "Lilac is very advance with her power while you and I still can''t grasp what our power means." She slightly pouted her lips, very dissatisfied with the progress she had.


    "Sounds good." Raine also grimaced when she remembered how she would be thrown to strange places and different time without knowing how to control it.


    Lilac had told Hope and Raine that she was raised by the moon goddess herself and was taught a few things for her to share with the other guardian angels. Hope was very excited, her big eyes widened in anticipation when she heard that and Raine smiled brightly, if Serefina couldn''t find out why she still was not able to control her power, perhaps Lilac could help her with that.


    Not too far from them, Raphael and Lana were having their conversation, and Calleb was sitting near a window petulantly, glaring at the cloudy night sky. The sky was very dark with c.u.mulous clouds producing thunder and lightning. It seemed the night would be very cold and rainy.


    Seeing how boring Calleb because he didn''t get a friend to talk to when he was the most chatter person that Raine had ever met, she excused herself from Hope and Lilac, she pointed her finger toward Calleb, gesturing that she would be with him for a while before she got up and walked over.


    Lilac and Hope nodded, continued their chat when Raine had sat down next to Torak''s Gamma.


    "Lilac," Hope called her, she remembered one thing that kept bothering her. "I have dreamed several times about a river."


    "A river?" Lilac asked. The two of them were sitting on a green warm rug while hugging a big pillow. "What kind of river? What did you do there?"


    Lilac shrugged her shoulder. "I know it sounds absurd," she was hesitated to tell her. "But I kept dreaming about this since I met Raine," then she added. "If I am not mistaken."


    The dream felt so real and if the first and second dreams made Hope think it was just a dream, the next few nights when she had the same dream over and over again, she thought otherwise.


    "And what you did there?" Lilac leaned over so she wouldn''t miss a single word from Hope.


    "I am not sure, what I did there." Hope looked confused. "I was not really doing anything. I feel like my body was very small and I was flying on the surface of the river. The river was frozen."


    "Frozen river?" Lilac seemed to recall something. "Apricity River."


    "What is Apricity river?" This was the first time Lilac heard about this river.


    And then, Lilac and Hope spent another hour to talk about the river and her dream. Lilac didn''t really know what the meaning of Hope''s dream, but the fact that Apricity river was frozen and Hope saw it in her dream, it must mean something.


    Meanwhile, Raine nudged Calleb''s cheek to get his attention, but the Gamma just glanced at her before he resumed staring out of the window.


    "Why do you look so cranky?" Raine chuckled when Calleb ignored her. Despite his rejection, Raine still rested her head on his shoulder while looking at the dark sky. "It seems it will be rainy night¡­" she mumbled.


    "There will be a storm," Calleb said. He didn''t push Raine away, but he still didn''t want to look at her direction too. "I have never been here, but I heard the storm in the southern region is awful."


    Raine nuzzled on Calleb''s neck and finally he gave up and wrapped his arm over her shoulder.


    "Things are going to get really bad from here, don''t they?" Somehow, Raine had a strong presage about their situation.

 Chapter 759 - STRANGE NIGHT AT THE CASTLE

    Thunder and light split the darkness in the night sky, illuminated the old tower and along with that, rain started to pour down the earth, sending chill to their bones.


    Calleb dr.a.p.ed a blanket over Raine''s shoulder to keep her warm, while the other two guardian angels had fallen asleep on the couch, huddled together with quilt around their bodies.


    Here they were, since Torak had ordered for them to be together with each other. However, even so, in this kind of weather and situation, no one wanted to go back to their room.


    Meanwhile, Raphael added more logs in the fireplace and arranged them until they burned just right and Lana was laying flat on the rug, reading some book.


    Calleb couldn''t be more happy for both of them, though the fact Lana was a rogue still bothered him, but her scent, eventually, merged with Raphael''s and now he barely could smell it from her. This helped him too.


    "Why don''t you sleep?" Calleb touched Raine''s head and handed her a cup of warm chocolate.


    Raine was smiling when she received that and muttered a ''thank you''. "I will wait until Torak come back," she said.


    "He will be fine, you don''t need to worry too much about him." Calleb sat down beside Raine again and sipped the warm liquid from his cup.


    "I know," she said softly. "I just want to wait for him." She held the cup with both of her hands and sighed in delight when the heat warmed up her freezing hands.


    "You are very stubborn," Calleb grumbled. He didn''t know there would be a day the girl, who was too afraid to look at other people right in their eyes, became very determined like this.


    Raine grinned when she heard that.


    ==============


    Serefina walked along the corridor with Theo and Warlock. She ran her fingers along the cold wall of the castle while chanting an ancient language.


    She frowned as she concentrated to break the spell around the castle and confused, how could this area was surrounded by magic?


    It didn''t make any sense. This magic came from witches, unless they were nearby there was no way they could do this.


    However, since Serefina arrived here, she didn''t feel something strange. She only could sense the dark magic after the three Donovan went out of the castle because of the rogue attack, but before that there was nothing suspicious.


    Unless, there was someone from inside the castle that helped those dark witches¡­


    With that thought, Serefina glanced at Theo and Warlock, who were escorting her.


    "Why don''t you go with your king to the nearby town?" Serefina asked when they climbed the stairs to reach the second floor from the old tower.


    "The king wanted us to stay in the castle because everyone went to the town," Theo replied to Serefina. He knew who Serefina was and her story with his king. Therefore, he had his own thought that the king was more suited to the witch than the guardian angel.


    Serefina looked fiercer, reliable and the fact she was the last pure blood witch, was surprised the general. Theo thought, there was no more pure blood witch and the rumor about her was not completely correct.


    "Have you seen something odd recently?" Serefina went to the balcony, where she could see the city from there and spotted red flames in the distance.


    The fire must have come from a city that was attacked by rogue. The attacked must have been settled down by now and the three brothers would return soon.


    "No, there is nothing strange around this castle." Warlock replied after a moment of contemplation.


    "I don''t think there is something strange," Theo chimed in. He stared at the distance too. "It was so quiet in the city when the nearby town was being attacked by the rogue."


    Serefina didn''t really listen to Theo and Warlock conversation, her mind was elsewhere.


    "Can you mind- link someone in the town now?" she asked after she was sure everything was all right now.


    Theo and Warlock''s eyes became blurry for a few second when they tried to contact the other lycan warrior.


    "Yes, everything is normal now," Theo said as his gaze started to focus on Serefina. "I think you''ve cast all the spells."


    "The king returned." Warlock pointed his finger to the north gates and there, Jedrek entered the castle with his two other brothers, talking in deep conversation.


    When the intensity of Serefina''s gaze fell on him, out of instinct, the king looked up and met her eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds that felt like a lifetime until Kace talked something that caught Jedrek''s attention and he broke the spell between them.


    Serefina immediately averted her eyes and stared at the city again.


    "You should be the queen for the king," Theo suddenly said when he stood next to the witch. "I think that role suited you better than the guardian angel."


    Serefina chuckled, but the humor didn''t reach her eyes. "You don''t have opinion in this matter," she said sharply and made Theo shut his mouth.


    At that moment, Serefina gasped and turned around in alert. Her lime- green eyes studied the empty corridor intensely.


    "What happened?" Theo, who was standing beside her, felt the witch''s restlessness and walked over to the spot where Serefina had been staring at, yet he found nothing.


    "What?" Warlock shifted his attention from the king and his brothers toward Serefina and Theo. "Everything is all right?"


    "I felt someone was staring at me," Serefina muttered in low voice. She walked toward the corridor, but no one there, yet she could still feel the feeling of being watched even now.


    "But, no one here." Theo made his point by waving his hand. "Maybe just your imagination."


    Serefina was squinted her eyes and walked toward her right side.


    "Where are you going?" Warlock followed her, but the witch stopped him.


    "Stay here," Serefina said firmly.

 Chapter 760 - DO YOU KNOW ME?

    "What happened with your back?" Torak asked Jedrek when they were in the corridor, following the scent of their mate, which apparently were in the same place, just exactly what he had asked them.


    Meanwhile Kace was walking ahead of Torak and Jedrek, he was in rush to be with Hope.


    "Nothing." Jedrek didn''t even glance at Torak when he answered that.


    "Nothing?" Torak repeated his answer, raising his brows questioningly. "There must be something if your wounds didn''t heal properly."


    There was a long gash on Jedrek''s neck that couldn''t be covered by the cloak that he was wearing. Probably, there was another wound on him that Torak couldn''t see.


    "It will heal soon." Jedrek brushed off Torak''s question and quickened his pace.


    Torak didn''t believe it. He caught up with Jedrek and stared at the wound again, but his older brother adjusted the collar around his neck and concealed it.


    This time, Torak simply just walked beside him and didn''t ask another question. If Jedrek determined to not let him knew, then there was no amount of question that could make him to do otherwise.


    Moreover, Jedrek looked fine.


    ***


    Because Kace walked ahead of them to reach the chamber, therefore when Jedrek and Torak entered the room, he watched Kace was trying to carry his sleeping mate, cradling her in his arms gently.


    Meanwhile, Raine dashed toward Torak behind him and hugged her mate tightly.


    Her voice, as she was complaining, sounded adorable in Jedrek''s ears, which made him think that Lilac would never do it, she was too mature to make a noise like that, and Torak didn''t seem to mind when he listen to her.


    "Why have not you slept yet?" Torak caressed her back and held her close to him.


    "I am waiting for you, of course." Raine raised her head and looked at Torak sullenly. "I couldn''t reach you through the mind- link, neither Raphael and Calleb."


    "Yes, me too. But, everything is all right now." Torak reassured Raine and kissed her temple.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek walked over to the couch, where his mate was sleeping soundly. She curled her body into a ball and hugged the quilt while her black hair scattered on the pillow beneath her head.


    Somehow, Jedrek felt that he could stare at Lilac like this all night. However, he wouldn''t do it here.


    Putting his arms under Lilac''s head and behind her knees, Jedrek lifted her up and brought his mate out of the room.


    Lilac stirred awake when Jedrek walked in the corridor, there were only a few guards were stationed in every few hundred meters.


    "You have returned?" Lilac asked sleepily. She rubbed her eyes and yawned.


    "Yes, go back to sleep," Jedrek said softly and the girl in his arms didn''t need to be told twice. She nuzzled the side of his neck, looking for comfortable position, and fell asleep again.


    ==============


    Serefina walked in the empty corridor with Theo and Warlock???s eyes were on her back, also another eyes that kept staring at her, which she didn''t know whose those eyes belonged to.


    "Serefina, are you sure, you will go alone there?" Warlock shouted from behind her back and just like Theo, if he could choose between the witch and the guardian angel, he would vote for Serefina to be his king''s mate, yet there would be no such a thing.


    "She will," Theo muttered. "The women around our king are very hot- headed."


    "Couldn''t agree more with you," Warlock said. "So, what we should do now?"


    Theo looked at Serefina''s back, her figure disappeared when she turned on the other corridor. "She seems to know this place quite well, so I guess she will be fine." He contemplated. "We will wait for half an hour, if she didn''t come back, we will go and check on her."


    Warlock nodded.


    On the other hand, Serefina walked along another empty corridor and lined up windows on her right side, which showed her the inner yard of the castle, and across from it, was the king''s tower, where Jedrek''s chamber and his study room were located.


    Serefina glanced at the tower, but it was too far for her eyes to catch anything from where she was standing, therefore, she continued walking until she reached the end of the corridor, which ended with a closed brown door.


    She walked over and waved her hand when she was close enough. As soon as she did that, the door swung opened for her and let her went through without so much difficulty.


    Inside, she found an old four post bed in the middle of the chamber and a chair at the foot of the bed, which was not empty.


    Serefina narrowed her eyes at the figure. This person was sitting on the chair and was wearing black cloak with hoodie that covered half of his face, leaving only his thin lips to be seen.


    "So, is it you?" Serefina stood in front of the black figure. She was on alert, readied herself for the worse outcome.


    At first, the black figure didn''t even move, neither he would talk when Serefina took a step closer with fireballs on both of her hands, which the flames illuminated the dark room, revealing every cobweb on the ceiling and under the table and bed.


    From the look of it, it seemed this room had been abandoned for very long time.


    "You don''t want to talk? Should I force the answer from your mouth?" Serefina flicked her hand and blue fire circled the black figure, so close to lick his cloak and set him on fire.


    "Do you even know me?" He finally spoke with his hoarse voice. His lips curved into a mocking smile. "You better run, before something bad happened to you," he suggested.


    Upon hearing that, Serefina laughed derisively, but her laugh died down, when the shadow tendrils extinguished the flames she had created.


    "Do you know me?" the black figure raised his head to reveal his face.

 Chapter 761 - THE SHADOW WARRIOR

    The shadows were like a living creature, fluttering behind the man and when he revealed his face, Serefina''s lime green eyes hardened in surprise.


    She had seen him once, but she would never forget this man! There was no way she would forget the face of the shadow warrior, who had killed her!


    "You!" That one word sounded like curse. "You should be dead!"


    The shadow warrior smirked in derision. "So you do," he said with venom on the tip of his tongue. If by glaring at Serefina, he could kill her, then the witch would be dead by now.


    Serefina averted her eyes and scoured her surrounding, looking for another creature inside this room.


    "You don''t need to look for someone else, it is only me in this room," the shadow warrior spoke mockingly.


    Serefina didn''t believe him right away, she tried to find something, but just like what the shadow warrior said, there was no one inside the room except the two of them.


    Only then she shifted her attention back to the man in front of her. "What is it? Someone brought you back?"


    Actually, Serefina was not sure, whether this shadow warrior was died or not, but they said the battle between the shadow warrior and the Lycanthropes that day had wiped out their entire kind. Well, Aeon was an exception¡­


    "Brought me back?" The shadow warrior looked at the witch in front of him with disdain. "I never died to begin with." And then he added while tilting his head curiously. "But, I am sure that I had killed you on that day."


    No one knew that she was killed that day and had been revived by the moon goddess except Raine, because she was there when it happened, while Kace... Selene chose to erase his memory about the incident back then.


    "So?" Serefina''s eyes became sharp as she glared at him. "What do you want? Kill me again?" she scoffed. "Don''t be too proud of yourself, you managed to get to me because you sneaked up on me."


    The shadow warrior jeered and shook his head. "I am not in rush to kill you. There are a few people on my list and you are not even my top priority."


    Serefina knew, whom he was talking about, yet she needed to make sure that she guessed it right. "What about the guardian angel, who you claim to be your mate? Is she still alive too?"


    Upon hearing that, the shadow warrior let out a low warning growl and this reaction answered Serefina''s unspoken question. He was indeed after the Donovan. Jedrek to be precise, as he was the one who had given an order to destroy his village and eradicated two kinds of creature, almost at the same time.


    "Why? Is she dead? Didn''t you protect her?" Serefina provoked him. "Oh, I am sorry, I think you failed to do that, right?"


    Right at the same time Serefina said those words, the shadow tendrils moved very fast, slid on the floor and spurred in the air, aimed at the witch.


    Serefina didn''t move an inch, but when the shadow engulfed her, swallowed her like a thick dark blanket that covered her entire being, in the next second, from within there was light as bright as the sun and blue flames that consumed the darkness.


    The blue fire flared up around Serefina''s body and when he was free from the shadows, the flames also faded away.


    Yet, no one there. She was alone inside this chamber, facing an empty chair at the foot of the bed.


    However, the witch didn''t have time to think where the shadow warrior had gone, when she heard a sharp, vicious snarl from the direction where she left Theo and Warlock.


    ==============


    "What are you doing here?" Kyle approached Warlock and Theo, beside him, it was Rowan, who seemed so bored to be there.


    "We accompanied the witch to come here to break the spells that surround this place," Theo answered them lazily, he leaned his tall body against the wall behind him and looked at toward the direction where Serefina had left. If within five minutes she was still not showing up, then he would come to check on her.


    "What both of you doing here?" Warlock asked them in returned. "Shouldn''t you be in the town to keep things safe there after the attack?"


    "Eaton and Sebastian are there," Kyle replied.


    "Eaton told us to go back to the castle, they can handle the mess over there just fine." Kyle told them. "Go back to your post, we will look after the witch here."


    Warlock shook his head. "It''s fine, we will leave after the witch come back," he said.


    "I think we should check on her. She took a long time already." Theo was about to walk away when Kyle grabbed his shoulder.


    "No need," he said sternly. "The king''s brother needs you in the main castle. The two of you should go there," he added.


    "We don''t get an order like that." Warlock felt there was something amiss.


    Theo and Kyle indeed had known each other for a long time, but their relationship was limited to fellow generals and now he was suspicious of the way Kyle forced him to leave.


    "We will take care of the problem here," Rowan chimed in, he grabbed Warlock''s shoulder, but he dodged it swiftly and inched closer toward Theo.


    "What is it? Who told you to come here?" Warlock narrowed his eyes dangerously. He felt there was something off from the two of them. "This is not the Alpha''s order, right?"


    "Watch out!!!" Theo shrieked and pushed Warlock until his body hit the wall behind him.


    Warlock, who was not aware about what was happening, widened his eyes at Theo questioningly when he was shoved aside, but he didn''t get a chance to ask when he felt something sharp pierced through his chest and pressed his body against the wall.

 Chapter 762 - DEATH AND BETRAYAL

    Warlock even didn''t have time to fight back when his body was being ripped apart by the shadow tendrils.


    What was happening before Theo''s eyes was very fast. He was stunned when Warlock''s blood sprayed on his face and cloak.


    And the next second, after ripping apart Warlock''s body, the shadow tendrils aimed toward Theo. However, this time he gained his bearing just in time and dodged it.


    Theo threw back his body and bumped onto Kyle behind him. "What is that?!" he was taken aback, he thought the enemy was only what he saw before his eyes, little did he know, the true enemy was behind his back and he gave it to them.


    Theo''s focus was on the dark tendrils in front of him and the dead body of his fellow general, therefore, it was too late for him to realize when Kyle strangled his neck and Rowan slashed his throat.


    Kyle let go of Theo''s body as he fell on the floor with blood spurted out from his opened throat. He opened his mouth, but it was only gurgling sound that they could hear.


    As a lycan, his healing ability was not fast enough to make him recover from the deep wounds. He lost so much blood when his skin started to stitch together.


    Theo tried to press his wound with his own hand, but it didn''t help. He would die from losing so much blood in this rate.


    "Are you sure, we need to do this?" Rowan wiped the blood from the silver dagger that he used to slit Theo''s throat.


    However, Kyle snatched it away and stabbed Theo''s heart with it. "We don''t have a choice, do we?" He tilted his head at the shadow beside Rowan, which had solidified into human form. "Dorian, you are so bold to come here in this kind of situation."


    Rowan glanced at the men beside him and gave him a disdain look. "Thanks to you, now we have another problem in our hands."


    "Didn''t Terra tell you to not interfere this time?" Kyle was slightly upset because he had to kill his fellow generals. Knowing Jedrek, he would get the bottom of this and it would strict his movement.


    "You should leave." Dorian kicked Theo''s body which was still convulsing. "The witch will be here."


    "It is so nice of you to worry about us, but we can handle it just fine. It should be you, who is not here from the beginning," Kyle criticized the shadow warrior.


    Dorian glanced at Kyle and Rowan with disdain. "Don''t worry about me you wretch dog, I will not overstay your welcome."


    Kyle and Rowan growled viciously when they heard Dorian''s contemptuous words.


    At the same time the shadow warrior stepped back and let his body fell from the window and then merged into the darkness, from the other end of the corridor, Serefina appeared; panting, with concern on her pale face.


    "What happened here?!" Serefina shouted to Kyle and Rowan before her lime- green eyes spotted Warlock''s dead body and Theo. "What happened to them!?" panic and dread laced in her voice when she crouched down.


    From the closer look, Serefina could see Warlock''s body that had split into two from the chest. The witch gritted her teeth, as she stood up hastily, and averted her eyes from the gruesome scene in front of her.


    "I will escort you from here, my lady." Rowan offered his hand to help Serefina, who seemed very shaken, yet the witch shook her head and dropped to her knees again.


    Serefina inspected Theo''s body, though it was only a small movement, she was able to see his chest rose and fell from his shallow breathing.


    "He is still alive," Serefina muttered and pulled out the knife stuck in his chest. She covered the wound on his chest and neck as her palms glowed with yellow light. This magic helped the wounds to close in faster, but it was not quick enough. "We need to bring him to the healer!"


    The witch''s focus was completely on Theo, her mind was thinking about how to save this lycan, until she didn''t realize with the strange exchanging stare from Kyle and Rowan.


    Rowan sneaked behind Serefina''s back, but Kyle gave him a deathly glare, telling him not to do whatever he was about to do.


    "What are you two doing?!" Serefina whipped her head and glowered because neither Kyle nor Rowan did what she told them. "CALL THE HEALER NOW!"


    ==============


    After Jedrek took Lilac to her room and tucked her warmly under the quilt, he went back to his room and stationed another two more guards in front of her chamber.


    However, before he could enter his room, Jedrek felt something from the bond that he shared with the generals. The bond was snapped. This was the same feeling like when he killed Maximus.


    There must be something that happened to them.


    Narrowing his eyes, he tried to reach all of his generals, who were still in the castle. It didn''t take him too long before he knew what was happening.


    With dark eyes, Jedrek stormed toward the third tower.


    ==============


    "We should kill her," Rowan murmured under his breath while glaring at Serefina, who was standing across the room. Between them, there was a healer, who was trying to save Theo''s life, he was lying on the bed, which its duvet was soaked by his blood. "This will not end up good with us."


    Kyle, with face that devoid from any emotion, trying to reason with Rowan. "We can''t do that. Our job here is not finished yet."


    Rowan scoffed, but he didn''t say anything.


    "The king is here," Kyle said. He felt the raging storm that came to their way.


    And just like they had predicted, the king appeared in the next second, was furious and enraged. He dashed toward the healer, as his dark eyes caught a sight of Serefina there.


    "What happened here?!" He asked the two generals across the room.

 Chapter 763 - I WILL KILL THE LYCAN

    Lilac suddenly awoke to feel movement around her body.


    At first, she thought it was Jedrek, but then she realized it was not him, who was inside the room. When that understanding dawn to her, her mind turned sharp. With her eyes closed, Lilac was waiting in alert about what this thing would do.


    Hence, the moment, she felt something grabbed her ankle, Lilac opened her eyes and rolled her body to the other side of the bed and then crouched down with both of her palms flatted against the floor, readied to defend herself or attack, if needed.


    Right before her eyes, Lilac could see black smoke, slowly solidified itself and reshaped into a human form.


    "Who are you?" Lilac looked around her and found she was all alone with the strange man with dark cloak that covered his entire being.


    The man raised his head and revealed his face, but Lilac had never seen him before.


    They were staring at each other for a few moment. No one said anything or tried to make a sudden movement. They were assessing each other.


    The two of them stayed like that for another minute before Lilac ran out her patient.


    "What are you doing here?" Lilac felt the movement from the trees outside of her balcony. It wouldn''t be fast enough to catch this man, but at least, she was not defenseless. "Answer me."


    "You are guardian angel." He stated.


    That statement confused Lilac. She tilted her head, didn''t know what kind of conversation that this man wanted. "Yes, I am. And?"


    "You are not supposed to be with the Lycanthropes." Dorian said again. "Come with me and I will help you."


    Lilac blinked her eyes. This was not the conversation that she expected. "Why should I? Wait¡­ it think I know you¡­" she remembered something. The shadow around that man rang a bell in her head as she narrowed her eyes at Dorian. "You are shadow warrior."


    "Yes, I am." Dorian nodded solemnly.


    "There shouldn''t be any shadow warriors in this realm anymore." Lilac didn''t believe it, she was facing a shadow warrior. Shouldn''t they already be dead?


    The shadow warrior scoffed. "Those were the words that the witch had said."


    "Serefina," Lilac mumbled.


    "Whatever her name is," Dorian spoke with hatred and hostility.


    "You met her. Where is she now?" If the shadow warrior was here, didn''t that mean something happened to Serefina? Yet, Lilac didn''t hear any commotion. Everything was very quiet. Knowing Serefina, she wouldn''t let him go without a proper fight, right?


    Dorian didn''t answer her.


    The silence from Dorian made Lilac assumed the worse. She stood up, crossed the bed and walked toward the door under the hard gaze of the shadow warrior.


    One might think that Lilac would run out of the room to find Serefina, but it was proved wrong when she suddenly turned around and made a slash movement with her hand.


    Dorian was caught off guard when he felt branches of the tree from the balcony whipped his body and sent him flew across the room before his body hit the solid wall.


    Yet, Lilac didn''t stop there, she rushed forward and let the branches coiled around Dorian''s body, locked him tightly until there was no way he could escape, the same way Lilac did when she immobilized the beasts when they attacked her long time ago.


    "What is your purpose in coming here?" Lilac looked down at the shadow warrior, her eyes turned sharp when Dorian used his shadow tendrils to rip apart the bough that prevented his movement.


    "To kill the lycans," he said calmly as he stood up, dusted the dirt from his cloak. "You are not supposed to be here."


    If Lilac was surprised about how Dorian could escape from her grasp, it didn''t appear on her facial expression. She mimicked the calmness that the shadow warrior showed to her, while thinking what the best way to get out of this situation.


    It was weird enough, after the commotion that she had created, there was no guard that rushed into the room to check on her. Jedrek wouldn''t leave her unguarded, right? More so, Jedrek''s chamber was only across from her room. It didn''t make sense if he didn''t hear anything.


    Unless, he was not in his room. Lilac clicked her tongue, annoyed.


    "You are on the devil''s side," she stated in sharp tone.


    "I will be on the side of whoever will destroy the lycan," he said solemnly. It almost sounded like a vow.


    "Why?" Lilac couldn''t understand his motive.


    "Is that even a question?" Dorian regarded Lilac with a disdain look when he walked closer to her and Lilac took a cautious step back.


    "It was the devils who ordered Jedrek to destroy your village and eliminate the shadow warriors and guardian angels. The devils used Janus to do it all. You should have understood all this." Lilac tried to explain about what was happening, yet it seemed Dorian didn''t want to hear her at all.


    "All I know is; the lycanthropes attacked my village and killed all the people that I know, including my mate." Dorian''s body became blurry, as his flesh turned into dark smoke. "And I will see they suffer the same fate like I did."


    "The guardian angels never meant to be the shadow warrior''s mate," Lilac said in matter of fact tone. "That was the fate that you forced onto them."


    Dorian didn''t seem to like it when he heard Lilac''s honesty. The shadow warrior glowered at her viciously. However, Lilac didn''t budge when he disappeared into thin air, after saying his last warning.


    "Don''t worry, I will not hurt you. My target is the lycan and I will destroy them. You should know which side you are on."


    Afterward, everything became still and all Lilac could hear was her deep sigh.


    In the next second, Lilac had rushed out of the room, but when she opened the door, four guards lay on the floor covered in blood. Died.

 Chapter 764 - SEREFINAS BOLD STATEMENT

    "Who did this?" Jedrek squinted his eyes at Warlock''s motionless body. His sixth in command was died. Someone had killed him and the fact that Theo''s life was still in danger now, didn''t make Jedrek felt any better.


    The king''s dark eyes found Kyle and Rowan, who were standing on the side, grief was palpable on their faces. After all, they had known each other for a long period of time. Or, perhaps that was what they wanted to show to their king.


    "The shadow warrior," Rowan answered his Alpha.


    "Shadow warrior?" Jedrek''s voice turned even gloomier. "They are dead," he said grimly.


    "No, your majesty," Rowan replied, shaking his head in denial. "We saw him." And then he nodded his head to Serefina. "She saw him."


    Serefina gave Rowan a deathly stare, but she didn''t say anything.


    "No." Serefina denied. "When I came, I saw Rowan was dead and Theo was badly injured," she said truthfully, yet her eyes never left Rowan and Kyle. "I just saw the two of them there. Why were you two in the old tower?"


    Jedrek shifted his attention to Kyle and Rowan.


    "Lord Eaton told us to leave the town. He and Sebastian will handle the things there," Kyle answered him.


    "You told Rowan and Theo about that?" Serefina asked, her facial expression didn''t let them know what was inside her mind.


    Rowan glanced at Kyle before he replied. "Yes, they asked."


    Jedrek looked at Serefina and then asked the healer. "How is he now?"


    "If he can make it this night, I think he will be fine tomorrow," the healer said. The wounds had closed, but Theo lost a lot of blood. "We should thank Serefina for being there in time and helped him."


    "Right." Jedrek nodded. "I will walk you back to your room," he said while gesturing for Serefina to walk ahead.


    Serefina was about to reject him and say she could walk back to her room alone, but there was something in the way Jedrek looked at her that made the witch didn''t say anything and walked toward the door.


    "I expect you two in my study room," Jedrek spoke to Kyle and Rowan before he followed Serefina out of the room.


    "Yes, your majesty," Both of them answered him at the same time.


    ==============


    Lilac watched in horror when she saw the four dead guards at her door. However, it didn''t take a long time before another guards appeared from the other end of the corridor. They must be guards on duty to patrol this tower.


    Perhaps, they felt something wrong with their fellow guards, therefore they came to check on them.


    Once the three guards'' eyes landed on the dead body on the floor, they hurried over and asked Lilac.


    "My lady, are you all right?!" One of them tried to find any injuries on Lilac by staring at her, since they wouldn''t be so bold to touch her.


    Lilac shook her head to gain her bearing again, she looked at the guard, who asked her while the other two checked on the dead body of the guards, "I am all right." Though her voice was slightly trembling, but she looked fine. "What caused their death?"


    "Their hearts were being crushed," one of the guards answered her solemnly, while the other guard grimaced. "I will call someone to come and¡­"


    Lilac didn''t hear the rest of what that guard said when he asked. "Where is the king?"


    "The king is in the old tower," he answered.


    "What is he doing there?" Lilac asked again and watched the raindrops began to fall from the dark night sky.


    "Apologize, but I don''t know exactly." He paused and then added. "I heard general Theo and Warlock were injured and the king went there to see them."


    "Oh, okay." If that was the case, it should be fine if Lilac went to see him, right? "I will go to the old tower."


    "But, my lady¡­" The guard tried to stop her. "I think you should stay inside your room, I will call more people to guard here."


    "No," Lilac rejected his idea. "If whoever killed them could get away without being noticed, no matter how many people you put there, it wouldn''t stop them." she pointed out the obvious.


    "But¡­" the guard tried to reason with Lilac, but she cut him short.


    "I will find the king," she said and walked away toward the old tower.


    ==============


    Serefina watched the gloomy sky and frowned. She never liked the weather in this region; too much rain and gloomy sky. It just intensified the anxiousness in this castle.


    However, she was not surprised when Jedrek suddenly grabbed her hand and pushed her into a room beside him and then closed the door behind them.


    Serefina''s back was against the wall, while in front of her, there was another wall that currently was glaring at her.


    "You shouldn''t trust the two general of yours," Serefina started, she knew exactly why Jedrek trapped both of them inside this empty room. Knowing him for so long, the witch could foresee their conversation now.


    "Do you think they have something to do with this?" Jedrek asked, he stared at the woman before his eyes intensely. If it was someone else, they would have averted their eyes from him.


    However, Serefina wouldn''t do that. She looked at him right in his eyes.


    "I think they killed Warlock and Theo," Serefina went to the extreme assumption, though that was not completely wrong. "Unfortunately, I came before they could finish him off."


    Of course Jedrek didn''t trust them too, but the king didn''t say anything. He crossed his arms, his focus was on her. He missed the way Serefina''s bold statement. "Why do you think that way?"


    "I asked them if they spoke to Theo and Warlock before they were attacked, and Rowan replied that they had spoken to them, but when I arrived they both didn''t look like someone who had just fought a shadow warrior."

 Chapter 765 - TRUST ISSUES

    "I asked them if they spoke to Theo and Warlock before they were attacked and Rowan replied that they had spoken to them, but when I arrived they both didn''t look like someone who had just fought a shadow warrior," Serefina said. She remembered the expression on their face when she arrived there, the two of them looked too calm for someone, who had just witnessed their fellow generals were being butchered and half- died.


    Perhaps because of panic, Serefina didn''t realize it at that time, but now when she thought about it again, Kyle and Rowan looked very suspicious.


    And that was what the witch told the king. She told him about her suspicion and what she thought, despite the generals were Jedrek''s people. She didn''t hold back at all, because deep down Serefina knew, Jedrek wouldn''t blame her for telling him about his general this way.


    "So, did you see this shadow warrior?" Jedrek asked her. They were so close, but their proximity didn''t make them felt awkward.


    "I saw him inside the old tower." Serefina nodded, but she didn''t elaborate further about the fact that she hid from him. "This one also the fact that someone betrayed you. If everything I said is right, you can''t trust Kyle and Rowan."


    Jedrek didn''t give any response when he heard the word of betrayal, he was used to it now.


    "I have shielded this place. The shadow warrior shouldn''t be able to enter easily." Serefina knitted her brows. "Except¡­"


    "Someone from inside has been helping him." Jedrek finished Serefina''s sentence. He knew one or two things about the shadow warrior.


    Just like how Aeon got to Raine even when Serefina had put up shield around Torak''s house that caused the witch had to burn the girl mother''s diary, the same thing happened here.


    "You can''t leave Theo alone with them, if my suspicion was right, they will come to finish him off to silence him," Serefina was contemplating about this, the only person who could confirm it would be Theo.


    The witch raised her head to find Jedrek''s eyes were staring at her. It felt so natural to talk to Jedrek this way, despite the situation that they faced.


    "No, he is not alone. Someone had moved him to another place," Jedrek said solemnly. His habit to not trust anyone, including his own people, led him to take any precaution the moment he felt there was something amiss.


    ==============


    "Why we should do this in the middle of the night when rain is pouring down, under the gloomy sky¡­" Calleb didn''t stop complaining when he had to carry Theo, while following Raphael and Kace.


    The Gamma would look at him every now and then, worried if his head would fall and roll on the ground, after all Raphael told him that there was someone who had slit Theo''s neck, fortunately he managed to keep his head intact.


    "To keep him alive," Kace replied it simply. He had been hearing Calleb complained along the way from the old tower to the king tower.


    Half an hour ago, all of sudden, Torak mind- linked Kace to help Raphael and Calleb to move Theo from the old tower.


    Apparently, his second brother got an important information from Jedrek, which he would explain it later and now it was essential to keep Theo alive, since there was someone who was eager to see him die.


    In spite of the fact, Kace didn''t like the order at all, but here he was, doing the thing that he detested; following an order from his brother.


    He cursed silently with the way how Torak always got what he wanted and how easy he convinced Kace to do his bidding. D*mn that brother of his!


    And now, he had to leave Hope with Lana while he mingled with the two annoying men and one half dead general.


    "You can throw him inside now," Kace opened the door and held it for Calleb, so he could walk into the room first.


    Thanked to Kace, they were able to avoid the guards on their way here, thus no one knew that they had moved Theo to this secluded place in the king tower.


    Fortunately, Kace''s memories were still very sharp about this place and knew the best chamber, which rarely visited by the other people.


    This was a small room without window and smelled like fungus, wasn''t the best place for a sick person to reside, but they would think about that later. Moreover, even in his current condition, Theo was not human that would get infected easily. Just like what the healer said; if he could make it tonight, then his condition would be fine. There was nothing to worry about, but if he was not¡­ then they would think about another plan.


    "''Throw him''?" Calleb walked past him and grimaced. "How could someone who doesn''t have a heart like him and Raphael have a mate? While the very kind me is still alone? This is so unfair."


    And Calleb got a smack on his back from Raphael and Kace for his comment.


    ==============


    Lilac asked two or three more guards to find where Jedrek was, but all of them told her that the king was in old tower, yet no one knew his exact location.


    Lilac just nodded and walked ahead when the guards offered to accompany her looking for Jedrek, but she turned down their offer and strode away.


    She would find him sooner or later, all Lilac had to do was concentrated to find his familiar movement. Just like when someone knew someone else, which they had known for a long time just by hearing their footsteps, that''s how Lilac looked for Jedrek.


    And her intuition led her to one door. Jedrek had a habit that she just realized it recently, which was; he tended to tap his foot against floor when he was thinking.


    However, as Lilac walked over, it seemed that Jedrek wasn''t the only one in the room.

 Chapter 766 - THE TRUTH

    "They are your people, but apparently you don''t trust them." Serefina narrowed her eyes and Jedrek knew that the witch was assessing him, deciding whether he was talking the truth or not.


    Jedrek was too familiar with her gesture. Sometime, when he was with her, he didn''t need to explain himself and Serefina could read him easily.


    "The wise man said; keep the enemy close to you," Jedrek said simply and Serefina chuckled mockingly.


    "Be careful, or else they will cut your throat in your sleep," Serefina replied casually, but her eyes hardened when Jedrek touched the tip of her hair lightly.


    "You worry about me," his voice sounded very hoarse in this empty dimly lit room.


    Always.


    That was one word that Serefina wouldn''t let it slipped from her lips for Jedrek to hear. Therefore, instead of responding to his statement, Serefina swatted his hand away from her red hair.


    "We have the same goal, just focus on that," Serefina said coldly and pushed him away, yet Jedrek didn''t budge an inch. He held her hand tightly.


    "What happened when you left?" His blue eyes turned slightly darker.


    Serefina rolled her eyes. "Have not we discussed this already? And we have agreed there is nothing between us now. So, whatever reason that I have for leaving you, it is none of your business."


    Accepting that they couldn''t be together anymore was one thing, but knowing the reason behind it, was another.


    "Yes, this is over between us." Jedrek let go of Serefina''s hand and even though it was a minor feeling, but Serefina felt something uncomfortable in her heart. "But, whether you will tell me or not, I will find the answer sooner or later."


    Jedrek wanted to know the answer and that was exactly what he was going to do.


    "Good luck with that," Serefina hissed.


    Meanwhile, the two of them were too busy with their own feeling and thought, until no one realized that someone was approaching toward their direction.


    The rapped on the door was surprised the two of them along with Lilac''s voice that traveled inside the room. "Jedrek, are you in there?" she asked.


    However, before Jedrek could answer her, Lilac had twisted the knob on the door and entered the room.


    Her black obsidian eyes immediately found Jedrek and Serefina, and as soon as she saw them together inside the room, the disappointment washed over her facial expression.


    The three of them stayed silence for a moment longer, didn''t know what to say or what to do, even Lilac didn''t know where she had to look at, until Serefina broke this awkward situation.


    "What are you doing here?" she asked coldly without any sign of guilty. In her opinion, Jedrek and her didn''t do anything to make them feel guilty.


    "Can''t I be here?" Lilac threw a dagger look at Serefina. This witch really didn''t know what the right thing to say.


    "Of course." Serefina shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly and was about to walk past Lilac when her wrist was being grabbed by the guardian angel. "You can stay here."


    Lilac gritted her teeth when the injuries in her hands stretched out. She could feel the blood started gushing out from the bandages, yet she didn''t care. She was too upset to care about it.


    "What the two of you were talking about?" Lilac''s voice was deep and serene, but it was almost like the calm before storm.


    Serefina glared at Lilac, but the guardian angel didn''t even blink when she reciprocated the hostility that the witch gave to her.


    It was Jedrek, who spoke and grabbed Lilac''s wrist so she could let Serefina go, as he could see and smell the blood from her hand.


    "Warlock is dead and Theo is severely injured," Jedrek said truthfully. "Someone wants to kill them. They did well with Warlock but not with Theo."


    Lilac let go of Serefina''s hand, but Jedrek didn''t do the same to her, instead, he pulled her closer to him.


    "I was talking with Serefina about the possibility that my other two generals are committing treason behind my back. But, to confirm that we need Theo to gain his consciousness." Jedrek looked at Lilac right in her eyes when he told her all of that, so she knew that he didn''t lie to her.


    "What are you doing here? Shouldn''t you be in your room? Don''t you know that it will be very dangerous for you to roam around in a situation like this?" though Serefina talked to her harshly and she actually didn''t care whether Lilac was hurt or not, but the witch was responsible for the three guardian angel''s safety, including Lilac.


    It was a suck obligation.


    In spite of the fact that Lilac had not yet known Serefina for a long time, but she could vouch that there was nothing happening between Jedrek and her inside this room. The two of them were too obvious with what they were thinking about what they liked and disliked.


    Heaved a deep breath, Lilac tried to believe her intuition and hoped she was right about the two of them.


    "The four guard that you put outside of my room were died." Lilac started her explanation with the same way Jedrek did. Brought up the bad news before she delivered the worse one. "And a shadow warrior came into my room to tell me that he is going to kill all the lycan who had destroyed his village."


    "He hurt you?" Jedrek asked. Observing her body, looking for other injuries except her hands and to his relieved there was no additional.


    "No, I am fine, he didn''t do anything to me," Lilac said softly, slightly pleased because Jedrek showed his concern for her.


    "Did he touch you?" Serefina looked at Lilac''s slightly bleeding hands. "Did he get your blood?"


    Lilac frowned, but she shook her head. "No."


    Upon hearing that, Jedrek and Serefina were exchanging look. There was an understanding in their eyes, which Lilac couldn''t understand.

 Chapter 767 - TRYING TO UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER

    "Is this what you call karma?" Kace crossed his arms defensively, while looking down at Jedrek, who was sitting on the edge of Theo''s bed. "Having someone stabbed behind your back after what you did to your little brother all this time?" Kace sneered, but he didn''t look so happy like he intended to, when he heard someone betrayed his brother.


    Kace, Torak and Jedrek were inside the room, which was used as Theo''s nursing room. It had been three days since the attack of the town nearby by the rogue and even though Theo''s critical condition had passed, he was still unconscious.


    Jedrek scoffed upon hearing Kace''s words, he gave him a side- look before he spoke. "Don''t worry, I have predicted this even before you ran away to find your little mate."


    "So, you keep a traitor next to you?" Kace narrowed his eyes.


    "Not a traitor, but traitors. And yes, I keep them close to me," Jedrek answered in matter of fact tone.


    Kace was surprised when he heard Jedrek admitted easily. He opened his mouth, wanted to say something, but there was no right words that he could think of. In the end, he just shook his head. "I don''t understand you. Really."


    "You don''t need to. Just do what I told you," Jedrek said firmly.


    Kace glared at Jedrek scornfully. "You know what? I do what I want to do. So, keep your order for yourself."


    After saying that, Kace left the room without even spared Jedrek a glance.


    "What?" Jedrek glared at Torak, who kept silence since they came into this room and checked on Theo''s condition. "You are free to leave."


    Torak didn''t say anything or avert his eyes from Jedrek, only when his older brother stood up and was about to leave this room, Torak opened his mouth.


    "Are you sure about having a mating ceremony in this kind of situation?" Torak pulled a chair for him to sit down. "When the traitors are aiming your back, you want to claim Lilac in front of your people and exposed her to the enemy?"


    Jedrek stopped walking and turned around to face Torak. His expression devoid from any emotion when he spoke.


    "She is not that weak, she can handle herself," he stated. "Moreover, what the benefit that we will get to have her behind my back all the time? She knows very well about her role and the consequences. The people have to know who she is and, in the other hand, she has to gain their respect, which will not happen if I keep protecting her every time we face difficulties."


    Jedrek and Torak glared at each other for a moment longer. There was a lot of unexplainable feeling that was hard to convey.


    After all, there was many things happened after the great war with the devils and the relationship between the brother only got worse over the time.


    ==============


    Lilac couldn''t understand why she ended up with Keira again, choosing the decoration for her upcoming grand event. The mating ceremony.


    "I shouldn''t do this." Lilac slammed a booklet against the table in frustration when finally Keira left her alone with the other guardian angel. "We don''t have time for this."


    Lilac thought after the death of Warlock, the shadow warrior and the traitors within Jedrek''s people, Jedrek would postpone this mating ceremony, but to her surprise he didn''t even budge when Lilac tried to reason with him.


    Hope was playing with various flowers in front of her, which would be used for the ceremony. She loved party and was eager to see what it would like attending a ceremony in a castle.


    "Maybe you need this," Raine said softly, she reached the booklet and opened it casually. "Jedrek will not do something without thinking about it thoroughly."


    "So, what do you think he thought to focus on this ceremony instead to find out how the shadow warrior was able to sneak into the castle?" Lilac leaned her back against the backrest, missing how Raine grimaced when she mentioned a shadow warrior.


    Hope pouted her lips when she was thinking. "We will face a war, maybe having a little bit celebration to cheer up our gloomy mood is a good idea?" she looked at Raine and Lilac, waiting for them to approve her suggestion. "Or, maybe not?" she grinned.


    "So?" Lilac looked at Raine expectantly, she wished she could tell her a reasonable reason since Jedrek was determined to keep his words very short.


    Raine thought about it a little bit longer. "You know, I thought even when Torak, Kace and Jedrek have different perception, but the three of them have one thing in common; they are very protective to their mate."


    "Hm." Hope nodded. "It''s really cute sometimes, but when Kace goes overboard, it''s pretty annoying."


    Lilac chuckled when she heard that. "I don''t think Jedrek has cute side, but I agree with the part that you said they can be really annoying."


    Lilac didn''t tell them about the fact that Jedrek had tried to kill her when she was a babe, she thought there was nothing good for them to know that, moreover a lot of things had happened since then.


    "Torak used to be overprotective and annoying too sometime. Even there is a time when I thought he would never let me out of his sight or meet other people in order to keep me safe." At that time, Raine didn''t mind it at all, because she wasn''t in the mental state she was in now.


    "But, over time and many events that occur, we learn; that is not the best way to protect me." Raine put down the booklet in her hand and looked at Lilac with a soft smile on her lips. "Against all odds, he introduced me to his pack as his Luna and helped me to gain his people''s respects, that way, not only he would protect me, but the rest of the pack too and likewise."

 Chapter 768 - THE LILAC

    "I envy the relationship between you and Torak or Hope with Kace," Lilac sighed and fiddled with her fingers. "Jedrek and I¡­" she pouted her lips and didn''t continue.


    "There is nothing to be envied about¡­ the three of them have their own difficulties, they are beasts after all." Hope shrugged her shoulder. "But, I love his beast and definitely you do yours too. It is just that there are a lot of things that have come our way and we are not ready to face them all, making things complicated."


    Silence fell, as they were deep in their thought and reminisced about all the things that they had been through to come to this point.


    Raine had been through a lot of dreadful things before she met Torak. He showed her unconditional love and cherished her in every decision that she made. Not even once Torak would raise his voice even thought he was mad at her or Raine disappointed him.


    Raine wouldn''t be here and be the person she was now without going through all of that.


    While Hope, she was quite lucky to have people, who loved and cared for her ever since she was only little. Serefina with her fickle mood and Lana, who was like a sister for her.


    Hope ever felt a little bit worried about Lana and her relationship when she was aware about Lana''s crush on Kace, but she could sigh in relieve when Lana found Raphael. Their relationship seemed very happy. They were like a newly married couple.


    Sometime, Hope wondered whether Lana''s crush on Kace was only her imagination? A mate bond was so strong¡­


    On the other hand, Lilac didn''t know since when she cared for Jedrek¡­ she came here with hatred for what that king had done to her, but over time when she learned about the dark secret that he hid from everyone else, including his own brothers, Lilac learned that he was not the person that she thought she knew.


    Despite it didn''t change the fact that Jedrek had killed her and put her into a deep sleep for a year, Lilac couldn''t find herself to hate him the way she wanted.


    Apparently, this was the trait, which made the guardian angel looked so weak in the other creatures'' eyes; they lacked of animosity was something that counted as weakness.


    However, the true question was; whether their relationship would be okay without a mate bond?


    The mate bond seemed like a blessing to tighten the affection between them, but it was something that was out of their control.


    Even Raine, occasionally, would question this too and Hope would always wonder if the mate- bond disappeared, would Kace treated her the same?


    But, for Lilac it was indisputable that Jedrek would choose Serefina over her the moment the mate bond was gone¡­


    It was ironic¡­


    "Tell me," Lilac broke the silence between them and the solemn mood in the air. "How did your mate marked you?"


    Lilac wanted to hear something cheerful, since she would face her mating ceremony within a week, she wanted to know what she would expect.


    "Ugh¡­ the mark¡­" Hope grimaced and looked Raine, who seemed pretending to not hear Lilac''s question.


    "I heard it was something romantic," Lilac looked at Hope and Raine expectantly. "Share your story with me¡­"


    And now Hope and Raine gave their fellow guardian angel a wry smile¡­


    "They almost died when their mate marked them." Serefina''s figure came into their view when no one noticed when she entered the room.


    The witch sat on a chair at the end of the table nonchalantly and looked at the various flowers on the table in despise.


    "There was nothing romantic about being marked for them." Serefina crossed her legs and looked at Lilac defiantly.


    Lilac glared at Serefina when she spoke to Hope. "I don''t know how you can live with someone like her for many years. I am just glad that you are nothing like her."


    "Oh, don''t worry honey, she doesn''t have that blessing." Serefina waved her hand.


    Lilac clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Is it her hobby to ruin other people''s happy moments?"


    "Yes, it is," Raine said with smile on her lips, she didn''t know, but she found this whole situation was amusing.


    Serefina had been very irritated with the relationship that she shared with Torak and would always pick some pricky words to complain about how Torak had spoiled her too much, but when Raine learned the reason behind the witch''s hateful behavior, she was more or less, could understand that.


    After all, who would be able to stand and see the man that you loved, be with someone and nothing you could do to stop it.


    And now, since Serefina finally met with Lilac, she wouldn''t miss any opportunities to piss her off.


    "Well, you can call me lucky to survive all those years," Hope chuckled and then grinned at Serefina.


    "I don''t lie, you can ask the two of them. I was there, when their mate marked them and that was awful." Serefina raised her eyebrows provocatively.


    "I don''t know whether you are so talented or you just naturally suck the happiness out of every soul in the room you entered," Lilac grumbled. "What do you want?"


    "There is something I want to talk to the three of you," Serefina said calmly, ignoring the snarky comment that Lilac gave to her.


    "What is it about?" Hope asked, she straightened her back.


    "About your training." Serefina glanced at the flower again. "I expect we will start after this stupid ceremony."


    Lilac couldn''t agree more with Serefina for her last comment. She still disagreed with Jedrek''s decision.


    "Before I go to the detail, I want you to do me a favor," Serefina spoke to Lilac and she looked surprised.


    "What is it?" Lilac asked suspiciously.


    "Choose the lilac for your decoration," she nodded to the flower.


    Hope frowned. "But you hate that flower."


    "Exactly." It would give her an excuse to not attend to the ceremony.

 Chapter 769 - I AM TALKING ABOUT HIM

    Lilac was dressing the wounds on Jedrek''s back, which appeared getting worse by the day. She couldn''t help, but frowned when her eyes saw them.


    "You don''t have to do it if you can''t handle it." Jedrek stared at Lilac''s reflection through the mirror in front of them, which Lilac didn''t realize it was there and showed her expression.


    "So, who will do it for you? Serefina?" her voice laced with more hatred than she intended too.


    However, after saying that, Lilac realized how childish she became and lowered her head, put all of her attention on the wounds.


    Jedrek didn''t tease her, there was no way he would do that, but he pretended like he didn''t hear what Lilac just said.


    "The ointment doesn''t help with the wounds." Jedrek pointed out the obvious. He didn''t feel any better even from the first time Lilac put the medicine on him. It just wasted of time, yet Lilac insisted and Jedrek couldn''t say anything to make her stop.


    "I will ask the healer to make another," Lilac murmured. She dabbed the liquid with cotton and swabbed it on his gashes.


    Jedrek turned around and caught Lilac''s hand. He was sitting on a round chair and when he turned out to face Lilac, who was standing, he just needed to slightly raise his head to catch her gaze.


    "This is already the third time and nothing is working," Jedrek said. "Stop it."


    "And what? Do nothing?" Lilac glared at Jedrek defiantly.


    "These are just gashes." Jedrek stood up and his tall body towered over his little mate, but he could see from her eyes that she didn''t slightly feel intimidated by him.


    "You are injured," Lilac insisted.


    "Yes, and these just wounds." Jedrek let go of her hand, so she could express her irk.


    "These are not only wounds! It is already not normal that they are not healing even after two weeks!" Lilac was almost screaming when she said that. "You can''t just brush it off because it doesn''t show any effect on you yet. You can''t take it lightly!"


    This wounds were Maximus''s last gift to Jedrek and there was no way it wouldn''t harm him. However, Jedrek had not been feel anything since he got this, except a few time he felt like his back was being burned, yet it only last for a few minute before the pain subsided and it was something that he still could handle.


    Jedrek kept silence while listening to Lilac''s rambles until she stop talking and he hugged her tightly, whispering. "Thank you for worrying about me."


    ==============


    "Can I enter the room?" Lana knocked the door when she already opened it.


    "No," Serefina answered curtly. She didn''t even raise her head from the book that she had been reading.


    In spite of Serefina''s reply, Lana entered the room anyway. "How do you feel now?" she asked when she visited the witch in Theo''s nursing room. The closer the ceremony day was, the more Serefina would spend her time in this place too.


    She would say that this castle was covered with the flowers that she hated, thus she couldn''t go anywhere without being tempted to burn the whole decoration.


    Later that Lana knew, the flowers were chose by Serefina herself and Lilac agreed with that. It was almost like an understanding between the two of them.


    Serefina wanted an excuse and Lilac gave it to her.


    Meanwhile, the mating ceremony would be held the day after tomorrow, therefore all the preparation was almost done now.


    "Can the two of you stop asking me the same annoying questions?" Serefina put down the book in her hand and glared at Lana, who was strolling into the room despite Serefina''s rejection and took a seat on the edge of Theo''s bed since there was no more chair inside this small room.


    "The two of us?" Lana knitted her brows, but then understood, who did Serefina mean. "Hope is worry about you too."


    Serefina scoffed. "I doubt that, she seems getting along with the other guardian angel really well."


    "You know her, she is a happy child. She gets along with almost everyone here, even the servants." Lana shrugged her shoulder. "Of course, she will worry about you, she thinks of you as her mother."


    Serefina cringed when she heard that. "Just because I raised her, doesn''t mean she can think of me like that!" the thought of that gave goosebumps to her.


    Lana sighed and then stood up. "I think I am done here. Actually, Hope had been bothering me by asking to check on you since the last time she was here and you threw her out. Now, I see you are still having energy to get angry, I guess it is a good thing."


    The last time Hope was here, she hugged Serefina tightly without saying anything, as a form of expressing her sadness for Serefina. However, the witch didn''t appreciate that and threw her out of the room, then locked the door.


    "Tell her if she keeps bothering me, I will burn down all the decoration of her best friend''s ceremony," Serefina grumbled and watched Lana chuckled while walking out of the room.


    Lana looked happier and less grumpy since she met her mate.


    "I am happy for you," Serefina said all of sudden that made Lana turned around, didn''t believe with what she heard. This would be the first time the witch was saying something nice.


    "I didn''t hear it wrong, right?" Lana looked amused.


    "No," Serefina said and continued it lightly. "At the very least, you will not end up like me."


    "Serefina¡­" Lana looked at the witch with complicated emotions.


    "Take care of yourself and him."


    Lana grinned, "I think Raphael more than capable to take care of himself."


    "I was not talking about that mate of yours, I am talking about ''him''." Serefina nodded to Lana''s stomach.


    "What?" Lana widened her eyes. Didn''t believe with what she heard.


    "Close the door," Serefina said and turned around only to find Theo had opened his eyes.

 Chapter 770 - WHY AM I BEING FOLLOWED?

    The pain on his throat was the first thing that Theo felt, it was like his throat was burned and no matter how hard he tried to speak there was no words that could come out from his mouth.


    He was not able to move his hands, his entire body was exhausting. Even breathing was a hard thing to do for him.


    After the pain on his throat, the memories of the last thing that happened to him came back, flooding like a broken dam and it shook him to the core.


    Startling, Theo opened his eyes abruptly and found someone was sitting beside his bed.


    The sudden light hurt his eyes and he grimaced because he couldn''t see it clearly, who was this woman, but then he heard her voice and realized it was the witch.


    "Close the door," she said to someone that Theo couldn''t see, afterward Serefina turned around and met his gaze. "You are awake," she claimed.


    "What?" Lana walked back to find Theo had opened his eyes and gasped loudly. "He is finally awake!" She walked to the table beside the bed and poured water into a goblet and helped Theo to drink it.


    Theo was grateful when the cold liquid eased the burning sensation on his throat.


    "How are you feeling?" Serefina asked, seeing the confusion in Theo''s eyes. "Don''t worry, you are safe here."


    However, Serefina interpreted the way Theo looked at her wrongly. The general was not confused about where he was now or perhaps he forgot about what had happened to him.


    He was anxious because he couldn''t utter a single word to tell her about what was happening to him that night.


    There was a traitor! And it was Kyle and Rowan!


    Yet, there was nothing that he could say.


    "Take it easy, you just woke up, I will call the healer for you." A woman that Theo recognized as Raphael''s mate, spoke in reassuring tone. But, Theo needed to see the king, not a healer now.


    At the same time, that scent hit him hard. Theo realized he was nearby even before he could see his figure.


    "Here you are¡­"


    The heavy voice made Serefina and Lana turned around to see who was coming into the room and found Rowan was there, staring straight to Theo.


    Seeing Rowan, Theo became more anxious. He wanted to tell the two women there to be careful with him, but he couldn''t say anything. Not to mention utter a single word, he even was not able to move his fingers.


    "I am worried where you have moved him because I can''t find him since the night of the assault." Rowan ran his fingers through his copper color hair and walked closer.


    "Lana," Serefina called her. "You said you want to call a healer. Call her now."


    "Oh, right. I will call her now." Lana immediately stood up and walked toward the door, followed by Rowan''s hard gaze.


    When it was only the three of them, Serefina could see how unsettling Theo was and the way he glared at Rowan told her that her prediction was right.


    It didn''t need a genius to read their situation now.


    "I think no one knows about this place," Serefina said. She watched Theo closed the door and approached them again while the witch was standing beside Theo''s bed.


    "I found it by following Lana," Rowan replied casually. He stood three steps away from Serefina. "So, he just woke up? Did he say something?"


    Serefina tilted her head and with expressionless face, she answered. "Yes. He said he remembered the person who slit his throat."


    Rowan was never really good at hiding his true emotions, thus the moment he heard that, his eyes turned dark and a low growl vibrated on his chest.


    "So, you know already?" He asked in dark tone.


    "Know what?" Serefina narrowed her eyes and smiled softly, but out of instinct, she took a defensive stance.


    "That I slit his throat," He spoke through his gritted teeth.


    "Oh." Serefina feigned a surprise. "Now I know. Actually, he didn''t say anything." she shrugged her shoulder and glanced at Theo, whose expression was no less startled than Rowan''s. "He just woke up. You are lucky to be here in time."


    "You!" Rowan roared and shifted into his beast when he pounced onto Serefina.


    ==============


    Lana was still in disbelieve when she heard what Serefina told her earlier, she touched her flat stomach and tried to feel something, but there was nothing.


    Perhaps, Serefina was wrong or she just teased her, but as soon as that thought crossed her mind, Lana shook her head. Knowing the witch for such a long time, teasing someone this way was not her style at all.


    Or, maybe Serefina made a mistake?


    Or, maybe she knew something that Lana did not? What if what she said was right? Lana bit her lips to stop a silly grin from appearing on her lips.


    It was so fast, but also predicted since they marked and mated on the same day they met.


    But, she had not yet felt the change¡­


    Lana walked with light steps toward the old tower, where the healer was residing and suddenly stopped walking before she crossed the yard, when she felt there was someone following her.


    There was not many guards stationed in this king tower, except the part where Jedrek and Lilac resided.


    "What are you doing following me?" Lana turned around and glared at the empty corridor. "Kyle?"


    At first, there was no answer, only the sound of the wind that could be heard, before a man walked out from the corner of the corridor.


    "I thought you will not realize that I am here." Kyle strolled toward Lana.


    "I didn''t realize it before." Just like Lana didn''t realize that she was being followed by Rowan. It seemed like her five senses weren''t working properly. "But, the wind brought your scent. May I know why am I being followed?"

 Chapter 771 - PREDICAMENT

    The people from Torak''s pack and the centaurs along with the people from the village and a few shifter, would arrive today and from Jedrek''s guard, they had arrived in the south area.


    Because it would be too crowded if those people came to the city and attracted too much attention, Torak and Kace would receive them here, outside of the great wall that surrounded the south city.


    "I don''t believe it we are in this situation again," Kace mumbled beside Torak.


    "I don''t believe it that I will return to this realm again," Torak replied, from where they were standing now, they could see the horde of their people, coming closer.


    "Hm," Kace hummed, as he touched his chin. "I don''t understand why did you leave this realm? I just remembered that you had a lot of arguments with Jedrek, but I don''t really understand what the two of you were fighting for."


    "I don''t really remember those fights either," Torak said casually and glanced at his younger brother with mocking smile on his lips and this only annoyed Kace. "That is not important now, we have a lot of things to work on here, come on."


    Torak slapped Kace''s back so hard, he groaned in pain and tried to rub his back while grumbling to catch up with Torak who had already walked in front of him.


    "Why Jedrek didn''t come with us?" Kace asked, as he waved his hand to Bree, who was running toward him.


    "They are not his people, do you think he wants to spare his time to be here with us?" Torak replied simply.


    "I will take this little girl to the castle," Kace said. He didn''t really hear what Torak''s reply.


    ==============


    Serefina didn''t even blink or flinch when the black lycan pounced onto her. The witch''s lime green eyes shone brightly when that beast was only a few inch away from her.


    However, before his sharp- razor claws could tear her face, the beast was being hurled very hard all of sudden until his big body hit the wall and created a big dent there.


    "Don''t you learn something from your devil''s friend?" Serefina scoffed disdainfully. "That is not wise to attack a witch upfront. Or, are you too stupid to listen to them?"


    The beast growled viciously at the witch and tried his second attempt to attack her, yet he couldn''t break the invisible wall that Serefina had created around her and Theo.


    "You never learn your lesson, don''t you?" Serefina narrowed her eyes and with a flick of her wrist, she set fire on the ground the beast was trampling on.


    The beast was about to leap to the side where there was no fire, but he just realized that his body couldn''t move an inch.


    His red eyes glared at Serefina with animosity and as soon as the fire licked his black fur, he started howling in pain and bared his teeth.


    Serefina scoffed at the beast''s lame attempt to scare her. He should know that he was not in the position to intimidate the witch. Even if he was, there was no way Serefina would scare of him when she had annoyed the three Donovans and fought them several times.


    "So, is it him, right?" Serefina tilted her head and glanced at Theo over her shoulder. Theo shifted his eyes to Serfina and blinked, since he couldn''t move his body or made any sound. "All right then¡­"


    Serefina let the blue fire burned the beast and forced him back into his human skin, only then the flames disappeared.


    "Do you really think that you can take me down alone?" Serefina sat down on the chair and crossed her legs, while looking down at Rowan. "You are so overconfident."


    On the other hand, Rowan was panting heavily, his whole body was trembling and his skin was burned and blackened because of the fire.


    "It is so unfortunate that you can save him." Rowan nodded at Theo. "But, you can''t save the the girl." He smirked.


    ==============


    Some pregnancy for werewolf or shifters would lead the female to gradually lose their remarkable sensing ability as the shifter. That was why Lana was not able to quickly realize that she was being followed when she visited Serefina in Theo''s room.


    However, when Kyle followed her, the wind brought his scent and exposed him, or maybe Kyle didn''t really want to hide himself, since he should have known that it was a futile attempt to stalk on shifter.


    "So, why did you follow me?" Lana raised her brows questioningly. She looked around and found that she was alone with only Kyle in this corridor, while the other tower needed around ten minutes for her to reach.


    "I didn''t." Kyle shrugged his shoulder and walked closer to Lana with his hands were inside his cloak pocket.


    Lana didn''t overlook this fact and her eyes became sharp.


    "I just want to ask you why the king moved Theo''s room? Perhaps you know the reason?" Kyle stopped two steps away from Lana, giving her space to put her guard up, but not enough to defend herself if his attack was quicker than her moves.


    ???Why do you think I know the answer?" Lana asked, feigning an innocent face. "That is your king, not mine."


    "Perhaps Raphael knows something?" Kyle suggested.


    "Don''t you think that you are asking the wrong person? Why don''t you ask the king since you are his general?" Lana scoffed, out of instinct she put her arms around her belly and took a step back to create a distance between them.


    "Right." He nodded. "Where you will go? Why don''t I walk you to the other tower?"


    "Thank you, but no need to worry, I can find my own way there," Lana rejected him sarcastically, but didn''t dare to turn her back against Kyle.


    "I think you know why I am here, right?" Kyle smiled at Lana and pulled out a silver dagger from his cloak pocket.

 Chapter 772 - PREDICAMENT (2)

    "I don''t understand." Lana smiled derisively. "You said, you will walk me back to the other tower, but I don''t understand what the need of the silver dagger in your hand?"


    "Stop pretending that you don''t know anything." Kyle played with the dagger in his hand, he knew there was no one there to save Lana, this part of the king tower was exceptionally quiet, because Jedrek prefer to don''t have much guards roaming around in his place.


    "Apart from the fact that you are trying to kill me now, I know nothing." Lana kept her voice calm while occasionally she would glance at the dagger in Kyle''s hand. "Oh, maybe you want to ask, whether I know or not about your attempt to kill Theo?"


    The smile on Kyle''s lips slightly faltered as his eyes turned dark with anger with the way Lana spoke. She was mocking him.


    "Do you really thing you can get away easily after killing a general? I don''t think the king that stupid." Lana took a step back. She needed to think how to get away from this man and a silver dagger was a great deal for her, especially in her condition now.


    Lana wouldn''t risk that, thus all she needed to do was to buy some time.


    "You know that it was impossible for you to fight me." Every shifter were able to know if their opponent was more stronger than them, it was the same way how those creatures could distinguish an Alpha or any shifter with higher rank than them. They would know who was the predator.


    And in this case, Lana was nothing for a high rank general like Kyle, in his opinion.


    "Well, you don''t know." Lana looked around her, calculating her chance and what she could do in her current situation. "I had fought someone much worse than you," she said as she backed away.


    "Really? You never saw the worst then."


    After saying that, Kyle charged forward and made a slash movement with his dagger as Lana tried to dodge him by jumping to the other side and rolled her body on the ground while she shifted smoothly into her beast.


    Kyle watched the beast in front of him and sneered. "I don''t need to shift into my beast to face your scrawny wolf." He moved his forefinger in beckoning gesture. "Come here you little dog."


    Lana''s brown wolf snarled viciously and howled, but she was smart enough to not rush forward blindly toward the deathly silver dagger.


    A lycan was stronger to withstand attacked using silver but not a werewolf, it could be a death sentence for them if Kyle cut her right in her heart.


    "I will get you then¡­" Kyle twirled the dagger and started to walk slowly toward lana before he sped up.


    With remarkable agility, Kyle dodge the beast attack and plunged the dagger straight to her back, but before the damage could be done, the beast propelled forward and sent him fly until his body crashed against the rows of flower beds.


    But, before that, kyle managed to cut the beast''s upper arm. Blood trickled down on her brown fur as she howled in pain.


    The beast stepped back in her attempt to run away, but Kyle bolted to his feet and dashed toward her in incredible speed that managed to outrun her.


    The beast pivoted in her place and avoid Kyle''s dagger as she threw herself to the side, yet Kyle maneuvered and caught up to her.


    He pushed the beast with his shoulder hardly, while the beast clawed his face deeply. With blood covered his vision, Kyle grunted and snarled. "B*tch!!!"


    As the beast was flying midair and exposed her vital part of her body, Kyle smirked and charged forward.


    This time, Lana lost her balance and was not able to gain her footing when Kyle pounced onto her and raised his dagger above his head.


    The light from the sun fell on the sharp edge of the silver, ready to stab Lana to her death.


    However, before Kyle could smile triumphantly, he was thrown to the ground with great force and without knowing what had happened, his head had been torn off his shoulder. The last thing that he saw was; a red eyes from a big brown beast with black strip on his left side, after that, he saw nothing when the excruciating pain washed over him.


    The furious big brown beast didn''t stop there, he tore Kyle''s body limbs after limbs and snarled viciously when his opponent''s blood coated his fur until he heard his mate soft voice.


    "Raph¡­"


    Lana''s voice was very soft and laced with agony as she held her bleeding right arm. She sat down on the ground and watched how vicious Raphael''s beast was, but that was the last of her concern. It was good enough that it was Kyle''s head that was being ripped apart from his body, instead of hers or Raphael''s.


    "Lana!" Raphael had shifted back the moment he approached Lana and cradled her in his arms, his eyes were still the color of blood when he watched what Kyle had done to his mate. He shouldn''t give him a quick death!


    "It is a silver," Lana whimpered when the deep cut of her wound didn''t heal.


    "I know, I know¡­" Raphael picked her up carefully. "I am sorry I am late."


    Lana had mind- linked him the moment she realized that she was being followed by Kyle. Of course she was aware about the treason that Kyle and Rowan had committed and her chance to win over Kyle if she had to face him head on, was nearly impossible.


    "It''s all right," Lana said softly to appease Raphael''s anxiousness. She was glad that she just injured her arm.


    "We need to bring her to the healer." Serefina panted slightly when she arrived at the yard where Kyle had attacked Lana and saw the girl in Raphael''s arms.


    On the ground, Kyle''s dead body was almost unrecognizable.

 Chapter 773 - BAD NEWS

    Raphael watched intensely when the healer bandaged Lana''s right arm as he held her other hands.


    "How is she?" the Beta asked grimly. His eyes still the color of the night sky as he couldn''t content his anger upon seeing Lana''s pale face. If the silver stabbed her vital part, he would have lost her now for sure.


    "I am all right," Lana tried to soothe Raphael''s anxiety, but no amount of words that could ease his tense.


    "She will be fine after two days of rest," the healer said after she finished tied up the bandage and let Lana laid back down. "Her healing ability will help, but since it is silver, so it will take time. You just have to pay attention not to get the wound wet."


    "Thank you," Raphael murmured, yet his eyes didn''t leave Lana''s face. "I think Serefina will need you in the king''s tower."


    "Right. I will leave you now," the healer said and cleaned up her things before she left the room while saying; "Just call me if you need something."


    "Sure," Raphael replied absentmindedly and heard when the door was being closed. "I will get you some water."


    They were in the old tower, inside the room, where Theo was being treated the first time he was found almost died.


    The place didn''t put concern much to a nursing place like this since all the shifters were having the ability to heal themselves and didn''t need the healer''s treatment most of the time.


    "Here." Raphael come back with a glass of warm water and helped Lana to sit down, so she wouldn''t choke.


    "They are really traitors," Lana sighed deeply after she finished half of water.


    "I shouldn''t leave you alone," Raphael said regretfully and put down the glass on the table. He then laid down next to her and careful enough to not touch her wounds while Lana snuggled into his chest. This bed was big enough for the two of them.


    "It''s okay, you don''t know." Lana nuzzled his neck and closed her eyes, tired. "I am glad you are there right in time." She couldn''t imagine if Kyle got her before Raphael came.


    They just met each other for weeks and blessed with love that they deserved, if something happened, it would be a nightmare for both of them.


    ==============


    Serefina went back to Theo''s room, where she left Rowan with Theo.


    The general was unconscious after Serefina smashed his head against the wall really hard until she could hear his cracking skull the moment he said Lana was in danger. The witch just hoped it wouldn''t damage his brain. It would be bothersome if he did.


    When Serefina comeback to the room, Rowan was still lying on the ground with blood pooled beneath his head, but the rose and fall from his chest indicated that he was still alive and that was all that matter for now.


    Serefina strode across the room and found Theo was struggling to sit down, but the witch pushed him back firmly. "You need to rest," she said. "The healer will be here soon."


    The dead body of Kyle had been taken care of and now, perhaps the word about this attack had reached Jedrek. And for Rowan, she would let the lycan to decide what they would do to him.


    "Can you talk?" Serefina asked Theo, but he slightly shook his head.


    Theo had been trying to talk ever since he woke up, yet he couldn''t produce any words. Perhaps, it was because of his wound. He needed to rest a bit longer¡­


    ==============


    "Hoam!" Calleb yawned. He was very boring, following the two guardian angels chatted away inside the library.


    Hope found this place and took Raine here, and because Torak and Kace were not here at the moment, it was Calleb new job to baby sit the two of them.


    "You can read the book," Raine giggled when she watched how Calleb scratched his head and wiped away his tears.


    "Me and book don''t have chemistry at all," Calleb stood up and stretched his body to ease his tense muscle. "Can we go to another place that less boring than this?"


    "I don''t feel boring here," Hope said cheerfully, flipping every books that she could reach.


    "Me too," Raine chimed in only to tease Calleb.


    "Ugh! Where is Raphael?" Calleb groaned. The Beta was with him earlier, but he left hastily without saying a word.


    At the same time, there was a guard entered the library and approached Calleb, he talked in low voice to him that couldn''t be heard by Raine and Hope, but from the changing of Calleb''s expression when he heard that, Raine was sure, it was not good news.


    "What happened?" Raine walked closer to him.


    "Lana is injured," he said.


    "What?" Hope put down the book hastily and ran over. "What did you say? How could Lana get injured?"


    ==============


    "Jedrek, I think we need to go to the east," Lilac approached Jedrek and touched his tense shoulder.


    A guard just came with a report from Tordoff and Killian. There was no word in the envelop, but it was a secret message that Tordoff managed to deliver from the eastern region, where the eastern coven of the witches located.


    The envelope created red smoke when Jedrek burned it in the fireplace, a sign that what was happening there, was not in their favor.


    To put it simply, Tordoff and Killian were in danger.


    "I will go after the ceremony," Jedrek said solemnly, but Lilac knew better that was another fa?ade that he put on.


    "We will go together," Lilac said calmly, she entwined their fingers.


    Jedrek frowned and was about to reject her idea, he had planned to let her ruled this place in his stead, but before he could voice out his protest, another guard had entered the room and gave another bad news to the couple.


    "General Kyle has been killed by Raphael," he reported.

 Chapter 774 - BAD NEWS (2)

    "Raphael killed Kyle?" Torak frowned when he heard what the guard told him and Kace. It didn''t make sense for him, he knew Raphael very well that his Beta wouldn''t make a reckless decision like that, even though they had known Kyle as the traitor.


    "Why all of sudden Raphael killed Kyle?" Kace was also confused. It sounded weird, they just left the castle a few hours ago, but why things had escalated so fast there?


    "General Theo has regained consciousness and now a healer checks on her." The guard then added. "And also, Lady Lana is injured during the attack."


    "Lana is injured?!" Kace bolted up from his seat.


    Aside from Torak and Kace inside the tent, which was built near the town that was being attacked a few days ago, there were Chiron, Delta and five Alphas from Torak''s pack, while the other member of his pack camped outside.


    Even now, the town was already packed because of them. However, they had to think about another site, since there would be more people who would come to join them from Torak''s pack and the shifters that Kace had gathered with the help of Sterling.


    "How is she now?" Torak still looked calm, but now it answered his confusion upon Raphael''s action. His Beta was always the level headed person, if he had done something without his permission, the situation must be required a quick decision.


    And it looked like what had happened, related to Lana''s safety therefore, it seemed that what Raphael did was to be expected.


    "Lady Lana is fine, she only needs to rest for a few days," the guard conveyed what he knew.


    "I will go back to the castle," Kace said hastily, but Torak rejected his idea.


    "No, you stay here and coordinate with them, I will go back to the castle to check the situation there." Torak took his cloak and walked out of the tent, without waiting for Kace''s answer.


    Hence, his younger brother chased after him and caught up with Torak before he shifted into his white beast.


    "Wait! Why should I wait here?! I should go back to the castle. I need to check on my mate and Lana!" Kace protested. He hated this if he had to listen to his older brother''s order.


    "Lana doesn''t need you, Raphael is there," Torak pointed out the oblivious. Lana needed her mate more rather than a brotherly concern from Kace. "Your mate will be with Raine and both of them will be well protected." Torak would make sure of it.


    "Good!" Kace said sarcastically. "Then we can go back together."


    "No," Torak said firmly.


    "And why ''no''?" Kace knitted his brows, didn''t look slightly happy with Torak''s constant rejection.


    "There is no one here who would lead them," Torak said in matter of fact tone.


    Kace scoffed and laughed dryly. "You have a lot of Alpha from your pack there." He pointed the big tent behin him with his thumb.


    "But, there is no Donovan there," Torak said.


    "Why do you need a Donovan?" He asked incredulously.


    "So, they will know who lead them." Torak turned around and was about to shift, but Kace grabbed his shoulder and stood in front of him.


    "Like you said, this is our war. Why do you need a Donovan? Anyone can take that role for all I care." Kace didn''t want to be inside that tent and giving an order. As much as he hated to take an order from his older brother, he didn''t want to give order to other people again.


    "Anyone can be leaders, then what? We will never win the war because everyone leads themselves." Torak raised his brows questioningly. "We led the war before and we will lead it again now."


    In all honesty, from what they had been through before, there was no certainty in time of war. The person that you thought could be trusted, turned out to be a biggest traitor. If there was no one capable enough to take the control and placed their trust to wrong person, they would be doomed.


    There was countless traitors could be found in the first war and they were facing it now, starting with Jedrek''s people.


    At the very least, the three Donovans would choose to face the other person head to head and wouldn''t stab behind their brothers'' back, if they really wanted to execute their other brother.


    "I can''t lead them," Kace said grimly.


    "Yes you can." Torak shrugged Kace''s hand from his shoulder. "You used to lead them before and you will lead them now."


    After saying that, Torak leapt forward and landed in his white beast. His big paw pounded the ground heavily when he dashed toward the castle in hurry.


    ==============


    "She is sleeping now," Raphael said in rigid tone, leaning against the door of Lana''s nursing room and didn''t let anyone to come inside, so they wouldn''t disturb Lana''s sleep.


    In front of the defensive Beta was Calleb, Raine and Hope.


    "Is she all right?" Raine asked in timid voice. She had never seen Raphael was so agitated like this before.


    Raphael sighed when he heard Raine, he knew that he was overreacting, yet he couldn''t help it. "Yes, Raine. She just needs a few days of rest."


    "Oh, it''s a good news." Raine smiled and sat down on the chair nearby, followed by Hope. The guardian angels didn''t say much afterward.


    Meanwhile, Calleb walked toward him and squeezed Raphael''s tense shoulder, as if saying; it''s all right, everything would be okay.


    Not long time after that, Lilac came to ask about Lana and Raphael let her know what he had told the other people.


    "Silver can be dangerous for shifters," Lilac murmured.


    "I killed Kyle, but I think Serefina managed to get Rowan and keep him alive." Raphael said. He knew the importance of the two traitors to keep them alive, but he had killed one of them in fit of rage, yet he didn''t regret it regardless.

 Chapter 775 - ALPHAS BLOOD

    "Don''t worry about that," Lilac said in reassuring tone. "Jedrek went to see Rowan now. I am sure he will get something from him."


    Raphael nodded, but the tension still didn''t leave his expression. "Great."


    "I am sorry about Lana," Lilac said regretfully. "We should have approached this matter more cautiously."


    But, Raphael shook his head, "No one knows this will end up like this."


    Lilac stared at the door and then at Raphael, who seemingly still didn''t want to let anyone entered the room. "I will take Hope and Raine with me."


    "Bring Calleb also with you," Raphael said, nodded at Calleb, who was sitting beside Raine with brows knitted together tightly, he seemed worried for Raphael.


    "No need, we will meet Serefina." Lilac refused it. "Calleb can stay here with you, I will bring a few guards with us."


    Raphael shook his head. "No. Bring Calleb. We don''t need another sneaky attack on the guardian angel. The things will only get worse if that happened." Raphael made his point.


    However, at that time, Torak''s scent hit their sense even before his figure appeared.


    And of course, the first person he would check on was Raine. He approached her and gave a brief examination to make sure his mate was safe and sound.


    "You are here," Raine hugged him and looked very please. She was worried about him too.


    "Hei, may I know where is Kace?" Hope asked, she craned her neck, but couldn''t see her mate anywhere. Didn''t Torak and Kace go together?


    "He is out of this city wall. Lead the people, who just came into this realm," Torak replied and freed himself from Raine tight hug before he walked toward Raphael to check on his Beta, leaving the confused Hope.


    It was very rare to know that Kace was willing to give an order and acted as a leader, not to mention there were a lot of people there.


    "How is she?" Torak asked Raphael, he could see that the Beta was being overprotective by not letting anyone to enter the room. He could understand this, after all Torak would have done worse when he witnessed someone hurt Raine.


    "She is fine, just need a few days to rest. Fortunately, the silver didn''t reach her vital." Raphael glanced at the door. "Torak, I am sorry but¡­"


    "Stay here." Torak cut him in mid sentence. He knew what Raphael was going to ask. "You need to be with her."


    There was a faint smile on Raphael''s lips. "Thank you, Torak," he was grateful for his Alpha''s thoughtfulness.


    "You also stay here," Torak said to Calleb.


    It surprised the Gamma, but it was Raphael, who rejected the idea immediately. "I don''t think he will be much help here." The last thing that Raphael needed was Calleb nagging at him and he knew he would do.


    "Hei! You don''t need to show your displeasure straight away!" Calleb complained.


    "You need to be quiet, yet you are nothing but quiet," Raphael scoffed and crossed his arms.


    "He will be a good reminder for you," Torak finished their banter. It was the right decision to let Calleb looked after Raphael, since the Beta would neglect and tire himself when he took care of Lana, thus Calleb''s fussiness would be needed.


    And because Torak had decided that way, Raphael and Calleb couldn''t say otherwise.


    "Torak, I need to take Raine and Hope with me to meet Serefina, there is something that I want to discuss," Lilac said after Torak had settled down the thing with the two of them.


    Torak glanced at Raine. "What is it?"


    "A few things about guardian angel," Lilac spoke firmly.


    "All right," Torak agreed. "I will walk you to meet Serefina, after that I will find Jedrek."


    "Jedrek is in the dungeon, interrogating Rowan. I think he will be there for some time." Lilac let him know where Jedrek was. Things only became more complicated, not only in this place, but also in the eastern region.


    "As expected." Torak nodded solemnly.


    ==============


    "Did you manage to make him open his mouth?" Torak asked, leaning against the door made of iron steel inside this strong and very unpleasant smell dungeon.


    In front of Jedrek, who was sitting on the chair, it was Rowan, writhing in pain because of the cut from the same silver dagger that Kyle used to hurt Lana.


    The king would ask one of his men to cut a chunk of his flesh if Rowan was still stubborn to not say anything useful.


    And for now, he just finished to destroy Rowan''s left thigh and cut off all his toes. Blood was everywhere, even Rowan was choked with his own blood and pain.


    "You should knock the door," Jedrek said dramatically, though he already knew Torak was coming to his way the moment the guards let him into the dungeon. His brother''s scent was quite hard to be ignored.


    Torak rapped his knuckles on the iron door twice. "What you get from him?"


    "Nothing. He didn''t say anything." Jedrek tilted his head and touched his chin.


    "Maybe you cut his tongue." A guard brought another chair for Torak next to Jedrek.


    "That will be the last part of him that I will cut off." Jedrek glanced at Torak. "Any idea?"


    Torak scrunched his nose when he heard Rowan was cursing both of them and got kicks from the guards. "He is always this vulgar?"


    "He was quite bold even when he was still pretending to pledge his loyalty to me." Jedrek chatted with Torak lightly. "I didn''t see Kace."


    "He is in charge for the people outside the city wall," Torak replied and Jedrek looked at him in surprise.


    "I thought he will never agree to take that responsibility again." If there was one thing that changed from Kace since the war, it was his reluctance to take control upon other people''s life again.


    "Alpha''s blood runs through his veins and he is not in the position to refuse it," Torak said.

 Chapter 776 - RAINE SAW SOMETHING

    Jamie looked gloomily at the dark sky when she sat down on the bench next to Kai, who was applying his make up again for their next class.


    "Where are Casey and Connor?" Jamie asked grimly at Kai, who seemingly determined to not be bothered by her question until his lips was smudged glossily.


    "Fighting again," Kai answered and sighed while putting back all of his things into his bag. "They had been fighting since¡­" He tried to remember, but couldn''t. "¡­I don''t even remember since when they are fighting like this? Both of them are always so sweet."


    Now, in this table, were only Jammie and Kai. The news of Sunny''s death really stirred up the school and business world.


    The police found Sunny''s body inside a building. Stabbed to death, but the investigation met a death end since very few clues can be found at the scene. Temporary suspicion, Sunny was murdered due to family business problems.


    Rumor said, Sunny''s family business had a clash with Donovan Company, but it was almost impossible because the two companies were not on par, except the fact that before Sunny was being found death, Andoori family signed a contract with de Medici family.


    However, there was nothing that shook the world more than the news about the Donovan Company now and the legendary business Torak Donovan himself.


    Since Torak Donovan was accused for murder a few high ranked polices, he couldn''t be found anywhere.


    Even when several his subsidiary companies had collapsed and the main quarter of his business in the Red River city was no longer could operate properly due to lack of management, Torak was still not showing up.


    He simply vanished and not only him. The young girl, who he declared as his woman, and a few his trusted people also had disappeared.


    "The weather is so gloomy." Kai raised his head and watched how dark sky hung above their head. "Like a storm is coming."


    "Hmm," Jammie murmured and watched a few people were in dark mood while the other seemed too sensitive to be approached, as if they would tear your face if you rubbed them in the wrong way.


    ==============


    Oliver had his arm wrapped around Norah''s shoulder as he walked her back home, but a sudden scream startled them.


    "What is that?" Norah jumped in fear and looked around to find the source of the commotion.


    Even though it was day time, but above them, dark clouds were hanging low as cold wind blew from the north. Recently, the weather was so bad, but the people were worse.


    "Robbery," Oliver said as he nodded at the crowded across the street.


    "This will be the thrice in this week." Norah frowned.


    Mystic river was a small village, which had a low crime rate, but how could this happen almost every day? At least, there were three cases within a week.


    Perhaps, this was a side effect of the current economic crisis. From what they heard on the news, giant companies like Donovan was in the brink of going bankrupt, therefore it gave a huge impact to the other aspect since that company had many subsidiary in almost everywhere.


    There were several riots in the big city and now people in this village, started to behave very strange.


    "Let''s go, we have to reach your home before it rains." Oliver nudged Norah''s shoulder.


    ==============


    "Cut his hand," Jedrek said to his man.


    The guard executed his order perfectly and made a clean cut on Rowan''s left hand, not long after that, an agony screaming echoed throughout the wall of the dungeon.


    However, this kind of scene even didn''t make anyone inside the room flinch or furrowed their brows, as they had seen much worse than this.


    Yet, Rowan still didn''t let them know any useful information.


    "Mate?" Torak asked, he propped his elbow on the armchair and supported his head with his fist.


    "Have not met," Jedrek replied curtly.


    "Family?" Torak asked again.


    "All my generals are orphan." Jedrek chose it that way so their loyalty wouldn''t be divided, yet apparently his idea was proved to be wrong.


    "You killed their family?" Torak raised his brows.


    "Their family died when there was riot," Jedrek answered.


    "Then, he is useless." Torak shrugged his shoulder. "You can''t make him talk and since he betrayed you, there is nothing he is afraid of."


    Jedrek touched his chin thoughtfully before he gave an order. "Kill him." Since Rowan determined to keep silence, then Jedrek would silence him forever.


    Afterward, the executioner carried out the order. It didn''t take a long time before the dungeon became quiet.


    "I will to go to the East region." Jedrek stood up when three guards dragged Rowan''s body out of the room.


    Torak didn''t respond to Jedrek''s statement. He looked at the two guards that were still inside the room and spoke. "Leave us alone."


    However, they didn''t take his order and didn''t move an inch.


    "They are not your people, they don''t listen to you," Jedrek said.


    "Then, tell them to leave. There is something I want to talk to you."


    "About what?"


    "About our parents and what you have done all this time." Torak also stood up. They were at the same height and very intimidating.


    When the two Alpha''s started to stare at each other and tried to subdue one another, suddenly the room became very tensed and the atmosphere became very thick.


    Even though, neither Torak nor Jedrek were looking at the two guards, but they felt intimidated and lowered their head, didn''t even dare to stare anywhere except their own shoes.


    "You know where they are and what happened to them." Jedrek''s expression was devoid from any emotion.


    "Stop lying to me Jedrek," Torak scoffed. He looked at his brother carefully. "Is that the reason why you forced me to go?"


    "You left this realm with your own volition." Jedrek waved his hand and was about to walk away, but Torak stopped him.


    "Raine saw something."

 Chapter 733 - SEREFINA

    Serefina walked past the rumble of the city slowly. She remembered every detail of this place, even though it had been centuries since the last time she saw this city and it was nothing like the last time she remembered.


    Right in this street was the path that she always whenever she would meet him, walked straight ahead and you would see the castle, where Jedrek lived. He was not an Alpha at that time, just a cold- hearted young boy, who was too arrogant to admit how amazing Serefina''s magic was.


    Serefina knew Janus and Diana, but of course Jedrek had never introduce her properly to them, the time when she moved to the castle was when Jedrek had assumed the position as the King of the lycanthropes and his parents were no longer there.


    Serefina had never asked where they were, she just heard some rumor here and there, but never bothered to confirm it with Jedrek.


    Now, she thought about it again, probably she should ask him¡­


    However, it wasn''t the right time to recall something in the past or having a conversation like that. Their conversation later would be a whole different thing than Serefina could imagine.


    Perhaps Serefina''s current curiosity about Janus and Diana was because she just wanted to relive past her memories, trying to find tiny shards of her happy memories with Jedrek, which she knew, she wouldn''t create it again now.


    Serefina smiled bitterly when she watched black smoke swirled on top of the devastated castle. The place that held a lot of memories. Maybe it was just coincidence, but the condition of that magnificent building at this moment represented what Serefina and Jedrek had now perfectly.


    The sky had turned dark, as if it was an indication that storm would come and this only made the witch sneered. Since when this city center had a storm?


    Serefina didn''t slow her pace when she walked further ahead. Actually, she could teleport herself to the south castle, but she chose to not do that. She needed time for herself, yet it turned out she was relishing what she had.


    After walking for two hours, Serefina finally reached the spot where she met Jedrek for the first time, she touched the tree, where she saw Jedrek was resting when she practiced teleportation for the first time.


    The arrogant young lycan snarl and growl at her, talking to her in his Alpha''s tone, which didn''t have the effect that he wanted.


    Serefina smiled tenderly when she remembered that moment.


    However, because of that accident too, the two of them knew each other and this became the place where they would meet, despite no one from the two of them would say it. It was like a tacit understanding between them.


    Under this tree too, Jedrek kissed her for the first time. No, that was their first kiss.


    Serefina''s gaze softened when she felt the rough tree bark under her fingertips, she remembered how Jedrek avoided her eyes when their kissed ended and how the atmosphere became awkward.


    It didn''t take any longer than necessary before the two of them burst out in laughter. It felt so nice and pure.


    And they shared thousand kisses afterward.


    How na?ve they were at that time, thinking there was nothing would ruin what they had.


    Probably, Serefina would laugh out loud if there was someone told her that their relationship would end like this at that time.


    Serefina took a deep breath before she continued to walk ahead, as she remembered very clearly, when everything that she believed she had with Jedrek became a nightmare when her father left her and her mother.


    She learnt in hard way about the mate bond. That d*mn bond¡­


    However, as na?ve as they were, they thought everything would be fine, since Jedrek promised her that he would reject his mate the moment he found her.


    No one told Serefina at that time that it was almost impossible and very rare case that shifters rejected their destined mate, but the two of them kept going with their risky relationship.


    Serefina should have thought if her father, the pure blood witch, who loved her and her mother, couldn''t refuse the mate bond that formed between him and Belinda''s mother, then there would be a possibility that Jedrek couldn''t deny the bond either, yet Serefina didn''t think that way.


    She believed him. Even if he said the sun would rise from the west, she believed him¡­


    It was also not a common thing for shifters to have a mate that came not from their own kind, though it happened for some shifters.


    Serefina slowed down her pace when she reached a small bridge with a clear river streaming under it, the surface of the river flickered like glitter and it was a beautiful sight to behold.


    The witch found herself smiling.


    "Recall old memories?"


    A voice sounded from behind Serefina and out of instinct, she turned around only to find Asmodeus was staring at her with a sweet smile on her cherry lips.


    "You," Serefina said in uninterested tone, at this time, Serefina had reached the other side of the bridge and was too lazy to have a confrontation when her heart was sullen.


    "I want to offer you something." Asmodeus kept talking, despite Serefina''s lack of excitement.


    The witch didn''t even bother to reject it, she just ignored her and kept walking. All of the devils indeed always had a way to ruin someone mood.


    "Why don''t you join us and we will give you what you want?" Asmodeus walked to approach Serefina, but kept the distance between them, knowing this witch could become very dangerous if she was pissed.


    "I have everything that I want," Serefina grumbled, though she gave her back to the devil, but she was in high alert for sudden attack.


    "Including the Alpha King?" Asmodeus asked in fake- curious tone. "The last news I heard the Alpha King will hold his mating ceremony soon."

 Chapter 777 - CONFRONTATION

    "We need our Alpha to talk about this!" Alpha Ralph from Glory Wind pack was frowning. They wanted their Alpha to lead them, not his long lost brother.


    All of them knew about Kace, who became rogue, though the reason was still unclear, but they didn''t appreciate to be told by him.


    Unfortunately, the five Alphas there had the same thought. They didn''t want to take an order from someone who was not their leader.


    Even if Kace was Jedrek, they wouldn''t budge.


    "Your Alpha gave this responsibility to me!" Kace was pissed by their attitude and Chiron''s existence didn''t not help him either. Apparently, Torak''s people were having a problem to get along with other creature outside of their kind. Even after their long journey together, it didn''t warm up both creatures.


    "And we have every right to reject it!" Alpha Ralph said grumpily. "We just arrived from long journey, if we have to talk about nonsense, I will prefer to take some rest."


    His statement was supported by the other four Alphas inside the tent.


    "Do you want to disobey your Alpha''s direct order?!" Kace shouted. He didn''t believe he had to face disrespectful behavior like this.


    In the past, he had led thousand people and commanded them without being questioned, but now they simply walked away right in front of his face?!


    Kace indeed didn''t want to give an order, but it didn''t mean he would tolerate their behavior. His beast growled loudly inside his head, demanding respect that he deserved from these people.


    They should know; despite of being rogue, as a Donovan, Kace''s rank was higher than anyone inside this tent.


    "Come back here." Kace commanded them in low voice, he almost growled. However, there was no one paid attention to his warning.


    "You are not here to give order to us." Alpha Brian said brusquely.


    "I SAID COME BACK HERE!" Kace''s voice thundered inside the tent, even people outside the tent could hear him.


    Out of instinct, the five Alphas turned around only to find Kace''s red eyes. His beast took control of him.


    ==============


    In their first dinner, Raine accidentally touched Jedrek and, as she couldn''t control her power yet, some visions came into her mind about a few pieces of events that happened in the past.


    Jedrek perhaps didn''t realize that, since that happened so fast.


    "Raine saw something," Torak said. His voice neither loud nor harsh, but Jedrek could see how serious this matter was.


    "What did she see?" Jedrek asked grimly. Lilac had told her about the power that the other two guardian angels possessed and he knew Torak was telling the truth about Raine''s visions.


    "Are you sure, you want me to tell you now?" Torak glanced briefly at the two guards, who were still lowering their head, feeling intimidated by the two Donovans.


    Jedrek gritted his teeth. "Leave us alone."


    Without wasting another second the two guards immediately dashed out of the room and closed the door behind them.


    "So?" Jedrek tried to guess what exactly Torak knew, or what Raine had seen, about his past.


    "You fought father for Alpha''s title," Torak enunciated every word clearly and he could see a flash of surprise in Jedrek''s blue eyes, which disappeared in a flash, showing his aloofness once again. "Why did you do that?"


    Jedrek didn''t need to challenge their father for the Alpha''s position. He would inherit it eventually. A challenge for Alpha would require one of them to die. Whether the challenger won the battle by killing the former Alpha, or the Alpha would kill the challenger to prevent a complicated trouble in the future.


    The challenger had tarnished their loyalty to their Alpha, therefore it was a death sentence for one of them.


    "You know the rule! But, why!?" Torak growled as he took a step closer toward his older brother.


    They were glaring at each other, as a deep dangerous growl reverberated from within their chest and Jedrek chose to not answer Torak''s question.


    "They were not going together to live peacefully in the other realm, right?" Torak narrowed his eyes. That was what Jedrek told him when their parents disappeared all of sudden. "You killed father in that battle for Alpha''s title." Torak''s voice sounded like not himself.


    "Yes, I killed him," Jedrek admitted.


    Torak''s whole body shook with rage and when he asked the next question, white fur had sprouted on his skin. "Where is mother?"


    "I killed her too."


    ==============


    "Serefina!" Hope saw Serefina entered the room and immediately rose onto her feet and then rushed to hug the witch. "I miss you!"


    "Get away from me," Serefina said grumpily as she shoved away Hope from her, but not hard enough to hurt her.


    Meanwhile, Raine and Lilac were sitting next to each other. When they watched how Hope behaved with Serefina, Lilac leaned over to Raine to whisper something.


    "I can''t imagine Serefina raised one of us," Lilac said in low voice. "I felt like she would have strangled us to death with her temper."


    Raine chuckled when she heard that. She would have thought the same the same thing as Lilac when the first time she met Serefina.


    "Not everyone can stand her," Raine admitted. But, with time, she understood the witch, even though she didn''t really agree with everything that she said or the decision that she made.


    "Right," Lilac said, but then she realized; Jedrek was one of a few people, who could stand her.


    "Two of you! Come here, we don''t have all day!" Serefina looked at Lilac and Raine disapprovingly. "We need to do it now."


    "Hm? What is it?" Raine looked at Lilac, but she just stood up and ushered her toward Serefina and Hope.


    But, when Raine was close enough to Serefina, Hope felt cold wind blew on her face, forcing her to close her eyes, yet, when she opened them, they were no longer inside the room in the castle.


    This place was the same place like in her dream.

 Chapter 778 - APRICITY RIVER

    "Apricity river?" Raine said, she immediately recognized this place and took a notice of how murky the sky right now. "Are we going back to the past?" she looked around her, yet it didn''t seem they were in the past now.


    This was village of angel, but in recent time. The last time Raine was here, was when Torak met the vampire.


    "We are in Red River city?" Raine tilted her head to look at Serefina.


    "Yes," Serefina replied curtly and then she talked to Hope. "Is this the place in your dream?"


    "Yes, this is¡­" Hope watched the frozen river. "This is the place in my dream."


    "The river is frozen again," Raine murmured she remembered this was the second time she saw the river was frozen. The first time was when she went to the past for the first time and met Aeon.


    Raine grimaced. His name still left a big regret in her heart and a painful memory about what happened if she was not capable enough to protect the people, who dear to her.


    "I don''t even know that this place is real," Hope spoke in disbelieve and then she looked at the witch. "Why we are here?"


    That was the same question that Raine wanted to know, even Lilac didn''t know that Serefina would bring them to this place after what she told her about Hope''s dream.


    Lilac and Serefina couldn''t be said they were in good term, there were many complications that mixed in their relationship, but at the very least, they had the same goal and it was very clear that they had to work on it together.


    They had too many enemies out there and from within, thus they didn''t need to add more between themselves.


    "The Apricity River only ever froze once and that was when the war broke out. However, from what I have heard, but I can''t prove the authenticity of the news, this river had frozen long before that time."


    "You mean before the first war?" Lilac asked Serefina. She walked closer to the riverside.


    "Yes." Serefina nodded.


    "It meant there was another war before the great war between the lycanthropes and the devils?" Lilac crouched down and tried to take a better look of the frozen river.


    "It seems so¡­" Serefina murmured. "Just like what I said, I can''t prove the authenticity of the news."


    "Where did you get this news?" Hope asked. She walked closer to Lilac and squatted down beside her.


    "Old script from here and there¡­" Serefina said. This kind of information that she had been gathered since she left the realm centuries ago and this was also what Lana had been trying to find for her all along.


    "Wait¡­" Raine frowned. "In that case¡­ Is it also the lycanthropes, who have fought against the devils?"


    "No, based on what I have got, the war occurred before the lycanthropes or any other creatures existed in this world," Serefina said thoughtfully, she touched her chin.


    "Then, who fought them?" Hope stood up and walked toward Serefina, while Lilac turned around and stared at the witch, waiting for her explanation.


    That was right, if the war happened before the lycanthropes or any other creatures existed, then who had fought the devil then?


    Serefina answered with a low and deep voice, as if she was not really certain with her reply. "The gods and goddesses."


    "Wow¡­" Hope was surprised, yet her voice lacked with enthusiasm. "Things only become more complicated now."


    Silence fell among them while the sky let out a deafening roar, indicating that rain was about to fall.


    "Torak once told me that this city was called Red River City because the river from Apricity was once red," Raine said. She looked up the sky and frowned.


    "That is true¡­" Serefina said. "After the war, the apricity river turned red, it happened for a few years before the color of the water turned back into normal."


    "It means something connects this river and the war that has occurred," Raine concluded.


    "That''s right, added to the fact that Hope kept dreaming about this place," Lilac murmured. "What are you doing?" she asked when Hope inched closer toward the frozen river.


    "I heard something¡­" she said absentmindedly. "Don''t you hear that too?"


    "Hear what?" Serefina strode hastily and pulled her back before Hope could touch the surface of it. "I don''t hear anything."


    Hope frowned. "A whisper."


    "A whisper?" Lilac knitted her brows. "I don''t hear anything." Lilac looked at Raine, but she shook her head, indicating she didn''t hear what Hope heard.


    "But, I am sure something is whispering from down there." Hope pointed toward the river. "Why is it only me who can hear it?"


    "What the whisper said?" Lilac walked closer toward Hope and stood next to her while staring at the glistening frozen river. Above them, the sound of thunder resumed.


    "I don''t know¡­ the voice is not coherent." Hope shook her head and tried to listen more carefully, but she still couldn''t catch the words.


    Meanwhile, Raine, who was standing a little bit far from the three of them, caught something from the corner of her eyes.


    She didn''t believe what she saw, thus without a second thought she walked away from Serefina and Lilac, which focus was on Hope.


    The silhouette of this person disappeared behind a pile of empty barrels not far away from where Raine was standing.


    Raine approached it cautiously, her brows knitted tightly and her heart beat very fast.


    "Dorian?" Raine gasped. She didn''t believe she would meet him again now. "You are still alive?"


    Dorian was leaning his back against the empty barrels, his eyes met Raine''s and he scoffed. "Hello again Raine. Yes, I am still alive."


    "But, how¡­" Actually, Raine did not see Dorian die during the attack on the village of angel, but still, seeing him alive like this was quite a shock to her. "Why are you here?"


    Right at that time, Raine remembered what she had seen during the attack.

 Chapter 779 - YOU ARE ON THE WRONG SIDE

    Kace held Alpha Brian''s neck and hang him along his arm- length for his defiance. The Alpha from crescent moon pack was gritting his teeth and tried to free himself, but the more he moved the tighter Kace''s hand wrapped around his neck.


    Alpha Brian felt lightheaded now and his vision became blurry. He even didn''t have a chance to complete his shift into his beast when Kace stormed toward him unexpectedly and strangled him like this.


    "Go ahead and kill him," Alpha Ralph''s voice entered Kace''s consciousness and he tilted his head toward the Alpha. His red eyes glared viciously at him. "Do you think you can order us around just because you kill one of us?"


    Kace smirked at his statement and before Alpha Brian breathed his last, he was thrown out of the tent with so much force.


    "You better give an order to your own freak creatures and let Torak do this job." The other Alpha glowered and gave Chiron a nasty look. He barred his teeth and ready to fight the youngest Donovan in case he attached him the way he did to Alpha Brian. The Donovan''s strength was quite remarkable, they couldn''t put their guard down, especially when Kace looked very upset now.


    Kace felt his head boiled with rage, all he could see was red.


    But then, his human''s side pushed his way through the thick confusion and took over. He knew he couldn''t do this. He was not an Alpha or he regarded those Torak''s people as his own.


    "Good." Kace only said that word before he walked out of the tent, shifted into his beast and dashed toward the city behind the wall.


    He hated himself for running away from his responsibility, but Torak should know that he couldn''t take his people in short notice and expected them to give him the same respect that they gave to Torak.


    This is suck!


    ==============


    "You were the one who killed Serefina," Raine remembered. She watched the spear of shadow that pierced through Serefina''s chest that killed her. "You killed Serefina in that attack."


    Dorian watched Raine with hard gaze, before he admitted to the thing that he had done. "Yes, I killed her." His black eyes glanced at the witch and the other two guardian angels, who didn''t seem to notice that he was there, talking to Raine. "But, why she is still alive?" he narrowed his eyes. Confusion was evident on his face.


    "And why are you still alive too?" Raine threw the same question to him. She looked around her expectantly. "Are you the only one alive?" she asked.


    "What? Are you looking for Aeon?" Dorian scoffed disdainfully and when Raine averted her eyes, he knew his random guess was right. "Your mate crushed his heart and the witch burned him. Do you think he would survive that? Even if the devils wanted to resurrect him again, there was nothing left of him."


    Raine knitted her brows when she heard that statement.


    "You take his feeling for granted and now you acted like you care," Dorian sneered and shook his head. He heard what Aeon had been doing for Raine all these past years until the end, though they had never met with each other or Aeon was aware about his existence, but Dorian had his way to know everything.


    After all, his motive was different from Aeon. Aeon''s focus was solely to find this certain guardian angel, yet for Dorian, it was to see the death of all the lycanthropes. And he was determined to see this happen.


    "You were resurrected by the devil," Raine stated, ignoring the harsh words from Dorian that criticized her for not taking Aeon''s side.


    Raine cared for Aeon, but there was no way she would take his side. No matter how many times Aeon had saved her life or how he had taken care of her during the years when she had to face those supernatural creatures, before she met Torak, Raine wouldn''t be able to reciprocate his feeling and Aeon was completely aware about that.


    Hence, there was no point to fuss over that matter.


    "I am," Dorian admitted, as realization fell upon him. "Was someone resurrected Serefina?"


    Raine was not sure about that, but she seemed didn''t need to ask another question to find the answer. Everything was so clear for her now.


    If Selene, the moon goddess was able to resurrect the guardian angels, then she was more than capable to do the same to Serefina.


    Raine shifted her attention from Serefina when she heard Dorian chuckled. "Those creatures," he jeered. "It seems very easy for them to ruin the order of death and life. We just repeated the old story."


    "If the old story is being repeated then you should know that you are on the wrong side," Raine said grimly.


    "You don''t know." Dorian shook his head. "You are a fool if you think the devils were defeated."


    "Didn''t they?" Raine pursed her lips into a thin line.


    "Do you think there will be another war if they were being defeated?" Dorian scoffed disdainfully. "I will give you an advice. I am sure you have heard this."


    Raine could see from the corner of her eyes that Serefina and the other started to realize that she was not there.


    "Don''t meddle with this war. You will repeat the fate of the guardian angel before you," Dorian said.


    "Raine! What are you doing there?!" Serefina walked over toward her. "We have to go now."


    The thunder rumbled in the dark sky and drizzle of rain started to fall to the ground, but when Raine looked at the spot where Dorian was standing a while ago. The shadow warrior was no longer there.


    "Why are you here?" Serefina berated her and looked around, but she saw no one.


    "I meet the shadow warrior that killed you," Raine said. She didn''t have any intention to hide this truth from Serefina. "It''s true, right? That you were dead during the attack."

 Chapter 780 - HOW TO HEAL YOUR WOUND

    "What happened to you?" Torak panted heavily when he watched Jedrek writhed on the ground.


    Blood covered the ground of the dungeon. The blood of Donovans.


    A while ago the two white beasts were fighting each other, trying to dominate one another, but it didn''t take a long time before Torak realized there was something wrong with Jedrek.


    He had seen the gashed behind his brother''s back during the rogue attack, but there was no way it was not healed yet.


    Torak wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and from his forehead. The fight didn''t last for long time, but it was enough to make them covered in blood, cut and bruises.


    However, during the fight, it was clear to see that Jedrek was not in good shape. The gashes from his last battle with the rogue was still apparent on his back.


    "D*mn it Jedrek! Shift back!" Torak roared when the white beast snarled at him. "What happened with your wound?!" It was already strange enough to see the way Jedrek moved to dodge his attack, no need to mention he had wounds that didn''t heal after days.


    The white beast glowered at Torak through his black eyes, yet in the next second, his body was shaking violently, it seemed the process to shift back into his human skin, put him in pain.


    "What happened with your wounds?!" Torak walked closer and yanked his clothes, as Jedrek swatted his hand away from him, yet he was not fast enough because Torak had grabbed the material and tore it, revealing the nasty wounds. "What happened with you?!"


    "None of your business!" Jedrek took his cloak and was about to walk out of this room, when another voice surprised the two of them.


    "How did you get those wounds?" Kace''s voice echoed inside the dungeon along with his heavy footsteps.


    Jedrek and Torak were too focus at each other until didn''t realize that Kace had been standing there for some time.


    "Is it Maximus who gave you that wound?" Kace walked into the room.


    "What are you doing here?!" Both Jedrek and Torak threw their younger brother the same question.


    "Wow!" Kace stopped on his track and raised both of his hands in surrender. "I thought you were fighting. I don''t know that the two of you get along pretty well," he said sarcastically.


    Ignoring Kace''s snarky comment, Torak narrowed his eyes at him while Jedrek put on his cloak to cover his wounds. "I told you to lead the people out there. What are you doing here?!" Torak was not the least bit happy to see Kace here.


    "Those people are yours!" Kace shouted back at Torak. He was not happy either because what had happened in the tent. "Do you really think that those Alphas will listen to me?! They were whining, saying that they missed you!"


    Jedrek grimaced upon hearing Kace''s choice of words. It sounded unpleasant to hear.


    "You let them to kick you out!?" Torak crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was not sure, whether he was more angry at Jedrek or Kace, both of them made his head hurt. He wanted to end things here and seek for comfort from his mate. "You should show them who in charge there!"


    "In what way?! Kill them!?" Kace almost lost his temper again as he could feel his beast prowled on the edge of his consciousness.


    "If you want to bicker with each other, I will go first," Jedrek spoke in irritated tone. "Try to not kill each other. We still have a war to fight for."


    "I am not yet done with you." Torak shifted his attention toward Jedrek and Kace blocked his way out.


    "You have not answer my question yet." Kace stood tall in front of Jedrek. The three of them were almost at the same height, yet Jedrek seemed a little bit taller than Torak and Kace.


    "What is it? Do you team up to stop me now?" Jedrek raised his brows, didn''t like the way his two younger brothers treated him.


    "Where did you get those wounds?" Kace repeated his question. "Is it Maximus?"


    Only then, Jedrek remembered the report that he received a year ago. "Maximus did this to you too?"


    "Yes," Kace replied and then scoffed disdainfully. "Thanks to you."


    "What? You have the same wounds?" Torak was at lost. It seemed they needed more than a day to catch up with each other. There were so many things that they didn''t know. "Both of you were injured with the same person?"


    Seeing Jedrek in his current condition was already a surprise for Torak, the fact that he could be wounded to that extent, but to know Kace also suffered the same thing was not a good news for them.


    "I have recovered." Kace shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly, but there was uneasiness that flashed on his eyes when he remembered how he recovered from that nasty curse of wounds.


    "How?" Jedrek really needed to know this, though he said that this wounds didn''t bother him, but he could still feel the side effects of it.


    "Apparently, mark Hope, heal my wounds," Kace said.


    "How did it work?" Jedrek knew he would mark Lilac after the mating ceremony, but he didn''t know that it could heal his wound as well. This could be added into one of the reason why his decision to do the mating ceremony was right.


    "I don''t want to go into detail," Kace rejected to explain further. "You and I were in different situation. But, marking Hope worked for me. I think it would have the same effect on you."


    "Good," Jedrek nodded his head. "I will mark her sooner or later, so there is nothing to worry about."


    Jedrek was about to leave the room when Torak held his shoulder and spoke sternly.


    "You have not yet answer my question, brother." Torak gritted his teeth when he continued. "What happened to our parents?"

 Chapter 637 - HE IS NOT MY KING!

    "If you are talking about war, then save your breath." Jedrek''s voice was stern. He straightened his back, and shot a dangerous look at his mate with his bloodshot eyes. "And I will be with whoever I want, regardless if you are my mate or not!"


    Somehow, he could feel an unknown stabbing pain in his chest after he said those heartless words. And this mysterious pain had nothing to do with the wound in his shoulder. Lilac could feel her anger controlling her body after she heard Jedrek''s declaration.


    Unconsciously she dug her nails deep into her palms. She bit down her lips and hatred flashed in her eyes. But, the moment she talked, her voice was steady and calm. "At least, we are on the same page for this matter." she said. Eventually, the tension in her body eased and her expression didn''t give in to the amount of fury that she felt.


    Jedrek found himself hated when Lilac succeeded in feigning her emotion. She showed him how his mean words didn''t affect her, as it did to him. At that moment he realized that this girl wouldn''t be easy to handle, that it would be exceptionally difficult to deal with.


    Lilac ignored the pain on her shoulder and took a step forward towards Jedrek. She was trying to test the water, whether this Lycan King would go berserk again or not. As it turned out, he did nothing and just stayed there with his eyes glaring intensely at her.


    Jedrek didn''t kill her even when he had the chance to. Despite his attempt to hurt her, he couldn''t bring himself to go further and cross the line completely. She realized that he couldn''t ignore the bond between them. She made her conclusion triumphantly that he wouldn''t be able to kill her.


    No, at least he couldn''t kill her with his own hands. He could still order his underlings to do it for him. With that crossing in her mind, she determined herself to always be careful with this, never to let her guard down, and always be cautious for whatever her next move was going to be.


    "Get out of my sight." Jedrek was about to leave Lilac.


    But then she said, "You know about the impending war, right? Do you really think it won''t happen if you ignore it?" Lilac took herself closer to him, trying to use all the luck she had in one day.


    Jedrek turned around and in no time he wrapped Lilac''s delicate neck in his grip. But then, the sparks erupted again, forcing him to stop from doing anything more dangerous than that. Not even his pride could push him to go through according to his plan.


    Jedrek clenched his jaw tightly, fighting the sudden unbearable urge to mark her right there and then, in order to subdue and punish Lilac for her defiant actions. Meanwhile, Lilac could feel his trembling hand around her neck. She knew that her earlier theory was just proven right then.


    "Don''t you see what is happening to your kingdom?" Lilac spoke clearly while inserting the importance of what she was saying in her tone. "The darkness is coming!" she was brought to surprise when he pulled her closer to him.


    They were so close that Jedrek could clearly see the irises in her eyes, and her slightly parted lips. He said, "Don''t talk about my kingdom in front of me." However, in response, Lilac''s lips formed a smug of smile as she replied, "Really? I would love to see how you handle the issues."


    Jedrek let out a dangerous growl when he felt there was someone approaching in his direction. He threw Lilac aside, and watched heartlessly when her body was about to hit the tree. But, before it could happen, there were vines coiled around her waist and saved her from the supposed crash.


    At that time, a guard came from between the bushes. "Your Majesty, are you okay, Sir?" He asked as his eyes trailed to Lilac. The girl had steadied herself after being thrown and looked at the guard cautiously as he growled at her.


    "Make sure you escort her out of the castle." Jedrek didn''t even spare Lilac a glace when he left and walked away. The guard frowned in confusion. He doubted what he was ordered to. Escort her out of the castle? Instead of killing her?


    There was no movement from both of them for some time. They were staring at each other, trying to figure out each other''s intention. "You hear the King," the guard said as he mind-linked the other guards to come and help, just in case this girl was up to good and did her magic again.


    After all, he had seen what this girl was capable of doing when she created the destruction and turned the castle into a complete mess. "Now, I will escort you out of this castle." Then he saw the girl rolling her eyes, looking fed up with the nonsense that she had been forcedly facing all day.


    "I don''t take orders from the King," said Lilac. There were three more guards coming from the bushes. She wasn''t scared of them. Even with injuries, Lilac was confident that she could defeat the four of them alone in a matter of seconds. Thus she didn''t take them seriously.


    "You must obey the King''s orders!" the other guards shouted at her. Still, they knew better to not make any stupid move when they saw vines and roots emerging from the ground. They needed to carefully not cross her, because clearly she was already back to her combat mode.


    "Well, he is YOUR King! He is not MY King!" Lilac shouted. She was irritated just to hear them talking. She didn''t have the obligation to follow his words. She was not a subject to no king. That tyrant Lycan King should go down and rotten in the deepest part of hell!


    But, before this argument could turn into something worse, there was the fifth person emerging from the darkness beside Lilac. His movement was stealthy that Lilac wasn''t even aware of his presence, until he started to talk, "All of you can go," Maximus said as he waved his hand towards the guards.


    "But, The King¡ª" one of the guards retorted. But, the look in Maximus''s eyes made him hold his tongue and stopped his sentence. Instead he lowered his head and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."


    With the four guards left the scene, Maximus stayed behind with the girl. "If I''m not mistaken, you did introduce yourself. It''s Lilac, isn''t it?" said Maximus while giving Lilac a harmless smile.


    She squinted her eyes and said, "And you are?"


    "I am Maximus, the leader of the seven generals." Maximus introduced himself, bowed his body slightly gesturing his politeness.


    Upon hearing his name, Lilac stared back at him resentfully. "What do you want?" she kept her voice steady and calm, trying hard to hold back her anger.


    "I know who you are. You were not lying when you said you are a guardian angel," said Maximus lightly. "I will help you to convince the Alpha."


    Lilac sneered. "Oh really? Would it be just like how you helped him to strangle me to death years ago?"

 Chapter 647 - SHOW OFF!

    "Well, you said it yourself that you don''t want to eat anything that was offered to you by an enemy. But at the same time, you''re staying here." Tordoff waved his hand casually. "In your enemy''s lair."


    To think about it again, that was quite right. It was spot on. Even Lilac was upset to admit that he was right. However, what choice did she have? Although, staying inside his castle was not the best decision she had ever made. But, it was made after a long, good, and careful thought.


    Lilac wouldn''t walk in here without careful calculations. She made sure that she was ready. Plus, she was armed just fine. She knew better than anyone else about the worst of her situation. The consequences of her action would cost her an unspeakable price. Her life.


    "You can''t judge me for that." Lilac frowned.


    "I''m not judging you." Tordoff shook his head. "But I know that you are here for a reason."


    "Oh, I am so glad that at least, you are paying attention to that. But, do you know that one of my reasons is to kill your Alpha?" Lilac asked sarcastically. She noticed the change in Tordoff''s expression, and she smirked upon it.


    "I will not be as friendly as I am now with you the next time you are talking like that about His Majesty the Alpha King." even the way he spoke changed.


    "Don''t worry." Lilac flicked her long black hair from her shoulder. "As much as I hate to admit it, my power is not strong enough to take down your beautiful Alpha. Plus, I can assure you that I need him alive more than dead."


    Tordoff crossed his arms. He was right. The young girl was indeed exceptionally interesting. However, the silence between them disappeared the moment Lilac''s stomach suddenly growled. It was so loud that caused Tordoff to burst a laugh. "See? I was right when I said you are funny."


    Lilac glared at him to conceal her embarrassment.


    "Let''s go to the city center before that sound scares all the guards." Tordoff waved his hand for Lilac to follow him.


    ==============


    There they were, walking side by side. Lilac was strolling beside Tordoff inside the castle, what an odd sight to see. It was only natural for whoever saw them then, widened their eyes in disbelief. Because it was still fresh in their memories about how Lilac ruined their great hall single handedly. Not only that, she also fought the generals, and His Majesty the Alpha King himself, before she could be taken down.


    On the other hand, Lilac rather enjoyed their confusion, and fear for her. They should know better to not mess with her.


    "So, what did you eat these past three days, if you don''t eat the food that was delivered to you?" Tordoff was curious. Though Lilac chose to keep the distance between them, he made sure the guardian angel could hear his voice clearly.


    "I ate this," Lilac said, at the same time she threw an apple at Tordoff.


    The general caught it, and raised the red apple. "This?" He was a little confused. "I will not be able to walk if all I eat for three days straight is only this."


    It was well known about how big the appetite of shapeshifters was. An apple wouldn''t be considered as food for them, not even close to a snack, because how light it was. Meanwhile, Lilac didn''t have anything to say about his statement. So, she remained silent, but when she saw that Tordoff didn''t eat the apple, she asked. "Why don''t you eat that? You don''t like fruits? Fruits are good for your body."


    "The same reason as yours," he replied, grinning.


    Lilac rolled her eyes and snatched the apple from his hand. Then, she bit it down to make her point that the apple was not a threat. "You are wasting food," said Lilac. The general laughed again, and this only made Lilac frown. He looked down at her feet now.


    He pointed at her tiny feet, "And may I know the reason why you are not wearing any shoes or slippers? You do realize that you''re walking barefoot?" He never saw a female who would do that.


    "Yes. Because I like it this way. I can feel the ground under my feet." Lilac knew that it would be considered strange to walk barefoot in any realms, except the one that the Moon Goddess created for her. It was an old habit for her, and people say that old habit dies hard.


    ==============


    After her hunger was sated, and she was done shopping, Lilac agreed to go back to the castle with Tordoff. Although she would love to roam around for more, went to another store just to hear more complaints from Tordoff. But she had to admit that it was time to go. Her legs were tired of walking, and she couldn''t hold back her yawn again.


    What else could she do? She was up all night, wide awake since last night. All that because of Jedrek and his ''goodnight kisses''. Lilac kicked herself internally when that thought suddenly crossed her mind. The sun almost set, and all the light on the streets had been turned on. Lilac decided to give in and followed Tordoff to return back to the castle, finally stopping on making it difficult for the general.


    She could tell that Tordoff would actually be a wonderful person to hang out with. That, if only he was not one of Jedrek''s generals, if only he was not the enemy, if only they were not in this situation. Lilac liked how caring, and grumpy he was during the day they were in the city center.


    All her life, Lilac had been living in a different realm. She only had Selene as her friend, tutor and everything that she knew. She didn''t associate with other people too well. Although, on some rare occasions Lilac would be permitted to leave the realm, and watch her family from afar. But, it didn''t help with her ability to socialize with other people.


    "So, why does Jedrek want me to be protected?" Lilac asked while eating her snack. She refused to get on the carriage earlier, and that was why they were walking to the castle. Then, from her side,Tordoff said, "I don''t know," he finished the cake that he bought. "Never questioned his order."


    "Seriously!" Lilac rolled her eyes at him dramatically. But, before she could add another sarcastic word, Tordoff caught her arms, and pulled her closer to him. His eyes were fixed in a certain direction on the empty road. Could they be in danger?


    "What is it?" Lilac followed his eyes to the direction where he was staring intensely. All she could see there were the bushes swaying slightly. "Cat? Mouse?"


    "I would not care if it were just some pests," Tordoff said, and he moved forward. "I smell something. There''s something wrong. Stay here."


    She chose to not argue with him. Then immediately, she dropped to her knees to feel the ground beneath her palm. Almost in an instant the bushes were thrown over and revealed the line of trees behind it. She could feel the movement there and decided to send her tendrils to follow whoever was there. And in no time, she caught something there.


    Meanwhile, Tordoff could only stand there in awe before complaining, "Show off!"

 Chapter 781 - THE TRUTH FROM THE PAST

    Kace looked at Torak and Jedrek back and forth, he was not sure whether he understood with their current situation.


    "Were not they left to the other realm and stayed there?" Kace frowned. "What do you mean with ''what happened to them?''" he looked at Jedrek. "What happened to them?"


    "Tell us Jedrek," Torak spoke and sat down on his previous chair. "We can''t go to the battle when we don''t trust each other."


    "I don''t think I want to trust him," Kace complained, but he was rewarded a glare from Torak. "What? Do you want to trust the person who had hunted you down for years? Just like this? I am sorry, but I am pretty good on holding a grudge."


    "So what do you want to do with that grudge of yours?" Jedrek sat down on his chair as well, leaving Kace was the only person stood up inside the room. "Do you want to get back at me?"


    With his two older brothers were sitting, Kace felt like he was being inspected by them. This kind of feeling was pretty annoying. "Can I?" Kace asked defiantly.


    "I don''t think you have the guts to kill even a fly now," Jedrek commented rudely. "When Maximus cursed you with these wounds, you didn''t kill him. And when Killian hunted you, you didn''t kill him as well."


    "What you had done, were disgusting," Torak gave Jedrek a look. "I would have you killed if you dare to touch my mate."


    "You don''t have any right to complain when you did nothing to help him." Jedrek glared at Torak. There were a lot of antipathy and bitterness between the three of them.


    Torak knew about what Jedrek had done to Kace, but he had to admit that he didn''t take his older brother''s action into consideration. To put it simply, he didn''t want to have anything to do with his brothers.


    But the situation was different now.


    "He didn''t need my help if you didn''t do what you had done in the first place," Torak glowered at Jedrek.


    "Can we focus to the question; what happened to our parents? Instead of talking about me? I had been through all of that and I didn''t need to be reminded again." Kace raised his hands and leaned his back against the damps wall. "I will even the scale with him the first chance given," he said.


    "Do as you please." Jedrek didn''t take Kace''s words seriously.


    After that, there was silence that fell among them before Torak posted the same question. "What happened to our parents? What do you mean when you said you had killed them?"


    "What?!" Kace was shocked, he stood straight and glared at Torak hardly. "What do you mean¡­"


    Torak raised his hand to stop Kace''s blabbering. "You owed us explanation, brother."


    It had been an ages since the last time Jedrek heard that word from Torak. In the past, before Jedrek drove him out of this realm, they were often talking to each other about a lot of things regarding this realm, since Kace was too young to exchange ideas with him.


    "I killed them," Jedrek started and this stirred Kace''s anger, yet Torak forced him to stay and listen to what Jedrek about to say. "To save you." He nodded to Kace.


    "What do you mean to save me?!" Kace didn''t seem to understand what Jedrek was saying. It sounded like he was talking in different language.


    "Father wanted to kill you. So, I killed him," Jedrek spoke lightly, as if this fact was not a big thing for him.


    "You are a liar!" Kace shouted. However, he couldn''t help thinking that what Jedrek had said was the truth.


    Despite being the perfect father for them and ruler for this realm, Kace could feel his father''s resentment toward him, after all, he was the weakest and softhearted among the three, yet Kace didn''t think his own father would kill him.


    That was not true, right?


    "You want the truth? That is the truth." Jedrek looked at his brother was in denial, yet he didn''t budge or show his sympathy. "I don''t think I need to hide it any longer. There are no consequences for me to say this."


    "Father would never do that," Torak narrowed his eyes. He had prepared himself for the worse, but he didn''t expect this. How could their father wanted to kill his flesh and blood?


    Lycanthropes upheld kinship more than any creatures in the realms, thus Torak couldn''t think the reason why their father would do that to Kace. "What his reason?"


    "Mother," Jedrek replied to him truthfully and started to tell them in light tone, as if he was telling a story and the story didn''t involve any murder or violence.


    When Diana was pregnant with Kace, she was having a difficult labor on the day she gave birth. And ever since that day, her health started deteriorating.


    Janus did everything to safe her and sought for help. However, he ended up asking the help from the devils. That was his first mistake that led them to another catastrophe.


    Janus sold his soul to Mamon in order to prolong Diana''s life and in return, Mamon wanted a huge sacrifice. It was the time when Jedrek went berserk and give crazy order to execute many creatures in the name to expand their territory.


    Diana''s health recovered, but it didn''t take a long time before she was sick again. Kace and Torak were not completely aware about this because they were often out of the castle to execute Jedrek''s order.


    Meanwhile, their father would appear to always agree with whatever Jedrek''s plan. He seemed like a supportive father, who taught his firstborn about how to rule the realm, when the truth; he was the mastermind behind all of that.


    And when the deal with the devils didn''t work any longer and Diana became very sick to even leave the bed, Janus met with a fae, who told him he needed the guardian angels.

 Chapter 782 - THE TRUTH FROM THE PAST (2)

    Janus needed the guardian angel in order to save his mate''s life and at the same time, Jedrek received an order from Selene, the moon goddess, to gather all the guardian angel for the upcoming war with the devils and also for the reason that the rules, which was enforced by the shadow warrior was no longer could be tolerated.


    The guardian angels were not supposed to be locked up in one place, they should roam around the realm, to abate the darkness. This was also one of the reasons why the devils managed to create such remarkable force after so many times there was no one could suppress the darkness that they spread.


    However, the timing was not right. Janus heard that and forced Jedrek to let him see the guardian angel when he heard Jedrek''s warrior managed to tackle down the village of angel and eradicated all the shadow warriors that had been protected them for years, only a day before the war.


    Out of respect for his father, Jedrek allowed him to see those guardian angels without knowing his true intention


    And the moment Jedrek learned about it, it was already too late for him to fix the damage. Janus had sapped those poor creatures'' energy and left them with nothing, but soulless body with valuable bloods. This was the first reason why they died in the battle. Only Jedrek who knew about this.


    He was conflicted with himself and was not able to tell a soul about this, including Serefina. Moreover, the witch couldn''t be found after their big argumentation, just a day before the attack of the village of angel.


    The second reason was because Jedrek ordered his people to use their precious blood too along the war, just like how the shadow warrior would use their blood whenever they went to a battle.


    Those reasons were enough to kill the guardian angels and wiped out their existence from this realm.


    Therefore, when Selene lifted their curse and gave them the guardian angels as their mate, Jedrek felt like it was a punishment rather than a reward for their accomplishment.


    Selene must have known what Jedrek had done to her precious guardian angel and with the way she gave them as the Donovan''s mates, it was almost like another form of a reminder about the decision that he had made.


    After the war, things didn''t stop there, it only got worse, and after all the things that Janus had done, Diana was still not fully recovered.


    In the moment of desperation, even thought the devil did not have enough strength because of their defeat in the war, they came again and offered the same thing to Janus.


    This time in exchanged of Diana''s life, Asmodeus wanted Kace''s life instead, for another years of Diana''s.


    It had gone too far and too dark. Janus was insane to accept that deal.


    Jedrek had led his people to defeat the devil, but he couldn''t do the same when the devils had rooted under their roof. His father had turned insane because of his obsession to bring their mother back to life.


    It almost like they won the battle, but lost the war, for Jedrek.


    The moment his father wanted to kill Kace for that, Jedrek challenged him for the Alpha''s title.


    Jedrek knew the consequences, but he was left with no other choices. Their father had gone too far and nothing that Jedrek said could reach him.


    Therefore, Jedrek was forced to choose between his deranged father or his younger brother. Whatever his choice, was not an easy or pleasant one. However, he had to think of an option that dealt less damage.


    Once Jedrek killed his father, he announced to the outside world that both Janus and Diana had stepped down from their throne and lived somewhere else.


    The transition of power was not really a problem, since that title bound to be Jedrek''s. It was his right birth after all.


    However, the deal that Janus made with the devil turned him into a low creature. He was died, but his soul remained inside the castle, in the secret tunnel, in the place where Jedrek had killed him, while Diana was in coma state.


    And the only way to end all the madness was to kill Diana, because Janus''s soul bound to her.


    "¡­and I killed mother for good," Jedrek said in completely unattached voice. He didn''t show any emotion on his cold fa?ade.


    Kace was sitting on the floor with his head hung low, there were a lot of emotions that flashed on his blue eyes. He was in denial. He was in disbelieve. The information that he heard was simply too much for him to discern and too mindblowing to be believed.


    "I will not say that my decision was right. Hell, I know my decisions were terrible, but that was the best thing I could think of at that moment and I don''t want to regret it." Jedrek stood up from his chair. "I don''t indulge myself in the past and neglect what we will face now. I wish the same thing from the two of you."


    After saying that, Jedrek left the room, leaving his two brothers, who seemed wouldn''t move for another hours.


    ===============


    "Where have you been? Why did you just come back now?" Hope rushed toward Kace, who just entered their bedroom, but the look on his face stopped Hope from her blabbering. "What happened?"


    Kace didn''t say anything he just trudged toward her and buried his face on the crook of his mate shoulder.


    Hope couldn''t see it, but she could feel Kace''s body was trembling.


    ==============


    Raine didn''t know what had happened to Torak, but ever since he returned from meeting Jedrek, he had acted very strange.


    It had been an hour since Torak was standing on the balcony and stared at the distance, seemingly deep in thought.


    Raine approached her mate and hugged him from back and slowly, his tensed muscle became relax. They stayed like that in blissful silence, under the moonlight and starry sky.

 Chapter 783 - CAN I HAVE A HUG?

    Jedrek stood alone under the moonlight, in the middle of the yard, feeling the wind caressed his skin and fluttered his cloak. The night was very serene. He wondered if he would feel this way two days from now when the mating ceremony took place.


    However, even now he didn''t feel at ease, the contradiction of his surroundings.


    His last conversation with his brothers truly left a big hollow in his heart, though he tried to not show it on his expression, yet he couldn''t help but thinking whether what he said was right? Or he said it wrongly and they misinterpreted that.


    Jedrek would be lying if he said he wasn''t worried about what his brothers thought after what he said.


    He chuckled when he realized it. He shouldn''t feel this way, especially after the way he had treated them during their separation and how he drove Torak away from this realm, forced him to create his own pack because Jedrek didn''t want him to stay in the same castle where the soul of their dead father controlled his decision.


    Aside from that, Jedrek wanted Torak had his own force, the people that he could trust.


    "What are you doing standing there?" Jedrek asked without even turned his body. He had sensed her presence since a few minutes ago. He thought she would leave him and he would pretend that she was never there in the first place, but she stayed.


    "What is bothering you?" Serefina should have known that she couldn''t hide from him, but she was not able to bring herself to walk away from him when she saw how Jedrek was feeling down at the moment.


    The sight of his back was so lonely and it made Serefina couldn''t leave him alone.


    "Many things," Jedrek admitted. "The list can go on for two days," he said exaggeratedly, but Serefina neither laugh nor mock him.


    Perhaps, he was just saying the truth.


    Jedrek heard the faint sound of Serefina''s footsteps, walked over to him. However, he didn''t budge or turn around to see her until the witch was standing in front of him.


    "Something is bothering you." That was a statement not a question. Serefina looked at Jedrek closely and felt very familiar with the stoic expression that he wore right now. Her heart ached for him.


    "Something is always bothering me," Jedrek admitted. He stared at the woman that he loved. The person that caused so much pain for him and left him when he needed her the most.


    The cold wind blew again, rattled the branches and the leaves, yet it was not cold enough to make the two people sought for a shelter.


    Serefina stretched out her hands. She shouldn''t do this and make things became more complicated between them again, yet she couldn''t help herself. She wanted to touch him.


    How long it had been since the last time she could touch him? How long it had been since the last time they had this kind of conversation? Time went so fast and Serefina didn''t feel like she was really alive.


    However, before the tip of her fingers could touch him, Jedrek dodged it swiftly without breaking eyes contact with her. There was a warning in the way he looked at her and Serefina understood it perfectly.


    The witch laughed bitterly and put down her hand. "I see," she said softly. "We have grown apart."


    "You should expect this since you left without a word," Jedrek tried to sound indifferent, but the pain in his voice was palpable.


    "You should have expected this since you hid something from me," Serefina countered. She wouldn''t have gone to the village of angel to vent out her anger and got killed, if she was not very mad at him at that time.


    Jedrek started to hide something from her and Serefina didn''t like it. Especially, when she knew it was something very big that occupied his time and mind.


    "You don''t understand," Jedrek said in regret.


    Serefina was always stubborn and didn''t like it when she was being left in the dark, but Jedrek was not ready to share his burden at that time and the witch didn''t have enough patience to wait for him to open up.


    No one could be blamed in this matter, but it caused so much damaged for both of them.


    "Make me understand," Serefina gritted her teeth. Suddenly, it was easier when she longed for him, but couldn''t be with him, instead of seeing the disappointment in those beautiful blue eyes that she loved.


    "Tell me why did you leave?" Jedrek asked without hesitation. However, when he looked at her reaction, he knew immediately that he wouldn''t get the answer that he needed. "You can''t answer that."


    Serefina lowered her head. For a moment, she couldn''t bring herself to look at him in the eyes.


    "It couldn''t be help, right?" Jedrek said in soft voice and stretched out his hand to caress her hair. "I never imagined that we would end up in this situation."


    Serefina bit her lips and savored his touch.


    "The mating ceremony will happen in two days," he informed her. "Tell me if I make a wrong decision.??


    Jedrek tried to justify himself by giving Serefina the last chance to tell him the truth.


    Yet, when the witch raised her head and looked at him, she was smiling softly and shook her head. "No, you make the right decision. Congratulation for the two of you."


    "Thanks," Jedrek said coldly and put down his hand.


    "This is it then," Serefina stilled her heart when she lost his touch. "Can I have a hug? The last hug." she asked in teasing tone, spread both of her arms, but the sound of her own voice sounded pathetic even in her ears.


    However, Jedrek took a step back, avoiding her.


    "Goodbye, Serefina." The king nodded slightly and excused himself, he even didn''t turn around when he heard the soft sobs of the woman he left behind.

 Chapter 784 - THE NIGHT BEFORE THE MATING CEREMONY

    "What are you doing out there?" Jedrek quickened his steps when he found Lilac was standing outside of her room, leaning her back against the door.


    The guardian angel raised her head and stared at him through her long lashes. "I can''t sleep," she said in low voice. "I was about to take a walk and approached you since you were standing alone there, but then I saw Serefina was staring at you from the distance."


    Jedrek glanced at his left side and from here, he was able to see the spot where he was standing a few minute ago. The witch was no longer there now.


    It was too far for him to catch Lilac''s scent and too far for Lilac to hear his conversation with Serefina.


    "I talked to her," Jedrek admitted.


    "Hm," Lilac mumbled. Actually, she just watched the way Serefina was staring at Jedrek and then hiding here because she didn''t want to see what would happen next.


    But, thanked to Jedrek, now she knew that they had a conversation.


    "Nothing happened," Jedrek tried to clarify the doubt in Lilac''s eyes. "It is over between us."


    "Yes, you said it before," Lilac murmured and then turned around to enter her room. "I think I will take a rest."


    "You don''t believe me," Jedrek said. He grabbed Lilac''s wrist and turned her body to face him.


    "I don''t know what I have to believe now," Lilac replied truthfully. She didn''t even know what to expect or what she wanted from this kind of relationship. This feeling was too complicated for her.


    Slowly, Jedrek freed her hand and let Lilac entered her room.


    "Good night Jedrek," Lilac said in soft voice.


    Jedrek didn''t answer her, but he stood there for a bit longer even after Lilac had closed the door and went to bed.


    ==============


    "So, tomorrow is the ceremony?" Hope caressed the purple lilac, which Lilac chose for the decoration and now these flowers covered almost the entire castle. "I can''t imagine how lively tomorrow''s event will be."


    Jedrek didn''t invite many important people, but those who lucky enough to be invited just arrived this early morning.


    The news about it had spread around the realm and many shifters and creatures had packed the city to celebrate it with their king. Apparently, it was a custom in this realm for the royal family to open the castle for the commoner in occasion like this.


    It was a good opportunity to see their new queen, since most of them wanted to see Jedrek''s destined mate, which was the guardian angel.


    Even now there were a lot of people, who was still talking about how odd it was for their king to have ''the weak'' guardian angel as his destined mate.


    However, for some people, who had seen Lilac when she appeased the commotion about the missing people, they knew that the guardian angel was not like what most of the people pictured about them.


    Lilac was young, but she had a calm aura that let people at ease to rely on her. The way she carried herself was fascinating.


    Unfortunately, there were still many people, who didn''t care enough to take a closer look on her and let their judgment clouded by the story about the guardian angel.


    "Why don''t we go out and celebrate it?" Hope stood in front of Lilac and Raine.


    The three of them were inside Hope''s room, talking about everything while their mates went to deal with a few things.


    Calleb was in charged for the three of them and he looked bored staying inside this room.


    "What do you want to celebrate? Tomorrow will be a huge celebration," Lilac said. "There is no need for early celebration."


    "No," Hope shook her head and sat down beside Lilac. "What I meant is a bachelor party."


    "What?" Calleb frowned. "Bachelor party is for someone who will get married. Tomorrow is a mating ceremony."


    "It is the same," Hope replied stubbornly. "Why don''t we go outside? It is very boring here," she suggested, but Raine rejected the idea immediately.


    "But, we are not allowed to leave the castle," she looked worried. Especially when Lilac looked interested with Hope''s idea.


    "It had been a long time since I go out of the castle," Lilac rose to her feet, seemingly excited with the possibility to go out of this place.


    "Come on Raine, we have not yet seen the city since we arrived here." Hope tried to persuade Raine, but she looked at Calleb for his opinion.


    "I don''t mind to go out of this castle." Calleb shrugged his shoulder. "There will be many people out there, as long as you promised me to not roam around without me and didn''t cause trouble, I don''t mind to take a walk for a while."


    Raine hit his shoulder with her small fist. "You are just bored of being here, right?" she knew him. Calleb would choose to be with Torak and Raphael to deal with their people or talked about something that concern war, rather than to baby sit the three guardian angels.


    However, Torak had said for Raine to stay with Calleb. Even though, he didn''t specifically tell her to not go out of the castle, but it was not something that he needed to explain, since it was very obvious.


    "I am not," Calleb said, trying to put a straight face, but failed miserably. The Gamma just hated to stay still.


    "Come on Raine," Hope looked like she was about to jump excitedly. "We need to relax."


    "Right, let''s go!" Lilac had their cloaks in her arms and gave it to them, she even gave Calleb''s cloak too. "I know a few places with delicious foods."


    "Foods?" Calleb''s eyes sparkled with the mention of food. Being outside to buy some food sounded more captivating than being here and listened the three girls chatted.


    "Torak won''t like this," Raine grimaced at Calleb.


    But, he simply shrugged his shoulder. "Just kiss him and his anger will melt away."

 Chapter 785 - THE NIGHT BEFORE THE MATING CEREMONY (2)

    "Good solution," Lilac said, but at the same time she wondered whether Jedrek would get angry to her if she went out of the castle now and disobeyed his order.


    It would be nice if he got angry.


    If Lilac kissed him, would his anger melt away as well? She pondered about it for a while.


    "Right, problem solved, let''s go!" Hope circled her hands around Raine''s arm. "Just like Calleb said, you just needed to kiss him to appease him. Easy. Moreover, we will go out with Calleb, nothing will happen when the city is packed with many people. Not to mention that no one knows our faces, so it will be safe, right?" Hope turned to Calleb to for support.


    "Right!" Calleb was beyond excited to the prospect of going out from this room and Raine could see the Gamma would agree to, literally, everything.


    "Kace will angry to you," Raine was still trying to convince them that they shouldn''t go out, yet she knew it was a futile attempt. If she was not able to make Calleb stayed, what she could do to the other two guardian angels, who were very vocal with what they wanted to do.


    "Nah, don''t worry," Hope said while waving her hand casually. "I know how to handle him."


    "What about Jedrek?" Raine looked at Lilac, who was walking in front of them with Calleb, both of them were talking about which tavern that they should visit first.


    "The best thing he would do was glare," Lilac shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly.


    For now, they were walking on the corridor and a few guards were staring at them with curiosity, but no one dared enough to question them when they walked toward the north gates.


    The moment they walked past the guard and the gates, Raine only could sigh deeply, she hoped nothing would happen to them in the city.


    ===============


    "We will call it a day," Jedrek said and ended the meeting for today. The sky had turned dark since three hours ago, but the city was still alive, even more alive than the nights before. His people knew how to celebrate tomorrow event.


    However, here Jedrek was, with his two brothers and their trusted people, holding a meeting about what move they should take or what new information that they got.


    Apparently, at the moment, something weird was happening in many places in human realm and the crime cases were increasing along with the strange weather.


    Not many people aware about this and thought it was only natural phenomena, but they knew it was not.


    "Where are you going?" Kace asked Jedrek when he watched his older brother was about to leave the tent. All the people had left and it was only the three of them.


    "Back to the castle," Jedrek replied, with the tone as if he was saying; what kind of question was that?


    "Why do you go back to the castle?" Kace frowned and stopped Jedrek by standing in front of him. "Tomorrow is your mating ceremony, we should celebrate it."


    Indeed, mate thinks alike. In different place, Hope suggested the same thing to her fellow guardian angel, and now here Kace was, trying to throw small party for Jedrek. "I know good tavern around the city."


    "So do I," Jedrek said. Of course he knew, this was his city after all. He knew every bit of this place.


    "Let''s go then," Kace waved his hand, gesturing for Torak and Jedrek to follow him.


    "I don''t want to go," Torak said, but Kace wrapped his arm around Torak''s shoulder when he was about to walk past him.


    "Why don''t you want to go?" Kace asked.


    "I want to be with my mate," Torak said while freed himself from Kace.


    "This is just for one hour only. Raine will not mind to wait for one or two hours. You should give her time with the other guardian angel, so they can form a good understanding with each other." Kace tried to persuade him.


    Since what Jedrek said to them yesterday in the dungeon, no one wanted to talk about it again, they needed time to adjust themselves, and chose to act as if there was nothing had happened.


    It was kind of awkward at first, but during the meeting, the tension of planning something big together brought them to an understanding.


    And here, Kace was trying to ease the situation between them.


    "Let''s go! This is a bachelor party!" Kace beat to Torak when he was about to protest. "I will ask the other people to come too!"


    "Bachelor party for someone who is getting married. Jedrek has matting ceremony," Torak retorted.


    "It''s the same," Kace shrugged his shoulder. "We need to relax for awhile after these hard days and the days that will come."


    ==============


    "I want to take a walk in the city," Lana said from her bed. She felt a little bit better, but her boredom was almost unbearable. She used to roam around many places, therefore, being stuck inside this room for days irritated her.


    Raphael walked over to her bedside and sat there. He didn''t know what to do with his high- spirited mate. Lana had been whining the whole day because Raphael wouldn''t let her go and helped her in every small thing.


    It looked sweet at first, but Lana soon found it quite annoying. Raphael even didn''t let her to pick her own glass and fed her every time he could.


    Well, Lana didn''t mind when he fed her, because she started to feel hungry most of the time. However, she still hadn''t told Raphael what Serefina had told her about the baby.


    Usually, Raphael would sense it if there was something different with Lana, but maybe it was still in early stage, therefore the Beta was still clueless about this added that to the medicine that Lana had to take, thus if her scent changed slightly, Raphael wouldn''t immediately realize it.


    "I want to go," Lana sulked.

 Chapter 786 - THE NIGHT BEFORE THE MATING CEREMONY (3)

    Lilac chose this tavern because this was the first place that Jedrek and shehad visitedduring their very first walk in the city.


    This place was quite memorable for her, therefore she took Raine, Hope and Calleb here.


    Though the city streets were a little bit crowded,this place was an exception as it was almost empty with scarce number of people. Not many people went here because the location was not really strategize. And, this tavern was placed near the end of the alley.


    If it was not for Jedrek, Lilac wouldn''t have known this place.


    "Why is this place empty? You said the food prepared here is delicious?" Logically speaking, if the foods available were appetizing, the place should be packedwith people, but Calleb could see a few empty tables inside this tavern.


    "This place is secluded, and not known to many people," Lilac replied. She led them to the further table from the entrance door and sat there.


    Actually, she wanted to sit on the same table like before when she visited with Jedrek, but that table had already been occupied by someone else.


    There was a woman, sitting alone with her hoodie covering almost her entire face and body.


    "Wait," Hope mumbled. Her eyes locked on to the woman, who was sitting at the corner table. "Is that Serefina?" She asked with uncertainty.


    "What?" Lilac followed Hope''s line of sight and spotted the woman.


    "Serefina!" before Lilac could confirm whether it was Serefina or not, Hope started calling the woman and went over to greether.


    However, before Hope could walk closer, the woman stood up and left her table.


    "Serefina! Where are you going?!" Hope didn''t stop there and chased after her. She grabbed her arm before she could walk any further.


    "What?!" the witch swatted Hope''s hand, but the girl hugged her instead and this only infuriated her. "Stop hugging me like an octopus!"


    "Octopus?" Hope frowned and loosened her arms around Serefina. ??You have never been hugged by an octopus," she protested.


    Meanwhile, Lilac was staring at the duo bantering in disbelief. "It is really her," she mumbled.


    What a coincidence¡­ out of hundreds of places and taverns in this city, why should Serefina be here? This was an uncomfortable coincidence.


    "Where are you going? Let''s go inside. Join our table," Hope said cheerfully. She didn''t evenconsider that this cheerful decision of hers could create an awkward situationfor Serefina and Lilac if they were to sit at the same table, at the same time, at a moment like this.


    The first thing Serefina did when the sun kissed the horizon was; runaway from the castle and from all the lilac flowers that covered the entire place. She regretted that she was the one who suggested it.


    Every time Serefina eyes fell on those lilac flowers, she had an urge to burn it down along with the other decorations, thus to save herself from the trouble, she ran away and was roaming around this city all day mindlessly.


    Serefina didn''t want to stay and watch pathetically the ceremony that would be held tomorrow, giving a fake blessing that she would never mean it.


    "No, I am done here," Serefina said. But, Calleb walked over and pulled her back. "What are you doing?"


    "Let''s enjoy this moment and forget everything," he said, grinning like a fool.


    "What do you mean forget everything?" Serefina protested, but Calleb had already sat her down beside Raine and the Gamma placed himself on her other side, while Hope and Lilac was across from them.


    "We need to relax once in a while, right?" Calleb wiggled his brows at the witch.


    "Being with you just makes me even more annoyed," she grumbled.


    Of course, Calleb knew about this, he just wanted to give the witch some hard time for what she had done when she was with them before. This wouldn''t do any harm to her, right? It didn''t look like Lilac would attack her or do something despicable. Well, the Gamma was quite petty at a time like this to get back at her in such a way.


    "Being with us is better than being alone," Calleb retorted.


    "I prefer to be alone," though that was what Serefina said,she ordered a drink when a young girl approached them as if she was not the one leaving this place earlier.


    "So, what will we do now?" Calleb turned his attention and looked at Hope. This was her idea after all, thus she sure had something fun to do, right?


    "What?" Hope tilted her head.


    "You suggested this. We have ordered drinks and foods." Calleb waved his hand toward the two girls, who walked over while holding their order. "What other things should we do in a bachelorette party?"


    Hope blinked her eyes and looked at him innocently. "I don''t know, I have never attended one."


    "What? So, this is just a regular dine out?" Calleb was disappointed and Raine chuckled.


    "You have lived longer than me, why don''t you tell us what we should do?" Hope countered, but Lilac was exceptionally calm.


    "I have never attended a bachelorette party too," Calleb admitted.


    Meanwhile, Serefina laughed at his honest statement. "You are helpless," she criticized Calleb and stared at Hope. "If you don''t know what to do, so why did you even suggest doing this?"


    "Let''s play truth or dare?" Raine suggested when it seemed Serefina would cause trouble again with her unyielding argumentation.


    "I don''t want to," Serefina refused it immediately.


    "Ah! Raph!" Calleb almost jumped from his seat. He could sense the Beta''s presence even before he entered the tavern.


    "Lana!" Hope waved her hands to the couple. "Come here!" she was very excited to see them.


    Raphael had his arms around Lana''s waist protectively when they walked closer to their table.


    "Why are you here? Shouldn''t you be resting now?" Serefina frowned when she watched Lana''s pale face, but aside from that, she looked fine.


    "I need to get some fresh air," Lana mumbled. "I will get sick if I lie down all the time."


    "What all the time? You just slept for a day and half." Serefina drank her drink.


    "Why are you here?" Raphael looked at Calleb. "Didn''t Torak tell you to look after them?"


    "He did, here I am." Calleb grinned foolishly, but then the two lycan looked at each other with knitted brows.

 Chapter 787 - THE NIGHT BEFORE THE MATING CEREMONY (4)

    "Impossible," Raphael mumbled and Lana frowned beside him. Then her gaze landed on Serefina worriedly from where she shifted her attention to the door, as if she was waiting for someone to come.


    "Why are they here¡­" Calleb mumbled. He sniffed the air and was very sure it was them. "Did you invite them to come here?"


    "Invite who to come?" Lilac asked, but from their reaction, more or less she could guess, who they were talking about.


    It didn''t take long before some familiar faces walked into the tavern, but this time, the owner immediately rushed over to greet them.


    Walking into the tavern were Jedrek, Torak and Kace. Not only the three Donovans, but also the leader of the hunter, Delta accompanied with the two Alphas from Torak''s pack; Alpha Brian and Alpha Ralph.


    On the other hand, Serefina and Lilac were caught out off guard with this strange coincidence.


    Why are they all here?! And of all places, why here?! This was not good.


    Lilac glanced at Serefina, but immediately averted her eyes when their gazes met. The witch also did the same thing.


    "Torak," Raine rose to her feet when she saw her mate and pounced on him happily.


    "Why are you here? Didn''t I tell you to stay in the castle?" Torak reprimanded her lightly, but he was more than gleeful to see his mate here. His plan was to just have a glass or two and then head back to the castle, but Torak wouldn''t have thought he would meet Raine here.


    "Calleb coerced me to come," Raine pointed her finger to the Gamma, who widened his eyes in surprise.


    It was true that Calleb had persuaded her to come here, but the way Raine phrased her words, it sounded like Calleb had done something bad to her and threatened her to come with him.


    Of course, Torak''s reaction was almost predictable. The Alpha glowered at him and was about to have one on one conversation, if it was not for Raine, who hugged him tightly.


    Calleb grimaced, it seemed Raine was getting back at him because he didn''t listen to her earlier. She became very good, creating misunderstandings like this with her angelic face and innocent eyes.


    Well, this was not the first time Raine did this to him.


    "It''s okay, I think it is good for me to go out. I met you here." Raine tiptoed and kissed Torak''s cheeks lightly.


    "Right, Raine is right." Calleb didn''t waste this opportunity to find an escape way from Torak''s wrath. "If I didn''t bring her here, you wouldn''t have met her."


    "I can meet her in the castle, any time I want," Torak said it in a matter of fact tone.


    "Ah¡­ that¡­" Calleb stammered and looked at Raine, asking for help, but the guardian angel only laughed upon seeing his troubled expression.


    "Let''s sit there, it is nice that we all are here at the same time," Raine coaxed her mate and pulled him back to their table, which was now crowded with a lot of people.


    They needed to join three more tables, in order to accommodate everyone comfortably.


    Fortunately, no one noticed the king was here, most of the people thought Jedrek was very rare to go out of his castle. Moreover, another reason why Jedrek chose to visit this tavern was because this place often didn''t have many customers and was in a secluded place. It was perfect for someone like him.


    Jedrek chose to sit next to Lilac while Serefina stayed where she was sitting before. However, it put her right across Jedrek. She cursed herself for agreeing to stay in this place. She should have left when she had a chance, now it would be awkward if she left just like that.


    When she thought back to that, she couldn''t take it any longer and was about to stand up to excuse herself, when she felt Kace''s hand on her shoulder. When she turned to face him, she saw him asking her to stay with his eyes.


    Both Kace and Hope were sitting at her left and right sides while grinning foolishly at her. Serefina really wanted to punch the couple really hard for making her stay, yet she didn''t want to make a scene that would embarrass her further.


    Next to Hope was Raine and Torak while Raphael sat on Torak''s right side with Lana.


    At first, the situation was quite awkward for all of them, but soon the tense air lightened when Kace and Calleb started to bicker.


    "Why did you bring my mate out?" Kace glared at Calleb, who was sitting right beside him. "And why do you sit next to me? Find another chair."


    "Can someone separate them before they flip all the three tables?" Raphael looked at Delta.


    The hunter shoved both hot headed lycans aside and sat between them.


    "Oh, please! It is your mate idea to have a bachelorette party when she herself even didn''t know what it means," Calleb complained dramatically. "She invited us to come here."


    "And why did you agree?" Kace glared at Calleb, but Hope just laughed at them. "You should tell them to stay and don''t go anywhere."


    "We are not some prisoners," Lilac chimed in. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, as she looked at Kace defiantly. "Why can''t we go out sometimes? It is very boring to stay inside the room the whole day."


    "See? I like her," Calleb spoke gleefully, he raised his hand and opened his fingers. "Give me five!" he asked for Lilac to do the same and the guardian angel giggled while raising her hand as well.


    However, before their hands could touch each other, Jedrek had slapped Calleb''s hand first, really hard until the Gamma whimpered clutching his hand to his chest.


    "You want to break my hand?!" Calleb complained while massaging his wrist. He looked at Jedrek in disbelief.


    "Your Gamma is too weak, you should train him more," Jedrek spoke to Torak casually while Kace smirked.


    Meanwhile, Serefina felt her heart caving in to see how Jedrek reacted to someone who wanted to touch his mate.


    And then, they spent the entire night bickering.

 Chapter 788 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY

    "Do you need any help?" Lilac found Keira, early in the morning, in the throne room, checking the preparations for the ceremony that would take place in the evening, right an hour before the sun set. She was a dedicated Lycan. No wonder Jedrek gave this task to her. She was very detail oriented and simply a perfectionist.


    Actually, Lilac didn''t know much about the ceremony, but thanks to Keira, she gave her a rundown of the entire event and let her memorize it.


    Though Lilac didn''t feel nervous before, but seeing that this ceremony was actually going to happen tonight, made her slightly dizzy. Especially when she witnessed the enthusiasm from all the people in the city last night and a few important figures in this realm that had come to attend this ceremony.


    Now, seeing how majestic the decoration in this throne room, she felt slightly intimidated and reluctant. If she was given a choice right now, she wanted to postpone this event as long as she could.


    Lilac didn''t think she wanted this.


    "Oh, my lady, you woke up early. Or, should I address you as my queen?" Keira asked in a respectful tone.


    "Can you just call me by my name?" Lilac asked. She didn''t feel comfortable to be addressed in that peculiar way.


    "Of course I can''t do that," Keira smiled softly, but her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. It was easy to see that she couldn''t wait for the ceremony tonight.


    "I guess so," Lilac murmured. This was not her first attempt to ask Keira to call her by her name only, but the female lycan rejected it every time Lilac asked her. "What can I do to help? I woke up early and can''t fall asleep again, I hope there would be something that I can do here."


    Keira looked surprised, but then she smiled softly and touched Lilac''s shoulder. "Thank you for your offer my queen, but you shouldn''t be here."


    Lilac cringed with the way Keira addressed her, but didn''t bother to correct her again, she wouldn''t listen. "All of you seem busy, why can''t I help?"


    "You will do no such thing." Jedrek walked into the throne room with a man with blonde hair, who was staring at Lilac.


    She didn''t like the way he looked at her.


    "Why can''t I?" Lilac''s brows furrowed. She didn''t like it when Jedrek was so adamant about her doing or not doing certain things, but she did know that once he had made up his mind it was hard to say otherwise.


    "The ceremony is for you, you will not do such things." Jedrek walked closer and Lilac needed to crane her neck to maintain eye contact with him. "Bring her back to her room."


    Lilac''s frown deepened. She felt like Jedrek wanted to usher her away from this place.


    If Jedrek didn''t want her to help with the preparations, she could understand, but what was this feeling that as if Jedrek wanted to lock her away and didn''t want her to roam around the castle? Or, is it just her imagination?


    "What is your name, my lady?" the blonde man caught up with Jedrek and looked at Lilac with interest.


    "She is your queen, not your lady," Jedrek corrected him, but Lilac sensed something in the way he talked to this strange man. "And her name is Lilac."


    "It suits you well," he complemented her. "You are indeed a beauty."


    "Thank you," Lilac mumbled and Jedrek didn''t seem happy to hear that too.


    "I will see you at the ceremony tonight," Jedrek said in a light tone, but from his eyes, Lilac could see that he didn''t want her to stay any longer there.


    A young servant approached her and smiled timidly. "My queen, over here please¡­" she said in a soft tone.


    Despite understanding Jedrek''s gestures, she didn''t feel like she wanted to go back to her room and stay there until evening. It was still several hours left before the ceremony.


    Lilac folded her arms across her chest and took a step back, she tried not to feel intimidated under Jedrek''s fierce glare. However, before she could protest, Jedrek had closed the distance between them and leaned over.


    Other people would think he was kissing her cheek, but actually the king was whispering something in her ear.


    "If I find out you are not in your room, you will regret it," he said with some force and his tone was laced with urgency.


    Lilac was still trying to understand the message behind his words, and fought her curiosity to find out more, though Jedrek didn''t really treat her nicely, but he never threatened her that way.


    When Lilac still didn''t move, Jedrek gently pressed a kiss against her temple and her nose.


    "Go back now," he said and let her go.


    The young servant immediately walked toward her and grabbed her arm lightly so that she could lead the way out of the throne room.


    This time Lilac obeyed his order and let the young servant drag her to leave, but she made a mental note to ask about this when she was alone with Jedrek.


    ==============


    The young servant stayed inside Lilac''s bedroom to make sure her future queen wouldn''t sneak out and cause any more trouble.


    "You can leave now," Lilac said exasperatedly. At this point, she became familiar with Jedrek''s method to keep her inside her room.


    Before, he used Tordoff to look after her and then Warlock and now this young servant, who seemed too timid to even make a sound.


    "I am sorry my queen, but the king told me to stay here and look after you if you need something," she said in low voice, lowering her head the entire time.


    Lilac didn''t remember Jedrek was saying something to her, but then she realized, they must have communicated through the mind- link.


    How convenience to be able to do that.


    "Do you know the man from earlier?" Lilac asked her, perhaps she knew something. She wanted to find out more about this man, since she couldn''t get rid of the way she felt when that blonde man looked at her.

 Chapter 789 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY (2)

    There was something bothering her about that man, even though the man didn''t do anything outrageous and the fact that they had just met for the first time, yet Lilac couldn''t help but feel nervous at the very memory of his odd stare.


    She didn''t like that man for some unknown reason.


    "Do you know who is that man?" Lilac asked the young servant again because she didn''t reply to her question before.


    "I am sorry my queen, but I don''t have any idea regarding that man. But¡­" she appeared hesitating to utter her next words.


    Seeing this, Lilac came closer and led the young servant to sit down with her on the beautiful red rug.


    "What is your name?" Lilac asked her softly, holding her hand lightly to calm her down so she wouldn''t feel jittery like this.


    "A...Ayana, my queen," the young servant stammered a bit.


    Lilac grimaced hearing the title that she added at the end of the sentence, but she couldn''t bother with that, because she had something more urgent than to complain about some overwhelming title.


    "Ayana, look at me." Lilac put her finger under her chin and raised Ayana face.


    Ayana hesitated for a moment, but in the end she did what she was told.


    "Ayana, what do you know about that man? Who is he?" Lilac asked her again.


    "He is Lord Bayle, he is a lord from the north region," Ayana replied in a very low voice. However, Lilac heard something that caught her attention.


    "And what is he? Is he a lycanthrope too?" Lilac narrowed her eyes when she saw how Ayana bit her lips nervously.


    "He is the lord of fire dragon, my queen," she replied.


    "Fire dragon?" Lilac looked at her with knitted brows.


    Fire dragon lived in the north region of this realm, but they were creatures that didn''t interact with the other creatures pretty much, especially with lycans.


    Since the vow between the lycanthropes and the dragon shifters had mentioned that the dragon shifters were not allowed to shift into their beast forms, both creatures were not on good terms.


    There were four kinds of dragon shifters in existence and they all lived in separation from one another. Earth dragon shifters lived in human realm, fire and water dragon shifters lived in this realm while no one knew where the air dragon shifters were.


    The last time people got to see them was when they took the vow, but after that they vanished and their whereabouts became a mystery ever since. Some people said they had been extinct because very of them were able to survive the war. And, some said they were living in the other realm.


    However, no one knew for sure. Their prolonged absence, thus, created a mystery on their very own existence.


    That was all Lilac knew about the dragon shifters.


    But, to have the lord of fire dragon shifters here, does it mean that the lord of water dragon shifters will also attending this ceremony?


    It was a pity that they were not allowed to shift into their beast form, Lilac really wanted to see a real dragon in it''s majestic appearance.


    "Does he often visit here?" Lilac asked again.


    "No, my queen." Ayana shook her head. "I don''t know him until I learned about the guest''s names. Mrs. Keira told us to memorize the details of all the important guests."


    "Oh." Lilac pulled her hand away from Ayana''s chin and contemplated about the new found information.


    However, it didn''t answer the uneasiness she felt when she met with the dragon shifter.


    ==============


    Raine had two girls, who helped her to wear her white gown for the ceremony that would be held two hours from now.


    They were already done with her hair, they chose to tie it up neatly on top of her head into a bun as if displaying her neckline, where Torak''s mark would be visible for everyone to see.


    When Raine felt embarrassed to showcase her mark by wearing a revealing outfit, they said this was necessary for the mated couple to show their mark in this occasion, to prevent other creatures from messing with them and have ideas they are not supposed to have.


    Raine didn''t know what Hope and Lilac''s gown would look like, but she loved hers. Aside from the fact it was too open for her taste, she liked how the fabric hugged her body perfectly.


    Raine felt beautiful in this white gown and wondered what would be Torak''s reaction when he saw her in this.


    One of the servants helped her put her earings while the other was helping her to tie the belt behind her back, when they heard a low, deep voice from the door, prompting the two of them to step back. They did so while lowering their head.


    "Let me help you," Torak said, as he strode across the room. His eyes were locked onto his mate''s beautiful reflection in the mirror in front of her. "All of you can leave," he said as he reached for Raine''s belt.


    Torak was wearing the same white color as her. She thought, it would be weird for man to wear such a color, but somehow, Torak managed to pull it through and the color suited him well too.


    Torak once said, white was the color for royal family in this realm, thus no one was allowed to wear this color during the ceremony except them. Therefore, for today, there would be only six people who would wear white color in the entire city.


    Raine stared at Torak''s reflection on the mirror, her mate looked lean and clean, but the most important part that she couldn''t ignore was his strong presence and his dominating aura surrounding him. However, for Raine, it felt comfortable and protective.


    "The words beautiful or gorgeous couldn''t even describe you now, my love," Torak whispered in her ear and leaned over to kiss her on the mark.


    The spark that erupted between them made her shudder in delight, as she smiled bashfully.


    Torak pulled out a necklace with white diamond as the pendant and it was shining brightly under the final rays of the setting sun.


    "It is so beautiful," Raine watched lovingly as Torak clasped the necklace around her slender neck.


    "But, not as beautiful as you," Torak said in soft voice and smiled handsomely when he saw Raine bit her lips to prevent herself from smiling.


    "This ceremony is beautiful," Raine said.


    "Do you also want one, like this for us?" Torak asked.

 Chapter 790 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY (3)

    "Wow! My man is the best!" Hope squealed in delight at the sight of Kace''s appearance in his white clothes, yet his mate''s cheerful compliment didn''t chase away the grumpiness from his face.


    The lycan looked sullen and was seen pulling the sleeves or the collar of his clothes a few times in less than a minute. He didn''t even wear his cloak.


    "Stop it," Kace said gloomily. "I don''t like this." he threw the white cloak that he held in his left arm on to the sofa and to Hope''s horror, she saw him lay on top of it recklessly.


    "Hey! You will wrinkle the cloak beyond recognition!" Hope swatted Kace''s chest and pushed him away to save his cloak.


    With a groan followed by a deep grunt, Kace moved his heavy body and let Hope to have the cloak. The girl then glared at him viciously and completely disagreed with the way Kace was behaving right now.


    "What''s the problem with you?" Hope sat down next to him and Kace rested his head on her thigh. Her slender fingers ran through his nest like hairs and smoothed them.


    "I don''t like the ceremony," he said sullenly.


    "But, I like it," Hope said in a light tone and looked at him innocently. "Don''t ruin my happy mood," she warned him in a threatening tone.


    "The only thing that I like about this ceremony is to see you in this beautiful dress." Kace touched the long sleeves of Hope''s gown and smiled cheekily at her. "I will choose to stay here and look at you the entire night rather than attend the ceremony and sit there like some statue. "


    Kace would have to sit next to Jedrek in the throne room during theceremonywhere Lilac would be crowned as the queen.


    "Behave," Hope said sharply while flicking Kace''s forehead.


    "Agh!" Kace touched the place where Hope hit him and whined. "Why did you hit me?"


    "Stop being like a baby," Hope hit his shoulder instead this time. She knew that Kace wasonly exaggerating his reaction, there was no way he would be in pain. "You are a crybaby."


    Kace put down his hands and looked at Hope sulkily. "Can we skip this ceremony and go somewhere else? I don''t want to sit there." He had been complaining about this from the very moment he knew that he would have to sit next to Jedrek, in front of many people.


    "This is your brother''s ceremony, why do you even want to skip it?" Hope frowned at him, her brows knitted together. Sometimes, she couldn''t even understand Kace''s reasoning. He was simply being childish and unreasonable.


    He seemed to avoid all the situations that required him to take the command and give other people some kind of order.


    "I don''t feel like it," Kace murmured, but his mind was elsewhere. There was someone else in his mind at the moment. "But, it''s okay, I will come if you really want to attend the ceremony."


    Hope sighed, actually there was something that bothered her. "What will happen after the ceremony?" she asked.


    "Jedrek and Lilac will mark and mate," Kace said.


    And that was the thing what was worrying her the most. Someone would definitely be hurt, knowing what had happened.


    ==============


    Lilac paced around her room nervously. From the opened door of the balcony, she could hear the crowd and also their footsteps which seemed all over the placein this castle. It seemed that they had inivited a lot of people to enter the castle.


    She was even more anxious because Jedrek didn''t allow her to go and see the final preparation, neither had he came to see her after he chased her away when they met in the throne room.


    "That heartless and stupid jerk!" Lilac cursed under her breath which startled Ayana and the other three young servants that helped her to be ready for her ceremony. "Sorry," she murmured.


    "My queen, don''t crumple your dress it will be wrinkled," the servant named Sora put her hand on top of Lilac''s to stop her from clutching her own gown.


    "Can you tell me the rundown of the ceremony again? I am afraid I will forget what I should do next," Lilac tapped her feet anxiously while they fixed her hair.


    "You don''t have to memorize it, Keira will be there to help you," Sora said, but she did tell Lilac again what she should remember.


    Lilac just had this sudden urge to hear someone talk to her to calm her nerves. She had asked for Hope and Raine to come to her room, but the two of them were in the same situation as her. As the mates of the Donovans, they should present themselves well, because their presence would be as important as hers.


    Lilac really needed someone to talk to, only now did she realize that she had very few friends.


    "Do you know where is Jedrek?" Lilac asked the other servant about their king''s whereabouts.


    "Ah, please wait for a moment, my queen." Ayana immediately mind-linked the guards around the castle to ask about their king.


    It didn''t take her a long time before she got the information about where Jedrek was.


    "The king is in the main hall, entertaining the guests with the other generals," Ayana reported to her and resumed checking Lilac''s dress.


    Lilac huffed in annoyance. Why should she be the one who was trapped inside the room while Jedrek was free to go wherever he wanted?


    This was unfair.


    Lilac knew that Jedrek was in control of everything, but that didn''t mean Lilac enjoyed being controlled.


    With one final huff of annoyance, Lilac let the four servants to serve her and put everything that they wanted on her dress, body or hair, without a single complaint.


    However, the final touch of them left Lilac speechless. She was beyond surprised to see her own reflection on the mirror. The woman in front of her looked stunning. And Lilac couldn''t even believe that she could look that beautiful. This left her wonderingwhat would be Jedrek''s reaction when he saw her.


    "You look very beautiful my queen¡­" Ayana and the four servants took two steps back to see the perfection of their future queen and Luna.


    "I hope I won''t ruin the ceremony," Lilac said.

 Chapter 791 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY (4)

    Keira was walking beside Lilac in a slow and orderly pace, lightly holding her elbow, so the guardian angel wouldn''t trip over her own long white gown. Slightly behind her, was Ayana, wearing a gray dress, the same color like what Keira and the other servant girls'' wearing. It was just like a uniform for them.


    Keira handed Lilac a beautiful white stick with a white ribbon around it, which was of only an arm''s length and was slim enough for Lilac to carry it with one hand, while her other hand was holding a goblet of red liquid, which she thought was blood at first glance, but Keira calmed her down by saying it was just red wine.


    All the guards along the hallway and all the guests behind them, were staring at Lilac intensely. Very intense, that it almost made her hard to breathe.


    Lilac had never been in a situationwhere she had become the subject of public attention, that was too in such a high profile.And, she was internally struggling, since she didn''t know what kind of expression sheshould show to them.


    Should she smile to them? Or, just ignore them, as if she didn''t see anything? Or, should she wave at them? Lilac didn''t think she could do the last option, as her hands were full of many things.


    In the end, she chose to press her lips, which she hoped that it would look like she was smiling rather than maintain a blank expression like someone who was really nervous.


    At this point, Lilac thought how desperately she wished that Jedrek would see her before the ceremony and had talked to her to help calm her havoc wrecking-nerves.


    The guardian angel was really terrified just at the thought of messing up and ruining the tranquil atmosphere with her ignorance. The atmosphere had the most settling reverent air to it.


    Lilac couldn''t help, but marvel at how serene the ceremony was taking place.


    Right now, the only thing that she could hear was her clumsy footsteps and the rustling from her white silken robe, as the train of it was ridiculously long and was now dragged along the floor. The robe that she was wearing, have long trumpet sleeves and it almost resembled a wedding dress.


    A head piece adorned with moonstone and shimmering gems was placed atop her head. The crushing weight of it was constantly reminding her of her calling and her duty as the queen of this realm. The lycanthropes realm.


    "Breathe, my queen," Keira whispered softly when she saw how nervous Lilac was.


    Lilac followed her advice and took a deep breath, blinked her eyes to train her focus undividedly on to the long path ahead of her, which seemed as if it would never end.


    If she knew beforehand that she needed to face something like this, then Lilacwould have refused the very idea of the mating ceremony when Jedrek suggested it for the first time.


    The actual feeling of being the center of attention was way too intense and this was beyond any wild imagination of hers.


    The walk specifically required her to raise her chin with a straightened back, but now, the only thing that Lilac wanted was to shy away from these intense stares and hid herself in a secluded place. She wanted to be anywhere but here.


    Lilac took a shaky breath when Keira asked her softly before they stepped into the throne room.


    "Are you ready?" Keira looked at Lilac, smiling brightly.


    Ready? Ready for what? Lilac felt her mind stop working.


    ==============


    Serefina was sitting on the river side, dipped her fingers inside the cold water while writing something on the surface of it mindlessly.


    She didn''t know why she ended up on this side of the city, sitting alone like a complete fool, avoiding the crowd because there was nothing that they talked about except the ceremony today.


    Above her, the moon shone brightly, which irritated Serefina even further. She felt like the moon goddess was mocking her.


    No. She felt like everything that she saw was mocking her; the people, who were happily attending the mating ceremony and talking about their future queen. The breeze of night that grazed her skin coldly. The calm of the river, which didn''t suit her internal struggle at all.


    Serefina despised all the things that she saw right now, even herself for feeling this way.


    "Do you want to take my offer now? I think you need my help."


    A soft voice sounded from behind Serefina, but she didn''t need to turn around to know who was talking to her.


    Who else would come to offer their help at a time like this?


    "Go away while I am still being nice," Serefina murmured, but she was sure Asmodeus could hear her perfectly. She didn''t want to waste her breath on talking to the devil anyway.


    "I think you are being too nice now," Asmodeus walked closer toward the witch, but she was cautious enough to fend off Serefina''s attack if the witch decided to strike her. "If I were you, I will turn the ceremony into a funeral."


    Serefina sighed irritably. It seemed there was nothing good that would happen to her today. Meeting Asmodeus was the last thing she wanted.


    Slowly, Serefina raised her head to meet with the devil''s gaze.


    "Unfortunately, I am not you." Serefina blinked her eyes and smirked mockingly. "I should feel grateful to know that," she spoke lightly.


    "You are grateful when the love of your life being with someone else after what you had been through?" Asmodeus flashed the witch a pity smile, which stirred Serefina''s anger. "I think you are not a witch. You are a saint." Asmodeus chuckled when she saw how Serefina balled her fists and stood up.


    The witch walked closer to the devil with an expression that was devoid of any emotion.


    However, in the next second, the place where Asmodeus standing, was exploded. The sound of it echoed through the forest and sent all the night creatures runningaway, looking for a safe haven to hide, while the birds that perched on the branches, flew away.


    A big crater appeared in the place where Asmodeus was standing a minute ago. However, the devil couldn''t be seen anywhere.


    She was gone.


    Yet, Serefina''s ears perked up when she heard an eerie whisper, just like a passing wind.


    "Just one drop of her blood and I will make Jedrek yours."

 Chapter 792 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY (5)

    For the ceremony, the entire floor of the throne room had been turned into a very large but shallow pool, which was filled with cool water.


    The pool was shallow enough so that the water couldn''t even reach their ankles when stepped into it. And, all the guests arrived were barefoot as they discarded their footwear outside in respect to the ceremony.


    Because it was a sacred ceremony, and only the most important people were invited. Unauthorized people were prohibited from entering the occasion.


    The atmosphere was full of serenity and majestic tranquility.


    Raine was holding Torak''s hand, trying not to trip over her own gown while Torak helped her to step up the three royal stairs toward their designated seats, right next to the thrones of the king and queen. The place was clean of water, thus at the very least, Raine wouldn''t have to wet the edge of her gown, unlike the other guests below the throne.


    All the guests were wearing grey cloak on top of their colorful clothes or gown and with their solemn expressions as they awaited their future queen to make an appearance, it only brought out more serenity to the sacred ceremony. The room was filled with a harmonious silence.


    However, when Raine and Torak reached their seats, she realized that something was off. She took a quick glance around the room only to find that Kace and Hope were nowhere to be seen.


    [Where are Kace and Hope?] Raine mind- linked Torak, because it was inconvenient for them to make a sound in this quiet room.


    [They will not attend the ceremony.] Torak replied to her and helped Raine to sit down on her seat, which was made from the skin of a white alabaster.


    [Why?] Raine looked at her mate in confusion. [Why will they not attend the ceremony? Where are they?]


    Raine remembered how Hope was very excited about this event. To say the truth, she was even more enthusiastic compared to Lilac and of course Raine didn''t really like to be in this crowded place. Fortunately, those people''s attention was not on her.


    [They went to find her.] Torak replied while squeezing her hand to calm her down.


    [Who?] but, even before the question was fully formed in her mind, Raine could immediately guess who they were searching for.


    ==============


    "Why don''t you change your gown?" Kace complained when he saw that Hope was lifting her dress, careful as to not step on it while running.


    "I like this dress!" Hope glared at him and Kace could only sigh and slow down his very own pace to match hers. "We are not attending the ceremony, at the very least let me enjoy wearing this."


    Upon hearing that, Kace grumbled something incoherently.


    This was not his idea. It was right that he suggested it, but in the end, it was Hope who decided not to attend the ceremony because she was very worried about Serefina.


    However, why couldn''t she change her gown into something more comfortable? It wasn''t like Serefina would roam around the castle to make it easy for them to catch her, because ever since two days ago, when the actual preparations were started, she had disappeared from there.


    The witch hated flowers and now the whole castle was covered with them. Of course she wouldn''t be there, it would be like the whole set of decorations were collectively testing her patience.


    Yet, they knew the true reason why Serefina had disappeared and for that very reason, Hope wanted to look for her.


    "You know, we can go back to the castle if you really want to see the ceremony," Kace said as his frown deepenedat the sight of her endless strugglingwith the whole outfit. Hope was having a very hard time handling her own gown.


    In the end, he crouched down and tore it until her ankle to ease her movement.


    "Arrghh!!" Hope shrieked and hit Kace''s shoulder. "What are you doing!? You ruined my dress!"


    Kace stood up and threw aside the remaining fabric that he had torn apart. "Don''t be silly!" he knocked Hope''s head lightly. "If you want to attend the party, we will go. But, if you want to look after Serefina, you can''t wear this," Kace said sternly. Sometimes, Hope was so childish making it hard to understand her line of thought.


    "Don''t be angry," Hope whined. She threw herself onto him and hugged her mate tightly.


    And the most important thing was; she knew how to appease his anger whenever he got angry at her silly actions.


    From afar, they could hear the sounds of bells from all the four towers in the four directions. The first sound indicated that the queen was walking towards the throne room to meet her mate.


    "All right," Kace patted her head and Hope grinned foolishly. They started to run again in search of Serefina after the small debacle.


    "Are you sure, it is this way?" Hope looked around when they reached a place where they could see nothing but a large number of tall trees.


    "Hm, I can smell her scent stronger here, " Kace said and heard Hope murmuring something like; ''it is easier this way.''


    However, right at that moment, they could hear a fairly loud explosion.


    "What is that?" Hope frowned. The sound came from the direction where Serefina''s scent could be smelled and it could only mean one thing; the witch was the cause of the sound of the explosion.


    "I don''t know, but it definitely didn''t seem anything good," Kace said in annoyance. Did Serefina try to burn down the entire forest? "Let''s go." Kace grabbed Hope''s hand and quickened their pace.


    Kace didn''t need to voice out what was inside his mind, because Hope had the same thoughtsas him.


    Indeed, Serefina was not the kindest creature Hope had ever met, but she saw the witch as someone closer to a mother figure for her, as she didn''t know her family.


    Kace cringed when Hope told him her reason, he said Hope gave him goosebumps because she could think of Serefina as a mother figure, the witch was miles away from that figure.


    Moreover, it was Serefina and Lana, who had been taking care of her ever since she was only a baby, when Kace had to run away from Jedrek''s people, who wanted to catch him.


    However, both of them had the same concern for her. Lana also would be here to look for Serefina if it was not because she was too weak to look for her.


    The night before the wedding, when they gathered together in the tavern, had tired her out and forced her to get a proper rest.


    Therefore, knowing what Serefina was going through now, made both of them very worried.

 Chapter 793 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY (6)

    Lana opened her eyes feeling groggy when she heard the loud sound of a gong. She looked around her and found Raphael who was sitting beside her, on the sofa that he had pulled near her bed.


    From the dark sky out there, Lana realized that she had been sleeping throughoutthe entire day.


    "Raph," Lana''s voice was raspy when she called out for him. Raphael, who was reading a book, immediately put it down and moved closer to his mate.


    "Hey, you are awake," Raphael spoke softly while caressing her pale face.


    "I have slept for so long," Lana said. She cleared her dry throat and Raphael immediately poured some water in a glass and gave it to Lana as he helped her to sit down, so she wouldn''t choke while sipping the water.


    "Yes, you slept very long. I miss you already," Raphael said in a whining tone, but his expression said otherwise like he was someone who was very relieved. As if, all of his troubles had disappeared just at the sight of his mate opening her eyes.


    Lana attempted to roll her eyes, but she ended up closing them while she drank the water. Raphael let her head rest on his shoulder, as he carefully held the glass to her lips.


    "You missed the ceremony," Lana said after drinking the water when it finally registered in her now awake mind, what exactly the gong sound from before represented. In the throne room, the ceremony must have started already.


    "I don''t even care about the ceremony," Raphael replied truthfully. There was something more important for him and it was to take care of his mate.


    "How about your Alpha?" Lana asked. "Didn''t he want you to attend it?"


    "Torak knew better where I am supposed to be. I will not leave you alone here even if he himself asked me to do so." But, fortunately for him, Torak was considerate enough not to ask Raphael to do so, since he knew very well how unsettled one would feel when their other half was not in a good condition.


    Well, Torak had gone half insane when Raine was sick back then before Serefina came to help them.


    "Moreover, Calleb is with him. He will not need me there," Raphael put down the glass and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.


    The Beta didn''t know how to put it into words, but he know one thing for sure that he would never get tired by looking at his mate. He could do this all his life and would still feel that one life was not enough to look at her lovely face. Now he understood how Torak felt about Raine.


    Raphael couldn''t even imagine if something bad happened to Lana. He couldn''t even remember how he had live his life before he met her. Everything seemed dull in comparison to what he had now.


    With Lana by his side, he felt like he owned everything that he needed in his life. How even a little thing looked so perfect in his eyes.


    Adding to that fact¡­


    "Do you know about it?" Raphael asked Lana when he helped her to lay back on her bed.


    "Know what?" Lana blinked her eyes. She stared at the perfect man beside her. How grateful she was to meet him.


    Raphael had been really good to her, he did nothing but to make her happy. Even Lana could feel it; she smiled more often whenever she was with him.


    Despite they just met with each othernot too long, the connection between them was something that couldn''t be described in words. Lana felt like she had known him for her entire life and could easily say that he was too feeling likewise.


    Now, when she thought about her crush toward Kace, she would find it very silly. Lana''s feelings for Raphael now, were miles apart from what she used to feel for kace.


    "You don''t know this?" Raphael moved his hand to her still flat stomach and grinned foolishly. His green eyes flashed with pure happiness. "You are pregnant," he said in a very low voice that sounded like a whisper.


    Raphael just realized it in the afternoon when he felt something different with Lana''s scent. Her scent became ripe and sweeter.


    And when he confirmed with the healer, she congratulated him.


    However, because Lana was still fast asleep, Raphael didn''t know how to react to that news, moreover, no one was there for him to share his happiness.


    Even at that moment he missed his mischievous Gamma and wanted him to be there so bad.


    "Yes, I know¡­" Lana said timidly, she placed her hand on top of Raphael''s on her stomach and looked at her mate affectionately. "Serefina told me when I visited her last time. But, because I still couldn''t feel anything, I didn''t tell you."


    Raphael bent down to give her a lingering forehead kiss which lasted for a few seconds before he stared right into her deep eyes dotingly. "You should have told me."


    And now, Raphael realized that the attack almost cost, not only his mate''s life but also their unborn child.


    "I am sorry," Lana raised her arms and hugged Raphael''s neck. "I just couldn''t believe...¡­"


    Raphael hugged her back and kissed his mark on Lana''s neck. He loved this woman with everything he had.


    And at that very moment, Lana whispered to him.


    "I love you."


    ==============


    "This way," Keira said as she led Lilac into the throne room.


    Lilac stepped through the door, into the room and her barefoot were greeted by the cold water on the floor.


    She had been told about this, but was still surprised when she watched the large shallow pool of water before her. The water was not too deep, but it would wet the long train of her gown that she wore. However, that was the essence of it.


    The water was the symbol for a new life, which represents the new journey that the king and the queen would go through together, starting this very moment. The ceremony that would bind, not only their soul and body, but the whole people, together.


    They meant to rule alongside each other.


    The water covered the entire floor of the room and she realized all the people present were barefoot as well.


    Lilac took a deep breath when she walked through the water and Jedrek did the same.


    When Jedrek''s eyes met Lilac''s, his cool collected expression didn''t change, but his eyes seemed to glow with affection as he walked closer.

 Chapter 794 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY (7)

    "Serefina," Kace called her name when he spotted the red haired witch, standing absentmindedly on the river bank, staring with an unfaltering dull gaze at the crater that she had created a few moments ago.


    Kace and Hope ran toward the witch. However, it seemed she didn''t even realize that they were coming toward her.


    "Serefina, are you okay?" Hope touched her sleeves cautiously. In her whole nineteen years of this life, she had never seen Serefina like this. She was akin to someone who lost their soul. She stood there as if a lifeless doll which made the hearts of people looking at her tremble with agony.


    As of that moment, the four bells rang through the entire city, indicating that the queen had entered the throne room to unite with the king.


    "It''s really over¡­ it''s really over now¡­" Serefina mumbled repeatedly in a devastating yet trembling tone.


    "Go on," Keira slightly pushed her waist, so that Lilac could take another step forward to meet Jedrek. This slight push broke the spell between them. "Go to the king," she whispered again in an encouraging tone.


    Lilac unconsciously moved her hand in an attempt to clutch the fabric as if she wanted to lift her dress, in order to save the gorgeous material from getting wet, but Keira stopped her hand. Lilac seemed to forget that both of her hands were busy, holding something in all her nervousness.


    "Let the dress drag in the water. It''s a symbolic which indicates unity and acceptance," Keira said prompting Lilac to let go of the soft fabric. Lilac abandoned the thought of saving her dress from getting wet and took a deep breath to calm herself down.


    Lilac ever so slowly stepped into the pool of water with her heart hammering in her ribcage. Immediately, she felt several gazes piercing into her. And, as soon as she stepped in, the soft white material soaked into the cold water, restraining Lilac''s movements and slowing her pace even more.


    Lilac was completely unnerved, as a constant thought that all the people present were watching her every move, kept resurfacing in her mind. She took one more deep breath to calm her racing heartbeat and continued to take one small step after one toward Jedrek, who was staring at her through her entire walk.


    Jedrek outstretched his hand toward Lilac, as soon she reached an arm''s distance from him and a reverent silence fell upon the already quiet room.


    They watched their king and queen solemnly when they joined in the middle of the room in Lilac''s way to go to the throne.


    Lilac felt her heart skip a noticeable bit when she watched Jedrek''s outstretched hand in front of her without blinking her eyes. When keira noticed that their queen was stunned silly in front of her very own mate, she nudged Lilac forcing her to realize what was going on here.


    Lilac threw a grateful glance at keira and pushed the goblet of red wine in her left hand into keira''s hands. Afterward, Lilac turned around to face Jedrek and accepted his hand. And, together they walked toward their thrones.


    The moment their fingers intertwined, Lilac let out a silent breath of relief and became more relaxed when she finally felt that she wouldn''t be alone.


    Jedrek''s hold was steady and it gave Lilac a calming sense of courage.


    However, Jedrek didn''t led her all the way to the royal seat, they stopped right below the steps and he turned around so that they could stand face to face.


    Meanwhile, Torak stepped down from the steps along with Eaton and Sebastian. The three of them made a circle around the king and queen.


    Torak glanced at his mate over his shoulder when he turned around and faced the couple. He took both of their hands and with a white ribbon that he was holding, he tied them; left hand of Lilac to Jedrek''s right hand.


    "Lilac, do you promise to be just and put the needs of your people before your own?" Torak asked, looking at the sweet guardian angel that soon to be the queen of this realm, just like how Diana had been.


    "Yes," Lilac replied in a soft voice. In this quiet room, the sound of it was very clear and pure.


    Jedrek noticed that Lilac was beyond nervous when her fingers dug deep into the skin of his hand-back. She was terrified of making a complete fool of herself and ruining the tranquility of the sacred ceremony.


    "Lilac, do you promise to devote yourself to your mate and to the moon goddess until your final day in this realm?" Torak questioned her again.


    This was the line that Torak had to ask and the duty that he had as Jedrek''s brother. If Kace was here, he should have been the four person, who witnessed this union together with Eaton and Sebastian, yet he had chose to be somewhere else.


    However, it seemed both Jedrek and Torak knew where he was.


    "Lilac do you promise to devote yourself to your mate and to the moon goddess until your final day in this realm?"


    "Yes," Lilac replied. Her black eyes stared straight into the blue eyes of her mate in front of her and it seemed that she didn''t have any intention to avert them and likewise.


    The spark that Jedrek felt between them when he touched her skin was one of many things that he cherished of being with his mate.


    But, that feeling even couldn''t be compared when every time Lilac said ''yes'' in her angelic voice to every Torak''s question.


    His heart trembled just from hearing her acceptance.


    He didn''t know when he started to feel this way toward Lilac. Was it through the one year that he had put her into a deep sleep? Or, was it when she fiercely voiced out her thoughts whenever she felt Jedrek made a wrong decision?


    Or, was it when Lilac said he could choose Serefina over her with sincerity in her voice, though Jedrek had killed her in the past. That was the most outrageous decision that he had ever made, out of countless brutal actions that he had done.


    He was thrilled with the very fact that their fate was sealed together for the eternity, that the graceful, kind and strong hearted woman before his eyes would be his.


    "Lilac, do you accept this role along with the blessing to become queen and to be sealed to your mate for eternity?"


    This time Lilac didn''t answer Torak immediately, she stared at Jedrek and this made the latter worry.


    To be sealed as his mate and the queen in this realm¡­ yet, at this moment Jedrek remembered all the things that he had done to her.


    Everything flashed before his eyes and he questioned himself; did he deserve to get her devotion and love?


    As silly as it sounded, Jedrek didn''t want her to reject him.


    Not at a time like this, when he realized his feelings for her. Perhaps, it was because of the tranquility that surrounded them, or maybe it was only his genuine feelings for her, but at this particular moment of time, all he wanted was to make Lilac as his.


    But, the guardian angel didn''t say a word until a beautiful and pure smile bloomed on her cherry lips.


    "Yes," she emphasized her words, chased away Jedrek''s fear of losing her when all he needed now was her.

 Chapter 795 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY (8)

    "It''s really over¡­ it''s really over now¡­" Serefina mumbled repeatedly in a devastating yet trembling tone. She raised her head and looked at Kace deeply. A sorrowful tear fell on her cheek when she bit her lips in order to keep her emotions from resurfacing, yet she failed miserably.


    Her breathing became uneven when Serefina tried to understand that the only thing what she ever wanted, but she knew she would lose it eventually. This was the price that she needed to pay for being alive once again.


    Now, when she finally came to think of this once again, she didn''t know whether it was the right decision that she made back then with Selene, the moon goddess. If it was even worthy?


    The pain was almost unbearable for Serefina to bear and her knees went weak as she fell to the ground with a raging heart.


    Everything seemed dull in her eyes and nothing was important now. The knowledge of losing someone, who was so dear to her heart, didn''t cease her pain at all.


    Her ears were ringing with the third sound of the bells from the towers. This bell indicated that the king and queen had sealed their fate together for the eternity. Jedrek and Lilac had united as the rulers for this realm.


    Didn''t that mean that one of the tasks had been completed? But, why didn''t Serefina feel that she had accomplished something important?


    Back then, the only thing that she wanted was to see Jedrek again, but now her greedy heart wanted more.


    Serefina clutched her aching chest and gritted her teeth. It almost felt like someone stabbed her right through her heart but she couldn''t even bleed. She couldn''t cure this kind of wound neither could she think that she could heal from it ever.


    "Serefina, are you okay?" Hope asked in concern. She looked at Kace and asked him what they should do? Serefina had never been like this before. No matter how hard the situation that she had to face, she would raise her head arrogantly and threw one or two sarcastic words while keep going.


    Knowing Serefina for years and seeing her in this state now, it was like the witch had turned into completely someone else.


    "Serefina¡­" Hope called her name urgently when she watched the witch dug her nails into the solid ground and hurt herself. "Stop it¡­" she didn''t realize it when her own tears started falling on her cheeks to witness the strongest woman that she had ever known crumbled because of her own uncontrollable sorrow.


    "Serefina stop." Kace said sternly. He reached out to her, but the witch struggled from his grasp, didn''t want to be touched.


    "Leave me alone." Serefinaexpended the remaining of her strength to muster those words. She felt weak, but filled with anger at the same time.


    "No." Kace pulled Hope to his back, as he knew what would come next.


    "I said. Leave. Me. Alone."Serefina emphasized every word and glared viciously at Kace when the lycan didn''t do what she told him.


    Serefina hated the fact that some part of his face resembled Jedrek. Especially those blue eyes. The three Donovan shared the same blue ocean eyes, but Jedrek''s slightly darker. Serefina remembered that tiny detail of him.


    "Step back," Kace told Hope in low voice and she nodded before moving away from the two of them. Things wouldn''t be pretty if Serefina''s current mood got worse and more so with Kace''s stubbornness.


    No matter what Serefina said, they wouldn''t leave her alone in her current state.


    "Serefina, you know this will happen¡­" Kace tried to talk to her, but she shook her head vigorously, kept pulling and twisting a few strands of her red hair.


    "I know. I know. I know!" she shouted in the end. "So, why? I don''t even have the right to feel this way!?"


    "Come here." Kace moved closer and stretched out his arms, but Serefina pushed his chest away.


    "Don''t come near me or I will burn you alive!" Serefina screamed, she looked as if she went crazy and a mad woman would be in a better state than her.


    Yet, Kace didn''t heed to her warnings and hugged her instead, despite of her attempts to free herself.


    The front of Kace''s shirt burned because of the heat Serefina had released while scalding his skin in the process. He groaned in pain, but didn''t let her go.


    "Kace!" Hope was terrified when she watched this, but Kace warned her to not come any closer.


    "No! Stay there!" he said between his gritted teeth. "D*mn it! Serefina! Stop it!"


    "LET. ME. GO!" Serefina screamed on top of her lungs. She hated this painful feeling and what more was the fact she couldn''t let it go.


    "Serefina stop!" Hope shrieked when a blue flame circled around the two of them and Serefina''s screaming was the only thing that she could hear.


    The flame was burning brightly until Hope couldn''t see the two of them. She was panic stricken when she couldn''t even stand within two steps from it.


    What happened? Did Serefina burn them alive? Did she kill Kace? What exactly had happened?


    Hope''s body was trembling in fear and her mind froze with the thought of the worst possible thing that could happen to the two of them.


    "Kace! Serefina!" Hope shouted to the blue fire, but the only reply that she got was the screams of Serefina. At least she knew that the witch was still alive. However, how about Kace? "Stop it please¡­" Hope sobbed and fell to the ground when her knees went weak to support her body.


    It felt like forever when finally Serefina stopped screaming and the blue flames snuffed out, leaving another crater.


    And then, Hope could see Kace, who was still hugging Serefina''s body. White smoke appeared from both of them and their clothes were torn and burned in some parts, yet the sound of a soft grunt from Kace told her that he was still alive.


    And like that, Serefina cried her heart out in Kace''s embrace. The sorrowful cries pierced into Hope''s heart, as if she could feel her pain and this made her crying for what the witch was going through.

 Chapter 796 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY (9)

    Jedrek looked at Lilac, eyes filled with pure affection. He felt his racing heart skip a bit once he heard her last vow. With a single word which meant she accepted him while smiling beautifully at him, she could relieve him from all of his worries.


    "Jedrek, do you promise to always cherish and protect your mate?" Torak had shifted his attention toward his brother now.


    Jedrek looked directly into her eyes and remembered how he had killed her before. "Yes," he said in solemn voice as he regretted his previous actions. He would protect her from now onward.


    "Jedrek, do you promise to stay by your mate''s side all the same, through the times of both light and darkness?" Torak asked his brother again.


    Jedrek had put her in the dark and tried to chase her away from his life, but Lilac always found a way to him again.


    "Yes," Jedrek replied.


    His blue eyes bore into Lilac''s. He silently promised to himself that he would give her everything. Everything he ever had, he would offer it to her.


    Torak then nodded to Sebastian and Eaton as the two of them crouched down to scoop some water into their cupped hands before they splashed it on Jedrek''s and Lilac''s shoulder, which wetted their clothes and dress.


    Lilac shuddered lightly when the cold water cascaded down from her shoulder to her spine.


    Afterward Jedrek stretched out his hand and pulled Lilac closer to him, he raised their entwined hands and turned around to face their people.


    "Long live the king!" Torak''s voice boomed inside the throne room.


    "Long live the king!" the mass of people repeated.


    "Long live the queen!" Torak spoke even louder.


    "Long live the queen!" the people followed after him.


    Jedrek kept Lilac closer to him until the echo of the audience faded. However, this was not over yet. The next thing that was going to happen was what had been worrying Lilac the most.


    After the echo of the people hailing their names died down, Jedrek turned around to face Lilac and ever so gently cupped her face between his big palms and lowered his head to kiss her lips.


    His broad back, slightly covered Lilac''s face while she closed her eyes and relished their kiss. The kiss didn''t last for long time, but it took Lilac''s breath away.


    Jedrek finally gave her a peck in the end of their kiss before pulling backward and smiled softly at her. Lilac had never seen him looking at her this way before.


    Did he truly love her now?


    Jedrek brushed his thumb against Lilac''s lips, he looked at her deeply when she bit her bottom lip nervously.


    Afterward Sebastian and Eaton stepped forward and untied the white ribbon. They took Jedrek away from Lilac, creating a distance between them and Lilac didn''t like it when she lost the warmth of her mate.


    This was the only part of the long ceremony that Lilac couldn''t understand why they have to follow this kind of cruel tradition?


    Sebastian and Eaton brought Jedrek a few meter away from Lilac and practically ripped off Jedrek''s shirt, leaving his molded torso exposed.


    Lilac found herself unwilling to rip her eyes away from Jedrek''s perfect body. His body was rippling with muscles, though he didn''t look like a muscular man, she could clearly see that he was absolutely a man in good shape. If Lilac was not too nervous or for the fact that she knew what would happen next, she would have drooled over those juicy abs. That was truly a s.e.xy sight to behold.


    However, this was not the right time for all of that. With her meager knowledge, she couldn''t even appreciate the sight before her eyes without being worried.


    Another three men came into the throne room, through the door where Lilac walked in. They brought a round plate made of metal which carried a white sizzling metal rod on top of the burning coals, from which white smoke could be seen floating into the air, indicating how hot it was.


    Lilac fidgeted when the three men walked closer and finally stopped in front of Torak, who was standing next to Lilac. They put down the round metal and then they walked away to the other side of the room.


    Torak moved forward to take the white hot metal rod and walked toward Jedrek.


    On the royal seat, Raine stood up and looked at the scene unfolding before her. Unlike Lilac, who had been told about the rundown of the event, Raine was completely clueless about what Torak was about to do until his voice, once again boomed in the throne room.


    "In the name of the moon goddess!"Torak shouted as he pressed the rod onto Jedrek''s left shoulder.


    Upon seeing that, Raine covered her eyes and yelped. She didn''t know what she was going to do, but she wanted to stop Torak from doing that.


    Her mate now was lifting the rod and rotated it. She saw him pressing it again against Jedrek''s left shoulder.


    "Jedrek Donovan!" Torak shouted loudly and the people inside the room repeated after him.


    Raine was about to move forward when Calleb held her elbow and kept her in place. He whispered to her urgently.


    "Raine, you can''t do this," Calleb loosened his grip because he didn''t want to hurt her.


    "Call, Torak is torturing his brother," Raine protested in low voice, her eyes locked onto Torak''s figure, who once again lifted the rod and pressed it again against the same spot on Jedrek''s left shoulder.


    "Lilac Donovan!"Torak''s voice echoed throughout the room along with the other people''s voice.


    "No, Raine." Calleb shook his head. "This is their tradition."


    Raine turned around and looked at Calleb sternly. "This is a torture," she hissed and grimaced when she watched Lilac''s worried expression. It seemed the other guardian angel was aware about this, thus Raine relented.


    On the other hand, Lilac wanted to avert her eyes when she watched how the hot rod marred Jedrek''s shoulders. Her fear escalated when she realized that the rod was actually made of silver. It wasn''t metal, but silver! How he could do that?!


    When the rod stroke his shoulder for the fourth time while Torak shouted something that Lilac couldn''t comprehend, she lifted her eyes and her gaze met with Jedrek''s. His blue eyes stared intently at her.


    Lilac could see how Jedrek''s muscles tightened and contracted violently against the silver, but his steely gaze didn''t falter from her face.


    She really wanted to rush over and scream at the top of her lungs at Torak to stop this!

 Chapter 797 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY (10)

    Yet, Lilac just stood there, unable to move an inch. She squeezed her own dress until it wrinkled.


    ''He is doing that for you, my queen,'' that was what Keira had told her when she let her know about the rundown of the mating ceremony.


    ''I don''t want him to do this for me.'' Lilac thought to herself, but she couldn''t voice out her words in front of everyone.


    She would''ve never imagine that it would be very terrifying just to witness it, though Jedrek didn''t utter a word, but who wouldn''t feel any pain when a hot rod was being pressed against your skin?!


    ''It is ceremonial and it was necessary for the king to go through this.'' Keira answered when Lilac asked why they had to do this brutal ritual?


    A custom of this realm for the royal mating ceremony.


    ''You shouldn''t stop him. Whatever you feel about it when you watch him go through it, you must not stop him.'' Keira emphasized her words.


    However,right before her eyes, Lilac watched Torak pressing the rod once again against Jedrek shoulder.


    How many times had he been doing that already? Five times?Six times?


    Keira said Torak would do that for eleven times, but how could they perfom such a cruel ritual like this? Lilac didn''t want this.


    Lilac hugged herself, she felt chillsrunning down her spine. She wouldn''t agree to the ceremony in the first place, if it was her decision to make. She couldn''tcontinue to watch this. This was way too cruel for her to watch, yet she couldn''t avert her eyes away from him.


    Another strike landed on Jedrek''s shoulder.


    Now the skin around his shoulders had turned red and his veins were noticeably bulgingon his neck.


    Lilac bit her lips, her entire body was trembling like a leaf.


    "The uniting has been completed!" Torak ended his torture by saying those words and the otherschanted the words after him like before.


    Afterward, Torak put down the rod on the metal plate which was filled with coal. He stepped back and let Jedrek walk toward his mate.


    Actually, Kace had asked to perform this task. He really wanted to do it. ''Shoving the hot silver onto Jedrek''s skin would be a satisfying sight to see,'' he said it before with a voice laced with revenge.


    He would enjoy it and no one would say otherwise, knowing what Jedrek had done to him. This would be the only opportunity to hurt Jedrek in the name of helping him to complete the ceremony and the big brother couldn''t hold a grudge against him in this case.


    However, Kace gave up the opportunity and chose not to attend the ceremony completely.


    Meanwhile, in spite of being tortured in that way, Jedrek could walk toward Lilac steadily, as if he was not the one who had received those chars a few moments ago. He didn''t even flinch when he raised his injured left arm to wipe Lilac''s silent tears.


    The guardian angel leaned her face into his palm and sobbed softly. She couldn''t even hug him in fear of hurting him. What if it got worse when she tried to touch him?


    Jedrek, then took her hand and together they walked toward the balcony, from where theywould have to greet their people as the next step of the ceremony.


    Jedrek led her mate to stand on the large balcony that overlooked the front yard of the castle, where many people had been waiting for them.


    Lilac''s heart almost skipped a beat when she saw countless faces looking up at her from below and the crowd of the gathered people whichoccupied the whole front yard until the main gates and extended onto the streets too.


    Lilac took a shaky breath and looked at Jedrek beside her, but the man seemed aloof with the overwhelmed attention that he was receiving from his people when he raised his hand, which held Lilac''s and spoke loudly:


    "Kneel before your king and queen!"


    And with that being said, thousands of people fell on to their knees and lowered their heads, even people inside the room behind them, did the same.


    It was only Torak and Raine, who didn''t do it since it was not an obligation for them to do so as they were of the same rank as Jedrek.


    However, the sight was not something could please Lilac in anyway, she was not used to have people kneeling before her, and she didn''t think that she would get used to it in the future.


    From afar, the bell rang throughout the city once again, indicating that the ceremony for the queen and the king was accomplished.


    When Lilac glanced at Jedrek, she squinted her eyes at the red and inflamed char on his left shoulder. The burns of it formed a symbol. It was as if he had been branded with that symbol.


    And the symbol that was seared onto his very shoulder resembled a lilac flower.


    ==============


    Hope sobbed silently when she watched how Kace''s skin started to heal whileSerefina was crying relentlessly, mourning over the loss of the love of her life.


    In the end, Hope crawled over to them and brushed the red hair that covered the witch''s face aside.


    Her cheeks were flushing with a bright color of red, while her eyes turned bloodshot. Her lips were trembling uncontrollably. Dirt and ashes from the flame that she conjured earlier, had stained her face and left her dress tattered.


    "Serefina¡­" Hope cried for her and she felt bad for what the witch was going through now. She was happy for Lilac, she was with her mate now, but she didn''t want Serefina to be like this.


    "I want to be alone¡­" she spoke in a shaky voice as she tried to free herself from Kace once again. "Please, leave me alone¡­"


    At this moment, the fourth bell rang through the city and Serefina closed her eyes, her body continued trembling. The ceremony had reached the end and there was nothing she could do now.


    When the night fell, Jedrek would mark and mate with Lilac to strengthen the bond between them. It was too late for her even if she wanted to change her mind now.


    However, the truth was; even if she didn''t want this to happen or how much she wanted to have Jedrek for herself, she couldn''t do it.


    Serefina couldn''t break the vow that she made with the moon goddess when she got resurrected.

 Chapter 798 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY (11)

    "Jedrek, why would you let them do that to you?" Lilac ran her fingers on the burning skin on Jedrek''s left shoulder, which was now seared with a symbol of lilac flower. Her brows creased tightly.


    Jedrek was wearing his white robe now, but from their proximity, his mate could see the symbol on his skin and looked very worried about it.


    The rod was made of silver, so even the skin around it had starting to heal, the burns that formed a lilac flower would be etched forever on his skin.


    "This is part of the ceremony," Jedrek said, tucking a strand of Lilac''s hair behind her ear.


    "This is cruel," Lilac said through gritted teeth. She didn''t like it, not even a little bit, though the symbol on Jedrek''s left shoulder represented her.


    "This is not a big deal," Jedrek grabbed Lilac''s hand and pulled her toward their chamber.


    The guests had already dispersed and the night began to fall deeper as the moon shone brightly in the dark sky. All the omegas and the servants had already begun to exit and started to help clean up the ceremony.


    "Shall we go back to our room too?" Torak stood up and offered his hand to help Raine up.


    "I want to walk in the yard for a while, is that okay?" Raine asked timidly, she looked around her and saw that there were only a few people that stayed behind and were busy chatting with each other.


    The ceremony completion was marked by the release of continous lively fireworks and afterward, everything gradually became less hectic than before.


    "Of course," Torak kissed Raine''s temple and guided her to the other side of the door, which led to the front yard.


    "I am glad that you don''t have to do this kind of ceremony," Raine said softly, feeling the night breeze that softly brushed her skin. The image when Torak brandished that hot rod against Jedrek''s shoulder still engrained deeply in her mind. She couldn''t imagine if it was Torak. "I wouldn''t want you to do that, no matter what you said." Raine sounded unreasonably stubborn when she said that.


    Torak smiled softly at her and wrapped his arms around her slender waist, to keep her warm.


    "Well, it means you still want a ceremony, but without a hot rod, am I correct?" Torak asked her playfully. "Once we ended this madness, we will have one, what do you think?"


    Raine glanced at Torak and at the same time the Alpha winked at her teasingly. She laughed upon seeing that gesture and hugged him. She loved this man.


    "Okay," she said solemnly.


    ==============


    "We look like beggars," Hope complained when she saw her, once beautiful dress, had now turned into a mess, covered with a lot of dirty and mud, not to mention the fabric which Kace had ripped off earlier in order to help her move freely.


    Hope glanced at Kace, who didn''t look any better himself, his clothes were all tattered and burned.


    "Nonsense," Kace scoffed. "There is no beggar as beautiful as you," he winked at Hope playfully.


    "Of course, I am beautiful," Hope replied arrogantly and puffed her chest, as she twirled a strand of her hair coquettishly and winked back at Kace.


    The lycan laughed at her gesture and tousled her hair instead, messing up her already messy hair.


    "Well, there is no beggar as handsome as me, too," he said proudly and laughed even louder when he saw Hope rolling her eyes.


    "You are always full of yourself," she criticized him.


    The moonlight lit up their path, thus it was not difficult for them to walk through the dense trees in this comfortable silence, listening to the sound of crickets or the rustling leaves when the wind blew.


    "What are you doing?" Hope asked with a frown when she saw that Kace was actually tearing his already tattered clothes.


    "This is more comfortable," Kace said as he threw away his clothes and walked shirtless.


    "You have no shame," Hope murmured, but she glanced at his perfect body once again to observe how perfect he was.


    "What?" Kace pinched her soft cheek and stood in front of her, blocking her view from the world except him. "So, you, who would steal glances at me every now and them, have a shame?" he asked, challenging her playfully.


    "I don''t have this peculiar habit of walking shirtless," Hope pointed out and swatted Kace''s hand from her cheek. She could visibly see how Kace stiffened for a moment and soon after heard a faint growl rumbling from his throat.


    "I will sew the dress onto your skin, if you dare to do that," he said dangerously.


    Upon seeing his mood turn sour, Hope laughed and tiptoed to peck on his lips. "You will never do that, you know that I don''t like needles," she said.


    Kace cupped her face and kissed her again while saying; "Well, I will lock you up inside our room for the rest of your life then," in between their kisses.


    ==============


    "We need to treat the burns, it looks very painful," Lilac grimaced when Jedrek took off his robe and showed her his bare shoulder.


    Now, when she saw it again, the symbol appeared clearer since the skin around it began to heal.


    "I feel just fine," Jedrek said lightly.


    "Jedrek, please. We need to call a healer to look at your wound," Lilac implored. She couldn''t feel at ease, as her eyes would unconsciously land on his shoulder for every few seconds and made her feel uncomfortable.


    "There is no need for that," Jedrek walked closer toward Lilac and sat down beside her, pressing a soft kiss below her ear.


    Her body stiffened when Jedrek whispered in to her ear as his hot breath brushed against her skin.


    "I want you to bear my mark too," he confessed.


    Lilac looked down, biting her lips nervously. She felt her heart fluttering when she heard that.


    At this point of time, the atmosphere suddenly became thick and awkward, at least that was what Lilac felt.


    As their bond was strengthening, their need for each other became vivid. They wanted to be near each other all the time.


    These new emotions that consumed the two of them were so raw and uncharted.


    "I want you to mark me too," Lilac said softly.

 Chapter 799 - THE DAY OF THE CEREMONY (12)

    Selene had paired the two souls for a reason and no matter the extent of the bitterness they had been through or how much effort that Jedrek had put through to break the red string between them, they were still made for each other.


    It felt like a hundred years had passed since the first time Lilac held a grudge toward Jedrek, or how he was torn between wanting her and resenting the mate bond between them.


    And here they were, wanted to be close to one another. And, claimed their mates in front of everyone, for all of them to see whom they actually belong to.


    Even though the ceremony had already ended and the sky was turning darker, this was just a new beginning for the two of them.


    "I want you to mark me too," Lilac said softly. She bit her lower lip nervously, yet she knew there was no point to prolong the inevitable. They were made for each other.


    Though her voice was barely a whisper, Jedrek could hear the sincerity in her voice.


    Jedrek could understand if Lilac wanted to wait or she needed some time to adjust her feelings for him, but hearing her consent calmed his tense nerves.


    Yet, there was a warning that Lilac should know in case she was clueless about this and Jedrek didn''t wish for her to be in pain without knowing what she would face.


    "The process of marking is not easy. It will be very painful," he said in a soft tone, which was very rare to hear from him. "The pain is unavoidable." Jedrek caressed her face.


    Lilac took a deep breath. At this point, what else could she do? Avoiding their fate?And moreover, since she knew that Jedrek''s wound could be healed by marking her, just like how it healed Kace''s, this reason alone was enough for her to still her heart and be more certain with her decision.


    "We can wait until you are ready," Jedrek said when he saw her slightly anxious eyes. "This is not something that we should rush."


    However, Lilac had other thoughts about it. She stretched out her hands and cupped his face between her small palms.


    "I know," she said softly. "But, I am ready now."


    Jedrek narrowed his eyes as if searching for any sort of hesitation in her black obsidian ones. However, aside from the nervousness, his mate appeared determined in her decision.


    "If you want me to stop, just say it." Jedrek reached for her headpiece and removed the glittering and beautifully crafted crown gently, and placed it on the bed beside them.


    Lilac''s hair, which was as black as the night sky and as soft as the most fine silk, cascaded down on her back. She looked so graceful at the same time so perfect. Jedrek couldn''t believe himself that he had missed to realize this earlier.


    An even more unpleasant thought that tried to creep into his mind right now was the very fact that he had killed her in the past, yet that was not the thing that he should focus on now.


    He took everything slowly and waited for Lilac if she wanted to change her mind, but it seemed she didn''t intend to do so. His mate was staring at him with anticipation and those bright pair of eyes were like a spell that trapped all of his senses, making him want nothing, but savour this moment.


    Jedrek slowly untied her robe and kissed her exposed shoulder, his lips softly grazed the curve of her neck, the sweet spot where he would put his mark on her skin, he placed gentle kisses along Lilac''s delicate skin.


    Yet, he didn''t mark her right away.


    Jedrek teased her until he could truly feel Lilac to start relaxing against his touch.


    Pulling back, Jedrek laid her down on the soft bed, his hands moved to her shoulders, removing her dress.


    Lilac whimpered softly under his heated gaze, as she felt exposed.


    "It''s going to be all right, I promise," Jedrek consoled her while kissing her temple and felt her nodding in agreement slowly.


    Jedrek waited and peppered small kisses along her jaw lines until he saw the tension slowly leave Lilac''s body before he continued.


    ==============


    Theo opened his eyes when he felt that there was someone else who entered the room, he was immediately on alert before her scent hit him.


    It was the witch''s scent.


    And just like what he had thought, his eyes found Serefina as she slowly walked into his room and rested on the sofa where she used to sit down.


    Theo was not surprised to see the witch in his room, this was not the first time that she had visited him and he didn''t mind it at all.


    Unfortunately, because of the silver that was shoved into his throat, even though his life was no longer in danger and he just needed to rest a few more days to get his strength back, he lost his voice.


    The damage was severe and the healer couldn''t help him to get his voice back again. Therefore, he was no longer able to talk.


    And this was the only reason Serefina often visited him; because he couldn''t talk.


    When Theo asked her why she would always visit him, the witch replied casually by saying; "I need someone to accompany me, so I will not feel lonely, but most of them would start to ask about what happened with me and I don''t want to answer it," and then she looked at Theo, "But, you can''t ask me anything, so I like it."


    That was a rude comment, but somehow Theo could understand that. However, he was slightly annoyed by her next statement.


    "I was the one who helped you, if it was not because of me, you would have already turned into ashes by now. Therefore, think of this as if you are repaying me."


    That was what Serefina said and since then, she would come to his room and sit on that seat while staring at the window absentmindedly.


    Knowing that the witch just needed his presence, Theo was about to close his eyes when he realized her tattered dress.


    What happened to her?


    Theo got up from his bed and dr.a.p.ed a blanket over her shoulder.

 Chapter 800 - MARKED AND MATED

    Serefina pulled her legs closer to her chest and hugged them as she rested her forehead on her knees. She felt utterly exhausted and empty.


    But, then she felt someone draping a warm blanket on her shoulders and adjusted it, so it could cover her cold body.


    Even then the witch didn''t move, neither did she need to raise her head to see who it was, she knew it must be Theo, since she was inside his bedroom and he was the only person here.


    Serefina thought after covering her body with the blanket, Theo would go back to his bed, yet she felt the sofa beside her dip down, indicating the general decided to sit there.


    For some reason, Serefina didn''t mind it because Theo wouldn''t ask her anything, thus she continued to sit in that position.


    The two of them stayed silent the whole night and Serefina didn''t say anything.


    However, this was all she needed at a time like this.


    ==============


    When the first light of the sun kissed the horizon and fell on Lilac''s pale face, Jedrek frowned once again upon seeing how fragile his mate seemed now.


    Just like what Kace had told him, marking his mate could heal the wound on his shoulder, but he ended up sapping all of Lilac''s power, not to mention that the marking process itself would consume a lot of her power and inflict pain on her in return, to put it simple she was not in a good shape now.


    Jedrek glanced at the freshly embedded mark on her neck and fell in love with the sight that he was offered. He stretched his hand to touch her tender skin gently. The wound was almost healed, but Lilac had been sleeping for two days straight, without any signs of waking up soon and this almost turned him insane.


    He lowered his head to hear Lilac''s steady heartbeat. But, the faint sound of it only increased his worries.


    The sound of Lilac''s heartbeat was just like the sound from a newly born bird trying to flap it''s inexperienced wings; shallow and slow. However, it would be scarier if the sound actually stopped.


    Jedrek sighed and thought how ridiculous he was. The mate bond was so strong that he couldn''t even bear to leave her alone. He could not in her current condition at the least.


    It almost felt like the very meaning of his whole existence depended on her.


    "Please, wake up¡­" Jedrek pleaded, as he ran his fingers through her silk like hair and felt the soft strands between his fingers. He had never done something so gentle to her before.


    No, he realized that he had never done anything nice to her at all, and now all he wanted to do was experience every small thing with her.


    "Tok. Tok."


    Someone interrupted Jedrek''s moment, his mind was too occupied with his mate''s condition that he couldn''t even sense that Torak had been standing in the doorway for a few minutes already.


    "May I interrupt you?" Torak raised his brows, though it was unbelievable to see Jedrek like this, but Torak could see his past self in his brother''s behavior now, at that particular moment when he marked Raine. That was not a pleasant memory at all, yet he loved the aftermath of it.


    "You have already interrupted," Jedrek growled and Torak welcomed himself to enter the room. "What do you want?"


    "Excuse me?" Torak folded his arms in front of his chest while staring at his brother in disbelief. He scoffed, "you have a kingdom to run and a few battle plans that you have neglected for quite some time."


    "I will deal with that once Lilac wakes up," said an annoyed Jedrek . "You can¡­" his sentence was cut short by Torak.


    "I am not here to run your errands or your kingdom," Torak said sternly. He understood how Jedrek felt now, but he couldn''t comply with his decision to stay with Lilac the whole day.


    It had been two days, since Torak had been the one to handle the matters regarding the kingdom while Kace went to the camp, to talk to the other Alphas, in the absence of their brother. Today, some other lycanthropes and werewolves from Torak''s pack would come and join the force.


    Kace had been very annoying and in complete denial, every time Torak asked him to go to them, and he needed Raine to talk to Hope, to persuade his little brother in order to make him to do as Torak wanted. This almost made Torak go crazy.


    However, Jedrek did nothing but staying beside Lilac.


    "Look," Torak sighed and glanced at Lilac''s pale complexion. He have to admit it, if he was in Jedrek''s position now, he wanted nothing to do, but stay with his mate, but¡­ things became more and more complicated. "I know how you feel, but you can ask someone to stay here to inform you right away when she wakes up."


    Jedrek shook his head. "This is crazy," he murmured. "The thought of her never waking up scares me," he admitted it.


    Torak was surprised upon hearing his brother''s statement, this was the first time that he happened to hear Jedrek talking about his feelings after such a long time during which they stopped seeing each other.


    "Don''t worry, she will." Torak looked at Lilac once again. "You said it yourself, she is strong." He reminded him in an encouraging tone.


    Jedrek sighed and put his hand atop of hers. "Yes, she is."


    "At least you had it done in a proper way," Torak said as he pulled a chair and sat down. "You have the ceremony, marked and mated with her with her consent."


    Jedrek smiled faintly. He knew what happened with Torak''s and Kace''s situation, when they marked their respective mates.


    "I almost killed mine when I marked her." Torak eyes met Jedrek gaze. "And Kace was forced to mark his mate in order to keep her alive."


    Torak and Kace had told him the details of their story when Jedrek almost went berserk after he realized that he had sapped up all of Lilac''s power.


    "You have told me this." Jedrek threw him a look. "Do you want me to feel bad?"


    "Yes," Torak replied without a second thought. "You have to feel bad because you neglected your responsibilities."


    "You did too," Jedrek retorted.


    "I am not a king, I am a businessman and I don''t care if I have to fore sake some profits in order to be with my mate," he said in a matter of fact tone.


    Jedrek scoffed, "Do you really think that I did nothing at all? Get that envelope beside you."

 Chapter 801 - THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DISCUSSED

    "This is the last time you order me around," Torak glared at his brother and then took the envelope that he just mentioned.


    It was a white envelope, with a broken seal.


    Jedrek rolled his eyes dramatically when he heard Torak.


    "Read it," Jedrek said as he shifted his attention back to his mate. "I received it two days ago, on the day of the ceremony."


    Torak opened the enveloped and from the red seal, he knew it was from the people of eastern region since it was their sign.


    During these two days of Jedrek''s absence, Torak learned about the problem, concerning the eastern region and also about the missing people who were taken away by the devil. Unfortunately, those people would return but without their beasts, meaning their soul had been ripped off of their bodies.


    That reminded Torak what happened to Jenedieth previously, he found that the female lycan was also met with the same fate and lost her beast when the devil saved her from the dungeon. However, this time the devils were really trying to get on their nerves for actually daring to attack the citizens.


    "They are demanding for freedom?" Torak''s brows creased after he read the letter. "What makes them think that they can demand something like freedom from us?"


    "Because I killed Maximus," Jedrek said simply. "Maximus''s influence in east was insane."


    That was the reason why he kept Maximus beside him for so long, even though he knew that lycan had been feeding him with nothing good, but a potion that would in turn harm his body.


    "I don''t understand, why the east people would even offer their loyalty to someone like Maximus, but not to you?" Torak had been away for so long and he needed more than two days to catch up with everything that had been happening these past few centuries.


    "It is an old story. Apparently, the first Gregory and the leader of the east were sworn brothers, therefore; even though, I ordered to execute all the Gregory, I chose to save Maximus, not only because he turned his whole family in for their crimes, but also because it would stir a chaos in the east region," Jedrek explained.


    "You mean father ordered you to do that," Torak corrected him.


    Jedrek glanced at his brother briefly before he turned to stare at his mate again. "Whatever you say it was," he said casually. "The main problem now was, two of my people are in east and I have not heard anything from them until now."


    It was Killian and Tordoff. With the arrival of that letter and their open confrontation to declare themselves free from Jedrek''s territory, it was not exaggerating to assume the worst.


    "So, what you will do? Go full force on them?" Torak put down the letter. He remembered when Jedrek told them the true story about their parents, the other day in the dungeon, he mentioned about something like ''going to the eastern region after the mating ceremony''.


    However, seeing how things had turned out, even if Jedrek decided to go there now, it wouldn''t be a friendly visit.


    Jedrek mumbled. "The eastern region is the strongest hold among all the other regions."


    "It doesn''t mean we can''t win," Torak said.


    "We can''t afford the repercassions from two consecutive wars," Jedrek replied in a matter of fact tone. They couldn''t go for another war before the real war with the devil. It would be too much for them.


    "Do you think the devils were behind it?" Torak put down the letter at the same place, from where he took it. "If they were, then we will have to face both forces at the same time in the battlefield."


    "We will not stand a chance," Jedrek said grimly.


    "Why do you think that way?" Torak frowned, he didn''t like it when Jedrek was gloomy and demotivated like this. Was Lilac''s condition turned his mood down?


    "Mine, yours and Kace''s people, were still not getting along, right? How do you think we can win the war when the soldiers can''t trust their backs to each other? They are clearly at odds." Jedrek pointed out the internal problem that they had. "How is Kace getting along with those people?"


    Torak could see what Jedrek said was true. They wouldn''t be able to go anywhere with those hundred thousand people if they had even a tiny bit suspicion about each other. When he thought about this again, it was indeed a serious problem.


    "Moreover, your people are all from younger generations. How many of them have experienced a real war before?" Jedrek glanced at Torak and received a disdainful scoff from his brother. He knew he was saying the truth, only Torak didn''t want to admit it.


    Torak''s people mostly did business with him. Of course, there would be a regular training to keep their territory safe from rogues or any other creatures, but a pack battle was entirely different from a war. They could not be compared at all, not even anything close to comparison could be considered when they put the two together.


    Moreover, most of them had never faced the devils'' forces first hand, not to mention that they had never even got a chance to witness with their own eyes, how terrifying and nerve wrecking their dark forces could be.


    "So, what is your plan? Let them imprison or even kill your two men, since it is not worthy to declare a war with them at a time like this?" Torak asked. "I don''t think you have many options in this matter."


    But, Jedrek didn''t give him any immediate answer, he just mumbled, "I am aware of that, I am thinking of the best possible solution."


    "Who are the two people that had been taken?" Torak asked.


    "Killian, the mind- reader and one of my general, Tordoff," Jedrek replied.


    "A mind reader?"Torak raised his brows. "I thought that their kind had disappeared a long time ago."


    "As long as I can remember, Killian is the last mind- reader." Jedrek kissed the back of Lilac''s hand.


    "You are very good at keeping extraordinary people near you," Torak commented. However, his voice sounded as if he was cursing at his brother.


    "Stop getting on my nerves every time we talk," Jedrek groaned. Torak had been nagging at him to run his kingdom since he disliked to sit on the throne and got less time to spend with Raine.


    "I will ask Raine and Hope to visit in the afternoon and you have to go with me, there are a ton of things that we need to handle," Torak said sternly.

 Chapter 802 - CHIRONS DISAPPEARANCE

    "When do you think she will wake up?" Hope was lying flat beside Lilac while Raine was sitting on the sofa beside the bed.


    With Torak''s unwavering persistence, finally he managed to drag Jedrek out of the room.


    When Torak kept pestering Jedrek, they thought there would be a battle between the brothers, but fortunately aside from growling and snarling, they did not do any real harm to each other. Only the moment Jedrek stepped out of the room and followed Torak, could they sigh in relief.


    Now only the three guardian angels were inside the room, while Calleb stayed just behind the door. Jedrek would never let any man to enter the room other than his brothers, no matter what, therefore the Gamma stood grumpily outside the bedroom.


    "I don''t know," Raine tilted her head and looked at Lilac''s sleeping face. "It took days for me to recover."


    "Hm," Hope nodded. "It took me a year to fully recover. I was dead after all," she said in low voice. "Strange enough that I feel much better when I am with you."


    "Really?"Raine raised her brows and then she remembered the first time she met Hope. She was indeed not in good condition, but because Hope didn''t really look like a sick person at the first glance, she didn''t think much about it then.


    "AH!" Hope suddenly sat up while startling Raine with her loud voice. "Maybe¡­"


    Hope didn''t have time to finish her words when the door was slammed opened and Calleb rushed into the room.


    "What happened?!" he asked in panic. He heard Hope''s scream, thus without a second thought he rushed inside. "Why are you screaming?!"


    Hope and Raine were surprised to see the Gamma, he was scanning the room and looked for any possible threat, yet he found nothing.


    "I am sorry," Hope said timidly, grinning. "I just remembered something and got too excited."


    "What?!" Calleb''s brows creased and behind him there were another five guards that entered the room, they looked just as confused as him.


    The shifters had sensitive hearing, therefore when Hope screamed all of sudden, they thought that something had happened.


    Because inside this room were the three precious mates of the Donovans, the guardian angels, if something happened to them, those cruel lycans would have their head right away. Or, worse they would torture them until they wished for death.


    Therefore, they had been fully alert and kept a sensitive ear open to any sounds or oddity around them.


    "Don''t scream like that out of nowhere!" Calleb reprimanded Hope and waved his hand to the other guards for them to leave the room.


    "I am sorry," Hope said softly, but since she knew how Calleb would usually react, she didn''t think much about his outburst. The Gamma sometimes didn''t treat her kindly, but he was not that rude, at least not as much as the first time they met. Raine had told Hope about the reason of Calleb''s behavior and she could understand.


    "What makes you scream like that?" Calleb walked closer and pulled a chair, placed it beside Raine and sat on it.


    However, Raine hit his thigh. "Jedrek will be very upset if he smelled your scent here later."


    "I am already here, he will smell my scent anyway, so why don''t I chat with you guys for now. Those guards out there are very boring, they doesn''t even say a word and keeping their precious lips sealed," Calleb cringed. He couldn''t believe he had to stay silent for hours.


    "You just wanted to cause trouble for Torak," Raine glared at him playfully, but chuckled when he grinned.


    "Both of them are not on good terms already, even without me they will argue about everything. It is already good enough that Kace goes beyond the wall often," Calleb commented, but then he received a glare from Hope.


    "It is not good at all! He didn''t allow me to go there!" Hope snapped.


    The people from the village were placed in the city and Bree was not allowed to enter the castle, since Jedrek didn''t allow her.


    Hope missed the little girl, especially now when Kace was very busy and they didn''t have much time together.


    However, Kace promised to bring the girl into the castle, once he had the opportunity to visit her.


    "There is nothing you can see there, only beast and beast or rude men and rude men. You know how the Alphas when they put together in one place," Calleb rumbled.


    "I don''t know," Hope replied honestly. "I have never lived in that hierarchy. And I don''t think Kace likes to take charge over them."


    If one thing that Hope was sure about Kace, was the fact that he had an odd trauma to command people and this was related to his past and his unstable beast, though his condition right now was a little bit better, but that was because he had been healed.


    However, no matter what, suppressing your beast''s instinct would take a toll on the shifter in one way or another. This fact still worried her.


    "Therefore, there shouldn''t be two Alphas in the same place at the same time. Not to mention there are many of them," Calleb said, sighing deeply. He could imagine what kind of trouble Kace had to face in order to tame those people.


    Calleb had met most of the Alphas in Torak''s pack, thus he knew how stubborn they were when it came to the person that they were unwilling to listen.


    Kace had a lot of homework to do.


    "Anyway," Calleb clapped his hands and looked at Hope expectantly. "What do you want to say that could actually make you scream like that?" he was all ears to listen to whatever Hope wanted to say.


    ==============


    "What do you mean you had not seen Chiron since two days ago?" Kace felt like he was about to go crazy when he had to deal with those shifters. The Alphas were the worst. He really wanted to knock their heads off their shoulders.


    "Yes, maybe you should ask Carina about his whereabouts," Zarrn said. He looked fl.u.s.tered as well about Chiron''s disappearance.


    "Alright," Kace said. It was strange for Chiron to disappear all of a sudden, that too at a time like this.

 Chapter 803 - IN OTHER WORDS...

    The campsite was large enough to cover all the empty land between the city and the town that had been attacked by rogues a few weeks ago, not to mention about some strange scent in the air in here which was very strong and overwhelming to their sensitive noses, making it almost impossible to track anyone''s scent, thus it was not an easy task to find Carina.


    However, since the centaurs were not someone to mingle with the other Lycans or the shifters, and the hunters from the village didn''t really get along with the rest of Torak''s pack, they decided to camp in a different spot.


    And, it was that place to where Kace headed right now. He needed to talk to Chiron, to get an advice or two about what he should do with those people. Torak didn''t say anything helpful when he gave this task to him and Jedrek couldn''t be bothered since Lilac didn''t seem to wake up any soon.


    "Where is Carina?" Kace asked Delta, the leader of the hunters, when he arrived at their campsite.


    "There," Delta said while pointing his finger toward the side where several people were sparring, a training ground. "Are you looking for Carina because you wanted to ask about Chiron''s whereabouts?" he asked.


    "Yes," Kace shifted his attention toward Delta. "Do you know where he is? I can''t find him and Zarrn said he was yet to see him since two days ago."


    "So do I," Delta said as he sharpened his sword. "But, you will not get any useful answer from Carina, I have tried it a few times, but she seemed to shut her mouth, unwilling to reveal anything." A slight irritation could be sensed in the voice ofthe head of the hunters.


    "Why?" Kace felt that it was a little bit strange, since Carina was always with Chiron, even though they were not mates, but he thought they found some consolation around each other, or that was what Kace thought after being with them for more than a year.


    "I don''t know, she just didn''t want to say it." Delta shrugged his shoulder. "But, maybe you can get some information from her, you seem close."


    Kace rolled his eyes. They seemed close just because Carina treated Hope when she just got her mark and too weak to even stay awake for a long time, that happened before she met with the other guardian angel. And, afterward Hope miraculously got healed within no time.


    "I will go to her," Kace mumbled as his brows knitted together in a deep frown.


    He went toward Carina, who was standing to aside in the training ground, she appeared to be watching the match, but when one observed closely, it was clear that her eyes had already wandered off to a distant place.


    "Carina," Kace called her and she got startled when he tapped her shoulder. "Sorry, I scared you," he mumbled. However, Kace felt some something wrong vibes with the way Carina reacted to him.


    The female centaur always presented herself as someone who was collected and level- headed, but now she appeared distraught, as if she was carrying a huge burden on her shoulders and couldn''t get rid of it.


    "No, it''s okay," she said, but her stiffened shoulders couldn''t hide her nervousness.


    "Do you know where is Chiron?" Kace asked lightly, but his blue eyes were glued on to her face and he could vividly see how Carina became more anxious with the question.


    "I don''t know," she said immediately. "I have been looking for him too."


    "Really?"Kace squinted his eyes at Carina. "When was the last time you saw him?" he asked again.


    "Two days ago," Carina answered while avoiding seeing Kace in the eyes.


    "And you don''t know where he went?" Kace crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at the female centaur closely.


    Carina tilted her head and looked at Kace."I don''t know," she emphasized each and every word.


    ==============


    The night was so dark without the light from the moon and Kace''s shadow danced on the floor because of the wind that blew the burning torch.


    He walked alone toward the throne room, nodding his head slightly at all the guards who greeted him.


    "They know how to heal her?"


    Kace heard Jedrek''s voice from inside the throne room, from his voice alone, he could say that his older brother was not in good mood, but then, Jedrek had not been in good mood for as long as he could remember, thus it didn''t make any difference.


    Kace pushed the door open and walked inside. He was rewarded with a brief look from Jedrek, Torak and Calleb.


    "What happened here?" he asked in a puzzled tone.


    "Raine and Hope figured a way to heal Lilac," Calleb answered Kace immediately.


    "Good," Kace said, but it couldn''t cease the confusion from his expression. "That is a good news, so why all of you look upset." He stared at his older brothers.


    Yet, instead of answering Kace''s question Jedrek stormed out of the throne room, followed by Torak, who was shouting at him.


    "What do you want to do!?" Torak rushed out of the room to chase after Jedrek.


    "Can you tell me what happened here?" Kace looked Calleb. "I have only been out for a whole day, but why does it seem like there is so much going on here?"


    "Let''s go," Calleb tapped Kace on his shoulder and walked out of the room.


    "Hey, tell me what happened?" Kace called after him while half- running to catch up to Calleb.


    "Raine and Hope said that if they continue staying around Lilac, it might help her condition, to recover faster." Calleb explained it to Kace while they were walking toward the king''s wing.


    "So, what was the problem with that?" Kace frowned. He couldn''t see any sort of problem with that arrangement. "It''s good that Lilac can heal faster so my annoying brother can function properly," he said in annoyance.


    "The problem is¡­" the two of them arrived at the king''s wing and watched how Jedrek and Torak were talking to Hope while Raine just stood beside her. "¡­They want to spend day and night with Lilac until she is fully recovered."


    In other words, the three poor lycan should sleep alone until Lilac regained her consciousness and no one could tell for sure when it would happen.


    "I will close the door, good night."


    Hope said as she closed the door, leaving Jedrek and Torak in an awkward position.


    "I don''t like this," Torak said grimly.


    "Hm."Jedrek was thinking whether he should bust down the door or not.

 Chapter 804 - THE KINGS DESTINED MATE

    "When do you think your mate will wake up?" Kace glared at Jedrek when they headed toward the campsite outside the wall.


    This time, Sterling would come with some of the shifters that Kace had came across these past few centuries, thus the three Donovans were going to greet them there.


    It wasn''t because they wanted to visit Kace''s ''friends'', but because they had to appease their own people since the creatures that Sterling would bring were mostly shifters without pack or another supernatural creatures that they thought had been extinct.


    So, they were in a need to observe the situation with these newcomers first, in order to know where this collaboration would lead them to.


    While Kace was running away from this realm, it seemed he encountered many interesting creatures and Sterling was with him until he met his mate and settle down in the mystic river village.


    "I will let you know once I have the answer," Jedrek said offhandedly.


    "I hate it when I don''t have my mate beside me," Kace said, annoyed.


    Sterling, who supposed to come a few days ago, had delayed his arrival and this caused Kace to feel extremely grumpy these past two days. However, mostly it was because Hope had been staying with Lilac and Raine instead of spending time with him.


    "You are not the only one." Torak glanced at Kace and gave him a look. "So, stop complaining."


    Torak was upset too, because Raine chose to stay with Lilac and was listening to whatever Hope had to say, instead of being with him.


    However, it seemed what Hope discovered about their power was right. Lilac looked better now when he saw her this morning. Her complexion was not as pale as before and some color had returned to her face now.


    Therefore, they couldn''t disagree with the girls'' method to heal each other. It seemed that they had their own ability to heal faster whenever they were with each other. This was a new information that they didn''t know before.


    "Ck," Kace clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I hate this."


    The younger Donovan kept complaining until they sensed a horde marching closer toward them and one of the guard came to Jedrek, to inform him that the entourage that led by Sterling had moved closer and they would be arriving in about five minutes.


    Jedrek dismissed the guard and sniffed the air. "Rogues," he said grimly when he smelled the various scents in the air.


    Behind the three brothers were a few important people under each respective Donovan, and because Chiron still couldn''t be found, it was Zarrn who took the responsibility to represent their kind, beside him there was Delta, the head of hunters.


    "They are not rogues. They are just shifters who didn''t belong to any pack," Kace corrected Jedrek, but he scoffed upon hearing that.


    "That''s why they are called rogues. Because they doesn''t belong toany pack," Jedrek said.


    "Whatever," Kace gritted his teeth, yet his anger disappeared almost immediately when he saw Sterling and his mate, along with the twins and their daughter.


    Kace waved his hands at them and rushed over.


    "Can''t he act with a little bit dignity?" Jedek frowned, he disliked Kace''s current behavior. He was just like a little boy, who was meeting his favorite friend. "He shouldn''t be too friendly with them," he criticized.


    "Those people came here willingly because of him, not like our people." Torak walked forward to follow Jedrek to meet their new force. "I think that kind of behavior is something that brings them together."


    "They can treat them like that, but he will not only lead his own people, therefore, he cannot act that way with our people," Jedrek pointed out the problem. "You know that."


    Kace could be friendly with the people that he knew, but if he wanted to command all of the lycanthropes, he should be less friendly and become more determined instead, whether he liked it or not. Unfortunately, Kace didn''t have much choice in this matter.


    Meanwhile, Kace happily hugged Sterling and then his mate, Sophia, causing the lycan to growl viciously and shove him aside.


    "Hands off my mate, you brat!" Sterling pulled back Sophia behind him, yet the woman just rolled her eyes upon seeing the two men acting this way again.


    "Can''t he stop hugging our mother?" Ethan mumbled to his twin.


    "They have known each other for a very long time," Ian said, he shrugged his shoulder and didn''t think much about it.


    "Hai, Rossie!" Kace raised his hand to the girl beside her mother. "You have become more beautiful!"


    "Hai, Kace," Rossie replied to him timidly.


    "And why did he only greet the women in our family?" Ethan complained. Kace didn''t even spare the boys a glance. "He is becoming more and more annoying."


    However, after Kace tousled Rossie''s head his easy-going expression turned solemn upon seeing the people that came with Sterling.


    There were around three hundred people, closely observing their new environment and frowned upon seeing Jedrek and Torak behind Kace.


    This number, indeed, as not big as the number of the people from Torak''s pack that came two days ago, but most of the people here were more powerful than anyone could imagine. They might appear normal, but that didn''t mean they were not hiding any explosive powers behind their normal exterior.


    "Rest of them will come within three or four days from now," Sterling informed Kace and then he added. "But, I can''t find Aidan."


    "He is not in that place?" Kace''s brows creased. He needed that shifter now, but where the hell was he?


    "No, I had searched that place, but found no one," Sterling shook his head in regret. "But, I think he was already aware of the upcoming war."


    ==============


    Calleb was heading toward the king''s wing after talking a few things with Raphael when he saw Chiron, who was walking leisurely in the backyard.


    "Why are you here?" Calleb quickened his steps and walked alongside the centaur.


    "Hello, Calleb," Chiron greeted him with a bright smile. "I am here to meet Lilac."


    "I don''t think you can see her, Jedrek doesn''t allow anyone to meet her now," Calleb told him.


    "So, this is true, she is the king''s destined mate?" Chiron asked.


    "Lilac? Yes, she is," Calleb replied.

 Chapter 805 - CHIRON VISITED LILAC

    Calleb and Chiron walked together toward the king''s wing.


    "Why can''t I see her?" Chiron asked, his tone was very calm and his expression didn''t show what his true intentions were at all.


    "Lilac is sick after the mating ceremony," Calleb glanced at Chiron and clicked his tongue. "You know, the marking and mating for a lycan will never be something easy."


    "Hm," Chiron hummed, but didn''t say anything again.


    The silence that fell between them was slightly awkward, but then the Gamma remembered the question that Chiron had not answered yet.


    "Why are you here? I thought you were with Kace and the other people," Calleb asked Chiron curiously. He spotted something like a purple fabric stuffed inside a small bag that the centaur tied up around his torso.


    "No," Chiron said in low voice. "I''m here to see Lilac," he repeated the same reason.


    "Well, I have told you that you can''t see her," Calleb told him again. He felt slightly uneasy with the way Chiron''s unperturbed insistence to meet Lilac. "How did you get into the castle?"


    Chiron tilted his head and chuckled lightly, as if Calleb had just asked him a silly question. "Through the gates, of course."


    "Oh, right," Calleb murmured. In that case, he could assume that the guards already knew about Chiron and didn''t have a restriction order to not allow him to enter the castle.


    They walked together toward the king''s chamber, but then Calleb stopped right in front the door and turned around to face Chiron.


    He had known this centaur only for a short period of time, but since he was with Kace, thus there was no reason for Calleb to question him.


    "Wait, I don''t think you can enter the room," Calleb said in hesitation as his brows creased, because he didn''t really know what decision he should make. "May I know, why you want to see Lilac?" he shrugged his shoulders in an attempt to make his question appear inoffensive to Chiron. "She is not someone that you can see as you like. You know the king."


    Chiron blinked and looked at Calleb straight into his eyes. "Of course, I know him," he said. "I know him more than you do."


    After all, Chiron had known Jedrek and experienced his tyranny even before Calleb was born. Therefore, he knew Jedrek perfectly and what he wanted now.


    "In that case, I think you will understand if I said that you need the king''s permission to visit his chamber." Calleb smiled, waiting for Chiron''s reaction.


    The Gamma couldn''t let just anyone to enter the king chamber, after all, it was just not Lilac in the chamber, but both Raine and Hope were also present, as they were accompanying Lilac.


    And Chiron''s intention was slightly questionable. Calleb wasn''t informed beforehand that Chiron would come to visit Lilac, so why did he suddenly appear here and demanded a meeting with her? Not to mention, Lilac was the queen now.


    "I have to see her," Chiron said in a demanding tone, as his voice turned hard.


    At this point, Calleb felt something was not right with this centaur before he realized that there were no guards here. Even, when they walked toward this wing, the Gamma didn''t see any guards.


    Where were they? They shouldn''t leave their posts just like that.


    "Chiron," Calleb called his name coldly. "I don''t know what you are up to, but whatever it was, I want you to stop. If you want to see Lilac, you can wait until the king had returned."


    Chiron smiled faintly. He didn''t look fl.u.s.tered or hesitant. "I don''t want to wait for the king." And his next words put Calleb on alert. "He is not my king."


    ==============


    The people, who came with Sterling had settled down near the campsite of the centaurs and the hunters.


    Their number indeed increased, but there was another problem that rose as well; it was hard for them to get along with each other.


    Jedrek and Torak''s people felt a strong discomfort to have a horde of rogues or other unknown creatures to be part of their army and likewise, meanwhile these both parties were not on good terms with each other as well.


    Jedrek''s people, since this was their realm, showed their superiority over Torak''s people and all the Alphas in his pack didn''t take it really well to be treated less than what they deserved.


    "I will take Sterling and his family back to the castle with us," Kace stated. He was not asking for permission, he just told Jedrek what he was going to do.


    "Do as you wish," Jedrek mumbled as didn''t seem interested about whoever Kace would want to take back to the castle. "We will leave now."


    "All right, I will tell them to get ready," Kace said as he walked out of the tent, leaving Torak, Jedrek, Sebastian and Eaton inside.


    Once Kace was out of the tent, Sebastian voiced out his concern.


    "I had not seen the chief of the centaur recently," he said. "And no one got to see him either."


    Jedrek and Torak looked at the general with creased brows.


    "Did Kace know about this?" Jedrek asked. The centaurs were the people under Kace. He should be aware about Chiron disappearance, more over he was not any ordinary centaur, he was the chief of those creatures.


    "I think Kace knew about it. He has been asking about Chief Chiron''s whereabouts since yesterday, yet no one know where he was, including the female centaur named Carina." Because Carina was often found together with Chiron, thus it was pretty normal to turn to her when they couldn''t find him.


    Jedrek contemplated for a while "Kace didn''t talk about it with you?"


    "No," Torak said truthfully.


    "He shouldn''t keep something like this," Jedrek said in a cold tone.


    ==============


    "Chiron, what do you want to do?" Kace asked, his back against the door, as he mind- linked Raine inside the chamber.


    [What happened out there Call? I can hear you talking to someone.] Raine''s voice echoed inside Kace''s head.


    [Whatever you hear, don''t come outside and try to reach Raphael. I can''t reach him.] It was strange that he couldn''t mind- link the Beta.

 Chapter 806 - THE NIGHT CAME

    Raphael had been with Lana for these past few days as his mate''s condition started to become better, the wound from the silver dagger had started to close in and left only a thin line of scar on her skin.


    Up until now, no one knew about Lana''s pregnancy, aside from the healer.


    Raphael heard what happened to Lilac after the marking and the mating process, and she was not in a good condition right now, but aside from her being completely exhausted, Jedrek did the same mistake as his brothers, Torak and Kace; he accidentally sapped the guardian Angel''s energy dry.


    It didn''t help at all.


    However, based on the similar situations involving the other two guardian angels, they knew that Lilac would recover from it eventually, though it would take some time. Therefore, there was nothing to be worry about.


    Even though Raphael felt slightly uncomfortable; there was this feeling in him that said something was wrong, but he couldn''t put his finger on whatever specific problem it might be, until Lana mentioned it.


    That was why, they were very busy right now, even Calleb had only visited him a few moments ago. However, he didn''t stay for long and was too dense to realize that there was something different.


    "Don''t you think it is unusually quiet?" Lana asked while munching her lunch. Her beautiful face contorted slightly.


    "Yes," Raphael said, as he looked at Lana''s expression seriously.


    Raphael put down the bowl in his hand and walked toward the door to see that the seemingly empty corridor was exceptionally quiet. Usually, there would be two or three guards walking around or the healer with her apprentices.


    Yet, Raphael couldn''t see anyone there. He felt that something was amiss with this situation.


    "Lana, I think we should go from here," Raphael said in low voice. He didn''t want to go and check this place while leaving Lana alone in this room, or stay in this strange silent situation.


    However, when Raphael turned around, Lana had gotten off of the bed and was putting a grey cloak on. She knew what she had to do at a moment like this. All of it was thanks to Serefina''s lesson that made her quickly aware about what she had to do at such a short notice during situations like now.


    "Let''s go," Lana said as she grabbed Raphael''s hand and led the way out of the place.


    Slightly behind her, Raphael stared at his mate in awe. She was just like a brave female warrior and this made him proud.


    ==============


    Bree was hugging her little cat when she felt a shadow casting over her and when she raised her head, the bright sunlight was covered with gloomy clouds. Her little face contorted in confusion.


    Why did the weather turn gloomy all of sudden?


    A woman named Bryana, who was tasked to look after her, approached the little girl and ushered her inside the big house, which was specifically prepared for the people from the village.


    "Come inside Bree, I don''t feel good with the sudden change of the weather," Bryana looked up at the sky with a worried expression as she grabbed the little girl''s hand and along with the other people, who were enjoying the sunlight a moment ago, went inside the house in hurry just before the thunder strike the dark sky.


    Bree looked at her little cat and hugged it tightly while whispering, "don''t be afraid."


    ***


    Meanwhile, inside the castle, the same roaring thunder could be heard by a pair of certain shifters, a lycan and a centaur.


    Calleb squinted his eyes at Chiron as his eyes turned black and his canines elongated dangerously. He growled at the creature in front of him, which was much taller than him.


    "What are you up to, centaur?" his voice was hard and laced with menace.


    "I just need to meet with Lilac," Chiron said with the same tone that he always used, ignoring the fact that the lycan could dig his claw into his flesh in a matter of few seconds.


    "You are betraying us?" Calleb kept talking, but his eyes caught a glimpse of the dark sky and the big droplets of rain that soon started pouring down. He was certain that he could take down the centaur alone, yet there was something that bothered him. His gut feeling told him that this was not as easy as it seemed.


    "I don''t have to betray you, I never took your side," Chiron said in a matter of fact tone. He just followed Kace and demanded the land of the centaur, which was the right of his kind.


    However, those things were different from his personal interest. And, what he was going to do now had nothing to do with the rest of the centaurs. He was doing this on his own.


    ==============


    Kace was looking for Sterling when he saw Carina walking toward him and from the look on her face, he could say there must be something important that she wanted to talk with him.


    "Kace, we need to talk," Carina said without missing a beat. She looked anxious and it didn''t seem like her usual self at all.


    "I think we should," Kace said curtly, as he followed the female centaur to a spot where there were not many people passing by.


    When he followed Carina, Sterling threw him a questioning look.


    "Find my brother, I will be back in a minute," Kace said to Sterling, who nodded in understanding and glanced a few times at the centaurs before he led his family to the main tent, where Jedrek and Torak were discussing something.


    Once Carina reached the place beside her tent, where she was sure no one would listen to their conversation, she turned around to face Kace. Her face contorted in pain.


    "What is it?" looking at Carina made Kace extremely nervous. "Is it something about Chiron?"


    "Yes," Carina said without a second thought, this time she didn''t deny it.


    "Tell me," Kace pressed the matter. "Where is he?"


    "You have to stop him, Kace." Carina gritted her teeth when she said that.


    Yet, at the same time, rumbling of thunder could be heard as the sky turned dark all of sudden, as if the night have arrived ahead of time.

 Chapter 807 - WITHOUT PROTECTION

    Jedrek and Torak went out of the tent when they heard the deafening sound of the rumbling thunder and felt that something was wrong with the shadow that casted down upon their tent, as everything turned dark all of sudden.


    "What happened?" Eaton followed the two Donovan brothers out of the tent, and watched as the sky turned dark rapidly and large droplets of water started pouring down from the gloomy sky.


    "Rain?" Sebastian stood beside Eaton and raised his hand to touch the droplets of liquid that fell on his face, but when he saw his fingers, they were stained with a strange, black liquid. "What is this?"


    Jedrek and Torak wiped their faces off the black liquid that poured down from the sky like rain and narrowed their eyes dangerously. This was water which was mixed with charcoal and something sticky¡­.. Blood?


    "We need to go back to the castle now," Jedrek said in a low voice that sounded like an angry growl as he rushed toward the palatial gates of the city with Torak right behind him.


    There was only one thing in their minds; their mates.


    They left the castle and their mates, thinking they would be safe. After all, who would dare to come and harm them there?


    And now they realized that their decision to leave the castle was totally wrong.


    However, when Jedrek and Torak reached the front gates, they were stopped in their tracks all of sudden at the sight of the dreadful creature, who was standing right before them.


    "Lucifer," Jedrek called a name with venom on the tip of his tongue. Meanwhile, Torak growled loudly upon seeing the devil.


    "Long time no see the king of the lycanthropes," Lucifer said mockingly. He slightly bent his knees to show some respect toward Jedrek, yet it didn''t seem like it.


    "What are you doing here?" Torak asked grimly, but he glanced at his surroundings and tried to see and hear something from the city beyond the wall, yet he could see nothing except black smoke from behind the tall wall and the city was exceptionally quiet.


    On the other hand, Jedrek didn''t have patience to strike a conversation with Lucifer. He strode forward, ignoring the fact that the devil could be cunning enough to attack him right then and there, as they didn''t know what he had up his sleeves.


    "Jedrek!" Torak warned his brother, he wanted to grab his hand and pull him back, but he missed it and could only watch him walk straight toward Lucifer with his hands half shifted into sharp-razor claws.


    Everything went very fast, and once Jedrek was close enough to the devil, he swung his hand and clawed Lucifer''s chest.


    Yet, instead of wailing in pain, the devil smiled viciously and from his wounded chest, it wasn''t blood that trickled down, but black smoke that covered his whole body and then he vanished into thin air, leaving Jedrek standing there alone.


    The king didn''t waste another second, he was well aware that it was impossible to kill the devil, thus with the disappearance of Lucifer, he proceeded toward the most important matter at hand, he had to go to the castle and made sure that his mate was fine.


    After that, Jedrek dashed toward the closed gates, trying to push it. However, the majestic iron-steel structure didn''t even budge an inch.


    At that time, from the corner of his eyes, he saw a white beast climbing the tall wall, digging his claws into the solid stone.


    Jedrek clicked his tongue, shifted into his white beast and followed Torak''s beast to climb the wall instead.


    ==============


    "Something is wrong Hope," Raine said. She was frightened by the last word from Calleb, him asking her to reach Raphael and the fact there was someone outside of the room along with the Gamma.


    However, after that Raine couldn''t hear Calleb''s voice again, as if there was something had blocked her mind and was not allowing her to hear him.


    Raine couldn''t reach Raphael also like what Calleb told her to do.


    "Yes, I can hear Calleb right outside the door." Hope looked at Lilac and then toward the door, she also heard Calleb''s voice, talking to someone about something that she couldn''t comprehend.


    At that time, Raine felt like someone was staring at her and when she turned around, she found the familiar figure, smiling lazily at her while leaning his tall body against the fireplace behind him.


    "Hello, Raine¡­ long time no see," he greeted her with no enthusiasm. "Do you miss me?"


    ==============


    Serefina opened her eyes, her breathing was shallow and her body felt like she had just been thrown to the ground from a twenty floors building.


    Last night was the night when she had to receive her long awaited repercussion for being alive, once again. A torturing night. Her bones felt like jelly and every move she made was filled with immense pain as she felt like her muscles were being torn apart.


    She hated this feeling. But somehow, she was grateful for this pain, because it could distract her mind for awhile, from remembering another sort of pain, a pain from her injured heart.


    Serefina was very weak at the moment, so did her power that protected the whole city, especially this castle.


    Actually, she would recover after a few hours of resting, yet it seemed like she didn''t have the luxury of time when the light of the sun that shone through her window was covered by gloomy clouds and the sky turned darker very fast.


    When thunder rumbled, Serefina opened her sleepy eyes. Those lime-green eyes of hers watched her surroundings fiercely and her brows creased deeply.


    Something was wrong.


    And that was the moment when she could finally feel that her spell that had been protecting the whole place had disappeared, leaving this place vulnerable.


    With that realization and the oddity, Serefina got up from her bed hurriedly, but her aching head hindered her movements.


    Her body fell to the cold ground like a shaking leaf when she tried to gain her focus back.


    And then, she heard the same voice she had been hearing for several times recently.


    "My offer is still valid, if you want to join us," the voice was sweet and the promise behind it was very tempting.

 Chapter 808 - THE INFILTRATION

    "Asmodeus," Serefina muttered her name with an irritable sigh, she was not in good shape to make a sarcastic remark, neither did she have enough strength to fight her back nor burn her alive as she wanted, just like when the devil came to give her an offer the last time.


    The devil really didn''t know when to stop bothering her.


    "What do you want now?" Serefina used the edge of the bed to support her body, so she could stand up. There was no way she would want to stay on the ground in front of Asmodeus. Even when her every move was killing her, the witch stood up stubbornly.


    "You know what I want and the offer is still the same," Asmodeus said happily. "Do you still want to give me the same reply?" she waved her hand toward the window, which showed how gloomy the sky had turned. "We have sieged this city," she stated with a smile that seemed to never leave her lips.


    Serefina scoffed when she heard that. "I don''t know that I am very precious to all of you," she said in mockery. "Until you keep bothering me like this and siege the city just to get me."


    Asmodeus chuckled lightly as she flicked her dark hair coquettishly and winked at the witch. "No, we sieged the city to get the guardian angels since all the Donovans are not here and you are too weak to put up your shield."


    D*mn!


    All of them left the castle?!


    Serefina internally cursed this situation, but her anger didn''t appear on her poker face. She looked like that news didn''t bother her at all and this made Asmodeus raise her perfect brows slightly.


    "So, if you already got what you want, then you can stop bothering me now." Serefina took a deep breath. Her body screamed for her to go back to the bed and curl up into a ball, but her mind was strong enough to keep her priorities first.


    Asmodeus shrugged her shoulders. "I just feel like; it will be such a waste if you don''t join us. You, as the last pure blood witch, will be a great force that we could have if you join us."


    "What if I refuse?" Serefina leaned her body against one of the pillar of her bed, crossing her arms defiantly.


    "No problem," Asmodeus said lightly as she walked toward the door. "Like you said; we have got what we want, I think it is time to leave."


    "Let me come with you then." Serefina gave her the brightest smile as she strode toward the witch, as she did so, her cold demeanor disappeared.


    ==============


    Calleb shifted into his beast when he knew, he couldn''t receive anything useful from dragging this conversation. Chiron had already decided the path that he wanted to take, thus there was no point in talking to him.


    It didn''t take too long before the two creatures entangled in a fierce battle, where the lycan tried to dig his sharp-razor claws into the centaur''s flesh as the latter tried to kick him away from him.


    Louder snarls and growls echoed throughout the hallway, yet not even one guard could be seen in the vicinity. What happened to them?


    However, Calleb didn''t have time to think about it, since he had a battle that he had to win at any cost.


    Chiron was the chief of the centaurs for a reason. He managed to maneuver every attack that the lycan attempted and dodged him very quickly in order to not get bitten by the predator.


    Yet, finally on Calleb''s nth attempt, the beast managed to clamp his jaw on the left side of the centaur and took a chunk of his flesh.


    Chiron roared in agony and drew a small silver dagger from the bag that wrapped around his torso and stabbed the beast''s shoulder twice until he let go of his body.


    Blood trickled down from the open wounds of both creatures.


    Through his bloody red eyes, the beast ignored the pain that shot in his veins as he dashed toward the centaur and tried to bring him down, and end this battle for good before he lost too much blood and wouldn''t be able to support himself anymore.


    Silver would hinder his healing ability and this was the worst part in this kind of situation.


    However, before the beast could lay his claw on the centaur, he felt something wrapped around his hind legs and in the next second, he was being thrown into the air.


    His body flew a few meters away in the air before it hit against the wall and the sound of cracking bones could be heard along with a loud wail of pained howling.


    And, when he raised his head to see what exactly attacked him, the beast watched a man emerge from his very own shadow and blanketed him in darkness until the beast couldn''t see anything.


    ==============


    "Belphegor," Raine hissed. She had never hated someone as much as she hated this devil. They were the cause for her countless heart breaking memories, even though from that she had learned how to become much stronger.


    "You know him?" Hope moved to stand next to Raine, but was pushed behind her.It surprised her because Raine had never taken an aggressive stance like this.


    ??No need to glare at me," Belphegor raised both of his hands and chuckled upon seeing how fierce Raine was now. He remembered the very first time he met her and how timid she was back then.


    Yet, she looked more adorable this way.


    "What do you want?" Raine kept her eyes locked onto the devil''s golden ones and glanced briefly toward the door. What happened to Calleb? Why hadn''t he coming into the room, yet?


    "Just a tiny drop of your friend''s blood," Belphegor said lazily as he walked closer toward the guardian angels.


    "You can''t touch our blood," Raine said in a matter of fact tone.


    "There are a million ways to draw your blood without touching it," Belphegor smiled softly at her, but didn''t slow down his pace. "Now, if you excuse me, I will do my job and I promise I will go from here soon after."

 Chapter 809 - THE INFILTRATION (2)

    "Lidya, what happened?" Bree asked the witch when Bryana took her inside the house. The little girl looked for the witch immediately, because she felt she would have the answer for her question.


    Yet, Lidya shook her head. "I don''t know little girl, but you better stay inside the house." She tousled Bree''s head, but her eyes were glued to the open window, which showed the rain that started to pour down from the sky. The strong howl of the wind was a terrifying sound to hear at the moment, as if it could tear down the building.


    "Where are you going?" Bree grabbed lidya''s dress when she was about to walk toward the door. "It is very scary out there, you can''t go outside."


    "I will be fine, there is something I have to do." Lidya gently untangled Bree''s fingers from hers. "You should keep the little cat close to you, okay?" she nudged at the small fur ball in the little girl''s embrace.


    "Okay," Bree said gently as her lips tightened. "Don??t worry, I will keep her safe." And the little kitty meowed after her in response.


    Afterward, Lidya gave a few orders to Bryana and some people before she walked out of the house in to the storm that was awaiting her outside.


    ==============


    The two beasts were running as if it was a private race with each other as they sprinted as fast as they could through the empty streets of the city, apparently this strange weather had forced the citizens to stay inside the safety of their house and that was a good thing to do.


    They moved very quick until it seemed like they were only a flash of white among this black droplets of water like rain.


    Both of them didn''t even slow down when they reached the castle gates. And just like the city gates, this majestic iron-steel doors were closed shut, while no guards could be seen in the vicinity.


    This fact alone incurred the wrath from both of the infuriated lycans, they dashed forward even faster, when they thought about the worst possible scenario that could have developed inside this castle now.


    The Donovans would flip this realm if something happened to their mates!


    ==============


    "No one is here," Lana said, her brows creased as she tried to step aside from Raphael''s broad back. She was not used to be protected, as she had been fighting alone since she was only a little girl.


    However, Raphael wouldn''t let anything happen to his mate, especially in this suspicious situation. She was pregnant and the Beta wouldn''t be so kind to take any threat lightly.


    When they stepped out from the tower they were greeted by pouring rain, yet when Raphael stretched out his hand into the rain, all his hand could collect was some strange black liquid along with a smell like blood mixed with ashes.


    "Stay close to me," Raphael said grimly as he wrapped his arm around Lana''s waist protectively and he took a detour toward the other tower through the connecting corridor, which had a canopy above their head to protect them from this strange rain.


    Raphael didn''t know whether this rain could be harmful or not, but he didn''t want to take any risk by trying to walk under it with Lana.


    ==============


    "Don''t you dare to take another step toward us," Raine glared at the Sloth. There was not an ounce of her demeanor, which implied that she was afraid of him.


    Hope was slightly taken aback with this side of Raine. Among the three of them, Raine would be the last person, to lose her temper in any situation, yet here she was, ready to fight back the suspicious man, who was trying to draw Lilac''s blood.


    Even though Hope didn''t know who he was, but based on Raine''s hostile reaction alone, she could tell that he was a dangerous person.


    "Wow! Torak really has trained you very well, to the point where you''re even brave enough to threaten me now," Belphegor said, his golden eyes shone brightly as he stopped only three steps away from them, staring at Raine with curiosity. "You are no longer a little bunny, now should I call you a little kitten instead?"


    "Don''t call me at all," Raine snapped at him. Her face turned hard when she glanced at the sleeping guardian angel, Lilac.


    Her complexion was not as pale as before, even though they could see her rosy cheeks, but she was still in a deep sleep, without any sign of waking up.


    "You are becoming more and more interesting," Belphegor complimented her, as he walked closer.


    Seeing this, Hope immediately grabbed something that she could reach and threw it toward Belphegor. It was a red horse statue, which was as big as her hand.


    However, before that solid stone could do any harm on Belphegor, he parried it like it was nothing to him.


    "Who is he?" Hope whispered to Raine. Her brows creased in wariness.


    "The devil," Raine said grimly.


    And with the mention of it, both of them understood there was only one thing that they could use to fight the devil and it was; their blood.


    Hope figured it out when she was thirteen years old and met with the first devil in her life, yet Raine learned it in the hard way at the age of eight, when she lost her parents.


    "Yes, I am," Belphegor said proudly and walked closer toward Raine and Hope.


    When both of them were trying to hurt themselves in order to draw their blood to fight Belphegor, someone opened the door and this halted the sloth.


    "Chiron!" Hope cried out. "He wants to hurt us!" she pointed her finger toward Belphegor in accusation.


    The centaur looked at him with hostility and spoke sternly. "Step back!"


    Surprisingly, Belphegor listened to him and walked away from the three guardian angels.


    Afterward, Chiron strolled across the room calmly and stood in front of Raine and Hope while staring at Lilac.


    "I am glad you are here," Hope said.


    Though Raine was talking to Calleb through the mind- link earlier, but the Gamma failed to mention anything about Chiron. He just asked Raine to call for help.


    Yet, when Chiron moved forward to carry Lilac, Raine asked him the obvious. "Where is Calleb?"

 Chapter 810 - THE INFILTRATION (3)

    "He is outside," Chiron replied to Raine as he took Lilac into his arms.


    "Outside?" Raine repeated the word in confusion.


    "If he is outside, then why doesn''t he come inside?" Hope asked Chiron warily, she felt something was wrong with his behavior.


    On the other hand, Chiron didn''t answer their questions and walked away with Lilac in his hands.


    However, when the centaur turned around and showed his back, Hope could see the wound on the side of his body. It was as if someone had bit him and it seemed that the centaur didn''t realize the wound was still bleeding.


    "What happened to your body?" Raine asked grimly, she wanted to follow Chiron, but Belphegor intervened by stepping forward between them.


    Hope immediately pulled Raine back to avoid the devil, but this move created quite a gap between them and Chiron, who was still holding Lilac in his arms.


    "Chiron, what is this?" Hope asked incredulously. She had a bad feeling about this and felt that she wouldn''t like the answer.


    "Isn''t it already as clear as a day? " Belphegor said, grinning triumphantly. "He is with us."


    "No!" Hope screamed. "Impossible!" her eyes looked at Chiron, she tried to see any sign that would imply what the devil saying was wrong, but soon felt her heart thumping rapidly in her chest. "Chiron, what are you doing!?"


    Hope had spent more than a year with the centaurs, the hunters and people from the village when Kace took her away from Serefina, they had grown closer during that time, therefore Hope couldn''t believe that Chiron would betray them like this, after what they had gone through and all.


    It couldn''t be true, right?


    The fact that Chiron walked away from them without giving an answer to Hope''s question or even without sparing her a second glance, hurt Hope more than she could ever imagine.


    Chiron was like a father to her. She used to listen to him and learned a lot of things in the process, while they still lived together. Not only that, the chief of the centaurs was one of the closest persons to Kace and this betrayal would hurt him too, like it did to her, or even more.


    Raine tried to push Belphegor who was blocking their way, but the sloth caught her hand and pulled her closer toward him, while Hope rushed toward the door in order to go after Chiron, who started walking outside while carrying Lilac.


    Hope thought that Raine would be right behind her. Therefore, in her rush, she didn''t look back to check on the other guardian angel and just ran to catch up with Chiron.


    "Let me go!" Raine growled as she gritted her teeth and glared at the devil viciously.


    "Or what?" Belphegor smirked, his golden eyes shone brightly under the light of the thunder that was rumbling outside. "Do you want to call your mate?"


    Raine tried to wriggle her hand out of his grasp, but he held her firmly, though it wasn''t tight enough to hurt her, she didn''t like to be close to him so she struggled trying to get away from him.


    Raine narrowed her eyes and raised her leg to kick him, yet Belphegor saw it coming and raised his leg too, parrying her attack smoothly.


    Seeing Raine became even angrier, the Sloth laughed happily, as if he found something that amused him.


    "Where did you learn this?" Belphegor caught Raine''s hand, which was about to slap his face and held both of her arms in one hand, while his other hand caressed her face gently.


    Raine shuddered when his cold fingers traced her cheeks and her chin, as she shook her head to get rid from his touch.


    "You look more adorable than the last time we got to see each other¡­" he said absentmindedly.


    However, at the same time, there was another voice, that called out to Belphegor all of sudden, which was laced with impatience.


    "Can you stop doing that?" Asmodeus appeared behind Belphegor and threw the two of them a disapproving look, as if she just caught the Sloth neglected his job once again, which was not totally wrong. "Will you bring her with us?"


    However, it wasn''t the appearance of the other devil that surprised Raine, but at the sight of someone familiar, who walked in after Asmodeus.


    It was Serefina.


    Her aloof expression met with Raine''s gaze, but the witch chose to ignore her as she looked around the room.


    "So, where are the other guardian angels?" Serefina asked, she crossed her arms in front of her chest as she walked across the room and found blotches of blood on the ground. Chiron''s blood. "Did you hurt them?" the witch frowned at Belphegor.


    "Or course not," The sloth pulled Raine closer and hugged her instead because she wouldn''t stop trying to kick him. "That blood belongs the centaur."


    "Serefina!" Raine called out to the witch while the witch glanced at her coldly. "No¡­ not you too¡­" her voice was barely a whisper.


    "Kill her," Asmodeus said lightly. "It will save our time."


    "Kill her?" Belphegor tilted his head and looked at Raine, who had her back against his sturdy chest. "It is such a waste to kill her."


    Asmodeus rolled her eyes dramatically and scoffed. "She will die sooner or later. You can collect her soul in Tartarus if you really want her."


    Belphegor jeered when he heard that. "Who wants to go there?" and then he looked at Raine, contemplating. "I like her alive and admire her blushing like this." He traced his fingers along her jaw line and chuckled lightly when he watched her futile attempt to free herself once again.


    "Stop playing with her, we have to go now." Serefina narrowed her eyes at the proximity between Raine and Belphegor and the way the devil wrapped his hand around the girl''s neck. "Or else the Donovans will come and wreck havoc here."


    "Alright, alright¡­" Belphegor said lazily. He spun Raine around and made the girl face him, but out of the blue, he leaned forward and pecked her lips. "A kiss from the devil," he said softly.


    Raine was shocked from what Belphegor did, yet all of a sudden, she felt lightheaded and her vision became blurry as her body turned very weak.


    She couldn''t resist the sleepiness that suddenly urged her eyes to closed shut.


    "What did you do to her?!" Serefina asked angrily and that was the last thing that reached Raine''s ears before she was welcomed into the darkness.

 Chapter 811 - THE MISSING GUARDIAN ANGEL

    "Nothing," Belphegor said innocently, as he picked up Raine''s body and placed her on the bed. "Just a goodbye kiss."


    "You should just kill her," Asmodeus said grumpily, she didn''t care about the fact, that the Sloth had just kissed the guardian angel. "Lucifer will be happy."


    "I am not here to make him happy. Moreover, we need them alive." Belphegor shrugged his shoulders and approached the witch, who was standing near the door. "I don''t believe it that you are willing to come with us." He gave Serefina a suspicious glance.


    "You don''t have to believe it, you just need to accept it," Serefina replied nonchalantly and walked out of the room. She took another brief glance at Raine before she left.


    "Cold-hearted witch," Belphegor muttered under his breath. "Why did you have to bring her with us?" he asked Asmodeus.


    "I like the deep love she has for the king of lycanthropes. Her feelings are interesting," Asmodeus replied with a smile on her red lips as her golden eyes shone brightly.


    ==============


    Hope stopped to catch her breath. She could feel her lungs almost exploding from lack of oxygen, yet her eyes continued to scan the empty corridor.


    Why couldn''t she see anyone in this castle? This was as if the whole place was deserted. Not even a single soul could be found visible in this enormous castle while Hope chased after Chiron relentlessly.


    And now, she lost him!


    Why must Chiron bring Lilac away and betray them? This question kept flashing in her head. However, Hope had a hunch that it must have something to do with what happened in the past between Jedrek and the centaurs.


    Chiron hadn''t gotten over it yet? He didn''t do any harm to Kace in the past, when he got several chances at that too.


    Yet, just like Chiron always said to Kace whenever her mate felt guilty for his crime; it wasn''t him that had killed his mate. Right. It was Jedrek!


    So, what was Chiron about to do now? Kill Lilac, just like how Jedrek killed his mate?


    "No," Hope mumbled, she shook her head to clear that idea, but once that thought flashed in her mind, this theory got engraved in her head refusing to leave her thoughts and it scared her even further.


    Hope had a mixed feeling for what Chiron did, yet no matter what was the reason, she couldn''t justify his action if he did it for what she thought he would do about. This was insane!


    Hope''s eyes crazily tried to find Chiron, or at least which way he took Lilac. However, she totally lost him.


    She couldn''t find the centaur anywhere, not even the sound of his hooves.


    Gritting her teeth, Hope rushed toward one of the corridor, which she blindly chose, she just hoped that she would be lucky enough to choose the right path.


    Yet, it didn''t seem like it.


    Hope went to the part of the castle that she had never been to before.


    "CHIRON!" Hope shouted, her voice laced with anger and fear. "CHIRON WHERE ARE YOU!?" The guardian angel was desperate to find the centaur.


    Right at that time, when she was about to give up, Hope heard two rushing footsteps approaching her from a different corridor, therefore, she walked back toward the source of the sound and found Raphael and Lana.


    "Lana! Raphael!" Hope felt a sudden relief washed over her frame as she ran toward Lana and hugged her tightly.


    However, she could feel Lana''s stiffened body as Raphael pulled her back slightly. "What happened?" he asked in concern. "Where are Raine and Lilac?"


    Raphael came toward this direction because he smelled her scent and was wondering what Hope had been doing here, since this place was a little bit far from the king''s wing.


    Moreover, she was alone, when she should be with Raine and Lilac.


    "Chiron," Hope said, trying to catch her breath. "Chiron took Lilac!" she was panicking.


    "The centaur?" Raphael frowned. "But, why would he take her?" Wasn''t the centaur was among the people that came here for Kace?


    Hope bit her lips, she looked hesitant to tell him, but in the end, this was not something that she should be hiding.


    "Chiron apparently crossed sides. He is with the devil," Hope muttered and when the words left her mouth she felt even worse to know that was the truth.


    "No way!" Lana was in denial, but she didn''t completely distrust Hope. It was because she also knew Chiron for quite some time and during that time, the chief of the centaurs did nothing, but treated them nicely, therefore to actually hear that he had chose to betray them was something that was hard to believe.


    "I know it sounds odd, I can''t believe it either." Hope bit her lips and fidgeted.


    When Hope and Lana were still trying to discern the decision made by Chiron, Raphael urged them to focus on their current predicament. "Which direction did Chiron took?"


    "I don''t know, I lost them," Hope looked around her frantically. "Can''t you smell their scent?"


    Raphael sniffed the air and shook his head, frowning. "Except your scent, I don''t smell any other scent here." It was almost impossible. Did Chiron take different route and Hope wandered too far from them until he couldn''t pick up their scent at all?


    Beside the Beta, Lana did the same. "I can''t smell anything too. Except your scent, of course."


    "Why can''t you smell them?" Hope was confused as well, but she remembered something immediately. "The cloak!"


    "What cloak?" Raphael shifted his attention to Hope.


    "The purple cloak that Lidya gave to me," Hope said in hurry, she turned to look at Lana and her confused expression made Hope realize that Lana couldn''t pick up what she meant by the purple cloak, thus she had to remind her again. "The purple cloak that Lidya gave to me before we entered the northern coven realm, to cover my scent, so no creatures could smell me. Chiron used the same cloak to cover their scent."


    Lana narrowed her eyes, she remembered that stupid cloak.


    "Where is Raine?" Raphael asked.


    Only then did Hope realize that Raine was not with her, in fact she didn''t even remember Raine following her. "I thought she was behind me when I ran out of the room chasing after Chiron." Her expression became dreadful.

 Chapter 812 - THE CLOSED CITY

    "ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Kace shouted at Carina, he lost his temper when he heard her saying, "YOU SHOULD STOP HIM!"


    Carina jerked away slightly when Kace lashed out at her, but her worry for Chiron made her stood rooted to the ground. "I have told him to stop. But he didn''t even want to listen!" Carina whisper-shouted at Kace as she said this.


    "Then, why didn''t you tell me earlier!?" Kace seethed. If he knew this before, maybe he could prevent Chiron from doing what he was about to do.


    "I know! I know!" Carina almost screamed at him. "I was wrong! But, we can''t dwell on this now! We have to find him!"


    Kace glared at her viciously through his black eyes. "I don''t believe it that he fell to the devil''s temptation." He shook his head in disbelief.


    Carina just told him that a devil came to them when they crossed a bridge inside the forest after they passed a ruin city.


    No one knew about the visit of the devil except her because only Carina was with Chiron, while the other people were sleeping, so they could continue their journey the next morning.


    When the night turned darker and only a little of light from the crescent moon was able to shone on their path, the devil emerged from the shadows of the trees and played smart, being highly cunning by offering something that Chiron always wanted.


    "No, Kace¡­" Carina lowered her head. She had never been have to feel so dejected and down like this before. "Chiron never took your side."


    "What do you mean?" Kace narrowed his eyes and took a step closer toward her, his gut feeling told him that he didn''t want to hear it, yet he pushed that feeling to the back of his head and said, "If only he wanted revenge, he could have taken it out on me a long time ago."


    Chiron shouldn''t treat him the way he treated him before, if he still held a grudge for what the Donovans did to his kind and, especially, to his mate and unborn child.


    But, Carina''s next words made him realize how stupid he was to forget the most important issue that led to their current predicament.


    "Kace¡­ his target has never been you." Carina looked at him deeply in the eyes. "Like he always said; it was not you who killed his mate."


    "D*mn!" Kace cursed loudly under his breath when he just realized the meaning behind Carina''s words. "So, all of you fooled me to allow all of your kind to come into this realm again?!"


    "No, no!" Carina shook her head. "The other centaurs didn''t know about this. Chiron did this on his own and he is doing it alone."


    "Then, you expect Jedrek to allow all of you to go back to your land right after your leader kidnapped his mate? They just mated!" Kace lashed out at Carina, he was overwhelmed with pent up frustration. "Do you know what it means for us?!"


    "I know," Carina answered, she tried to stop her shaking hands by hugging herself, but she couldn''t. The more she thought about it and the way Kace pointed out the mistake that Chiron had made, the more afraid she was of what might happen.


    After a lycan marked and mated, it was the time when their bond with their mate would grow stronger. The male Lycan would become more possessive over their mate, as they knew the mark would leave their mate in a vulnerable state as their body was trying to adjust to the new changes...


    This was one of the reasons why Jedrek couldn''t leave Lilac''s side for a few days, despite the responsibilities that weighed down on his shoulders.


    "Not to mention about getting your land back! I will not be surprised if Jedrek wanted to kill all of you again for hurting his mate!" Kace snarled at her, but he also felt bad, because this was not totally Carina''s fault. "Didn''t he think about his own people?"


    "Chiron said Jedrek will not kill us because he needed more force for fighting the devil." Carina lowered her head and looked at her hooves, while the thunder and rain poured down on them.


    Even the strange oddity of rain couldn''t make Kace or Carina turn their attention toward it.


    "That is a ridiculous thought," Kace said grimly. How could Chiron could be that stupid to think that Jedrek would let them loose unscathed?


    "Chiron will not hurt Lilac. He just wanted to get back at Jedrek, but he will not hurt the guardian angel," Carina added.


    "Really?"Kace raised his brows, his words laced with skepticism. "So, why are you telling me this when you believe that Chiron would only kidnap Lilac just to get on Jedrek''s nerves?"


    Another deafening thunder rumbled as the lightening struck the dark sky.


    "I trust Chiron, but I don''t trust the devil," Carina said matter of factly. "There was a saying that you don''t make a deal with the devil. It must hold some meaning."


    Kace closed his eyes to calm his anger. He could feel the beast inside him was about to take control again and this was not the right time for him to resurface. "So, do you know where he is?!"


    "I think I know where he is heading to," Carina said.


    However at that time, Sterling ran toward them with his hands over his head to protect him from the black liquid drizzle.


    "Kace! You have to go back to the castle!" Sterling said in a hurry, there must be something important that have happened.


    "What happened?" Kace approached him and looked behind him where Ian and Ethan followed behind his father.


    "The devil had just appeared in front of the gates of the city!" Sterling said. "It was Lucifer and now the gates are closed, we are trying to break it down!"


    "What?" Kace immediately ran toward the gates. Behind him, he could hear Sterling''s words to his sons.


    "Go back to your mother and sister, and stay with them!" Sterling growled at them.


    Kace even forgot about Carina, but fortunately, like the other centaurs, who had rushed toward the gates to help the other creatures to break it down, she also ran behind Kace.


    "Where are my brothers?!" Kace shouted at Sterling.

 Chapter 813 - HOW DARE YOU JEDREK!

    "Where are my brothers?!" Kace shouted at Sterling as soon as he reached the entrance of the city and stood in front of the tightly closed gates.


    Before his eyes, there were almost every single creature, trying to break down the majestic iron gates, by shoving them with a big tree trunk that they had toppled down.


    However, the gates wouldn''t even budge and Kace could only grit his teeth in annoyance when he remembered that the gates, usually, never been closed before, as it needed twenty people to open it.


    But now, it seemed as if there was something that held the gates together from the other side.


    Sterling rushed beside Kace. "Both of them shifted and climbed the walls," he informed him.


    Kace raised his head and looked at the tall wall, from where he was standing, it looked like the tip of the wall could touch the sky. There were a few shifters who had shifted into their beast forms, but they could only manage to reach half way through it.


    And then Kace leapt forward and landed in his beast form, the white beast raced toward the gigantic wall and dug his claws deeper into the steel as he climbed it.


    ==============


    The two white beasts managed to climb over the high gates of the castle and landed softly on the ground in a matter of few minutes.


    However, both of them roared menacingly upon seeing what greeted them.


    [Tell your people to back down!] Torak mind- linked Jedrek beside him. [Or else, I will not hesitate to claw their souls out of their bodies!]


    In front of them, there were around three hundred guards, who were supposed to guard the castle, yet they gathered here and shifted into their beasts, almost at the same time, as soon as they heard the two white beasts landing inside the castle from climbing the high walls.


    [I don''t think they have any souls left in them.] Jedrek spoke grimly, as he watched those beasts'' eyes shone with golden light, which was not their usual color. Golden color was meant for the devils.


    [Then I assume you will not mind to find different guards.] After he said that to Jedrek, Torak''s white beast dashed forward and his vicious roars shook the ground.


    His claws pierced their flesh and continued to draw a lot of blood from whoever stood in front of him as an opponent. The white beast was exceptionally larger than the smaller beasts of the guards, yet his movements ware very swift and nimble enough to dodge those smaller beasts'' claws and talons.


    His body spun around and among the dark colors of the beasts around him, Torak''s white beast was just like a flash of light, a white dot in the dark.


    However, there was another white creature that leapt higher and landed himself in the middle of the beasts, who were once his own people, yet instead of fighting them, he avoided those beasts that wanted to taste flesh and blood from the very king they served previously.


    [I will leave them to you.] Jedrek said casually to his brother before he bent his hind legs and took another leap, higher than before, that took him across the yard and freed himself from the siege of those beasts.


    [D*MN YOU JEDREK!]Torak snarled and growled, fury shook his body. How dare Jedrek did this to him, that too at a time like this!


    ==============


    Raphael rushed back to the king''s wing when they couldn''t find any clue about where Chiron took Lilac. The Beta was worried about Raine.


    Yet, before they could reach the king''s wing, a loud commotion accompanied with several outcries started coming from the front yard. It startled him to realize that sounds could be from guards.


    "What was that?" Hope halted when Raphael stopped running and tilted his head toward the direction of the loud noises. "It sounds like a battle."


    Raphael gritted his teeth. If all the guards left their post to fight, then it must be something important and powerful.


    Thus, Raphael decided to take a closer look what was it, at least he had to know what was coming toward them.


    "Stay close with me," Raphael glanced over his shoulder to make sure Lana and Hope were close enough in case something should happen and he had to react fast.


    Yet, what Raphael saw in the front yard was something that he couldn''t have imagined even in his wildest dreams.


    There, Torak''s beast was fighting hundreds of other beasts, alone.


    In spite of the fact that the white beast didn''t seem to lose the battle and seemingly could handle them single-handedly, but the most important thing that Raphael couldn''t comprehend was; why would Torak fight the guards? And why did those guards attacked him? Didn''t they know it was Torak?


    Raphael tried to mind- link Torak, yet he couldn''t reach him despite their close proximity.


    "Stay here," Raphael said grimly to the two women behind him before he stepped into the black rain that still poured down from the dark sky and joined the battle.


    ==============


    Chiron walked with Lilac in his arms, he slowed down once he was out of the castle through the west gates. To escape from Hope was not a feat for him, since he knew the girl wouldn''t be able to catch up to him.


    The centaur looked down and watched Lilac''s brows crease in discomfort. She looked weak, just like how Hope was when Kace brought her for the first time.


    "I don''t hold a grudge toward you," Chiron said in soft voice. "But, I can''t let go my hatred toward your mate. It will be an insult for my deceased mate."


    He walked in the empty street, under the black rain that drizzled on them.


    Black color stained Lilac''s face and the white clothes that she was wearing. She looked pitiful and had a hard time to catch her breath because of the ever pouring black rain.


    Hence, Chiron slightly leaned over and pressed her head against his chest to cover her face as he walked further toward the place where he would meet with the devils.


    If there was one thing that he regretted, it was the fact that he disappointed his own people for doing this and also Kace and Hope. One year that they spent together had made them so closer that he could ever imagine.


    Meanwhile, once Chiron reached a certain building, he was greeted by Lucifer.

 Chapter 814 - IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS

    "Congratulations! You managed to bring her!" Lucifer clapped his hands exaggeratedly and smiled broadly at the centaur, carrying the guardian angel in his arms.


    "You can stop your facade, I am sure you already know," Chiron said. "And what is with this Rain?"


    "The rain will not harm you," Lucifer shrugged his shoulders and glanced at Lilac. "This is just an ordinary rain, an additional highlight for my grand meeting with the king."


    "Said the devil," Chiron quipped and Lucifer laughed out loud.


    Behind him, there were a few other devils that Chiron couldn''t recognize one by one, yet no matter how many were present, the only devil that he had to deal with, was the one in front of him.


    "You are so funny," Lucifer said at the end of his maniacal laugh.


    "I am not here to be funny," Chiron replied as he adjusted Lilac in his arms. "We have a deal and let''s end this faster."


    "Why are you in such a hurry?" Lucifer raised his eyebrows. "No one can find you here, for the time being, as they are too occupied at the moment." He completed his sentence with a meaningful smile on his lips.


    Chiron reached the purple cloak that he was wearing and took it off and covered Lilac''s body with it. The girl in his arms was shaking a little bit.


    "You are such a softy, you know?" Lucifer commented when he watched what Chiron was doing. "Unfortunately, softy creatures wouldn''t last for a long time. Like you.... " His gaze turned toward the now unconscious Lilac, as he continued his words, "and this pitiful guardian angel¡­" he ended his speech with a sigh.


    This time, Chiron didn''t respond to his words, he just stared at the devil until his point crossed. He didn''t want to waste his time here anymore, talking nonsense with Lucifer.


    "Alright!" Lucifer raised his hands and walked toward Chiron to inspect the sleeping guardian angel. "Why don''t you give her to us? It will make things more interesting if you include me in your little deal with the king," he suggested.


    "Do it now, or you will never get a second chance to do this," Chiron said firmly.


    Lucifer chuckled and then he clicked his tongue. "You are not in a position to threaten me, my dear friend, or do you?"


    "I am not your friend," Chiron said calmly.


    "Whatever you say," Lucifer replied politely and looked at to his fellow devils. "Why don''t you do it for us, since none of us can touch her blood."


    Chiron didn''t realize it at first, who the devil was referring to because his focus was completely on Lucifer, but when he saw a familiar face, stepping out of the group of devils, the crease between his eyebrows deepened.


    "Serefina?" Chiron muttered her name, as he watched the witch stroll across the empty street and stopped right in front of him. "You are with them?"


    Serefina didn''t answer Chiron''s question, as she stretched out her hand and grabbed Lilac''s. The witch conjured a small crystal bottle from empty air and then made an incision right away with her sharp nail on Lilac''s skin.


    Even though she was unconscious, Lilac grimaced when she felt the pain because of the cut.


    Serefina collected Lilac''s blood that was flowing out, until it filled the small bottle to it''s brim, only then did she step away and threw the crystal bottle to Lucifer.


    "Here, what you wanted," she said nonchalantly.


    "I can''t believe that you could betray them," Chiron stated in disbelief. As far as he was aware, the witch loved the king. Was it because the king had finally found his mate? That served as a trigger for her betrayal?


    "Don''t be a hypocrite," Serefina snapped, she glanced at Chiron in disdain. "A traitor shouldn''t speak like a righteous soul to the other person, who is in the same boat as him."


    Lucifer guffawed when he heard this, including the five devils there, it was only Belphegor, who yawned, felt boring with this conversation.


    "Whatever your reason maybe, it is none of my business," Chiron said firmly. The shock in his expression upon seeing Serefina among the devils disappeared in a matter of few seconds when he decided to mind his own problem. The chief of the centaur shifted his attention toward Lucifer again. "We are done here."


    "What are you going to do with her?" Serefina asked casually, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Do you want to kill her?"


    Chiron looked down at Lilac''s face and then stared at the witch. "You don''t need to know."


    ==============


    Torak and Raphael shifted back into their human form when the battle with the hundreds of the guard ended.


    For now, there were a lot of carcasses on the ground along with their blood, splattered everywhere.


    However, Torak didn''t wait for another second or even to catch a breath when he dashed toward the king''s wing, where he left Raine the last time he got to see her.


    Meanwhile, Raphael approached Lana and Hope, who were standing at the side. "Let''s go," he said in a hurry.


    Lana nodded and immediately followed her mate, but when she took a few steps ahead, she halted and turned around only to find that Hope was actually staring at the bloody battle ground before her eyes.


    "Hope, what are you doing? Come here!" Lana frowned and her loud voice broke the girl''s reverie as she was slightly startled.


    "¡­coming," she muttered, but even after she ran to catch up with Lana and Raphael, she would turn around every few steps to glance back at the scene.


    However, it was not because she liked to see limbs after limbs lying on the ground torn apart, but it was because she could see hundreds of fireflies fleeing out of those carcasses.


    This scene reminded her a distant memory when she lived in the cave, where thousands of fireflies appeared, which were the souls of the innocent children that had been killed by the devils.


    ==============


    Jedrek ran faster to his bedroom as he left the guards who somehow lost their minds and attacked their own king, for Torak and he could deal with them alone.


    A few beasts that chased after him were not a big deal and they couldn''t slow him down, yet when he reached his bedroom, he couldn''t find Lilac, but he saw Raine, lying unconscious on his bed.

 Chapter 815 - JEDREKS WRATH

    Jedrek approached her and put his finger under her nose to feel her warm breath and watched closely as her chest rose and fell slowly.


    She was alive.


    But, where was his mate?


    Jedrek stood up and looked around the room, but aside from Raine''s scent and faint scents of Lilac, Serefina and Hope, he couldn''t smell anything.


    Jedrek rushed toward the door, wishing he could pick up some scent of Lilac, but her scent only lingered inside this room, as if she had vanished into thin air.


    The king growled loudly and crushed a table until it broke into pieces with his bare fist. He couldn''t believe it, he lost his mate this way. He was very reckless to think that he could leave Lilac all on her own in her current condition.


    He stood there seemingly trying to calm the pent up anger that rose in his heart, as rage spread across his entire being and his body shook violently, in order to keep his beast from lashing out.


    This was not the time to go feral. However, it was hard to control his raging emotions.


    Jedrek had been through this once in the past when he lost Serefina, but the feeling was quite different from what he felt now. This was more intense.


    He punched the wall near him to vent out his fury a couple of times until his fist bled, creating a big hollow in it''s awake.


    Fortunately, not long after that, Torak came running into the room.


    The white lycan shifted into his human skin once he reached the door and rushed toward his mate, since her scent was intensely strong in the room.


    "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Torak hollered toward Jedrek when he saw Raine was unconscious and the animosity in Jedrek''s red eyes.


    It was easy to misunderstand the situation now, especially when the other lycan, appeared seemingly, out of sorts as he couldn''t think straight.


    "I DID NOTHING!" Jedrek hollered back, unable to digest the way Torak talked to him. "SHE IS ALREADY LIKE THAT WHEN I COME!"


    However, Torak didn''t want to argue with him any further, as he shook Raine''s shoulder lightly to wake her up. "Raine¡­ wake up my love¡­" Torak''s voice broke as if voicing out a lot of mixed emotions all at once.


    The Alpha cradled his unconscious mate carefully while repeating the same words, wishing it was enough to bring her back to him.


    Not long after that, Raphael came panting slightly, with Lana and Hope right behind him, and entered the room.


    However, Jedrek moved very fast to grab Hope''s arm and pinned her against the wall while shouting angrily.


    "WHERE IS MY MATE?!" He lost his sanity and was not in a condition where he could treat anyone with respect or solicitously.


    "JEDREK!" Lana reacted very fast, as she tried to pull back the king from Hope. But, she was pushed away when the king swatted his hand.


    "Lana!" Raphael, who was about to approach Torak, rushed back to his mate and held her body. "You don''t have to do that!" the Beta growled.


    However, that act only aggravated the lycan further as he glowered at Raphael before he shifted back his focus on Hope.


    "WHERE IS MY MATE!?" Jedrek shouted again.


    "SHE WAS TAKEN BY THE CENTAUR AND THE DEVIL!" Hope almost lost her breath because of the tightness of Jedrek''s hand, which wrapped around her neck. "LET ME GO FIRST!"


    At the same time, Raphael tried to separate the king from Hope.


    "You will kill her if you keep doing this!" Raphael grabbed Jedrek''s shoulder and tried to make some space between him and Hope. "YOU WILL GET NOTHING IF YOU KILL HER!" The Beta glowered loudly.


    For a few intense seconds, both of them glared at each other, as if they could kill one another by only looking at the other'' eyes.


    However, in the next second, Jedrek gained his bearing and relented. He let go of Hope''s neck and took a step back before he watched how Raphael tried to help Hope to stand up and took her to Lana.


    Jedrek took a deep breath and asked Hope stiffly. ??Which centaur do you mean?"


    Hope rubbed her neck and caught a few much needed breaths while Lana tried to soothe her by caressing her back.


    "Answer me. Which centaur took my mate?" Jedrek enunciated every word clearly. He looked even scarier this way.


    "The chief of the centaurs. Chiron." It was Raphael, who told Jedrek, since Hope and Lana looked hesitating to mention his name.


    Hope and Lana knew the chief of the centaur personally and a big part of them was in denial that Chiron could do such a thing like that, however that was the fact and they couldn''t do anything about it since it was Lilac''s life in danger.


    Raphael could understand the anger of Jedrek, if something happened to Lana, he wouldn''t be so calm to think about this matter thoroughly.


    "Chiron!"Jedrek said the chief''s name with venom on the tip of his tongue. "I had told Kace that he couldn''t trust that damn creature!"


    After saying that, the king stormed out of the room. His footsteps reverberating through the corridor and no one knew where he wanted to go.


    "I will go after him," Raphael said, he was looking at Torak, but his Alpha''s concern was only on his mate.


    "Be careful," Lana said with a worried expression. She knew Raphael wouldn''t allow her to go with him.


    "I will," Raphael replied and leaned over to kiss Lana''s temple.


    Afterward, he dashed toward the direction Jedrek had gone. It was easy to know, since his stomping feet were making louder noise as if he was trying to crush the marble under them in his rage.


    Inside the bedroom, Hope immediately rushed toward Torak and Raine with deeply creased brows. She didn''t have time to think about what Jedrek was going to do with Chiron when she noticed how pale Raine was.


    "What happened to her?" Torak asked in a low and cold tone that halted Hope in her tracks, making it difficult for her to take one more step forward.


    "I don''t know¡­" Hope answered truthfully and then told Torak everything that happened when the devils came.


    "She was left alone with Belphegor?" Torak narrowed his eyes dangerously.

 Chapter 816 - HE WAS INSANE!

    "I thought she was behind me," Hope retorted, trying to justify her actions from earlier. Why did Jedrek or Torak even blame her? "I was running after Chiron, who was brining away Lilac with him."


    Torak closed his eyes to control his temper. It was easy to snap at someone when he couldn''t find anyone to blame on for what happened to his mate.


    However, actually Torak knew this was not Hope''s fault, it was already good enough that something bad didn''t happen to her when she chased after Chiron and the devil didn''t take her or Raine when there was no one there to protect them.


    Yet, to see Raine in this condition again, he was very angry, angry at himself. Angry for not being able to be there when all she needed was his protection.


    "What are you doing?"Torak didn''t mean to snarl at Hope, but it was his beast''s instinct, that he didn''t like it when Hope moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed and was about to touch Raine.


    "Can I touch her??? Hope stopped, leaving her hand hanging mid air. She looked at Torak, silently asking for the Alpha''s permission to touch his mate.


    Torak didn''t immediately agree, but at the thought that those guardian angels could heal each other when they were close enough, just like how they accelerated Lilac''s healing, he finally nodded.


    Finally with his permission, Hope took a deep breath and stretched out her hand to touch Raine''s.


    Actually, Hope wondered, why was there a strange black aura, surrounding Raine''s body? And she was pretty sure, both Torak and Lana could see it too.


    ==============


    Kace climbed the castle gates when the black rain finally stopped pouring down. There was no one who could follow him, since neither Carina nor Sterling could climb the wall.


    However, Kace made sure to tell Sterling to keep his eyes on Carina. He emphasized his words, so that he could understand the weight of his words.


    Now, Kace dug his claws deeply onto the solid stone of the high wall that secured the whole castle. The white beast snarled and growled whenever his claws didn''t stick too deep that caused him to fall a few times before he could reach the top of it. Not to mention this strange rain, which made things more difficult for him, as the stone of the wall was getting increasingly slippery from all the wetting.


    And, the beast''s eyes widened in disbelief upon seeing the situation below.


    On the ground, there were a few carcasses, scattered around the front yard, missing a limb or two with blood covered almost the entire ground and splattered everywhere.


    The beast let out a deep and low growl before he plunged into air and landed on his fours. He leapt higher and landed on a dead body, which tainted his already dirty fur by spluttering blood all over him.


    The beast leapt again until he reached the safety ground, which was clean from any dead bodies and proceeded toward the king''s wing.


    He could smell his mate''s scent even though it was faint. Hope was here before, not only that, she was with Raphael and Lana too.


    The fact that she was not alone, calmed his nerves as he picked up his speed.


    ==============


    Raphael was about to follow Jedrek when he heard someone grunting from a direction opposite to which Jedrek stormed off.


    If it was not for the familiar scent that he already knew like the back of his hand, Raphael wouldn''t walk back to check on him.


    All in all, he knew this scent very well.


    "Calleb!" Raphael skidded to a halt when he saw the Gamma lying on the cold floor, gasping for air. "Hei! Wake up!"


    Raphael shook his body, but Calleb still didn''t open his eyes, and when he saw how Calleb was suffocated by something that he couldn''t understand, the Beta slapped his face really hard.


    "Arrghh!" Calleb opened his eyes all of sudden and glared at Raphael in confusion. "Why did you slap me!?" he shouted angrily.


    On the other hand, Raphael slapped his other cheek again, but this time not as hard as the first one. "If you are already awake, follow me. We need to find Jedrek."


    Calleb shook his head and rubbed both of his cheeks. This Beta was crazy, but he couldn''t remember what was happening to him until Raphael helped him to stand up and he saw the blood on the floor. Only then he remembered.


    "Raph!" he shouted in shock. "The centaur betrayed us! He will do something to the guardian angels, we have to find them first before we look for Torak''s brother!"


    "No!" Raphael immediately grabbed Calleb''s hand to stop him and then he dragged the Gamma with him. "Raine and Hope are with Torak and Lana now, they are safe. However, Lilac is missing, the centaur took her with him. And now, we have to stop Jedrek before he lashes out and the situation goes out of hand," he explained their current situation briefly.


    ==============


    Kace shifted into his human skin when he smelled Jedrek''s scent which got closer as he kept walking toward the king''s wing, before he could finally see him at the end of this hallway.


    "Jedrek!" Kace ran toward the Alpha. He was slightly relieved that Jedrek had reached this place first before he did, even though he felt something was off with the way his brother glared at him. "What happe¡­"


    Yet, before Kace could finish his question, Jedrek had grabbed his throat and pushed him against the wall until it dented because of the force.


    Kace widened his eyes in surprise. He didn''t know the reason why Jedrek attacked him all of sudden. Fortunately, he got his answer right away.


    "I TOLD YOU THAT THOSE CREATURES COULDN''T BE TRUSTED!" He roared angrily at Kace, even he himself, who had the blood of Donovans running through his veins, had to grit his teeth at Jedrek''s domination. He was going all ''Alpha'' on him.


    Kace regained his composure immediately and twisted Jedrek''s hand as he kicked him to break the grip. He even clawed his face and left ugly scars, yet Jedrek didn''t care about the pain anymore, as he glared at Kace viciously.


    He was insane!

 Chapter 817 - PROVOCATION

    "WHAT IS GOING ON!?? EXPLAIN IT TO ME FIRST!" Kace roared at his brother as he tried to twist Jedrek''s hand away from him again while kicking his abdomen, only then did Jedrek released him.


    As he finally managed to break free from Jedrek''s vice like deathly grip, Kace rolled his body away on the ground, trying to avoid him. In case this lunatic of a brother of his would pounce on him again.


    However, Jedrek didn''t chase him and stood still, with his whole body trembling violently to contain his anger. His red eyes viciously glared at his brother.


    "What''s the matter with you!?" Kace rubbed his neck and watched as the wounds on Jedrek''s face healed, leaving traces of blood that smeared across his devilish face.


    "The centaur kidnapped my mate! That''s what happened!" Jedrek emphasized every word that he spitted. He looked like someone, who would attack in any moment, thus Kace had to stay away from him. Out of his reach.


    "Alright."Kace raised his arms. "I know that."


    He should have known that Jedrek had realized this from the reaction he gave earlier.


    "You know!?" Jedrek strode toward Kace, gritted his teeth as his fists balled. "You knew and you let that happen?!" He snarled and was very angry when Kace tried to run away from him. Of course, he would do that, any sane creature would do the same when they saw the way Jedrek''s look now. "I should have killed you a long time ago, so you wouldn''t bring those filthy creatures into my territory!!!"


    "Kill me now then!" Kace stopped walking away. He stood still and watched as Jedrek came closer to him and his eyes bored into his. The young Donovan didn''t even budge when Jedrek tried to strangle him once again.


    "I will kill you!" Jedrek hissed, yet the expression on Kace''s face didn''t change even in the slightest.


    "You have been trying to kill me and my mate since as long as I can remember. Don''t you think this is your Karma?!" Kace spat those words and glowered at Jedrek, trying to catch his breath. This was a dangerous bet that he made, trying to provoke the livid beast to his limit. "Now you know how it feels to have your mate in danger. Congratulations," Kace jeered.


    That was not a wise move what Kace could have chosen at this moment, but he felt a sudden impulse to mock at his brother and this even surprised him that he liked the way Jedrek''s face turned black and his canines elongated.


    The fury in his expression made Kace to mock him even more with fervent.


    "Why? You don''t like it? You had killed her, remember? So, what is different now?" Kace gasped for air, but he managed to say that in between through his gritted teeth.


    "YOU!"Jedrek was lost for words as anger consumed every inch of his being, boiled his beast''s blood. And, there was nothing he wanted to do now except to wipe away that taunting smile from Kace''s face.


    Jedrek raised his hand and was about to knock Kace''s head off his shoulders with his sharp- razor claws when someone held his arm.


    "ENOUGH!" Raphael shouted. He used all of his strength to stop Jedrek, while Calleb tried to pull Kace away from the danger.


    "Are you crazy!?" Calleb admonished Kace for his stupid act, at the same time, trying to save his life.


    Even with the two of them, trying to intervene between the two brothers, it didn''t seem enough to overpower Jedrek. Not to mention Kace did nothing except provoking Jedrek with his mocking, triumphant smile.


    At first, Kace didn''t want to do this to his brother, since he knew how it felt to have your mate''s lifebeing in danger. However, it was Jedrek, who provoked him first.


    He didn''t even feel sorry for what he had done all this time, regardless of the order not coming from him, but their father, yet he should show some basic decent emotions, at the very least.


    "Hei! Can you stop smiling like that?" Calleb gritted his teeth, even he felt like he wanted to punch this lycan. "We are trying to save your a** dude! At least, cooperate!"


    Only then, Kace glanced briefly at the Gamma and shifted back his attention toward his brother. "I know someone, who knows where is Lilac. If you kill me now, you will get nothing."


    Kace had seen that Calleb and Raphael were coming in their way, it wasn''t a reckless move to provoke his brother, but it was a good timing that they managed to intervene in time. He made a bet on them and that tiny-weeny, little soft spot that Jedrek still had for his brother.


    The king would have crushed his neck easily if he wanted to, especially when Kace didn''t fight back, but he didn''t.


    On the other hand, upon hearing Kace''s words, Jedrek loosened his grip and pushed him away.


    "Tell me now, who the hell is this person!?" Jedrek swatted Raphael''s hand, which was still holding onto him and glared at Kace.


    Once again, Kace escaped Jedrek''s vicious attack. He couldn''t answer his question immediately, as he was gasping to breathe.


    Kace took his time to adjust his breathing before he answered Jedrek. Beside him, Calleb looked like he wanted to strangle him again for deliberately doing that.


    However, when Kace spoke, he didn''t talk about Carina at all. "I will tell you after I see my mate and felt sure that she is alright."


    Jedrek growled, while Raphael and Calleb glared incredulously at him. Kace was truly something to toy with the king''s patience like this. But then, he was the king''s brother after all.


    "She is fine," Raphael said. "Hope is with Torak and Lana now."


    "I will decide whether she is okay or not, after I see her myself," Kace replied nonchalantly. "Only then, we will talk about your mate." He nodded at Jedrek casually.


    After saying that, without waiting for permission, Kace turned around and walked toward the direction of the king''s wing, where Hope''s scent was strong.


    Yet, to Raphael and Calleb surprise, Jedrek didn''t stop him and just followed behind Kace. Yes, he looked livid, but didn''t utter a single word.

 Chapter 818 - WHERE IS MINE?

    Hope watched as the dark aura around Raine subside slowly, and as of now, her breathing became even. She looked like someone, who was sleeping and not like a sick person anymore.


    Yet, when Hope stared at Raine''s chest, she tilted her head in confusion. She could see something was shimmering from there. A shard of glass?


    Hope stretched out her hand to touch the faint glint on Raine''s chest, but her hand was stopped by Torak.


    "What are you doing?" He asked while loosening his grip when he saw Hope retract her hand.


    Despite the fact, Torak was aware that Hope wouldn''t hurt Raine, but he didn''t want her to touch his mate casually, especially the vital part like her heart. It made him anxious for some reasons.


    "Hha?" Hope raised her head and looked at Torak in confusion. It took her a few seconds longer to finally realize what Exactly Torak asked. "No¡­ I just want to check something¡­" she replied in low tone, but when she saw the same spot again, where she had seen the shimmering light moments before, but it was vanished along with the dark aura that surrounded her.


    How could that be possible? Hope tilted her head in bewilderment.


    "What do you want to check? What happened with her?" Torak frowned when he saw that Raine had not opened her eyes yet. "Why wasn''t she waking up?"


    Hope raised both of her hands, as a surrender gesture. "I don''t know." Torak''s continuous questions only overwhelmed her. "Maybe she just needs sometime to recuperate," she murmured.


    "Let her sleep for a while, maybe that is what she needs. If she still doesn''t wake up tomorrow, we can find another solution," Lana suggested. "Her complexion looks better now."


    Right, compared to her previous pale face, Torak could see a tinge of red blush on her cheeks and only when he realized this, he could breathe in relief.


    "How do you do it?" Lana looked at Hope. She didn''t remember that the girl has the ability to heal someone. How couldn''t she know any of that?


    "I don''t know¡­" Hope shrugged her shoulders and then she told them the truth. "I just saw some dark aura around her. However, I am not sure if you can call that aura. It looks like a faint black smoke that surrounded her," she tried to explain what she had seen.


    "Faint black smoke?"Torak narrowed his eyes dangerously. He disliked the fact that there was something threatening lurked around his mate.


    "Yes, and also a white shard on her chest¡­ I don''t know what is that?" Hope''s curious eyes kept staring at Raine''s chest area. "But, it is gone now¡­"


    "You made it gone?" Torak asked, finally understanding Hope''s intention to touch Raine earlier. "You made it gone, right?" he asked again, emphasizing his words. He wanted to be sure that Raine was no longer in any dangerous situation.


    "Uh, I am not sure, if it was me¡­" Hope''s voice sounded troubled. She also wanted those strange things to be gone, but was not really sure if she managed to do it or not.


    Subconsciously, Torak hugged Raine even tighter and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. "Where is Serefina?" He needed the witch to check on Raine''s current condition.


    "I don''t know¡­" Hope shook her head. "I have not yet seen her since yesterday."


    "So do I," Lana chimed in. Probably, this was one day in a month that the time she didn''t want to be disturbed. "Maybe she is in her room. I will call her."


    But, before Lana could leave, Torak stopped her. "No, call her later when Raphael is here to accompany you."


    The situation right now was not wise to send Lana alone to find the witch. Torak was not concerned about Lana. He barely knew this girl, but the fact that she was Raphael''s mate, was more than enough for him to wish something bad shouldn''t happen to her.


    Torak then took the blanket and wrapped it around Raine''s body. He cradled her in his arms as if he didn''t want to put her down.


    ==============


    Lidya stood in front of the entrance gates of the castle, the rain had already stopped and the dark circular blotches on her clothes started to dry.


    She tried to push it, but she was not able to do so, thus the only thing that she could do now was to bust it down since she couldn''t teleport herself into the castle, because she had never been there before.


    Lidya took a few steps back and looked at the majestic iron and steel. She took a deep breath and tried to create a whirl of wind in her open palm.


    The wind started weak and faint, but then it got stronger and stronger until Lydia couldn''t hold in in her palm.


    Afterward, she took another step back and watched as the whirl of wind became a typhoon with each second that passed before it moved forward, slowly but surely, shook the entire gigantic gate with so much force. Until the sound of it rattling to the ground and created so much noise of the breaking steel and iron.


    ==============


    "Hope! Hope! Hope!" Kace called his mate''s name once he was close enough to Jedrek''s chamber.


    Inside the room, Hope frowned.


    "Why does he keep shouting my name? He can just come inside this room and find me," Hope grumbled.


    "You know him," Lana smiled softly. Kace could be childish sometimes.


    "Ugh! He was just embarrassing me!" Yet despite of that, she stood up and approached her anxious mate.


    Lana also walked together with her to the door since she smelled Raphael''s scent which meant he was near too.


    And once Kace spotted his mate, totally fine and a little bit upset because of his silly act, he hugged her body and buried his nose on the crook of her shoulder, relishing her scent, which was just like a hot chocolate.


    "I am worried about you," Kace mumbled.


    "Now you have seen her," Jedrek didn''t hesitate to interrupt their moment. "Tell me where is mine?"

 Chapter 819 - TORAK, SEREFINA...

    Lidya was shocked by the dreadful scene that she was presented with as soon as the majestic gates of the castle busted down.


    Many people were lying dead on the ground before her eyes, several severed limbs oozing with blood flooded the ground and swamped every spot that could be seen now.


    The scent of those bodies, started to fill the air and the atmosphere became heavier. Not to mention about the sky, which was still dark. It only frightened her even further.


    Lidya had seen her fair share of bloody scenes similar to something like this, but this was the most grueling and ghastly situation she had ever seen before.


    She concocted a white fire in her hand and as she walked across the sea of dead bodies, she burned them all, behind her was, the entrance, which had lost its iron gates.


    The gigantic iron was flown a few meters away and created so much damage to the buildings nearby, which were hit by the force when Lidya attacked the iron gates for her forced entrance into this castle by creating a typhoon.


    After Lidya burned down those dead bodies, she put off the white fire in her hand, from which a white butterfly came into life, to led her toward the location where the Donovans were.


    ==============


    "Alpha, I am sorry," Calleb said in deep regret as he watched Raine''s sleeping face. "What happened to her? Is she all right?"


    Torak just gave him a brief glance before he replied curtly. "I am not sure."


    Torak''s answer made Calleb feel even worse. He failed, not only Torak, but also Raine. He was tasked to keep her safe, but then he was the one who brought the centaur, without even aware of his true intentions. He should have suspected Chiron when he met him all of sudden inside the castle.


    However, he ignored his instincts and caused all of this to happen. Calleb felt like, he should have been able to prevent this catastrophe from happening. Not to mention that something very bad befell on Raine.


    Torak watched the guilt that flashed in Calleb''s eyes and let him hold onto Raine''s hand, as he caressed it gently.


    "Raph, get Serefina here. She must know something about Raine''s condition," Torak talked to Raphael, who was still hugging Lana.


    The Beta slowly released his mate and nodded at Torak. "I will."


    "No. I will go," Calleb immediately stood up and ran toward the door, without waiting for Torak''s reply. He wanted to do something for Raine.


    On the other hand, Torak didn''t stop him and shifted his focus toRaine, ignoring the quarrel between Jedrek and Kace not too far from him.


    "Stop wasting my time!" Jedrek gritted his teeth, his eyes flickered back and forth between red and black. He was trying so hard not to lose to his beast. Because once he did lose, he wouldn''t know what he would do and of course, whatever his beast would do, something that wouldn''t benefit him, at this moment, when he was dying to find Lilac.


    "You have to promise me first," Kace said, his tone became serious when he faced his angry brother, as he shielded Hope behind his back.


    "Yes," Jedrek replied grimly without a second thought.


    "I have not said anything," Kace spoke suspiciously. He narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher Jedrek''s intentions, whether his consent was true or not.


    "I will agree to everything that you want to ask now," Jedrek emphasized every word in his haste. He didn''t want to waste another second. Those devils could do something to Lilac. That centaur could do something to Lilac!


    This time, it was Kace, who looked hesitant. Those centaurs had been his friends for the last two years and, despite what Chiron had done, he still wished it would end different from what he thought. "Carina knew where Chiron is."


    "Where is she?" Jedrek asked, he balled his fists tightly until his knuckles turned red.


    "She is outside the city wall, with Sterling," Kace told him.


    And right after Jedrek heard that, he rushed out of the room, leaving Kace, who was yelling at him.


    Jedrek leapt over from the balcony on the second floor and landed in his white beast form, behind him, he could hear Kace''s beast following after him closely, yet he didn''t care. There was only one thing that he should do and he had to do it quickly.


    Or else, he would regret all the stupid things that he had done to Lilac, without having a chance to mend his mistakes, in his entire existence.


    ==============


    "Serefina is not in her room," Calleb reported back to Torak when he was done searching for her for almost two hours and couldn''t find her. Her scent led him to the north wing, but then it disappeared. She must have teleported herself from there. However, the question was; to where?


    "Not in her room?" Torak frowned and looked at Raine again, there was nothing he wanted now except to see her staring back at him again.


    Torak even let Hope and Lana to stay beside Raine, since Kace and Raphael went to chase after Jedrek.


    "She is not in her room?" Lana frowned. She was totally sure that yesterday was the ''day''. Serefina usually would stay inside her room for a whole day.


    "No, her scent disappeared in the north wing. I think, she teleported to somewhere." Calleb crossed his arms. "Where did she go at a time like this?"


    This was not the first time that Serefina was absent in a critical moment.


    Meanwhile, Hope, who was sitting beside Raine was trying to see the white shard that she had seen earlier, yet she couldn''t.


    She was still curious about that thing and was upset too, because Serefina was not here to explain it to her.


    It would be fine if that white shard wouldn''t harm Raine, but what if that strange thing would do otherwise?


    However, what made Hope to sigh a little bit in relief was the fact that the dark aura around Raine had gone.


    "Raine?" Hope called her name when she felt a slight movement from her fingers, which she was holding for the last few hours.


    It took a little bit longer for Raine to open her eyes, and once they caught Torak''s worried eyes, she tried to speak.


    "Torak, Serefina¡­"

 Chapter 820 - I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!

    "Torak, Serefina¡­" Raine tried to speak even if her voice was cracked.


    Torak immediately took a glass of water and helped Raine to drink by supporting her body, so that she wouldn''t choke.


    "Drink this first¡­" Torak said it very softly, he brought the glass to her lips, while Hope swiped away the few strands of her hair from her face. "Be careful, slowly¡­" he reminded Raine, who was drinking the water greedily.


    On the other hand, Calleb sighed in relief when he saw that Raine was already awake. He wouldn''t feel at ease if she was still unconscious.


    The shadow warrior indeed didn''t do any harm on him, but it caused him to lost consciousness and let her be in danger. The Gamma wouldn''t even mind if Torak punished him now. He deserved to receive it. Fortunately, Torak was busy in taking care of Raine and didn''t even have time to lash out at him.


    "Torak, Serefina¡­" Raine tried to speak again, while Torak wiped the remaining water that escaped her lips.


    "She is not here," Torak said. He thought, Raine was in pain and needed to see the witch. "Do you feel any pain anywhere?" There was no healer in this castle, Torak didn''t know where she was and Kace had tried to find her as well when he looked for Serefina, but he couldn''t find anyone. It seemed the only living beings in this entire place was them.


    "No, Torak. You will not be able to find her here." Raine said faintly, if Torak didn''t have a remarkable hearing ability, he wouldn''t have been able to hear her, even Hope had to move closer.


    "Why?" Torak asked, while caressing her cheeks, his heart ached to see his mate in pain, again. "Do you know where she is?"


    "Torak, she is with the devils¡­" Raine finally said it, her expression cracked, as tears streamed down her cheeks. She was feeling nothing less than devastated.


    Serefina had not always been good to her, especially when the first time they met, but to have the witch betrayed them, that thought, had never crossed her mind at all.


    No matter how snappy she was and how she lost her temper almost every time they met, or how Serefina fought with Torak, she wouldn''t betray them, right?


    "What do you mean?" Hope asked, her voice barely a whisper. She must have heard it wrong, right?


    "Impossible," Lana spoke absentmindedly, she shook her head and held on to the edge of the table to support her.


    Lana and Hope were still yet to get over the fact that Chiron betrayed them, but to know that Serefina had crossed to the other side was another thing. That was simply impossible.


    However, Raine wouldn''t tell them a lie.


    Even Calleb was flabbergasted, his mouth opened wide, yet not a single word could leave his mouth.


    ==============


    Jedrek walked toward the city gates, which had busted down by the people from outside of the city, they were marching toward the castle, when the king met them.


    Actually, there was another disturbing fact that he had seen before he left the castle; someone had blasted the castle gates and all the dead bodies of the guards, who turned out to be in control of the devil when they attacked him, had disappeared without any trace.


    Who had done that?


    From what he had seen, it seemed someone had tried to enter the castle by force.


    However, right at this moment, Jedrek''s mind was too occupied with the thought of his missing mate, thus he didn''t have time to think about that.


    "Where is the centaur named Carina?" the king''s voice neither loud nor low, but one could say from his gloomy expression and his dark eyes, that the lycan was livid beyond words.


    Behind the lycanthropes from Torak''s pack and the hunters that Kace invited, was the centaurs. They looked taller than anyone else present, thanks to their half- horse body.


    "Me," a soft voice replied from the back of the crowd as her soft hooves tapped on the ground when she walked forward.


    The people dispersed and gave a way to the female centaur, but the other centaurs murmured to each other, trying to find out what was happening and why Jedrek wanted to see Carina all of a sudden.


    They had a very long, not so good history with this king and they were quite tensed when he pointed at one of them.


    Meanwhile, behind Jedrek, Kace and Raphael shifted back into their human form when they were close enough to Jedrek, finally catching up to him.


    "Jedrek, you promised me¡­" Kace held Jedrek''s shoulder, but before he could finish his sentence, his brother had swatted his hand away from him, very harshly, until Kace tumbled on his feet and this raised the murmuring voices around them.


    "Tell me where is Chiron?" Jedrek asked Carina when she stood in front of the crowd, just a few meters away from the king.


    If the female centaur was afraid or anxious, she didn''t show it on her face, as her expression now was devoid of any emotions.


    "What do you want with our chief?" it was Zarrn, who asked Jedrek, as he walked forward and stood beside Carina. "We will not give you any information about him if you want to do something bad to him."


    From the looks of it, how Jedrek was behaving now, no one would believe that the king wanted to have a civilized discussion with Chiron. Jedrek now looked like someone, who wanted to crush their hearts with his bare hands.


    "Bad?" Jedrek jeered. "Don''t underestimate my intentions."


    Zarrn didn''t understand what Jedrek meant by that. He looked at Carina, but his fellow centaur only lowered her head and then, he knew something must be totally off.


    "What do you mean?" Zarrn asked carefully, but he didn''t think he wanted to hear that answer.


    "Not only your chief or this female centaur. I will make you all go through painful deaths if you don''t tell me where is Chiron now!" Jedrek hissed through his gritted teeth as his eyes turned red.

 Chapter 821 - YES, HE DID

    Jedrek statement aroused many criticizes and disapproving voices from the centaurs and hunters, while the lycanthropes only creased their brows and looked at each other, couldn''t understand why would Jedrek make such a statement.


    Weren''t they here to join forces to fight the devils? Why would he want to kill all of the centaurs again? Did this king wanted to create a fuss before the war? Did he turn crazy and want to exterminate them again? Just like what he did in the past?


    Despite the fact that the lycanthropes didn''t get along with the centaurs or the people that Kace had invited to come to this realm, but in long run, it would be a disadvantage for them to lose those creatures that way.


    "Jedrek!" Kace snapped at him when he heard that, he forced his brother to face him. He didn''t even falter with the way Jedrek glared at him viciously, as if he would tear his face if he kept insisting to defy him. "You promised me you will never hurt them! Your problem is with Chiron and not all of them!"


    "I will not hurt them if they told me where is their f*cking chief!" he cursed loudly. His entire body was shaking in his attempt to keep his beast at bay.


    "I will not tell you anything about Chiron!" Zarrn stated. He didn''t know what the problem with this king, but they wouldn''t let him have his hands on Chiron if he threatened them this way. "Kace you told us that you would ensure our safety after we agreed to come here and join the war with you!" Zarrn looked at Kace in disappointment.


    However, Kace snapped at him instead. "SHUT UP!" He roared. "If you don''t know anything, shut up!" What Zarrn said, it would only trigger Jedrek further and the bad situation now would only become worse.


    Zarrnwas slightly taken aback with the way Kace told him to shut up. He growled and stomped his hooves hardly on the ground. This action was followed by the other centaurs. This was a sign that they were ready for a confrontation.


    "Stop doing that!" Kace grabbed Jedrek''s shoulder with the help of Raphael. "Carina! Talk something! You tell me where is Chiron now!" in his struggle to stop Jedrek, Kace glared at the female centaur. He was more than upset with her silence.


    "Don''t say anything Carina!" Zarrn spoke beside her. "Go back to our people."


    At that time, Jedrek finally spoke. His voice laced with aggravation and as cold as an ice block. If words could kill, maybe the king''s next words could transform into a million sharp blades that would cut them.


    "Your chief has kidnapped my mate." Jedrek stopped struggling and stood there, glowered at Carina, who kept her head very low, in order to avoid his eyes.


    That statement created another wave of voices among the creatures.


    The Centaurs and the hunters denied that accusation, while the lycanthropes voiced out their anger, after all, hurting their mates was a bottom line for them. As the most possessive creatures, no one should mess with their mates.


    "LIAR!"


    "You are a liar!"


    "There is no way Chiron would do that!"


    "He is trying to defame our chief!"


    Many angry voices aroused from Jedrek''s statement, as the sound of their hooves became even louder and aggressive. However, on the other hand, the lycanthropes didn''t just stay in silence, they snarled back at the centaurs.


    If this situation was left like this for a little bit longer, there would be another bloodshed here and Jedrek didn''t mind it at all if those lycanthropes finished off those wretched centaurs. All he needed now was Carina.


    If he couldn''t make her open her mouth willingly, then he would force her to do it with any way possible.


    "STOP IT!" However, Kace wouldn''t let that happen. He had enough watching several dead bodies of the guards in the front yards, though their bodies strangely disappeared when he walked out of the castle, but that wasn''t his main concern right now. "ALL OF YOU STOP IT!"


    Kace''s roar managed to assuage the anger from both parties, but it didn''t take a long time for a hush to fall over the place. They were surprised by the Alpha''s tone that Kace used, since they had never heard the young Donovan being a dominant.


    "You don''t have the right to stop us while letting your brother to defame Chiron! Have you forgotten about the kindness that we offered you when you lived with us!?" One of the centaurs shouted at Kace from the back of the crowd.


    The situation was almost getting out of hand right now.


    "I DO NOT STAND HERE TO DEFEND ANYONE! WHY DON''T YOU ASK HER!?" Kace yelled at the centaurs, as his voice sounded very powerful, demanding respect from all of them.


    Raphael, who heard that, was slightly surprised see Kace now, because as far as he could remember about him; the younger Donovan sibling was someone who didn''t want to get involved in any conflict.


    However, Kace now, almost looked like an Alpha, someone who deserved the Donovan name.


    "IF YOU DON''T TRUST HIM OR ME, ASK HER WHETHER IT IS A LIE OR NOT!" Kace snarled at Zarrn.


    In an instant the voices died down, even the snarls from the lycanthropes couldn''t be heard anymore. All of them looked at Kace and then shifted their attention toward Zarrn and Carina.


    "Tell them Carina! Tell them that was only his another disgusting accusation to defame Chiron!" Zarrn glared at Jedrek, while talking to Carina. "He just wants to kill us!"


    However, Carina didn''t reply to him. She balled her fists and bit her lips. She didn''t think it would be like this. She just wished for Kace to help her to stop Chiron from the thing that he would do, which now, she was aware that it was too late.


    This matter had escalated very fast.


    "Yes, he did," Carina finally said.

 Chapter 822 - WHY DID YOU DO THIS?

    "Yes, he did," Carina finally said, her voice was soft and steady. "Chiron has taken the king''s mate." The female centaur raised her head and looked at Jedrek.


    This statement raised another wave of uproar between the centaurs and the lycanthropes. The former didn''t believe what their fellow centaur said, while the latter was too eager to finish them off for the atrocious act that they committed.


    "You have to kill them!" roared one of the Alphas.


    "They can''t be forgiven!" the other suggested the same thing.


    "Give your order and we will finish them off!" one of the Alphas stepped forward and demanded a command from Jedrek.


    Upon hearing all of that, Jedrek''s blood seared with eagerness. He really wanted to see those wretched creatures'' blood streaming down this road.


    However, a small part of him, which was still able to think properly, knew that was not the right thing to do now, because every second was important. No one could guarantee Lilac''s safety.


    Not to mention she was with two of his big enemies.


    F*ck!


    "Carina, tell us the truth. What is actually happening?!" Zarrn hissed, he grabbed Carina''s hand, so she could face him.


    "You heard what she said!" Alpha Romulus approached them with heavy steps, elongated claws as his eyes flickered to black. He wanted to kill them. "Give us the order and we will kill them right away!" he said to Jedrek.


    Meanwhile, the other centaurs, eventually backed away. They protected the children and women, forcing them in to the middle as they moved nearer to the gates.


    On the other hand, the hunters tried to protect them as well, though they shouldn''t drag themselves in to this chaotic situation, but they had been living alongside with the centaurs, thus they couldn''t abandon them at a time like this.


    "KACE!" Delta called out for Kace. He didn''t say anything except his name, but from the look on his face, Kace could understand that they reached for his help.


    "Jedrek, don''t do this," Kace shifted his attention to his brother, his eyes were still red and this was not a good sign at all. One order from him, and those lycans would be more than willing to kill them all.


    The centaurs and the hunters moved toward the gates that they had busted down, one small step at a time. However, the distance between them was too far, therefore, the lycanthropes easily blocked their way and now they were trapped inside this city.


    On the other hand, Zarrn looked at the lycanthropes that surrounded him and Carina viciously. In their position, there was no way for them to escape, especially when they were separated from their people.


    "Tell me where your chief took my mate?" Jedrek asked coldly looking at Carina, while the female centaur kept looking over her shoulder to her group, which now had been surrounded, without a way to escape.


    "I will bring you to him, only if you promise me their safety," Carina demanded.


    "You ask me to not kill your kind?" Jedrek scoffed derisively. "I will not kill your kind as long as I can get my mate unscathed. However, if my mate suffered any injuries, I will kill one from your kind for each injury that marred her body."


    Carina gasped loudly when she heard that and Zarrn balled his fists, he couldn''t understand, why Chiron had to do this? Hadn''t he already gotten over his grudge against Jedrek? Therefore, why had he done this when they were only a step away from returning to their land?


    If Chiron''s betrayal was true, he had risked the lives of hundreds of them for a single grudge. Was it worth it?


    Zarrn shook his head to clear his mind when he heard Carina.


    "Kill me first then," she said without fear.


    "Carina!" Zarrn shrieked, but there were no other words to confront her statement.


    Before their eyes, a devilish smirk appeared on the corner of Jedrek''s lips. "It will be my pleasure." After that, he turned his attention toward the lycanthropes. "Arrest them all!"


    ==============


    Lilac felt the hard and cold ground when she fully regained her consciousness, but she didn''t immediately open her eyes.


    She remembered what had happened as her consciousness came back and forth all this while, from the moment she felt Chiron taking her into his arms and carried her away from the castle.


    However, she was not sure, whether what she had seen was true or not when she watched, through her murky mind, when Serefina drew her blood and went to join the devils.


    She wouldn''t do that, right? There was no way she would betray them. It was not possible for her to betray Jedrek. Right?


    Lilac let out a small and soft grunt when she tried to move her body, but all she could feel was the aching pain that prevented her from moving around recklessly, especially her neck, the spot where Jedrek''s mark was imprinted, was burning like a hot rod had been pressed there.


    But, the images during the time while they marked and mated, flashed in her mind and made her blush, or at least that was what Lilac thought, since she was too pale to have tinges or red on her cheeks.


    ''This was not the time for that,'' Lilac grumbled internally and tried to focus her mind elsewhere, trying to use her senses to feel her surroundings.


    Lilac had a plan to pretend to sleep until she was sure that she figured out a little bit more where she was or who was with her.


    However, when she felt soft hooves approaching her, she knew it was Chiron, especially when he spoke addressing her.


    "You are awake," Chiron said with the same tone that he always used.


    At this moment, there was no point for Lilac to keep her pretense, thus she opened her eyes slowly and spotted the centaur, who was bending his front legs while holding something in his hand.


    "Drink this first," Chiron helped Lilac to sit down first, then bringing a wooden goblet near her lips.


    Yet, Lilac tilted her head side ways and avoided it. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why did you do this?"


    &


    Check my IG story to know every character''s inner thought.

 Chapter 823 - HE WILL SUFFER THE SAME FATE

    "Drink this first," Chiron repeated his words and brought the wooden goblet near Lilac''s lips again, but the guardian angel raised her hand and swatted it away with all her might.


    Chiron sighed and stopped trying, he rose and took three steps away from her.


    Lilac struggled to sit down, but this was much more difficult than she thought, finally after a few attempts without any result, she gave up and rolled her body, so she could face Chiron. A layer of sweat appeared on her forehead and her breathing became shallow.


    "Why did you do this?" Lilac asked again.


    Only now, could Lilac see this whole place clearly. Apparently, Chiron took her to a meadow. The velvety grass beneath Lilac''s body felt a little bit cold because of the beads of dew, it seemed Lilac had been here for a whole night.


    In the distance, the peak of the mountain looked as if it could touch the starry sky above it. This wasn''t the sight that couldn''t please the senses. The sound from the whispering wind, the smell of the grass and the sky were out of this world, it was simply a feast for the eyes.


    If Lilac was not in her current condition, she would be amazed by what she was seeing now. Unfortunately, she didn''t have time to appreciate it now.


    Before her eyes, Chiron still refused to answer her question and kept staring at the sky, as if he was deciphering what the stars told him.


    "Do you want to kill me?" Lilac asked him again. Though they just met not too long ago and the conversation between them was very short, the guardian angel would have never thought that the chief of the centaurs would do this.


    Chiron still refused to talk to her.


    "Do you know that what you have done will put your people in danger?" Lilac tried to engage him in some conversation, she really wanted to know, what the thing that triggered him for doing something like this, knowing Jedrek, he wouldn''t let this pass easily. "Don''t you care about them?"


    "What I am doing right now, has nothing to do with them," Chiron finally gave some response to her.


    When Lilac heard that, she really wanted to scoff at his face, what kind of statement was that? Didn''t he know how Jedrek would usually react? Was he just pretending not to know that or he was just being a hypocrite for believing that Jedrek wouldn''t hurt them?


    "Do you think Jedrek will care?" Lilac grunted again when she felt a searing pain burned her neck once again, the very place where her mark was imprinted. "He will kill them if he has to."


    Chiron shifted on his feet and looked at Lilac. In his eyes was a reflection of the sorrow and painful memories that he felt deep in his heart, the feeling that he had buried for so long, until he thought, what he did now was necessary, as if this was his goal in this life.


    "Then he will live to suffer the same pain," Chiron said coldly. This was the first time such a cruel words escaped his lips. "Witnessing how I took the essence of his very existence right before his eyes."


    ==============


    After recovering the spells that surrounded the castle, which had been broken by the devils when they invaded this place, Lidya found Raphael and Lana in one of the room by following the white butterfly.


    "Where are the other people?" Lidya had a bad feeling from the moment she saw the countless dead bodies in front of the entrance gates and her feeling became more prominent when she couldn''t find other people as she roamed around this huge place to put some spells.


    Raphael saw Lidya approaching them when he was talking to Lana, discussing about what they should do now.


    "People disappeared from this place," Lidya mumbled as she sat down on the sofa next to Lana. "Where is Serefina?"


    Raphael and Lana looked at each other.


    While Lana lowered her head, still shocked with the fact that Serefina had betrayed them, Raphael explained what Raine had told them to Lidya.


    "She betrayed us," Raphael said coolly. He looked at Lidya when her expression morphed into one of a shock. "Serefina helped the devils to get Lilac and now she is with them."


    "Impossible," Lidya whispered softly in disbelief. "You will not believe that, right?" she looked at Lana. The girl had been with Serefina for years and she was the closest person to Serefina that Lidya come to know of.


    "I don''t want to believe it too," Lana said in soft tone, she touched her flat stomach out of instinct when she felt uncomfortable.


    ==============


    Raine grabbed the white beast''s fur tightly, as the beast moved gracefully fast, but steadily, crossing the forest while it swiftly avoided the falling trunks and the trees.


    [My love, are you all right?] Torak mind- linked her and felt the girl nodded her head gently against his scruff.


    Raine was still weak from what happened to her, but she was adamant about Torak bringing her to the meadow that she had seen in her vision.


    Raine didn''t explain further about it, she just told them that Serefina had crossed the bridge and was with the devils now.


    Of course, this news was something that, even, Torak hardly could believe. If it was not Raine, who told him this thing, he wouldn''t believe it.


    Torak had fought neck to neck with Serefina and quarreled with the witch countless time, yet he never thought, she would do that.


    However, on the other hand, Raine wouldn''t tell lie.


    Therefore, Torak and the others thought, Raine wanted to go to the meadow to find Serefina. They didn''t know how she was able to know her location, but since this was her vision, something that only she could see, they trusted her nonetheless.


    Alongside with Torak, was another beast with Hope on top of it, sitting in the same position like Raine, following closely behind Torak, while keeping his eyes on Raine, in case she fell from Torak''s back.


    &


    Check my IG story to know every character''s inner thought.

 Chapter 824 - KNEEL BEFORE ME

    "I don''t want to believe it too," Lana said in soft tone, she touched her flat stomach out of instinct when she felt uncomfortable. "But, the guardian angel wouldn''t lie about it."


    "Who? Hope?" Lidya frowned.


    "No, Raine," she replied.


    "Where are they now?" Lidya looked around the room, hoping that she could find Raine and confront her about it, whether she was saying the truth or not.


    "She left with Torak and the others," Raphael answered her this time.


    "Where? Do you know where they are going?" Lidya hopped from the sofa and was about to run toward the door, but Raphael shook his head.


    "I don''t know, Raine just said she wanted to go to the meadow." Raphael narrowed his eyes at the witch.


    "Maybe she wanted to find Serefina?" Lana suggested with uncertainty evident in her voice.


    That witch had been her tutor since she she was a child and saved by kace. Though their relationship was a little bit rough, which Lana was sure that Serefina had rough relationship with almost everyone. The witch had never hurt her and taught her everything that she needed to learn, including how to protect and stand up for herself.


    Serefina taught her rudely, but effectively. She wouldn''t be like this now, if it was not for her.


    Where is she now¡­? What plan did she concocted¡­?


    ==============


    "You are endangering your own peoples'' lives for your personal grudge," Lilac spoke softly, her breath became even more shallow than a few moments ago. The cold wind was caressing her skin making her shudder nonstop.


    When Lilac thought Chiron wouldn''t talk anymore and was about to give up her efforts to engage him in some conversation, she heard his low monotonous voice, very faintly, as if he was just murmuring to himself.


    "Brynzin," Chiron spoke. "¡­I had been waiting for my firstborn¡­ My mate and I¡­ we had even prepared a name for him. Brynzin."


    The wind howled as if it could feel this certain creature''s pain.


    "He would be a boy. A healthy child¡­ that''s what the healer told us¡­" Chiron shook his head. "The healer was wrong. My baby didn''t even got a chance to be born and had his name called¡­ my poor child¡­ I can''t protect him and my mate¡­ and my people¡­" his voice cracked.


    Lilac was not sure if she heard it right or not, but from the shaking of his shoulders, she could feel the emotion behind every word he said.


    "You don''t know how it feels to lose something more precious than your life¡­ not even your mate," Chiron gritted his teeth. This was the purest emotion that he allowed to resurface after years he had been holding it back.


    "Your people¡­" Lilac was about to remind him again the life of the people that would suffer with his decision now.


    "My people¡­" Chiron spoke before her. "Death is more promising than living with a grudge that you can''t get rid of and your mate should suffer the same fate as I did¡­"


    "You will kill me¡­.." Lilac concluded softly.


    ===============


    The two white beasts approached a meadow they found in the place to where Carina had led them. Not only the three of them, but also Zarrn and Eaton went along with them, while Sebastian would take care of the city and lead the rest of the lycanthropes to go to the castle along with the captured centaurs and hunters.


    "You can shift back now," Carina said. She stopped running, when they reached the middle of the vast meadow with starry sky and moonlight above their heads.


    Jedrek and Kace shifted back into their human skin, but Eaton stayed in his beast form. The beast kept himself low to the ground, in a position ready to fight if the circ.u.mstances require him to attack.


    "Where is he?" Jedrek asked grimly, sniffing the air and looked in all directions searching, yet he couldn''t catch any sign of his mate or the centaur.


    Meanwhile, beside his livid brother, Kace had a complicated emotion regarding this situation. He didn''t want this meeting turn in to another battle between the lycan and the centaur, since he didn''t want to take a side.


    However, if the situation forced him to do so¡­


    Kace hoped Chiron wouldn''t do anything stupid to Lilac.


    "He should be here," Carina murmured and then she fished out a small thing from a small bag hanging onto her h.i.p.s and put it on her lips.


    As soon as she blew that small thing, they could hear a melodious sound rung through the vast meadow for a few seconds before Carina put it down.


    It was the same thing that she used to call the other centaurs when she was in danger back when she was with Hope inside the forest of the northern coven realm.


    Only then, their attention gathered at one point as the wind brought the two different scents.


    They recognized both scents and for Jedrek, one of the scents was much stronger than the other, as it managed to calm his anxiety a little bit. He couldn''t help himself, but running toward the source of it.


    There was nothing more important for him to have his mate in his arms, safe and sound now.


    Watching Jedrek rushing toward the possible location of Chiron, Kace and the rest of them followed him closely, and this would be the fateful moment which would unfold what the king was going to do with their current situation.


    "Give her to me," Jedrek said grimly when he was close enough to see Lilac in Chiron''s arms. Her eyes were closed shut, but when she heard his voice, her eyelashes fluttered.


    "Chiron!" Kace called his name, but it sounded like he was pleading for him to stop whatever he was doing now.


    Even Zarrn lost for words when he witnessed with his own eyes that their chief, indeed, had kidnapped Lilac. This was beyond his wildest imaginations.


    "Why should I?" Chiron asked calmly.


    "Because I will let you see with your own eyes while I skinned your people alive, if you hurt her." Jedrek''s whole body was shaking out of immense rage.


    "If you want her," Chiron glanced at Lilac in his arms. "Kneel before me."


    &


    Check my IG story to know every character''s inner thought.

 Chapter 825 - DISMAY

    As a king, kneeling before someone was completely unacceptable and a degrading act for a royal like Jedrek, the first born of the Donovans and the king of the lycanthropes in this realm.


    Not to mention, if he consented to the disrespectful request, then he have to kneel before the other creature, Jedrek wouldn''t even lower his voice in front of anyone. Not his people. Not his brother. Moreover, in front of his enemy.


    Not only he had to lower his pride in front of Chiron, but there was other people there as well; Carina, Zarrn, Eaton, Kace¡­ and Lilac.


    Jedrek could see Lilac shaking her head faintly, as tears streamed down her beautiful face. Her face turned absurdly pale. She looked even more sickly than the last time he saw her, yesterday morning, before he went out of the city gates.


    His beast clawed at the edge of his mind, wanting to break free for such disrespectful request and his Alpha''s blood seared with anger with the very thought of him bending his knees before a lowly creature.


    "CHIRON!"Kace roared as he took a step closer. "That''s enough!" his hands balled into fists beside his body. "You have gone too far!"


    Chiron put Lilac down, but because the guardian angel was too weak to support her body, she lost her balance and was about to fall to the ground if it wasn''t for Chiron, who immediately pulled her back and held her around her neck.


    However, that was not the thing that made Jedrek and Kace growl in animosity, but the fact that Chiron dared to point a sharp dagger to Lilac''s heart. One strike and it would stop her heart beat forever.


    "Chiron!" Zarrn widened his eyes in disbelief. He still thought that Chiron wouldn''t go that far. If he wanted to humiliate Jedrek, he could understand, but to kill the innocent guardian angel, it was something totally different from his wildest imaginations. "We are already here! We got our land back! Why do you want to ruin all of that?! You are shoving all of us into harms way!??


    Chiron didn''t budge, his expression didn''t even change when he heard that.


    "Have you forgotten what he had done to our people?" Chiron asked calmly, as if there was nothing that could affect him anymore and this made Kacefeel cold, he had never seen this side of Chiron before. "He gave us the land, but in exchange, forcing us to join the war. The war that had nothing to do with us!" Chiron looked at Carina, who was standing between Zarrn and the beast, Eaton.


    "Chiron, this is not you¡­" Kace said in a hurting tone. He felt like he was betrayed by someone, who he trusted with all his heart. He remembered all the conversations that he shared with him.


    "This is me, Kace¡­ I am sorry that this has to end like this¡­" Chiron flashed him a sad smile before he shifted his focus back to Jedrek. "Kneel before me. Kneel, so they could see, how high you put your pride. What kind of king you are. What kind of mate you are."


    Kace looked back at his brother, he was baffled by this side of Chiron before his eyes. It almost felt like he had become someone else, someone strange that he had never known.


    "Jedrek¡­" Kace called out to his brother, but he didn''t know what he had to say further. If it were him and that was Hope, who was being held as a hostage and was in danger, he would kneel without a second thought, although the beast inside of him wouldn''t do that willingly.


    However, Jedrek was different. He wouldn''t put his pride aside and save his mate, would he?


    "If I kneel, you will release her?" Jedrek asked, his voice was very calm, eerily calm, with his face devoid from any emotion. No one could possibly guess what thoughts were running inside his mind right now.


    "If seeing you kneel before me can assuage my grudge toward you, I will release her," Chiron said.


    "Chiron! Enough!" Zarrn roared, he walked forward and stood beside Jedrek. "Release her! There are children among our people! You think he will not harm them if you hurt his mate?! Think about the children!"


    However, Chiron scoffed derisively, but there was a deep sadness in the way he looked at Zarrn. "Of course, he will harm them, no matter what I will do now. I have already come to this point, there is no turning back. He will harm the children. In the past he didn''t even care if he had to kill most of the female centaurs that we have. Along with my unborn child."


    "Chiron you are insane!" Zarrn gritted his teeth. He respected Chiron all this time. If it was not because of him, they wouldn''t be able to escape from this realm centuries ago. But, now they had a chance to get everything back, he should put aside his personal grudge. There were still their young generations that they had to think of.


    Joining the war was the only way they could achieve a peaceful life, because there wouldn''t be able to live in peace if the demons were to rule them. They did this not only for Jedrek, but for themselves too.


    Why couldn''t Chiron understand this simple logic?! Zarrn thought in frustration.


    "I knelt before him, pleading for the life of our people, but he didn''t even bat an eyelid, and he ordered his people to kill them mercilessly," Chiron looked at Jedrek and watched the way the king was staring back at him. "I want to see, how far will you go for your mate now?"


    Jedrek was actually watching Lilac''s face, she was crying. She was crying for him while saying ''no'' faintly.


    She was so stupid, right? Why should she cry and ask Jedrek not to do that when the one in danger was herself?


    At that time, from behind Chiron, there were a few figures that appeared out of thin air.


    "We almost missed this opportunity to see the king bend his knees¡­" it was Lucifer, who was talking. He was standing among the other six devils and one witch. The witch with red hair¡­


    Jedrek didn''t know whether seeing the seven devils or watching Serefina along with them shocked him the most.


    &


    Check my IG story to know every character''s inner thought.

 Chapter 826 - GIVE MY MATE BACK

    Serefina was wearing the purple cloak, which concealed her own scent. The hoodie of the cloak covered her red hair and concealed a bigger part of her body, but one look, they knew it was her.


    "Serefina?" Kace was dumbstruck. He didn''t even get over the fact that Chiron betrayed them and now to see Serefina had crossed the bridge as well, made him speechless.


    Kace thought he knew Chiron, but he had to come to terms with the fact that he didn''t, but for Serefina¡­ d*mn! He had known her for almost his entire eternity, so what happened now?


    "What are you doing with them?!" Kace shouted at Serefina, he was about to walk closer toward her, in anger. However, Jedrek grabbed his arm and stopped him. "She is not supposed to be there!" Kace yelled at Jedrek in frustration.


    "Your friend was not supposed to be holding my mate as a hostage either!" Jedrek said coldly. His red eyes burned with animosity and a lot of emotions that was hard to describe. His shock turned into rage.


    He had enough of having a group of traitors breathing under his neck. Jedrek could line up people who had betrayed him and it would fill the entire city. Seeing Serefina now, shouldn''t be a surprise¡­ but, still there was a part of him that wanted the answer about why she did this?


    "So, will you kneel?" Belphegor asked lazily as he folded his arms and his golden eyes stared at Jedrek in anticipation.


    ==============


    The white beast stopped running and the other beast also did the same. In front of them was the meadow, which Raine had mentioned earlier.


    "We are here?" Hope jumped down from Calleb''s back and approached Raine to help her get down.


    Carefully, the white beast lowered his body and let Raine to scramble down from his back with the help of Hope.


    Torak shifted back into his human form and readjusted his mate''s cloak, which was slightly crumpled.


    "Are you all right?" Torak asked with concern in his eyes and watched as Raine nodded.


    "I smell Jedrek and Kace''s scents¡­" Calleb murmured. His nose raised as he sniffed the air.


    Only then Torak realized there was indeed his brothers'' scents near, since his focus was on Raine, thus he didn''t really pay attention to his surroundings.


    "But, I don''t smell Serefina''s scent¡­" Calleb added. They thought Raine asked them to come to this place to meet Serefina. "Oh, there are other scents too¡­ Lilac¡­ Eaton¡­ and another two centaurs."


    "Why we are here, my love?" Torak asked Raine.


    "I saw Chiron killing Lilac in my vision," Raine answered hastily as she walked toward the meadow.


    "What?" Hope and Calleb shrieked simultaneously. "Impossible!"


    Faintly Torak and Calleb could hear Chiron''s voice saying; "kneel before me."


    ==============


    Chiron never thought the devils would come to this place. This was not their agreement after all.


    They were supposed to leave him alone to deal with Jedrek himself, but why would they came all the way to see him humiliating the king?


    Chiron wanted to laugh internally. That was why you shouldn''t make a deal with the devil¡­


    "What are you waiting for?" Mammon asked impatiently.


    If someone asked the king about whom the person that he hated the most¡­ the king would answer; his mate.


    He knew that one day his mate would be his greatest weakness and he hated it the most when his enemies got hands on his weaknesses.


    If someone asked the king about whom the person that he was grateful for most¡­ the king would answer; his mate.


    Lilac came when he thought he had numbed his feelings and filled the void in his cold heart, when he himself couldn''t realize that he needed her.


    Jedrek had never thought his life would be a lot of worthy when Lilac, against all odds, forced herself into his life and stirred something in his heart again for the first time after such a long waiting.


    If someone asked the king about the person whom he want to apologize to¡­ the king would answer; his mate. He wanted to apologize to her from the bottom of his heart.


    He gave her nothing but pain. He had done everything that a mate shouldn''t do. He hurt her by his reckless decisions, cowardness and enmity.


    If someone asked the king what was the best moment in his life¡­ he would answer; the moment when Lilac, accepted him as her mate while beautifully smiling at him. Marking her and mating with her were the following best ones, that he was willing to exchange with everything he had to get his mate back.


    If someone asked the king what was the scariest moment in his life¡­ the king would answer; now. Right now.


    Watching a sharp dagger pointed against her chest, which could end her life right then and there, and he was being helpless¡­


    Therefore, mate bond or not¡­ Jedrek needed his mate in his life. He couldn''t picture himself without Lilac beside him¡­


    At this very moment, there was nothing easier for the king aside from kneeling before Chiron and the devils.


    If by doing so, he could save Lilac''s life, so be it. He could do it a thousand times.


    Slowly, but surely, the proud King lowered himself in front of his enemies. In front of the smirks and triumphant laughs of those wretched souls. Under the hot and complicated stares of Chiron and the centaurs and his own brother.


    Jedrek put aside everything that he held tight all this time.


    From the corner of his eyes, he caught Serefina gasping softly at what she was seeing now. There was no way the Jedrek, that she knew of would do something like this.


    Yet, here he was¡­ bending his knees until they touched the velvety grass, while staring into his mate''s beautiful, but sad eyes.


    Tears spilled from Lilac''s eyes like a small river¡­


    Behind him, Jedrek could hear Eaton''s beast snarling in disagreement for having his king lowered himself. However, he knew there was nothing he could do¡­


    Jedrek shifted his eyes to Chiron and said, "you got what you want, now give me my mate back."


    &


    Check my IG story to know every character''s inner thought.

 Chapter 827 - AGGRAVATED

    Torak couldn''t believe what was unfolding before his eyes now, even Calleb, who always had a thousand comments for everything that he came across, was lost for words now.


    Before their eyes, Jedrek Donovan, lowered himself until his knees touched the ground. The proud king reduced his pride and prestige to nothing in front of the traitor and their enemies.


    However, this humiliation didn''t make his brother embarrassed. His red eyes fixed at his mate, who was in danger right now, filled with determination.


    Behind Chiron, the seven devils laughed triumphantly. Enjoying the view.


    On the other hand, Chiron didn''t show any emotion, whether he liked it to see Jedrek this way or not, it was hard to tell.


    Meanwhile, Carina and Zarrn had the same shocked expressions as Kace. They didn''t think that Jedrek would actually do what Chiron had asked him to do.


    "You got what you want, now give me my mate back," Jedrek said in low and toneless voice. Even in this position right now, the Alpha''s tone and aura around him couldn''t deny that he was still the respectful Donovan.


    Torak and his small entourage were standing a little bit faraway from Jedrek and the others. He was not sure, whether they didn''t realize that they were near or they were simply too occupied with what was happening in front of them, either way, Torak''s presence didn''t change the fact that Jedrek was pleading the centaur for his mate''s life.


    Somehow, this made Torak angry, but the other part of him understood why Jedrek had done this. He would have also done the same, if it was Raine, who was being pointed by a dagger at this moment.


    Raine could feel Torak''s grip around her waist tighten and she knew what was in his mind.


    "Now you plead for your mate''s life¡­" Chiron spoke, he sounded as if he was daydreaming. "Now, you are in my position from centuries ago."


    From behind, Mammon walked closer and put his hand on Chiron''s shoulder. The proximity between the devil and Lilac, made Jedrek growl in anger.


    "Ssst¡­" Mammon put his forefinger in front of his lips and shushed Jedrek mockingly. Just like the other devils, he shared the same golden eyes similar to the rest of them, but he had long hair like the guardian angel, in the color of silver. "Are you satisfied with what you are seeing right now?" he asked Chiron.


    The centaur looked at Carina, who was staring back at him with fear palpable in her eyes and then Zarrn, who shook his head while mouthing ''stop it'' to him.


    And then Chiron looked at Jedrek, who was staring at Lilac, as if she was his entire world.


    Jedrek had tried to reach Lilac several times through mind- link, since he had marked her, but he couldn''t. There was something that blocked him, this feeling was almost like when the castle was being intruded by the devils yesterday.


    "How is it? How do you feel now?" Mammon lowered his head and whispered to Chiron, the whisper of the devil¡­ "He just sits there and does nothing, and you let him go easily just like that? Did you forget about what he had done to your mate? To your people?"


    "Stop it," Lilac gritted her teeth, she felt weak, but the anger that boiled her blood upon watching how they were humiliating Jedrek, gave her some strength to throw a nasty look at the devil. "Is that all you can do? Manipulate others?" she sneered in disgust.


    Mammon tilted his head and looked at Lilac with interest before a devilish smile cracked at the corner of his lips, as he replied proudly. "Yes," he said haughtily. "Do you want to see how far my manipulation can go?" The two of them talked in low voices which made it difficult for the other parties involved to hear them properly. "Watch and learn."


    Right after Mammon said that, he pressed his hand on Chiron''s shoulder harder, as the eyes of the centaur flickered to golden for a few seconds.


    Mammon moved closer toward Chiron and whispered something in a strange language that Lilac couldn''t understand, but she felt Chiron''s arm around her neck tightened as the sharp point of the dagger pierced through the cloak that she was wearing.


    Fortunately, Chiron stopped in time before it could pierce Lilac''s skin.


    However, his eyes focused on Carina, as he spoke to her calmly. "Carina, this is the time."


    They didn''t understand what Chiron meant by that, yet before they could comprehend it, Carina had moved faster and attacked the beast beside her.


    In a blink of an eye, Carina made a slash move and clawed the beast''s neck.


    Thankfully, Eaton had the agility that managed to save his life as he dodged her attack quickly and the sharp things under Carina''s nails only grazed the side of his face.


    The beast maneuvered immediately and roared angrily as he leapt onto Carina''s body, but before he could cut her open, Zarrn had bumped his body against him.


    The beast''s claws only grazed Carina''s left arm before he landed on the ground, ready to make second attempt to finish both of the centaurs.


    "If you stand up and shift into your beast, she will die," Mammon said merrily, when he saw that Jedrek was about to shift into his beast, he enjoyed what he was seeing now. "I love to be in control like this¡­ you know what? I controlled your father like this too."


    "You hurt her and you will have nothing to hold me back," Jedrek was aggravated.


    Upon hearing that, Kace snarled loudly. His eyes turned red, but he didn''t dash toward the devil, instead he moved to block Eaton''s next attack.


    "STOP!"


    This was the first time that Kace used the Alpha''s tone authoritatively on the other person and it had a great affect on him.


    Kace subdued the beast as he couldn''t even move to go against Kace''s order.


    "You!" Kace pointed his finger at Zarrn. "Keep your eyes on her, if she tried to attack one more time, I will be the one who will finish her off for good!" He was livid now. "And you as well!"

 Chapter 828 - CHAOS

    "Do you need my help to tame her?" Asmodeus asked coquettishly, she twirled a strand of her long hair and glanced at Serefina beside her, who didn''t show any emotions on her face. "Serefina, you really have a bad taste in men. He slept with countless red haired witches when you and she-" she nodded at Lilac. "-weren''t around."


    Asmodeus watched Serefina face closely for any change in expression, but there was nothing on her face which indicated that her words had hurt her.


    "Cih," she clicked her tongue. "You are not fun at all."


    Meanwhile, Mammon whispered something into Chiron''s ears, his voice eerily low, but whatever he said, it made him very happy, perfectly aligning with the idea in his mind.


    "Why don''t you give him a taste of his own medicine? Let him suffer in the same way he has made you suffered all this time? He deserves it." Mammon chuckled when Chiron''s grip on Lilac''s neck tightened. "You lost your mate, he ordered someone to kill your mate and your people right before your eyes, why don''t you let him feel it too?" Mammon tilted his head and glanced at Leviathan, who began to approach them and stood on the other side of the chief of the centaurs.


    "Don''t you envy him? He had everything that you don''t; a beautiful mate, a territory to rule, people at his back and call¡­ but, what had he done to deserve all of that?" Leviathan whispered to Chiron. "He is the cruelest and most bloodthirsty person that you ever know, but he got everything that he didn''t deserve¡­"


    The two of them kept mumbling words after words, until the end of it, they simultaneously whisper-talked to him.


    "Kill her, let him suffer¡­"


    "Kill her, like the way he killed yours¡­"


    "Kill her¡­"


    "Kill her¡­"


    The sounds of their voices were very annoying in Chiron''s ears, but they voiced out what was inside his mind and heart.


    All of that was true¡­


    He should do it, right?


    Right.


    He didn''t deserve a mate, right?


    Right.


    "No, don''t listen to them, you are not like this," Lilac''s soft voice couldn''t manage to reach Chiron, no matter what she said.


    Under the influence of the muttering sounds in his ears and his murky mind, Chiron raised the dagger high, his roar thundered in that clearing and his expression contorted painfully.


    Seeing what Chiron was going to do, Jedrek didn''t even have time to think when he leapt forward and shifted into his white beast, while behind him Kace, the beast and the two centaurs were shouting something that he couldn''t comprehend.


    His ears ringing and his heart thumped thunderous in his chest, when he realized he wouldn''t make it in time¡­


    No¡­


    He couldn''t lose his mate this way.


    Not after when he realized he needed her.


    Selene¡­ this is too cruel¡­


    ***


    On the other side of the meadow, Raine closed her ears with both of her hands and closed her eyes when she saw Chiron raising the dagger in his hand and was about to stab Lilac right in her heart.


    This was what Raine had seen in her vision.


    But, what was the point now when she couldn''t prevent this from happening?


    Stop¡­


    Stop.


    Please stop!


    Raine didn''t want to see anyone getting hurt again, especially not the person that was so dear to her. She wanted to stop this!


    She must do something, but what? She didn''t even have any courage even to open her eyes. To watch another life slipping right in front of her and she was helpless to do something.


    Please stop all of this!


    "Raine?"


    Raine felt someone shook her body and faintly calling her name.


    "Raine!"


    Her voice got a little bit louder, but Raine still refused to open her eyes.


    "Raine!"


    This time Raine''s eyes fluttered open and she found Hope''s face in front of hers. She was talking about something hastily.


    "¡­did it?" Hope asked when Raine put down her hands from covering her ears.


    "What? Did what?" Raine frowned, she didn''t catch the first few words of her question.


    "How did you do this?" Hope asked excitedly, as she moved aside revealing what was happening behind her.


    In the meadow, not too far from them, the place where Chiron was holding Lilac as a hostage and the two devils whispering in to his ears, Raine could see three white beasts rushing forward in a flash, until they looked like a streak of white haze.


    And one of the white beasts, which Raine was sure that it was Jedrek, took Lilac away from Chiron''s grip.


    However, that was not the thing that made Raine dumbfounded, but the fact that aside from the three white beasts and Calleb''s beast along with the three guardian angels, no one could move.


    The seven devils, the centaurs and also Eaton''s beast, froze in their place, as if the time was stopped only for them.


    "I stopped the time again?" Raine muttered to herself.


    "You have done this before?" Hope asked in awe, her eyes widened in amazement when they watched how Lilac was saved and Jedrek shifted back to his human form as he carried Lilac away from that place.


    However, it happened very fast, and before Kace, Torak or Calleb dug their sharp talons onto the devils'' flesh, the time started ticking again and everything went as normal as it would.


    The two devils backed away just in time before the two white beasts could attack them and the chief of the centaur stabbed the dagger onto his own stomach, since Lilac was no longer in his hands, he was too late to realize it and was not able to stop himself in time.


    An earth- shattering wail could be heard when Chiron fell to the ground from the injury that he made by himself, it was Carina, who immediately rushed to the front and was about to reach for Chiron, but Zarrn stopped her.


    Everything happened too fast and turned chaotic, to the extent Raine and Hope were left dumbstruck to focus their attention on any particular person or any particular person''s move.


    At the same time, the first light of the sunrise started seeping through the trees behind them, illuminating the meadow in it''s wake.

 Chapter 829 - WHY DONT YOU KILL THEM?

    "Why do I feel like you were treating those centaurs and hunters as prisoners?" Raphael asked Sebastian when the lycan walked into the room with the rest of the people while guarding them tightly.


    Some people were delegated to stay on the other side of the gates. And, since the strange dark rain had stopped, they had started rebuilding the gates which they had busted down yesterday, the first thing in the morning along with a few people from the city.


    Meanwhile the rest of them were guarding the hunters and centaurs in a circle around them, as they walked them into the castle. The dungeon wouldn''t be enough to hold all of them at the same time, thus they used one of the big aula to gather them in one place.


    That room would be guarded heavily and no one was allowed to enter without permission from the general.


    "The king''s order," Sebastian said coldly. He was pretty annoyed with the fact that Jedrek didn''t give a direct order to kill those wretched creatures, when their chief had taken their king''s mate.


    Though he had not grown fond of Lilac yet, since the mating ceremony had taken place and she was their queen now, it was an insult for them to have other creatures creating such a mess.


    On the other hand, Raphael could understand why Jedrek gave such an order, therefore he didn''t ask further about this matter and chose to take care of other things.


    For now, since Serefina had gone, Lidya took charge of securing the city, especially the castle, from outsider''s dark magic, or anything that could possibly harm them from any unprecedented situations.


    It was a mess, even inside the castle, as the three Donovans were not present to take control, hence, it was a little bit chaotic.


    Not to mention, that the people present were from different areas and lived under different leaders, they didn''t really get along with each other.


    There would be a few quarrels here and there, now and then.


    ===============


    Raine and Hope''s attention turned to their respective mates, who were snarling viciously at the seven devils and Serefina. The witch didn''t even flinch when she heard those thunderous growls.


    Raine and Hope assumed Serefina''s betrayal had hurt them the most compared to Chiron. It hurt the two guardian angels too, since it was literally Serefina, who had helped them all along the way to reach this point in their life, despite her snarky comments and bad attitude.


    However, now the witch had let go of their hands and turned her back against them. It was hard to believe, but the fact was right before their eyes. It was impossible for them to find any comfort to think that it was one of Serefina''s plan, wasn''t it?


    If it was, Serefina would have already indicated something, anything, that could make them understood why she had done this.


    Raine shifted her attention from Torak to Serefina, who was staring back at her, she wanted to ask ''why'', but it seemed the witch couldn''t understand the meaning behind her gaze, as she turned around and disappeared alongside with the other seven devils, leaving the spot where they were standing empty. Only the golden color of the sun glittered in that empty spot.


    "Come on Raine," Hope broke Raine''s reverie and tugged her to approach their respective mates, since the situation was no longer dangerous for them.


    Hope let go of Raine''s hand when she was close enough to Kace and pounced onto that man and almost made the lycan staggered back before he could steady himself, scolding her lightly.


    Meanwhile Torak approached Raine unhurriedly and caressed her hair gently, as he leaned over and kissed her temple.


    "You did a great job," Torak said proudly.


    "I did nothing," Raine replied as her eyes stared at Jedrek, who had walked away with Lilac in his arms, seemingly he didn''t care about anything anymore, even killing Chiron and Carina was no longer interested him.


    The only thing that he wanted now, was to take Lilac back to the castle and make sure that the treatment that his mate needed was provided to her. Behind him, Eaton, in his beast form, followed closely, guarding the king and queen.


    "If it is not for you who stopped the time at the most appropriate moment, then Jedrek wouldn''t have been able to save Lilac in time," Torak said softly. He wanted Raine to be more confident with her own power.


    However, for Raine, she was still clueless about how this power worked. It didn''t seem like she could stop the time at her will, or jump to a different era as she wished.


    "What about him?" Raine didn''t want to dwell with Torak''s flattery and nodded at Chiron, who was sitting on the ground in a weird position, since he injured his stomach and waited for the wound to close in.


    At the same time, Carina managed to free herself from Zarrn''s grip and rushed toward Chiron.


    Torak and Kace immediately pushed their mates behind their back, they didn''t want for those two creatures to come close to their women, while Calleb glared to the two creatures.


    "Chiron¡­" Carina knelt next to him and started sobbing while resting her head on his shoulder.


    From behind them Zarrn walked closer and approached the two Donovan brothers and the two guardian angels.


    "What will you do to them?" But, Zarrn immediately corrected himself. "What will you do to us?"


    ===============


    Serefina heaved a heavy breath.


    She watched how Jedrek put aside his pride and bent his knees in front of his enemies to save Lilac''s life. Not only that, he didn''t spare her a single glance when he took Lilac from Chiron''s grip and carried her away, even though he knew Serefina was merely a few steps away from him.


    Yes, Serefina realized that Raine had used her power and stopped the time.


    Probably, if Jedrek threw her a nasty look or disgusted by her presence, it would put her at ease, but he didn''t. He completely ignored her after the initial shock when he realized that she too had crossed the bridge.


    "Why didn''t you kill the three guardian angels?" Serefina asked Lucifer.


    "We need them alive," Belphegor replied simply.

 Chapter 830 - LET JEDREK DECIDED IT

    "Why didn''t you kill the three guardian angels?" Serefina asked Lucifer, who was walking in front of her.


    They just teleported themselves to the main castle, which had been ruined with dark clouds over its spires, in the city center that had been abandoned.


    It was Belphegor, who replied to her question simply. "We need them alive," he said while walking past her.


    "For what?"Serefina scoffed and folded her arms in front of her chest. "You got their blood already, you don''t have to keep them alive any longer."


    Mammon, who was walking in front of Serefina, stopped all of a sudden and the witch almost bumped onto him.


    "Sh*t!" she cursed loudly. "Can''t you walk properly?!"


    Mammon chuckled. "I think you will make a good pair with Wrath rather than that pathetic Alpha king," he said casually, but the rest of the devils chuckled with him. "And yes, we still need them alive¡­ it''s no fun to kill the three of them very fast. Don''t you think so?"


    Serefina jeered, "What are you planning to do with them, keeping them alive?"


    "You are not here to question us," Wrath said grimly as he walked past Serefina, but he didn''t forget to bump into her shoulder and incurred the witch''s wrath. "Did you think that we will trust you that easily?"


    Not just the shifters, which loved to play with their prey, the devils apparently had the same obsession too.


    "You two whispered to the centaur to kill the guardian angel, but now you are saying you want to spare their lifes? Can''t you be more consistent with your own decision?" Serefina spoke, her voice dripping with heavy sarcasm.


    "I didn''t say that I am against killing the guardian angels, but apparently, our dear Lucifer has other plans for actually keeping them alive," Mammon chimed in. "Of course, it is good if they are dead, but it is even more better if they are alive." He shrugged nonchalantly.


    "Alright, enough." Lucifer raised both of his hands and stopped Serefina and the wrath from wreaking some havoc in this already crumbled place.


    "I don''t think we have any use to have the witch with us," Beelzebub said to Asmodeus. The two devil women stared at Serefina as they whisper- talked with each other.


    "No, I don''t think so¡­ let''s see what she can offer to us¡­" Asmodeus replied in a daydreaming tone. "Moreover, it is very interesting to see how that guardian angel stopped the time, don''t you think so?" she elbowed Belphegor beside her.


    "Hmm," the sloth hummed lazily.


    "Will you really give the king back to her? Though it was very clear that Jedrek had already fallen head over heels to his mate?" Beelzebub still couldn''t understand why Asmodeus brought Serefina with them and promised that stupid thing to the witch.


    Asmodeus shrugged her shoulders and giggled coquettishly. "If Jedrek died in our hands, I can pick him up from tartarus and she can have him for herself." She winked at the Gluttony. "In the end, I didn''t lie."


    ==============


    "Why don''t we kill them all?" Calleb suggested, he threw a nasty look at Chiron and Carina, who were on the ground.


    "As you wish," Chiron replied in a low voice. The dagger he used earlier was given to him by Lucifer, it seemed this weapon had been dripped in some kind of poison. A wound from a small dagger shouldn''t weaken him into his current state, but the pain said otherwise, he felt his consciousness slipping away and the cut didn''t heal as fast as it supposed to be.


    At this point, there was no point to beg for his life and after what he had done, even after watching Jedrek kneel before him with his own eyes, Chiron still felt empty.


    He felt like, he accomplished nothing.


    "No, Chiron¡­" Carina whimpered as she hugged the centaur, her whole body trembling, as she sat in a weird position to support Chiron''s weight.


    Meanwhile, Zarrn didn''t have a word to say. He couldn''t justify what Chiron had done, but to see his chief and Carina being killed before his eyes, was too cruel for him if he didn''t even do anything, even it was pleading.


    "Can you please forgive them?" Zarrn stepped forward and pleaded for the two of them. "Chiron was not in his right mind when he decided to kill the guardian angel."


    The moment Zarrn mentioned it, Torak, Kace and Calleb became even angrier.


    Zarrn immediately realized that he had said something wrong, thus he quickly corrected himself. "You saw it for yourself that the devils manipulated him, they whispered to him. You know what it meant when the devils whispered to you¡­"


    Right.


    However, if that could justify what Chiron had done to Lilac, then the same reason could be used to justify Jedrek''s decision to kill those centaurs centuries ago, he didn''t decide that on his own too.


    But, then¡­ when would this circle stop?


    Kace shook his head. "I don''t want this to end this way."


    "Let Jedrek decide what he want to do to them¡­" Torak shifted his attention to Zarrn. "And you as well."


    ==============


    Halfway to the city behind the gates, Sebastian had sent out around thirty shifters to receive Jedrek and their queen, thus Lilac''s condition could be treated faster, since they knew what they had to prepare the moment Jedrek and Lilac arrived inside the castle.


    Lilac had not opened her eyes since Jedrek took her away from Chiron''s grip, but from the way she curled her fingers weakly on Jedrek''s front cloak and how she whimpered when Jedrek was about to put her down on their bed, he could sigh in relief that his mate was conscious enough to feel his presence.


    "I am here little flower, I am here. No one will ever hurt you again," Jedrek coaxed Lilac to let go of his shirt, so the healer, who had been called beforehand, could check on her.


    Yet, Lilac snuggled closer when she lost the warm from his embrace.


    In the end, Jedrek had to cradle her when the healer checked her thoroughly. Not only the healer, Lidya also took a part of checking Lilac as well.

 Chapter 831 - HEARTBREAKING MOMENT FOR HOPE

    "How is she?" Jedrek asked Lidya and the healer, from the look on his expression, it was clear that he was barely holding back his frustration.


    The king had never been in such a condition, where he lost his composure and showed exactly what he was feeling right at the moment.


    And what he was feeling right now, was not any lesser than frenzied worry. He was worried about his mate, forgetting that an hour ago, he was forced to kneel in front of his enemies, his brothers and also in front of Serefina¡­


    Even the fact that his ex lover had betrayed him, overlapped his worry for Lilac''s well being.


    The healer tried to touch Lilac''s neck, wanting to see her mark, but she retracted her hand immediately when Jedrek growled deeply.


    "Apologize your grace, I just want to see the mark," the healer fidgeted under Jedrek''s sharp glare.


    Because Lilac''s long hair was covering the area where her mark was imprinted, Jedrek wiped the few strands of her hair gently and showed a beautiful mark, which still had a few bruises around it, but it had formed into an intricate white teeth mark just like a tattoo.


    The healer didn''t want to startle Jedrek again, thus she stretched out her hand more slowly this time and touched the area.


    However, because of the pain, Lilac whimpered softly and this caused Jedrek to knit his brows. His eyes were still the color of red and his beast was barely under his control, therefore when he heard his mate whimpering, he quickly pushed away the healer''s hand.


    "What is it?" he asked grimly.


    Around the room, there were a few guards, whom Sebastian had delegated here and also Eaton, who was standing close to the bed. Lilac was already kidnapped once, there was no way they would let the same mistake happen once again to her.


    "She will be all right," the healer said. "She just needs a few days to recuperate, everything is fine and her mark also started to heal."


    "Right, I don''t see any dark magic lingering on or around her, but just in case, I will put some necessary spells around this room," Lidya said and she walked out of the room, because she had other things to do.


    The witch nodded slightly at Jedrek then excused herself.


    And after a few words from the healer and some questions regarding Lilac''s condition, the healer also left the room to concoct a medicine for Lilac.


    "I will be outside if you need me," Eaton said to Jedrek before he walked out of the room, yet the king only nodded without even sparing him a glance as his eyes were completely focused on Lilac''s sleeping face.


    There was a soft thud when Eaton closed the door, leaving the king and the queen alone.


    "I am sorry, my little flower¡­ I am sorry to cause you another harm." Jedrek laid Lilac down when he felt her breathing became even and the clutch on his front cloak had loosened.


    ==============


    "Lock them inside the dungeon," Torak said to Alpha Brian. "Keep your eyes on them," he added, throwing a nasty look to Chiron and Carina.


    The white clothes wrapped around Chiron''s stomach had now turned the color of red because of the blood that kept oozing out from the wound.


    The dagger that the devil gave to Chiron was indeed coated by poison, if it was Lilac who got stabbed instead of him, in her current condition, she would have died and the situation wouldn''t be as calm as now.


    Jedrek would have wreaked some havoc and Torak and Kace wouldn''t be here to talk to the other lycanthropes.


    "I understood," Alpha Brian''s replied to his supreme Alpha. "What about him?" he tilted his head toward Zarrn.


    "Lock him in a different dungeon." It was Kace who told Alpha Brian.


    The Alpha was about to retort, but the look on Kace''s face made him stop and he could only nod slightly without extending the matter.


    Kace was fully blown from witnessing everything that conspired today and he was still trying to adjust his feelings.


    On the other hand, Zarrn didn''t protest when a guard pushed him to follow him into the cell where he would stay until god knew how long. If he was lucky enough, he would live there for eternity, but if what Chiron had committed couldn''t be forgiven, this realm should put the centaur inside the list of the extinct creatures.


    And Zarrn thought it was more likely for the latter to happen, he didn''t have much hope for the former.


    ==============


    Absolute silence engulfed Kace and Hope while they walked back to their bedroom, both of them only needed the accompany of each other.


    And once it was only the two of them, Kace locked the door and pulled Hope closer to him as he hugged her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder, relishing her delicate scent, savoring the only moment that could put his heavy mind at ease.


    Only at that time, he felt Hope''s trembling body. She was crying. However, Kace didn''t need to ask what was the reason of her tears, because he already knew it.


    This was the first time Hope experienced a betrayal and the worst part was; it came from the person who was very close to her.


    Hope always thought of Serefina more than her guardian, she was a mother figure for her and the witch had been raised her well enough to overcome all hurdles the life threw on to her path and stand next to her mate as her present stronger self.


    She truly loved her¡­


    "We¡­" Hope stuttered. "We¡­ we have to fight her?" She bit her lips, this thought alone made her want to cry and shout out loud for the reality that she had to face.


    "Yes, my hope¡­" Kace replied matter of factly, he didn''t want to sugar coat the thing that they had to face sooner or later. There was no point in doing that.


    "Why did she do this?" Hope asked, sobbing. She leaned her body against Kace''s sturdy chest while covering her face with her palms. "Is it because Jedrek chose Lilac?"


    ***


    While waiting for a new chapter, please check my other story: IT''S HARD TO CONTROL MY NAUGHTY WIFE, please support the book with power stones, as it is on the writing contest for this week.


    Thank you so much! I am really appreciate it.


    ((^o^))

 Chapter 832 - WHY DONT YOU DO IT?

    "She is not that shallow¡­" Kace said, refusing to believe that was the reason behind Serefina''s decision. Maybe it was only their denial, but it was enough to calm their raging emotions.


    Today was a hard day for all of them, but it didn''t mean that all of this craziness would stop tomorrow.


    "We need to take some rest," Kace murmured next to Hope''s ears and he moved swiftly to carry the girl to the bed, laid her down real smooth and cuddled her affectionately.


    This was all they needed for now.


    Because this was just the beginning, they still had a long way to go before the real war started. Sometimes, it was easier to beat down one''s enemies, but things would get really ugly when you realized the people that you used to know were not exactly the person that you believed them to be.


    "I don''t want things escalate to the point where we have to fight Serefina¡­ I don''t want something bad happen to her¡­" Hope whispered softly, her voice sounded very pitiful until Kace had to hug her even tighter, afraid that she would break down again.


    "So do I," Kace replied, but he couldn''t promise her anything, he himself was feeling utterly lost.


    ==============


    Someone knocked on the door and after Jedrek muttered his permission to let them in, the healer walked into the room with a young servant, she was holding a bowl of medicine.


    "She needs to drink it while it is still warm," the healer told Jedrek and the king nodded his approval, waved his hand dismissing them. He wanted more alone time with his mate.


    After seeing that gesture, the two women excused themselves and left the two of them alone again.


    Jedrek picked up the bowl, which was filled with brown liquid, he sniffed it before tasting it. And, only when he was sure that it was not something that could harm his mate, he tried to wake up Lilac.


    Jedrek didn''t trust anyone else to try the medicine for his mate.


    Watching Lilac at the brink of death had put Jedrek in the same position as well. His heart would have stopped right then and there if the dagger managed to pierce her heart.


    Just the thought of it made him tremble with terror.


    "Lilac¡­" Jedrek called out her name softly. "Drink your medicine first¡­" He tried to wake her up as gentle as he could.


    "Hm¡­" Lilac m.o.a.ned as she curled her body under the blanket when Jedrek shook her shoulder lightly.


    "Wake up for a while and drink this first," Jedrek said in a soft persuading tone, he put his hand under her head and lifted her up so he could cradle her in his arms. "Come, drink this¡­"


    Lilac''s eyelashes fluttered and she watched as Jedrek brought the bowl near her lips, and how he clumsily tried to help her drink the liquid.


    However, because Jedrek had never fed someone as sick as Lilac, he didn''t really know how to do it gently. He never encountered someone who was very sick like her now, and even if did, he had never done something delicate like this; to feed them medicine.


    Therefore, when Jedrek lifted the bowl, in order to will the medicine to flow in to her mouth, he overturned the bowl quickly and it caused Lilac to choke on it.


    "I am sorry, I am sorry¡­" Jedrek immediately put down the bowl and cursed under his breath for his lack of competence for not being able to feed his own mate properly.


    "It¡­ it''s okay¡­" Lilac wiped the liquid from under her chin, but it tainted her gown, thus she needed to change it. "Use spoon," she said weakly. It was hard for her to even stay awake, her eyelids really felt heavy. She felt like her whole body was being afloat.


    "Oh." Jedrek felt stupid that that simple idea didn''t even cross his murky mind.


    The king immediately mind-linked the guard outside to get a spoon for him, thankfully everything returned to normal since Lidya had lifted whatever spell that the devils used to mess up with their way to communicate with each other.


    "We need to change your dress," Jedrek said when he saw that Lilac was feeling uncomfortable with the liquid that wetted her dress. "I will call the servants."


    "Will you go if they come inside?" Lilac asked, as she rested her head on Jedrek''s shoulder.


    "Of course not, I will stay here," Jedrek replied almost immediately. He wasn''t willing to stay more than three steps away from Lilac.


    "If you are going to stay¡­" Lilac heaved a deep breath, this long sentence tired her. "¡­why don''t you change my dress yourself?"


    Honestly, Lilac didn''t feel comfortable with someone else being so close to her. She needed her mate and wanted nothing but for him to stay with her.


    Upon hearing what Lilac said, Jedrek''s eyes turned dark, but he agreed anyway. "Alright."


    Jedrek put Lilac down on the bed and immediately took a white dress and towel from the wardrobe and comeback to her.


    The king sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly, unbuttoned the dress that Lilac was wearing. As Jedrek was fully engrossed in what he was doing, the guardian angel opened her eyes and looked at him while he undressed her.


    Her black eyes turned misty when she watched his brows knitted together in concentration. he was being absolutely focused on the matter at hand.


    "You knelt for me," Lilac said when Jedrek revealed her chest, she shuddered when the cold air caressed her bare skin.


    Jedrek immediately used the towel to wipe the remaining liquid on her delicate skin. "What do you expect me to do? You thought I would leave you?"


    "For a moment, yes," Lilac replied truthfully. There was a moment that she thought Jedrek wouldn''t do what he was asked to and he would leave her to die in the hands of the centaur.


    "Don''t be silly," Jedrek grumbled as he tried to concentrate on something else except her half n.a.k.e.d body, but her question only disturbed him further. "I would never do that."


    "Because I am your mate?" Lilac questioned the same thing that Raine and Hope had been wondering the most.


    ***


    While waiting for a new chapter, please check my other story: IT''S HARD TO CONTROL MY NAUGHTY WIFE, please support the book with power stones, as it is on the writing contest for this week.


    Thank you so much! I am really appreciate it.


    ((^o^))

 Chapter 833 - YOU ARE MINE

    What if she was not his mate? Would he do the same?


    Jedrek knew exactly what Lilac meant by her question, but it didn''t make him fathom what the right answer for that, therefore he answered what he felt right now for Lilac.


    "I don''t know the answer for that question. Whether it''s because you are my mate or not, whether the mate bond that urged me to do something impulsive and put aside my pride to bend my knees. But, all I know is; at this point, I will do everything to keep you safe."


    Jedrek unbuttoned the last button from Lilac''s dress and revealed her n.a.k.e.d body. This would be the second time he got to see her n.a.k.e.d, but in a totally different condition.


    "You are my missing piece." Jedrek cradled Lilac in his arms and she closed her eyes under Jedrek''s smoldering gaze upon seeing her body, but the sound of his voice soothed her ears. "You make me want to be a better version of me."


    Lilac felt her dress slid away under her body.


    "You are my obsession." Jedrek''s touch felt hot on Lilac''s skin when he helped her to put on her dress. "You are my soul mate."


    Lilac opened her eyes and watched as Jedrek slid the white dress on swiftly and pulled her long hair from inside it before he buttoned it up again.


    "You are my angel." Jedrek''s fingers danced on her body when he buttoned all the three buttons on the dress front, covering her delicate skin again.


    Afterward, he arranged the pillows behind Lilac, so she could rest against it. When he was done, he tucked the few dangling strands of her hair behind her ears and leaned over to kiss her temple gently.


    "You are mine," he said softly.


    Lilac felt surreal when Jedrek said all of those things to her. If it was two years ago, she wouldn''t have believed any of it.


    Just like what Jedrek said earlier; whether this was the mate bond or not, Lilac felt she was loved by him right now. The way he said what he felt about her with every touch on her skin, made her shudder in delight.


    "And you are mine?" Lilac asked softly.


    Jedrek grabbed her hands and kissed her knuckles while saying, "And I am yours."


    The bright sun streamed down from the window, illuminated the room, indicating a new day had begun and made woes and misery from yesterday appear like some long time memories from the past in comparison.


    This was not the end, they still got a lot to fight for and a war to win.


    It might be hard and almost impossible to achieve, but they would go through it together.


    ==============


    "Jedrek still didn''t want to go out from his room?" Hope asked, she had been following Kace since this morning and it would be lunch time soon, but this lycan wouldn''t let her go even for a second.


    Kace insisted that Hope should follow him around and be within his eyesight.


    Being betrayed by Chiron forced Kace to look at his life in a different perspective, maybe it was only him, who was over thinking things, but now he could understand Jedrek and his skeptical behavior a little bit.


    Kace would have gone crazy if he were Jedrek, living in the same roof with those people who were ready to stab you in the back once you put your guard down for a mere second.


    At this point, Kace was curious about the possibility that Jedrek chose to drive him and Torak away from this realm, might be because of this very reason, since he knew everything that their father had done from the beginning.


    "No," Kace said grumpily. He took Hope to the entrance gates to observe the situation, but saw that Torak and Raine were earlier than them, and now they were busy talking to Sterling and Alpha Ralph. "Since that night, he will never let Lilac out of his sight."


    "Yeah, so did you¡­" teased Hope.


    "Me?" Kace turned around and glared at Hope incredulously. "Of course not."


    "Said the person who was banging the door hysterically because I took two minutes longer inside the bathroom," Hope reminded him and Kace just took her hand as he quickened his pace, while the girl giggled upon seeing his reaction.


    However, it was not only Kace and Hope, or Jedrek and Lilac, because Torak became more protective toward Raine as well. The girl was seen following Torak in every meeting that he joined with the other Alphas from early in the morning.


    On the brighter side, it was a good thing for Raine to be exposed to more people and be known as Torak''s mate, but aside from that, the girl literally must be at an arms length near Torak all the time.


    Raine waved her hand to Hope when she saw her approaching toward them with Kace in tow, but Sebastian stopped them intending to talk to Kace.


    Meanwhile, Calleb came over and grinned at Raine. "Why don''t you come with me to eat lunch?" He talked to Raine first before he gave Torak the information from the city gates.


    Apparently, Jedrek''s people would come from another area of this realm and they would help them to rebuild the gates again, make it stronger if possible.


    "Are you hungry, my love?" Torak asked, with concern evident in his eyes.


    "Not really," Raine replied.


    "Give me five minutes and we will have lunch together." He kissed her cheek briefly before he continued to talk with Sterling and Alpha Ralph again.


    "Have you seen a tiger shifter?" Calleb conversed with Raine, while Torak was busy talking to the other people. "I met one at the city gates, I think he came for Kace, he looks skinny and pitiful as a shifter..."


    Raine knew, if Calleb started rumbling like this, all she had to do was listen and she was good at it. He wouldn''t stop until he reported everything he had done to Raine.


    Therefore, when Calleb stopped mid- sentence and perked her ears, as he turned around groggily, Raine frowned.


    "Call, what happened?" Raine asked, she watched as Calleb closed his eyes as he sniffed the air greedily.


    ***


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 Chapter 834 - ROSIE...

    Raine felt that Calleb tensed up all of a sudden. She tried to follow his line of sight, but saw nothing in that particular direction.


    Meanwhile, Torak stopped talking to Sterling and Alpha Ralph. He looked at Calleb, who was anxious, as if he was trying to look for something¡­ or, someone?


    "Torak, what happened to him?" Raine asked, she was worried seeing Calleb''s strange behavior.


    Torak squinted his eyes, he seemed to have his own guess, but still wasn''t sure and wanted to see what would happen.


    "Call?"Raine became more worried about him, especially when the Gamma appeared as if he couldn''t hear her well and chose to walk away, following the sweet scent that was beckoning his senses.


    Right at this moment, from the corner of the building, half-running toward them were the twins and Rosie, Sterling''s children.


    "Father!" Rosie called out for her father, her cheerful voice rang beautifully in Calleb''s ears and the way she carried herself, left the Gamma dumbfounded. He had never seen a girl as beautiful and sweet as her.


    However, Rosie stopped running when she felt something bother her. It wasn''t an uncomfortable feeling, but quite the opposite.


    And when she scoured her eyes around to find who was staring intently at her, she found Calleb''s green eyes.


    From the way that man looked at her, it stirred something within Rosie, she felt there were a thousand butterflies fluttered their colorful wings inside her stomach.


    Her lips felt parched for no apparent reason, but there was a soft whisper that escaped her mouth.


    "Mate."


    "Mate."


    They spoke simultaneously and looked at each other as if they got lost in each other eyes and didn''t care about anyone around them anymore when they started to walk closer to each other.


    Not only Raine and the other people around them, Kace, Hope and Sebastian also started to realize the oddity of the situation until they got to hear them claiming each other as their mate.


    Calleb was surprised. No. He was shocked and speechless, he had never imagined that he would find his mate in this place, in such a situation.


    Finding his mate would be the last thing that he thought would happen today. But there she was, looking all beautiful and gorgeous. Her eyes were so big and looked at him innocently, and was that curiosity that he could see in those eyes?


    Calleb gulped down hard. He couldn''t believe what he got to find today. Selene chose this fateful day for him to meet his other half. Today of all the days when he just returned from the city gates, drenched in sweat and dirt, with his nest like hair adding to his insecurities.


    Oh, Selene¡­ couldn''t you find another day or moment for me to meet her? At least, the time when I wear something decent and not smelling like a stray dog. Calleb whined in his head.


    However, it couldn''t reduce his excitement to see his mate.


    The girl walked forward to approach him and Calleb, with his insecurities, stood there like a fool. He took a step forward, but it was not quick enough for her, thus she took the initiative to approach him first and hastened her steps.


    However, before they could relish in each other''s presence and feel the wonderful tingly feeling that several lycans always talked about whenever they touched their other half, one of the siblings interfered and pulled the girl away, only three steps before they could close the proximity between them.


    Out of instinct, Calleb growled loudly and sent him a dagger look for taking his mate away from him. But, the other siblings came to the rescue and now both of them hid his mate behind their backs. This annoyed the Gamma greatly.


    "Give me back my mate!" Calleb snarled viciously at the siblings, who were trying to save their dearest little sister.


    "No way! She is not your mate!" Ian snarled back at him and glared, while Ethan lowered his upper body, ready to shift into his beast form if necessary.


    "You heard that!" Calleb took another step closer, at this rate a clash would be unavoidable if there was no one to intervene. "She is my mate! So, get the hell out of her!"


    On the other hand, when Sterling heard that Calleb was yelling at his children he jumped forward and roared. "Don''t you dare to yell at my children!"


    He was like an angry father, who was dissatisfied because his children were being ganged upon, while in fact it was quite the opposite.


    "I want my mate!" Calleb shouted stubbornly, as his eyes wildly looked for the girl behind the siblings. He wanted to call her, but then he remembered that he didn''t even know her name! D*mn!


    At a distance, Kace, Hope and Sebastian walked over to see the commotion that the newly mated lycan had created and saw that Calleb was ready to clash head on head with Sterling.


    "Don''t you want to stop them?!" Kace glowered at Torak, because his older brother did nothing to prevent this commotion.


    "Why should I?" Torak raised his eyebrows questioningly, as if Kace''s question was very foolish to hear.


    "He is your Gamma," Kace said in frustration.


    On the other hand, Raine also felt uncomfortable to see the confrontation before her eyes. She was afraid that something bad would happen to Calleb, after all Sterling appeared taller and bigger than Calleb.


    "Torak," Raine whined. "They will start to kill each other."


    However, Torak just chuckled and kissed her temple, while saying with certainty. "They will not. You don''t have to worry about it."


    "I don''t know how you can stand him, Raine," Kace grumbled and approached the two shifters, who was about to bit off each other''s neck.


    "Alright, enough!" Kace pushed Calleb and Sterling away from one another and then shifted his attention toward the twins. "Bring Rosie here," he ordered them.


    "No, she is my daughter!" Sterling rejected it immediately.


    "I didn''t say that she is not." Kace rolled his eyes dramatically and knocked Ethan and Ian on their heads for not listening to his order.


    Meanwhile, Calleb was fascinated upon knowing his mate''s name.


    Rosie¡­


    ***


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 Chapter 835 - I CAN MARK HER

    Rosie¡­


    That beautiful name kept ringing in Calleb''s ears, ignoring the quarrel between Kace and Sterling, also the unreasonable twins, his green eyes searched for the girl''s petite figure wildly, as he craned his neck.


    "Sterling, you don''t have to overreact like this," Kace said in frustration. "She is his mate, what are you trying to do? You want to keep her away from her mate?"


    "Yes," Sterling replied without a second thought and stood tall between Ian and Ethan, who were unwilling to move either. They protected Rosie, as if Calleb would take her away and wouldn''t return her again.


    What a stupid thought!


    "Move!" Calleb was about to rush forward, yet Sebastian held him back, if they engaged physically, the situation wouldn''t get any better.


    On the other hand, Raine was worried to death about Calleb, she had never seen him lost his cool like this and him being very impulsive was out of the question.


    However, when she looked at Torak beside her, she saw her mate smiling faintly as he dr.a.p.ed an arm around her shoulders leisurely, as if he was enjoying the events unfolding in front of them.


    "Torak," Raine called him as she tugged the hem of his shirt to get his attention.


    "Hm?" Torak hummed and looked at his mate adorable worried expression before he chuckled lightly and kissed her cheeks. "What is it?"


    "Don''t you want to help Calleb? It looks like he will be in trouble." And then Raine added. "Your brother too." She looked around, but couldn''t find Hope anywhere. Where did she go?


    "Do you want me to help him?" Torak asked in a teasing tone. "Kiss me and I will help him."


    "Torak!" Raine shrieked. In front of them, there were a few people about to fight, but here was Torak, asking for a kiss? Ugh! Could he be anymore less overbearing?


    Torak chuckled and pecked her lips softly, he didn''t even bother himself to think that the situation in front of him was serious. ???Don''t worry, my love, they will not kill each other."


    Right after he finished speaking, Hope appeared with a beautiful woman, who rushed toward the small commotion and immediately approached Sterling.


    Everyone gasped loudly when the newcomer, all of sudden, kicked his knees and glared viciously at him. However, the most surprising part was that Sterling just whimpered and glared at that woman, but didn''t dare to say one more word when she stood with her arms akimbo.


    "She met her mate, why do you have to prevent her from seeing her mate?!" Diana yelled at her mate and frowned at her sons.


    "Mom, Rosie is still very young to be with her mate," Ian complained. Despite of his mother''s sharp glare, he wasn''t willing to let his little sister to go to Calleb.


    "He is rude to us," Ethan protested.


    However, the two of them only got hit on their heads when they tried to make an excuse for their overreaction. It was clear to see that it was them who were being rude toward Calleb for not letting him to meet Rossie.


    "MOM!" Ethan and Ian shrieked, while covering their heads with their both hands, when Sophia lifted her hand to hit them one more time.


    "Move!" Sophia positioned her arms akimbo while shooting daggers at the men in her family.


    Complaining and grumbling, the three men finally moved aside and revealed Rosie. The girl looked around her anxiously, she didn''t really know what she should do now. Her curiosity to know her newly found mate was profound, but her father and brothers'' reaction made her hesitant.


    "You are smart," Kace whispered to Hope. Sophia was the right person to tame the three of them without any problem.


    Standing beside Kace, Hope crossed her arms in front of her chest and spoke to her mate proudly. "You must solve problems like this efficiently."


    Kace chuckled and pinched her cheeks.


    "Come here Rosie," Sophia called her daughter and stretched out her hand.


    Hesitantly, Rossie took her mother''s hand and moved closer, she peeked at Calleb shyly, who was standing behind her mother.


    "Rosie doesn''t want him," Ian said grumpily, but very low, so it was only Hope, who could hear him. Hope along with Kace was standing next to these two disobedient twins.


    "You know she does," Hope said with certainty while giving him a nasty look for being a busy body. "All she would ramble about since we were in the school was that it was her dream to meet her mate and today her dream comes true."


    "Cih," Ethan clicked his tongue, annoyed.


    "But, because of certain people, her beautiful dream was about to turn into a nightmare," Hope added, throwing a meaningful glare at the two of them, which they ignored altogether by pretending to study the shoes they were wearing as if those were the most intriguing things they had ever come to know.


    Calleb had never been this happy, excited and nervous at the same time, he walked forward to approach his mate, whose name was Rosie. He kept repeating her name again and again inside his head and loved the way it sounded.


    Yet, before the Gamma could get closer, Sophia stepped in between them and stared at him crossly, she folded her arms in a defensive position.


    "I let you be with her because you two are mates, but¡­" her voice turned sharp and serious. "She is still underage and I''m not expecting grandchildren any soon. Understood?!"


    "Mom¡­" Rosie stiffened when she heard what her mother was saying and felt her face turn beet red.


    On the side, Ian and Ethan cheered at their mother''s words. "You go mom! Tell him everything is off limits!" They were feeling shamelessly giddy at the thought of Calleb being unhappy with the words said.


    However, Calleb just tilted his head and smiled innocently. "No mating, but it means I can mark her, right?" he asked boldly.


    ==============


    Serefina was staring at the gloomy sky. Whether it might be day or night, the sky above this castle was always murky and stormy.


    She knew this castle like the back of her hand, but she had never thought she would comeback in such a situation and would hate it to her core, just to be here.


    Because every corner of this place reminded her the memories of him, the beautiful yet short lived memories from the past. Not to be reminiscent!


    "Why do we need to keep you here?" Lilith appeared out of the blue and questioned the witch. She didn''t bother to hide her hostility toward the witch in her voice in the slightest.


    "Because all of you need me."


    ***


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 Chapter 836 - YOU NEED ME

    "Because all of you need me," Serefina said in a matter of fact tone, she leaned her back against the pillar and stared at the withering away trees and flowers. There was nothing in this place that she could relate to life. Everything is dead, even the air was stalemate and suffocating.


    The last time she was here, there were no flowers near the castle, since she hated them, Jedrek had never planted them when she moved here and lived with him.


    However, though those flowers could no longer survive this wicked atmosphere, the witch could see that this place originally was filled with flowers. Those were decorated in every corner of this place.


    No need to ask, who had done that. It must be that flower girl.


    "In what way do you think we need you?" Lilith didn''t look a little bit happy when she learned that Serefina joined their camp and no one bothered to raise an objection.


    Serefina just scoffed at the question, without giving her any answer.


    "I heard that the centaur failed to kill one of the guardian angels." Lilith didn''t stop to talk and now she was trying to provoke her. "I will not be surprised if in the end we figure out you have something to do with it."


    "What do you mean I have something to do with it?" Serefina raised her brows, but her expression didn''t give away what was inside her mind. "You want to say that I am the one who stopped the time?"


    Lilith squinted her eyes. She had heard about the guardian angel who could stop the time and it was Raine, after all they had met several times in the past.


    So, it was her who had stopped the time and saved her fellow guardian angel¡­


    "You taught her how to do that," Lilith spoke, her tone was dripping with accusation and this only made Serefina laugh loudly.


    "You are very funny, aren''t you?" the witch sneered and gave her a pity look. "Stopping the time, controlling the nature and seeing the spirits are those guardian angels abilities."


    Lilith gritted her teeth. She didn''t like it when this witch acted like this, as if she knew everything and the devils didn''t.


    "They were born with that gift from Selene herself, as the guardian angels. It has nothing to do with me. Fortunately, Raine is still not able to control her power. Can you imagine if she takes full control of it and you can''t move a single finger because the time froze around you?" she kindly informed the succubus. "You said, you don''t need my help, but you don''t even know about this? What a pity¡­"


    "Of course I know about their abilities!" Lilith was very angry because Serefina had underestimated her knowledge.


    "And then? What else do you know?" Serefina smirked. "What will you do when she froze the time again? Let yourself being killed?" The witch then covered her mouth. "Ups! I don''t think it will be possible, since you can''t die, right? Then maybe, let them play with you while you can''t move?"


    The thought of it pissed Lilith off. That would be the greatest humiliation if that really happened and Raine managed to do that to them.


    "You should kill her before you join us to prove your loyalty," Lilith scowled. "You are very close to her and even had been protecting her for years now."


    "Why should we kill her when we can use them?" it was Lucifer, who suddenly appeared out of thin air, and was standing right behind Serefina now and from the moment he started talking, the witch could feel the coldness from his presence. "This witch over here will help us with it, right?"


    Even if Serefina did feel something, she didn''t show it on her face, instead she spoke calmly and ignored the coldness that ran down her spine.


    "As long as you give me your trust, let''s see what I can do for you," she said simply.


    "For that, you should prove yourself." Lucifer walked in front of Serefina and gazed down at her. "What can you do for us?"


    "Do you have what I asked for?" Serefina flicked her red hair behind her shoulder. Both of them stared into each other eyes, ignoring Lilith''s presence near them.


    "All the witches and vampires from the northern coven realm are yours to control." Lucifer stretched out his hand and caressed Serefina''s cheek, and the witch had to muster all of her strength not to shudder out of disgust. "As long as you can make us immune to Raine''s power."


    Serefina swatted Lucifer''s hand from her face and smiled harmlessly. "What are you waiting for? Let''s do it then."


    ==============


    "Were you out of your mind?" Kace scowled, he shook his head in disbelief while walking behind Calleb, who was being comforted by Raine and Hope. "''I can mark her'', you said?!"


    "Don''t yell at him." Raine frowned at Kace over her shoulder. "He is not in a good mood now."


    Sophia totally lost it when Calleb threw that thoughtless remark at her. She lashed out at the Gamma. One should know that female shifters could turn scarier than an angry beast when it came to their pups.


    And unfortunately, Calleb picked the wrong line to say. Just like what he always thought, his mouth could be the death of him and he felt like dying now when he watched his mate being taken away by her brothers, while he could do nothing to stop them.


    "Brother, did you pick the right Gamma?" Kace turned to look at Torak beside him. "Why is he very clueless?" he asked in disbelieve.


    "Some people need to learn it in the hard way to truly understand the value of something." Torak said casually, as they walked toward the castle for lunch.


    "You really didn''t help at all," Kace sneered.


    All of sudden, Calleb stopped walking and turned around to face Kace, his expression was very miserable.


    "How long do you think Sophia will remain angry with me?" Calleb asked expectantly.


    Kace''s brows creased. "Don''t get your expectations too high, she likes holding grudges for long-terms. Like really really long-terms" He patted his shoulder in sympathy.


    ***


    While waiting for a new chapter, please check my other story: IT''S HARD TO CONTROL MY NAUGHTY WIFE, please support the book with power stones, as it is on the writing contest for this week.


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 Chapter 837 - WAKING UP

    "Hei, you don''t know that she is rogue, do you? You don''t like rogues, remember?" Hope reminded him.


    She remembered the very first time they met, Calleb was a little bit mean toward her and later she got to know what was his problem.


    "Right, you don''t like a rogue," Kace chimed in and gave the gamma a dirty look.


    "Hey, that''s not true¡­" Calleb grumbled. His voice was so low, as if he was unsure with his own answer.


    In the past, yes, he disliked rogues very much, since he lost his little sister due to a rogue attack, but it didn''t mean he would reject his mate because of that.


    Though, he still hated rogues in general, he got along with Hope and Lana just fine, as both of them would never do something harmful like usual rogues. Moreover, Lana couldn''t be called a rogue anymore as she was already mated with Raphael now.


    On the other hand, Hope sneaked her arms around Kace''s waist and looked at Calleb teasingly. "She is my junior in high school and we are very close just like siblings, what do you think she will be thinking if I said you hate rogues?"


    In an instant, Calleb''s eyes filled with dread. He raised his hands in surrender, as he shook his head vigorously. "No, no, no!" He said hurriedly. "Why do you have to make that sound so awful? I don''t hate them."


    "Yes, but you dislike them, what''s the difference." Hope shrugged her shoulders, enjoying the sight of a fl.u.s.tered Calleb who was sweating profusely.


    "Raine¡­ help me," Calleb turned to Raine and pleaded for her help.


    However, Torak put his hand on her shoulder and took her away. "Don''t bother my mate," he said curtly, which was rewarded with a playful slap on his chest from Raine. "Let''s see how much effort he will put into it," Torak retorted upon seeing Raine''s disagreeing look.


    Raine contemplated for awhile and then giggled. "Good luck Call," she said cheerfully.


    "Not you also¡­" Calleb sighed miserably.


    ==============


    Lilac woke up when she felt a spark on her arm, neck and cheek, as Jedrek caressed her skin lightly. When she opened her eyes, the bright sun shone through the window and illuminated the room, and forced her to close her eyes again.


    Lilac let out a small grunt and immediately after that, a shadow casted upon her.


    "You are awake."


    Jedrek''s voice rang in her ears beautifully and when Lilac opened her eyes again, she saw her mate''s face, looking down at her with worry.


    "Good morning," Lilac murmured and the worriness in his face cracked into a soft smile as he placed a kiss on her temple.


    "Good morning," he replied to her. "How do you feel today?"


    Lilac snuggled closer, seeking for warmth from Jedrek''s body and closed her eyes, seemingly wanting to sleep again. This morning was very comfortable; bright sun outside the window and her mate beside her, it was perfect, and Lilac didn''t want this moment to end.


    Seeing his mate like this, Jedrek chuckled lightly and caressed her soft silky hair. Lately, this was his favorite thing to do now. He simply loved doing it.


    "Don''t fall asleep again, you need to eat something," he said.


    "I am sleepy," Lilac said dreamily, as she nuzzled his chest.


    "You have been sleeping for two days straight," Jedrek protested. He had been on the edge the past two days, filled with anxiety and fear that Lilac wouldn''t open her eyes again, which he knew that it was only his silly thought.


    This time, Torak and Kace didn''t bothered him, they would just come a few times to discuss about something and let the guardian angels stay with Lilac, as they conversed, but after that they would go and didn''t asked him to leave her side.


    Even if they did asked, Jedrek would absolutely not agree to it, whatever they might say.


    "Why? Do you miss me?" Lilac asked, she buried her face on his chest, so Jedrek couldn''t see what kind of expression was on her face.


    On the other hand, Jedrek didn''t answer her immediately and continued to caress her back, until Lilac raised her head and looked at him with narrowed eyes, since he didn''t answer her question.


    "I will answer it if you get up and eat," Jedrek tried to bargain with his little mate.


    "I will not get up and eat if you don''t answer me," Lilac countered.


    Upon hearing that, Jedrek laughed until Lilac could feel the rumble from his chest. "Can''t you just agree with me once?"


    "No," Lilac answered shortly.


    "Yes, I miss you," Jedrek answered. "Now get up and eat something." He moved away and released his embrace around Lilac. "I will get your food."


    Lilac was more than happy to see that Jedrek had warmed up to her, especially with the way he treated her now was a thousand times better than he did in the past.


    Jedrek now, looked like someone different entirely. He looked less grumpy and was easier to approach. It was still fresh in her memory how Jedrek despised her the first time they met.


    Is it because of the mate bond?


    Absentmindedly Lilac touched the soft skin on her neck, which stung when she touched that spot. However, she knew it was his mark.


    A soft smile appeared on her lips, but when she watched Jedrek''s back, she remembered about what had happened in the meadow.


    What was Jedrek planning do with the centaurs? Or, more precisely what would he do to Chiron?


    Probably, she should ask him later, before he made a hasty decision and regret it for life.


    However, there was one more question she was afraid to ask, which concerned Serefina¡­


    Jedrek had seen Serefina in the meadow, right? It was impossible for him not to see her, right? Then, what would he do now, since Serefina had taken the devil''s side?


    Lilac herself didn''t want to believe it, but she clearly saw Serefina had taken her blood and it meant a great deal to them.


    The witch probably knew what would happen to let the guardian angel''s blood fall into the devils hands, right?


    ***


    While waiting for a new chapter, please check my other story: IT''S HARD TO CONTROL MY NAUGHTY WIFE, please support the book with power stones, as it is on the writing contest for this week.


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 Chapter 839 - I WISH YOUR DEATH

    "Congratulations, the baby seems very healthy," Eaton said casually to Lana when she stood beside him, with his eyes on Lana''s stomach.


    However, his casual remark made the surrounding conversations die down and the three guardian angels, along with Calleb turned their heads toward them.


    "Baby?"


    "What do you mean by baby?"


    Their questions echoed inside the room and gradually their focus shifted to Lana.


    "Are you pregnant?" Calleb asked Lana, he moved closer to her and started to sniff her before Raphael pushed him aside.


    "What are you doing sniffing my mate as you wish?" Raphael asked grumpily, he shoved Calleb away and pulled Lana closer to him.


    Calleb ignored the hostility in Raphael''s voice toward him as his eyes widened in surprise.


    "What is it?" Raine asked immediately, approaching Lana with Hope in her tow.


    They knew that the shifters had a sensitive nose, thus it was not surprising if they could smell something from Lana if she was really pregnant.


    "She is really pregnant!" Calleb exclaimed loudly and looked at Lana in disbelief.


    "Really?"Raine and Hope squalled, even Lilac clapped her hands happily and congratulated Lana from her bed, since she was still not feeling better enough to get off of it.


    "You didn''t realized it until now?" Eaton looked at Calleb, how could he be so dense to not realize something like this, when they met a few times already.


    "No, I was not aware that her scent changed¡­" Calleb shook his head absentmindedly. He felt bad for not realizing this immediately.


    "But, isn''t Lana and Raphael just met only for around two months? But, Lana is already pregnant?" Hope looked at Lana and Raphael in confusion. "Wasn''t that very fast?"


    Raine also looked at them, asking for explanation.


    And it was Eaton who fed the guardian angel''s curiosity. "For shifters like us, the pregnancy will only take five and half months," he said. "And most of us, shifters, would mate and mark as soon as we found our other half, because right after we mark our mate, the female shifter would go through heat and it was the perfect time to have pups."


    That sequence, was indeed true for a normal couple, where they mark and mate right after they met, but it was quite different for Raine, Hope and Lilac.


    Though Lilac had went through all of the aforementioned events and was just waiting for her heat to come, but Hope and Raine had gone through heat, yet their mates didn''t do the things that must have been completed.


    "You better stay close to Jedrek, as your heat will come within days," Eaton said teasingly to Lilac and the guardian angel chose to avoid his eyes by looking at Lana.


    And then, they spent the rest of the day by talking about a beautiful name for Lana and Raphael''s firstborn.


    At this time, the atmosphere felt very light, as if every moment was only filled with pure happiness, as the bright afternoon sun streamed down from the open window and illuminated the room, it felt warm and gentle, as though what had happened a few days ago had never occurred in the first place.


    They should cherish this moment, because they would have a hard time to even smile in the near future, when everything fall apart and the situation turned worse.


    ==============


    Jedrek waved his hand and the guard opened the cell immediately upon seeing that his king and the other Donovan brothers came to this place.


    Inside the cell, Chiron was held captive, chained in place. He was forced to sit on the ground with chains locked around his wrists, ankles and his torso.


    The chief of the centaur looked beat and the wound on his stomach had festered, yet Jedrek didn''t felt an ounce of pity when he saw it.


    If Raine hadn''t stop the time, it would have been Lilac in his place, suffering from that wound, or worse; she could have already been dead by now, thus Jedrek didn''t have an ounce of sympathy for him. He could bleed and die for all he cared.


    Jedrek waved his hand again and the three guards, who were guarding near the cell, left them.


    Chiron raised his head and his eyes met Jedrek''s. The chief of the centaur didn''t say anything, as if he knew what Jedrek would ask him and he was ready for that.


    "What did the devils offered to you for bringing my mate to them?" Jedrek asked in deep voice. He looked down at Chiron, who was sitting on the ground in a weird position, since his lower body which a resembled horse''s back, was bent in an odd angle.


    "Your death," Chiron said in a matter of fact tone.


    Torak narrowed his eyes and Kace gritted his teeth, balling his fists beside his body. This was not the Chiron he knew.


    "Are you disappointed to see me alive now?" Jedrek asked again.


    "No," Chiron said. "You didn''t face death yet, but you will die eventually," Chiron said in ambiguity.


    "You mean I will lose the war?" Jedrek raised his eyebrows, he didn''t mind to kill this creature right then and there, but he had some other idea in his mind.


    Lilac would most likely not agree with his punishment, but she couldn''t take this away from him. He had spent torturous days and nights staring at her sleeping face, wondering when she would wake up.


    And now, when her condition got better, Jedrek would do anything that he thought Chiron deserved to receive it.


    "Either that one, or you will live the rest of your eternity while wishing you are dead instead," Chiron spoke calmly in the same tone that he always used, despite the wound that he suffered, he didn''t look like he would back down at all, his eyes looked at Jedrek sharply.


    "You are very sure about that," Jedrek sneered.


    "The devils got the blood from the three guardian angels and your mate''s blood was taken by the red haired witch herself," Chiron informed them. "And you know that the witch knows more about the guardian angels than you do, yet she is no longer on your side."

 Chapter 840 - YOU WILL LOSE THEM IN THE END

    The three Donovans listened to what Chiron said, but there was no change in their expressions. Their faces didn''t give away what they were feeling right at the moment.


    They did know that Serefina had betrayed them by siding with the devils and the possibility that the devils had taken Lilac''s blood was most likely, but the fact that it was Serefina, who had done that was something else entirely.


    How could she do that when she knew exactly what that meant for them? Just like what Chiron said, Serefina knew better about the guardian angels than the Donovans.


    "Do you think her love for you can endure all of that? Your mate, your mating ceremony, seeing and helping you every time when you don''t even choose her," Chiron said, panting. It was hard for him to speak a long sentence like that, but he still forced himself to do so.


    "Don''t talk something that you don''t know," Jedrek replied coldly.


    It was Serefina, who had chosen that path, she didn''t say a single word about why she left him centuries ago and now she came back as she wished, but pushed him away giving him nothing.


    And now if Chiron said it was Jedrek''s fault. The king didn''t want to take the blame. It was ridiculous.


    Though somewhere, a small part in his heart, still kept asking ''why'' and ached for her betrayal, yet he pushed that thought to the back of his mind, as he had more important things to do.


    Moreover, his relationship with Lilac was getting a lot better than their first encounter, in all honesty, Jedrek was glad for that.


    "I think you will get your punishment sooner or later," Chiron spoke rigidly, there was a smirk on his lips.


    Kace was slightly taken aback when he watched Chiron''s expression, this was the first time he got see a different emotion on this centaur''s face aside from his usual self, who was always wise and calm. His smirk itself reminded him the smile of those devils, filled with malice and hostility.


    Kace didn''t know whether it was him who was too dumb to realize that Chiron had this side, or it was Chiron who was very smart to conceal his true intentions. Kace couldn''t understand this¡­


    "All of you know it very well¡­" Chiron stared at the three Donovans in front of him intensely, there was madness behind his eyes. "In order to win the war, the guardian angels must die¡­ you will lose the war and you will lose them eventually and that''s your punishment."


    And, Chiron made it worse by taking Lilac with him to get her blood drawn.


    "They will not die," Torak said in low voice. He leaned his back against the wall and reciprocated Chiron''s stare, his blue eyes emitted nothing, but enmity. "We won the first war and we will do it again. You can watch this from hell and we will send those devils back to Tartarus to accompany you."


    The atmosphere became intense and this damp dungeon turned even colder than it already was.


    "We will see¡­" Chiron smirked. He was like someone who almost lost his mind. Maybe it was because of his wound? The poison in that dagger that made him lose his sanity? "I will laugh at you and your mates in Tartarus."


    Jedrek lost it and charged forward, yet Kace stopped him in time, while Torak didn''t even budge from his place.


    "Jedrek, he is not in his right mind!" Kace argued with his first brother. "Torak, don''t you want to help me!?" he shouted to his second brother.


    "I don''t care if he is dead or alive, but I will assure you he would have died long time ago, if he did what he had done to Lilac to my mate," Torak spoke nonchalantly.


    "Jedrek!" Kace pushed his brother even harder, when he realized that Torak wouldn''t intervene with this. "If you kill him now, you will have the whole centaurs turn their backs against you!" Kace tried to reason with him.


    "Do you think I care about a whole bunch of wretched creatures to betray me?!" Jedrek snarled. "I will burn them all along with their chief!"


    The smirk on Chiron''s face didn''t even falter when he heard that. He had totally gone insane! What had those devils done to him!?


    However, Kace couldn''t let that happen, he pushed Jedrek harder and roared. "Are you going to settle this matter like what you did in the past?!" he moved closer and grabbed the collar of Jedrek''s cloak as he hissed. "You know we need them, we have a lot of trouble to deal with already, no need to add this!"


    Jedrek growled deeply at Kace and swatted his hand away from him as he walked out of the cell. He got what he needed, but if he had to stay longer there, he would surely lose it and kill that wretched creature.


    "We will burn him tomorrow, in the public," he said without a room for negotiation.


    Upon seeing Jedrek leaving the place, Torak followed behind him, leaving Kace and Chiron alone.


    The third Donovan looked at Chiron with complicated emotions, but they didn''t say a word, even until Kace took his leave as well.


    The chief of the centaurs only stared at his retreating back and lowered his head, but in the next second, his laughter filled the entire dungeon.


    He laughed like a maniac.


    ==============


    "Hope, can''t you help me?" Calleb was sitting beside Hope, pleading to the girl to help him. "I want to meet with Rosie."


    Hope sighed irritably. Calleb had been bothering her since two hours ago, and now that Lilac had fallen asleep, he was openly bothering her with his pleas.


    Raphael and Lana, who were sitting across from them only chuckled upon seeing Calleb miserable state, while Raine was fast asleep beside Lilac and Eaton had left because he had something to do.


    "You shouldn''t have said that," Hope scolded him lightly.

 Chapter 841 - TERMS

    Jedrek skipped visiting Carina and directly went to Zarrn''s cell, this time Kace didn''t come along and chose to go back to see Hope in the king''s wing.


    Therefore, it was only Torak and Jedrek, who went to visit Zarrn.


    "We need the centaurs," Torak said when they were about to reach Zarrn''s cell.


    "There are only a hundred of them and only around eighty centaurs of them can actually fight, while the rest are women and children," Jedrek said, he was still trying to contain his anger. "Losing eighty soldiers meant nothing for the upcoming war," he said in a matter of fact tone.


    "Right, but that is not all," Torak replied. "Killing them will only send a bad message to the other creatures. The centaurs and the hunters, also a few shifters from the village in the northern coven realm are very close. You can''t deny that fact."


    It didn''t matter much to kill the centaurs, but the aftermath that followed killing them was what they should concern themselves with.


    "We have a war ahead of us and the last thing we need is a bunch of creatures against us when we can use them for good," Torak said, trying to get his point crossed.


    "We will see about that later," Jedrek said rigidly and hastened his steps.


    It wasn''t that he was not aware of it, but he was used to keep his next move to himself, thus he found it hard to tell Torak what was going on in his mind, therefore he opted to do this in his own way.


    Yet, he didn''t intend to keep this as a secret. Torak would realize what his decision was, sooner or later.


    ==============


    Kace went to see the hall, where they were keeping all the centaurs. It was the hall that usually used to hold a small party between the higher ranks of the lycanthropes.


    The last party that was held in this hall was still fresh in Kace''s memory. At that point of time, his parents were still alive and well, yet he didn''t even realize that his mother had been sick and his father had taken aid from the devil.


    If that so, what was the point in fighting the devils in the war, when they were actually letting their true enemies reside under the same roof along with them.


    They had wasted a lot of souls back then, more than one could imagine, but the result was nothing to be proud of, the devils were still active and kicking, and managed to pull their legs into a living hell for centuries, when they thought they had won the war.


    What an irony¡­


    However, would the devils be pulling the same trick again? As they loved to mock them by making the same move and push them into their traps while they laughed at how stupid they were to fall for their tricks again and again.


    Yes, it was one of the devils'' traits that most people had known very well.


    Kace couldn''t get rid of these thoughts about the certain possibilities from his head. He should talk about this to Torak and Jedrek. But, for now he wanted to check on Hope, to see whether she was okay.


    After he made sure that those centaurs were not treated poorly and the hunters along with the shifters from the village didn''t make any scene and were actually carrying out their tasks, which was helping the lycanthropes to guard the city and the castle, without complain, Kace left to the king''s wing to find his mate.


    ==============


    A guard opened the cell, where they kept Zarrn and then walked away from the room after Torak signaled for them to leave.


    Unlike Chiron, Zarrn wasn''t bound with chains. He could move freely inside this cell, which was actually not small to begin with, and enough to accommodate ten people inside at the same time.


    Jedrek stepped into the cell, while Torak was standing at the doorstep of the cell.


    Both of the Donovans didn''t show any expression that could give away what they were thinking right at this moment.


    Therefore, Zarrn needed to ask when Jedrek didn''t threw any question at him even after five whole minutes of his appearance.


    "Is it the time for my execution?" Zarrn asked straight to the point, since he was pretty sure that the king wouldn''t let them alive after harming his mate.


    "Unfortunately, no," Jedrek said lightly.


    In spite of the fact that Jedrek was tall enough as a man, but Zarrn was taller than any of men with his half horse body, yet it didn''t mean the Alpha King was intimidated by him, in truth, it was quite the opposite.


    The lycanthropes were usually more dominant than any other creatures.


    "Should I be glad for that?" Zarrn clamly asked again, but there was bitterness dripping from his words. It was only a matter of time before he got his turn. At least, that was what he thought.


    "It will depend on your answer," Jedrek said.


    Zarrn narrowed his eyes, he was not sure that he could understand where Jedrek was coming from, even Torak didn''t have any idea about what his brother was about to do.


    "So, what is your question?" Zarrn asked, he looked at Torak behind the king but he couldn''t find Kace, thus he assumed that the other Donovan didn''t want to meddle with whatever his brother''s decision.


    In all honesty, Zarrn was glad that Kace decided not to visit him, he didn''t know what he should do or what he had to say to him.


    Jedrek folded his arms in front of his chest and started to tell Zarrn his original plan. "I was thinking to burn all of the centaurs alive and let the three of you watch their flesh and bones turn into ashes. Hear every single scream that come out from their lips as they bear the pain."


    Torak slightly narrowed his eyes when he heard what Jedrek was going to do with those centaurs and Zarrn gritted his teeth when his mind, subconsciously, played what Jedrek said in his head.


    "But?"Zarrn picked the last words of Jedrek and knew immediately that he was going to discuss a term with him.


    "But, I have a condition," he said.

 Chapter 842 - NAUGHTY MATE

    "Where is Hope?" Kace opened the door and frowned when he sensed that Hope''s scent was very faint inside of the room.


    He could onlysee Raphael and Lana, who were sitting on the sofa and Lilac and Raine, who were sleeping on the bed, but Hope was nowhere to be found.


    "Calleb took Hope to the Sterling''s to meet his mate," Lana said. She rested her head on Raphael''s shoulder and looked at Kace.


    "What?" Kace growled deeply, but then Lana shushed him by putting her finger on her lips and glanced at Raine and Lilac on the bed. "You will wake them up," she said, frowning.


    Since Lana had found Raphael, she was head over heels for her mate, forgetting everything that she felt about Kace back then, as if she never even had a hard crush on him.


    However, everything became much easier this way, since they could interact with each other properly without being afraid of hurting each other feelings.


    "And you let him take my mate away?" Kace asked in disbelief, but he tried to keep his voice as low as possible. "You should have stopped him."


    "You meant stop ''her'', right?" Lana corrected Kace.


    And, this prompted Kace to realize what was actually happening. Maybe, Calleb had pleaded her to help him, but the Gamma couldn''t do anything, or managed to bring her away if Hope didn''t agree with him.


    It should have been Hope, who wanted to go with him.


    That busybody girl! She loves to involve in these kinds of matters! Kace thought in frustration. He should have known how his mate''s brain usually worked.


    Hope must have a thousands of silly ideas to get Calleb together with Rosie, but in the end, she would only land Kace in a hot soup to deal with that Sterling and Sophia.


    "Ugh!" Kace grunted and turned around to find his naughty mate.


    "Don''t be harsh on her, she just wanted to help him," Lana said behind his back, it was like a big sister that reminded her younger siblings not to fight with each other.


    "Don''t worry, I will just talk to her ''softly''," Kace emphasized his last word, in a way that made the listeners to actually doubt it.


    ==============


    "But, I have a condition for you and I will let all the centaurs live, except for Chiron and Carina," Jedrek said to Zarrn.


    From the look in the Alpha King''s eyes, Zarrn could feel a chill run down his spine, thinking about the term that he was about to hear from him.


    "What do you want me to do?" Zarrn''s voice was very tight, as if he was trying to hold back his feelings which would burst out in any moment.


    "It was not a hard task," Jedrek said. "Just like you, I don''t want the innocents'' blood spilled for something they didn''t do."


    "I highly doubt it, if it is coming from you," Zarrn said, yet he still wanted to know what was in Jedrek''s mind. Moreover, if he could do something to save his people from bearing Chiron''s mistake, he would do it.


    However, his heart was still complicated with the fact that Jedrek wouldn''t let go Chiron and Carina alive.


    "You doubt me?" Jedrek asked incredulously. "You should have known it by now that I meant every word that I said."


    Zarrn heaved a heavy breath, he balled his fists and looked Jedrek straight in the eyes when he spoke again. "Do you want me to kill Chiron and Carina myself?" he guessed.


    Jedrek scoffed. "You know what? You always guess the wrong things and assume the worst." He moved closer and he had to crane his neck to keep their eyes at the same level, yet it didn''t make Zarrn any less intimidated by Jedrek.


    On the other hand, Torak kept listening. He didn''t have any idea what Jedrek wanted from Zarrn, but was slightly relieved that Jedrek didn''t give an order to kill those centaurs right then and there.


    Torak assumed, Zarrn would agree to whatever the term Jedrek had in his mind for him. He seemed to love his people more than Chiron did.


    "I like it when people start to think the worst, but your answer is wrong," Jedrek said slowly, he wanted his words to be understood completely by him. "It was a nice idea that you purpose to me, unfortunately, I have something better."


    "What is it then?" Zarrn asked in suspicion.


    "I will burn them alive," Jedrek said, enjoying every fearful and shocked expression that crept on Zarrn''s face when he heard that. "In front of the public, so everyone will have to stop and think a thousand times before trying to stab behind my back and hurt what''s dear to me."


    As the situation had already reached this point, so there was no point to hide it anymore. Yes, Lilac was his mate and he cared for her, their enemies could think about hurting her to threaten him, but they must also know what the dreadful consequences would be awaiting them to even think about hurting what''s his.


    "If you want to kill him, you can behead him," Zarrn said, his voice slightly trembling. Dying from being burned alive was a complete humiliation, because one would scream in agony and expose their weakness as they bore the unbearable pain.


    "If I want to kill him that simple, I will not be here talking to you," Jedrek said matter of factly.


    Meanwhile, Torak narrowed his eyes, he seemed starting to get an idea what Jedrek wanted to do.


    Zarrn''s lips pursed tightly into a thin line, as he looked at the king harder. "What do you want me to do?"


    If Jedrek didn''t want him to kill Chiron and Carina himself, then what was the worse of a thing that he could possible want him to do?


    However, Jedrek''s answer made him tremble in bewilderment. It was way too far from his expectations.


    "I want you to convince all the centaurs pledge their loyalty to me and if they dared to think about stabbing my back again, I will kill them all. And this time, there will be nothing that could stop me," Jedrek said.


    "Convince all the centaurs pledge their loyalty to you? After you burn their damn chief right before their eyes?!" Zarrn screeched.

 Chapter 843 - SHE IS EVEN CRAZIER THAN HIM

    Was Jedrek being ignorant? How could he ask something like that? He wanted all the centaurs to pledge their loyalty to him even after he forced them to witness his punishment of burning Chiron and Carina alive? Was he daydreaming?


    "I am really curious to hear, what you are going to do to make them feel loyal to you?" Zarrn shook his head, it sounded ridiculous even when saying it and didn''t make any sense at all.


    "Me?" Jedrek tilted his head, asking. "It''s your job to convince them."


    That''s it. Torak averted his eyes from Jedrek and Zarrn, as he stared at the ceiling of the dungeon. He should have known that his brother was cunning enough to shove the problem on other''s shoulders while doing nothing. He would use any resource to get what he wanted and Zarrn''s condition was perfect for him to carry out with his plan.


    Jedrek was something else entirely.


    "I will release you and you can go to your people. The execution will be in three days and this amount of time should be enough for you to convince them, or else it will be their turn," Jedrek said in sharp tone, without leaving any room for negotiation.


    Zarrn''s laughed wryly when he heard that, from the way Jedrek said it, it sounded very easy, as easy as flipping your hand, yet the reality told otherwise.


    "Tell me what I have to do to convince them to watch their chief being burned alive and then pledge their loyal to the very person who ordered that?!" Zarrn''s voice was filled with frustration when he yelled at Jedrek.


    This task was not only hard, but nearly impossible to do it.


    "Do you even remember that it was Chiron, who had brought us out from your tyranny?! If it was not for him, we had been extinct centuries ago!" Zarrn shouted at Jedrek, his hooves tapped the ground furiously as he moved away from Jedrek, avoiding him like he was a plague.


    Jedrek didn''t react to his strong rejection, he waited for Zarrn to say his piece. This time, his patience had been honed thanks to the times when he had to face Lilac''s utter disobedience.


    "Are you sure that it was Chiron who helped you all to escape from my clutches?" Jedrek moved closer. "A bunch of helpless centaurs against hundreds of hungry beasts like lycanthropes that could tear you limb by limb and outrun your kind in your pitiful state, do you really think if I really wanted to kill you all, you would be able to escape from my hands?"


    They were able to escape from Jedrek''s entourage, though it felt strange, but they always thought it was the moon goddess, who had taken a pity on them and didn''t want their kind to go extinct.


    In spite of the fact, it was almost impossible for them to survive in their helpless state then, but they managed to pull it through, even Jedrek thought they wouldn''t make it.


    However, when Zarrn heard what Jedrek said, he didn''t know what he should believe anymore.


    "You didn''t need to do anything, you just need to tell them the truth,??? Jedrek said. "You know what exactly the truth was; Chiron kidnapped my mate, he forsaked his people for his personal grudge, he chose to side with the devils to go against what we all are trying to fight for¡­"


    The way Jedrek''s eyes narrowed at him made Zarrn unable to avert his gaze from the king, he listened to him and realized that it was undeniably true what Jedrek was saying.


    "You can add more, since you were there when Chiron said all of that crap about grudge and all, you heard it for yourself how he didn''t even care about his own people." Jedrek shrugged. "It is not me, who''s trying to kill Chiron, but his weak heart that allowed him to be used by the devils that sentenced him. He let the devils play with his mind and awaken his dark desires, and that was all they need to turn him into one of their minions."


    Zarrn hardened his jaw when he listened to Jedrek, but deep in his heart, he knew that was the truth and was something that he couldn''t deny.


    Chiron bowed to the temptation of revenge that the devils furnished before him.


    "They will not listen to someone, who was not their chief," Zarrn finally spoke tiredly. These waves of emotions were simply too exhausting.


    "Then, why don''t you be the leader for them?" Jedrek raised his brows defiantly.


    ==============


    "We should go to the north wing to see Rosie, why are we here to pick a bunch of flowers?" Calleb was holding a basket of flowers that Hope plucked for him.


    Since they arrived in this place, this castle had been surrounded with various kind of flowers, knowing what Lilac could do, it goes without saying who had done that, especially after the mating ceremony.


    It was a perfect excuse for someone, who had an allergy reaction for a certain flower, like Serefina to stay far away from the castle.


    But, it also saved time for Hope to arrange something special for Rosie, since they couldn''t buy something cute in the gift shops. She didn''t even know whether gift shops existed in this realm or not.


    "Keep silent and just listen to me," Hope scolded Calleb and put another flower, afterward she tied it together, pulling the knot into a ribbon.


    "Don''t tell me, you want me to give this to Rosie," Calleb grimaced. He liked the idea of giving something romantic to his mate, since their first encounter didn''t seem go very well, but shouldn''t they had to think about how to take care of Rosie''s parents first?


    They were his first and foremost grinding obstacle, not to mention her twin brothers. Ugh!


    Calleb felt like he just wanted to take her and elope somewhere far. Well, that was what his desperate mind told him to do.


    "No, not for Rosie. These flowers are for her mother," Hope said cheerfully.


    What?


    She was even crazier than him!


    ******************


    Enjoy the sweet and fluffy moments, before it gets darker.


    >.

 Chapter 844 - THIS MUST BE YOUR IDEA

    "Are you crazy?" Calleb shrieked. "Why should I give the flowers to her mother instead?!" he couldn''t relate to her line of thought at all.


    "Of course, you have to calm Sophia first before you make a move on your mate!" Hope slapped Calleb''s arm, annoyed.


    Calleb glared at Hope, but still followed her when she walked away from him, while holding a bunch of flowers in his arms.


    "Why should I make a move on my mate? She is mine in the first place," Calleb retorted, but it only rewarded another slap from Hope. "Stop punching me," he growled, but Hope put her arms akimbo and looked at him arrogantly.


    "You don''t want my help anymore?" she asked as the corners of her lips upturned into a triumphant smirk, since she knew she would win this unnecessary argumentation.


    Calleb heaved a deep breath and sighed deeply. This girl knew how to make other people go crazy. He started to wonder how Kace could bear her extreme personality.


    Actually, when Torak met Raine for the first time, Calleb also had the same thought; how his Alpha could slow down to match up with his soft and easily scared mate.


    However, compared to Hope now, Raine really looked like an angel. They were only together for less than two hours and Hope had ordered him around and already slapped him a couple of times too.


    Calleb suspected that this girl wanted to take revenge for what he had done back then, when they first met. What a cunning girl¡­


    Calleb missed the innocent Raine now¡­


    "Moreover, in my opinion, you have to make some effort you idiot!" Hope crossed her arms, as her expression turned serious. "Just because she is your mate, she doesn''t have an obligation to feel you are special. Mate or not, every girl like this kind of things. Remember that," she said.


    "Alright¡­" Calleb said, scratching the back of his head as they walked in the direction toward Sterling''s.


    "Kace waited for me for nineteen years since I was only a baby and Torak has to make Raine trust him and start to speak again, and that required a tremendous patience. For Jedrek and Lilac, well their relationship was slightly rocky in the beginning too, but you can see now how much Jedrek changed. What isn''t Jedrek willing to do for her now?" Hope talked very fast, just like a teacher, who was attentively teaching her first student. "You should make an effort like that too."


    "So, what should I do? Give these flowers to Sophia? Why do you think it will help to cool her down?" Calleb asked, walking beside Hope and trying to ignore curious gazes from the guards that they met along the way.


    No matter what Hope said, the flowers in his arms made the Gamma feel like wanting to dig a hole and bury himself inside. Fortunately, his determination was stronger than anything else now.


    "Yes, that''s the plan!" Hope flicked her fingers and looked at Calleb with bright eyes, as if she had deduced the most brilliant idea. "Don''t worry, I have experience to guide you in this matter."


    "You can''t call being with Kace is an experience," Calleb grunted and Hope slapped his arm again.


    "Of course not, I have a boyfriend before I am with Kace," Hope said proudly, she was lucky Kace was not there to hear her saying that kind of thing.


    "Really?" Calleb was surprised when he heard that. He wouldn''t have thought that Hope had been with someone else before Kace.


    "That''s why, trust me, I know what I am doing," Hope said, smiling widely.


    Unknown to her, Kace was looking for her, he had been asking every person that he met and tried to pick her scent among all the scent of those creatures that filled the air.


    However, even when he found Sterling, he still couldn''t find Hope or Calleb, since the two of them were busy plucking flowers first.


    "What?" Sterling, who was talking to Delta frowned at kace. "I don''t see Hope or that brat." He didn''t hold back his dislike when he talked about Calleb. "Why?"


    Seeing this conversation didn''t require his presence, Delta excused himself. "I will check on this matter. Talk to you later," he said to Kace.


    After the head of the hunters left the two of them alone, Sterling started to question Kace. "Why? What happened?" he asked hastily. "He told you that he will come to see my sweet Rosie?"


    Kace rolled his eyes, this man was really helpless. "He is her mate, you don''t have right to separate them."


    "Why don''t I have a right?!" Sterling became tense when he heard that, he glared at Kace. "My Rosie is still young to live with a strange man."


    "That strange man is her mate, she will live with him eventually," Kace said and added when he saw Sterling was about to retort. "You know that very well. You yourself met Sophia when she was younger than Rosie now," he reminded his best friend.


    Sterling pretended as if he didn''t hear something contradicting, and walked away grumbling to find his family with Kace following closely behind him.


    "Where are Shopia and Rosie?" Kace asked when they walked passed Rosie''s room.


    "Both of them were helping in the kitchen, but I think they would take a break around this hour and will be in the dining room," Sterling said as he headed toward the south wing.


    At this time, it was only Sophia, Calleb and Hope inside the dining room, but they couldn''t see Rosie. However, that was not the thing that made Sterling let out a thunderous growl.


    The fact that Calleb was giving Sophia a bunch of flowers was the reason Sterling charged toward him and stood in front of his mate snarling.


    At the same time, Kace rushed forward as well and pulled Hope away, afraid the girl would accidently knocked off by the jealous lycan.


    "What are you doing giving flowers to my mate?!" Sterling snarled viciously at Calleb.


    Meanwhile, Kace glanced at his mate surprised expression. "This must be your idea, right?" He asked and flicked her forehead lightly.


    ******************


    Enjoy the sweet and fluffy moments, before it gets darker.


    >.

 Chapter 845 - I THINK, I AM FALLING IN LOVE

    "What?" Hope rubbed her forehead grumpily, which was not really hurting. "I just wanted to help," she said.


    Kace rubbed his forehead upon hearing Hope''s reply. This girl was really clueless about what she was doing, wasn''t she? "Did you forget that Sterling is a very jealous creature?"


    In front of them, the lycan was now growling at Calleb menacingly, he lowered his body, ready to attack the poor Gamma, while Calleb was standing stunned silly as he didn''t know what went wrong. He was just following Hope''s order, All right!


    "Stay here!" Kace said sternly to his little mate, who flashed himan innocent smile. "Hey, hey, calm down," Kace finally stepped in and put himself between Calleb and Sterling, and as for Sophia, she was still holding the bouquet of flowers and giggling merrily behind Sterling, seems like it was too amusing to see the terrified look on her daughter''s mate, who was in trouble now. Like really really big trouble!


    "How can I calm down?!" Sterling then pointed his finger at Calleb accusingly. "Don''t you dare try and seduce my mate!"


    "No, of course not!" Calleb raised both of his hands, as a surrender gesture. "That''s not what I mean!" he waved his hands frantically and glanced at Hope, who gave him an apologetic smile. Ugh! This girl was not reliable!


    However, not even a moment later, the most sweet and intoxicating scent hit Calleb''s senses, making him forget about everything as he turned his head toward the source of this fragrance. He knew immediately that it belonged to his mate, as his beast yelped with excitement in his head, urging him to go near her.


    If Calleb was in his beast form, his tail would be wagging happily when he strolled across the room to approach Rosie.


    Unfortunately, everything didn''t go as he wished, because before the Gamma could even take three full steps toward his mate, Sterling beat him to it and pushed Rosie behind his back.


    "Dad¡­" Rossie was about to protest, but Sterling shook his head.


    "You are too young to be with him now," he said and then he looked at Calleb. "Comeback ten years later and I will consider your relationship."


    "What?!" Calleb felt like he was about to get a heart attack. "Why should I comeback ten years later!? I want my mate now!"


    And there it was proved once again..¡­Calleb really couldn''t choose his words wisely.


    Kace could only facepalm himself, while Sophia laughed cheekily, when she heard that.


    She knew Sterling very well and Rosie was the apple of his eye, having sons as their firstborns was a blessing, but watching them grew up and make a scene here and there was something else entirely and Rosie was always been a sweet girl to ease her father''s tensed mind upon facing Ethan and Ian.


    "No!" Sterling shouted at Calleb. He looked like an overgrown child, whose favorite thing was about to be snatched away by Calleb.


    Rosie peeked her head from behind Sterling and looked at Calleb with curiosity brimming in her eyes and this only added to his urge to pinch those lovable cheeks.


    Meanwhile, there was someone came rushing toward Kace, squealing in delight right at this moment.


    "Kace! Hope!" Bree ran from behind Rosie and immediately stood in front of Kace, raising her arms to be carried.


    "You are already big enough, you know," Kace grumbled, but he still bent down and picked the little girl up.


    "What happened?" Bree asked Hope, her orbs dancing to and fro between a tensed pair of Calleb and Sterling.


    Since Brianna picked her up and brought her to stay inside the castle during the dark rain on the other day, she had been staying with the Sterling family and played with Rosie, because the other people were too busy and the only daughter of Sterling needed a friend.


    "Love problem," Sophia said while pinching Bree''s cheeks and walked toward her mate. "Okay, enough all of you."


    Sophia stood between the two men, who were trying to hurt each other by shooting daggers from their eyes, but she was a hundred percent sure, they wouldn''t start the actual fight, since Sterling wouldn''t hurt his daughter''s mate, no matter how bad he treated Calleb and it same goes for the Gamma, who wouldn''t even dare raise his voice against his mate''s father. These two are akin to two stubborn kids!


    "Let them talk for five minutes," Sophia said to Sterling. "They need to know each other."


    "Why five minutes?!" both, Sterling and Calleb protested simultaneously, but each with a different intention.


    "Wow, both of you get along pretty well for someone who wanted to claw each other faces," Sophia said teasingly.


    "Two minutes," Sterling said and stepped away to reveal Rosie behind him, who looked nervous, but also curious when she got a better look of Calleb.


    Meanwhile, the Gamma wanted to protest for the minimal amount of time that Sterling gave to him, but he was tongue tied when he saw his beautiful and adorable mate, standing before his eyes and stared at him innocently.


    Calleb scratched his head and turned speechless, not only because he finally got a chance to talk to Rosie, but because Sterling and Sophia were looking at him intensely.


    Ugh!


    Can''t they look somewhere else?! Calleb grumbled internally.


    "I am Calleb, your mate," Calleb said and as soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself underneath the ground. Why did it sound so stupid and pathetic???


    "I know," Rosie giggled, when she saw Calleb''sbeet red face and how awkward he was with her parents standing not too far from them.


    "Oh, so you know, great!" Calleb really wanted to facepalm himself.


    On the other hand, Kace and Bree laughed at him while Hope giggled lightheartedly.


    "Okay, two minutes is up," Sterling said and pulled his daughter to him. "Next time boy, I will give you another two minutes."


    And with that, two minutes just wasted like that.


    However, his disappointment was relieved a little when Rosie waved her hand and smiled shyly at him. "See you later, Calleb," she said timidly.


    And her voice melted the Gamma, as he watched with puppy eyes at Rosie who was being taken away by her parents and disappeared at the corner of the corridor.


    Only then, Calleb turned around and looked at Kace, Hope and Bree with a silly grin. "I think I am falling in love."

 Chapter 846 - HE IS COURTING DEATH

    "Of course you are, she is your mate after all." Hope winked at Kace and moved closer to him. "Don''t worry, I have a lot of ideas in my head which would help you impel Sterling and Shopia warm up to you."


    However, Kace put down Bree and tweaked Hope''s ear. "Stop with your stupid ideas, now come back with me and don''t wander around as you please," Kace scolded her, while his mate screeched.


    The two mates bickered with each other as they walked away, but this only made Calleb sad, he wanted to bicker with Rosie like that too or be lovey dovey just like Torak and Raine.


    While Calleb was busy contemplating, he felt someone tugging his hand and when he looked down, he found the little girl named Bree staring at him.


    They had met before when Calleb went to the northern coven realm to find Kace, but aside from that, they had never talked with each other.


    "What do you want?" Calleb asked the little girl. His voice sounding tired.


    "Are you really Rosie''s mate?" Bree asked, this morning she heard Rosie talking about mate things the whole time and this made her curious as well.


    "Yes, I am," Calleb said proudly.


    Bree smiled until her teeth were visible clearly. "Rosie and I will go on a walk in the back yard this evening, we will take a few things from the kitchen." she said while walking away. "Only the two of us," she added and winked at Calleb, mimicking what Hope did earlier.


    ==============


    When the sun was almost set and the day turned into a beautiful twilight in the sky, Raine felt someone touching her which prompted her to open her eyes.


    She realized that Torak actually wanted to carry her, because she fell asleep in the King''s chamber.


    "Torak," she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes and got off of the bed, because she saw Jedrek had entered the room as well and was talking to Raphael now.


    "Let''s go back to our room, I will ask someone to bring our dinner," Torak said softly, he helped Raine to get down from the bed and walked toward the door.


    Raine nodded and yawned. From the corner of her eyes, she saw that Lilac was still fast asleep. She indeed got better, but she was still recuperating from her mark and the last event, thus it was natural that her tendency to sleep for longer periods intensified.


    "Let''s go," Torak grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him. Today was really exhausting and he needed his mate close to him.


    They walked past Jedrek and Raphael, who were still busy talking about something, that seemed very important.


    Raine nodded at Jedrek politely, since she felt Jedrek was a little bit hard to approach, not like Kace, who almost had the same personality as Hope.


    Jedrek reciprocated her gesture and turned his attention back to Raphael.


    "How is your day?" Raine asked, clinging on to his arm, while Torak tousled her hair when they walked in the corridor with big windows lined up on their right side.


    "Just like usual," Torak shrugged casually.


    "What will you do with the centaur?" Raine asked more specifically, she knew the three of them went to deal with this matter and she hoped that nothing bad would happen again.


    "Jedrek had other ideas for them," Torak said with a hint of sigh behind his sentence.


    "Will he kill them?" Raine asked worriedly. She didn''t want to see another dead body, but in a war, that was not something that she could avoid.


    Though Raine looked calm most of the time, but she couldn''t stop herself from over thinking about the upcoming war. She was afraid, afraid to death if she must be honest.


    She was afraid to see people die, but most importantly, she didn''t want to see the people that she knew get harmed, especially those people who were close to her.


    "It depends on them," Torak replied, caressing Raine''s head, he could feel his mate''s anxiety and felt sorry because she had to face this.


    However, the Alpha also couldn''t wrap his head around the fact that Chiron had told them; the devils had the blood from the three guardian angels and now Serefina was on their side, those two things alone were a huge blow for them.


    Not to mention with the possibility that they could lose the guardian angels during the war. It didn''t help in the slightest with the plan that they were trying to draw.


    "Jedrek offered something to Zarrn and whether the whole kind of centaur will receive the punishment or not, it will depend on how Zarrn would convince his fellow centaurs to really pledge their loyalty to Jedrek," Torak explained.


    Raine turned gloomier when she heard that. "I feel like Jedrek was pushing them too hard, I meant, loyalty and respect are something that you should earn, aren''t they? You can''t force it," she murmured.


    "That''s right," Torak said softly and kissed her head. "But, different situations need different solutions and sometimes we have to resort to forcible means to keep everything in track."


    Raine hugged Torak''s arm tighter, she tried to understand everything that she got to hear from her mate.


    At that time, Torak tilted his head toward the direction from where a certain someone would appear soon, and sure enough Calleb came running hastily toward Raine with a silly grin on his face.


    "Raine!" Calleb called her name cheerfully and upon seeing the big smile on his face, Raine found herself smiling too.


    "What is it?" Raine squealed when Calleb scooped her up and twirled, while hugging her happily. This scene produced a frown of anger on Torak''s face.


    "I talked to Rosie and later I will meet her in the backyard!" he said happily. He needed someone to share his happiness. "I think I need to freshen up myself and change my clothes!"


    Raine giggled. "Good, tell me what happened, okay?"


    "Sure!" Calleb said and put her down. The Gamma looked like a happy child, who received his Christmas gift early. "Talk to you later, Raine!" he kissed her cheek and ran.


    Raine was surprised, but didn''t mind it at all, yet when she turned around she came face to face with a grumpy Torak, who was watching Calleb''s retreating figure with a dark face.


    "He is courting death," Torak grumbled.

 Chapter 847 - YOUR FATHER WILL NOT KILL ME?

    "He is courting death," Torak grumbled.


    Raine burst out laughing when she heard what Torak said, until her cheeks turned crimson and tears gathered at the corner of her eyes.


    "Why are you laughing?" Torak crossed his arms in front of his chest and asked his mate sullenly.


    "It is impossible that you are jealous of him, right?" Raine said when her laugh finally died down and she approached her grumpy mate. "You know him," she added and then tiptoed to peck his lips.


    Torak pulled her closer by holding her nape and deepened their kiss, upon feeling the urgency of her mate, Raine giggled between his lips.


    It took a while before Torak finally let her go and rested his forehead on hers. "I have patience beyond words for him, I guess." If it was someone else, Torak would have flipped and bloodshed was surely inevitable.


    "I know, you love your Gamma too," Raine said.


    But Torak released her and frowned. "That doesn''t sound right," he said. "But, if kissing you became his habit, he can see how much I ''love'' him."


    Calleb didn''t even greet him when he told Raine about his happy news. That guy became even more clueless and muddleheaded since he met his mate¡­


    ==============


    Jedrek lied down beside Lilac and pulled her body closer to feel her warmth. If there was one thing that he anticipated to end his hectic day, it was to lay down with her and cuddle his beautiful mate.


    In his arms, Lilac snuggled closer to him and nuzzled against his neck as he wrapped his arms around her body.


    Lilac felt safe and loved every time Jedrek hugged her and peppered her with small kisses whenever he thought she had fallen asleep. That was the most sweetest moment that Lilac couldn''t help but feel gleeful every single time.


    "How is it going with the centaur?" Lilac asked, she opened the conversation with her eyes still closed. She wanted Jedrek to tell her everything, since he had always kept everything for himself for a really long time.


    She wanted Jedrek to know that she was there for him and would listen to every word that he would say.


    "You don''t have to worry about that," Jedrek kissed her temple again and caressed her back, to lull her to sleep.


    It felt nice and Lilac started to yawn, but she wanted to know what his plan with the centaur, thus she forced herself to ask again.


    "You will not kill innocent people, right? It was Chiron''s mistake and it wouldn''t be fair if you punish them all the same," Lilac spoke in soft voice, fighting the temptation to fell into a deep slumber.


    "I won''t, I gave them a choice," Jedrek replied. What he said was not entirely wrong, he just didn''t break down the details about what choice he offered to those centaurs.


    However, after knowing that Jedrek didn''t make a decision impulsively, Lilac could relax a little bit and it only took a few seconds longer before her breathing became even, as she fell asleep again.


    Jedrek didn''t know whether Lilac would agree with what he had decided or not, but at the very least, in her current condition, she wouldn''t be present on the day of execution to witness it all.


    ==============


    Calleb was pacing back and forth in the backyard, he looked exceptionally fresh and neat for someone, who only wanted to stroll around before sleep.


    It was true when people say that when you are happy, it will radiate from within and make you look much different. Some people who met him in this beautiful evening, even had to turn their heads to give him a second glance.


    Raphael and Lana were speechless when Calleb knocked on their door all of a sudden and decided to bother them with a few questions, since he was afraid that Torak would kill him if he dared to bother Raine at this hour.


    It didn''t last longer though, because Raphael kicked him out for disturbing his pregnant mate''s resting time.


    Yet, it couldn''t even dampen his mood in the slightest.


    Calleb paced back and forth in the yard, waiting for Rosie to come, sniffing the air, hoping he would catch her sweet scent, but it had been an hour, yet the girl for whom he had been waiting was still nowhere in his sight.


    Did Bree lie to him? Or, did something happened to his mate? Calleb shook his head to clear his mind, his imagination running wild.


    However, even after another thirty minutes passed but Rosie and Bree were nowhere to be seen, Calleb became anxious. He craned his neck and walked from side to side of the yard.


    Only then, he caught a scent, but it didn''t belong to Rosie, instead it was one of her twin brother. Calleb was not sure, whether it was Ian or Ethan.


    Ian or Ethan came with Bree.


    "Calleb!" Bree greeted Calleb happily and approached him. "Are you waiting for Rosie?" she asked.


    The girl''s question put him in a tight spot, since Ian or Ethan also came near him, while holding a big plate in his hand, seemingly it was the food that he got from the kitchen for their dinner.


    "Well, you said, you will come with Rosie to get something from the kitchen," Calleb replied awkwardly.


    "Yes, but that thing is too heavy, thus uncle Sterling told him to come and get it instead," Bree said innocently. She did nothing wrong, the girl just wanted to help Calleb. It was the Gamma, who was not lucky enough.


    In an instant, Calleb''s heart dropped. His expression turned slightly dark as disappointment emanated from his body.


    "Bree, let''s go back, or we will be late for dinner," Rosie''s twin said to the little girl and tapped her small shoulder.


    "Okay," Bree said happily, jumping up and down upon hearing the word dinner. "Bye Calleb." She waved her hand at him.


    "Bye," Calleb said in a dull voice.


    But then, Rosie''s brother turned around and spoke, "If you haven''t had your dinner yet, you can come and join us."


    "Really?" Calleb raised his head and looked at him in anticipation. "Your father will not kill me?"

 Chapter 848 - I WILL COME WITH YOU

    "Well, I don''t know about that," he said, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "Whether he will kill you later or not, but at least you can take a glimpse of my little sister."


    Betting his life just for a glimpse of a girl, it sounded too much. However, it was not the case for Calleb.


    "I will help you bring that plate then," Calleb said. He was full of high spirits after the invitation again and immediately approached him to get the plate from his hand. "Thank you for the invitation, Ian!"


    "I am Ethan, not Ian," Ethan said and held Bree''s hand, so the little girl wouldn''t wander around. "Try to find the difference between us."


    "Alright, alright," Calleb said lightly.


    ==============


    "I am back," Ethan said when he entered the small dining room, where his whole family was was sitting together.


    "Bree is back," Bree echoed behind Ethan and ran into the room, jumping here and there making others worried at the thought that she might trip herself.


    But, the cheerful atmosphere became heavy, when they caught another familiar scent in the air along with Ethan''s and Bree''s.


    "Why did you bring that brat with you?!" Sterling growled.


    On the other hand, Rosie suddenly became self conscious, she combed her long hair with her fingers and this made Ian upset. He tousled her hair and messed it up.


    "Ian!" Rossie swatted his hand away from her hair.


    "He said he had not eaten anything since this afternoon because of what you said to him, and he really missed Rosie," Ethan said.


    In actual fact, Calleb had never said that.


    "And because Bree said Rosie will come to pick our food from the kitchen, he had been waiting for her there for hours," Ethan took the plate from Calleb and put it down at the center of the table. "I have told him that you will probably kill him if he shows up, but he came along anyway."


    At least, Ethan put some good words for the Gamma.


    Though Sterling kept grumbling and glaring at him for a few good minutes, but in the end he relented. "Sit there and leave after you finished eating."


    Calleb didn''t need to be told twice as he immediately walked over, intending to sit down next to Rosie, but Sterling spoke again.


    "No, sit next to me."


    ==============


    Three days passed uneventfully and today was the day of the execution of Chiron and Carina. Everybody knew about this except Lilac.


    Because she was still recuperating and she spent most of the time sleeping, she was not really aware of the dreadful things that would happen in a few hours time.


    Jedrek kissed her forehead and started walking outside leaving her with Eaton inside the room, yet Lilac opened her eyes and spoke in soft voice.


    "I want to go and see," she said.


    Jedrek frowned when he heard that. "You need to rest," he tried to reason with her.


    Actually, Lilac''s complexion had greatly improved during the last three days and her cheeks had showed a tinge of red, but Jedrek was still worried about her, moreover, he was not sure if it was fine to bring Lilac to watch the execution.


    They had talked about this, yet Jedrek would always avoid giving more details about the execution. He deduced that Lilac wouldn''t agree with his decision and having an argumentation with her was the last thing he wanted at this moment.


    "I have been resting enough," Lilac said stubbornly. She used Jedrek arm to support her body, so she could sit down and face her mate. "I am fine and I want to see it."


    On the other hand, every time Jedrek refused to tell her about what he would do to Chiron and Carina, Lilac felt something was not right, yet she didn''t want to push him.


    However, when Jedrek still didn''t want to open up about it last night, she decided to go and see it herself.


    It wasn''t that she would go against Jedrek''s decision, she just didn''t want him to decide something out of impulse.


    "You don''t have to," Jedrek was still trying to reject the idea. "It will not take a long time, I will be back as soon as it was done and we will have lunch together."


    Yet, Lilac shook her head and looked at Jedrek right in the eyes.


    "This will be my first appearance as your mate after the mating bond. If you have decided to punish those for the citizens to see, I want to be there. I want to face your people," Lilac then corrected. "Our people," she emphasized her words. "If you want to go hard on your punishment, then go ahead, but I will not gain anything by hiding behind your back. The whole population would be attending and I want to be there with you when you deliver the punishment on the people, who tried to harm me," she said with determination in her eyes.


    Lilac got the point, this punishment was made for the public to see and this was related to her. Her appearance could also deliver the message that she was fine and the royal couple was still strong even after what had happened.


    It could also be seen that they could rule together just fine.


    "Is there anything that I can do to make you change your mind?" Jedrek asked in a helpless tone, yet he already knew the answer.


    "No," Lilac smiled sweetly and kissed his cheeks. "Help me change, will you?" she asked in a teasing tone.


    "Wait for me outside," Jedrek said to Eaton in a stern voice.


    "Okay, okay¡­" Eaton rolled his eyes at him and glanced at Lilac who was smiling.


    He was glad that Jedrek found his mate. After what he had been through, at least he deserved this kind of happiness, and Eaton was sure that Lilac would keep the hot-headed king on the most reasonable track.


    The guardian angel could calm the beast''s violent nature and embrace his wounded soul after all the never ending betrayals and heartache that he had to endure.

 Chapter 849 - THE DAY OF THE EXECUTION

    Lilac saw a platform right in front of the entrance gates, where Chiron and Carina were being held. Their bodies were tied with many chains to the poles, and were positioned just a few meters apart from each other.


    Above the castle gates and along the tall wall, were the red flags with white wolf which were fluttering in the air, while the atmosphere below was dead silent.


    The chief of the centaurs glared at Lilac and Jedrek with a cold look in his eyes, when the two of them sat on their throne.


    Kace and Torak along with their mates didn''t came to see this execution. The two guardian angels were not ready to witness such a cruel punishment and their mates could understand that, moreover, there wouldn''t be any difference whether they were present or not, because Jedrek wouldn''t change his decision anyway.


    Especially for Kace and Hope. The two of them visited Chiron and Carina yesterday, but both of them refused to talk to them.


    However, when Kace and Hope were about to leave, Chiron had only one favor; he didn''t want Kace and Hope to watch him being burned alive, screaming pathetically.


    "I hope you remember the way you know me when we were in the northern coven realm," Chiron said and that was the first time he looked at Kace and Hope in the eyes, as a soft smile appeared on his lips. He looked like the Chiron that they knew all this time.


    "I don''t regret what I did, but I am sorry that I have disappointed you. I don''t know whether I''m regretting for choosing to come back to this realm or not, but the moment I saw Jedrek, I can''t hold back my grudge, especially when I watched his blissful expression when he had his mate." He said with trembling voice.


    And Hope had cried a river hearing his tone, hugging Kace tightly.


    "The days we spent in the northern coven realm, are happy days for me," Chiron said and those were the last things they heard from him before they left the dungeon.


    However, now¡­ the chief of the centaurs would meet his end, along with Carina, since she helped him and didn''t even tried to save herself. It seemed like she chose to die along with Chiron, rather than see him suffer alone.


    Jedrek helped Lilac to sit down on their thrown. In front of them, the roads were fully packed with citizens as they solemnly waited for the execution to materialize.


    However, soft whispers and sobs could be heard beneath the platform, where the centaurs cl.u.s.tered to the left side near Chiron''s pole, apparently the children and the female centaurs couldn''t bear to witness such cruelty.


    The wind relentlessly brushed past the people assembled and atop of the platform, aside from Chiron and Carina, was Zarrn.


    Zarrn closed his eyes slowly, before he opened them and turned around to face Chiron and Carina.


    He had done his best to make the centaurs understood this situation, but it was still hard for them to accept that their chief had turned his back against Jedrek solely for his grudge, which they had promised to forget and start anew when they got their land back.


    Not only that, Chiron didn''t even think twice for their well being if Jedrek decided to kill them all for his crimes.


    If they wanted to look back now, they wouldn''t want to be here and help Jedrek with the war that they were not involved in, but there was another important thing to consider, and that was to see their children growing in a better environment.


    As if acquiescent with their heavy hearts, the sunny sky suddenly turned gloomy as wind started to blow ferociously and dark clouds began to loom over them.


    Jedrek stood up and said. "Name their crimes!"


    Eaton stepped forward on the platform and faced Chiron and Carina, who were looking at him coldly. There was no fear but only determination in their eyes.


    The violent winds were blowing the red flags on display, giving the illusion that the white wolf pattern on the flags came to life. However, Eaton''s strong voice managed to be heard atop of all this tumultuous.


    Eaton named their crimes for siding with the devils to kidnap Lilac, who had been crowned as the queen of the lycanthropes currently. The crime involving their queen was enough to send them to their death beds, not to mention siding with the devils, when they fully knew they were preparing for a war with them.


    After done with listing out the charges, Eaton turned around to see Zarrn. "You witnessed all of that, didn''t you?"


    "Yes, I witnessed their betrayal," Zarrn said in a stern voice with unconcealed emotions dripping in every word he spoke.


    "And you, as the representative of the centaurs, will you declare that your people would pledge their loyalty to our king?" Eaton asked again.


    Zarrn turned around and glanced at the other centaurs, whose faces were a mix of several emotions.


    "Yes, we will," he said. If there was one thing that Zarrn could feel grateful for was the fact that he managed to convince the other centaurs.


    After hearing his consent, Eaton turned toward Chiron and Carina. He looked at the two of them and asked, "Do you want to deny the crimes that you two had committed?"


    There was no answer from the two of them. They raised their head to the gloomy sky and kept their lips tight. This was a gesture from them that they had resigned to their fate, but also an approval that they had really done all the things that they had been charged with.


    "Do you have any last words to say?" Eaton asked again.


    Meanwhile, people under the platform had started the preparation to burn the two traitors to their death.


    Burning to death was the most painful and humiliating punishment, especially when it was executed before the public eye, but this would also serve as a warning for those who had any wrong ideas like them.


    "I wish to see your mate in Tartarus soon," Chiron said, which culminated in an uproar among the crowd.

 Chapter 850 - THE DAY OF THE EXECUTION (2)

    "I wish to see your mate in Tartarus soon," Chiron said, which culminated an uproar among the crowd.


    A loud collective gasp escaped from the crowd upon hearing Chiron''s provocative statement and the centaurs shook their head in disagreement. Contrary to what people believe, the centaurs were peace-seeking creatures, which always strive for balance in their life and would avoid conflicts as much as possible.


    Therefore, to hear such vexing words from Chiron, it was hard for them to believe that they were coming from their respectful chief.


    "Kill them!" the crowd hollered in one accord with a voice full of fury and hatred.


    "Burn them to death!" echoed one voice after another and soon it became a wave of demands from the citizens as they growled and snarled at the two centaurs, who were bound to the adjacent poles with dry haystack around their feet.


    Their angry voices were like the wildfire in a forest, spreading very fast as ripples of emotion overflowed through the amassed group until the very last person on the far end.


    "SILENCE!" Eaton roared to calm down the commotion, if this continued any further, then the angered lycanthropes would attack the rest of the centaurs for the sins that Chiron and Carina had committed.


    The deafening roar managed to silence the uproar and the citizens were coerced to wait for what would happen next or more precisely what would their king do to those centaurs.


    "As a sign of the centaurs pledging their loyalty to the king of lycanthropes, we will do a blood binding pact to prove their loyalty in the future," Eaton said, he turned around and faced all the centaurs.


    They had been informed of this and knew their choices were limited, it was either agreeing for the pact or they could join Chiron and Carina to be burned to death right after them.


    "If you don''t want to agree with this pact, you can step up on to the platform!" Eaton final sentence boomed among the people and this left them shuddering at the thought of the very consequences that they would have to face once they chose to reject the pact.


    Of course, the first offer was more tempting than the other, yet there were three centaurs, who stepped forward to reject the offer. It was evident from their stance that they actually chose to follow Chiron to the after life.


    "We reject the pact. We don''t want to live under the tyranny of him any more. Chiron and Carina don''t deserve to die, it was the devils, who whispered to them and made them do their bidding," one of the three centaurs spoke loud and clear, while the other two agreed with what he chose.


    This statement created another wave of whispers among the crowd and some of the centaurs appeared faltering with their decision.


    And after saying that, the centaur, who spoke earlier looked at Zarrn, long and hard, before he talked again. "Don''t you feel ashamed to stand here and present yourself as a representative for us, when the truth states that you betrayed your own chief?"


    Zarrn looked at him and then his fellow centaurs below the platform. He heaved a heavy breath before he answered.


    "I don''t feel ashamed to stand against Chiron and Carina, and declare the truth to vouch for the wrongdoings they have committed," Zarrn said. His voice echoing among the crowd. "But, I will feel ashamed for blaming the devils for having a weak heart." He looked at Chiron and Carina.


    The ex-chief of the centaurs had his eyes fixed on Zarrn, yet no one knew what he was thinking at the moment.


    "The devils can do everything they want to, but it was still Chiron who decided to follow the temptation," Zarrn said while keeping his eyes fixed on Chiron.


    Zarrn didn''t hate Chiron for the wrong decision he made, but he just felt disappointed toward his chief for his surrender to the devils'' provocation.


    In fact, in some occasions, Zarrn too felt the resentment along with Chiron for their past, but he didn''t know that it was strong enough to stir something inside of him just from a whisper by the devils.


    He should have chosen a different way.


    "You are right, but I don''t regret it," Chiron finally chose to cut in and then he looked at the three centaurs, who came up to the platform, his eyes filled with unfathomable emotions. "Go back to your people."


    However, the three of them were close to Chiron and they didn''t have any family or a mate to tie them down to the people, thus they stood firm on their decision.


    "Carry out the execution!!!" Eaton said out loud when the other three centaurs also were tied up to the punishment poles to be burned along with Chiron and Carina.


    Suddenly a loud sound boomed out as the citizens cheered out in unison spectacularly, giving off an intimidating aura.


    Not to mention the five perpetrators, even the other centaurs shivered when they heard that.


    Alongside with the crowds cheers, was the thundering sounds from the drums which were being hit rhythmically as five people stepped up to the platform while carrying torches in their hands.


    The dark sky only added to the gloominess of this afternoon, as if it was too waiting to witness the pathetic deaths of these five souls who would meet their end in less than a few hours, as those poor souls wouldn''t be able to see tomorrow.


    Meanwhile, Lilac watched all of this without blinking. At first she didn''t have any idea about what Jedrek had decided.


    She knew Jedrek would punish them severely, but to kill them in this torturous way, was something that have never crossed her mind.


    Though, Lilac''s expression didn''t show her true feelings, from the way she held Jedrek''s hand tightly, let him knew that she didn''t agree with this.


    However, Jedrek appreciated her for not raising an objection at this moment. Because, if Lilac had done that, Jedrek would be in a difficult position.


    On one hand, it was his order and he didn''t want to back off from his words, but on the other hand, Lilac''s opinion mattered to him a great deal.


    Fortunately, she kept silent until the five people stepped forward and all the commotion along with the sounds of drums died down as everything became eerily silent.


    Lilac bravely watched when the first torch lit up the haystack beneath Chiron''s feet which was followed by one after another.

 Chapter 851 - THE DAY OF THE EXECUTION (3)

    This was the first time for Lilac to see such a cruel punishment and she forced herself to watch how those five people burned to their death.


    She could see the fear in their eyes, but also determination. The two emotions mixed together along with the flames that burned the haystack inch by inch until the fire licked their hooves spreading faster to their bodies.


    For a moment, the commotion from the crowd had died down leaving everything in utter silence, as they solemnly watched how the traitors received their punishment.


    The scene before their eyes instilled soul gripping fear in their hearts and was too brutal for those young souls to watch. Their mothers had to cover their children''s sight and turn them the other way from the cruel sight.


    Most of the female centaurs couldn''t bear to watch the people that they had been together through thick and thin to meet their end in this way. They turned around and sobbed silently.


    Some of the women from the mob of the citizens, turned their heads away and frowned, but they didn''t feel any sadness as they thought as traitors they deserved such punishment.


    Meanwhile, the hunters couldn''t do anything, but feel regret for what Chiron and Carina had done, also for the three centaurs, who were dying along with them.


    They understood that betrayal held the highest sin in this kind of situation. They couldn''t blame Jedrek for this, as it was his mate, who was held captive, yet if they had to think back again; centuries ago, wasn''t Jedrek had done the same thing toward those centaurs'' mates?


    It was a miracle that there were still a few female centaurs who were still lucky enough to survive that ordeal and could produce the younger generations.


    However, two wrongs didn''t make a right.


    Everything seemed blurry now when the right and wrong mixed up together and nothing was fair enough for anyone.


    As a King, it was Jedrek''s duty to make sure that the justice was served without any hiccups. On the other hand, he couldn''t possibly let them live after the kidnapping.


    Also as a King, if Jedrek didn''t use some force and enforce this kind of punishment, those lycanthropes would start to question him as their sovereign and this was a dangerous thing for him to be questioned by his subjects.


    And, it was common knowledge that most of the lycanthropes tend to lean toward their beast''s character, which was utterly savage and brutal. They would only pledge their loyalty to the most powerful one ever and if Jedrek didn''t prove himself as such, and couldn''t meet their expectations, things wouldn''t go very well for him.


    "Does it really have to be like this?" Lilac asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the five centaurs, who started to groan in pain, struggling to free themselves from the chains which kept them bound to their place, but to no avail. The pain marred their expressions and this got engraved in Lilac''s heart.


    "This have to be done like this," Jedrek said, emphasizing each and every word. He could feel Lilac''s anxiety and bitterness for what they had to suffer, yet this was not the right time to show them some mercy and forgiving them was another thing entirely.


    At that time, they heard someone singing among the grunts and growls of pain. It was Carina, she was singing something.


    "For she was his secret treasure


    She was his shame and his bliss


    And a chain and a keep are nothing


    Compared to a woman''s kiss


    For hands of gold are always cold


    But a woman''s hands are warm


    For hands of gold are always cold


    But a woman''s hands are warm


    And there he stood with sword in hand


    The last of Darry''s ten


    And red the grass beneath his feet


    And red his banners bright


    And red the glow of setting sun


    That bathed him in its light


    Come on, come on the great lord called


    My sword is hungry still


    And with a cry of savage rage


    They swarmed across the rill


    And with a cry of savage rage


    They swarmed across the rill


    He rode through the streets of the city


    Down from his hill on high


    O''er the winds and the steps and the cobble


    He rode to woman''s sigh


    For she was his secret treasure


    She was his shame and his bliss


    And a chain and a keep are nothing


    Compared to a woman''s kiss."


    Carina''s voice rang beautifully through the centaurs, at first it was only her who sang that song, but then Chiron started to sing as well, followed by the other three centaurs and then the rest of the centaurs joined them.


    It was their last farewell to their fellow centaurs and also counted as paying their last respect to their chief. Even Zarrn had to ball his fists beside his body as he couldn''t help but sing along with them, as they watched their bodies being engulfed by the thick flames and their voices faltered from the pain they had to endure, but they kept singing.


    The song of the centaurs made whoever hearing that shiver in the sadness and bitterness of the way their voice portrayed it.


    Meanwhile, from the throne seat, Lilac had to bite her lips to hold back the tears that pooled in her eyes threatening to fall at any moment, she squeezed Jedrek''s hand tightly to suppress her emotions, especially when Carina started to cry in pain, as the fire had reached her face now and covered her in bright flames that would turn her into ashes in a matter of few minutes.


    The pain must be unbearable even for the male centaurs as they stopped singing and started crying in extreme pain.


    The agony they felt was too much to take in, and Lilac couldn''t bear it anymore. She stood up letting Jedrek''s hand go, as she moved her hands into a flow motion and sure enough the flames extinguished instantly, as tendrils covered the part of the platform where those five centaurs were being burned.


    People gasped when they saw this and the centaurs stopped singing as every single pair of eyes darted toward Lilac.


    They thought she had saved them, but when they took a closer look they could see that that was not her intention.

 Chapter 852 - THE DAY OF THE EXECUTION (4)

    Because when they took a closer look, some kind of a sharp object was seen piercing through their hearts killing them in an instant. They were nothing but the wood splinters from the very punishment poles holding them captive.


    And just like that, they died a much quicker death.


    At the first glance, it was cruel and terrifying. But from a reasonable perspective, Lilac released them from their suffering, giving them a swift death. She killed them instantaneously so that they wouldn''t suffer any longer and feel humiliated by screaming and crying in agony.


    This could be considered as a form of forgiveness from Lilac to them. After all, she was a guardian angel. Although, she was now in her human form, the unique soft hearted feelings possessed by the guardian angels were still embedded in her soul and personality.


    And apart from this, it was her first time to kill some one, keeping aside the fact about the small demon that she obliterated as a part of her duty when she was still with Selene.


    It felt heavy to take someone''s life, not to mention that she took five centaurs'' lives at the same time. However, this was possibly the only way in this kind of situation to satisfy both parties, preventing the lycanthropes to question their leader and also release those poor souls from a torturous death.


    After she shutting the five centaurs for life, Lilac moved her hand again and the ground beneath the platform cracked splitting into two, making all the people on the platform ran down from that place before they were too swallowed by the dark pit created by Lilac.


    A round of loud gasps heard among the people as they moved back to avoid falling into it and the situation turned slightly hectic when they witnessed the power that their new queen could wield.


    This could be perceived as a chance that Lilac was making good use to introduce herself properly once again. She didn''t want to appear weak and mindless after being kidnapped.


    She wanted all the people to see what kind of a queen they were going to serve, also to break the stigma about the weak guardian angels, which had been engraved deeply into their bones.


    Aside from that, she wanted to show them that she was their queen not because she was Jedrek''s mate, but because she deserved their respect.


    It was true that she has a soft heart for not being able to see those five centaurs sufferings, but she wanted to make it clear that she didn''t go against it, and prove that she didn''t confront Jedrek for the decision that he made in anyway.


    In front of them, the ground started caving in again, as it swallowed the whole platform along with the five centaurs, leaving now a big empty space, where the big platform was supposed to be.


    Loud murmurs echoed among the people, but when Lilac raised her hand, they stopped talking and turned their full attention toward Lilac.


    "This will serve as an example for those who are trying to turn their back against us!" Lilac''s voice was neither very loud nor vicious, instead it was soft, carrying a lot of emotions. "I hope not to see this again, but it will definitely not be the last if there are still people with a hidden agenda."


    After saying that, Lilac strode back to her seat and sat down gracefully next to Jedrek, she appeared hard on the outside, but the moment she reached out for Jedrek''s hand, he could feel her tiny hand trembling.


    [Well done, my little flower,] Jedrek mind linked Lilac and this slightly startled her as she turned her head and watched as Jedrek smiled softly at her and kissed the back of her hand.


    However, from the corner of her eyes, Lilac could see someone staring at her intently, although he was smiling softly, it didn''t reach his eyes and this made her uncomfortable for reasons unknown to her.


    It was lord Bayle from the north region, the lord of fire dragons.


    It was Lilac''s first time seeing him again after the day of the mating ceremony, yet their short encounter managed to leave a deep impression on her.


    ==============


    Hope cried silently when she heard the song of the centaurs, that was the song that Carina had taught her a year ago, when she was sick and very weak. She would sing whenever she was busying herself with her treatment. And as for Chiron, he would come to her tent to check on her condition, talking about the stars and everything until she fell asleep, dreaming blissfully.


    Chiron and Carina were important people for Hope. They were like family. Chiron''s warm and calm voice, while Carina may show a cold demeanor, but she was caring enough to look after her for months. How could Hope forget about them?


    From afar, the song sounded full of sadness and bitterness. She wanted it to stop, she wanted to beg them not to kill Chiron and Carina, but how could she do that when she was fully aware about what they had done and the consequences if they didn''t punish them the way they did now.


    "Hope¡­" Kace sat down in front of Hope, whose body was trembling. She was sitting behind the door of their bedroom, hugging herself into a fatal position, as if trying not to break apart upon hearing the faint song from the entrance gates of the castle.


    "Come here," Kace said, his voice cracked when he watched how deep this hurt his mate.


    Kace pulled Hope closer to him and caressed her back as she rested her chin on his shoulder and cried her heart out. Her tears dripped on to his shoulder, wetting his clothes.


    "They are gone¡­" Hope sobbed harder to the point she was having a hard time to breathe.


    And the most painful thing that Kace realized now was, he couldn''t do anything to elevate her pain, as he too felt the same sorrow when he heard their cry like song.


    And right after when the song stopped abruptly, Hope''s eyes widened at the sight before her eyes, which left her dumbfounded when she spotted Chiron and Carina standing right in front of her, but their bodies were like faint white smoke, behind the two of them, there were another three centaurs, who were familiar to Hope as well.


    Chiron walked toward her and bent his body to kiss her temple as he whispered to her softly; "Don''t cry little angel¡­"

 Chapter 853 - YOU ARE HANDSOME

    "Feeling better?" Jedrek asked Lilac when she finally stopped sobbing and her body no longer trembled like it did half an hour ago.


    The execution had ended on a bad note for Lilac, it was her first time killing someone. Not to mention, she killed five people at the same time, yet even if she done nothing, they would die anyways, she just alleviated their pain.


    Nonetheless, she still felt bad for everything that had happened earlier, and it had drained her energy, emotionally.


    Therefore, here she was; after putting down her strong fa?ade, she broke into tears once she was alone with her mate.


    Lilac didn''t answer him, but she hugged him even tighter and buried her face against his chest. She wanted nothing more at this moment except to forget everything and fell asleep.


    However, those two things were absolutely impossible for her right now.


    The scenes repeated in her head continuously and the centaurs'' song kept ringing in her years, even now. Lilac bit her lips and relished the touch of her mate, who was caressing her back in a soothing rhythm.


    "Sleep my little flower, a good thing will happen tomorrow." This was what Jedrek had always been repeating to himself while he was still enduring the darkest days of his life, under the clutches of the dead soul of his father and the devils back then.


    He kept repeating that, but he finally reached a point where he got to face the reality that it was all a huge lie that he told himself to escape the reality.


    However, at this particular moment, he wanted nothing but for that to come true. At least for the little flower in his arms. He didn''t want her withering away just because of a small snitch, because there would be a lot more gruesome things that would happen in the near future.


    She couldn''t break down just because of this.


    She could cry now, but when the sun rose again tomorrow, Jedrek wanted her to return to her stronger self and rule with him like she did during the execution.


    "Sleep my little flower," Jedrek coaxed her, and then he decided to hum the only tune that he ever heard when he was little, though the memory of it was obscure about who used to sing this melody for him.


    This was a first, for him to persuade someone to stop crying or lull someone to their sleep, yet he did it for her and the king hoped this was enough.


    ==============


    Just like what Jedrek had planned previously, though it was a little bit delayed because of what had happened with Lilac, two days later however, when she was finally strong enough to go on a long trip, she and Jedrek decided to go to eastern region.


    It had been weeks since the last time they heard anything from Killian and Tordoff. Something must have happened to them and Jedrek had to go himself to know it.


    Not only that, he had to see it for himself, whether he could get the eastern people to fight along his side in this coming war, or if he had to fight them also.


    It could be concluded when he visited them later.


    And he needed his queen. Not because he wanted to hear what were her thoughts or opinion, but above all that, Jedrek felt safe if Lilac was near him at all times.


    He could be less worried if his mate was within his arm''s reach and in his sight. The last event had taught him that.


    Meanwhile, the matters about the kingdom, Torak was entrusted with them, despite his reluctance and refusal here and there, he knew there was no one Jedrek could trust this heavy responsibility aside from him, since Kace would rather choose to flee or play dead, if he had to be burdened by those things which had anything to do remotely with their monarchy.


    Jedrek left Eaton by Torak side, while he took his last two generals, Sebastian and Theo with him.


    When all the necessary preparations were accomplished and Jedrek was about to go to the entrance gate where all the people and his sweet mate had been waiting for him, he felt someone rushing toward him and out of reflex he dodged it.


    It was not really someone with evil intentions he thought, it was just a little girl, who was staring at him curiously. Her eyes reminded Jedrek of a stray cat.


    They stared into each other eyes for about two seconds longer before Jedrek decided to go and meet his mate.


    Yet, the little girl followed him.


    "What do you want?" Jedrek asked without turning his eyes toward the girl, but he knew she was following him. Her noisy footsteps were very clear to hear.


    "Are you the king?" she asked.


    She was with Rosie earlier, but she spotted Jedrek, thus she rerouted her course of steps and went after him. This was the first time for her to see the king, thus she was a little bit excited to find out more.


    Jedrek didn''t answer that question. He fastened his pace and the little girl was running now to catch up with him. This girl was fearless.


    "Are you the king? Why are you running away?" she kept asking, panting, in order to catch up with Jedrek.


    However, her long dress made it hard for her to run and in the end, she tripped over her own dress and almost fell face first.


    Fortunately, Jedrek had good reflexes, he caught the girl''s shoulder and pulled her back on to her feet.


    "Are you the king?" She asked again, ignoring the fact that she almost fell.


    "Apparently, yes," Jedrek finally replied, he looked around to see whether there was someone who was looking for this noisy little girl.


    "Wow!" her cute lips formed into an ''o'' and she clapped her hands. "This is my first time to see a king so close."


    "Now you have seen me, you can go back to wherever you come from," Jedrek said, he was about to walk again, but the little girl clutched onto his cloak. "What again?" Jedrek asked irritably.


    "You are handsome!" she said with a wide smile on his lips.


    "Hm?" Jedrek tilted his head in curiosity. "What is your name?"


    "Bree," she said.


    ==============


    Merry Christmas for you, who celebrated it. May the spirit of Christmas bring you and your family hope, love and happiness.


    xoxo

 Chapter 854 - YOU SHOULDNT BE PARTED

    At the entrance gates, everyone was waiting for Jedrek, but the king had not appeared yet.


    "Should I check on him?" Lilac said, slightly worried because Jedrek told her that he would just take care of something for a while before they could start, but it was already time to go, yet he was still nowhere to be seen.


    Since the execution, she noticed that she began overthinking things, but she couldn''t help it, though Jedrek had tried to stop her from doing so.


    "You don''t have to worry about him, he probably ran into something. He will be here in no time," Eaton reassured Lilac.


    Raine could see that Lilac became a little bit tense and would easily startled at smallest things after the execution day. Although, she acted like nothing had happened, but Raine, as the sensitive person she was, was able to sense it.


    "Don''t worry, too much," Hope said, smiling as cheerful as ever, she hugged Lilac and giggled.


    Everyone was trying to act as normal as they could, but what had happened till left a scar in their hearts and it was not an easy thing to accept all at once, yet they would have to overcome it one day.


    It was only a matter of time, before those guardian angels'' soft heart could be at ease and got used to their current situation and adapted to their predicament.


    "Why was he bringing Bree with him?" Kace frowned when he spotted his older brother carrying Bree in his arms.


    And when the entourage of people at the gates turned their heads in the direction Kace pointing toward, they found the approaching King, carrying little Bree in his arms, while the girl chatted happily with him, giggling occasionally.


    "I''m not seeing it wrong, right?" Calleb elbowed Torak beside him and blinked his eyes a couple of times, the Gamma came to see them off, since Raphael had a lot of things to do.


    Beside him, Torak was also frowning. He didn''t even remember when the last time Jedrek spared time to get along with children.


    "I think having a mate really changes you," Calleb murmured, but standing next to him, Raine elbowed him too.


    "Said someone, who just found his mate and will always find a chance to skip babysitting me to go to his newly found mate," she scoffed playfully.


    Calleb didn''t have anything to retort that and just scratched the back of his head, because he knew Raine wouldn''t talk about it with Torak, thus these past two days, he would always find an excuse to go to north wing to see Rosie, but of course he would do that if Raine was with Raphael or Lana and was well protected.


    "You what?" Torak turned his attention toward Calleb as he narrowed his eyes dangerously, but Raine came to his rescue and linked her arms with her mate while talking about other things to distract his attention from Calleb.


    On the other hand, Jedrek stopped walking and put Bree down before he moved closer to Lilac and kissed her temple.


    "Where have you been?" Lilac asked.


    "You must be the one, who was responsible for his delay, right,?" Kace said to Bree and messed up her hair, which had gotten long now.


    The girl swatted Kace''s hand and moved to hide behind Hope, whining. "He messed up my hair again," she said irritably, while trying to fix her bun.


    "Come here, I will fix it," Hope laughed and fixed it for her.


    "Hey, why did you go with him? Aren''t you afraid he will chew you?" Kace pinched Bree''s cheek and the girl bit his hand.


    Fortunately, Kace was fast enough to retract his hand or else, her small teeth would be embedded into his skin by now.


    "Of course not," Bree said. "I want to see the king, he said I can be a princess."


    "How come you can be the princess?" Kace scowled. "I am not even a prince."


    "You are a rogue," Calleb chimed in and he was rewarded with a glare from Kace.


    "But, the king said I can be the princess," Bree retorted stubbornly as she touched her hair when Hope was done fixing it for her. "Right?"


    "Right," Jedrek agreed.


    Everyone raised their eyebrows at him, even Lilac didn''t know that Jedrek had a soft spot for children. Or, maybe it was Bree, who was very skillful to melt a cold mountain like Jedrek.


    "I think it''s time for you to go," Torak said after a short moment. "Are you sure, you will just bring these numbers?"


    There were only around two hundred people that Jedrek wanted to take to the eastern region.


    "I''m going to talk terms, but if things go south, I assumed you have prepared everything," Jedrek looked at his younger brother, who was mumbling ''I know''.


    Kace was still reluctant to take charge upon those people and their army, but the choice was either this or to act as the king in the absence of Jedrek.


    Of course, he decided it was best to choose the bad over the worse.


    "Let''s go," Jedrek said.


    As if on cue Lilac, Raine and Hope hugged each other, they had just met, but had to part again due to circ.u.mstances. No one could predict when they would comeback.


    Even their promise to train together couldn''t come true now, especially when Serefina was no longer with them.


    "Stay safe," Raine said to Lilac and kissed her cheeks followed by Hope.


    After that, Jedrek helped her to get on the carriage before he went inside as well. When everything was in place, Sebastian talked a few things to Eaton before he too embarked in another carriage, with Theo on his tow.


    Lilac waved her hand from the window and the others stood there until Jedrek''s entourage couldn''t be seen anymore.


    "You shouldn''t be parted."


    A voice rang from behind the seven standing people and, abruptly, all the lycans could smell a strange scent, as they turned around, their stances were on alert, protecting the girls among them.


    However, what they saw made their eyebrows scrunched up in surprise.


    "You?" Raine recognized him.


    It was the dwarf that she had met back when she, Torak and the others had to escape from the people in her hometown.


    ==============


    Merry Christmas for you, who celebrated it. May the spirit of Christmas bring you and your family hope, love and happiness.


    xoxo

 Chapter 855 - THE DWARF

    He was the same dwarf that had told Raine that she had a black soul, that was why she couldn''t control her power yet, because she had been touched by something dark. He was also the one, who helped them when they have to leave the city.


    The creepy dwarf looked exactly the same the last time Raine saw him. His big green eyes looked at Raine intensely and they still made Raine afraid to look into them straight.


    "Do you know him?" Hope asked, whispering to Raine because she found the dwarf was quite disturbing with the way he looked at her. No wonder Torak stepped forward in order to shield his mate, halting the strange creature on his tracks.


    "We met once in the past," Raine said.


    "Oh, where are my manners," the dwarf started to jump up and down with excitement. "I forgot to introduce myself to you, another Luna," he said, his big green eyes shifted in Hope''s direction and the guardian angel found herself trying to force a smile on her lips.


    "I am not a Luna," Hope said. Kace didn''t consider those people, who followed him here as his pack, therefore, he was not an Alpha, so Hope also was not a Luna.


    "You are still a Luna in my eyes," the dwarf bent his body until ninety degrees in order to give Hope his utmost respect.


    "Cut the crap," Kace growled. He knew him because he had met with the dwarf two or three time in the past, but there was nothing good that came up from meeting this particular creature. This creature always loved to talk nonsense.


    "What are you doing here?" Torak asked sternly. "Calleb, take the girls inside," he said to his Gamma.


    "Let''s go," Calleb said to Raine and Hope, but Raine refused to listen to him.


    "No, I want to talk to him," she said. In the past, Serefina prevented the dwarf to talk to her when he was about to say something important, thus she wouldn''t let this chance go away like that anymore.


    "Raine," Torak reminded her. "You don''t need to listen to his nonsense." He stopped her from going any closer toward the dwarf.


    "Oh, the Luna wants to talk to me," the dwarf clapped his tiny hands. Whether he was mocking Raine or it was indeed just his way to express himself, but people would misunderstand him with the way his cunning green eyes staring at Raine expectantly.


    "I don''t want you to talk to him," Torak said sternly to Raine, but the look in his mate''s eyes told him that she wouldn''t listen to what he said, at least not at this moment.


    "No, Torak, I need to talk to him," Raine said, her voice neither loud or stern, but the determination in those beautiful eyes couldn''t go unnoticed.


    "You can''t trust his words," Torak tried to argue with her.


    "I will decide whether I can trust him or not after I heard what he said," Raine looked at Torak, pleading for her mate to understand why she needed it.


    It was rare to see Raine wanted something and defied his words, therefore when Raine shook her head and stood her ground, Torak didn''t have any other choice, but to let her do what she wanted.


    "I will let you talk to him, but you still have to stay within my sight," Torak said sternly.


    The dwarfs were well known for their unparalleled cunningness, when the war broke out centuries ago, they indeed didn''t take any sides, but they sold information from one to another and made full use of the chaotic situation.


    They did find the secret of the enemy, but that information won''t completely reliable, some of it was, but some of it was not, since they would do everything to the one, who benefited them more.


    They could be a double agent or even triple.


    Therefore, Torak didn''t want Raine to talk to him due to their natural traits. Knowing her soft hearted nature, Raine would be an easy target for the dwarf to spill nonsensical things.


    "Alright," Raine agreed to Torak''s insistence and then smiled softly.


    "Luna, why don''t you talk to me too?" the dwarf looked at Hope expectantly. "I have some useful information for you to hear too," he said.


    "Why don''t you just talk here in front of us then?" Kace narrowed his eyes at the cunning dwarf, completely disagreeing for Hope to go with this unreliable creature.


    "You know the rule for the dwarfs," the dwarf said, rubbing his hands together, as if he wanted to show him that he was nervous of something, but of course that wouldn''t be able to fool them, they could see clearly the excitement in the dwarf''s eyes.


    "I will be fine, you can still see me from afar," Hope said, as she patted Kace''s shoulder to ease his tension. "Let''s go."


    Under their intense gazes, Hope, Raine and the dwarf walked a little bit further, but it was still within their sight, thinking those lycanthropes wouldn''t be able to hear their conversation.


    "Bring her back to Rosie," Kace said, as he passed Bree in his arms to Calleb.


    Of course, upon hearing Rosie''s name and getting an excuse to see her, the Gamma was beyond happy, but he was still worried about Raine.


    Calleb looked at Torak hesitantly and the Alpha nodded, giving him his consent. Since Torak, Kace and Eaton were in control of the situation, it was highly unlikely that something bad would happen to Raine and Hope, right?


    With that thought, Calleb walked with Bree in his arms to find Rosie, who must have been worried because she couldn''t find the little girl.


    However, when Bree rested her chin on Calleb''s shoulder, her eyes darted toward the dwarf as she looked at him in interest.


    "I like the dwarf," Bree said softly after moment.


    "You don''t know what you are saying girl," Calleb said, not taking her words seriously.


    Meanwhile, when it was only the three of them, Raine questioned the dwarf. "Now, tell me what exactly do you mean with your statement?"


    ==============


    Merry Christmas for you, who celebrated it. May the spirit of Christmas bring you and your family hope, love and happiness.


    xoxo

 Chapter 856 - OUR PLACE, OUR RULE

    The dwarf looked at Raine and Hope back and forth through his green eyes, which looked too big for his small face.


    "Now tell me what do you mean with your statement that implied I have a tainted heart?" Raine asked impatiently. She had been wondering about his answer ever since her last disturbing encounter with this creepy creature. If Serefina didn''t stop her or she had the same amount of courage then, like she had now, Raine wouldn''t have left without hearing his answer on that very day.


    "First, let me ask you two," the dwarf looked at Hope and Raine with a cunning smile on his lips. "Do you still feel trouble controlling your power? How far did the two of you progressed in utilizing your power?"


    When Raine was about to answer, the dwarf raised his hand. "let''s hear it from you first," he said, nodding his head at Hope.


    Hope looked at Raine and the crease on her brows showed that she wasn''t really sure about talking it with the dwarf.


    "Do you think I have a tainted heart too?" Hope asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.


    "Yes," the dwarf nodded profusely.


    "Why do you think so?" Hope asked again. She didn''t want to give any unnecessary information to someone that she barely knew, while Raine didn''t want to interfere with whatever Hope believed.


    If Hope didn''t trust the dwarf, she wouldn''t ask her to believe otherwise, but then again, Serefina had gone and Lilac was not here to help, thus it was almost impossible to find someone who could teach or guide them about the power that they held.


    Therefore, the appearance of the dwarf was just right in time.


    Raine had been desperate to grasp control over her power and how to use it properly. It was purely luck that she managed to use it when Chiron was about to kill Lilac. However, she was aware that she couldn''t always rely on something called luck.


    "I can see it," the dwarf shrugged his shoulders.


    He dressed up differently from the last time Raine saw him, this time he was wearing a dark blue cloak, which looked bigger for his small frame.


    "That doesn''t explain anything," Hope said, narrowing her eyes.


    "Yes. Since you refused to answer my question, let''s do this in another way. Why don''t I say the things you have done and you tell me whether it is right or wrong, to ease everything for us." The cunning smile on the dwarf''s lips only got wider and wider as he continued to talk like he knew every single thing.


    "You are the guardian angel who can see the spirits, am I right?" the dwarf asked. Hope didn''t say anything, but from her expression, he knew that he had said the right thing. "You are the guardian angel who can control the time." He looked at Raine. "And the one that just left with the king is the guardian angel who can control nature."


    The dwarf''s cunning smile turned into a smug smile as he looked very proud of himself.


    "Your point?" Hope asked impatiently. "Almost everyone knew that and it didn''t make you more knowledgeable than the other people."


    "But, did they know that you heard something from under the frozen river?" The dwarf reminded Hope about her last visit with Serefina and Lilac to the apricity river. There, she indeed heard something.


    And then he turned to look at Raine. "Or, have you ever wondered why it was only the two of you, the king, Lilac, the rogue, the alpha and his gamma, who could move when you stop the time?"


    The dwarf referred to the time when Raine stopped the time during Lilac''s kidnapping.


    "How do you know that?" Hope narrowed her eyes, she was very sure that during that time no outsider was present who could provide such information for the dwarf.


    "I have my own way to gain information dear," he said, chuckling eerily. "Now, do you trust me?"


    Hope looked at Raine and as they exchanged looks, the dwarf spoke again.


    "I know my worth and you will need me here," the dwarf said, as he reached for the backpack that he had been carrying and reached into it for something. "This is for you,"


    The dwarf gave Raine and Hope one copper coin each, but this only added to their confusion. What did he meant by this?


    "That will be enough to pay my rent here, after all there is still the information that I can provide for both of you. I will not stay for free, therefore let''s get comfortable with each other." The dwarf then slung his backpack over his shoulders again. "I will find my own room inside this castle, you don''t have to bother with me."


    After saying that, the dwarf walked away.


    However, before he could take a second step, Hope stretched out her hand and pulled the dwarf back to his place. This brash action left Raine gasping in surprise and the lycans, who were watching them, became alert.


    "You are not going anywhere until you tell us what do you mean with; we have tainted souls." Hope grabbed the back of the dwarf''s cloak and didn''t let go even when he struggled to free himself. "Tell me first or I will ask Torak to kick you out from this place."


    "Torak is not your mate!" the dwarf was upset upon being treated that way.


    "But, I don''t think he will refuse that idea," Hope said and made the dwarf to turn around to face Torak and Kace. "can''t you see that? They were really tempted to kick you out of their sights."


    Raine chuckled when she watched the way Hope handled things, if it were her, she would agree with whatever the dwarf wanted.


    "I don''t like you!" the dwarf glared at Hope and tried to bite her.


    However, Hope moved swiftly and pushed the dwarf away from her until he fell on his butt.


    "Do you think we like you? You come out of nowhere and spout nonsense and now you want us to follow your rules?" Hope raised her eyebrows incredulously.


    The dwarf then looked at Riane, asking for support.


    "Our place, our rules," Raine said simply.


    ==============


    Merry Christmas for you, who celebrated it. May the spirit of Christmas bring you and your family hope, love and happiness.


    xoxo

 Chapter 857 - NUTDROUK

    Meanwhile, Kace leaned over to Torak and whispered something to his brother.


    "Don''t you think that they look hot while confronting someone?" Kace said, proudness dripping from his voice.


    "Hm," Torak hummed, agreeing with him. His blue eyes stared at Raine dotingly, though they couldn''t listen to their conversation, but from the looks of it, it seemed the two of them were not taken for granted by the dwarf and it reassured them.


    Torak still remembered how was Raine back in the day, when she didn''t even dare to talk and look at him in the eyes. However now, she could voice out what she wanted and what she thought, and Torak couldn''t be more proud than this, watching her growth and progress.


    Slowly, but surely she became the Luna that he needed.


    On the other hand, the dwarf''s smug smile slightly faltered when he picked himself up from the ground and dusted the dirt from his body.


    "Do you remember that dream you have? The dream that make you sick? The blood that was drawn from your body without your consent and the kiss from the devil?" the dwarf looked at Raine sullenly. "You have three reasons for not being as pure as those guardian angels in the past. One thing from those three had tainted your soul, but you have faced all of them. You are the most impure guardian angel among you three," he explained it very fast, grumbling here and there.


    Hope remembered Kace''s explanation, when they talked about her being a guardian angel and the blood that was taken from her from the hospital when she was sick.


    Lilac too, her blood was taken from her without her consent, but what about the other two for Raine¡­?


    "A kiss from the devil?" Hope looked at Raine in confusion. "And, what dream?"


    Raine remembered all of that and couldn''t help but stagger back when the dwarf told all of that out loud.


    "The devil kissed you?" Hope pressed this matter. "When?" but then, she remembered. "That was the reason you fainted that day?"


    "Stop it," Raine said sternly. She didn''t want to remember that moment. And the look on her face coerced Hope to stop bothering her with that question.


    "See? You admitted it," the dwarf smirked triumphantly because he managed to pique the two guardian angels'' interest.


    "What will happen then?" Hope asked the dwarf again, yet he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and spoke smugly.


    "I have been traveling for four days straight to get to this place from another realm, can''t you at least show some concern about my well being and let me rest before bombarding me with a lot of questions?" the dwarf looked at the copper coin that he gave to Hope and Raine. "And, I have already paid to stay."


    Simultaneously, Raine and Hope threw back the copper coin to the dwarf and turned around after Hope saying her piece.


    "Take back your money, we don''t need it. You can stay here as long as you prove yourself worth it, but if we ever came to know that you tricked us, don''t even think about walking away unscathed," Hope said coldly. She learned this from Serefina and every time she wanted to be mean with someone, she would remember how the witch had raised her.


    She missed her¡­


    "Don''t worry, you need me dearly since no one can teach you how to survive in this war, seeing that the witch left you," the dwarf said, he looked at Hope in the eyes, as if he could read her thoughts.


    Hope squinted her eyes at him and grabbed Raine''s hand before they both walked away toward their mates, yet the dwarf said something in a low and creepy tone.


    "Do you still remember, what you see in the stone inside the library, when you went to Rieka?" the dwarf asked Raine. "Whatever you saw in it, will come true and I assume you already know what will happen to you. So did Lilac." Then the dwarf shifted his attention to Hope. "But, I am not sure about this, whether the witch had told you or not."


    "Tell me what?" Hope asked, she looked at the dwarf and Raine back and forth questioningly.


    "That we will die in order to win the war," Raine answered her solemnly.


    Hope frowned. "I have heard that. But, why do we have to die in order to win the war? In what way would it help with gaining an upper hand?" she didn''t really believe whatever she heard about this.


    She heard the story about how the guardian angels were extinct centuries ago, from Kace, but from her knowledge, it was because Jedrek was being manipulated and those guardian angels were being treated poorly, thus they became the sacrifice for the war.


    However, aside from that, it was not necessary for them to die in order to win the war.


    "Your understanding is still shallow. Once you know the depth of this problem, you will understand that everything you see is not always the same thing that actually happened," the dwarf spoke in a deep voice. There was no mocking smile or smug look on his face now, he looked very serious when he said that.


    "I hope you can enlighten us, sir¡­?" Raine ended her sentence in a question mark.


    "You don''t have to call me sir or know my name. I have known your mates for centuries and they didn''t even bother to call me by name. You know, they didn''t care for little things like these," there was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.


    "I am not my mate and I do want to know your name," Raine said softly. She knew what it felt when people around you didn''t even care to know your name or even your existence.


    The dwarf widened his big green eyes and his smug smile returned to his face. "Nutdrouk."


    "Sir Nutdrouk," Raine said.


    "I am not a ''sir''," protested the dwarf.


    "Nutdrouk," Raine corrected herself. "I hope you will keep your words to help us."


    Ignoring what Raine said, Nutdrouk spoke. "It was nice to hear my name being called again."


    ==============


    Merry Christmas for you, who celebrated it. May the spirit of Christmas bring you and your family hope, love and happiness.


    xoxo

 Chapter 858 - UNEXPECTED VISIT

    Casey and Connor fought again, but this time, Connor lost it and he slapped Casey until her lips split and bled.


    "Next time you said that word again I will punch you hard enough for you to know your place!" Connor flared. He didn''t even felt sorry to see the girl that he had been in love with for five years now, sitting in the dirt and cried her eyes out, while holding her cheek.


    After saying that, Connor went away, leaving the girl in her miserable state alone.


    Casey was sitting on the ground, in the front yard of her house, staring at the man that she had loved with all her heart, but now she realized that his shadow alone disgusted her.


    She wiped the blood from her lips and it stained the back of her hand. Her lips stung when she touched it, as she could taste the metallic tang from her blood.


    Casey blinked her eyes in confusion and slowly, she licked her lips again. To her surprise, she liked it.


    She liked the taste of her own blood. She had never known that blood could taste so refreshing like this and¡­would be so addictive.


    Casey frowned, her pain was long forgotten as she looked at the stain at the back of her hand, she pondered for a while before she decided to lick it.


    She felt as if she was not normal when she tasted her own blood, but at the same time there was something that made her become more relaxed for the first time since months¡­


    ==============


    Raine shivered in her sleep, the cold wind caressed her skin waking up her. She moved her body to look for her mate''s warmth, but then she frowned.


    Torak was not there and when stretched out her hands, she found the place beside her was empty and cold. It meant, it had been a long time since Torak left her alone.


    In an instant, Raine opened her eyes and her sleepiness was gone.


    She looked around her cautiously and felt slightly relieved that she was still inside her room. Sometimes, because of her power, when she woke up in the middle of the night like this and couldn''t find Torak beside her, she would be scared silly that there was a fat chance she used her power without even realizing herself and threw herself to different time again like what had happened a few times in the past.


    However, when Raine realized she was still in their room, she knew that Torak only went out of the room to receive a report from someone, and he wouldn''t stray too far.


    Raine got off from her bed and walked toward the door barefooted, from behind the closed door, she could hear Torak muffled voice. He was talking to someone in the corridor, just like what Raine had thought.


    Raine didn''t want to go back to her bed and sleep, thus she waited for Torak just behind the door. Leaning her back against the wall, she reminisced what happened today.


    However, what her mind mostly thought at this time was the fact that the dwarf had come to this realm, wanting to help them.


    It sounded odd, but Raine really wanted to know what she could do to get a hold of her power. For now, everything seemed to be calm, since the execution day.


    However, no one was truly able to forget what actually happened that day, though Lilac and Hope had never mentioned about it again, but Raine could see the sadness in their eyes every time they encountered the centaurs in this castle.


    And the worse thing was; this could get even more nastier than this.


    The things that the dwarf told her also left her feeling unease and it felt like the more she wanted to know it, the more complicated the answer was turning out.


    Raine played with her hair, while thinking and waiting for Torak to be done with his conversation, yet it didn''t take a long time before Torak opened the door and found his little mate standing there in a daze.


    "Did I wake you up?" Torak approached Raine and hugged her. He felt the little angel gingerly nuzzling against his chest and her soft voice could be heard.


    "Yes," she said.


    "I am sorry," Torak scooped her in his arms and carried her back to their bed.


    "It felt so cold without you," Raine said in a teasing tone, as she felt the soft mattress against her back and Torak hovered above her.


    "Were you trying to seduce me?" Torak pecked her lips and watched as the hue crept up her cheeks attractively.


    "Yes," Raine said softly.


    ==============


    The dwarf chose to reside at the far end of the north wing, where he found an empty small building like a cabin, which was almost the same like the one he had lived previously.


    By saying that he was there with the permission of the Donovans and that the guardian angels told them to help him, the dwarf managed to make the guards to do his work.


    This place was not the best, but at least he could sleep peacefully now.


    Well, that was what he thought when his sleepy eyes caught a glimpse of a woman, who was sitting on the table in front of him.


    "Arrghh!" the dwarf screamed, but his voice was muffled with a flick of the witch''s finger.


    Nutdrouk jumped on his bed and stomped his feet angrily, while moving his arms frantically to gesture at the witch to get rid her spell.


    "I will do, but you need to calm down," Serefina said, staring at her nails uninterested.


    Stomp. Stomp.


    Nutdrouk didn''t want to hear that and Serefina didn''t care, but when the dwarf started to try to hit her with a pillow, she flicked her finger again and he fell butt first.


    "Calm down!" she hissed irritably, her lime green eyes glared at him.


    "What do you want?!" Nutdrouk whisper- shouted at Serefina, he thought he could have a peaceful night after the long journey, but what the hell that made this crazy witch to come and visit him here?

 Chapter 838 - TWO WRONGS DONT MAKE A RIGHT

    Kai looked up at the sky, and the dark clouds which were still blocking the sunlight. It had been three days since the sky turned very gloomy like this. There was no rain, but the daylight had turned into night¡­ no one could explain this phenomena.


    The cold wind blew and the leaves fell from the trees. This almost felt like fall season, but it looked murkier and made everyone feel depressed only by looking this atmosphere.


    Kai closed his eyes and felt his heart heavy for unknown reasons, he had been feeling dejected and the fight between Casey and Connor only got worse.


    Jammie, who was sitting beside him in the second class didn''t look better either. It only added to his bad feeling.


    Everything seemed not right with all of this¡­


    And once again a rumbling thunder from the sky could be heard, though there was no rain that would fall down.


    ==============


    "Brother, are you sure, you will not come?" Stephan asked his brother Reynold. "The Donovans had met with each other to prepare for the up coming war. What will you do?"


    Reynold was staring at the gloomy sky from their castle. Even from here, he could clearly feel the dark aura that was emanating from the city. There was something evil which was spreading like a famine in it.


    "We will not do anything," Reynold said. "Torak promised us to get us our female, but he didn''t do it. The devil promised us to release our female, but they did not do that either," he said through gritted teeth and balled his fists in anger.


    The Lucifer promised Stephan that he would let him to meet with their last female, but he lied, which was not something new if it was coming from the devil itself.


    It was them, who had been stupid enough to trust those wretched creatures.


    "What about the war? Which side will we choose?" Stephan asked carefully, looking at his brother, who seemed like he would burn into flames.


    However, Reynold said nothing but kept staring at the gloomy sky and turned deaf ear to the thunder that rumbled between the dark clouds.


    This was just the beginning.


    ==============


    Lilac had woken up and appeared slightly better, though Jedrek still not allowed her to leave the bedroom.


    Since a few people were inside the room to look after Lilac, such as Raphael and Lana, Eaton, Calleb, along with the other guardian angels, Jedrek agreed to leave her side and went to the dungeon with Torak and Kace to meet with Chiron.


    They have two smattering problems that kept building up every passing second, thus they had to start with sorting out which one they had to handle first.


    Since the guards had been killed on the other day, when the strange black rain poured down the city, and most of them had gone missing, they brought all the people from Torak''s pack and the people who came for Kace, to reside inside the castle.


    The people from the town nearby, who were attacked by the rogues, had started to rebuild the place and everything seemed under control as they tightened the security around that area.


    However, the cases of missing people among the citizens had spread to the other regions. Now, it was not only this city or the small city nearby, but there were also a few cases in the west and south regions too.


    Jedrek could no longer cover it up, especially when those missing people were managed to be found by the citizens and returned to their families.


    However, from the information they got, those people had lost their beasts. They were now became the broken shifters. The shifters without the souls of their beast.


    At this rate, if they didn''t make a move fast, things would only get worse.


    The people, who had been touched by the devil were among his citizens. They were now akin to ticking time bombs. No one could predict what would happen to those people when the devils decided to use them.


    Therefore, the only thing that Jedrek could do now was to ask his people to keep their eyes on them.


    "What will you do to him?" Kace asked casually, but Jedrek and Torak could feel the concealed tension behind his voice, yet they didn''t say anything about it.


    "Ask him," Jedrek replied curtly, but it didn''t answer his question.


    "And after you ask him?" Kace asked again, he was afraid to hear the answer, as he could already guess what it would be, but he had to.


    "Kill him," Jedrek replied again, as they turned another corner in the dungeon.


    It was dark and the atmosphere here was damp.


    "Is it possible for you to not kill him?" Kace asked again and he got a glare from Torak, who was walking beside him, while Jedrek walked ahead of them.


    "No," Jedrek said, he kept his answer short.


    Kace closed his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. That wasn''t even a question. "What about Carina and Zarrn?"


    Zarrn and Carina had been locked in two different cells while Chiron was in another separate cell, and they had not been able to talk with each other since the day they were brought to this castle.


    Jedrek didn''t answer that immediately, but he gave some thought to it. "Carina will die along with the chief. For the other centaur, it will depend on what answer he choose to give."


    Kace was about to talk again, but Torak held his arm and stopped him. "If you don''t want to be here, you can go."


    Kace didn''t need to be there, since he was too emotional for this, but their younger brother insisted to come along.


    "No," he refused. "I want to hear his reason too."


    "You don''t have to," Jedrek said sharply, he stopped walking and turned around to face his brother. "You know what exactly was his reason for whatever he had done."


    "Then why don''t you give them a second chance?" Kace narrowed his eyes. "You are not in the right either."


    "I am not, but two wrongs don''t make a right," jedrek said.


    ***


    While waiting for a new chapter, please check my other story: IT''S HARD TO CONTROL MY NAUGHTY WIFE, please support the book with power stones, as it is on the writing contest for this week.


    Thank you so much! I am really appreciate it.


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 Chapter 859 - STRANGE WEATHER

    It took Jedrek''s entourage two weeks to get to the eastern region. On normal days, the entourage would reach this place within a week or less, but since Lilac was with them and Jedrek was still concerned about her condition, they had to rest from time to time, adding to the fact that the weather was not really good.


    Rain continued to lash out from the dark sky, and though it was supposed to be day, the sky above was gloomier than night time.


    Large droplets of rain that fell on the carriage made Lilac frown, it felt like she was being thrown at, with pebbles.


    Jedrek, who was sitting beside her dr.a.p.ed a blanket around her shoulders and pulled her closer making her lean against his chest, while he rested his chin on the top of her head.


    "Do you think they are still alive?" Lilac asked softly. She stared blankly at the red curtain that covered the window of the carriage.


    Jedrek had told her about the eastern region and gave her a rough description about what was happening there.


    Maximus held strong influence over the east and that place was filled with witches, in that case, Jedrek had brought a few witches as well with them, while Lidya had to guard the main castle.


    And as for the other witch with red hair¡­


    It was like a taboo between them that they wouldn''t even think of touching that subject. They both avoided the conversation to talk about Serefina''s betrayal and when they seemed to remotely got anywhere near that conversation, they would stop themselves and pretend like nothing happened, just like how they treated the issue with Chiron.


    They had not talked about that since Lilac broke down after the execution, even when there were only the two of them.


    "They shouldn''t kill them if they want something from us," Jedrek played with a strand of Lilac''s hair and kissed her head lightly.


    Lilac didn''t reply to it and soon slipped deep into her thoughts.


    If the eastern region was filled with witches and, in worse case, they didn''t want to cooperate with Jedrek because he had killed Maximus, then what can they do?


    Witches were Machiavellian creatures with magic that could kill you if they wanted to, especially when you encountered the dark witches.


    Therefore, if they lost their support and those witches joined forces with the devils, Jedrek had planned to roast them alive and destroy the eastern region with the help of Lord Bayle, the dragon lord of fire from the north region.


    However, another problem that aroused her was Lilac didn''t trust that man, neither could Jedrek. There was something that not felt right with that man and this disturbed her constantly. The way lord Bayle looked at her on the day of the execution¡­ those eyes¡­


    Though the dragon lord was under a pact with Jedrek and the latter had assured her that he was not a threat, yet who was Jedrek lying to? Lilac could sense his distrust just from the way he mentioned his name.


    "But, if they don''t want to?" Lilac murmured.


    "Then we will be the ones to kill them." It was either they chose them or the devils, but if they leaned toward the latter, then they must be destroyed.


    Jedrek wouldn''t wait for them to join forces with the devils and strengthen their power to go against him.


    Actually, Lilac wasn''t really fond of that decision, she hoped their visit wouldn''t come to that disclosure, but if it did end that way, what else could Lilac do? She knew the importance of this matter and her likes or dislikes wouldn''t lead them to win the war.


    "It will kill them¡­" Lilac murmured. "The witches, Killian and Tordoff¡­"


    Jedrek cupped her chin when she finished saying the last name and looked at her intensely. "Are you worried about Tordoff?" He asked rigidly.


    Lilac frowned when she sensed Jedrek change of mood, but then realized what she said wrong. It seemed Jedrek had grown a suspicious thought about Tordoff''s feelings toward her, though his guts said that he was not wrong either, but Lilac thought Jedrek''s reaction now was a little bit too much.


    "I am worried about many things and yes, he and Killian included." Lilac said decisively.


    Jedrek narrowed his blue eyes and spoke in a deep tone. "I am sure you also know that he had grown fond of you, I let it pass because he had never done something outrageous, but if he dared¡­"


    Lilac cut his words with a kiss. "He wouldn''t dare," she said quickly. For now, she didn''t want to hear about killing people again.


    "Hope he doesn''t," Jedrek replied curtly, as he stared deeply into his mate eyes and hugged her, as if she was his most precious possession.


    ==============


    It was raining since last night and the gloomy sky made Hope felt anxious for some reason that she couldn''t put a finger on.


    Maybe it was just her, but she felt that everyone that she met also appeared restless, especially the guards and the shifters with lower rank, like the Omegas.


    "You feel it too, right?" Lana approached Hope, she was holding an apple and chewed on it.


    Hope''s eyes landed on her and she couldn''t help but stare at her swollen belly. The shifter had a short pregnancy time, they would only spend four months of pregnancy before the labor.


    And now Lana was half way there and the baby had already started to move. Of course, Raphael, as the expectant father would be very protective toward Lana, but sometimes, she found Raphael''s overprotectiveness was way too troublesome.


    "Feel what?" Hope smiled and touched Lana''s stomach, contemplating.


    "It feels a little bit off¡­" Lana bit another chunk of the red apple in her hand.


    "Hm, maybe because of the weather," Hope mumbled, she then shifted her focus back to the bunch of people that were training. The lycan warriors. Their countenance was brutal and fierce, yet somehow it brought comfort for Hope that they were on their side and strong enough to protect them.


    "I hope so," Lana said, staring up the sky.

 Chapter 862 - I WILL MAKE THEM COME TO US

    "Why should I go with you?" Lidya asked irritably, her hair fluttered in the wind and the cold expression on her face was in sync with this frozen river in the cold weather.


    "Because we don''t trust him," Hope said simply. She shrugged her shoulders and walked toward the river bank. The spot she possibly thought where she heard something from beneath, the last time she was here with Serefina and Lilac.


    On the other side, Raine looked around her, she didn''t really get it that why they had to come to this place again. The last time she was here, she met with the shadow warrior that she thought dead. Dorian. That was not a pleasant memory to remember, since his warning managed to occupy her mind for a few days.


    "You don''t trust me, but you agreed to come to this place," the dwarf scoffed disdainfully, which was completely ignored by Hope as she questioned back.


    "Why should we come to this place?" Hope folded her arms in front of her chest and looked around her suspiciously as if the devils would jump out of nowhere, if she let her guard down for a few moments.


    "Because you heard something from beneath this frozen river, didn''t you?" the dwarf tapped the iced over surface to make sure that it was safe for him to walk on it. "Come here."


    "No," Hope rejected his idea immediately.


    "This is safe," he said in a demanding tone. Nutdrouk jumped on it to prove his words that he was right about walking safely on the river. "Come here!" he said, seemingly upset.


    Hope frowned, she looked at Lidya, asking for her advice. But, the witch also frowned. "What will you do once she walked over? First of all, make your intention clear and tell what you are going to do instead of giving out orders as if you are the boss here!" Lidya shouted at the dwarf, who was already three meters away from the river bank.


    "D*mn you witch!" Nutdrouk cursed, he heard a fair share of scolding from Serefina, thus he didn''t need another witch to tell him what he had to do.


    "What did you say?!" Lidya roared. "Say it again and I will drown you right now!" Lidya raised her hand wanting to blast the frozen river, so the dwarf would disappear from their sight.


    However, Hope tugged her cloak stealthily to remind her that they still needed the dwarf.


    Hope asked Lidya to come with them to this place with the dwarf, without alarming their mates. Because they would outrightly reject the idea of coming here. With a hundred percent guarantee!


    Actually, Raine also had her own doubts. She did not agree to follow the dwarf without Torak''s consent. Meanwhile, because Raphael and Calleb were busy with the training, instead of making the Gamma to follow them around, her mate replaced him with ten lycan warriors, who now were waiting outside of the dwarf''s cabin, without any idea that the four people inside were already gone.


    Thankfully, though Raine didn''t agree with Hope, she didn''t spoil her plan either, she kept silent but just like Hope, she looked around worriedly now.


    The reason why Hope wanted Lidya to come along with them was of course for their own safety and if the dwarf turned out to be a traitor and planning to stab their backs, the witch could teleport them back to the castle at any given moment.


    Yet another reason for Hope to trust Lidya, was because they were still on an agreement that Hope had to fulfill. Lidya needed her alive.


    "So, are you coming or not?!" Nutdrouk ignored Lidya''s angry words and talked to Hope directly. "Or, you just wanted to hear that from where you are standing now?!"


    "Hear what?!" Lidya lashed out.


    Nutdrouk clicked his tongue, he was upset because Lidya kept cutting the conversation between him and Hope. "The sound of the voice that you are hearing now. Don''t you hear anything?" Nutdrouk tilted his head questioningly.


    "What sound?" Lidya''s eyebrows creased and she turned around to look at Hope, who was standing beside her, seemingly in a daze.


    Meanwhile, Raine came closer to their little quarrel and listened to what they said. She stopped herself from saying anything when she was not sure with the situation and chose to observe first.


    "¡­the voice," Hope said finally. It was the same voice that she heard when she was here for the first time. Like a whisper. A murmuring sound that she couldn''t quite discern what it was saying.


    "Voice?" Lidya asked. "What voice?" she turned her attention toward the dwarf.


    "Come here if you want to know," the dwarf said with a smirk on his lips.


    Raine looked at Hope, she couldn''t help but feel worry about her, knowing Hope for a few months now, she knew exactly what she would choose.


    ==============


    "The barrier," said Sybil, the witch that came with Jedrek''s entourage. The witch with long white hair that reached her h.i.p.s, stopped the entourage when she felt there was something wrong.


    "Barrier? For what??? Jedrek asked, he couldn''t see it, but he could feel there was something off in the air which also carried a faint scent of citrus.


    "The shifters can''t go through. Only humans," she said. Sybil walked forward and raised her hands, as if she was touching an invisible wall before her. "This is a strong magic, your majesty," she said contemplating.


    From this hill, they could see the city of the eastern region below them, with a few buildings and the wall that surrounded it, just like what they had back around the castle.


    "Put it down," Jedrek ordered, he glared at the city which stood far from him and could feel his anger starting to boil his blood. How dare they put this kind of thing to prevent him to enter the region?


    "A barrier?" Lilac got off from the carriage and walked gracefully to stand beside Jedrek. "We just need to talk to them, right? I have another idea to make them come to us."

 Chapter 863 - SOMETIMES HE FORGOT

    Jedrek looked at his mate, with interest to hear what she was saying. What would his unpredictable mate want to do this time?


    "What will you do?" Jedrek looked at Lilac expectantly. He was more than willing to listen to his queen.


    Lilac smiled secretively at Jedrek and walked ahead, but then the lycan''s eyes widened in surprise and out of instinct, he grabbed her hand and yanked her back.


    "What you will do?!" Jedrek yelled at Lilac, his soft gaze now turned hard.


    "The barrier makes the shifters unable to go through, but it won''t have any effect on humans, right?" Lilac turned around to ask Sybil.


    The witch with the hair as white as snow, nodded her head. "Yes, your majesty. It won''t have any effect on humans."


    "And I am human," Lilac said, winking an eye at Jedrek, yet the king was too stiff to get her joke. Nothing was funny, as long as it had something to do with Lilac''s safety.


    "No," Jedrek said sternly. He didn''t let go of Lilac''s arm and he wouldn''t budge from his decision either.


    "She said it is fine for me to go," Lilac said innocently as she pouted her lips. "Don''t worry, I will not be going too far."


    "No," Jedrek didn''t accept her reasoning.


    And upon hearing a second rejection, Lilac frowned, she looked around her and observed Jedrek''s people who were now staring at them, curious to know whether their overbearing king would relent to his mate or not.


    "You should listen, my queen, this is for your own safety and is not a play thing." Sebastian stepped forward to give an advice.


    Though it was a nice advice on the surface, Lilac could still feel the way the general still couldn''t get rid the idea that she was a guardian angel with all the rumors that was said about her kind. Sebastian was still looking down on her from the underlying meaning of his words ''play thing''.


    "I am not playing," Lilac countered sternly. She then glanced at Jedrek''s hand, which was still holding hers and then raised her head.


    Lilac tiptoed to whisper something to him.


    She didn''t want to argue with Jedrek in front of his people or even worse deny him, it wouldn''t be good for him as a king, whether in the end he would relent to her or not.


    Those people should respect him and Lilac would gain her own respect by showing them that she was not as weak as what they thought about a guardian angel.


    "Let me do it," Lilac whispered to Jedrek, her warm breath brushing against his skin deliciously. "They erected this barrier, it means they had known that we will come to them and they will not think that you can come across it."


    "No, Lilac," Jedrek said sternly when she finished whispering to him, but the look of disappointment on her face made him to add. "Unless you go with Sybil." He offered a solution. "And not further than half way to the city."


    The city behind the wall in the eastern region looked as large as the one in the southern region, where they were living now.


    However, this place looked gloomy, as if this city had been abandoned.


    "Okay," Lilac agreed and kissed Jedrek''s cheek, to comfort him, lest he took back his words. "Let''s go Sybil," she said.


    "Yes, my queen," the witch replied solemnly.


    "You go first," Jedrek said, he still held Lilac''s hand as he asked for the witch to go first and cross the barrier.


    The king''s intention was very clear. If something did happen and Sybil''s prediction was wrong about the safety of the barrier for other creatures except shifters, then the witch would bear the consequences first.


    In the end, Jedrek didn''t want his mate to get hurt.


    Though, it was only Sybil who knew where exactly the barrier had started, but from the way she tried to feel it earlier, Jedrek could see that the barrier started where the hill became sloppy with many trunks beneath it.


    Lilac should be careful if she wanted to go down there.


    Sybil nodded and walked carefully down the hill, yet when she tried to jump the trunk in front of her, the trunk suddenly moved on its own making a way for her.


    At first, Sybil was surprised because she didn''t use any magic to move it, until she turned around and saw her queen who was smiling softly at her, Lilac''s hand made a wave movement to get rid of the obstacles for her to take easy steps on this sloping land.


    "Okay, now?" Lilac asked Jedrek. Her eyes brimming with elation.


    "Hm," Jedrek hummed. Sometimes he would forget that his mate held such a power in her small body. Her angelic face also made it hard for people to categorize her as someone who was formidable.


    It took a few more seconds longer for Jedrek to let go of her hand and watch her walk down the sloping hill with ease.


    Lilac walked alongside with Sybil and stopped when they reached halfway to the city. The guardian angel turned around and saw her mate, who was staring at her intensely, while his people stood alongside the barrier.


    The moment Lilac turned her attention back to the city, the sound of a thunder shook the earth, as if rejecting her presence, but a smirk appeared at the corner of the guardian angel''s lips.


    ==============


    Hope walked over to the dwarf, who was now standing ten meters away from the river bank, under the worried stare of Raine.


    Meanwhile, Lidya still didn''t agree with Hope''s decision to go there.


    "If she doesn''t want to listen to my words, then what was the use of me being here?" Lidya was upset, she clenched her teeth when Hope almost slipped on the surface of the frozen river.


    "I will be surprised if she listens to you," Raine replied and smiled softly when Lidya glared at her. "She asked you to come here, because she believes you will protect her if something went wrong," Raine said in reassuring tone.


    Lidya glanced at the girl beside her and scoffed. "You know, you are really good with words, remembering that you are the quieter among the three."

 Chapter 864 - THE SUN HAD GONE

    Connor looked up at the sky and felt a little bit lose when he watched how the already blackened sky became even darker for the last two days.


    It had been a full week that the light from the sun failed to penetrate the gloomy clouds that were hanging low in the sky.


    People couldn''t possibly guess whether it was day or night and this situation left all the people restless. They didn''t know what happened and the government still had yet to release a statement regarding this phenomena.


    The people, who liked conspiracy theories, would say this was the end of the world and they would never see the sun again, but some of them would refuse the idea, too afraid even to think about it.


    A few months ago, if someone said that they would never see the sun for a long time and the day would turn into night, no one would have believed it and would ultimately laugh at it.


    However now, even the theory of the end of the world sounded reliable.


    Connor sighed and lowered his head. He didn''t feel like he wanted to go to see Casey. They had been having an endless argumentation for a few days about something that they didn''t even know about precisely and she had been acting strange recently.


    ==============


    "Brother, are you sure, you will ignore the summons from the Alpha?" Stephan looked at the gloomy turned day worriedly. This was not something within his wildest imaginations. The war was truly coming¡­


    "No," Reynolds said, he was still adamant to stay in his castle. He wouldn''t move an inch if he didn''t get what he wanted.


    There was no point of them to go through the war, their kind would go extinct anyway if they didn''t get their female back and alive.


    It sounded weird, but it was important for Reynold to keep the earth dragon shifter lineage from not stopping with his generation.


    But neither Torak nor Lucifer, seemed to give what he wanted.


    ==============


    Lilac smirked when she watched the city from afar.


    From where she was standing now, she could feel the life beyond the wall.


    The guardian angel saw the east castle, which was the highest building among the others with sky risedtowers and that was her aim.


    Lilac closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had never done a massive destruction before, but she knew that she had been suppressing her power all this time and she would be able to achieve more if she was given an opportunity.


    Sadly, in the past, she wouldn''t be able to do what she was about to do now.


    Therefore, Lilac was thrilled to unleash her power. She wondered whether this would work or not, but whatever the result was, at the very least, she knew that she tried her best.


    "My queen, what are you going to do?" Sybil asked her in confusion. She didn''t have any idea what Lilac would do from here.


    "What is your element?" Lilac asked. Normally, every witch had a different element, which they would advance in controlling and it would affect their magic as well.


    Like Serefina, she was attributed with fire.


    "Water, my queen," she answered respectfully.


    "Good," Lilac said. "I want you to create rain above the city now."


    Sybil looked hesitant. "The city is too far and my spells would be blocked by their barrier." But then she added. "But I will try."


    Afterward, the witch looked heavenward and concentrated for a little bit longer until a layer of perspiration appeared on her forehead.


    After that, they could see the sky turning even murkier and the dark clouds gathered above the city, creating ripple after ripple of lightning.


    "It will only last for three minutes or less, my queen," Sybil said and the water lashed out on the city along with thunders, creating a storm over the city.


    "That''s enough," Lilac said, satisfied when she felt the people in the city running around, looking for shelter.


    Afterward, Lilac knelt and placed her palms on the surface of the ground, she looked straight at the arrogant wall that protected the witches in the eastern region.


    ==============


    Hope was a little bit worried when she managed to walk on the surface of this frozen river and stood right in front of the dwarf.


    Nutdrouk''s height only reached her waist, thus she had to lower her head to look at him. "Now what should I do?" Hope asked anxiously she didn''t want to stay in this place longer. What if the layer of the ice cracked all of a sudden and something bad happened?


    "I want you to concentrate and listen to what the voice that you could hear trying to tell you," the dwarf said in a strict tone, as if he was a teacher who was telling his student to study hard.


    Hope followed what he said and closed her eyes in order to concentrate more, but after a full ten minutes, she opened her eyes and looked at Nutdrouk disastrously. "I can''t¡­" she said softly.


    "Concentrate more," Nutdrouk said, demanding. "You will be able to catch what it was saying if you can connect to it."


    Hope frowned. "What should I connect with? What is this voice from? You know what it is?"


    "You will know once you hear the voice clearly," Nutdrouk said, shaking his head like a rattle drum, as he demanded for Hope to concentrate more. "Don''t think too much and just let all of your senses guide you."


    "You don''t make any sense," Hope grumbled, but she gave another try.


    This time, she tried to listen to the wind, feeling the coldness in the air that bit her bare skin and, of course, the murmuring voice.


    She tried to let herself sunk into this flurry voice.


    It came from beneath, from under this frozen river and echoed through the stream of the water beneath it.


    Therefore, Hope knelt down carefully and put her palms on the icy surface to support her body when she bent over to place her ears closer to the source of the sound.

 Chapter 865 - THEIR POWER

    Aside from the thunder from the rain which was pouring down heavily in the city, some other thunderous sounds came from the ground.


    It shook the city wall like an earthquake and sent all the citizens running in to the open streets, while covering their heads, afraid that the nearby buildings would fall onto their heads when the dirt crumbled.


    The screams and criesof people along with children filled the entire city. The quiet and peaceful day had turned into a nightmare.


    But, that was not all, because beneath the ground, they could see something moving very fast toward the castle. There were around ten such things burrowing their way toward one direction, the east castle.


    All the citizens tried to go out of the city wall, because those creepy things scared them and the surrounding buildings threatened to collapse at any moment from now.


    Far away from the city, on top of the hill, the king watched as the citizens of the eastern region started to go out from the protection of their wall, and a smirk appeared at the corner of his lips.


    Jedrek shifted his attention back to his mate, who was still crouching in the same position like before. She was squatting down with her palms pressed flat onto the ground, her eyes concentrating hard.


    Meanwhile, beside the king, Sebastian and Theo''s jaws dropped when they witnessed the destruction that their new queen unleashed just in the blink of any eye.


    By now, the rain stopped pouring down, but the dark clouds were still hanging low on top of the tower.


    Yet, it didn''t stop there.


    They could see something very big gliding like an enormous creeper, which coiled the highest tower of the castle and crushed it down, even they could hear the sound of the stones crumbling from a afar, and the tower tumbled down to the ground within a few seconds.


    That enormous creeper coiled the tower like a snake to crush its prey.


    They were not sure what was that, but knowing Lilac, it must be her power that created that. A natural force!


    Witnessing all the happenings up to this point, Sebastian and Theo remembered all the mean things that they spat at Lilac, about being a weak guardian angel and they suddenly shuddered.


    A single guardian angel could ruin a city without a trace!


    What would happen if the other two guardian angels were also here to join this?


    Even Jedrek looked at his mate indulgently.


    However, something caught his scent and he turned around abruptly to check his surroundings, yet he couldn''t find it.


    "What happened, your majesty?" asked Sebastian upon sensing Jedrek''s puzzlement.


    "Nothing," Jedrek spat curt and cold before he looked at the city once again. That must be his imagination.


    For a second, Jedrek felt like he smelled the citrus scent that he had known very well. This citrus scent was different from the one that he smelled earlier and that scent belonged to her.


    From here, Jedrek could see Lilac overthrew another tower of the castle in the city.


    Lilac was right after all, if they couldn''t get inside, it would be the best to draw them out from their safety.


    All of the devastation lasted for another five minutes, until seemingly all of the citizens from the eastern region had gone out of the city wall and gathered in front of it, like a flock of frightened animals.


    Only then did Lilac stopped what she was doing and stood up gracefully.


    She noticed that a few towers had disappeared, which were crumbled down and the dirt was now heaped behind the high wall, not within her sight.


    "The witches came over," Sybil said.


    "We will return," Lilac replied and turned around to walk back to the hill with Sybil in tow, who was chanting a few spells, in case those witches would attack them from behind.


    Despite them having to climb up the hill, it was not at all difficult for Lilac, as she cleared her path and made the sloppy surface turn into stairs for her.


    Up the hill, Jedrek waited for her with eyes filled with affection.


    He took Lilac''s hand when she was close enough to him and wiped the dirt from her palms, while saying, "you did a great job."


    Lilac''s smile was akin to the bright sun when she heard his compliment.


    Jedrek was so rare to express his feelings, therefore, the moment he did that, Lilac felt appreciated and elated.


    When she turned around to see the five witches coming over to where they were standing with angry steps, Lilac glanced at Sebastian and Theo, who kept staring at her since she climbed the hill and gave them both a look, as if saying; what? Do you still think I am weak?


    With that look, Sebastian and Theo averted their gazes and looked somewhere else.


    Jedrek saw that, but didn''t say anything, since his woman could handle the whole city, two generals would be nothing in her eyes.


    He loved how Lilac let him saw her weakness and raw emotions when it was only the two of them, it helped Jedrek to show her his, but she would appear strong and unperturbed when they were in the public.


    ==============


    Hope bent down her body and placed her ear as close as she could to the icy surface.


    She could now hear the voice clearly from its bottom, but couldn''t understand a word from it. What was that? The sound was like someone was crying, or screaming¡­? She was unsure.


    "Raine!" the dwarf shouted to her, to get the other guardian angel''s attention.


    Raine, who was looking at Hope current state worriedly, shifted her attention to Nutdrouk, who was wearing a blue shabby robe.


    "What?" Raine shouted back at him, the sound of thunders made everything around here more nerve-wrecking and she didn''t want anything else except go back to the castle and melt in Torak warm embrace.


    "Concentrate!" Nutdrouk shouted again.


    "Concentrate on what?!" Raine asked in confusion.


    "Time!" Nutdrouk waved his hand and the blue lizard glided down from his hoodie on to his hand.


    "What?" Raine became even more confused with his words.


    At the same time, something horrifying happened. It happened very fast that even Lidya couldn''t see it coming.

 Chapter 866 - THEIR POWER (2)

    The lizard glided down from Nutdrouk''s hoodie and landed on the ice-covered river, but when the dwarf was talking to Raine about using her power to control the time, the blue lizard strated breathing fire onto the surface of the river, causing the icy surface beneath Hope to melt.


    Hope was surprised and tried to move away from the lizard out of instinct, yet it was too late and the icy layer under her feet started thinning and it wouldn''t be able to hold her weight longer. Sure enough, soon an eerie crackling sound could be heard along with the rumbling of thunder from the sky.


    Hope''s heart skipped a beat when she saw how the ice cracked beneath her and she could feel the water burst from the gaps, wetting her cloak as the coldness bit her skin.


    All of this happened so fast and no one saw this coming. Not even Lidya.


    Three seconds was all it needed for Hope to fell into the river and to be trapped under the ice-covered surface, because the thin layer of the ice was cracked by the fire breathed by the blue lizard.


    "No!" Raine started screaming frantically and rushed forward to help Hope, but the dwarf stopped her immediately. With magic he pushed Raine away until she fell onto her back.


    "Use your power to stop the time or she will die," Nutdrouk said. His voice was very loud and demanding. He glanced at Hope, who was trying to swim against the current to reach the spot where she fell.


    However, it was hard to do since she used several layers of warm clothes and the current was quite strong down there. She tried to break the ice with her bare hands, yet she herself knew it was a futile attempt to break the ice by doing so.


    Hope watched through the murky layer of ice, she expected someone might do something to help her, but all she could see was Nutdrouk, standing without moving a single muscle, staring back at her.


    "Lidya! Do something!" Raine stood up and yelled at the witch.


    However, when she raised her head and turned around to see where the witch was standing a moment ago, she couldn''t see anyone. The witch disappeared.


    "Lidya?!" Raine was in panic. She was the only one on the ground now. "Lidya!?"


    And when Raine looked at the place where Nutdrouk supposed to be standing, the dwarf was not there as well!


    "What is this!?" Raine was upset beyond words. She was alone at this river bank, all she could see was the vast river, which stretched out for as long as her eyes could see and the clearing behind her with some vegetation and a few trees, while the dark gloomy clouds were hanging low above her head.


    Raine gritted her teeth and balled her fists.


    Was the dwarf trying to make a fool out of them?! Where was he now?!


    Raine had never felt this angry before as she felt now knowing that the dwarf used this method on them. She was very familiar with this, since Serefina always used the same trick on her.


    The witch would push her limits until she didn''t have any other choice, except to fight back. Making her situation very miserable to bring out the power from within her.


    It was also the same just like when Serefina forced her to speak or when she would push her to face her nightmares.


    It was indeed effective, but Raine despised it a lot.


    And now the dwarf tried to use the same method!?


    Raine clicked her tongue and looked around her once again, only then did she realize that she was a few meters away from where she was standing earlier as she could see the pile of empty barrels, where she met Dorian when she came here the last time, on her right side.


    Therefore, she had to run toward that direction¡­


    If she was here and Lidya was not with Hope, then what would happen to her?


    ==============


    Jedrek stood tall above the hill with Lilac beside him. When the five spell casters finally appeared beneath the sloppy ground, they looked up to him with eyes full of malice.


    "My king," one of the oldest spell casters, stepped forward and greeted Jedrek, but the smirk at the corner of his lips and the way he stared at Jedrek, showed nothing but resentment.


    "I wish your words are true," Jedrek said in a low voice, but it was audible enough for them to hear.


    "May I know what occasion that brought you here? And made us, your humble servants to be graced with your presence?" he spoke with such sweet words, but everyone could see that he wasn''t feeling grateful upon seeing Jedrek.


    "Drop your pretense, Swan," Jedrek said calmly. The wind fluttered his cloak and despite his calm demeanor, they knew that a storm was raging within him.


    The older wizard named Swan chortled and took another step forward, he craned his neck to look at Jedrek.


    "What do you want Jedrek?" he asked, brazenly addressing the king with his first name. And, this disrespectful action was immediately rewarded with loud growls from the lycans behind Jedrek and Lilac. "No need to be hostile, I used to visit you when your father was still responsible for the throne. We were family until you decided to kill all the members of Gregory family and Maximus. I have warned you back then and I will warn you again now," Swan said without wavering under the hard gazes of the Lycanthropes. "If you don''t get out of my sight right now, I will¡­"


    "You will what?" Lilac cut his long monologue, she was standing beside Jedrek, thus her small body was oblivious compared to the king of the lycanthropes beside her, yet it didn''t make her presence any scarce, there was something about her that made her look no less dominant than Jedrek.


    "So, you are the guardian angel?" Swan raised his eyebrows and smiled viciously at Lilac. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my queen."


    "I don''t think you are feeling any pleasure to meet me from the way you greeted us with this barrier," Lilac snapped.


    "Yes, but you returned the favor by destroying our city," Swan replied.

 Chapter 867 - THEIR POWER (3)

    "Oops," Lilac covered her mouth with her hand dramatically and she could see from the corner of her eyes that Jedrek was smiling softly, as he rested his hand on her h.i.p.s. "I just want to make you come and see us, actually."


    Swan glared at Lilac, but upon hearing a vicious growl from the king, he averted his eyes and talked to Jedrek instead. He didn''t think he want to deal with this woman now.


    Why was the king always got involved with a woman, whose tongue was even more sharper than a knife? In the past, it was Serefina and now this guardian angel!


    And then a smirk appeared on his wrinkly face when he spoke. "Why do you want to see me so badly my king? This barrier actually is nothing. Don''t take it personal." He waved his hands, as if what he was saying was just a joke.


    However, Jedrek didn''t want to beat around the bush and talk nonsense with this old wizard, thus he got to the point immediately. "Where are my general and the mind reader?" he asked in a low and threatening tone.


    Swan feigned a surprise, he widened his eyes and gasped. "How would I know, my king? Aren''t they your people? Did you lost them?"


    Jedrek watched his expression in silence and didn''t answer that stupid question, instead, he posted his own question. "You know the war is coming, which side are you?" he asked without missing a beat and witnessed the viciousness flashed in his opponent''s eyes.


    "Of course your side my king," he said with such ease and that left the people who heard him unable to believe his sugar-coated words.


    Swan was playing with Jedrek and this kind of mocking was not acceptable in the eyes of the king, he squinted his eyes. "Swan, you know I don''t want to play this stupid game of yours anymore," Jedrek said. "Give me back my people and I will decide which side you are."


    "My king, your people are not with me," Swan said calmly and then he turned around to ask the four spell casters behind him. "Have anyone of you seen the general and the mind reader?"


    The four of them shook their heads in denial simultaneously.


    "See? No one saw your people, your majesty," Swan said. He touched his neck with a painful expression. "I am already old and can''t stand much longer. Why don''t you come to the castle, I believe there are one or two towers left." He looked at Lilac and his expression turned serious. "I heard the rumor about you, my queen. You can control nature, but only now I got to witness that you held such great power in you¡­ Selene must favor your resurrection this time to gift you such powerful magic."


    "If you dare to turn around I will assume you are my enemy," Jedrek said, ignoring what Swan was blabbering about the guardian angel. "I will wait here until tomorrow and if you don''t give me what I want, you can imagine what will happen."


    "Jedrek, you don''t need to threaten me," Swan said, this time he changed the way he talked to Jedrek again. "If you ask for your people, I want to ask for the last Gregory, where is he?"


    Swan was talking about Maximus and everyone knew that the traitor had joined the dead in Tartarus.


    "He broke a rule and I killed him," Jedrek said emotionlessly and the eyes of the old wizard hardened.


    "You broke the promise as well by killing him," Swan spoke through gritted teeth. His eyes were bloodshot as his temper flared up.


    He was quite fickle as a person, yet the spell casters behind him did nothing but stared anywhere and everywhere except at Jedrek and his people.


    While Jedrek and Swan exchanged deadly glares trying to dominate one another, Lilac sensed something was wrong with those people. They looked uncomfortable with where they were standing in this dispute.


    "Do you expect me to keep him by my side after what he had done?" Jedrek sneered. "Go ahead, do what you want to do, but you know that I hold grudges dearly for all my enemies and they will meet their end soon. Do you think this barrier can hold me forever?"


    "You want to do the same thing by ruining my city?" Swan glared at Jedrek now.


    "That is my city Swan, remember that!" Jedrek spoke harshly and turned around with Lilac beside him, leaving the fuming wizard behind him.


    Jedrek''s people sneered at the old wizard and turned around as well. They knew that their king would do exactly what he said.


    "You better have a good reason to turn your back against us, Swan, except revenging Maximus. He is dead and what you will do, will put your life to end as well. Decide carefully." Sebastian said before he followed the other lycanthropes.


    ==============


    Raine was trying to run toward the direction of the pile of empty barrels where she met Dorian before, but no matter how fast she ran, it seemed she couldn''t reach it.


    That place was like fatamorgana for her, it got farther and farther.


    She stopped and panted lightly. Above her, the sky was still as dark as before with thundering sounds that continued to ring like a bell.


    This wouldn''t do. There was something wrong with this place and she didn''t have any clue what she had to do with her current situation.


    What did the dwarf meant by using her power?


    How could she use her power in this kind of magic that didn''t even include the change of time? Or was it?


    ==============


    Hope felt her breath almost leaving her lungs empty and she started to choke on the water, it felt like it was forever since she fell into this icy water and her skin shriveled in no time because of the coldness.


    However, before her consciousness could fade away completely sending her mind astray, she heard that voice again, this time it was clearer than before.


    The voice came from the depths of the river, calling out for her.


    What was that?


    Hope forced herself to hang onto her remaining consciousness and tried to turn her body around, facing the darkness of the deep river.


    ==============


    HAPPY NEW YEAR!


    Hope this year will bring more joy and happiness!


    Love you all!


    xoxo

 Chapter 868 - THEIR POWER (4)

    Hope struggled to keep her eyes open and moved her limbs, yet due to this biting cold water, her body had already turned numb and her consciousness was almost slipping away. But against all these hurdles, she fought back to keep her remaining consciousness and she caught a glimpse of the voice source that she had been hearing whenever she was near this river.


    All this while she could only hear something like a crying sound, but when she pushed herself to her limits, Hope felt something warm brushing past her skin all of a sudden, and she saw a pair of beautiful red eyes staring back at her in the depths of the darkness.


    Hope couldn''t take her eyes from whatever that thing was nor was she able to move her body when those eyes spurred toward her.


    What was that?


    ==============


    Raine walked along the river bank, while thinking what she should do now, but she didn''t run like she did earlier, instead, she looked around her, trying to grasp this situation.


    What should she do now? The dwarf told her that she should use her power. However, if her power was related to time, what exactly she had to do when she was stuck in her current time and wasn''t going anywhere? Or, was she?


    Raine looked around her one more time and she was sure that she was still in the apricity river and it was still frozen like it had always been, except the time when the lycanthropes attacked the village of angel. The water in the river turned red during that particular time.


    Raine sighed heavily, she looked up to the murky sky, which was still dyed in the color of night. She stood in daze until she sensed something approaching in her direction.


    "What is that?" Raine frowned and looked around her, but couldn''t see anything, yet the sound was getting louder and louder.


    Then, everything happened in the blink of an eye and Raine fell on her back when she realized what creature had flew from the night sky.


    It was a bird.


    A bird fanned out its bright red wings and threw back its beautiful head feathers, which burned up into the night like real flames.


    It''s body as big as a regular human, plummeted from the high sky.


    The creature was huge and when it''s figure closed in with its feathered wings opened wide, it blocked the night sky from Raine''s vision.


    The guardian angel couldn''t look away nor could she close her eyes. She was baffled and was in disbelief at what she was seeing now.


    However, before that bird could touch the ground, its wings flapped violently while letting out a deafening screeching sound.


    Raine closed her ears with both her palms, yet she couldn''t close her eyes. The bird was breathtaking yet same time dangerously mesmerizing.


    The massive creature flew into the sky and screeched. It flew around Raine''s head.


    "What¡­ is that¡­? A phoenix?" Raine managed to utter that word in her perplexity. She was unsure whether it was a phoenix or not, since she had never seen one in her entire life.


    Phoenix was a myth and a creature from bed time story in her life, yet when lycans, devils and centaurs could exist, Raine didn''t think that having a phoenix in that list, was impossible.


    However, before Raine could get over her bafflement, she caught sight of something more terrifying than the breathtaking phoenix.


    Coming from the frozen river were nine massive snakes, breaking through the surface of the ice while letting out angry cries.


    ==============


    Jedrek held Lilac closer to him, feeling her warm and steady breath against his neck and the spark that spread through their n.a.k.e.d bodies.


    They were inside the tent on the hill where they would wait until the sun rose tomorrow, or it could be a few hours from now, the sky was still the color of the murky dark and the sun still refused to shine.


    Jedrek ran his fingers along Lilac''s black hair and her bare shoulder to her back. She was fast asleep, looked very tired after mustering all the power she could earlier and their intense love making moments ago.


    He loved to have her in his arms and feel her body curled up against him, as she purred softly in her sleep.


    Surprisingly, after the tension of meeting Swan this afternoon, this night was exceptionally quiet and peaceful.


    Jedrek could hear the cracking woods, which were used to make bonfire, outside his tent.


    The king leaned over to kiss his queen''s temple and pulled her even closer.


    However, at that time, a certain scent hit his senses. This was the same scent that he smelled when he saw Lilac destroying the tower in the city.


    Yet, this time it was stronger, as if that person was nearby. Was she?


    Jedrek tried to ignore this unpleasant feeling, but when he was sure that this must be her scent, he untangled himself from Lilac and got off from the bed.


    Jedrek covered Lilac''s body under the blanket securely and kissed her temple again, made sure she wouldn''t wake up when he left her for a moment.


    He picked up his clothes from the ground and put them on. After he was properly dressed and grabbing his cloak, Jedrek walked out of his tent and found a few lycan warriors were still awake as they rotated their shifts.


    Those warriors greeted their king, but Jedrek simply raised his hand, gesturing them to be quiet and they conceded by nodding solemnly to him in respect.


    Jedrek walked in to the dense trees, toward the source of the scent.


    This citrus scent was the scent that they had smelled since they arrived in this northern region, but the citrus scent from her was a little bit different, thus no one could detect her presence, except Jedrek.


    He knew her very well to tell that he was sure it was her.


    Jedrek walked among the trees with the sounds of the crickets as the background, away from the camp that his people had set, until he saw her.


    The witch''s red hair fluttered in the wind, as her back faced him.


    However, Jedrek knew that she was aware of his presence.


    "What do you want, Serefina?" Jedrek asked.


    ==============


    HAPPY NEW YEAR!


    Hope this year will bring more joy and happiness!


    Love you all!


    xoxo

 Chapter 869 - THEIR POWER (5)

    The red haired witch turned around and her lime green eyes looked at the king of the lycans impassively.


    "What do you want, Serefina?" Jedrek asked.


    The witch walked closer, but didn''t break her eye contact with him. Her red cloak fluttered against the wind, as she moved gracefully.


    Jedrek watched every step that she took and found himself in a daze.


    When was the last time he met her?


    Was it in the garden before his mating ceremony? When he refused her suggestion for a final hug? It seemed so, because after that, Jedrek had never seen her again and she remained as a blurry memory in his mind, especially when the bond between Lilac and him was strengthened and the events after that had Jadrek almost completely forget about her.


    But, not the fact that Serefina had crossed the bridge and betrayed him.


    Maybe because it was not the first time she had done so, therefore the damage of her action this time didn''t feel really bad and with Lilac beside him, Jedrek could digest the fact faster and moved on to their next plan.


    However, the sight of her right now, made Jedrek reminisce the moments they were together. There was something strange with this situation, he felt more sensitive and nostalgic.


    "Jedrek," Serefina called his name softly and stretched out her hand to touch him. "I miss you, do you miss me?"


    Jedrek squinted his eyes, unable to move and let her cold fingers brush against his cheeks, along his jaw line and his lips.


    The king gasped slightly when his lips parted and Serefine rested her hand against his chest. She tiptoed and tried to kiss him.


    This peaceful night was a perfect scene for the lovers to have their intimate moment, to be drawn in this strange atmosphere and became addicted to each other.


    Jedrek watched as Serefina''s face loomed in his sight, closing her lime green eyes when she was about to kiss him.


    However, in one second, when she was about to kiss the man in front of her, but the next second she was screeching on the ground, fell on her back onto the dirt.


    "Jedrek!" Serefina screeched and glared at the lycan, but before she could utter another word, Jedrek had moved forward and clawed her face.


    His movement was swift and quick when he cut her throat, but instead of blood, it was black smoke that came out from the open wound.


    The smoke covered the red haired witch entire body, until her whole being disappeared before Jedrek''s eyes.


    Yet, it didn''t seem to leave the king in any surprise, if anything, he looked like he had expected this to happen.


    "You are very cruel, even to your ex lover," a woman''s voice rang from behind the tree, before she stepped out from the darkness and giggled.


    "Asmodeus," Jedrek called her name.


    He had guessed it was her, who had imitated Serefina''s figure and created such atmosphere that could lead into something else. This devil was truly pain in the a**!


    Jedrek had literally lived with the devils under the same roof, since he had to deal with the soul of his deceased father, back then when they were still in the main castle.


    He knew this trick and had often experienced it. However, the devils seemed not to learn anything and kept using the same method again and again.


    Moreover, Serefina wouldn''t have done that and say such stupid things. That word had never left her lips, even when they were together, the witch would scarcely say something susceptible like that.


    "You always knew it was me," Asmodeus said with a regretful sigh at the end of her sentence.


    Jedrek didn''t have time to deal with this devil, neither did he want to be with her any longer. If only he could kill the devil, he would have done that centuries ago, or on any chance that he was given.


    Unfortunately, the devils couldn''t die and it was pretty annoying to have sworn enemies he couldn''t kill.


    "Where are you going? We just met each other again after months!" Asmodeus yelled at Jedrek. "Hey, comeback! Don''t you miss me?" the devil asked coquettishly, but she felt upset when Jedrek didn''t even glance at her and walked back to his camp.


    "Oh, so annoying like always," the devil grumbled.


    However, when Jedrek finally disappeared from her sight and Asmodeus thought she was all alone now, she suddenly felt something flew past in her direction and out of instinct, she moved away to dodge whatever came her way.


    When she turned around, she noticed what they were and couldn''t care less to guess whose work it was.


    They were fireballs, which burned the ground where she was standing earlier.


    "Do you want to burn me?" Asmodeus turned her head and looked at the figure that leaned against the tree lazily, with another fireball, ready to be launched at the devil in any moment.


    "Can I do that?" Serefina raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Since you can''t die twice, what are you afraid of?" she asked in a mocking tone.


    "Very funny," Asmodeus let out a wry laugh and scoffed. "Are you done with your task? What are you doing here?"


    Serefina shrugged her shoulders and looked at the woman. "I am the one who had to ask you, what were you doing, pretending to be me?"


    "No need to get mad, your man is very faithful, he even knew that it was not you," Asmodeus grinned. "It''s okay, this is not the first time I got rejected. I have been living with him for centuries, so I got used to his behavior."


    And another fireball came in her way, but this time Asmodeus caught it with her bare hand and extinguished it with a blow.


    "Stop throwing these things at me, I will not touch your man again. It''s not like he would ever let me do that." she said irritably. "Are you done with your task?"


    "Hm," Serefina hummed and turned around to walk away.


    "Great!" Asmodeus said cheerfully. "So, it meant even if the guardian angel stops the time, it won''t affect us, right? The last time it happened, it was very annoying."


    "Yes," Serefina said.


    ==============


    HAPPY NEW YEAR!


    Hope this year will bring more joy and happiness!


    Love you all!


    xoxo

 Chapter 870 - A SNEAKY KISS

    "What do you want?" Sterling opened the door, standing tall with his arms akimbo, blocking the door, so that Calleb couldn''t pass nor could he see his mate clearly.


    This overbearing father had smelled Calleb scent even before he could reach this place.


    The sterling family resided inside a house in the north wing of the castle and now Calleb wanted to take Rosie for a leisure walk before dinner. It would be the best if Sterling let him join the dinner as well, but if he didn''t, maybe Calleb had to try it in another time.


    "Can I see Rosie," Calleb said and then added. "Please."


    "What do you want with my girl?" Sterling folded his arms, showing his muscles and glared at him.


    This afternoon they had trained together and from Calleb''s point of view, he enjoyed the time when he could show the other lycan warrior his moves by tackling him down again and again.


    This lycan used more strength than necessary and Calleb couldn''t attack him back!


    Well, it was unlikely he would try to attack Sterling since it would only throw him a hundred steps back from being with Rosie. The Gamma had to think this through, whether it could benefit him in a long run.


    Sigh.


    Why should he be the one to experience something ridiculous like this when Raphael could claim his mate easily and now they were already expecting a baby, meanwhile, he was having a hard time even to grab hold of his mate''s hand..¡­


    "Taking a walk with her before dinner," Calleb said.


    Fortunately, Sophia came to his rescue and elbowed her mate to push him aside while bringing Rosie along with her.


    The girl looked at Calleb sheepishly and was wearing a beautiful blue dress and her long hair was tied into a simple bun on top of her head.


    However, when Calleb thought this night would be perfect, Raphael came out of nowhere to ruin it.


    "Date later, Torak issue!" He said in hurry.


    "What?!" Calleb shouted in frustration. "Not now!"


    ??No. Now!" Raphael urged him and Calleb could see a triumphant smirk on Sterling face and disappointment in Rosie''s eyes.


    However, before Raphael could drag him away, Calleb moved quickly to kiss Rosie''s cheeks and whispered. "See you later." And then ran away even faster than Raphael.


    ==============


    "KILL THEM ALL!" Torak flared. He was livid beyond words when he heard their report saying Raine was not inside the cabin, where she should be.


    Apparently, the dwarf or the witch had teleported the two guardian angels without the lycan warriors knowledge.


    And now when Torak finally came to know about this, he couldn''t contain his anger. It was just like the last time or some other times in the past when Raine was missing and travelled back to the past. He didn''t know where she was nor did he trust her with Nutdrouk or Lidya.


    "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" Torak''s eyes turned bloodshot and his beast started clawing inside wanting to emerge to the surface of his consciousness, demanding to see blood as they couldn''t find their mate.


    At this point, as Raine was still unable to control her power, anything could happen and Torak didn''t even want to think about the slightest mishap that could happen to her, though his mind flashed a few gruesome images and he started to assume the worse.


    The seven lycan warriors fell to their knees upon hearing their death sentence. Their bodies shivered out of fear. They really didn''t know that the four people inside the cabin had gone, since they didn''t see anyone coming out from the room while they were guarding right outside all this while.


    "Torak," Kace called his name. "We will not get the girls back even if you kill them," Kace said grimly.


    Of course, he was on the same level of frustration as Torak, but he didn''t let the anger nor his beast got the best of him.


    Perhaps, this was the only thing that he should be thankful for suppressing his beast all this time; for being able to face this kind of situation and think more level headed.


    "No, it doesn''t," Torak said through gritted teeth, his bloodshot eyes were directed atKace now. "I just want to see their blood for failing the task to keep my mate safe."


    "My mate is also gone!" Kace emphasized that they were in the same situation.


    "Then you can kill them," Torak said simply.


    Kace really wanted to knock some sense into Torak''s head. Where was his even-tempered brother???


    Well, Kace had never seen Torak''s temper when he couldn''t find his mate, but he didn''t think he could be this irrational.


    "THAT''S NOT THE POINT!" Kace roared and this only messed up the situation even more, when the two brothers faced each other head on head.


    It was not without reason why Torak was acting like this, he just witnessed how Raine was in a dangerous condition after the devil caused damage in this place the last time they infiltrated the castle not too long ago.


    Torak just loosened up a little bit because he thought Raine would be safe now and the devils wouldn''t penetrate this place like before.


    However, he was wrong, it was the people from inside that messed up with his mate safety.


    "YOU! STOP IT!" Kace shifted his dagger look toward the lycan warrior, who moved forward to assassinate the seven lycans that failed their task.


    If Kace was any ordinary lycan, the lycan warrior wouldn''t listen to him, but the domineering aura and the Alpha tone that he used were enough to stop him in his tracks.


    Apparently, the time that Kace spent with those lycans to practice and finally take the leadership upon them were able to bring out this side of him, which he had tried to bury deeply in his head¡­ maybe this was also one of the reasons, how he managed to keep his beast under his control.


    Despite of this fact, that Kace and his inner beast were still not in sync, but at the very least he could say there was a truce between them.


    "You''re just wasting your energy to kill them," Kace softened his tone. "Let''s figure out what exactly happened inside the cabin first."


    ==============


    HAPPY NEW YEAR!


    Hope this year will bring more joy and happiness!


    Love you all!


    xoxo

 Chapter 871 - THE MYSTERY OF TIME

    When Jedrek returned to the tent, he saw that his mate was still fast asleep and her brows creased tightly as her body shivered from the cold wind which was blowing in when Jedrek opened the tent''s curtain.


    The king immediately closed it and kept aside his cloak before he laid down beside Lilac.


    However, the coldness from his skin, which came into contact with her n.a.k.e.d body, woke up Lilac, she opened her eyes and the wrinkle on her eyebrows deepened.


    "Why are you so cold?" she asked sleepily, as Jedrek put the blanket between them, so she wouldn''t feel his cold skin.


    "Sleep," Jedrek said in a coaxing tone. He didn''t want to explain anything to Lilac nor did he wished to recall what had happened earlier.


    However, Lilac was not pleased, her curiosity got the best of her, as she pushed back her sleepiness and forced herself to open her eyes.


    "What is it?" Lilac stretched out her hand and touched Jedrek''s face as she tilted his head in her direction, forcing him to look at her. "Were you outside just now? Something happened?"


    The first thought that came into her mind was; something might have happened with the wizard from the eastern region.


    She would have never thought it was something else entirely.


    "No, little flower, just sleep," Jedrek said, kissing her palms and met her curious gaze. However, when he noticed the way she stared back at him, the king knew that his mate didn''t want to let go of this matter without an answer.


    "Tell me," Lilac pleaded, she could see the complexity in his eyes and this made her feel unease. "You promised to share everything with me and won''t lie."


    Yes, Jedrek did said that, but it was easier to say.


    "I met the devil," Jedrek said in a passive tone.


    Upon hearing that, Lilac''s eyes opened wide, she propped herself upon her elbows and looked down at Jedrek. "How?"


    "There was a scent that I am familiar with, so I went out to check on it," Jedrek said truthfully. He caressed Lilac''s small face and tucked a few strands of her hair to ease her mind.


    "Then, what happened?" Lilac asked again. She placed her hand on top of his when he cupped her face.


    "Nothing," Jedrek replied. "I tried to kill her, but you know it yourself that we can''t kill the devil," he said lightly.


    "Her? was it Beelzebub?" Lilac asked again, she rested her head against his chest and heard his heartbeat, while Jedrek caressed her back. She loved it when he touched her soothingly.


    "No, Asmodeus," Jedrek said.


    And, silence stretched between them after Jedrek said that. Both of them relished this moment, as the spark between them offered consolation and peace for their complicated minds, but then Lilac asked softly.


    "What kind of scent that made you went out to look for it yourself?" she remembered Jedrek mentioning that it was a familiar scent.


    Jedrek was silent for a moment before he answered with the same passive tone, "Citrus."


    Lilac bit her lips, she didn''t know what kind of scent that ''she'' had, since she didn''t have the same strong senses like Lycans, therefore she asked in a low voice.


    "How does her scent smell like?" she waited for Jedrek''s reply, but he had never answered her and the night just passed like that, filled with perturbation.


    The peaceful spell was broken and both of them felt complicated when they thought it was best to not say it out loud, yet the freckle of this apprehension would only pile up.


    ==============


    Raine watched in horror as the nine heads of those enormous snakes appeared from under the frozen river and their mouths started to screech in anguish. The sounds of that creatures'' cry were terrifyingly deafening.


    Raine scrambled back to put some distance as far as possible she could, between her and those monsters, but her body seemed like it didn''t want to coordinate with her mind.


    She had never seen something like this. She couldn''t move an inch and sat dumbstruck with her eyes wide open.


    And from behind her, the phoenix flapped its wings as it let out a warning cry and flew very low to attack one of the nine snakes'' head. It swiftly pecked its eyes and flew away after making sure that that snake went blind.


    Raine gasped as she watched the same thing happening for the second snake and then the third snake.


    Because of the distraction from the phoenix, none of the snakes were interested to even glance in Raine direction and she was grateful for that.


    She continued watching until the raging bird blinded the fifth snake, as the phoenix avoided the counter attacks swiftly, its agility amazed Raine, only if she was not dumbstruck like right now, she would have been cheering jumping up and down in joy, encouraging the phoenix.


    However, as Raine sat on the ground dumbfounded and was seemingly in a daze, even forgetting to stand up, she heard someone whistling from behind her and she saw something flash before her eyes in high speed.


    Startled, Raine came to her senses and tried to stand up. She didn''t want to be an easy prey for whatever creatures that appeared now.


    Yet, when she noticed that it was someone familiar to her, Raine was stunned silly.


    She knew her. No, they met once in the past!


    It was the fae from the library in Rieka! The library, where Raine got the magical stone to answer her questions about the future. A dreadful future.


    It was her, and Raine was sure about it!


    What happened here?


    In between her conflicting thoughts, Raine breathed her name. "Purple¡­"


    She knew it was quite confusing, but it was the same fae she saw in the library and the lovely creature''s reaction told her that her guess was right.


    The fae named purple turned around and blinked her eyes at Raine, she frowned and flapped her wings, which were akin to dragonfly''s wings with various shades of blue and yellow.


    The friendly smile that Raine remembered was nowhere to be seen now, but she knew the fae wouldn''t hurt her. Yet, her question confused Raine even more.


    "Do I know you?" she asked.


    "Yes, we met before!" Raine summed up a little bit courage that surged in her being as she stood up. "We have met before."


    However, even before the fae could deny it, Raine noticed a familiar feeling, as realization finally hit her.

 Chapter 872 - THE MYSTERY OF TIME (2)

    Once again, Raine travelled out of her time. This place indeed looked the same, but what was happening around her now was different from all her past visits to this place. The time flow now was different!


    Was it after or before the attack on the village of the angel? The frozen river streamed passed that village, right? How far could this river go? Was the village of the angels still exist now? Or, it had been destroyed by the lycans.


    "I don''t think so," the fae said curtly, she scrutinized Raine for a moment before she decided that she was not her enemy as she looked weaker than her. "If you want to stay alive, you should go away from this place before this fight becomes even worse," she warned her.


    However, Raine shook her head stubbornly. "No, I will stay," she said.


    The fae creased her eyebrows, but she didn''t have time to argue with her. "As you wish," she said.


    The fight between the nine snakes against the phoenix continued, but over time, though the phoenix managed to blind six snakes out of the nine, those creatures were still alive and tried to bite down the beautiful bird down.


    And over time, the phoenix grew tired as well, its wings flapped weakly and its movement was not as agile as before.


    It was a great opportunity for the snakes to tackle it down.


    On the other hand, the fae, who watched all of this happen grew restless, she knew the phoenix wouldn''t be able to fight any longer, therefore she whistled to call the bird back.


    "We need to get out of here," she said to Raine this time. "I don''t know why you are here," she added, as she glanced in Raine direction and shook her head. "Are you a guardian angel?" she asked.


    And for the first time, Raine was glad that she was recognized as one. "Yes, I am," she said.


    "Didn''t you came too far from your village? Where is your shadow warrior?" she asked, but her eyes kept straying to the phoenix, as she raised her hand to receive the bird before they proceeded to run away from the snake monster.


    Raine''s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. Was that mean during this period, Aeon was still alive?


    However, she didn''t have time to think about that when the bird flew toward the fae''s hand, yet the snakes followed him along , continued to screech. Their nine heads rose up high until it seemed like it touched the clouds in the sky.


    And only then did Raine realize that, in spite of having nine heads, those were all connected to only one monstrous body. It was a single monster but with nine heads!


    "What is that monster?!" Raine shouted in fear when the nine heads of the snake tried to get the bird that blinded six heads out of it''s nine.


    "Hydra," the fae said between her labored breathing. "Let''s go!" she caught Raine''s hand and started to run, while the snake followed behind them.


    "Watch out!" Raine pushed Purple away, as she jumped to the side as one of the snake''s head plummeted from the sky and pummeled the ground where the two of them were standing moments ago.


    Seeing that, the phoenix rose up high into the sky and dived down straight into the river, which lured the snake away from the fae and in to the river.


    It was unprecedented. And, it was unimaginable what would happen deep down in the ice cold water. Whether the phoenix would survive or not, turned into a mystery as not even a single sound could be heard from the water.


    "No!" the fae screamed dreadfully as she flapped her wings and flew up in the air. She looked down toward the frozen river''s water, which had now turned into the color of red. "No," she muttered, while shaking her head like a rattle drum.


    And with that, the fae started to cry and flap her wings violently until it created harsh winds around the are surrounding the river.


    "Purple, stop it!" Raine tried to get the fae, flying high in the sky to get down, but apparently it was a futile attempt to calm her down by only words.


    It was almost as naive as Raine tried to convince herself that the phoenix was fine before she watched in horror as the color of the river water turn red.


    ==============


    Hope felt something touch her and with her last bit of consciousness, she saw a beautiful bird swimming toward her.


    She must have gone crazy, how could a bird swim in this frozen river? But, she had seen it with her own eyes!


    It''s wings flapped against the current of the river before that creature crashed into her and wrapped her in his claw. Hope thought, at the very least, she would get hurt because of it, but apparently the bird wrapped its claws around her cloak and brought her straight ahead to the surface.


    If Hope could make any sound, she would have screamed when the bird''s beak crashed the hard ice and flew up from the water along with her tugged to its claws.


    ==============


    After the short conversation last night about where Jedrek had gone to, Lilac acted a little bit more formal toward Jedrek and the later could feel it from the way she avoided his eyes.


    Therefore, after Lilac helped Jedrek to wear his cloak and finished buttoning it with her head hanging low, Jedrek caught her hand just as she was about to go out of the tent.


    "Tell me," Jedrek said.


    "Tell you what?" Lilac asked, trying to release her hand from his tight grip, but it only prompted Jedrek to pull her even closer.


    The king hugged his queen from back and rested his chin on her shoulder, trapping the guardian angel in his arms.


    "What is bothering you?" Jedrek didn''t want to talk about what had happened because he didn''t want their relationship to take another step back after what they had gone through. However, at the same time he wanted to keep his promise not to lie to her.


    Lilac bit her lips and held Jedrek''s hands, as she felt his warm breath brush against her neck and the lycan nuzzled his face against his mark.


    "Do you think I went out of the tent because I want to see Serefina?" he asked.

 Chapter 873 - THE MYSTERY OF TIME (3)

    "Do you think I went out of the tent because I want to see Serefina?" he asked. That name was like a trigger for many unpleasant memories between the two of them, they hadn''t talked about her since that day.


    However, Jedrek didn''t want to intensify any misunderstandings between them and create another problem that could distance them from each another. He was starting to love these serene moments when he was with Lilac. Even though Serefina''s matter was still at the back of his mind, still Jedrek didn''t want to bet his relationship with Lilac, which had now improved.


    "Wasn''t it?" Lilac asked softly, her eyes casted down, she was not sure whether she wanted to hear Jedrek''s answer or not.


    Whether he would answer her honestly, which would hurt her if he said ''yes'', or he would lie to her, which would hurt her as well. Neither of the answers would make her feel better and Lilac hated feeling like this when there were a lot of things that they should sort out.


    "I thought it was her, but it was not," Jedrek said. "The devil tricked me with her scent."


    "It didn''t cover up the fact that you were looking for her last night," Lilac murmured. She felt her anger boiling up in her stomach, as her throat pained when she uttered these words.


    "There are a few questions that I have for her and I need the answers," Jedrek said truthfully.


    It would be a lie if he said that he could accept Serefina''s betrayal just like that and didn''t even have a single question that had been bugging his mind.


    He had many questions to help him understood what were her motives and the most important thing that Jedrek wanted to know was; was it him that had forced her to side with the devils? Was it the relationship between him and Lilac that coerced her to decide on turning her back on him?


    No matter what everyone said and regardless Jedrek''s feelings toward Serefina, he couldn''t simply believe that the witch changed sides because of something which she already knew that it was inevitable. Moreover, this was what she chose for the two of them.


    Jedrek knew her for a long time, through up and down of his life, and could even vouch that she wouldn''t be that shallow to follow a reason like that for betraying him, or Kace. The younger Donovan was like a brother for her.


    Jedrek had tried to understand her standing, but she shut him out after what she had done to him centuries ago.


    That was what Serefina chose for them, yet why would she that?


    "Regardless of my feelings, let''s talk about you," Jedrek said and turned Lilac around, so she could face him. "You have some questions for her as well." He ended his words affirmatively. It was not a question, but a statement.


    Lilac lowered her head.


    "What matters now is," Jedrek put his finger under her chin and lifted her head. "During this time, we shouldn''t question each other."


    It was the time when even the smallest insecurity could turn out to be a biggest mishap for them. The devils would play their roles nicely in that small gap.


    "Many people had turned their backs against me, but I don''t wish for you to embark that list nor do I want to do that to you," Jedrek said solemnly as he kissed her temple.


    ==============


    Torak was fuming mad. He wanted to vent out his anger by killing those useless lycans for not doing their job properly.


    However, after thinking about it again; who would have thought that the dwarf and the witch would teleport themselves out of this castle?Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/the-mystery-of-time-(3)_50273291021118375 for visiting.


    "What do you suggest?" Torak asked grimly, as he stood near the bed of the dwarf and scoffed when that cunning creature scent, hit his nose.


    "We will wait," Kace said, he too didn''t look any better than Torak, but at the very least, he was able to contain his anger and think more clearly than him this time.


    "Wait?!" Torak growled. "Anything could happen to them out there!" his temper flared again. It seemed his cool was completely out of the window, from the moment the news of Raine went missing reached his ears.


    "And do you know where to find them?" Kace asked irritably. "They could be anywhere."


    "That''s the best solution that you can give me?" Torak sneered, the edge of the table was cracked under his strong grip in order to calm himself.


    "At the very least, they are with Lidya," Raphael said.


    Meanwhile, Calleb who had been silent since he heard that Raine had gone missing again, finally spoke. "How much do you trust that which?" he asked in a strange tone.


    Of course, the Gamma was feeling immensely worried about his Luna. The guardian angels could be exposed to unknown dangers and they didn''t know where they were.


    "I trust her enough not to betray us," Kace replied after some time.


    "Like how you trusted Serefina?" Calleb questioned straight to the point. Even Serefina whom they thought was on their side had betrayed them, thus how could they trust the other person who was literally close to her?


    The situation would turn messier if the two of them didn''t come back.


    "Call the head of the hunters and the centaurs here, I want to talk to them," Torak spoke to Jack, who was standing at the door.


    ==============


    Raine tried to cover her face from the harsh wind that the fae was creating, while asking her to stop.


    She couldn''t see anything with the dirt and pebbles swirling around her, but after some time, everything became normal and she even heard Lidya''s voice.


    "Raine, are you okay?" Lidya''s voice was very close and then Raine felt someone shook her body lightly.


    Only then did she put down her hand and Raine could see that she had returned to the time where she had left.


    "What is going on?" Raine asked, she was in a daze.


    "You disappeared for a few minutes," Lidya said in distress.


    But, at the same time they heard the sound of ice cracking again and as they both turned their heads toward the frozen river, their eyes were greeted with a scene beyond their wildest dreams.


    Something or more precisely some creature emerged from the ice cold water after breaking the icy surface apart. But that thing was too fast to decipher what it was as it flew straight into the sky like a lightening bolt. Yet, this bolt was red in color!


    &


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 Chapter 874 - THE MYSTERY OF TIME (4)

    It was the ''phoenix'' and grabbed in its claw was Hope, the bird of the size as big as a regular human''s body, loosened its grip on the guardian angel when they both were completely out of the cold water, making her fell on her back, while gasping for her breath.


    Hope coughed violently, greedily breathing in the cold air. She didn''t know how long she had been down there and was surprised that she was still alive.


    "Hope!" Raine was the first person, who ran toward her with Lidya following behind her closely. "Are you alright?" she helped her up to sit down and hugged her soaked body, in order to give her some warmth, ignoring the fact that act would wet her own clothes.


    "What have you done!?" Lidya glared viciously at the dwarf and immediately squatted down beside Hope. She touched Hope and Raine with her palms and the heat from her hands, helped to warm-up their freezing bodies a little.


    "You did it," said the dwarf lightly, he let the blue lizard to scramble back in to his hoodie and hide in it. "Both of you did it," he emphasized his words excitedly.


    However, to their surprise, Raine stood up and slapped the dwarf''s cheek very hard, the sound of it rang through this clearing, the brutal force of it sent the dwarf falling on to his back while holding his burning cheek.


    "What do you think you were doing!?" the dwarf flared, but the way Raine looked at him, forced him to swallow the rest of his protest.


    Raine was glaring at him murderously. "IF YOU DID THAT ONE MORE FREAKING TIME, I WILL MAKE SURE YOU WILL REGRET THAT YOU EVER GOT TO KNOW ME!" she yelled loudly at him.


    Forgetting her nearly death experience, Hope''s jaw dropped open when she saw Raine losing her temper. This was the first time for her to hear the guardian angel raising her voice. The sweet girl that she had ever known, turned into a violent woman.


    Not that Hope wanted to complain, actually she liked this side of her more.


    "If I didn''t do that, you will never be able to tap into your power," the dwarf spoke rapidly, trying to justify his actions.


    Yet, it only annoyed Raine even further.


    At the side, even Lidya didn''t dare interfere with the dispute between Raine and Nutdrouk. She stayed with Hope, hugging her to make sure she was warm enough after being frozen under the ice for some time.


    "Should I be thanking you for that?" Raine lowered her voice, but it sounded as cold as the wind that was blowing around them, while approaching the dwarf and squatted down so she would be at the same eye level with him.


    "You should," the dwarf said bravely. He didn''t want to let her know that he was intimidated by her, yet he already knew deep inside that he shouldn''t mess up anymore. His gut feeling told him there was something bad would happen.


    "In that case, let me thank you by showing what I have got," Raine said grimly as she stretched out her hand and touched the dwarf''s hand that was still holding his cheek, which was slapped hard by Raine earlier.


    The dwarf prepared himself for the pain that he would experience, he thought Raine would do something brusque to him or even slap him harder, yet none of that happened.


    At first, nothing happened, everything seemed normal for Nutdrouk until he heard Hope and Lidya gasping in surprise. That was when he understood that this fuming guardian angel might have done something bad.


    Nutdrouk looked at Lidya and Hope in confusion, he was still unaware about what was happening, his brows creased and his nose scrunched upon seeing their expressions.


    "What is it?" only when he was about to swat Raine''s hand away from his face, did he notice his other hand and screamed at the top of his lungs.


    His hands were shriveled and wrinkled, like an old creature! Which only left him looking feeble with skin stuck to his very bones.


    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME!?" Nutdrouk immediately scrambled away from Raine, keeping distance as far as he could before he scrutinized his own hand and touched his face. The skin felt so dry and wrinkled, until he couldn''t believe it was him.


    And when Nutdrouk looked at his reflection on surface of the frozen river, he got the idea about what was going on.


    Dwarfs had a long life span, they wouldn''t grow old easily and once it happened, it meant their time was close, as they were not immortal.


    Thus, when Nutdrouk saw that he had grown older and shriveled in only a matter of few seconds, he freaked out, shaking his head in disbelief as his heart palpitated violently against his chest.


    This was impossible!


    "What have you done to me!?" Nutdrouk shrieked and raised his head, staring at Raine, asking for explanation.


    However, what he saw was Raine, who looked at him with a face that was devoid of any emotion.


    Raine had been through enough of this already. The method that Nutdrouk used for them to push them to their limits, reminded her a lot about Serefina''s.


    If the witch were here herself, this was what exactly she would do, without any second thoughts. Despite knowing the result was actually worked out for them, as Raine could tap into her power, but the feeling of being forced to witness something that once broke your heart again and again, and constantly being scared under the pressure, those feelings just suck.


    She knew she should be grateful, but she couldn''t oversee the fact that she and Hope have to nearly face their deaths if it didn''t work out.


    "Raine¡­" Hope approached her and tugged her hand, so she could focus on her. "I think he got what you mean already," she said softly. "Let him go, will you?"


    Raine looked at Hope, but her eyes were still hard, yet when Hope caressed her back to ease her tension, she finally sighed and approached the dwarf again.


    Nutdrouk was afraid by her touch, but he knew he should let her if he wanted to turn normal again.


    "I hope you remember what I am capable of doing now, thanks to you, but no more," Raine said.


    &Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/the-mystery-of-time-(4)_50286173507085265 for visiting.


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 Chapter 875 - RETURN

    Raine''s touch turned the dwarf into his previous state, the wrinkles on his skin disappeared along with his bony fingers, which now looked more fattened.


    Only when Nutdrouk felt he had gone back to his usual figure, could he sigh in relief and wiped his face harshly.


    Actually, the dwarf wanted to scold and protest, but Raine was still annoyed, thus he didn''t want to aggravate her any further and worsen the situation even more, therefore he bit his tongue to prevent himself from ranting out.


    "Let''s go back to the castle," Raine said to Hope.


    However, this time, she didn''t wait for Nutdrouk or Lidya to take them back to the castle, instead she teleported herself and Hope.


    This surprised the two people even more.


    "Do you believe that?" Lidya walked over toward Nutdrouk, watching in awe when the two guardian angels disappeared before their eyes. "She teleported herself."


    "I saw it," the dwarf grumbled while looking at his body and touched his face, he was afraid there was part of his body that had not yet returned to normal.


    "How could she do that?" Lidya frowned. "She can''t control her power at all before, but now it seems like she had mastered it for years."


    "If you ask me, then who should I ask?" Nutdrouk groaned when he felt the harsh winds wiping his face, as he tightened the cloak that he was wearing. "I just followed what she told me," he said.


    Whether it was good for the guardian angel or not, the dwarf didn''t care much. He was already upset enough to be tricked by her this way to do her bidding like a dog.


    Lidya glanced at the dwarf beside her and spoke languidly. "I am not sure if you are aware about this, but as an old friend, I just want to tell you the truth about what will be waiting for you once you return to the castle."Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/return_50289428572195121 for visiting.


    "What?!" the dwarf snapped irritably. He didn''t think he want to hear something bad anymore.


    "Two angry lycans and the whole pack that were waiting to chew you alive," Lidya said in a mocking tone and laughed loudly when she watched how the dwarf''s expression changed instantly. "Don''t tell me that you are expecting that you can come back as you wish and receive nothing after you had literally taken the two lycan''s mates away for hours."


    The dwarf stomped his feet angrily and grumbled something incoherently. Before he spat out. "F*ck them!" he tidied his cloak and raised his eyes to meet with Lidya''s gaze, as he said. "You take care of the rest, I don''t want to get involved in this anymore!"


    And with a loud sound, the dwarf teleported himself from them, but for sure it wouldn''t be to the castle.


    ==============


    The time that Jedrek gave to Swan and the other spell casters was up and now they should give Killian and Tordoff back to them, yet instead of surrendering to the order, the spell casters lined up beneath the hill and busied themselves chanting spells after spells for their protection from the wrath of the lycanthropes.


    However, they didn''t have any idea what would come after them for their arrogance and self-righteous hypocrisy.


    "If you don''t want to see this, you can go back to the tent, I will ask someone to stay with you," Jedrek said to Lilac when they walked toward the hill, where they met Swan yesterday.


    Even from afar, Lilac could see around five hundred spell casters standing just at the foot of the hill, to defend their city.


    "No," Lilac shook her head. "Actually I need this to vent out some steam."


    Jedrek raised his eyebrows when he heard Lilac''s words. "What do you meant by venting out some steam?"


    However, the guardian angel just groaned something incoherently and walked faster than him.


    Yet, Jedrek caught her hand and pulled her back, he put his finger under her chin to lift her head, so he could see her straight in the eyes. "What are you upset about, little flower?" he asked with mirth in his eyes.


    Jedrek knew what flared his mate''s temper to this awful condition, he just wanted to hear it straight from her lips.


    But, Lilac decided to respond in a different way, she swatted his hand away from her face and tiptoed in her attempt to look more dominant than the king, needless to say that was a futile attempt. Nevertheless, Jedrek was bemused by her effort.


    "I will be fine, I can handle myself," Lilac said sternly and walked ahead of him, but she was still able to hear Jedrek''s voice.


    "Of course, you will my wild flower," Jedrek chuckled.


    ==============


    Raine returned to the cabin that Nutdrouk had resided for a few days, she thought that this place would be empty, but she should have known that her overprotective mate would be there to look for her after she disappeared for hours without telling him anything.


    Once Raine''s eyes spotted Torak, she was already in his arms in the next second, being hugged so tight until she was having a hard time breathing.


    "Torak, you are suffocating me," Raine, tapped his back to let him know that he was about to crush her bones.


    "I am sorry," Torak murmured and let her go. "Are you alright?" he pulled back a little and scrutinized her closely at an arm''s length of distance.


    Meanwhile, Kace was reprimanding Hope for being so reckless. Even so, he already knew for sure that this would happen. The lycan was very certain that it was Hope''s idea to follow the dwarf''s suggestion.


    After all, Kace had known her since she didn''t even know how to utter a word properly. It was easy to guess who was the perpetrator of this commotion.


    "Can you stop scolding me? I almost died, you know¡­" Hope grumbled and this tensed up the lycan instantly.


    "What happened? Something happened to you?" Kace froze, he looked around to find Lidya and Nutdrouk, but it was only Hope and Raine, who returned. "Where are those two d*mn people!?" he seethed.


    What did it mean that Hope almost died?!


    &


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 Chapter 876 - A MYTH

    Kai was listening to the news on the television while laying still on his bed, the voice of the news reader felt like a fading background in a different horizon and he was unable to catch what she was saying.


    The fatigued feeling that Kace felt a week ago, was now becoming worse and worse with each passing day. He didn''t even know what was wrong with his body.


    Both his parents had taken him to see a doctor, yet the doctor couldn''t find anything wrong with him.


    And even after the third visit to a different hospital, the result was same ; he wasn''t sick in the first place, or was he? they stopped trying to find what''s wrong and left Kai to lay down on his bed, staring in to the dark sky in a daze.


    Most of the people couldn''t remember when the last time the sun shone clearly past these dark clouds. It almost felt like the sun had completely disappeared from their lives.


    This situation didn''t just bring the negativity in a human''s life, but apparently this affected most of the citizens'' mental health too.


    People tended to become more sensitive and negative in this kind of situation.


    And no one knew what was the actual cause or when this would finally end.


    Kai sighed when he heard the news reader saying that there would be a solar eclipse soon. What was different from an eclipse now? Since the sun couldn''t even be glimpsed, there wouldn''t be any difference whether it was a solar eclipse or not.


    Kai moved his hand to reach the remote control and turned off the television. He felt awful and far from his useful self.


    ==============


    "What are you going to do now?" Lilac looked down at the spell-casters down the hill, who were staring at her viciously.


    They were talking something to Jedrek, but the king completely ignored them as he focused on what Lilac was saying.


    "Kill them all, of course," Jedrek said, with a tone that almost sounded like; is that even a question?


    "They outnumbered you," Lilac pointed out the fact. She had tried to use her power, but for some reason, it became difficult for her to break through their protection.


    Though, it was not impossible, but it would drain her energy, while the result wouldn''t satisfy her. Those witches must have added another layer of protection to tackle her power.


    "Really?" Jedrek raised his eyebrows suggestively.


    And at the same time, from the dense trees behind them, they could hear a buzzing sound.


    Lilac looked at Jedrek questioningly, but the lycan just smiled back at her. When the sound got louder and louder, Lilac turned around right in time to witness thousands of faes emerging from the trees, flapping their wings, armed with scythes.


    Lilac was amazed by the number of faes, but then she remembered that the house where she had been put into a deep slumber for a year, thanks to Jedrek, was near the village of faes. However, she wouldn''t have thought of seeing these many faes at a time before.


    "When?" Lilac was flabbergasted as she watched those faes flying above their heads as one of them flew toward Jedrek.


    Her blue wings stopped fluttering as her barefoot touched the ground and she greeted Jedrek. "Your majesty," she nodded slightly to Jedrek and Lilac. "My queen."


    Lilac returned her kind gesture, but she still couldn''t stop wondering when did Jedrek was able to contact them. How could he be this certain that the meeting with the spell-casters would come to this?


    Aside from spell-casters, faes'' magic wasn''t something that could be trifled with and with these many faes, the five hundred spell-casters shouldn''t be a problem for the two hundred lycanthropes.


    [I have this all planned, even before we left the city.] With Lilac beside him, Jedrek would not slack about taking all the necessary precautions. He indeed didn''t bring many lycanthropes with him, but he had another army that would back them up.


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    [And you didn''t tell me,] Lilac mind linked him sullenly, but Jedrek just grinned, before he turned serious and addressed the fae.


    "Be ready."


    "On your command, my king."


    ==============


    "I think the phoenix belong to purple, the fae that guards the library in Rieka," Raine said to Torak after she and Hope finished telling them what actually happened when they were teleported to the frozen river.


    From the expressions on their faces, they could clearly tell that their mates were beyond pissed right now to know that the girls were being exposed to such a dangerous situation.


    Kace didn''t stop to scold Hope for being so reckless for not telling them that the dwarf suggested to go to the frozen river.


    Meanwhile, though Torak didn''t say much, Raine was pretty sure she would get a piece of his mind once it was only the two of them.


    However, right now, filling them with this information was the priority. It could be something important.


    ??Yes, the phoenix belongs to her," Torak replied without doubt.


    "How do you know that for sure?" Kace asked him.


    They were still inside the cabin, listening to the guardian angels'' story, but at the same time Torak and Kace also waited for the dwarf to return.


    Even though they didn''t say it out loud, but it seemed that the two of them had a tacit understanding regarding this matter; the dwarf should learn from his mistake, so the next time he would remember before messing around with them.


    "Because the fae belongs to our pack," Raphael said simply.


    And it was a well known fact that a phoenix was one rare creature which would only serve a single owner for its lifetime.


    So, it was very possible that the creature flew back to its owner. And, from what Raine said about the possibility of other creatures residing deep in the frozen river, like the nine-headed snake: the Hydra. They would need that phoenix.


    "It happened long time ago when purple lost the bird during that fight," Torak told them. "She thought the bird was dead when it submerged into the ice cold river water along with the hydra, but if the phoenix managed to survive, so did the other creatures."


    "Hydra, I thought it was a myth," Kace said contemplating.


    "I also thought all of you are a part of some myth," Hope replied, but she was rewarded with a glare from Kace.


    &


    Check my IG story to know every character''s inner thought.

 Chapter 877 - DISPLAY OF AFFECTION

    The phoenix was a very loyal creature, so once it recognized someone as it''s master, then it would serve that particular person, it''s master for the rest of its life.


    Thus, it was not in the question that the majestic bird would seek for the fae''s whereabouts and needless to say, it would find her eventually. The bird itself was a magical being.


    "We need to go to Rieka," Torak said.


    "I can go to Rieka," Raphael interrupted. In his opinion, there was no need for Torak to go there all by himself, moreover, if he did left, the Beta wasn''t sure he could trust Kace fully on running this Kingdom.


    The youngest Donovan was already doing everything half-heartedly, coming to this realm to the training, then taking the responsibility to command over the other warriors like what he had done centuries ago, yet excepting him to run the kingdom would be a little bit farfetched outlook.


    He would either dump all the responsibility or mess up everything in the kingdom entirely.


    "No, you should stay here," Torak rejected his idea, because he had some other person in his mind that he thought was best for dealing this situation.


    "If you leave everything behind, who was capable of taking charge here?" Raphael voiced out his concern.


    Kace immediately raised both of his hands and glared at Torak viciously. "Don''t tell me you will leave this responsibility on me! I''m not going to bear it no matter what you say!"Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/display-of-affection_50351816176627502 for visiting.


    "No, you are coming with me," Torak said calmly. He really wanted to knock some sense into Kace''s head, so he could see how silly his reaction was just now.


    Torak was aware about Kace''s reluctance to take charge over things, but they didn''t have time to deal with it now. Whether he was willing or not, they had to do something that they must have done in order to handle the upcoming trouble.


    Actually, it wasn''t that Kace couldn''t do it, he just kept dodging the responsibility only because he thought he couldn''t.


    It didn''t matter whether he liked it or not, there would come a day when he had to put aside his childishness and face the reality.


    "Why would I go with you?" Kace frowned.


    "Then who was going to take charge here?" Raphael asked, the two of them blurted out their dilemma almost simultaneously.


    "Because I need you to find the fae in Rieka," Torak said simply, as if Kace should have known about that and there was no need to ask about it.


    "What? I don''t even know this fae," Kace said matter of factly, yet Torak didn''t have time to argue with him on this.


    "We have to move fast and I have to see the earth dragon shifter," Torak explained about his plan curtly.


    Those dragon shifters had tried to defy him even before the war had started.


    And, he could only think of dealing with them with the most primitive method that came to his mind right now, just like how Jedrek dealt with the people from the eastern region; if they couldn''t be your ally, then it was best to destroy them entirely, in case they strengthen your enemy behind your back.


    Moreover, those dragon shifters had crossed Torak''s bottom line, by ignoring his call.


    "I am sorry, but I don''t understand it even a bit," Hope chimed in. "Why should we find this fae and get this phoenix? The monster is in the frozen river. Whether that creature is alive or not, shouldn''t we go there and kill it before it could harm us?"


    "Hydra is a monster with nine heads, it was very hard to kill that creature, because every time we cut one of its heads, it would grow one back again," Kace explained to Hope.


    Hope''s eyes widened in disbelief. "I thought that kind of things only exist in movies," she gasped. "D*mn. I didn''t know that those monsters are real."


    "Watch your words, girl!" Kace flicked her forehead lightly because she was cursing. It had been a while since she did that, but actually it sounded nice in Kace''s ears. It felt like there was someone, who still found the existence of supernatural creatures was fascinating in her own way.


    Kace knew that Hope was mesmerized by the fact that those creatures were alive in real life. However, she just didn''t know yet, how terrifying to face them.


    "Does kraken also exists?" Hope crept closer toward Kace and whispered, though it was only Raine inside this room, who was not able to hear her.


    "You can''t leave this place without appointing someone capable in charge Torak," Raphael voiced out his own thought. It was not that he wanted to drag behind the Alpha''s plan, but who would take charge if both Donovans were out of the realm?


    "You will stay here with Calleb," Torak said as he nodded at Calleb.


    "Torak, no." Raphael raised both of his hands and looked at Torak incredulously. "You will not give me this kind of task, this is too much. Those hot headed Alphas would flare up within seconds if a Beta gives them a command."


    "Supreme Beta," Torak emphasized.


    Yet, Raphael kept shaking his head. Those Alphas only listen to him just because he was under Torak, but if Raphael agreed to take charge on all of them, he would be doomed to face those eyes full of dissatisfaction.


    "You can do it," Torak said firmly. "Calleb will be here to help you."


    "He will only add to my stress," Raphael grumbled.


    "What do you mean by that?" Calleb hit Raphael''s shoulder, annoyed. The Gamma was grateful that he was left behind, because he felt reluctant to leave Rosie.


    For God sake! He had never spent some proper time with his mate since the first time they met! It was either Sterling, her twin brothers, Bree or Raphael, who would always find something to ruin his perfect dates with her.


    However, despite his relief, Calleb was also worried about Raine.


    "You will take Jack with you, right?" Calleb asked Torak. Jack was the first person that was tasked to protect Raine when she was separated from Torak for the first time.


    Raine''s anxious gaze softened as she realized what Calleb was thinking and she teased him. "Why? Do you worry about me?" she chuckled lightly to make the atmosphere less tensed. "Don''t worry, my hubby will protect me well," she snuggled into Torak''s arms beside her.


    "Your public display of affection doesn''t affect me anymore, I have my own mate now," he said proudly.


    &


    Check my IG story to know every character''s inner thoughts.

 Chapter 878 - SHALL WE?

    "You can''t do this to us, Jedrek!" Swan roared and his voice boomed in the clearing. He wouldn''t have thought that Jedrek would bring a lot of back up with him.


    The fairies!


    How on the earth did he succeed in persuading those creatures to side with him?! The faes had been avoiding confrontations like this for as long as he could remember and chose to live in seclusion, in their own village of fairy.


    "Oh, I can," Jedrek smirked viciously, even Lilac was startled a little bit when she noticed how devilish he looked right now. "And I will show you how I can," the king said calmly.


    He had already given enough chances to the spell-casters from the northern coven realm to remember their place, but even now, they were still acting ignorant of the possible dangers which they had brought upon by themselves by rejecting to follow his order.


    Swan thought he could hold the Alpha back with his protecting spells as long as he could handle Lilac''s power with their own magic, as they thought that they could now understand how Lilac''s power worked when she destroyed their city with ease. How foolish of them to realize that they were totally wrong from the beginning?


    Meanwhile, Lilac''s eyebrows slightly creased when she saw how eager those spell-casters waiting to fight Jedrek. From her standpoint, it was indeed true that the spell-casters had the upper hand because of their magic, coupled with this barrier, which restricted the lycans from crossing over.


    Yet, when Lilac noticed how calm Jedrek was, she was starting to wonder; did he have some other plan that she didn''t know of? Like how he planned the faes'' surprising entrance.


    "Last chance, Swan!" Jedrek''s voice dripped with authority, just like the king he was. "For the sake of your contribution in the past, I will give you one last chance to give back my people to me." Jedrek''s eyes turned black when a low and deep growl erupted deep from his chest.


    Lilac, who was standing next to him, could feel it clearly.


    "Jedrek, what you will do about the barrier? Were the faes able to go through it?" Lilac asked in low voice, which could only be heard by Jedrek.


    In spite of the fact, this was day time, still the sun refused to shine and the cold winds that blew from the north left Lilac shivering a little bit.


    Jedrek noticed that.


    The king wrapped his mate in his cloak to prevent her teeth clattering from the cold winds. Lilac appreciated this gesture and her heart felt even more warmer than her body. "No, I will break the barrier," Jedrek replied to her.


    "How?" Lilac tilted her head and looked at Jedrek questioningly.


    And, instead of answering Lilac''s question, Jedrek raised his right hand, which was not holding Lilac''s body.


    Lilac followed his movement with her eyes and watched how Jedrek raised his hand in a beckoning move, as if he was calling someone, or¡­ something.


    A little while later, small burning flames appeared on the tips of his fingers and formed into a bird before landing smoothly on his palm. It was as big as a falcon, with majestic feathers that fluttered brightly like a bonfire.


    Lilac recognized this small creature as the famous firebird.


    "Firebird," Lilac gasped in surprised, she totally forgot that the Donovans had these firebirds within them, aside from the monstrous beast of lycan.


    The mystical bird soon left Jedrek''s palm and flew above their heads. It left dust of fire when the bird flapped its wings and moved toward the barrier, the one that was erected by those spell-casters.


    The bird let out a cry when it opened its small beak, as it started breathing fire out.


    Lilac and most of the people, who had never seen it, were startled when they saw how the small creature could create such majestic flames despite of its small frame.


    But, Sebastian and Theo didn''t even looked surprised, they smirked triumphantly upon knowing that Jedrek finally let out one of the legendary firebirds, which were only owned by the three Donovans. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/shall-we_50390402162816624 for visiting.


    The flames didn''t even spread ten meters far from the bird, as if there was something that blocked their path, but after a few minutes, something started to crumble, just like a haystack that was being burned. The whole invisible barrier came crashing down after being burned by the firebird''s magical flames.


    A wall of fire was created and it depicted the size of the barrier, it showed how gargantuan the invisible wall of protection that those spell-casters had created to prevent Jedrek and his people to come closer.


    "Shall we begin?"Jedrek tilted his head toward Lilac beside him and smirked when the wall of flames started to fade away. It meant the barrier already crumbled. It was only a matter of time for them to go through this hurdle.


    "Sure," Lilac replied merrily when she saw how the spell-casters faces twisted, horror stricken as their eyes widened in fear. Now they knew what was coming for them.


    ===============


    Raphael felt a headache coming upon hearing what Torak proposed earlier. How could the Alpha expect him to take care of the whole kingdom on his own and entrust Calleb with those lycan warriors?


    The lycan warriors were slightly different from them, they were brutal and brash, it needed more than title to calm them and on top of it, Raphael was not sure if Calleb could handle them all.


    Before this, there was him and Kace, who helped overseeing the training, sometimes Sterling too. But, with Kace''s departure, he was worried about what would happen later.


    At the very least, on rare occassion, when those lycan warriors were hard to control, Kace would subdue them with his Alpha''s tone and that was the only effective thing to stop the brawl and scowl.


    "Your mind is very loud." Lana stood in front of Raphael, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. She cupped her mate''s face between her palms and kissed him tenderly. "If Torak trusts you with this, it means; you are capable enough to do this."


    Lana could hear Raphael thoughts through mind-link and she knew what troubled him the most.


    Meanwhile, Raphael closed his eyes to calm his nerves as Lana''s sweet scent helped him to feel more at ease, along with the two beating hearts.


    &


    Check my IG story to know every character''s inner thoughts.

 Chapter 879 - SOMETHING WAS AMISS

    Jedrek did not let Lilac stay on the battlefield before he charged forward with the rest of the lycanthropes and the faeries. He managed to convince the guardian angel to stay behind with Theo and Sybil.


    The general did not seem happy with the fact that he was left out. However, what choice did have when it was a direct order from the king himself.


    Not only that, even before he went to wreak havoc, Jedrek used the same method that he had used in the past, which left Lilac speechless¡­


    Hadn''t their relationship improved greatly? So, why did he still have to make her aggravated again? Did he lose his mind?


    However, seeing how serious he was to prevent her from taking part in this fight, forced the guardian angel to relent reluctantly.


    Lilac didn''t want to make an unnecessary scene at a time when they were pressed to complete a crucial thing first.


    Therefore, here she was; hiding behind the Lycan warriors, waiting for this battle to be settled quickly.


    Since the day Theo''s neck got slit by that other general, he was no longer able to say even a word. The healer said; he lost his ability to speak.


    Honestly, Lilac pitied him, but because Theo didn''t let out anything from his rigid expression, sometimes, Lilac forgot he was once able to speak if it was not for that incident.


    Yet, she liked Theo, who couldn''t talk. Heartless or not, she liked not to hear any snarky comments.


    Far from them, the battle was still on full swing. Under the hills, dark and red colors filled the air from the magic spells of the fairies and the spell-casters.


    Lilac''s eyes were focused on a certain beast. That particular beast moved very quickly just like a white haze, meticulously dodging the attacks and curses from the spell-casters.


    But, even when one or two spells hit him, it was not enough to take him down.


    Lilac just remembered the fact that she came to know about the white beast body''s otherworldly defensive nature. Most magic tricks and spells couldn''t affect them.


    Upon this realization, Lilac was a little bit relieved as she tried to focus on assisting the other Lycan warriors and the faes to reach the city.


    They aimed for their last ground, but it was still difficult to get rid of those spell-casters.


    Meanwhile, Sybil tried to ward off any curses that went astray and came in their direction.


    Blood continuously splattered on the ground, limbs were being torn apart from their bodies, as their owners bled to death.


    No one knew for sure, how this battle would end¡­


    But, when Lilac looked toward the far end of the gigantic walls, she felt something was amiss¡­ her instincts told her that this battle shouldn''t even happen in the first place.


    ==============


    "Are you sure, we should leave this place?" Raine looked at Torak with a deep frown between her brows. "Why don''t we just continue to wait for Jedrek and Lilac to come back before we leave this place under Raphael''s control?" Raine asked again, she did not like the fact that the three of them had to be separated for a long time.


    Though it sounded ridiculous, Nutdrouk''s words kept resounding in her head about them shouldn''t be going on separate ways.


    Raine didn''t say anything about this, since she knew Torak was quite irritated every time she mentioned the dwarf, and having an argumentation with Torak was the last thing that Raine wanted now.


    And as for Lidya, she returned a few hours after Raine and Hope''s return.


    "Raphael can handle this," Torak said, he leaned over and kissed her forehead to ease her worries. "I can hear your mind, buzzing in my head."


    Total tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears, and looked at her intensely.


    "Don''t worry too much about this, we will return as fast as we could." Torak tried his best to persuade her, but he was still not able to get rid of the cloud that overshadowed her face.


    Both of them walked toward the gates where they had sent Jedrek and Lilac off just a few days ago.


    Raine could already see that Hope and Kace had been waiting for them, with another two couples; Raphael and Lana, Calleb and Rosie, along with little Bree, who looked quite small among those a.d.u.l.ts.


    Lana was talking with Hope when Raine and Torak arrived near the small group, while Kace grumbled something about them being late, which was brushed off by Torak ignorantly.


    On the other hand, once Raine was within Calleb''s arms-length, the Gamma pulled her closer for a hug.


    At first, Raine was surprised that Calleb acted ignorant in front of his mate, but when Raine glanced in Rosie''s direction, she noticed that the latter didn''t seem to mind it at all.


    Yet, there was still another person, who expressed his displeasure by letting out a small groan.


    That was a sign for Calleb to let go of Raine and of course after doing so, he grinned foolishly at his Alpha.


    If it was someone else, they would have lost all his limbs by now¡­


    And not too long after this small squabble, Eaton and Sterling too came to send them off, also to talk about the final assignment of their tasks when all the Donovans left the castle.


    It was a rare occasion, but Torak trusted Raphael to handle everything, and the Beta was determined to meet Torak''s expectations.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/something-was-amiss_50405596163268276 for visiting.


    Torak''s adjustment wouldn''t go wrong, right?


    While the men were busy talking about their strategies and everything that involved fighting and bleeding, Raine turned her attention to Lana''s bump.


    Her stomach looked bigger than the last time she saw her.


    "Can I?" Raine asked for permission to touch her stomach and Lana nodded happily.


    "Of course," Lana moved closer to let Raine touch her stomach. "Maybe you can see his future," Lana said.


    Gently, Raine put her hand on top of Lana''s stomach. "I will try," Raine said with a small smile on her lips.


    And then, when she concentrated on the baby, everything faded away before Raine''s eyes, as she watched a boy, around the age of four, waving his hands and calling someone ''daddy'' excitedly!


    Raine smiled when she thought that the boy was calling Raphael, but Raine frowned slightly when she saw Calleb coming closer to the boy.


    Why did the boy call Calleb as his father and not Raphael?


    &


    Check my IG story to know every character''s inner thoughts.

 Chapter 880 - HE MISSED HER TERRIBLY

    "How is it?" Lana asked in curiosity. The small frown between Raine''s eyebrows didn''t escape her eyes, thus she was slightly worried. "What do you see?"


    The image of the boy and Calleb didn''t last for long time before it faded away and Lana''s expression came to her vision.


    Raine took a second longer to smile back at Lana, giving the expectant mother a reassuring look. "He is a healthy child," she said.


    Only after hearing that, did Lana let out a small sigh in relief and caressed her stomach indulgently.


    "See? I told you, you just think too much," Hope said, as she hugged Lana. "The baby is going to be a great child! I hope I would be able to return before you deliver the baby."


    Raine heard Hope and Lana chatting happily, but her mind was elsewhere. She didn''t say anything about Calleb in her vision earlier.


    The image of Calleb and Lana''s child was very short and there was nothing that was affirmative from that.


    Raine only managed to tap into her power just recently, thus she was still learning how to get a proper hold of it. Probably, if the glimpse lasted longer, she would be able to see why the boy called Calleb as his father, instead of Raphael, who was nowhere to be seen in the vision.


    Everything was possible, since Raphael and Calleb were very close. It could be a prank or something else.


    Raine didn''t want to read too much into something that she was not sure about and just brushed it off as a false alarm.


    Yet, she couldn''t lie that it was bothering her and added another concern to her mind.


    "Take care all of you," Lana said, pulling Raine closer for a hug.


    "You too, please take care," Raine said, returning the hug a little bit longer until Torak called her that they should leave now.


    ==============


    Most of the spell-casters faced death during the fight which lasted until the sun was completely down, leaving everything in pitch black darkness.


    In the end, those spell-casters were forced to go back to the city and close their gates to prevent the lycan warriors and the faes from barging in.


    They casted another collective spell to prevent the fairies from flying over the high wall.


    Thus, when the dark day turned into night again, Lilac walked over to the city with Sybil and Theo beside her.


    From afar, Lilac could see the white beast which was covered in blood and dirt, snarling viciously at the closed gates.


    However, once his eyes met hers, the beast walked over, and as he closed the distance between them, he had turned into his human skin again.


    Jedrek took her hand and nodded at Theo to relieve him from his duty, as for Sybil, the witch, he gave her another task.


    "Figure out a way to go inside," Jedrek said in his trademark rigid tone, as he took Lilac to the tent that was built for them, since they had to figure out how to penetrate those spells first, to walk past those walls.


    Once they were inside, Lilac immediately voiced out her thoughts.


    "I think I can break down the wall and for the spell, why don''t you¡­ Jedrek?" Lilac stopped short her speech as she saw Jedrek collapsing onto the bed, groaning softly. "What happened?"


    Lilac quickly approached him, but Jedrek pulled her closer and hugged her tightly instead. He held her head against his chest and felt her steady breath.


    "What happened to you?" Lilac struggled to raise her head, so she could see his face clearly.


    Under the faint light in this tent, the guardian angel noticed how pale her mate was and how labored his breathing became.


    "I just need to rest for awhile," Jedrek said softly.


    If it was not Lilac in front of him, Jedrek wouldn''t have shown this weak side of him. It was a weakness and experiences taught him harshly not to show any weaknesses to other people, thus it was all he had been doing all this time before he met her.


    "Why? What happened?" Lilac asked worriedly, but Jedrek caressed her back to calm her down.


    "This is just the side affect," he said softly.


    His hard and cold demeanor, and his emotionless expression had vanished the moment it was only the two of them.


    "Side effect?" Lilac touched his face and felt his cold skin under her fingers. The king looked vulnerable at this moment.


    "Hm," Jedrek hummed, as he closed his eyes.


    Using firebird to take down and burn the barrier of protection that those witches had created had exhausted him completely, not to mention he had to go on the battlefield, and as for the bird, it had to breath out fire continuously to make way for them.


    And being hit countless times with the curses, which came in his way.


    It was indeed didn''t affect him any badly it should have, but still, he was not totally immune to those vicious curses.


    "You don''t need to worry, I just need to rest for a bit," Jedrek said with his eyes still closed, and then he rolled the two of them onto the bed until Lilac laid on her side, while Jedrek hugged her from behind, burying his nose in Lilac''s nape to smell her intoxicating scent, which could help his beast to calm down more and stop bothering him for vengeance on those spell-casters.


    If Lilac was not here, Jedrek would be out there, figuring out the fastest way to tear that wall down and take back his territory, ignoring his condition.


    But, he couldn''t do so, thus here he was now, recuperating with his mate beside him. It was the best feeling that Jedrek had ever felt.


    It didn''t take a long time before Jedrek started to fall asleep.


    ==============  Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/he-missed-her-terribly_50408652837811291 for visiting.


    It had been a week since the Donovans left the city and it was the toughest week of his life. The training became even harsher than before when Jedrek''s people from the other region came to train together.


    However, Calleb''s heavy heart felt a little bit lighter when he saw his mate waiting for him on his way to his chamber. They had not seen each other for three days and needless to say, Calleb missed her terribly.


    &


    Check my IG story to know every character''s inner thoughts.

 Chapter 881 - BAD FEELING

    "My sweet Rosie!"Calleb called her name cheekily and ran toward her with a bright, big smile on his face.


    If he was in his wolf form, then he would have been wagging its tail by now.


    Calleb hugged her for a second, but then he released the girl, while scouring their surroundings. "You are alone?"


    It was very rare to find Rosie alone, she was often found accompanying Bree or one of her twin brothers would follow her.


    "I am alone," Rosie said timidly, she slightly pushed him away and glanced at the long corridor, afraid if there was someone, who would catch her in this position.


    Yet, Calleb didn''t want to let her go and hugged her again, happy there was no one around, who would scold him if he was too close to Rosie.


    "Someone will see us like this," Rosie reminded Calleb, as she patted his back, but the happy Gamma couldn''t care less about anyone else when he had finally got a chance to hug her. This was a rare occasion worth celebrating for him.


    "Let them see, they already know that you are mine," Calleb whispered into her ear and that made Rosie''s heart fluttered, as she hugged him back.


    It felt so nice to be hugged like this and she had never felt this feeling before. The feeling of being loved and protected.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/bad-feeling_50416040181556334 for visiting.


    Of course, Rosie didn''t lack of love from both her parents and her brothers, but being with Calleb was entirely a different thing. She felt whole and cherished every second that she spent with him.


    After hugging and giggling for a few more minutes and ignoring the questioning gazes from the guards, who had to take a detour to avoid the love birds to avoid being third wheels, Calleb finally released her.


    "Why are you alone out here?" Calleb started asking, as happy as he was to see her alone, but at this time, he was also worried that something might happen to his mate.


    "Oh, I want to ask you if you had dinner, have you eaten already?" Rosie asked, remembered what was her purpose to see him.


    "No," Calleb answered readily, even though he had already eaten, but he would never turn down Rosie''s offer to be with her.


    "Let''s eat in my place," Rosie said, looked at him shyly and tugged his shirt to follow her.


    Calleb laughed upon seeing how demure his mate was. He twisted her hand and placed it on his h.i.p.s, while he placed his on hers.


    Rosie was surprised, but she didn''t mind it, as they walked along the corridor.


    Actually, inviting Calleb for dinner was her idea, and today her father was less strict on her, since he saw how spiritless she was when she couldn''t see her mate for three days straight.


    That, or the fact that her mother''s voice finally could be heard by her father and finally he accepted the fact that his little girl had finally found her mate. It was not wise to keep mates from each other, especially when you just found them.


    And when Rosie was about to look for Calleb, Sophie even scolded Sterling when he asked the twin to follow her.


    In the end, her mother won the argumentation and Rosie could have some time alone with Calleb.


    "Don''t you think the weather is very strange?" Rosie asked, while staring at the night sky and the thunder from the murky clouds. "I don''t even remember when the last time I saw the sun."


    Calleb followed her line of sight and nodded. Agreeing. "Don''t worry, everything will be fine." Right?


    Needless to say, this must have something to do with the devils and Rosie didn''t need to be told twice to understand this.


    They could only hope that they would go through this without any unprecedented incidents and eventually enjoy a happy life ahead. It wasn''t impossible, right?


    ==============


    "How is the king?" asked Emerald in low voice, the leader of the fae. She stared at the tent, where Jedrek was residing these few days.


    "He needs more time to recuperate," Lilac said, as her eyes glued onto the wall of the city in front of her.


    "I can feel all the lycans becoming more and more restless because they couldn''t see their king for so long," Emerald contemplated.


    Jedrek was not in good condition since the battle with those wicked spell-casters. No one knew what happened to him, since all the warriors were fine now after they rested for a day, but Jedrek''s condition didn''t get any better.


    It worried Lilac even more and she couldn''t even think straight nowadays.


    Why did Jedrek fell ill when those lycanthropes, who fought alongside with him were totally fine now? Was there a certain curse that hit him during the battle?


    Yet, no one could confirm that because there were too many curses and spells being thrown at them during the fight.


    Sebastian approached Lilac. "We can''t wait any longer," he said.


    "Why?" Lilac frowned at him ready to argue if it was necessary. As their last interaction didn''t leave a good impression. Lilac last count how many times she had to ward off Jedrek''s generals from approaching him, every single time they ended up on a different note.


    However, this time Sebastian shook his head, as if saying that he didn''t mean to aggravate his queen.


    "We didn''t plan to stay here for more than a week, thus we are running out of ransom now, adding the faes to our lot, the ransom that left is only able to provide us for less than three days," Sebastian tried to explain their situation.


    Lilac squinted her eyes, she knew that this problem would come sooner or later.


    "Either we charge toward the city without the king, or we have to retreat," Sebastian said.


    Lilac glanced at the tent behind her and contemplated. It was impossible for them to retreat. Jedrek would never agree to that.


    However, in Jedrek''s current condition¡­


    And then something crossed Lilac''s mind, as she turned around to go to the tent hastily, but before that, she told Sebastian something that had been bothering her for these past few days.


    "Ask someone to check the castle now, I want to know if the other Donovans are still there."

 Chapter 882 - SHE IS THERE!

    Lilac entered the tent to check upon any progress in Jedrek''s condition.


    However, she just realized that his current condition was the same as before, or it could be said that it was more severe than the last time she checked on him.


    There was a deep frown between Lilac''s eyes, as she walked over to sit on the edge of the bed.


    "Jedrek," Lilac leaned over to whisper to him.


    "My little flower¡­" Jedrek whispered back to her with his eyes still closed.


    "Yes, it''s me," Lilac caressed his face and felt his cold skin on her fingers. "Can you turn your body over?" she asked him gently.


    Jedrek opened his eyes and looked at his mate. He had been feeling utterly exhausted since the last battle with the spell-casters where he tried to suppress them and forced them to give him his people back.


    "What do you want to do?" Jedrek asked in a hoarse voice, his eyes turned sharp when he realized that Lilac was up to something.


    "I think this is the same thing that happened to you before¡­" Lilac said as she sat down at the edge of the bed and held his hands firmly. "I want to see your back."


    It would be easier if this was the same curse that Maximus had put on Jedrek months ago. It meant, she could help Jedrek to feel better, though the process was not comfortable, but they didn''t have any other choice, right? Jedrek didn''t have to choice to refuse doing it either.


    They were running out of time and now, Lilac felt they were just wasting their time being here waiting.


    Was this just a distraction? But, for what?


    Yet, everything was possible since their enemies were the devils. They always have a thousand plans to plot against them and prevent the lycanthropes to unite with the other creatures and won the upcoming war.


    "What is it?" Jedrek frowned, he was very upset because he had to be bedridden at a time like this. This stupid curse or whatever they put on him, had drained his energy and now, he could barely feel his beast.


    "I think this is the same thing that happened to you before. The curse that Maximus put on you¡­" Lilac said.


    "Do you think so?" Jedrek narrowed his eyes. "I was not like this before¡­"


    Indeed.


    Before, Jedrek could still stand tall and act normal, as if he was not suffering from the last ''gift'' that Maximus gave to him.


    However now, it was indeed very different.


    Jedrek could barely stay awake for longer than a few minutes and this aggravated him for being so weak, yet there was nothing he could do.


    "Let me see first," Lilac was adamant to see it and Jedrek finally relented. He turned his body and showed his back to Lilac.


    There, Lilac could see the deep agonizing gashes, which disappeared when Jedrek marked her, being reappeared again.


    Not only that, it looked more terrifying than before.


    "Jedrek!" Lilac gasped loudly, as her hands moved to cover her scream.


    "Is it that bad?" Jedrek asked in a light tone, as if it didn''t surprise him at all.


    "Jedrek, don''t you feel any pain?!" Lilac was almost crying upon seeing what she saw right now.


    Jedrek moved his body again and watched his mate staring at him with tears in her beautiful eyes. "I don''t feel any pain," he stretched out his hand and Lilac held it, as she put his palm against her cheek. "Don''t cry¡­"


    If only Jedrek could see what Lilac was seeing, he would know how much it pained her to see him in his current state.


    "We have to do what we have done before," Lilac said softly. It was the only thing that could make him feel better.


    Jedrek didn''t immediately answer her neither did he agree with her and Lilac knew what was going on in his mind, therefore she wiped the tears from her cheeks and looked at Jedrek right in his eyes.


    "We have to do that," Lilac said firmly.


    "It will hurt you," Jedrek said after a few moments. He didn''t want to do the same thing like before as he knew the consequences.


    Yet, Lilac was determined to do this. If this could cure him, then it would be the most important thing that should be done now. "We have done it before and I was fine, there won''t be any difference now."


    Jedrek knew it, but it didn''t mean he could overlook her pain and agree to it.


    "Our ransom is running out and all the warriors and the fairies feel anxious now since you have not recovered for days," Lilac''s voice sounded hard as she tried to make her point across. "Either we did this or I will lead those people out there to break the city wall, no matter what it takes."


    "You will lead those people into a fight?" Jedrek asked incredulously, his breathing became unstable, but even now he knew that Lilac meant every word she said.


    "You know I will," Lilac said and Jedrek nodded lightly.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/she-is-there!_50419855454690420 for visiting.


    "I know you will," Jedrek agreed.


    After saying that, they were staring into each other eyes, before he stretched out his hands and pulled her closer to him.


    Jedrek kissed her lips lightly while saying, "I will hurt you again¡­" there was deep regret in his voice.


    Yet, Lilac didn''t want to hear that right now, thus she smiled and teased him. "It will not be the first time."


    And Jedrek smiled along with her. "You don''t make me feel better, my little flower," he said.


    Lilac leaned over to kiss his lips and lingered a little longer before she pulled back and showed her neck, where Jedrek''s mark was placed.


    If Jedrek had to sap her power, so be it.


    However, after waiting for a few seconds longer than necessary, Lilac didn''t feel Jedrek''s movement, instead she heard a familiar voice greeting them.


    "You will kill him if you let him mark you in his current condition, you stupid little girl," said the unexpected guest derisively.


    Lilac immediately turned around and her eyes widened in surprise upon seeing that particular person in their tent.

 Chapter 883 - SEREFINA

    "You?!" Lilac almost screamed when she noticed Serefina standing right behind her, the witch''s lime-green eyes, stared at Jedrek with such intensity which raged Lilac''s fury.


    What the hell in the world did this witch want? And moreover, how could she enter freely without even alarming the guards outside?!


    Lilac immediately jumped to her feet and faced Serefina. The ground beneath them shook with her power. The guardian angel was ready to show the witch that she was unwelcomed here.


    "Calm down girl," Serefina sneered and then lazily she shifted her attention to Lilac. "You will kill him if you let him mark you in his current condition, you stupid little girl," she repeated her words from earlier.


    Lilac was really upset beyond words for the witch''s presence here, but Serefina''s last words caught her attention. "What do you mean?"


    Once again, Serefina flashed her a mocking smile, as she spoke her mind. "You are not as pure as you think you are," she started.


    "I don''t think I understand what you are saying," Lilac said through gritted teeth. Did the witch want to ridicule her by saying that? What did she even mean by that?


    "You will only be worsening his condition further if I let you do what you are intending to do," Serefina said with a sigh, as if she was talking to a five years old little girl. "You know that the spell-casters had taken the devils side and they had put this curse on Jedrek through the spell-casters, who fought him."


    More or less, Lilac had already guessed about the devils'' part in it. However, it didn''t explain what Serefina said earlier.


    As though, Serefina could read her mind, she answered Lilac''s unspoken question.


    "Did you forget that the devils have your blood?" the witch raised her eyebrows questioningly and from the look on Lilac''s face, of course she didn''t forget about that. The event was still embedded deeply in her mind. "Have you never been curious about what they would do with your blood?"


    Lilac knew that the devils were after the guardian angel''s blood and she was well aware what her blood could do, yet she didn''t really know what the devils'' actual plan by having hands on their blood.


    "Moreover, the devils have the blood from all the three of you," Serefina continued.


    However, whatever it was, it wouldn''t be good¡­


    "And now, I''m going to show you what can they do¡­" Serefina waved her hands to her surroundings for Lilac to see what actually meant for the guardian angels to end up in the wrong hands.


    The frown between Lilac''s brows deepened when she followed Serefina''s movement.


    However, because there was no other person inside the room, except for her, Jedrek and the witch, thus she was a little bit late to realize what Serefina meant with her words.


    "What is it?" Lilac muttered to herself, as she couldn''t find the difference, yet when she turned around, she saw that Jedrek was in the same position from before as he held her hand and closed his eyes as if he was still holding her hand in his hands.


    The sight of him was awkward, but it helped Lilac to realize what exactly was going on.


    "You stopped the time!?" Lilac whipped her head around and looked at Serefina in disbelief. "But, how¡­"


    Controlling time, was Raine''s gift as a guardian angel, so how could Serefina manage to do that too? It must not be true, right?!


    It would be a mess and a great loss for them if Serefina could do this.


    "Like I told you, a long time ago," Serefina smirked at Lilac. "You know nothing."


    Lilac was a guardian angel, thus it didn''t affect her, but it was indeed different from before, when Raine stopped the time, this time Jedrek couldn''t move freely due to the curse on him.


    "The only reason why the devil couldn''t finish you off when Chiron was being stopped by Raine''s power, was because they couldn''t withhold such a power," Serefina said, she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "But, not now, since I have solved the problem."


    The devils were only pleased when Serefina managed to meet their expectations by achieving this. However, just like all other promises that those filthy devils had done, they didn''t bother to keep their promise now also.


    It pissed Serefina off when she knew they used this nasty curse to plot against Jedrek and kill him by leaving Lilac in the same opinion as before, to think that she could help him by doing the same thing like before.


    Because once Jedrek sap her power, with the curse in his body, death would be something that he wouldn''t be able to avoid.


    Even now, Serefina could feel his beast gradually growing weak.


    "You really betrayed us," Lilac said while gritting her teeth to contain the anger that started to consume her.


    "What did you expect?" Serefina sneered, a complicated feeling flashed in her lime green eyes, which was failed to be noticed by Lilac, as it only lasted for a second.


    "You betrayed Jedrek," Lilac emphasized her words this time, as she knew it would affect Serefina by including Jedrek in this conversation.


    Serefina squinted her eyes and spoke rigidly, though she was trying to sound like she didn''t care, but she failed. "He will thank me when he woke up later."


    After saying that, Serefina walked closer toward Jedrek''s bed, but Lilac held her back with the tendrils and roots to stop her movement.


    "Do you think this lame trick can affect me?" Serefina jeered. "You don''t learn anything, do you?"


    And after saying that, Serefina waved her hand, which loosened the roots and tendrils that wrapped on her body.


    However, it was not the only thing that left Lilac flabbergasted, but the fact that those tendrils followed Serefina''s command and tightened around her own body, rendering her immobile, which shocked her to the core.


    "I told you, right?" Serefina flicked the tendrils from her shoulder and looked at Lilac with derision in her lime green eyes. "The devils got the blood from the three of you¡­" Serefina said as she walked closer to Jedrek while Lilac couldn''t even move a finger.


    It meant, they could not only stop the time, but could also use Lilac and Hope''s power as well. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/serefina_50458840856060952 for visiting.

 Chapter 884 - THE TIME AND THE CURE

    Torak had been looking for the dragon shifter''s whereabouts for days, but he was still clueless until today, James, the hunter of his pack managed to find them.


    Therefore, here they were, standing in front of another manor of the dragon shifters, which was only known by a handful of people before. Now though, Torak and the members of his pack came to know about this place after days of hunting.


    This manor was almost as big as the first castle to which Raine was taken along for a visit long time ago. That was the first time she got to meet Stephan.


    At that time, she didn''t see Reynold, but she heard that Torak had done something to Stephan''s brother and whatever her mate had done to him, Raine really didn''t wanted to know about it then, much less now.


    "Stay with Jack, okay?" Torak leaned over to kiss Raine''s temple before he alighted from the car and approached the front door of the manor.


    "What do you think will happen?" Raine asked, looking a little bit in daze while she kept her eyes glued onto Torak''s back.


    "The worse I guess," Jack replied. Didn''t seem to bother with what was going to happen to the dragon shifters later, as he fished out his phone and started to play a game.


    Recently, he found a good game, which piqued his interest in no time while he found himself getting addicted, ultra fast, as protecting Raine was not a difficult task to do.


    Moreover, the guardian angel never complained whenever he busied himself playing, and Jack would always use his time guarding her to level up.


    Of course, he wouldn''t get engrossed senseless in this game, just in case something strange happened, he was more than ready to act quickly.


    Meanwhile, Raine stared at Torak, who was standing right in front of the stairs which led to the terrace, as he talked something to one of the warrior, which she couldn''t hear.


    However, a moment later, someone brought something and then he put it in front of the door, afterward, he stepped back quickly and stood beside Torak.


    Raine didn''t know what it was until she watched how that thing exploded the whole well-built door, breaking down and left it with a big hollow. After the scattering dirt and dust settled, they could see the inside of entire room through it.


    Inside the car, Jack just gave a brief glance when he heard the explosion before he focused on his game again.


    "Torak didn''t need to blast the door, right?" Raine was flabbergasted upon seeing Torak''s method. Even now, she was still not used to this side of him.


    "No, the Alpha didn''t need to blast it," Jack answered. "But this way is much easier," he said in matter a of fact tone and Raine couldn''t find the right words to reply to him.


    All of sudden, Torak''s voice rang in her mind.


    [Did I scared you, my love?] Torak asked Raine through the mind-link, even in a situation like this, he was still worried about her well being.


    Raine couldn''t help but let out a helpless sigh, as she smiled softly at him, though the lycan couldn''t see her from the dark tinted glass.


    [I think I will get used to it over the time,] Raine said and she could feel Torak''s mood lifting. [Be careful.]


    [I will.] was Torak''s reply before he entered the room.


    However, before Torak could enter the place, something odd happened, as everything came to a stand still.


    The faint sound that came from the game suddenly died down and the commotion outside couldn''t be heard anymore.


    Raine straightened her back as she was on alert.


    "Jack?" Raine whipped her head to see him, but he didn''t respond to her as his eyes focused on the game on his phone, which was on pause, or that was how it looked like.


    A moment later, Raine was startled because the door on her side was being pulled opened from outside, but she soon sighed in relief, as it was just Torak.


    "Come here," he said grimly and helped Raine to get out of the car. "Did you do this?" Torak asked.


    In front of them, aside from Jack in the car, who couldn''t move, the other lycanthropes that came with them, were also in the same position, not moving an inch.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/the-time-and-the-cure_50465783687478230 for visiting.


    As though the time had stopped for them, or¡­ maybe it did.


    "No, this is not me¡­" Raine shook her head. She would know if it was her.


    ==============


    "What are you going to do?!" Lilac watched with her eyes wide open when Serefina walked closer to Jedrek and sat down on the edge of the bed. She clasped his hand and kissed his knuckles while staring at Lilac provocatively.


    "I told you, right?" she said, caressing Jedrek''s face, as the king was not conscious enough to realize it. "I came here to help."


    "Help?" Lilac jeered. "You said you are helping by betraying us?" she hated this when she couldn''t move to tear the ugly smile off the witch''s face, as if the situation right now was within her grasp.


    "Us?" Serefina raised her eyebrows at Lilac. "I just want to help him, I don''t care about all of you."


    Serefina wouldn''t be here if the devils didn''t mess with Jedrek this way. Jedrek should have known that this was a set up, well he came up with a perfect plan by using the faes to help with the battle with the witches, but apparently it was not enough and now he was hurt.


    "Your words are contradicting," Lilac sneered, she tried to move her hand, but she couldn''t even move a finger to get rid of this things that wrapped around her body.


    "I am not contradicting with my words," Serefina said. "I am here for him."


    After saying that, Serefina completely ignored Lilac, as she put her attention back on Jedrek. She missed him.


    It was hard for her to do this, but at least, she could help him now.


    Serefina glanced briefly at Lilac before she leaned over to place a kiss on Jedrek''s cold lips.


    It was a sight that Lilac would have never thought before she would witness with her own eyes. And, as if time was stopped for her, she found herself feeling hard to breath.

 Chapter 885 - THE TIME AND THE CURE (2)

    The sight of Jedrek being kissed by Serefina boiled her blood with anger. Lilac never thought that she could be this angry, until all she saw was red.


    Serefina was very close to Jedrek, she rested her body against his and cupped his face with her left hand, while her right hand placed Jedrek''s on her h.i.p.s, as she kissed him.


    "STOP!" Lilac hyperventilated by the provocative sight, she gritted her teeth and screamed at the top of her lungs to make the witch stop and stay away from Jedrek. "STOP!"


    Serefina opened her eyes, irritated by Lilac''s voice, who was disrupting her moment. She gave the guardian angel a brief glance, while mouthing words; ''try to stop me.''


    And that was all Lilac needed¡­


    ==============


    Calleb trained all of his focus on his opponent. Today was yet another tiring day of training and he had been fighting since early in the morning. It was quite hard to determine whether it was morning or night, since the sun was covered by the thick blanket of the gloomy clouds.


    Calleb was paired with one of the warrior from Torak''s pack, but before he leapt very high and was about to shift into his beast mid-air, suddenly all of the voices around Calleb died down, just like the sound of radio that was being turned off.


    "What?" Calleb mumbled in confusion. He saw the man stop in his mid transformation and his body was in the air, as though he could fly. "What is this?"


    The Gamma observed his surrounding before he concluded what was happening; the time was stopped.


    This was not the first time he experienced this, therefore Calleb was not panic, he just frowned.


    The questions that ran in his mind was; if Raine stopped the time, but why could he still move? The same happened when they went to rescue Lilac from the centaur.


    Raine also stopped the time in order to save Lilac''s life, but Calleb was able to move as well just like the other Donovans.


    And another question that crossed his mind was; why would Raine stop the time? Did something happen to her, until she felt the need to use her power? Or maybe she was just practicing, since she just got a hold of her power recently.


    Whatever it was, Calleb hoped that nothing bad should happen to her, moreover Torak was with her, thus there was no way he would let something harmful befell on her.


    And now, all Calleb could do was to wait until the time started to tick again¡­


    The Gamma looked up into the sky. The dark clouds were hanging very low and this spread a sense of sadness and despair¡­


    Though the people in the city was not a problem, at least not now, but the news about the missing people made them restless again.


    Calleb sat down on the ground and breathed heavily, he used this moment to take some rest and think what he had done in order to evade Raine''s power until it couldn''t affect him.


    ==============


    "You shouldn''t interfere," he said, when he saw Serefina who was panting heavily on the ground, writhing in pain, as this was the day when she would feel the unbearable pain that tore her soul into pieces.


    Serefina was too tired and occupied to mind her own business. She didn''t even have time to glare at Dorian.


    "You should''ve let him die," Dorian spoke with so much derision on the tip of his tongue. "I should kill you twice when I have a chance¡­" he thought to himself.


    "You will not do such a thing, shadow¡­" Asmodeus suddenly appeared not too far from the witch and the shadow warrior. "She is more important than you¡­"


    Dorian glared at Asmodeus, who was admiring her well-polished nails with such interest, as if there was nothing more important for her except that.


    "I pity her," Dorian looked at Serefina, who was trying to fight the pain. She was very vulnerable at this moment and the shadow warrior could kill her within a second, especially after she helped Jedrek and postponed his death.


    "So do I," Asmodeus said and watched how Serefina cried her heart out.


    In spite of the fact that she had tried to hide herself during this period of time, but those filthy creatures still managed to find her whereabouts.


    "But, I agree with you," Asmodeus talked to Dorian. "She shouldn''t interfere with the curse. It would be very romantic and dramatic if Jedrek died in the hands of his mate. Such a beautiful love story¡­" the devil sighed in regret.


    If only Serefina was not in so much pain, she would have glared at her viciously right now.


    ==============


    The only thing that Lilac could hear was the ringing in her ears, as she closed her eyes tightly.


    For a second, she was lost in her own thoughts as she couldn''t decipher what she was doing or more precisely what she had done¡­ everything appeared blurry in her memory.


    But then, she felt the tingles on her skin along with a voice that she had been longing to hear.


    Fearfully, Lilac opened her eyes and her lips mentioned her name. "Selene¡­"


    The moon goddess was standing before her, the faint glow from her being illuminated the dark of their surroundings, but even so, there was nothing that Lilac could see¡­ everything was too dark for her to catch any form or knowing where she was right now.


    "Child, what are you doing?" The moon goddess looked at her and Lilac could see a trace of disappointment in those beautiful eyes of the goddess. This was the first time she saw it.


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    "You shouldn''t let your anger get the best of you," Selene spoke again, though all of this was still confusing for Lilac.


    "Where are we?" Lilac asked an irrelevant question.


    "In your mind," Selene answered softly.


    And then everything went dark again, before Lilac could feel the tingly feeling that danced on her skin again, letting her know that Jedrek was near her.

 Chapter 886 - THE DAMAGE

    Jedrek opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of a disastrous place.


    The tent was no longer standing and the campsite looked like it had just been hit by a violent typhoon. People whimpered and groaned, writhing on the ground, which was now cracked creating a few fissures.


    Jedrek observed with cold eyes the state of his people, who were trying to stand up and check on their fellow lycans, whether they were alive or not.


    Above him, the faes were fluttering their wings, but their focus was on a certain object, or¡­ a person, murmuring something that Jedrek couldn''t hear clearly.


    What the hell is happening!?


    Jedrek shook his head to clear his mind, when someone approached him, it was Theo.


    The general couldn''t talk, thus he used mind-link to communicate with his king, but it only added to Jedrek''s headache.


    [Are you alright, my king?] there was a hint of concern in his voice.


    "I am fine," Jedrek groaned, but the first thing that came into his mind when he cleared his head, was his mate.


    His eyes turned sharp, as he looked around to find Lilac.


    Only then did he realize that the person that the faes gathered around was her. Something must have happened to Lilac until those faes looked fearful just to get near her, but also couldn''t leave her alone.


    Without a second thought, Jedrek immediately dashed toward his mate. He gritted his teeth as all the worse possibilities scattered in his mind and it pained him to imagine all of that.


    Jedrek was about to see what happened to her when Sebastian suddenly stopped him from going closer.


    "No, my king¡­ she is not stable¡­" Sebastian said, and for the first time Jedrek could hear fear that was clearly evident in his voice. "You can''t go any near to her."


    Jedrek snarled when he heard that. What the hell happened that he couldn''t see his mate?!


    "SCRAM!" Jedrek yelled at Sebastian, but the general stood his ground and didn''t move an inch. Instead, he pointed his fingers to the direction of the city.


    And it took Jedrek a minute to recover from the shock as he noticed how the city, which stood tall and looked impenetrable a few hours ago, had now completely collapsed.


    No, saying it was collapsed would be an understatement.


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    It only left the spire of the castle, which was the only thing that could still be seen on the surface of the ground, as the rest of the city had disappeared from their sights.


    "What was happening?" Jedrek asked grimly. He clenched his fists when his head couldn''t wrap around what went wrong that lead to the this mass destruction. "Did she do all this?"


    Even before hearing the answer, Jedrek knew by heart that none of them present were capable enough to impose such destruction except for his mate.


    "Yes, my king," Sebastian answered solemnly. "All of a sudden we heard a very loud explosion and the ground split." He gulped down hard when he remembered what he witnessed a few minutes ago. "We were trying to climb our way from the crater before the ground caved in again."


    In spite of the fact that all of it lasted no longer than two minutes, but the damage caused was still mind- boggling.


    "My king, you should¡­" Sebastian was about to advice him to stay away from Lilac until they could be sure that she was fine.


    However, Jedrek had a different idea from his. All the things that he had witnessed, only left him craving to see her more.


    "SCRAM!" Jedrek shoved Sebastian away, as he was blocking his way.


    What actually happened when he lost his consciousness? The last thing that Jedrek could remember was; he was about to bite his mark on Lilac''s neck, in order to sap some of her power. He was reluctant to do so and couldn''t remember whether he managed to do it or not.


    Yet, the first thing that he saw when he gained his bearing, was all of this destruction and a nonsense advice to stay away from his mate.


    What happened to Lilac?!


    Jedrek didn''t care about the destruction or the disappearance of the city. The only thing that he wanted was; to make sure whether she was all right or not.


    The king quickened his steps and the faes moved aside to give way to him.


    And there, sitting on the ground, was Lilac, who was hugging her legs tightly while burying her face on her knees. She didn''t move and didn''t make any sound, but from the way her small shoulders trembled, he knew that she was crying.


    Lilac hugged herself very tight, as if she was afraid she would fall apart.


    "Move," Jedrek told the faes to leave them alone.


    At first, those faes just looked at one another, they were not sure if it was a good to let Jedrek go near Lilac, yet the king''s rigid expression told them, it would be wise of them to listen to him and not question his decision.


    Slowly, the faes flew to an acceptable distance and gave some space for the two of them.


    Jedrek approached Lilac carefully. He wanted her to know that he was coming for her and didn''t mean to cause any harm, so she could let her guard down.


    "Lilac¡­" Jedrek called out her name softly and crouched down in front of her. He put his hand on top of her head and she let out a pitiful whimper. He caressed her hair gently.


    "It''s all right now¡­" Jedrek persuaded her, as he came closer and pulled her to him, yet the guardian angel still didn''t want to see him. Lilac covered her face with her hands, while sobbing softly. "My little flower¡­"


    After Lilac''s futile attempt to get away from Jedrek, finally she relented and let her mate hug her instead, letting him hold her so she wouldn''t fall apart.


    "It''s all right¡­ everything is okay now¡­" Jedrek coaxed her, as he cradled the girl in his arms and let her cried her heart out.


    Jedrek didn''t know what went wrong. However, since he felt better now, then he assumed that it should be the method that Lilac suggested was a success, but what exactly happened to result in all of this mess?

 Chapter 887 - WE NEED TO BE READY

    Lilac sobbed against Jedrek''s chest as she clutched onto the front of his cloak tightly. She didn''t know how long she was in this position, letting him hug her.


    Only when Lilac''s sobs had ceased down, did Jedrek push her from him and kept her within an arm''s length to see her face and wiped her tears.


    "Are you all right now?" He asked softly, while tucking a few strands of her stray hair behind her ears. Her face turned red because of crying for too long.


    "No," Lilac said, shaking her head while avoiding eye contact with him.


    Lilac tried to look elsewhere, but then she ended up spotting the city, which was no longer in sight.


    "What happened?" Lilac gasped as her eyes opened wide. "Who did that?" she whispered to herself.


    The last thing that Lilac could remember was the heartbreaking sight of Serefina kissing Jedrek passionately, or at least that was how it looked like for her at that time, and then everything went dark when anger consumed her whole being and left her senseless.


    She didn''t know what happened after that or how long she kept her eyes closed shut.


    And then the next thing she knew, she was in the presence of the moon goddess.


    ''You shouldn''t let your anger get the best of you,''


    That was what she said, and the disappointment on her face¡­


    Was she disappointed in her? But, what was the reason.


    Yet, when Lilac noticed how her surroundings appeared completely destroyed and the city which had disappeared, she could guess the reason why the moon goddess looked disappointed.


    "Did I do that?" Lilac gulped down hard and looked at Jedrek for an answer.


    The king could feel the uneasiness Lilac was feeling right now. He was not sure about what actually happened when he was unconscious, but that was what Sebastian told him and the way those faes reacted, only solidified Sebastian''s words.


    Moreover, who else would be able to do that except for her?


    "Yes," Jedrek pulled her closer. "I think it was you¡­"


    Lilac didn''t give any reaction at first and Jedrek gave all the time that she needed, to let her adjust with that fact.


    Jedrek told the other lycanthropes to stay away from him and his mate, and even though they were reluctant to do so, but it was impossible for them to do otherwise also.


    In their eyes, Lilac was akin to a bomb, which would explode without any notice.


    They had never thought that such massive destruction could be caused by one person. Was that rumor really true about the guardian angel being the weakest creature? Was the rumor even reliable?


    ==============


    Torak held Raine closer to him, since the situation was very strange. If it wasn''t Raine who did this, then who else would have the ability to do it?


    Moreover, Torak still couldn''t grasp the concept of Raine''s power. If the time was stopped, then why could he move? Also Calleb. It happened when they went to rescue Lilac.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/we-need-to-be-ready_50488053092895017 for visiting.


    However, Eaton couldn???t do that and the centaurs, even the devils were still affected by her power.


    "My love, are you sure, you were not the one who did this?" Torak looked at Raine, who was scrunching her eyebrows in confusion, as she shook her head.


    "A hundred percent sure¡­" she said.


    However, it didn''t take too long, before everything came back to normal and the time flew again.


    "Alpha." The people in front of the blown-up door were confused because Torak disappeared from his earlier position, even Jack got out of the car to ask how Raine could be outside of the car without him knowing it.


    "Luna, how can you be out of the car? I didn''t see you¡­" Jack was speechless.


    However, the couple couldn''t bother themselves with those lycans'' confusion as they were busy with their own thoughts.


    "Come with me, my love," Torak said.


    At this point of time, Torak wouldn''t let her be alone out here.


    ==============


    Raphael was inside his room with Lana, hugging his mate on the bed as he inhaled her sweet scent, while talking about the baby.


    They just needed to wait for one more month before they could see the baby. Their firstborn. Their first son.


    Both of them were very excited and giddy to see him. To hold him in their arms and watch every second of his growth and his every first, his first steps, his first words and what not.


    Raphael and Lana didn''t know how to act as good parents, as both of them didn''t have a family to begin with to follow as a role model.


    However, they promised to be the best they could for their little family.


    "Oh," Raphael was surprised and then he chuckled in delight when he felt the baby kick the side where he placed his hand. "He likes to kick," he stated.


    Lana snuggled closer to her mate, as Raphael covered her body with blanket.


    "I hope this moment will last forever," she said sleepily.


    "Hm," Raphael agreed, he didn''t mind if the time stopped now and let them enjoy this moment together for a little bit longer, away from the upcoming war or any stressful events with the leaders from the other region or packs.


    Especially Lord Bayle, the dragon shifter from the north region. He looked suspicious and Raphael didn''t have a good impression of him.


    However, their peaceful moment didn''t last for long when they heard someone knocking on their door.


    From the sound of it, they could guess the urgency of the person.


    "Who is that?" Lana frowned, but Raphael had gotten off from the bed and took his cloak.


    "Stay here," Raphael said firmly.


    This must be something important, or else, his fellow lycans wouldn''t dare to bother him in the middle of the night like this.


    Lana frowned, but she stayed on the bed, now her sleepiness had vanished. She was on full alert. She could feel it, something wrong must have happened.


    Meanwhile, Raphael yanked the door open when the knocks on the door got louder.


    "What happened, Eaton?" Raphael could smell his scent even before he opened the door.


    "We need to be ready!" he said grimly.


    "Ready for what?" Raphael asked rigidly.

 Chapter 888 - DISTRACTION

    It took some time for Lilac to finally calm down and discern everything that had happened.


    "I killed those people," she stated. There was pain in her voice.


    "If you didn''t kill them, I would have." Jedrek tried to ease her distress a little bit by saying that, since he really didn''t mind her killing those filthy wizards and witches.


    In Jedrek''s eyes, there was nothing wrong with what Lilac had done, but on the other hand, he could understand why this fact shocked her.


    The guardian angel was a kindhearted creature, though Lilac usually appeared tough and strong, but she still had the kind spirit of the guardian angel.


    "I don''t mean to kill them all¡­" Lilac whimpered again, she rested her body against Jedrek''s chest as he cradled her in his arms.


    Meanwhile, the other lycanthropes and faes were trying to find their fellow friends and busied themselves tending to the injured ones.


    Though, every now and then they would cast a glance in Jedrek and Lilac''s direction, still they wouldn''t dare to interfere with their moment together.


    Not only because of Jedrek''s direct order, but as they also felt a little bit afraid of Lilac now.


    "I know you don''t¡­" Jedrek caressed her back, when Lilac snuggled closer to him, seeking for the feeling of safety from her mate, while gloomy clouds hung very low above them. "But, they will end up like this even if you didn''t do it¡­ you saved us a lot of time," he tried his best to cheer her.


    However, at the same time, the king didn''t know what the right words to tell her, so she could feel less heartache.


    "Maybe Killian and Tordoff were inside the city¡­" Lilac said as another realization hit her that she had accidentally killed the people that they supposed to save, she whimpered again.


    Jedrek just continued to pat her head, but didn''t say anything.


    Honestly, losing Killian was a loss for him, since he had known him for so long, but for Tordoff¡­ Jedrek didn''t feel the same way as he knew that general had his eyes on his mate. It was indeed cruel to think that way at a time like this, therefore Jedrek didn''t say anything to voice out his own thoughts.


    "Our aim of coming to this place went in vain," Lilac said regretfully.


    "No," Jedrek replied to her almost immediately. "They had let us see which side they were planning to take, thus the only choice that we are left with was to destroy them and we did it." Jedrek emphasized the word ''we'', so Lilac wouldn''t feel the burden, as it wouldn''t be a compliment for her to kill those spell-casters and destroying the whole city in a bid of her loss of control.


    Lilac sniffed and then raised her head, she looked at Jedrek with tearful eyes and hugged him tightly.


    "I am glad you are fine¡­" she whispered into his ears.


    "Thanks to you, I am fine now¡­" even now, Jedrek still thought it was because Lilac that he could survive the curse, yet Jedrek felt her body stiffen at his words.


    "That was not me¡­" Lilac said softly. "Serefina came and saved you¡­" she confessed. "She kissed you¡­"


    ==============


    Raine sat beside Torak on the sofa, while Jack was standing behind her.


    In front of Raine was Reynold and Stephan. She couldn''t remember when was the last time she got to meet Stephan, was it when they were still in the university?


    Raine felt like her days in the university along with those very few friends of hers, were just memories from a different lifetime. Those days were one of the best days she had ever experienced since she met Torak.


    "I remember that I cut off your hand," Torak addressed Reynold, as he glanced at his arm. "Did you grow it back?" he mocked him.


    Of course, he knew that it must be the devils, who helped him with his hand. There was no other way the dragon shifter was able to do that.


    "Alpha¡­ please¡­" Stephan tried to talk to Torak. "We didn''t mean to betray you, but you promised us our female dragon, but until now, we still can''t see our female dragon¡­"


    On the other hand, Reynold glared at his brother, he had told him not to say a word to Torak, but he ended up begging this Alpha.


    "So, it was true¡­ you had chosen your side?" Torak asked Reynold, completely ignoring Stephan.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/distraction_50492021911125146 for visiting.


    The younger dragon shifter didn''t have any value for his words, since it was Reynold, who was the lord for the dragon earth shifters, who called the shots for their kind.


    Reynold stood up and looked at Torak right in his eyes. "I''m not siding with the devils, but I will side with them if they can give me what I want."


    Torak held his gaze firmly, as he spoke to him with the same tone like before. "The devils indeed have your female, do you think they will keep their promise to give you back the last female dragon from your race?"


    It was stupid to think those devils would hold the end of their bargain.


    "I will pledge my loyalty to you if you can keep your promise to give me back what I want," Reynold said.


    "The only thing that you can do to get your female back was already very clear, we have to win the war. And why should I trust you?" Torak squinted his eyes. "You have said the same thing to me a few times already."


    Reynold took a step forward, but a set of loud collective growls from Torak''s people stopped him in his tracks.


    "I have some important information to tell you," Reynold said and paused for awhile to gauge Torak''s reaction. "You shouldn''t be here, Alpha¡­ my refusal to join you in the other realm is only a distraction to lure you to come here. The same things happened to your other brothers."


    ==============


    "What happened with those people?!" Raphael watched as countless beasts trying to enter the castle and some of them even managed to jump over the wall. It seemed the whole city had turned insane and wanted to kill them all. What was wrong with them?!

 Chapter 889 - SHE LET HIM GO

    "I don''t know." Eaton shook his head, he was also lost for words. "At first there were only five people, who forced their way inside the castle fighting with the guards, but not long after that, the crowd increased and it seems like the whole city came to this place."


    "What about the other entrance gates!?" Raphael''s eyes turned sharp. What the hell happened here?!Was this done by the devils?


    There were three entrance gates to this castle, the north gates, the south gates and the east gates, each of them were heavily guarded since the Donovans were currently out of reach.


    However, if the whole city were coming for them, it meant they were being besieged now. That didn''t sound very good.


    "The same happened at the other two gates too," Eaton said grimly as he watched their people being slaughtered by the beasts that managed to climb the high walls.


    Raphael clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Order as many people as you can to gather at the three entrance gates and meet me with all the leaders in the throne room as fast as you can," Raphael gave him an order and then he rushed back to his room to find Lana.


    "Got it," Eaton said and ran to the other direction to mind-link as many people as he could reach.


    [Call!] Raphael mind-link Calleb while he ran in the corridor. [The castle!]Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/she-let-him-go_50506310998882345 for visiting.


    [I know! I see it!] came Calleb''s answer. [I am at the north entrance gates! Its like hell in here!] he groaned. It seemed like he was answering while fending off the intruders in a battle.


    [You have never been there, Call¡­] Raphael remarked, trying to lighten the mood so it could be less tense.


    [Yeah,] Calleb scoffed. [Do something Raph, or if they indeed managed to go through all of us, we are done for!]


    [Just hold on!]


    ==============


    Rossie was awoken by the noises from down stairs, where she could hear all of her family''s voices.


    Why are they still awake at this hour? Rossie thought, as she rubbed her eyes sleepily.


    Soon she heard hasty footsteps in the corridor and not long after that, someone barged into her room without knocking first.


    Rossie almost jumped from her bed when someone opened the door harshly.


    "Ian!" Rossie half-yelled at her brother, who didn''t even care to wait for his little sister to catch her breath when he threw away her blanket and pulled out one of her cloak randomly.


    "Wear this, we have to go from here," Ian said sternly.


    "What happened?" Rossie was confused, but seeing Ian now, she knew it was not the time for long explanation. Something big must have been going on.


    "You, mother and Bree should go to the bunker," Ian said, as he helped Rossie to wear her shoes and made sure that she was warm enough. "We are besieged."


    "Besieged? By whom?" Rossie asked again, fear palpable in her eyes.


    "The whole city." Ian yanked open the door and grabbed his little sister''s hand, as they joined the rest of the family in the living room.


    ==============


    "What is happening out there?" Lana asked Raphael, as they met in the corridor.


    How could she stay inside the room, when she heard a lot of commotion and people yelling from out there?


    "We are being besieged," Raphael immediately approached his mate and grabbed her hand to lead her to the bunker. "You need to stay in the bunker with the rest of the people."


    "Is the situation that worse?" Lana tried to keep up her pace with Raphael, but it was hard for her to do so, since her stomach had grown so big and she couldn''t see her feet.


    Seeing Lana having difficulties to keep up with his pace, Raphael carried her to go down the stairs and ran toward the direction of the bunker.


    Lana wrapped her hands around Raphael''s neck, as she could see the ongoing fight in the yard. Right now, it seemed it could still be handled, but once those beasts went through the entrance gates, the result would be unpredictable.


    Lana felt unease when she saw this, especially when Raphael put her down right in front of the door to the bunker, where she saw that many people had already gathered and most of them were women, children and the elders, who wouldn''t be able to fight.


    If only Lana was not pregnant and she needn''t had to think about their child, she wouldn''t let Raphael to leave her behind. She was a fighter herself and she would fight alongside her mate if it was necessary.


    Yet, the reality told her otherwise. There was an important soul that she needed to protect, even with her own life.


    "Go inside," Raphael said, as he put her down and let Keira, one of the Omega, to take care of his mate. "I will look for you once everything was settled." He leaned over to kiss Lana''s temple and kneel to kiss her bump, their unborn baby. "I will come for you¡­" he whispered.


    From afar, loud voices of people screaming and cursing could be heard, followed by a deafening explosion sound.


    It forced them to be alert, as Raphael stood up immediately. He must to go now.


    "I have to go," Raphael said to Lana, but she pulled him for a hug.


    "Please come back," Lana said softly, pleading for his return. She didn''t know why she felt this way, but seeing how those people caught them off guard and the fact that it was the people from the city that had attacked them, left her restless.


    She didn''t want to think of the worse, but it just kept flashing in her mind. All the worst possibilities that could happen and this scared her to the core.


    Even so, she knew without a doubt that Raphael would go straight to that battlefield.


    "I will, sweetheart. I will," Raphael promised her and hugged her back tightly, but not tight enough to hurt their baby. "I will come back for the two of you, I promise."


    Lana nodded and sobbed silently when she let him go¡­


    Yet, her heart told her that she shouldn''t do that¡­

 Chapter 890 - THE BROKEN MATE BOND

    "You shouldn''t be here, Alpha¡­ my refusal to join you in the other realm is only a distraction to lure you to come here. The same things happened to your other brothers." Reynold looked Torak straight in the eyes.


    Torak squinted his eyes as he stared back at Reynold. For some reason he felt unease when he heard his words.


    He was telling the truth. He could see it in his eyes that the dragon lord was telling him the truth about Torak being lured to come here.


    "What are you planning?" Torak asked, as he stood up and walked closer toward Reynold.


    "It was not me," Reynold said, he stood his ground when Torak walked over to him. "You know that I am not the one who planned all of this."


    Torak growled. "So, you want to say that you lured me here?"


    "It is a mistake on your part to come here," Reynold replied in a roundabout manner, but his words still held the same meaning. He knew that Torak would come personally to look for him, since the war was at their door. It was only right for him to find as many people as they could to join forces with them.


    Or, destroy as many people as possible, who would be a threat for them, as it was more or less clear that they chose to be on the devils side.


    It was easy to see, as they had used the same method during the first war.


    Unfortunately, the dragon lord didn''t have any interest to spare for the upcoming war when their kind was almost extinct with the uncertainty of their last living female''s survival.


    "Send someone to follow up the condition in the castle with Raphael," Torak commanded, and one of his people left the house to carry out his order. "If something happened to them, your head will be on my table," he said in a low, dangerous tone.


    "Alpha," Reynold smirked. "If something happened to them, it''s all your fault, don''t put the blame on me. You do realize that this is a war, right? Then you should think two or three steps ahead," he said tauntingly.


    "Brother¡­" Stephan grimaced when he heard the way his brother talked to Torak.


    "I''m not taking any sides, but I will do whatever it takes to get what I deserve," Reynold emphasized every single word he said.


    ==============


    While Calleb was busy defending the north entrance gates along with thousands of their men and Eaton was at the east gates to lead another few thousands, Raphael went to the south gates, which were the gates that directly faced the city.


    Therefore, the battle there was akin to a hellish nightmare.


    Blood covered the ground and smell of death vividly spread in the air, more so as their men'' lives were hanging by a thread when those crazy beasts managed to break down the gates and wreaked havoc inside the castle.


    Though those beasts were the citizens, who didn''t receive any training for a proper fight, but their number alone was enough to overwhelm them.


    The devils must be behind all of this!


    The same and exact thing had happened to the guards in the castle, on the day when Lilac had been kidnapped.


    Those filthy devils controlled those people!


    How could they do that?


    And the worst part was; no one saw this coming.


    [THEY WERE THROUGH! THEY WERE THROUGH! THE GATES FELL DOWN!]


    Those words rang inside their heads when the south gates collapsed and many beasts went berserk, fighting, clawing, biting off anyone that they met.


    [HOLD TIGHT! DON''T LET THEM GO ANY FURTHER!] Raphael commanded, his voice laced with urgency when he bit off the head of one of the beast that attacked him and then readied himself for another two who sneaked behind him.


    Under the moonless sky and dark clouds that rumbled, the castle was in total chaos.


    [Raph!] Calleb reached him through mind-link.


    [What?!] Raphael roared, as he concentrated on fighting the beast before his eyes.


    [You have to leave there!] Calleb said with urgency as he too, had to concentrate on his own battle. [Bring Lana and Rossie and get out from there!]


    [I am not leaving them!] how could he leave those men, who fought alongside with him when he was the one, who gave them an order?


    [Don''t be stubborn Raph!] Calleb reprimanded him. [This is a fight we can''t win!] the Gamma knew, from the anxiety that he could feel from the warriors on the south gates that they were in a deep trouble. [GET OUT FROM THERE!]Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/the-broken-mate-bond_50518488019681409 for visiting.


    However, Raphael cut off the mind-link and Calleb got nothing in reply.


    ==============


    "Everything will be all right, my dear¡­" Sophie grabbed Lana''s hand, as she tried to make her feel a little bit more relaxed. "Everything will be settled down in no time and he will come to you."


    Lana grimaced. She wanted to give her a smile, but she couldn''t lie to herself that she was very nervous.


    It had been an hour since Raphael cut off the mind link between them and the last news that she heard from him was; the south entrance gates have collapsed.


    Since Lana was not connected with the other warriors, the only way she was able to know about the progress of the battle outside, was through Raphael.


    Lana was sitting with Sophie, Rossie and Bree, also Keira, who couldn''t stop fidgeting for a second; just like most of the women here, their mates were out there, fighting in the fierce battle against the whole city.


    This bunker was very big that it could accommodate a large number of people, but it was very quiet, as everyone inside was deep in their own thoughts.


    However, all of a sudden, there was a shrill scream that echoed through the wall. Followed by another woman''s scream.


    "What happened?" Bree asked, as she crept closer to Rossie. "Why are they screaming?"


    Sophie didn''t answer that, but Lana did with an emotionless expression.


    "They were feeling the pain of the broken mate bond," Lana said darkly. "They lost their mates."

 Chapter 891 - SHE WANTED HER MATE

    The screams were getting louder and louder, as many women started to wail in pain upon the loss of their other halves, the precious souls that solely belonged to them.


    Even Sophie couldn''t mask her fear anymore, she was worried about her mate and both of her sons. The twins insisted on going along with Sterling and they never looked so determined like that until Sophie couldn''t refuse their pleas.


    At first, Sophie didn''t think that the situation would turn out this worse, she thought it was only an attack from the citizens because they were displeased with the fact that the Donovans were not there to rule.


    Who would have thought that the whole city became crazy and attack the castle without a second thought?


    "They will be fine, all of them will be fine," Sophie chanted those few words like a charm, as she pulled Rossie and Bree into her warm hug, but actually, those words were for her, to calm herself down.


    Though they didn''t know exactly what was going on out there, but the fact that she didn''t feel the pain indicating the broken mate bond, was enough to assure her that Sterling and her other two sons were still alive.


    Sophie looked at Lana, whose face was contorted with anxiety, but aside from that, she was fine. Lana must have known as well that Raphael was still alive right now. So did Rossie¡­


    For now, they could feel relieved for not experiencing such a painful feeling, but every second that passed was beyond agonizing to bear.


    ===============


    "She kissed you¡­" Lilac said with pain in her eyes.


    "What?" Jedrek frowned. He didn''t quite get what Lilac meant by that. "What do you mean?" he didn''t even realize Serefina''s presence, perhaps her scent must have gone along with the destruction that Lilac had created.


    Lilac raised her head and looked Jedrek straight in his eyes. "It was not me, who helped you, it was her." And then she told him briefly about what Serefina told her about the curse.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek listened to her grimly, but didn''t say a word about it.


    "She loves you Jedrek," Lilac said in a tight voice. The anger and jealousy started to boil her blood again, which she tried to suppress. "She could betray all of us, but she still came to look for you in your difficult time¡­"


    "She betrayed me," Jedrek emphasized his words. Serefina betrayed him and that fact didn''t change even when she came to help him.


    "She loves you, despite what she had done to you, she still came to look for you the moment she knew you were in trouble," Lilac said, ignoring the pain that she felt gnawing her heart.


    She didn''t want to feel this way toward someone, who had saved Jedrek and helped his condition turn better, but this someone was Serefina and she couldn''t stomach the fact she had done yet another favor for Jedrek.


    Jedrek sighed deeply. "What do you want to say, my little flower?"


    "I feel useless," Lilac voiced out her insecurities.


    Call her narrow-minded and petty, but how could she readily accept the fact that she just witnessed her mate''s ex-lover kissed him right before her eyes when she couldn''t do anything to prevent that from happening.


    The taunting smirk and her provoking eyes when she looked at her while kissing Jedrek, were something that Lilac would never be able to forget.


    "What do you mean by ''you feel useless''?" Jedrek disagreed with her statement. "Your existence alone is a blessing for me."


    "Said someone, who killed me once!" Lilac stared at Jedrek sharply. "I feel honored," she scoffed.


    "That was my greatest mistake that I have ever made." Jedrek stood up and helped Lilac to stand on her feet as well, while the other lycanthropes and faes were ready to take an order from him. "You can kill me if that can make you feel better and make us even."


    Lilac grimaced when she heard Jedrek''s dark jokes and then she remembered that she indeed almost killed him if Serefina didn''t stop them.


    If only what she said was right¡­


    "You know I will never do that," Lilac grumbled.


    "Said someone, who ruined my castle and fought all of my generals, to get her revenge," Jedrek gave back her words to her. "But, I love you nonetheless. You are mine now."


    Lilac felt slightly better.


    "Now, our business is done here, we need to go back to the castle," Jedrek said, as both of them looked at the direction where the city existed a few hours ago, but now it was nothing but an empty ground.


    Lilac heaved a heavy breath and wiped the remaining tears from her face.


    A lot of things had happened within these few hours and she couldn''t decide which one she had to think about first.


    Serefina, the city, the fact that she had killed more people than she could imagine, the possibilities that she had killed Killian and Tordoff too¡­ the castle, the war¡­


    Lilac closed her eyes. She was very tired.


    "Jedrek," Lilac called him when she felt his big hand caressing her back soothingly, as he led her back to the rest of the people, who had gathered to wait for them. "Serefina used the blood of the guardian angels."


    And following that, Lilac told him everything that the witch told her.


    But, thinking about it again, Serefina could just leave her out of the details that she could manage creating something as powerful as that.


    Did she just reveal a tiny part of the devil''s plan by telling them so? As they knew about this, they would know what the worst thing that would come in their way¡­


    ==============


    The bunker was filled with the whimperings and painful m.o.a.ns of women and children, who were wailing and crying from the agony they felt for losing their loved ones.


    And Lana felt even more terrified hearing all of them cry in soul wrenching agony. She caressed her stomach, in response her baby kicked the place where she put her hand, and tears continued to roll down her cheeks.


    She wanted her mate¡­


    She wanted Raphael¡­Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/she-wanted-her-mate_50521416935722440 for visiting.

 Chapter 892 - MY FAVORITE GUARDIAN ANGEL

    Lana felt suffocated by her own anxiety as her stomach continued to churn uncomfortably. She whimpered softly when the feeling grew intense.


    "Lana, what happened?" Bree was the first one to notice Lana''s pain, since Sophie and Rossie were focused on observing the other women, each of whom facing their own battle trying to overcome their loss.


    "Lana, are you okay?" Rossie asked Lana, when she saw that Lana curled her body while holding her knees close to her stomach, she could clearly see the sweat layered on top of her forehead as she tried to hold back a grunt.


    "Come here dear, let''s make you feel comfortable," Sophie said, she reached out for Lana and held her in her arms as she rested Lana''s head on her shoulder. Sophie also tried to ease her tension by caressing her back in small soothing motions, in order to alleviate her pain. "You should relax my dear, or you will scare the baby too."


    How could Lana feel relaxed at a time like this? When every single part of her body screamed, calling for Raphael''s presence in her arms.


    Lana had never felt these intense feelings of fear before. Even when she was very young or when she received her first mission from Serefina, she had never felt such an intense feeling, where she even find it hard to breathe normally.


    "They will be fine, Lana¡­" Rossie offered some comforting words, yet it didn''t help to lessen her anxiety any better.


    "What if something bad happened to them?" Lana asked in a trembling voice. "I can''t¡­" she whimpered. "Raphael hadn''t even got to see our child¡­"


    The very thought that Raphael could never hold their son, pained her. She felt like a thousand silver daggers had been pierced through her heart, leaving it to bleed while she didn''t even know how to stop it from paining.


    "No, no, no¡­" Sophie hugged Lana even tighter, the girl was having a mental breakdown now and all she needed was the genuine consolation that they could offer. However, the most important thing that she needed right now was to see her mate.


    So did most of the women here, yet Lana was the only pregnant woman in the bunker.


    ==============


    [WHERE IS BAYLE?!] Raphael roared through the mind-link, as he fought three beasts that sneaked up on him from behind.


    His fur was already drenched in blood and he felt his arm turning numb as the bone on his right shoulder had been dislocated when he tried to ward off the three beasts at the same time, yet he couldn''t spare any time to heal properly when he couldn''t even afford a few seconds to take a breather before he was confronted by yet another angry beast.


    [I didn''t see him.] Eaton answered through mind-link, as he bit off the head of the beast that tried to attack him. He was fighting not too far from Raphael now.


    They were in deep trouble now, they had been forced to go to the inner castle as it increasingly became harder and harder to control the beasts.


    At this point, all the three entrance gates were already collapsed and their attackers had started roaming around the entire castle.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/my-favorite-guardian-angel_50531680028519872 for visiting.


    Raphael could no longer afford to command anything to their warriors, when they already fought and killed as many beasts as they could, while trying to watch one another backs.


    The least they could do now was; try and keep those beasts away from the bunker.


    However, with the disappearance of the dragon lord and his people, they knew that they were at a greater disadvantage because of insufficient force, while the number of their opponents did not seem to cease down any sooner.


    [It looks like they have run away.] Eaton gritted his teeth when one of the beasts caught his front leg, but he quickly countered by biting off his ear. The sound of a wailing howl pierced through the dark night once again, as countless beasts were continued to engage in brawls with the lycan warriors in this seemingly endless battle.


    [D*mn it!] Raphael cursed loudly. He looked around and all he could see was blood and dead bodies which were scattered on the ground, while the rest of the lycan warriors, who could still stand their ground after all the blows they received until now, tried their best to keep their heads intact.


    Raphael panted heavily. His new wounds tore open his old ones and this kept repeating until he didn''t know which part of his body that was injured anymore.


    His vision was getting increasingly blurry, and he could feel his beast had already turned bone-weary. The only thing that kept him awake was his instinct and the thought of his mate and their unborn child.


    With that, he let out an ear-piercing snarl when another beast pounced on him.


    There was no end for this and no one knew how many beasts they had already killed, it seemed they had killed more than one city at this point.


    Not too far from him, in the highest tower of the castle, leisurely standing were Lucifer and Lilith, with their golden eyes glued to the messed up situation in the yard, as a soft smile appeared on their lips.


    "Such a beautiful sight, right?" Lilith sighed contentedly. She perched on the edge of the trail, as she played with her long hair.


    "Can I go back?" Belphegor yawned lazily, as he leaned his body against the wall, at the darkest spot of the tower. "You should bring Wrath or Gluttony here, not me¡­" he stretched his body leisurely.


    "Can you stop complaining?" Lilith glared at Belphegor. "Can''t you see our masterpiece?"


    "Masterpiece?" Belphegor scoffed disdainfully. "There was too much blood for my liking."


    Those beasts were the same people who had been missing from the past year and managed to escape the grasps of Jedrek''s people.


    They had indeed lost their inner beasts, but the devils replaced it with a part of their own soul and controlled them.


    Jedrek had killed many people without their inner beasts, but little did he know, there were more people than he could imagine, whom the devils had managed to implant with their dark soul.


    "It is not fun, I will go back now." Belphegor glanced at the bloody battle down there, as his golden eyes didn''t show any empathy.


    "Why? Because of your favorite guardian angel is not here?" Lucifer turned around and smirked at his fellow devil.


    Belphegor chuckled upon hearing that. "Yes, because that cute guardian angel is not here," he admitted. "I am kind of missing her¡­" he clicked his tongue.


    Lilith snorted and looked at the sloth with disdain. "You have such a strange taste."

 Chapter 893 - THEY WERE MARCHING TOWARD THE BUNKER

    "D*mn Torak!"Jedrek cursed loudly when one of the guards had told them that Torak and Kace had left the castle, he was the same person who was sent back by Lilac to find news about the castle.


    "Calm down," Lilac said softly, regardless of the complicated feelings flashed in her eyes when she heard that news. She had a bad feeling, that was why she asked someone to check on the castle, but now it was made clear that all the Donovans had left that place.


    "Torak mustn''t have left the castle!" Jedrek roared and he took a deep breath to calm himself down upon seeing the shocked look on Lilac''s face. "I am sorry, I didn''t mean to yell at you," he murmured gloomily.


    Lilac waved her hand to gesture for the lycan, who brought the news, to leave them alone.


    The lycan didn''t need to be told twice, as he left with his head hung low, not even daring to look at Lilac. He heard about what the new queen was capable of.


    Destroying the whole city?! The entire eastern region?! And buried the whole city deep down in the ground?! Hell! That should have been one hellishly terrifying sight!


    Lilac could see how different those lycan warriors were looking at her now, but she had other important things to think about and of course, the way they started giving some respect to her didn''t go unnoticed by her either. Actually that was a good thing. Maybe that was the only good thing that came out from her horrifying actions from earlier.


    "They must have a good reason to do so," Lilac tried to reason with Jedrek, as she grabbed his hand and took him for a walk. "Moreover Raphael and Eaton are in charge of the castle now and there weren''t any major things that happened recently," she said to lighten Jedrek''s dark mood.


    They were on the streets, travelling back to the castle when they received this news. However, what they didn''t know was; by the time they received the peaceful news about Torak and Kace''s absence, something disastrous was already happening back in the castle.


    "They shouldn''t leave the castle, Lilac." Jedrek stood firm with his opinion. No matter what the reasons were, it couldn''t justify Torak''s decision for leaving the castle under Raphael and Eaton''s hands.


    "We will be there in two days, nothing will happen in two days," Lilac said reassuringly, yet her heart told her otherwise, if she could, she would teleport herself to the castle now itself.


    Actually, she could ask Sybil to do that, the witch who came with them, but if she acted abruptly now, it would only make Jedrek more anxious and the rest of them would be left feeling restless, moreover, Sybil wouldn''t be able to teleport the whole entourage with her.


    The guardian angel looked at the sky, which looked no different from any other night or day, after the last time she have seen the sun.


    Only two days¡­


    Lilac told herself.


    ==============


    [None of them were here!] Eaton tried to reach Raphael since he couldn''t see him. The last time he saw him was when a beast managed to sneak an attack behind his back and pushed him from the balcony on the third floor, but the Beta survived, which made him glad.


    However, after that, Eaton couldn''t see Raphael again.


    [Raph!!] Eaton snarled viciously at the black werewolf in front of him and without waiting for it to attack him, he made his move first.


    Though it was quite easy to take them down, still it was utterly exhausting to battle them back to back and Eaton couldn''t help but think - Wasn''t there an end to their numbers?


    He felt like he alone had butchered the whole city, however, their number wouldn''t reduce no matter how many of them were killed!


    What the hell is going on here?!


    After killing the werewolf, Eaton shifted back into his human skin, as he could no longer hold his beast form.


    He felt his beast was growing weak, until he couldn''t even feel it any longer¡­


    Was this because of the intense battle? Or, was it because of the sudden gloomy feeling he was feeling right now? Maybe he was just too tired, or beyond tired. But, he was sure, this had never happened before.


    He dropped to his knees and blood trickled down from his head, arms, shoulders, legs and every part of his body. He tried to heal himself, but it would take time before he was able to go on the battle again.


    When was the last time he had fought this kind of battle? It must be centuries ago¡­


    Eaton leaned his body against the wall, as his breath became shallow.


    Not too far from him, the battle still continued. Some of the lycan warriors, just like him, had shifted back into their human skin and were being slaughtered easily once they put their guard down.


    Eaton shook his head, trying to regain his consciousness, but the temptation of the dark managed to swallow him.


    And the last thing he could see was a man, with golden eyes, who was staring at him with a devious smirk at the corner of his lips.


    Lucifer?


    And that was the last thing that he could think, before his eyes completely closed shut¡­Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/they-were-marching-toward-the-bunker_50546223307879583 for visiting.


    ==============


    Calleb snarled at the three beasts before his eyes with Sterling and the twins right behind him, fighting another beast.


    [We can''t hold the castle any longer!] Ian shouted to them through the mind link. They had lost too many people to stand another attack, but their enemy didn''t stop coming at them.


    At this point, the three entrance gates had collapsed and they couldn''t do anything about it but fight them off, yet that was not an option anymore since many of them had died.


    It was lucky enough for the rest of them to be alive.


    [Two of you, go to the bunker! I will be there later!] Sterling gave an order to Ian and Ethan, but the two of them didn''t listen to him.


    [No, I will fight here with you!] Ian insisted.


    But, at the same time, someone informed them. [They were marching toward the bunker now!]


    It was Calleb, who shouted to the twins. [GO BACK TO THE BUNKER AND BRING AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN FROM HERE! NOW!]

 Chapter 894 - KILL THEM

    Raine looked at Reynold in silence and then her eyes shifted to Stephan, who was still on the ground, grimacing with every single word that his brother threw at Torak.


    "You want your mate?" Raine talked all of a sudden as she stood up from her seat and walked over to stand beside Torak.


    However, Torak slightly pulled her behind him, he was afraid that Reynold would be crazy enough to hurt her and catch him off guard.


    "Did you really asked that question to me now?" Reynold sneered at Raine, as he rolled his eyes dramatically. It was obvious enough that he wanted to have his mate back. No questions needed.


    "Are you sure, your mate is still alive?" Raine asked again, ignoring the contemptuous look that Reynold threw at her. "Do you really think that the devils will be kind enough to keep her alive when it is easier to control a dragon shifter like you when they are dead?"


    Dragon shifter was a stubborn creature with a matching bad temper, it could be seen from how they were very easy to provoke.


    "They promised to¡­" Reynold didn''t continue his words when he watched how the guardian angel before his eyes, pulled a triumphant smirk on her lips.


    It was a well known fact that you shouldn''t believe whatever the devils said, as they had broken almost all the promises they had ever made.


    It was absolute stupidity on their part to believe that the devils would keep their promises to them. Those promises always turned out to be lies or would only benefit the devils alone.


    "You trust a devil''s promise?" It was Torak, who picked up the insult that Raine couldn''t say out loud, as it was not in her character to mock other people. "You know, even the most stupidest person have worried about making a deal with the devil."


    Reynold gritted his teeth, but then he countered. "Stupid person? Like your father?" he was aware of the fact that the old Donovan had made a promise with the devils and as a result, Jedrek had to keep up with its shortcomings for years.


    Reynold thought his words would incur Torak''s wrath, but he was wrong as the Alpha just laughed at his words. "Right. My father is stupid to make a deal with the devils, that is why he is no longer alive. So would you, if you keep playing this sick act of yours and refuse to cooperate with me," he said coldly, not even bothering to hold back with his counter words. "Choose your side wisely Reynold. We won the war without you, dragon people, do you think I came here to beg for your cooperation alone?"


    Raine looked at Torak and noticed the unperturbed determination in his dark eyes, and in an instant she knew that he was serious with every single word which he said to Reynold.


    Torak''s intention was very clear, it was either Reynold agreed to join Torak''s party or they could join with the devils in hell, because the Alpha wouldn''t let him live for another day the moment Reyold refused to obey his order.


    "Brother¡­ don''t do this¡­" Stephan pleaded Reynold. He was still on the ground, looking up at his brother with pitiful eyes.


    Ever since the first order came from Torak to join them in the other realm, Stephan had been very anxious to convince Reynold not to take the devils side all this time.


    Who knew Torak would return to this realm this fast?


    "If Torak couldn''t find your mate even until now and you can''t see her even when you begged the devils to no end, don''t you think that something bad had already happened to her?" Raine asked Reynold again.


    "You are just trying to persuade me to go to your side, aren''t you?" Reynold crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at Raine, he sized up this guardian angel in his head.


    "No," Raine said firmly. "We don''t need to persuade you, it is your final chance to obey your Alpha''s order."


    "Or what? Kill me?" he taunted.


    Torak watched Raine in silence. He didn''t want to interfere. Since his mate took the initiative to talk, then he would just grant whatever she wanted to do.


    Even if it meant to kill these dragon people.


    "Yes," Raine said, she tilted her head and looked at Torak. "Kill them."


    ==============


    The screams and wails of pain slightly reduced now and those women were just lying on the ground motionlessly, as though they had lost their soul. In fact, they did.


    Soon after they all could hear a loud bang on the door of the bunker coupled with the angry roars of dozens of beasts, echoing through the walls of the bunker.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/the-love-of-a-lycan_13952362506619705/kill-them_50548334284293308 for visiting.


    "What is that?" Bree asked, she was scared. Her body trembled, as her eyes shifted toward the solid door, which rattled with every sound those beasts were creating now. "Shouldn''t they be unable to find this hiding place?"


    "I don''t know Bree¡­" Rossie felt fear creeping in her heart when she saw that dirt and dust was scattering around the door from the impact of all the banging.


    It seemed that door wouldn''t last for long time.


    "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" A woman, the oldest one among them, stood up and moved swiftly to the other door, which was opposite to the door from where they entered. "Follow me!" she said bravely. "That door will not stand for long!"


    What she said was true¡­


    They could already hear the cracking sounds of the door.


    Fortunately, this place had two doors, each of which led to a different exit. And the one that the old woman opened now, would lead them to the outer part of the castle.


    They didn''t know where they had to go or what was waiting for them out there, but it was their only chance to survive. It was that, or being slaughtered in this bunker.


    "We need to go now, come on!" Sophie helped Lana to stand up together with Keira, and then walked toward the the other door, while Rossie and Bree followed behind them.


    "What about them?" Rossie referred to her father and brothers¡­ also Calleb.


    "They will be fine," Sophie said.


    She hoped she was right.

 Chapter 895 - HE DIED

    [Call! We need to get out of here!] Sterling roared at the grey wolf of Calleb, when he noticed that he went ahead to fight more beasts, when they were supposed to retreat. They would die in vain if they kept fighting them.


    Sterling saw that the grey wolf shook its head in refusal to listen whatever he was asking him to do.


    [No, I have to find Raphael!] he said through mind-link stubbornly. [I have to make sure that he was all right!]


    [Don''t be stupid!] Sterling yelled angrily as he groaned and moved ahead to fight alongside Calleb. [You don''t even know where he is!]


    [I will find him!] Calleb roared back at Sterling as he killed another beast that attacked him.


    [No! I will not let you go there!] Sterling''s beast bumped the grey wolf and snarled at him. [Do you think I will let you go there all alone?! Your rash decision was a pure suicide!!!]


    [Why do I want to suicide?! I just want to find Raphael!] Calleb yelled back frustratedly.


    He couldn''t reach the Beta from an hour and he couldn''t find him anywhere, even after mind linking all the lycan warriors that he could reach.


    What happened to him?


    Was he¡­


    Calleb shook his head in denial. That must not be true. If something happened to Raphael, he would feel something. Torak and Raine would feel something.


    The bond between them was strong enough to let him feel something.


    Though that bond was not as strong as the mate bond, but they had been together for years. And, when a bond between Alpha and his Beta or Gamma was snapped, they would feel it.


    Raine would be able to sense it too.


    [Don''t be crazy!] Sterling''s roar forced Calleb to focus on the reality before his eyes again. [He will find a way to save himself!]


    [He has a mate, not to forget his unborn child, who are waiting for him! I have to make sure he is fine!] Calleb growled when they got ambushed by another attacker.


    D*mn it! Why did it seem like there was no end to this!?


    Raphael didn''t talk a lot about finding his mate, but Calleb knew that the taciturn Beta was always longing for one.


    Raphael once said that he wanted to have a family of his own. And now he was going to have one¡­ Calleb didn''t even want to entertain the mere thought of if something went wrong.


    [You have your own mate you still have to think of!] Sterling tried to drag him away from that place, but Calleb was too stubborn. [I will not live to see my only daughter mourning for the loss of her mate!] he growled loudly.


    Rossie was with the other people in the bunker, but now those beasts were heading in that direction and no one could be sure that they wouldn''t manage to breakthrough that safe place.


    [Raphael is a Beta! He is an extremely talented warrior, he will be fine!] Sterling saw that Calleb was hesitating on what to do about this again with the mention of his mate, thus he prodded further. [You will feel it if something happened to him! You are the Gamma after all!]


    And at the same time, someone informed them in urgency.


    [THE BEASTS MANAGED TO BREAKTHROUGH THE BUNKER''S DOOR!]


    And that was all Calleb needed to run toward the bunker, with Sterling following closely behind him.


    Rossie¡­


    Lana¡­


    Sophie¡­


    Bree¡­


    Sterling picked up his pace when he felt his family was in danger.


    However, they didn''t run too far before something strange happened as they shifted back into their human form.


    Sterling and Calleb tumbled down and fell onto the ground, with their breathing uneven.


    "What is happening?" Calleb saw his hand¡­ they really shifted back into their human form. However, how could this happen?


    Sterling groaned and felt his body turn very weak to support himself, as if his strength was being sucked out of his entire being.


    Yet, that would be their last concern now. A few meters away from them they saw some beasts running in their direction with their protruding talons, as sharp as blade, ready to tear them apart.


    ==============


    Ian and Ethan were racing toward the bunker when they heard the last reminder about the bunker being invaded by those beasts.


    That couldn''t happen!


    Both the twins picked up their speed and fought the beasts that they met along the way to get there.


    Yet, Ian lost his focus when he noticed that Ethan was being surrounded by four beasts and couldn''t keep up with him.


    Thus, Ian halted to help his twin, without him knowing, one beast sneaked an attack behind him and bit down his shoulder, bringing him down to the ground.


    Ian roared and tried to shake the attacker off from him as the pain from the wound made him panic and the blood that spilled from his wound drenched his fur.


    Ethan, who saw that, could only snarl at his twin, since he was being caught up with the four beasts and was not able to go to help him.


    Ethan''s beast clawed and bit his attacker, while keep glancing at Ian, who was not yet able to free himself from the beast''s jaws.


    Ian let out a painful wail when another beast bit down his neck and some more blood spurted from the wound.


    He started to lose his focus as his vision became blurry. He felt his strength leaving him bit by bit. His beast turned silent and stopped fighting back.


    The last thing he could remember was; he shifted back into his human form.


    [IAN!] Ethan roared painfully when he saw his twin in his human form, not moving an inch.


    The beast that clamped his jaws on Ian''s neck let him go and gave a final blow by clawing his heart open, leaving his blood to flow freely.


    Ethan was lost for words upon seeing the gruesome scene and what turned this even more terrifying was; it was his twin.


    He felt like all the air in his lungs being sucked out, leaving him breathless when his mind tried to register what was happening.


    Ian is dead before his eyes yet he could do nothing to stop it from happening¡­

 Chapter 896 - GRIEF

    Sophie felt it, she felt it right in her tender heart, the excruciating pain upon losing someone she loved dearly.


    She felt it in her very bones, a chilling feeling that could crush her being into nothing, and suddenly, all she could see was darkness. She felt the nothingness consume her with deep sorrow and endless heartbreak.


    And at the same time, a shrill scream pulled her from the dark world that she just experienced. It was not her who was screaming¡­


    It was Rossie.


    Her daughter. She felt it too¡­


    "No¡­ no¡­ no¡­" Rossie collapsed to the ground and wailed, while shaking her head. She mumbled the same thing over and over again. "It is impossible¡­ this can''t happen¡­ no¡­"


    Sadness overwhelmed her until her words soon turned incoherent.


    Bree, who was confused knelt down beside her and started crying too, even though she couldn''t feel the sadness that Rossie and Shopie feeling right now.


    However, their reaction told her that something bad must have happened to one of their family member.


    Sophie watched her own daughter crying her heart out, but she did nothing. Her eyes showed nothing, as her mind was trying to cope up with the loss that she just experienced.


    Who was that? Sterling? Ian? Ethan?


    Who left them?


    Everything became silent to the point where Sophie couldn''t even hear Rossie''s wails. The world suddenly became very quiet for her, until she felt someone shook her body and Lana''s face loomed in her vision.


    Sophie watched how Lana was talking with a sense of urgency, but she couldn''t comprehend what Lana was talking about.


    What was she saying?


    Sophie frowned and felt Lana shook her body once again.


    "We need to get out from here. Now!" Lana screamed at Sophie helplessly. "Sophie, do you hear me?!"


    "Lana¡­" Sophie whispered to her, as tears streamed down her face. "I lost him¡­ I lost one of them¡­" she said in bitterness.


    She didn''t know, who she lost in the family, but she could feel it when the bond was broken. It was such a painful feeling. The pain that she had never experienced before.


    "I lost him¡­" she repeated her words and Lana pulled her, hugging her very tight, so she wouldn''t break apart.


    On the other side, Bree and Keira were trying to console Rossie, the girl wouldn''t stop screaming, but it didn''t lessen her pain whatsoever.


    In spite of their grief, there was something more urgent they need to do now, when they heard a loud bang on the door behind them.


    They were in the secret tunnel that connected the bunker to the outer castle. If they were clawing the door behind them now, it meant those beasts were inside the bunker.


    "We need to go¡­" Keira looked at the door and then at the two women back and forth anxiously. "We will die if they managed to bust down the other door too!"


    ==============


    "Kill them," Raine said viciously, her eyes didn''t waver when she looked at Reynold straight in his eyes.


    And before the dragon lord could overcome his surprise, one of the lycan warrior killed one of the dragon shifter with one swift move, as the latter''s body collapsed to the ground.


    "YOU!" Reynold roared and Stephan looked at Raine in disbelieve. This was not the girl that he knew! "HOW DARE YOU!"


    Reynold was about to charge forward when Torak pulled Raine behind him and Jack acted swiftly and made the dragon lord kneel.


    "Tell me to kill you again and I will make sure you witness every single one of your people die one by one," Raine said coldly while pointing her chin toward the Dragon people behind Reynold.


    She had seen enough deaths at this point and she would do anything to protect the people that were important to her in order to keep them safe.


    If these dragon people would be a threat for them, it would be best if they could get rid of them before they could do more harm.


    "Raine, please¡­" Stephan pleaded her. "You don''t want to do this¡­ this is not you¡­"


    However, before Raine could talk, she felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if someone stabbed her¡­


    ==============


    Once all the people inside the bunker were in the open area, they shifted into their beasts and started running away as fast as they could.


    However, Lana couldn''t do that. She was pregnant, and once she shifted into her beast she would lost their baby. It was not an option for her.


    Therefore, Sophie, Rossie, Bree and Keira walked with her, as fast as Lana could. They had to push down their grief in order to survive¡­


    Meanwhile, Sophie and Keira supported Lana''s body, afraid she would tumble down since Lana couldn''t even see her own toes, while Rossie and Bree walked ahead while trying to sense any possible danger that would come in their way.


    None of them were ever subjected to train for a close combat, thus if something went wrong, they would be literally handing their lives to their opponents.


    Lana groaned when she felt her heart started beating faster and her chest caved in, she was almost at her limits, as sweat drenched her body completely.


    "Just a little bit more Lana¡­ just a little bit more¡­" Sophie tried to cheer her up. Yet it was needless to say, she herself didn''t know where they were headed in this strange forest, while the other women had already fled to save their own lives, leaving the five of them long behind.


    Lana shook her head, "I can''t¡­" she mumbled.


    "I think she needs to take some rest¡­" Keira said to Sophie. She saw how Lana struggled to breathe evenly.


    Sophie looked hesitant at first, but Keira was right; Lana wouldn''t be able to hold on any longer at this point, or else something would happen to the baby.


    Though pregnancy for a shifter was relatively less complicated than humans, but it was still dangerous to push her limits.


    "All right¡­" Sophie panted. "Let''s take a break."


    They moved closer to the dense trees and helped Lana to sit down, so she could lean her back and catch her breath for some time.

 Chapter 897 - RETURN

    Raine felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if someone stabbed her. What was this pain came for?


    Out of instinct, her hand moved to her chest, but there was no wound and she was perfectly fine, yet the pain only increased by each passing second and she was having difficulty to breath.


    "Torak¡­" Raine reached out to him, while her other hand clutched on to her chest. "It hurts¡­" she whimpered.


    And out of the blue, she found herself crying, even though she didn''t know what she was crying for. She felt very sad for some unknown reason.


    What happened?


    "Arrest them," Torak said grimly, before he carried his mate out of the house. He knew where this pain came from.


    However for Raine, she didn''t have any idea that this pain was caused by losing someone that close to her. This was one of the bond that grew in her as a Luna.


    "Torak, what is this pain?" Raine curled her body, whimpering. She was confused and in heartbreaking pain, as she couldn??t stop crying.


    Someone opened the door for them and Torak slid into the car with Raine in his arms.


    "Take a deep breath, my love¡­" Torak cradled her in his arms and caressed her back to ease her pain, but it didn''t help her feel any better.


    Raine felt like her soul was being sucked out of her body and there was nothing she wanted to do now, except to curl her body and cry her heart out. To let everyone knew this sadness.


    But, why was she feeling very sad?


    "Try to breath, my love¡­" Torak persuaded her when he watched how Raine was panting with her eyes closed shut as tears stained her cheeks. "Everything is all right¡­"


    Raine shook her head in denial.


    No, nothing could lessen this pain¡­ she needed to know what this was¡­


    ==============


    The centaurs and hunters were working together to fight off the beasts, but they were outnumbered and didn''t have much strength left to defend themselves.


    "ZARRN! WE NEED TO RETREAT!" Delta, the head of the hunters shouted at the centaur, they were now cornered at the northern wing and the only chance they got to escape was the north entrance gates, which were flooded by hundreds beasts.


    "WE HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER WAY! WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FIGHT THEM!" Zarrn shouted back, while making a slash move to cut the beast''s head.


    Delta looked around him and shook his head. He tightened his grip on his long sword, but there was another beast, who sneaked up on him, yet before the beast could deliver a fatal attack, one of the centaur''s arrow pierced through its neck.


    Delta nodded at the centaur, as a sign of gratitude before he talked to Zarrn. "There is no other way out of here!"


    Zarrn groaned when he realized what Delta said was true. Their best chance was to fight the beasts, but even that didn''t look promising anymore.


    What should they do now?!


    Every minute was important and not too far from them, one of the beasts managed to kill another centaur before crushing a hunter, followed by obliterating alycan.


    Was this the end of them?


    "If we force forward to fight them, we will die!" Zarrn shouted at Delta as he ripped off another beast''s head.


    "The situation couldn''t get any worse than this!" Delta replied.


    As if the universe wanted to prove that the head of the hunter''s words were wrong, the lycanthropes, who were fighting alongside with them, shifted back into their human skin all of a sudden.


    "What are you doing?!" Delta growled at the lycan beside him. "SHIFT BACK INTO YOUR BEAST! Do you think you can fight them in your human form?!" he was too angry and anxious to notice there was something wrong with them.


    However, instead of shifting back into their beasts, those lycanthropes fell to the ground, kneeling while panting heavily.


    "What happened?" Delta was very confused and dragged the closer person away from harm. He looked at the shifter and realized that they were not in good condition. He looked around and found the same things happening to the rest of the shifters.


    They were forced to shift back, but as if all the strength left their souls, they were not even able to move a finger.


    "What happened to them?" Delta mumbled.


    With the fall back of the shifters, their defense reduced greatly and it was only a matter of short time before those beasts killed them right there and then.


    Was this the end?


    ==============


    "Jedrek, something is wrong¡­" Lilac said from inside the carriage, she turned around and found Jedrek''s contorted face, he felt the same thing too. "Stop!"


    Lilac stopped the carriage and Jedrek immediately got down from there and helped Lilac down.


    "We need to go back to the castle. Now!" he said grimly.


    This time, Lilac didn''t refuse. She looked at Sybil, who was running toward them with confusion on her face, her white hair fluttered behind her back, a complete contrasting color to the dark sky.


    Jedrek must have called her over through mind-link along with Sebastian and Theo, as the two generals came closer to him as soon as he got down from the carriage. Their expressions didn''t look any better either.


    Something bad was happening in the castle. It was a great deal and Lilac could feel it. Jedrek must have felt the same thing too, as his cold expression became even more rigid.


    "Take us back to the castle!" he commanded the witch.


    Sensing the urgency in her king''s eyes, Sybil didn''t ask any further as she waved her hand and did her own magic to teleport the five of them right to the heart of the castle, leaving the other warriors and faes behind them.


    After the disappearance of the king and the queen. All of the lycanthropes shifted back into their beasts and dashed forward in the direction of the castle, leaving all the things behind, along with faes flying very low above them.


    It would be faster for them in this form to reach their destination faster, as the sound of their huge paws landing on the ground, rumbled through the surroundings.

 Chapter 898 - THEIR LOST

    Lucifer walked crushing the carcasses beneath his feet along with Lilith and Belphegor, closely following behind him. His golden eyes skimmed the whole place and his lips curved into a smirk.


    Around the devils, the beasts continued to wreak havoc and would not stop killing those shifters, who could no longer stay in their beast form. It was easier for them to get rid of the lycan warriors once they turned into their human form and utterly spent, even to lift a finger.


    They were killing those lycans without a meaningful fightback. And their strange condition only added more to the gruesome scene, as the smell of blood spread very thickly in the air.


    Lucifer''s golden eyes caught a familiar figure, and he soon realized it was Eaton. The former beta of the old Donovan stared at him with disdain evident in his eyes.


    If only he could muster a little bit of his strength, he would have jumped onto the devil and teared him apart by now, despite the fact that such an attack wouldn''t be able to kill him.


    Unfortunately, Eaton saw a beast pouncing on him through his blurry eyes and from the corner of his eyes he could see a mocking smirk forming on Lucifer''s lips, as his golden eyes gleamed with distaste.


    "Goodbye, old friend," Lucifer said to Eaton, yet the latter was not able to hear his works, neither was he in a position to comprehend what the devil was mouthing at him, when a beast clawed his chest and bit down his neck.


    "You are cruel," Lilith commented as she watched Eaton taking his last breath, before the life left his body along with his spirit. "You forced them to be like this." She waved her hands toward the lycan warriors, who had died in their human form due to the curse that the devils had asked the witches to cast upon them.


    This curse was almost similar to the curse, what Jedrek had suffered from during his battle with the witches and wizards from the eastern region, not too long ago.


    "This is a war¡­" Lucifer said simply, as he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "You have to be cruel in a war and should do everything and anything that was necessary to win it." A smirk appeared at the corner of his lips, as he walked toward Eaton''s dead body, which was too gruesome to lay their eyes upon¡­


    His blood gushed out from the wounds on his chest and his face, which was now split into two, he didn''t even have a chance to heal himself now and all that left of him was only a soulless body.


    "Now, you can serve your old king¡­" Lucifer murmured.


    Behind him, Belphegor just took a glance at Eaton before walking away toward the other wing of the castle, where there were still a few lycans, who kept fighting back.


    This battle was almost over and it was needless to say who would win this time around.


    If things went this way, the result was too obvious to see¡­


    ==============


    Raphael felt something strange with his body as he could no longer preserve his beast form and felt he was being forced to turn into his human skin.


    He felt utterly exhausted and spent. And when one of the beasts tried to claw him, he felt it was even more difficult to move a single muscle in his body, and as a result he could only receive the blow directly.


    The sharp talons of the beast dug deep into his flesh and for a second, his head spinned as he couldn''t even breath properly.


    Raphael was thrown to the other side of the room with his blood spluttering all over the floor. He let out a deep and painful growl when his body hit the floor and he ended up coughing some more blood.


    This was bad¡­


    Raphael tried to stand up, but before he could fully gain his focus, he received yet another attack from the second beast.


    This time, this beast managed to claw his left arm and got a chunk of his flesh.


    Despite the anguish and pain that he was suffering, Raphael tried to avoid the third attack from the third beast.


    Only then, could he see clearly¡­ he wasn''t left with a chance to stand this battle¡­


    He was severely injured and had lost his beast, while there were around ten to twelve beasts in front of him, looking at him murderously.


    Raphael was now thrown into a room somewhere inside this castle, alone¡­


    He couldn''t see a Lycan, centaur, the hunter or any other shifter around him for that matter¡­


    While panting heavily, Raphael looked at the beasts that glared at him with blood shot eyes. He was aware that he didn''t have any chances whatsoever¡­


    So¡­ this is it¡­


    Raphael shifted his eyes toward the dark sky that could be seen from the broken window.


    If he could ask for one last thing¡­


    He wanted to see Lana for one last time¡­ to see their unborn son and hold him in his arms, feel his tiny fingers curling around his, watch the very first step that he took and hear the first word he said.


    To be able to teach him a lot of things and show him lots and lots of places, to tell him bed time stories before tucking in him for sleeping and tell him the story about the people who were dear to him¡­


    If he could, he wanted to turn back the time and meet Lana earlier to love her longer, to hug her tighter and tell her how much he loved her¡­


    He didn''t get to do much and their time together was very short too¡­


    As a last attempt, Raphael tried to mind link his beloved mate, yet it was not possible in his current condition.


    Thus¡­ while struggling to keep his last breath¡­ he whispered in to the nothingness of the cold and gloomy night¡­


    I love you¡­


    Stay strong¡­


    Raphael could only hope that Lana wouldn''t be in so much pain¡­


    ==============


    Raine felt her chest caving in when the sadness washed over her entire being, she couldn''t even find the comfort from Torak''s presence.


    "What is happening Torak?" Raine whimpered, while clutching her chest. "Why am I feeling this way?" she asked, as she was not able to understand why she had to suffer for something that she did not know.


    Tears spilled from her eyes and wetted her face, as well as Torak''s shirt. However, no matter how much she cried, there was nothing she could do to lessen the pain.


    Torak knew what was happening as he felt the sharp pain when the bond snapped. Something happened to his Beta and Gamma.


    But from the way the bond snapping felt, he could conclude one thing for sure.


    The Alpha really lost his Beta.

 Chapter 899 - THE ANGUISHING PAIN

    "ARRGH!!!" Lana clutched her chest, as she fell to the ground. She tried to curl her body, in hopes to lessen the pain, but it was impossible when her stomach prevented her from doing so.


    Sophie and Kiara immediately came to her side and helped her to sit down again, since it would endanger her baby''s life if she did curl her body.


    "What happened?" Kiara asked in confusion. "is the baby coming?" she looked at Lana again, but the latter''s hands weren''t around her stomach, but her heart instead.


    On the other hand, Sophie immediately realized what actually was happening to her, as she held Lana closer and hugged her tighter.


    Lana must be in pain. The anguish that she herself felt just a few moments ago. The fresh agonizing wound which she was still feeling in her bruised heart.


    "Lana¡­ Lana¡­" Sophie tried to call her. The latter had to overcome this. The wave after wave of sadness¡­ "Lana, think about the baby¡­ think about your son¡­ we need to go from here¡­" Sophie also started crying along with Lana. She knew the pain of losing someone whom they loved whole heartedly¡­


    In spite of the fact that Sophie and Rossie have felt a bond breaking evincing the demise of their family member, still they were unsure who actually had died in the massacre from earlier.


    Whoever it was, it wouldn''t make them feel any better. They wished for their whole family to pass this whole ordeal safely, but it was impossible now¡­


    However, Sophie had Rossie. She had to overcome that anguishing pain as soon as possible, or else, if they extended their stay inside the tunnel any longer, she would lose their only daughter too...


    Therefore, she should divert Lana''s focus and make her think about her baby to overcome this pain. In Lana''s case, it was very obvious whom she had lost¡­


    "I want to go back to the castle¡­" Lana wailed and struggled to free herself from Sophie''s arms, yet when she didn''t even have enough strength to even lift herself up, how could she shake off a grown up person? "I want to see him¡­ I want to see him¡­ let me go¡­" Lana cried her heart out, she couldn''t handle this¡­


    "No, Lana¡­ you will kill yourself!" Sophie shook her body gently, so she would regain some sense about what kind of situation they were in right now and what''s more important for them at this moment.


    "I don''t care!" Lana yelled shrilly at Sophie which made Kiara anxious, forcing her to look around them frantically, trying to spot any danger which might caught them off guard in this darkness. "THERE IS NO POINT IN CONTINUING THIS LIFE!"


    Raphael was everything she ever wanted. A perfect soul which completed the meaning of her whole existence, the one that she had been waiting for and the person who released her heart from the ridiculous feelings she had been harboring for Kace¡­


    Her mate, her other half¡­


    However, she lost him now and there was nothing she could do¡­


    Lana couldn''t even see him for the last time. She couldn''t hold him in her arms again, or hear him whisper sweet nothings in to her ears about how much he loved her, and that thought alone pained her even further.


    It was impossibly unfair.... They just met for a few months and now she was even pregnant with their firstborn.


    Shouldn''t they be happy, waiting for Lana to finally give birth to their baby, bringing him into this world together? Was that too much to ask for?


    "Lana you have to think about your baby," Sophie grabbed her shoulders even tighter. "Think about him. You can''t lose him too!"


    Lana shut her eyes tightly and let out a painful wail.


    "He promised me that he would come back¡­" she cried even harder when she remembered the last few words she had with Raphael.


    If only she knew what awaited his departure, she wouldn''t let him go and would do everything in her power to make him stay with her¡­ but, now it was too late¡­ it was very late for Lana to do anything or to even think what she should have done to prevent all of this.


    "He promised me... Sophie¡­ he promised me¡­" Lana wailed, her face was already very red and her tears seemed like they wouldn''t stop falling from her eyes anytime soon.


    "Think about your son, Lana¡­ think about your son." Sophie hugged Lana, as the latter''s body started shaking with sadness. "Raphael did this, so you and your son will live¡­ you have to be strong for both of you¡­"


    Meanwhile, Rossie didn''t say anything and chose to stay silent, with her eyes locked onto her mother who was busy consoling Lana. She was still trying to cope up with her fear and sadness.


    ==============


    The first thing that greeted Lilac''s eyes was piles of dead bodies which scattered on the ground around her. The smell of blood was thick in the air along with the deadly silence that filled the entire castle felt deafeningly terrifying.


    Lilac had never seen such a gruesome scene where they couldn''t even spot a tiny patch of ground that was free from blood and these many dead people before.


    However, one thing she was sure of; the worst thing was yet to come.


    Jedrek, who was standing behind her pulled her closer to him and tried to cover her eyes with his palm, he thought his mate was in shock to the point she couldn''t even utter a word, but Lilac shook her head, refusing the gesture.


    "No, I am fine," Lilac said through gritted teeth. "I want to see this, they are our people," she said firmly, as she took step after step toward the castle.


    Behind the king and the queen, Eaton and Sebastian stood dumbstruck. They just left this place for a few days and everything seemed very normal at that time. No one would believe that this would happen the moment they returned.


    That was why, the Donovans shouldn''t leave the palace.


    "Find the survivors," Jedrek said grimly. From the aftermath of this ordeal, it seemed they were too late to even save a single soul.


    Eaton and Sebastian snapped out of their reverie and nodded respectfully before they each went in a different direction.


    Even though they hadn''t scoured the whole place yet, but his gut feeling told him that no one would be lucky enough to survive this massacre.


    What actually was happening?!


    "Torak¡­" he murmured his brother''s name beneath his breath, as his eyes turned black.


    If Torak didn''t left this place, then this horrible thing wouldn''t have happened in the first place¡­


    Jedrek needed to find him.

 Chapter 900 - THE ANGUISHING PAIN (2)

    Rossie noticed the anguish in Lana''s eyes upon losing her mate, and she wondered whether she would feel the same in the next few minutes or not.


    No one was able to guarantee that someone would be lucky enough to stay alive inside the castle now, when the bunker was supposed to be the most safest place, yet, even it was intruded, most of the lycan warriors must have died before those beasts could achieve this.


    Because it wouldn''t have happened if the lycans had succeeded in their mission to protect the castle from the beasts.


    However, Rossie was still holding a tiny hope that Calleb was fine. The bond that broken earlier was a family bond, it was either her father, Ian or Ethan, who couldn''t make it alive.


    Such pain was already enough to make Rossie feel suffocated, like her whole life came crashing down before her own eyes, thus she couldn''t imagine what more she have to face if it was a mate bond.


    Moreover, she didn''t even want to imagine how much pain Lana was enduring now. She couldn''t even dare to think about being in Lana''s position now.


    Carrying their firstborn and to lose her mate. It was too cruel¡­


    The abrupt farewell without any prior warning¡­


    "Lana we have to move now¡­" Sophie said to Lana, who stopped crying, but tears still kept flowing down from her eyes, which looked empty.


    Together, Kiara and Sophie carried Lana''s soulless body.


    "Rossie, Bree, stand up. We have to go!" Sophie yelled at the two girls, as she staggered forward.


    Bree, who was sitting beside Rossie this entire time, nudged the latter''s side. "Let''s go."


    With a heavy heart, Rossie stood up and walked further away from the castle, where they left Calleb and the rest of her family.


    Rossie wanted nothing more at this time, except to see them alive. She raised her head to look at the dark sky, where the moon couldn''t be seen behind the gloomy clouds.


    Please, keep them safe¡­


    However, even before they could walk for a few steps, they heard howls from the beasts along with the sounds of their paws against the ground, which sent chills down their spines instantly.


    Bree held Rossie''s hand even tighter before she crept closer to her.


    "Rossie¡­ I am afraid¡­" the little girl whimpered.


    No¡­ this shouldn''t happen¡­


    ==============


    The last thing that Calleb remembered was a feeling of utter exhaustion that forced him back to his human form and, of course the ongoing battle not too far from them, before some beasts entered his vision glaring at him and Sterling with bloodshot eyes.


    The sight of those beasts running in their direction with their talons extended, as sharp as blades, ready to tear them apart, once again played in Calleb''s mind, as he bolted up and sat down while panting heavily.


    Calleb looked around his surroundings and found that he was in a room, with a big window on his left side. He could use it to escape from this place.


    His mind seemed to be clouded, but his survival instincts was the first thing that managed to kick into his senses.


    He needed to get out from this strange place.


    Calleb immediately got down from his bed, but his legs didn''t cooperate with him, as he fell to the floor and had to suppress a painful groan. His whole body was aching and soon some other pain overwhelmed his senses, which had nothing to do with his physical injuries. Up until this point, he was still unaware of whatever was happening around him¡­


    "So, you are awake now."


    A chirpy voice startled Calleb and made him whip his head toward the source of the sound very fast. It was not a wise move because he had to suffer a whiplash from moving so fast, as he could even hear his neck bone cracking.


    "Don''t do that, you have a problem with your healing ability," the same voice said again, when he walked across the room with his short legs and placed the tray that he brought with him on top of the desk.


    "You?"Calleb frowned when he watched the dwarf entering the room.


    "Yes, me." Nutdrouk raised his eyebrows arrogantly and then sat down on a chair across from Calleb. "Surprised?"


    "What are you doing here?" Calleb asked again, trying to ignore the waves of pain that hit his head when he tried to stand up. In the end, he gave up and leaned his body against the edge of the bed, panting heavily.


    "What am I doing here? In my house?" mocking was crystal clear from the way the dwarf talked to the badly injured lycan. "What do you think I am doing in my own house?"


    It took two seconds longer for Calleb to understand his words fully. "Your house?" he frowned and clutched his head, as he looked around this place.


    Calleb had been in the dwarf house before, but he never went into any room, except for the living room.


    But, from the strange smell that he could sense from the air, which was Nutdrouk''s scent, he could be sure that this was indeed his house.


    "What exactly was happening?" Calleb slightly relaxed when he knew where he was, but didn''t let his guard down, in case the dwarf had a hidden agenda. The Gamma was still considering his first thought after waking up; to escape from the window. "The last thing I remembered was¡­ the beasts?"


    Nutdrouk first looked at Calleb with his big eyes, waiting for him to finish his words, but soon his patience ran thin to let the latter gain all of his memories back.


    "You almost died because of the curse that those devils got the spell-casters to chant around the castle," Nutdrouk said, concluding everything for Calleb. "The curse that forced your beast to lose all of it''s strength before retreating back into your body."


    "What?¡­" Calleb squinted his eyes. "What do you mean by a beast retreating into its owner''s body?"


    But, before the dwarf could answer, yet another familiar person entered the room while answering his question. "It meant, for the meantime before you can find out a plausible way to bring back your beast to the surface, you will not be able to shift into your beast form."


    Calleb saw Lidya entering the room before taking the tray that the dwarf had put on the table, and approach him with lazy steps.


    "No way¡­ it''s impossible," Calleb murmured in disbelief.

 Chapter 901 - LOOKING FOR TORAK

    Calleb looked at Lidya, who approached him lazily before crouching down in front of him. Out of instinct, the Gamma moved away from her, but his act was rewarded with a deep sigh from the witch.


    "Where do you think you can go in this condition?" Lidya asked, as she leaned closer to Calleb. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it when you were asleep, not now."


    Calleb didn''t believe her immediately, after experiencing life and death, it was hard for him to let his guard down. On the other hand, what Lidya said was right. "Why are you here with the dwarf? Why were you not in the castle to ward off the curse?"


    The curse that forced those shifters to lose their inner beasts and rendered them helpless to the state where they weren''t even able to fight back.


    "Do you think me trying alone was enough to ward off that curse?" Lidya asked, folding her arms in front of her chest, while staring at him. "Of course, I was in the castle, that was the main reason why you are still alive now."


    Calleb squinted his eyes at Lidya''s statement. "So, why didn''t you help us then? You could do something." But, then he remembered something. "Where is Sterling?"


    After asking that, Calleb immediately stood up and was about to go to find Rossie''s father. If something bad happened to him, he didn''t think he could face his mate.


    "He is all right, he is in the next room," Lidya said helplessly and tugged Calleb''s shirt, so he could sit down again.


    It was easy enough to handle the Gamma in his current state now, because one move from Lidya was enough to send the now seemingly weak Calleb tumbling back down to his position from earlier.


    The Gamma glared at her, but couldn''t do much, especially when the exhaustion washed over his body. At least, he knew that Sterling was still alive.


    "Who else did you save aside from me and Sterling?" Calleb asked again, fighting his sleepiness and weariness.


    "No one," Lidya said simply and took a glass of yellow liquid from the tray which the dwarf had brought into the room earlier. "Drink this." She gave the glass to him.


    "What is this?" Calleb asked suspiciously.


    "Medicine, to strengthen your inner beast. The curse had done more damage than you can imagine," Lidya said and thrust the glass into his hand, as he grabbed it warily.


    Calleb looked at the yellow liquid with a frown, but after looking at it for a few seconds longer, he decided that the witch could be trusted, though he didn''t trust the dwarf.


    "I have told you that the guardian angels were not supposed to be separated from each other, but your Alpha did exactly what I told not to," Nutdrouk said condescendingly.


    Ignoring Nutdrouk sharp remark, Calleb focused on his urge to find out more pressing things.


    "Do you know where is Raphael?" Calleb tasted the liquid and his frown deepened when the bitterness hit his taste buds.


    "He is dead," Nutdrouk answered it for him before Lidya could say anything.


    ==============


    Jedrek grabbed Lilac''s arm, pulled her away and to his side suddenly, making the guardian angel look at him questioningly. Nothing that could be determined as danger was around them, the massacre seemed to have ended a few hours ago, so, why did Jedrek look very strange?


    "I feel there is something wrong with this place," Jedrek could sense that something was not right in the air and Sybil, the witch agreed with him.


    "This is a curse," she said, raising her hand to feel the air. "The same curse that you had suffered, My king."


    "The same curse?!" Lilac almost shrieked. It answered her question, why the dead bodies of the lycan warriors were in their human form rather than in their beasts''.


    Lilac couldn''t imagine how they could fight those intruders without their strength... It was completely a one sided massacre.


    On the other hand, Jedrek balled his fists tightly and called out for Sebastian and Theo to comeback, through mind link. He couldn''t afford to lose some more people now.


    The death of these people in this castle and the city, not only made him lose his man-power, but also weakened their strength for the up coming war, since he had gathered half of his forces in this place.


    It didn''t take long before Sebastian and Theo returned. They looked fine, just a little bit exhausted. The aftereffects of the curse must be still in the air and it would affect them also if they insisted to stay any longer.


    "We need to go from here," Jedrek reached out for Lilac''s hand, but she refused to budge. Her eyes stared deeply at the carcasses that were lying in piles before their eyes.


    "What about them?" Lilac asked, while gritting her teeth. It wasn''t very long before she was crowned as their queen, but the first thing that she had done was failing them.


    This city was empty. Lilac could feel it. Those citizens had died because of this¡­


    However, another question soon probed Lilac''s head when she realized those citizens gathered in the castle. It seemed they were coming here voluntarily¡­


    What exactly had happened.


    "We have to leave this place, now." Jedrek emphasized his words, urging Lilac to understand that they should took off from this cursed place as soon as possible.


    He lost yet another castle and territory¡­


    Jedrek couldn''t sit well with this fact.


    "There is nothing we can do for them." Even though his words sounded cold and harsh, but that was the truth. There was nothing they could do for them now, it was too late for them to return and save anyone.


    "What about Eaton?" Sebastian asked in low voice. "At least we need to know if he is still alive or not."


    Jedrek''s face darkened. "If he is alive, he will find us." This time he pulled Lilac''s hand with a little bit strength, he didn''t want them to stay there any longer.


    Lilac was still reluctant to leave them like this. They should give them a proper burial, yet she also knew it was impossible in their current state.


    They didn''t deserve this¡­


    "Where are we going?" Sebastian asked when they started walking away.


    "To the other realm. To find my brothers," he said darkly.

 Chapter 902 - PAINFUL MEMORIES

    Calleb lowered his head beside Sterling''s bed, he didn''t believe the information that he received from Lidya.


    It was impossible, right?


    Raphael couldn''t be dead¡­


    It was impossible¡­


    Yet, the pain in his heart told him otherwise. It was the pain that clearly indicated the bond that had been broken. The bond with someone who was very close to him.


    Calleb had been with Raphael way before Torak had named him as his Gamma. The Beta was with Calleb when the latter lost his sister in the rogue attack too.


    And now he lost him¡­


    The feeling was almost the same like when Calleb had to accept the fact that his sister was no longer could stay with him.


    The feeling was the same, because Calleb always thought of Raphael as his brother¡­


    There were a lot of things that they had gone through¡­ a lot of things¡­


    "Argh," Calleb grunted softly, while clutching his chest. He lowered his head and a tear fell to the floor¡­which was followed by another, until the quiet room filled with his whimpers.


    ==============


    "Come on, Lana!" Sophie held her hand to help Lana climb a rock, while Keira pushed her from below. "You can do it."


    Bree looked around her and her small face soon contorted in fear. She tugged Rossie''s clothes beside her and pointed to the dark area.


    "I see something there¡­" Bree said softly, her voice was shaking and her body was trembling. "I see eyes¡­"


    Rossie looked into the darkness where Bree had pointed out, yet she couldn''t see anything that could backup the little girl''s fears. "It''s okay Bree, there is nothing there. Your eyes just playing a trick on you¡­" she comforted her, yet she kept her eyes trained onto the same point, just in case¡­


    On the other hand, Lana finally managed to climb the rock and they started to run again, as fast as Lana''s legs could take her.


    Since Lana couldn''t shift into her beast, the rest of them chose not to shift in theirs. However, if the situation got any worser than this¡­ Sophie didn''t have a choice¡­


    "We have to cross the river!" Keira panted heavily, as she helped Sophie to support Lana. "That''s the only chance we have!"


    Those beasts would easily track them through their scent and no matter how fast they ran, they would find them in the end.


    Therefore, maybe by getting rid of their scent, they would have a bigger chance to survive.


    "Where is the river? Is it still far?" Bree asked, her voice was like a whisper, since she was afraid that by talking loudly they would attract those beasts'' attention.


    "Not really¡­" Keira looked around her, it had been so long since the last time she was in this part of the forest, so her memory was slightly unreliable, but she was sure that there was a river around here. "The river must be ahead of us¡­" She sharpened her hearing in order to catch the sound of the current, yet aside from their footsteps and the wind, there was nothing she could hear.


    Meanwhile, Lana''s body was drenching with sweat, her vision started to get blurry by the moment as the pain in her head increased.


    The only thing that was in her mind was to take one step after one to get away from this place, to deliver her son safely.


    However, she wanted to do nothing aside from this single task ahead of her. Lana had to numb her feelings in order to keep her sadness at bay, and not allow it to intervene with her efforts to survive.


    Lana didn''t want to think about Raphael, despite the fact the pain in her chest couldn''t be ignored, still she tried to lie to herself that nothing had happened to Raphael and she would meet with him soon.


    Rossie walked ahead in front of the others, trying to catch the sound of the river flow. She didn''t talk much ever since they left the tunnel. It seemed to it was her own way to cope up with her sadness.


    They needed to survive from this first and they could mourn later.


    "Blood," Bree said, she sniffed the air once again before her eyes landed on Lana. "I smell blood from her."


    Upon hearing that, all of them stiffened. They were too focused on finding the river and were not aware that Lana started bleeding.


    ==============


    Ethan opened his eyes and let out a small groan when he felt the pain coursing through his entire body.


    Every inch of his skin felt like being stabbed by a thousand silver needles. Added to the fact that he didn''t wear anything when his n.a.k.e.d body writhed on the floor. He curled his body into a fetal position.


    "You are awake¡­" a voice greeted Ethan and he heard some heavy footsteps that approached him.


    Out of instinct, he tried to move his body to avoid this stranger, yet there was a wall that prevented him from doing so.


    "You don''t need to fear me," said that voice again.


    This time, Ethan forced himself to open his eyes, despite the pain that was still gnawing his skin.


    At first, he just saw the light from the torch inside this small room and a shadow of someone, who was kneeling down in front of him, but when the other person''s figure got clearer, he could see a familiar pair of eyes staring back at him.


    "Lord¡­ Bayle¡­" Ethan said his name. He had met this dragon lord a few times during the training.


    "Yes, me." Bayle smiled.


    ==============


    Raine was staring at the rain through the window, as she leaned her body against Torak. She was way calmer after crying her heart out now upon knowing the fact that Raphael was no longer with them.


    Raphael was like a brother to her, just like Calleb. She felt as if a dagger kept twisting in her heart constantly. The pain tore through both her mind and heart at the same time.


    Raine didn''t need this bond between them to feel the pain of losing him.


    She loved him more than one could love their own sibling¡­


    And now he was no longer with them¡­


    Raine felt even worse when she remembered all the interactions between the Beta and the Gamma. And now, she wouldn''t be able to hear how Raphael and Calleb always argued upon trivial things any more.

 Chapter 903 - BLUE FLAMES

    "Blood," Bree said before she sniffed the air one more time and her eyes immediately widened as she looked at Lana alarmed. "I smell blood from her."


    Three pairs of eyes simultaneously turned toward Lana with fear clearly flashing in them when they realized what was happening to her.


    "Lana, you are bleeding," Sophie said when she also noticed that the thick smell of blood was actually wafting from Lana.


    Yet, Lana couldn''t feel it. There were too many feelings, not to mention the unbearable pain which kept twisting her soul, therefore she was not aware about this before Bree mentioned it.


    "Lana¡­" Keira looked at her anxiously because she didn''t get any visible reaction, as if all life left her being.


    "I will not make it," Lana said softly, her breathing turned uneven when she looked down and watched how blood flowed down before pooling around her feet. "I will not make it¡­"


    "No, you will make it," Sophie said sternly. "We have to go now."


    They could clearly hear the howls and snarls from their pursuers, who seemed to be approaching them very fast. If they didn''t move now and reach the river before those beasts managed to find them, their chances to survive would be near zero.


    Sophie looked at Rossie and Bree, and saw the panic in their eyes, along with the sadness in her daughter''s.


    "If the baby didn''t survive¡­ I won''t want to live¡­" Lana murmured, she held her stomach, like the way she always touched her unborn son, like the way Raphael always caressed him. However, her feelings were very complicated now.


    The movement of her baby was not very active like before. She could still feel him move, but she also clearly felt the baby''s movements growing weak¡­


    Something must have happened with the baby¡­


    "I don''t want to live¡­ If something happened to you¡­ I don''t want to live¡­"


    Lana bit her lips harshly to prevent herself from crying and shouting out her frustrations.


    "No. You have to live and raise your son. Before that, we have to move again. Now!" Sophie looked more determined than before, as she held Lana even tighter and helped her to walk through the forest, which seemed to have no end.


    ==============


    "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Wrath shouted at the witch.


    Before their eyes, the castle filled with countless dead bodies from the massacre earlier, was being burned down to the ground by blue flames which were akin to waves in the vast ocean.


    The blue fire spread through all the corners of the castle, not even missing an inch. It was licking every part of the place, burning it down to the ground.


    "Burning the dead bodies to the ashes," Serefina said innocently, as she looked at the devil beside her.


    This devil was really up to his name ''Wrath''. He was always filled with fury and his golden eyes shone brightly when he witnessed how Serefina had diminished their plan.


    They could have used those bodies as their army, especially the people that had a sentimental relationship with the Donovan brothers.


    However now, when Serefina had burned them to nothing, they wouldn''t be able to do so.


    "DON''T YOU KNOW WE CAN USE THEM!?" Wrath snarled at Serefina.


    Meanwhile, the witch raised both of her hands and moved a step back, but the smirk on her lips and the way she looked at him tauntingly, only angered the already furious Wrath further if it was even possible.


    "Of course I don''t know¡­" Serefina said in a happy tone. "You created your plan behind my back, remember? How am I supposed to know that you will use those dead bodies? I am here, doing a favor for you to clean up after your mess."


    "YOU!" Wrath couldn''t take the way Serefina talked to him and he charged forward, but before he could do something harmful to the hateful witch, Lucifer intervened.


    Out of the blue, the morning star appeared between the witch and his fellow devil, as he held his neck to stop his movement and threw him away.


    Wrath flew a few meters away from the ground and disappeared, before he reappeared right beside Lilith.


    The seven devils were back to claim their new comrades, but who would have thought that Serefina would burn them all into ashes, which in turn forced them to suffer a great loss?


    "What are you doing Lucifer?!" Mammon shouted at him as he glared at Serefina viciously. "Kill her!"


    On the other hand, Serefina didn''t even felt intimidated with the voices that wanted her death, as she knew her value in this small group of filthy creatures from hell.


    "Oh, you want to kill me?" Serefina chuckled, crossing her arms defiantly. She was always been an arrogant person and no one would be able to scare her simply by threatening to kill her.


    Well, she had heard all kinds of threats to the extent she even lost count of the people who tried to intimidate her.


    Lucifer turned around and looked at the arrogant witch with a smile on his lips, but his golden eyes said otherwise.


    "Don''t be so sensitive because of what Wrath and Greedy were saying." Lucifer glanced at the blue flames and shifted his focus back onto the witch standing before his eyes. "Why did you burn it down when you already knew that we can use them?"


    Serefina shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Don''t overestimate me, how would I know your plan when you didn''t even say anything about it to me. You promised me that you will share all your plans, but in the end, you didn''t even let me know about your onset."


    Serefina was clueless, after all she just recovered from her ''painful night'' and when she finally found out about it, innumerable lives were already lost.


    "What will you do if you knew about it before?" Lucifer asked, he knew the witch was playing dumb. It was either she was upset because she was left in the dark or she was upset because they had slaughtered her friends.


    Maybe she was not as careless as she portrayed herself in front of them.


    However, Serefina laughed out loud upon hearing his question. "Of course I will join the party, killing one or a hundred lycanthropes would be fun."


    ==============


    Merry Christmas for you, who celebrated it. May the spirit of Christmas bring you and your family hope, love and happiness.


    xoxo

 Chapter 904 - YOU WILL BE FINE, HONEY

    "I need to go back to Torak," Calleb murmured when he sensed Lidya entering the room, where he had been waiting for Sterling to wake up.


    Based on what Nutdrouk told him, it was Sterling, who had saved him by throwing his body on his, to save Calleb from the worst possible outcome when those beasts were about to bite and claw their flesh before the dwarf and the witch could save him.


    And, because Sterling took the brunt, he was still unconscious now. His life was hanging by a thread and they could lose him in any second.


    It seemed, Sterling was dead serious with his words about; he didn''t want to see his only daughter mourning for the loss of her mate. He literally too kit upon himself to watch over Calleb''s back.


    On the other hand, Calleb had been waiting for him for god knows how long, and he couldn''t do much but continue sitting beside Sterling''s bed, as he didn''t know what happened to Rossie and the rest of Sterling''s family. For the time being, this was the least that he could do to him.


    He knew Rossie was still alive out there and he was more than grateful to know it. However, he had to make sure of it by seeing her alive and kicking with his very own eyes.


    Moreover, he had to find Lana.


    The thought of Lana opened another wound in his heart. He couldn''t help but think about Raphael''s unfair demise and how he couldn''t hold or see his son.


    "What are you going to do?" Lidya walked across the room and handed him the same potion she gave him the last time.


    Calleb didn''t feel any better when he drank this, yet he would feel very weak and exhausted if he didn''t drink this.


    Lidya said it was because his beast was badly injured and his human form was still unable to get used to it.


    "Is that even a question?" Calleb glanced at Lidya, that wasn''t even a question, she should have known that he couldn''t stay here and do nothing when people dear to him were still out there and he didn''t know whether they were safe or not.


    Calleb received the potion and drank it, while Lidya sat on the edge of the bed and checked on Sterling.


    "You don''t have your beast," Lidya remarked. "What possibly can you do to help?" the witch glanced at the lycan.


    Calleb was slightly taken aback by Lidya''s statement, but it didn''t waver his decision. "I can do anything and everything to help."


    Lidya could see that no words would be able to change his decision, thus she shrugged her shoulders and spoke, "Torak and his people are going to return to that realm, since he and Raine could feel the demise of Raphael they realized that there was something going on in the castle."


    Calleb nodded and stood up. He was about to leave, when he turned around suddenly and looked at Sterling.


    "How is he?" he asked, worry flashed in his eyes.


    "He could die at any second," she said truthfully.


    ==============


    "We have to cross the river!" Keira shouted. She didn''t bother to keep her voice low, as their pursuers had finally found them.


    They could see their blood shot eyes and their sharp talons, as they were now tailing just a few meters away behind them.


    Meanwhile, Lana was panting heavily, though the bleeding had stopped now, still her scent was very strong giving away her course of direction to their pursuers. It was very easy to chase her down.


    Sophie looked at Lana, Bree and then her own daughter.


    They wouldn''t make it even if they managed to cross the river. Those beasts would easily outrun them and catch up to them in no time.


    Unless, she did something to slow them down¡­


    They stopped on the riverbank. This river was quite wide and the current was slightly stronger than what they thought.


    "Rossie, help her," Sophie gave Lana to Rossie and let her daughter support the latter.


    At that moment, Rossie didn''t think too much and helped Lana to walk through the river, but when the water reached her knees and she noticed that her mother didn''t even move from her earlier spot, she immediately knew there was something wrong.


    "Mom?" Rossie turned around, her small face showed fear. She hoped what she thought was wrong. However, she knew her mother very well. She would do anything for her family.


    "Go and don''t turn around," Sophie choked on her words, trying to put a brave front before her daughter.


    Yes, she was doing this without any hesitations, because she wanted Lana to be able to see her own child, at least giving her a small hope that they would survive, but on top of that, she was doing this for her daughter.


    She had lost one of her family member and she didn''t know who was that til now.


    Therefore, she would do everything to save her only daughter. Rossie was always the apple of their eyes. The twins loved her so much, so did Sophie and Sterling.


    Thus, Sophie wouldn''t live to see her only daughter being mauled by those dirty creatures. As long as her breath didn''t leave her, she would do everything for her, to ensure her safety.


    In spite of the fact that was only a glimpse of hope, she was more than willing to bet her life on it.


    "Go and don''t look back," Sophie said again, firmer than before.


    "Mom, no¡­" Rossie started to cry again. "NO!" she yelled at her mother. How could she handle this when her mother gave an order to abandon her? "I will not leave you!"


    "Keira, bring her away from here. Keep them safe." Ignoring her daughter''s cry, she shifted her attention toward Keira, yet the omega shook her head.


    They had gone so far, why had Sophie came to this decision all of a sudden.


    However, she could understand, Rossie was also aware that crossing the river wouldn''t ensure their safety for long, since the beasts were too close for their small entourage to shake them off.


    "Mom, you can''t do this to me¡­" Rossie''s voice was barely a whisper between her sobs.


    "Find your brothers or¡­ your father¡­ and you will be fine, honey¡­" Sophie said as she shifted into her grey wolf.

 Chapter 905 - BE STRONG, ROSSIE

    "Find your brothers or¡­ your father¡­ and you will be fine, honey¡­" Sophie said as she shifted into her grey wolf and charged toward the beasts that had been chasing them.


    "NO! MOM!" Rossie shouted out loud and was about to go after her mother but Keira held her back in time.


    "No!" she said, her voice was slightly shaking when she said that, but she looked more determined than ever. And she continued speaking, "You go and hide somewhere, I¡­" she stumbled on her own words. "I will help your mother and find you when we have dealt with those beasts."


    It was a lie. Of course it was a lie. Who would believe that?


    Both Sophie and Keira had never received any kind of proper training. And of course, even if they dared to fight now, it was solely because they could rely on their beast''s instinct, which wouldn''t help much in this case. Only a miracle would be able to save them and make them fortunate enough to leave this battle alive.


    Rossie knew that. Even Bree could sense it too¡­


    The little girl walked toward Rossie and looked at her with her big teary eyes before she hugged her. She couldn''t offer any comforting words, because she knew there were no words that could comfort you enough when you realized you was about to lose someone important to you¡­


    Bree had felt it before. She lost the two people whom she considered as her parents with all her heart and also Chiron, the centaurs and people from the village.


    Since Bree lost her parents, she stayed with them and now she grew to love them.


    Meanwhile, Lana couldn''t say a word. She herself didn''t know what she felt or what she wanted right now. Everything seemed earthshakingly terrifying in her eyes and the way she was forced to numb her feelings made her feel like she was not herself anymore.


    The Lana now was just following her four companions, she was just going wherever they were taking her. In fact, it seemed that she was just in a daze and appeared completely normal outwardly.


    Unlike someone who was forced to endure this hardship; facing this cruelty and desperation. This was the way she was coping up with her feelings; she detached herself from reality.


    Therefore, when she heard that Sophie and Keira would sacrifice themselves in order to give them a little bit hope to get out from this nightmare, she didn''t give a proper reaction.


    She just stared blankly at the grey wolf that charged toward the beasts before hearing a painful cry from Rossie. She was in a way too different zone where she felt nothing for anything and everything surrounding her.


    "We will come back to look for you," Keira said with a sense of urgency. Another lie. "Be safe."


    Keira held Rossie''s shoulders at her arms'' length and looked at her in the eyes. She hoped the way she looked at her could give some courage, which she needed too.


    And then, the omega turned around and shifted into her brown wolf and dashed toward where Sophie had been surrounded by seven beasts.


    "NO!" Rossie was about to go after Keira and her mother, but she felt someone holding her back and the moment she stared down, she found Bree was looking at her with big tear-filled eyes.


    "Rossie, I am afraid¡­" her voice was trembling and her body was shaking. Bree clutched onto Rossie for her dear life.


    Rossie looked at the little girl and then at Lana, who kept silent for the entire time. When Rossie looked at the water around them, she saw how the water around Lana turned into red color. It seemed, she started bleeding again.


    Rossie wanted to cry and shout out loud to the world in hopes to release the pain in her heart. She wanted to wail and yell until her heart was no longer in pain about this unfairness.


    Yet, she chose not to do that.


    No one would come and they would all be dead within the blink of an eye, if she didn''t act quickly.


    Sophie and Keira would die in vain¡­


    Therefore, with one last glance at the grey and brown wolves that were fighting far from them, Rossie steeled her heart and grabbed Lana''s waist, as she supported her to walk through the current of the river.


    "Bree, hold Lana''s hand," Rossie said. She felt her own voice seemed very foreign now. It sounded rigid and strange, even to her own ears.


    Bree moved to Lana''s right side and circled her small hand around Lana''s. She kept turning around her head to watch how Sophie and Keira fought against eleven beasts that kept pouncing upon the comparatively smaller wolves.


    It wouldn''t take much long before they succeeded in mauling the two smaller wolves¡­


    Bree watched the gruesome scene. Her heart started beating really fast when she watched how one of the beast managed to bite down the brown wolf''s neck. The whimpering sound of her wail filled this dark night.


    "Bree. Don''t look." Rossie glued her eyes to the other side of the river, as if that was her goal, which she must reach as soon as possible at all costs. ??Look ahead."


    Bree didn''t hear her, as she kept watching how the grey wolf used her hind legs to kick the beast that attacked her.


    "Bree!" Rossie shouted, which startled the little girl. "Look ahead!"


    Only then did Bree turned around and looked toward the endless forest across the river with tears staining her cheeks, but no sound could be heard from her trembling lips.


    On the other hand, the fight wouldn''t last longer this time around, since Sophie could feel her body started to grow weak just after receiving a few blows.


    However, the beast in her head growled loudly, urging her to stand up and don''t give up. At least, she could give a few more seconds longer for her pup to be able to survive. Those few precious seconds¡­


    Snarling and growling, Sophie pushed herself to her four limbs, despite the blood that kept flowing down from her neck and ignoring the sight of Keira''s dead body, she glared angrily at the beasts that surrounded her.


    In spite of the reality that it was impossible for her to beat them all, but the fact that she managed to fight longer than she could imagine, gave her a bigger relief, especially when she noticed that her daughter managed to cross the river.


    Before her red eyes were eleven bloodl.u.s.t beasts, attacking her at the same time.

 Chapter 906 - THE BABY

    "If you want to go, bring Nutdrouk with you," Lidya came out from the room, where Sterling was still asleep. "You will need him."


    "Why should I go with him?"


    "Why should I bring him with me?"


    The two them asked simultaneously, didn''t seem to be satisfied with Lidya''s decision.


    "Because you can''t shift into your beast, meaning; you will be in great danger if something happened on your way to find Torak," Lidya explained.


    "And why should I go with him? To be his body guard?" Nutdrouk raised his eyebrows questioningly. Didn''t liking the sound of it at all.


    And in this case, Calleb was on the same page as him, since it would hurt his pride if he had to bring the dwarf as his protector.


    "No, because you are more useful if you go with him instead of being here," Lidya leaned her back against the door behind her.


    "Why don''t you go with him instead if you are very worried?" Nutdrouk stomped his short feet and huffed in annoyance.


    "Because I need to stay here to take care of him."Lidya nodded at the room behind her. "And you just have to remind him to take the potion on time while you are with him."


    Nutdrouk glared and even Calleb scoffed at her idea. "I can remember the time very well when I have to take the potion. Thanks, but no thanks. I will not take him with me."


    "I don''t want to go with you too," Nutdrouk sneered.


    "Can the two of you cooperate for awhile? You are not enemies with one another," Lidya sighed helplessly, seeing the two of them being impossibly immature even at this juncture.


    "Don''t you think there will be a possibility that we will kill each other before we even found Torak and the rest?" Nutdrouk asked dramatically.


    "You mean, I will be the one, who will kill you?" Calleb raised his eyebrows at the dwarf provokingly. Despite he was not able to shift into his beast, he was confident that he would be able to kill the dwarf.


    However, before Nutdrouk could retort his words, there was an ear- piercing cry that came from the room where Sterling was currently residing.


    The sound of it was very pitiful, as if someone was trying to skin him alive.


    Without wasting a second longer, Lidya immediately opened the door and rushed into the room with Calleb and Nutdrouk following closely behind her.


    It was impossible to have an intruder, since Lidya didn''t feel the spell around this place being broken and also there was no way someone could enter this room because this was a windowless bedroom, the only way was through the door.


    Yet, when they were finally inside, they couldn''t find any threat or someone, who could be the devil or his minion. The only thing that they saw was; Sterling, who was now writhing in pain on his bed with his eyes closed.


    "What happened?!" Calleb asked frantically, when he saw the lycan clutching his chest tightly.


    The lycan didn''t seem to be awake though. But the painful expression on his face couldn''t be mistaken, and it couldn''t be a nightmare either?


    Lidya shook her head, she was also clueless about what happened to him.


    But, it was Nutdrouk, who spoke in the end. "It seemed he lost a bond," he said in a light tone. "I have seen many shifters lose a close bond and looked exactly like this."


    "Lost a bond¡­" Calleb repeated that words as fear flashed in his eyes. He clutched his own chest, if Sterling lost the bond, it must not be Rossie, right? Because he didn''t feel it, since she was his mate, he must felt something¡­


    Then, who¡­?


    ==============


    Raine looked out into the rain outside of her window, while leaning her body against Torak and even though Torak didn''t say anything, Raine could still feel it through their mate bond that he was not in a good state.


    Who would be? When you heard your Beta, the person that was very close to you for so many years, more precisely some hundreds of years, had left the world just like that.


    There was one feeling that was very obtrusive, but Raine couldn''t put her finger on it. What was that? Sadness? Regret?


    Raine had never felt this kind of feeling from Torak, he couldn''t even manage to mask his thoughts from his mate.


    His mind was too crowded with many things that he had to think and Raine couldn''t catch up with all of that.


    Yet, this obtrusive feeling was very strong¡­


    Torak was in regret¡­


    "Alpha, our sources told us that the castle had been burned to the ground and he was sure, no one inside would be able to survive." Jack said when he put down his phone after someone called to notify him about this information.


    Raine fidgeted.


    Those people had died? They were all dead? The people that she met inside the castle¡­


    "And also, the king is coming to meet you, Alpha," Jack added.


    ==============


    Rossie tried her best to ignore all the feelings of anguish that gnawed her heart when Sophie breathed her last.


    She stumbled and picked herself up again and started to run for her life, for Lana and Bree.


    They had to keep running, they had to keep moving, or else, those beasts would catch up to them and there was nothing they could do to escape from their sharp talons and claws.


    However, right at that time, Lana fell to the ground, hugging her stomach before wailing in pain. Her pale face contorted and she seemed in so much pain.


    "What happened Lana?" Bree asked, she and Rossie knelt down beside her and caressed her back to soothe her pain, while looking around them anxiously.


    Yet, Lana just shook her head, she panted heavily.


    "The baby¡­" finally she managed to say it.


    "The baby?" Rossie looked at Lana, with fear evident in her eyes.


    "The baby is coming?" Bree finished the sentence and Lana nodded her head weakly.


    "Oh, no¡­" Rossie mumbled. Panic gripped her heart when she heard that. "The baby is coming now?"


    "Can you delay it?" Bree asked innocently. Right now their utmost priority was; to escape.

 Chapter 907 - THE BABY (2)

    Rossie found a place where they could hide, where Lana could deliver her baby and none of them both knew a thing about what exactly they should do, except for giving Lana some comforting words.


    Even Lana had to bite a thick piece of cloth to prevent herself from screaming out loud; to prevent those filthy beasts from finding their location.


    This time, the universe seemed to help them, as the rain started pouring down the ground suddenly, washing away their scent completely. And, this aided them in confusing their pursuers and they were finally able to breath in relief.


    The thunder and the sound of rain accompanied their struggles, and it was only the three of them left now, seeking shelter under a big tree with its lushful leaves canopying over them, yet this too wouldn''t last for a long time.


    Because when the rain started to pound harder, they couldn''t keep themselves dry for long.


    Blood, sweat and rain mixed together in the process of delivering the baby and Lana had to fight different kinds of pain simultaneously, the pain in her heart coupled with the aching of her entire being when she struggled to push the baby out into this world.


    Lana was scared, fidgeting hopelessly. She was scared because it took so long for her baby to come out, leading her to think whether something was wrong with him. She had no one to turn to and was completely powerless.


    The only warmth that she could feel in this dreadful situation; was having Rossie and Bree beside her, who were holding her hands firmly without any intention of letting her suffer this alone.


    "I¡­ I will check the baby¡­" Rossie stammered. It wasn''t clear whether it was due to the cold rain that wetted her body or her fear to think about what she was going to witness. She had never seen someone giving birth before, thus she didn''t know what she should expect.


    Clumsily, Rossie let go of Lana''s hand before she moved to sit near the latter''s legs.


    However, when she looked into Lana''s eyes once more, it was almost like it was in her nature, as if the knowledge was already ingrained in her veins and she knew what she needed to do next. And, Rossie relied solely on her instincts to help Lana.


    Rossie lifted her cloak slightly and spoke to Lana, whose face was already as pale as a ghost. "Push Lana."


    ==============


    Hope felt her chest caving in, but she was not sure what was this feeling, whether this was sadness, anger, regret, or some other feeling, but she couldn''t put a finger on it.


    There were so many emotions which were overwhelming both her mind and heart at the same time and this left her gobsmacked as she didn''t know what she should do to lessen the intensity of this feeling.


    "Hope?"


    Someone was calling her name and from the sound of it, she could sense concern for her being laced in his tone.


    Who was that?


    "Hope? Wake up."


    Someone shook her body lightly.


    Was she dreaming? Were these feelings not real?


    "Wake up, Hope!"


    Only then did Hope open her eyes and looked around her to see the person who was talking to her and Kace''s face loomed in her vision.


    "What happened?" his blue eyes were filled with worry.


    "What happened?" Hope repeated the same question, as she didn''t know what exactly did Kace mean by asking her that.


    "You are crying," Kace blurted out confused as he wiped the tears from Hope''s cheeks.


    "Crying?" Instinctively, Hope raised her hand and touched her cheek to wipe the remaining tears on her face. She frowned when she saw the tips of her fingers being soaked with her own tears. She was indeed crying.


    Was she crying in her sleep?


    But, why?


    "What happened?" Kace asked in concern.


    Hope shook her head. "I don''t know."


    She didn''t remember her dream that caused her to cry so profusely, but the painful feeling was still palpable in her heart.


    "Are you okay?" Kace''s brows knitted together.


    "Yes," Hope answered, unsure if she was fine or not. "I think so."


    Kace looked at Hope for a while, but their conversation was cut short when they heard an announcement saying their plane would land in a few minutes.


    They would arrive at Rieka and meet with the fae.


    ==============


    The baby in her arms looked so tiny and almost otherworldly beautiful.


    Lana had never been mesmerized so much at the first glance and didn''t know that this tiny baby would look so precious like this.


    The feeling of seeing her own flesh and blood in her arms couldn''t be described by words alone and Lana couldn''t think that there was a word to portray correctly how glad she was to finally able to hold him in her arms.


    However, one thing held both Rossie and Bree from saying their congratulations.


    The baby was not crying.


    "Shouldn''t the baby start crying by now?" Bree tilted her head and peeked at the small baby, laid comfortably in Lana''s arms, on top of the bundled wet cloak of Rossie. They didn''t have anything warm with them and since the rain was pouring down endlessly, they couldn''t keep their clothes dry.


    Rossie put her finger in front of her lips to make Bree stop talking.


    She knew¡­ well they both knew that the baby didn''t make it.


    The baby didn''t even move when Rossie pulled him out and cut his umbilical cord with her sharp claw. However, at this moment, Lana finally seemed to be at peace, as she caressed the baby''s small face with her trembling fingers and Rossie didn''t want to pop the bubble that Lana created for herself.


    Just give her a moment¡­ That was what Rossie thought.


    When Bree sensed that Rossie wanted her to keep silence, she didn''t talk another word and sat beside Lana quietly, who put her baby on her bare chest, in order to share some warm with her newborn.


    "Doesn''t he look so cute?" Lana asked in a hoarse voice. Her lips had turned purple.


    "Of course he is," Rossie responded to her question. "He is the cutest baby that I have ever laid my eyes upon."


    "Right?" Lana smiled softly.


    It would be perfect if Raphael was with her now and they were not in their current situation.


    Previously, Lana imagined herself that she would deliver her baby in a warm room with the help of some people and Raphael holding her small hand in his, the whole time during the process¡­


    ==============


    Check my other book; It''s Hard to Control My Naughty Wife. to relieve some tension from these heartbreaking moments.


    ((^O^))


    xoxo

 Chapter 908 - I WILL KEEP YOU SAVE

    Kace and Hope were standing in front of a sky high building, equipped with hundreds of stairs. Now the only way they had to reach its terrace; to climb all these steps.


    And when they were halfway to the entrance, they saw a woman, with hair as black as the night on a New moon, which only reached her shoulders and her brown eyes reminded hot chocolate to Hope.


    The woman''s body was as small as Hope''s : the perfect description of this fae Hope obtained from Raine.


    Upon a closer look, Hope could see her wings, folded loosely behind her back, were composed of various shades of blue and yellow akin to a dragonfly''s wings, only this pair of wings were much bigger in comparison.


    The fae named purple waved her hands and smiled brightly at her two guests. She looked kind and adorable.


    However, Hope''s focus shifted to something behind the fae, more precisely the fae''s companion, which now spread its beautiful wings and flew toward Hope as soon as it laid its eyes on Hope. A red haze swished past the couple before it swiftly but gracefully landed short behind the guardian angel.


    And when Hope continued to walk ahead, the bird also walked closely behind her as it would occasionally rub it''s beak affectionately on the guardian angel''s right shoulder.


    "Oh, she likes you," the fae chirped, as she clapped her hands happily. "I have received the news about your visit from Alpha Torak''s people."


    Hope didn''t hear the rest of her words as all of her attention was now glued on to this breathtakingly beautiful phoenix. This was the exact bird that she saw under the frozen river and the one that helped her to escape the grip of death.


    This bird was truly beautiful when she saw it again.


    "This is yours?" Hope asked Purple when they finally stopped in front of her with Kace on her left, who was now staring at the bird with a deep frown between his eyebrows.


    "I thought the whole phoenix species has gone extinct," Kace murmured.


    "Just like how you thought the centaurs had gone extinct?" Purple quipped, smiling softly at the lycan. "Long time no see, Kace Donovan. The last thing I heard about you is quite interesting; you became a rogue to be with your beautiful mate."


    Kace looked straight at Purple blankly, his expression was very hard to read.


    "Do I know you before this?" Kace asked,with curiosity brimming in his eyes.


    "Maybe you don''t know me, but I know you quiet thoroughly," Purple nodded her head humbly.


    "Really?"Kace eyed the phoenix that perched its head on Hope''s shoulder while flapping its wings softly, that creature looked very docile, but it would burn you without waiting any second if it sensed you would endanger its master''s safety. "How do you know me?"


    Purple could understand the look Kace was giving to the phoenix, therefore, she stretched out her hand and the bird flew toward her, leaving Hope''s shoulder alone. "Actually," she started. "The vow that binded the dragon shifters from shifting into their beast''s form is my magic."


    It meant, despite her younger looks and bubbly character, the fae had lived long enough through the first great war and helped the Donovans to tame the dragon shifters.


    "You?" Kace couldn''t comprehend this. "Wasn''t that the witch''s doing?"


    Purple shook her head. "No, it was me," she said. "They spread the rumor that way so no one would come looking for me."


    "Why? You are in Torak''s territory, who would be so daring enough to do something to you." Hope tilted her head, but her eyes were staring at the phoenix, as the creature reciprocated the same gesture.


    It was almost like the bird also took interest in her and wanted to be close to the guardian angel.


    "No, that is not the only thing that I should keep a secret," the fae fluttered her wings and walked into the library, which was almost empty with not too many people now.


    "Another secret," Kace murmured, there were a lot of things happened during the last few centuries when he and his other brothers chose their own paths.


    "Actually, this is not a secret¡­" Purple shrugged her shoulders and walked beside Hope, while the phoenix flew above their heads. "Just like the spell casters and the shifters, the fae also has many kinds, just like organisms belonging to different sub-species that look quite similar to us and was mistaken to be the same."


    "What do you mean?" Hope asked, they walked in the empty corridor.


    "Our kind." Purpled shook her head and corrected herself. "People from my kind could see the spirits, that was why, only our kind was able to have the phoenixes as our friends," she said in simple terms. "Not many people knew about this, but Alpha Torak definitely knew it somehow. And now, I think only I''m left in my kind."


    "Why? Something happened?" Hope frowned.


    "Aside from our ability to tame a phoenix, we have a far more beneficial ability that many shifters wanted from us that caused us to be hunted down. Just like how they used guardian angels a long long time ago," Purple explained.


    "You can save one''s life by exchanging it with yours," Kace spoke. "I heard about a kind offae, who can do this. That was why, there was even a time when the witches and wizards from the northern coven realm, chased you down."


    Purple''s expression became slightly gloomy as she nodded her head solemnly. "Yes, you are right. Those people wanted to use us for their magic."


    Hope grimaced when she heard that fact. Why had this world turned so cruel, forcing the weaker to fight just to keep their life going?


    ==============


    "Lana, we have to go¡­" Rossie said softly, as she saw that Lana was just sitting silently, while holding her baby. The latter had closed her eyes and leaned her back against the tree behind her. "Give me the baby¡­"


    Lana didn''t give any reaction when Rossie was about to take the baby from her, but the latter didn''t want to force her, thus Rossie tried to talk to her again.


    "Lana¡­ those beasts will find us if we stayed here any longer¡­" Rossie tried to persuade her, but the she-wolf didn''t budge from her position.


    She was sitting so still that people would mistake her for some statue. It was only her shallow breathing which was giving away the fact that she was a breathing creature with life.


    "Lana¡­" Bree nudged her shoulder. She looked at the cute baby in her embrace and felt sorry for him. "Lana, shall we go?"


    However, when Lana opened her eyes again, she just took a deep breath and sighed deeply, as if she wanted to get rid of all her sadness and burdens.


    "Leave me here and take the baby with you¡­" Lana said, as she gave her son to Rossie. "I will keep you safe."

 Chapter 909 - EMOTIONLESS LIME GREEN EYES

    "What?" Rossie couldn''t believe what she heard. Why would Lana want to be left alone here and give the dead baby to her? She couldn''t understand.


    No, there were a lot of things that she couldn''t comprehend at this moment. "The baby is dead, Lana¡­ I will help you bury him," she said as softly as she could in their current circ.u.mstances, afraid to offend the former.


    Rossie couldn''t take it anymore, she couldn''t deal with yet another craziness. She just wanted to survive and find the rest of her family, and after that mourn peacefully for her mother''s demise. She was tired and so wanted to give up on everything.


    Yet, if she did that, it would only waste all of her mother''s sacrifices and that was the last thing Rossie wanted to do to her mother.


    "Take him," Lana spoke in a very low voice, as she handed over the bundle of baby Eddard to Rossie. "Take him and go now."


    "No!" Rossie shook her head, but out of instinct she took the baby in to her embrace, and cradled the little thing carefully, as if he would wake up if she didn''t treat him gentler.


    "Lana, you can still survive from this¡­ you¡­" but, Rossie''s words were cut off when she felt the supposedly dead baby in her arms move his body lightly, as if he was feeling uncomfortable with the way Rossie held him. "What?" Rossie let out a shriek when baby Eddard squirmed again.


    Though his movements were very subtle, but still Rossie was sure the baby was moving. What was happening? Wasn''t the baby dead? This couldn''t happen, right?


    "Go¡­" Lana urged weakly, she took a look at the small bundle in Rossie''s arms and smiled softly. At the very least, she could do this for her son. She just hoped, he would have a beautiful life.


    Live for us, Eddard¡­


    Lana whispered silently in her heart, before she took her last breath and the life in her eyes soon died out¡­


    "Lana?" Bree shook her body when she saw that Lana''s shoulders stopped moving, in other words the she-wolf stopped breathing altogether.


    On the other hand, Rossie took a glance at the baby and watched as Eddard put his small thumb into his mouth, wanting to eat something, yet he didn''t make a sound or even cry like a normal baby.


    Rossie was totally clueless about what was going on, but to find the explanation of this was the last thing on her agenda.


    Right now, they needed to go.


    "I promise, I will keep your baby safe," Rossie leaned over and kissed Lana''s temple, as a flash of memories surged into her head.


    Rossie''s family had known Lana for a few years from the time she, Hope and Serefina moved to mystic river village. Rossie also knew Lana as one of the teachers in their high school.


    They had always been like a family and losing Lana pained her beyond words could describe.


    "Bree, let''s go." Rossie stood up and waited for the little girl to follow her.


    Once again, Rossie looked at Lana''s body for one last time before she ran ahead. She didn''t know where she should go, but they had to continue moving in order to survive.


    ==============


    "I just heard about your visit, but I don''t know what was your purpose to see me," Purple said, as they walked into a room with a warning note on its door; staff only.


    "Is it fine if we go inside?" Hope looked around her surroundings as she noticed that they hadn''t met a single person after they entered this library.


    "It is fine." Purple nodded. "Literally speaking, this place is owned by Alpha Torak, but something happened recently and it had been a while since I''ve last seen the sun."


    Purple glanced at the gloomy sky outside, even though it was not the night time yet, still they couldn''t see a single ray of light from the sun above and this condition had been the same for almost two months by now.


    "I think the war is coming¡­ many things were happening now," Purple said and tilted her head to see the phoenix, which had flown ahead of them. "You even managed to find the phoenix."


    "I think she is the one who found me," Hope said. "The phoenix helped me."


    "Did you know what was beneath the frozen river?" Purple asked. Her expression darkened when she saw Hope nodding her head in answer.


    "Is that creature still alive?" she asked again.


    "I don''t know¡­" Hope fidgeted uncomfortably when she remembered that moment. That was the most terrifying moment in her life. "I didn''t see anything except for the phoenix."


    "Hmm," Purple hummed and the rest of their walk was filled with silence, until the sound of Kace''s sharp gasp startled them.


    "Kace?" Hope looked at her mate as he fell down to his knees, while clutching his chest. "Kace?!"


    Hope knelt down beside him and tried to look around, afraid if they were being ambushed, but the corridor was still as empty as before.


    "Something happened to Lana¡­" Kace said softly. He felt the vow that they made nineteen years ago being nullified all of a sudden.


    It had vanished and there were only two possible reasons behind it: it was either Serefina''s interference, where the witch herself had lifted the cross heart vow or¡­..Lana was dead.


    ==============


    Amidst the white mist that clouded this particular area, which could confuse the beasts that were under the devil''s control to chase down the escapees from the castle, a red haired witch walked slowly as if she was searching for something.


    She seemed to be ignoring the fact it was hard to see ahead of her, as she walked with certainty toward a particular direction.


    Serefina only stopped walking when she found what she was looking for. It was Lana''s body, which was now leaning against a big tree amidst this white mist.


    The witch took a step closer and crouched down beside her. She squinted her eyes and gritted her teeth. "I was telling you about this, not because so you can use it this way," she said in regret.


    Serefina stretched out her hand and tucked a few strands of Lana''s hair that covered her face before she chanted something and then blue fire appeared on Lana''s body.


    As she watched Lana being burned into ashes unblinking, the blue fire reflected on Serefina''s emotionless lime-green eyes.

 Chapter 910 - TO FOOL THE FOOL

    Watching the blue fire dancing in front of her, she remembered the very first time she met this girl.


    Back then, Lana was very young, arrogant and had always been straightforward with her words.


    Just like the fire before her eyes, Serefina could also remember the fire that always burned in those little girl''s eyes. Her will to survive against all odds and how she strived to love the man that was not meant for her until Raphael came along.


    The witch watched how Lana grew up, from a clueless little girl, who would defy everything that she thought not suited her heart, to the grown up woman now, who was wise enough to carry a lot of responsibilities.


    Serefina watched how Lana took care of Hope when she was still a little girl herself and how she learned very fast to fit herself in all sort of conditions and situations which came her way.


    Serefina remembered how she felt worried for Lana to walk in the same path as her when she noticed the familiar struggled feelings in the latter''s eyes for Kace for the first time.


    Serefina chuckled when the blue flames started to extinguish, leaving only ashes on the ground. She had never known that she would grow so attached to her.


    In spite of the fact that their relationship was slightly complicated and they had never really said to be on the same page, still they had been relying on each other for the past nineteen years, call it for the sake of raising Hope or any other assignment the she-wolf received from Serefina.


    Lana had completed almost all of her assignments, except the last one; to find her mother, or¡­ any of her kind.


    Lana just needed more time, but her time was up and nothing could be done now¡­


    When the blue flames were finally extinguished, the thick white mist also disappeared from Serefina''s surroundings and the air in that place was now clear to see again.


    Since the strange mist had dispersed, those beasts could now pick up their prey''s scent again.


    Not too far from where Serefina was standing, there were five beasts that were growling and snarling, as they charged forward in their attempt to find Rossie and Bree, also another new scent that smelled very sweet.


    Ignoring the witch they rushed ahead with their sharp talons protruding out to the world to see and their claws that dug deeply into the ground.


    Meanwhile, Serefina watched as those beasts ran past her and stared at them for a few seconds as if studying them before she raised her hand and made a slash movement.


    In no time, those beasts found their own legs were being cut off and they fell to the ground, wailing and howling in anguishing pain, but still they weren''t dead.


    Serefina watched with the same emotionless eyes as the beasts writhed in enormous pain, it was impossible for them to give a chase for their prey now.


    Slowly, the witch walked toward those beasts and stopped when she was only two steps away from them, and watched them slowly bleeding to death. It was not an easy death.


    There was no way they could survive, but death was coming very slow and painful for them.


    Whether they were under the control of the devils or not, Serefina couldn''t care less about that. She just did what she wanted to and let them taste the feeling of death that they had brought with them.


    "If the devils came to know this, they would think that you avenged the people in the castle."


    A gruffy voice sounded from behind Serefinaas she was busy watching the first beast dying from excessive bleeding and stopped all his movements altogether.


    "I avenged my apprentice," Serefina said. She didn''t need to turn around to see, who was talking to her while sneaking behind her back.


    Dorian glanced at the big tree over his shoulder and noticed in time the ashes being blown away by the wind. "You still think of her as your apprentice when you already crossed the bridge and betrayed them."


    "That didn''t change the fact that she was once my apprentice," Serefina said when she saw the second beast stilled with his eyes bulging out from their sockets.


    "You are being very sensitive for someone who is known as heartless," Dorian walked over to see the third beast leaving his last breath, and stood beside Serefina.


    "You trust rumors so much," Serefina scoffed. "Did you spend all these centuries being resurrected by the devils to find out more things about me?" the witch glanced at the shadow warrior. "I am honoured." Thick sarcasm dripped in her words.


    Yet, Dorian just chose to ignore every single word from her. "The devils would know this eventually."


    Once again Serefina chuckled. "What make you think that they didn''t know it already?" she raised her eyebrows. "Don''t you know that we are playing a game?"


    Soon the witch could see a deep crease forming in between his eyebrows.


    "We are now playing a game, don''t you know that?" Serefina crept closer to the shadow warrior. "¡­sometimes we have to play the fool to fool the fool, who think they are fooling you."


    Serefina winked at Dorian and walked away, but before she could move any further the shadow warrior growled at her. "Do you think you can fool me?! I killed you once and I will kill you for a second time or even a third time if it was necessary. In simpler words, if I saw you ruining this plan to kill those Donovans!"


    "Yes, you killed me, but as long as I can remember, you are dead too. Don''t be so arrogant to flaunt around that fact," Serefina quipped and turned around to face him. "Don''t get yourself involved in this game if you are not smart enough. You will only get yourself killed for the second time."


    "WHAT!?" Dorian leashed the shadow around him, which spread like tentacles around his body within no time.


    Upon seeing that, Serefina just smirked and didn''t bother herself to count his actions seriously. "Your life don''t have any value for the devils, definitely unlike mine."


    After saying that, Serefina snapped her fingers and teleported herself somewhere to do some hunting, but before that she set out those beasts'' dead bodies on fire, burning them down like how she burned the entire castle into ashes leaving nothing but a dark spot on the ground.


    Meanwhile, Dorian stood there with malice in his eyes.


    He would kill the witch at the first chance he got.

 Chapter 911 - MOVING TOWARD THEIR DIRECTION

    Rossie didn''t believe that the baby in her arms was actually alive, even the wet cloak which they folded to wrap his tiny body was dry and warm now.


    Not only that, they didn''t hear those beasts coming after them for a long time. Even Rossie thought they would catch up with them in no time, as it had taken very long time for Lana to deliver and not to forget the time they had spent waiting for Lana to gather some ample strength before continuing their journey.


    Yet, no one seemed to be coming in their way.


    What actually had Lana did?


    It was not that Rossie wanted them to be found, it was only her and Bree with the baby, the three of them would be the easiest target if they were caught.


    However, Rossie didn''t know where they should go and Bree had been silent during the entire time, as her movements gradually became very slow.


    She was tired, Rossie guessed. They had been running since god knows when and hadn''t got to eat or drink anything ever since they left the bunker.


    During this time Rossie''s mind couldn''t stop thinking about the other women, the elders and children that escaped from their safe place. Were they still alive? If they were, where did they go?


    Rossie soon found her steps being slow down too. Her arms started feeling numb, despite the baby weight was nothing to her, but she was growing weak with all the things that had occurred.


    Beside her, Bree panted lightly and sweat formed on her forehead. Rossie stretched out her hand and rubbed the former''s head to give her some courage and comfort, and then Rossie raised her head and looked at the gloomy sky.


    Was it night or day? She couldn''t see the difference as neither the sun nor the moon were in their near sight. What kind of situation was she thrown into this time?


    "I am hungry¡­" Bree said, she lifted her eyes and looked around, hoping she could find something edible to fill her empty stomach with.


    "Yes, me too¡­" Rossie mumbled, she was surprised that she could feel this basic feeling. "But, we need to keep walking until we find someone who can help us."


    Bree lowered her head when she heard Rossie''s answer, but she kept walking beside her. For an eight years old girl, she could be counted as a strong little girl and didn''t complain too much, for which Rossie was very grateful.


    Rossie looked down at the baby in her arms and frowned when she found he was still asleep with his small thumb stuffed into his mouth. Once again, Rossie had to pull down his small hand.


    Didn''t he feel hungry too? Lana didn''t even got a chance to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed him.


    Rossie then shook her head. She needed to focus on how to get themselves out of this forest and find someone reliable to help them.


    After that, she had to go to the other realm and find Torak. He would definitely help them.


    With that plan in her mind, she kept walking.


    She hoped that no more unwanted surprises were waiting for them in the forest ahead of them.


    ==============


    "I really didn''t want to go with you," Calleb grumbled as he glared the dwarf begrudgingly, who was now walking beside him into the garage.


    "Do you think I enjoy babysitting you?" the dwarf snapped back at him and gave him a look. "Don''t use the black car!" Nutdrouk warned Calleb when he eyed the black car.


    "It''s clear that you had never used this stuff," Calleb remarked.


    "I am a collector, I don''t have to use it," Nutdrouk grumbled.


    There were around six cars in his garage and all of them were the most expensive cars in this realm¡­


    "What is the point of having them if you can''t ride them?" Calleb walked straight toward the black car and found the key easily. "Get on, or do you want to run behind the car?"


    ==============


    They had been keeping silence on the entire journey to meet Jedrek, but all of a sudden the car stopped moving and Raine looked around her.


    They were still very far from their destination, so why did they stop in the middle of nowhere?


    Raine looked at Torak beside her, who was frowning. "What is it?" she asked worriedly. Her heart was beating fast when she saw how Torak''s face contorted, as if he was facing a problem.


    "Nothing, it is only Lyrus." Torak kissed her temple lightly to make her feel more at ease, but it didn''t work.


    "What is Lyrus doing here?" Through the front windshield, Raine could see the lycan walking toward them.


    They were in the middle of the road in one of the villages that could be used as a portal to the other realm when Lyrus appeared out of the blue and asked them to stop moving further through the mind-link.


    Lyrus was supposed to be gathering information in this realm together with Torak''s other Alphas and keep them up to date, especially about the movement of the vampires and the spell-casters in northern coven realm.


    Therefore, to find him showing himself here, was questionable.


    "He just wanted to talk," Torak said. "Stay inside the car with Jack."


    And then the Alpha didn''t wait for his mate''s answer before he opened the car door and got off to meet Jedrek''s beta.


    Inside the car, Raine watched as Torak and Lyrus exchanged greetings before talking about something that they couldn''t hear by sitting inside the car.


    "Can you hear them?" Raine asked Jack, who was sitting on the shotgun seat, but the lycan warrior shook his head.


    "I can''t grasp their words¡­" he said. Torak and Lyrus were talking in a very low voice that could be heard only by the two of them. "It seemed something serious."


    Raine frowned. She would ask Torak, or¡­ she could just come out and find out about it herself.


    This was not the time to keep a secret from each other, right? If this information was something that was related to whatever happened in the castle or the war with the devils, she had every right to know about it, since she was involved in it.


    With that thought, Raine got off the car as well.


    Raine didn''t want to be kept in the dark any longer. Whether Torak would be willing to tell her about this later or not, it was best if she heard it first hand.


    ==============


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 Chapter 912 - THE FIGHT

    With that thought, Raine alighted from the car and approached Torak, who was busy talking to Lyrus. From their serious expressions, Raine could see how much trouble that they had to face right now.


    To Raine''s relief, the two of them only glanced at her way when they realized that she was coming to join the conversation, but then continued their discussion, letting her hear whatever it was.


    "¡­the king will come in an hour or so," Lyrus said. The first sentence that Raine could hear the moment she stood beside Torak.


    "What happened to the castle? What about¡­ the people¡­" Raine couldn''t bring herself to ask about Raphael, Calleb, Lana and many other people whom she had grown to love.


    It would bring tears back to her eyes and the last thing that Raine wanted to do now was to cry her heart out like a weakling.


    It was not the correct time for that, she would make time to mourn for every single grievance she had been feeling, but not now.


    Lyrus didn''t answer her question immediately, but he looked at Torak for agreement. "The castle had been burned to the ground, Luna," he informed her.


    This was the first time that Lyrus showed some respect toward Raine, she could still remember how he denied her and caused trouble for Torak back then when they were in the village, after capturing most of the traitors hiding in Torak''s pack.


    Meanwhile, Torak put his hand around Raine''s shoulders, he thought she would start crying again, yet he was totally wrong. Because Rain just took a sharp and deep breath before her expression returned to one of calmness.


    "How about the people? You have not answered this question yet." Even Raine was surprised when she heard how steady her voice sounded.


    Once again, Lyrus looked at Torak before he answered her. "Most of them were dead and some went missing," he said truthfully.


    "What about Calleb?" Raine asked again. Her heart thumped faster as she waited for Lyrus''s answer.


    Torak had told her that they lost Raphael, as he noticed that the bond with his Beta couldn''t be sensed anymore, but didn''t say anything when she asked about Calleb.


    Lyrus shook his head. "I don''t know. The information is not really complete and my people were still searching around that place."


    "Lana?" Raine asked again. Her chest tightened when she remembered Lana was pregnant with their son. It reminded her the vision she saw when she tried to look into the boy''s future on Lana''s request.


    Calleb with a little boy.


    Calleb would survive and it was the same for the baby as well, but what about Lana? The boy had lost his father even before he was born in to this world, it would be so cruel if he had to lose his mother as well.


    "Still there is no information about the survivors." Lyrus shook his head. He looked tired, as if he had grown old over these few hours, needless to say, those people were almost like a family whom he had known for years, if Raine felt bad for them, one could only imagine how deep Lyrus feelings of sadness were now.


    Above them the gloomy sky only added to their sorrow and bitter feelings¡­


    And then, Raine looked at Torak. Her mate put on his emotionless facade again, but she felt it clearly through the bond they shared that he didn''t feel at ease at all.


    ==============


    "Something happened to Lana¡­" Kace said softly. He felt the vow that they made nineteen years ago being nullified all of a sudden.


    "What do you mean?" Hope crouched down beside Kace. The only thing that she could think of was; Lana was facing an early delivery. Maybe there was some complication during the process, since it was not the time for her to deliver the baby.


    "She is gone," Kace murmured, he shook his head, not able to believe his own words.


    Hope couldn''t comprehend his sudden pain. She couldn''t feel the same feelings whatever Kace was experiencing right now. She didn''t share a bloody vow with Lana and Kace was not an Alpha for a pack, which would have helped to form a bond between Hope and Lana if he was one.


    "She is gone?" yet, before her question could be answered, a voice interrupted them and the phoenix above their heads let out an ear-piercing cry out of the blue.


    "So, this is the phoenix, huh?" her voice was sultry and filled with malice.


    Out of reflex, Hope raised her head and saw the woman, whom she met a few years ago when she ran away from Kace, standing at the end of the corridor, and staring at her with interest.


    ==============


    Exactly after one hour, Jedrek came with Lilac on his tow along with the limited entourage he brought with him when they marched to the eastern region.


    And of course not to forget about the additional forces, the faes which were fluttering their colorful wings above them.


    Raine looked at Lilac with relief before they hugged each other tightly.


    "I am glad you are fine¡­" Raine said to Lilac.


    "So do I," Lilac whispered to her and felt slightly better after what she had been through.


    On the other hand, Jedrek looked at the reunion of the guardian angels with a blank face that was devoid of any emotion, before he gestured Torak to follow him.


    "We will be right back," Jedrek informed Lilac.


    "Stay here," Torak said to Raine before he followed Jedrek.


    Both of them shifted into their respective white beasts and rushed toward the direction of the village. They only stopped running when they arrived at a clearing and away from their people.


    When it was only the two of them, it was Torak, who shifted into his human form first, but Jedrek''s beast attacked him by clawing the side of his face.


    Blood spluttered from the opened wound, but Torak didn''t shift back to his beast form. He stood there calmly with blood dripping from his head as he saw Jedrek attacking him once more.


    This time, his brother sent him flying a few meters away from the ground and snarled loudly when Torak didn''t fight back.


    Jedrek shifted back and thundered. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO LEAVE THE CASTLE!"

 Chapter 913 - VENTING OUT HIS ANGER

    Jedrek shifted back and thundered. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO LEAVE THE CASTLE!"


    His brother''s roar rang in Torak''s head, as he tried to stand up and face him again. The wound on his face started to heal, but the blood on his clothes couldn''t be removed.


    "HOW DARE YOU??? LEAVING THE CASTLE ON YOUR WHIM AND WILL!!!" Jedrek couldn''t hold back his anger and pulled Torak from the ground, by his collar before he punched him hard on the left side of his face, where the wound just healed.


    A sick sound resounded when Jedrek''s fist met with Torak''s face, the sound of cracking bones indicating that yet another wound was split open now.


    "WHY DON''T YOU EVER LISTEN?!" Jedrek approached Torak again when his brother got up and delivered another punch even before the latter could stand on his feet properly. "NOW, ARE YOU HAPPY TO SEE ALL THE DAMAGE SOLELY RESULTED FROM YOURDEFIANCE?!"


    Torak gritted his teeth with his eyes closed shut tightly when he was about to receive yet another blow from Jedrek, but even after waiting for a while he didn''t feel any pain.


    And when he finally opened his eyes, Torak saw Jedrek''s fist hanging in the air, stopping just before it reached its target.


    "Do you know how many people had died because of your carelessness?!"Jedrek emphasized his every word, one by one as he glared at his brother viciously.


    His anger was palpable in his blazing red orbs.


    "Is an apology sufficient?" Torak finally spoke.


    Truth be told, Jedrek''s words hurt more than every single punch he received. Those people, who died in the castle, lost their lives because of his order.


    His arrogant thinking led him to believe that everything would be all right when he returned, he thought it was not a problem to leave that castle for three or four days.


    Torak was too arrogant or more precisely na?ve for thinking that the devils would let this chance slip through their fingers.


    They attacked right after the minute the three Donovans were separated.


    "If venting out your anger on me could make you feel better, do it." Torak didn''t have any intention to challenge Jedrek. He just wanted to feel better himself.


    At the end of the day, the responsibility of all the souls that were lost in that unexpected battle which they failed to foresee, was on him and he deserved every single punch and accusation from his elder brother.


    Jedrek roared, he grinded his teeth until they both could hear the sound of it, but the king didn''t do what his brother asked him.


    Jedrek pushed Torak away harshly from him, until he stumbled, but it was not enough to make the Alpha trip.


    "Do you think by punching you, I will be able to bring them back to life?!" Jedrek snarled, he gnashed his teeth again.


    "I lost my Beta and my Gamma went missing," Torak said, wiping away the blood from his face. "Did that make you feel any better?"


    "And I lost my people because of you," Jedrek said with venom on the tip of his tongue. He meant his words to be very harsh, as he put all the blame on Torak''s shoulders. "Did that make you feel any worse?"


    Torak didn''t talk back. He just stood there and looked at his brother punching the trees around them and growled loudly to vent out the various emotions that he felt right now.


    All his suppressed emotions that he couldn''t let Lilac see firsthand.


    There were a few things that Jedrek didn''t want Lilac to know, and one of them was when he ran rampant like the monster he was now.


    On the other hand, Torak watched silently how Jedrek did whatever it''s necessary for him to ease his pain.


    It wasn''t that Torak didn''t feel anything at all, he just couldn''t express it the way Jedrek expressed himself.


    His loss of a best friend who had accompanied him for years, his Beta and many people from his pack, couldn''t be ascribed in words.


    Even a million words of apology was far from enough.


    ==============


    Raine and Lilac waited for their mates to comeback.


    They knew the conversation between them wouldn''t run smoothly, as they were a lot of things that would touch their wrecking nerves.


    But, Raine gasped loudly when she noticed that a lot of blood stained Torak''s clothes, it almost looked as if his clothes were drenched in red paint.


    Even Lilac couldn''t hide her astonishment, she thought that the two of them met with an enemy leading them to fight, thus her eyes darted toward Jedrek immediately and she frowned in confusion when she found that her mate was totally fine.


    There was only a little blood on his clothes, which was Torak''s, sprayed on him when the king was busy landing blow after blow on his brother.


    "What happened?" Raine asked in a slightly trembling voice. She covered her mouth and touched her mate, looking for wounds on his body.


    But, of course Torak wouldn''t comeback until all of his wounds had healed, in case Raine would react even worser than now.


    She would cry her heart out if she were to see how Torak looked like after Jedrek punched him for several times.


    "I am all right," Torak said in a impassive voice, which sounded so distant in Raine''s ears. "We need to go and find Kace before something happened on his end."


    With that attack, the realm that was being ruled by Jedrek was also collapsed. Now, his people were scattered as small groups around every region, but the last thing that he heard, there was several attacks on their village, where the rogues ran rampant and killed many lycans and werewolves.


    For now, all they could do was to gather what was left from that devastating attack and rethink their plan again.


    Raine looked at Torak deeply, she knew that he didn''t want to talk about this. Maybe, he would open up to her later¡­


    ==============


    "Beautiful creature," Beelzebub said, while staring at the phoenix that flew very low above the floor and opened its beak to breath fire.


    Yet, the devil disappeared before the flames could burn her.


    She reappeared on the other end of the corridor, behind the three of them and chuckled lightly. "I have been looking for you, you know?" her golden eyes stared at Hope intensely and this left the guardian angel feeling uncomfortable in her stomach.


    On the other hand, Kace pulled Hope behind his back, as the fae also stepped forward to ready herself to fight this devil.


    "Don''t be so violent¡­" she said as she waved her hand.

 Chapter 914 - HELL IN THE WORLD

    "What are you doing here?" Purple asked, her bubbly personality disappeared all of a sudden, as her expression turned serious. "You shouldn''t be able to come into this place."


    This library had been protected by her spell, so the devils shouldn''t be able to come, yet here she was, standing with her annoying smirk on her face, right before their eyes.


    "Why can''t I come here?" Beelzebub raised her eyebrows. "Oh, because of the spell?" she said in a mocking tone and then giggled merrily. "We should thank the guardian angels for that¡­ because if it was not for their blood, indeed, we will not be able to step in."


    Kace put Hope behind his back, he knew something like this would happen when those devils managed to obtain the guardian angels'' blood. It could increase their power as well as help them resurrect a lot of dark creatures from hell.


    Just like how those guardian angels'' blood was needed during the first war. Jedrek used those guardian angels to increase their strength too, ignoring the fact that they had been depleted of their energy by their father''s endless sapping, extraction of their blood caused them to die.


    "Or, accomplish those things¡­" Beelzebub wiggled her eyebrows and nodded at the big window beside her.


    Out of instinct, the three of them looked toward the same point where the devil was looking at.


    At first there was nothing strange that could make them go on alert. The afternoon sky was still as dark as of a night''s, the chilling wind still blew and rattled the branches of the trees, the empty yard could be seen from where they were standing.


    And then they heard a series of loud explosion sounds of metal colliding with metal which shook the earth.


    This sound alone forced them to be on alert, especially when they couldn''t see where that sound was coming from, but then¡­ there was a bright light in the dark sky.


    They thought it was lightening accompanied with a roaring thunder, but then they saw what exactly caused the ear-piercing sound from earlier. It was because two planes collided before their heavy materials plunged to the ground at jet speed, followed by another explosion sound.


    The area where the two planes crashed was a densely populated area. Needless to say there would be hundred thousands of people who would die because of the crash.


    "What a beautiful scenery¡­" Beelzebub sighed pleasantly when she watched how the explosion shook the ground and the dark smoke that started to rise into the air from where the plane had crashed.


    However, it was not the end of it, as something more dreadful would happen soon. It was almost like the hell had been brought upon this world.


    Above them the phoenix spread its beautiful wings and let out another cry which shattered the glass.


    ==============


    "You ran away from the battle," Ethan accused the dragon lord before his eyes, he could guess it right even when he was in his current state.


    Because the last thing that Ethan could remember was seeing his own twin being mauled limb by limb by those beasts, and he couldn''t do anything to save Ian but witness that gruesome scene helplessly heartbroken.


    The sight of him being killed would never leave his memory and he could still hear his twin''s ear-piercing screams echoing in his now aching head.


    If it was not because he was too slow and Ian didn''t need to go back and check on him, he would have lived.


    His twin brother was worried about him, that was the reason why he lost his focus and made a reckless move.


    However, above all the facts, it wasn''t hard to understand that those dragon shifters had run away from the castle that ignited Ethan fury.


    This anger came from his frustration and the need to blame his regret upon the death of Ian on someone else.


    "Why did you leave the castle!?" Ethan yelled. "You could have helped us! You could have helped them!"


    As long as Ethan could remember, there were two hundred fire dragon shifters who came with Lord Bayle. They could help them to decrease the casualties of the battle.


    However, instead of helping them, those creatures chose to escape like cowards!


    "What can our people do?" Lord Bayle opened his arms and looked at Ethan, while tilting his head, as if he didn''t really care about the death of those people. "We can''t shift into our beasts, thanks to the Donovans." He smirked, as if he had won this argumentation and managed to seal Ethan''s mouth successfully.


    The dragon shifters were indeed not allowed to shift into their beasts because of the vow that they made centuries ago, as a punishment for their betrayal during the first war.


    There were only two occasions when they could shift, and of course, those two precious situations didn''t include the battle earlier.


    "Or, maybe you don''t know about this and I have to educate you?" Lord Bayle crouched down and talked to Ethan casually, as though the young boy wasn??t staring daggers at him. "I am not a hero, but I am not a fool too. The dragon shifters will not involve ourselves in a battle that we can''t win."


    "So, you chose to act like a coward?" Ethan breathed heavily. He was curious, why would he feel utterly exhausted, even though he was only talking.


    "You don''t need to look at me like that. I am not your enemy. Your enemy is the devil, who had killed your family¡­" he said sinisterly.


    Upon the mention of his family, Ethan remembered his other family members. They must have felt the pain because of Ian''s death. But, where were they now?


    As though Lord Bayle could understand what kind of emotion was flashed in the young boy''s eyes, he chuckled knowingly.


    "You don''t need to worry, we will help you to find your sister." Lord Bayle helped Ethan to sit down before leaning his weak body against the wall behind him.


    "My sister? Where is she?" Ian squinted his eyes.


    "She and that little girl along with a baby are roaming around inside a forest." Lord Bayle kindly told him. "I will help you, but I want you to do me a favor too."


    "What is it?" Ethan asked sharply.

 Chapter 915 - BLOOD FOR THE ENTIRE ARMY

    "What is it?" Ethan asked sharply. Whatever favor that this dragon lord asked from him, he couldn''t feel at ease to know it or involve himself with these creatures.


    They didn''t look reliable¡­


    However, Ethan had to make sure that Rossie was all right.


    "Where is my mother?" Ethan remembered that their mother was with his little sister inside the bunker and since the beasts managed to break through it, those women, elders and children must have escaped in to the forest through the other door.


    Ethan knew the blueprint of the bunker pretty well, because it was part of the training.


    "My condolence," Lord Bayle said, he stood up and crossed his right hand in front of his chest, while bowing slightly. "Your mother didn''t make it."


    "What?" Ethan was having a hard time to discern this emotion. He thought the pain that he was feeling now because he had lost Ian, but he would have never thought that he would lost his mother too.


    "Your mother sacrificed herself to save your sister''s life and the pregnant woman¡­" Lord Bayle informed him again.


    "No¡­" Ethan felt his chest caving in when the realization hit him hard.


    "Think about it carefully, I have a lot of free time on my hand, but I don''t think your sister has the same amount of time." Lord Bayle tried to persuade him by using Rossie. "She was out there, alone with only a baby and a little girl. Who know what¡­"


    However, before Lord Bayle could finish his dramatic story, Ethan had cut his words viciously.


    "What do you want from me?" Ethan asked sharply.


    A smirk appeared at the corner of Lord Bayle''s lips when he heard the young boy relenting easily. "I want the baby that was with your sister."


    "The baby? What baby?" Ethan overlooked this small detail when the dragon lord kept talking about the baby, because his entire focus was on his little sister.


    "The baby. The firstborn of a werewolf and a fae, a successful and healthy hybrid" Lord Bayle said excitedly. "Lana and Raphael''s baby."


    Lord Bayle didn''t spend his time in the castle by only talking about the war and planning strategy after strategy. He had his own hidden agenda too. For himself, for his own kind.


    It had been a long time since those lycan started ruling them.


    "Lana will never allow it," Ethan said grimly.


    "Don''t worry," he said casually, waving his hand. "She is dead, also her mate."


    ==============


    "So, the devils can use the same power like the guardian angels?" Torak approached Jedrek as the latter was staring at the dark sky from the balcony of the dragon shifter''s place.


    For the meantime, they chose to use this place to take some rest and think about what they should do next, since they had suffered a great loss.


    Torak eyed Jedrek in his human clothes, but didn''t say anything about how strange that style looked on him.


    "That was what Serefina told Lilac,?? Jedrek said to Torak, they had discussed about it with Lilac and Raine, but now those guardian angels had fallen asleep and now was the time for some real brotherly talk.


    Torak handed a glass of wine to Jedrek and looked at the sky just like his brother. A peaceful moment of silence followed after that.


    "What is it?" Jedrek shifted his attention toward Torak, narrowing his eyes at his brother.


    "What?" Torak only gave him a glance before he averted his eyes again.


    "You are being very silent." Torak always had his own opinion about many things and Jedrek thought he would have his own theory about the information that Serefina had told Lilac.


    For some reason, Jedrek felt like there was more to it. What exactly did Serefina want to do?


    "Have you mistaken me for Kace?" Torak asked sarcastically, as their younger brother was the one who always talked more than the two of them combined.


    After all, there were a lot of things that roamed around his head right now. This piece of information was only another thing that he had to put aside as there were some other important issues to rack his brains over, for example; to find his Gamma.


    Torak had lost Raphael, he didn''t want to lose his Gamma too.


    "Do you believe that?" Jedrek asked, ignoring Torak''s sharp remark.


    "Lilac had seen how Serefina manipulated time, which was Raine''s gift and if you asked me whether the witch did it on purpose or if she had other motives to tell us about it. I don''t know. You know her better than me," Torak answered all the questions Jedrek wanted to know.


    "Why do you think only we can move when Raine stopped the time?" Jedrek posted another question, he had been questioning himself about this inside his head, but didn''t have the right time to ask others.


    Torak frowned. He remembered, aside from the guardian angels and him, Jedrek, Kace and Calleb could also move during that time.


    Yet another spell of silence fell between the brothers.


    "The blood," Torak finally said after some time.


    "Hm?" Jedrek gulped down the entire wine before he played the glass between his fingers. "What do you mean?"


    "Their powers seem to don''t have any effect on one another and we tasted their blood when we marked our mates," Torak explained, contemplating.


    Jedrek nodded when he listened to his theory, but then he remembered one thing. "But, your theory didn''t explain why your Gamma could move as well, did he mark your mate?"


    There was a deep and dangerous growl that rumbled in Torak''s throat when he heard that.


    Jedrek always had a bad sense of humor and used it in the wrong place and time.


    "Raine gave him her blood when he almost died because of an attack." Torak was really tempted to push Jedrek to the ground from this balcony for making that remark. It wouldn''t kill him, but it was enough to anger him.


    "An attack?" Jedrek narrowed his eyes.


    "Hm," Torak didn''t explained any further, since that event had nothing to do with this.


    "Torak¡­" Jedrek''s voice turned chilling all of sudden when some realization hit him. "If their blood is what we need to counter the same strength that the devils have¡­ then how much blood do we need to strengthen a whole army?"

 Chapter 916 - SOMEONE IS COMING

    If the devils held the same power as the guardian angels and they turned immune to it by using those guardian angels'' blood, then how much blood should they be needed for the whole army that they had?


    "That shouldn''t be the only way we could follow," Torak said, with a frown on his face. "If the devils could use a drop of their blood for every nasty and vicious thing that they had done, we could also use it the same way," he concluded.


    Those guardian angels would die within no time if they had to use their blood for the whole army that they enforced. That was the most ridiculous choice and didn''t make any sense at all.


    Jedrek didn''t respond to his brother for some time, his blue eyes turned a few shades darker, when he remembered a conversation from the past.


    "It was dark magic," Jedrek murmured. "What those devils doing with the blood from the guardian angels had everything to do with dark magic and only dark witches could perform it."


    Torak stared at his brother in disbelief. "How can you be sure about that?" Torak narrowed his eyes. If that was the case, then they would be dealing with yet another new problem on their plates.


    "Trust me. I just know it," Jedrek muttered grimly. "Living under the same roof with the devils and the filthy soul of our father would force you to learn one or two things."


    Torak shook his head. "We can''t do that," he said.


    "Do I look like someone who would do it?" Jedrek creased his eyebrows, feeling offended.


    "It wouldn''t be the first time for you," Torak quipped. He was referring to the latter''s actions in the first war and the fact that he had killed his own mate and had chased down Kace''s.


    "Thanks for reminding me!" he growled frustratedly.


    ==============


    Rossie put down the crying baby on the ground, but made sure that she tucked him securely in the now warm cloak, before she dipped a piece of cloth in the river water and dabbed it on his tiny mouth.


    They were now on a river bank, taking some rest for a while after god knows how long it''s been they left Lana¡­.


    They couldn''t even remember since when they had started walking in this forest without knowing where they should go and ate what the forest could offer to them.


    However, the problem was; the baby couldn''t endure his hunger anymore, he started to wail and cry whenever he felt hungry and there was almost nothing that they could do to alleviate his hunger, since no proper food for him could be found in this dense forest.


    Bree kept silent the entire walk and only talked a few words during all these strenuous hours. It didn''t look like Rossie had something to say either.


    "Someone is coming," Bree said. She stood up and looked in a certain direction.


    Out of instinct, Rossie took the baby into her arms and stared in the same direction like Bree did, yet she saw nothing.


    Carefully, Rossie glanced at the little girl beside her and asked in a whisper. "Who is coming?" Sometimes Rossie wondered what kind of creature was Bree.


    She would often say something random like this and knew everything about food whether they could eat it or not, even this river¡­ it was Bree who found it.


    Rossie was certain that Bree was not a shifter, but what was she when she had senses as sharper as one?


    "Bree?" Rossie asked again, urging the girl, whether it was a friend or a foe. "Who is coming? Should we run?"


    "No," the little girl shook her head, but her eyes kept staring in that particular direction. "We don''t need to run, this is the help that we had been waiting for!" she turned her head and flashed Rossie a bright smile.


    "What? Are you sure?" Rossie wanted to make sure that she could trust her words, but deep down in her heart, she knew she did trust her. This little girl had always been mysteriously correct. "It will be great if they indeed come to help us."


    Rossie tried to sniff the air, but she couldn''t sense anything. Nothing, no strange scent, or anything indicating someone was coming in their way.


    But, after waiting for a whole ten minutes, her hope faded.


    "Bree, maybe you are mistaken¡­" Rossie said carefully, not wanting to hurt the little girl''s feelings.


    Bree frowned, she still looked at the dense forest behind them.


    "No, he is coming," Bree muttered to herself.


    Rossie sighed and tousled her head. "Who is this ''he'' exactly?" she asked.


    "Calleb," Bree said lightly.


    When Rossie heard that name, her heart skipped a beat. Her mate came for her? He was okay? He didn''t get hurt?


    But then, Rossie immediately killed her hope that started to rise high and kept it down. She didn''t want to feel disappointed again, this long journey had been hard enough, no need to add a feeling of disappointment to her already exhausted heart.


    After waiting for another five minutes and there was nothing different that happened, Rossie swallowed down her bitterness. Needless to say that she wanted Bree''s words to come true very badly. "Let''s go Bree. We can''t stay here for too long."


    "But, he is coming¡­" Bree whimpered, avoiding Rossie''s touch. She was stubborn to wait whatever it took and this made Rossie helpless.


    At the same time she wanted to trust her, but she also wanted to keep herself sane. Maybe this was another trick from the devils?


    And then, when she thought of asking Bree to leave this place again¡­ his scent hit her very hard, until she couldn''t believe it and seeing Rossie''s reaction Bree jumped in excitement. "He is coming, right? He is coming!"


    That was the last thing that Rossie could hear before she dashed in the direction of the intoxicating scent that she just smelled.


    Rossie was panicked, she couldn''t be at ease before she saw him with her own eyes. Her whole body was trembling, while Bree was having a hard time to keep up her pace with her and panted heavily, her short legs stumbled a few times.


    "Rossie!"


    Someone was calling her name when she finally stopped running and the moment she turned back, there he was...


    And Rossie''s tears started crashing down her cheeks as if some flood gates were lifted for a overflowing dam, she had not cried this hard for these past few hours.

 Chapter 917 - HER SAFE HEAVEN

    His beast was somewhere inside him, too weak to appear and it also caused his human side to take the brunt, making him feel extremely lethargic.


    Lidya said if it was not for her help, Calleb would have died by now and even this potion wouldn''t help much if he didn''t take good care and overdid himself.


    That was one of the reasons why he had to take the dwarf with him.


    And along the way, though Calleb found himself reluctant to admit it, the dwarf indeed had some uses for him, especially when he changed his mind.


    "You don''t have to accompany me to Torak''s place," Calleb said all of a sudden, as he pulled over the car that he was driving.


    "No!" the dwarf immediately rejected his idea. "I will bring you to Torak and leave right after I finished delivering you to him. I don''t want to have anything to do with anyone of you." He folded his arms and scrunched up his face, not liking the idea of .


    "You don''t want to have anything to do with us?" Calleb jeered and scoffed. "You are the one who came to us at the first place, and helped me and Sterling alongside with Lidya. Now you were talking like you don''t want to be bothered with all this crazy sh*t war thing?"


    Nutdrouk sent the lycan a vicious glare, if he could kill the man beside him by only using his eyes, he would have done that a long long time ago, instead of listening to this lycan''s nonsense.


    "Do you think the devils will spare you if they won the war? Or, do you plan to kiss their a** to keep your worthless life?" Calleb smirked triumphantly. "Don''t look at me like that, you know what I am telling is the truth."


    Calleb might have lost connection to his beast, but he didn''t lose his annoying ability; bombarding someone with his thoughts until they complied to his bidding.


    "Moreover," Calleb said, his tone turned serious, as he narrowed his eyes and turned his body to face the dwarf, who was sitting beside him. "Why did you help us in the first place? Telling Raine that they shouldn''t separate, helping them to find the phoenix and enhanced their power? And now, you are with Lidya, readily coming back to the castle to help me and Sterling."


    Calleb felt there was something more to this dwarf than he showed or told them. This creature wasn''t randomly sniffing his nose around their business for nothing.


    "Someone is ordering you to do so, right?" Calleb leaned over to see how hard the dwarf gulped down his saliva, indicating that his words were nearly correct. Who was that? "Who was ordering you? Are you a foe or a friend?"


    "I am only a dwarf!" Nutdrouk yelled at the Gamma, folding his short arms and shut his eyes. Didn''t want to be intimidated by Calleb.


    It was a well known fact that it was hard to gain information from the dwarf if you don''t have something that he was interested to bargain with and Calleb didn''t have the whole day to try and know who was the person behind this dwarf''s actions and what was their deal.


    It would be easier if he asked Lidya about it or let Torak deal with him.


    For now, there was something thing that he should do. And this was even more important than his whole life.


    "Whatever your plan might be, I don''t care. But, I want you to help me with something." Calleb saw that the dwarf was not budging and still closed his eyes, seemingly didn''t want to be bothered with whatever this helpless Lycan was about to talk.


    Seeing this dwarf acted like he didn''t care, the Gamma just rolled his eyes dramatically. He knew better ways to deal with this situation.


    People would always say, it was easier to make a new deal with a dwarf, instead of finding out who was the person that this dwarf dealt with.


    "I will give you anything you ask if you help me in finding her." Calleb watched unblinking, as numerous cars passed by theirs.


    "Anything?" The dwarf opened one of his eyes to glance at him. "Really anything?"


    "Yes, what do you want, tell me." Calleb was daring enough to say this because he knew what exactly the dwarf wanted.


    "I want all of your properties from the time you started working for the Donovans." Nutdrouk posted his demand shamelessly.


    However, it wasn''t any less from what Calleb had expected of him.


    "Deal," Calleb immediately agreed. "You really want those properties when the world is on the verge of meeting its end soon?" he quipped.


    The dwarf shrugged. "You said you will beat those devils." And then he looked at Calleb. "Who do you want to find?"


    "My mate." Of course it was Rossie that was in his mind.


    ==============


    Rossie had not cried this hard for these past few hours, she felt her legs almost giving up on her when she watched with reddened eyes as Calleb rushed toward her and caught her body before she could fall to the ground with the baby in her arms.


    She cried and cried, as if all the sadness and the anguishing pain that she had been suppressing for god knows how many hours came over her like a broken dam.


    She didn''t even realize when Bree took the baby away from her, keeping him safe because Rossie was having a mental breakdown right now.


    On the other hand, Calleb couldn''t say how much it pained him to see his mate like this. It must be too much for her to face all this alone.


    Rossie had to witness a lot of deaths than she could ever imagine and lost almost all the people that she loved at the same time.


    "It''s all right, I am here now, you are safe now," Calleb tried to comfort her, but it seemed Rossie couldn''t hear his words. Her small body was shaking and he had to hug her tightly to let her know that she was not alone.


    Rossie couldn''t say what caused her to cry so uncontrollably like this, was this because of the pain or the feeling of relief that she felt upon seeing Calleb again.


    "Sshh¡­ baby, sshh¡­" Calleb felt his own tears streaming down his cheeks.


    ==============


    HAPPY NEW YEAR!


    Hope this year will bring more joy and happiness!


    Love you all!


    xoxo

 Chapter 918 - A DEAL WITH THE DRAGON SHIFTER

    It took a long time before Rossie could regain her senses and cease down her cries a little bit, during which, Calleb only held her tight in his arms, whispering sweet nothings in to her ears, so that she would know that she was not alone now.


    When Rossie stopped crying, her eyes were very red, as though her beast came to the surface. Her tears streamed down her cheeks and wetted Calleb''s clothes earlier, but that was the last of the Gamma''s concerns.


    He reached into his backpack and pulled out a bottle of water for her, to moisten her dry throat, and when Rossie drank it absentmindedly, she choked suddenly because she swallowed the liquid together with her sobs.


    Calleb patiently waited for her while observing their surroundings, to make sure there was nothing strange or an enemy nearby.


    "It is all right now," Calleb said and kissed her temple and then helped her to stand up. "We should go from here now."


    He was worried if their enemy managed to find them, they would be done for, as Calleb was not in his best condition where he could fight them off.


    Rossie nodded and wiped her tears away from her face harshly, but Calleb stopped her movements and fixed her hair and wiped her tears more gently, as he patted the dirt off from her clothes.


    "Stop being lovey dovey, we have to move now," the dwarf said in annoyance. He had been waiting for them to come out of their small bubble, but he couldn''t help but remind them seeing they were being ultra slow. "She can cry all she wants after we go out of this d*mned forest."


    Ignoring Nutdrouk''s complaints, Calleb took the baby from Bree and cradled him in his arms. Right after he did so, the baby stretched out his tiny arms to touch his chin.


    Calleb could see Raphael''s green eyes staring back at him before the baby shut his eyes and gushed, while forcing his small thumb into his mouth.


    For a moment, he felt overwhelmed by the sight of the baby.


    ''Raph, can you see? This is your first son. Don''t worry, I will take good care of him¡­''


    They really needed to go now. Just like what Nutdrouk said, Calleb wouldn''t be able to protect them if there was a surprise attack and the dwarf swore on his life that he would abandon them if the danger was too much to handle.


    He wouldn''t sacrifice himself for them and Calleb believed his words. He wouldn''t have a second thought to runaway and save his own a**. Typical of the dwarf.


    "Let''s go back," Nutdrouk grumbled, he stretched out his hands for them to take as he would teleport them all from this forest.


    However, something startling happened before they could escape.


    All of a sudden, an arrow was shot from a random direction which almost pierced through the dwarf''s head if he was any taller than his pint-sized stature.


    The dangerous arrow stuck at the tree behind him, as Nutdrouk knelt down and let out various profanities that he knew.


    Seeing this unfriendly gesture, Calleb was on alert and out of instinct turned around to face their attacker, while standing in front of Rossie and Bree.


    Even though he lost connection to his beast, but Calleb''s enhanced senses were still working just fine. He could pick the scents from the air just fine and slightly relieved when he smelled a scent that he was familiar with.


    "Ethan," Calleb called him and the boy came out from the dense patch of trees.


    Ethan looked surprised and immediately opened his arms when his little sister rushed toward him, he hugged Rossie and both of them cried again.


    On the other hand, Nutdrouk immediately stood up and tugged Calleb trousers as he nodded to the people who emerged from the place where Ethan came out, one by one.


    It was the dragon people.


    "We can''t trust them," Nutdrouk mouthed his words, so it was only Calleb who could see it.


    The Gamma understood this situation and swiftly pulled Rossie and Ethan closer to him, with Nutdrouk hiding behind them.


    "Supreme Gamma!" Lord Bayle, with twenty of his man standing behind him, opened his arms to greet Calleb. His surprised expression was genuine, since he didn''t think that Calleb would be here, finding Rossie before they did.


    "That''s how you should greet me? With an arrow?" He asked, as he took offense of what they had done.


    "I am sorry for that," he said, bowing his body slightly, but the smirk on his lips told Calleb that he was mocking him. "I thought that small creature was about to hurt our beautiful Rossie."


    "Save your bullsh*t for yourself," Calleb sneered, he pulled Rossie closer to him and also Ethan, who seemed didn''t quite understand the situation now, yet he followed his subtle lead. "Where did you go when we fought those crazy beasts!?" he asked angrily.


    However, before Calleb could hear Lord Bayle''s answer, he felt a familiar feeling crept from his spine and then the scene in front of him became blurry before everything went dark.


    A second later, when Calleb opened his eyes, he was sitting in the car with Nutdrouk beside him and the rest of their people in the back seat.


    "Why did you teleport us? I haven''t got to hear his answer!" Calleb growled at the dwarf. "That stupid cowardly creatures left us in the lurch and fled for their lives!" he grumbled in annoyance.


    "What will you do if you know? You are not in a condition to fight them off, so stop being unreasonable and drive the car. You can deal with them when we meet Torak." The dwarf patted the steering wheel.


    ==============


    The dwarf looked exhausted when they were finally back in their car after he teleported five people including one newborn and now he was snoring on the back seat, occupying the whole place as he didn''t want to be bothered by what Calleb or the rest would do.


    "Calleb, I have something to tell you," Ethan said when they stopped for gas.


    "What is it?" he asked, while rummaging his pocket.


    "I made a deal with the dragon shifter."


    ==============


    HAPPY NEW YEAR!


    Hope this year will bring more joy and happiness!


    Love you all!


    xoxo

 Chapter 919 - I AM HERE IF YOU NEED ME

    "I made a deal with the dragon shifter," Ethan admitted. It was an awful deal after all, but at that time, he couldn''t think of any other way to get himself out of whatever place those dragon shifters took him to, and he have to look for the rest of his family as soon as possible.


    Lord Bayle had told him that their father was still alive and under the care of the witch, Lidya. Ethan knew about Lidya since he and Ian had traveled together with her to the northern coven realm to accompany Hope to look for Kace.


    But, the fact that Ian and their mother were no longer alive, was still hard to digest for him.


    "What deal?" Calleb asked as he stopped rummaging through his pockets to find money to pay for the gas. He looked at the young boy beside him with narrowed eyes.


    Whatever it was, a deal sealed in certain circ.u.mstances wouldn''t be a good one, especially when it was made under a lot of pressure.


    A look of guilt flashed in Ethan''s eyes when he glanced at the baby in Rossie''s arms.


    Rossie and Bree were sitting on the middle seat, while the dwarf slept on the back seat. Aside from Calleb and Ethan, the rest of them had fallen asleep, too exhausted to keep their eyes open.


    "They want Lana''s baby," Ethan said. "I am sorry, I am sorry." He felt a rush of guilty feelings filling his being and felt ashamed of himself for agreeing to such a deal in his time of desperation.


    "The baby?" Calleb clenched his jaw tightly and the sound of his gnashing teeth could be heard in this silent car. "What do they want the baby for?" he asked in a hoarse voice.


    Calleb didn''t blame Ethan for making such a deal, he knew it would have been very hard for him if he looked this guilty right now, but what didn''t make any sense to Calleb was; what was the dragon lord intended to do with Lana and Raphael''s baby?


    "I don''t know," Ethan shook his head. "I just heard about him talking that the baby is the hybrid between a fae and a Lycan. That''s it, after that he didn''t say much before we went out to look for Rossie."


    "Fae?" Calleb fell into contemplation when he heard that. What did that mean? Who was fae? Raphael was a lycan and Lana was a werewolf, Calleb had even seen her wolf, so what did the dragon lord meant by saying that Eddard was a hybrid between a fae and a lycan?


    "Yes, don''t you know that Lana was also a hybrid between a werewolf and a fae?" Ethan heard about this from Hope when they still lived peacefully in the mystic river village.


    "No, I don''t know." Raphael had never told him about that. Calleb even doubted that whether Raphael knew about it. Probably he knew¡­


    However, that was not the point now.


    "What did you promise them? What is your deal?" Calleb felt his head pricking with irritation. They were facing bigger troubles already, so why those shitty creatures wanted to make these already messy things more complicated?


    "They promised me that they will take me to Rossie and in return, they wanted me to give them the baby," Ethan said with his head hanging low. "I am sorry." He felt ashamed.


    Before Calleb could say something in response, someone knocked on Calleb''s side window, asking for the money for the gas. Without even checking how much he took out, Calleb gave all the money in his pocket, which was obviously more than the actual price.


    "Just take it," Calleb mumbled and started the car again. When they were finally out of the gas station, he stretched out his free hand and tousled Ethan''s head while the other was busy maneuvering the steering wheel.


    Even though Ethan was Rossie''s older brother, it couldn''t change the fact that Calleb had already lived thrice of his age and the former would always be a kid in the Gamma''s eyes.


    "Don''t worry, once we are united with Torak, the Alpha will figure this out." There was no way Torak would let Raphael''s son fall into those creatures'' dirty hands, especially when he learned that those dragon shifter had run away from the battle.


    "I think you are the perfect mate for my sister," Ethan admitted while staring at Calleb beside him with a genuine smile on his face as he reminisced something. Even though it was only a short memory, still it was a happy moment when Ian and he teased Calleb by always staying with Rossie whenever he came to visit their little sister.


    "You realized it just now?" Calleb raised his eyebrows incredulously.


    ==============


    Raine was startled awake when she realized that Torak was not beside her, on the bed and the room was very cold, she clutched the blanket around her tightly and was about to fall asleep again when she saw Torak''s back on the balcony from the corner of her eyes. He was standing there alone.


    "Torak?" Raine rubbed her sleepy eyes and wrapped the blanket around her, as she walked barefoot toward her mate.


    What was Torak doing there alone? He even left the balcony door wide open, letting the cold wind enter their room.


    It wasn''t like him.


    "Torak, what are you doing?" Raine approached Torak and only then did the Alpha realized there was someone near him and turned around abruptly.


    He looked pensive at first, but soon a look of surprise crossed his face. "Did I woke you up?" he asked as he put his arms around Raine.


    "No," Raine lied.


    "I am sorry that I make you feel cold," Torak said softly and placed his warm palms on either side of Raine''s face. He always felt warm, no matter how cold the weather was.


    "What is bothering you?" Raine ignored the look of concern in Torak''s eyes, since she could feel something more to his strange behavior at this time.


    Of course Torak felt worried about his mate, but there was more into it than he felt right now which he wouldn''t want to share with her. At least not yet.


    "Nothing, my love." Torak shook his head. "Let''s sleep."


    "If there is nothing, why do you keep blocking me from your mind?" Raine couldn''t read his mind ever since both of them felt the anguishing pain for losing Raphael.


    "Please, let''s talk about this later," Torak pleaded. And it was already very strange of him to plead someone.


    Yet, seeing how disturbed Torak was now, Raine agreed and let this matter pass for the time being. "I am here if you need me."

 Chapter 920 - ILL FATE

    Kace couldn''t believe his own eyes when they watched the city before their eyes surrounded by flames within the span of a few minutes.


    The color of orange licked the dark sky, as smoke soon erupted from everywhere.


    The place where the two planes crashed into one another before exploding above the residential areas, was not too far from this library building. Even now, sounds of consecutive explosions could be heard from afar and the ground beneath their feet wouldn''t stop shaking.


    "Beautiful, isn''t it?" Beelzebub asked the three people standing frozen near the window and shifted her attention toward the squeaking phoenix that flapped its big feathery wings across the corridor.


    The Wrath and the Greed appeared behind Glutton, the three of them smirked proudly in satisfaction upon seeing what they could call their creation.


    "You should go out and see with your own eyes, how the sentence ; ''the world collapsed before your eyes'' becomes literal," the Greed snickered and patted the Wrath''s shoulder.


    "Wasn''t this the place where the previous battle happened? So, why don''t we make this place as our current battlefield too? As a matter of fact, this place already holds so many memories from our past," Beelzebub threw that random idea.


    "What you are seeing here, is only a tiny part of what is happening out there." Wrath sighed in pleasure.


    "Or in the castle," Greed chimed in and he turned around to face someone who was surprised upon hearing his words. "Have you heard about what happened in the castle? People were killed, and a lot of people, your people died there."


    "Including your sweet friend, Lana? It was her name, right?" Beelzebub winked at Kace and Hope. Lana was a close person to the two of them, thus there was no way they didn''t feel anything upon hearing the news of her death.


    "It was a pity I can''t have her baby, though the baby will not look as delicious as you were nineteen year ago, but I think the baby will satiate my hunger." Beelzebub licked her lips.


    She met Hope when she was a baby who was being carried by Kace when they were running away from Jedrek''s people and headed to the northern coven realm, since then, Beelzebub was trying to track down Hope and before she knew, the baby with delicious smell turned out to be one of the guardian angel.


    In spite of the fact that she was well protected, still there was a time when she almost caught Hope if Kace and Lana was not there to interfere.


    What a pity, she couldn''t taste her¡­


    "DON''T YOU DARE TOUCH HER BABY!" Hope yelled loudly and the phoenix above them squeaked loudly, flapping its wings continuously, as if the bird could feel the irritation from the guardian angel.


    "We don''t have time for this," Purple murmured, she felt that something bad was going to happen and those three devils were only there to distract them.


    Yet, Hope was not done yet.


    How could she accept the fact that she couldn''t see or talk with Lana again? She was like a sister for her, she grew up with her and Lana was also the first person who watched her taking her very first step and heard her first words.


    Lana was always there for Hope, ignoring the little bit clash between them before she met Raphael, Hope had never treated her less than the person that she loved with all her heart.


    Hope had promised her to come and see her baby, but now she was gone?


    There were a lot of deaths recently which were definitely way above what Hope''s kind soul could take, but this time, she felt a raging fury built in her heart and ran through her veins when she realized what she had lost.


    Above her, the phoenix grew bigger, as yellow glow blanketed its being. The color was very bright, it illuminated the whole corridor in a few mere seconds and could be compared to the fire that was running rampant outside.


    "Impossible¡­" Purple muttered to herself when she watched the phoenix, not only that, the smirks on the three devils'' faces faded in an instant.


    "I have never know that the phoenix could grow this bigger...." Greedy tilted his head, as he couldn''t take his eyes off of the magnificent creature in front of them.


    Just after the stunned words left the Greedy''s lips, the firebird, the sacred creature, which only belonged to the Donovan brothers, appeared breathing fire, which spiraled along the corridor and hit the three devils, leaving a big hole on the wall behind them.


    "The firebird¡­" Kace was surprised, it supposed to be only him, who could call the bird. But, what now?


    ==============


    "What happened?" Lilac immediately approached Jedrek when he fell to the ground all of a sudden, in a kneeling position.


    Lilac looked around her, but found nothing. No possible danger was around them.


    "I don''t know¡­" Jedrek couldn''t put it into words, as he clutched his chest. There was this strange feeling that overwhelmed him. "Something is calling to my inner beast¡­" he shook his head and opened his palm, as the firebird appeared from thin air.


    Lilac had seen this bird once when Jedrek fought the spell casters in the eastern region, but something about it looked way different than her previous encounter. The glow around the bird was much brighter.


    "Something calling to your inner beast?" Lilac repeated his words. "Isn''t that your wolf?"


    "For us, we have two inner beasts," Jedrek scrunched his eyebrows as he looked at the bird in his arms. "I think we need to go as soon as possible."


    "Where?" Lilac asked with worried expression.


    And when Jedrek closed his palm, the firebird disappeared from their sight, just like a puff of smoke. "To Rieka."


    "The place where the first war happened?" Lilac took Jedrek''s hand and intertwined their fingers together.


    "Yes," Jedrek answered thoughtfully, he raised his hand and caressed Lilac''s face. "Don''t worry, I will keep you safe?? I will not let anything happen to you."


    Whether it was an ill fate or not¡­ If everything happened just exactly how it began, then there was a huge possibility it would end in the same way.


    However, Jedrek was determined not to lose the guardian angel before his eyes at any cost. He wouldn''t allow the history to repeat. It was a mistake and he wouldn''t repeat that.

 Chapter 921 - OVERWHELMING

    "You felt it too, right?" Jedrek talked to Torak when they were having lunch with their mates and two Alphas from Torak''s pack who just arrived last night with some people from the red river city.


    "The firebird," Torak said while cutting the meat on his plate and when he was done, he changed his plate with Raine''s.


    And Jedrek did the same for Lilac. The king had never done something like this before, but a few days with Torak, he learnt one or two which could make his mate a little happy in these gloomy days.


    Even so, Jedrek would never admit that out loud for the world to hear it.


    "Something is calling our inner beast." Jedrek cut the meat for himself and started to eat.


    "If the fire bird is your inner spirit, it can be Hope," Lilac joined the conversation after giving some thought about it. "But, why did she call? Does something happened in Rieka?"


    Lilac looked at the two Alphas and one of them spoke about the information which they got their hands on. "The electricity in Rieka was cut off because two planes crushed into each other and ruined their power lines in the process."


    "Two airplanes crashed into one another?" Jedrek frowned, it sounded strange. "We need to go there immediately."


    "Let''s postpone until Calleb and the rest are here," Raine said softly and five pair of eyes stared at her questioningly. "They will arrive soon, together with Raphael''s baby," she said.


    ==============


    "Calleb!" Jack approached him when the latter was still inside the car, even lyrus followed closely behind him. They could smell his scent the moment he came into this property.


    Calleb hit the breaks when Jack just jumped in front of the car and opened the door. "You want to die?!" he roared irritably.


    "Being hit by a car will not kill me, buddy!" Jack immediately pulled him into a hug and patted his back, the gesture was more like he was trying to hit him though. "I am glad you are here and alive."


    Calleb grinned and returned the hug. "So do I." Yet, it pained him when he remembered he couldn''t say the same thing about Raphael.


    "Who else did you bring?" Asked Lyrus, as he sniffed the air. He had been away from the castle for so many days, so he didn''t know many people who came there recently.


    Meanwhile, Ethan got down from the car and opened the door for Rossie, who was holding baby Eddard in her arms, followed by Bree and the dwarf.


    "A dwarf?" Lyrus and Jack scrunched their noses at the same time at the sight of that stunted creature, didn''t even bothering to hide their unpleasant feelings.


    "Yes? Is there a problem with that?" Nutdrouk gave them a contemptuous smile and walked toward Calleb. "See? I told you, it will be better if I don''t come here."


    Calleb rolled his eyes. "Don''t be so cranky," he grumbled and walked toward Rossie, as he swiftly took the baby from her arms. "This is my mate!"


    Despite the atmosphere didn''t really suit Calleb''s current mood and it wasn''t really a great time to introduce Rossie, but the Gamma was very happy and excited to let them know that he had found his other half.


    "You are his mate?" Jack frowned and stared at Rossie up and down. "But, you are beautiful," he murmured, as though Rossie was far from his expectations about how Calleb''s mate would look like.


    "What are you looking at?" Calleb stepped in front of Rossie to block this unmated lycan''s sight from seeing his mate too much.


    Jack was about to protest when he caught sight of the baby in Calleb''s arms. He shrieked dramatically while covering his mouth, like an old lady. "That''s your baby?! You just gone for a few weeks and you already have a baby?!"


    Calleb was really tempted to kick this warrior. "This is Raphael and Lana''s baby," he said grimly.


    And then the light atmosphere became heavy with the mention of the late Beta and his mate''s names.


    "Let???s go inside, the wind outside is very cold, the baby will get sick," Lyrus said to break the ice among them, as he walked first into the dragon shifter''s mansion.


    "Belinda and a few people from the pack are here too, she will be excited to see Raphael''s firstborn," Jack muttered after clearing his throat as he eyed the baby in Calleb''s arms with interest. "Can I hold the baby?" he asked curiously when the baby stared back at him with the same green color eyes like Raphael''s.


    "No," Calleb replied shortly.


    Jack grumbled when he heard Calleb''s emotionless answer and struggled to take few more peek sat the baby while they were walking toward the building.


    Meanwhile, Calleb was holding the baby in one hand and Rossie''s hand in another, as Ethan, Bree and the dwarf walked behind him.


    Once Calleb was climbing the stairs, leading to the terrace, he could hear a high-pitched woman''s voice from inside the mansion along with the sound of her hurried footsteps.


    The sound of it, made Calleb feel a fuzzy warm feeling in his cold heart and brought a smile on his face when he saw her figure in the middle of the door frame.


    "Calleb!" Belinda squealed and rushed down the stairs with her arms opened wide, ready to squeeze the day lights out of the Gamma before she stopped abruptly, as she caught sight of the baby in Calleb''s arms. "This¡­"


    "Raphael and Lana''s first son¡­" Calleb didn''t know how to continue the rest of his words, as the very mention of the late Beta''s name brought a mix of emotions that burst in his heart, especially when Belinda started to cry very hard.


    They couldn''t control the anguish, when their memories of Raphael resurfaced. Every tiny bit of the memory of the Beta came back to them all at once.


    He would always be missed¡­


    Standing at the door behind Belinda, Calleb saw Raine, with her eyes filled with tears and Torak beside her, staring at the baby with a rare smile and soft gaze.

 Chapter 922 - I LOVE TO SEE YOU HOLDING OURS

    Raine cooed the baby in Lilac''s arms, as Belinda left them to make a bottle of milk for Eddard. She was very excited to see the baby, but at the same time, there was a deep sadness in her eyes.


    They could understand that, Belinda had always thought of Raphael and Calleb as family and pain from losing a family member was something that wouldn''t heal within a day or two, the feeling would remain forever.


    "He has his father''s eyes," Lilac said and Raine nodded.


    There was a feeling of regret that Raine couldn''t put into words, she should have known this would happen when she saw the vision the moment she touched Lana''s stomach, but she chose to be ignorant.


    They would have done something to rectify the situation if she was a bit more quick and witty enough to realize there was something wrong with the vision she got to see.


    Raine knew that Torak blamed it all on himself for giving such a command of leaving the castle in Raphael''s hands, as they walked straight into the devils'' trap and caused this tragedy. However, it was not entirely his fault alone, there were many variables that couldn''t be explained which later led them to this situation.


    Yet, the feeling of guilt still remained.


    Meanwhile, Rossie and Bree were off to rest in the rooms provided for them and Calleb was with Jedrek and Torak, just across the room from Raine and Lilac, discussing about something.


    Ethan and the dwarf were nowhere to be seen, Raine assumed that the two of them also needed some precious time alone after what they had been through, especially Ethan.


    Raine and Lilac felt bad for Rossie and Ethan''s loss, but there was nothing they could do to ease their grievances except giving their unconditional support.


    "His fingers are very small," Lilac murmured, fascinated by the baby''s fragileness.


    "That is why, he is a baby," Raine said, grinning while cooing baby Eddard again when Lilac laughed softly.


    Eddard was a happy baby, despite the circ.u.mstances in which he was born and the hardship that he had to endure since the first moment he was brought in to this world.


    It didn''t take a long time for Belinda to return with a bottle of warm milk and gave it to the baby who sucked it happily.


    Based on what Rossie told them, they learnt that baby Eddard didn''t eat much, since Rossie didn''t know what to give to him except water and fruit starch. It was incredible enough that the baby could survive all that mess.


    Yet, they knew it was one of the sacrifices that Lana had made for her firstborn.


    When the three of them were busy watching the baby sucking his milk, the guardian angels'' mates approached them.


    "Come, we need something to do and need your view point," Torak said, as he approached his mate, a soft kiss landed on Raine''s forehead when he was close enough to her.


    "Give the baby to me, I will take good care of him, just focus on what you have to do¡­" Belinda said and stretched out her arms to receive the baby from Lilac.


    Carefully, Lilac gave him to her and baby Eddard was in Belinda''s arms now, his green eyes looked at his surroundings curiously for a moment, but in the next second, he didn''t seem to care at all.


    Jedrek approached Lilac and placed his hand on her h.i.p.s, as he led them out of the room, leaving Belinda all alone with baby Eddard, but of course not forgetting to station a few guards to protect them.


    "Where are we going?" Lilac asked curiously. She didn''t get to roam around this place much, thus she slightly frowned when Jedrek took them in a different direction to where she always walked in.


    "To meet the dragon people," Jedrek said curtly.


    "Hm," Lilac mumbled and nodded her head. The problem with the dragon people hadn''t been resolved yet and they needed some closure about this matter in one way or the other. Whether they would be a foe or a friend.


    "Lilac," Jedrek called her, his voice was barely a whisper, thus out of instinct, Lilac leaned over to hear what he was about to say. "I like the sight of you holding the baby."


    Lilac''s breath hitched when she heard that.


    "But, I love to see you holding ours," Jedrek continued, ignoring his mate''s body stiffening or the fact that her face turned red, yet there was a soft smile on her lips.


    ==============


    "Hope, what was that?" Kace was flabbergasted when he watched half of the corridor had turned black because of the fire that the firebird had breathed.


    Hope was also blinking her eyes when her sense came back. "I don''t have any idea¡­" she said pensively.


    She was not sure whether whatever happened was her doing or not, basically it was not her who had burned half of this corridor, but she did felt something when her anger tried to consume her and all she wanted was for the devils to disappear from her sight.


    "Was that me?" Hope asked in a daydreaming voice.


    Meanwhile, the firebird had vanished and the phoenix clamed down, as if the bird knew the threat was gone. It folded its wings and nuzzled her beautiful head on Hope''s shoulder.


    "Yes, I think you did it¡­" Purple tilted her head to look at Hope and then smiled. "I don''t know that a guardian angel has such a power¡­"


    "I don''t know it either until recently," Hope said truthfully, as she scratched the bird''s head.


    "We have found the bird, I think its time for us to leave," Kace narrowed his eyes at the chaos outside. Blaring sirens could be heard from where they were standing as people came out from their houses to witness those huge flames that blanketed most of the residence.


    "But, before that, I want you to see something." Purple walked forward and opened one of the rooms. "The Supreme Alpha told me to show you this."


    Purpled stepped into the room, while Hope and Kace followed behind her.


    "What is it?" Hope asked curiously. The phoenix had to wait outside, since its big body couldn''t fit the frame of the door of that room.

 Chapter 923 - THE VOW

    Jedrek, Torak, and their mates along with Calleb went to the third floor, where Torak''s people kept Reynold and Stephan locked up, while the rest of the dragon people were in other rooms.


    "What are we going to do here?" Lilac asked Jedrek before they entered the room.


    "Ethan happened to agree upon a deal with the fire dragon shifters and we are due to know whether we should keep them alive or not." Jedrek pushed open the door and entered first.


    "What kind of deal?" Raine looked at Calleb, who was walking behind her. Calleb brought Ethan with him, so it must be him who told them about the deal.


    "I don''t have any idea¡­" Calleb shook his head. Ethan didn''t know any details about what the deal meant for the dragon shifters as they didn''t explain anything useful, leaving him in the dark while they kept pressuring him with Rossie''s condition.


    Ethan, who had lost Ian, was not in the right mind when he agreed, so all he thought was they would help him save his little sister. It was understandable.


    At first Jedrek didn''t agree to it, but then Torak insisted that they had to take care of this matter first before they set off to Rieka, since it involved Raphael''s son.


    According to Torak, he had failed Raphael and his mate, so he vowed to himself that he wouldn''t let anything happen to their firstborn, but of course Torak wouldn''t say it out loud, yet Calleb had never seen Torak being this adamant about matters that didn''t concern Raine, for a long time.


    In the end, Jedrek had to relent, as Torak wouldn''t budge from his decision and this forced them to postpone their trip to Rieka.


    They could only hope that this was not some other mishap in disguise that would lead them to another setback.


    [What happened between you and Torak?]


    Raine almost yelped when Calleb mind-linked her all of a sudden, when they just entered the room. It was very rare of them to use mind-link, since they were not used to hide anything from Torak.


    [Why?] Out of instinct, Raine looked at Torak''s back. He looked pensive and was always deep in thought recently.


    She didn''t mind it, though. But usually, Torak would hold her hand and wait for her to enter the room first, and not give her his back like this and walk in without looking at her again.


    [You know, why.] Calleb replied, even he himself realized these slight changes in Torak. [Torak was not used to treat you this way.]


    Raine stood beside Torak and glanced at him, but his eyes were fixed on the two dragon shifters who were tied to the chairs.


    [He is all right,] and then she added, [He just had a lot of things on his mind now.]


    Raine stretched out her hand and intertwined their fingers together, only then did Torak turned his head to her and smiled, while pulling her closer to him.


    "Jedrek¡­ long time no see." Reynold tilted his head and looked at Jedrek. "When was the last time we got to see each other?" he scrunched his face, as if he was trying to remember. "Was it when you forced my grandfather to succ.u.mb to the vow that they not wanted?"


    "They chose it for themselves," Jedrek said simply.


    "Or, it''s more likely that you will kill them if they didn''t," Reynold scoffed.


    However, Torak stepped forward, leaving Raine with Calleb behind them before pulling Jedrek by his shoulder to talk to Reynold. His patience toward this dragon shifter had run thin when he tried to fool him.


    "Do you know about the cross heart vow?" Torak asked Reynold directly, since that was the name of the vow that Ethan had to take when he agreed to handover Raphael''s son to the dragon shifters.


    They didn''t know about this vow and Belinda didn''t have any idea about this either, therefore they didn''t know what exactly were the consequences of breaking it.


    "Even if I know something about it, I will not tell you," Reynold snickered before he glared at Torak.


    "Calleb, ask someone to bring the dragon shifters here, I will kill them one by one until he was willing to talk." Torak didn''t bat an eyelid when he said this.


    On the other hand, Raine could only lower her eyes, not wanting to see Stephan''s pleading gaze. She knew it was a cruel decision to kill their people, which didn''t leave any difference between them and those devils.


    It was the same thing what the devils did to them in the castle, they turned those innocent people against each other leading to a horrifying massacre in order to get what they wanted.


    Yet, at the same time Raine couldn''t argue with Torak, she remembered what Raphael had told her about this a long long time ago.


    Their world was a world that needed cruelty and sometimes bloodshed, in order to keep everything in place or make it right.


    It didn''t take long for Calleb to come back with three lycan warriors, each of them holding a shaking dragon shifter.


    They pushed the three shifters to the ground, making them kneel.


    "Talk now or I will start to kill them," Torak said, there was no emotion in his eyes or any kind of expression which said other wise as he meant each and every word that he said.


    Reynold didn''t seem to budge at Torak''s threat, as he continued to glare at the latter provokingly.


    However, he should have known better than showing his defiance in front ofTorak, especially when he was in this state of mind.


    "Kill them one by one," Torak said with a face that was devoid of any kind of emotion.


    Raine''s body turned stiff, even after witnessing countless deaths with her own eyes, she still couldn''t get used to it.


    She could hear the three people wailing and pleading for their lives as they watched the warriors closing in on them with their extended talons, ready to end their life.


    "ENOUGH!" It was Stephan, who roared viciously at his brother. "Can you stop relying on those devils? I have enough of your stubborn self being fed with their lies and false hopes!" It was Stephen''s first time to raise his voice against his brother.

 Chapter 924 - THE VOW (2)

    In the midst of all those loud noises from the outside, Purple led Hope and Kace into a huge room which gave the illusion of the presence of an additional library behind this door.


    It felt so, probably because of the size of it which was almost on par with the previous room they had entered, as if the building was built with two sections of library; one for public while the other for private use only.


    Hope could even smell the earthly scent from this place and this kind of scent was very calming to her already tensed nerves because of everything that happened outside.


    Unfortunately, Hope was not really fond of reading books, if she were, this place would have felt like a heaven to her.


    "If Raine happen to be here, I bet she will love this place," Hope murmured, relishing the sight around her and how amazing this place seemed as they walked to the center of this private library.


    Purple smiled softly at Hope and spoke. "Luna had been here once with the Alpha and this one was the thing that Alpha Torak had showed to her then."


    Hope frowned, became very curious now. "What is it?" she looked at Kace beside her, but her mate seemed to be unaware of whatever it was.


    "You can see it yourself," Purple said, as she led them deeper, into the central part of the room.


    It took some time for them to reach the middle of this seemingly large chamber where Hope saw a huge stone, standing tall right in the middle of this huge room.


    Its height was around twelve to thirteen meters, with a thickness equal to Hope''s two arms stretched out.


    "What is this?" Hope breathed out her question in amazement, it surprised her to see this kind of stone in the middle of the bookshelves.


    This stone looked old, a stark contrast to its surroundings.


    "This stone looks like someone had thrown it in here," Hope commented.


    "This is the stone that could tell you everything," Kace answered it for Hope, as he walked closer and touched the rough surface of it. "This is real."


    "Yes, Alpha Torak kept it here," Purple said.


    "D*mn it Torak!" Kace cursed quite loud, as he huffed in annoyance.


    "What happened?" Hope asked, couldn''t understand why would Kace be irritated all of a sudden like this.


    "This stone was supposed to be in the castle, Jedrek was throwing a tantrum when he realized that one of the precious things which was under the possession of royal family had disappeared." Throwing a tantrum might not be the correct phrase to portray how livid Jedrek was, but Kace would keep the details for himself.


    Hope raised her eyebrows, sometimes she couldn''t understand the relationship between the three Donovan brothers, they have this tendency to take the dispute between siblings to another level.


    "If Raine was here before, then what did she do with the stone?" Hope asked in curiosity and moved closer, feeling attracted to the stone.


    ==============


    "ENOUGH!" Stephan roared viciously at his brother. "Can you stop relying on those devils?! I have enough of your stubborn self being fed with their lies and false hopes!" it was Stephen''s first time to raise his voice against his brother.


    Out of instinct, Raine turned her head to see what was happening and she caught sight of a hopelessly angered Stephen, which was a first.


    "They haven''t done anything that could backup their promises, but lie through their nasty way out every single time and you still trust them?!" Stephan glared at Reynold, who was glaring back at him, couldn''t believe that his timid brother had just talked back to him.


    "They had our last female and this lycan did nothing to get her back!" Reynold reminded his brother, yet Stephan wouldn''t buy it anymore.


    "She must have been dead by now! No, maybe a long time ago! Do you really think you can trust a devil''s promise?!" Stephan found himself feeling sick to realize that they were being fooled by those filthy creatures from hell.


    "Enough both of you!" Torak didn''t have time to listen to them and could only cut off their quarrel. "Tell me what is the cross heart vow?!"


    "I will never tell you!" Reynold struggled to free himself from the chain that bound him, but without their beast power, they were nothing. Unfortunately, their beast had been locked up because of a vow that their grandfather had committed. "Give us our last female and I will be on your side, if not¡­ you can go and f**k yourself!"


    Right after saying those cursing words, a kick landed on Reynold''s chest, which sent him flying across the room and hit the wall, leaving a big dent on its surface.


    "How about you? Do you know what is it?" Torak asked Stephan instead.


    The young dragon shifter looked back and forth between Torak and his brother, he was placed in a difficult position.


    "I will release you from the vow that your grandfather made centuries ago if you agree to share this with us," Torak stated.


    "Torak!"Jedrek warned him. [We had never agreed to this!]


    Yet, Torak shut the mind link and didn''t allow Jedrek to interfere with his decision. At this point, he wouldn''t let anything happen to Raphael''s son.


    However, for those people who were close to him and knew him very well, this kind of recklessness was way out of his character.


    Torak indeed didn''t show how much it pained him to know that his Beta was dead under his command along with his mate, thus if something happened to their child, Torak would be d*mned for eternity out of his self blaming guilt.


    This was his way to cope up with his sadness, since it was hard for him to express this kind of emotion to anyone, including Raine.


    However, the consequences of releasing them from their vow was also a big bet. This was why Jedrek was concerned about Torak''s seemingly careless decision.


    "You cannot do this Torak, we didn''t agree on this!" Jedrek hissed at Torak and held his shoulder, forcing him to turn around and face him. "You don''t have the fae who can break the vow, with you."


    It should be the same fae who made it; to break this kind of vow, but Jedrek didn''t know that Torak had her.


    "Of course I have the fae," Torak said.


    "I will tell you!" Stephan spoke up.

 Chapter 925 - DRAGON BEAST

    "Of course I have the fae with me," Torak said.


    "You have the fae with you?" Jedrek hissed in disbelief. All this while, he thought that the fae was gone, like dead or in complete seclusion¡­ he didn''t know, he just couldn''t find her, yet Jedrek was not really looking for her as well, since he had a lot of things that he needed to sort out.


    And of course he had nothing to do with the fae after the vow, the fact that she just disappeared all of a sudden, didn''t bother him much to say the least.


    [I think there are a lot of things that we need to talk.] Jedrek mind-linked his brother grimly.


    [No, I don''t want to talk about it.] Torak replied and shut him out of his mind, when he thought about a certain thing.


    Indeed, when Jedrek chased him out ''ultra gently'', Torak brought a few things with him.


    "I will tell you!" Stephan finally spoke up and in the next second he got a fierce glare from his brother, the former could even feel the intensity of it on the back of his head.


    "YOU ARE WEAK!" Reynold roared in anger. He tried to get up and rush toward his brother when Jedrek gave an order to restrain him.


    "Take him away," Jedrek said darkly. The younger brother wanted to confess, so Reynold''s outburst would only get in their way.


    "No!" Reynold struggled to get away from the two lycans that approached him. "You will end our family bloodline!"


    "What if they are saying the truth!?" Stephan roared back at his brother. He had had enough of his brother''s nonsense!


    Reynold seemed to be out of his mind recently, the brother that he knew was not like this! Or¡­ probably he was, if one remembered correctly, he used Stephan to hide from Torak after he killed one of his pack members.


    "YOU WILL END OUR FAMILY BLOODLINE!" Reynold yelled the same thing again like a crazy man.


    "The devils were only using you, have you not realized it yet?!" Stephan retorted.


    However, in a fit of rage, Reynold did the least expected thing that his kind were forbidden from doing. He shifted into his beast.


    The transformation was very slow, since the dragon shifter had to fight the vow that his older generations had made. It was almost like fighting yourself to let yourself lost in your beast.


    The process was painful, yet dumbfounding.


    Reynold''s body hunched forward as he bent his legs in an odd position and placed both of his arms against the floor, as something protruded out on the back of his neck, soon similar things followed suit in a straight line, along his back.


    They looked something like triangular bones that came out from his spine and broke through his skin.


    After that, a pair of odd bony structures broke through the skin on his upper back, one on either side of these neural spines and as if there was an explosion, the bones turned out to be a pair of wings, which flapped vigorously and caused some damage around the wall around him, along with breaking the roof above them.


    His body turned as big as a hut and his skin covered with scales, which seemed as if no sword could pierce through it.


    The transformation was almost ended and they were caught off guard at Reynold''s rash decision¡­


    It could be counted, as the second time he did this, forsaking the vow completely, but that wasn''t the most shocking thing now, because once the transformation was completed, he was breathing fire and was about to kill Stephan.


    How could he do that when the most precious person for him was his brother, when he doted on Stephan the most, but now his mind was clouded and he wanted his brother to die.


    What was happening?Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/dragon-beast_%!d(string=50849519134364898) for visiting.


    Was this what you got when you involved yourself with the devils? You would lose your mind along with your soul?


    On the other hand, Stephan was too surprised by what he was seeing and added to the fact he couldn''t move because he was tied very tight to the chair, it was only a matter of time when he would turn into nothing but ashes.


    When the fire was gathered in his mouth and the dragon was about to burn his own brother, all of a sudden, everything became still, they couldn''t even hear the howling wind from the night.


    "What is happening?" Calleb spoke, breaking the silence around them.


    As though Jedrek and Torak just got their senses back, the two of them suddenly shifted into their respective beasts and charged forward at the beast in front of them and attacked its heart at the same time.


    Once the two white lycans landed on the floor, their fur stained with blood, which spurted from the hollow chest of the beast, no one could discern which one of them had taken the dragon''s heart.


    Everything only happened in span of a few seconds, or so, as no one could measure it with time since the time itself had stopped, but those few moments were crucial.


    When the time was ticking again, the dragon beast had lost his life and with the fire in his mouth that had not yet unleashed, the dragon fell back and burned himself in the process.


    Lilac, who had been silently watching the turn of events, waved her hand and blanketed the burning dragon with her tendrils, as those things helped to put off the fire.


    At this moment, Stephan could only watch his own brother die before his eyes with his body trembling. He was very pale and was not able to utter a single word, while the three dragon shifters that were brought into this now shambled room, could only witness their lord die with eyes wide open.


    "Release him," Jedrek said after he shifted back into his human skin and tried to wipe away the blood on his hands by using a curtain hanging near him.


    The lycan warrior, who was standing close to Stephan, seemingly had not yet regained from his shock as he didn''t listen to the king''s order, after all, this was the first time that he watched a real dragon.


    "What are you waiting for?" Jedrek frowned. "Release him."


    "Oh¡­ yes, will do, your majesty," the lycan stammered and hurriedly opened the chain that held Stephan to the chair with clumsy fingers.


    ==============


    Check my instagram @Jikan_yo_tomare to see a video from chapter 851.


    hope you like it. ((^o^))

 Chapter 926 - DID YOU SEE THIS TOO?

    Once Stephan was released, he fell to the ground and started to vomit. He was a sobbing mess, trembling violently. However, what hurt him most, was not that he had lost his brother, but the realization that his brother was very lost until he didn''t even hesitate to kill him, his own brother.


    Raine turned her head to see Stephan, she tried to ignore the fact that there was a dragon, as big as a house, lying in the background, dead. And, with half of the room crumbled down and showed the night sky behind them, everything seemed to stop for the people inside the room.


    For a few minutes, the room was only filled with the sound of Stephan grieving. The two Donovans were kind enough not to interrupt with it.


    But, in the next minute, Raine walked toward him, Stephan was her friend, if she could still say it that way. Raine didn''t know what his real motives back then when he agreed to look after her in the university for Torak, but it didn''t matter now.


    [Raine, don''t come over,] Torak warned her from across the room when he saw his mate walking straight toward the dragon shifter.


    Torak and Jedrek were standing at the far end of the room, with a dragon heart near their feet and the dead dragon beside them, while Stephan was kneeling on the ground in the middle of this messy situation.


    [It''s okay, Torak,] Raine said, her steps didn''t falter. Behind her, she could feel Calleb following her closely to make sure nothing bad to happen.


    Meanwhile, Stephan was too shocked to realize that Raine actually came close to him, only when Raine''s hand landed on his shoulder did he raised his head and saw her very close after a long time.


    "Can you see?" Raine waved her hand toward the dead dragon, who was his brother, but her eyes were fixed on Stephan. She didn''t want to continue seeing such a bloody scene. "That''s what the devils did."


    Stephan averted his eyes from Raine and tried to turn his head, to hide his tears, it felt very shameful for him to cry in front of her.


    This girl was the girl, who was too timid to even raise her head and talk to him just a year ago, very easily scared and was very clumsy even though she was a Supreme Luna with hundreds of thousands of strong lycans behind her back.


    However, now she was crouching down before his eyes and saw him in his most miserable state, when he was crying his eyes out for something that he didn''t have control over.


    "My brother is dead!" Stephan growled and he received an even more vicious growl from behind Raine''s back, which was Calleb''s.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/did-you-see-this-too_%!d(string=50856067348880471) for visiting.


    "I didn''t say he is not." Raine, a year ago, would be frightened when she heard this kind of growl, but now, she didn''t even bat her eyes upon hearing that. "He is dead, that''s the fact."


    "So, what do you want from me?!" Stephan shouted at her and from behind him, he could hear Torak''s footsteps approaching him, yet he stopped a few meters away from him and he knew why. Raine asked him to stop.


    "He is dead and you are still alive, Stephan," Raine said. "Your brother will not come alive even if you cry your eyes out for seven days and seven nights straight and we don''t have that much time with us."


    Torak watched his mate talking to the dragon Lord''s brother. He didn''t know how Raine could make this crybaby shifter to take the lead of his people without his brother, but he wondered how this would turn out.


    "If you keep crying like this I will assume you love your brother so much and want to accompany him in the afterworld rather than fight the true perpetrator who had turned your brother evil," Raine said, patting his shoulder again and stood up.


    "You don''t know how it feels!" The burden to be the only living royal member of the earth dragon shifters and had to lead those creatures was too much for Stephan to bear.


    Yet, Raine scoffed. "Trust me I do." She folded her arms in front of her chest. "How old are you when your brother dead? Forty? A hundred? Two hundred?"


    Raine looked down at Stephan, who was glaring back at her.


    "I was eight when those filthy creatures killed my parents and left me alone with only myself to rely on, but you still have your people with you." Raine said. "Pull yourself together. We are fighting the same enemy. Let your people know that they were going fight along side a decent leader who was worthy to fight for."


    Stephan gritted his teeth, but his eyes were on Raine. He felt humiliated by her words, but what she said was true.


    "You don''t need to be worried about your last female, but worry about the world that would disappear once the devils won this battle, after that, even if you got your female, there would be nothing much for you to do except being a slave to the devils," Raine said in her calm and deep voice.


    After saying that, Raine and Stephan looked at each other deeply, until Torak stepped forward and put his arm around his mate''s shoulders.


    "Let''s go." Torak pulled Raine with him as they left the room.


    Not long after that, Jedrek and Lilac followed suit along with the rest of the lycan warriors. They left the door open and didn''t restrain the three dragon shifters again.


    ==============


    "Do you think he will change his mind later?" Torak asked, kissing his mate''s neck, while hugging her from behind once they were alone and inside their room.


    "Yes," Raine said, smiling gently. She loved this Torak, who didn''t distance himself from her.


    "How can you be so sure?" Torak turned Raine, so that she could face him. However, she saw that something was still bothering her mate.


    "I can see it," Raine said confidently. "He will help us with the war."


    "And what else do you see?" Torak pushed her against the wall and caressed her cheeks. "Did you see this coming too?" he lowered his head and kissed her lips softly.


    ==============


    Check my instagram @Jikan_yo_tomare to see a video from chapter 851.


    hope you like it. ((^o^))

 Chapter 927 - UNEXPECTED QUESTION

    "If Raine was here before, then what did she do with the stone?" Hope asked in curiosity and moved closer, feeling attracted to the stone.


    "Alpha Torak let her ask a question," Purple said and stood beside Hope.


    "A question?" Hope tilted her head. "What question?" At this point of time, she had a lot of questions in her mind, but she was not sure which one she wanted to ask first. Was it possible for her to ask more than one question?


    "Whatever that is bothering you the most," Purple answered again.


    "But I have a lot, should I choose one? Or, should I ask them all at the same time?" Hope needed to make sure that she didn''t ruin this chance.


    "Actually, the question will come to you naturally when you stand before the stone," Kace said and caressed her head. "You will know what is bothering you and it will show you the answer."


    "You explained it better than me," Purple said, smiling softly, but then she looked up at the roof. "I think you have to make it quick. I don''t know what is happening outside, but I don''t think it is something good. The people in this place have been behaving very weird recently."


    "Try it," Kace nodded to the stone.


    "Okay," Hope spoke in a tone which sounded like a whisper and turned around to look at the huge stone. She frowned. "Where should I stand?"


    "In the middle of it," Kace said. He knew because he had done this.


    "Have you done this before?" Purple asked, but her eyes were fixed on Hope, even if the lycan didn''t give her an answer, the fae had her own assumptions. "What did you ask?"


    "Something trivial," Kace answered this time, shrugging his shoulders. "Asking about the result of the first war and this stone only showed me another scene that I hate the most about a battlefield." He continued to explain it shortly when he felt Purple''s eyes continued staring at him intensely.


    Kace remembered that the stone only gave him a flash about him, standing with his two brothers among thousands of carcasses.


    "Didn''t help much in my case," He murmured again. At that time, Kace wanted to know how they ended the battle and that was what the stone showed him.


    That one war itself took a long time and Kace had had enough of seeing those kind of scenes.


    "I wonder whether Alpha Torak and King Jedrek had ever asked a question, since you can only ask once in your life," Purple mumbled to herself.


    Kace didn''t know about Jedrek, but he saw Torak standing in front of the stone centuries ago, with a complicated look on his face.


    Meanwhile, Hope took two more steps closer to the stone and stood at what she deemed as the middle of it.


    At first she didn''t know what she had to do and just put her palms against the rough surface of it and looked back toward Kace and Purple, who were nodding their heads to give her courage.


    Hope turned around again and looked at the stone, closing her eyes and let the question cross her mind.


    She didn''t know which one, but was surprised when the first thing that crossed her thoughts was; how she, Raine and Lilac would survive this war.


    She heard about what kind of fate the guardian angels had met in the first war, but didn''t really think about it seriously until now.


    Somehow, that was the first question that she wanted to fire and the stone showed the answer to her.


    ==============


    In the morning, or one could say what seemed as sometime in between morning and afternoon, since there was no sun out there and the gloomy sky was still the only thing that they could see, Raine almost screamed when Stephan approached her without a word or making any sound.


    She was preparing for their departure to Rieka after the fire dragon shifters'' visit, which would happen around an hour from now.


    Raine could only see those dragon people coming to this castle, but didn''t know what the result of their meeting later, yet she was a hundred percent sure, Torak wouldn''t let any harm befell on the baby.


    Despite the fact that Torak was a little bit overly obsessed to protect baby Eddard, Raine could understand his motives. It was his way to atone for his mistake.


    Yes, Torak was still thinking that was his mistake when Raphael, Lana and thousands of lycanthropes had to face death that night.


    Even though Torak didn''t say it and refused to talk about it, Raine was still able to detect that just by looking into his eyes alone, even their moment together couldn''t manage to make him forget about that disaster.


    "If Torak came to know you are here, he will kill you right on the spot," Raine said, glaring at the dragon shifter in front of her.


    "Raine, I need to talk to you," Stephan said.


    "I figured out you did." Raine continued to stuff her clothes into a backpack, so it would be easier for her to carry, since they weren''t going to Rieka for a picnic. She couldn''t see it yet, but something big would happen there.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/unexpected-question_%!d(string=50872113615139003) for visiting.


    Stephan didn''t talk immediately, instead, he sat down on the floor beside Raine and leaned his back against the bed.


    "Do you really think I can handle my people?" he asked in a very low voice, until Raine had to ask him to repeat his question, as she didn''t have an exceptional hearing ability like these shifters.


    "If it is not you, then who will?" Raine replied, not even sparing a single glance at Stephan while she busied herself with her own task.


    "So, you are saying that I don''t have a choice?" Stephan scoffed, those were not exactly the comforting words that he needed.


    "Of course you have," Raine disagreed, she then put down the clothes and turned around to look at Stephan. "You can be like this, hesitating for the rest your life or you can go out there and see for yourself what you can do."


    "You think you understand me, but it''s not like can think in my perspective since you aren''t in my position." Stephan rolled his eyes.


    "Indeed, but will you be here and ask my advice a year ago?" Raine raised her eyebrows questioningly.


    ==============


    Check my instagram @Jikan_yo_tomare to see a video from chapter 851.


    hope you like it. ((^o^))

 Chapter 928 - THE ANSWER TO HOPES QUESTION

    "Indeed, but will you be here and ask my advice a year ago?" Raine raised her eyebrows questioningly. "People change. I changed."


    A year ago.... Not to mention about Stephan coming to her and ask her some advice like this, this dragon shifter even looked down on her and used to think of this guardian angel as a weak creature and casually teased her for being very timid and spoke very little of her every time.


    However, everything changed now, including people along with circ.u.mstances. And, here he was, being saved by Raine from that crazy brother of his, who wanted to burn him down to ashes last night.


    "You see the point?" Raine turned around and shifted her attention back to her clothes and small stuff that she wanted to bring along. "I also got a choice to be that fragile creature who I was back then, but I don''t want to stay in that timid shell anymore. I love people around me and seeing them die without knowing what to do is the most annoying thing that I have ever felt."


    Honestly, she didn''t want to remember them again, but their faces and the moments that they shared together crossed her mind even before she could attempt to stop them from invading her just settled chaotic mind.


    There was a moment of silence between them after what Raine said, until Stephan spoke. He still didn''t want to admit that Raine had changed for better.


    "You are still a timid person," he mumbled.


    Raine glanced at him, giving him a criticize look. "You don''t want to know what I can do when I lost my temper," she said in a warning tone.


    ==============


    In the initial few seconds, nothing noticeable happened, but then Hope felt chills running down from her palms, creeping to every single inch of her skin before they finally spread to her entire body.


    Hope shivered involuntarily, yet she kept herself steady with her eyes closed shut, and she found herself watching something.


    The colour blue filled her vision and she shuddered inwardly when she realized what she was looking at.


    It was fire, everywhere, blue flames which rolled high up to the dark sky emitting white smoke that could make one unable to breath.


    Instead of being in the library with a strange huge stone, Hope was standing in the middle of what seemed like a huge bonfire, watching herself and Lilac, lying motionless on a seemingly vast, dry land.


    The ground here was very barren, until there was no vegetation that could be seen anywhere in her near sight. No, Hope was sure, nothing could live in this kind of place, except the vultures which were now circling above their heads.


    But, why were they here? And where is Raine?


    "Are you sure, you want to do this?"


    Someone was talking behind her and it prompted Hope to turn around to realize that her guess was right. She was way too familiar with her voice until she was sure that she could recognize its owner even in her sleep.


    Serefina¡­


    Her heart mentioned her name the moment she saw the red haired witch. Someone that she thought more than a family for her, but for some reason she didn''t know, Serefina had betrayed them and crossed the bridge to the devils'' side.


    "Prove your loyalty and I will spare your life," Lucifer talked to Serefina in an angry tone.


    For someone who knew this devil very well, it was a rare occasion to see him losing his temper like this. It seemed this time, the witch had successfully got on his nerves.


    However, there was more to see.


    Hope had to close her mouth to prevent herself from screaming out loud.


    Hope had never seen Serefina in this kind of state. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes were worn out, as if she had some very rough weeks, with dry blood on her head and her lips which were now split opened.


    Someone had beaten her really hard and she was not in a condition where she could put up with a fight with the devil before her eyes, but Hope should have known those wounds wouldn''t prevent her from giving Lucifer a deadly glare.


    Hope covered her mouth, afraid that she would make any sound and attract their attention, but she was not sure if they could hear her, since she was not really there at that moment of time.


    No, Hope didn''t really know when this would happen. She just watched her own body along with Lilac''s on the ground, seemingly sleeping, yet there was no way she would sleep peacefully in this place.


    Moreover, where were their mates?


    "You don''t need to spare my life, you are not the person who I will beg for life," Serefina sneered contemptuously. She didn''t hold back when she showed her disgust toward the devil.


    That answer was replied with a backhand blow and Serefina let out a vicious hiss when Lucifer grabbed her tangled hair and lifted her head so she could see him right in the eyes.


    "You will beg me for life after this," Lucifer said viciously. "Now, kill her."


    The moment Lucifer ordered Serefina to kill someone, he nodded at Hope and glared at her, as if he would do it himself if Serefina refused to do it for him.


    After that, Serefina shook her head and pushed Lucifer away from her, as she looked at Hope with the same scary gaze like the devil.


    What? They can see me? Impossible¡­ Hope muttered to herself. They shouldn''t be able to see her, right?


    However, how would she know, since this was the first time she was being here and using that stone.


    "Raine, come here," Serefina waved her hands in a beckoning motion.


    Raine?


    Hope looked around her, but she couldn''t see Raine. Right at that time, her body moved on its own, as she walked slowly toward Serefina.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/the-answer-to-hope''s-question_%!d(string=50880914271552078) for visiting.


    Hope was dumfounded, she looked at her own hands and saw that small wounds. Raine had these vague scars on her skin that she got from the mental hospitality.


    What? She is Raine? But, how could she be in Raine''s body when her own body was there, lying on the ground beside Lilac?


    "Come here, Raine," Serefina beckoned her again.


    However, once she was close enough, the witch made a slash movement with her hand and set her on fire. The same blue flames which surrounded them, engulfed her entire being within seconds.


    ==============


    Check my instagram @Jikan_yo_tomare to see a video from chapter 851.


    hope you like it. ((^o^))

 Chapter 929 - IT FELT FAMILIAR

    Hope screamed at the top of her lungs when she watched Serefina set her on fire, in addition to that, the look in her eyes reminded her of someone who was in despair.


    What happened to Serefina? Why was she injured pretty badly and even bruised? If it was true that she was with the devils, why did Lucifer looked so mad? Had Serefina done something atrocious that incurred the devil''s wrath?


    There were a lot of question which started rummaging her head.


    However, just a few seconds later, she realized that the fire didn''t really hurt her like she thought it would, Hope opened her eyes and saw Serefina again, who was now staring at her with such intensity that Hope couldn''t understand.


    She seemed to want to talk about something, but she just couldn''t do it.


    Hope had known Serefina for as long as her memory lane could take her back. The witch was the first person she had acknowledged as her family when her memory started to solidify and was there with her during her first nineteen years of life, thus she knew that look. She wanted to talk to her.


    But, Hope was in Raine''s body now, therefore, was it Raine that she wanted to talk to?


    Hope held the witch''s gaze for a few seconds longer before everything faded away before her and she was back inside the library again, standing in front of the stone with shock written all over her face.


    "Hope?" Kace''s voice could be heard from behind her back, thus she turned around and stared at her mate. "Are you okay?"


    Kace walked forward, stretching his hands to reach her and cupped her face between his palms.


    "I don''t think so," Hope replied with uncertainty. "I feel awful," she said with a deep crease between her brows.


    In the midst of this, they heard yet another deafening explosion that shook the ground.


    "We need to go, something is not right here." Purple didn''t even bother to hide her fear.


    "What is this? There is a war outside?!" Kace grumbled, as he helped Hope to step down from the stone and followed Purple out of that place.


    ==============


    Meanwhile, Stephan and the rest of the dragon shifters agreed to go with them. He had told Torak everything that he knew about the cross heart vow.


    As it turned out the vow wouldn''t harm the baby, but it would take an account for the person, who took it.


    Actually, it was the same vow that Kace and Lana took years ago, which let Kace feel the same amount of pain that Lana felt when her mate left this world.


    It meant, they couldn''t harm the fire dragon shifter, or else they would harm Ethan too.


    Despite the fact that Ethan''s well being didn''t mean anything to Torak, but he was Rossie''s brother, thus everything that hurt the girl would hurt Calleb too.


    "Lilac what happened to your hair?" Raine looked at Lilac in bewilderment. This was the first time she saw her like this.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/it-felt-familiar_%!d(string=50898888441265331) for visiting.


    Jedrek noticed that Lilac''s hair had turned white when they finished their dinner.


    Based on Raine''s vision, the fire dragon shifters would come around this time, but Lilac''s condition would prevent her from attending that meeting.


    Lilac saw her white hair which was cascading down beside her face, and felt Jedrek tucking her hair behind her ears before pulling her closer to him.


    "I don''t think I can attend your meeting with the fire dragon people." Jedrek noticed that Lilac started to close her eyes sleepily.


    She would be like this once in a month where she would lose of all her power and since they had many things that kept them busy in the past few days and they lost the track of the day and night as the sun and the moon were no longer could be seen, Lilac didn''t see this night coming.


    "What happened to her?" Torak narrowed his eyes at Lilac.


    "It''s nothing, she will be like this once in every month."


    Torak looked at Lilac more intently. Why did he feel like he was familiar with this kind of thing? "Did she lose her power during this particular day?"


    "Hm," Jedrek hummed, he let Lilac drink some water before carrying her in his arms to head back to their room. "You can do everything to Bayle that you see fit with your demands."


    The fire dragon shifters were people from Jedrek''s territory, thus it was only right if Torak asked the king for his opinion, but since Jedrek said he was all right with whatever Torak deemed fit, then he would do what he needed to do.


    "Once in every month?" Raine murmured and when Jedrek walked past her, he could hear next sentence. "Why does it remind me of Serefina?"


    Serefina? What happened to her?


    However, his line of thought got distracted when Lilac nuzzled against his neck, looking for a more comfortable position.


    ==============


    The world seemed to be falling apart when chaos broke out in every part of the city, it almost felt like people had suddenly turned more aggressive and more brutal than ever.


    They were dissatisfied with everything. The government that was clueless about their condition and these strange gloomy clouds that had been hanging over their heads for weeks now, the unpredictable weather that brought more catastrophes for the farmers, and not to mention the unstable economy of the country since the Donovan company had fallen and brought a lot of changes that they could ever possibly imagine.


    Everything seemed out of order and place.


    "This is what you want?" Serefina asked Lucifer beside her as she stared at the burning building in front of her with a boring gaze. "Ruin the human world? What is this? A new strategy?"


    "No, I have been thinking about it since the first war¡­ if only the Donovan didn''t ruin my plan, this world will be so beautiful and on fire like this." Lucifer watched someone killing the person next to him after a quarrel about a trivial issue, with a proud gaze.


    "Should we head to Rieka?" Serefina had enough of seeing this and turned around to head back. It was too crowded and loud for her taste.


    "Of course, lets meet with our old friend, or should I say your ex lover?" Lucifer teased the witch, yet the latter couldn''t take it well.

 Chapter 930 - EVERY MOMENT IS PRECIOUS

    Jedrek was heartbroken when he noticed that his mate was whimpering in her sleep, as her body had already turned cold. He tried to make her more comfortable and warm, but no matter how much effort he tried to put in, it couldn''t even make her feel any better and the king could only hate himself more because of this.


    It was like a reminder for his atrocious decisions in the past. He didn''t know that this would backfire on him in such a way that made him wanted to kill himself for seeing the pain on Lilac''s face.


    However, while cradling Lilac in his arms, he remembered what Raine said to Torak in the dining room earlier.


    Serefina also suffered like this? She had the same condition like Lilac? What did that mean?


    Jedrek tried not to think too much into it, but the more he tried not to do that, the more he found himself wanting to know the reason.


    It would be a lie if he said that he had gotten rid of the witch''s thoughts clearly from his mind. Serefina was still at the back of his head, the place where he buried the memories of his father and those atrocious years he spent under the control of the devils.


    But, she was still there¡­


    The memory of her was still somewhere in that dark place and Raine''s words made those memories resurface along with his question that Serefina had been avoiding to answer.


    Why did she left him?


    They had an argumentation when she left, but it was not enough to make her leave him for the past few centuries and avoid him.


    So, what exactly had happened?


    As if Lilac could feel Jedrek''s faltered heart, she sobbed softly and Jedrek''s attention was shifted back to the present, where he had his mate in his arms, whimpering because of his stupid actions.


    If Lilac was being like this because Jedrek had killed her and she was resurrected by the moon goddess, then¡­ was it the same case for Serefina?


    Someone killed her and she had been resurrected too? But, for what? The guardian angels had their own mission to accomplish, what about Serefina?


    ==============


    "Why are you staring at me like that?" Rossie was holding baby Eddard in her arms when Calleb entered the room, but the Gamma did nothing except for staring at her from the doorstep where he was standing.


    "You look beautiful," Calleb said with a sigh, as he walked inside the room.


    Rossie could feel her face reddening, but she murmured while shifting her attention to the baby in her arms. "Why did you say that all of a sudden?"


    Calleb approached Rossie to stand behind her and hugged her, resting his chin on her shoulder while relishing her scent.


    "I am just starting to voice out what I always think about you." At this moment of time, every second could be their last moment together.


    Everything was simply unpredictable.


    ==============


    Torak watched lord Bayle and around a hundred of his men walking through the gates, as he stood right at the foot of the stairs which led to the terrace, with Raine beside him.


    "Alpha Torak, it is good to see you again," Lord Bayle spoke with his hoarse voice, a smirk appeared at the corner of his lips when he saw Raine. "Luna Raine¡­ I am glad to see you two all right."


    Raine held his gaze, but didn''t say anything.


    "I am surprised that you are still alive while the rest of the people in the castle died," Torak reciprocated his greetings. His expression was devoid of any form of emotion, despite the fact that his blood boiled with anger at the way lord Bayle was staring at Raine.


    "I am very fortunate that I can survive along with my people," he replied humbly. "And also managed to save one of your people." He didn''t forget to mention his merit, which was only wishful thinking on his part that it could cover up the fact he had ran away from the battle. "May I know where he is now? He promised me something."


    "Which I don''t think he will give you," Torak couldn''t tolerate the dragon lord''s pretense any longer. They didn''t have much time for this small talk. "What do you want Bayle?"


    "Alpha Torak, I just came here to collect the reward that had been promised, there is no need to be hostile toward me," he said, waving his hand and glanced at Raine again.


    [Torak, I don''t think you can offer the same thing you offered to Stephan to this shifter.] Raine mind-linked Torak.


    Stephan was different. He was a simple man, but the creature before her, was someone who was unpredictable, even Raine could feel something was off about this shifter''s stance if they gave him the same offer they presented to the earth dragon shifters.


    [I know,] Torak replied and caressed her back to soothe her worries.


    "I thank you for what you have done to Ethan, but I don''t really appreciate your decision to run away from the battlefield." Torak folded his arms in front of his chest. "Honestly speaking, I am quite upset to know this news."


    "My apologies Alpha Torak, but you didn''t make things any easy for us." Lord Boyle slightly lowered his head, yet it mostly felt like a mocking gesture for the one who saw it. "You wanted us to fight when we can''t even shift into our beasts."


    Torak laughed dryly when he heard that kind of excuse. "Do you think I will believe such an excuse from you? You, dragon people, will not exist to this day if you just relied on your beast."


    "Just like you, I needed to save my people but unlike you, I don''t have many of my kind that were left." Lord Bayle raised his head and looked at Torak in the eyes before stealing a glance at Raine. "What should I do then? Should I break the rule and shift to fight those beasts?"


    When Lord Bayle was busy pushing his luck, Calleb stepped forward and successfully attained the former''s attention.


    Lord Bayle noticed that Calleb was actually carrying something in his hands when he thrown it up into the sky, out of the blue. Once that thing rolled in the air, the clothes wrapping around it unraveled and revealed something which was covered with blood.


    It was a dragon heart.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/every-moment-is-precious_%!d(string=50900737156241359) for visiting.


    "That is what happened to the last dragon shifter, who tried to break a rule," Torak said icily.

 Chapter 931 - SOMETHING HIDEOUS

    "You killed Reynold?" Lord Bayle narrowed his eyes at the bloody heart which had just stopped short after rolling on the ground. It didn''t even cross his mind that Torak would disregard everything and kill the dragon lord before today, a very atrocious act on the latter''s part.


    It meant, in a fit of his anger, there was a possibility that he would kill him too.


    All of a sudden, Lord Bayle could feel his blood running cold. "You killed Reynold, which means you lost the control over the earth dragon shifters. You need us now!"


    Torak smirked. "I don''t need creatures in my troop who would stab me on the first chance they were given." He nodded to his people and in the next second, the dragon shifter was surrounded by the lycan warriors.


    A hundred of his dragon people weren''t even capable of standing for ten minutes if Torak gave an order to attack. However, Lord Bayle still had one more card under his sleeves.


    With a smile that didn''t reflect his calmness, he looked at Torak and Raine. "I came here to collect the reward that Ethan promised to us. After we got the baby, we will leave in peace and even help you in the upcoming war with the devils."


    "The baby won''t be leaving this place neither will you," Raine said. She glared at Lord Bayle fiercely upon hearing they would take Raphael''s son away. How dare them to post such a demand!


    "You can''t kill me," Lord Bayle said confidently. "If you still don''t know, I will tell you that Ethan and I¡­"


    "Have agreed upon a cross heart vow," Torak cut off his words. "Yes, I know."


    The dragon shifter looked even more restless when he saw Stephan stepped forward along with his people. It was now clear as a day with the way the earth dragon shifters standing behind the lycans that Torak had won their loyalty by making Stephan as their new lord to replace Reynold.


    What a bold move from Torak! Lord Bayle fell into a contemplation over this. He didn''t even think that he would be facing such a complicated situation here.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/something-hideous_%!d(string=50907748153479936) for visiting.


    Instead of taking away the baby by threatening Torak, it seemed that he was the person who was in danger now.


    But why did he feel like the losing party in this bidding when he was the one who had the advantage of this vow?


    This was simply ridiculous.


    "If you have known that we made that vow, you should also know that Ethan should keep that promise and you can''t do anything to me," Lord Bayle said, ignoring the angry glares from both Torak and Raine.


    "I don''t have much time to talk leisurely with you like this or deal with your insolent behavior for that matter," Torak said. "I want you to reverse the vow."


    Lord Bayle laughed out loud when he heard what Torak suggested to him. The Alpha should have known better than to push his limits.


    It was possible to ask him to lift the vow, but to reverse it? What exactly was in Torak''s mind which said that he would be willing to do it? Discard his precious life for a lycan''s?


    To reverse the vow, it meant if something happened to Ethan, or if that young lycan died, he would lose his life as well. Regardless of the cause of his death.


    No. Of course he would never do that.


    "Alpha, are you sure that is your demand?" Lord Bayle asked Torak in the end of his laughter. "Don''t you think that it is impossible for me to obey?"


    "You will obey." There was no hesitation in Torak''s words.


    At this point, those dragon shifters were akin to someone who walked into their own grave willingly by visiting this place and incurred Torak''s wrath.


    They had already lost too many people and Raphael was someone important for the Alpha. Why would Bayle think that Torak would be kind enough to lower his head and meet his demand?


    "What if I say no?" Lord Bayle looked at Torak provokingly, yet the same time with a palpable curiosity in those eyes.


    "Then this is what will happen to you," Raine said.


    Lord Bayle almost jumped out of his skin when he found Raine standing beside him. A loud gasp behind him indicated that those dragon shifters were too taken by surprise when the guardian angel disappeared and reappeared before their eyes in a split second.


    "This is what will happen to you¡­" Raine said in a deep tone, as she touched the dragon lord.


    Torak saw Raine walking toward the dragon lord before she stopped the time. He let her to do whatever she wanted to do, since he knew that she was still protected and within his reach if something went wrong.


    But, moreover, he knew that Raine was more than capable to protect herself against this dragon people.


    Not only Torak, Raine also felt the anguish overwhelm her entire being after losing Raphael. The Beta was someone whom she cherished the most, thus there was no way they would give up baby Eddard to these filthy creatures.


    At first, Lord Bayle didn''t understand why Raine grabbed his arm, as he couldn''t feel any noticeable pain or something of the likes.


    "Luna Raine, I don''t think this is appropriate for you to touch me casually like this in front of your mate," Lord Bayle said, as he flashed her a smile.


    "You don''t need to worry about that but you better start worrying about yourself." Raine reciprocated his smile and as if on cue, the people behind Lord Bayle gasped in shock for the second time.


    The dragon lord was confused, he didn''t feel anything wrong with him or any pain. Raine wouldn''t hurt him knowing that she would hurt Ethan too, right?


    With a bewildered face, he turned around and looked at his people. Their eyes reflected fear and apprehension.


    What was happening?


    "You don''t need to worry about death, as long as I live, you will live as well." Raine knew the dragon people were not immortal, their life was longer than any other creature, but they would grow old and die eventually. "In this way."


    Dismayed, Lord Bayle lowered his head to check on himself, only then did he realize that Raine had done something hideous to him.


    He saw his own fingers which now looked like thin sticks that were barely wrapped with wrinkled skin¡­

 Chapter 932 - BLACK AURA

    Lord Bayle stared at his bony fingers that looked like dry branches and then he touched his face with those fingers just to find his cheeks feeling hollow to the touch, as though all of his teeth had fallen off, not only that, the skin that he touched was not like skin at all, its texture was akin to a sandpaper¡­


    "What¡­" his voice trembled with fear and confusion, he touched his eyes and they were bulging out off their socket. "What¡­ what did you do to me¡­"


    Lord Bayle was about to approach Raine, yet his legs gave away just after he took a single step and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. When his bony kneecaps met the hard stone, it sounded like he had cracked his own bones.


    In a matter of few seconds, the magnificent dragon lord was nothing but an old man, who was no longer able to hold himself up, as he looked up at the guardian angel.


    "What did you do to me?" his voice sounded like the howling wind, filled with sorrow and fear.


    Raine looked down at him, her eyes flashed with despise. "You can live like this," she said. "How daring of you to ask for Raphael''s son."


    Lord Bayle shook his head like a rattle drum. "I am sorry¡­ I am sorry for my brazen actions¡­ I will revoke the vow, I will revoke the vow¡­"


    "You will revoke the vow?" Raine asked him and then she felt Torak walking forward to approach her.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/black-aura_%!d(string=50918669466787977) for visiting.


    "I will revoke the vow¡­ I will not touch the baby!" he wailed, forgetting his high status as the dragon lord. Who would want to be a lord with such a horrible figure which couldn''t even support his weight to stand straight.


    "Do you think with your current condition, you can still touch the baby?" Raine said sharply, she felt Torak placing his arm on her h.i.p.s, but she didn''t hear him saying anything, as he let her to do what she wanted to do.


    On the other hand, Stephan was flabbergasted upon seeing the horrifying scene in front of him. He wouldn''t possibly think of connecting Raine to someone who was capable of withholding such tremendous power in her, if he didn''t get to witness this with his own eyes.


    He didn''t take it seriously when Raine said he wouldn''t like it when she lost her temper but now he believed her words. He wouldn''t want to piss her off if she was capable of making the dragon shifter fall to that state.


    It was worse than death! How could she do that?


    "No, no¡­" Lord Bayle shook his head again.


    "Then, tell us why do you want the baby?" Raine didn''t want any harm to befall on Eddard, if this dragon lord took extra lengths just to have the baby, then there must be something important in it for him¡­


    ==============


    Jedrek noticed that the flower inside the vase was withered, it was a flower which was created by Lilac using her power and no matter what, it would never wither.


    However, now that Lilac was depleted of her powers, it looked like those flowers also lost their beauty.


    Jedrek was still caressing her hair, while staring at Lilac''s pale face. Her brows scrunched and her body felt freezing cold to the touch.


    She looked very vulnerable and, maybe it was only Jedrek''s mind that played trick on him, but every time she happen to endure a painful night like now, Lilac would look weaker than before.


    Lilac whimpered again and Jedrek pushed her head softly against his chest.


    "Is it that hurting this time?" Jedrek asked her. Seeing his mate in her current state, made him forget about the thoughts of Serefina, the fact that the witch had gone through a similar situation like Lilac. For only a while though¡­


    "It hurts," Lilac said very softly, it was almost as if her lips only moved without making any sound.


    "My little flower, is there something that I could do for you?" Jedrek was desperate, he wanted to do something to make her feel better, yet there was nothing he could do except for wishing this night would pass fast, so that Lilac wouldn''t need to suffer any longer.


    "No," Lilac said. "Just hold me¡­"


    And that was what Jedrek did the whole night.


    ==============


    "The baby is a hybrid from a very rare kind of fae¡­" The dragon lord spoke without hesitation about his motive to take the baby. "His late mother was half fae and half werewolf¡­ the baby should have died, but his mother gave up her life for him¡­" he confessed without hesitation.


    Torak listened to Lord Bayle''s words, narrowing his eyes. He knew one such kind of fae and it was Purple¡­


    [Purple?] Raine communicated with Torak, while listening to lord Bayle.


    [Yes, but as long as I can remember, Purple is the only fae that is left of her kind.] Torak thought about it and he had never heard a report that said there was another fae like Purple.


    [Could it be¡­that Lana and Purple¡­ maybe some kind of relationship between them?] Raine looked at Torak, her eyes filled with unconcealed questions.


    [I don''t know, my love¡­] Torak said. [We need to let Purple see Eddard to know it, but I don''t think we can bring him there.]


    Rieka was in utter chaos and it wouldn''t be safe for Eddard.


    [We will bring him when all of this is over.] Raine really wished that she would be there when everything was over. [What you will do with them?]


    ==============


    Purple led them out of the library and the phoenix soared to the dark and smoky sky, soon disappearing into the clouds, but it would reappear from time to time, indicating that it was still following them.


    They didn''t have to worry about the beautiful bird, because there was some other pressing thing that they should be worried about the most.


    It was horribly dreadful outside the library. People ran rampant like headless chickens. They turned very aggressive after the crash of the planes and became hostile as they robbed a few grocery stores.


    "These people became crazy," Hope looked around her and she could feel the hostility that emanated from them and for some reason, she saw the same strange black aura that once she saw on Raine.


    What was that black aura?

 Chapter 933 - WHEN ALL OF THIS OVER...

    As it turned out, Lord Bayle wanted to take baby Eddard for his own advantage, since there was a possibility for the baby to inherit his mother''s power, he wanted Eddard''s life to be traded with his late mate''s life.


    His mate died in a rogue attack at his place and as the dragon shifter was tied down by their vow and it needed a great effort to break it like Reynold''s case, some of them just simply couldn''t pull it through.


    Therefore, the moment Lord Bayle knew about Lana''s origin, he thought about using baby Eddard.


    His reason was understandable, but there was no way Torak and Raine would tolerate someone who had been vying for baby Eddard''s life.


    Therefore, to pay for what he did, Raine didn''t return his original state to him and let the lycan warriors bring him away, to be locked up in one of the rooms inside this building after they reversed the vow.


    And Torak chose Bayle''s first son to lead the fire dragon shifters.


    There was also a risk to let his son take the command, but they promised after everything ended and they won the war, they would give back his father before turning him into his original state.


    For now, that promise was sufficient to tame the fire dragon shifters, but of course, Torak would fix his eyes close on him, just in case he had something up his sleeves.


    Not only that, because of Raphael''s untimely demise, the Beta''s position was vacant, it was only normal for Calleb to take his position, while Jack was promoted to be a Gamma now.


    "Should I congratulate you?" Raine came inside the nursery room where she saw Calleb staring at baby Eddard, who was now sleeping soundly in his crib.


    "Don''t, please! I don''t feel that it was something worthy of getting congratulated," Calleb said sorrowfully.


    "I feel the same," Raine said, as she crouched down and looked at baby Eddard closely now. "He will be all right now, we will not let any harm come to him. When everything is ended, I hope he can live a beautiful life with all of you."


    "What are you talking about?" Calleb tousled Raine''s hair. "You will be a part of his life too."


    However, she only let a soft smile spread on her lips in response, as her eyes turned sadder¡­ as if she knew something that others didn''t, yet Calleb missed that and didn''t think much about it.


    "Nobody knows what would happen¡­" Raine murmured. "Everything is unpredictable now and I just want to be sure that he will not feel alone even though Raphael and Lana are not here to watch him grow up."


    "Nothing will happen, we will win the war and everything will be okay once again." That was what everyone''s wish and Raine didn''t want to argue with him this time.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/when-all-of-this-over..._%!d(string=50928735779605850) for visiting.


    "I hope so," Raine agreed softly. "Rossie must be in so much pain after all the hardsh.i.p.s that she had been through."


    "She is a strong girl, she will cope with her sadness in no time and moreover, Sterling is recovering under Lidya''s care. They will reunite soon." Calleb took a chair and offered it to Raine, so that she wouldn''t need to strain her legs.


    "What about you?" Raine looked at Calleb again. "You still can''t feel your beast?"


    Calleb shook his head, even though he felt much better, but knowing that he couldn''t connect himself to his beast was slightly worrying to him. In that case, he would be a burden in the upcoming war.


    "I had a talk with Jedrek, as he also suffered the same thing, but he said it was Serefina who cured him," Calleb said. "At first, he thought biting his mark on Lilac will cure him since she is a guardian angel, but I don''t think I can bite any guardian angel."


    Calleb glanced at Raine, who was laughing softly upon hearing his lame jokes. "You can gladly choose whoever you want to face; Torak, Jedrek or Kace. See if it will work on you."


    The Beta shook his head. "No thanks, I will lose my head before I can feel my inner beast."


    ==============


    Lilac woke up when she felt Jedrek''s fingers combing her hair gently. Her long eyelashes fluttered, as she opened her eyes to find her mate''s expression full of grief.


    "Someone is dying?" Lilac tried to crack the dark atmosphere around them. She felt a lot better now, it meant the nightmare had ended. "Why did you make that kind of face?"


    "My heart is aching to see you in pain," Jedrek confessed softly.


    Hearing those words, a soft smile spread on her lips as she stretched out her hand and caressed his hair. "I don''t know that you can talk sweet things."


    "There is nothing sweet in my words," Jedrek frowned. He played with her hair between his fingers and murmured, "Your hair color has returned."


    "Hm," Lilac hummed. "It means I am fine now."


    Jedrek stared deeply into her eyes, but he didn''t move to let her go, the king even shut the mind- link between him and Torak, so he could stay a little bit longer with her.


    He knew it was selfish of him to let Torak handle a lot of things on his behalf, for he wanted to stay with Lilac, but he didn''t feel bad for that.


    "Shouldn''t we get started on our journey now?" However, contradicting her own words, the guardian angle nuzzled against Jedrek''s neck and buried her face in the crook of his shoulder.


    Lilac just wanted to relish this moment with him for a few more seconds, because she knew, the moment they arrived at Rieka, all of their nightmares would restart again.


    Rieka was the place where the first war took place and the devils dramatically chose the same exact place like before.


    "When all of this is over, I want to show you the place that I''m most fond of," Jedrek whispered.


    "Sure," Lilac said, but there was uncertainty in her eyes. "When all of this is over¡­" she didn''t finish her sentence.

 Chapter 934 - TO-DO LIST

    They were ready to go to Rieka and all the preparations were in place.


    For this journey, they didn''t plan on taking a plane neither would they be willing to take the land transportation. Because, it would be very risky as the last piece of news they got their hands on told them that there were a total of five incidents where planes crashed into one another for no apparent reason leading to chaos.


    It almost felt like the end of the world instead of the beginning of a war between the lycanthropes and the devils, or maybe thinking in such likes wasn''t wrong either.


    Therefore, they chose to make use of the witches and wizards who came with them. These spell casters would assist them by teleporting their people in small groups to Rieka.


    However, it would take rather long, since they couldn''t teleport all of them at the same time. And now, Belinda was needed to play a part in this since she was also a witch.


    She would teleport all the three Donovan brothers and the guardian angels, and as for Sybil, she would teleport the Beta, Gamma and some of their lycan warriors. And, the rest would go with the other witches or wait for the remaining packs and their witches to come to fulfill the supreme Alpha''s call.


    But, before that Raine and Lilac wanted to see baby Eddard, since the baby would be left under Rossie and Bree''s care.


    It meant Calleb needed to bid Rossie a goodbye again, even so, at least for this time, he could be rest assured that she would be fine.


    "Can I hold the baby?" Lilac asked, stretching her arms. For some reasons she didn''t know herself, she was very fond of this baby, she liked the smell of milk that lingered on him. Even though, it was an undeniable fact that she didn''t know Raphael or Lana for a long time, she cared for Eddard with all her heart nonetheless.


    "Of course," Rossie said, handing over the baby to Lilac, while Raine stood beside the latter, mesmerized by how tiny the baby was. Eddard was awake now and his green eyes looked at them with curiosity.


    "While you are with Eddard, I want to steal Rossie for a while," Calleb poked his head into the room and stared at his mate expectantly, just like a little boy waiting for his candy.


    "I leave you with the baby for a while," Rossie said sheepishly.


    But then, Calleb''s face fell when Raine spoke in a teasing tone, "Bree, you can go with them."


    "No, I want someprivate time with my mate, alone!" Calleb rejected Raine''s idea and took Rossie''s hand immediately, as if someone was about to steal the girl.


    On the other hand, Bree tilted her head. "I don''t want to go with them, both of them will glare at me."


    Raine and Lilac laughed when they heard that. "Alright, maybe you can help us watch over Eddard then¡­" Raine said, caressing the girl''s cheek and saw Calleb and Rossie flee from this room, not willing to wait for another second, just so they could be alone.


    ==============


    Calleb took Rossie into a different room on the same floor and immediately kicked the door close, then he pinned her against the wall, taking her by surprise with a deep and passionate kiss.


    The Beta didn''t want to leave her, not even for a second after what had happened to her just a few days ago, and after what had happened to Raphael and Lana¡­


    Calleb realized, in their current situation, no one could guarantee whether they would live to see each other again or not.


    Death was an unpredictable event and it felt like it was prowling at the corner of their consciousness, as a reminder that any second could be their last moment.


    However, no matter how hard Calleb wanted to stay or how hard he wanted Rossie to come with him, they knew neither of the two options were possible and they had to be separated once again, as it would be the best for them right now.


    Rossie was not a fighter and Calleb couldn''t feel his inner beast, he needed to sort out this matter first, or else he wouldn''t even stand a chance to survive this long war, let alone fight the enemy.


    Therefore, even for these few seconds, Calleb wanted to cherish every moment he had with his mate, savoring her presence and let her sweet scent linger on him, let his lips remember the softness of hers.


    "I really want to mark you¡­" Calleb panted softly as he rested his forehead against Rossie''s, he could feel the girl''s erratic heart beat drumming against his own chest after their kiss.


    "I want you to mark me too¡­" Rossie said softly yet boldly. She let Calleb know that she wished for the same thing, just like him.


    Yet, that was only wishful thinking on their part which wouldn''t happen any soon. Both of them knew it.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/to-do-list_%!d(string=50950908028180212) for visiting.


    The mate bond would become stronger when Calleb marked her and it wouldn''t go well with the fact they would stay miles apart only after a few minutes.


    Therefore, both of them chuckled for mentioning something impossible.


    "When all of this is over, that will be on the top of my to-do list," Calleb said, kissing her lips once again, and he felt Rossie smiling against his, as she nodded her head.


    Rossie had never felt like this before, having a mate was a wonderful feeling and she was right all along. This was her dream since she was only a little girl, the only thing that she regretted was; her mother and her brother, Ian wouldn''t be able to see her happiness¡­


    Calleb ended their kiss when he noticed that Rossie was sobbing softly. "What happened? Did I hurt you?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.


    Rossie shook her head. "I miss them¡­"


    And Calleb didn''t need any further explanation to know who Rossie was referring to. She missed her family of course, as she had to be alone once again. Ethan would go with them to Rieka and Sterling still didn''t regain his consciousness.


    "I know sweety¡­" Calleb pulled her into a warm hug as he kissed the top of her head, while he caressed her back to soothe her sadness.


    "Please, come back¡­" Rossie''s voice was barely a whisper.


    "Of course, I will." Calleb was determined to keep his promise. "After all, I want to have one or six pups with you, that was my second priority in that to-do list of mine."


    And Rossie laughed heartily at that statement.

 Chapter 935 - I WILL NOT LOSE YOU

    "I don''t know if you can see it or not, but I am seeing dark aura right now," Hope said, her voice was barely a whisper as her eyes locked onto the dark smoke like thing that was rolling up to the sky from the ground. "Tell me that I am not the only one who can see those things¡­"


    Kace knew that Hope was able to see things that others couldn''t see, just like how she managed to see the priestess''s soul in the northern coven realm, but seeing her terrified expression right now, he realized that this aura she was speaking about was anything but good.


    Nothing good was happening in these past few days and stumbling upon the news of Lana''s death didn''t make them think that was the end of it. Hell, they didn''t even have time to mourn for her death properly and had to push that fact to the back of their minds.


    It had just begun¡­


    All of their nightmares had just begun now¡­


    "No, Hope¡­ it''s just you¡­" Kace confirmed Hope''s fear and then grabbed her hand. "Let''s go, we need to find a shelter."


    Kace didn''t know where they should go from there, their mission for coming to this place was to find the phoenix and the fae, after which they intended to take the phoenix with them, because of some unclear reason, Purple couldn''t leave this place.


    It would be of no use to ask Torak''s people to fetch the bird, because the phoenix wouldn''t listen to someone who was not its owner, therefore, counting on the fact that the phoenix was willing to help Hope escape that frozen river, they thought Hope''s presence could help them in retrieving the phoenix.


    Who would have thought that something like this would happen as if the war was going to break out now itself! This place now reminded them hell, where the human world and the supernatural world fused into one.


    "What the hell!" Kace cursed loudly when he saw three Kanimas in front of them and before the three filthy creatures could lay their claws on Hope, Kace had turned into his white beast and charged forward.


    The phoenix above them dived toward one of the kanimas and burned the creature, while the white beast killed the other two easily.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/i-will-not-lose-you_%!d(string=50967695444734345) for visiting.


    Hope only came closer after the threat had been handled. The phoenix tilted its head, as it stared at her and stood on the ground.


    Hope never thought that the phoenix could be as big as a full grown human. She always thought the phoenix was rather a small bird.


    "How can we go back to the red river city?" Hope asked Kace and Purple. "Can''t you teleport us to the red river city?" She stared at the fae expectantly, while caressing the head of the phoenix.


    "I can''t, I can''t do that kind of magic, sorry," the latter said regretfully.


    Hope watched Kace shifting back into his human form before he walked toward her. "But, you will come with us, right? We need to get out from this place." They couldn''t leave Purple there alone, right? In this chaotic situation, there was a fat chance that something bad would happen to her.


    Far from her predictions, Purple shook her head. "I can''t leave this place¡­ I bound to stay here. Even if I want to go somewhere, I can''t."


    "Why?" Hope''s eyebrows creased. She was about to ask the fae to elaborate further when Kace patted her head.


    "There is some kind of magic that we can''t understand, Hope." Kace looked at Purple. "You are tied to this place because of your loyalty to Torak?" he asked the fae.


    "Yes," Purple said. "Without a direct order from Alpha Torak, I can''t leave this place."


    Centuries ago, Torak took her with him when he left the realm after Jedrek subtly chased him out.


    Maximus threatened to kill her. Because Maximus was very valuable to Jedrek at that time since he had all the support from the eastern region, there was no way Purple could live there when the vicious lycan was hellbent on taking her life.


    After all, after Purple sealed the dragon shifters will to a vow that said they couldn''t turn into their beasts, her life was not significant anymore, it wouldn''t affect Jedrek in the slightest whether she was alive or dead.


    However, years ago, Purple left this place without Torak''s permission and met a werewolf¡­


    "Where should we go then?" Hope looked around her and found herself being surrounded by many aggressive people who continued to destroy public facilities in their anger.


    This place was very different from what she remembered before the planes crashed into one another, which was literally just a few hours ago¡­


    "If news about these chaos reached Alpha Torak, he will probably come," Purple murmured. "There is one place that I''m sure he will visit if he teleport himself here."


    ==============


    Calleb gave Rossie a forehead kiss, which lingered longer than necessary.


    However, it was not only him, a few lycans, who had to leave their mates behind to follow Torak, were busy doing similar things, expressing their longing toward each other.


    Around two hundred lycanthropes were ordered to go with Torak and Jedrek, while the rest needed to wait for the other witches and wizards to come and teleport them to Rieka.


    "Are you okay?" Jedrek asked Lilac when he took her backpack and slung it on his shoulder.


    "I am fine," Lilac said. "I can''t imagine that we''ve already reached this point¡­" Her voice sounded as if she was contemplating about something.


    "What are you thinking now?" Jedrek could feel it in their mate bond; Lilac was restless.


    Actually, there were a lot of things that she was thinking about now, but all she could say was; "Nothing."


    Jedrek stared at her for a bit longer before he pressed his lips onto hers and kissed her deeply out of the blue.


    "What was that?" Lilac asked, feeling out of breath when Jedrek finally ended their kiss.


    "Nothing," he replied using the same words. "I just want to kiss you and tell you that everything will be all right."


    And also tell you that I will not lose you¡­

 Chapter 936 - THE SAME DARK AURA

    Rossie watched silently as the Donovans and their mates disappear from her sight, followed by Calleb along with his group and then Ethan along with his group.


    And the last to set off were the dragon shifter people. People under both fire and earth dragon lords finally pledged their loyalty to Torak, after such a long dramatic scene and of course, threatening them also helped brandishing the magic.


    Their former lord was replaced by a new one, specifically chosen by Jedrek.


    For Stephan, it was because his brother suddenly tried to kill him, therefore they needed to act fast and killed Reynold first, as such Stephan became the new lord for earth dragon shifters.


    And as for the fire dragon shifters, Lord Bayle had been imprisoned and his position was replaced by his firstborn.


    Counting on this kind of loyalty was akin to a walk on egg shells, very fragile. Whether Torak and Jedrek would lift the vow from the dragon shifters which had been restricting them from shifting onto their beast or not, was up to them and they would decide what to do with it later.


    However, this was not the end, at the very least, this was only the beginning of something big that would come their way.


    Rossie looked beside her and found Bree standing close to her. "Let''s go inside," she said, as she took the little girl''s hand and walked into the house.


    There would be more people coming here and all they needed to do was to accommodate those warriors before they were teleported to Rieka.


    "Will we see them again?" Bree asked, she gripped Rossie''s hand tighter than usual and walked into the house, their task now was to take care of baby Eddard, until Calleb and the rest came back, which was something that was out of everyone''s predictions.


    "Of course," Rossie said, sounding determined. "We will see them again, don''t worry." Yet, it felt more like she was convincing herself.


    ==============


    Serefina watched the devastated scene through her lime green eyes, which looked dull.


    In front of the witch, were a lot of people, running around with sharp objects in their hands and angry faces, shouting profanities and creating damage to anything and everything that they passed.


    It was a terrifying scene to watch when it was coupled with the ear piercing cries and wails of children and women. Fear and helplessness wafted in the air thickly and death could be smelt from every corner of this city.


    However, above all of it, the dark creatures slowly appeared out of thin air, from the ground, from the shadows and the very dreadful emotions of these uncontrolled people. It was very strange!


    Those humans couldn''t see it, but for someone like Serefina and the other supernatural creatures, it was crystal clear.


    "This is what you call a masterpiece?" Serefina asked with a face that was devoid of any emotion.


    "Why? You don''t like it?" Lilith, who was standing beside the witch, watched the scene before her golden eyes proudly.


    "It is messy," Serefina sneered, throwing a nasty glance at the devil.


    "Just like you," Lilith bit back. "You are a messy witch. Can''t you see that? You jump from one boat to another¡­ and no one knew what exactly is your motive."


    Serefina chuckled, yet one couldn''t find any humor in it. "Keep trying to figure it out, maybe you can finally find it in your dead brain."


    Lilith turned around, with raging fury palpable on her small face. "You will not come out from this alive if we found that you''re trying to betray us."


    "Alive?" Serefina scoffed. "I have never felt alive to begin with¡­" She stopped feeling lively ever since the moon goddess resurrected her.


    She even felt like a dying corpse when she tormented herself by watching Jedrek and Lilac together¡­


    Well, this was the path that she had willingly chosen for herself. She shouldn''t complain but focus on her plan instead, yet why did she feel like the air that she breathed becoming heavier by the minute when all of this finally came to an end?


    ==============


    "It feels like the hell itself broke loose here," Hope murmured when they ran toward the hill behind the library building, avoiding the aggressive people who were busy ripping one another apart.


    Those people looked like they wouldn''t think twice as they continued to throw anything and everything in their reach at one another. They didn''t even seem to notice the fact that Kace didn''t even have a scratch after one man attacked him with a big rock, hitting the latter''s head with full force.


    However, Kace almost lost control and pounced on that man if it was not for Hope and Purple, who held him back.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/the-same-dark-aura_%!d(string=50969579324754718) for visiting.


    ''They are not in their right mind,'' Purple said in hopes to calm down the enraged lycan and Hope could see it very clearly.


    How could they be so aggressive like this? Even to the people that they didn''t know? And that dark aura, kept oozing out of their shadows.


    Hope wondered; if Raine had the same dark aura like that, would she also become like them? Reckless and uncontrollably aggressive? It was terrifying to even imagine the guardian angel who had control over time lose her self control and attack them, after she stopped the time.


    "I am tired," Hope grumbled, she stopped running and bent her knees to catch a breath. She hated the fact that Purple and the phoenix could simply flap their wings once and covered ten of her steps, while Kace didn''t even break a sweat and here she was, almost twitching like a dying fish, greedy for water.


    "Purple, are you sure, Torak will come to that particular place you mentioned earlier?" Kace asked as he gave Hope a bottle of water. He looked around him and from what he could see, this city would be down to scraps before the next day could come.


    "If Alpha Torak indeed came to this place, he will not use normal transportation knowing what happened to the last five planes which flew to this place." The only way possible was to teleport themselves here.


    Kace looked at Hope, she wouldn''t be able to climb the hill in her current condition, therefore, he crouched down in front of her and patted his shoulder. "Get on."


    Hope, who was watching him closely doing all that, grinned happily. "I have been waiting for you to do this, why did you offer it to me only now?" she grumbled, while hopping onto Kace''s back before resting her chin on his shoulder.


    "You need to exercise more, girl," Kace retorted.


    "No, I prefer to be carried like this," Hope said in her most spoiled tone.

 Chapter 937 - OUTBURST

    Raine looked around her after Belinda teleported them to Rieka, and from her surroundings she concluded that they appeared inside a castle like place, she almost mistook this place for the castle Jedrek had in the other realm back then, or was it Torak''s? Since the latter said that castle was a gift for him from their late father.


    "Are we in Rieka?" Raine asked Torak beside her and watched him nodding his head yes in answer. Only then did she hear something explode, shaking the ground beneath their feet rather violently. "We have to find Kace soon."


    "No, we just need to wait, he will come to us," Jedrek said, as he walked toward the window and observed how the black smoke rolled up to the sky, from a few explosions in the distance.


    It didn''t look good¡­


    As if on cue, someone opened the door and Kace appeared with Hope on his back and the fae, flying beside him.


    Hope immediately jumped down and rushed toward Raine and Lilac while Kace approached Torak.


    Out of the blue, Kace hit Torak hard until the latter fell to the ground with blood on his cracked lips. Raine, who saw this, shrieked before running toward her mate, as Hope did the same to Kace.


    "What did you do!?" Hope tried to block Kace from attacking Torak again. Wasn''t Kace fine just a moment ago? Despite their situation, he still threw a few jokes along the way here, in order to lessen Hope''s fears. However, why would he fight Torak all of a sudden?


    On the other hand, Raine helped Torak to stand up, but her mate pushed her behind him. "Step aside, my love," Torak said, as he gestured Calleb to take Raine and wiped the blood from his lips and the wound was healed almost immediately.


    But, the guardian angel was stubborn to stay beside him.


    "No!" Raine was agitated, she turned around and glared at Kace. "Why did you hit him?!"


    "Why did I hit him?" Kace retorted in a mocking tone. "He deserves more than a punch for killing so many people in the castle!"


    "It''s not his fault!" Raine yelled at Kace. This was the first time Torak saw Raine getting all riled up. He was more worried about her rather than his angry brother.


    "Raine," Torak warned her, as he put his hand around her shoulders, but the guardian angel swatted his hand away.


    Meanwhile, Lilac crept closer to Jedrek and whispered to him. "Don''t you want to step in? They are about to tear each other apart, and now, Raine is very angry."


    Yet, Jedrek didn''t look like he was panicked at all, he just folded his arms and watched what was going to happen with great interest.


    "No, let Kace do whatever it''s necessary to vent out his anger¡­" Jedrek said casually. Moreover, he really wanted to see what Raine would do, this guardian angel always tended to be very soft and quiet.


    "Oh, yes! It''s definitely his fault!" Kace threw those words to Raine, ignoring the warning look Torak giving to him and Hope''s attempt to stop him. "He was the one who gave an order to leave the castle, if you didn''t remember!" he sneered derisively.


    Hope could understand how Kace felt, he always thought of Lana as his little sister. Hope also knew the story when they first met with each other, thus the relationship between them was quite deep, not to mention with the pact that Serefina made between the two, it made Kace to feel the anguishing pain upon losing her.


    However, atop of all of that, the massacre in the castle reminded Kace of himself. His worst nightmare. The guilt that he felt when thousands of lives buried to the ground by his hands, under his command, in the first war.


    It almost seemed like Kace was angry on his own self rather than Torak. Hope could understand that, but Raine didn''t.


    The guardian angel was very angry because Kace hit Torak out of the blue, and sure enough, Hope saw that thing again.


    The dark aura that surrounded Raine. The more angrier she felt, the darker that thing became.


    "Raine, calm down¡­" Hope tried to assuage her anger, as she couldn''t take her eyes from black smoke like thing. "Kace didn''t mean that."


    "Oh, I mean it!" Kace didn''t want to cooperate at all and no matter how Hope tried to warn him through the mind- link, he always blocked her and didn''t let his mate to talk it out.


    This only frustrated Hope further.


    "Kace," Hope grumbled at him.


    "You are judging him? Who would have guessed that the devils would attack at that time!?" Raine retorted. "You lost many lives under your command too, so how could you act like that?! You don''t have the right to judge Torak!"


    "Raine!" Torak called out her name sternly. What she said was a sour spot forKace and he didn''t wish her to say it to his brother''s own face. What happened to his mate? She used to be quite, moreover she should have known that the punch meant nothing for Torak¡­


    Yet, no one have time to think when Kace lost it to his beast and roared, as he charged forward in his lycan form.


    Torak, who noticed the white lycan from the corner of his eyes, pushed Raine aside and leapt forward to meet with the former''s attack.


    On the other hand, Jedrek was taken aback, he didn''t know that this matter would escalate to this extent.


    What Kace felt about beating up Torak now was way different from his own outburst when he fought him. Kace looked more feral and aggressive. He almost looked like one of those crazy humans out there, running rampant to destroy every single thing that their eyes laid upon.


    "That is why they shouldn''t put two Alphas in the in the same place at the wrong time¡­" Theseus, the new fire dragon lord, Lord Bayle''s firstborn, talked to Stephan, who was standing beside him.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/outburst_%!d(string=50994695471425826) for visiting.


    Yet, Stephan ignored him. His focus was on Raine¡­ she looked very fierce and out of her character.


    The atmosphere in this place was simply very strange¡­

 Chapter 938 - THE FLICKERING OF GOLDEN LIGHT

    Before Torak and Kace could tear each other apart, Jedrek had intervened by punching and kicking both of his younger brothers, one each to the either sides of the room.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/the-flickering-of-golden-light_%!d(string=50996713317528100) for visiting.


    Lilac didn''t stay quiet seeing this scene, she stepped forward and created roots that coiled around Torak and Kace''s beasts, strong enough to make them stay still.


    However, it was only a matter of time before they could break free, fortunately Torak and Kace still listened to Jedrek as they stopped fighting. They growled and snarled, but didn''t make any attempt to fight each other again.


    "SHIFT BACK!" Jedrek roared, as he appeared in his human form. Only when Torak and Kace had shifted back, did Lilac loosen the roots that chained them.


    "F*ck with this war, I will tear you apart if you lay your filthy hands on my mate," Torak cursed, his red eyes glared at Kace, who reciprocated the same hostility.


    "F*ck you with your mate! You thought you are always right with every decision that you made! You think just because you are an Alpha, everything will run smoothly as long as everyone followed your command!" Kace snarled at his brother while Hope struggled to calm him down, something surely triggered Kace for him to act like this.


    "It''s not your loss solely! We lost Raphael too!" Raine yelled at Kace and Hope watched as the dark aura that surrounded her grew thicker.


    Hope wondered whether this was what the dwarf said about Raine''s tainted soul. She looked around the room to find Nutdrouk and spotted him at the corner of this room, trying to be as invisible as possible in this heated situation.


    She needed to talk to him about this. She was worried about Raine¡­


    "Enough both of you!" Lilac interfered this time. She stared at Raine in disbelief, since she had never seen the latter lose her temper in such a manner.


    However, this quarrel should end now. It was not only them in this room, there were other lycans and shifters too, it wouldn''t be good for them to see their leaders trying to kill one another in a fit, it wouldn''t bring unity.


    And just like how the others had felt it, Lilac also could say that the atmosphere was very thick and tense. It gave an uncomfortable feeling for them. Something that they couldn''t explain¡­ like depression.


    "Don''t you dare to yell at me," Torak warned Lilac, but he received a glare from Jedrek from talking that way to the king''s mate.


    "Okay, enough!" Lilac screamed. She wanted this to stop. "No one is right or wrong in this matter, we made our own mistakes! Those people were dead, but we will lose more people if you kept trying to act like this instead of the Alpha you are!"


    "I am not an Alpha," Kace mentioned it sharply. He didn''t have many people for him to take care of. That was why, he cherished all the people that were close to him the most, his small circle of friends here and there was something that made him felt like he had a family. They were his family. On top of that Lana¡­


    "Kace," Hope spoke to him. "I think of Lana like my sister too, it is not only you who feel the pain of losing her, but can you please calm down? What Lilac said is true, we will lose even more people at this rate."


    The pain that Kace felt intensified by the strange atmosphere that surrounded them.


    Right at that time, a popping sound was heard inside the room, indicating the arrival of another group of lycans that came to this place.


    And it was Leon with a group of people.


    His eyes immediately searched for Kace and once he found him, he raised his hand in a friendly manner. "Hi, Kace I came to help!" he said cheerfully and walked toward his buddy, yet when he felt the tension that surrounded them, he knew that something was wrong. "Did I come at a wrong time?"


    Hope walked toward Raine, who still kept her eyes on Kace, under Torak''s hard glare, yet she knew the Alpha wouldn''t do anything to her unless she did something dangerous to his mate.


    "Raine, are you okay?" she asked, but Raine shied away and stood behind Torak, then Hope saw it, a flicker of golden light in Raine''s dark eyes.


    How could that be?


    ==============


    "The existence of the non- human species have been uncovered, estimated numbers of those creatures were still unknown, but the government assumed it covers a quarter of the city''s population. Among those numbers, there are names of influenced people, such as Mr. Gregory Dmatrio, Mr. Torak Donovan¡­"


    Rossie switched the television channel that she was watching now, only to find some more similar news to the previous one.


    "¡­from the discovery of the non- human species, the government declared that it is the reason of the aggressive behavior of the people recently¡­"


    Rossie switched the channel again.


    "¡­military sources confirm that the primary measures of defense against the non- humans are silver, as they appear to have fatal sensitivity to the aforementioned metal..."


    Rossie changed into another channel, as she frowned darkly.


    "¡­Tents are camped near every barricade throughout the city, a test will be administered to verify whether you are of human or non- human existence¡­"


    And then the television was switched off when someone took the remote control from Rossie''s hand.


    "Stop watching such depressing news." Addair sat down beside Rossie and threw the remote away from her. "Don''t watch anything on the television from now on," she said grimly. The situation outside was not really good to see, it only added to their anxiousness.


    Not only the war with the devils, but they were also being chased down by the humans.


    The question was; how could humans see them? They always believed that their existence was only a myth, moreover they couldn''t be able to see them in their beast''s form.


    So, what now?


    It seemed like the supernatural and the human worlds were on the verge of a collision¡­

 Chapter 939 - TWO WORLDS

    "It seemed like the supernatural and the human worlds were on the verge of a collision¡­ " Jedrek said in a murmuring tone.


    They had been here, in Rieka for a week now and the creatures from hell emerged from all over the places, not only in Rieka, but in other places too, though it was not as many as in here¡­ The war had started...


    "Yes," Lilac watched the battle from the balcony of their safety place, though it was very far from where they were standing, but since this building was on the hill, it was easy to see what was going on in the city of Rieka. "We are not only fighting the creatures from hell, but humans too."


    Needless to say, they couldn''t fight the human like they could do with the other creatures, because killing a human would weaken their strength and it was not a good sign for them. Moreover, no one knew this war would turn out like this.


    The devils really learned from the first war and now they used every possible means to win this.


    "But, how can they fuse the two worlds?" Lilac frowned deeply. She felt under the pressure because of what they were facing now.


    "The weather," Jedrek said after he contemplated for awhile, he had thought about this for a long time, there was no way the weather and the disappearance of the sun was that simple. There must be something more into it and their current situation proved that he was right.


    The two worlds have been merged into one.


    "We need to close the craters¡­" Lilac said softly when she felt Jedrek''s hand drew circles on her back in a soothing motion.


    The craters were the three gates of hell that had been opened, the first one in the human world, was opened when Torak was killed and Aeon helped Raine to open it in order to find her mate, the second one was opened right inside the castle where Jedrek had killed his own mother, along with his father, so he could free himself from the devils.


    And the last one was here, in Rieka.


    Thanks to the devils who had fused their worlds, because chaos was no longer a word that could describe how the situation was right now.


    Humans now saw them as a threat and they would kill both sides. The devils wouldn''t lose much even though their underlings were killed since they could just revive them again and again as long as the gates of hell were left open.


    However, it was not the case with Lycanthropes. Once they lose their life, they would die, or they would be used by the devils, as they could turn the dead into one of them.


    Therefore, they had to made sure that once their fellow warriors died, they would burn them into ashes.


    At this point, it looked like this is a war that they couldn''t possibly win over. They were fighting in a losing war. Finally, they could see there were many loopholes in their plan.


    The fact that the Donovans were not as solid as before, was an ultimate setback to them which they couldn''t deny and it rendered them unable to unite; it was solely the result of being hostile to one another for centuries.


    "Do you know how?" Jedrek asked Lilac, his eyes stared at the black smoke, as dark as the sky above. This gloomy atmosphere only made them feel more and more depressed.


    Lilac thought about it for a while before she spoke. "I don''t know, but I know how to find the answer¡­"


    ==============


    "Raine, you are avoiding me," Hope said when she saw Raine turning at the end of the corridor and it was very clear to see that the latter was trying to avoid her.


    "I am not¡­" Raine said in a timid voice. Her fierceness from a week ago had totally disappeared now and she looked like her usual self.


    "Yes, you are." Hope stopped right in front of her and tried to block her route to escape from her again.


    In the end, Raine sighed and met Hope''s probing gaze right in the eyes when she finally gave up. "I feel bad for acting like that to Kace at that time," she confessed what she actually felt.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/two-worlds_%!d(string=51012489806136708) for visiting.


    At that time, Raine felt a surge of emotions that she couldn''t control or understand, it was almost as if she couldn''t think before what she said and just threw it at the lycan''s face in a fit of her anger, the anger which seemed odd even to herself.


    "We were not in our right minds at that time and don''t say that what Kace did to Torak was right, I will act in the same way if Torak punched Kace all of a sudden." Hope tried to make her fellow guardian angel feel a little bit better.


    Moreover, she wanted to know what exactly the dark aura that she saw on Raine was. She couldn''t see it now, but maybe if she tipped her off again, that strange aura would reappear¡­


    Hope was beyond tempted to try, yet she knew better than to turn the situation to worser than it already was, therefore she opted to talk it out with her head-on.


    "I was not in my right mind," Raine agreed, chuckling wryly.


    "I saw the dark aura around you at that time Raine," Hope said. "I remember that the dwarf said you have a tainted soul. Maybe, it has something to do with that?"


    Hope could see Raine was confused with her statement, yet she tried to discern the information. "What do you mean with dark aura?"


    Hope took Raine''s hand, so they could stand near the rail of the corridor, where they could see the black smoke from the battle in the city.


    "Those people there¡­" Hope pointed her finger at the direction of the city. "They turned aggressive and they have the same dark aura like you."


    "What?" Raine gulped down hard.


    "I saw the same thing when you fainted when we were in the castle, I saw it when the head of the centaurs took Lilac away." Hope looked at Raine straight in her eyes and could say that she didn''t have any idea about it either.

 Chapter 940 - WE DONT HAVE MANY OPTIONS

    "What does that mean?" her voice was akin to a whisper.


    "I don''t know, but Nutdrouk might knew something about it," Hope said.


    "The dwarf?" Raine said in disbelief. "I have not seen him since the last time I saw him here, and that was a week ago." Raine remembered that she met him again after the event in the frozen river, but the dwarf didn''t say much and just walked past her.


    Well, at that time Raine was filled with various emotions, thus it never crossed her mind to ask him anything, moreover she didn''t have any question to ask the dwarf until Hope mentioned about the dark aura.


    "Are you talking about the dwarf?" Lilac suddenly appeared behind them, she even seemed to overheard their conversation about Nutdrouk and the dark aura.


    "Yes," Hope said, turning around and facing Lilac. "Where are you going?" Lilac looked like she was about to go somewhere.


    "I will go to the library." Lilac approached the other two guardian angels and they could see Jedrek standing at the end of the corridor, talking to someone.


    "You are going to the library with Jedrek? But, why?" Raine asked her. With the situation out there, there was no way Jedrek would let Lilac go without a good reason.


    "There is something that I need to ask. I am sure you have seen the stone in the library." Lilac stated her purpose.


    The stone would only answer one question for each person, thus since Raine and Hope had used their respective opportunities already, there was no reason for them to come with Lilac.


    "What question do you want to ask?" Hope remembered her own answer when she was there, it was not the answer that she wanted, yet she hadn''t talked about it again, with this tense atmosphere among the brothers, it would only bring more discord.


    "How to close the gates of hell. We will never win this war if we can''t stop those creatures from appearing time and again," Lilac said, her voice sounded like someone who was done with this nonsense and wanted to get over with it as soon as possible.


    Actually, everyone felt those similar feelings.


    Just like what Raine thought; it was something important, otherwise, Jedrek wouldn''t let her go any near the battlefield.


    Actually, when it came to this part, the three Donovans were on the same page. They wouldn''t let their mates go out of this building, and even went to extra lengths to post someone to monitor every door and window, so none of the three of them would be able to escape this place.


    It was insane! But, the three of them looked more determined to keep their mates alive instead of winning this war.


    It must be because they believed that they tried hard not to believe that the guardian angels must die during this war. Their deaths were necessary to stop this war.


    Yes, though Lilac, Raine and Hope didn''t know how they knew about it, but they could feel it deep in their heart that that was the truth.


    They didn''t know since when they had this knowledge or started to believe it. However, they knew it was true, it almost felt like they were born with that understanding.


    Yet, no one talked about it out loud, they assumed they were too afraid to discuss it. It would make everything become more clear, but the thought of death still scared them.


    How could someone talk about their own death calmly? Though it was for a greater reason, such as stopping the devils from running rampant in this world and moreover to stop the war that had gone south from their predictions.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/we-don''t-have-many-options_%!d(string=51014129946782249) for visiting.


    No one wanted to talk about it, especially the person who would die in this case.


    Therefore, they chose to believe whatever their mates said and that they could protect them, that they could stop the war without sacrificing them.


    However, as days went, their situation only proved otherwise¡­


    Maybe, if they did something to help, it would take a little burden off the Donovan brother''s shoulders¡­ maybe it could help changing the outcome of this war¡­


    "If you want to see the dwarf, you can ask Sybil to help. She can teleport you to wherever the dwarf is," Lilac said, she looked back and found Jedrek was staring at her. "But, I think you should talk about this with your mates first, they will be furious if they found out that you were gone missing."


    After saying that, Lilac waved her hand and then approached Jedrek, who had been waiting for her with his men.


    "I don''t think Kace will agree to this¡­" Hope said grimly. She knew her mate better and Kace would make a fuss before they could even tell him their reason.


    "I don''t think Torak will accept it well either," Raine replied. "I wonder how Lilac can convince Jedrek to let her go to the library when that place was literally in the middle of the battlefield!"


    The Donovans didn''t partake in the battle since they said there were a lot of things that they should arrange here. However, they knew their priority was to keep their eyes on their mates.


    Their overprotective natures didn''t help with this war, but knowing your mate would die in order to stop the war, was not something tolerable either.


    It was clear where they stood; they would let the war go on for centuries if that was what it would take to keep their mates alive, beside them.


    However, how could Raine and Hope watch those people trying to kill each other when they were being protected here? And Lilac¡­ it was clear to see that her intention was to stop this war, since the moon goddess sent her to Jedrek.


    Even though Lilac didn''t consider her relationship with Jedrek at first, still they couldn''t deny the pull of the mate bond afterward¡­


    "I think I need time to convince Kace to agree to this¡­" Hope murmured. "He must agree to this. We don''t have many options left, right?" she looked at Raine beside her.

 Chapter 941 - THIS IS INSANE!

    "No," Kace rejected Hope''s plea outright, just exactly what she thought he would do, thus it didn''t surprise her much, yet she was still determined to get an ''yes'' from him.


    "Look, Kace, you can''t keep me here, while those filthy creatures from hell were wreaking havoc and killing our people, the people that we know." Hope folded her arms stubbornly.


    "Basically, we don''t know them, they are people brought by Torak and Jedrek, not our people," Kace retorted.


    This was the problem with them, there was no unity at all. How could they go to a war when they were not on the same page with each other and felt like they weren''t accountable to one another?


    This was incredulous. Instead of thinking as one, they wanted to win this war in their own way.


    "Just because we don''t know them, doesn''t mean you can justify your actions of letting them die, right?" Hope said irritably because of his ignorance. "Some of them were people that come willingly to help you Kace, your old friends, even though you insisted on saying that they are not your friends, that didn''t change the fact that they are people you once knew,"


    Hope could see that her words hit the right spot in his heart, Kace would always distance himself from other people. He was still the same Kace, who was reluctant to take over the command and order those people to march for their own death.


    Hope thought Kace had managed to handle it and that she had helped him to overcome the hurdle within himself, while the truth was; Kace was just very good at hiding his feelings and pretending that he was already fine.


    "Leon and his sister came here because they want to help you," Hope didn''t want to say Abby''s name, since that girl always liked to get on her nerves.


    She knew that the witch only came to see Kace and didn''t want to have anything to do with the war, yet to have her here and teleport as many people as she could was still a form of help too, meanwhile, Hope did nothing, but keeping herself from harms way, just like what Kace wanted her to.


    That fact alone frustrated her.


    Not to mention Abby who would threw her curly- chestnut hair with arrogance every time she met Hope in the corridor, or wherever they chanced upon each other. Hope hated that girl.


    "You can say whatever you want, Hope¡­" Hope could see his jaws tighten, as the atmosphere became more intense. "I will not let you go anywhere."


    However, Kace should know better that Hope couldn''t be threatened that easily. At this moment, Hope really wanted to thank Serefina for raising her this way. The witch was the reason why she had this attitude when it came to what she wanted, she taught her well to become more stubborn and stand her ground no matter what.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/this-is-insane!_%!d(string=51015891957119102) for visiting.


    "I will go with or without your permission Kace," Hope said. "You can go with me to find the dwarf or I can go alone."


    "Torak will not allow Raine to go," Kace was certain about this. They didn''t know where the dwarf was now, therefore they wouldn''t know what was waiting for them when they went to look for him.


    This was more dangerous than what Hope could imagine, at least that was what Kace thought. There were many things that happened recently and he was feeling under the pressure. To have Hope away from him, was not an option and he didn''t even want to discuss it at all.


    It seemed like they reached a stalemate in their argumentation.


    "Kace, think about it¡­" Hope softened her tone, hoping it would knock some sense into him. "The war will not end if¡­"


    "The war will not end as long as the guardian angels were alive because your resurrection is solely meant to stop this war," Kace said, finishing her sentence.


    Hope was about to retort him, when his words made her realize one thing suddenly, and this scared her to say the least.


    "Kace¡­" Her breath hitched. She didn''t want to say it, but she needed to make sure that whatever crossed her mind just now was wrong. "You keep the war going, so we can live?"


    Hope was waiting for Kace to deny it, yet Kace did nothing to make her believe otherwise.


    This was insane¡­


    ==============


    Raine was walking in the corridor when she met Theseus, the new fire dragon lord, whose father was being held captive by Torak after he was subjected to her power firsthand that rendered lord Bayle from doing anything, since he was ''too old'' to do something.


    Every time she met him, Raine felt like his eyes were trying to bore a hole into her being and she didn''t like the way he stared at her like that. It was the same way how lord Bayle looked at her when he confronted them to take baby Eddard.


    "Luna Raine," Theseus greeted her with utmost respect and Raine nodded her head slightly to reciprocate his greetings.


    Raine didn''t stop walking, as she didn''t have any intention to have a chat with him, but the problem was; the young dragon lord blocked her way.


    "What do you want?" Raine raised her head to look at him, but she didn''t let her guard down, especially when there was no one around them. How come this corridor was empty at a time like this?


    "I don''t want anything my Luna." Theseus smiled at her.


    "I am not your Luna and you are not a member of my pack," Raine bit back, she realized that her voice was a little too harsh, but for some reason she didn''t regret it. Somehow, her emotions were all over the place recently.


    Yet, Theseus didn''t seem to mind her harsh tone and kept smiling, as if he didn''t hear her reluctance to talk to him. "I just want to know that I will get my father back once the war is over. Am I correct?"


    "Yes, you will." Raine''s voice was very tight. She knew she could defend herself if Theseus wanted to do something outrageous.


    "But, what if this war doesn''t end?"

 Chapter 942 - REALIZATION

    "But, what if this war doesn''t end?" Theseus asked the question that deepened the frown on Raine''s forehead.


    What did he mean by the war wouldn''t end?


    "What do you mean by that?" Raine didn''t appreciate his gesture at all and moreover, she couldn''t treat this conversation as something funny when the young dragon lord chuckled.


    "You don''t know, do you?" he snorted. The way he stared at Raine kept bothering her as it left her feeling restless for reasons she didn''t know herself.


    Theseus had his own way to know something like this, especially when it was his people out there that fought those filthy creatures, which didn''t seem to stop coming any soon. They could die at anytime, but those Donovans didn''t even bat their eyes to sacrifice them.


    They didn''t even step their feet out of this place, to keep their eyes on their beautiful mates. Theseus might be young, but he was not a fool. He learned about the guardian angels and the whisper of their purpose for being resurrected.


    "Know what?" Raine squinted her eyes dangerously at him and caught a glimpse of Calleb when he walked past the corridor, yet when he saw Raine was talking to Theseus, he halted and approached them instead.


    Sensing someone was approaching them, Theseus cleared his throat and walked past Raine. However, he whispered to her as he walked.


    "Why don''t you ask your sweet mate?" he said and didn''t even look back again when Raine turned around, seemingly wanted to ask him a further explanation.


    "Everything is okay?" Calleb approached Raine before he watched Theseus walk away.


    Raine felt slightly relieved when Calleb came to her aid, but she wanted to know why Theseus was talking that way?


    "Where is Torak?" Raine felt an urge to talk to her mate. Something was wrong, totally wrong.


    "He is in the meeting room¡­" Calleb said, but before he could finish his words, Raine had started walking away. "But, they were in a meeting now¡­" Yet, Raine had already turned at the corner of the corridor and disappeared from his sight.


    ==============


    "Kace, you are crazy¡­" Hope''s voice was akin to a whisper. "You can''t prolong this war¡­ lots of people will die in vain out there!"


    Kace opened his mouth, but he shut it again, he seemed to want to say something, but those excuses didn''t seem convincing even to himself.


    Jedrek and Torak didn''t say that they would prolong this war, but the three of them knew what was necessary to end it.


    No, not to end it¡­


    With the recent turn of events, something that could give them a high chance to win it.


    However, that something was a choice that they were absolutely not willing to take.


    They didn''t need to talk about it out loud, but there was this tacit understanding among them and this unspoken plan would continue for as long as possible.


    "Hope, we will find a way¡­ but, it''s definitely not something which will make me lose you¡­" Kace shook his head vigorously. This was very hard to imagine, even the idea of losing their mate had them on the verge of going insane.


    Hope looked at Kace right in his eyes, this was the latter''s first time to see such intense disappointment in his mate''s eyes.


    Kace couldn''t explain how hard it was for him to stand there and look at Hope, while he was trying to make her understand, to justify their actions.


    "A week ago you was very livid because of Torak''s order which had Lana killed. However now, you don''t even feel ashamed when you talk to me about all of this nonsense?!" Hope had never been so angry at Kace like this.


    They were playing with those innocents'' lives and sacrificed them for their own mate? Just to prolong the inevitable?!


    She was scared of death, but to live and know every breath that they took was a last breath of the other shifters that died in the battle¡­ how could they live with a fact like that?


    "You talk about your fear of not wanting someone else''s life to be your responsibility, but you are willing to put those responsibilities on me?!" Hope''s voice became louder, as she tried to get away from Kace, who was approaching her and trying to calm her down.


    "I know, I know!" Kace grabbed his hair frutratedly. He didn''t want to do this, but it was either this or losing Hope.


    Therefore, he chose the former. He wouldn''t mind it much since they didn''t know all the people dying out there¡­ right? Yet, his conscience said otherwise¡­


    "Kace, you are such a hypocrite¡­" Hope''s voice was neither loud nor harsh, but the way she said it, made him feel an intense pain as if his heart was being stabbed with a sharp silver dagger.


    At this time, he really wanted for his beast to take over, so he could retreat to his own safety and let the beast did what it needed to do to keep their mate safe.


    And that was what he did¡­


    The moment, he raised his head and stared at Hope, his eyes were as red as the color of blood.


    ==============


    Raine opened the door of the meeting room and found Torak who was talking to Lyrus and a few Alphas in his pack, but she didn''t see Stephan or the fae that came with Jedrek.


    "Raine," Torak was fl.u.s.tered when he watched his mate walk straight toward him, from the look in her eyes, he knew something was not right. "What happened, my love?"


    Raine glanced at the map that was spread open on the table, it showed the places that were under the control of the devils and surrounded by human''s defense forces, and then she stared at the five people inside the room, one by one.


    "Everyone out," Raine said. Her voice laced with authority, it held the same amount of pressure like Torak''s. "Including you," she said to Lyrus. "I want to talk with your Alpha."


    The way Raine talked, Torak knew he had to prepare some explanation for whatever she wanted to ask him, since she had never been this serious before.


    Once there was only the two of them, Raine walked to the table and started to talk to him.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%!d(string=13952362506619705)/realization_%!d(string=51031827359524279) for visiting.

 Chapter 943 - YOU CANT USE YOUR POWER AGAINST ME

    "You are sending these many people to defend this place when you know the real problem is not here," Raine said as she studied the map on the table that showed how the Donovans distributed their forces.


    Being with Torak, Raine learned a few things that could add to her knowledge about how it should be done, thus with the information she had, she knew that there was something wrong with the plan made by the Donovans.


    "You don''t know about this, my love." Torak walked around the table to approach Raine, he tried to calm her, though she didn''t look like someone who was angry, but the vibes that she was giving now was telling him that it was more than that.


    However, Raine avoided his touch and moved to the other side of the table. She took a deep breath, as if preparing herself to say something that would hurt both of them.


    "Torak what have you done?" Raine asked in a whispery tone, she looked at her mate with eyes filled with disappointment. "You don''t want to end this war¡­"


    "I do," Torak replied grimly, yet even after he said that, there was no further explanation whatsoever.


    "How?" Raine asked. She knew that Torak was aware of the answer for it, but she needed him to say it.


    "In a way that wouldn''t lead to sacrifice you," Torak said. His dark eyes stared directly at Raine with determination.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #''t-use-your-power-against-me_51043852177425840 for visiting.


    "But, how?" Raine looked at him sadly.


    The blood of the guardian angels was what was needed to fight the new powers of the devils, where they could control time, soul and nature, the same powers as the guardian angels.


    But to have their blood being sucked out of their body to accommodate the entire army, was nothing different from a suicide. The fact that their blood could be used to strengthen their power was an indisputable factor that could be counted in order to win the war.


    However, how could the Donovans let that happen?!


    Torak had never been this angry at Serefina for helping the devils to gain control over such powers! They haven''t used it yet, but them delaying the obvious didn''t mean they wouldn''t take benefit of this in the right time.


    Yet, when was the right time for them? They didn''t have any idea about this.


    And as for the three craters that were opened in different locations, from where the creatures from hell had been appearing, they weren''t left with another choice but to close them.


    But, Torak didn''t think he wanted to know how they could close those gate to hell. He remember all too well how Raine opened that gates with the help of Aeon in order to get him out of there, he had a bad feeling about how to close it again¡­


    "Torak tell me how you are planning to win this war," Raine spoke in a hard tone, her eyes looked at her mate hardly. "Tell me what your exact plan is."


    It was rare for Torak to have a fight with Raine, even if they were not on the same page, most of the time, Raine would listen to him in the end, or Torak would be willing to bend his own will and rules for her.


    However, not this time.


    It seemed this was the only time when they stood on two different sides of a problem and no one was willing to back down from what they believe.


    "We will find the solution, I just a little more time," Torak said, he tried to reach for his mate, but Raine raised her hand to stop him from coming closer to her.


    "Time?" Raine backed away from Torak and she could see the pain in his eyes. She needed space and being close to him wouldn''t help her to straighten her mind. "You feed those creatures from hell with your people, in order to give you time?"


    Raine couldn''t understand why Torak was in a state of depression like this and was readily willing to sacrifice his own people¡­


    No, Raine had this bad feeling ever since they arrived in this building. There was something with the atmosphere here that could make people feel more desperate and couldn''t think clearly.


    The Donovans were being driven by their impulsiveness to save their mates, at all costs.


    It was only one week that they were through their grief for the losing their people, that they shed tears for their loss of Raphael and his mate, but now Torak and the other two Donovans were doing the same exact thing that made them restless just a week ago? That didn''t make any sense.


    "Torak, if you really want to stop this war, help me find Nutdrouk, there is something I want to ask him," Raine said in a stern voice and prayed in her heart that Torak would agree to it.


    "No," Torak rejected her immediately and saw disappointment flashing on her face.


    "Why?" Raine frowned, though his answer was not unexpected.


    "I don''t want you to go anywhere near the dwarf. I don''t trust him," Torak said matter of factly. Aside from the fact that he had indeed been of handy to help Calleb bring Raphael''s son safely, the Alpha still didn''t trust him.


    The dwarf had a hidden agenda, everyone could feel it, they just didn''t know whether it was a good thing for everyone involved or not.


    And now Raine wanted to see him? Of course, the answer would be a big ''no''.


    "I will go and see him myself," Raine said. The determination in her eyes said that even Torak couldn''t stop her.


    "I don''t want you to die Raine, I can''t lose you." Torak moved to block her way. "I told you from the very beginning, I don''t care how many people I have to give up as long as you are safe, that''s what matters to me the most."


    Raine shook her head, "I can''t live with that fact, Torak."


    She walked past him and was about to open the door, when Calleb came from the other side of it.


    "Arrest her!" Torak said.


    "What?" Calleb stared at the couple, dumbfounded, he didn''t understand why Torak wanted him to arrest Raine...


    "You can''t use your power against me and Calleb, my love."

 Chapter 944 - I DONT WANT TO LOSE YOU

    Calleb was confused why he had to arrest Raine, thus he did not do what Torak told him immediately and just stared at Raine, befuddled.


    "Arrest her," Torak said again, this time his tone was firmer, as he stared right in Raine''s incredulous eyes.


    "You can''t do this to me Torak," Raine said in angry tone, her fists balled beside her body and her jaw clamped tightly.


    Torak had never seen Raine being this upset, especially at him. Moreover, they had never been in an argumentation this intense before. An argumentation that sowed discord between them.


    "I just want to keep you safe," Torak said in the same tone. "I just want to keep you safe, Raine."Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #''t-want-to-lose-you_51061462096997014 for visiting.


    "But, you are killing them in order to keep me safe," Raine spoke slowly, so her words could sink in Torak''s conscience.


    "Kill who?" Calleb was confused, he didn''t understand what they were talking about. Torak and Raine had never been in a quarrel like this before, but seeing how angry Raine looked right now and how determined Torak was, it seemed this was more than a quarrel.


    The Beta was in charge of his own duties and the Donovans were running their plan smoothly, thus not many people knew about this.


    Moreover, all the lycanthropes wouldn''t question their Alpha, this fact alone was enough to keep them oblivious of their horridious plan.


    However, the fire dragon lord, Theseus was different, he was as shrewd as his father, and immediately knew there was something wrong with the arrangements the Donovans made for this war.


    "You didn''t even plan to keep your promise to Stephan," Raine said in disbelief. "I don''t know who you are, Torak. The Torak I know will not do something like this."


    The Donovans had promised Stephan that they would break the vow with the help of purple since it was the fae that had tied them to that vow, which rendered them unable to shift into their beasts.


    However, that didn''t happen until now.


    "You can''t use your power against me and Calleb, my love," Torak said grimly.


    Only then did Calleb realize that everything around him was still, as if the time had stopped. It was not a surprise for him since this was not the first time he experienced this.


    "Take her to her room," Torak said.


    However, Raine had reached the handle of the door, though she was not fast enough and Calleb held the door with his own body, he still didn''t know what to do with the two people.


    "Get out of my way!" Raine shouted at Calleb and the Beta raised both of his hands, but didn''t move.


    "Wait, wait¡­" he said in confusion. He was not sure, whose order he should follow now.


    "Take her to her room!" Torak used his Alpha''s tone on him and made the Beta lowered his head slightly in obedience.


    "Raine, I am sorry," Calleb said regretfully, as he couldn''t go against Torak''s order. "Please, don''t make this more difficult."


    Raine looked at Calleb with hostility, she swatted his hand that was about to touch her. "I can walk by myself," she said, anger evident in her tone.


    ==============


    It took two hours for Lilac to get to the library safely, Jedrek had escorted her himself all the way to it. He didn''t want Lilac to be suspicious, so he could only show his cooperation as much as possible.


    "Torak really took this thing with him," Jedrek murmured in an agitated tone when he saw the stone which had been missing for so many centuries once again.


    Beside him, Lilac chuckled when she heard that.


    "What?" Jedrek turned his head to look at his mate, he didn''t know what was very funny for her to laugh like that.


    "The three of you are really funny, you are trying to annoy one another," Lilac said, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "I don''t have siblings, so I don''t know how siblings should be interacting with each other, but seeing the three of you, it looks very interesting."


    The corner of Jedrek''s lips twitched. "You wouldn''t say that if you were in my shoes," he said in a firm tone. He didn''t think that he would choose Torak and Kace to be his brothers if he could, unfortunately, he was stuck with them.


    Lilac laughed heartily when she watched Jedrek''s expression. "I will go now," she said.


    However, before Lilac could take a step onto the stone, Jedrek pulled her closer to him and hugged her tightly. "You know how it works?" he asked, his voice was barely a whisper in her ears.


    "Yes, I know." Lilac nodded. She felt a little bit off with the way Jedrek hugging her now, it seemed like he was trying to hide something from her. Moreover, she could feel it through the mate bond that they shared. His beast was restless for some reason.


    "I will be back," Lilac said, wanting to free herself from Jedrek, but the king just wanted to hug his queen for a little bit longer. "Jedrek?"


    "I don''t want to lose you," Jedrek said, his voice filled with sincerity. He buried his face in the crook of her shoulder, knowing that she would hate him the moment she found out what Jedrek was about to do.


    It was inevitable that the guardian angel would know it sooner or later.


    "You will not lose me," Lilac said softly, kissing his head. Was this what left Jedrek feeling restless?


    But, Lilac knew perfectly what Jedrek was implying and what laid ahead of them¡­ they just didn''t talk about this.


    They knew the end of this horrible path, the purpose of the guardian angels'' resurrection and the purpose of the Donovans. The three of them bound to protect the guardian angels in order to win the war.


    Yet, Selene had never said something like happily ever after to them¡­


    If they thought about it again, it was as if the happiness that they felt upon being bestowed with their own mates was something temporary only, just like a brief breather, after that, it was not exaggerating to think of this as their punishment being resumed when this war took their mates away.

 Chapter 945 - I DONT WANT TO LOSE YOU (2)

    "Hi, lovely¡­" Kace spoke to Hope in a delighted tone, his face shone brightly with excitement while his eyes were bloodshot red.


    For a moment, Hope was stunned but then she realized what was going on. It had been very long since the last time Kace lost to his beast, but now, Hope was a hundred percent sure that Kace let his beast take over deliberately, since he didn''t want to deal with an angry Hope.


    "Not this again," Hope grumbled. It was lovely to see this side of Kace, but she needed his human side to think rationally at this time, as his beast would be more than happy to trap her here.


    "You don''t like to see me?" Kace folded his arms and scowled at her with a hurt expression. "I am disappointed. I am also Kace."


    Well, that was true, but it was a little bit complicated to explain. However, right now Hope didn''t want to talk with the lovely Kace.


    "Nice to see you again, but I have something to do," Hope said, as she walked past Kace.


    Yet, even before she could reach the door, Kace had already beat her to it and leaned his back against it. "I think I agree with my human side''s decision this time."


    "Which is?" Hope wouldn''t back down from showing her stubborn side either.


    "I don''t think you can go to find the dwarf," Kace said firmly.


    "I can go wherever I want to," Hope spoke in a stern voice. She folded her arms, mimicking Kace''s gesture, because she didn''t want to feel intimidated. "And I don''t agree with whatever side of you that was telling me that you will continue this war just to keep me alive whatsoever."


    "I will keep you alive at any cost." Kace seemed determined as if he didn''t want to leave any room for negotiation from the way he spoke now.


    "We can think about how to end this war first and how to keep me alive later," Hope said. It was ridiculous. There must be a way for them to survive this alive, right? The moon goddess wouldn''t be so cruel to separate them, they just needed to find a way.


    If ending the first war could make them be endowed with mates, then by ending this war the goddess of the moon would grant them with the same thing, right?


    The Donovans just had a strong reaction upon this which clouded their judgment.


    Unfortunately, they didn''t think in that direction. "We can think about how to keep you alive now and end this war later," Kace said.


    "If we didn''t find a way to end this war soon, how will you keep me alive by letting those filthy creatures from hell running rampage in this world?" Hope spoke in a matter of fact tone. "Not to mention about the humans that have been chasing you down!" she said harshly.


    They were no longer fighting the devils alone, but since the supernatural and the human worlds have collided, they had to fight both sides.


    Humans didn''t care about which side was good, they just know this as a war between the human and non- human sides.


    That was all they could see in their eyes.


    "We will figure that out eventually," Kace stopped smiling and looked at Hope hardly. "Do you think it is easy to accept a possibility of losing your mate?" he asked, his expression turned mad serious now.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #''t-want-to-lose-you-(2)_51063601242364819 for visiting.


    At this moment, Hope felt like she was talking to his human side instead of his beast side.


    "The pull of mate bond you feel is not as strong as how we, the shifters usually feel." He gritted his teeth. "You will be sad if we are gone, but you can carry on with your life, but that wasn''t the case for me¡­ I have been waiting for you, for as long as my sanity could take.


    "And after I finally found you, I spend my days cradling you in my arms, watching you grow up, hearing your incoherent words while you were still learning to utter a complete sentence, saw you take one little step after one and become a beautiful woman like now¡­


    "I have never been so grateful in my entire life to be able to witness all of that, though I am not able to stay beside you every day of the year because I have to leave you in Serefina and Lana''s care for your own safety. I will be forever grateful for that regardless, as not many shifters would be able to meet their mates at such a tender age.


    "You don''t even have any idea how much you mean for me and now I have to be tolerant when I have to lose you because of this shitty war?


    "Hell! Even if they turn this world upside down, I will not care. As long as I can keep you by my side and ensure your safety, I will just close my eyes even if the devils want to burn all this down to the ground.


    "I told you from the very start, I''m not really fond of being a part of this war," Kace finished voicing out what was in his mind, something that his human side wouldn''t ever let his mate knew, since he had a lot of things to consider before telling the truth about how he felt about this war.


    His human side''s conscience wouldn''t concede to say that he didn''t care about the deaths of the people, out loud. However, his beast side didn''t even give a tiny f*ck about it.


    Meanwhile, Hope didn''t know how to react upon hearing his confession. It sounded right from seeing this matter with his eyes, but at the same time, it was very wrong if she agreed with him.


    "Kace, I will hate you if you think that way." It was not the Kace that she knew.


    "You can hate me for the rest of eternity, as long as you are alive." Kace''s red eyes turned sad, there was a small frown between his eyebrows, as if the thought of Hope hating him had already hurt him.


    Hope placed her hand against his chest and closed her eyes, in order to think about this clearly.


    However, the moment she opened them, she was not in the room, where she was with Kace a moment ago.

 Chapter 946 - LET THIS HAPPEN FOREVER

    "Raine, I am truly sorry, but you know that I can''t go against his direct order¡­" Calleb looked at Raine regretfully, he didn''t know what else to say to her. If he could, he wouldn''t do this to her, ever. "What was happening between the two of you?"


    Raine stood in the middle of her room and stared at Calleb impassively. The way she stared at him, made the Beta grimace, he didn''t like it when Raine acted very distant with him.


    "You know about their plan?" Raine asked him directly, she didn''t have enough time if she had to deal with Calleb too.


    "What plan?" Calleb asked Raine, frowning.


    "Their plan to prolong the war," Raine blurted out.


    "Prolong the war?" Calleb didn''t have any idea what Raine was talking about. "Raine, there must be a misunderstanding between the two of you." He tried not to conclude this matter in a rush.


    "So, you don''t know it either¡­" Raine could see the genuine confusion in Calleb''s eyes when he said that.


    "Raine, there is no way Torak would do such a thing," Calleb said.


    "He had already done that," Raine replied grimly, if she didn''t confront him directly and knew him well, she wouldn''t be able to tell it either. "Go and ask your Alpha, why he scattered all our forces in various places to fight the creatures from hell instead of dealing with our main problem; how to stop those creatures from coming."


    Just like the other Alphas, Calleb didn''t question Torak''s decision. However, if Raphael was still here, he would be able to tell if there was something wrong with Torak. Unfortunately, he was no longer there to keep the Alpha in the right track.


    Seeing that Calleb was lost for words, Raine closed her eyes to control her anger, she could feel her fury gnawing at her skin, making her heart beat faster. "Leave me alone, Calleb. I want to be alone now."


    ==============


    Everything went utterly blinding the moment Lilac touched the stone and the only question in her mind was; how to end this war.


    And the stone showed it to her.


    She opened her eyes after the blinding light dimmed a little, just to find herself standing at the edge of one of the craters, she fell on to her knees, not having any idea what the moon goddess had planned for her to give this kind of fate.


    In spite of the fact that she didn''t know it beforehand, she could still feel the seriousness of the outcome the moment Selene told her the purpose of her life, but to face death head on was a different feeling from what she could ever imagine.


    Not because she would be burned down to nothing but ashes, but to think she had to leave the love of her life was a different thing entirely.


    She felt like her heart broke into a million pieces, but at the same time, her mind told her that it was the right thing to do, that it was something that she had known from the very beginning.


    That was what she thought when she stood at the lip of the crater, the hottest place that she had ever been, sweating.


    A small gasp escaped her lips when a tear fell on her cheek.


    Lilac gazed at the lava beneath her and then turned her head to see the white lycan, not far from her, facing hundreds of creatures from hell, alone.


    She knew her choice. She knew it beyond the shadow of a doubt, she felt it in her soul about what was the necessary thing to do, to end this war and to save his life.


    Her heart began to race when she stood up.


    It needed a great amount of courage to avert her eyes from the white lycan behind her and put her attention back to her impending end before her eyes.


    And now, all she could see was fire, it swirled and bubbled as if it was a mirror of her own anxiety.


    And then a thought came to her mind; she was just a nobody, the only essence of life that Selene kindly gave to her and she should be grateful enough to know the love that Jedrek showed to her¡­


    So Lilac did what she thought she had to do, with the roar of the angry lycan behind her, she stopped thinking and lost herself in the swirling fire¡­


    Lilac closed her eyes and felt her body dove into the pit of fire, but then she heard someone calling out her name as the roar of the white lycan and the crackle of the flames faded away in the background.


    "Lilac?"


    She knew his voice, thus she opened her eyes to see his blue ones.


    "Lilac? What did you see?" Jedrek was standing behind her, he noticed how Lilac''s shoulders shook with emotion and the faint sobs that escaped her lips.


    Lilac turned around and a tear fell down her cheeks, seeing this Jedrek approached her hastily and wiped her tears for her.


    "What did you see my little flower?" Jedrek asked, even though he could roughly guess what was that. He just hoped for a different answer when he brought her here, but he knew that it was his wishful thinking the moment he found the answer in her eyes.


    It was the end that he didn''t want to think about, the end that he didn''t even want to know.


    "You will be all right, I will keep you safe." Jedrek hugged Lilac tightly when he heard another explosion from afar.


    "No one can keep me safe, Jedrek," Lilac said, her heart was aching with this raw emotion. "This is the purpose of my life."


    "No," Jedrek said firmly. "Your purpose of life is being with me. The moon goddess had given you to me and I will not let anything take you away."


    Whether this was a mate bond, or a genuine feeling that he felt for her, Jedrek didn''t want to let her go. No, he couldn''t lose her.


    "But, how?" Lilac whispered.


    "If war is what keeps you here, with me, then let this happen forever," Jedrek stated.

 Chapter 947 - WHY ARE YOU HIDING HERE?

    Lilac widened her eyes in horror when she heard Jedrek''s determined statement, she couldn''t believe that he could say such a thing.


    "No," Lilac said in confusion, as she backed away from him. "How could you say that?"


    "Lilac, I don''t want to talk about this, trust me and let me handle this," Jedrek talked to her in an impassive tone, he knew this would be her reaction. "You don''t have to do anything, just stay with me."


    Lilac shook her head vigorously. "Jedrek, do you even understand what you were talking about right now?" her voice was barely a whisper in her shocked state. "You want the war to be prolonged? Do you realize what you were asking for?"


    Everything seemed very strange, Jedrek looked like a crazy man when he said that he wanted the war to continue longer than necessary. It shouldn''t be like that¡­


    "I know," Jedrek said, he didn''t seem ashamed when he admitted that, as if that was the right thing to do in his eyes right now. "You can pretend that you don''t know about this." Jedrek walked closer to approach his mate, but Lilac backed away from him, as if she was afraid of the king.


    "How can I pretend that I don''t know?" Lilac asked grimly, she looked around her and watched the gloomy and dark sky outside.


    This strange weather must have something to do with the people''s odd behavior. The Jedrek she knew wouldn''t say something very egoistic like that, right?


    She had been having a bad feeling about the weather ever since they couldn''t see the light from the sun and now people were turning more and more weird¡­


    "Let''s go back and forget about what the stone showed you." Jedrek then added, "Whatever it showed you, just forget about it, okay?"


    Upon hearing his words , Lilac laughed wryly, yet there was no humor in it, and her eyes looked at her mate sharply. "No, Jedrek, you are out of your mind."


    "Lilac," Jedrek called her name and it sounded like he was pleading her. "Don''t look at me that way."


    "How should I look at you then?" Lilac narrowed her eyes and sighed deeply. "You have to stop this craziness Jedrek."


    But, then Lilac realized something.


    "Did the other Donovans know about this? Were you three in this together?" She asked him in a hard tone.


    ==============


    "Torak, I don''t think you can treat Raine like this," Calleb talked to Torak when he left Raine''s room and let Jack console her. "Moreover¡­ is what Raine said true?"


    Torak shifted his attention from the map on the table to his new Beta. "Just do what I said," he said firmly and didn''t leave any space for negotiation.


    Calleb narrowed his eyes. "So, what Raine said is true?"


    "She is your Luna!" Torak shouted at him, he looked more frustrated than ever. He didn''t want to fight with Raine and couldn''t believe that she gave him a very strong reaction, though he should have known it coming.


    "Yes, she is my Luna, but she is also your mate, why don''t you listen to her?" Calleb tried to fight the urge to lower his head submissively, he needed to make his Alpha understood that he was behaving oddly.


    When Torak heard that, he turned around and glared at Calleb that forced him to avert his eyes, as his beast whined in his head.


    "You will not question me like this, Beta." Torak made sure to emphasize every word that he said. "Now, you can go and make sure Raine is still inside her room, or else, you don''t want to know the consequences."


    Calleb murmured, "yes, Alpha." However, he still stood there, as if there was something else that he wanted to say.


    "What is it?" Torak asked irritably.


    "What about Raphael''s son and Rossie?" If Torak went all the way to keep his mate safe, then he wanted to know about the safety of his mate too, what was more, Eddard''s safety wasn''t something he could take lightly. Eddard was Raphael''s precious son, Torak wouldn''t let anything happen to them, right?


    "They will be safe. There will be someone who will bring them to the safest place and you can meet them there eventually," Torak said. He knew Calleb''s concerns and had thought about this thoroughly.


    "Okay¡­" Calleb nodded his head and walked out of the room, but before he got out, he turned around and looked Torak right in his eyes. "Will you really sacrifice those people until you can find a way to save Raine?"


    This time, it was Torak, who averted his eyes and looked at the gloomy sky. "Yes," he said firmly. "Until I can find a way to ensure her safety."


    Sometimes love could make you do crazy things and desperation only made it worse.


    ==============


    Hope closed her eyes, but the moment she opened them, she was not in the room, where she was with Kace a moment ago.


    This place was bright white, as if the walls were painted in white color, or maybe there were no walls in the first place.


    "What is this?" Hope was flabbergasted upon finding where she was. "How can this be¡­?"


    The first thought that came to her mind was; she had been teleported, but then she didn''t have such power to do so and then she thought about Raine, maybe she teleported them to a different time, but she didn''t see Raine even after looking around her.


    Instead of Raine, Hope spotted a boy, who buried his face between his knees, while hugging his legs tightly.


    The moment her eyes laid upon his lonely figure, she realized that this was not a new place, she had been here before, along with the recognition, came a familiar feeling which flooded her veins.


    Hope approached the young man with light steps and crouched down in front of him.


    "Hey, are you okay?" Hope nudged his arm to get his attention and when the young man raised his head, Hope smiled brightly. "We meet again," she said in a relieved tone. "What happened now? Why are you hiding here?"

 Chapter 948 - I AM SCARED

    The young man looked like he was in his seventeens or eighteens, but no one knew what was his exact age, at least not in this place.


    Hope also couldn''t tell what was this place actually , she just knew this was the place where she met the younger version of Kace. His subconscious self, the side of him that he wanted to hide from the whole world, where he usually behave very vulnerable.


    It had been very long since the last time something like this had happened, it meant, Kace had been fine until Hope tipped him off about the Donovan''s plan to keep the war going up to God knows when.


    Of course she didn''t want to die, but it didn''t mean she was okay with the idea to let everyone else lost theirs. That was something that never crossed her mind at all until Kace slipped his tongue and mentioned it.


    "What happened now? Why are you hiding here?" Hope tilted her head, she sat down in this bright white place and crossed her legs. She loved Kace''s younger version. No, actually she loved everything about him¡­


    "I am scared¡­" Kace said, his eyes welled up with tears, and he looked at Hope straight in the eyes.


    There was one thing that Hope could say for sure after talking to him here; this version of Kace would always speak the truth.


    "What are you scared of?" Hope leaned forward, and she could see the tears that wetted his long eyelashes. How could he have such long lashes that could even make her, his mate envy him?


    Kace didn''t answer her immediately, he stared at Hope, as a tear fell down his cheek.


    "Hey, you can tell me¡­" Hope stretched out her hand and wiped the tear away for him. "I am here to listen to you. Did the beast make you feel scared again?"


    Kace shook his head and hugged his legs even tighter. "No, the beast is less mean to me now. In fact, he is so good."


    "So?" Hope raised her eyebrows questioningly. She looked very patient. Despite them looking the same age, Hope usually see Kace as an eight year old boy in this place, because he did look like that during their first encounter in here.


    "I am afraid that you will die." Kace said those words in an almost whispery tone and another tear spilled from his eyes, but this time he wiped it away with the back of his hand harshly.


    When Kace said those words in his angry state earlier, Hope''s reaction was to defend herself, because he was trying to tell her, being all dominant, thus the first thing that Hope did was to resist him.


    However, when Kace said it again with that tearful face and soft gaze, Hope''s heart melted, as she realized how much fear that he had been put through with the thought of her leaving him alone.


    She loved Kace, that went without saying, but for Kace it was more than that. Hope was the meaning of his existence, the essence of his life.


    How could he lose her when he had done everything just to be with her?


    "Come here," Hope said softly, she opened her arms and waited for Kace to approach her.


    Without a second thought, Kace loosened his arms around his own knees before leaning over to hug Hope, he rested his chin on her shoulder and then when he could no longer hold back his tears, he buried his face in the crook of her shoulder and cried.


    On the other hand, Hope hugged him even tighter, as if by not doing so would leave Kace falling apart, breaking into pieces.


    Her own tears stained her cheeks following the sound of Kace''s pitiful sobs¡­


    Kace was afraid and Hope could feel it in every inch of his being¡­


    ==============


    Kace watched in horror when Hope''s body fell to the floor like a leaf, it was a great thing that he could move very fast to prevent her head from banging to the ground beneath her.


    "Hope!" Fear could be seen in his red eyes when he caught her body.


    Kace didn''t know what was wrong with her. The last thing Hope did was to place her hand on his chest, but the moment she closed her eyes, which Kace assumed to contain her anger, she fell unconscious out of the blue.


    "Hope!" Kace brought her body to the bed and tried to mind link Torak. [Come here now!]


    ===============


    Torak stood in front of the door, behind which he kept his angry mate locked. He didn''t know how angry she was with him, but the truth was; this was the first time they were having a fight like this.


    Torak didn''t even have the slightest idea how to make this better or how to let her know about his fear. In spite of the fact that he could understand why she got mad, he was still trying to justify his actions.


    It was his own selfish self that wouldn''t let anything happen to her, he couldn''t bear it and he didn''t even want to think about it.


    With a heavy sigh, Torak pushed open the door and walked inside the room, the two guards who were guarding her room stole a glimpse at their Alpha. They didn''t know that their supreme Alpha Torak, could look so much in trouble because of their Luna.


    Yet, they didn''t dare let their mind wander off and kept their cold expression intact, even when Torak had closed the door.


    Irritating the Alpha at a time like this was akin to courting death and they still wanted to live.


    Once inside the room, Torak was greeted with Raine''s back, she was staring at the scene behind the big window, just from the tension in her shoulders, Torak could tell that her anger was not any near to receding for the time being.


    "Raine," Torak called her name softly. This was inevitable and he couldn''t help it. If Raine was indeed very angry at him, then so be it, but there was no way he could avoid her.


    "How many people died out there?" Raine asked without turning around. Her voice sounded just like what Torak remembered, soft and gentle, but he knew there was more into it now.

 Chapter 949 - SPEECHLESS

    Hope hugged the younger version of Kace for God knows how long¡­ she didn''t even know for sure how long they had been in that position, as she lost track of time and didn''t know what else she could do to alleviate the sadness he was feeling.


    Kace didn''t even let her go when Hope wanted to free herself, he hugged her even tighter, as if he was afraid his mate would disappear and he wouldn''t have any chance to see her again.


    "Kace you will not lose me," Hope finally said, she couldn''t stay like this any longer. She didn''t know what was happening in the real world, the other Kace must be frightened by now if she didn''t wake up soon. She knew him all too well to guess that. "I am still here and I will not go anywhere¡­"


    "But, you will die," Kace whimpered. "I don''t want you to die. I need you."


    "I don''t want to die too," Hope replied. "But, we can''t let those people die in order to keep me alive. I can''t live like that."


    "You can pretend that you don''t know," Kace retorted. He whimpered again when Hope wanted to let go, but this time, Hope really released herself from his tight hug.


    "You know that I can''t do that¡­" Hope frowned and that made Kace lower his head, he felt ashamed of himself for wanting that, but in contrary, he couldn''t help it.


    "You have to¡­" he murmured.


    Hope cupped his face and lifted his head. "Kace, we will find a way. I don''t want to leave you either. You are everything that I want and I cherish you the most. You have been there for as long as my heart can remember. You are part of my life, but you know what you are doing now hurts me. You know this is wrong."


    Kace averted his eyes stubbornly. "The beast will not let you go."


    "I know," Hope said softly and kissed his forehead. "But, you will."


    ==============


    "How many people died out there?"


    That was the question that greeted Torak the moment he stepped his foot inside the room, as if Raine had been expecting his visit.


    It was not strange, knowing her power, she would know it.


    Torak sighed deeply and walked closer to her, yet Raine avoided him and turned around, giving him a hard glare.


    "Answer me, how many people died out there?" she asked the same question again. Her tone was neither harsh nor loud, but it was enough to make Torak stand rooted in his place, not knowing how to handle her.


    "My love¡­" Torak was lost for words about how to let her know what he was feeling right now.


    "If you love me, you will not let me be burdened with their lives," Raine said in a hurt tone, pain was palpable in her eyes.


    "The burden and sins are mine to bear," Torak replied.


    He had done far too many atrocious things in the past for the reasons that he himself was not sure about, but right now, he knew what he wanted and he wanted his mate to live, thus he wouldn''t mind doing this sinful act again¡­


    That was what he thought, yet a tiny part of his conscience was still screaming at him that he must stop.


    Raine shook her head when she heard that. "Torak¡­"


    However, she couldn''t finish her words when she felt something was wrong as her hand immediately clutched her chest.


    The uncomfortable expression that Torak saw on Raine, made him strode over to her quickly.


    "Raine, what happened?" Deep worry was written all over his face. Right at that time he heard Kace''s cry for him to come over.


    "Something happened to Hope," Raine said, she could feel it.


    ==============


    Jedrek saw Lilac glaring at him hardly while she tried to avoid him.


    "You can''t avoid me forever," Jedrek spoke to Lilac in a light tone. He didn''t want to argue with her, but this was unavoidable.


    "I will stop avoiding you if you stop acting crazy," Lilac retorted. "You know, Jedrek. You can''t stop me."


    The moment Lilac said that, roots emerged from the ground, breaking through the tiled floor, coiling in her hands like snakes.


    Jedrek watched all of this in disbelief. "D*mn, Lilac!" he cursed out of frustration. "Can''t we talk?! Why are you always trying to fight me?!" This scene was way too familiar to him.


    The very first thing that Lilac did during their first meeting was to fight him and after that, whenever they were not on the same page, she would do the same exact thing, and now she was doing it again.


    Their relationship only showed some improvement recently.


    Why did the moon goddess pair him with a stubborn woman like Lilac? It would have been better if he got a more obedient mate, but then again, Jedrek couldn''t see himself with someone else except her. Very annoying¡­


    "Because you are out of your mind and I have an urge to knock some sense onto your head!" Lilac yelled at him.


    "I don''t want to fight you," Jedrek said grimly. "So tone it down."


    "Fine, but let''s go back to discuss what I have seen with the others and you have to cooperate," Lilac spoke lightly, she didn''t put her guard down at all.


    "NO!" Jedrek rejected her idea almost immediately. "There is nothing to be discussed!"


    "It means I have to find my own way," Lilac said and walked toward the door, but Jedrek moved faster and blocked her way.


    As an answer, Lilac made a slashing move and the root in her hand whipped Jedrek''s cheek, causing a cut on his skin.


    It was not a deep cut and it healed almost immediately, but Jedrek was speechless with Lilac''s brazenness. It had been a long time since she showed this temper to him. What kind of mate did he get himself?


    "Lilac!" Jedrek shouted in disbelief. "There are two hundred people out there just to stop you."


    "I am their queen!"


    "And I am the king!"


    "Then act like one!" Lilac was furious.

 Chapter 950 - HOPES DETERMINATION

    For a moment, Raine forgot her pique toward Torak, as they hurriedly walked toward the room where Kace and Hope were staying in.


    Through mind- link, Kace told Torak that Hope had fainted all of a sudden and didn''t explain further as he was too panicked. He just asked for Torak to come.


    On the other hand, Raine could feel that something was wrong with Hope and insisted to come over along with Torak to see Hope''s current condition.


    In this case, Torak couldn''t refuse her. He didn''t want to aggravate Raine even more by preventing her from seeing Hope, moreover if Hope lost consciousness all of a sudden, maybe Raine would be able to tell what happened to her, since they both were guardian angels, there must be some connection between them.


    Therefore, here they were, already walking through the door to Kace and Hope''s room. Even the atmosphere felt tense when they entered, as they could see Sybil standing beside the large bed where Kace sat, cradling Hope in his arms.


    From his brother''s expression, Torak could see that Sybil was not able to do anything to wake the former''s mate up.


    "What happened to her?" Raine immediately sat down on the edge of the bed, next to Hope with Torak beside her.


    "She fainted all of a sudden," Kace said grimly, his eyes were red, as he clenched his jaw tightly. "I don''t know what happened, we were having an argumentation¡­" his voice became tight when he spoke about it.


    And Raine didn''t need to ask to know what they were arguing about, she had this gut feeling that it must be the same thing like what Raine and Torak had discussed not too long ago¡­


    "Maybe you have aggravated her too far," Raine said lightly as she held Hope''s hand, it was warm and she looked like someone, who just fell asleep, without any indication and whatsoever that she was in pain. "After all, despite being a guardian angel, we are just humans¡­ you know, you enraged her and she couldn''t handle it."


    Raine didn''t know why she said that, but she just wanted Kace to feel bad. It surprised her that she was holding a grudge toward Kace for what he did to Torak a week ago and now she knew that the three brothers were in this together, thus she couldn''t help herself from being a little bit snarky with her comments.


    "Impossible," Kace murmured, unsure. "She was angry, but I don''t think she was feeling under pressure until she fainted."


    Kace and Hope were used to having a few quarrels here and there ever since she learned how to talk, therefore he knew a little bit argumentation wouldn''t cause her to feel this aggravated, right?


    Raine shrugged her shoulders. "A lot of things happened recently. You can''t say it for sure. Maybe the pressure is too much for her to handle."


    Torak squeezed his mate''s shoulder when she said that, indicating for her not to say such a thing, it sounded like she was jinxing herself. "So, what happened to her?" Torak turned his attention toward the witch, who came with Jedrek. He didn''t want to hear Raine talking that way, she sounded more like Serefina when she did that.


    Sybil shook her head. "Honestly, I don''t know what is going on with her, she doesn''t look like she was sick or she is under some kind of dark magic or curse."


    When Kace heard that, he couldn''t help but thinking of the worst. "What if this is the devils doing? Raine fainted at that onetime too, right?"


    Raine stayed silent as she stared at Hope, contemplating.


    "It is different, the devil was there when that happened," Torak replied.


    "But, Hope could do something to make her conscious again, maybe you can do the same thing to her," Kace said, looking at Raine expectantly.


    Raine shook her head. "We have different powers and I can''t do something that she could." And otherwise, Hope wouldn''t be unable to stop the time like how Raine could. "Has she ever been like this before?"


    Kace thought about it for a moment and he remembered something. "Yes," he said. "It was the time when she talked to me." The time when Hope met with his innerself for the first time.


    ==============


    "I don''t want you to die," Kace said softly, his tears streamed down his cheeks again as he sobbed pitifully. "I want you to live."


    How could she be angry with him when he was being like this? She could argue with Kace when he was so stubborn to force his own idea, but this time, he showed her his vulnerable state.


    "I will live." Hope cupped his face and kissed both of his cheeks. "I will live and we will win the war, so you have to help me."


    Kace looked at Hope for a few seconds longer before he shook his head. "No, they said you will die in order for us to win the war."


    Hope bit her lips, not really knowing what she could say to him, since she was also not sure about their future, but¡­


    "I have died before in the northern coven realm, Raine had died before, but Torak brought her back to life and Jedrek had killed Lilac too," Hope spoke softly. "And, against all odds, here we are, still breathing and alive."


    Kace looked at Hope hardly and she knew she could convince him.


    "Don''t fret, no matter what''s going to happen or how far I go, I will try my best to return to you¡­" Hope didn''t know how she got this kind of belief and where she found those kind of words, but she just believed it.


    They would be together.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #''s-determination_51112781587466393 for visiting.


    As if there was someone that guided her, and as if she had done this before, Hope stood up. She knew what she had to do.


    "Please, I want you to go back," Hope said, as she looked around her.


    "Will you come back with me?" Kace stood up as well.


    "Not now, there is something that I have to do first," she said.

 Chapter 951 - OUT!

    "Not now, there is something that I have to do first," Hope said and she could see the disappointment that flashed on Kace''s face when she said she was not able to come back with him, thus she tiptoed and pecked his lips. "I will come back soon, just wait for me."


    After saying that, Hope walked away in the opposite direction from Kace, who was still standing in the same position, waving his hand.


    She didn''t know how she know this, but it was like the knowledge was already ingrained in her every cell, like something that she had forgotten, but then she remembered about it again.


    Hope hastened her steps when Kace''s figure looked smaller because of the distance between them, as if she could see a path in front of her and not just only the color of bright white.


    But, at some point, she stopped running when she could no longer see Kace in her near sight and was totally surrounded by this color.


    Hope took a deep breath, even though she just ran for sometime, her breathing was still normal and she wasn''t even panting. It was strange, yet at the same time expected.


    Closing her eyes, she whispered softly into the nothingness. "Lilac¡­ Raine¡­"


    ==============


    Jedrek looked at his furious mate in disbelief. Why did they came to this again?!


    "Can''t you see? I just want to keep you safe!" Jedrek roared, annoyed by Lilac''s stubbornness. "Calm down woman!"


    Lilac threw him a sharp look as she retorted back. "I will calm down if you agree to talk about this!"


    "There is nothing to talk about!" Jedrek was beyond frustrated with Lilac''s behavior.


    Meanwhile, upon hearing the commotion, two guards from outside, opened the door in alert, they were stationed just next to the door to watch over the situation.


    "Is everything all right, your majesty?" One of them addressed the angry couple, his eyes roamed around the room quickly, looking for any threat.


    However, he didn''t expect that the real threat for him was from his sovereign himself.


    "OUT!" Jedrek and Lilac shouted simultaneously.


    On other occasions, it might have looked funny when they both spoke almost at the same time, but not now, when they looked like they wanted to throw anyone, If someone dared enough to interrupt their fight.


    The two guards stumbled over their own feet upon hearing the loud order, they didn''t ask any further neither did they think twice to run out of the room.


    The king and queen at this very moment, looked scarier than any deadly creatures from hell.


    Meanwhile, when only the two of them were left alone again and the guards had shut the door, Jedrek and Lilac shifted their attentions onto one another again.


    "Jedrek, you know that I will not agree with your decision, that was why you left me out of every discussion concerning the war, is that true?" Lilac just realized this. Jedrek had fooled her from the very beginning.


    Raine and Hope would be very understanding if they were not included in the meetings that the Donovans held with the other Alphas, but Lilac was different, she knew her purpose of life from the very beginning, as she was raised by the moon goddess herself.


    She knew that things would come to this, all she needed to do was to figure it out and even if giving her life was necessary to end the war, she was ready for that too.


    Therefore, she had told Jedrek that he could choose Serefina over her, from the very beginning, but time had changed everything, including hearts of every one involved¡­


    And here they were, conflicting with their fate and love¡­ making everything more complicated.


    "D*mn with the moon goddess!" Jedrek cursed grimly. "She gave me you and put the mate bond between us, but then she wanted to make you sacrifice yourself?!" He was very angry at this fact.


    "Jedrek, you can''t possibly lose the war, but you don''t want to win it either?" Lilac creased her brows. "Do you think you can keep the situation like this forever? How many lives would be wasted out there?"


    "So, what do you want me to do?!" Jedrek roared. "Watch you jump into the crater?!" he shook his head. "Do you think my brothers will agree to this idea?"


    Jedrek could realize what Lilac had seen when she touched the stone, therefore, he knew what would lie ahead of them if he let her do whatever she needed to do.


    Somehow, the obvious slipped from Lilac''s mind when she quarreled with Jedrek.


    Knowing she wouldn''t be able to talk to Jedrek now, she walked ahead and waved her hands, as roots that emerged from the floor coiled around Jedrek''s body, keeping him in his position.


    "I will find Raine and Hope to hear what they will say about this," Lilac said in a low voice, her expression turned dark.


    "No!" Jedrek refused that idea and tore the roots around his body easily, as if it was nothing for him.


    Lilac frowned when she saw this. Why did her power become weak when she had to face Jedrek? Her power also seemed didn''t have much effect on Jedrek, when he kissed her for the first time on that night¡­Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #!_51123447316666598 for visiting.


    Of course, this fact pissed Lilac off.


    Selene, why would you give me such power, but made him as an exception? Lilac thought annoyingly when she watched Jedrek trudging over to her, not even having any idea that Lilac became more upset toward him.


    "NO!" Lilac yelled angrily, she tried to make him stop, but Jedrek stomped the roots beneath his feet, not getting affected at all.


    Jedrek didn''t see Lilac''s effort to keep him away and the moment she was within his arm reach, he grabbed her hand to stop sending him those things.


    "Stop it! Will you!?" Jedrek was upset too.


    However, before Lilac could rebuke him for hurting her hand, as he held it too tight for her comfort, she heard some voice whispering into her ears.


    The sound was very faint, until Lilac doubted that Jedrek could hear it. However, she could tell that this was Hope''s voice.


    The voice whispered her name and the last thing that Lilac could see was Jedrek''s shocked expression before everything whitened in her vision.

 Chapter 952 - THE SCENT OF CITRUS

    "Hope?" Lilac whispered the other guardian angel''s name when she opened her eyes and saw her standing in front of her.


    Lilac didn''t realize it until Hope helped her to stand up that she was sitting on the floor made of white tiles, yet everything was white in here, even the walls¡­ no, actually Lilac was unsure whether there was a divider around her.


    This place was plain white and there was nothing she could see except that one particular color.


    "Hope, where are we?" Lilac asked her, looking around her with unconcealed confusion in her eyes.


    Hope smiled softly. "I don''t really know what to call this place, but I could say that this place is mine," she said firmly. For some reason, Hope was sure what she said was right. This place belonged to her.


    She didn''t know when she started to realize it, but she just knew it.


    "You know, like I own this realm," Hope added, she waved her hand toward her surroundings and smiled shyly for talking so bold.


    Lilac raised her eyebrows. She knew that there were many realms and she assumed, this realm that Hope was talking about was akin to the realm that belonged to those shadow guards.


    The shadow guards had the ability to create a shadow realm that just belonged to them alone, but it depended on the ability of that person and not something that could be achieved by every single shadow guard.


    "Wow." Lilac was lost for words. "You have improved greatly."


    Hope smiled wryly. "I think our situation now required us to finally tap into our power. And this is something we have since the very beginning, right? We just need to feel it and find the right path."


    "And I guess this war and our mates'' crazyness have forced us to do what is best," Lilac murmured. "Do you know what the Donovans had done?" She was not sure if Hope had already knew about it, though she was reluctant to be the one to reveal this to her fellow guardian angel, yet the latter must know about this matter too.


    To her relief, Hope nodded her head and said sadly. "I just got to know about it and one second I''m in the middle of my argumentation with Kace about that crazy plan he and his brothers were following, and the next moment, I am here."


    Lilac looked around her, even though she didn''t voice it out for Hope to hear, but the latter could see that she was still not convinced and worried even.


    "It''s okay, this is not my first time being here, in the past I will be in this state whenever I talked with Kace, his innerself," Hope said, holding Lilac''s hand and started strolling around in light steps.


    "Innerself?" Lilac repeated those words. "What happened to us then?"


    Hope shrugged her shoulders. "We are only souls here, while our bodies¡­" She thought about it for a moment, to think about the right words to say. "I think we are in unconscious state right now."


    Lilac stared at Hope and then laughed heartily. "I wonder what Jedrek''s expression would be now when he saw me lose consciousness all of a sudden in the middle of our fight."


    The moment she said that, she could already imagine how panicked her mate would be and then she laughed triumphantly, as if she had won some kind of battle.


    This place sure was strange, but in a good way.


    This place gave a positive aura and made her tensed nerves calm down. These past few days after they arrived at Reika, they were not in good situation which made her feel a little bit stressed out.


    "Me too," Hope chuckled. "Kace would be freaked out by now."


    And then both of them laughed heartily. The two guardian angels were in good mood, it was really good to be able to laugh like this after all they had been through.


    The atmosphere here was totally the opposite to whatever was happening out there, it felt like Lilac could stay in this place for days, yet the moment their laugh died down, they knew there were many things that they have to do.


    "Where is Raine? Why don''t you call her?" Lilac realized that Raine was not with them, it was impossible for Hope to leave out Raine if she could bring her here.


    Hope frowned. "I have tried to reach her, but I just can''t do that." From the crease between her brows, Lilac could see that this matter bothered her.


    "What happened?" she asked and prayed this was not some other problem again. They already have enough on their plates now.


    "I just can''t reach her¡­" Hope murmured and then shifted her attention toward Lilac. "I am afraid this has something to do with the thing that I saw in her."


    "What is it?" Lilac found herself frowning too. What did Hope see in Raine that made her anxious?


    ==============


    Raine was staring at Hope when Sybil and Belinda, along with two other healers came to check over Hope''s condition.


    "Let''s go back," Torak said softly, he hoped that Raine''s anger had receded as she spent the past few hours worrying about Hope, but from the look on her face, he could tell that she was just holding back her emotions and protests, since this was not the right time for them to talk about it. "They are trying to do what they can do and if this is not the first time for Hope to become like this, then it is only a matter of time before she regain her consciousness again."


    That was Torak''s conclusion, though it made some sense, Kace wouldn''t want to hear such lame statement without base.


    That was understandable, because if Raine was in Hope''s condition now, he wouldn''t listen to himself too.


    "I hope you are right," Raine sighed deeply and then looked at Torak with a tired expression. "But, I want to stay here," she insisted.


    "Raine¡­" Torak was about to argue with his mate, when he smelled her scent, the citrus scent that shouldn''t be there. How could she be here?!


    Torak whipped his head toward the direction of that scent and saw her walking through the door with light steps, as if this was her own room.

 Chapter 953 - SEREFINA

    Serefina.


    That was the name that Raine could feel at the tip of her tongue when she watched the red haired witch with her familiar green lime eyes, walking through the door with a smirk at the corner of her lips.


    As soon as her figure was clear to see for them, the following event happened. As though the sound died down, the room became exceptionally quiet, just like a buzzing sound from the television was turned off, everything became still, even the wind had stopped blowing.


    Raine didn''t realize this until she watched how Sybil and Belinda were standing in weird positions, bending their bodies to look at Hope, as if they didn''t realize that Serefina came into the room.


    Maybe they didn''t, because time had been stopped for them.


    However, that was not the same case for Raine, Torak and Kace. The first one, who cracked the silence that was being stretched out upon the appearance of the witch, was Kace.


    "Serefina!" he called out her name in surprise, but there was no hostility in his tone, only bafflement.


    It was very strange to have Serefina visit them now of all times, since they knew that the witch had crossed the bridge and sided with the devils, yet they couldn''t help, but feel the same familiarity toward her.


    Ignoring the fact that Torak wasn''t quite fond of her, yet, it was different for Kace.


    As annoying as she was, Serefina was still someone, whom they had known for centuries, especially to Kace, as they had faced all ups and downs of the situation when the two of them became rogues and chased down by Jedrek''s people.


    Serefina tilted her head to see Kace, who was still cradling Hope in his arms, yet the younger Donovan was lost for words.


    In normal situation, he would cry for help and ask the witch to check Hope''s condition, he would have pestered her until she told him what was wrong with Hope, but the situation now was a little bit conflicting.


    "What are you doing here?" Torak asked grimly. If Serefina came with good intentions, let''s say she wanted to admit her mistake, which was not in the question since the witch wouldn''t stop the time if the aforementioned issue was her reason to pay them a visit. She was only provoking them even more by doing that.


    Serefina didn''t answer Torak''s question, instead, she shifted her attention toward Raine, who was hiding behind Torak''s broad back.


    "Raine," Serefina called her name in a flat tone.


    "What do you want WITCH?" Torak repeated his question, barring his fangs, as his eyes turned red.


    On the bed, Kace shook his head. "Serefina it is not a good thing to provoke us at a time like this." But, then he remembered something. "Did you do this to Hope?" Kace narrowed his red eyes at Serefina.


    "No," she said firmly. "She did that to herself."


    Kace couldn''t understand what she meant by that, but odd enough, he still believed her. It was indeed true that old habits die hard.


    "Raine!" Serefina raised her voice to get the guardian angel''s attention. All she needed now was for her to look at her right in the eyes, after that, everything would be easier.


    However, Torak was stubborn enough to not let Serefina see even a strand of his mate''s hair, as he stood ramrod straight in front of her.


    "Leave now, Serefina, before I tear you apart." Torak gritted his teeth, he was ready to shift, if Serefina dared to do something silly.


    Yet, she didn''t even spare him a glance, as her lime green eyes remained fixed on Raine. She was trying to get the guardians angel''s attention.


    "Raine!" Serefina kept calling her name and Raine became restless, she wanted to see the witch, but couldn''t.


    Torak had been warning her through mind- link that she couldn''t see her neither was she allowed to answer the witch.


    After all, Torak had lived long enough to familiarize himself with two or three tricks of the witch.


    Knowing that Torak wouldn''t budge and Raine wouldn''t come out from her hiding place, Serefina could only look at Torak in annoyance.


    "Do you want to tear me apart?" Serefina asked with the same annoying tone that she always used. "Come here and get me," she smirked tauntingly and backed away three steps.


    Torak scoffed, he wouldn''t buy it.


    "What? You don''t even want to greet me with a warm hug?" Serefina tilted her head, provoking the Alpha even further.


    However, before she could say another word, she was forced to move very fast to the side when she felt someone was approaching her.


    It was Kace in his beast form.


    The white lycan landed on his fours and snarled viciously at her. In his opinion, if Serefina didn''t come here to help them, then she should leave, instead of adding one more trouble for them to deal with.


    "What is it? Why did you attack me now, Kace?" she feigned a surprised expression, but the look in her eyes was anything but surprise. She had expected this.


    "Kace, back away," Torak talked to Kace in a warning tone, yet, his younger brother wouldn''t listen easily as usual, especially when he was under the control of his beast. He followed his instinct and his instinct now told him to make the witch scram out of their sights.


    "Do you really think that by keeping the war on going will give you a solution?" Serefina talked, but her eyes were on alert, anticipating Torak or Kace''s move. "I have told you that you will die, haven''t I?" This last question was directed to Raine.


    Out of instinct, Raine poke her head from behind Torak''s back and glared viciously at Serefina. "You are the one who will die!" Raine shouted at the witch.


    However, only then did she realize her mistake when she watched a triumphant smirk appearing at the corner of Serefina''s lips as she mouthed. ''Gotcha.''


    The last thing before the darkness consumed her was the sight of the white beast that charged toward Serefina coupled with Torak''s frenzied voice, calling out her name.


    Meanwhile, after she succeeded doing what she wanted to do, Serefina teleported herself out of the reach of the two Donovan brothers as the time started ticking again.

 Chapter 954 - THE LAND OF THE GOD

    Calleb was talking to Rossie over the phone when he realized the time being stopped and there was no answer from the other side of the phone call.


    The Beta looked around him and frowned when he noticed that the other people had stopped moving, though it didn''t happen for a long time, but the moment he could hear Rossie''s voice again, as she talked as if nothing was odd, Calleb was already on his way to Hope''s room, where he knew Raine and Torak went to see her.


    Apparently something happened to her.


    "Sweety, I will call you again, okay?" Calleb spoke after Rossie finished saying her reply.


    "What happened?" Rossie asked with worry laced in her voice, but then Calleb chuckled lightly to let her know that nothing bad had happened on his end.


    "I will check something and I will call you again," Calleb said and ended the call after Rossie said ''be careful.''


    Just like the Donovans, Calleb was not in the city to fight the creatures from hell, leading the other warriors, but he stayed inside this building like a castle on the top of the hill, since he couldn''t fight without his beast, so couldn''t Ethan.


    The young lycan had been very furious and frustrated because he wanted to help in the war, but it would only be a suicide for him if he did so when he couldn''t shift into his beast. The least that he could do was help Calleb with his tasks, but right now he was on the other side of this building.


    Therefore, it was Jack, the newly pointed Gamma, who led the warriors to fight in the city along with a few Alphas from both Torak and Jedrek''s packs. Some of Kace''s friends were helping them too.


    Calleb hastened his steps when he heard Torak yelling at someone from inside the room. From the sound of it alone, he knew that something must have happened to Raine.


    "What happened?!" Calleb opened the door, no, he almost toppled it down when he walked inside the room and found that Raine had fell unconscious with a panicking Torak holding her close to him.


    The white beast shifted back and Kace ran toward Torak with Sybil and Belinda crowding him.


    No, not Raine too¡­


    ==============


    "You know what is that?" Lilac asked, with a worried expression when she finished listening to Hope''s explanation about Raine''s strange dark aura, which was almost the same like what she saw around the people in the city.


    "No," Hope said sadly. "I don''t know what possessed her, but I am afraid she might turn into something like those people."


    Lilac gritted her teeth, though Raine didn''t show any indication that she would go feral and out of her mind like those people, but it was clear to see that she acted out of her character during the quarrel between Torak and Kace a week ago.


    "We need to find the dwarf," Lilac stated in a murmuring tone, she was worried about Raine. The heaping number of problems on their plates were already enough, no need to add one more to it. "In order to do so, I think we should wake up, right?" She looked at Hope with curious eyes. "You can bring us back, right?"


    Hope smiled cheekily. "I think I have another way which was much easier," she said in a secretive tone. "After all, I want to let our mates feel a little bit more anxious, what do you think?"


    Hope was always full of tricks and she loved how Kace would turn everything upside down worrying over her, she liked it when she got all his attention, though it was not the time for something childish like that, but she could pass it off as a ''punishment'' because they had done something atrocious and whatever they pleased without talking to them.


    Lilac laughed alongside with her, it was not that she wanted to give Jedrek a heart attack because she fell unconscious all of a sudden.


    Well, half of her reason was that, but the main thing was; she wanted to be here for a little bit longer, the warm atmosphere here was very pleasant and was in complete contrary to the dark atmosphere that had hung over them for days by now.


    It gave a positive vibe and made her able to think calmly.


    But, the most important feeling was; it gave her a new hope to live through this stressful situation.


    Kace was very right to name her Hope. She was indeed a hope.


    "I like the idea," Lilac said and let Hope guide them elsewhere.


    ==============


    Raine felt a breeze of wind caressing her face as her hair fluttered freely, she thought she was sleeping inside her room like usual, until the last memory about Serefina flooded her mind causing her to open her eyes abruptly.


    The first thing that she saw was a vast land of sands¡­ it seemed like she was in a desert.


    "What¡­?" she abruptly sat down and looked around her, though it was slightly dark and no harsh sun was blazing over her head at this moment, but Raine was sure she had been in this place before.


    No, actually this would be her third time being here.


    Serefina called this place as the land of the God, but the guardian angels from the past would call this the desert of no return. However, Raine had her own impression of this place, whatever she was here for might be, she could conclude one thing for sure; she had jumped the time again.


    "Familiar with this place?"


    Raine whipped her head upon hearing her voice and just like what she had guessed, it was the witch, who was talking to her.


    "You?" Raine squinted her eyes when she watched Serefina, who was standing not too far from her, folding her arms arrogantly.


    It was so strange that Raine didn''t feel irritated by her behavior, instead she was absorbed with the thought when they met for the first time. Serefina didn''t change at all; her snarky comments and her harsh attitude, but for some strange reasons, Raine missed those days.


    It looked more peaceful than what they had to face now.

 Chapter 955 - I CAN DO AS I PLEASE

    "Go on then!"


    "Right!"


    "No, listen to me!"


    "We are going to wedge them in! That''s what we do! From this side and that side, we just wedge them in!"


    "¡­And squeeze them out!"


    "Wedge them in?! Is that your plan?!"


    That was the quarrel Dmitri heard the moment he entered the meeting room. It went without saying that his people were arguing about nothing again, forgetting that he was the leader here.


    The hierarchy for the vampires was a little bit different from the pack for the lycanthropes and werewolves, they couldn''t subdue those vampires with their Alpha''s tone, instead of that, those vampires must be subjected to fear, only then could they be put in order.


    "Shut up!"


    "Stop!"


    Dmitri slammed opened the door and let his presence stop the fight between his people.


    "WHAT NOW!?" He roared in anger, glaring at them one by one.


    Inside this room were five leaders of five different vampire clans, who were throwing snarky remarks toward each other and was about to tear one another apart.


    The two vampires, who just quarreled a moment ago, lowered their heads and glanced at Dmitri in ashamed before one of them informed him.


    "We have found the sanctuary of those lycans, we should attack them now!" the vampire named Xerxes roared. "We can attack them and kill their mates, the same thing that they had been doing to many shifters all this while!"


    They just got information about the sanctuary of the lycanthropes in one of the property of the earth dragon shifters, from what they heard, inside that building, were important people kept under protection of some lycan warriors.


    The mates of lycan warriors.


    Though they were apart, but the lycans would feel it when they lost their mates and it would be a great disadvantage to them along with the chaotic situation that they had to face since the humans now were aware of the non- human existence.


    "No!" the other vampire, named Lhogos retorted. "We should wait for the devils, it will be easier for us to wipe them out if those devils made their move on them first!"


    "Beelzebub is not here!" Xerxes bit back. "She was gone for a long time and I am tired of waiting!"


    Since the fight in the forest of the northern coven realm, when they fought the youngest sibling of the Donovans and was defeated, Beelzebub went to the other realm to chase her prey and had not come back until now.


    The devil woman had joined her fellow devils and busied herself with annoying the crap out of the lycanthropes.


    Actually, it was a good thing, but the vampires and the witches from the northern coven realm wanted to taste the victory over the lycanthropes too.


    "We must annihilate their entire race!" Xerxes yelled, which was supported by the other two vampires behind him. "We shouldn''t rest until we have destroyed their final sanctuary!"


    And Dmitri really considered those options. He had grown tired of waiting for Beelzebub to come too¡­ maybe this was time for them to make their own decisions. After all, they should rule their own kind and shouldn''t let other creatures to mind their business too much.


    ==============


    "You?" Raine squinted her eyes when she watched Serefina, who was standing not too far from her, folding her arms arrogantly. "What do you want now? Why did you bring me here?"


    "Why? To reminisce old times?" Serefina raised her eyebrows and looked at Raine with a boring gaze. "Move your body and follow me."


    Raine was about to ask how she could stop the time when they were inside Hope''s room, but then she remembered that Serefina was able to master the power of the three guardian angels, not only her, but the devils too, though they had not used it yet.


    Raine gritted her teeth upon learning that fact.


    Along with that realization, she also realized something else. There was this one time when the time stopped even though Raine did nothing to result in it, so it must be Serefina, right?


    "Where are you taking me?" Raine followed her reluctantly, since she didn''t want to be in this desert alone.


    "Stop complaining and just follow me," Serefina grumbled, and it was just like replaying the old days again.


    "I will not move an inch if you don''t tell me where you want to take me," Raine said stubbornly as she stopped walking before folding her arms in front of her chest.


    The witch turned around and glared at her, she looked like she was about to lash out, but for some reason she held back her sharp tongue and talked rigidly.


    "Time is a very dangerous thing. You can''t play with it," she said.


    "What do you mean?" Raine frowned, she didn''t expect to get a lecture from her, because all she needed now was an explanation.


    "I see you already tap into your power now," Serefina replied. "And I remember that I have told you that I will train you to control it."


    Raine squinted her eyes dangerously. "I don''t need a traitor to teach me anything."


    Serefina chuckled upon hearing that. "I will give you one or two lessons then, if you don''t want me to train you." She smirked viciously. "It doesn''t seem like you can refuse what I have to give to you."


    "I want to go back. Now," Raine replied. If Serefina only wanted to torture her, she didn''t want to follow this witch anywhere.


    "You are welcomed to leave," Serefina said, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "If you can," she added.


    Raine was silent for a moment, as if she was concentrating on something, but with each passing minute, the crease between her brows only deepened.


    "Why are you still here? I thought you want to go immediately?" she asked tauntingly.


    "What did you do to me?" Raine didn''t feel like herself and she was not able to tap into her power.


    "You are nothing but a soul under my mercy, Raine, and this realm is mine. I can do as I please." Serefina used Hope''s power on her and brought Raine''s soul to travel back to the past.

 Chapter 956 - I CAN DO AS I PLEASE (2)

    "Hey, wake up¡­" Hope nudged Nutdrouk body lightly with the tip of her toe when the dwarf didn''t wake up even after they had waited for some time.


    "I don''t believe that you can do something like this," Lilac said as she watched the soundly sleeping dwarf, in this realm belonged to Hope, but then she was also called here by Hope, yet why wouldn''t Nutdrouk wake up? It had already been quite some time, hadn''t it? "Why do you think he wasn''t waking up?"


    Hope frowned. She was sure that she had done it right, but why was this soul being super stubborn to the point he didn''t even want to open his eyes. "I don''t know."


    After Hope said that, Lilac kicked the dwarf a little bit harder, until his small body rolled over, only then did they hear a cry from the dwarf.


    "You can''t kick me like that! You insolent girls!" he yelled at the two guardian angels, as he sat up and rubbed the side of his body that had just been kicked by Lilac.


    As it turned out, Nutdrouk was awake from the moment he arrived in this place. He just couldn''t believe what Serefina said was true. These girls had managed to bring his soul to this strange place, but it still pissed him off because he couldn''t escape or teleport himself out of this realm that belonged to Hope.


    "Where am I?" Nutdrouk grumbled, looking around him. However, he could see nothing but white. He knew the reason, but somehow he just needed the answer straight from Hope, so he could be sure about what Serefina had told him.


    "Technically, you are still in the same place, where the last time you were still conscious. I only invited your soul here." Hope used the word ''invited'' to smoothen the harsh way she forced him to come.


    Yet, Nutdrouk corrected her choice of words immediately. "This is not an invitation, this is literally kidnapping," he grumbled.


    "Whatever you say," Hope replied, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "Now, tell me¡­" she suddenly crouched down and stared at the dwarf, forcing Nutdrouk to crawl away from her, as if she was some kind of disease.


    Nutdrouk hated it when he felt helpless and that was clearly his state now, being vulnerable in this unknown realm.


    "Tell you what?" he asked defensively.


    "What happened to Raine?" Hope asked him. "Raine told me what you told her, which is her being a tainted guardian angel, and her soul was not as pure as it looks. What does that mean?"


    Nutdrouk had expected this kind of question, well that witch had already given a heads up about it¡­ however, he didn''t want to tell them right away.


    "Fine! I will tell you,onlyafter you guarantee that I will go out of this realm as soon as I answer that," Nutdrouk said.


    "Okay." Hope didn''t have a problem with that.


    "And one more thing," Nutdrouk added.


    "What now?" this time, it was Lilac, who was crouching down beside Hope. "You are asking too much, don''t you think so?"


    "Hey! This is me, asking for her to fulfill her promise to Lidya," Nutdrouk retorted in annoyance.


    "What promise?" Lilac turned to look at Hope.


    At first, Hope was confused, but then she remembered what she had promised Lidya. "Ah!"


    "What is it?" Lilac asked worriedly. "What did you promise to the witch?"


    Hope looked at Lilac, grimacing. That promise was made in a time of rush and she planned to trick her, but it seemed she couldn''t avoid it any longer.


    "I promised to give her my blood willingly," she said in an apologetic tone, as though she had done something bad. Or, maybe it was a wrong decision.


    "You promised what?" Lilac raised her brows. "You know that it was very crucial for us to get our blood drawn, right?"


    Hope grimaced. "Well, I didn''t think that far at the time I promised her, and the situation was a little bit urgent¡­" Then she looked at Nutdrouk. "But, you need to tell Lidya to come and get it from me herself," she said.


    After all, they couldn''t draw her blood here.


    "No problem, I will tell her this," Nutdrouk said lightly.


    Lilac could only sigh before she turned her attention onto the dwarf again. "So, what do you know about Raine''s condition that we don''t know about?" she asked.


    ==============


    "Why are we here?" Raine looked around her when she found herself in yet another familiar place.


    They were no longer in the desert, but now they were surrounded by rows after rows of blue flowers that bloomed to the fullest. It was beautiful to see.


    Though it was Raine''s second time to be here, but she was still astonished to see such scenery, in spite of the fact the dark gloomy cloud hanging low in the sky. It seemed this place also shared the same sky. Were they in the current time? Raine couldn''t tell, she lost track of time, despite it was her gift.


    "To train," Serefina said in a matter of fact tone.


    Raine narrowed her eyes at the witch, whatever training that she was talking about, it wouldn''t be a pleasant experience, especially when even Hope was not sure, which side the witch had taken.


    "Which side are you now?" Raine blurted out the question that she desperately needed an answer for. It wasn''t just her, but also some people that were close to Serefina were pondering over this. "Have you been deceiving the devils to help us?"


    Raine hoped Serefina would nod her pretty head, if she did so, she would believe her unquestionably.


    It was true that her hard- approach attitude and rude behavior was such a pain to deal with, but people closer to her would feel like something was amiss without it.


    Serefina would give those three Donovans a few earfuls if she knew what they had done about the war. Just like how she disobeyed Torak''s order when he told her to not tell Raine about his condition a long time ago, when Torak''s human side was very weak and his beast took over.


    The witch would always find a way to do what she thought was right, despite her method being unpleasant to be followed sometimes.

 Chapter 957 - BROKEN ANGEL

    "It doesn''t matter which side I am on, because it''s not like you will not understand it either," she said, underestimating her.


    Raine squinted her eyes at the witch. She was far too familiar with her methods to know that her words weren''t really mean like how they sounded.


    Sometimes, Raine felt that Serefina just threw sharp comments and acted like she didn''t care or behaved rudely was actually to protect herself from the outsiders, so no one would know her true intentions.


    The witch kept other people within her arms'' length, emotionally, thus no one would realize what she felt, since she didn''t want to feel vulnerable and bare her heart.


    However, Raine had passed all of that and she was an observant type, someone who would look through her thick fa?ade and now, she saw the witch doing it again; hiding her feelings by talking rudely.


    Why did she keep doing this?


    But, it was understandable¡­ sometimes, people would build a high wall, to protect themselves from other people feelings, so no one could hurt them, in Serefina''s case, she did everything to build that wall over the last few centuries, and now, no one knew how high or thick the wall that she had built around herself.


    Raine then sighed, and changed her question since Serefina wouldn''t answer her previous one. "Will this do me any good? I mean for the war that''s going to happen."


    Serefina stared at Raine for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders. "Depends on how your thick head will comprehend all the things that I told you."


    Raine closed her eyes, though she could understand a little bit about her, but to be treated this way, still required a lot of effort to maintain one''s patience.


    "Tell me what you want to show me then," Raine said, gritting her teeth.


    For a moment, the witch didn''t answer her question, she just sized her up and down, seemingly weighing her options before trying to find the right thing to do with this guardian angel.


    Raine was different from the other two guardian angels. She lived among humans longer than Lilac or Hope.


    Since Lilac was under the care of the moon goddess herself and Hope was her responsibility to take care of, the two of them didn''t experience many things like what Raine had been through.


    She was broken and battered emotionally when Torak found her, not to mention about the influence of the shadow warrior that fixed his eyes on her, it affected her greatly, just like how Torak affected Rainer, causing her to move to the other state in order to stable her strength.


    Not only that, Raine had been touched by the devils'' creatures since she was very young. The two creatures that had killed her parents, Belphegor, who had laid his hands on her, and even kissed her¡­


    And not to forget about those devilish creatures that were attracted by her scent and were trying to have her.


    Actually, from the time she was at least eight year old kid, she had been encountered by many dark creatures that she couldn''t even remember about.


    If it was not because of Aeon''s protection from the shadows, the damage on Raine would be more complicated than this. That was also the reason why Serefina had a hard time to find Raine before Torak did.


    The shadow warrior had been protecting her from being noticed and in this case, apparently, they should thank the shadow warrior for this¡­


    This was why Nutdrouk said her soul was tainted and she was not as pure as the other guardian angels.


    "Your fear," Serefina finally said. She could see a flash of emotion from behind Raine''s dark eyes. The guardian angel felt uneasy when she heard that.


    In spite of the fact that she was no longer timid like how she used to be in the past, but it didn''t mean she had healed completely, Raine just managed to suppress her own fears, but never faced them. It was totally a different thing.


    Lilac faced her fear to be with Jedrek and Hope faced her fear by finding Kace''s innerself, but Raine¡­ she had too many fears for her disadvantage.


    The devils would use it and the moment they did that, Raine would be doomed.


    Therefore, here they were.


    "What kind of fear do you mean?" Raine looked at Serefina, uneasiness was palpable in her eyes.


    "Any kind of fear that you have been trying to hide." The witch stretched out her hand to touch Raine.


    "How?" Raine watched as Serefina''s hand touched her shoulder, she was reluctant about her gesture, but as if she was being hypnotized, she couldn''t move her body at her will.


    "To face them all," Serefina said lightly and then Raine was forced to close her eyes as the blue flowers around her disappeared from her sight.


    It was true about the statement that said; you will never heal if you are still pretending that you are not hurt.


    ==============


    "What actually had happened to her?" Hope asked Nutdrouk when he explained why he told Raine that she was not as pure as she thought.


    "I don''t know," Nutdrouk said, seemingly not interested in talking about Raine''s past. "Many things had happened to her, I guess that those caused the other guardian angel to look sorrowful."


    That and the strange weather, which left every heart feeling more depressed. It only added to the dark soul in Raine''s heart as if adding salt on a wound.


    Therefore, while staying in Reika made others to to feel uneasy because the weather affected them, it drew a much stronger response from Raine.


    "So, where is she now?" Lilac asked worriedly.


    "She¡­" Nutdrouk lamented and then looked at the other side of this white place, as if he could see some answer there. "I think she is facing the ghosts from her past now¡­"


    "What if she couldn''t handle it?" Lilac asked again.


    "Then, she couldn''t come back, what is good to have a broken angel?" Nutdrouk said offhandedly.

 Chapter 958 - LOOK MORE A DEVIL THAN AN ANGEL

    "To face them all," Serefina said lightly and when Raine was forced to close her eyes because of the blinding light, the blue flowers around her disappeared from her sight.


    The moment the light was slightly dimmed, Raine opened her eyes again and was greeted with yet another scenery that was on full display before her eyes.


    Her first reaction was frowning. After all, the warm light of the sun shone brightly on her and turned the air surrounding them slightly humid.


    "What?" Raine murmured. "Where are we?" Or, more precisely, what era did Serefina had brought her to? Because it had been weeks since the last time Raine saw the sun shining brightly in the sky.


    However now, it looked like everything was normal, so the only explanation was; she was brought back to the time before the devils turned everything upside-down, including the weather.


    Raine looked around her, but she couldn''t find Serefina, yet she noticed that she was in a park, where many families had brought their children.


    All she could see now was smiling faces.


    "Serefina!" Raine called out for the witch.


    "It all started from here, right?" Serefina''s voice could be heard from behind her, as she stepped forward and stood beside Raine all of a sudden.


    "Where are we?" Raine squinted her eyes, extremely suspicious of this witch.


    "Don''t you remember?" Serefina asked in a low voice, but her green lime eyes were focused onto something ahead of her.


    "Remember what?" Raine tried to study the witch''s expression, but just like her many previous attempts, she had failed in doing so yet again.


    "There," Serefina said, as she nodded her head at something in front of her.


    Frowning, Raine followed the witch''s line of sight and saw something that made her eyes well up with tears.


    "No way," she whispered in disbelief.


    In front of her, she saw the younger version of herself, being carried by her father, and her mother was walking beside him, happy smiles blossomed on their faces, while the little girl was sleeping with her head resting on the man''s shoulder.


    Raine didn''t remember this, but judging from her age at this moment of time, maybe she was too young to remember anything.


    But, no matter what, this must be the happiest memory of her life.


    Out of instinct, Raine was about to walk toward them, but Serefina held her shoulder firmly, stopping her feet from bringing her to her family.


    "What?" Raine asked her impatiently. She didn''t want to be stopped now, she wanted to meet her parents, memories of them had long been blurred in her mind, Raine was ashamed to admit that she had forgotten about how they looked like, but seeing them now, instantly flooded all the memories from the past in her head and the longing feeling that she was feeling now was unbearable.


    "You are the guardian angel of time," Serefina said in a calm, but clear voice. It was strange for her to act like this, even so she did now. "And time is a very dangerous thing."


    "What do you mean? Just tell me already, what do you want?" Raine''s patience was already running low.


    Serefina didn''t answer Raine immediately, but she looked at her with a gaze that was difficult to decipher before she finally said, "you can change everything here. Save your family or whatever you want."


    "Really?" Raine raised her brows, she didn''t believe what she heard. Of course, if she was given a chance to save them, she would do so.


    "But, it will change the future too," Serefina added. She released Raine''s shoulder when she was sure that she wouldn''t go. "Sometimes, it will be a good thing, but sometimes it can be worse than what you can even imagine. Just remember, everything happened for a reason and you have to face it.


    "You have to face your fears by not changing anything in the past, as it would affect the future. Only by doing this, you will understand why you had gone through all of that and free yourself from whatever scared you of or your regrets, only then can you return."


    But, just before Serefina''s figure faded away completely right before Raine''s eyes, she added a little bit more.


    "You can also stay here if you like, but you know better than me that this is your past. Don''t dwell in your past too much."


    After saying that, Serefina left her alone.


    At this point, Raine was all alone to make her own decision. At the same time, she felt like her life with Torak was a million years away from here, something unreal, as if she was dreaming about that life.


    And it was the life before her eyes that felt more tempting to live.


    The life with her happy small family¡­


    ==============


    "Broken angel?" Lilac frowned. "What do you mean by that?"


    "You know that she has lived a far too different life from the two of you, with a mental trauma that she had to overcome. It was crucial for a guardian angel." Nutdrouk touched his chest, right at his heart. "The heart of guardian angel should be pure. But, she is tainted."


    "I don''t think my heart is pure¡­" Hope murmured, she knew that she was not a saint, there was no way that her heart was pure.


    However, the dwarf threw her a glare. "Of course, you three are not pure guardian angels, after all you are born as humans, with human emotions. But, Raine''s case is different."


    That was one of the reasons why Serefina had to bring her away from Torak''s pack a long time ago.


    "I have told you everything, now let''s go back to the real world." Nutdrouk patted his pants, even though there was no way for dust to acc.u.mulate in a place like this, and stood up. "Don''t forget your promise, your blood. Lydia had been waiting for that."


    Hope grimaced.


    "What will you do with that blood?" Lilac stood up and stared down at the dwarf. "If you caused any more trouble with it, no matter how far you hide away, I will chase you down. Remember that."


    Nutdrouk took a step back. "You look more like a devil than an angel."

 Chapter 959 - EDDARD IS THERE TOO

    It had been three days since the guardian angels had fell unconscious one after the other and no one knew why.


    No.


    Actually, Kace said something like; ''they will wake up when they feel like it,'' and something like; ''Hope said she needed to do something.''


    However, whatever Hope wanted to do, it was her business and had nothing to do with Raine or Lilac, right? So, why didn''t the two of them still regain their consciousness? It didn''t any make sense at all!


    Jedrek spent most of his time accompanying Lilac, sitting beside her bed with the look of someone who had been waiting for his final verdict, while Torak wasn''t really any different from him.


    It was only Kace, who could still function properly. He managed to give an order to their fellow lycanthropes and planned a strategy to lessen the casualties, though it didn''t solve the main problem, since they were not only fighting the devils, but also humans and vampires, at the same time too.


    It would be hard for them to keep up with their initial plan; to prolong the war until they could find a solution.


    At this point, he finally realized that maybe what Hope said was right. They shouldn''t be blinded by their impulsiveness and hid this fact from the guardian angels.


    After all, this was the purpose of their resurrection.


    And if Selene, the moon goddess, could bring them back from extinction of their entire race, it should be not a big deal for the said goddess to bring them back from their death, right?


    It gave a little hope to Kace, as he realized Hope''s words made more sense than their rushed plan.


    All they have to do was to talk about it with their mates and found a solution together. However, it was impossible to discuss this with Jedrek and Torak now. His elder brothers were too tensed to hear something like this and it wouldn''t end up good for Kace too if he pushed them too far with this idea when their mates were not even able to speak a word.


    Yet, in spite of the fact that the younger Donovan indeed believed that Hope would come after whatever things that she was doing now, still spending these past seven days without any progress in their condition left him perplexed.


    Kace started to look a little bit restless when his mate didn''t show any sign of waking up any soon.


    Thus, here he was¡­ sitting beside Hope''s bed like what Jedrek and Torak were doing for the past few days. Whispering sweet nothings in to Hope''s ears, as if she could hear him¡­ maybe she could.


    Coaxing her to open her eyes.


    "Ehem."


    Someone cleared their throat purposely to get his attention and this made Kace frown as he noticed Calleb, who was standing at the door.


    Since when was he standing there?


    "What?" Kace asked sharply and leaned back from Hope and watched as Calleb walked into the room casually.


    "I want to talk about the matter regarding the red river city," Calleb said. Because he couldn''t shift into his beast yet, he was in charge of whatever happened here, especially since the guardian angels fell unconscious all of a sudden.


    "You can talk to Torak," Kace grumbled. He couldn''t believe it that he took all the responsibility for the upcoming war while his elder brothers didn''t even mind anything at the moment.


    He would have laughed out loud if someone told him something like this would happen years ago, since Kace didn''t have the tiniest bit of intention to take responsibility over giving a command to others, he wouldn''t even consider bossing around a single soul, but now¡­ here he was¡­ replacing his two brothers and letting the burden of thousand hundreds of lives of shifters fall on his shoulders.


    Great¡­


    "You know how he is now," Calleb sighed, as he got a chair for him to sit down beside Hope''s bed, on which Kace cradled Hope''s head in his arms. "Talking to a wall is much better than talking to him."


    "You are free to do that," Kace responded offhandedly. He didn''t feel like he wanted to talk now. "There are many walls here," he said.


    "Funny," Calleb commented dryly. "Listen." He straightened his back. "I got some information about the situation in the red river city."


    "Humans?" Kace asked and glanced at Calleb for a second before he returned his attention toward Hope.


    "Yes, Humans." Calleb nodded. "But, this time, the vampires and the spell-casters from the northern coven realm also started to make their move."


    Kace clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Let those creatures kill each other and we will deal with the one who won in the end."


    Humans with their advance technology and the vampires with their mortality, if they were in a different situation, it would be fun to see which side would win over the other.


    However, Kace was not in the state to enjoy the situation.


    "No, I think that will not be the case¡­" Calleb looked hesitant to tell this, he contemplated for a little bit longer and Kace let him take as long as he needed. "Our people said, their movement is slightly suspicious."


    "Suspicious?" Kace raised his eyebrows at the Beta. "Do you really think they will announce their movements in broadcast stations?" he asked in disbelief, of course they would move suspiciously, secretively and as quietly as possible. What else did Calleb expect from the vampires?


    Upon hearing Kace''s snarky comment, Calleb rolled his eyes and hardened his tone. "They moved toward Abursque city," he said sternly.


    Abursque city was the place where one of the castles of the dragon lord located, the same place they used as their last sanctuary.


    But, more important than anything was; Rossie was there.


    "If all the vampires and the spell-casters planned to attack that place at the same time, we don''t have enough men to hold them back."


    Kace looked contemplating, but Calleb pressed this matter, there was no way he would let something happen to Rossie, ignoring the fact that Kace wouldn''t care much about her, still there was someone about whom Kace would absolutely care for¡­


    "Eddard, Lana''s son is there too¡­" Calleb said.

 Chapter 960 - IN THAT CASE, YOU HAVE TO HELP ME

    Upon hearing that, Kace gritted his teeth. He could care less about those people that he just knew by name, but how could he let something happen to Lana''s son? Moreover he had not even seen the baby yet, since he was busy handling things regarding the war after the massacre.


    Kace couldn''t do anything for her when she needed help the most and she had to leave like that, under such disturbing circ.u.mstances.


    It was not completely Torak''s fault either, no one could be blamed fully for that disaster. However, it was all different from what they had been doing to their own people now, in order to keep their mate''s safe. Though it sounded right for them to do so, their conscience still told them that they were starting to lose their minds for actually doing that to their own people.


    They shouldn''t do it, but it was just¡­ they couldn''t help it. Their fear of losing their mates was far greater than their conscience''s reminders which wouldn''t stop echoing inside their heads.


    "Eddard, Lana''s son, is there too. If something happen like the vampires did attack that place, I don''t think that with the number of warriors we left there it will be possible to hold the situation." Calleb watched as Kace''s expression changed and he knew he had said the right thing. "It will be a slaughter."


    However, despite all the emotions that flashed on Kace''s face, he didn''t tell him anything as an answer to the Beta''s question about what they had to do, or what they should do about them, yet.


    Seeing that Kace didn''t seem to speak any soon, Calleb sighed and resigned himself. He stood up and was about to leave the room, but before that, he turned around and faced Kace.


    "My mate is taking care of Eddard there, though I will not be able to do anything in my current situation, just like you, I too want to be with my mate if you chose not to do anything about it." Calleb shrugged his shoulders. "I just want you to know."


    It was almost as if Calleb said that he wouldn''t listen to whatever order that he would receive from the Donovans if it was not about rescuing the people in that place, to rescue his mate, Rossie¡­


    Even if did not make any sense just as it sounded, Calleb knew that he would do that, ignore the Alpha''s order if he had to. Since he couldn''t feel his beast, it would be easier to disobey them, right?


    Calleb''s decision was crazy, but so was the Donovans''. And the Beta just wanted what the three of them wanted¡­


    Be with his mate¡­


    However, before Calleb could leave the room, Kace spoke in a deep and clear voice, "Gather all the Alphas." Calleb was about to sigh in relief when he heard Kace next words.


    "And tell my brothers to come too."


    "You know they will not come."


    "I will kick their a**, if they don''t."


    Calleb raised his brows. "Really?" he asked doubtfully.


    And then he saw a smirk at the corner of Kace''s lips for the first time, since the beginning of these hellish days, since the guardian angels fell unconscious. "However, you have to help me."


    Calleb chuckled lightly along with Kace, and they knew everything would be all right if they executed their little thought right. "I don''t think I will be much of help, though."


    ==============


    Bree walked into the dungeon after confirming that the lycan warriors weren''t paying any attention to her, after all, she was just a little girl and no one would think that she would sneak around in this place.


    After that, Bree walked down the stairs and found the prison cells, where they held Lord Bayle captive.


    She knew that she shouldn''t be here and she would get herself into trouble if someone saw her here, but she couldn''t help it.


    The little girl bowed down to her own curiosity which got the best of her and given to that tender age of hers, she had less considerations about the predicament she might land into, if she met with the fire dragon lord without anyone''s knowledge


    Bree didn''t know why but her curiosity was piqued ever since she saw the dragon lord.


    "What are you doing here again, little girl?" A hoarse and harsh voice from one of the prison cells could be heard and Bree knew that voice belonged to the dragon lord.


    "Playing," Bree answered and then she stood in front of Lord Bayle''s cell. She stood as far as she could from that cell, but not too far enough, so she could still see the dragon lord who was sitting down on the cold ground, leaning his back against the wall. "You look old," she said without any particular meaning, she just told him what she saw.


    The chuckle from Lord Bayle echoed through the walls when he heard the little girl''s innocent confession.


    "I think I should thank that guardian angel for giving me this appearance," he said. "Now, what are you doing here?"


    "Playing," Bree repeated her answer, kicking the pebble beneath her feet lightly.


    "You are playing here every day?" Lord Bayle raised his head and moved closer to the bars, where he could see the little girl more clearly.


    At first, the dragon lord thought Bree would run away, since his current look was something that could even chase away the ghosts, but his guess was wrong; the little girl just looked at him with curiosity. But no fear.


    Interesting.


    Lord Bayle grabbed the bars and pressed his face close to it, staring at Bree. "What do you want sweety pie? What actually brought you here?"


    Bree blinked her eyes, but didn''t speak for a whole minute, before she finally decided to open her mouth. "Are you a dragon shifter?"


    Lord Bayle chuckled and spoke hoarsely, yet there was a sense of pride when he answered her back. "Yes. From the royal family," he said proudly.


    "Can you shift into your beast? I want to see how a dragon looks like," Bree said, her eyes shone expectantly.


    However, before she could hear the lord Bayle''s response, they heard some commotion from the floor above, through the door that was left open.

 Chapter 961 - I WANT TO BE WITH MY MATE

    "What is that?" Bree''s whisper-screamed at no one in particular, since she was too shocked to hear the sudden commotion.


    "They are here," Lord Bayle said, a smirk appeared at the corner of his lips and his dull eyes shone brightly in this dimly lit room. "Finally, they are here!" If it was not because that he was too weak in this old body of his, Lord Bayle would jump and fist the air in thrill.


    He looked like someone, who had lost his mind just because of a sudden burst of excitement.


    Bree''s eyebrows shot up and she found herself staring at the dragon lord behind standing the bars, not able to understand what he said, but whatever he meant didn''t sound really good for her. She could clearly see that in his vicious smile.


    "What do you mean by that?" Bree asked, but she heard someone calling her name, Rossie. From the sound of it, it seemed something important had happened.


    "You all will be doomed now," Lord Bayle chuckled in an eerie tone, coupled with his appearance now, he looked utterly creepy.


    Therefore, Bree didn''t want to stay with this old man any longer as she felt an sudden urge to be with Rossie, all of her strange curiosity toward this dragon lord disappeared completely, but before she could leave that place, Lord Bayle stopped her by saying something that she couldn''t discern well.


    "You know little girl, our kind can recognize one another, stay here and maybe we can figure out, who you actually are," Lord Bayle said, he didn''t laugh anymore, but tilted his head, staring at Bree with interest.


    However, Bree didn''t heed his offer and chose to leave that dungeon.


    ==============


    Torak and Jedrek looked under the weather and dark when they entered the room, where many Alphas had been waiting for them with Kace sitting as the head of the table, leading the meeting.


    "We can''t send our people there," Alpha Ralph spoke in disagreement. "We need more people here."


    That was what Torak and Jedrek heard the moment they entered the room and it seemed half of the people in this room, didn''t agree with whatever idea that Kace had thrown on to the table.


    Jedrek narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly when the other Alphas greeted him and Torak, before the two of them proceeded to sit down on the chairs beside Kace''s.


    "No, actually there is a way to end this war." Kace''s voice was neither loud nor strict, but it was enough to make the other Alphas and the dragon lords, Theseus and Stephan, hold back their tongues and listen to him.


    Not only them, even Jedrek and Torak looked at their brother sharply. He wouldn''t dare say it in front of all these people, right?


    After all, it was the life of his mate that was on stake if he indeed decided to reveal what they knew about how to end this war.


    Moreover, no one could say that method would succeed, though Lilac had said it that was the most necessary thing to do, but they just didn''t want to believe it.


    How could they stand by and watch their mates die? That idea didn''t settle well with them and they didn''t even want to start thinking about it.


    They just don''t want to.


    However, Kace proved that their suspicion was right when he spoke the next words.


    "We know how to end this and this is the plan that we will talk about now," Kace said firmly, his voice laced with determination, he didn''t even falter under the hard gazes that Jedrek and Torak giving to him.


    Since when did his younger brother turn like this? Wasn''t it him, who was always avoiding any chance to take the lead or speak directly like this? Didn''t he know the consequences of his words?


    "Kace!" Torak opened his mouth to prevent him from talking any further.


    On the other hand, Jedrek shifted his attention to the other people inside the room before he spoke grimly. "Leave us now."


    Lyrus and Calleb looked at each other, as they knew the truth along with what Kace wanted to say. However, they couldn''t ignore their Alpha''s order.


    Yet, the two of them remained standing there and didn''t even move an inch, even when all the people went out of the room.


    "What are you waiting for?" Torak glared at Calleb and Lyrus. "Don''t you hear our command to leave the room?" he narrowed his eyes.


    However, Calleb sighed and looked at Kace instead, as if waiting for his approval to leave the room and this kind of gesture only irritated the Alpha further.


    "Are you taking Kace''s orders now?" Torak said in a deep voice, he was not in his right mind and mood at the moment, thus Calleb''s defiance only piqued him.


    "Torak, you know that is not what I mean," Calleb said, he didn''t know what the right thing to say or how to calm Torak down, because that was something what Raphael could do, just like he always did in the past. Therefore, the only thing that he could do now, was to tell him what was inside his head.


    "Then leave the room," Torak said through gritted teeth.


    "Torak, you promised me the safety of my mate, not only my mate, there is Raphael''s son also there." He could see Torak''s clenched jaw tighten further. "With you being like this had made things turn even worse than they already were, and if you still refuse to make a different plan, I don''t think Raine and Lilac will ever forgive the two of you even if you can keep them alive."


    "Shut up!" Jedrek roared. He knew what Calleb said was right, that was why he was angry because he said it out loud. It only made them feel worse. He knew Lilac wouldn''t forgive him if he continued his craziness.


    Jedrek realized, so did Torak¡­


    "Alpha, I am truly apologetic." Calleb slightly bowed his head. "But, if you keep doing things like this, I think you will understand my decision. Just like you, I too want to be with my mate."

 Chapter 962 - THEY ARE COMING

    Hurting their mate could considerably weaken a lycan, which was one of the reasons why it could be considered the fastest way to destroy a shifter and make him unable to fight


    This way, they wouldn''t function properly as they would be feeling devastated when the mate bond was torn apart. It would affect them and their beast greatly.


    Torak watched with dark expression when Calleb and Lyrus walked out of the room, leaving the three Donovans inside to discuss this matter among themselves.


    "Were you aware of the consequences?" Jedrek turned around to face Kace, his blue eyes had flickered into the color of red when he did that and there wasn''t anyone more terrifying than an angry lycan.


    However, Kace didn''t budge.


    A normal lycan would be trembling under Jedrek''s vicious gaze which was directed at him, but Kace was one of the Donovans, though he was not an Alpha or King, blood was thicker than water. He was still one of them.


    "Were you even aware of what we have been doing these past two weeks?" Kace looked at his brother straight in his eyes. "Sacrificing our own people!"


    "To keep our mates alive!" Jedrek roared again. He refused to acknowledge his wrong doings. Even if it was wrong and he knew it. This was the only way he knew that could keep his mate alive.


    Jedrek didn''t care if he had to kill all of his people just to keep Lilac beside him, even if she resented him or harbored a grudge.


    He could think about it later.


    This was not the first time he did something out of his character for Lilac. Before, he was even willing to kneel down in front of the centaurs and devils, laid his pride to be trampled upon by them as he humbly lowered his head before his enemies, thus when he didn''t even care about his pride, what else wouldn''t he be willing to give up just to keep her alive?


    Jedrek wouldn''t agree with whatever nonsense that Kace wanted to say. He didn''t want to hear him say anything that could change his mind.


    "There will be a time when we can no longer sacrifice someone again, and what will we do when that time came?" Kace glared at Jedrek. "Watch those devils kill our mates right before our eyes?!"


    It was a fact, if they didn''t have any people to sacrifice anymore and it was too late for them to retaliate against those devils, as they didn''t have forces that were needed to fight alongside with them. What would they do?


    Even if they begged the devils to let their mates to be left alone and kill them instead, who could guarantee a promise from the devils?


    It was bound to happen now or later, if they left the situation like this.


    They would lose the guardian angels either way¡­


    But, the difference was; whether they fought for it and won the war, or let it happen and lose the war eventually¡­


    "The moon goddess had resurrected them when they went extinct," Kace said, he tried to make his point across. This was the same logic that Hope told him, Lilac would also say the same if she was given a chance to say it during her argumentation with Jedrek. "She can do it again this time, right?"


    Kace looked at Jedrek and then Torak, who had not yet said a word since their people left them alone inside the room.


    "Even if I have to wait for a few more centuries, I will do it," Kace said firmly. "But, if we lose this war, not even a million years of waiting could guarantee us a hope, to be with our mates again."


    ==============


    "Bree! Where have you been?!" Rossie hugged baby Eddard when she finally found Bree near the door of the dungeon. "Don''t tell me you went there again!"


    Rossie was in panic and it was apparent from the way she reprimanded the little girl, but Bree didn''t answer her question, though she was sure Rossie must have known that her accusation was right all along.


    "What happened out there?" Bree asked, she looked around and didn''t find any lycan warriors who were meant to guard the dungeon there.


    It wasn''t like this place was heavily guarded, because if that was the case, then Bree wouldn''t be able to sneak inside.


    "The vampires," Rossie breathed those two words, as her face paled. "They are coming here and the lycan warriors are trying to fend them off."


    For now, those vampires must be around fifteen minutes away from this building, but given the fact that they lack people and those vampires came at full force, it would be only a matter of time before they could reach this place and slaughter them all.


    "How could they find this place?" Rossie murmured and then flinched when she heard roars and snarls from afar.


    Meanwhile, Bree glanced at the door of the dungeon¡­


    It must be one of his plans¡­


    ==============


    Raine followed her parents into the park and watched how her younger version laughed when they played carousel.


    She didn''t remember this moment, but she knew that it was real, as real as it could be, because when Raine approached her mother, the woman smiled at her before she went away to give the sausage in her hand to her daughter.


    Raine was lost for words at that time¡­ she wanted to tell the woman that she was her daughter, but it would be ridiculous¡­


    However, Raine''s attention was distracted when she heard her younger version was crying while staring at something behind her father''s back in fear.


    The couple tried to calm the baby down, but her cries only became louder. Now, the mother was panicking while the father was trying to find the reason behind his daughter''s sudden crying, yet he failed to find it.


    On the other hand, Raine knew what actually made the baby cry, because she could also see it.


    Not too far from them, she watched as a Kanima approached the couple, tilting his head, curious about how the baby was able to see him in his beast''s form.

 Chapter 963 - THE END OF THE DARK TUNNEL

    Raine stared with widened eyes, as the kanima moved closer and the cries from the baby became louder.


    "No," Raine whispered in fear. What would happen to her? The kanima wouldn''t attack her, right? Because, if something happened to her in the past, there was no way she would be able to live now.


    But then, what would happen now? What did the Kanima want to do?


    Out of instinct, Raine moved forward to prevent the worse from happening.


    However, before she could walk any further, someone had already walked past her and approached the little girl with a blue cotton candy in his hand.


    Raine just caught a glimpse of his broad back, as he wore grey jacket and walked straight to the crying little girl.


    He talked something to Raine''s father and mother, and somehow whatever he said, made both of them laugh.


    Afterward, that man stretched out his hand to the little girl after he gave the blue cotton candy. Shyly, Raine''s younger version stretched out her hands and hugged his neck when she was being carried by him.


    That was the time when Raine looked at her younger self, their eyes met and Raine felt a rush of emotions that she couldn''t explain. What were they¡­


    It seemed, seeing yourself this way was not an occasion that would happen every day, that was why she didn''t know how to react when the girl waved her hand at her.


    However, the part that made Raine even more stunned was when the man turned around slightly and revealed his face.


    Raine gasped loudly and her hand flew to cover her mouth, preventing her from saying his name out loud.


    Aeon!


    It was Aeon!


    Impossible!


    Raine was flabbergasted when she realized this. She knew that Aeon had been protecting her since she was young.


    But, she didn''t know that he had been protecting her since such a young age. How old was she now? Two years old? Maybe, not even two years old?


    Raine''s attention then shifted to the Kanima and watched how the Kanima was strangled by his own shadow and then turned into a dark smoke when it died.


    Only then did Aeon return the baby in his arms and waved them goodbye, as he walked away.


    Raine followed the shadow warrior with her eyes and watched him disappear when no one noticed him.


    It seemed he wasn''t even aware that Raine was watching them since Aeon''s attention was solely on her younger version.


    For how long had he been doing this? And what else had he done for her?


    ==============


    Serefina opened her eyes and watched the white ceiling above her, before Lidya''s voice greeted her ears.


    "You have been out for days," Lidya said from beside her bed. "I thought you are dead, I was just thinking of burying you." She shrugged her shoulders when Serefina threw her a glare.


    "Where is Nutdrouk?" She ignored her question.


    Lidya didn''t answer her, but she glanced at something behind her shoulder, indicating for Serefina to see it herself.


    On the other bed inside the room, was the dwarf, with closely shut eyes as if he was sleeping. His breathing was even, though there was a small frown between his thick eyebrows.


    "He is still like that." Lidya stared at the dwarf, contemplating. "Do you think Hope will let him go easily? She was still holding a grudge toward him from their last encounter."


    Knowing what happened the last time they met and what the dwarf had forced her to do, Hope wouldn''t go easy on him, right?


    "No," Serefina said firmly. "Hope will not do anything to him," she stated.


    But, Lidya frowned upon hearing that statement. "How do you know? I will vent out my anger on him if I were Hope."


    "Because Hope is not you," Serefina said matter of factly, moreover, she had known the girl since she was born, seeing how she grew up until now.


    In spite of the fact, Hope was a little bit reckless and stubborn, the girl wouldn''t hold a grudge on someone just because of that. Maybe that was the trait of guardian angels, but it could be her true character too.


    "Well¡­" Lidya rolled her eyes dramatically when she heard that. "That is obvious."


    Serefina then walked to the other side of the room and stood beside Nutdrouk''s bed. The witch stared down at the dwarf.


    "How is Sterling?" Serefina asked.


    "Barely alive," Lidya replied truthfully. If it was not because of the potion that Serefina had given to her, he would have died by now. "The pain of losing one''s mate is really terrifying¡­"


    Ethan and Calleb managed to survive after their beast''s were silenced, because they didn''t go through what Sterling had to experience then.


    However, if something happened to Rossie at that time, maybe Calleb would also be in the same condition right now.


    "Hm," Serefina nodded, acknowledging the information. "Guard this place and wait for my signal."


    Lidya sighed. "Do you have to do this?" she couldn''t understand, why Serefina had to make everything complicated for herself. "If you want to help them, you can tell them. Why do you make them misunderstand you and put yourself in more danger being with the devils?"


    Serefina scoffed and looked at her old friend.


    Lidya was the only close friend that she had, both witches had gone through many things together and she could understand her just like how Kace did.


    However, Serefina chose to play this dangerous game.


    "Is it worth it?" Lidya asked, frowning. Of course she didn''t know exactly what was inside Serefina''s mind or how she could escape from all of this unscathed, but again the other witch was really unpredictable, even for her.


    "This is worth it," Serefina said firmly.


    Since she had chosen to walk this path then she would walk it until the end.


    It wouldn''t take long now, since she had already seen the end of the dark tunnel that she had walked in.


    It just depended on the guardian angels.

 Chapter 964 - WHY HE DIDNT COME?

    When the two witches were busy contemplating about the situation that they had to face and were deep in their own thoughts, Nutdrouk groaned and opened his eyes.


    He blinked his big eyes and looked around him, before he rasped. "I am back, now?" his eyes then met Serefina''s and the scrunch between his eyebrows deepened. "Ugh! I don''t want to see you the moment I open my eyes."


    Ignoring the dwarf''s complaint, Serefina asked him immediately. "How is it?"


    "How long have I been out?" he tried to sit down and shake his head to clear his mind. What he had experienced was simply like a dream and if he didn''t collect his scattered memories, he was afraid he would forget an important detail and taste Serefina''s wrath.


    "Days," Lidya said simply. "I didn''t count. It can be a week or more." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and received a glare from Nutdrouk. "I have been busy taking care the two of you and Sterling, you know." She felt defensive when she was rewarded with the dwarf''s expression.


    "Cut it out." Serefina intervened. "How is it?"


    This time, Nutdrouk shifted his attention toward Serefina, grumbling like usual, but he told the two of them everything that had happened in the realm, where Hope had brought him in.


    As Serefina possessed the same power like Raine, it was possible for her to predict this and Nutdrouk had been told beforehand.


    ==============


    The three Donovans were still inside the room, but the silence that engulfed them since half an hour ago, hadn''t yet dissipated.


    Torak and Jedrek were still struggling to accept the fact that Kace told them and were having a hard time to process how they could let their own mates walk toward their fate in order to stop the war.


    There were a thousand ''what ifs'' roaming inside their heads.


    What if the moon goddess didn''t bring them back and they had to lose them forever? The thought of it alone was very hard to bear, not to mention they had to plan all of this out.


    It was akin to preparing their own funeral and this fact made them gloomier even more.


    On the other hand, Kace didn''t say a word after his enlightening speech, he knew that his other two brothers needed some time to discern this fact, they couldn''t possibly agree right away with his idea and that was understandable.


    Kace himself was quite surprised that he accepted Hope''s idea quite easily, though there was still this little fear in his heart, but he didn''t let it bloom into something that would trouble them in the future.


    Right at the time Kace thought they would spend the entire day and night here, not talking to each other, Lyrus came into the room after slamming the door really hard.


    The sound of it made three pairs of dark eyes to be directed at him, yet the lycan didn''t startle because there was something more important that he had to tell them.


    "The situation out there is not good," Lyrus said, his eyes flickered with fear and panic.


    "The situation has never been good for a long time," Jedrek replied, narrowing his eyes to see the urgency in his Beta''s eyes.


    "No, but this is worse." Lyrus shook his head and clenched his jaw.


    ==============


    Whatever happening before her eyes felt like a movie, as if she was watching herself through the years, but somehow she didn''t feel bored or tired of it, even after roaming here for years, she even felt like it only lasted for a blink of an eye.


    Just like what Serefina told her that time was indeed a manipulative essence of our life. Often, it might feel so short, but at the same time it could move so fast too.


    However now, Raine didn''t feel the time moving too fast or too slow, since she just stood there, at the side and observed how her parents loved her.


    Raine watched herself through every birthday party that her mother would throw for her and how her father would pick her up when he just got home from a long tired day of working and how her mother would cook cookies that she loved.


    It was incredible and for some reason, her life with Torak was slowly forgotten, as if that life had never existed before. That life with Torak now felt like a dream¡­


    How could she experience the life in the mental hospital when all she watched now was her being surrounded with love.


    Safe and sound.


    No, it was not exactly safe for Raine, since she would encounter one or two creatures. However, there would be Aeon, who protected her from the dark.


    The shadow warrior made sure Raine was safe and no creatures could harm her.


    Raine watched all of that¡­


    But, during that time, Aeon would act like he didn''t see her, or maybe he indeed didn''t see her¡­ Raine was not sure about that.


    She tried to approach him, but he would disappear into the shadows before Raine could touch him¡­


    And then came this day¡­


    The day when Raine got attacked by those two creatures, the day when she lost both of her parents, the day when everything turned down hill in her life¡­


    Raine watched with wide eyes when the two creatures slipped into her house.


    Right now, her parents were in the living room, talking to each other about their daughter birthday party that would be held two days from now.


    Raine felt her body stiffen when the two creatures walked into the kitchen without her parents knowing it.


    She could do something, right?


    Raine tried to be strategic about what she could do to fight them. She looked around her, searching for the shadow warrior that would always come to help her.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #''t-come_51300993765276496 for visiting.


    And then, a sudden revelation hit her hard.


    If Aeon always helped her through the years and kept her safe, where was he the night when all of this was happening? Why didn''t he come?

 Chapter 965 - THE FUTURE CHANGED

    Raine felt frustration crept into her heart when she noticed that the two creatures had caught sight of her parents, who were sitting in the living room.


    As if there was a tacit understanding between them, they started to walk toward them.


    Seeing this, Raine couldn''t help but remember every bloody detail that she witnessed when she found her parents lying dead in their own house ten years ago.


    Everything came into her mind like a broken dam. Her fear, her despair, her hopelessness¡­


    "NO!" Raine rushed toward the two creatures. "MOM! DAD! GET OUT FROM HERE!"


    However, before Raine could reach them, she felt the familiar feeling that she always felt whenever this thing happened.


    The time was stopped.


    The whisper of the wind and the rattle of branches that always knocked on the window, stopped. As though the whole world stopped moving, everything became still, filled with an eerie silence that sent shivers down to Raine''s spine.


    Realizing this sudden change, Raine stopped running and stood only two meters away from the two creatures that were about to kill her parents.


    The time was indeed stopped.


    But, whose doing was this? Raine didn''t think it was her doing, if it was her she would know it¡­


    "Hi, Raine¡­"


    A voice greeted her, a very familiar voice for that matter, but somehow she didn''t want to hear it, especially not at a time like this.


    Raine straightened her back and turned around to face the devil.


    "Sloth," Raine said his name with venom on the tip of her tongue.


    "Thank you for remembering my title," Belphegor chuckled when he watched how tense the guardian angel before his eyes seemed.


    "How can you be here?" Raine asked through gritted teeth, she watched as the devil emerged from the shadows before walking toward the sofa where her parents were sitting. He was standing too close to them for her liking.


    "The same way, how you can be here," he replied, shrugging his shoulders and staring at Raine with a lazy smile at the corner of his lips.


    Raine then remembered what Lilac had told her about Serefina helping the devils to get the same power like them.


    So, what was this?


    Was this Serefina''s scheme against her? The witch brought her here to watch all of this again and let the devil to be included too?


    Did she fall into one of her traps?


    Raine was confused. She still couldn''t confirm whether Serefina was on their side or not. It was her sentimental feeling toward the witch that made Raine let her do what she wanted to do.


    Raine thought that Serefina helped her. Did she over thought things?


    However, seeing the Sloth here, she was not sure if her judgment was right.


    Serefina¡­ what do you want?


    "What do you want?" Raine asked grimly. She didn''t think she want to hear the Sloth''s answer, but she definitely couldn''t leave this matter slide without hearing what he had to say.


    Belphegor shrugged his shoulders and shifted his attention toward Raine''s mother, he stretched out his hand and touched a strand of her mother''s hair.


    "Don''t touch her!" Raine roared, she took two steps closer, was about to pounce onto him if he didn''t stop touching her parents.


    Fortunately, the Sloth was not in the mood to aggravate Rainer any further, thus he retracted his hand.


    "Why are you riling up so much?" Belphegor stared at Raine innocently. "You are aware that they will not be left alive after five minutes from now." He then directed his golden eyes at the two creatures.


    Raine knew what he was trying to say. Tonight, both of her parents would be killed.


    However, it felt ridiculous for Raine. She was there and knew what happened, of course she could do something to prevent it, right?


    "Are you thinking that you can kill the two creatures while the time is stopped?" Belphegor tilted his head, saying what exactly were Raine''s thoughts right now out loud.


    "I will kill them and you," Raine said sternly. She balled her hands into fists beside her body, as she felt the rush of anger scouring through her veins.


    She really wanted to kill those who had hurt her and her family.


    "You can kill them, but definitely you can''t kill me." Belphegor nodded to his own statement. "But, everything will change."


    Raine had heard those same words from Serefina before, but her anger clouded her mind, she didn''t care what would change, what was important was now.


    "Will you kill them? Knowing the future will change?" Belphegor asked, as he watched Raine rummaging through the kitchen looking for something.


    This was her home, absolutely, even after years of not seeing or roaming around it, Rainer could still remember everything clearly.


    Therefore, she crouched down and opened the cupboard. Her father had a big blade, a gift from his friend, but her mother didn''t want it to be displayed, thus she kept that thing in this cupboard.


    Raine knew it because she saw it when her father checked on the big blade.


    The moment she opened the cupboard, Raine could see it and without a second thought she grabbed it and rushed toward the two creatures.


    Raine could feel her sudden adrenaline rush was making her head ache slightly and her heart thumped wildly against her ribcage, but she didn''t want to think or consider the consequences of her actions for changing the past.


    Serefina''s words had been long forgotten, including her life with Torak¡­ it was like a dream¡­ it was not real.


    The real thing now was what she was seeing. And Raine didn''t want to lose her parents twice neither did she want to live the life after she lost them again.


    That was too much¡­


    The life in the hospital¡­


    The life in the orphanage¡­


    Those creatures¡­


    No. She didn''t want to live through those memories again.


    "Kill them and get what you want¡­ this is the life that you want, right?" Belphegor said. He watched the angry guardian angel slashing the big blade in her hand and kill the two creatures before they could kill her family. "Very good¡­ now you feel better, right? Everything will be all right now."

 Chapter 966 - THEY ARE AWAKE

    Hope opened her eyes and found Ethan beside her. He was sitting next to her bed on a chair, with his head hanging low.


    But, when he caught a small movement from Hope, he raised his head as his eyes widened in disbelief.


    "Hope!" he exclaimed. He moved to sit down on the edge of her bed and watched her blinking her eyes sleepily. "Finally you are awake! I thought I will never get to talk with you again."


    Hope tried to sit down and Ethan immediately helped her.


    "How long have I been passed out?" Hope leaned her back against the pillows that Ethan arranged for her and observed her surroundings. She recognized this place. This was her room with Kace. "Where is Kace?"


    "You have been passed out for almost two weeks," Ethan answered ina concerned tone. "How are you feeling now?" he asked again and stood up before walking to the table and poured a glass of water.


    "I am fine," Hope said in a slightly hoarse voice as she received the glass of water that Ethan gave to her. "Where is Kace?" she asked the same question again. "Why is he not here?"


    Hope thought the first person that she would see the moment she opened her eyes was her mate. Kace wouldn''t leave her if it was not something very important, right?


    But to think that some important issue came up at a moment like this, was a little bit scary, it wouldn''t be a good news after all.


    Ethan sighed deeply and sat down again on the bed. From his expression, it was clear to see that he was reluctant to tell Hope, especially when she just woke up from her coma state. "Take care of yourself first¡­"


    Hope narrowed her eyes upon hearing that answer. Her guts told her that something was wrong. "Tell me now," she said. Hope didn''t ask, but demanded an answer from Ethan. "Where is he? What is happening?"


    Ethan tried to avoid Hope''s eyes, but he couldn''t keep this as a secret. Not even for a second longer.


    "Kace and the other two Donovans went to the battlefield yesterday." Ethan finally admitted to her, and as expected, he could see a strong reaction from Hope.


    "But, why? What happened?" Hope straightened her back immediately. If Kace chose to leave her here while Jedrek and Torak also agreed to join him, it meant something really, really bad had happened.


    "The devils¡­"


    ==============


    "¡­the devils resurrected all the dead shifters that were killed in the battle and now they became their army along with the dark creatures from hell," Sebastian told Lilac, his voice and his expression turned dark when he let her know what exactly happened while she was unconscious.


    "D*mn those devils!" Lilac cursed loudly and this startled the general.


    Hearing Jedrek curse someone was something that he was used to hear after centuries of being with him, but to hear it from Lilac, it gave a different affect.


    She looked fierce and bold.


    Sebastian should have realized it since the moment Lilac made a grand entrance while demanding a meeting with Jedrek right after stepping foot in the King''s castle, that this guardian angel was anything but weak.


    However, the rumor about the guardian angels being weak that had been engraved in their minds had clouded his judgment and made him underestimate his own queen.


    "Yes, that''s why the King is not here. They went to the battlefield yesterday." Jedrek left him here to take care of Lilac and took Lyrus and Theo instead with him along with the other lycanthropes.


    "What else?" Lilac glared daggers at Sebastian and he could feel a sudden urge to bow his head, under such a fierce gaze.


    Even though Lilac was not angry at him particularly, but she was definitely livid right now, therefore for the sake of his own safety and before the queen decided to strangle him with her roots, he spoke the truth. All of it¡­


    About the battlefield, the humans that committed genocide to kill all of the creatures that were of non- human existence without knowing that the real threat was something beyond their imagination.


    At this point, the number of the shifters had decreased rapidly because they had to fight the devils, the humans and the vampires at the same time.


    "We are facing problems in dividing our people to protect the four spots¡­" Sebastian told her again and went into details without Lilac having to ask him first.


    They had to defend four locations all in all, which were shelters for the shifters who weren''t fighting, such as; women, elders and children.


    And now they didn''t have enough people for that anymore.


    The Donovans finally took this matter seriously, but Sebastian felt like it was too late for them to get back up, after seeing their situation turn like this.


    Even when they stepped into the battlefield themselves while the dead shifters being resurrected continued, it didn''t help a lot and they still had to think about what they had to do next to stop those creepy creatures from coming back alive.


    "The sanctuary in the dragon shifter''s castle have been surrounded for two days and it is only a matter of time before those vampires decided to breakthrough their final defense and slaughter them all." Sebastian gritted his teeth.


    The sanctuary in the dragon shifter''s castle was the place where they stayed before they were teleported to Rieka.


    "Impossible¡­" Lilac murmured and shook her head in disbelief, the situation escalated faster than what she anticipated.


    After Sebastian told her everything, there was a moment of silence before Lilac threw away the blanket that wrapped her body and tried to stand up.


    However, because she had been laying down for so long, her legs gave up on her and she was about to fall down.


    Seeing how Lilac was not stable, Sebastian immediately stretched out his hand and helped her to steady herself.


    "Where are you going? I think you need to take some rest¡­" he suggested, after she regained her footing.


    "No, this is not the time to rest. I have to go," Lilac said stubbornly.


    She was sure that Hope should be awake right now, but she was not sure about Raine¡­

 Chapter 967 - DARKER

    "Raine is in her room," Ethan said. "She is with Calleb."


    "I will go and see her," Hope murmured and tried to steady herself, but Ethan still held her elbow, just in case she would fall down again.


    "Hope, I think you need to take some rest first, maybe I can ask someone to bring you food and after you eat, you can go and see Raine." Ethan suggested. Hope looked so pale and he was worried about her.


    No, there were a lot of things that he was worried about; his father, who was still unconscious, based on what the dwarf told him and then his sister, Rossie was in danger again and he could do nothing.


    The sanctuary was under siege. The vampires and the spell-casters could break through anytime, Calleb knew about this too, but the situation right now was simply a mess.


    They couldn''t go there because those northern coven spell-castes had casted spells around the sanctuary that assured no magic could penetrate it. It meant, they couldn''t teleport there and the people inside the dragon lord''s castle couldn''t get out from there by using magic.


    It got the Beta frustrated and Ethan was not any less depressed than him. He wanted so badly to go to his sister and protect her, but with his current condition, where he lost his beast, what help could he provide? Calleb also felt the same¡­


    Even after realizing this, the two of them still wanted to go¡­ if only they could.


    "No, I will see Raine now," Hope said with determination, as she staggered to the door. She was not worried about Lilac, because she knew that the other guardian angel would be awake by now, just like her, but Raine was different.


    Hope couldn''t reach her even when she was in her own realm. She just couldn''t find her soul and that left her worried even after Nutdrouk explained it.


    She hoped Raine could pass whatever she had to face now and wake up when she reached her room.


    ==============


    Calleb grabbed his hair in frustration, his breath ragged with fear and anger. He felt like he wanted to smash something to vent out this feeling, but at the same time he knew it wouldn''t help at all.


    All he wanted was to be with Rossie. He wanted to talk to her. However, there was nothing he could do to reach her.


    Even after he got a green light from Torak and was allowed to go with two hundred people under his command, that d*mned spell had been preventing him to do so.


    The spell was very strong until Sybil and Belinda couldn''t break through it, let alone bringing him and two hundred people with them.


    Calleb felt useless.


    His body kept shaking and he couldn''t think properly, only when Belinda touched his shoulder did he realize that there was someone else inside the room with him. Were his senses also deteriorated? That rendered him unable to feel her presence? Or maybe because his mind was too clouded until he couldn''t think about his surroundings?


    Whatever it was, Calleb felt slightly better when Belinda offered him a glass of cold water.


    "We will find a way to get to Rossie," Belinda said, as her eyes fell on Raine, who was still sleeping and didn''t show any sign that she would wake up soon. "We will find a way," she repeated in a low voice, but Calleb didn''t say anything.


    Calleb just nodded and then stared at the empty glass in his hand. He hoped a miracle would happen and he could get away from this place to be with Rossie right now.


    And when silence befell inside the room, someone opened the door and walked in.


    Calleb recognized this scent, it was Lilac and Sebastian. He turned around to see the guardian angel entering the room with the general.


    "You are awake?" Calleb was surprised and so did Belinda.


    Their eyes immediately reverted back to Raine and stared at her sleeping face for a few seconds longer, as if they were expecting for Raine to wake up too. However, it didn''t happen.


    "I guess she is still unconscious," Lilac said in a murmuring voice, as she approached the bed and sat down on the edge of it.


    Calleb stood up and approached Lilac. "How are you awake? How is she?"


    But, before Lilac could answer his questions, Hope entered the room, with Ethan following closely behind her. As though she already knew, the first statement that she said was;


    "She is still not coming back." Hope sat down beside Lilac and eyed Raine with a deep frown and this small expression didn''t escape Lilac''s eyes.


    "What is it?" Lilac could feel another trouble coming at them.


    "The dark aura¡­" Hope said in a small voice. She could see the dark aura around Raine darkening even further than the last time she saw her¡­


    ==============


    Raine opened her eyes when the bright sunlight hit her face and a familiar voice caressed her ears.


    "Wake up honey, you will be late for school."


    "Hm?" Raine rubbed her eyes and caught the sight of her mother. She was stunned. "Mom?"


    How could this be possible?! The last thing she remembered was killing the two creatures that were about to kill her parents and her encounter with Belphegor.


    But, what now? Her mother was talking to her? And¡­ she was in her bed.


    All this time, she had only looked at her younger version from the sidelines, but now her mother looked at her right in her eyes¡­


    "Why are you brooding like that?" her mother approached her and sat down on the edge of the bed, tucking a strand of her daughter''s hair behind her ears. "Are you excited for tomorrow?" she asked.


    "Tomorrow?" Raine asked carefully. She still couldn''t grasp anything about the situation she was facing right now. "What will happen tomorrow?"


    Her mother laughed again and the sound rang like a bell in her ears. "Do you forget about your birthday? You will turn nine tomorrow. We are having a party for you sweety."

 Chapter 968 - BRING BACK THEIR INNER BEAST

    "A party?" Raine felt her mind was running very slow upon hearing this information. She couldn''t believe it. How could she believe it?


    Without a second thought, Raine jumped down from her bed and rushed toward the mirror inside her bedroom. It was a mirror that was as tall as her.


    She stood there and watched her reflection with ragged breath and her heart thumped wildly against her ribcage, as if it would burst in the next second.


    How could this happen?!


    Raine looked at herself in the mirror. Her figure when she was eight years old.


    If tomorrow was her birthday, then today was the day after that attack, the first day that turned her life upside down the day after her parents were killed.


    But, no!


    They were alive!


    "Honey, what happened?" Her mother approached her and bent her body to look at her daughter''s pale face. "You are pale? Are you sick?" she asked in concern.


    The concern in her voice and the face that Raine thought had forgotten were right in front of her. Raine could even smell a tinge of cinnamon from her. The sweet smell that belonged to her mother, a small thing that she thought she had forgotten.


    "Mom¡­" Raine called her mother in a very small voice. Her chest caved in with many unexplainable emotions that ran through her heart and mind.


    "What happened, honey? Is something wrong?" her mother hugged her small body when Raine started sobbing before clutching her shirt hard. She didn''t want to let go.


    Of course, she didn''t want to let go of this moment, she didn''t want to go back to the endless fight and war.


    Raine wanted to stay here with her family¡­


    "Why are you crying, honey?" her mother patted her back and kissed her cheek softly.


    Her body was warm and it made Raine feel at peace, but it coudn''t stop her from crying because only now did she realize how much she missed her mother¡­


    ==============


    Alpha Alec from Torak''s pack, crushed the glass in his hand and the sharp shards penetrated his skin, dripping his blood to the floor, but he didn''t feel the pain because even before the last drop of his blood could leave it, the wound had closed.


    The Alpha''s red eyes stared at the camps outside the high wall of this castle, where they were trapped inside without having the ability to fight against the dark magic.


    Hell! They wouldn''t be able to hold down their fort if those blood suckers decided to attack!


    They didn''t have enough numbers here and if the magic that prevented them to teleport to a different place was still in place, it meant no one could send a back up either.


    "But, what are those vampires and spell-casters waiting for?!" Alpha Alec asked his Beta, Lark, who was standing beside him to see their enemies.


    The perimeter that they built wouldn''t hold them forever. It was only a matter of time before the worse would be happening¡­


    "I don''t know¡­" Lark shook his head. He didn''t understand why they didn''t attack when the victory was before their eyes to grab. "It seems they were waiting for a command."


    "Command from who?!" Alpha Alec would fight them to death without a doubt, but his concern was on the women and children that were sheltered in this place.


    Not only that, he couldn''t stop thinking about his mate and his daughter too. It was fortunate enough that they didn''t come here with him and stayed back in their territory.


    At least, they could hide inside the bunker of their house.


    Ariana and Arabella¡­ They should be fine¡­


    "Dmtri," Alpha Alec hissed his name viciously. It must be him. There was no other vampire that was capable enough to mobilize these many troops.


    ==============


    Three white lycans stood in the middle of the carcasses, scattered on the ground beneath their feet, as blood trickled down from their white fur.


    However, the moment they felt something moving on the ground, they immediately leapt high and landed a few meters away from the spot where those dead bodies started to come alive once again.


    This battle wouldn''t end.


    Those dead creatures couldn''t be destroyed and the worst part was; the moment their people died, it meant it would only add more people to the devils'' death armies.


    [Jedrek, this will not do.] Kace mind- linked Jedrek beside him grimly, while Torak continued fighting before crushing the first dead creature that approached them along with two other lycan warriors. [We have to back down.]


    If they lost more men, they would only provide more people to their enemy. And it seemed the whole city had turned into these despicable creatures, human or not.


    Jedrek scoured his surroundings, they had been too far from their camps and went too deep, to the heart of the battlefield, where the craters were, but it seemed this was as far as they could reach.


    It weren''t possible to penetrate further than this. Moreover, even if they found the craters, what could they do? They didn''t have the ability to close them and send those devils'' minions back to hell.


    Closing his eyes, the white lycan raised his head to look up at the dark sky and howled, calling for the others beast. [Reatreat!] he said through the mind- link.


    ==============


    "¡­ it became darker¡­" Hope said in a small voice.


    The room fell into silence, as no one spoke after what Hope said.


    Even though Calleb, Ethan and Belinda could not quite understand anything about whatever Hope stated, but they didn''t dare to break this solemn atmosphere.


    All of them stayed like that for a few more minutes, shifting their attention back and forth between the two guardian angels, who seemed to be sharing a conversation that they couldn''t hear, though what all they had done was just sitting there.


    The silence stretched out until Lilac decided to speak. She stood up and looked at Calleb. "Hope, I think you can do something to them."


    "What?" Hope retracted her eyes from Raine and looked at Lilac, bewildered. "Do what?"


    "Bring back their inner beast." Lilac looked straight into Hope''s eyes.

 Chapter 969 - I AM AFRAID

    "Bring back their inner beast." Lilac looked straight into Hope''s eyes. "If you can speak to Kace''s inner beast, it means you can find theirs too."


    "What?" Hope stood up, she shook her head. "No. I can''t do that."


    However, Lilac grabbed her hand and spoke clearly. "You can do it and you will do it, because right now we don''t have much time left." Lilac glanced at Raine and prayed that she could go through whatever things that held her back from being awake right now.


    "Lilac, this is crazy, I have never done this before." Hope shook her head vigorously, as if Lilac just told her to go to the battlefield and win the war.


    Probably she would ask that too, but in a different way and at a different time.


    "How do you know I can do it?" Hope became even more terrified when she noticed the expectant looks swirling in Calleb and Ethan''s eyes. They wanted her to do it, without knowing whether she had such a power or not. "You are talking nonsense, Lilac. This is very random."


    "I''m not talking nonsense," Lilac said firmly. "And, I do know one thing; the power of guardian angels have no limits when it comes to what we are good at. If you believe that you can do it, you will be able to do it."


    "How can you be so sure?" The way Lilac was looking at her, made Hope wanting to believe that she held that kind of power that could help them in this dire situation, but her hesitation was still in her way.


    "Because I saw it. As a matter of fact, you can do more than this." Lilac had seen it when she looked into the stone the last time she was in the library, before she lost her consciousness.


    However, just like Hope. She couldn''t see Raine. Therefore, she was not able to see what she would be able to do with her power.


    Raine was akin to someone who was lost in time. She was hard to find and not even their powers could reach her.


    Lilac then shifted her eyes to Raine. No matter what happened, it would be great if she woke up soon, yet they didn''t have time to wait¡­ they were running out of time and the very guardian angel of time was out of their grasp.


    Thus, they had to do whatever they could.


    "What did you see?" Hope asked Lilac. She wanted to believe her words, but she was afraid to disappoint the two pairs of eyes that stared at her, with unconcealed hope.


    ==============


    Raine was laughing when she saw her playmate, Diana who was trying to rub the cream of the cake on her plate on Sally''s face, and the cream fell on her yellow dress instead.


    Diana was crying and ran to her mother, while Raine and Sally shared a high- five. Both of them didn''t like her.


    Today Raine turned nine years old and they were having a garden party behind their house with all her friends coming to congratulate her.


    This was such a perfect day, with bright sunlight and beautiful decorations.


    Though in Raine''s nineteen years old mind, this was too childish, but she didn''t mind it at all! No, she loved every second that she spent here. Glancing at a mountain of gifts that she received. She couldn''t wait to open them all. This was such a blissful moment.


    Raine even forgot that she had a best friend named Sally. They were practically glued to each other since they were toddlers.


    At this moment, all of her memories about Torak started to fade away. She couldn''t even remember the sensation that she felt when their skins touched with each other.


    Raine was happy now and that was what matters most.


    Right at that time, from the corner of her eyes, Raine caught a glimpse of something, but then it disappeared into the shadow as fast as it appeared.


    And this didn''t startle her, instead, it gave a sense of safety and protection¡­


    ==============


    "Rossie¡­" Bree tugged Rossie''s shirt as they stood near the window and watched how close those vampires got to them. "Will we be running away again like before?"


    Rossie stared down at Bree and could see the fear in her eyes, while baby Eddard was in her arms, sleeping.


    "I don''t know Bree¡­" Rossie said softly. "But, I think Alpha Alec will think about some solution¡­" she said in a comforting tone.


    However, Adair couldn''t pretend as calm as Rossie, she had been walking around this room from one corner to the other nonstop. "This is impossible! Where is the back up!? Why did they leave us alone here without sending anyone to help us? Why would Alpha Torak treat us this way?"


    Seeing how anxious Adair was; Bree became even more afraid. The little girl clutched onto Rossie''s shirt tightly.


    "Adair, stop walking around inside this room in circles!" Rossie reprimanded her. "If you can''t calm down, go out of this room."


    Upon hearing that, Adair threw them a glare and grumbled something incoherently before she slammed the door shut, leaving them alone.


    However, the harsh sound woke up baby Eddard and now he was crying¡­


    [Calleb¡­] Rossie tried to mind- link her mate, though it was a futile attempt since they were miles apart from each other, she couldn''t even call him through phone now. [Please¡­ I am afraid.]


    ==============


    Lidya watched as Sterling''s breathing became shallow, he almost lost it if they didn''t do anything.


    "Serefina, if we want to save him, I think I have to go now," Lidya said. She needed to teleport herself to Rieka and collect Hope''s blood in order to save Sterling.


    "Go and take Nutdrouk with you," Serefina noticed that the old friend of Kace was hanging onto the last thread of his life.


    "No!" Nutdrouk immediately rejected that. "Why would you think I want to go to the middle of the battlefield?! No!"


    "Then the deal between us is annulled." Serefina shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.


    Hearing this, Lidya wanted to ask what actually Serefina had promised the dwarf for him to obey her?

 Chapter 970 - ANNULMENT

    "Annul?" Nutdrouk raised his brows incredulously. "Are you kidding me?" he asked in a sharp tone. "I will not go this far just for you to find a random excuse to do that to me!"


    Serefina shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head. "Then go with her." She nodded at Lidya.


    Knowing that he didn''t have any other options, the dwarf grumbled and walked out of the room, kicking the door before roaring in frustration.


    "Will he go with me?" Lidya saw the dwarf''s figure disappearing behind the door, but they could still hear his groan.


    "He will," Serefina replied with certainty. "Do whatever you need to do there and I will give you the next instruction."


    This time lidya didn''t answer Serefina, she lowered her head and knitted her brows, as if deep in thought.


    "Hey, do you hear me?" Serefina flicked her fingers in front of Lidya''s face. "We are running out of time, so gather your mind and move."


    "Serefina," Lidya called her name with a complicated feeling. "I want to ask one question."


    "I will answer you if I feel like it," Serefina said indifferently.


    She was always like this and Lidya had grown used to it. Every time she would let it slid, but not now, she wanted to know the truth.


    "What did you promise him?" Lidya asked, she narrowed her eyes, a gesture she would make if she was very serious with whatever she wanted to know.


    Serefina held her gaze, her lips formed into a thin line, indicating that she didn''t want to answer that kind of question. "You don''t need to know."


    And without waiting for Lidya''s response, Serefina walked out of the room, but before her figure could disappear, Lidya had grabbed her hand and pulled her back again.


    "I don''t want that answer, Serefina. I am not going this far just to hear that kind of excuse from you." Lidya glared at her. She had followed her blindly because she knew the struggle that she had gone through for centuries, but she didn''t know that there was more into it. Something darker and deeper.


    "So, what do you want?" Serefina swatted Lidya''s hand that held her back, as she folded her arms. A defensive gesture.


    "Tell me everything and I will decide whether I will help you with your crazy plan or not." Lidya mimicked her gesture. The two witches were being stubborn and no one wanted to back down at all.


    ==============


    "I will leave you with Ethan and Calleb," Lilac said. She took charge to lead them, since the Donovans were not around and she was still holding the higher status as Jedrek''s mate.


    This didn''t mean she like the role, but she knew more than what they should do.


    "But, I don''t know how Lilac." Hope''s voice was almost like a whisper, especially when she was feeling such high pressure from Ethan and Calleb''s expectant eyes.


    But, Lilac pulled her into a hug and patted her back, while saying, "you can and you will find a way." After that, she looked at Belinda and Sebastian. "You two follow me."


    And before long, Sebastian and Belinda were striding along the corridor, following Lilac. The two of them didn''t know where Lilac would bring them, but they still followed her nonetheless, leaving Hope to deal with the other two and figure out what she could do with her current power.


    Just like what they already know by now; they were running out of time and if they didn''t take good measures to control the situation, nothing would be left of them.


    Not to mention Raine, who was not yet awake, and Hope, who was struggling to tap into her power, Lilac also had to make sure that she could reach Jedrek to tell him what she knew.


    ==============


    "Alright," Hope said when Lilac had gone with the others. "I need a moment to think about it."


    Hope then sat down on the edge of the bed, while kneading her head. Why did Lilac give this task to her out of the blue? She couldn''t think clearly under the pressure.


    "Calm down, Hope¡­" Ethan sat beside her and patted her back. "Take your time, no rush."


    However, after he said that, Calleb threw a look at him and Ethan frowned, shook his head slightly, as if saying; you will just make the situation worse if you pressed her even further.


    Therefore, Calleb just closed his eyes and leaned his body against the wall. He felt that the time was ticking very slow and everything around him was just very irritating.


    The Beta wanted to get into his beast again and find a way to go to Rossie''s side. No matter what they would face later, he just wanted to see her again.


    D*mn it!


    Calleb felt his chest caving in, as they waited for Hope to figure out what she should do.


    Five minutes¡­


    Ten minutes¡­


    And when it was over twenty minutes, Calleb couldn''t take it any longer. "D*mn it Hope! Just do it what you have done to Kace!"


    Hope was startled, but then she became angry. "I don''t know! I don''t know what I have done to Kace! It just happened!"


    "There must be something that you have done to your mate that allowed you to go into his subconsciousness!" Calleb lost it. It was very rare to see him in this kind of state, as he was known to have the most easy going personality.


    But then, no one could remember when was the last time they had some leisure time to be going easy on the situation.


    "Me and Kace had a deep connection because he is my mate! For you two, it is different! I don''t even know where I have to start!" Hope vented out her frustration.


    "Then should I mark you like Kace did!?" Calleb was on the verge of taking every risk just to get done with it, but then he realized that he had talked nonsense.


    "You are not serious with what you said," Ethan said impassively.


    "Sorry," Calleb murmured.

 Chapter 971 - YOU ARE MY PROTECTORS

    "I will tell Rossie if you said something like that again." Ethan was Rossie''s brother, of course he would take offense on what Calleb said. He was an overprotective brother to begin with after all.


    Calleb rolled his eyes when he heard that. "You will not take my words seriously, right? Do you think Kace will let me go alive when I do something atrocious to his mate? I want to live, okay."


    It was just a slip of his tongue. He was frustrated and wanted to do anything and everything just to be with his mate, thus his mind and what he spoke was not in a good sync.


    "Okay, enough." Hope sat down again and then stared at Raine. She wanted to know what would Raine suggest about the situation that she was facing now. "Give me another ten minutes."


    Hearing this, Calleb and Ethan groaned, but they didn''t say anything for another two minutes before someone opened the door and Theseus walked in.


    "What are you doing here?" Calleb narrowed his eyes and looked at the newly appointed dragon lord in alert. He didn''t like him since his father came to take Raphael''s son, as if the baby was akin to a missing bag.


    "Nothing," Theseus said, smiling. "I heard the two guardian angels have woken up, so I want to know our current situation now, or whether if there is something that I can help with."


    "But, why are all of your people outside the door?" Calleb glared at the dragon lord. Just because he lost his beast, it didn''t mean his senses had decreased.


    "They are guarding this room." Theseus walked closer and Calleb put Hope behind his back. "You don''t have to be like this to me, we are in this together, right?"


    "You shouldn''t be here," Ethan said.


    "Where should I be?" Theseus shifted his attention toward the young werewolf. "I am not allowed to shift into my beast and now I am given a task to stay in this place and do what? There is nothing I can do here."


    "I want you to get out of this room, now. This place is not for public." Somehow Calleb knew that Theseus wouldn''t do what he asked.


    "Can''t I visit? I just want to see that the guardian angels were fine." His eyes then looked around the room, as if he just realized something. "Where is the queen, Lilac? She is not here?"


    "Get out now!" Calleb roared. He didn''t know what happened out there. And, from the scent in the air, which was filled with those dragon shifters'' scent, whatever it was, it wouldn''t be good¡­ where is the other lycan warriors and Stephan?


    "I will," Theseus said politely.


    Yet, what he said only contradicted what happened next, because at the same time, around ten people entered the room. All of them were dragon shifters.


    "But, after I took the guardian angels with me." He smirked triumphantly. Knowing that neither Ethan nor Calleb could shift into their beasts, it was an easy task to take them down and take Hope and Raine away.


    The two guardian angels were not Lilac, they were not of combatant type, especially when the guardian angel of time wouldn''t be able to stop anything, even time at the moment.


    ==============


    Raine opened her eyes and the darkness greeted her. She was still inside her room, but tomorrow she would go to a different city, because she would start a new life as a colleague student and she couldn''t wait for that.


    She would live in the dorm and return when she got day off or holidays. Her life was perfect. However, she knew one secret.


    Aside from her ability to see what other people couldn''t see, she knew there was someone, who was protecting her from the shadows and this very person was now sitting in her chair.


    But, for some reason, Raine was not afraid of him, instead, she wanted him to stop hiding and talk to her.


    Therefore, Raine let him sit there for quite some time, making him think that she was sleeping, where the truth was she was just pretending.


    When Raine felt this was the right moment to speak and the shadow man seemed very comfortable with what he was doing now, Raine talked with her back facing him.


    "Aeon, is that you?" Raine said. She was eighteen years old now and she thought it was enough for him to stop avoiding her.


    Raine could hear a sharp breath intake which came from the man and the sound that he made when he hastily got up from his seat, wanting to run away again.


    "Stop running away from me," Raine said, she got up and threw her blanket aside. "I know you."


    This time, Aeon froze in his place, with his back facing the girl, he was indeed about to run away, but after realizing that Raine actually knew his name, held him back.


    "How did you know my name?" he asked.


    His husky and heavy voice was very familiar in her ears and she had forgotten when was the last time that she heard him. It seemed his voice came from her dream or another life.


    "Of course I know you, you have been protecting me for years by now," Raine said smoothly. She stood up and walked slowly toward Aeon, she didn''t want to make him run again. "Can you turn around and see me?"


    Aeon didn''t give any reaction, he just stood there in the same position, seemingly having an argumentation with himself, whether he should do what Raine asked him to do or not.


    "Aeon?" Raine placed her hand against his broad back. The shadow warrior was wearing a black jacket and his hair was slightly messy. "Aeon, thank you for always being here for me."


    At that time, the shadow warrior chose to stop being in the shadows and turned around to face the girl that he had been protecting for years by now.


    "You are not afraid of me?" he asked with knitted brows.


    "No, of course not." Raine smiled softly. "You are my protector, right?"

 Chapter 972 - WE WILL FIX THIS TOGETHER

    Aeon watched the girl in front of him, who was smiling softly which made him feel a rush of warmth in his heart, and he stretched out his hand toward her.


    He didn''t immediately touch her, but halted his hand mid air, to give the girl an opportunity to avoid his touch if she wanted, but Raine didn''t do it. She looked at him straight in his eyes, a soft smile was still on her lips when Aeon''s hand inched toward her cheek.


    "How long did you know me for?" He asked, feeling the soft skin of hers on his callous fingers. It was very soft, until he was afraid he would leave a scratch if he wasn''t careful enough.


    "Very long¡­" Raine said, leaned in to his touch and then wrapped her hand over his. "Since you gave me the cotton candy in the park and then chased away those creatures that wanted to hurt me."


    Aeon narrowed his eyes at her. "You have known me for that long?"


    "Yes," Raine said, nodded her head. "Thank you for protecting me."


    And, only then could Aeon sigh in relief as a smile appeared on his lips, softening his rough features. Whatever he had done all this time had been paid off and his fear was proven wrong. His girl didn''t fear him, because that was the reason why he always hid from her¡­


    "It is my pleasure to keep you safe," Aeon said gratefully.


    ==============


    Jedrek was in the middle of a heated argumentation with the other Alphas and his brothers when he heard that voice.


    [Jedrek.]


    Jedrek stopped whatever he was doing as he held his breath, stunned, afraid that it was only his imagination.


    And because he was in the middle of his speech, and seeing how his expression changed suddenly, all his recipients immediately became silent, as they stared at him questioningly.


    [Jedrek.]


    Lilac''s soft voice echoed in his head, once again. She was trying to talk to him through mind- link, which was quite impossible knowing how far they were and moreover, was she already awake? However, here Jedrek was; listening to her.


    [Jedrek, can you hear me?] Lilac asked again.


    [Lilac? Is that you?] Jedrek could feel his entire body getting effected just by hearing her voice, he felt his heart almost jumping to his throat.


    If she could mind- link him, it meant she had regained her consciousness, right?


    "Jedrek, what happened?" Kace, who was standing beside him, tugged his elbow to get his attention, but Jedrek swatted his hand away, he wanted to concentrate more on the voice that he had been longing to hear.


    [Yes, it is me,] Lilac said lightly.


    [You have woken up.] It was not a question, but a statement. Only when he heard Lilac say ''yes'', could he heave a sigh of relief. He was not even aware that he had been holding his breath. [You scared me, my little flower.]


    [I am sorry¡­] Lilac sounded troubled. [I didn''t mean to.]


    However, Jedrek didn''t want to hear her sorry, he just wanted to hold her in his arms, yet the situation here, made it impossible for him to flee to her side instantly and Lilac completely understood that.


    [I understand.] Lilac said, her voice was sad, but there was understanding and determination in it. [I will take care of the matters here until you can take care of the problems there.]


    Jedrek hummed in reply.


    [I just want you to know that I am fine and Hope too, but Raine¡­] Lilac slightly hesitated when she said this.


    [What happened to her?] Out of instinct, Jedrek glanced at Torak, who was staring at him. It seemed he knew that he was in the middle of a conversation through mind- link, but didn''t have any idea that it was his mate, who he was talking to.


    [Raine has not regained her consciousness, maybe she needs more time¡­ I just want you to let them know about this and send them here.] Lilac paused, as if she was trying to find the right words to say. [It is a mess.]


    Jedrek closed his eyes, as he realized what kind of a mess, their ego had created for them. if they hadn''t been selfish to the point of neglecting everyone, the situation now would have been less dreadful.


    [I know, I am sorry.]


    It was so rare to hear Jedrek apologize and Lilac knew it took a lot more than effort for him to do so. After all, the king''s pride was very high and Jedrek was not the type, who would admit his mistake easily.


    Lilac could continue to get angry at him and show her point that she was right all along, but what was the meaning of all that? It wouldn''t help them with anything and the situation wouldn''t become better either, thus she chose not to.


    [Let''s fix this together.] she said softly. [We will go through this together.]


    ==============


    Ethan pulled Hope behind his back and stood beside Calleb, who was growling at Theseus in front of them.


    So now, Hope was hiding behind the two lycans, she peeked over their shoulders and could see that there were around twenty people behind Theseus who now crowded the room.


    "What''s all of this?" Calleb asked in a stern voice, he glanced at the door and knew immediately that more than twenty dragon shifters were out there. If he had his beast, he could definitely kill all of this trash in no time, but unfortunately, he was just like them, who couldn''t shift into his beast and he was outnumbered.


    "Let me take Hope and Raine, and the two of you can go peacefully. I don''t want to shed blood here." Theseus opened his arms, while saying righteously.


    "Your head must be damaged if you think that I will let you have your way," Calleb sneered.


    Meanwhile, Hope, who was standing very close to the two of them, felt something. Something that stirred inside their beings. What was that? Their emotions? Because they were beyond livid now, thus was it easier for her to feel them?


    Hope frowned and touched their backs again.

 Chapter 973 - I WILL TAKE CARE THE THINGS HERE

    "What are we waiting for, Dimitri!?" Xerxes roared at his leader in anger. It had been two days and the victory was right before their eyes, yet they couldn''t claim it because Dimitri wasn''t agreeing. He was waiting, waiting for someone to come. "We can swipe them off right now! We don''t need to wait!"


    Yet, Dimitri didn''t budge, his calm eyes glared at the other vampires, who were looking as though they were on the verge of losing their patience, just like Xerxes and what this certain vampire said only created a big ripple among the vampires.


    They even dared enough to complain and demand for an order from Dimitri.


    "ENOUGH!" Dimitri snarled back at them and his voice echoed throughout the night. Efficiently silencing them from their endless complains. "If you think our victory is only a step away from us and it is a solid fact that no one could deny it. So what''s the fuss about waiting for one more day?! Giving them some hope that they could survive and then crush it again when we barge into their last defense?!"


    Dimitri skimmed his eyes over the people in front of him and then stopped at Xerxes.


    "You," he said coldly, pointing his sharp finger at Xerxes''s face. "I don''t want to hear any rubbish coming from your mouth again!"


    Xerxes''s jaw tightened, his hands balled into fists beside his body and he spoke through gritted teeth. "If you don''t want to attack them now, at least give us a reason why you think that we don''t need to do that now itself?!"


    Unsatisfied murmurs erupted among the crowd as they agreed with what Xerxes suggested.


    The battle with the lycanthropes earlier was very easy. They could assume that them coming here, was out of their wildest predictions. Who would have expected this? That they would be ambushed when they were hiding in their sanctuary.


    "Yes, what are you waiting for, Dimitri?" Another vampire, named Aaric asked him, he had an easy going personality, but at this time he was not at all pleased with Dimitri''s decision to wait when they could snatch the victory and crush those dogs right away.


    "Sorry for being late."


    A soft voice could be heard from behind the horde followed by several sharp intakes of breath, from among the crowd when they realized that there was a little girl behind them.


    But, the most shocking thing was; they didn''t realize at all since when she was there and wait¡­ the girl didn''t have a scent!


    Even though, they didn''t know who this little girl was or what she was, the crowd still dispersed and made a way for her to walk.


    The girl was around the age of thirteen or fourteen, but the way she carried herself was noteworthy, she looked more confident and composed than the rest of the vampires here.


    "I have been waiting for you so long," Dimitri said, he held his hand out and the girl grabbed it. "What took you so long, Terra?"


    The girl named Terra turned around to face the crowd, as her purple cloak fluttered around her small body.


    "I brought an order from Beelzebub," she said calmly.


    "What is it?" Dimitri''s eyes glinted with excitement, especially when he watched the way Terra glanced at the castle behind him.


    "Something interesting, of course," Terra replied with a vicious smirk.


    ==============


    "Jedrek, tell me what happened?" Kace looked at his brother with his brows creasing deeply. "Who were you talking to?" he immediately asked him when he saw the conversation between Jedrek and whoever had mind- linked him was over.


    However, Jedrek didn''t answer him immediately, instead, he observed the other faces inside this tent, which belonged to the eleven Alphas aside from his two brothers.


    "Leave us alone," he said in a stern voice, leaving no space for questions or objections.


    Though they were in the middle of a heated discussion, but from the look of Jedrek''s face, they knew that they shouldn''t gamble with their luck.


    After hearing that direct order, all the eleven Alphas left the tent, one by one, leaving only the Donovans inside.


    "What now?" Kace folded his arms, a defensive stature. He prepared himself for the worse.


    Meanwhile, even though Torak didn''t show it on his face and his expression had remained calm, but the look in his eyes told them otherwise. He was anticipating what Jedrek would tell them until he had to chase away the other Alphas.


    "Lilac mind- linked me, she said Hope has woken up," Jedrek said, he looked at Kace, whose expression changed almost instantly.


    "Are you sure?" he asked in disbelief, his jaw dropped and the moment Jedrek nodded, he didn''t wait for his permission, neither would he stop if Jedrek didn''t allow him to leave. "I will go to see her."


    And, Jedrek didn''t make any attempt to stop him either, he let Kace leave, since he knew how it felt for wanting to see his mate badly. After all, Lilac asked him to send the two Donovans over.


    Jedrek would do the same thing too, if he was not very ashamed at his own decisions all this while which caused so many casualties on their side.


    Jedrek was more than thankful that Lilac was level- headed enough to understand the situation and knew what was more important, because if Lilac said that she wanted him to go to her, Jedrek would throw everything here aside and run to her, because he want nothing but to have her in his arms now.


    However, he couldn''t do this now. He was the king and he needed to lead his people, just like what his queen was doing now.


    "What about Raine?" Torak finally spoke, he had been very silent throughout the entire discussion.


    Jedrek took a deep breath and shifted his attention toward his brother. "Lilac said she didn''t wake up yet."


    "Hm." Torak had this feeling that something was not going well with his mate, since the other two guardian angels seemed fine from Jadrek words.


    "But, I want you to go back," Jedrek added.


    "What about here?" Torak stared at Jedrek impassively, his mind was elsewhere.


    "I will take care of the things here."

 Chapter 974 - A NAME

    "I will take care of the things here." Jedrek waved his hand, as a gesture for Torak to just leave. "Lilac needs you there, she has a plan."


    "What plan?" Torak narrowed his eyes, as a trace of hope flashed in them. At least, he hoped that this was not yet another massacre plan that Jedrek came across like the previous one, which left them feeling uneasy, but he followed him nonetheless, for the same selfish reason just like his other brother.


    "Lilac will explain it to you once you meet her." Jedrek didn''t say much, but when Torak nodded and was about to leave, he called him again. "Let''s go through this again, together."


    Torak didn''t answer to that for a few seconds, but then he replied with a slight smile on his lips as his eyes glinted darkly. "We have won this before, we will win this again."


    "Right." Jedrek nodded. "We will win this."


    ==============


    Once Hope''s palm touched Calleb and Ethan''s back, she felt the world around her spin. She was not sure what was happening or what was the essence of the conversation that was going on between the three of them.


    Because all she could see was the grey and the brown wolves right before her eyes. Yes, she was back to that realm again. The realm that Nutdrouk said belonged to her.


    Everything was white. Boundless color of white and then, she saw them, the two wolves, sprawled on the ground, with their eyes closed shut, breathing evenly.


    She couldn''t believe it. How could she believe it? Everything was surreal.


    Hope approached the two beasts and sat down between them. She stared at the brown wolf and touched his soft fur, running her fingers through it. It was very soft that she had a sudden urge to rub her face against it.


    Yet, she wouldn''t do that now, since he had to think of a way to wake them up.


    Only then did she see it¡­ the same dark aura which surrounded the two beasts¡­ the same thing what she saw on Raine, but theirs was less darker than hers.


    Hope frowned.


    The dark aura she was seeing now was coiled around the beast''s neck and it seemed like that thing was suffocating them, because when Hope touched it, the brown beast whimpered softly with it eyes still closed.


    The same thing happened when she touched the grey beast''s.


    "What actually is this thing?" Hope murmured to herself.


    But, then in the midst of her confusion, someone appeared before her eyes out of thin air. She shrieked and backed away, yet the beautiful woman only chuckled lightly.


    "Hi, Hope¡­ finally we meet," she said softly, her voice was just like a soft breeze of wind; calm and composed.


    "Who are you?" she asked, but she couldn''t take her eyes off the beauty before her. This woman was too appealing yet charming to be real. "How can you be here?"


    No one should be able to come here if it was not for her, who invited them.


    The woman took a step closer and then knelt down before the two beasts.


    "Don''t touch them!" Hope yelled, she moved forward to prevent her from touching those beasts, in fear she would hurt them.


    But, her next words left her stunned.


    "How can I be here?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the grey wolf, while her hands rubbed the brown one. "Of course because I am the one who created this realm for you. I am very pleased that Kace gave you this name ''Hope''." Her eyes gleamed brightly, as if there were stars in them.


    It took about five seconds before some understanding to dawn upon her and Hope covered her mouth to prevent her from saying any curse words out of shock. "Impossible¡­" she muttered.


    ==============


    Raine just finished her days in the college and today was the last day of this semester. She made plans to return home on the day after tomorrow, so she had prepared everything.


    However, when she entered her apartment, it was very dark and the light wouldn''t turn on. Maybe the bulb was busted.


    And, as she lived in this flat alone, she needed to ask the maintenance people to change it, for she didn''t know how to it herself.


    Raine was about to go out of her room again, when she felt someone grabbing her arms before pulling her back into the room that was still devoid of any light.


    That strange person hugged her from behind and wrapped a pair of strong arms around her waist.


    "Aeon! You scared me!" Raine hissed when she realized it was the shadow warrior, who was hugging her.


    Aeon would often come to her place, if she couldn''t say always. He would come with the excuse to protect her, but Raine knew he just wanted to be close to her and she didn''t mind it at all.


    She was flattered with the persistence that he showed with her over the years since the first time she knew his existence.


    "My lamps are busted," Raine whined and tried to free herself from him, yet just like her so many other attempts from before, she just couldn''t release herself from his tight grip.


    "No, they are not," Aeon said, he waved his hand toward the lamps and the blinding light greeted Raine''s eyes. Apparently, the shadow warrior had used his ability to tease her. "But, I prefer darkness," he said and the lights were turned off again.


    "Aeon!" Raine chuckled, as she swatted his arms away that wrapped around her waist like an octopus''s appendages. "Let me go, I want to take a bath, I am smelly and sweaty."


    "No, I like your smell," he refused, but when Raine struggled relentlessly, he gave up and let the girl go.


    "Lights please," Raine said lightly, while taking off her shoes. She laughed when Aeon turned on the light again with a sullen expression. "Have you eaten? I will cook something."


    "Not yet," Aeon said and then walked into the room with her.


    "What do you want?" Raine took off her coat and headed to the kitchen, but before that, she stopped in the living room and turned on the television so it wouldn''t be very quiet.


    However, Raine couldn''t hear what Aeon said when the news anchor said a particular name¡­


    Torak Donovan.

 Chapter 975 - SEREFINA! YOU ARE INSANE!

    Raine couldn''t hear what Aeon said when the news anchor said a particular name¡­


    Torak Donovan.


    The news anchor was reporting that the tycoon from Donovan''s company would open their new branch in the red river city.


    "¡­ Raine¡­"


    "Huh?" Raine was slightly dumbfounded when she heard someone call her name and turned around to see that Aeon was standing behind her with knitted brows.


    "Did you hear what I said?" Aeon asked, staring at the confused girl in front of him. "Why are you dozing off?"


    "Oh, no¡­" Raine shook her head. "Sorry, what did you say?"


    Aeon stretched out his hands and cupped her face. "Are you okay? Tired?" he touched her forehead, but thankfully her temperature was normal, so he thought the girl was only tired, after all she just returned from her school. "Just sit down, I will cook something for you."


    Aeon pushed Raine to sit down on the sofa, despite her rejection and reluctance.


    "I am okay Aeon, I will make dinner," Raine complained, but the shadow warrior didn''t want to hear that. "I don''t want to eat the food that you cook."


    "Why? That is an insult." Aeon feigned anger when he heard that, with scrunched nose and defensively folded arms.


    However, that gesture only made Raine laugh. "You and I know that neither of us will eat whatever you cook."


    Upon hearing that, Aeon laughed along with Raine. This was one of the reasons why he loved to spend his time with her. She had never failed to make him laugh and enjoy the sense of happiness.


    "I know," Aeon finally said, relenting. "You stay here, I will buy something from the nearby restaurant. What do you want?"


    Raine shrugged her shoulders. "I don''t have anything particular that I want to eat, just buy two different sets of dinner, so we can exchange." She was not a picky eater, thus she was fine with whatever Aeon would buy.


    "All right." Aeon walked toward the door. "Is there anything else that you want?"


    "Nope."Raine shook her head, smiling softly at the shadow warrior''s figure that disappeared behind the closing door.


    However, the moment she was alone, she turned around to stare at the television that stopped showing any news about Torak Donovan.


    Yet, that name wouldn''t stop echoing in Raine''s head very loudly, while giving her a little bit longing feeling in her heart.


    She felt like she had heard that name somewhere. His name sounded familiar¡­ as if she knew that person¡­ but, it was impossible, right?


    ==============


    "Selene¡­?" that name came out from Hope''s lips in a whisper. She herself didn''t know if she could believe what she said, but at the same time she knew that she had called her name correctly.


    Her confusion was cleared when the moon goddess nodded. "It is me, my child," she said softly. Her voice soothed Hope''s anxiety just like a breeze of warm air.


    "But, how¡­" Hope shook her head, knowing how stupid her question seemed since the goddess had already told her that she was the one who had given her this power, of course she could be here, in this realm. "But, why did you meet me now?"


    "You don''t like to see me?" Selene raised her charming brows teasingly. She knew that was not Hope''s intention.


    "No, no, no," Hope said immediately, waving her hand frantically to let the goddess know that was not what she meant. "I mean¡­ did you come here to help me? To let me know how¡­" Hope swiped her gaze over the two beasts that were still laying down on the ground. "¡­ how to help them?"


    "Yes," Selene said. "But, first of all, I want you to come closer to me¡­" She stretched out her hand toward her. "Come, my child¡­"


    ==============


    "Serefina! Are you crazy!?" Lidya shrieked. She didn''t know what she had to do other than that, but now she was more than upset to know about the deal between Serefina and Nutdrouk.


    Meanwhile, Serefina didn''t say anything when she watched her old friend, one of the very few people that she could call as her best friends, shaking her head vigorously.


    "You are insane, Serefina!" Lidya felt her chest caving in. "I don''t want to know about this. You shouldn''t tell me this," she said, repeating her words a few times, as if by doing so, she could get rid of the memory of her acknowledgment about whatever Serefina had told her earlier.


    "Get yourself together." Serefina turned around, didn''t even sympathizing with her, after she delivered a blow to her. "If you are done, go out and take Nutdrouk with you to collect Hope''s blood."


    "Serefina," Lidya called her name before she could go out of this room.


    Her hand hung mid- air when she was about to open the door, but she didn''t move and waited for her to say whatever she wanted to say.


    "Don''t you want to say something to Hope?" Lidya knitted her brows. "You raised that girl. Don''t you feel the slightest compassion toward her? Or the need to explain this matter?"


    "No," Serefina answered curtly and then opened the door without any hesitation.


    All of this mess would come to an end, she didn''t need some feelings to get in her way and drag her down.


    ==============


    "Can you reach the king?" Sebastian asked carefully when he watched what Lilac had done.


    It was almost impossible to reach Jedrek over such distance between them through mind- link, therefore the general doubted it when Lilac said she could connect to him.


    Yet, it seemed she did manage to do the impossible.


    "Yes," Lilac said curtly. She turned around and faced Sebastian and Belinda. "Sebastian, tell the other Alphas, who are still here to meet me in the meeting room." She then shifted her attention toward Belinda. "Tell Hope and Ethan to meet me there too, but let Calleb stay with Raine if she is still not awake."


    "Yes, my queen," Sebastian automatically addressed her that way without even realizing it. He even lowered his head, a gesture that he wouldn''t show her a year ago when he met her.


    ============== Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #!-you-are-insane!_51394513725345704 for visiting.


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 Chapter 976 - THEY ARE UNDER MY MERCY

    Calleb and Ethan yelled loudly, throwing all the profanities that they knew into the nothingness. However, no matter what they said, no one would come to save them in this d*mned place!


    "Sh*t!F*ck that dragon shifter!" Ethan was beyond frustrated when he kicked the steel bar, while Calleb was trying to tear that metal apart, but with no avail. "What happened to Hope? Why did she fall unconscious again all of a sudden?!"


    Even in the midst of his anger and frustration, Ethan was still worried about his friend.


    Hope was unconscious out of the blue, it was fortunate enough that they moved fast and held her head before she could hit the hard floor.


    However, without their beast and since their strength had been reduced because of the after effects of the spell that was casted during the battle in the castle before, they didn''t have enough power to fight those dragon shifters and keep Raine and Hope safe!


    The situation was already very bad, but they didn''t think it would become even worser than it already might be.


    "We shouldn''t trust those dragon people! F*ck them all!" Ethan kicked the metal bars again, but it only hurt his feet. He laughed sarcastically. This body without their beast was nothing but a useless shell.


    Ethan didn''t know when was the last time he felt this feeling of hurt, because their healing ability would heighten their endurance, yet he felt hurt when he was kicking those metal bars.


    Ethan kept cursing when he took off his shoes and watched his feet which now started bleeding. "What is this? This just sucks!" He hurled the shoes against the wall and shouted.


    If Ian was there, he would be freaked out by his twin''s behavior right now, since Ethan would be the calmest person between the two of them and him cursing or losing his temper were always out of question, but seeing him now, even their mother wouldn''t recognize him.


    However, it was understandable.


    Who wouldn''t lose their mind if they had to face a situation similar to what they were in now? They would probably act even more impulsive than Ethan now.


    "Stop shouting," Calleb said tiredly, he leaned against the wall and slid down to the dirty ground. "No one will come to this part of the place."


    Twenty against two. Those dragon people didn''t even had to put much effort when they fought Calleb and Ethan, before throwing them into the deeper parts of the dungeon in this place.


    Even Calleb didn''t know that this place existed before this.


    Those dragon people must have thought this thoroughly until they could come with this idea and find this place.


    "So, what should we do now?" Ethan glared at Calleb, despite knowing what he said was right. "Wait for someone to look for us? Who knows what those sh*tty dragons have done by now out there?!"


    Calleb didn''t answer that immediately. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the dim room, but he couldn''t find much here. "Let''s hope for Lilac to realize it before they can do something even worse."


    That was the only hope that they had, but Calleb didn''t elaborate the doubt that was gnawing at the back of his mind. Since Theseus had thought about it carefully, they must have planned out all the possibilities.


    Calleb closed his eyes and took a deep sigh. He didn''t want to think, but his head kept throbbing painfully, while his heart started beating really fast.


    He didn''t want anything else, he just wanted to be with his mate now¡­


    ==============


    "Where is the phoenix?" Purple looked at Theseus coldly.


    The fae was now being dragged into a room, when she realized the phoenix that supposed to be with her had gone for hours. It was not something normal to happen.


    She was about to go to Hope''s room, as the mythical bird was often there, since the guardian angel fell unconscious. However, no one was inside the room.


    Thus, she thought of going to Raine''s room.


    Hope and Lilac had just woken up and only a few guards had saw them, but those lycan warriors had been taken care of by the dragon people.


    Therefore, Purple didn''t feel anything suspicious when she saw Theseus''s people hovering around Raine''s room, because she thought they were just replacing the lycan warrior posts, yet right after she was dragged inside she saw Raine and Hope on the bed, seemingly unconscious without their protector in their near sights, only then did she understand that something fishy was going on here.


    Theseus''s behavior only amplified her doubts.


    "The phoenix is with you." That was not a question, but a statement. Purple knew that she was right by the way Theseus looked, mockingly, at her.


    "I know who you are," Theseus said in a low and eerie voice. "You are the rare kind of fae that we have been looking for¡­"


    Purple narrowed her eyes, she knew that before this, those fire dragon shifters had been demanding for baby Eddard to be handed over to them, since they knew Lana was one of the descendent of the said fae.


    However, baby Eddard couldn''t be compared to Purple, since she was a pure fae of that rare race. It was akin to hitting a jackpot for Theseus when he learnt about Purple''s origin.


    "¡­And it happened that you can resuscitate our beasts, because you are the same fae who sealed the vow with us, dragon people." Theseus raised his brows and stood up from his seat to approach the fae. "Right?"


    "Do you think you can scare me?" Purple glanced at the two guardian angels on the bed and then at the twenty dragon people inside the room. "I can burn all of you to the ground right here, right now."


    However, that threat didn''t bother Theseus at all, he even chuckled merrily. "Then, my people will kill the phoenix. How will you fight that monster under the frozen river without that mythical bird? Or, how will you win the war when those lycanthropes can already smell the defeat just after a few days of battle?" he glanced at Raine and Hope. "Even the two guardian angels are under my mercy now."


    Meanwhile, knowing her position, Purple didn''t show much expression on her face when she finally said, "What do you want now?"


    ==============


    Check my instagram @Jikan_yo_tomare to see a video from chapter 851.


    hope you like it. ((^o^))

 Chapter 977 - YOU SHOULDNT MESS WITH HER

    "Isn''t this very obvious?" Theseus towered over the fae. "I want you to dissolve the vow." As if he was afraid that his sentence was too short and Purple might not get the point, he elaborated it. "I want my beast back. Also my people."


    Purple smirked when she heard that and she glared at the dragon lord bravely. "Do you think I will do it? What you will do after I dissolved the vow?" Purple took a step forward, reducing the distance between them and smiled derisively at him. "Will you run to the devil''s side? You people are exactly like your predecessors. Full of schemes and shortsighted. But, I think you are the worst."


    Theseus back- handed the fae harshly, until she fell to the floor. However, Theseus didn''t stop there, he kicked the fae until her body rolled halfway on the floor of the room.


    "What did you say just now? Say it again," Theseus spitted. He had been holding back his bad temper ever since he arrived here, but it was hard to see those lycanthropes flaunting their strength whenever he saw them. At least, that was what he thought.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #''t-mess-with-her_51398959821803207 for visiting.


    "Shortsighted and stupid." Purple gladly repeated her words again and this only aggravated the dragon lord.


    Theseus marched toward the fae and was about to kick her again, when Purple caught his feet and he found himself unable to move.


    In het sitting position, Puprle raised her head to meet Theseus''s eyes, but there was a malice in those fae''s eyes.


    "Do you think you can treat me this way? Threatening me with my phoenix''s life?" Purple scoffed. "You know that the vow has sealed your souls? Your inner beast?"


    No matter how hard Theseus tried to retract his leg from Purple''s firm hold, he couldn''t do that, but to ask for help was a little bit too much.


    The fae didn''t look like a creature, who had at on of strength acc.u.mulated in her, thus it would be a shame for the well- built dragon lord to ask for help from his people, just to get rid of her hold.


    Therefore, Theseus pretended that he let the fae hold his leg and didn''t make any attempt again, while listening to Purple''s gibberish.


    "Don''t you know what does that mean? To offer your soul to me?" Purple squinted her eyes, staring coldly at Theseus, that could make anyone who saw her now, feel chills running down their spine. "I can control you as I wish."


    Purple had never used this hold of hers on the dragon shifters because she didn''t have a good reason to do so, but seeing how these sc.u.m tried to backstab them once again, just like what their predecessors did, left the fae aggravated.


    And it was not a good thing to incur the wrath of a fae.


    ==============


    Lilac was sitting at the head position of the table while she watched as the Alphas that had been called by Sebastian, enter the room one by one.


    Their shocked expressions indicated that they didn''t know that Lilac had regained her consciousness.


    Therefore, they spoke a few good words to their queen. Some of them were Torak''s people, thus they didn''t regard her as their leader, but they were still polite enough to ask her well- being.


    "Let''s keep the pleasantries for later," Lilac said solemnly, while waving her hand toward the seats in front of her, a polite gesture to ask them to sit down.


    Aside from Stephan, the lord of earth dragon shifters, a total of eight Alphas came in for the meeting. The six Alphas and two hundred lycan warriors who originally planned to go to the sanctuary, which was now under the siege of the vampires and the northern witches also stayed back in the castle, because they couldn''t enter that place, and since the land was covered with magic that rendered them unable to teleport, they stayed here, waiting for the next order.


    "What is it my queen?" one of the lord from Jedrek''s people asked Lilac. He was polite enough to not judge her by her origin, since he had witnessed with his own eyes, what this guardian angel was capable of doing.


    Lilac glanced at the door, she was waiting for Belinda to bring Hope, it didn''t supposed to take so long for her to get to her room, but it was weird that even now, she was still not here.


    Lilac then leaned over to talk to Sebastian, who was standing behind her. "Check on Belinda, she is late," she said in a low voice.


    Sebastian nodded and immediately left the room. His leaving figure distracted the people on the table, but their attention traced back to Lilac when she started speaking.


    "I have a few things to discuss with all of you." Her voice was very firm, just like the queen she was.


    ==============


    Belinda walked toward Raine''s bedroom to call for Hope and Ethan, but after she arrived in this floor, she could sense that something strange had happened here.


    The lycanthropes who were supposed to be guarding the corridor, were not in their posts, instead she saw the dragon people in their place.


    The frown on her brows deepened when she watched there were many dragon people in front of Raine''s room.


    Something was wrong here¡­


    "Where are you going?" one of the dragon people blocked her way and the other five people there looked in her direction with hostility.


    "Shouldn''t I be the one to ask what you people are doing here?" Belinda narrowed her eyes at them. The witch might appear as a middle aged woman, but one should know not to mess around with her. "Are you here because of an order from Lilac?"


    "And, why should we take an order from that woman?" he said derisively.


    "That woman?" Belinda raised her brows at them. Now she was a hundred percent sure that something was definitely wrong here. "Move. I want to see Raine."


    "You are not allowed to go inside," he said firmly. "Go back now."


    "Not allowed?" Belinda scoffed. She was, after all, a half sister of Serefina, therefore it was not strange that their tempers were similar to each other''s.

 Chapter 978 - SHE SAW RED

    "I can control you as I like." Purple grabbed Theseus neck firmly, but the dragon lord looked very calm and collected, yet if one looked closely, they could see a tiny flicker of fear that flashed in his eyes. "You shouldn''t mess with someone who held your soul, didn''t your parents ever taught you this?"


    The fae, who always looked very cheerful and would be on a different page from being hostile, looked like she was ready to swipe the entire earth dragon shifter kind off the face of this realm now.


    "Tell me where is the phoenix?" Purple asked again, she then glanced at Hope and Raine. "What happened to them?"


    "I don''t know. They fell unconscious just like that. I did nothing¡­ yet," Theseus said with a smirk on his lips, despite his life was only a crush away from Purple''s strong grab, he refused to show any kind of weakness before his people.


    "The phoenix," Purple reminded the dragon lord again.


    Theseus had been dodging the first question deliberately, trying to buy some time.


    "Go ahead. Kill me. And my people will kill your sweet phoenix." Theseus held Purple''s wrist and determination swiped his fear, as he realized the value of that mythical bird. "You need that creature to defeat the monster deep in the river, right?" he smirked triumphantly.


    When the realization hit those dragon people, a round of jeers echoed in the room.


    "You will lose your precious chance to win the war," one of the dragon people inside the room said. He clapped his hands mockingly and pointed his stubby finger at Purple.


    "You better put our lord down and beg for us to not chop your bird into pieces," said another in the same mocking tone.


    "Right, put me down and dissolve the vow, only then will we release your bird." Theseus laughed along with them, though he could still feel the hand around his neck that was tightening with every second that passed.


    However, when Purple heard that, she didn''t even budge in the slightest, instead she jeered at them derisively. "You think lightly about what I can do, don''t you?"


    And right after her words fell, all the dragon people fell to their knees, clutching their chest and wailing in pain, including Theseus, but he could only writhe under Purple''s strong hold.


    "Didn''t I tell you that your soul belong to me?" The fae tilted her head and watched the fear return in to the eyes of the dragon lord in front of her.


    Theseus felt the air from his lungs being sucked out painfully before leaving him breathless. He felt like a thousand needles were piercing through his skin.


    "What are¡­ you doing?" Theseus gagged on his own words and tried to pry Purple''s fingers from his neck with no avail.


    It was ridiculous! For a creature that looked as weak as her, she was able to put the dragon people at her mercy.


    "I told you to not mess with me," Purple said grimly. "You want to use me or Raphael''s baby?" her voice became darker. The baby could be the last of their kind and it was simply maddening for Purple to think that these disgusting dragon people would lay their fingers on the baby.


    Meanwhile, Theseus was very certain if he couldn''t think of a way to escape this fae, he would die in the very next minute.


    "I will¡­ let you¡­ know¡­ about... the phoenix¡­" Theseus tried to talk, but it was hard when he didn''t have much air to support him.


    Now, his vision had turned blurry and it was hard for him to even lift his hand and free himself from Purple''s stronghold.


    However, when those dragon people thought they would die, all of a sudden the pain was gone completely and they breathed the air greedily.


    At first they thought the fae finally showed some mercy on them and freed them from her wrath, but when they had regained their composure and felt slightly better, they just realized that was not the case.


    Because, they could see the five devils from hell appearing before their eyes.


    Belphegor, who was standing beside the bed, staring at Raine with a gleam in his golden eyes.


    Mammon, who was holding the fae''s hand behind her back while pushing her on to the wall.


    Leviathan, who was standing not too far from Asmodeus, who clung onto him with l.u.s.t in her eyes, while staring at Hope, as if the girl was a delicious feast.


    And then Lucifer, who was sitting on the sofa lazily. "Are you done here? I am waiting for you to wrap everything up here, but it seems you weren''t even capable to do so¡­" he directed his words at Theseus.


    "The fae¡­" Theseus choked, holding his sore neck.


    "I know¡­ I can see how a single fae can beat all of your kind." Lucifer tilted his head.


    "If it is not because of the vow, I will have killed her in no time!" Theseus yelled angrily.


    "Weak¡­" Asmodeus sneered.


    ==============


    Even after seeing that she was at disadvantage because those dragon people had outnumbered her, it couldn''t make Belinda falter in the slightest.


    The witch walked straight, her eyes glued to the door with blue fire circling in her hands that left the dragon shifters hesitant to go after her.


    However, it was their duty to stop anyone from entering the room, thus regardless what would happen to them and even knowing the result, they had to stop Belinda at all costs.


    It went without saying, the moment the dragon shifters blocked Belinda''s way in to the room, their bodies burned because of the blue fire that engulfed them.


    A shrill scream rang out, echoing through the whole corridor, prompting several more dragon shifters to come which aggravated the witch even further.


    "Block my way and I will burn you all down to nothing but ashes." Belinda''s eyes turned red as the fire in her hands coiled around her whole body, like a giant snake.


    And this time, all she could see was red.

 Chapter 979 - WHAT SOUND WAS THAT?

    Torak Donovan.


    That one name got stuck in Raine''s head, from the first time she heard it in her apartment, even when she went back to her home and after having a dinner with her parents, all she could think was that name.


    Who was that person?


    No, of course she knew, she had done a little investigation on her own and knew that Torak Donovan was the owner of the Donovan Company, the most amazing billionaire, a man with countless achievements and ecetera¡­


    However, that was not what Raine was looking for¡­ what she wanted was not some public made information like that. There was something more¡­ there was something strange every time she heard his name¡­


    But, why?


    What was this pain in her heart whenever she heard that name on the news or saw him on the morning newspaper that her father read?


    The longing feeling that she couldn''t understand¡­ as if Raine had lost something precious¡­ an important detail, or¡­ memory¡­


    "Raine?"


    Her mother''s soft voice brought Raine back to reality and forced her to smile at her. "Yes, mom?"


    "Are you daydreaming? Help me with the fruits and give it to your father." Her mother laughed and handed her a knife and two apples. "Are you seeing someone now?"


    "No," Raine denied it too fast and then she blushed, thinking of Aeon. Her parents didn''t know about Aeon''s existence even until now and she didn''t have any plan to introduce him soon.


    "Really?" Her mother wriggled her eyebrows suggestively and Raine laughed. "I don''t mind if you are seeing someone¡­" she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "I''ve started dating when I was younger than you¡­"


    Raine laughed again, but didn''t say anything, because when she looked at her reflection on the stainless knife, she caught a glimpse of her neck and that weird feeling come back¡­


    ==============


    Belinda kicked the door open after she made sure it was burned and charred, just like the other dragon people who had blocked her way and tried to stop her.


    However, she wouldn''t have thought that what awaited her was something beyond her wildest imaginations.


    "Hai, Belinda¡­" Asmodeus waved her hands cheerfully at the witch. "May I know, where your sister is?"


    Of course the devils could hear the commotion from outside the door, but they were in the middle of something more important, thus no one went out to help those poor souls that had turned into ashes.


    Belinda stood at the doorstep, with fire circling around her body and eyes red, blazing with anger. She glanced at Hope and Raine on the bed, but to reach them, she didn''t stand a chance¡­


    What should she do then?!


    While the witch''s mind was busy thinking of a solution as she ignored the mocking remarks from the devils, she failed to realize something¡­


    Something far more important...


    On the other side of the room, Theseus was writhing on the floor, holding back his screams, but when the pain was almost unbearable, he yelled at the top of his lungs that attracted attention from all the beings present, including Belinda.


    The witch was confused at first when she noticed how Theseus''s body bent at a strange angel, but then when the realization hit her hard, she knew what was happening and her eyes widened in disbelief.


    However it was too late. Belinda could already see the scales spreading on Theseus''s human skin as his bones cracked before his back split and two pair of huge and strong wings appeared.


    "Oh, no¡­" Belinda gasped loudly, covering her mouth when she watched the transformation of a Dragon shifter for the first time. "He is shifting¡­ but, how¡­"


    "Wow, it looks painful," Asmodeus grimaced, circling her arms around Belphegor''s shoulders as she watched enthusiastically.


    "It worked," Lucifer breathed in excitement, he could feel the glory of success in the palm of his hands as he watched the transformation ending on a successful note.


    The dragon shifter was a magnificent creature and with those shiny and sharp scales on his body, which almost served as a shield, they were almost impenetrable.


    With his huge being, the moment he spread his long pair of wings, it created a two holes on two opposite walls of the room. The beast shrieked and tried to move, but it only added more damage to the room.


    "No, it can''t be¡­" Belinda muttered to herself.


    Even the other dragon people were flabbergasted to see the beast before their eyes, but a moment later they screamed with excitement and went out of control.


    After all, years of waiting had ended and they could finally return to their original selves. Finally, they could see their beast and live up to their name as the dragon shifters.


    And then without any hesitation, they willingly bear the pain of shifting for the first time. Their bodies bent at strange angles as they shrieked heart wrenchingly, but didn''t stop.


    With no time, the room could no longer accommodate those shifters, who started to shift into their beasts.


    Therefore, with the flap of Theseus''s wings, he tore down the wall beside him and created a huge hole on the wall.


    "Beautiful isn''t it?" Lucifer tilted his head at the witch.


    ==============


    Sebastian could smell something burning when he reached the wing where the guardian angels'' room was located, and he got a bad feeling even when he crossed the yards of the side of this place.


    Guards couldn''t be seen anywhere, even at places which were supposed to be stationed with high security.


    The general quickened his steps when he reached the stairs and the burning smell became more prominent, but before he could reach the top of the stairs, he heard a sound of the wall being broken, as if there was an explosion and the walls shook along with a shrieking sound.


    Sebastian stopped for a while, to await if something or some other creature that would attack him, while his eyes fixed on the vast space on the top of the stairs.


    However, nothing happened for quite sometime and when he was sure nothing would come to attack him, he climbed the stairs again hastily and the shrieking sound became more intense.


    If he thought it was only one creature before, now there were at least four or five and the number of sounds grew more and more.


    What was sound that?!

 Chapter 980 - A HORDE OF DRAGON BEASTS

    Two white beasts shifted into their human skins when they walked through the gates, a few guards greeted them, but their minds were too occupied with others things inside their heads.


    Kace, who knew that his mate had already woken up, couldn''t even wait a single second to see her.


    Meanwhile, Torak needed to see Lilac, to discuss about Calleb. Maybe she had a way to bring some back up to protect the people in the earth dragon castle.


    They had to do something about it and Torak didn''t even want to start imagining what would happen to Calleb if he lost his mate. He wouldn''t be able stand such a blow.


    His mind and judgment had been clouded from the first day he arrived here. Staring at the gloomy sky alone managed to dampen his mood considerably. It almost felt like they were surrounded in despair¡­


    However, before that, he needed to see Raine first. If Hope and Lilac had already woken up, so why didn''t Raine?


    Maybe she had regained her consciousness now. She just came back late probably¡­


    Torak hoped he was right and when he reached their room, Raine would greet him like usual.


    "Alpha Torak, Alpha Kace¡­" one of the guards approached them.


    When Kace heard the Alpha title, he didn''t say anything, he was not in the mood to correct him. He could address him as he wished, though on a normal day, he would glare at this shifter.


    "The queen asks for your presence in the meeting room once you got here," the young man said, half- running to follow the brothers'' steps.


    "Later," Torak said curtly and quickened his steps, but the young shifter followed them regardless.


    However, they stopped walking when they heard a loud explosion that came from the direction of the place to where they were heading.


    Without a second thought, Kace and Torak shifted into their beasts again and rushed over hurriedly.


    ==============


    Sebastian couldn''t believe what he saw when a total of seven dragons flapped their wings in the air, shrieking relentlessly while breathing fire with the dark sky as the background.


    "Impossible¡­" Sebastian muttered to himself.


    But, even more impossible things happened¡­ from the huge hole formed on the wall of one of the rooms, which seemed to be Raine''s room, one more dragon came out¡­ and another¡­ followed by one more¡­


    The general shook his head when he witnessed all of this and jumped in surprise when he heard menacing growls coming from behind his back.


    But, to his relieve, he saw two white beasts rushing toward him, he didn''t think he could take one more surprise after seeing more than a dozen dragons all at once.


    The two white beasts then shifted into the two younger brothers of his king.


    "What happened here?!" Torak roared at Sebastian, but he didn''t stop walking toward the room. His red eyes became even more murderous when he witnessed the half- burned dragon people'' bodies, while the rest had been blazed into ashes.


    "I don''t know¡­ I just arrived here too¡­" Sebastian said. "There¡­ how could the dragon shifter¡­" he pointed to the sky.


    Yet, Kace and Torak just spared the scene a glance. They had seen that on their way here and it only made them more anxious.


    Especially when they entered the room and watched as the last dragon shifter shifted into his beast and flapped his wings to join the other dragons.


    But the most terrifying sight for Torak was when he noticed that Raine was not on her bed, though he knew it was most likely that their enemies would target their mates first.


    "What happened here?" Torak tried to keep his voice as calm as he could, but it still couldn''t hide the fact that the Alpha was on the brink of becoming a feral.


    Behind Torak, Kace growled and snarled. He could smell his mate''s scent in this room which indicated that Hope was here just a few moments ago.


    But, just like Raine, Hope also disappeared and aside from Belinda, who was cradling someone in her arms, no one was inside the room.


    Sebastian, who was standing in front of the broken door, immediately took the initiative. "I will let Lilac knew about this."


    And then he ran toward the meeting place and when he glanced at the sky, he could see a horde of dragons flying in the north direction, the place where the battle was happening, where Jedrek was in charge along with some Lycanthropes that were left.


    ==============


    Lilac was in the middle of a conversation with one of the eight Alphas inside this meeting room, after rejecting Stephan''s idea when all the Lycanthropes stood up and directed their attention toward the door.


    At first, Lilac didn''t understand, she thought they were being attacked, but maybe that was true, because from the loud explosion and rumbling sounds they heard from afar.


    "What is that?" Lilac looked at them one by one and as if there was a tacit understanding between them, they started to run out of the room to check upon the situation.


    Now, all of the people gathered inside the meeting room were standing in the open area, but due to their location, where a tall and huge tower covered most of their view, they failed to see the dragon beasts that were flying amok in the sky.


    "I think the sound was from the direction of Raine''s room," Stephan muttered, he glanced at Lilac, who was standing beside him and one of Alphas started to mind- link to gather more people.


    "I will check what''s going on." Alpha Ralph along with the other three Alphas volunteered to check the situation.


    And when they were all gone, from the opposite direction, they saw someone running hastily toward them. It was Sybil.


    "My queen," she said and her fearful eyes looked at Lilac. "The spell is broken. Something...." She shook her head, correcting herself. "Someone had managed to break into this place by magic."


    Lilac narrowed her eyes when she heard that, but before she could think further about this new information, the Alphas gasped loudly as their hands pointed at something in the sky.


    And that was when Lilac saw a horde of dragon beasts¡­

 Chapter 981 - KILL THEM ALL

    Darkness engulfed Raine and she couldn''t see where she was.


    But, she knew that Aeon was here, after all it was not the first time the shadow warrior took her to this realm.


    Soon, Raine could feel his warm breath tracing down to her jaw and to the bottom of her collarbones, sending warmth to her lower abdomen.


    Afterward, Raine felt his breath brush past her b.r.e.a.s.ts, as she gasped in surprise and a growl could be heard from behind her.


    Raine closed her eyes again, even though it didn''t make anything different, because everything was very dark here.


    And then she could feel his calloused hand on her waist and she was pulled to him. His nose nuzzled the curve between her neck and shoulder, and Raine''s breath hitched with torturous delight.


    In the next second, Raine was being pushed to lie on the floor, as his lips wildly kissed her neck.


    The part of her knew his embrace was the safest place for her, but deep down she was scared and felt there was something wrong with all of this.


    "Mine."


    Raine could hear Aeon''s deep and low voice resonating in her ears.


    As if the darkness sucked her into a deep hole and her mind reeled, her body turned stiff and numb.


    A few moments later, Raine sucked in a breath of cold air when she regained her consciousness.


    As she opened her eyes, the golden light from the sunrise enriched her vision, but not bright enough to make her eyes feel uncomfortable.


    Raine raised her hands and rubbed her face. "Aeon, stop it," she said in a low and tired voice and then lowered her hand to glance at the man, who was sitting on the edge of her bed. "What happened to you?"


    Before this, Aeon had never stepped out of the line, but what he did in the shadow realm was a close call.


    "I am sorry," Aeon muttered and then stood up, his expression looked uncomfortable.


    "What happened to you?" Raine sat down and stared at the shadow warrior. From the way he reciprocated her gaze, Raine knew there was something that bothered his mind.


    "Nothing." Aeon shook his head. "I am sorry." And then he vanished into thin air.


    ==============


    Torak approached Belinda, who was holding Purple in her arms, the witch was sobbing slightly, as she tried to heal the fae.


    Upon a closer look, Torak could see what exactly happened to Purple.


    It seemed that the dragon shifters had burned the fae''s beautiful wings and now she was suffering in agony because of the pain on her back.


    Belinda supported her head and casted a spell between her tears on the back of the fae, while Purple laid on her stomach, puffing out shallow breaths.


    No blood could be seen oozing out from her wounds, but the burns and char on her skin was very glaring to the eyes.


    "How is she?" Torak asked. His mind was in a disarray, as he tried to keep his sanity and the rage of his beast in check when he realized his mate was gone. Someone had taken her. The devils¡­


    "I don''t know¡­" Belinda said, her voice was shaking in fear. "I don''t know how¡­ her wings¡­"


    Torak stretched out his hand and patted her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "It''s okay."


    On the other hand, Purple reached Torak''s hand, as she muttered something. Her voice was very low, even with Torak''s hearing ability, he couldn''t hear it clearly. It was as if the fae just moved her lips.


    Therefore, Torak bent his body and moved closer to her, to hear what she wanted to say¡­


    ==============


    Lilac, Sybil and the other Alphas were flabbergasted at what they had witnessed, even though the horde of the dragons had long disappeared in the horizon.


    They just snapped out of their reverie when Sebastian approached them. "My queen," He said politely, but there was an urgency in the way he spoke. "The dragon shifters¡­"


    "I know," Lilac said immediately. Her eyes became a few shades darker. "What happened there?"


    Even before Lilac could hear Sebastian''s answer, she knew that something dreadful must have happened and the look on the general''s countenance only amplified her conjectures.


    "The devils managed to take Raine and Hope," Sebastian said, solidifying what Lilac had guessed.


    "D*mn it!" Lilac cursed loudly. Her slender body was shaking in rage. She was livid beyond words.


    Her words managed to make the other Alphas and Stephan stop talking about the dragon beasts and put their attention back on Lilac solemnly. They didn''t want to aggravate her any further.


    "Are Torak and Kace here?!" Lilac''s voice was very harsh, it was almost like she was cursing Sebastian, though that was not the case.


    "Yes, they are in Raine''s room." Sebastian flinched slightly when he received Lilac''s angry gaze.


    And then Lilac shifted her attention toward the Alphas. "Find the remaining fire dragon shifters and kill them all!" she said through gritted teeth.


    She didn''t need to show them mercy when the present situation was as clear as a day. Once again, the dragon shifters had betrayed them and chose to side with the devils.


    This was why they didn''t trust Stephan enough to lift the curse and prolong it as much as possible. While the dragon earth shifters didn''t mind it so much, as they could feel that the lycanthropes didn''t trust them yet, but the fire dragon shifters had a hidden agenda.


    Therefore, there was no need to show them mercy.


    "Yes, my queen." The Alphas answered in unison. They were a little bit surprised at Lilac''s cruel order, but this was what they expected from their queen. Needless to say, they were satisfied with her decision.


    Showing kindness to your enemies was a crime.


    "Sybil, come with me," Lilac said to the witch and along with Sebastian, they headed to the place where Raine''s was room located.


    [Jedrek, the dragon people¡­] Lilac mind- linked Jedrek on her way.


    [I know,] Jedrek replied to her immediately. [I can already see them now, they are here.]

 Chapter 982 - PLEASE BE SAFE

    [I know,] Jedrek replied to her immediately. [I can already see them now, they are here.]


    Lilac felt her chest tighten with fear, despite her acting tough and assured earlier, she couldn''t help but worry about her mate and Jedrek could feel it through the bond that they shared.


    [Take care of the things there, I will handle the situation here,] Jedrek said calmly. He didn''t want to stress his mate more than this.


    [Please be safe¡­]


    Please be safe¡­


    Lilac whispered in her heart, just like she was chanting a spell¡­


    ==============


    Jedrek watched as the fire dragon beasts burned everything down to the ground, not only the creatures from hell, but everything¡­ literally everything¡­


    "Alpha¡­ we need to back off!" Jack, Torak''s Gamma, tried to talk to Jedrek, as the latter was still in a daze after hearing Lilac''s voice.


    He had an urge to see her. How long had it been since the last time they talked to each other? However, that was only his impulsiveness and he knew better than anything that more important things have to betaken care of first.


    Jedrek glanced over his shoulder at the building behind him, it seemed like a school building, which still stood solidly.


    "Bring all the people inside there," Jedrek said impassively.


    "But, we are supposed to run away from this place," Jack saw the dragon beasts that were flying in the sky, breathing fire. If they didn''t run as far as they could, surely they would be burned into ashes. Not even a concrete building could protect them now.


    However, Jedrek didn''t listen to him and repeated his order. "Bring all the people inside."


    Theo, who was standing next to Jack, tugged his fellow lycan and nodded to the building that was pointed by Jedrek.


    [Just follow his order,] Theo mind- linked him.


    Jack was about to protest, but he swallowed it and ran toward the other lycanthropes, relying what Jedrek had ordered him and now the remaining lycan warriors and the Alphas, who survived until now rushed toward the building, looking for a shelter.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek stood right in front of the gate and watched with cold eyes when one of the dragon beasts noticed him and flew straight toward him, breathing fire.


    From the way the dragon beast looked at Jedrek, the king new it was the new dragon lord, Theseus and he was about to set him on fire, yet the lycan didn''t budge.


    ==============


    Today was the first day of the new semester for Raine and she just arrived at her school when she saw a commotion.


    "What happened?" Raine asked Kai, who was walking beside her.


    "You don''t know? Torak Donovan is here." Kai ate his chicken wrap and looked at Raine, munching as he continued talking. "Donovan company will open their new branch here and Torak Donovan had been in this city for more than two months, now he will be the guest of honor to give an opening speech for our new semester. All the lecturers were going crazy about this."


    There¡­ that strange feeling hit Raine yet again when she heard that certain name.


    She felt fl.u.s.tered and agitated at the same time.


    While walking to their classroom, Raine was listening to Kai chatter about how he was excited to see Torak Donovan in person and how he spent his holiday, but for some reason, Raine turned to a different corridor.


    "Raine, where are you going?" Kai followed her and thought that the girl wanted to buy something to eat, since they were now walking in the direction of the canteen.


    But, Raine stopped walking when she saw him.


    This was the same person, who often appeared with Torak, his personal assistant with the name Raphael Lockwood. Of course Raine knew about him, since she had been spending days collecting information on Torak.


    Raphael was talking to one of the lecturers when they walked passed Raine.


    Kai nodded his head politely to greet the two people, but Raine stood there, dumbstruck when Raphael and her eyes met for two seconds.


    And when they had walked away, Kai turned around to face Raine, but he realized something. "Raine, why are you crying?!" he was hysterical.


    "Huh?" Raine didn''t know that she was crying, yet when her fingers touched her cheeks, she could feel the moisture of her tears.


    "What happened? Something''s bothering you?" Kai bombarded her with questions, but Raine didn''t say anything.


    How could she know why she was crying? She just felt like crying when she saw Raphael¡­


    ==============


    Lilac arrived at Raine''s room, which was now turned upside down, as if it had been caught in fire, which was actually true, since Belinda and the fire dragon shifters were engaged in a fight earlier.


    Behind her, Sebastian, Stephan and Sybil followed closely.


    The first thing they saw was Belinda, who was holding Purple in her arms and Torak, who knelt down beside them, while Kace sat down, grabbing his hair in an attempt to calm himself down.


    However, Lilac could see that their eyes had turned bright red, the indication that their beasts were livid and they were ready to lash out.


    One Donovan with red eyes was not a good sign, not to mention there were two now. All of a sudden, every sound was nullified, even the sound of their footsteps could no longer be heard and the room fell into dead silence.


    Lilac''s figure appeared on the doorstep and the moment Torak and Kace realized her presence, they directed their attention toward her.


    On the other hand, Lilac didn''t falter at all, she held their gaze that filled with wrath bravely, because she knew the hostility was not for her.


    It was understandable, the devils had taken their mates and the situation was not in their favor now, it was already good enough that they didn''t go feral at a time like this.


    "What is it?" Lilac approached them and her attention shifted to the fae in the witch''s arms and a soft gasp escaped her lips when she noticed her burned back. "What happened to her?"


    However, instead of replying to her question, Torak looked at Stephan and spoke, "come here."

 Chapter 983 - THE FLAMES

    Stephan looked at Torak worriedly. He didn''t want to be close to this Alpha when his beast was more livid than his human''s side, but did he have any other choice?


    Thus, carefully, he shuffled over and crouched down on Purple''s other side, facing Torak. "Yes, Alpha?" he asked timidly, as polite as he could, so that he wouldn''t be the subject of his wrath now. Torak just lost Raine and it was more than terrifying to see him as calm as this rather than wreck some havoc.


    These Donovans were unpredictable¡­


    The young dragon lord was trying to calm his nerves, but he lost his cool when he saw Torak''s out stretched hand.


    Stephan immediately reacted. He raised both of his hands in a surrender gesture and tried to lean back his body as far as he could, to avoid Torak''s hand, yet his reaction was only rewarded with a low growl that came deep from the Alpha''s throat.


    It was terrifying and threatening.


    "I didn''t do anything! I swore! I don''t know the betrayal planned by the other dragon lord!" Stephan''s eyes were fixed on the hand that stretched out toward him. "I don''t have any involvement in this!"


    "Shut up!" Torak snarled grimly. His whine only made his wolf furious and he had been holding his beast from doing something unnecessary.


    In an instant Stephan closed his mouth and froze. Only when Torak retracted his hand back, could the young dragon lord sigh in relief.


    Stephan didn''t know that this role would be this exhausting and scary, especially when he had to keep up with the other Alphas and prominent figures.


    No wonder his brother went crazy. He too felt like he would go berserk at any moment from now.


    "Hold her hand," Torak said grimly. He nodded to Purple, whose breathing was becoming more and more shallow by each passing second.


    "Why?" Stephan still looked slightly worried, but he knew it was better to do what he was told. Thus he he slowly reached for the fae''s hand before looking back at Torak with puzzled face.


    "I will fulfill my promise to your kind." Torak knew he had to do this. There was no way he could fight a horde of dragons while they breathed fire at everything that came in their way. Not to mention about the creatures from hell and the humans, who thought they were in a war with non- human existence and of course the seven deadly sins, who mastered the power of the guardian angels.


    That was simply too much.


    It seemed that the centuries of cold war between the three Donovan brothers had caused far too many troubles that they couldn''t even oversee any single one of them.


    No matter how hard they tried to be cooperative with one another after their reunion, it still left this gap among them and now they could finally see how big that gap was after it had overthrown their hasty preparations.


    On the other hand, although dissolving the vow with the earth dragon shifters was simply another big gamble, but this was something worthy giving a try.


    Torak just hoped that it would turn out well¡­ If not¡­


    And, he didn''t even want to start thinking about Raine. She would be fine, the devils needed the guardian angels alive more than they needed them dead, that was the only comfort that Torak could count on because he would break down the moment he thought the other way and nothing good would be happening when the anxiety crashed all over him hard.


    ==============


    After all the lycan warriors sought shelter behind the building of the school as per their King''s instructions, Jedrek stood right in front of its gates, staring straight at the dragon beast above his head that wouldn''t stop breathing fire.


    Dark clouds framed that dreadful creature''s features as smoke raised from the burning ground.


    From its nostril, Jedrek knew that this beast could set him ablaze with one single yet full potential attack from it and there was no way he would stand a chance, or at least that was what the other lycans behind his back tried to tell him.


    Jack, Torak''s supreme Gamma and Lyrus, his royal Beta, flanked the king, as Theo, the general, was next to him.


    "Jedrek, you must go." Lyrus put down his formalities, for now his king''s safety overrode everything. He got anxious the moment the dragon beast flapped its wings vigorously and its head tipped back, ready to set them on fire. "Or, if you have any idea, I think you should go for it now."


    And when they saw a big fire ball acc.u.mulating in the dragon beast''s mouth and the shouts from behind them from all the warriors, begging their king to back off, grew louder, Lyrus threw himself in front of Jedrek, in order to protect his king.


    Ignoring the fact that it would mean nothing and the fire would turn them all into ashes, regardless of what he did.


    In the next second, everything turned bright as blazing fire surrounded them, until the sight of it alone blinded their vision.


    Hot air prickled their skins, the atmosphere turned humid and dry as all the oxygen was sucked out of their surroundings.


    The flames only got bigger and bigger, it did not only covered their sights, but also the dark sky above them. It successfully hid the gloomy sky that they had been seeing for the last few months.


    For the first time the dark cloud was out of sight and the entire sky litup, yet it was not in a good way.


    However, after some time, Lyrus realized something. The most important thing; they weren''t burned. Not like what he thought they would. The heat scorched their skin, but they were fine.


    Slowly, Lyrus opened his eyes and the first thing that he saw was the eyes of the king. They were in the color of white, almost silver, just like the fur of his beast.


    Lyrus was flabbergasted, he had never known this. This was the first time he saw Jedrek in this state, so how could he know what was the meaning behind it?


    Yet, when he turned around his body, he could see the true power of a Donovan.


    The firebird grew bigger and that creature fought the fire from the dragon with its own fire, creating a barricade of flames around them.

 Chapter 984 - EVERY PIECE FELL INTO ITS PLACE

    The barricade of flames that the fire bird had created to encircle all the area of this building, safe from the massacre of those dragon beasts.


    It created high walls that surrounded them like a fortress. And, prevented their enemies to move closer to them and do more harm than they could face right now.


    It was fascinating to see, but at the same time almost terrifying.


    "My king¡­" Lyrus was lost for words, but he was not the only one.


    Jack who fell to his knees earlier, thinking he would die from the heat alone, was still trembling in his crouching position, but when he finally realized that he was still alive, he couldn''t even utter a single word upon seeing the sight that greeted him right after he lifted his head up.


    What was that? He had never seen such a scene¡­


    It was magnificent and frightening¡­ the Gamma couldn''t even move a muscle. Not now¡­


    Theo, who had lost his ability to say a word, since that night attack in the castle, could only look around him and take step a back, shivering.


    Meanwhile, the other lycan warriors, who were trying to tell the king to back off and created a commotion among themselves, had turned silent. Their facial expressions'' turned into one of an awe, as the sense of safety and faith crept in their hearts.


    Seeing what Jedrek''s power could do, there was still a chance for them to survive this¡­


    Meanwhile, Jedrek still didn''t budge. He kept his eyes fixed on the firebird that still continued to spew fire, fighting fire with fire, and within from this flame fortress it created, they could hear the roar of the dragon beast for his failed attempt to exterminate the remaining lycans on the battle ground.


    ==============


    Raine didn''t know why she was crying when she saw the billionaire''s personal assistant, it didn''t seem like she knew him either, but there was something that stirred within her. It made her restless and feel utter despair. She couldn''t explain it in words. Her emotions were all over the place and she wanted nothing, but to approach him, as though that was the right thing to do now.


    However, what would she say to him? How could she explain herself for such a crazy act, yet her heart craved to see him, as if Raphael was someone that she had long been missing. He felt like a family... Like a brother that she had never had...


    It was crazy, Raine knew, but she couldn''t help it.


    If it was not for Kai, who was still standing beside her and holding her arm which prevented her from storming out to chase after that man, Raine would have done the most stupidest thing in her life.


    "What happened Raine?" he asked with his brows furrowed deeply. Raine was crying and it must be something personal. It was very rare to see her like this.


    "I don''t know..."Raine shook her head and wiped the remaining tears that still stained her cheeks, as she stared gloomily at Raphael''s back that disappeared at the corner of the corridor.


    Right at that time, from the corner of her eyes, she could see Aeon, standing near a big tree, in the yard. His features were covered in the shadow, but the sadness in his eyes was prominent, it made Raine remember what had happened six nights back, in the shadow realm.


    Aeon had never visited her ever since...


    The fact that the shadow warrior was here, he must have something to say to her and Raine was more than willing to talk about it.


    "I am all right Kai," Raine shook her head to clear her mind. "But, can you go to the class first? I have something to do."Raine looked at her best friend, with a pleading gaze.


    "No, I am not leaving you." How could Kai leave her when she was emotionally unstable like this.


    "Kai, I need to be alone."Raine''s tone was firm, but seeing the concern in Kai''s eyes, her features softened. "Please..." she pleaded him softly.


    For a moment, Kai wanted to rebut her, but he knew better that Raine was feeling a little bit off today, maybe some time alone for herself was all she needed. "I will wait for you in the class and if you didn''t come before the class starts, I will skip the class with you." He winked at her playfully and ruffled her hair before he walked in the other direction.


    Raine smiled at his gesture and sighed before she trudged to the spot where she saw Aeon.


    The wind brisked gently against her skin. She loved the weather. It was serene and lessened the tension that she felt earlier. When she reached the spot where Aeon was, she called his name and he appeared from the shadows of the tree.


    The two of them didn''t talk for a moment, but then Aeon breached the silence between them. "Raine, I want you to go home."


    "Hm?" Raine tilted her head, not understanding what he was saying. She thought he would appologize for what he did, but as it turned out, he asked her something that she didn''t even think about. "Why?"


    Aeon shuffled anxiously, his eyes looked down at the ground. He avoided looking into her eyes, as if he had done committed something outrageous.


    "I want you to stay at home. The whole day." Aeon repeated his words, his eyes still didn''t meet with hers. "Please." He was practically begging her with that tone.


    "What happened?" Raine took a step closer and held his hands, squeezed them lightly, indicating her plea for him to look at her.


    And Aeon did. But, at the same time, Raine could hear a deep low growl from behind her and Aeon became furious. Out of instinct, he pulled Raine closer to him and hid her behind his back, not wanting this intruder to see her.


    However, it was too late, Raine had seen the red eyes of the other man and every piece that she was worried about finally fell into place...


    Her lips pursed to whisper his name¡­


    "Torak¡­"


    And it brought all the memories back.

 Chapter 985 - A DANGEROUS GAMBLE

    The mass of vampires, who have been camping outside of the earth dragon shifters'' castle watched as a girl, around the age of thirteen or fourteen, walk in with confidence, all calm and composed. She carried herself very well and the aura around her demanded for them to oblige her, which was a little bit disturbing, since all of them couldn''t sense what this young girl was. She looked like a mere human.


    Yet, there was something about her that felt very dark and threatening.


    "I have been waiting for you so long, what took you so long, Terra?" Dimitri said. He looked pleased when he watched the girl make her way toward him.


    The girl named Terra turned around to face the crowd, as her purple cloak fluttered around her small body.


    "I brought an order from Beelzebub," she said calmly.


    "What is it?" Dimitri''s eyes glinted with excitement, especially when he noticed the subtle way Terra glanced at the castle behind them.


    "Something interesting, of course," Terra replied with a vicious smirk. She was full of herself for getting assigned with this task. She loved how her handiwork would look like later when they managed to complete it. "Shall we go inside?"


    The smirk on Dimitri''s lips grew more vicious, it made Xerxes frown deeply. He wondered from where exactly Dimitri knew this strange girl.


    "So, this is the time?" Dimitri followed behind Terra, who was walking straight toward the high perimeter of the castle, ready to take it down.


    "Yes," Terra said joyfully, her eyes gleamed with something terrifying and the vampires found themselves reluctant to ask her origin.


    This girl was darker than when the rest of them were combined¡­


    "There is a baby inside this castle¡­ find him and bring him to me alive," Terra said before she stopped walking just a few meters away from the castle gates, which were now heavily blocked and guarded. The lycan warriors behind it were ready to take down anyone who trespassed their defenses.


    However, the problem was; how long could they keep up with the fight?


    It didn''t look like they would be able to stand their ground for long.


    On the other hand, when Dimitri heard what Terra said, he relayed the word to his people and made sure that they understood the gist of it.


    Most of them only nodded their heads, but their eyes still lingered on Terra, filled with confusion, yet there was something about her that left them hesitant to question her and Dimitri''s status made them follow his order without much protests to voice out.


    After all, this was what they wanted, taking down the sanctuary of the lycanthropes which was occupied by important Lycans or their mates.


    "What will you do?" Xerxes''s interest was piqued when he saw Terra drawing a circle around her with a dry branch that she found, on the ground.


    The girl tilted her head and grinned, the kind of grin that you didn''t want to see. "Watch and learn," she said secretively. "It will be something grandiose¡­ you better take a few steps back."


    Dimitri took Xerxes'' elbow and dragged him away from the little girl.


    More than hundred pairs of eyes watched what Terra was about to do and no one could predict what would happen next.


    Meanwhile, after Terra completed drawing a total of three circles around her, she looked up toward the sky and stretched out both of her hands, as if she was about to reach for something, while chanting something in an ancient language that Beelzebub had taught her.


    It was a spell. A dark spell.


    Xerxes had encountered many dark witches, so he knew what the spell was about¡­ but, what did this girl intend to call?


    However, his question was answered almost immediately when he heard a rumble from the dark sky as lightning struck across the horizon, creating a bright streak of light in the murky clouds.


    Subsequently, a series of rumblings came from the sky, yet they were different from the thunderous sounds ensued a lightening. These sounded more powerful and felt like they came from something that was alive¡­


    A loud gasp erupted from the masses they watched some movement; more precisely something flying behind the dark clouds.


    And after that gasp, they shrieked in disbelief when that something showed it true self.


    It was a dragon!


    A dragon beast!


    The kind that had been deemed not to appear in that form because of the spell placed by the lycanthropes on them.


    But, how could this happen?!


    "Is that a dragon beast?!" Xerxes was in disbelief, not to mention him, even Dimitri didn''t have any prior knowledge about this.


    The people behind the two vampires backed away, when a dragon lunged onto the ground and flapped its majestic wings, just in time not to be swiped off their feet.


    Once again, Terra turned around and faced the astounded vampires. "Shall we begin the eradication?" she smiled softly and harmlessly.


    ==============


    All of the lycans gathered around in the front yard. They were in awe as they watched the magnificent earth dragon beasts before their eyes, as their mouth opened slightly agape.


    There were around fifty earth dragon beasts before their eyes and all of them seemed confused and didn''t know what they should do, as they tried to flap their wings as if testing which caused more damage around them, yet they couldn''t fly like what the rest of the people expected.


    It was very confusing, since this was the first time they had shifted into their beasts and was not able to adapt well.


    How could the fire dragon beast could do it so easily? Since it was their first time to shift too¡­


    "I hope you have made the right decision regarding this." Kace stood beside Torak watching the beasts, and narrowed his eyes when they made rumbling sounds and destroyed a line of trees.


    "Let''s hope so," Torak said, there was no emotion in the way he talked, because he didn''t want to show it.


    On the other hand, Lilac was ready to take the beasts down if they made any threatening moves. No one could guarantee which side they would take.


    It was a dangerous gamble, after all.

 Chapter 986 - I WILL BRING LILAC TO HIM

    It was a dangerous gamble after all and they would be risking everything if these beasts turned their backs on them right now.


    The fire dragon shifters already found to be more than enough trouble for them, they didn''t need one more kind to side with their enemies. It would be best to exterminate all the possible dangers for them once and for all.


    On the other hand, Torak stepped forward and stretched out his hand toward the dragon lord, more precisely toward Stephan''s beast.


    His beast looked majestic and was bigger than the rest of his kind, but he was feeling all the same like his own people, utterly clueless.


    When Torak walked closer, he narrowed his eyes at the lycan, who was no bigger than his palm, but there was something about him that made the beast cautious and not dare to make any reckless move, especially when he acknowledged the guardian angel.


    The aura around Lilac emanated nothing, but coldness. She made her intention clear that she wouldn''t think twice before attacking.


    Stephan then looked to the other side and find one more pair of red eyes that looked at him intently. Kace lost Hope, thus at this moment there was nothing that would hold him back from destroying any ally of his enemy.


    The dragon beast then focused on the person in front of him again.


    Torak stretched his hand and looked at the beast straight in front of him, in his eyes. Though his face was expressionless and cold, but various unconcealed emotions danced behind his red eyes.


    But, hurt and angry were the two most prominent of them.


    The lycan was hurt because he couldn''t protect his mate, again, regardless what he had swore to her and himself and the beast was livid inside of him, ready to wreck havoc, yet his human side, with the little bit rationality left in him, was trying to restrain his beast side from doing so.


    It was frustrating and tiring him out¡­ both mentally and physically, since both sides of his inner self was contradicting with one another.


    Kace knew that feeling very well since he had been dealing with it for long time, but Torak was different¡­ he couldn''t face it as smooth as his brother did.


    Therefore, he couldn''t think of any words that he would say when he stretched out his hand. His intention was clear; he wanted to see whether the dragon would submit to him or not.


    Few more seconds passed at a snail''s pace while the beast only tilted its big and scaly head, either staring at Torak or his stretching hand.


    The remaining Alpha''s behind the Donovans held their breath, in spite of the fact that they knew the earth dragon shifter wouldn''t breath fire, but it didn''t mean they couldn''t do something equally worse than that.


    Some more seconds passed and the beast slowly lowered his head, staring at Torak''s hand cautiously, he was reluctant, but finally he bent his body, folding his huge wings and bent its knees to be on the same level as the Supreme Alpha.


    Despite the dragon beast being a different kind from the lycanthropes, but they had been under the protection of Torak for a really long time and Stephan was not his brother, who had some personal hatred toward the lycanthropes.


    As easy going as he was, Stephan didn''t care or have concerns much about the power that the dragon beast could have if the lycanthropes, the Donovans, didn''t force the vow on their ancestor.


    Maybe that was the reason, why the human side of the dragon beast was willing to bow down to this Alpha, or maybe the beast knew its role in this war and showed its gratitude for being released from the sacred vow.


    In the end, the dragon beast closed its eyes and let Torak touch its head.


    Only then could the other lycanthropes sigh in relief.


    And only when the other dragon beasts bowed down after seeing what their lord had done, could Lilac lower her guard.


    On the other hand, Kace closed his eyes, trying to reach his mate, but to no avail¡­


    [Hold on for a while, everything will be in place soon¡­]


    ==============


    Serefina walked with ease seeing the situation around her.


    Scattered dead bodies and the blood soaked on the ground, with fear and despair hanging very low in the air, but that was not all, because it was not even minute before those dead lycans moved their bodies and slowly rose up, with their dismembered bodies, gathering around the other creatures from hell.


    The pure blooded witch''s green eyes stared at them emotionlessly. There was nothing she was afraid of since those filthy creatures wouldn''t attack her and the one who came close enough to her, would be turned into ashes if she felt their proximity irritating.


    Serefina tilted her head and watched the dragon beasts flying in the dark sky. It was her first time seeing so many dragon beasts after all these centuries


    Yet, it didn''t fascinate her at all, as her focal point was on the flames of wall not too far from her.


    It was way too intense until it lit up the sky behind, it turned the area around bright with its orange hues, the heat could be felt from the spot where Serefina was standing.


    Serefina could only close her eyes when she realized what Jedrek had done. She was too late¡­


    Yet, this was much better than what she imagined. Because more worse things awaited the Donovans.


    "Finally you are here." Mammon appeared out of thin air, looking as exquisite as ever with his black hoodie and a calm demeanor.


    "Why? Miss me?" Serefina didn''t stop walking and the devil let out a grunt when he had to follow the witch.


    "Don''t mock us. I can kill you right here, right now!" he growled.


    Serefina chuckled when she heard his threat. "Unfortunately, you can''t." She didn''t even hide the mocking undertone now, as she laughed with glee.


    "You!" Mammon almost lost it, but Serefina turned around suddenly and glared at him, so vicious that it stopped him frozen in his spot.


    "Do tell Lucifer, I will bring Lilac to him."

 Chapter 987 - I CAN BRING YOU THERE

    "Do tell Lucifer, I will bring Lilac to him," Serefina said calmly and after saying that, she waved her hand nonchalantly, dismissing him with a goodbye. "I know he needs the other guardian angel too."


    At this point, of course the witch was well informed that Raine and Hope were already in the hands of the devils and only Lilac was left for them to obtain.


    "Do you think we trust you!?" Mammon shouted out loud, throwing a dirty look at the back of the retreating witch.


    "Do you think you have a choice?" Serefina didn''t even spare him another glance as she talked over her shoulder and burned another dead lycan who was raising from his death, as if taunting Mammon to do something about it.


    And another, followed by one more¡­


    She burned every creature that was within her reach as she walked over the bloody ground, leaving a chuckle for the devil to hear.


    At this point, she looked more devilish than the devil itself.


    Serefina was in her element and on the top of her own game now¡­


    ==============


    Calleb and Ethan sat quietly in the silent and dark room. They didn''t talk and couldn''t remember how many minutes or hours that had passed since they were in this cubicle, without anyone being aware about their whereabouts.


    The worst of it was; they didn''t have enough strength to tear down the measly steel that locked them up. It was both embarrassing and frustrating to realize this.


    However, if the lycanthropes could get rid of those filthy fire dragon shifters roaming in this place now, they would eventually realize that they were missing. They would come looking for them.


    Yet, it was already so long and their anxiousness only grew with each passing second.


    "Do you think there will be someone out there, who will realize that we are missing?" Ethan tried to engage Calleb in a conversation, who had been quiet with his eyes closed this entire time. He knew the Supreme Beta wasn''t sleeping.


    "Of course they will know," Calleb murmured. "If the situation out there had been settled, they will realize that we have been missing and then follow our scents to this sh*tty place," he cursed under his breath.


    Calleb had been dreadful after he sensed a sudden pain from the mate bond. It would only indicate one thing and Calleb didn''t even want to start thinking about it.


    And when the pain didn''t continue after a few moments, he sighed in relief. Rossie was fine. He would have enough time to reach her. They would find a way to get there.


    Calleb repeated those few words like a charm. His hands were clammy and his heart was beating fast. He was sure Ethan could hear it from the opposite side too, but thankfully he didn''t say anything about it.


    When Ethan was about to talk again, they heard a rumbling sound from behind the door. It sounded very hectic and as if there was something trying to break the door down.


    "What is that?" Ethan immediately stood up, prompting Calleb to do the same.


    They perked up their ears to listen carefully to understand the cause of that commotion. But, it only lasted for a few minutes before the sound died down altogether and everything turned quiet once again.


    Ethan and Calleb stared at each other, brows furrowed in confusion.


    However¡­


    "AARRGGH!" Both of them backed away in an instant when they noticed the door being set ablaze, red flames danced on the collapsed door and its frames.


    However, a broad smile appeared on their lips when they noticed the majestic phoenix flying very low and cooed upon catching a sight of Calleb and Ethan.


    During the past few days, Calleb would be with Raine and she would be with Hope along with this mythical bird, therefore it was not strange for the phoenix to recognize him.


    Meanwhile, Ethan would occasionally feed it, hence the bird also recognized him.


    Behind the Phoenix were, a few more lycanthropes who flooded this silent room and created chaos upon finding Calleb and Ethan.


    "I don''t believe it. The bird found us first before our people did." Calleb''s tone was slightly hurt, but it didn''t mean he was not grateful.


    James, the head of the lycan warriors, tore apart the steel easily with his bare hands and grinned at Calleb which could be counted as his way of mocking him.


    A friendly mock, but still he looked down on him and it hurt the Beta''s pride.


    "Stop smiling like that, you''re making me want to smack your face," Calleb grumbled as he walked past the hole that James had created and the head of the warriors laughed. "Good to know that at least there is someone happy here."


    Calleb was sullen, but he caressed the phoenix gently.


    "Stop being grumpy!" James smacked his back and gestured at the other five warriors that came with him to lead them out of this place. "You will not believe what had happened while you are locked up here."


    Calleb rolled his eyes. "Try me, I am at the point to believe all the impossible."


    That was what Calleb said, but the moment he heard what really occurred and saw for himself the dragon beasts in the front yard, him being stunned would be an understatement.


    Because, in front of him, was not just one beast, rather it was a horde of mighty dragon beasts! Even the considerably huge yard, looked very crowded with those creatures occupying it.


    "Bloody hell¡­" Calleb and Ethan cursed under their breath when they watched one of the dragon beast shifted back into his human skin, followed by the rest of them.


    "Right, bloody hell¡­" James murmured beside Calleb. "This is my first time seeing something like this."


    "Me too," Ethan chimed in.


    It went same for Calleb, but more important things drilled his head right now, thus he didn''t waste another second to approach Torak.


    When all the dragon beasts had shifted back, Calleb saw Stephan, who was crouching down on the ground, face down, he looked beyond shocked for experiencing all of this for the first time.


    "Torak, we need to talk," Calleb said. "The sanctuary is under the siege of the vampires¡­"


    "I can bring you there," Lilac intervened.

 Chapter 988 - DENYING HER FATE

    "I can bring you there," Lilac intervened.


    She knew what Calleb wanted to say to Torak and she already found the solution to that problem. Lilac couldn''t say it earlier because there were a few things that she needed to settle down first and the event with the dragon shifters only delayed it further.


    "Could you?" Torak turned around and faced the guardian angel, while Calleb practically jumped in excitement, since Lilac offered a breakthrough for this painstaking situation.


    "I just figured it now¡­ your problem is with the spell around the sanctuary which prevented you from teleporting into that place." Lilac touched her chin. "I think I can help you with it."


    "But, you are not a witch," Calleb stated the obvious. He didn''t mean to crush the new hope that he just got, he just wanted to make things clear for them.


    "Obviously," Lilac said, rolling her eyes. "I am a guardian angel."


    On the side, Sebastian listened to what Lilac wanted to say silently. It looked very strange as what he came to know about the guardian angel all this while was differing way too far from the first time he met her.


    Now, he respected her like the queen she was and, just like Jedrek, Sebastian put his loyalty on her. Since Jedrek had trusted Lilac under his protection, he would do everything to ensure her safety.


    "How will you do that?" Torak asked.


    "The blood of a guardian angel could strengthen your power. In case you forgot," Lilac reminded them about the reason why the guardian angels were being chased centuries ago and also the reason why their kind needed to seek protection from the shadow warriors.


    Not to mention about fact that the blood of the guardian angel that was taken willingly was more powerful. It was also for this same reason that Lidya couldn''t take Hope''s blood without her consent, since it would spoil everything and the effect wouldn''t be up to her expectations.


    Torak narrowed his eyes. A lot of things happened these past few weeks and the thought that he could take blood from his mate would always be an out of option, thus that little fact was almost forgotten by him.


    "Calleb," Torak said, his eyes were still on Lilac. "Bring all the Alphas and the lycan warriors with you."


    Before this, six Alphas and two hundreds lycan warriors were delegated to assist Calleb, but because of the magic that surrounded the place, they couldn''t teleport themselves in.


    And now, since the problem had been solved by Lilac, they could continue with their initial plan.


    Calleb didn''t even waste one more second before he dashed to gather all the people that he needed with James'' help.


    "Sybil, come with me," Lilac said and the two of them separated themselves from the others, so she could tell the witch what she should do.


    On the other hand, Torak saw Stephan and the rest of the earth dragon shifters, who were still sitting on the ground, still reeling from their shock.


    "Get up," Torak said to the dragon lord. "There are a lot of things to talk." He didn''t want to waste any more time now, since his mate was in the devil''s hands, his calmness was only a fa?ade over the rage that was brewing inside.


    Slowly, Stephan got up and looked at Torak.


    From the look on the Supreme Alpha''s eyes, he knew the war had just began for them.


    ==============


    The last thing that Raine saw and remembered was Torak''s red eyes and his furious expression, but the very next second when she blinked her eyes, something changed, No everything changed


    She saw the sky turning red in the blink of an eye.


    A bright red shade that was akin to blood. Even the sun was glaring in crimson color, as if it was angry.


    For some unknown reason, Raine could feel her heartbeat quicken and her body trembled violently. She knew where she was. She had seen this scene before¡­ and she didn''t like it even one bit.


    Raine balled her fists beside her body to make things clear in her head, since she already knew what she was going to see next, it wouldn''t scare her like the first time, right?


    Yet, she was proven wrong, because the moment her eyes landed on the ground beneath her, it was the most horrible thing that she had ever seen.


    Worse than anything.


    Raine''s hand flew to cover her mouth to prevent herself from screaming at the top of her lungs. Tears started to fall from her eyes like a heavy rain.


    Beneath her feet was the dismembered bodies, blood and many horrible things that she couldn''t explain. However, she had seen all of this.


    She had seen this when Torak took her to Rieka and to seek answers from the stone.


    Raine did get an answer about the future that she wanted to know. However, how could this be the future? What future could it be when there was no life?


    No!


    This couldn''t happen!


    It was clear to see that all the living beings had died during the war. The death of the lycanthropes and the fall of all shifters.


    This couldn''t be true¡­


    Raine closed her eyes once again. She shut them very tight, not willing to open them again if the scenes that greeted her were the same dreadful scenes.


    And then Serefina''s words echoed in her mind about the purpose of the resurrection of the guardian angels.


    If she was still alive¡­ then it meant the war had been won by the devils¡­


    Serefina had made it clear since the very beginning that the death of the guardian angels was necessary to stop the war.


    The witch had repeated her words countless times and she just ignored it because she thought it was only Serefina''s way to hurt her and it was Torak and the other people around her, also her will to live that said otherwise¡­


    Raine felt her chest caved in.


    In one second she was living a happy life, but in the next, the reality hit her hard. This was what would happen if she avoided the things that were bound to happen and denied her fate¡­

 Chapter 989 - HER DECISION

    And the second time Raine opened her eyes was when she felt all the light around her dim all of sudden, turning her surroundings dark instantly. She was in the same room, on the very night of the death of her parents.


    Raine was holding the huge blade, ready to kill the two creatures who were about to kill her parents. On the other side, she could see a smiling Belphegor, staring at her lazily.


    "Hi again, Raine¡­" he waved his hand and smirked. "How is it? Happy with your decision?"


    Raine fell to the floor and the blade in her hand cluttered on the ground in the quiet, loudly. The time was stilled, but it was not her doing. It was Belphegor''s handiwork.


    "How¡­" Her breathe became uneven and her face contorted with dreadful thoughts. "What¡­" tears were rolling down her cheeks. "How could you do that¡­?"


    Belphegor tilted his head, as if Raine was asking the most obvious thing. "I hold the same power as you, Hope and Lilac." He shrugged nonchalantly, as if that was not a big deal for him.


    Raine shook her head. "What I saw¡­" she couldn''t finish her words, her mind reeled with the thoughts of what she had gone through all this while. That was definitely not a dream.


    Meanwhile, the devil took a leisurely walk to approach Raine and knelt down before her, his eyes looked at the girl curiously and then he chuckled in merry.


    "Did you see that? Time is a dangerous thing, honey¡­" Belphegor stretched out his hand and with his slender finger, he tipped Raine''s head so he could clearly see the fear dancing in Raine''s eyes, it whirled wildly. "Don''t mess up with time and don''t avoid the things that were bound to happen." He shrugged his shoulders.


    Raine was trembling. She swatted Belphegor''s hand that pinched her chin, not wanting to be touched by the devil.


    Belphegor then fell on his back and looked at the guardian angel, amused. Raine was staring at her parents, with palpable fear prancing wildly in her eyes.


    "What is the meaning of all this?" Her voice was very low, trembling. She could feel that she wouldn''t like the answer, but she still asked him nonetheless.


    Belphegor tilted his head. "Nothing." His golden eyes stared at Raine deeply. He wanted to put as much fear as possible in her, dismantle this guardian angel mentally and keep her in this realm. "I just like to see fear in your eyes."


    This was what Serefina had said about Raine''s fear. The devils could feel her fear and were tempted to use it to their own benefit.


    The way Raine grew up was completely different from Hope and Lilac. She was totally clueless about any other worlds aside from her human world.


    She grew up holding into a painful past which tainted her soul, her very soul of a guardian angel.


    Raine was hopelessly broken when Torak finally found her and though she managed to get better, his presence in her life wasn''t enough to heal her completely.


    Her soul was still not at ease, meanwhile the essence of the guardian angel, the true power of their strength always came from their soul.


    Therefore, how could Raine use the best of her power with that kind of soul? Even though she had already tapped into her power, there was so much room for her to do more¡­


    She was something more entirely¡­


    Hence, before Raine could overcome it on her own, no amount of external help could do this anything better for her.


    "Why are you telling me this?" Her voice was still a whisper, but her eyes hardened, demanding for an answer.


    "Because I can do it and this makes my immortal life feel less dull." Belphegor attempted to touch Raine''s hair, but she swatted his hand again and moved back, out of his arm''s reach. "Go on, you can kill the two creatures again and maybe the future will change if you tried something different. Who knows?"


    This was one of the reasons why Serefina told Raine that; in spite of the fact that she could go back to the past, she was not allowed to change anything¡­ because things could become worse than they already were.


    The power to change something was a temptation itself. Another hurdle that Raine should overcome.


    "So, do you want to change this again?" Belphegor waved his hand and the time was ticking again.


    On the other hand, Raine watched the two creatures make their move against her parents, ready to kill them and she could stop them again, but¡­


    No.


    This time Raine didn''t stop them, but a heart wrenching scream left her mouth when the two creatures did what they had done to her parents ten years ago.


    At the back of her head, she could still feel how it was to grow up with parents beside her. However, the rationale part of her mind reminded about how it would all end up when she tried to intervene with the past¡­


    Everything repeated once again before Raine''s eyes and Belphegor only watched in amus.e.m.e.nt when he saw the fear wrecking her soul even more.


    Her screams couldn''t be heard, thus no matter how many times she asked them to stop, they simply didn''t hear her plea¡­


    Yet, the worst part was; this was just the beginning.


    Raine knew what kind of life that she would see after this night and she was forced to relive it again.


    ==============


    Solemnly, Serefina watched the wall of fire before her eyes and the dragon beasts in the sky that tried to fly past it, yet they were burned in an instant.


    This fire was made to kill and even a fire dragon beast couldn''t stand it.


    So far, two dragon beasts tried to breakthrough, and they both ended up being dead. Seeing this, the other beasts could only fly away, trying to not get any contact with this fire.


    This kept the people behind the flames wall safe. At least for the time being¡­


    Serefina knew from where this fire came from and she just disagreed with Jedrek''s choice of protection. This kind of move would only harm him in the end. A move that was executed in a pure moment of impulsiveness.


    "Stupid," the witch hissed.

 Chapter 990 - DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME? CAN YOU?

    "But, I think you are the stupidest creature here, witch." Dorian walked behind Serefina with his shadow tendrils flailing around his figure. "What are you doing here?"


    Serefina rolled her eyes, but didn''t say anything as she kept walking closer to the wall of fire. If this fire was indeed coming from what she had guessed, then she was sure she could dissolve it. Serefina managed to do it centuries ago, thus she could do it again now.


    "Why don''t you answer me?" Dorian approached the witch in two long strides. "Did you come here with the intention of saving your ex- lover? How kind of you," Dorian said mockingly. "You better not."


    Serefina halted her movements upon hearing that and turned around to face the shadow warrior. "I don''t have an obligation to answer you."


    Dorian sneered. He didn''t want to have anything to do with this witch. But, just like her, he wanted something, precisely a few things to be done to Jedrek Donovan.


    The shadow warrior was driven with hatred and he wanted nothing more to do now, except to see the downfall of all the lycanthropes. The death of the Donovans.


    Therefore, if Serefina was here to intervene just like what she had done when they cursed the Alpha, the time he went to visit the eastern region, he would ignore all about how much those devils valued this witch.


    He would end her right here and now if that was what the necessary thing to do.


    Serefina should have known that. The shadow warrior didn''t agree to side with any party that was fighting in this f*cking war. He was just here to kill the Donovans. That''s it.


    However, Dorian must have known, it was not an easy feat to bring the last pure blooded witch down just because he wished.


    "Serefina." Dorian''s shadow tendrils darkened and his features stiffened. "Don''t do something that will force you to regret the very second chance you got at life."


    Instead of backing down, Serefina tilted her head, she gave the shadow warrior a look that similar to someone, who was watching a ten year old kid throwing tantrums.


    "What will you do?" Serefina asked, her tone was very calm and her posture was composed, she didn''t look like someone that was being intimidated at all. "You want to kill me? Can you?"


    And that was the last thing that Serefina said as all the ground around her covered in darkness in the next second, even the fire behind her couldn''t penetrate the veil of darkness that dr.a.p.ed her vision, as it engulfed her whole being.


    And when everything became impossible to see, Serefina heard a sound, more precisely a voice; Dorian''s voice.


    "You will be locked in this realm. Forever." His tone cold and emotionless.


    On the other hand, Serefina''s green lime eyes were bright when she glared into the thick darkness defiantly, even though she couldn''t see anything, she still continued to gaze into the nothingness in front of her, as if Dorian was standing right in front of her.


    "You too have been given a second chance. You should cherish it before you regret doing something like this." Serefina''s voice was very calm, but only she knew what kind of maddening rage that was brewing inside her.


    "I have killed you once, and I can kill you again!" Dorian snarled, yet Serefina just snorted in disgust.


    This pathetic shadow warrior was never tired of bringing up this again and again¡­


    Seriously, if they were in a fair fight, Serefina wouldn''t even break a sweat before squeezing the pathetic life out of him.


    And that was what she proved it to him.


    With a flick of her fingers, the darkness vanished and in the place of it was the bright sun, glaring above their heads.


    They were not even in Rieka, the collapsed city anymore.


    They were somewhere else. In a completely different time frame¡­


    "Do you really wish to kill me?" Serefina tilted her head, glancing at the shadow warrior, who was dumbfounded after noticing his bright surroundings. "Let''s see, who will kill who at this time. I am sick of you repeating the same words again and again."


    Every time Dorian repeated that line, Serefina could feel her anger boiling in her stomach, gliding to her throat before burning her brain.


    Because that was the very reason for the witch to end up in having a deal with the moon goddess. The very deal that she didn''t intend to keep, yet Selene made her unable to do as she wished.


    Therefore, it was only right for her to take her revenge on someone who had ruined her immortal life.


    After all, this stupid shadow warrior wouldn''t stop until he was shut for the eternity.


    ==============


    "How is she?" Kace asked Belinda when he walked into the room occupied by Purple now.


    He came here because Torak was handling everything outside, the last thing he confirmed was the dragon shifters bowing down to his brother and that was all he needed to know.


    He needed some time alone, his beast retreated deep inside him, deeply hurt and livid because he lost his mate and Kace didn''t have any energy to deal with it now.


    The fae was lying on her stomach with her eyes closed shut, like she was sleeping at the moment.


    But, a deep frown marred Kace''s forehead when he noticed the gruesome back of Purple, which was supposed to be covered with her beautiful wings, was now filled with gashes and charred wounds inflicted by the fire dragon people.


    "She¡­" Belinda''s voice was very deep. "She is recuperating¡­" She lied, Kace could tell. "How are you?"


    "I lost my Hope¡­" Kace said with an underlying meaning in his words. His head hung low when he sat down on the sofa in that room with his hand covering his face. He lost hope, literally¡­


    ===============


    It only took fifteen minutes for Calleb and Ethan to get prepared, to be teleported to the sanctuary.


    With six Alphas and two hundreds Lycan warriors as their troops.


    And aside from Sybil, another seven spell- casters had joined them to pull this off. However, it was still beyond their capabilities to teleport them all with only these few spell- casters by their side.


    "Are you sure about this?" Torak looked at Lilac.


    The guardian angel nodded. "Let''s do this."

 Chapter 991 - MOURNING

    Lilac stretched her hand toward Torak with her palm facing upward, her dark eyes were fixed upon the lycan''s, as if giving him her consent to do what she had told him to do earlier.


    "Jedrek will not like what I''m doing now," Torak said, mumbling. Despite saying that, he raised his hand above Lilac''s palm, and his nails elongated before turning into sharp claws.


    "He doesn''t need to know," Lilac replied. "This is not the first time I had done something like this."


    Torak raised his brows as if asking for one last reassurance and when he saw Lilac nodding in encouragement, with one swift motion he grazed Lilac''s palm.


    The people around them frowned watching this. Some of them were Jedrek''s people, thus it bothered them to see their queen getting hurt, but they understood that this was something necessary.


    On the other hand, Sebastian stood beside Lilac and watched as the guardian angel''s blood dripped on to the ground.


    Seeing that, Sybil, as the head of the spell- casters that would teleport those lycans to the other part of this world, didn''t waste any time and grabbed Lilac''s hand immediately.


    As a result, Lilac''s blood coated her hand too. Sybil walked with her hand in hand to form a big circle with her blood that was dripping on to the ground, while the witch chanted some spell.


    When they reached the same spot after completing one full circle, Sybil let go of Lilac''s hand, and Sebastian immediately came over to wrap his queen''s hand with a white cloth, and secured it so she wouldn''t lose more blood than necessary.


    Meanwhile, the other seven spell- casters joined Sybil in the middle of the blood circle and stood in a small circle, then began to chant spells from the same ancient language like the former.


    As their voices grew louder, the blood that fell on the ground gleamed as red hues rose around them, showing how big the circle that was made by blood of the guardian angel. It also displayed how much blood was lost by Lilac.


    "Step in," Sybil said in a low voice, but it was enough to be heard by all the lycanthropes present.


    Before stepping into the circle, Calleb turned around to look at Torak and voiced out his gratitude. "Thank you Alpha."


    "Thank me when you bring your mate and Raphael''s son back before killing those blood suckers." Torak patted Calleb''s shoulder. "Don''t die."


    Torak knew that Calleb couldn''t shift into his beast, but he also knew there was nothing he could do to prevent him from going to his mate. Because that was what he would do if he were in Calleb''s shoes.


    "Don''t worry, I will try not to die. I still want to see your and Raine''s pup," he said lightly, grinning. For a few seconds, he returned to his usual self and that it was a very comforting sight to behold. "Bring Raine and Hope back too." He looked around, but didn''t see Kace any near, so he assumed that he had gone somewhere to calm himself down.


    "Definitely," Torak said firmly.


    After that, Calleb walked into the red circle that had become brighter, while Torak and Lilac, along with the rest of the lycans that would stay there, stepped back.


    They watched as the mass of people behind the red bright hues started to fade one by one until then they were completely gone.


    "I will bring the rest of the people to the battlefield." Torak stopped in mid speech and looked at Lilac. "You can stay with Belinda and ask her to teleport both of you to a safe place. Far away from here. I don''t think Jedrek wants to see you in the middle of this chaos."


    However, Lilac shook her head. "I am not running away, neither do I want to hide. The place where I belong is beside my mate."


    Moreover, she was the queen, she wouldn''t let her people get hurt, for she knew she was capable of helping them.


    Lilac was not helpless, she could hold her ground and fight alongside with them.


    Torak saw the unperturbed determination in the guardian angel''s eyes, and how he wished that Raine was here, with him.


    "As expected." Torak nodded. "Prepare yourself and we will leave in ten minutes."


    Lilac smiled brightly and nodded in understanding, but before she turned around to leave, Torak called her again.


    "If you don''t mind, find Kace and tell him that we have to leave soon."


    ==============


    It was easy to find Kace as she knew that the youngest Donovan would be here, inside the room, where Purple was getting treated.


    Kace only glanced at her once when she walked into the room and sat down beside him.


    On the bed, they could see that the fae''s once flawless back had turned black and was bleeding profusely, while Belinda had lost all hope to treat her, even Sapphire, the healer, shook her head in defeat when Lilac looked at her questioningly.


    Belinda was crying silently, until her eyes turned red and her shouldes trembled. After all, aside from her sharp tongue and cheerful nature, she was a soft heartened person.


    In spite of the fact that the time that she had spent with Purple was not too long, but it could be said the two of them got along pretty well.


    Therefore, when they watched how Purple''s breathing become even shallower and she closed her eyes with lips that had turned blue, Belinda couldn''t hold it anymore, she was sobbing harder.


    Seeing that, Sapphire hugged her and the two of them cried together.


    Purple had taken the brunt when the dragon beasts attacked them and the devils rendered her unable to move. They burned her wings and hurt her so bad until she couldn''t bear the pain any longer.


    Adding to the fact that she used her last bit of energy to dissolve the vow with the earth dragon shifters. It really took a toll on her.


    Lilac only managed to see the fae alive for just two minutes before she let out her last breath and stayed still on the bed with blood still gushing out from her wounds.


    There were not many people to mourn her death, as it was only the four of them who witnessed this¡­

 Chapter 992 - TEMPTATION TO KILL

    They knew that no one could predict whom they would be losing next in this war, but it still pained them to see how the people on their side leave, one by one.


    The demise of the fae wouldn''t be the last one that they had to face, there would be dozens, hundreds or maybe thousands deaths that they would have to encounter in the future.


    Everyone in this room knew that, thus when Kace stood up and covered Purple''s body with a white blanket, Belinda and Sapphire wiped their tears roughly, trying their best to calm themselves down.


    Meanwhile, the phoenix soared to the sky through the open window and let out a heartbreaking cry, as if the mythical bird wanted everyone to know that it just lost the fae.


    The phoenix kept circling in the air, while flapping its beautiful wings agitatedly.


    Lilac stood up and looked at the dark sky. She had already lost the course of time. She didn''t even know whether it was night or day, since she had long forgotten the warmth of the sunlight against her skin.


    "We will bury her and then head to the battlefield. Torak is waiting for us," Lilac said, breaking the news to them.


    No tears could be seen in the guardian angel''s eyes, but it didn''t mean her heart was not broken when she lost yet another member of their troops.


    They needed to stop this and for that, they had to get Raine and Hope back from the devils'' clutches. And, that wouldn''t be an easy task.


    ==============


    With a snap of Serefina''s fingers, the darkness that surrounded her vanished and instead they were engulfed by the glaring sunlight.


    With the power that the witch got from the guardian angels, she brought them to a different place, in a different time frame¡­


    Upon realizing that they were no longer in the shadow realm, Dorian was stunned. How did she manage to do that?!


    In the shadow realm, as it was his realm, it was supposed to be under his full control and only he could do whatever he wanted. However, the witch proved it wrong.


    "Now you know? I can kill you thousands times if I want to." Serefina narrowed her eyes. "What you did to me centuries ago, was only a single f*cking stroke of luck!" she hissed viciously. Yes, a single f*cking stroke that changed her entire life.


    Her miserable life ensued with that.


    "This is the last warning from me and act accordingly since I am being merciful on you," Serefina said and then turned around.


    On the other hand, Dorian skimmed his surroundings quickly and didn''t recall that he had seen this place before.


    They were in the vast lands, with the sound of waves from afar and velvety grass beneath their feet. The sky above them was blue with some white clouds that moved slowly, being drifted by the wind.


    This was a perfect place to go on a picnic.


    However, it was ridiculous if Dorian enjoyed this alluring scenery when his heart was heavy with hatred and anger. So now, everything seemed wrong in his eyes.


    Even the breezy wind that caressed his skin felt wrong.


    "B*tch! Take me back! Where the hell is this?!" Dorian roared, his voice thundered around them as he spread the shadow under his feet. The very shadow which coiled in his hands next and expanded into this vast clearing.


    Serefina gritted her teeth and turned around, arms folded in front of her chest as she stared at the shadow warrior defiantly.


    "My last advice," she said, emphasizing every word that came out of her lips. "Don''t tempt me to kill you, Dorian."


    Yet, the shadow warrior simply didn''t listen to her and attacked Serefina once she finished talking.


    The shadow tendrils rushed toward the witch in the form of spears, cutting through the air with a loud wheezing sound.


    Seeing that, Serefina just stayed in her position, staring at that dark spear like thing coming toward her without even blinking or flinching.


    When the shadow like spears were about to pierce through her heart again, like what Dorian did centuries ago, the witch disappeared all of a sudden.


    "F*CK!" Dorian cursed loudly and looked around him to find the witch, but in this environment, there was no way Serefina could hide.


    Actually, the witch didn''t need to hide, as she appeared right behind the shadow warrior.


    Once Dorian felt someone standing behind him, he turned around, but what greeted him was; Serefina who strangled his neck and raised him from the ground with a single hand.


    The shadow warrior struggled to free himself from her tight grip, but she was too strong and there was this blazing hot feeling that he felt on his neck, on the very spot where Serefina''s hand curled around his neck.


    The heat was too intense and rendered Dorian unable to control his shadow tendrils any longer as he dropped his hands beside his body limply.


    The only thing he felt was the flaming scorch inside him, boiling his blood, and heat coursed to his head as if it would explode at any given moment.


    When the pain was no longer tolerable and was very hard to bear, the shadow warrior let out a shrill scream.


    Dorian was screaming at the top of his lungs as his body writhed in pain, convulsing without having a chance to free himself because his muscles melted, along with his bones and his flesh.


    And the shrill scream from his open mouth didn''t last for long either, because when it became silent again, there was nothing left of him except for the cloak that he was wearing earlier.


    The cloak dropped to the ground lifelessly like its previous owner and then flown away by the wind.


    "I told you to stop tempting me to kill you," Serefina muttered to herself.


    She looked around her. It was a beautiful place to start over again, but the shadow warrior just focused on dwindling with his past and missed it entirely.


    The witch closed her eyes and let the wind flutter the edges of her dress along with her red hair.


    This wouldn''t be her last kill.


    But this would definitely be the first of many that she would execute later on.

 Chapter 993 - NO, NOT NOW...

    It only needed less than a minute for the dragon beast to break down the gates and set the castle in front of it ablaze and cover it in bright red hues.


    After that, the dragon flew proudly and perched on the top of the highest tower before letting out a screech that was akin to thunder, claiming its victory upon the death of hundreds of lycans below him.


    The lycan warriors didn''t even got a chance to fight the dragon as they were set ablaze and burned into ashes the moment they were touched by its flame.


    Not to mention about the vampires that rushed forward to attack them as soon as the gates collapsed and their defenses broke down, along with the spell- casters from the northern coven realm.


    They didn''t even stand a chance to fight them all in their dire conditions.


    Roars and snarls filled the front yard, but it wouldn''t last for long as their attackers would find their way into the castle without much resistance.


    The lycanthropes were deemed to be defeated at this rate.


    Meanwhile, Alpha Alec had turned into his beast and dashed toward the first floor, getting ready with the remaining lycan warriors that would fight alongside with him.


    His razor sharp canines elongated dangerously and when the door collapsed, the first vampire that set his foot inside was immediately torn apart by the amassed lycan beasts.


    However, there were at least hundreds to thousands of vampires who breached their defenses and soon the situation was not in their favor anymore.


    Adding to the fact that the witches could easily kill them with their dark magic, their downfall was only a matter of time.


    However, those brave warriors were ready to throw their lives just to earn a few more seconds for those who couldn''t fight to seek for a shelter.


    Including Rossie and Bree, also baby Eddard that was held tightly by the young she- wolf.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #..._51642052001190901 for visiting.


    The two followed Oliver, a young werewolf, who was assigned to lead the elders, women and the children to a safety place through the secret tunnel that they managed to find in the last minute.


    They didn''t know, where this secret tunnel would lead them, but it was good enough if they could go as far as they could from this place, as they knew no one would survive the attack back there.


    It could be said as their last meeting with them. There was no goodbye.


    Because once they said it, it would be hard for the living to carry on. But then again, a lot of goodbyes awaited them later on¡­


    Bree was trying hard to keep up with these people, as she grabbed a edge of Rossie''s dress tightly, while the young girl cradled baby Eddard in her arms.


    Adair was running with them too. Her expression was very dark with her hair being scattered all her oval face. She was scared, because she never faced a situation this terrifying before. She didn''t want to die.


    But, that was also the wish of the other lycans.


    "Rossie, I am afraid¡­" Bree whined between her pants. "Why are they trying to kill us?"


    "Because they are bad guys," Rossie replied to her mindlessly. She sniffed the air, trying to find if they were being followed or to pick up any scent that could let them know where they were heading.


    Just like the other people.


    This secret tunnel was very long, dark and uncertain.


    "Can you shut up!?" Adair snapped at Bree and the little girl frowned.


    "You shut up!" Rossie snapped back at the young woman, though she was way younger than Adair, but this was not the time for showing courtesy and Rossie was ready to bite back anyone who wronged her or the people that were dear to her.


    Ethan and Ian would be proud of her if they saw this. Because all this time, Rossie had always been a sweet girl, who wouldn''t even raise her voice even when she was annoyed.


    How time changed everything and terrible experiences had hardened people''s hearts, shaping them into a different person in order to survive¡­


    ==============


    Serefina''s red hair fluttered in the air, the color complimented the wall of flames in front of her and gave a vibe that she was part of that fire wall herself.


    She had been standing there ever since she left the vast lands after killing Dorian. It seemed, burning the shadow warrior to his death was way easier than to step forward to her next plan.


    Which had to be executed behind this flames. After finding Jedrek¡­


    Serefina felt her head throbbing painfully, but so did her heart. This was the hardest part. She felt exhausted even before she could start it.


    To vent out her frustration, Serefina burned a few more creatures from hell within her reach, but the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach wouldn''t subside, if anything, it only weighed her heart even more.


    Groaning, Serefina gritted her teeth and balled her fists to step into the wall of flames. Strange enough, it didn''t burn her at all¡­


    The fire even felt warm and comfortable against her skin.


    Once the witch had stepped onto the other side of the fire wall, she tilted her head up to look at the firebird above her, which was now flying low and perched on her shoulder.


    The firebird had grown bigger than the last time she saw it, but it was not a good sign at all, thus it felt heavy when this mythical creature sat there, yet the witch didn''t mind it, and she walked toward the building slowly.


    There was no one there, no patrolling guards, not even single lycan, so Serefina assumed that they were inside. It seemed that they didn''t even bother themselves with safe guarding this place since they could see that the fire had been protecting them well enough¡­


    Serefina main business was to meet Jedrek. She knew the king was there, alone. Therefore, this was the best timing for her to approach him.


    However, before she could enter the building, she felt the same familiar painful feeling that would occasionally consume her body, gnawing her skin deeply.


    D*mn! She forgot about tonight!


    "No, not now¡­" she groaned as the pain brought the arrogant witch down to her knees and the firebird on her shoulder flopped to the ground.

 Chapter 994 - A FAMILIAR SCENT

    Serefina couldn''t believe it, out of all nights, it had to be tonight and she was not aware of it.


    The witch glanced at the dark sky. Every day had been like this, whether it was night or day, one wouldn''t be able to distinguish them.


    In front of her, the firebird tilted its head innocently, as if asking what she was doing, sitting on the dirty ground and grimacing in pain.


    Serefina''s body trembled, she cursed under her breath that she didn''t count this, and it will ruin her plans. However, she couldn''t continue whatever she wanted to do in her current condition either.


    Her breathing became ragged and the pain was almost unbearable for her. She closed her eyes and before she screamed out of misery and drew unnecessary attention that she didn''t need now, she teleported herself.


    ==============


    Belinda lit the dry branches that were now spread beneath and around the fae, which were used as the dying bed for Purple. They had to burn her body, so she wouldn''t be used by the devils, leave her with nothing, but the ashes that would soon be blown away by the wind to a better place.


    In front of the blue fire, Lilac, Torak and Kace stood in silence, behind them were Stephan and Sapphire. The dragon shifters and the Lycanthropes formed a circle around them, giving their utmost respect to the fae. The last fae of its kind.


    They didn''t speak anything, but they shared a solemn silence among them.


    This death wouldn''t be the last death that they would see, but it was also a reminder that they still have to fight in order to win this seemingly endless war.


    Death was something unavoidable during a war and they should cherish the few moments they had, because no one knew or could guarantee if they would see each other tomorrow, or whether the person who was standing beside them now would still be with them tomorrow or not.


    This death was a reminder for them that there would be no tomorrow if they surrendered now, as the devils wouldn''t even spare their lives once they conquered this realm. They must fight for their lives, for their loved ones, and for their endangered freedom.


    This death was also a reminder how wrong Torak, Jedrek and Kace''s decision had been; to let their people die in order to save their own mates.


    The mistake was too big, as they were now forced to struggle over just to help their kind survive.


    However, at that time, it felt the right thing to do that. The impulsiveness to keep their mates with them and the thought of losing them, just didn''t sit right with their inner beast and created a hollow in their heart.


    The emptiness started to show its ugly head right at the corner of their mind, but they had to suppress it down and do what they had to do. And make things right.


    The Donovans blamed this on the gloominess in the air that compelled them to succ.u.mb to their dark side.


    "Let''s go," Torak said after they waited for the fire to die down and the wind blew off her ashes into air, which then circled around them for awhile and disappeared.


    ==============


    Jedrek was listening to what Lilac told him through mind- link, she said; she and his other brothers would go to this building, along with the rest of the lycan warriors.


    Of course he was worried knowing Lilac would be out there, exposed to danger, though he realized that his mate was more than capable to protect herself and his brothers wouldn''t let anything happen to her. But, still¡­ he felt this uneasiness¡­


    After all, more than a dozen dragon beasts, the creatures from hell and the dead lycans that were being successfully resurrected and turned into the enemies'' minions by the Devils were between them.


    Jedrek suggested that he would send more people to help them, but Lilac made sure that he would do no such thing and this only frustrated the king even more, as he knew that he couldn''t go out there himself, since he had to hold this ground.


    Or else, no shelter would be left for them once they got to him and it would be a loss on their part when this place was exposed to those dragons and filthy creatures to destroy.


    This school building was enough to keep them at bay until they could come up with a strategy.


    "Start patrolling around and let me know once you see them," Jedrek gave an order to Theo.


    Thankfully their kind had a remarkable healing ability, thus they wouldn''t make a fuss over a small stabbing or a slit wound. However, the lycans who suffered major injuries needed more time to heal. Lyrus and Jack looked after them all.


    And for the lycans that were fine, they followed Theo''s order to patrol around this building to find anything that could help them, also just in case there was something that they needed to pay attention to.


    Jedrek was deep in thought when that particular scent hit him. The scent that he had not smelled for a long time.


    Impossible¡­


    Jedrek quickened his steps, the scent was getting strong, as the distance between them became shorter.


    And at the supposed place, he noticed four lycans, who were patrolling around this area, and caught the same scent as him.


    But, from the look of it, they didn''t have any idea whose scent this belonged to. They were too young to know the witch.


    "Your majesty," the four of them greeted Jedrek in unison when they saw him approaching in their direction. "We caught a strange scent, we will look onto it first," one of them informed Jedrek.


    However, the king didn''t stop walking and ignored their suggestion, until he stopped in front of a school lab, where the scent was very vivid.


    "My king, let us go first," one of them volunteered to check inside, yet Jedrek raised his hand to stop them.


    "No," he said sourly. "Stay here."


    Without wasting another second, Jedrek pushed opened the door and entered the room.

 Chapter 995 - JUST THIS ONCE...

    The scent hit all of his sense. He clenched his jaw and balled his fists, as his eyes turned hard with every step that he took when he entered the room.


    This was impossible! What was she doing here?!


    Jedrek halted his movements when he heard a faint whimper coming from behind a shelf, which was filled with things that could be used to explain about human organs. He couldn''t see her, but it was definitely her voice.


    Or, maybe Jedrek could be totally wrong and this was just another trap by the devils to lure him?


    Whatever it was, Jedrek needed to see it by himself and learn what exactly was going on here.


    Whoever it was, they stopped whimpering when they realized that someone was coming in their way, but their breathing became heavier, seemingly this person was trying to suppress their presence.


    The echo of Jedrek''s footsteps stopped when he stood still in front of Serefina, who was lying on the dirty floor, clutching her chest with one hand, while her other hand was covering her mouth.


    The witch''s red hair had sprawled all over her face and Jedrek didn''t need to see her face to know that it was her, except if one of the devils transformed themselves to look like Serefina, which Asmodeus had done once in the past.


    Sensing someone standing close to her, Serefina opened her eyes with difficulty and tried to sit down, but whatever pain that she was suffering now, prevented her from doing so, as she curled her body into a fetal position.


    "¡­" she tried to say something to Jedrek, but it was hard to discern her words.


    On the other hand, Jedrek was stunned to see Serefina in this condition. What happened to her? Was she hurt? Did the devils do something to her?


    "What happened to you?" Jedrek immediately got on his knees and scooped her body. Her skin felt very cold against his.


    Serefina mumbled something again, but the pain that washed over her being, forced her to stifle a scream.


    "Serefina¡­" Jedrek held her body and let her head rest against his chest. "Where does it hurt?"


    Serefina shook her head weakly, she struggled to free herself, but she was too tired to do so and it was only a vain attempt, since Jedrek held her tightly.


    "¡­away," she mumbled between her sobs. She hated it that Jedrek found her in this condition. "Stay away¡­ from¡­ me¡­." she said with much difficulty.


    "No!" Jedrek growled, he was annoyed that Serefina was trying to push him away again and again.


    On the other hand, hearing their king snapping at someone, the four lycan warriors outside the room immediately entered.


    "Your Majesty! Are you all right?!" they asked, as they burst inside.


    However, Jedrek stopped them in their tracks before they could see Serefina or the way he held the witch against his chest.


    "STAY PUT!" He growled loudly, making them froze in their spots. "GET OUT!" he snarled at them.


    "But¡­ your majesty¡­" they looked hesitant when they were ordered to leave the king alone. They didn''t need to see, to know that someone else was inside this room, but they also didn''t dare to disobey a direct order.


    Hence, they stayed in their place in confusion about what they had to do next.


    But, Jedrek made it clear for them immediately.


    "SCRAM!" he yelled his order with his Alpha''s tone and this left them shuddering in fear, leaving them with no other choice, but to flee the scene.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #..._51663651140074693 for visiting.


    Serefina, who heard the way Jedrek chased his people away, curled her body against his chest, as tears fell on her cheeks silently, she bit her lower lip, until she could taste the blood.


    Just this once¡­ she wanted to feel the sense of protection from the man that she loved.


    Just for this once and all of her pain would be worth it¡­


    ==============


    "I can''t do this¡­" Stephan stammered when he watched four dragon beasts approaching them while flapping their wings vigorously. "I don''t know how to fly¡­" he shook his head again and took a step back.


    However, Kace held his shoulder to hold him in his place, not allowing him to run away.


    "If you don''t fight them, all of us will die," Kace stated the fact harshly. "Do you really want to run in front of your own people? Don''t you feel any tiny bit of shame?" his brows creased deeply when he said that.


    Yet, Stephan was too afraid. Those beasts were very big. Well, he was too when he shifted into his beast form.


    "But, I will definitely die if I fight them head on!" Stephan half- screamed at Kace.


    Leaving the fl.u.s.tered dragon lord to Kace to convince that they didn''t have any other choice but to fight the four dragon beasts or else they wouldn''t be left alive the second they set them on fire, Lilac walked toward Torak with Sebastian in her tow.


    "I think I can subdue them once they were close enough to the ground," Lilac spoke to Torak, her dark eyes lingered on the dragon beast that was flying ahead the other three.


    Torak contemplated for awhile. "I can bring them close enough to the ground." He glanced at the guardian angel beside him. "You can attack them from a long distance, so you better stay behind."


    "Don''t worry, I can protect myself," Lilac said defiantly, she didn''t want to be left behind.


    "I know you can, but no one can guarantee that and anything could happen." Torak turned around and glanced at Kace, who was now trying to talk to Stephan hastily while asking him to be more brave, which was almost next to impossible, given the short time that they had. "If something happened to you, we will be doomed."


    What Torak said was right. The clash was inevitable and this was not the time to act reckless.


    "I will back you up," Lilac finally agreed. She heaved a deep sigh and saw that Stephan also yielded on the other side and was ready to shift, though from his expression, he seemed unperturbedly unsure with himself.


    "You, stay with her." Torak nodded at Sebastian. "If anything happened to her, I will have your head."

 Chapter 996 - I AM SORRY

    The end of the dark tunnel was an abandoned house, near one of the bustling streets of this city. The house looked like it would collapse in the next second. This place was creepy enough to keep any outsiders from coming closer.


    "We can''t go out there," Adair interrupted Oliver''s thoughts, while he was considering the idea to mingle among humans. "Those humans already knew about our existence! They will kill us the moment we step out of this place!" She hissed in anger.


    Adair had been a walking nervous wreck all this time making everyone around her feel exhausted, but this time, she was not wrong, though what Oliver suggested made sense too.


    "But, what will we get if we stay?" Oliver rebutted the young werewolf and glared at her. "Aside from me, you and Glen." He nodded his head to the man behind the line of the people. "The rest of them can''t fight, if the vampires managed to find this secret tunnel, which they will, sooner or later!" he said in frustration.


    To think that it was not only the vampires, but also the spell- casters whom they were searching for them, it was only a matter of time before they found them.


    Thus, the idea to stay was not the best thing to do, but¡­


    "Can''t you see it?" Adair argued. "Out there, the humans were trying to kill us!"


    "They will not know whether we are a shifter or human!" Oliver became more frustrated. "How could they guess that we are shifters?"


    This shut Adair''s argumentation and she mumbled something incoherently.


    "But, where we will go?" Rossie stepped forward, aside from her, Adair and two other shifters, the rest of them were children and elder who summed up to almost forty people. "We can''t roam around on the streets with these many people at a time. It will draw unnecessary attention."


    "She is right," Adair grumbled. "It''s normal for ten people to gather together, but forty? They will get suspicious."


    The commotion died down as everyone were immersed in their own thoughts.


    "Let''s split," Glen suggested. He had been silent during their journey in the secret tunnel.


    "I don''t think that is a good idea¡­" Oliver mumbled, but didn''t reject it out rightly either.


    "Let''s split." Adair agreed with Glen. "Ten people in each group. But, do you know where we are heading?"


    "Yes," Oliver answered, he had thought about it when he realized which city they were in now. "There is a small pack near this place. I hope humans had not yet found it. They have a safety place in their pack house if I am not mistaken."


    "We will go in different routes. This way the vampires and the witches will have a hard time tracking us." One of the Elders chimed in.


    "Let''s split then¡­"


    ==============


    Jedrek wrapped Serefina''s cold body with the cloak that he wore, he held her trembling body and patted her back when the pain was no longer tolerable for her to bear.


    Comfortable silence wrapped around them, as no question was asked and no words were uttered.


    During which, Serefina could only clutch onto Jedrek, as if her life was hanging on it. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks and wetted the front of his shirt.


    It was not clear whether those tears were coming from the pain of her body or her heart¡­


    Only when Serefina''s breath became more easy and the clutch on his shirt had slightly relaxed, did Jedrek loosen his grip around her shoulders.


    For now, the king just leaned against the shelf behind him, while cradling the woman who once filled his life to the brim with happiness and whom he would sacrifice everything¡­ that was how important Serefina was in his life¡­ once¡­


    "What is happening to you?" Jedrek finally asked after Serefina had calmed down and it seemed whatever pain that she felt was now gone, it had subsided.


    Serefina shook her head weakly. She was too tired to talk, or who knew she could be even pretending to hide behind her arrogant mask. "Can you please don''t ask?"


    "I need to know." Jedrek''s voice was devoid of any emotion, but he still pressed this matter, since Serefina couldn''t run away. "Don''t you think that you owe me an explanation?"


    "There is nothing to explain now¡­" Everything had happened and explaining it would only amplify her heartbreak, making her feel utterly hopeless.


    Sometimes, it was best to leave a matter untouched, since talking about it would only make everything worse¡­


    Jedrek clenched his jaw and looked at the wall of flames through the window. His mind was elsewhere and his emotions were all over place.


    "Did Selene resurrect you?" Jedrek asked this question all of a sudden. If Serefina refused to explain it on her own, then he would find the answer in his own way.


    Jedrek drew this conclusion when he watched how Lilac would lose her power once a month while her hair turn white, though she was not in great pain like what Serefina suffered, but his mate looked very fragile and vulnerable at that time, she was akin to someone, who would have their last breath when that time comes.


    Therefore, Jedrek drew the same conclusion¡­


    Lilac had died, he killed her indirectly and she suffered because of it when the moon goddess resurrected her. Does it mean, Serefina had died too?


    "If you don''t answer me, I will take it as a ''yes''." Jedrek concluded. He glanced at Serefina and watched the witch who wouldn''t even move an inch.


    "I don''t remember hearing anything about your death," Jedrek continued speaking, his heart caved in with that thought. How could he not know that his woman at that time had been killed? "Was it at that time when you went to the village of angels?"


    Because after that, Serefina had gone missing for a quite while.


    The witch stayed still.


    "Who killed you?" The arms around Serefina''s body tensed, as Jedrek hugged her tighter.


    "I have killed him." Only those few words left her lips with her eyes still closed.


    Jedrek rested his chin on the crown of Serefina''s head, relishing her scent. "I am sorry."

 Chapter 997 - LILAC AND THE WHITE BEAST

    "I am sorry," Jedrek repeated his words.


    I am sorry for not knowing that you have suffered a lot¡­


    I am sorry for not knowing that you have gone through so much alone¡­


    I am sorry for not choosing you¡­


    "There is nothing to be sorry for¡­" Serefina replied weakly. She snuggled more in to Jedrek''s warm embrace, relishing every single moment with this man. "We choose our own paths and all we have to do is to walk through them until the end."


    There was a comfortable silence that ensued between them, as no words were said afterward.


    But just like before, when the time was right for both of them all those centuries ago, they didn''t need to voice out their thoughts to be each other''s safe haven.


    Though this situation and time were relatively different, still it was something that remained the same til now¡­


    Serefina hoped that she could be selfish enough to stop this moment for eternity¡­


    This journey was so exhausting that she wanted to feel sheltered now¡­


    This was indeed a long journey¡­


    ==============


    The force sent Lilac flying a few meters in the air. She didn''t even have time to scream when pain burst out on her left shoulder, which had taken most of the blow.


    But, while she was still in the mid air, she felt something soft catch her as a white color flashed before her eyes. It was a white beast, Torak''s beast.


    The lycan let the guardian angel land on his body and roared at the dragon beast in front of him, the sound was earth- shattering and it succeeded in making the dragon beasts hesitate for a while.


    However, that was all they needed to escape.


    The white beast wriggled a little so as to adjust Lilac''s position on its back, and retreated quickly, as the creature had to move fast to avoid the blazing fire that came out from the dragon beast''s mouth.


    One beast was dead and one was still struggling, though it wouldn''t take long before the creature could be subdued.


    And the that was chasing Torak and Lilac was now being surrounded by five earth dragon beasts and the phoenix that oddly managed to teach Stephan and his people how to fly, in spun of time.


    They were surprised to witness such a thing, but it happened.


    However, this was not the time to wonder about all that since they had more urgent matters to be handled first.


    The remaining two dragon beasts needed to be taken down soon before the others came. They would struggle if they had to fight another beast in succession, as taking down these two was already costing them a great deal of effort.


    Torak and Kace led the lycanthropes and the former was in charge of the dragon beasts, while the phoenix followed Kace. Lilac helped Torak in bringing the beasts near to the ground, so that they could reach those creatures.


    Meanwhile, Lilac clutched onto the beast''s white fur tightly, so she wouldn''t fall when the white beast made a sharp turn or leapt high in order to avoid the attack.


    Fire was everywhere at this point and for the earth dragon shifters, though they outnumbered the single fire dragon beast, it was still hard for them to be close to the creature since it would blast them with fire from their mouth, the thing that they couldn''t do.


    "This beast is really getting on my nerves!" Lilac said agitatedly, her voice loud enough for the white beast to hear her. He snickered, feeling the frustration from the guardian angel. "Move up there!" Lilac pointed in a particular direction.


    The spot Lilac showed to Torak was the top of a tower, which stood at an equal height with the dragon beast''s position when it was flying above the ground to attack them.


    The beast seemed hell bent on frying the white lycan to ashes, since it wouldn''t even spare a single glance at any other lycanthrope.


    "Climb up there and I will help you to get back to the dragon!" Lilac said loudly, even though that was not necessary.


    The white beast moved faster in the direction Lilac had mentioned. Its paws hit the ground firmly, as it moved swiftly to dodge the blasting fire.


    Before the white lycan started climbing, he stopped for a moment, to give Lilac enough time to adjust herself on his back, so she wouldn''t fall.


    Lilac understood it immediately and wrapped her arms and legs around the beast''s neck and body, securing herself in position. "Okay, go!"


    That was the cue for the white beast to start climbing the tower.


    Meanwhile, seeing what Torak and Lilac were about to do, the five earth dragon shifters tried their best to distract the fire dragon shifter from hurling a fireball at the two of them.


    They fought bravely, while clumsily flying around the dragon beast.


    Rattling roars like sounds were echoing in the air as the wind whipped harshly around the six beasts that were immersed in their own battle.


    It didn''t take very long for Torak to reach the peak of the tower and he tilted his head at the young woman on his back, as if asking what they should do now.


    "Hold on¡­" Strangely, Lilac understood that small gesture pretty easily. They actually worked well together. "Jump on to his back when the beast is about to hurl fire at us."


    Lilac looked down, it was such a very high place, but she could see Sebastian''s beast on the ground, who had raised his head in worry and stared at her without blinking.


    "Not yet¡­" Lilac mumbled to herself, but loud enough for Torak to hear her.


    Not too far from them, the fire dragon beast managed to free itself from the five earth dragon beasts and charged toward the duo with a ball of fire in his mouth.


    Below, Sebastian''s beast howled in a warning, as if telling them to move, to avoid the direct clash.


    However, Lilac told the white beast otherwise. "Stay. Jump on my cue."


    The tension was dense in the air and the dragon beast threw its ugly head back, ready to release a calamity upon the white beast and the guardian angel.


    At the same time, Lilac raised both of her hands and made a sudden motion, while saying. "NOW!"

 Chapter 998 - NICE FIGHT

    It was a dangerous move for the white beast to execute and a crazy idea from the guardian angel, but knowing their abilities and relying on their instincts, maybe that didn''t seem all that bad for them¡­


    The dragon beast flew straight to the tower where the white beast and Lilac were. it''s mouth opened widely as a fireball started to take shape inside it, ready to be launched.


    However, before it could shoot the fireball, Lilac raised both of her hands and made a sudden motion, while saying, "NOW!"


    A massive tree emerged from the ground, reaching into the sky at lightning speed, and knocked the head of the dragon beast in the process which made the fireball that was ready to be shot miss its target.


    At the same time, the white beast jumped over from the tower and landed on the same tree, on which Lilac grew a huge branch and extended it so the white beast could reach to the dragon beast as far as he could, and then use it to push himself up as a stepping stone to make a huge leap.


    The dragon beast, which still hadn''t recovered from the blow, didn''t see this coming.


    Meanwhile, Lilac released her grip around the white beast''s back and threw herself back, she intended to stay on that tree, yet missed her steps.


    The white lycan looked at her body that was diving very fast to the ground, a little bit hesitant to continue, but Lilac wouldn''t ruin their plan.


    "NO! GO!" She shouted and tried to make a safe landing for herself, though it was difficult with her being upside down.


    On the other hand, noticing that Sebastian''s beast was on the ground, ready to catch the guardian angel, Torak''s beast didn''t hesitate further and focused on his instincts to get to the dragon beast in front of him.


    In one big leap, the white beast landed on the scaly back of this ugly creature and without wasting anytime, it dig its sharp- razor claw into its flesh.


    Torak''s beast hummed in delight when its claw dug into the beast''s flesh as if it were a hot knife cutting some butter, taking a huge chunk of the beast''s flesh without much difficulty or fight.


    And as for the dragon beast, it could only roar and spin in the air, trying to get rid of the creature from its back, which happily continued to tear its body open. Its massive wings flapped wildly.


    However, at the same time, the hard wind from the anguished beast put Lilac in trouble, as it was hard to control her power in her current situation, not to mention her left shoulder that was in pain because of the clash earlier.


    Below her, Sebastian''s black beast watched in fear when Lilac''s body continued to fall rapidly. The beast leapt high to catch her, but the dragon beast, once again flapped its wings and flew the guardian angel''s body in a different direction, making the general miss his goal.


    Lilac stretched her hands to reach for the black beast, but the pain on her shoulder prevented her from doing so.


    Oh, no¡­


    Her mind drilled with fear when she knew the ground was only a second away from her.


    Right at the nick of time, she saw something white flashing before her eyes and the impending pain that she thought she would suffer didn''t happen, as her body landed securely on something soft.


    Lilac stayed still with her heart beating fast and her face pale. That was a close call¡­


    She glanced at the soft ''mattress'' that she landed and it whined, while shifting into his other form.


    "I think you broke a few bones¡­" Kace grumbled, but didn''t move from his position which was staying sprawled on the ground, letting Lilac lie on his back.


    But, before Lilac could answer him and move, Sebastian approached them speedily and helped her to stand up.


    "Your majesty, are you okay?" Sebastian asked, with concern in his eyes.


    "I am the one who is not okay," Kace grumbled again, but the general simply ignored him.


    "Are you okay?" Lilac asked Kace. She looked around and found that the other fire dragon had already been handled by ten earth dragons. Its wings had been torn apart and was bleeding profusely.


    "Give me a minute," Kace said, feeling his bones which started to connect with each other again, as he laid still like that.


    The three of them and the other lycanthropes were covered in dirt and blood as they watched the last dragon beast fell hard to the ground, but before that, they saw the white beast piercing through its heart before the lycan landed safely.


    It was a gruesome scene to see¡­


    "Can''t he make it any less worse?" Kace mumbled to himself when he watched his brother clawing out the heart of the dragon with its paw, venting its anger. "There is a woman here."


    Lilac glanced at Kace and was tempted to kick his back at his comment. "I don''t mind. I like what I see."


    Kace said something incoherently, as he tried to sit down. "Hey, nice fight." He patted Lilac''s shoulder when he stood up and the guardian angel grinned at him.


    Lilac raised her hand and the two of them bumped their fists. "You are not very bad yourself."


    From afar, they saw Torak approaching them, he was covered in dragon''s blood, but it didn''t seem to bother him much.


    "Let''s go," he said emotionlessly and shifted back to his white beast.


    This time, Lilac perched on Kace''s back when they were heading toward Jedrek''s location.


    ==============


    "Why are you here?" Jedrek asked Serefina, who looked better now, she was still wearing his cloak and looked pale, but she at least stopped trembling.


    "Do you trust me?" Instead of answering his question, Serefina posted her own.


    "No," Jedrek replied, too fast to make the other person believe it.


    Hearing that, Serefina rolled her eyes dramatically and tightened her clutch on the cloak around her body, it smelled like him and she loved it.


    "Kill the creature in the frozen river and gather your people there," she told him.

 Chapter 999 - I WISH I CAN HATE YOU

    The lycanthropes who escaped from the castle were divided into three groups, each with ten people and were led in different directions.


    Bree and Rossie were together, with a few other elders and two children, while Adair was given the charge of them.


    They intended to take a train to reach the nearest pack house about which Oliver had mentioned to them earlier and now they were waiting to aboard the said train in a nearby station.


    Baby Eddard was fast asleep in Rossie''s arms, he was a good baby and didn''t cry much except when he was hungry or needed to be tidied. Most of the time, he would play by himself or mumble something incoherently.


    Rossie loved this baby and so did many people who saw him.


    "Your baby is very cute," said a woman who seemed to be in her thirties. Rossie smiled at that compliment. "Your child?" She looked at her, since Rossie was very young to have a baby on her own, but that was not entirely impossible too.


    "No, this is my cousin," Rossie said. She was not awkward being near to humans, since she lived with them for years, so did Adair, but the other elderly lycanthropes, were staring at her from time to time, because they didn''t feel good around other kinds. "This is my sister," Rossie said again when the woman''s eyes fell on Bree.


    Bree, being her timid self around strangers, especially humans because she had heard what they had done to the other non- humans, slightly cowered behind Rossie.


    "Going home?" the woman asked again, maybe trying to be friendly to the youngster.


    "Yes," Rossie answered curtly.


    And when their train came, Rossie thought the conversation between them had ended there, but the woman sat down beside her after boarding the train and started to tell a story about herself, ignoring the fact whether her recipient was listening to her or not.


    Sometimes, in your life, you would meet this sort of people, but Rossie could only grimace that she had to meet her at a time like this. The woman gradually made her uncomfortable, but to her relief she didn''t think that the woman had any other agenda and looked like she was just bored to sit silently.


    It took two hours before they reached the last station and unfortunately, the woman also travelled along with them until now.


    "Oh, the trip feels short when you have a good chat," she grinned at Rossie and ruffled Bree''s hair. The little girl wanted to complain, but Rossie gave her a look.


    The woman had talked too much until Bree was no longer afraid of her.


    "I don''t like this inspection," the woman grumbled to herself.


    "What inspection?" Rossie asked. The people that left in the last station were not many, as the lycanthropes sat in different seats, they were separated by two or three people, but still managed to see each other.


    "You know right, about the non- human existence?" the woman started talking again, but this time Rossie paid close attention to her. "Now, in every station, they will run a test for every passenger, to make sure we are real humans. And waiting for my turn was what makes me upset the most..."


    Rossie didn''t listen what she said next as she glanced at Adair and the other elders over her shoulder. And sure enough, they also heard this, because their facial expressions changed drastically.


    "But, why didn''t we encounter anything like this when we got on the train?" Rossie was sure she didn''t see any kind of inspection when they waited in the station earlier.


    "No, because the non- human will run away if they know there is an inspection. So, this is implemented at the end of the trip, because they can trap them inside. Leaving them with near zero chances to escape," she said lightly. "But this whole process makes me late¡­" And she started to grumble again.


    [What to do?] Rossie mind- linked Adair, as she held baby Eddard closer to her. Bree clutched her shirt tightly and looked apprehensive.


    "How would they know if we are human or not?" Rossie tried to get more information, in hopes that they could avoid the worse.


    The woman shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "I don''t know, they created some stuff that will let you know that you are not human by pricking your finger. I don''t like it at all." She showed her finger. "But it is fine if you have this access." She showed a card with her name. "At least you will not get pricked for a week."


    Rossie felt her heart beat faster when the woman looked at her suspiciously.


    "Why do you ask that? Are you new to here?" She frowned.


    ==============


    "Why do you think I will believe you?" Jedrek asked Serefina, but the witch ignored him and stood up. "Answer me!" He roared at her.


    "Because you don''t have a choice," Serefina replied and tried to free her hand from his tight grip, yet it was only a vain attempt, or maybe she just wanted to be close to him for a few seconds longer, since she was more than capable to release herself.


    "What if I don''t trust you? Do you think after you betrayed us, I will still believe you?" Jedrek squinted his eyes at the witch.


    In all honesty, Jedrek didn''t know what to feel about her. This was a complicated situation and not to mention about the complex feelings that he felt for her.


    Even if he had to fight her in the battle, he was not sure that he could take her down. In the past, he was used to protect her and he knew that old habits die hard¡­ even after everything she had done¡­


    "Do you think you can win this war after your stupid decision to let the devils massacre your people?" Serefina pushed Jedrek against the shelf and raised her head so she could see him straight in the eyes. "You believe me Jedrek. I know you believe me. At least, that''s what I can tell by looking at you now."


    Jedrek clenched his jaw, but didn''t utter a word.


    "I wish I can hate you¡­" and then the witch disappeared before his eyes.

 Chapter 1000 - I MISS YOU

    Calleb, Ethan and the six Alphas along with the two hundred lycan warriors appeared right in front of the gates of the dragon castle.


    However, that building was nothing any close to what he saw the last time they were here. A huge part of one of its towers was crumbled and the other part had been destroyed, while the rest of the castle was burned, with flames still raging in several places.


    Vampires and spell- casters ravaged that place, killing every lycanthrope that they came across, most of the dead bodies that were scattered on the ground were from their kind.


    It went without saying that the lycanthropes were outnumbered and were at a great disadvantage, but they still fought with all their might.


    Seeing this, they didn''t waste any more time. All of them turned into their beasts and roared at the dark sky before charging toward the vampires and spell- casters, catching them by surprise, as they didn''t think there would be a sudden ambush behind their backs.


    They thought they had won the battle and enjoyed this moment, being occupied with a little celebration for themselves by dismembering the dead bodies of the lycanthropes around them, laughing with contended faces, thus no one was prepared for the sudden attack...


    Meanwhile, inside the castle, Theseus felt pleased with himself when he visited the dungeon, where his father was being held as a prisoner.


    "Father," he greeted his father, lord Bayle, who looked very vulnerable in his old skin, Raine did a good job at keeping him alive even after what she had done to him.


    "I know you can do it¡­" Lord Bayle snickered, he trudged slowly toward the cell door that had been opened by Theseus. "Where is that b*tch?!" He was talking about Raine.


    "Don''t worry father, the devils had long captured her along with one other guardian angel." Theseus dr.a.p.ed a cloak around his father''s shoulder. At this moment, they were still clueless about the sudden battle which was happening right above this dungeon.


    "Good, good¡­" Lord Bayle mumbled. "I have to settle a score with her soon."


    The two of them climbed the stairs and met Terra and Dimitri.


    "You look terrible, old friend." Dimitri gave Lord Bayle a hug and jeered at him.


    "If you are done here, we have to go and wipe out one more hiding place of these filthy lycans," Terra spoke, leaning her body against the door.


    "Who are you?" Lord Bayle squinted his eyes questioningly at the young girl, who was wearing a purple cloak.


    "You don''t need to know me," Terra said, as she turned around to walk ahead, before glancing at them over her shoulder, indicating for the three shifters to follow her.


    Lord Bayle could feel his blood boil in anger upon seeing the disrespect that the young girl showed to him, but Dimtri shook his head.


    "She is Beelzebub''s favorite," Dimitri said. "Don''t mess with her."


    And then the four of them walked back.


    "I don''t see the baby. Did your people manage to find it?" Terra asked Dimitri.


    "No, it seems they managed to escape from this place during the battle, but just like any other castle, there will be a secret tunnel. I have sent someone to find it and have them follow our target," Dimtri answered her immediately.


    "Make sure to not kill the baby, Beelzebub like it." Terra got this special request from the devil, since she liked the creatures with special talent, such as baby Eddard and then the guardian angels when she met them when they were little.


    Dimitri just hummed in response. This Devil had a weird taste¡­


    Right at that time, they heard a commotion from the front yard and it didn''t sound right because the commotion was nothing like a celebration or other sorts, it was more like another battle which had been brought upon them at the last notice.


    "What the hell is that?!" Theseus frowned deeply and rushed ahead, along with Terra and Dimitri.


    ==============


    After a long run, they finally arrived at the wall of flames that Jedrek mentioned. Well it was not hard to find the place, since the bright fire illuminated the dark sky and blanketed them in a warm feeling.


    "How should we go through this?" Sebastian knitted his brows. "Are we not going to burn?"


    The other lycanthropes looked at the sky in alert, just in case if there were any other beast that would attack them sneakily, but aside from the earth dragon beasts that were led by Stephan with the phoenix beside him, they couldn''t see any other creatures.


    Where had they gone?


    Though the creatures from hell were still trying to reach them, but Lilac fend them off quite easily, by creating a wall while the phoenix burned them to ashes.


    "No," Torak said and then walked through the fire. He knew where this fire came from and was very sure it wouldn''t hurt them.


    Kace tilted his head, but when he saw Torak was fine after walking through it, he followed suit with the rest of the people, while the dragon shifters shifted back to their human skin and happened to be the last ones to enter.


    Lilac looked around the building, it looked empty, but then a series of loud howls could be heard around them.


    It was not a threatening howl, but it was to notify the other lycanthropes here about their presence.


    Torak walked ahead with Lilac beside him, but the guardian angel started running when she saw her mate emerging from one of the doors of the school building.


    Lilac threw herself and wrapped her arms around Jedrek''s neck, as the king caught her body and felt the spark calm the tension out of his nerves. His mate''s sweet scent basked his being. Jedrek closed his eyes and kissed her.


    He just realized how much he missed her and seeing her being fine, was the best thing that had happened after a long time.


    There was no words that could be said at this moment, while Torak and Kace pretended that they didn''t see anything when they walked past the couple.


    "I miss you¡­" Jedrek said softly, burying his head in the crook of her neck.

 Chapter 1001 - EVERYTHING WENT SOUTH

    "What to do?" Rossie walked beside Adair as they headed to the toilet, they needed time to come up with a plan, while the elders and children were buying something for them to eat, trying to act as normal as possible.


    "Do you know where the other exit is?" Adair asked when they were finally inside the toilet.


    "Do you think this other exit will be free from any surveillance?" Rossie rolled her eyes and opened the bag that she had been carrying. She would clean baby Eddard first, while thinking about what they should do next. "This is my first time coming here."


    "Not any different here," Adair groaned in frustration. "Then we should stay here until the crowd got dispersed. We might stand a chance to fight them if we breakthrough."


    "There will be a bunch of authorities and guards, ready to chase after us if we do that." Rossie started to wipe Eddard''s small body, as the baby grinned at her. His smile was so contagious, making her reciprocate his grin.


    "Then we can shift into our beasts and get out from here," Adair said mindlessly.


    "Didn''t you hear the news?" Rossie glanced at Adair. "Humans can see us in our beast forms now. It seems the human and the supernatural worlds had been clashed, so no matter what form we take, they will still see us. It will only endanger us if we shift right in front of them."


    "So, what do we do now?!" Adair grunted frustratedly. "We shouldn''t have taken the train, why didn''t anyone inform us about this beforehand?!"


    "I think all of us just came to know about this." Rossie put the diaper and changed Eddard''s cloths. "Let''s observe the situation first, maybe we can get an idea about what we should do."


    They were fortunate enough that all the three cubicles inside this toilet were empty, thus they could talk freely about this.


    However, right at that time, an old woman from their group entered the toilet, from her expression alone, Rossie and Adair could tell that something wrong was happening.


    "What happened Adah?" Adair immediately grabbed the shoulder of the woman named Adah.


    "The woman with Rossie before," she said hastily, staring at Rossie, who immediately tidied up Eddard''s stuff and put it into the bag again. "She got suspicious because Rossie didn''t have that card and told the guard about her, now the guard is talking to Bree."


    Bree was waiting outside and sitting alone, not literally alone, since the other shifters were around her, but the woman only knew her and Rossie.


    "Oh, sh*t!" Rossie immediately took baby Eddard and was about to go out of the toilet.


    "Wait!" Adair stopped Rossie and grabbed her hand, preventing her from going outside.


    "What?!" Rossie snapped at her. "We need to help Bree!" she didn''t want to wait, they knew what would happen to the shifters who got caught. They will kill them right there and then if they were proven as of non- human existence.


    "But, Bree is not a shifter!" Adair reminded her, the fact that they almost forgot.


    For a moment, silence befell upon them until Adah spoke again, "Right, she is not a shifter, isn''t she?"


    Bree had been with them for long time, until they forgot that the girl was from a different realm and was not a shifter, or at least that was what they knew about her, since she had never shown any indication that she was something else, but human.


    "I still need to see her." Rossie insisted ongoing out, but Adair held her back and didn''t loosen her grip on her. "What again?" she asked frustratedly.


    "Wear this." Adair put the cap that she wore on the latter''s head and took baby Eddard from Rossie. "And this jacket." She used her other hand to give the jacket that was tied around her waist too. "The woman knows you, so it is safe for us to assume that she may have already given your details to those people."


    It made sense, thus Rossie didn''t say anything and just did what Adair told her.


    "Let me carry the baby," Adah said and took hold of the baby from Adair, as she saw the young werewolf carrying the little fella in an uncomfortable way.


    Afterward, the three of them went out intermittently.


    From where they were standing, they could see Bree, who was being interrogated by three men in dark blue uniform, beside them was the woman, who talked to Rossie during the two hours of their journey.


    "I feel like tearing her face apart," Adair mumbled, folding her hands in front of her chest, while leaning against the wall, pretending to be interested at the schedule of the trains on the board above them.


    "We are on the same page this time," Rossie said calmly, as she bought a drink from vending machine.


    Adair raised her eyebrows when she heard that and chuckled quietly. "Welcome to the cruel world." She always thought that Rossie was too sweet even for her own good, but that didn''t seem to be the case anymore.


    Rossie ignored her remark and opened the can, while stealing a glance at Bree. She would be all right¡­ she was not a shifter, so there was nothing that they should be worried about.


    However, deep down, there was this feeling that gnawed at her mind. For some strange reason, Rossie felt that Bree was more than a normal human. They both had spent a short intense time together when they were running away from the massacre in the castle and during that time, she knew that the little girl was special.


    She just hoped that she was wrong¡­


    Not too far from them, Bree let one of the men prick her finger, as she grimaced a little and shot an angry glare at the noisy woman who was the worst tattle-tale she ever encountered.


    They awaited the result for two seconds, before those men eyes widened and as if an alarm was blaring loud in Rossie''s head, she knew the result was different from what she expected


    "She is not human!" said the man.

 Chapter 1002 - THEY ARE COMING

    Once Terra, Dimitri and Theseus reached the front door, they saw an enmasse of crazy lycanthropes who went berserk and killed the unprepared vampires and spell- casters by a surprise attack.


    "What!?" Terra screamed angrily. "Shift and kill them all!" The young girl glared at Theseus and ordered the dragon lord, not giving any face to him for the fact that he was older and was at a higher status compared to her.


    That slightly hurt the fire dragon shifter''s pride, but it was not the time for that.


    He was about to shift into his beast when Sybil appeared before their eyes out of thin air and before Dimitri could attack her, the witch had raised her hand and sent the vampire flying across the room, making his head knock against the solid wall hard.


    The witch''s white hair fluttered by the wind and the power that she held when she raised the dragon lord with one hand was fear striking to her opponents, the same thing that Theseus had done to Purple when he injured her to her death.


    Theseus''s body was trembling when he forced himself to shift, but Sybil suppressed his attempts. The air around them became very thick and heavy as the two creatures tried to overpower one another.


    Seeing the situation was not in their favor, Terra looked around to find something to kill Sybil, her eyes wildly skimmed the corridor until she caught sight of a sword that was hung on the wall, placed as a decoration on it.


    Without a second thought, the young girl, ran across the corridor, avoiding the vampires that were still fighting the lycanthropes and dodged some spell that was thrown by the spell- casters that came with Sybil.


    Terra managed to grab the sword and was about to run back to kill the witch, or at least to distract her, so she would let go of Theseus''s neck, as the dragon lord was their only chance to survive this ambush, but before she could take a step forward, Calleb had blocked her.


    "What do you want?" Terra asked the lycan defiantly. "You can''t shift into your beast."


    Upon hearing that a wry laugh could be heard from Calleb, but his eyes were devoid of any emotion. "Do you think I need my beast to kill you? A mere human?" he said mockingly.


    For some unknown reason, to be told off as a mere human managed to upset Terra. She didn''t like it when someone said that she was only a human. That was an insult and she couldn''t really take it well.


    Terra drew the sword from its scabbard and unsheathed the sword in one swift motion before pointing its sharp tip at Calleb. However, the Beta was quicker than her, though he couldn''t use his beast to fight those vampires like the others did now, but he didn''t need to break a sweat against a mere human child. He was a trained warrior after all.


    Swiftly, Calleb grabbed Terra''s wrist that rendered her unable to swing the sword, and then strangled her neck.


    "You will not kill a girl, a young girl, will you?" Terra smirked, normal people would take killing a young girl like her as an cowardly act, thus she used it to make the Beta hesitate.


    Yet, what she thought didn''t happen, she missed the fact that Calleb didn''t see her as a young girl, but an underling of the devil.


    Therefore, the smirk on Terra''s lips didn''t last for long before Calleb tightened his grip and crushed the bones in her neck and let her body fell to the ground limply.


    Terra had not yet died, but Calleb had broken her windpipe and now she couldn''t even breathe, this was worse than being killed directly.


    Calleb left her like that to suffer before she died.


    "Young girl?" Calleb sneered. "I don''t think I can see any young girl here." After saying that he walked away, not even bothering to check whether she had died or not, because he knew she wouldn''t make it long and no one would come for her aid.


    However, before Calleb walked any further, he stopped in his tracks and walked back to take the sword without even sparing the young girl a glance.


    Calleb walked toward Sybil, who was still fighting against Theseus while suppressing him from shifting.


    "Let him go," Calleb said lightly, the battle behind Sybil had been won by the lycanthropes'' side, as they easily crushed the vampires.


    Some of the vampires tried to escape the scene, but the ones that were left behind had been killed without mercy or were trying to keep up with the fight.


    Meanwhile, most of the spell- casters had teleported themselves once they knew there was no chance for them. They would hide forever after this if the lycanthropes'' side won the war against the devils, as they had been proved as traitors.


    It just took merely a few minutes before the entire situation went out of their control.


    "Now," Calleb raised the sword and Sybil let go of Theseus''s neck.


    Calleb swung the sword in his hands. And, even before Theseus''s feet could touch the ground, the dragon lord lost his head.


    ==============


    "They are coming¡­" Lilac said, her voice laced with worry and her face contorted in anxiety. She was crouching down and felt the vibration from the ground.


    "What is it?" Jedrek knelt down beside her, while the phoenix and the firebird flew above their heads low.


    Lilac licked her dry lips anxiously and then answered him. "The dead warriors¡­ the creatures from hell¡­ the dragon beasts and the devils¡­ all of them."


    Jedrek''s eyes turned red when he heard that and so did the two youngerDonovans'', who were standing beside him.


    "So, this is the time?" Jedrek helped Lilac to stand up, he wiped the dirt from her hands and stared at the wall of fire in front of them.


    "How long can you keep the fire burning?" Lilac knew that the flames were a doing of the firebird, but at a price of using a lot of power from Jedrek, this was not a good sign for him.


    "One or two hours more," Jedrek said grimly.


    Lilac entwined her fingers with him, they knew what was coming at them.

 Chapter 1003 - WRONG ANSWER

    "We can''t find the elders, women or even the children," Ethan said. "Rossie is not here too, it seems they managed to escape when the battle intensified, since they knew that there is no chance for them to survive this."


    They were outnumbered and with the dragon beasts and the spell- casters on the vampire''s side, it was most likely that they were unable to fight them off.


    "I see¡­" Calleb mumbled. Part of him was relieved that they took some precautions, but the part was still worried, because it was not safe out there either, anything could happen to them.


    But then, who would have known that they could manage to arrive in this place? After all the spells that the northern spell- casters had put around?


    "Seine had found the secret tunnel and I have asked some lycan warriors to track them down, they will let us know if they found something," Ethan reported. Seine was one of the spell- casters who came with them.


    For Calleb and Ethan, who couldn''t shift into their beasts, it would be hard to follow the trackers, as they would only slow them down, therefore, they waited for the news here.


    "What will you do?" Ethan asked when he followed Calleb, who was crouching down near the head of Theseus. He grimaced when he saw the look in the dragon lord''s lifeless eyes.


    It was a gruesome scene to witness, but it seemed that he was almost used to it now and only felt slightly uncomfortable in his stomach, nothing else.


    "Where is that dragon shifter?" Calleb asked Alpha Ralph, who was standing not too far from him, he was listening to some report about how many lycans had survived, injured and dead.


    Alpha Ralph tilted his head and answered him after he remembered the last report that he heard. "Alpha Jack is interrogating him now, if I am not mistaken, they are on the second floor," he said before focusing on what the warrior was reporting to him.


    After hearing that, Calleb took Theseus''s head and walked toward the second floor with Ethan following behind him closely.


    In the first floor and the front yard, where they had battled, there were various scents mixed in the air with the smell of blood as the prominent one, thus it was hard to pin point someone''s exact location using only their noses.


    That was why they needed the spell- casters to find the secret tunnel, since the lycanthropes couldn''t rely on their olfactory senses for now.


    Calleb held Theseus''s head by grabbing its hair, but it seemed he just took a plastic bag with him instead of a head.


    Ethan could only knit his brows when he saw this, but didn''t say anything, as he knew that Calleb would do something more horrible to Lord Bayle.


    When they heard the voice of Alpha Jack from behind one of the doors, Calleb quickened his steps and entered the room.


    Without saying anything, Calleb threw Theseus''s head, which rolled on the dirty floor and stopped right in front of Lord Bayle''s feet, with his lifeless eyes staring at his father.


    "AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!"


    A shrill scream was heard from Lord Bayle''s mouth when he learned that his only son had been beheaded. He, who was tied to the chair, fell to the ground, but it only made it worse for him since he landed facing his son''s head now.


    And another earth- shattering scream left his lips. He sounded like he was being slaughtered like an animal.


    "Dude, it was already hard interrogating him before this and now I doubt he will be able to talk again after he strained his throat," Alpha Jack complained.


    "What have you got?" Calleb ignored that. In the past, it was very rare to see the Beta being all serious, since he was an easy going type and this role would be filled by Raphael, but everything was different now.


    "He lured the devils here and disclosed this place to them," Alpha Jack said. "I was about to ask how he did that when you threw his son head."


    "No need to know about that," Calleb said. The battle had ended and most of the vampires and spell- casters had died along with some lycanthropes too, there was no point in wasting time on something like this.


    "Okay." Alpha Jack shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.


    "I will take it from here." Calleb approached lord Bayle, who was still screaming at the top of his lungs.


    "I will take care of the matters downstairs then," Alpha Jack said and walked past Ethan, who was still standing in front of the door. "Come with me young man, you don''t want to see this."


    Ethan hesitated slightly, but he chose to stay in the end. "No, I want to see this."


    "Okay."


    And then Alpha Jack closed the door.


    For a full one minute, Calleb just stood there, seeing the old version of Lord Bayle who was trying to get away from Theseus''s head, but the chair that was tied to him limited his movements.


    And every time Lord Bayle had inched away from it, Calleb would nudge Theseus''s head so it would roll toward his father again.


    And another two minutes passed.


    Five minutes.


    Ten minutes.


    Only when his voice had turned very hoarse and he was no longer able to scream, did Calleb crouch down and started talking to the pale faced old dragon lord.


    "You told the devils about this place and caused this to happen? Do you think you will be left unscathed?" Calleb asked in an eerie tone, as he glanced at the head. "Tell me what else do you know about the devils? What else are their plans?"


    Lord Bayle didn''t speak for a few seconds, as he threw the Beta a nasty glare. "Do you think I will tell you anything?" he bit out each and every word through gritted teeth. "I will not tell you anything, you filthy dog!"


    "Wrong answer, Lord Bayle." Calleb stood up and raised his feet to stomp on Theseus''s head until it crushed under the pressure with blood spraying on Lord Bayle''s face, turning him crazy.

 Chapter 1004 - CHAOS IN THE STATION

    "She is not human!" said the man.


    Bree, who heard him, was stunned. She didn''t know how to react to that. At first, she thought she would be fine, it was just that these two men wore scary expressions, which left her slightly trembling.


    However, when she heard that she was not a human, she didn''t have time to ponder about what she actually was, as one of the man in dark blue uniform grabbed her small arms and cuffed her wrist with a pair of metal handcuffs in the next second.


    Everyone, who heard the guard''s words, immediately moved away from the scene, but not too far, so that they could still see what would happen to the little girl, even the chatty woman from earlier, stepped back and avoided her like a disease, though just a few minutes ago, she wouldn''t stop pestering her and Rossie.


    Midst of her panicked state and struggles to be free from their steel grip, Bree saw Rossie, who was standing beside the vending machine, their eyes met and she knew that Rossie was trying to figure out a way to help her, it was a bit relieving factor for her now.


    However, soon another guard came holding an injection, and Bree was terrified, especially when he said that it was to kill her.


    "We got an order to kill suspicious entities on the spot." The new guard, who just came passed the injection to the other guard, when the former was about to put Bree inside a black plastic bag, as if she were some kind of trash. "Do it immediately, in case, she shifts."


    They didn''t want to kill someone or something in a public area, but if the situation forced them, then they wouldn''t mind following the protocol blindly, i. e to wipe out any non-human existence.


    Meanwhile, Bree cried and shouted at the men, she was terrified to her core.


    Meanwhile, the remaining lycanthropes didn''t see this coming. Wasn''t she just a human child? How could she turn out to be a shifter all of a sudden? And what kind of a shifter was she actually?


    "Do you know this?" Adair moved closer to Rossie, who was standing rooted to the ground stunned speechless. "Do you know she is a shifter?"


    Rossie shook her head vigorously. "No, I don''t know. You told me that she is only a human."


    "You have been with her way longer than me," Adair retorted.


    "What should we do now?" Rossie whispered, she could hear her own voice tremble in helplessness. She then turned around to see Adah, who was holding baby Eddard protectively. "We can''t let them kill Bree," she hissed in frustration.


    "I know¡­" Adair bit her lips nervously. "There is only one way¡­"


    Rossie didn''t even want to think what the only way for them when the man zipped the black bag, after forcing Bree inside it.


    Rossie shifted into her beast and charged forward, ignoring a series of loud gasps which ensued few more shouts and screams of fear around her.


    "Oh, sh*t!" Adair cursed as the beast leapt forward before attempting to bite off the shoulder of one of the guards, but he dodged it in time. "Shift now!" she shouted at the other women, as she leapt high then successfully shifted in mid- air, and landed on all fours as a beautiful grey wolf.


    In their group, there were two more elderly aside from Adah and the two children, while the other four were women, they couldn''t fight, but relying on their instincts to fight humans seemed more than enough for now.


    In a split second, chaos erupted in the crowded station as everyone tried to avoid the six wolves who shifted among them out of the blue, after which they ran in all directions, in order to get out of this place.


    On the other hand, one of the guards was talking in to his walkie- talkie in a trembling voice, letting his fellow guards know the situation down here.


    In the next second, an alarm was heard, blaring loudly along with an emergency announcement that said all the trains had been cancelled and all the passengers had to leave through their nearest exit immediately, and all the guard units were on their way to handle the situation.


    The lycanthropes didn''t know how many guards would usually comprise a unit, but they do know that they had to act quick before they were here.


    Rossie had managed to take hold of the black bag from the guard and tore it open with her claw, careful enough to not hurt Bree.


    Immediately, the little girl came crawling out of it and stood behind Rossie and Adair''s wolves, soon she was surrounded by another four wolves, which were snarling at the guards who came and circled them all.


    Meanwhile, Adah and the rest of the lycanthropes managed to get out of the station without being noticed, as all of their attention was on the shifters.


    At least, they could survive. The only thing they had to do was to reach the nearest pack.


    [This is not good¡­] Adair mind- linked Rossie beside her when they noticed several guns being pointed in their direction. [I can smell silver from those guns.]


    [We need to fight them now!] Rossie growled. She made sure that Bree was close to her.


    [We will not make it.] Adair said grimly, as she could sense the anxiousness from the other four werewolves. [There are too many of them.]


    [More will come if we just stay here.] Rossie retorted and took the lead to attack first, dodging the first bullet successfully, she bit off the guard''s hand until the gun clattered on to the floor.


    There were around twenty guards, but just like what Rossie said, more would come their opponent''s aid.


    Seeing that, Adair groaned and attacked other guards, along with the rest of the beasts.


    [THERE!] Rossie saw an open door and told them to follow her.


    In spite of the fact that Bree couldn''t hear the conversation through mind- link between the shifters, she followed Rossie''s beast at a safe distance. Her legs tried to catch up with the other shifters when they headed toward a certain door.


    However, the guards, who had been bitten by Adair grabbed one of her legs and injected the very injection she saw earlier.


    It happened very fast and Bree couldn''t avoid it in time.

 Chapter 1005 - THE DESPAIR

    Bree shrieked when she felt someone grabbing her ankle and soon pain shoot through her entire being when the man stabbed the injection on her leg.


    Hearing Bree''s scream, one of the werewolves, which was closer to her, immediately turned around and clawed the hand that injected the injection to the little girl.


    Only half of the strange green liquid was left inside the tube, it meant the man managed to empty the other half of it into Bree''s body.


    They didn''t know how long it would take for the drug to take effect, but as soon as Bree tried to stand up, she fell limply to the ground, making the other werewolves rushing toward the exit door stop abruptly.


    They fell back and gathered around the little girl within moments of time.


    Werewolf was a sensitive creature, especially when it came to a member of their pack. And, being with Bree for a considerably long period of time, made them consider her as one of their own.


    Rossie''s wolf was right beside her, she nudged the little girl, who was whimpering in pain, she pulled her body closer as the little girl''s face contorted painfully. This upset the beast to a great extent.


    However, with so many guns full of silver bullets pointing at them, there was nothing much they could do now.


    ==============


    Lilac, Jedrek and the rest of the Lycan warriors with them watched as the wall of flames crumble down before the fire gradually extinguished, showing them the masses of the creatures behind the devils.


    They covered the ground for as far as they could see. This could be depicted as a battle of ten against one.


    In spite of the fact that the creatures from hell could be considered easy to be taken down, but with their large number, it could still create trouble for them.


    "Stay with me," Jedrek grabbed Lilac''s hand and pulled her closer to him, while his other hand reached upward, summoning the firebird back to him.


    The bird turned pale and very small, than the last time it appeared, the mythical creature flapped its wings weakly before it landed on Jedrek''s palm.


    "Keep it with you." Jedrek gave the exhausted bird to Lilac and the guardian angel could feel how weak it was. She looked at Jedrek, with worriness written all over her face, but the king reassured his queen. "It''s all right."


    After the last bit of fire flickered and then went out, the darkness engulfed them once again. Everything became more eerie than before. The sky was no longer dark, but it turned red, as red as blood that had been spilled during this war.


    The seven deadly sins were there, standing proudly in front of their minions, with willful arrogance and triumphant smirks on their faces, knowing that they had more troops than their opponent.


    Eerie silence occupied the entire area as no word was shared, not even a slight noise, leaving a tense atmosphere around them.


    The lycanthropes felt being weighed down with the feelings of depression, despair and anxiousness, which were not relevant with their own feelings, as if they were being forced upon particularly by those few feelings.


    And they knew what was that¡­


    Behind the wall of flames, they were protected from the weird atmosphere, but since the wall had been crumbled, the anxiety crept down their skins again, this was the same exact feeling that they felt before they seeked shelter in this school building.


    Just this time, it was much more intense, the lycan warriors could feel their hope slipping between their fingers, until Torak shifted into his white beast form, standing tall and proud beside Lilac.


    "Let''s do this," Kace said before he shifted, but something unusual happened. The two white beasts were covered with golden flames.


    The first thing that crossed Lilac''s mind was; they were being attacked and burned by the devils.


    However, Jedrek leaned over to her and reassured her that they were fine. Lilac then looked around her and saw that the other lycan warriors didn''t seem surprised with this sight, if anything, they looked fascinated by this.


    They knew about the meaning of the fire bird''s existence with the Donovans, after all this was what made them different from the other lycanthropes, as they had this firebird with them.


    The only thing that the royal family members had exclusively for themselves.


    However, the moment Jedrek shifted into his beast, that thing didn''t happen and it could be understood from the weak condition of the firebird in Lilac''s cloak pocket.


    Jedrek had exhausted his own energy to keep the lycans safe for as long as he could.


    Lilac ran her hand through the soft fur of the beast and it nudged her hand, beside her, Sebastian helped the guardian angel to climb on its back. She secured herself by grabbing its fur firmly, and clamped her legs on either sides of its body, making herself comfortable.


    As if on cue, the rest of the lycanthropes shifted into their beasts and howled in unison before the three Donovan brothers charged forward. Marking their first attack.


    No one was sure about who would win this or who else they would lose after this. The only thing that they knew was; if they didn''t fight with all of their might now, there would be nothing left to be fought for¡­


    ==============


    Bree whimpered in agony as she felt her chest caving in, her vision became blurry and everything appeared double in her eyes.


    The voices of the people around her rang in her ears painfully, but there was nothing worth her attention except for the burning sensation on her skin which penetrated her being like some blood sucking leeches .


    She let out a strangled scream, but the sound that came from her mouth was nothing like what she expected it to be. It was hoarse and heavy, it sounded like a vicious growl.


    Bree tried to open her eyes to tell Rossie that she was in pain and help her to put off the fire that was licking her being, but she couldn''t say a word.


    Her voice stuck in her throat when she noticed the stunned expressions on the faces of the other people around them.


    At the same time, another wave of pain washed over her and made the little girl bent her body in a strange position and Bree heard several gasps of surprise in the next second.

 Chapter 1006 - CHAOS IN THE STATION

    Bree had never felt this kind of pain before, neither could she pin point which part of her body was feeling the worse, since every inch of her frame screamed in agony as if she was being ripped apart by several knives at the same time.


    It was not only the humans that backed away from her, even the werewolves took a tentative step back.


    What is happening?!


    The question echoed in Bree''s mind, ringing until her head felt like it would explode in the next moment.


    "AARRGGHH!"


    Bree let out a shrill scream when she felt her own bones being dislocated and the eerie cracking sounds echoed through the quiet station.


    Rossie''s beast whimpered as she wanted to get closer to her, but Adair''s beast stopped her and forced her to back away even further.


    Help¡­


    Bree pleaded for them to stop this pain, but how could they understand her when the only things that she was able to utter were just some incoherent words that she herself couldn''t comprehend.


    Even the guards were stunned speechless, they even forgot about the guns in their hands as they watched what was happening right before them.


    Bree closed her eyes due to the excruciating pain, she didn''t know how long it was going to be like this, but when the crackling sounds stopped and the pain started to subside gradually, she opened her eyes again as she heard some loud cursing words and the noise of many people rushing away from her surroundings.


    The first thing Bree saw was; the guards that had been circling and cornering them were gone, the last man stumbled and got up very fast, forgetting everything, including the silver gun in his possession.


    And then the six werewolves that had shifted back into their human skin.


    Bree didn''t know what was happening, until she tried to move closer to Rossie, but Adair and the other she- wolves, stepped back immediately.


    Only Rossie remained standing, frozen in her spot.


    Rossie?


    Bree wanted to call her name, but only a low growl came from her mouth as her body felt very heavy.


    And from one of the she- wolves'' mouth, Bree heard a muttering something like¡­


    "She is a f*cking dragon¡­"


    Only then did Bree look at herself and noticed her own hands had now turned scaly with huge ugly claws. She shook her head in disbelief and breathed heavily as she got a panic attack.


    She wanted to scream, but just like before, it was not her voice that she heard, but some weird sounds, hoarse and sounded like a rattling dilapidated door.


    "Bree¡­ calm down¡­" Rossie tried to talk to her, but she just wouldn''t listen, too terrified to understand anything. "It''s all right¡­"


    Bree started to move, and destroyed everything that she touched and almost hit Adair with its thorny tail. Fortunately, the she wolf ducked down in time to avoid the worse.


    "Calm her down Rossie! She can kill us!" Adair shouted.


    "I am trying!" Rossie shouted back at her.


    Her beast was not as big as Theseus''s or any other dragon beast, as she was only a child, but it was still massive for the people, who saw a dragon shifter for the first time.


    If they were not careful enough they could get hurt unintentionally.


    "Bree calm down, you can shift back, but all you need is to calm down¡­ I will help you to shift back okay?" Rossie took a few wary steps toward the anxious beast, she looked at her in the eyes and could tell how terrified she was.


    How could she not? One moment she believed she was a mere human and in the next second she was a dragon beast.


    What had those humans done to her? What was inside the injection that could provoke the beast inside her to surface at such a young age?


    Probably, that injection was meant to kill shifters like werewolves, but it lefta whole different affect on dragon, as the humans didn''t know the existence of dragon shifters.


    Hell, this was the first time for those werewolves to see a dragon shifter too!


    The dragon seemed to understand what Rossie wanted, thus she stayed still and watched as Rossie inched closer to her.


    "It''s okay Bree¡­" Rossie was standing in front of the beast now, with her hand stretched out, about to touch her head.


    Under her trembling fingers, Rossie could feel the rough scale of the dragon and how cold it was to touch.


    Rossie caressed her head and the dragon eventually relaxed. "Now, think about your human form."


    The hot breath of the dragon warmed Rossie''s palm when the beast closed its eyes and followed what she said.


    Think about her human form?


    It was easier to say than actually doing it, but Rossie''s voice calmed her.


    However, before Bree could become more relaxed, she felt a sharp pain on her back, followed by Rossie''s shrill scream and a few loud growls.


    The vampires that were sent to track them down had managed to find them and now one of them were on the dragon''s back, digging his sharp claws into her, trying to make a clean cut on her neck.


    Out of instinct, Bree flapped her huge and heavy wings while shaking her head to make the vampire get off from her back, while the other vampires started to fight the werewolves.


    The dragon screeched when the vampire bit down on its skin, piercing through the scales that were supposed to protect her, as they didn''t have the same effect against the sharp claws and canines of the blood sucker.


    The dragon started to thrash in pain, destroying the walls and all the things around and from the corner of her eyes, the dragon saw the humans coming again, this time they were well prepared, carrying a few heavy weapons and was dumbfounded to learn that the vampires had joined the party.


    Midst of this mess, the dragon raised her head and flapped her wings vigorously, trying to fly. Its head hit the plafon which produced a lot of dirt and dust that crumbled upon the collision, blurring their vision.


    After a few attempts, finally there were a few cracks above them and with one final blow, a huge hole formed in the ceiling, and the dragon climbed out of that place, creating another exit for them to follow.

 Chapter 1007 - THE WAR

    They didn''t waste any more time when the two different creatures saw a chance to escape from humans as they could avoid being killed by them and their weapons.


    No matter how vicious or feral the supernatural creatures could be, they wouldn''t stand a chance in that situation when the humans outnumbered them.


    They forgot about about the battle with each other for a while, and leapt out through the big hole that the dragon created on the ceiling.


    One of the vampires shrieked as it was burned into ashes when the humans started to launch their attacks to prevent them from running away.


    [GO! MOVE NOW!] Adair shouted through the mind link while avoiding two or three attacks, trying to keep her small group together.


    However, thing didn''t go as she wished when one of the werewolves was shot right in the head and immediately collapsed to the ground, lifeless.


    [NO!] Rossie growled viciously when one of their friends died, but Adair immediately snapped at her to get her mind straight.


    [SHE IS DEAD, THERE''S NOTHING WE COULD Do NOW! MOVE NOW!] Though the words were harsh, but that was the truth. The she- wolf was already dead and if they didn''t move quickly, the situation could turn same for all of them.


    Rossie took a deep breath and started to run again. She ducked an incoming attack and knocked down one of the vampires, who was immediately burned by the humans silver bullets.


    They ran faster, competing with the vampires to reach the hole, but when one of the werewolves was about to jump, the vampire knocked her to the ground, sending her to be an easy target for humans.


    [No!] Rossie was stunned when one of the werewolves died again.


    [Run!] Adair reminded her again and the other two werewolves that were still with them. The beast then bit down the vampire that had killed the she- wolf indirectly and threw him to the humans, getting revenge for her kind.


    Adair might be an annoying person and hot- headed at times, but she cared for her pack and her kind, just like the rest of them.


    [Jump now!] Adair let the two werewolves jump before her and bit down the human, who was about to point his gun toward them.


    However, she was too late and one more beast was down.


    For now, there were only Adair, Rossie and Asa, the she- wolf with them, while there were seven more vampires that were still struggling to get away from humans'' attacks.


    The tension was thick in the air and there was not much time to think straight except to escape this calamity.


    In the blink of an eye, three more vampires managed to escape while two of them died. As a leapt successfully through the hole and so did Rossie and Adair, but right behind them were the two vampires.


    Blaring sounds of alarm shattered through the air when they announced for humans to hide as the authorities would take action to kill the non- humans that managed to escape from the station.


    "Call back to the headquarter for reinforcements and follow them!" the man in charge of this pursuit ordered his subordinate, while he kept running out of the station and entered the car that had been waiting for him to chase after the non- human existences. "Kill them on the spot!"


    ==============


    Lilac''s heart thumped thunderously inside her chest at the sight around her. She tried to ignore the wound on her shoulder that she got when they fought against the fire dragon beast.


    Fortunately, or unfortunately, the scene before her eyes was grotesque and gruesome enough to claim her full attention.


    All the beasts around them were ready, prime for destruction and looked feral. Having their three Alphas, the Donovans with them, boosted their confidence and helped them ward off the strange atmosphere that strangely depressed them.


    The beasts were growling and snapping their jaws as they rushed forward.


    A series of loud and thunderous sounds of countless feet tapping against the ground echoed through the air, penetrating everyone''s eardrums.


    The massive golden glow around both Torak and Kace illuminated their surroundings, but the white beast of Jedrek was nothing less of a sight to behold.


    Lilac was slightly worried about this, after all he had exhausted himself by protecting them in the school building until now.


    [Are you okay?] Lilac asked through the mind- link, as she buried her face on his white, soft fur.


    [As long as you are with me, I am okay.] Jedrek replied.


    Lilac kissed and nuzzled the beast''s neck and it made the beast hum in delight, seemingly in love with this small gesture from his mate, the war was right before their eyes, but this was something that he would always cherish the most.


    After that, Lilac straightened her back and steadied herself behind the beast''s back, as she raised both of her hands and the ground began to shake below their feet, splitting the earth and shifting the barren land.


    Lilac created a big chasm on her opponent''s ground, sending hundreds of the creatures deep into the ground. It was quite effective until six devils countered her power by imitating her own gestures and sent many of their beasts to their death beds.


    Lilac forgot that the devils had taken possession of their power now. Thanks to Serefina.


    Seeing this, Lilac immediately changed her strategy and created a net from the tendrils and roots to prevent the beasts from falling.


    Their powers made the situation even, as the devils could counter her tactics in several ways.


    It was only a second before the contact and Jedrek reminded Lilac''s grimly. [Be ready.] He said and leapt very high, jumping over several lines of the creatures from hell and the lycan warriors that had been dead and being resurrected to be the devils minions.


    The two beasts glowing with golden flames also did the same. They charged straight into the center of the battle.


    Lilac tried to protect them while killing as many creatures as she could. With one powerful slashing move, she snapped a few creatures'' heads of their shoulders.


    The beasts were snarling as they followed their leads.

 Chapter 1008 - THE WAR (2)

    In the middle of the battle, Mammon and Wrath came to confront Jedrek. The two devils smirked viciously at the Alpha.


    The white beast snarled and charged forward to tear the devils into shreds and the fact that these devils from he''ll couldn''t be killed no matter what only aggravated him further.


    How would one win this war if they couldn''t even take down his enemy?!


    Though they won against them in the first war, it didn''t mean the devils disappeared from this realm, only their powers were weakened, as they conveniently resided in the castle, living under the same roof as the king of Lycanthropes, after successfully manipulating their father to side with them.


    Then what about now, how should they take them down?!


    Above them, around thirty to forty dragon beasts were trying to kill the creatures from hell, but unlike the fire dragon shifters, these earth dragon beasts couldn''t breathe fire, thus they could only use their claws or wings to fend them off.


    However, they couldn''t land and had to keep flying, because the moment they landed, thousands of creatures from hell would swarm their bodies and wouldn''t let go until they dug their sharp claws and talons and killed the beast right there and then.


    It had already happened to three earth dragons and the rest tried their best to not touch the ground when they fought them.


    Meanwhile, the white beast snapped his jaws at Mammon''s hand, as the devil shrilled, but then he drew a silver dagger from its pocket and was about to stab the beast''s head.


    Fortunately, Lilac had anticipated that and coiled his body with roots before bringing him to his knees and split the ground beneath his feet.


    Yet, that was not the end of the devil, as he disappeared and reappeared behind their backs and chortled.


    "Do you think you can kill me? Don''t you know that you can''t kill me?" Mammon laughed hysterically and the Wrath only looked at the white beast in defiant arrogance.


    Right at that time, something moved very fast toward Lilac''s direction and before she could avoid it, she was toppled to the ground from the white beast''s back.


    Lilac grunted and gritted her teeth when the hard ground came in contact with her body.


    On other hand, the white beast immediately came to her side, preventing her from rolling over any further.


    Lilac groaned and felt her already wounded shoulder was dislocated. The pain brought tears to her eyes and distressed the white beast in turn.


    A spine- chilling, savage, and feral roar escaped from the very depths of the beast''s soul upon seeing his mate groaning in pain.


    Lilac leaned her body against the white beast and breathed heavily, but she bit her own lip from letting out a whimper, she didn''t want to give the devils that satisfaction.


    From the corner of her eyes, Lilac could see each of the Donovans were facing two devils, aside from the creatures that came in their way without fear even after witnessing the situation of dozens of their fellow creatures that were being shredded into pieces.


    But then, that was expected from a being without soul.


    Meanwhile, the other lycan warriors fought viciously, erupting in flurry of fierce growls and snarls, gnashing their canines on their enemies, as the butchery ensued.


    The white beast immediately lunged toward Lucifer, aiming him upon what he had done to his mate.


    The white beast aimed for the devil''s head, but as he dodged it, his claws slammed into his ribs instead, breaking the body of the devil apart.


    Yet, just like what had happened earlier, the devil appeared once again not too far from them, looking all fine.


    Lucifer then raised his hands, as he spoke in a voice that strangely rang through the entire battlefield, it was strange indeed, as if the devil had whispered right into their ears.


    "Stop!"


    And then two things happened almost simultaneously. All the fighting was stopped, the earth- shattering roars could no longer be heard, just like a war movie that was suddenly paused, they were standing in their last spots before Lucifer commanded them to stop, and then everything came to halt, as though the time had stopped ticking.


    The dragons fell to the ground with a loud noise.


    It was only the Donovans that could still move freely, aside from Lilac and the devils themselves.


    All the devils immediately gathered around Lucifer, enunciation the very meaning of sevens deadly sins. Kace and Torak did the same, as they flanked Jedrek and Lilac.


    Kace shifted into his human skin and helped Lilac to stand up as Jedrek and Torak stood on guard.


    "Are you all right?" Kace asked and held her shoulder, feeling where the bones were dislocated. "Hold on."


    Lilac nodded weakly and braced herself for the incoming pain when Kace repositioned her bones. A deep anguished groan escaped her lips when he did that, as the white beast beside her nuzzled her face to offer some comfort.


    "This power is really amazing, don''t you think so?" Lucifer asked no one in particular as he scoured his surroundings, where many creatures and beasts'' were frozen in place, not even able to move an inch from their spot. "Such a huge power¡­ it feels so good when it runs in your being¡­" he hummed in delight.


    Lilac took a deep breath, "Where are the other guardian angels?"


    But, it was Asmodeus, who answered her, since Lucifer was too engrossed with his power. "Do you think we will answer that?" she chuckled lightly. "Apparently, Belphegor took a liking for one of the guardian angels, I don''t think he will give her back."


    Upon hearing that, Torak let out a vicious growl, he was about to charge forward if not for Kace who stopped him in time.


    Meanwhile, the said Devil, only smiled lazily and tauntingly at the golden beast.


    "Do you want to see something even more fascinating?" ignoring the tension radiating from the beast, Lucifer continued. "Look at this."


    As soon as Lucifer snapped his fingers, the time started ticking again, except for the lycan warriors.

 Chapter 1009 - THE GROTESQUE SCENE

    Bree, in her dragon form, flapped her huge wings and rouse into the dark sky, groaning and grunting in pain, as the vampire''s claws and canines pierced through her skin. She could feel her blood streaming down on the side of her body and the pain numbed her other senses.


    She maneuvered in the air, shaking her body while diving down at full speed, in order to get rid of this blood sucking creature, but his claws embedded very deep in her flesh, so even a small movement heightened the pain to the point of an almost unbearable limit to her while making him grab onto her tighter.


    Not only that, below her, a few cars with blaring sirens followed her as the unit guards in those tried to aim their weapons at the dragon beast.


    People around that area had been evacuated, as they thought that the appearance of a dragon shifter was a danger sign and everyone was afraid of this creature, since they had never seen a living dragon.


    Dragon was a myth and people never imagined to even see a breathing one in this era. However, there it was, flying at a dangerous speed and seemed feral while roaring a loud, rattling noise that came out through its canines.


    It simply terrified them, though there were some people brave enough to doc.u.ment this scene, like news media.


    Yet, they didn''t know what was actually happening to the poor young dragon.


    Meanwhile, Bree tried to reach the vampire on her back who was now clawing her shoulder, with her short hands, but couldn''t reach the creature no matter how much she struggled, eventually she only grazed her own skin which turned her condition even worser.


    With a sharp wailing pain, she lost her Las bit of energy and shifted back into her human skin. She lost too much blood and was wounded, too weak to even move a finger with the vampire grabbing her shoulder without any intention of letting her go before she died.


    However, that was the last thing that she needed to worry, since they were way too high from the ground, and as they dived very fast to meet the solid asphalt, it went without saying that they wouldn''t make it.


    "NO! NO! NO!" The vampire started to panic when the realization hit him. "NO! WAKE UP B*TCH!" only then did he understand his mistake, but it was too late as the ground loomed in his vision.


    A shrill sound that could make one''s hair stand on its end, pierced the night which was soon followed with the sound of something being slammed to the ground very hard, and then the screaming stopped altogether, leaving only the silence


    On the ground, a man could be seen with his dismembered limbs, in a very sorry state.


    The two creatures fell on the walkway of a residential street with loud consecutive banging sounds that made a few people peek out through their windows, but they weren''t daring enough to step out of their houses, since they just heard the news about a dragon roaming around in the city.


    A real dragon!


    When they saw the grotesque situation of the vampires wave of panic instantly flooded through their beings as some of them tried to call the authorities.


    However, that was not the only scene that freaked them out sh*tless, because in the next second they saw a young girl floating just one metre above the ground, with her unconscious but battered body and blood that trickled down to the solid asphalt.


    Someone flying was not a common picture that one could see every day. Thus, people started to pull out their phones to take a picture of this, making the situation here well known to the whole world to see and eased the monitoring job of authorities to follow the movements of their target, since a lot of eyes were on them.


    This sudden commotion left another thing pale in comparison, because not too far from Bree''s dropping body, two figures emerged from the corner of a dark alley.


    "Why didn''t you save that stupid creature earlier, instead of making such a commotion like now!" Abby glared at her brother with her hands raised up, slowing down Bree''s free fall before keeping her at a considerable height from the ground, in the air, preventing her from having the same ending like the vampire.


    "For what?" Leon shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "We need to kill him in the end, I just don''t want to waste my time and energy on that stupid creature." Leon used the same terms to mention the vampire, just like what his sister did.


    "Your commotion had drawn us some unnecessary attention!" Abby practically growled at him.


    "Do you think I will not draw unnecessary attention if I fight the vampire? Nah, don''t tell me that the vampire would willingly surrender and let me kill him in peace." Leon walked past Abby and approached Bree''s falling body.


    Behind him, Abby followed him while grumbling something incoherently.


    Soon, Leon stood in front of Bree with his hands stretched out and was about to take the little girl, but someone from one of the houses shouted at him.


    "Don''t come closer to her! She is a dragon beast! Be careful, the authorities will come soon!" the man warned Leon from the window of his house in the second floor.


    "Don''t you think that humans are very cute?" Leon winked at Abby which was only rewarded by an eye- roll from her. "They don''t even know what is dangerous for them and just attack randomly because they think we are different."


    "Shut up with your nonsense, we need to go from here now," Abby grumbled, she could hear the blaring sirens from afar, indicating that the authorities were just around the corner.


    "Wait, I want to make it more enjoyable," Leon said as he chuckled at his own joke and Abby couldn''t do anything to her brother.


    The warning voices from everyone around that area became louder, they told Leon to be careful and stay away from Bree.


    Yet, that only excited the wizard, he took Bree in to his arms and watched how the girl frowned in discomfort because of the wounds all over her small body.


    "I don''t know if I can see the dragon beast again," he mumbled to himself. "But, I think this is expected since the war is just around the corner."


    And just after the authorities had arrived there, Leon and Abby, along with Bree, teleported themselves out of there, leaving the entire neighborhood in fray.

 Chapter 1010 - I HATE THE DEVIL MORE THAN HER

    The siblings appeared beside the frozen river, with the battered and bloody little girl in Leon''s arms.


    Once their feet touched the ground and their figures were solidified, Leon put down Bree on the velvety grass and crouched down beside her. Abby did the same.


    She nudged Bree''s soft cheeks with her finger and put her forefinger under her small nose, to feel her warm breath.


    "She is still alive," Abby announced.


    "Thank you, but even I can see that," Leon sneered, but coupled with a soft smile on his lips, it was not sure whether that was a taunting or just a statement.


    "You made quite a scene out there¡­"


    Someone talked to them, as her figure appeared from thin air, walking slowly toward them with her white hair fluttering in the wind. She was an old woman, with wrinkles on her face and neck. Her hazy eyes were akin to a pair of foggy mirrors which minimized her vision when she looked at the siblings.


    "Christal," Abby mentioned her name and then her eyes directed to someone behind the old woman and there she was; a young girl, around the age of fifteen or so, walking cheerfully behind the candlemaiden.


    "Hai, Abby¡­ long time no see." The young girl named Jean approached Abby and they hugged each other.


    "Are you here because of that witch?" Leon raised his eyebrows, but there was a mischievous smirk on his lips. "I thought both of you are not in a favourable relationship, no?" he asked.


    "We will never be in a good relationship whatsoever." Christal''s voice was hoarse and heavy, with her old appearance, it was miraculous enough that she was still able to stand like this.


    "But, here you are," Leon sneered and Christal scoffed when she heard that remark.


    "I am here because I dislike the devils more than I hate Serefina," she said.


    Leon chuckled when he heard that. "It seems you are not the only one." He glanced at his sister.


    "I am here for Kace, not for anyone else!" Abby glared at Leon.


    "But he has his own mate," Jean chimed in, as she crouched down beside Bree''s body.


    "I don''t care, if the prophecy is true, that guardian angel will die and he will be mate less again," Abby said without thinking twice about what she just said.


    "It doesn''t mean he will run to you." Leon hit Abby hard with the fact and before the girl could spout some nonsense again, he focused his attention back on Bree and asked Christal. "Can you fix her? We need all the help if we are going to kill that creature beneath the frozen river."


    With that being mentioned, all of their eyes shifted to the surface of the river that started to thaw with the color of blood red.


    ==============


    The time only started to work for the creatures from hell and all the devils'' minions again, but not for the lycanthropes and the dragon beasts.


    Therefore, the first thing that those filthy creatures did was to kill all the lycanthropes near them and gauged the flesh of the dragon beasts, shredding them to pieces without them being able to fight back.


    "How is it? It is very cool, isn''t it?" Lucifer smirked, looking around him with a triumphant smile and a satisfied gaze in his golden eyes. "How couldn''t your mate utilize such powerful gift to control the time?" he directed these words at Torak.


    In no time, their surroundings had turned into an one sided massacre and there was nothing Lilac could do to stop them from butchering every lycan warrior in this battlefield.


    Even her attempt to split the ground again and use her tendrils and roots to protect her people, was easily nullified by the devils, since they had the same power as her.


    This is it? Is this the end of it?


    The sky above them was glaring red, as if that was the perfect reflection of the blood that was being spilled on the ground in this vicious battle.


    This is how it will end? They lost the war?


    The despair was very thick in the air along with the hard smell of blood. If only they had Raine here, she could have stopped this massacre and even turned all the tables around.


    However, whatever happening now here seemed to go against what they ever wanted and everything just became worser for each second that passed.


    Not only that, the devils had the two guardian angels with them and whatever troops they had until now, thus the only possible way for them to survive was to retreat.


    However, it meant they had to let all of the people that followed them, pledged their loyalty to them and sacrificed their lives for them, die here. In the worst way possible.


    Their minds told them that was the right thing to do, but their hearts were very heavy just at that thought.


    That didn''t seem right and Lilac could barely grasp the reality.


    "Do you want to see something more interesting?" Lucifer snapped his fingers and Hope and Raine appeared before their eyes. They appeared utterly still without any noticeable movements, flying horizontally, as if they were sleeping on a bed. "Maybe, you can see them for one last time. I am sorry to make this farewell sentimental for you two."


    Seeing their mates, Kace and Torak growled viciously and Jedrek shifted into his human skin, pulling Lilac closer to him. He wanted to warn his younger brothers through mind- link, but they simply blocked their minds. "It is a trap."


    At this time, Torak shifted back into his human skin with the firebird in his hand. Seeing that, Kace did the same.


    And now the two firebirds were flying around them, ready to unleash their ultimate powers. This was the only chance for them to survive.


    Their aim was not the devils'' minions, but the devils themselves, as they could see Raine and Hope before their eyes.


    They need to reach their mates and save them as soon as possible.


    However, before they could make a move, Serefina appeared in the middle of all these chaos.

 Chapter 1011 - THE DRAGON SHIFTERS AND THE OTHER BEASTS

    The water on the frozen river started moving in small undulating movement, until they could hear a soft cracking sound from beneath it, hitting the layer of ice again and again, pouring out the reddish water through the small rift.


    "The creature is coming out¡­" Christal said in a low voice, all their eyes were fixed on that river by now. "Where are the others?" she asked Jean.


    "They should be here by now¡­" Jean said, as she looked around to find any movement from the darkness, yet couldn''t find anything. Everything was too silent for something to not make a sound when it moved¡­


    But then, as if proving Jean''s words were wrong, all of a sudden they heard a series of popping sounds all around them, those sounds were akin to a firecracker being burned continuously.


    Yet, when the sound finally stopped and they looked around them, they saw a mass of people, or you could say; witches, wizards, faes and a few crossbred shifters in their beast form.


    "Now, they are here¡­" Leon said with a smile on his lips and Abby could only widen her eyes in disbelieve.


    "I don''t believe this¡­ the witch managed to gather these many people in such a short notice¡­" Abby said in voice like a whisper.


    "I think they like to fight against each other like what they used to through these years, rather than to be the slaves of the devils¡­" Leon answered his sister, shrugging his shoulders and walking toward the amassed people who appeared at the river bank all of a sudden.


    "The witch is full of manipulation," the candlemaiden sneered. Actually, she was in agreement with what Leon said, not all the creatures loved the idea of being slaves of the devils, they liked to kill each other more in order to survive and Serefina used that common inclination to gather them all.


    However, it was not a normal thing or reason for making them to fight together, but who said that the line of thought of that pure blooded witch was normal?


    "Okay! Now we will¡­" Leon raised his hands and was about to make a speech when one of the minotaurs growled.


    "Shut up!" he said in a vicious tone, the big horn on his head shook dangerously. "I don''t want to hear you. If you are not going to kill that f*cking creature under the water, better scram, or I will kill you!"


    Behind the minotaur, there were around a thousand shifters, beasts, witches and wizards who shared the same intentions. The only cause for them to be here; was to kill the Hydra.


    Hearing that, Leon was stunned, but Jean pulled him away before the wizard could be killed by the short- tempered minotaur.


    "It is obvious that they don''t need your speech," Abby sneered, as she noticed that all the people that just appeared had now gathered near the river, waiting for their battle with the most dangerous creature from hell.


    There was a reason why the Hydra would appear last, since it would bring havoc to this world just by its presence.


    The appearance of this particular creature signified that this world was on the verge of meeting its end in the hands of the devils and humans would be wiped out from its history¡­


    This creature would bring more despair as it would arise the most darkest side of a human heart, turning him nothing more than a ball of wrecking negative emotions that would destroy everything his eyes laid upon.


    It was more dangerous than anything else¡­


    "What happened to her?" a man with long silver hair that cascaded down his back, approached Abby, who was holding Bree.


    The little girl was still breathing, but her breath turned shallow with each passing second.


    "Who are you?" Abby narrowed her eyes at the man and showed a defensive stance until Christal told her.


    "He is a water dragon," she said curtly.


    The water dragon crouched down beside Bree and checked her injuries, as he mumbled. "The air dragon shifter¡­" he said.


    "Air dragon shifter?" Leon came closer to them, no longer paying attention to the bunch of shifters that were waiting for the Hydra to come out.


    They didn''t have a leader, thus it went without saying that they would fight the creature under the frozen river with whatever they could, as long as it died in the end, they didn''t need strategy.


    Moreover, with their numbers, they were confident that they could take it down in no time.


    And Leon didn''t want to join the battle without a well planned out strategy, but it didn''t seem that those people would mind it though¡­


    "I have not heard about the air dragon shifters after their kind took the vow that forbidden them from shifting into their beasts." Leon watched curiously as the water dragon shifter traced his fingers along the wound on Bree''s neck which extended to her bare back.


    "They disappeared and secluded themselves, but if this young air dragon shifter is alone here¡­ something must have happened to the older ones. To her parents¡­"


    "No one knows for sure about what happened to the other dragon shifters," Christal crouched down beside Abby.


    "But, how could she manage to shift? Isn''t they are tied down with the vow?" Jean tilted her head, trying to comprehend this situation.


    "The fae that sealed that vow had died, so it weakened the covenant of the vow." A slow but steady stream of water appeared at the tip of his finger and covered the wound on Bree''s skin, as it started to close in. "Therefore I can do this too¡­"


    His power was back and he could feel it, though it was weak, but it was there¡­ growing stronger than ever the moment Purple breathed her last.


    Thus, they only needed a little push to allow themselves to shift into their beasts, probably in Bree''s case, whatever thing that was injected to her, had forced her beast side to wake up.


    It seemed that no one was aware of this. Because if someone did, Purple''s life would be in danger, as all the dragon shifters would look for her and kill her in order to get their powers back.


    Knowing how greedy these creatures could be, that possibility was rather high. Therefore, the water dragon shifter could feel a change when Purple died, since the affect of the vow started fading away with her demise.

 Chapter 1012 - BURN THEM ALL

    Maybe it was one of the reasons why Torak took her away from the lycanthropes realm before hiding her in Rieka, and didn''t allow her to step outside of that place either, because before this, that was the only place that was clear of any supernatural creatures.


    It had been well thought out by the supreme Alpha.


    "She is healed¡­" Leon mentioned the obvious and watched as Bree''s pale face, slowly get the colors back.


    "Keep your eyes on her." He then stood up when they heard a loud earth- shattering sound from the river. "It''s happening."


    Over the frozen river''s surface, they saw the nine headed Hydra, screeching into the sky and made the river look very small to accommodate such a magnificent creature.


    "We will not win this without the phoenix," The water dragon shifter said. "We need that phoenix."


    "The ugly witch will come with the bird," Christal replied in a grumbling tone. "She better come quickly here before that thing kill us all."


    And from behind them, diving very low from the sky; were nine dragon shifters. Those nine dragons approached them while flapping their huge wings.


    ==============


    Serefina appeared in the middle of all the chaos.


    "My favorite witch is here¡­ finally," Lucifer said in a mocking tone, he opened his arms, as if he wanted to hug Serefina.


    Meanwhile, the witch didn''t bother with the devil''s gesture, as her eyes met with Jedrek''s and for two full seconds they stared at each other in silence, as a myriad of emotions and memories flashed in their heads.


    Those feelings that no one could understand, except for the two of them¡­


    Those feelings that solely belonged to them¡­


    Jedrek was not sure why Serefina was suddenly here, and was not sure which side she had been all this while either. He didn''t think that their short encounter before this would mean anything to her.


    As they had grown apart and were separated by years of time, Jedrek was not certain that he could read her mind or understand her line of thought.


    She became more and more complicated. However, he was sure of one thing; Serefina wouldn''t hurt him. Jedrek knew it and there was no explanation why he felt that way after all this time. He just knew it.


    On the other hand, Serefina''s lime green eyes moved to the girl in Jedrek''s arms. The guardian angel that was being protected by the man that she loved.


    And along with that, Serefina felt the hollow in her heart grew deeper and darker. How she wished she could be that girl and stay beside Jedrek in this chaotic world¡­


    He would be her safe heaven, yet that was an empty wish¡­


    And she knew it since the very beginning¡­


    When finally Serefina tore her gaze away from them and looked around her, noticing the massacre that was happening, she raised her hands and blue fire surrounded her, ignoring the devil''s mocking remark altogether.


    At first, only a flicker of fire appeared beneath her feet, a harmless flame, but as seconds passed, as if the fire had its own life force, it grew bigger and bigger.


    The blue flames covered the ground between the witch and the lycanthropes and also the devils. It spread very fast and burned everything that touched it;


    The creatures from the hell, the dead lycanthropes that had been resurrected by the devils and also the lycan warriors, along with the dragon beasts.


    "NO!!!"Jedrek roared at Serefina.


    What was her plan?! She wanted to kill them all?!


    Torak and Kace looked around them in alert and as they were surrounded by the blue flames, their firebirds flew very high in to the sky.


    Lilac, who was being hugged very tight by Jedrek and squeezed between Kace and Torak, was about to make a barrier around them, to prevent the flames from burning them too.


    Yet, she realized that the fire was no where near to touch them. In fact, it stayed three steps away from them. Dancing around them in a circle.


    However, what Serefina did was not only shocking to the lycanthropes and the guardian angel, but also to the devils themselves.


    Six of them roared in anger, while Belphegor just squinted his eyes upon seeing this.


    "STOP IT! YOU D*MN WITCH! STOP IT!" The Wrath lived up to his name as he had been the first to take furious steps forward to yank the witch aside, so he could stop whatever she was doing now.


    Yet, the fire was very torrid, blistering on his being and forced him to stay in his place, while Lucifer was livid beyond words.


    Serefina was not only killing the devils'' minions, but she also killed the other lycan warriors and the dragon beasts, though no one was sure that they were still alive after being butchered helplessly the moment the devils stopped their time.


    "STOP IT RIGHT NOW YOU B*TCH!" Asmodeus tried to use Lilac''s power and put out the flames around them, but it didn''t work.


    Meanwhile, Beelzebub tried to freeze the time for Serefina in her attempt to stop the crazy witch, but of course it wouldn''t have any effect on her.


    The gluttony could even see the small smirk which crept onto Serefina''s lips through the blazing blue flames, as if mocking her efforts.


    Lucifer then tried to create a crater beneath her feet, but Serefina easily nullified it as a sound of her voice echoed in the devils'' head shortly.


    [I gave you this power, do you think you can use it against me?]


    It was not sure how far the blue flames had spread or how many creatures had died, or how long it would last, but the Donovans and the devils couldn''t do much in the eye of this inferno.


    They could only wait until the witch exhausted herself before stopping this craziness, which seemed wouldn''t last for long, since they could see that the blaze started to grew smaller slowly but surely.


    "What is she doing?" Kace looked at Serefina. He couldn''t understand why she did this. He couldn''t say that the witch had helped them, since she killed the rest of the lycanthropes too, but in a way she did rescue them, didn''t she?

 Chapter 1013 - THE DEAL BETWEEN SEREFINA AND THE DEVILS

    And when the flames almost went out, two consecutive popping sounds were heard near them. Someone teleported themselves in to this chaos and appeared right beside the Donovan brothers.


    It was Lidya and the dwarf.


    "We need to leave this place now," Lidya said and without waiting for their answer, she and Nutdrouk grabbed the three Donovan''s hands along with Lilac''s.


    In a blink of an eye, they had disappeared from the battlefield, leaving the witch to face the wrath of the Devils alone.


    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ALL OF THIS!?" Lucifer roared in anger and the Wrath behind him charged forward to give the witch a lesson.


    He used Lilac''s power and made tendrils and roots emerge from the barren ground in the shape of spears which were aimed right at the witch.


    However, before one of those could hurt her, the spears disintegrated themselves before turning into dust.


    Serefina glared at Wrath. "Do you think you can use this power against me?" she smirked triumphantly, but the sense of victory didn''t reflect in her eyes at all. She was being cautious about what the devils would do next...


    The Wrath was about to rush toward Serefina again when Mammon held him back.


    And when the flames were completely extinguished, only leaving some innocent flickers on the ground, they finally noticed the aftermath of what Serefina had done.


    Carcasses were lying, scattered on the barren ground along with the bones which weren''t yet burned from the crazy fire from earlier and also the ashes of the creatures from both parties that were engaged in a battle until then.


    "How could she wield such power?" Asmodeus was stunned when she looked around her. Their minions were gone, died and turned into ashes, along with the lycans and the dragon beasts¡­ the crazy witch killed them all! "It is impossible¡­"


    The devils were not afraid of Serefina, since she couldn''t really kill them, but what she had done had ruined their plans and now the Donovans managed to escape. No one saw Lidya and Nutdrouk earlier, since their focus was elsewhere entirely, so they thought that the Donovans used their firebirds to teleport themselves.


    "That b*tch used the guardian angels'' blood to strengthen her own power!" Leviathan, one of the devils, cursed under his breath when he realized this.


    Yes, Serefina didn''t only give them the power of the guardian angels, but she used it to strengthen her own power too.


    They should have known that the witch wouldn''t give them more benefits than what she could get from them.


    This was indeed a scheme within scheme that was contorting between the witch and the devils.


    "With your deviousness, you should be the eighth devil," Belphegor said. He was the only one, who didn''t seem much surprised at the sudden turn of events, neither did he throw the witch a dagger look, like what the others did.


    "No, thanks for your offer, but I don''t think I can fill up that role effectively." Serefina shook her head. "Why are you getting angry? Don''t tell me that this is the first time you see someone who broke a deal¡­"


    The bodies of Raine and Hope lowered down, until the two guardian angel''s bodies laid on the ground when Lucifer walked closer to Serefina.


    Now, only five steps of distance was between them.


    "Or, maybe you broke too many deals that you forgot about the possibility that someone will do the same thing to you?" Serefina asked mockingly. "Karma is real, b*tch."


    The five devils behind him were cursing and hissing dangerously when they heard this, but Belphegor didn''t even appear interested in the slightest, so did Lucifer.


    "So, you come here to declare that you had turned your back against us? And then run with your tail between your legs to your wolf? How pathetic you are¡­" Lucifer''s golden eyes didn''t show any emotion when he said that, the only thing in his mind was; how to get back at this witch. She should know to not play with the devils. "Didn''t you even consider that; if I can''t get all the three guardian angels then I won''t think twice before killing the two who are with me. The war will not be won by them without the three guardian angels on their side."


    Serefina chuckled when she heard that. "First of all, I don''t have a tail and secondly; I didn''t really break the deal between us either. I will not stoop to your level to do such a thing."


    In other words, Serefina wanted to say that the devils didn''t have dignity for breaking so many deals and with the way she said it, it almost sounded as if she was cussing them.


    "I didn''t promise you that I will not kill your minions and ruin your plan, I just promised you that I will give the last guardian angel to you." Serefina flicked her fingers. "Here you are."


    Out of thin air, Lilac''s body appeared. Flying in the air as if she didn''t have any weight, like a cotton ball that floated in the air.


    "This is what you wanted." Serefina gave Lucifer her lopsided smile. She could see the change of the expressions on the devils'' faces, but then as if there was something surprised them, they jolted and looked at each other in tacit understanding.


    "The Hydra¡­" Asmodeus said.


    "Someone is trying to kill the Hydra¡­" Leviathan looked very upset.


    Lucifer could feel that too. The monster that supposed to wreck havoc in human world was fighting something and it had already lost two of its heads¡­


    "Leave." Lucifer gritted his teeth. "I will deal with this witch."


    But the six devils were still there. They wanted to deal with Serefina too.


    "Leave now!" Lucifer repeated his order and this time the five devils disappeared from Serefina''s sight, leaving only Belphegor, who was staring at the unconscious Raine with interest. "Don''t you hear me?" Lucifer turned around to face the sloth.


    "You can deal with her, I will just take this guardian angel with me," Belphegor said casually, as he crouched down and was about to pick Raine up from the ground when Lucifer shot him with fire that burned his hand.


    "Leave now before I send you back to Tartarus."

 Chapter 1014 - DEJA VU

    "Leave now before I send you back to Tartarus," he spoke threateningly to his fellow devil when Belphegor decided it was the right time to defy the morning star.


    It took them a few seconds longer while glaring warnings at each other through their livid eyes, until Belphegor finally relented and let Lucifer have his way.


    "As you wish¡­" Belphegor stood up and bent his body slightly to give Lucifer a dramatic bow. "You can have the body and I will play with her soul."


    After saying that, the sloth disappeared and turned into a white smoke that was blown away by the wind in the next second. No one knew where he would end up going, but for sure, he wouldn''t join the five devils to help the creature under the frozen river.


    The sloth was too lazy to deal with such a thing, as he would rather chose to find some other way to entertain himself.


    And now, it was only the two of them, Serefina and Lucifer, along with the three unconscious guardian angels and the carcasses of the dead shifters.


    This was not a pleasant sight to see, but Serefina could care less about her surroundings when she had to face the wrath of the devil.


    ==============


    One of the minotaurs stabbed a blade into one of the snake heads of the hydra, as the other shifters jumped on to the rest of its body and started to dig their claws and canines in, ripping off a few chunks of its flesh.


    Meanwhile, the faes fluttered their wings and tried to distract the other heads of the hydra, creating opportunity for the remaining shifters to attack them.


    Four of the dragon beasts had died, after enduring a venomous bite from the hydra''s fangs and now, only five of them were left, fighting five heads of the hydra, one against each.


    This battle seemed to never end, because one moment one of the hydra''s heads was being cut off, in the next second, another head would appear from its body, which was deep in the river.


    Thus, the only chance that they had was to stop its movement, without cutting its heads anymore, until they could figure out another way to deal with it. Or until the phoenix came¡­


    However, there was no sign of that mythical creature making an appearance so soon.


    On the ground, the witches and the wizards were trying to cast their curses and immobilize this magnificent creature with no avail.


    Screams and snarls pierced through the heavy atmosphere, as blood splattered all over the place and dead bodies couldn''t be counted anymore.


    If this continued for a considerable time, no matter how many troops they brought, they would end up dead by the end of this battle.


    "WHY CAN''T WE KILL THIS F*CKING MONSTER!?" One of the minotaurs roared in anger, wrath ravaged his being and made him look more feral than ever, as he hammered the hydra''s head with a sledgehammer in his hand nonstop.


    Yet, no one answered him, as they were too busy to keep their bodies intact and dodge the attacks from the other heads of the hydra.


    The snake heads of hydra opened their mouths and showed their rows of sharp teeth. The power from the beasts raged, holding them down and tried to not cut them, so it wouldn''t grow another head which was akin to stopping a tornado with bare hands. In simpler words; nearly impossible.


    It would have been easier if they could just cut its head one by one, it would make their efforts pay off to see those ugly heads roll on the ground, yet the fact was not that simple, since this creature couldn''t be killed that way.


    Another roar pierced through the sky, when one more dragon beast fell to the ground with a shrill and then laid still. Dead.


    "Where is the phoenix!?" Leon became even more anxious after seeing the progress of this battle. It didn''t look very good to be honest¡­


    "Where is Serefina?" the water dragon shifter who had been watching his kind die one by one could only grit his teeth, yet for some reason he didn''t shift into his beast and join the battle.


    Now this small group were a few yards away from the frozen river, a good distance to observe the battle, but safe enough to not get affected by it.


    "She will come," the candlemaiden said in a low voice.


    "You are very positive for someone, who didn''t trust the witch," Abby sneered. She was still holding Bree in her lap with Jean trying to clean up the little girl''s wounds. Thanks to the water dragon shifter, now the little girl looked a little bit better and the wounds were not as scary as earlier.


    "I don''t trust her, but I know she will come." The candlemaiden stood beside the dragon shifter. "She will not risk a situation like this to make a false promise."


    If there was one thing that Christal was sure about Serefina, then it was her priority to keep him safe. That particular person¡­ she would do everything to keep him alive and for that, they needed to win this war.


    ==============


    Dejavu was that uncanny sensation that you have already experienced something, even when you knew you never had. Experts generally state this phenomenon was probably related to memory in some way. So, if you have felt d¨¦j¨¤ vu, you might have experienced a similar event before. You just can''t remember it.


    And that was exactly what Hope felt right now when she tried to open her eyes and found her being surrounded by blue flames, the heat licked her skin and made her feel a little uncomfortable.


    Fire was everywhere, its blue flames rolled up to the dark sky, emitting white smoke that made her feel hard even to breath.


    Hope had experienced it before. She had seen this kind of scene when she was looking at the stone in the library.


    Thus, when she finally opened her eyes and found her body and Lilac''s were lying down not too far from her, she was not surprised.


    Just like what she had remembered, she was in Raine''s body now.

 Chapter 1015 - THIS IS THE TIME

    Even when she saw Serefina and Lucifer standing not too far from her, talking the same exact thing that she had remembered hearing before this, couldn''t surprise Hope anymore.


    Deep down, she knew that this was bound to happen, but she didn''t think it would be happening right after she had regained her consciousness, after what seemed like spending a life of eternity in the realm that belonged to her.


    Hope still remembered the last thing she saw in her realm; Calleb and Ethan''s backs, where she noticed the same dark aura surrounding their beings just like what she observed on Raine''s frame.


    That was all before she regained her consciousness in the other realm, with the moon goddess, who helped her out on the task given to her by Lilac¡­


    "Prove your loyalty and I will spare your life!" Lucifer hollered at Serefina.


    The witch''s red hair was disheveled and her clothes were worn out, with dried blood on her head and split lips.


    It seemed that the devil had let her taste the hell for real now¡­


    It was true, since Lucifer had tortured the witch in every way possible, to get what he wanted. He wanted the ultimate power of the guardian angel that Serefina had been holding back.


    The witch just informed him that there was a limit to the power of the guardian angels that they were currently holding and once it was gone, they wouldn''t be able to get it back again.


    Yet, Serefina didn''t even budge a little after everything she had been put through all this time. She fought back with everything she had.


    However, when her eyes met with Hope''s, through Raine''s eyes, a smirk appeared at the corner of her lips which made her look like a maniac.


    Hope''s heart started to beat faster, it hurt her so much to see Serefina in such a condition. No matter what she had done, or what they assumed she had done to them, Serefina was someone who was close to her.


    In spite of the rough actions and harsh words that was thrown at her when the witch was angry, but it was Serefina, beside whom Hope grew up following her for almost her entire life.


    She had already lost Lana and to see Serefina like this¡­ it hurt her so badly.


    Serefina was the only figure on whom she had relied during her entire childhood, the witch had been a mother, a sister, a mentor, a protector and everything that Hope ever needed.


    And to see Serefina in such condition right now, it was very hard¡­


    Yet, there was nothing that Hope could do, because her body didn''t belong to her as she couldn''t even move an inch, neither could she utter a single word.


    Shifting her attention from Hope, Serefina gave the devil a deadly glare.


    Lucifer had teleported them to this deserted place, and Serefina didn''t even have any freaking idea about where it was. Yet, that was the last thing that she should concern herself over right now when her life was on the line.


    This devil could kill her anytime now, as she could feel her strength starting to decrease while her consciousness began to fade away.


    "You don''t need to spare my life, you are not the person, who I will beg for life of all the things," Serefina said in a hissing tone as she shot him with a dagger look.


    "You will beg me for life after this. Now kill her!" Lucifer glared at Hope, or Raine in this case, as if he would do it by himself if Serefina refused.


    Killing the guardian angel would give the devils ultimate power, but they couldn''t do it himself, since coming in direct contact with the pure blood of a guardian angel could hurt him.


    Actually, there was another way to do it, but only Serefina knew how to make the power of the guardian angels stay permanently with them, even after the death of these three human beings.


    "You don''t have much choice Serefina. I will kill them eventually and their mates in the end. I will not even spare that f*cking king that you love so much. Not after your betrayal toward me!" Lucifer cursed under his breath when he talked viciously to the beaten witch.


    Serefina scoffed when she heard that. "You will never show that kindness Lucifer, so stop lying to both of us."


    With difficulty, Serefina stood up and walked toward Hope.


    "Raine, come here¡­" Serefina moved her hand in a beckoning motion and Hope could feel her body move without her consent.


    This was exactly what had happened in her vision, but this time Hope did not panic, she wanted to know what would happen after this, since the scene that she saw through the stone ended with her being burned with the blue flames.


    Yet, she was sure that the fire didn''t hurt her at all.


    Hope also wanted to know why she was in Raine''s body instead of her own.


    Once Hope was close enough, Serefina made a slashing movement with her hand and set Hope on fire. Within seconds the blue flames engulfed her body.


    The blue flames licked every inch of her being, but instead of a burning sensation, Hope felt a strange warmth from it.


    This fire breathed around her body, as if it was alive and Hope could feel the movement of it. It hugged her body and made her relax.


    Hope''s eyes were on Serefina. The look in the witch''s green lime eyes was hard to discern, without any palpable emotion and the only thing that Hope could understand was; she trusted her.


    She trusted her just like when she taught her how to walk, she trusted her just like how she said that it would be okay when she fell, she trusted her just like when she ordered her to beat the hell out of the boy that bullied her.


    Hope trusted Serefina, as if she had never betrayed them...


    And when the blue flames blocked the witch''s figure from Hope''s sight, she closed her eyes and let the feeling wash over her.


    A feeling as if she was being floating in the air¡­


    Yet, when Hope felt she could move her body again, she opened her eyes and found Serefina standing in front of her.


    The witch hugged the girl and whispered. "This is the time."

 Chapter 1016 - CHAOS IN THE CITY

    "Serefina¡­" Hope called her name and ran toward the witch, she hugged her very tight and in a very rare occasion, Serefina reciprocated the same affection.


    The witch hugged the girl and whispered, "This is the time."


    Hope was confused when she heard that, but even before a question could leave her lips, she saw Lucifer standing behind Serefina.


    Out of instinct, Hope immediately jumped to the side and her body became tense when she noticed the devil glaring at them with his golden eyes.


    "What is the meaning of this Serefina?" Lucifer hissed viciously at the witch.


    Only when Hope heard that question, did she realize where they were now, since she was very familiar with this place. After all she had been here for quite some time with the moon goddess.


    They were back to the realm which belonged to Hope.


    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!" Lucifer was about to charge toward Serefina and Hope, but the guardian angel knew very well that in this realm, she could do everything she wanted.


    Therefore, before Lucifer could take another step closer and hurt them, Hope waved her hand and the white floor beneath the devil became very soft, and started to suck him down.


    The solid ground became a quicksand pool that trapped Lucifer''s body up until his waist, which rendered him unable to move or even to approach Serefina and Hope.


    At first, Hope thought her cheap trick would be easily overpowered, but who would have thought that the devil''s power was not applicable in this realm. The realm that belonged to her.


    It seemed, it was not only Lucifer, who was stunned by this fact, but Hope as well.


    Now, the two pair of eyes were staring at the witch, who didn''t look in a good shape, but there was a triumphant smirk at the corner of her lips.


    "Do you really think that I gave you such power for free? You underestimated me and overestimated yourself too much," Serefina said mockingly.


    ==============


    Calleb got the news that there was a huge commotion in the city, where the humans had been chasing down the shifters.


    It went without saying what they would have done to those shifters once they got their hands on them.


    Not only that, the lycan warriors who reported the incident also mentioned about the dragon beast that appeared in the subway station all of a sudden.


    "Dragon beast?" Calleb frowned. Since he couldn''t shift into his beast''s form, he had to take a car with Ethan to reach that place, with a few lycanthropes running along after the car beside them. "Which dragon beast?"


    The only dragon beasts that they knew was the fire dragon and the earth dragon, yet aside from Theseus that he had killed earlier, Calleb didn''t think there were other dragon shifters around this area.


    Or, maybe he was wrong?


    "Drive faster," Calleb said to Ethan. Even from here, they could see the barricade of cars belonging to the authorities, which was not allowing anyone to come closer.


    "They closed the street," Ethan said with a frown. "What should we do now?"


    Calleb clicked his tongue when he watched this, but they didn''t have any other choice, with the number of lycanthropes that came with him, there was no way they would have a civil conversation.


    "Run through them." Calleb fixed his eyes on the people who wore grey uniforms not too far from them.


    Seeing the mass of werewolves, they yelled and shouted at each other, the officer in charge gave a hasty order to take out their weapons and aim them at the incoming confrontation.


    A clash between the humans and the non- human existence was unavoidable.


    "Sybil!" Calleb called out to the witch who sat at the backseat, as Ethan stomped his feet on the accelerator, sending the car flying in the air, as they moved very fast.


    "I know," Sybil said, she opened her hands wide. "Keep the car steady," she said to Ethan while she was trying to concentrate. It was hard to put a barrier over the moving objects.


    Meanwhile, the human side felt the same tension as they aimed their weapon sat nearly two hundred beasts which came at them in full speed.


    "We need back up! We need back up! Now!" The officer in charge talked through the walkie talkie in his hand, asking for help, because he knew they wouldn''t be able to hold back such a horde of non- human existence.


    "Get ready!" he roared and all the weapons were locked on their targets in the next second. All of them took shelter behind their cars, which lined up in front of them and served as their shields.


    And when the horde of the werewolves was close enough that man gave the final order.


    "FIRE!"


    Almost at the same time when the order was being issued, a hundred silver bullets were shot at the non- human existences before them.


    However, there was one flabbergasted thing that happened.


    All the bullets froze in the air and dropped to the ground helplessly, never reaching their targets, creating some eerie clinking sounds as the humans watched the werewolves jump onto them.


    A shrill scream pierced through the air, as those humans dropped to their knees, stretching out their arms in front of them in an attempt to defend themselves from the imminent danger.


    They could even feel their heart dropping to the ground along with their bodies, as they thought this was their end.


    However, it took quite some time for them to realize that the beasts didn''t even care to kill them as they marched forward to the locked down city, where many other authorities were trying to chase down the non- humans appeared in the subway station.


    They were not harmed at all, but that near death experience left them floored and speechless, neither of them could even lift a finger as they watched those beasts sprinting further away from them.


    Their bodies were shaking in fear, they needed some quality time to catch their breath before chasing them, but it didn''t matter since there would be another batch of enforcement that would stop those creatures.

 Chapter 1017 - SEREFINAS TRUE INTENTION

    Rossie and Adair ran away from the humans that tried to chase them down with silver bullets loaded in their weapons. However, it was not only the humans, but the vampire that fought with them in the station, also seemed absolutely determined to kill both of them at all costs¡­


    It was either the vampire was trying to avoid the humans, or he was still on that stupid mission when his own life was in danger as well.


    [Shift!] Adair said through mind- link when they reached the end of an alley.


    Without a second thought, Rossie followed her order and shifted back into her human skin. Her body was shaking with fear and her breath turned ragged.


    "Come here," Adair said and hastily grabbed Rossie''s hand, as she pulled her into a room through the door on their left.


    Behind the door was a hallway of dirty apartment, where they could smell rotten food and many nasty scents in the air.


    "We can hide here," Adair said. "This heavy smell will be able to mask ours from that damned vampire."


    Adair then chose a dirty spot under the stairs that could hide them from humans too, as their shelter to take a quick breather.


    "What should we do now?" Rossie whispered, hugging herself as she tried to catch her breath.


    "We will wait," Adair said in the same tone. She then leaned her back against the wall behind them, but she didn''t let her guard down. Her ears perked up to hear the slightest sound from their surroundings, trying to sense any danger that came to their way. "We will go out if everything had settled down."


    "Yeah¡­" Rossie sighed. She didn''t think they could do anything more than that.


    This place seemed like a cheap apartment. It was clear to see that usually this place was not this quite, but since the authorities had announced for every human to take shelter inside their house, as there were shifters in the town, they were hiding behind the locked door now.


    Which put Rossie and Adair at a disadvantage, because they couldn''t blend with them and made their existence easier to be found.


    They just hoped those humans wouldn''t come to this place and the vampire wouldn''t be able to sniff out their whereabouts.


    "I have no idea that Bree is a dragon shifter¡­" Adair spoke in a low voice to fill the silence between them.


    "Me too¡­" Rossie nodded. "I hope she is all right." The last time she saw Bree was when she shifted into her dragon beast and made a big hole in the ceiling of the station with a vampire still clinging on to her back.


    She would be fine, right?


    They didn''t hear anything which indicated that the humans had been able to take a dragon beast down. But, there was still this worriedness at the corner of Rossie''s heart, after all she didn''t know anything for sure.


    And then silence enveloped them again.


    "I am hungry¡­" Rossie mumbled. She had forgotten the last time she ate something to fill her stomach.


    Adair sighed. "Me too."Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #''s-true-intention_52005585297668890 for visiting.


    However, they didn''t have time to dwell on what their stomachs wanted when they caught that scent and their eyes grew wider in alert at the same time.


    They couldn''t stay there any longer. They had to go.


    Or fight¡­


    ==============


    The fight between the hydra against the shifters, the faes, the witches and the minotaurs, had taken very long.


    Half of them had died because the hydra couldn''t be killed and the last two dragons that were still fighting had suffered great injuries.


    If this lasted any longer than this and the phoenix didn''t make an appearance soon, they would be doomed for sure.


    "This is not good." Leon shook his head and walked toward the battlefield that looked like a slaughterhouse.


    "Where are you going?!" Abby shouted at her brother. "Don''t even think of joining them! When even their huge numbers couldn''t handle the monster, do you think you can?!"


    Leon shrugged his shoulders. "At least, I can try," he said lightly, smiling and walking away.


    "Don''t you dare to do that Leon!" Abby was angry and panicked when she realized that her brother was about to join that bloody massacre.


    She then gave Bree to Jean to take care of and then glared at the water dragon shifter, who didn''t budge from his position when he saw his kind being killed.


    "I don''t know your name sire, but instead of being here, don''t you think that your people need you there?!" Abby remarked and shot an angry look at that man.


    However, to her surprise the water dragon shifter just gave the young witch an apologizing smile, but didn''t say anything.


    "Coward!" Abby spat and then ran after her brother, while grumbling. "D*mn you Leon, if I die in this battle, I will take you along with me!"


    After the two siblings had left, Jean looked at the candlemaiden. "Don''t you think we need to join them?"


    "No, we will wait here." The candlemaiden refused to elaborate further about why they were in need to stay behind. "Take care of that young dragon." She glanced at Bree, who was slowly regaining her consciousness.


    "It would take very long¡­" the water dragon shifter looked up to the sky and their surroundings, as if he was looking for something to happen.


    "Yes." Christal narrowed her eyes.


    Serefina, what are you doing?


    ==============


    The true intention of Serefina to get the blood from the three guardian angels was because she knew what kind of power Hope was holding.


    Lidya had told her about her power that Hope could see the spirit of the other creatures, it meant she had her own realm to do so¡­


    And as for the devils, it was true that they couldn''t kill the seven sins from hell, since they were of a different entity, but with the power that Hope held it was possible to restrain them in this realm.


    It sounded easy¡­


    However, the process to do it was not as simple as it seemed. It was even more complicated than Serefina had imagined.

 Chapter 1018 - SEREFINAS TRUE INTENTION (2)

    In order to restrain the devils in this realm, Serefina had to find the way how to bring them to the realm that even Hope was not aware until recently.


    And things only got complicated when Serefina found out there were only two ways to make it happen.


    It was either Hope, who needed to bring the seven devils to this place using her power, or the devils could enter this realm willingly, like how Lucifer had been lured here.


    For the first option, it was clear to see that Hope couldn''t handle the seven devils altogether when she didn''t even know how to use her power potentially, neither did Serefina.


    Therefore, Serefina took a big risk and stole the power from all the guardian angels, but it didn''t mean all of this had happened without any side issues.


    The power that Serefina stole from the guardian angels was very pure, it clashed with her own power which made it hard for her to contain them both effectively.


    Though it seemed that the witch got a tremendous power from it, but just like the side effect that she received when she sapped power from the other shifters, it wouldn''t last for long, and eventually she would be left powerless. Sick and debilitated.


    She could feel it now¡­ it just started¡­


    It had happened before, when Serefina took Raine to the past and didn''t have any choice, but to sap the power of the queen at that time.


    One significant issue in her plan was; how to connect the devils with all the guardian angels. And Serefina figured out that by giving their blood was the only way to do so.


    This also helped in bringing the devils to this realm more easily and Hope got the upper hand because of it. After all, it was her blood that was on the devils.


    And now, with what Serefina had done, they were connected to each other.


    Lucifer and the rest of the devils could be summoned to this realm and Hope could finish the rest.


    However, since the devils held the same power as her, it was only a matter of time before they figured out a way to escape from this realm.


    In the end, it would be a pure show of power between the guardian angels and the devils.


    Lucifer and the other devils didn''t pay much attention to the power that Hope held, since controlling time and the nature looked more appealing than knowing more about spirit and its realm.


    It could be called as a blessing in disguise considering this situation and Serefina knew she could use the devils greediness.


    At long last, her plan showed that her judgment was right. Hope was not ''attractive'' enough for them.


    And that was what Serefina had been doing all this time. Executing the plan that she had been cooking carefully, the plan that she had worked on all alone. Because, the less people knew about this, the better.


    Not even a single soul knew about this until Lidya confronted her to tell the truth.


    Maybe, Serefina''s way of handling things and working on her plan were unacceptable, but it was her way of planning everything out.


    There might be people, who blamed her for doing the things the way she did. After all, she had been deceiving both parties, made ridiculous decisions, ensnared schemes and made a false judgment to create in people''s heart upon her, and many things that made her look beyond distasteful.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #''s-true-intention-(2)_52005639790066713 for visiting.


    Different people would choose different ways to handle an issue, but their character would play a major role when they would choose to do something.


    Therefore, knowing her character and how stubborn she was, also the way she had been handling all the problems throughout the years all alone¡­ it could be understandable¡­


    And Hope understood that.


    Among the three guardian angels, she was the only person that had grown up with Serefina and watched every side of her.


    Her anger, annoyance, despair, happiness, smile, cunningness, sorrow and even tears¡­


    Hope saw her crying once when she was only a child and that memory got engraved in her head, yet later on she thought it was only a dream¡­ since Serefina had never been the one to show a weak side to others.


    "What should I do now?" Hope looked at Serefina and then at Lucifer, who was cursing in anger. His eyes turned red and all the veins on his face bulged out, the image of him as a fine man with a devilish smile were no where to be seen.


    Now, what left of him was only his devil side, this statement was amplified when his canines and claws elongated.


    "I can only help you with him, the rest¡­ you should figure out yourself," Serefina said before she fell on to her knees and everything became dark for her.


    The same thing happened to Hope when the witch forced them back to reality with the last bit of strength she had¡­


    She felt her body leave this realm with the guidance of Serefina, they were teleported to the place that was dear to the witch.


    ==============


    Adair, in her beast form, groaned and snarled dangerously when the vampire bit down her neck. Blood started to trickle down from the wound, as her vision became blurry.


    But then, she felt the weight on her body being lifted when Rossie''s beast clamped her jaw on the vampire''s head and ripped his left ear.


    The wailing sound of the vampire filled the silent corridor of the dirty apartment and it went without saying that the occupants would call the authorities soon. It wouldn''t take long for them to come when that happened.


    With the last bit of strength that Rossie had, she pushed herself up and leapt onto the vampire, bringing him down and clawed his face to make him stop screaming.


    And after a few blows, finally he stopped moving altogether. He laid still, dead in the pool of his own dark liquid like blood.


    Rossie immediately shifted back into her human form and crawled toward Adair, who did the same.


    "Adair, we need to go¡­" Rossie cradled Adair head, she didn''t care about the blood that stained her own body.


    "I can''t¡­" Adair spoke softly.

 Chapter 1019 - THE GREAT BATTLE

    "Go Rossie..." Adair choked on her own blood. She was bleeding heavily, more precisely abnormally for a shifter, not just because of the wound that was too severe, but also because of the poison in the vampire''s bite which had slowed down the healing process.


    Hearing Adair''s weak voice and panting breath, tears rolled down Rossie''s cheeks as she tried to pull Adair to prop her against the wall.


    "I won''t leave you¡­" Rossie said hoarsely, she shook her head vigorously, while her body was shaking uncontrollably.


    This incident was just like a nightmare that revisited her subconscious.


    A nightmare Rossie had already experienced, not once but twice and on the same day.


    She would never forget how she lost her mother in the forest when the devil influenced beasts chased them down after escaping the castle.


    And how she lost Lana. Someone who had been so close to her.


    On that unfortunate day, she had to struggle just to save herself after witnessing two consecutive deaths.


    Although Rossie was fine, guilt still haunted her.


    You know, a kind of guilt because you survived a disaster, but sacrificed someone else in the process.


    That feeling of guilt continued to haunt Rossie and made her feel even more depressed. Therefore, she would not leave Adair alone.


    "I will be here¡­" Rossie then opened her jacket and wrapped it around Adair''s neck, hoping that she could at least stop the bleeding from the wound on her neck.


    But, it didn''t take much time for the blue jacket to turn dark as the blood seeped into the fabric.


    Rossie bit her lips hard so she wouldn''t sob louder. She didn''t want to experience this again, she didn''t want to see someone die around her or the death of a person she knew.


    Even though Rossie''s acquaintance with Adair was brief and they weren''t really on good terms, still, they were from the same pack, fighting against the same enemy, moreover, they were in this situation together.


    If they don''t rely on each other, then who could they turn to for help?


    Rossie could feel her eyes stinging even more when she noticed that Adair was feeling trouble breathing. The girl''s body twitched as a clot of blood came out of her mouth and she started coughing.


    "Go..." Adair tried to talk. "I... will... come after you..."


    It was the stupidest lie Rossie had ever heard, because under these conditions, Adair would never be able to catch up with her.


    They needed a healer or a magician to heal Adair, but apart from the two of them, they didn''t have anyone else here.


    "I''ll wait until you feel better¡­" Rossie then smoothed Adair''s hair, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and wiped the remaining blood on her lips. "Get some rest, you will recover soon."


    And that was another lie they told each other to encourage one another.


    Rossie then leaned beside Adair and let the girl rest her head on her shoulder, while she hugged her tightly, resting her chin on her head.


    They were silent for a few moments.


    "I want to... go home..." Adair suddenly said. "You have to see¡­ the pack house¡­ in my pack¡­" her voice grew weaker, as Adair felt her body getting cold and the pain in her neck became numb.


    "Yes, after all of this is over, we will go home¡­ you have to show me the pack house in your pack," Rossie answered, responding to Adair''s words in a choked voice.


    "¡­Where I live, very¡­ beautiful¡­" Adair''s breath began to hitch when she remembered the flower garden planted by Belinda. By this time, the flowers should be in full bloom. "¡­beautiful flower¡­"


    "Yes, you have to show that to me too."Rossie closed her eyes and tears fell down her cheeks profusely, flowing like a broken dam.


    With her special hearing, Rossie could hear the sound of Adair''s heart beat which sounded like the flapping of a feeble bird''s wings.


    But, a moment later there was another noise that distracted Rossie from Adair. The very noises that were caused by the authorities who came in their way.


    This was a sign for Rossie to get out of there. But, she didn''t want to leave Adair alone¡­


    She didn''t want to leave anyone anymore...


    ==============


    Thunder rumbled through the sky and a hurricane rolled through the air, creating tornadoes that rolled up any shifters who tried to get closer, into the air before hurling them several meters away.


    The sky was no longer dark, but blood red as if it was marred by the crushed bodies of the shifters who had died in the battle against the Hydra and the five devils.


    In the distance, there were loud noises as humans arrived, carrying their heavy weapons and aiming them at every creature they laid their eyes upon.


    No matter who, they would definitely kill anyone, who was not of their own kind.


    However, when their eyes fell on the massive figure of the Hydra with its nine snake heads, they were lost for words.


    They needed to ask for more help and tried to explain the situation they came across, it was just that they were unable to find the right words to describe what they were dealing with.


    "It''s a monster! A MONSTER!" The chief in charge of the hundreds of personnel who were led here to fight against the non human existences, shouted into the communication device impatiently.


    But, what made them even more terrified was the sky turning red with a rolling tornado right in front of their eyes.


    All kinds of curses and profanities could be heard from the group of humans when they realized that the situation had gotten out of hand.


    "Is this the end?" one of the personnel muttered. Flabbergasted and speechless.


    However, no one considered his muttering as a joke, because what they saw now looked nothing less to the world''s end.


    The rows of cars stopped several kilometers away from the location of the battle that was taking place.


    There was no way they would enter the battlefield with the weapons at their disposal because only death would greet them.


    Meanwhile, on the other side of the battle, a water dragon shifter was staring at a little girl who was now slowly regaining consciousness.


    Bree whimpered and opened her eyes, looking confused by what she saw.


    "Rossie?" she called in a low voice, looking for a familiar figure, but couldn''t find her.

 Chapter 1020 - SEREFINAS PLAN

    The dazzling bright light, which made Kace lose his sight, was now slowly fading away, allowing him to open his eyes and observe his surroundings.


    Apparently, this did not happen to him alone, because Torak and Jedrek seemed to have experienced the same thing as they groaned while resting their hands on the wet ground.


    Kace felt that his head hurt a little while his body seemed strange, but it was not the thing that bothered him the most, as he was still trying to digest what actually had happened, because the last thing he remembered was; blue flames wrapping their bodies after burning all the shifters and the creatures from hell.


    Then¡­


    Lidya and Nutdrouk.


    He had seen the witch and the Dwarf appearing near them before he lost consciousness. What happened? Where are they?


    Kace took a look around him and looked up at the red sky. The same sky that he saw the last time.


    But, this place¡­ looked familiar¡­


    However, Kace''s thoughts were interrupted when he heard Jedrek roaring in despair and anger.


    "WHERE''S LILAC?!" He roared and growled viciously and only then did Kace realize that in this place, there were only three of them.


    "Calm down first!" Nutdrouk tried to avoid Jedrek''s grip, but the king managed to grab the collar of the hoodie he was wearing and lifted his body off the ground with great ease.


    "WHERE''S MY MATE?!" Jedrek looked almost feral, he was furious when he couldn''t find Lilac by his side.


    Meanwhile, Torak didn''t seem to care much about what Jedrek was about to do. He stared at the scene with cold eyes and was more interested in observing the surroundings when he heard a distant roar. A loud roar, which could shake the ground.


    Having no other choice, Kace groaned and tried to calm Jedrek down by grabbing his hand, preventing his brother from crushing the Dwarf''s neck.


    "Calm down your brother! And listen to my explanation first!" Nutdrouk screamed, half because of fear, but also because he was annoyed for being burdened with such a task. Lidya should have been the one in his place, handling these grumpy Lycans.


    Nutdrouk had refused this assignment from the start, because he knew it would end like this and his life could be in danger, such as now; one impulsive move from Jedrek, then he must say goodbye to the world.


    "Jedrek!" Kace growled at his brother. "Let him go!"


    You couldn''t take the anger of a lycan lightly, especially if the lycan had a temperament like Jedrek''s coupled with a status like him, where the Alpha blood flowing in his body made him even more violent.


    "TORAK!" Kace shouted irritably at his other brother, who didn''t even bother to help him! "Are you going to just sit there and watch Jedrek kill this dwarf!? At least do something!"


    However, instead of helping Kace to save the Dwarf''s life, Torak walked away. He was more interested in the roar he heard earlier.


    Jedrek went berserk because Lilac who was supposed to be with them, had disappeared because of the Dwarf, while Raine, his mate was in the hands of the devils and he had to find a way to get her back.


    So, Torak wouldn''t waste time persuading Jedrek. He too would do the same, if he were him.


    How could Nutdrouk leave Lilac just like that and separate Jedrek and his mate in a situation like this.


    Maybe the Dwarf had nine lives, so he was daring enough to to do that.


    "D*mn you Torak!" Kace cursed at Torak''s back, who continued walking away. "D*mn you also Jedrek! For god sake, let him explain the situation first!"


    They were currently on a field, a soccer field in the middle of the city with lush trees growing around like a fortress, which was limiting their visibility.


    "If you kill me¡­ you will not know what Serefina''s plan really is¡­" Nutdrouk tried his best to say that, because that was the only way to make Jedrek listen and willing to let him go.


    "Jedrek, let him go!"Kace gripped Jedrek''s hand even harder and tried to separate the two of them.


    Luckily for Nutdrouk, he managed to get those few words out, because shortly after that, Jedrek threw the dwarf''s body away, slamming him to the ground until he heard a cracking sound emanate from his small body.


    Well, at least this time, Jedrek was listening and spared this poor Dwarf. For now...


    Kace could only grimace and squat down beside Nutdrouk. Afterward, he slowly lifted him with one hand and helped him to sit.


    The wrinkles between Nutdrouk''s eyebrows showed how much pain he felt when Jedrek threw him.


    "Speak Now!" Unfortunately, Jedrek didn''t have any pity for the small being and was too impatient to hear Nutdrouk''s agonizing groaning.


    Meanwhile, Nutdrouk rolled his big eyes at Jedrek, disliking the way he gave orders after throwing himself like a pile of trash, but sadly he had no other choice.


    "You better answer him, because next time, even I will not be able to save you,"Kace patted Nutdrouk on the shoulder, but too hard for someone who just suffered a broken bone.


    Nutdrouk grimaced and swatted Kace''s hand away in annoyance, before he finally moved a little away from Jedrek''s reach, careful not to be strangled by him again.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #''s-plan_52029561398945610 for visiting.


    "So, what is Serefina planning to do with this mess?" Kace asked, because Jedrek seemed to be losing himself if he had to repeat the same question twice.


    "First of all, you must kill the Hydra,"Nutdrouk said, conveying what Serefina had ordered him to. Although he didn''t really understand what the last pure-blooded witch was planning. "Only after you kill the monster, will I be able to take you to the place where Serefina is."


    Jedrek impatience only intensified from hearing explanations that didn''t help him find Lilac, but before he could do anything, Nutdrouk added again.


    "If all goes well on Serefina''s side, you can get your mate back," he said quickly before Jedrek could grab a hold of his poor self for a second time.

 Chapter 1021 - WHEN THE UNDERSTANDING DAWNED ON HIM

    "What the hell is in her mind?!" Kace cursed rather loudly when he heard Nutdrouk''s explanation. "Is she crazy to do something like that?! Why couldn''t he explain all the complexities of the plans she made to us!?"


    Nutdrouk didn''t care about the shock Kace was experiencing or his screams of frustration, because his focus right now was to connect the bones which were broken from Jedrek''s friendly shove earlier.


    The King truly did not hold back when he threw the Dwarf to the ground. With so much force, it was good enough that his limbs were still intact.


    "What is the reason for her to do all that alone?!" Kace then approached Nutdrouk again before crouching down until their eyes were at the same level.


    However, Nutdrouk only snorted at the question. "You think she would tell me the reason when she kept all this a secret even from all of you?"


    That was right, what Nutdrouk said was a brutal truth about the witch.


    The Dwarf was the last soul in this whole world, to whom Serefina would entrust her secret mission.


    Maybe this was also one of the reasons why Nutdrouk was the one who was sent to deal with the problem of convincing Donovan here, because Lidya would have known more than him.


    "Listen, we better not spend time here and arguing, let''s get going already," Nutdrouk said, standing up and dusting the dirt on his pants. "The sooner we kill the creature, the sooner this will all end."


    On the other hand, Jedrek didn''t utter a single word when he heard Serefina''s plan. His face didn''t show any expression, but other people who saw him would know that Jedrek wasn''t okay with all of this.


    There were various emotions running through his mind, which were very difficult to describe or explain. Something so strong that the King couldn''t understand.


    How could Serefina have planned all of this by herself? Without even saying a word? What did she really want to achieve?


    Jedrek felt his chest cave in when he realized what the witch had been through or experienced in order to create all this complexity.


    Serefina...


    The name resounded in his mind again.


    And that''s when it became clear to Jedrek what had happened to the witch all this time.


    Her words during the last time they were together in the room, which implied her wish to hate him, and also the pain on her face when she had to endure the consequences of her revival.


    And not to mention all those things that she had to go through alone, which Jedrek wouldn''t know by any means.


    Why was she doing all of this alone?


    That question crossed Jedrek''s mind, but he knew exactly what the reason was, why Serefina was doing all of this alone.


    If you knew Serefina the way Jedrek or Kace knew her, it would make perfect sense to you. Stubborn Serefina and everything that she had ever experienced, or everything that happened to her justified her actions and decisions.


    Jedrek couldn''t think any further than this...


    All this information overwhelmed him. This was truly a hard blow to Jedrek for not succeeding in protecting his woman...


    If only...


    Jedrek stopped there.


    He clenched his fists. He didn''t want to think that way¡­ his mind and heart were really divided and he didn''t like this feeling.


    The beast inside of him roared angrily as he started to think about Serefina again while his mate was not by his side, and could be said to be in danger, but it was also whimpered in pain, knowing that Serefina had been a significant part of his life.


    It was a very complicated feeling...


    "The Hydra has appeared along with all five devils, we must hurry over to it." Torak''s words succeeded in distracting Jedrek and Kace''s attention regarding the information about Serefina.


    And now the three pairs of eyes are staring at him and a dragon shifter behind him, which was covered in wounds and exhausted.


    Luckily, the dragon shifter started to heal himself, apparently, of the many dragon shifters that were brutally attacked by the creatures from hell, he was the only one who survived.


    And from the hue of the scales, they could recognize it as Stephen''s beast.


    "I told you, we have to move quickly, or Serefina''s long calculated plans will just be in vain," Nutdrouk patted his back and waved his hand at Torak and the dragon beast behind him.


    Stephan seemed reluctant to return to his human form and more comfortable being in his beast form during the healing process.


    Meanwhile, seeing the gesture Nutdrouk showed him, Torak raised an eyebrow. "I thought Jedrek killed you," he said in a light voice, casually. "So, you are still alive."


    Nutdrouk could only groan at Torak''s harsh remarks, but under Jedrek''s fierce and cruel gaze, he didn''t wait any more to teleport them to the battle field.


    ==============


    "Adair¡­" Rossie shook Adair''s body slowly as she couldn''t sense any sort of movement from the she- wolf while her heartbeat could no longer be detected either.


    Meanwhile, in the distance, one could hear the noisy voices of humans who have begun to go into this slum apartment, trying to seek the non-human existence.


    "Adair¡­ I am sorry¡­" Rossie was crying, she kissed Adair''s forehead and laid her down on the floor slowly and carefully, as if she was afraid to wake her up. "I am so sorry¡­"


    Tears fell down on Adair''s cheeks as Rossie looked at her to tidy up the bloody jacket around the she wolf''s body.


    And as the sound of footsteps drew closer, Rossie shifted into her beast form and for the last time she gently nuzzled Adair''s head, whimpered in pain and heartbreak, before she finally lunged at the first person who appeared in her sight.


    Of course, this sudden attack made that person startle and scream, which had a domino effect, whereby the other authorized personnel could quickly detect their whereabouts.


    And in an instant, you could hear a commotion throughout the building and the sounds of screaming orders to kill the beast¡­


    ***


    The man was so shocked when he saw a big wolf jumping at him, growling angrily. Out of instinct, he shrieked rather loudly and this alarmed the people that came with him.


    In an instant, there were yells from various directions accompanied by hurried footsteps.


    "CHECK ON HIM!" Shouted one of the authorities.


    "SEARCH THE ENTIRE BUILDING, QUICK!" One of the authorities ran in a different direction.


    "THE MONSTER IS HERE!" Some residents screamed when they caught a glimpse of a non- human being, running across the hall and crashing into the glass of a window in an attempt to escape.


    The beast jumped from the second floor and fell right over one of the cars, parked in rows, just below the building.


    A loud groan reverberated in the dark night as the shards of glass stuck into the wolf''s body.


    However, the beast didn''t have much time to wait for its wounds to heal, because in the next second, it saw the humans pointing their weapons at her.


    While groaning in pain, the beast leaped down the street and quickly accelerated its pace before any one of the silver bullets, which were being rained down on it, could pierce its body.


    With a roar of pain, the beast immediately dashed into the darkness of the night, crossing the road and through the bushes, trying to save her life.


    However, the humans wouldn''t just let her go, because for them, it was just the beginning of a real hunt.


    "Catch that creature!"


    "Get in the car quickly!"


    "Chase the creature and don''t let it go!"


    The hunt became more and more fierce when they noticed that the beast had fled to a residential area not far from there.


    By using loudspeakers, the authorities made sure that the residents there knew that there was a non-human being roaming around this area and asked them to lock the doors and windows or notify them, if they encountered any suspicious movement outside their houses.


    Not only that, the authorities locked down the area and expanded the blocked area up to ten kilometers, making it difficult for the beast''s movement and it was very possible that in a matter of an hour that non- human being could be captured.


    At this rate, no one knew what would happen later...


    However, the humans are optimistic that they can kill this threat. As each of the personnel was ready with their weapons and more assistance was coming soon.


    This would be over real quick¡­


    ==============


    A tornado rolled through the air and a lightning flashed from the dark sky and killed one of the dragon beasts and the faes, while the five devils stood around the monster, killing every minotaur that came closer and several cross-breed shifters who were also fighting.


    This scene was like a massacre.


    On the other hand, the witches, led by Leon and Abby, tried to save as many of the remaining shifters as possible, or tried to keep the devils away from the Hydra, but in fact, it was a futile attempt on their side, all their powers combined couldn''t match with their enemies''.


    =fixed=fixed=

 Chapter 1022 - THE DEATH

    If they were unable to kill the Hydra alone, what else with the addition of five devils who were in charge of guarding the monster.


    Their chances of winning were getting smaller and smaller with every death of their comrades by every minute that passed.


    It was such an impossible task to be accomplished even when the Devils were out of the picture, and now they were starting to feel even more hopeless.


    This was not a good sign¡­


    "What is your name?" asked the water dragon shifter, crouching down beside Bree and helping the little girl to sit up.


    "Bree," Bree answered in a low voice, her eyes still searching for Rossie''s figure, but then a stifled screech left her lips when her eyes laid upon the massive nine headed creature, and the fierce battle that was taking place, just a little far from where she woke up.


    Instinctively, Bree attempted to pull herself away from Jean''s embrace and tried to run, but couldn''t because the water dragon shifter held her in place just as she tried to do so. Although not too strong, because he could accidentally hurt the little girl even more. Bree was very horrified to see the gruesome scene before her eyes, to say the least.


    "Calm down..." the water dragon shifter pulled Bree closer to him and embraced her while caressing the side of her body to calm down this little girl a little. "My name is Draco, I am just like you, I am also a dragon shifter."


    Bree then lifted her head and looked at the man beside her, she blinked and a single tear rolled down her cheek, she looked very scared and confused, and this made it difficult for Draco to get to his point.


    Unfortunately, despite his reluctance, Draco had no other choice but to convey this. They had no other choice, because if all of this was not stopped immediately, everything would just go to waste.


    "Bree, I need your help," Draco finally said.


    The little girl raised her head, but her gaze would still wander toward the battle of the magicians and the five devil''s. Her eyes were now clouded in fear as she struggled not to turn them toward the horrified scene.


    "Bree, look at me," Draco shifted Bree''s position, so they could face each other and held the little girl''s cheeks with both of his hands, so she wouldn''t turn back to see the gruesome scene. "I need your help."


    "Wh- what?" Bree asked in a trembling voice, as if she had a bad feeling about this, she knew she wouldn''t like to hear whatever Draco would ask of her.


    And it was proven when Draco began conveying his pleas to Bree.


    "I want you to shift back into your beast form, can you do that?" Draco said in a soft, persuasive voice, even when he could clearly see the fear unfolded in this girl''s eyes, knowing what he was asking for.


    Bree quickly shook her head. Her last experience changing into her dragon form did not leave a good impression at all, and fear immediately wrapped her heart just at the thought of changing into her dragon form again.


    Bree could still feel the heat running through her veins and strange sounds like bones being broken, that emanated from her body as she transformed. Not to mention about the tremendous pain she had to endure throughout that terrifying experience.


    "I don''t want to..."Bree shook her head hard and didn''t stop there, she tried to get away from Draco again. "Let me go!"


    Bree kicked hard and made Draco let her go, because there was no way he could hold this little girl without injuring her when she tried so hard just to escape from him.


    "Bree!" Jean screamed and tried to catch up with Bree who had gotten up and running, only that her short legs couldn''t get her very far in such a short time.


    Therefore, Christal could easily stop her movements with one of her magic tricks.


    "It is not going to go according to the plan¡­" Christal muttered, waving her hand and pulling Bree back at them, against the little girl''s will.


    Bree tried to free herself, but was unable to resist the power of Christal''s magic trick.


    "Bree, calm down¡­ we will not hurt you," Jean tried to persuade the terrified little girl. "Christal, I think you should stop scaring her like this."


    Jean then grabbed Bree''s hand when she got close enough and hugged her small body from behind.


    "Calm down Bree, nobody is going to hurt you here." Jean hugged Bree tighter who was struggling with all her might, ignoring the pain she felt in her neck.


    Luckily, the wound on Bree''s neck was completely covered, thus the blood was no longer gushing over her body.


    Right at that moment, a sound like a mini explosion was heard not too far from them, and startled the four people.


    This made Bree stop struggling for a moment, but when she saw who was standing not too far from her, the little girl stretched out her hand, asking for help.


    "Kace!" Bree called out his name in a hoarse voice.


    Not far from them, the three Donovans and the Dwarf appeared with a huge dragon beast, standing right behind them.


    Bree didn''t recognize the dragon as Stephan, so her relief didn''t last long and she started to get hysterical again.


    "What are you doing?!" Kace exclaimed angrily when he saw Jean embracing Bree''s struggling body. Without thinking, Kace immediately took long steps and approached the two of them.


    Meanwhile, seeing the anger in Kace''s red eyes, Jean instinctively let Bree go and the little girl ran toward the lycan.


    Kace immediately embraced Bree''s trembling body, casting wary glances at Christal, Jean and a man he didn''t know.


    "Long time no see, Christal," Kace greeted the candlemaiden in a cold voice.


    "Yes, indeed, long time no see." Christal nodded. It had been almost two years since they last met and Kace had a beast problem in him, and even though Christal noticed that both sides of Kace were still unbalanced now, but at least the lycan was looking better than before.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek recognized the water dragon shifter. "Draco," he said.


    "My king," Draco replied in a respectful tone as he bowed to Jedrek.


    "Where is the phoenix?" Torak asked Nutdrouk in his deep voice, but his eyes were fixed on the battle before him.


    "Here," Nutdrouk said as he waved his hand, and the mythical creature appeared out of thin air, flapping it wings with red hues of fire on all over its body.


    The phoenix''s body was about the size of an a.d.u.l.t human, but when the mythical creature stood in front of Torak, it lowered its head so that the Supreme Alpha could touch its head.


    "Everything is ready?" Torak asked, turning his gaze to Draco.


    However, the water dragon shifter looked at Bree, who was now sobbing in Kace''s arms, as his answer.


    And now all eyes were on Bree and Kace.


    On the other hand, Kace who knew the meaning of their gazes, gestured for them to wait, he couldn''t possibly force Bree to do something she was afraid of in her current condition.


    Then swiftly, Kace lifted Bree''s body and took her away from them.


    The little girl hugged Kace''s neck and wrapped her legs around the lycan''s waist very tightly while burying her face in his shoulders.


    "It''s okay Bree, I am here now," Kace coaxed the little girl.


    On the other hand, seeing that, Jedrek and the rest of the people left the little dragon to their younger brother and focused their attentions back onto the five devils and the Hydra.


    "We need her to defeat the Hydra," Christal said in her cold and gloomy voice.


    "She will not be a help in that state, just leave her to Kace,"Jedrek said, his eyes fixed on what was happening before him. "It''s time," Jedrek said.


    ==============


    "What are you doing!?" Aeon screamed angrily at Belphegor as he witnessed the police cars surrounding Raine''s house, carrying the bodies of Raine''s parents into the ambulances, but it was certain that they were dead.


    And now, the little girl was crying in fear in the arms of her neighbor. This sight really broke his heart.


    He never wanted to see his little girl cry like that.


    "HOW DARE YOU MANIPULATE ME AND KEPT ME AWAY FROM HER WHILE SH*T WAS HAPPENEING HERE?!"Aeon exclaimed, he threw his fist at Belphegor''s face, but the devil managed to dodge it in time and laughed at Aeon''s futile attempt to use his shadow tendrils to kill him.


    "I did nothing," Belphegor curled his lips upward and smiled knowingly. "You came late and this is what happened. Blame yourself for not being with her when she needed you the most."


    And those were the last words Aeon heard from the devil before he disappeared into the night, leaving him to witness how Raine cried in terror at the astral creatures that roamed around this place.


    Then, with anger still controlling him, Aeon killed the astral creature in one swoop.


    Only, this made Raine even more scared and Aeon immediately realized that he couldn''t tell her the truth about himself now.


    Meanwhile, on the other hand, Raine, who looked much more older, was watching all of this, as her body trembled violently.


    She had let those creatures kill her family¡­ again¡­

 Chapter 1023 - COME WITH ME

    Raine witnessed all the nightmares of her life come at her once again. Everything that she had been afraid of and everything she ever wanted to avoid¡­


    As a matter of fact, she never really recovered, Torak''s presence only made her feel better, but it didn''t really make her come to terms with her past and all the bad things that had happened to her, which had always been following her just like a shadow, haunting her.


    As in the current case¡­


    When she saw her teenage self in the padding room, with a nurse who never failed to hurt her.


    Raine watched again how ''she'' used to cower in fear when the male nurse came up to her and burned his cigarette on her skin, the fearful feelings that came crashing over ''her'' being, was a reflection of Raine''s own expression now.


    These were the very dark times, after her relatives stopped visiting the hospital altogether and she was included in the list of ''forgotten patients''.


    Raine could also see how Aeon was trying to protect her from supernatural beings when necessary, but the shadow warrior wouldn''t do anything when he had to face a human.


    Raine shouted at Aeon for countless times until her voice turned shrill, but he seemed not to hear her and remained standing in the shadows, just watching and did nothing¡­


    That''s not what Raine needed!


    Raine needed Aeon to step out of the shadows and come into the light to save her, but he didn''t do that, he just stood there¡­ watching.


    Raine fell to her knees while covering her ears and closed her eyes as ''her'' still pubescent voice, continued to scream, echoing through the wall of the padding room. This strengthened her initial trauma. Returning all her fears in several folds compared to before.


    Raine still remembered clearly how she was forced to hide in a dark room in a corner of this hospital and lost her voice after going through these very dark times of her life, losing her hope of living a normal life. How badly she wished to stop seeing the supernatural beings that keep roaming around her.


    Everything immediately turned quiet when Raine covered her ears, but the silence didn''t last long, because after that she felt a bright light probing her closed eyelids.


    And again, Raine was brought to a different timeline.


    She was now on the roof of a building and in front of her, were Aeon and Lucifer, talking to each other.


    This was the same place once Raine was taken to, when the devil lured her out using her rabbit and drew her blood without her consent.


    At that time Torak came and fought Lucifer, but it effected him fatally as Torak was injured gravely. Raine would never forget that incident...


    "I don''t want to do any task from you and I am not going anywhere," Aeon said in a firm tone, as if there was no room for negotiation.


    "What?" Lucifer didn''t seem very pleased to see the shadow warrior''s petty mutiny, as a wicked smile crept on to his lips. "I have resurrected you from death, giving you one more chance to find the guardian angel, so you should follow what I want, right? Isn''t that a covenant between us?"


    Shadow tendrils appeared around Aeon''s body, but Lucifer seemed unfazed at the sight of this, his laughter could still be heard in the air as he tapped Aeon''s shoulder, without any fear.


    "You know that I won''t accept a ''no''?" After that he disappeared before the shadow warrior''s eyes.


    However, that wasn''t all that happened; as if the scene before her was a part of the film which had its duration run out, everything suddenly blurred, until everything before her turn into a blazing white, forcing her to close her eyes and when she opened them again, she was already in a different place.


    It happened for many a times to the extent that it couldn''t even surprise her anymore.


    Raine was very tired from all of this. She felt like someone who had been running non- stop for a whole day, only, in this case she was mentally exhausted from seeing everything she hated, which triggered the awakening of the memories of what she had been through.


    Now, Raine could only sit down, kneeling on the dirty floor.


    She didn''t even know where this place was, it seemed like a corridor inside a castle which was dark and had no end¡­ however, Raine didn''t really care anymore.


    After a moment, someone approached her.


    The man then knelt before Raine and lifted the girl''s face with his index finger, with a grin at the corner of his lips.


    "Hi, my lovely guardian angel..." Belphegor smiled very sweetly at the girl who was experiencing a mental breakdown in front of him. "No more harsh words for me?" he asked.


    However, this time, Raine did not reply to his words. She just stared blankly into the devil''s golden colored eyes, as if she could no longer distinguish between reality and illusion.


    And this state of mind was what Belphegor wanted to put Raine in.


    Belphegor then leaned his body, made sure that his lips were right beside Raine''s ear, so he could whisper to her. "Hey, look... you don''t have to go through allof this again if you come with me..."


    Then Belphegor landed a kiss on Raine''s cheek, before he looked at her with interest that devilishly sparkled in his golden eyes.


    "You don''t need to be afraid, you''re safe with me," The devil kept whispering to her. "Forget everything and you won''t feel this painful feeling again."


    ==============


    Hope blinked, adjusting her sight as she sensed the discomfort in her head that was throbbing painfully before she finally caught the figure of Lidya who was staring at her worriedly.


    "Are you okay?" Lidya asked, helping Hope to sit down.


    "What happened?" Hope held her head as she felt the familiar strangeness again, even the sound of her voice was different.


    She then looked at Lidya questioningly before finally she looked at the two hands that did not belong to her. As panic ravaged her mind, Hope remembered that the last time she regained consciousness, she was not in her own body. "Am I still in Raine''s body?"


    And Lidya nodded.


    "Where is Serefina?" Hope looked around and found the witch lying on the bed, not far from her.

 Chapter 1024 - THIS WILL END SOON

    In this room, apart from the bed occupied by Hope, there were two other beds, one occupied by Serefina and the third one occupied by Lilac and Hope''s unconscious bodies.


    Although she was still too confused why she was inside Raine''s body, Hope cared more about the witch.


    Serefina didn''t move and with just one look, Hope knew that her condition was not okay. Something happened to her.


    Hope immediately got out of bed and approached Serefina, who still had her eyes closed shut with a pale face. She immediately climbed onto the bed and knelt beside her, with unconcealed worriedness in her eyes.


    "What happened to her?" Hope glanced at Lydia, trying to figure out what really happened.


    She couldn''t stand seeing Serefina being in such a vulnerable and hopeless state, as if every inch of her body was screaming weakness.


    "Raine... oh, I mean Hope..." Lidya shook her head, to remind herself that the Raine before her eyes now was Hope. "She is having side effects from what she had done, but Serefina will be fine."


    "Is she?" Hope narrowed her eyes in disbelief. Whatever it was, Serefina''s condition didn''t look she would be recovered anytime soon. "She doesn''t look like she is okay to me."


    "She is just injured. Hope..." Lidya then explained why Serefina''s condition had deteriorated drastically and also the side effects she suffered after absorbing the energy from the guardian angels'' blood.


    Hope listened to all that silently as tears began to flow down her cheeks. She hugged the stubborn witch''s body and buried her face between her shoulders.


    "I am sorry¡­ I am sorry that I doubted you¡­" Hope cried, her body trembling violently when she felt the piercing pain in her chest after finally knowing how much Serefina had to sacrifice for all of them.


    "Hope..." Lidya rubbed Hope''s shoulder gently, trying to calm the girl. After all, Hope had known Serefina from the very first day she stepped in to this world.


    Serefina was the one who brought her to Kace, who took her under her wing and introduced her to the supernatural world and educated her.


    The witch was Hope''s protector in every way possible.


    Although the way Serefina raised Hope had not always been pleasant and was almost filled with quarrels and tension here and there, Hope always respected her and¡­ loved her.


    Likewise Serefina. She treated Hope differently from how she treated the other guardian angels. Because no matter what, Serefina had witnessed the girl grew up herself.


    It couldn''t be avoided that some of Hope''s stubbornness and sarcasm were indeed rubbed onto her from Serefina.


    "I am sorry¡­" Hope said with a trembling voice in Serefina''s ear.


    And right after that moment she heard Serefina''s voice, though very weak, but Hope could still hear a trace of her quirkiness in those few words.


    "What are you crying about? I am not dead yet," Serefina grumbled softly, but because Hope was so close to her, she could hear clearly.


    "Serefina, are you awake?"


    "Get away from me, you''re making it difficult for me to breathe," she kept grumbling and pushed Raine''s body away from her.


    Hope immediately sat down and wiped her tears, distancing herself from Serefina. "Are you okay?"


    "I am still alive," Serefina growled, then opened her eyes, she blinked several times to adjust to the light in the room. "Where are they?"


    Serefina then looked at Lidya, who was nodding her head, and found Hope and Lilac''s bodies who were still lying there.


    Then her eyes fell on Raine next to her. "Hope?"


    "Yes, it is me." Hope nodded, hurriedly wiping away her tears. "Why am I inside Raine''s body?"


    "Because I want you to do something," said Serefina and with the help of Lidya and Hope, she tried to sit up.


    After confirming that she was all right, she walked slowly toward Hope and Lilac''s bodies.


    "Do you remember what happened in the realm before?" Serefina asked, her bony fingers tracing Hope''s then Lilac''s face.


    And at the mention of that, Hope immediately remembered what had happened.


    Lucifer...


    "What happened to Lucifer?" Hope asked. "Will he be locked up there forever?"


    "No, not forever¡­ but, we have to move now to end this." Serefina shook her head.


    "Then why am I inside Raine''s body instead of mine?" Hope looked at herself, it felt strange when you owned a body that was not yours.


    "Because she still has not come back," Serefina said with a frown, looking at Hope who was inside Raine''s body. "And only she is capable of warding off my spell."


    This was another reason why Serefina gave the unicorn horn to Raine, the function of the magical item was to ward off the curse and as only Raine had it, without her soul, Raine''s body would be empty and only Hope could possess the empty body.


    What happened to this guardian angel? Why hasn''t she returned yet?


    "Then what about Lilac? Why is she still unconscious as well?" Hope approached Serefina and looked at the bodies of the two guardian angels lying unconscious on the third bed.


    As if answering Hope''s question, Lilac then let out a low groan and opened her eyes.


    ==============


    "Okay," Bree heard Kace''s voice, who had managed to persuade her, he crouched down in front of the little girl and grabbed her trembling shoulders. "Just concentrate on what you feel and don''t fight it."


    Kace and the others were quite surprised to find out that Bree was a air dragon shifter. It had been a long time since the last time they got to hear any news about that beast.


    Now that they saw the young figure of that kind of dragon shifter, the fact that no one knew what had happened to her predecessors invaded their thoughts.


    But, that wasn''t the main issue right now, because the most important thing now was getting Bree to shift into her beast form willingly.


    "I am afraid," Bree said sullenly, she looked at Kace and then at Jedrek and Torak.


    "There''s nothing you need to be afraid of, they are here to guide you," Kace said soothingly and waved his hand at Stephan and Draco who were already in their dragon forms.


    After thinking for a moment, Bree nodded. "Okay."

 Chapter 1025 - THE FOUR ELEMENTS

    There were three dragon beasts, standing side by side, while one was much smaller than the other two. The smaller dragon tried to steady itself and flap its wings in an awkward struggle.


    The little dragon beast''s eyes stared at the two bigger dragon beasts on its left and right, it was just that it was still not used to the changes pertaining to its new form.


    The bigger dragon beast on Bree''s right then flapped its wings, as if showing her how to fly. This was the shortest and most rushed lesson he had to teach at a situation like this, considering how little time they had.


    The flapping of the dragon beast''s large wings stirred out a fairly strong wind and made Bree, in her beast form, close her eyes and retreat backward slowly, but before she could really move away out of fear, the second dragon beast held her in position and nuzzled the side of her head, a gesture to relax the yet unsettled little girl a little.


    Bree whimpered, but she eventually stopped cowering back.


    After that, the second dragon beast flapped its wings as well, following the first dragon.


    When the two dragon beasts finally hoisted themselves in the air, their eyes landed on the the last dragon, waiting for the young air dragon shifter''s readiness to fight her fears and join them.


    But Bree looked doubtful. Her eyes occasionally glanced at the battle that was taking place between the shifters and Hydra as well as the magicians who were trying to fight against the devils, not to mention the scary whirlwind, which was rolling in the air, it was a reason enough for Bree to back down.


    To put it simply, the current situation was truly a mess, with red clouds floating very low, as if they were reflecting how much blood had been spilled so far. It was hard for one''s common sense to grasp.


    Moreover, Bree was just a little girl, why on earth did she have to go to the center of a crazy battle?


    This looked nothing different from a catastrophe, the end of all living things, as if in a matter of seconds, the ground beneath them would also split open and they would fall into it, which, at this rate, seemed like a plausible possibility.


    Bree wanted to be brave for them, Kace said she needed to do it in order to win the war, it was just that the experience she had just had a few hours ago was something she didn''t want to reenact ever.


    She knew what it was like to fly, but her first flying experience wasn''t quite pleasant.


    "How does Serefina know that the four kinds of dragon shifters can kill the Hydra?" Torak asked, his eyes still fixed on the battle before him.


    "Of course I am the one who told her," Cristal said proudly. "But, in exchange, during that meeting, she stole something from me. That insolent witch!" the candlemaiden began to grumble about Serefina''s bad character.


    Meanwhile, upon closer observation, they realized that the shifters who were on the battlefield, did not belong to any one of their packs. The shifters were rouges and some of them even seemed to believing in hiding for hundreds of years.


    Torak was quite impressed at the fact that Serefina was able to gather them all.


    So this was what Serefina and Lana have been doing. This was the so called task the witch often gave to the she- wolf.


    Lana had been trained for this.


    It was just that it was a shame, Lana was not here to see the results of her hard work.


    Apart from Serefina, no one knew for sure what Lana did every time she went out on a mission, and now everything was clear.


    It was irritating to know how Serefina did all of this on her own way and at will, while the three Donovan brothers were busy fighting among themselves to the point where they didn''t even bother about thinking anything else much less drawing up a perfect war strategy.


    Serefina could have discussed the matter with them, but on the second thought, the thought of Serefina sitting and having a calm conversation with them, was an odd sight.


    That was not her character at all...


    But still¡­


    Meanwhile, on the other hand, since the first time Jedrek heard about Serefina planning things from Nutdrouk, strategies that she had worked out for hundreds of years, the king did not say a word and his eyes darkened whenever Serefina''s name was mentioned.


    Torak didn''t want to bother him because Jedrek was the one who had to face the turmoil that was raging inside him.


    "Water dragon shifter, earth dragon shifter, air dragon shifter." Cristal listed their kinds one by one. "All kinds of elements are here and that is what it takes to behead the nine Hydra heads."


    "But, we don''t have a fire dragon shifter." Kace added, he furrowed his brows when he saw Bree trying to flap her wings timidly.


    "Well, fire dragon shifter is way more cunning than the other three kinds." Cristal snorted, very displeased with the fact that the fire dragon shifters betrayed them again, just like during their first war with the devils. "And the fire element is essential to burn down that ugly monster."


    Knowing the nature of fire dragon shifters, Serefina seemed to have predicted this would happen.


    "So, what are we going to do? We don''t have a single dragon shifter on our side." Kace looked at Cristal in confusion.


    "The phoenix," Jedrek finally opened his voice, he looked at the mythical bird that was now flying, with its colorful wings just above Bree''s head and then flew low to sweep its wings against the dragon''s scaly skin.


    Yes, the phoenix''s element was fire.


    "Yes, the perfect fire," Cristal said, her eyes glistening with interest at sight of the bird. "The three dragons could assist the phoenix and then the bird would do the rest. Killing the monster."


    And before them, at last Bree began to flap her wings and fly, accompanied with the beautiful phoenix''s guidance.


    While Bree had joined the other two dragon beasts and flew with the phoenix in the direction of the fierce battle that was taking place, the Donovans had to face yet another problem¡­

 Chapter 1026 - THE BEAST IS BACK

    Behind them, they could hear the sound of a bunch of cars shaking the ground, indicating that some sort of army was moving towards them.


    And that was none other than the humans with the heavy equipment they were carrying along.


    "Do we really have to do this?" Kace grimaced when he saw the heavy equipment the humans brought. "Kill them all?"


    These murderings would be completely against what Kace had believed all along and he didn''t want any bloodshed whatsoever, but it seemed that hope was just a wishful thinking in a situation like this where they had to fight until the last drop of their blood.


    The humans wouldn''t care which side they attack, because for them there was only two parties battling at the moment; the human side and the non- human existence.


    It was likely that the humans would finish off the shifters and magicians first, because of their closer position, than the Hydra and the devils.


    Not to mention the fact that; they couldn''t kill the Hydra and the Devils, they wouldn''t die, no matter what the humans brought with them or how they killed the other creatures they considered their enemies.


    Therefore, the heavy equipment they carried would only kill the shifters and magicians on the Donovans'' side.


    "If you have other plans or have some outstanding negotiation skills to persuade them not to kill us, maybe this is the time for you to try your luck, boy." Cristal snorted in disgust. She didn''t like these humans. They were hypocritical to think that they had done a great deal when they wiped out other creatures.


    How dare they kill the supernatural creatures blindly, without understanding what actually was happening?!


    "I think they will answer you with the missiles they have brought along," Torak said, staring at the truck which was carrying some heavy equipment at the end of the entourage that was heading their way, though they didn''t know for sure what was that.


    "How many of them were heading here?" Kace asked, narrowing his eyes, trying to roughly calculate the number of humans who came to attack them.


    The place where the Donovans stood now was quite a distance from the Hydra, but they had to stop the humans from getting closer and making the situation even worse.


    They must stop them at any cost.


    "About a thousand to two thousand," Jedrek replied.


    "So, the five of us against this thousand to two thousand people?" Kace shook his head in disbelief.


    Killing humans was a fairly easy job because they weren''t created to be able to withstand even a single slash of the lycans'' sharp claws, but that was not what kept the shifters from killing them, the reason why until now the humans were able to live safely.


    But, the reason was; the side effects afterward. Their strength would weaken when they kill a human.


    Even though the Donovans could kill some of the humans without feeling any side effects so soon because their endurance was much stronger than other creatures, still, a thousand to two thousand humans was too much.


    "Five?" Cristal frowned. "Who said that Jean and I will join the fight? I will just assist you from here. Good luck." She patted Kace''s shoulder and sent her blessings to the three of them.


    ==============


    Calleb felt something inside him, something strange, but also familiar and made him frown. Then he turned to look at Ethan.


    "Do you feel that?" the Beta asked and from the look on Ethan''s face, he knew that Rossi''s older brother felt the same way as him.


    "Its back¡­" Ethan said, his voice was just like a whisper when the realization hit him. "Hope did it?"


    It was not sure whether Ethan''s last words were a question or statement, but he meant it as the latter.


    "She did it," Calleb confirmed it.


    He could feel his beast squirming within him, like a wolf that had just awakened from a long sleep. It felt refreshing and made him feel the new energy.


    "How did she do it?" Ethan, who was driving, glanced at Calleb in amazement. "She is not even here."


    Yes, Hope was not with them, but there was the realm that belonged to her which could connect her and their spirits...


    "I think it is the peak of her power..." Calleb was also confused, but also feeling great because of this.


    He got his beast back and it was important and very crucial in this precarious situation.


    Thanks to Hope...


    They really need the beast in their search of Rossie, by breaking through the guards of the humans around them, if things got really bad, of course this would be very, very helpful.


    "You both got your beasts back?" Sybil asked. She sat in the back seat, leaning over to touch the two of them. "Oh, right! I can feel them."


    But, that''s not all...


    With the fact that they got their beasts, they could sense Rossie''s beast presence, due to the strong connection between them.


    After all, Rossie was Ethan''s younger sister and she was also Calleb''s mate, although Calleb had yet to mark her, but that could not mask the strong mate connection between them.


    And that also meant Rossie wasn''t far from where they were.


    Of course, with so many beasts around the car, this had already caught the attention of the autorities and now they were after them.


    Meanwhile, following the feeling he felt, Ethan turned the car to the right, where the commotion became palpable.


    Apparently, they were hunting Rossie.


    "We have to get out of here now," Calleb unbuckled his seatbelt. "It would be easier for me if I shift and looked for her."


    "No Calleb, they will finish you right after you get out of this car," Ethan refused, he was still driving the car very fast and crashing into the cars of the authorities that was blocking their way.


    Meanwhile, people avoided them the moment they saw a horde of beasts that were charging toward them.


    "STOP!" Calleb gave the orders. "Sybil, create parameters around here."


    And just then, Calleb heard Rossie''s voice over the mind link.


    [Calleb, is that you?]

 Chapter 1027 - THE BEAST IS HERE!

    Calleb, in his beast form, broke through the barricade of humans, who were trying to stop him.


    The beast moved so fast that it was so difficult to restrain its movements, as if he was just a flash of brown light, making it increasingly hard for the humans to aim their weapons at him as well.


    Several times their shots missed and only rebounded on the hard pavement, causing a terrifying consecutive sounds and leaving a very thick smell of gunpowder in the air.


    However, none of the silver bullets hit their target.


    This brown wolf moved through the defenses of the humans successfully while swinging its claws at them if anyone dared to try and block his way.


    However, Calleb would let them go if they surrendered or threw away the weapons in their hands.


    He would not brutally kill humans, as it was not only a taboo for them, but also killing them would weaken Calleb spiritually, which wasn''t going to help in any way.


    He didn''t need anything that could divert his focus from achieving his ultimate goal on this fateful night; finding Rossie.


    The voice of his mate echoed inside his head again and again, telling him where she was now.


    And the more Calleb heard how Rossie was panicking because her hiding place was almost exposed, the more restless Calleb became.


    Behind the brown wolf, Ethan and the other lycans followed closely, while the witches teleported from one point to another in order to catch up with them without lagging behind.


    The witches also helped dispel the rain of silver bullets that the humans had directed at them, keeping the lycans as safe as possible and making them kill as few humans as possible by removing them from their path.


    [Hold on,] Calleb talked to Rossie through mind-link. And he could sensethe indignant fear the girl was feeling right now at the edge of the bond that they shared.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #!_52128066742314016 for visiting.


    Soon¡­


    Soon Calleb will be there ...


    Ethan ran right next to him. He knew which direction they have to go because he could sense the presence of his only little sister too.


    ==============


    Rossie was hiding in a pipe, in a park that seemed to have been neglected for a long time. She felt a little relieved after successfully communicating with Calleb and Ethan via mind-link and finding out that they had got the beast inside them back. That was a good news.


    And they were here with two hundred lycan warriors to save her.


    She will survive...


    Once Calleb was here, Rossie had nothing to fear now...


    Rossie lowered her head between her paws and tried her best not to make much sound as she listened to the humans who just started to search the abandoned park.


    Hang in there a little longer...


    She tried to cheer herself and thought positively in this dire situation.


    It would only take a few minutes for Calleb and the others to arrive at this place and save her.


    She hoped that the humans would not find her until then.


    However, their footsteps and voices drew closer, as they searched intently in this area.


    Hang in there...


    Hurry up Calleb...


    However, all of a sudden, someone pointed a flashlight into the pipe. The sudden light blinded Rossie, forcing her to close her eyes for a moment and in the next second, all she heard was their voices yelling frantically, informing his fellow humans about her whereabouts.


    "THE BEAST IS HERE!"


    ==============


    The three dragons flew so high that they were out of reach for the Hydra, while the devils below, were too focused on the magicians, who were trying to keep them busy. And, they seemed to be successful in doing so.


    However, another reason for the devil''s to ignore the dragons was; they thought the Hydra would be more than capable of dealing with the three dragon beasts that were trying to attack it.


    If the Hydra could kill the nine dragon beasts singlehandedly, then the three dragon beasts would not be much of a problem for it.


    Therefore, the devils did not pay attention to the Phoenix, flying very flexible while avoiding the Hydra''s attacks before it joined the three kinds of dragon beasts.


    The devils knew that the Hydra could be defeated with all four elements and since they had eliminated the fire dragon shifter from the list, they did not think about the possibility that the phoenix could fill the void.


    Not many people realized that fact too.


    The battle was fierce and when the four elements joined forces, it was already too late for the devils to realize where they had done wrong.


    Meanwhile, the young air dragon beast looked a little bit awkward when she flapped its wings. It seemed that the fear didn''t left her system at all, but somehow looking into the phoenix''s eyes helped her to calm down.


    Bree then followed what the other two dragon beasts did, when the phoenix had joined them.


    Water dragon shifter, air dragon shifter and earth dragon shifter, the three of them started to fly around with the phoenix in the middle, as the center of their rotation.


    Somehow they have this weird sense of understanding between.


    But, unconsciously they knew for sure that this was the right thing to do, as if they had done this before and the memories of this were just ingrained in their beings.


    Something they couldn''t possibly forget so easily.


    And as the spin accelerated, the phoenix let out a loud sound and its body was soon covered in red flames.


    The flames quickly grabbed the air and swirled around in the dragon''s circle, enveloping them in the fire, continuing to spread to the surface of the river and enveloping the Hydra in a cylindrical flame, trapping the monster within.


    The rumbling sound was deafening as everyone within a hundred kilometers radius could hear the monster''s shrill scream filling the air.


    ==============


    Hope, who was inside Raine''s body, stretched her hand toward Lidya. "I promised you to give my blood," Hope said. "You can have it now."


    She knew, only those who had tasted the guardian angels'' blood could be immune to their powers.


    And whatever Lidya was intending do with her blood, there was no doubt that she was helping them.

 Chapter 1028 - SHATTER

    The scene before them was by no means the best sight anyone had ever seen.


    It could be said that this was a scene where many of the most sadistic murderer''s craziest dreams came true, only this was on a much larger scale.


    Pieces of human bodies were strewn on the ground and their blood, mixed with dust and gravel, was splattered on every inch of the road.


    This was the most sadistic murder.


    And among the mutilated bodies of the humans, were three white beasts, who stood tall and aggressive, with their menacing red eyes.


    However, it was hard to tell the color of their fur when their entire body was covered in dirt and blood, as if they had just returned from a brief visit to hell.


    The heavy equipment brought by humans to fight against them were now only insignificant pieces of metal, sitting at the owner''s side as useless scrap materials, so even if there was still someone alive there, they couldn''t use them any longer.


    Seeing the battle ruins that were so brutal and the numbers that were totally disproportionate, no one would have thought that the three white beasts could survive.


    Hell, even the Donovans weren''t sure they would survive the battle.


    Maybe they wouldn''t have survived if not for Cristal who helped them from sidelines. The candlemaiden along with a girl next to her, tried to protect them from any danger, as far away as they could by welding their magical prowess and destroying the heavy weapons the humans were carrying.


    Eliminating the silver bullets in their weapons, made it easier for the Donovans to fight back with little concern, as they would be on the receiving end of a very fatal outcome if they were to take so many silver bullets.


    However, it could not be denied that they were at a disadvantage where the number of enemies was hundreds of times greater than the five of them.


    So, gunshot wounds or other injuries couldn''t be avoided totally.


    Kace received two shots to his right shoulder and now the silver bullets were lodged in his flesh, while Jedrek and Torak received three gunshot wounds, in their hind legs and abdomen.


    After all was done leaving only the smell of death in the air, Cristal and Jean walked over to the three Donovans and helped them to take out the silver bullets before anything more terrible could happen.


    Because the wound that caused by a silver bullet couldn''t be closed completely before they took it out and during that time the blood would continue to flow from their bodies. Not to mention the fact that they had just killed nearly a thousand humans, sooner or later the three Donovans would soon feel the side effects.


    However, they did not have time to recuperate.


    Before them, in the river where the Hydra had been trapped with red flames enveloping the four beasts as if they were behind a crimson curtain, the battle was still not over.


    It was a crucial time.


    The devils who finally realized what actually went wrong, and that they had looked down on the dragons there, began to attack the dragons who were carrying out their dragon dance ritual.


    Yes, that was what they are doing now. It was the knowledge they acquired without having to learn, because that knowledge was in their blood as a dragon shifter.


    They would perform a ritual dance of the dragons every once in ten years and only then were they allowed to transform into their dragon beasts, while they were still bound by an oath with the Donovans to never shift.


    While the devils were trying to take down the dragons, the magicians were trying to prevent them from reaching their goal.


    "Get us as close to it as possible," Jedrek said as Cristal took out the last silver bullet from his body.


    The Donovans returned to their human forms to make it easier for the Candlemaiden and Jean to get the damn bullets out.


    "Are you sure that you can hold on?" Cristal asked, she didn''t feel sure after the battle that they had been through from the wounds they had, and these Donovans had to face yet another battle so soon.


    "You have a better idea?" Jedrek asked, gazing at the candlemaiden with his red eyes. "Take us there."


    And with no other choice, Cristal teleported all of them, as close to the battlefield as possible.


    ==============


    Calleb, in his beast form, ran very fast, realizing that there was something wrong with Rossie through the mate bond they shared.


    Something was wrong on her side...


    Calleb could sense this very clearly and the feeling got intensified when he saw the enormously crowded people around an abandoned park.


    Their cars formed a barricade with the humans holding rifles in their hands, aiming the rifles at the ground.


    Calleb accelerated his pace even more.


    A terrifying roar broke through the air and was followed by the lycan warriors, who was behind him.


    However, in order to reach Rossie, they had to face a line of humans who had their weapons ready, aimed directly at the group of lycans with Calleb and Ethan at the forefront.


    Their numbers were far more numerous than before, as if the entire police force had been deployed to this place.


    "GET READY!"


    The lycans did not slow down their running speed and with terrifying roars, they kept running to dash through the defenses.


    "FIRE!"


    And before the silver bullets could get out of their weapons, at the same time, the seven witches appeared between the lycans and the humans to stop the bullets in the air.


    Turning the bullets towards the men who fired them and making them run from their spots, before finally the bullets moved again and fired at the shooters themselves.


    Some of them did not have time to escape and had to feel the excruciating pain.


    But suddenly Calleb and Ethan''s footsteps stopped, when they heard the sound of a gunfire in the distance, where the humans were gathered in the abandoned garden.


    And immediately after that, Calleb was able to feel the excruciating pain because of the shattering of the mate bond he had.

 Chapter 1029: A miracle happened

    The pain was so intense that Calleb stopped running and froze in his spot. His breathing became ragged and he felt the air around him turn denser and harder to breathe in, making it difficult for him to breathe. ;


    His body was shaking and his eyes turned bloodshot red within no time. ;


    All the sounds around him were very disturbing, only grunts and meaningless roars. ;


    Calleb felt the ground beneath his feet disappear as he could no longer feel his own legs. It was as if someone had sucked his entire soul out and he was just a soulless being. ;


    Everything became meaningless, even he himself and his existence in this realm, that feeling alone was very torturous. ;


    However, it was not just Calleb who felt that agony, Ethan was also experiencing it along with him. In fact, it was the third time for the latter. ;


    He felt how the bond that he shared with his only sister had been being cut off. Crushed instantly. ;


    And that could only mean one thing; Rossie is gone. ;


    It can''t be right? ;


    It is impossible. ;


    They could see Rossie''s hiding place now. They were so close. They couldn''t be late. She would be okay soon... ;


    Right? ;


    No one could answer Calleb and Ethan''s frantic thoughts. But certainly, the pain was real. ;


    Calleb felt like his insides were being torn apart and there was nothing he could do to make it better. ;


    The pain this time was a thousand times more painful than anything he had ever felt before. Much more painful than the most painful thing that he had ever felt in his entire lifetime. ;


    The beast fell to the ground, roaring painfully, as if his voice was racing against the upheaval that was going on around him, before he finally picked up his pace and ran toward the abandoned garden. ;


    Over there, the lycans had driven away the humans, killed some and chased the rest of them. ;


    However, any of these could not gain Calleb''s attention now. ;


    The closer he got to the garden, the slower his footsteps became. ;


    While the distance between himself and the figure, lying motionless in Sybil''s arms who was sitting on the ground hugging the figure''s body, reduced gradually, Calleb transformed into his human form. ;


    His steps were slow and his forehead creased deeply. Displaying his disbelief at the situation he had to face. ;


    In the end, when he was only four steps away, Calleb stopped walking altogether. His body froze, trying to digest what was happening. ;


    Even though the excruciating pain he felt already gave him the absolute answer, his brain was still trying to deny the reality before his eyes very strongly. ;


    Even as Ethan ran, charging at the figure in Sybil''s arms, he was still frozen where he stood. ;


    Ethan roared and exclaimed, letting out the saddest howl Calleb had ever heard. He screamed into the dark of night. ;


    He howled at the moonless sky. ;


    And that painful roar made all the lycans there stop, speechless. It was as if time had stopped ticking and their focus this time was only on Ethan and what he was crying at. ;


    Meanwhile, a short distance away, Calleb could see Rossie''s face, which was partially covered with her hair, but he could still see how the girl had closed her eyes and the two shots lodged in her chest. Wetting the clothes she was wearing. ;


    It was a melee shot, hitting her vital point directly. ;


    And the possibility of surviving that was... ;


    Calleb didn''t even dare to think any further. His mind froze. ;


    And that was when he lost it, the last thing he remembered was when the beast inside him took over his consciousness and all he heard after that was a word that kept ringing in his head as he ran in a different direction from the place where Rossie was lying in Ethan''s embrace, as he roared. Full of sorrow. ;


    Nothing was more painful than this¡­ as if the whole world was falling apart and Calleb didn''t even seem to care who will win this war anymore. ;


    ''Kill all humans.'' ;


    And his instinct took Calleb to a densely populated area as he started killing who ever fell in his line of sight blindly. ;


    ============== ; ; ; ; ;


    From this close, one could clearly hear the Hydra''s painful roars and also how its heads writhed in pain. ;


    However, far above them, the three dragon beasts with the mythical phoenix, who were flying at the center of the circle of flames still didn''t let go of the creature and were trying to burn the monster to dust. ;


    Meanwhile, the five devils who finally registered this, were trying to kill all the magicians who were trying to prevent them from eliminating the dragons and the phoenix. ;


    The three white beasts shot through the curses that flew around them and a tornado that rolled into the air together with the crimson flames, that were still wrapped around the Hydra. ;


    Since the Donovans were immune to magicians'' curses and could easily evade the devils'' counterattacks, they managed to lead the minotaurs and the few surviving shifters on their way into the devils'' defenses. ;


    And right at that moment, the devils decided to stop the time. Everything fell silent and remained still. ;


    Not only did it have an effect on the magicians, who was instantly immobile and unable to help to protect the dragon beasts, but it also affected the dragon beasts and knocked them out of the air. ;


    Only the phoenix was unaffected by this, but just with the power of the mythical bird, it was not enough to complete their task of finishing off the Hydra, burning the monster completely. ;


    The minotaurs, shifters and faes stood still at their place and became easy targets for the devils to finish them all off. ;


    It was just that, a miracle happened. ;


    Time only stopped for a few seconds before things went back to normal. However, of course it was not the devils, that decided to run back time again. ;


    It was really confusing, but if they paid attention, the person responsible was not far from the battlefield. ;


    Raine stood beside the red haired witch who looked very pale. ;


    "Good job, Hope¡­" Serefina said in a low voice, while Hope, next to her sighed softly¡­ ;


    She wasn''t sure she could do this smoothly enough. ;

 Chapter 1030: The war

    "I didn''t know that I could do this with Raine''s body¡­" Hope felt really weird about using the powers of the other guardian angel. She felt like she wasn''t borrowing but stealing from Raine. First her body, now her powers.


    Meanwhile, from Serefina''s left side, Lilac stepped forward and crouched down before putting her hands on the ground while staring at the Hydra, which had almost escaped from the confinement of fire that had been keeping the monster in place, as the three dragon beasts had nearly fell to the ground when the devils stopped time, causing them to need a moment to return to their original positions.


    From inside the frozen river, strong roots emerged, which wrapped around the monster very tightly and even though the roots caught fire, new roots would reappear, continuously replacing the burnt ones.


    Meanwhile, at the same time, the ground in front of the witches and shifters shook and was lifted, creating a high wall, to block the curses the devils had been launching to kill the witches and shifters.


    Only, several shifters and faes were already on the other side of the barrier, and led by the three Donovan as they charged forward to attack the devils who were still confused, as they couldn''t understand why their powers didn''t yield the expected results.


    They also tried to break down the wall, but were unable to.


    It was only then that those who were fighting, realized that someone else had helped them, and when they turned around, all they found were the two Guardian Angels and Serefina, the pure- blooded witch.


    But, in the next second, when the ground flattened again as the barrier disappeared, they could see that the three people were actually standing in front of them.


    Lilac, Serefina and Raine. In fact, who occupied Raine''s body was Hope or more precisely her soul.


    And almost at the same time, Jedrek felt the presence of the two women who were too important in his life, causing his focus to get a little distracted, but Kace hit his side and he returned to focus on what was happening in front of him.


    Meanwhile, the white beast Torak, took a quick glance at Raine and narrowed his eyes. He felt odd when he saw his mate. As if she was not Raine¡­ maybe this was just an instinct, because the mate bond between the girl that looked like Raine didn''t seem to be strong enough.


    But then, Torak knew that other important issues needed his attention now, so he returned to focus on the five devils who were currently trying to revive the dead shifters, faes and dragons from their deaths.


    Yes. They were using the same trick again.


    They were resurrecting the supernatural beings, who had died and made them their accomplices.


    Those actions were really very disgusting and disturbing, because they had to fight their own comrades.


    And what was more dangerous was; those devils managed to awaken the nine dragon beasts in no time and now they started moving. Nearly alive. However, not to fight against devils but them.


    And the aim of the dragons now was the three dragons and the phoenix, who were concentrating on burning down the Hydra.


    The three dragons had returned to their original positions and they were now performing the dance of the dragons again, continuing what they had started.


    However, no one knew how long it would take for the phoenix and dragons to finish off the monster.


    On the other hand, Lilac stood in her place and tried to protect the magicians with her power. Now great roots popped up from the ground, dancing around Lilac as five out of the nine dragons that had been revived, attempted to attack her.


    "We will be here to protect you," said one of the ten magicians, who were standing around Lilac, surrounding her to protect her.


    "Thank you," Lilac said and refocused on the problem before her. Now the five dragons were trying to charge at her, but the magicians threw them away.


    However, the other four dragons were trying to do the same thing in succession, overwhelming them.


    As that happened, from the around them, thickets rose from the wet ground, entangling the beings from hell and the supernatural beings who had been killed and revived by the devils.


    Crushing them hard.


    This battle, was not only filled with fire, but had also turned into a forest of thorny scrubs.


    Attacking at the front, was the three Donovan''s as Serefina teleported herself and Hope to the front.


    Hope climbed onto one of the minotaur''s bodies and wrapped her arms around his neck, while Serefina continued to teleport from one point to another to follow the white beasts'' movements.


    "Bring Hope closer!" Serefina shouted at the minotaur who was carrying Hope, but it seemed that the supernatural being was confused.


    Even though he didn''t really know the guardian angels, he knew their faces to recognize that the person on his back was not Hope, but Raine.


    Noticing this slight confusion, Serefina growled, "Bring that guardian angel over here!" she shouted impatiently.


    Because the minotaur took too long to understand the witch''s orders, Kace stopped immediately and when the minotaur ran past him, he immediately grabbed Hope from his back before placing the guardian angel on his own.


    [hold on!] Kace spoke through the mind-link and Hope immediately grabbed onto the beast''s body, trying to keep her body from falling or rolling away, because it would end badly at such speed.


    Hope tried to open her eyes as the wind started to hurt her skin and saw how the five devils were trying to use the power of Lilac to hold their position and tried to use Raine''s power to stop time, so they could kill them rather easily.


    Hope barely managed to prevent that from happening until now, because it wasn''t her own power and she didn''t really know how to control it.


    If the devils continued to push their limits, it was not impossible that Hope wouldn''t only lose control over time, but also control over her own realm, which meant Lucifer could be free again.


    Raine, where are you?

 Chapter 1031: The war (2)

    Calleb seemed unable to endure the pain he was feeling now and was trying to vent these deep emotions of frustration, anger, depression and sadness into something.


    Something that meant pure destruction.


    Something that meant damage. Severe damage, which could show the world that he was hurt and was in pain.


    So that this damage could reflect how he was feeling now. However, the strange thing was; at the same time, Calleb felt numb. It was as if, no matter what he did, he wouldn''t feel anything except this uncomfortable pain.


    He felt like he was floating in a sea that was so calm, but also terrifying, because he didn''t know how deep it was or what was at its bottom.


    The ocean was so mysterious, but he was too afraid to even move. Afraid to aggravate the monster within him further and cause even more terrible destruction.


    It could even destroy himself, it was just that Calleb felt like he needed it.


    He just wanted to break anything and everything. And turn into dust, dissolve into nothingness, or simply die like the people he had killed.


    Thus he went on a rampage, destroying everything in his vicinity.


    He wanted to kill all these bastard humans. He couldn''t even show pity on those who begged him for forgiveness.


    He needed all this because the pain was too much for him to bear...


    They had taken the most important person in his life. A person he didn''t even dare to imagine if he could live without.


    However, these humans just managed to take her away...


    Therefore, they must also feel what it would be like if someone precious to them was taken from them.


    Other people who knew Calleb, would not have thought that a very easy going and peace-loving lycan could leave such fatal repercussions and heartless massacre like this.


    Not only attacking humans, Calleb also attacked his fellow lycanthropes who tried to stop him or break the magic spells that the witches were trying to cast at him to calm him down.


    However, all their efforts were only in vain...


    And the humans could do nothing¡­ they had already lost their weapons and trained people in the first battle.


    So, the last two resorts they had was either run or hide until more reinforcements arrived.


    But when?


    The last piece of information they got was; Most of the armed forces had been dispatched to other areas where the non-human beings had gathered. They were truly on the verge of despair, just how Calleb felt now.


    A roar that shook the ground again could be heard from the wounded beast and yet another life was lost.


    Meanwhile, the lycan warriors who tried to stop him, only received more wounds from the beast who was in intense pain.


    His roars thundered through the darkness.


    And the only thing they could do right now was to wait until the killing- spree of the humans started showing side effects and weakened the beast.


    ==============


    Kace brought Hope closer to Serefina and ran beside Jedrek, while Torak was beside him.


    The five of them lunged forward, toward the devils who were trying to stop them, but as the distance between them shortened, the lycans could see panic starting to show on the devils'' countenances as they didn''t expect them to come this far.


    Serefina, although looking very pale and exhausted, was still trying to keep up with the Donovans.


    "Kace, get closer to them!" Hope shouted to overcome the roar of the wind that was whooshing around her. "Move toward their left!"


    Kace followed what Hope said, while Jedrek moved toward the right, following Serefina, but when he saw the witch looked exhausted and couldn''t keep up with their movements, Jedrek took the initiative to get the witch onto his back.


    Serefina didn''t refuse and draped her arms around the white beast''s neck and buried her face in his bloodstained fur, but that didn''t seem to bother her at all.


    "Move in the opposite direction from Hope," Serefina whispered into the beast''s ear in a weak voice. Her head slumped to the left side of the beast and this made Jedrek worry about what actually happened to her that she looked so weak.


    Never had Jedrek seen Serefina this weak before, except when she felt the pain she would feel once a month as a result of the side effects of her resurrection.


    Meanwhile, Torak was still leading the shifters behind him to kill the beings from hell, although his eyes kept glancing at Kace and the guardian angel, who was on his back, hugging him tightly.


    Torak was sure it was Raine, but the feeling she emitted was completely different, and even if it was Raine, how could she seem more comfortable with Kace?


    This was puzzling, but at the same time, he couldn''t let this thought bother him and returned his focus to slash his sharp claws at the enemies before him.


    ==============


    "You don''t need to be afraid, you''re safe with me," The devil kept whispering to her. "Forget everything and you won''t feel this painful feeling again."


    Belphegor then cupped his hands on both sides Raine''s face, who looked confused and was not in her right mind, he then leaned over to kiss her again.


    And as soon as their lips touched, Raine felt it again¡­ something was wrong¡­


    Her eyes then caught the moon hanging in the night sky, behind the large windows of this dark corridor.


    And immediately, she knew what was not right... the understanding came all of a sudden¡­


    Raine''s hand then started to move up Belphegor''s shoulder, which made the Devil smile against Raine''s lips, thinking that the guardian angel had finally given the response he wanted.


    It was just that, when Raine''s two hands reached his neck, she actually pressed Belphegor''s throat and pushed him away.


    So strong that the devil crashed and hit the other side of the wall in this corridor and as soon as the guardian angel stood up, the Sloth could see the anger in her eyes and immediately, the window glass, which was above his head came shattering down with a deafening sound.

 Chapter 1032: The war (3)

    The window glass burst into pieces and scattered on the floor, cutting the devil''s body and Raine''s bare feet.


    However, as if she didn''t feel any pain, Raine walked over the shards of glass which then turned into dust and thin white smoke when her feet touched them.


    "You really are a devil¡­" Raine said with a tone of disgust and an expressionless face, as if anger had seeped deep into her soul and she could think of nothing but hurting this creature in front of her.


    Raine couldn''t understand how all of this could purify her soul.


    How could experiencing the worst thing in her life all over, again and again, could possibly purify her soul like what Serefina had predicted and how could Belphegor be here and make things even worse?


    Raine then rubbed her lips, on which Belphegor had kissed her earlier, roughly with the back of her hand while her eyes locked onto the devil in front of her.


    "You just realized it now?" Belphegor tilted his head and looked at Raine with an evil grin, while the small wounds on his body began to heal. "You know who I am from the start."


    Raine didn''t say anything and just stretched out her hand toward Belphegor''s neck, intending to strangle him.


    "You think you can kill me like this?" Belphegor asked in amusement, seeing how Raine held his neck.


    "No¡­" Raine returned the grin. "It is precisely because you can''t die that what I am going to do later will be a lot more fun."


    ==============


    Jedrek and Serefina moved to the right while Hope and Kace moved to the left sides of the devils as Torak attacked them from the front, besieging the devils and the disgusting creatures that they have revived.


    Serefina then descended from the white beast''s back and stood beside him, facing the creatures from hell that continued to attack them non-stop.


    The white beast killed the creatures as much as possible, keeping the witch safe and unharmed, while she concentrated on whatever she was doing right now.


    While on the other hand, Hope also did the same.


    Serefina had already told her how to attract these devils to her realm, it was just that this was her first attempt and this fact made her feel nervous. She had never tried this before, but was required to succeed before the devils managed to escape again and Lucifer could realize how to escape, because if she failed now, it would be hard to get back at them.


    Serefina then chanted an incantation, an ancient language of unknown magic as to what would happen.


    And immediately, surrounded them was a mist, just like a thick white veil that enveloped them all.


    The veil enveloped the place all over until where Lilac was.


    The guardian angel narrowed her eyes when she saw the veil of white mist, but because she knew it was a doing of Serefina, she wasn''t very alert and continued what she was doing.


    Her focus was now on the three dead but revived dragon beasts who were still attacking her, while the other two had just been killed by her successfully, it was just that, it was just a matter of time until they were resurrected and start to fight again.


    That will continue until the devils were defeated, or Serefina burned the creatures like she did before in Rieka.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek, in his white beast form stood by Serefina, baring his sharp fangs and slashing his claws like a sharp dagger at their enemies.


    At first, no one noticed this, but when the veil of mist that Serefina created began to envelop them all, the dead shifters that the devils had awakened earlier could no longer be resurrected.


    So, when they were killed the second time, they remained dead, and so did the other beings from hell.


    Unfortunately, this veil of fog that Serefina created couldn''t reach the place where the three dragon beasts and the phoenix were busy performing the dragon dance ritual to burn down the Hydra. The magicians were still trying to subvert the four dragon beasts that had died.


    Lilac who realized this, immediately focused on the three dragon beasts that kept bothering her and caught them with thorny roots that came out of the ground and crushed their bodies.


    It didn''t take long until Lilac managed to overthrow the three dragon beasts with the help of the witches.


    And when her business there was done, Lilac immediately approached one of the witches and asked her to teleport them to the front of the battlefield.


    "Are you sure?" The witch asked doubtfully. The battle upfront seemed very dangerous and she didn''t want anything to happen to this guardian angel, because their efforts would be in vain if they lost even one of these guardian angels.


    "Yes," Lilac''s answer was short and stern. She then grasped the witch''s hand firmly. "Do it now."


    Not having any other choice, the witch agreed to this and teleported them to the front of the battlefield, where the minotaurs were growling and the other magicians were trying to finish off the remaining creatures from hell, while protecting the dragons.


    Lilac and the aforementioned witch then appeared not far from where Jedrek and Serefina were standing, and the witch was still chanting, while Hope seemed to be concentrating on something.


    And in the next moment, she saw the bodies of two of the five devils started to fade away, as if their bodies were turning into mist.


    At first Lilac thought they were going to teleport elsewhere, but then she realized that was not the case.


    The two devils were confused by what was happening to them at first but soon began to launch blind attacks on Serefina and Hope, using Lilac powers.


    But, the true possessor of that power was Lilac and this was happening in his presence.


    "Oh, you will not do this in my face," Lilac growled and moved both of her hands to nullify their attacks and made the devils hiss with real rage.


    Lilac knew what was going on; Hope was trying to bring the devils into her realm and she needed intense concentration for this.


    But the question was; would Hope be capable enough to achieve this feat?

 Chapter 1033: The war (4)

    Wrath and Mammon felt their bodies starting to fade as their vision was cut off at once, without letting the other three realize what was happening to them. The white mist played a major role in blurring the ocular senses of the devils.


    They were staring at each other with unconcealed confusion etched on their facial expressions, as they themselves didn''t seem to understand why something like this was happening to them.


    The two devils then thought of Serefina and the thin white mist that covered almost the entire battlefield and a slight understanding dawned upon them in the next moment.


    This was a very old magic trick and it had been a long time since they had heard of this magic. However, even though Serefina was a pure-blooded witch, she alone was not sufficient to perform such a powerful magic trick.


    It would take at least five pure-blooded magicians to achieve this feat.


    They were talking about ''summoning magic for the demons'' soul. Only a few people could do it and out of those few people, it took five magicians who have great magic prowess to make sure all this goes smoothly.


    However, what the devils did not know was; Serefina didn''t need the other magicians help because they were all connected to the guardian angels through their blood, which they had consumed after the various spells that Serefina casted over it so that the blood could be drunk by them.


    In addition, the guardian angels'' blood could increase the abilities of other beings. Therefore, at this point, what Serefina doing now was very likely to be considered as a success already.


    It was just that, instead of perfectly ''summoning'' all the five devils to be drawn in to Hope''s realm at the same time, only two could be lured in to the guardian angel''s trap.


    But, on the positive note, at least this was better than the worst outcome Hope have imagined earlier.


    Slowly, the two devils started to fade away and Hope gritted her teeth even more so that she could concentrate more on this and finish it immediately.


    Meanwhile, on the other hand, Jedrek glanced at Serefina with worry, his red eyes couldn''t steer away from the witch''s figure as he noticed that the longer this was happening, the weaker Serefina was getting.


    The white beast whimpered when he saw how blood flowed from the sides of her lips and trickled down her chin and neck, while her face grew paler and her body trembled.


    Especially when Serefina fell to the ground and knelt down, her hands gripped the dirty ground with a gasping breath, as if someone was choking her.


    She was at her limits.


    And when the minotaurs and shifters, led by Torak, finally made it to her side, Jedrek immediately approached Serefina and stood beside her. The beast nuzzled the side of her face softly.


    And all of this was witnessed by Lilac.


    She stood not far from them, fighting the remaining creatures from hell and trying to protect the dragons and the phoenix who were trying to kill the Hydra.


    Lilac stared at the two of them with gloomy eyes and for a moment her concentration was distracted until she didn''t notice that a creature was lurking behind her as it prepared to pounce on her.


    If it weren''t for Torak who lunged at the creature just before it could execute it move, Lilac would be in grave danger.


    The white beast bit her fingers softly, as if to remind her that they were surrounded by enemies and she shouldn''t daze out like that. It was very dangerous and it would be crucial if something happened to one of the guardian angels.


    Lilac shook her head and tried to refocus on the problem in front of her eyes, it was just that it was very difficult to shift her focus or forget how Jedrek was looking at Serefina.


    It hurts so much to witness your own mate staring at another woman with eyes filled with anxiety and worry.


    However, this was not the right time to dwell on the matter, as there were more pressing issues to be dealt with.


    With all her might, Lilac tried not to be affected and returned to fight and protect as many creatures as she could.


    On the other hand, two of the five devils had disappeared and Hope managed to bring them to her realm.


    However, she was too weak to continue capturing the other three.


    This situation was very precarious, because they did not know how the outcome would turn out. While devils were unable to teleport as their accomplices from hell began to dwindle in numbers, the lycanthropes felt exhausted and Donovan''s murder of over a thousand humans began to show its side effects.


    Their strength weakened greatly.


    Meanwhile, when Serefina fell to her knees with a trembling body, due to the pain and side effects she received from being bold enough to sap the strength of the three Guardian Angels'' blood and several other shifters to increase her own strength, the mist slowly faded away.


    Instantly, Jedrek changed back into his human form and pulled Serefina''s body into his arms.


    "What happened?" Jedrek asked Serefina, worryness could be heard in his voice clearly when he saw how Serefina''s face twisted in pain.


    Serefina intended to say something, but then pursed her lips tightly to prevent a groan from escaping her lips and took a deep breath instead, as if that way she could alleviate the almost unbearable pain, only to find that her wish was something unattainable at this point. The pain did not decrease and she could feel her body weaken as her strength slowly left her being.


    Jedrek''s frown deepened when he saw that and all he could do was hug the witch''s body which was getting colder, as she shivered from time to time.


    Due to Serefina''s condition, the mist that she had created had disappeared, and the three remaining devils fell to their knees as they felt the pressure slowly dissipating.


    And that was when Lilith appeared near them and helped them to teleport to a safer place.


    The dragon dance that was taking place in the air slowly stopped and the flames enveloping the Hydra faded away, revealing a nine-headed monster that had now turned to a delicate ash- dust statue and with one last soft touch of the blowing wind, the dust went flying as it slowly dispersed in the air¡­

 Chapter 1034: The war (5)

    The demons fled just like that when Lilith came to their aid and left behind an army of incubus and succubus creatures for the shifters and magicians to fight.


    The only problem was, they were too tired to fend against this army of incubus and succubus creatures as their numbers were far too overwhelming.


    Although the three dragons and the phoenix had succeeded in destroying the Hydra and turning the tables in their favor without the monster in the picture, with the presence of the succubus and incubus troops standing in front of them, they were not sure if they could go through one more battle so soon.


    Meanwhile, Nutdrouk, the dwarf who had been hiding during the entire battle like a coward, finally appeared and teleported himself near to the frozen river, where the three dragons fell to the wet ground, beyond exhausted with no energy to spare.


    Gradually, their beast bodies changed back to their human forms and the three of them laid helplessly, especially Bree, she fainted even before she could transform back.


    However, Nutdrouk came near them, not to save them but for getting his hands on something he was looking for.


    Cautiously he walked past the dragon shifters'' lifeless bodies and gazed warily at the succubus and incubus creatures who started charging forward, and started yet another war.


    While on the other hand, the magicians, minotaurs and the shifters already looked utterly exhausted, as if they had no more energy to fight back.


    This was too hard and had already been dragging too long for their likes.


    Nutdrouk was getting anxious. If indeed this was the end of everything and Serefina''s plan didn''t go smoothly, then Nutdrouk didn''t want to be here and spend the last seconds of his life being eaten by the succubus and incubus creatures, whose true form was extremely terrifying with sharp fangs and claws.


    When the beings brought along by Lilith began to roar menacingly, Nutdrouk finally found what he was looking for.


    The phoenix.


    The mythical creature turned small, like a defenseless fledgling, surrounded by its own ashes and grasping very weakly.


    Nutdrouk''s eyes lit up brightly when he saw that and very slowly and carefully he lifted the creature up and held it to his chest. His happiness couldn''t be described in words, because this was exactly what he wanted and this was what Serefina promised him.


    A phoenix as his pet. Isn''t that amazing? This was an extraordinary thing to say the least.


    However, Nutdrouk had to flee from there immediately, because the last dragon resurrected by the devils began to target him and he had nothing to protect himself.


    "Aargh!!!" Nutdrouk shouted loudly as the dragon swooped down to grab him, but before the beast could injure him, the Dwarf had already teleported to a place as far away as possible so that no one could find him.


    The dwarf''s greedy nature really made him not care about the end of this battle. Whether the lycanthropes would win this or the devils did, he just wanted to protect himself.


    However, on the other hand, when the dragon couldn''t get what it wanted, it started maneuvering again, and this time the target was; Bree.


    He flew low and was about to tear the little girl''s body, while the other people didn''t realize what was happening on this side of the river.


    Too busy with the pertaining war with the succubus and incubus creatures.


    ==============


    "What do you intend to do Raine?" Belphegor asked, a grin on his lips as he stared intensely at the guardian angel in front of him, both curious and impatient to see what this girl wanted to do.


    For a moment, Raine didn''t answer him, she just stared at the Sloth with an expressionless face while her hands still wrapped around the devil''s neck.


    But, then Raine stepped back as she removed her hands from the Sloth''s neck, still not saying anything.


    "What?" asked Belphegor with his lazy countenance.


    "I really can''t kill you... but, there are many ways that can be done to you that are far more terrible than just killing you..." Raine said softly. "And I just realized..."


    "What you can do?" Belphegor asked in a mocking tone, he folded his arms across his chest while the wind blew from the glassless window behind him.


    "Here," Raine said briefly and waved her hand behind her body and there, she could see a figure of herself, sitting on the ground while hugging her knees, against the wall.


    Raine remembered what she felt like while she had experienced this and as she thought about it, from the other side of the corridor, she could see Torak walking toward her, approaching her other figure, who looked so scared and fragile, then the Alpha crouched down and said something into her ear before the other Raine finally got up and walked away with him.


    "I don''t understand what you mean by that," Belphegor said, his forehead creased.


    "That means¡­" Raine waved her hand and the scattered glass on the floor lifted, intact in its place on the window again. "I am in control of the time here."


    Raine should have realized this from the start that if all she saw was a reflection of her own fear, thus when she could control her own demons, then she could control the mirage in front of her as well.


    "Goodbye," Raine said her farewell.


    Belphegor narrowed his eyes when he saw Raine''s figure, which slowly disappeared and then shook his head. "I don''t understand that girl..." he clicked his tongue and started walking towards one of the dark ends of the corridor.


    He must immediately return to the real world and find out how far the other devils have made progress with the war.


    Had they won it?


    It was just that, as he continued walking, he found himself back in the corridor from earlier, with the window still intact and when he continued walking again, he would return to the same place.


    This happened continuously and there was only one explanation; he was caught in the vortex of time.


    ==============


    Raine closed her eyes and darkness flooded her senses, then when she opened them again, she was standing beside a white lycan in the middle of a terrible battle that was going on.


    **************


    If you buy the privilege chapters, the story had ended, I am sorry I forgot to announce it earlier.


    Thank you for reading The Love of a Lycan and this is officially end. (I am crying a million tears because this story literally has been my daily life for the past two years¡­)


    THANK YOU!


    THANK YOU!


    THANK YOU!


    For your support, comments, feedback, power stone, gifts and the feeling of appreciation that I can''t describe in words.


    I will write side story about them, but it will be in irregular update, since I am writing another story now.


    MY BLOODY ROMANCE FOR YOU.


    Please check my new book.


    This is a wonderful journey with you guys !!!


    ((^o^))


    XOXO


    Ps: I am sorry for the slow update.

 Chapter 1035: The war (6)

    Raine blinked for a moment, the scene was so extreme that she flinched for a moment, before finally realizing that she was right in the heart of the ongoing war.


    Monstrous creatures with sharp fangs and claws were charging toward them and the magicians were trying to block them by using magic, but their efforts were in vain, because they were too huge in number and the magicians were too tired.


    However, something else caught Raine''s eyes and she watched in horror as a dragon figure flew very low and dived toward the ground, intending to grab something there.


    Bree.


    Raine saw that the dragon was intending to take the little girl and without thinking, she stopped the time circling around the dragon and made its movements suddenly freeze.


    However, because Raine was still trying to adjust to the situation she was in, she lost focus for a bit and freed the dragon from the time hold that froze around the beast, as it flapped its wings just in time before its body hit the ground and flew away.


    In the meantime, Bree and the other two dragon shifters were saved. However, the dragon soon continued looking for a new target. A target it could easily defeat.


    And among the crowd of supernatural beings and the army of succubus and incubus creatures brought by Lilith, the dragon could see another two figures on the edge of the battle, looking unfazed by the fighting, as if they were in a bubble of their own world.


    Not paying attention to the war situation that was raging around them.


    That was Jedrek and Serefina.


    The King was hugging the witch who looked very weak and pale, her body was trembling violently and her eyebrows furrowed together in pain.


    There were no words or a sentence to encourage the witch, it was just that, Serefina was already feeling grateful for Jedrek''s presence beside her, hugging her like this.


    They both fell silent, but sadness was evident in Jedrek''s eyes. His breathing turned ragged and his grip on Serefina''s body tightened.


    The two of them did not realize what was coming to get them from afar, until a sound of something squeaking could be heard very close to the two of them, so deafening that Jedrek took his eyes off the witch in his arms.


    After the crackling sound, there was a very strong roar and explosion sound, that was when Jedrek noticed the roots that had emerged from the ground and wrapped around the dragon so tightly before making the beast crash on to the ground.


    A loud sound was heard when the dragon beast fell, shaking the ground they were sitting on which then successfully distracted several magicians from killing the army of succubus and incubus creatures, but couldn''t do much to focus.


    Unfortunately, this last dragon was so hard to defeat. Even in the entanglement of Lilac''s roots, the creature was still struggling to writhe and free itself.


    Its large flapping wings sent several shifters flying and even the faes had to retreat quite distance back, and of course this benefited the opposing side. The succubus and incubus creatures rushed forward and killed whatever they came across.


    It was an unfortunate fight.


    And when the dragon''s claws tried to tear apart the twisting roots, its figure indirectly moved toward where Serefina and Jedrek were.


    Seeing the lurking danger, Jedrek immediately picked up Serefina and took her to a safer place.


    It was only after confirming that this spot was safe enough and kept Serefina out of harm''s way, that Jedrek immediately shifted into his white beast and roared angrily.


    The white beast lunged forward and intended to finish off the dragon by running toward its back and tear its dead body so that this creature could no longer move.


    While, on the other side of the battlefield, stood the guardian angel, who was staring at her mate with a wounded gaze.


    She understood that Jedrek and Serefina shared an inexplicable bond and feelings and no matter what happened, the two of them always had that special bond.


    However, watching how Jedrek stared at Serefina with worried eyes and how he protected the witch, made Lilac feel an excruciating pain.


    And the fact that was even more sad for her was that Lilac couldn''t really hate the two of them.


    Serefina had done a lot for Jedrek and they had shared memories for years that no one could replace or make them forget.


    Lilac knew that now was not the right time to ponder over this matter, it seemed foolish that Lilac really had to lose her concentration over something like that, when other supernatural beings were losing their lives around them.


    But, sadly, that was what happened to Lilac as she couldn''t help but realize how painful this feeling was.


    However, the second she lost her concentration was extremely fatal, because at that time, the dragon was released from the entanglement of the roots and managed to break free.


    As if knowing who had entangled itself, the dragon immediately locked its gaze upon Lilac and roared angrily, as it flew low toward the guardian angel, before Jedrek could get close to the dragon beast.


    The white beast followed the direction where dragon was flying to and found that the creature was targeting Lilac.


    Thus without a second thought, he immediately dashed toward his mate at full speed, intending to grab Lilac first, who seemed to be pondering.


    What exactly was she thinking in this situation?! Jedrek thought angrily, he was trying to reach Lilac through the mind link, however, Lilac blocked her thoughts, making Jedrek unable to warn Lilac of the danger that was rushing at her.


    Meanwhile, Lilac was staring directly at the dragon, not that she was unprepared, but she was waiting for the dragon to get close to her, then launch a surprise attack.


    Indeed, this was a reckless move and dangerous as it was a very impulsive plan, but Lilac could sense that she needed this.


    If the plan indeed worked, then she could kill the dragon in one fell swoop, but if it did not...

 Chapter 1036: The war (7)

    The white beast sped up when he noticed how the dragon beast would reach the place where Lilac was standing at any moment now. Seeing how his mate was in danger, he roared loudly.


    The roar boomed in the middle of the battlefield, to warn Lilac to step aside. Only, the guardian angel didn''t heed the warning and faced the dragon head on.


    This is really reckless! How could Lilac be so careless as to endanger herself?! What is she thinking?!


    This thought made Jedrek very upset, but also worried and scared at the same time. Lilac could get hurt. The result could be fatal if the dragon pounced on her and Jedrek didn''t even want to imagine something like that happening to her.


    However, Lilac seemed indifferent to that fact.


    Jedrek was in a race against time, but he couldn''t make it in time, when the dragon swooped down with a mouth filled with sharp fangs, wide open, ready to devour lilac, whose size was relatively much smaller than the beast.


    In one go the dragon beast would swallow her, it was certain that Lilac would not survive that.


    Jedrek roared angrily as he saw Lilac remaining completely motionless. His heart was beating so hard that he felt like it was going to explode and what he saw now was like a slow scene in a movie.


    Where the dragon opened its mouth wide and Lilac was standing still, staring at the death right in the eyes that was coming to get her.


    No... no...


    Not like this¡­


    Jedrek felt that his heart would stop beating when the dragon got so close to Lilac and the guardian angel still didn''t do anything to save herself, but at a time like this, it seemed like it would be too late for Lilac even if she finally snapped out of her dazed state and tried to escape.


    However, at the last second before the dragon could harm Lilac, the guardian angel made a very familiar move, controlling the nature around her, she moved her hand like someone who was cutting something.


    And immediately, there was a roar of wind and suddenly the air around the dragon seemed to form a large guillotine and slashed through the dragon''s left wing, making the beast roar in pain because it had lost its left wing.


    Yet, there was no blood from it.


    Its movements stopped and the huge creature writhed in pain. Not only that, the dragon tried to fly by flapping its right wing, but of course the attempt failed and made the dragon beast floundered on to the dirty ground, roaring into the sky with its sharp fangs adorning its mouth.


    At that moment, a second slash came aiming at the dragon''s neck, only this time Lilac''s attack missed and hit the dragon''s back, which was covered in hard scales, and was able to withstand the attack.


    As if knowing who had attacked him like that, the dragon shifted his focus back to Lilac and tried to attack her again.


    This time, Lilac avoided the first hit and using the roots that appeared from the ground, she wrapped the dragon tightly, so it could stop moving.


    However, the creature was already mad and with a rush of pain, which it felt, it writhed so frantically that one of its legs almost hit Lilac, were it not for Jedrek in his white beast form who pushed Lilac away. And in exchange, he became the one who got that hit, the guardian angel would endure something more terrifying.


    Blood dripped from the white beast''s face as the dragon''s sharp claws scratched the side of his face. However, he was relieved to see that Lilac was all right.


    [Stay there!] Jedrek exclaimed over the mind-link.


    Because of her shock, Lilac forgot to block her thoughts again, so Jedrek was able to convey this message to Lilac.


    The white beast was furious that Lilac had endangered herself like that.


    If only Jedrek hadn''t moved quickly and Lilac had taken the blow, then he couldn''t imagine what would have happened to his mate.


    Jedrek didn''t want anything bad to happen to her. He would not be able to face the pain of being severed from the bond between them.


    However, regardless of what Jedrek or Lilac might think or feel right now, this was not the right time to dwell on it, when death was imminent.


    The white beast roared as its back came in contact with the dragon''s sharp claws. However, he did not have time to recover when the dragon attacked him again brutally, the pain the dragon felt prompted the beast to become even more vicious.


    The white beast noticed his unfavorable position and immediately spun around to counterattack.


    Only, the moment wasn''t quite right and the white beast almost got stuck with one of the dragon''s sharp nails if it weren''t for Lilac making the same air- cutting motion and cut off the dragon''s arm, which was disproportionate to its huge body.


    However, right at that moment, by strongly flapping its only wing which was horned, the dragon beast managed to knock Lilac down, seeing that opportunity, the dragon immediately left Jedrek and attacked the defenseless guardian angel again.


    With its horned wing, the dragon tried to stab the guardian angel, but the white beast jumped between them, making himself a shield to protect his mate. There was no way on earth he would let anything happen to Lilac before his eyes.


    The white beast stood on top of Lilac, who was lying on the ground, just in time for the horned wing to crash into him.


    But, after a while, the pain did not come, instead, he heard the roar of the dragon howling in pain.


    The sound broke through the air deafeningly and from the expression on Lilac''s face, he realized that something was amiss.


    And as soon as the white beast turned around to see what happened, his heart sank¡­


    Behind him, was Serefina, standing with the horns of the dragon''s wings pierced into her body, penetrating from her chest to her back.

 Chapter 1037: The war (8)

    Jedrek felt his throat choke on pure air as his heart stopped beating when his brain finally registered what he was witnessing at this moment.


    In his mind, there were many words he wanted to shout out loud for the whole world to hear, all of which were denials of the facts and realities that were happening right before his eyes.


    This can''t be happening, right? None of this should have happened.


    The white beast stood frozen when he saw how the dragon beast''s horn pierced Serefina''s body and blood began to flow from the wound.


    But then again, Serefina would not sacrifice herself without being rewarded in return.


    Jedrek watched grimly as she set the dragon''s horned wing ablaze, just like burning an incense paper that quickly turned into ashes which then blown away by the wind.


    Now, the dragon beast had lost its two wings and one forelimb, but the creature was still moving and trying to attack the witch, who was now kneeling on the ground and having difficulty breathing.


    Anyone who saw her could tell that she would not survive this...


    While the dragon beast that was still alive, continued to writhe in pain and was about to lay its body on top of the witch, in its attempt to squeeze her to death.


    However, Lilac immediately got up and created a deep crater under the dragon beast''s feet, which plunged him into the bottomless black hole.


    It was just that, because the ground was unstable and the witch had already exhausted all her strength, Serefina''s body rolled and fell into the dark crater as well.


    Lilac took a sharp breath when she saw that and was about to help Serefina, however, from the corner of her eye she saw that the white beast was already running very fast toward the witch with unquestionable intent.


    For a moment, Lilac froze in place and could only stare at how determined the white beast was to save Serefina.


    How deeply did Jedrek care about her, that it didn''t even take him a second to jump into that deep crater?


    Almost instantly, the pain returned.


    Lilac felt it right in her tender heart. The pain made it hard for her to breathe as she trembled with fear of what she would do now.


    Lilac felt awful that such a bad thought had crossed her mind, but then she shook her head and ran to the edge of the deep crater she had created, intending to save both of them.


    At this time, the dragon beast was already engulfed in darkness and could no longer be seen, it was just that, after reaching the crater, Lilac could not see the figure of the white beast or Serefina either.


    ==============


    Hope opened her eyes. She was sure she was in the middle of a bloody battle earlier, but as soon as she blinked, somehow she was in the room where she had woken up in Raine''s body earlier.


    She returned to the bedroom where she first woke up from a long sleep after returning Calleb and Ethan''s beasts, and also after her encounter with the moon goddess.


    However, this time Hope was alone, she didn''t find anyone there.


    She immediately got up and removed the blankets covering her body and set her feet on the floor.


    What was this? Why was she suddenly in this room again? Wasn''t she beside Kace before?


    Even though it was Raine''s body that she had occupied.


    Wait a minute¡­


    In that case, is Raine conscious now? And that was why Hope can return to her own body?


    It seemed that was the only answer.


    But, to be sure, Hope must find Lidya to confirm this. Where is the witch?


    As if answering the question in her head, Hope heard a noise from the hall, which made her curious and head there immediately.


    The closer she got, the clearer the sound was.


    It was a heartbreaking roar and Hope recognized the voice very well. It was Sterling, the father of Rossie and the twins.


    With hasty steps, Hope approached the source of the sound and found Sterling roaring his heart out as he sat on his knees, while Lidya was standing not far from him, not knowing what to do.


    "What is wrong?" Hope asked in a low voice. It was a huge relief to see Sterling regain his senses, but looking at his condition now, one could tell that he wasn''t doing well. "What happened?"


    Lidya immediately turned her head when she heard Hope''s voice and was quite surprised when she saw her. "You are awake! Hope?" she ended her sentence on a questioning note.


    "Yes, I am Hope." Hope nodded. "What happened to him?"


    Hope immediately knelt beside Sterling, but he didn''t seem to care about it as he was still wallowing in grief. Too deep for one to fathom.


    "He just found out that he had lost his mate and Ian..." Lidya hesitated for a moment. Hope already knew about Ian and Sophia, but was still clueless about the latest news that Lidya had to deliver after this. "...as well as Rossie."


    Hope''s hand stopped midair as she was about to caress Sterling''s shoulder, to lighten his load. However, when she heard Lidya''s last words, her body instantly froze and she was unable to make a sound for a moment.


    "What?" Hope frowned, still in a state of denial about what she just heard. "You... you''re not serious, are you?" Her voice trembled after hearing that, even Sterling''s roar seemed just a distant wailing in her ears now.


    After all, Sterling had just come out of a critical state, only to find that he had lost his mate as well as two of his children.


    No one would be in their right mind if they received such news.


    Meanwhile, Hope was clutching her chest very tightly as tears rapidly fell down on her lap.


    Hope remembered Rossie''s expression when they met for the first time.


    At that time, her expression reminded Hope of a cute little puppy that was lost with a bright pair of hazel eyes, coupled with the words when she told Hope about finding her mate.


    ''I would love to know how my mate will be...''


    It seemed like a distant memory...

 Chapter 1038: The war (9)

    Raine walked forward, toward where the battle was happening, but the white beast beside her kept following her and trying to make her stay away from the chaotic situation.


    Somehow, even though their size and color were almost same, but Raine could still sense that it wasn''t Torak. She just knew that it was Kace and thought that he was trying to protect her because Torak was quite far from them.


    Her mate was almost in the middle of a bloody battle with the succubus and incubus creatures and Kace took his brother''s place to protect Raine.


    Because, oddly, he could sense the connection between him and her, as if Raine was Hope. It was strange indeed, but the feeling seemed very real, yet he didn''t feel it again now.


    "Kace, I need to go close to the center of the battle," Raine said in a low voice. She needed to be in the right position so she could maximize the affect of her strength she would release later.


    Because timing was very crucial for her next set of actions which would be greatly affected by her position and she didn''t want to waste the first chance as she didn''t want to try for a second time just because the first attempt was failed.


    They were running out of time and each and every passing second they saved could help them save some more creatures on their side.


    First, Kace didn''t agree with that, he shook his head and again tore the succubus who dared to approach them.


    But, when Kace got back to her side, Raine put her hand behind the white beast''s head and rubbed it lightly, giving a feeling of relaxation amidst the tension.


    "I need you and Torak to be in the heart of the battle. We have to stop this and I need both of you to do it." Raine couldn''t see where Jedrek was. Therefore she asked Kace and Torak to be by her side, after all, their presence was enough to help her.


    Jedrek might be on the other side of the battlefield and as said earlier, Raine didn''t have much time to look for him. Time was very essential for them now.


    The white beast beside Raine then nudged the guardian angel''s side and she immediately knew what he meant, so with alacrity, Raine immediately climbed onto the beast''s back.


    The white beast swiftly brought Raine to the heart of the war and approached the other white beast, which was none other than Torak.


    When the white beast saw Raine, he didn''t immediately approach her but looked at her seriously, before he finally nuzzled her legs and Raine got off Kace''s back.


    For a moment, the white beast didn''t do anything, except stare at the guardian angel standing in front of him, because even though she looked like Raine, the beast remembered the strange feeling he felt when he saw Raine for the first time during the battle.


    However, this time was different. When the beast nudged Raine''s hand, he could feel the same spark he felt when he was with his mate and when the guardian angel put her hands on his head and traced the sticky strands of the white beast''s fur that had been coated with blood and dirt, staining Raine''s hand, the feeling of familiarity intensified in him.


    And that was when the white beast was sure that this was his mate.


    This is Raine.


    Who knew who had entered Raine''s body earlier that made Torak feel that she was not his, but this time, he firmly believed that this was her. It was Raine.


    Raine then stretched out her hands and embraced the white beast who immediately let out a low whimper. As if to say that he missed her.


    Torak smelled Raine''s signature scent, the scent he really liked and took liberty to breath in her. The scent of his mate''s body really made his beast feel calmer.


    "I miss you too..." Raine said quietly, as if answering what was on Torak''s mind. The unspoken words of the Alpha.


    They stayed like that for a while, ignoring their surroundings and letting out the longing between the two of them.


    While Raine and Torak were busy having their little reunion for a while, Kace, the magicians and the rest of the supernatural creatures tried to keep them both safe.


    [Can you make it quick, please?] Kace used mind-link to communicate with Torak. [I didn''t mean to interfere, but just wanted to remind you that we are in the middle of a battle and it seems like I could appreciate a little help over here.]


    And after hearing that, Torak distanced himself from Raine and the guardian angel now climbed onto the back of the white beast. Her mate.


    "Take me there..." Raine said while pointing to the center of the battle where most of the succubus and incubus creatures had been crowded.


    This was a dangerous thing to do, but Torak trusted Raine, he trusted his mate that she had a better plan and chose not to question her decision.


    There was only one thing he had to do, protect the guardian angel and that was his job now.


    Together with Kace and the few remaining shifters and magicians, they charged forward, toward the place Raine had mentioned to Torak earlier.


    ==============


    Hope wiped her face which was wet with tears. The news of Ian''s death alone had made Hope feel devastated and the fact that she didn''t even have time to mourn him was already heart curdling, but now she got to know that Rossie was gone too?


    Hope remembered very well the last time she saw Rossie. It was the time when she went out with Kace, Torak and Raine from Jedrek castle.


    There, she saw Rossie with her two twins brothers and Hope still remember smiling ear to ear while joking with Ian and Ethan.


    And how Sophia looked beautiful when she was scolding her kids or how she scolded Sterling because her husband was so strict with their daughter who just found her mate.


    And those were the last happy memories Hope had of the happy little family.


    However, she had things to do now. "Lidya, we have to go now," Hope said in a hoarse voice after crying her heart out. "Take me there."

 Chapter 1039: The war (10)

    Raine hugged the white beast''s neck tightly and let Torak take her to the center of the battle, while Kace and the other supernatural beings flanked their left and right sides in a protective barrier.


    During the short span for them to get there, some died and some were seriously injured and all Raine could do right now was focus on what she would do later and the strength she had to unleash.


    This would be the first time for Raine todo something this big and she didn''t know what percentage of success would be resulted from this recklessness.


    However, the one thing she knew was; she had a strong feeling that this was the only way for this unfavorable battle to end. She must believe in herself, though those things seemed easier when said than done.


    Raine looked around to take in the terrifying voices roaring right into her ears while an extremely gruesome and awful sight was displaying before her eyes.


    If the present Raine was still her timid and easily scared younger self from years ago, she wouldn''t have been able to say a word, let alone open her eyes and watch all these tense scenes unfold.


    Raine was grateful that she went through it all and was even more grateful that Torak was always there for her and helped her no matter what during her lowest point of life.


    And having gone through all the bad things in her life all over again and again, Raine could now clearly see how much progress she had made until now and she was proud of herself for getting through it all to say the least.


    All of that would never happen without Torak''s great patience to help her face her fears who had always been very gentle to take care of what her soul needed.


    It felt like it was just yesterday Raine that met Torak in a mentally unstable state, but then two years went just like that and here they were¡­ at the end of the world.


    But, at least they were together, even in these dreadful times and Raine couldn''t help but be more glad than ever.


    "Stop here," Raine whispered into the white beast''s ear and caressed her hand over the beast''s head, making him feel even more relaxed in this situation, letting him knew that she was right with him...


    After the white beast stopped running and Kace and the other supernatural beings joined them in that aforementioned place, Raine got off Torak''s back.


    Their circle was so small and they were surrounded by troops of succubus and incubus creatures. There was no escape from here if they were trapped as they couldn''t kill them all in a single attack.


    The magicians and shifters set up a barricade around them, but it wouldn''t last long, as the battle had already prolonged for way too long while they were not left with much energy to fight them any further.


    "Whatever you want to do, do it fast... I don''t think this barrier will last long." One of the several surviving magicians around them said in exasperation. He looked like he was almost at his wits end.


    Raine immediately looked around her and then stared at the sky which was still red as blood. The sky above their heads now looked the same way she got to see a year ago.


    However, Raine determined this battle would not end as it was destined to be. She was going to change the end of the prophecy as Raine knew and realized that she had the power to do it all.


    And this was a defining moment for them.


    "I need your firebirds," Raine said to Torak and Kace, but then they sensed something strange was happening around them.


    Time stopped.


    The roars of the succubus and incubus troops could no longer be heard, those heart curdling sounds had vanished.


    However, time only stopped in a certain area, centered on this battlefield and did not cover the entire region.


    Maybe for Kace and Torak, this was not a strange thing, but for the spell- casters and other supernatural beings, this was something extraordinary. They gasped and were amazed to see how the beings from hell stopped moving and remained in the same positions with frozen expressions as the last time they saw them.


    How could this be?


    Now all those eyes full of questions turned toward Raine instantly, but not just questions, admiration could also be seen from the glow in their eyes.


    Meanwhile, Torak and Kace shifted back into their human skin and realized one thing; These supernatural beings weren''t supposed to be able to move, because they had never touched Raine''s blood before.


    So, how could they move freely when Raine stopped time?


    Torak stared at the girl next to him in amazement, but seeing how her eyes looked unaltered and very calm, Torak assumed that Raine had finally able to control her power to the full extent.


    It seemed that his mate had now surpassed her previous abilities and it impressed him further.


    ==============


    Lilac tried to look inside the black and bottomless crater she had created earlier with grim eyes and a trembling body.


    The guardian angel intended to save Jedrek and Serefina, but without being able to see where they were, how could Lilac do that?


    Her hands trembled violently as she really felt her heart stopped beating for a second.


    Even when the situation around her had suddenly turned silent, she still didn''t notice any of those things now. She didn''t even realize that time had stopped.


    Because Lilac felt that time had really stopped for her when she saw the white beast darting to save the witch and plunging into this dark crater without a second thought.


    Lilacs really got scared that something might happen to the two of them.


    "JEDREK! SEREFINA!" Lilac tried to shout their names, calling for them to give her a signal where they were, but got nothing in response but silence.


    Lilac kept calling their names over and over again, but still nothing happened.


    Her body trembled with fear and her hands gripped the wet, dirty ground beneath her.


    Lilac knelt at the edge of the crater and stared at the void.


    And that was when she heard a popping sound, as if something had exploded quite loudly.


    The noise managed to make Lilac turn warily, in case another enemy was targeting her, but what she saw then were Hope and Lidya who had just teleported.

 Chapter 1040: The war (11)

    "Lilac!" Hope exclaimed and immediately went to the guardian angel who was crying.


    And as soon as Hope hugged her, Lilac burst into tears hysterically on her fellow guardian angel''s shoulder.


    "What happened?" Hope asked in confusion upon seeing Lilac''s condition. Her heart was beating rapidly, she wasn''t sure if she could receive news of the loss of a closer one again after what she heard about Rossie.


    Meanwhile, Lidya immediately ran to the edge of the crater and checked what was in there, because earlier Lilac was staring at the bottom of it in sadness which was clearly radiating in her tearful eyes.


    However, she could see nothing except for the pitch black darkness.


    Then, what made Lilac cry while looking down there?


    Lidya immediately turned her attention to the two guardian angels who were hugging each other and Lilac just pointed at the crater with a trembling finger, not even saying a word.


    "Calm down..." Hope rubbed Lilac''s back, trying to calm her inner turmoil a little with her soothing touch. "Tell me what is wrong..."


    Lilac said nothing, but after her sobs had subsided, she pulled Hope to the edge of the crater and pointed to the bottom.


    "Jedrek and Serefina¡­ they, fell¡­ I couldn''t find them¡­" Lilac said with difficulty in between her sobbing. "They fell into it..."


    Lilac pointed at the crater with a quivering finger, tears rushing down her cheeks uncontrollably, just like a broken dam.


    "What?" Lidya gaped at Lilac in disbelief. "How did it happen?"


    No, no¡­ something couldn''t possibly happen to Serefina, right? Lidya knew that the witch was not in a good condition and had already spent a great deal of her energy, not to mention the side effects for what she had done.


    However, Serefina could definitely save herself and Jedrek even if they fell into this crater.


    ==============


    Two firebirds emerged from Torak and Kace''s hands and flew high in the air, their bodies were not too big and Raine recognized Torak''s firebird immediately, because she had helped recover the power of the mythical bird in her arms before.


    For a moment, the two firebirds seemed to be flying through the air freely, as if they had just been freed from confinement.


    This fascinated the witches and other supernatural beings. Some of them had never seen a firebird before and this moment was so precious, they even forgot that they were in the middle of a war.


    After all, Raine had stopped time and given them a moment to breathe and recover some of their strength.


    And while they were enjoying the fire birds dance freely in the air, the two birds suddenly let out a loud and deafening sound before finally spewing fireballs that hit the succubus and incubus creatures, burning them with blue flames like a hot blue lava.


    The magicians and supernatural beings gasped and instinctively moved back, away from the scorching heat of the fire.


    While chanting a spell to protect them from the flames, they watched as the firebirds burned all the succubus and incubus creatures to dust, setting everything in their surroundings ablaze of the blue light.


    The blue light from the flames soared high into the air.


    And just like what the devils did to the lycanthropes and some dragon shifters during the war in Rieka, Raine did the same to the creatures from hell.


    The flames were so great and so powerful, that even Torak and Kace didn''t expect their firebirds to do something this big.


    In fact, this fire was much bigger than the fire wall that Jedrek had created while taking shelter in the school building.


    Yet, when they turned their attention to Raine, they could understand how it happened.


    Raine helped amplifying the power of the two firebirds.


    The guardian angel had indeed returned and this time more stronger than ever.


    Raine had fully grasped the crux of her powers now.


    ==============


    In the distance, they could see a brilliant blue light, result of massive fire break out that was created by the firebirds.


    For a moment Lilac, Hope and Lidya fell silent, but then they realized that the fire was burning the beings from hell and they could breathe a small sigh of relief, as it was not something precarious for them.


    At least this time they didn''t lose the war, like the defeat they suffered at Rieka.


    However, after the relief for the safe being of their comrades, came the feeling of anxiousness about what possibly had happened to Jedrek and Serefina.


    The two of them were still out of their sights and Lilac felt like someone who was going through a mental breakdown, realizing that what had happened to the two of them was partly due to her carelessness.


    It was just that, when Lilac was almost on the verge of despair, they heard a roar from the bottom of the crater and a growl loud enough to shake their surroundings.


    And that was when, they could see the white beast running up the crevices of the crater quickly with Serefina behind his back, hugging the beast''s neck so she wouldn''t fall.


    Seeing that, Lilac immediately wiped her tears and stood up. She moved her hands very frantically and helped the white beast and the witch to get to the ground safely.


    As soon as the white beast landed on the ground with the help of Lilac, Hope and Lidya immediately lowered Serefina''s body from Jedrek''s back and laid her on the ground.


    Hope gasped and her breath caught when she saw Serefina''s current condition, she started crying because she saw the large wound on the chest of the witch, while Lidya tried to stop the bleeding.


    On the other hand, the white beast shifted back into its human form and was about to approach Serefina, who was whimpering in pain. However he caught sight of a familiar figure.


    Jedrek stared at Lilac for a moment and the look in her eyes sank his heart because he knew he had hurt her again.


    It was just that¡­ at this moment Serefina needed him more.


    "I am sorry¡­" Jedrek whispered to Lilac and caressed her face with one hand before he approached the dying Serefina and hugged her body.

 Chapter 1041: Can i have him?

    "I am sorry¡­" Jedrek said in a voice like a whisper, while caressing Lilac''s face, before he approached Serefina.


    And, Lilac could only stare with gloomy eyes, how Jedrek hugged Serefina''s body which was already very weak and bleeding profusely, surrounded by Hope, who was crying until her shoulders trembled and her breathing turned ragged, and also Lidya, who kept trying to treat her.


    It was just that, Serefina shook her head weakly at Lidya, asking her to stop. Because they knew, anyone who saw this would have known that there was no hope for Serefina with her injuries and a body condition like that.


    And seeing this, made Hope cry even louder, she held Serefina''s hand tightly, while shedding tears.


    Lilac knew how close the witch was to Hope and how much Serefina meant to her.


    And even when she saw all of this, how they were crying over the witch and how Jedrek hugged her so carefully as if they were facing the end of the world, Lilac could not find the feeling of hatred in herself for the two of them.


    Lilac knew that she shouldn''t feel like some antagonist in the story, but she felt that way in Jedrek and Serefina''s love story.


    Somehow they were silent and shared tears, without actually saying a word, until Serefina held out her hand to Lilac, asking her to come closer.


    Now, four pairs of eyes stared at Lilac and made her feel uneasy, until Jedrek spoke softly and in a hoarse voice. "Come here."


    Lilac then turned her attention to her mate and stared at him in pain.


    Being around them was the last thing Lilac could ever want. She didn''t hate the two of them, but that didn''t mean her own feelings weren''t hurt and she hated herself for not being able to put her ego aside for a moment.


    Lilac felt conflicted.


    She wanted to refuse, but there was something in Jedrek''s eyes that made her body move closer to the two of them.


    Lilac did not want to feel anything about this situation, but somehow she just felt sorry for herself and the more she felt like that, the more she hated herself.


    After the distance was close enough, Lidya shifted and gave her place beside Serefina to Lilac, who walked as if she had lost her soul, or maybe she did.


    Lilac sat there with her face down, but then she could feel Serefina''s hand trembling and touch her cheek. Wiping her tears.


    Even Lilac herself didn''t realize since when she started crying, or what the particular reason that left her crying.


    All she knew was, her tears were now falling onto her lap and she could no longer look at Serefina''s or Jedrek''s faces.


    Lilac felt really bad.


    And in the distance, the blazing blue flames that smeared the red sky, gradually dimmed and the rest of the battlefield became calmer and more stable.


    ==============


    Raine stared at the debris scattered around her, the bodies of beings from hell that had turned to dust as the flames of the two firebird became fainter and fainter.


    "Is it over?" Kace whispered to Raine beside him in a low voice.


    "No," Raine answered softly and linked her hand with Torak. "Not yet."


    Yes, there were still three devils out there that they have to take care of and what they need now was for Hope to use her strength to the fullest and get hold of the rest of the devils.


    And everything would return to normal.


    It was just that, it was not as easy as one could imagine. No one knew how many more lives would be lost, for that matter either.


    It was then, Kace groaned softly and this caught both Torak and Raine''s attention.


    "What is wrong?" Raine asked softly.


    Kace then shook his head and clutched his chest, as if he was in pain. Then the Lycan stared in to the distance. "Hope," he said slowly.


    Through the bond, Kace was able to sense a deep sense of sadness that his mate was feeling along with an uncomfortable feeling, which he could not decipher.


    ==============


    Hope saw Kace, in his white beast form, running toward her very fast. Behind Kace, Hope could also see Raine and Torak in his white beast form as well, followed by the survived witches and other supernatural beings.


    They marched toward where they were, so it was safe to assume that they were fine for now. The battle was over, right?


    Hope immediately stood up, left Serefina''s side and ran toward her mate, she needed to be near Kace, because seeing Serefina''s current condition was something too hard for Hope to face alone.


    As their distance grew closer, Kace shifted back into his human form so he could immediately embrace his mate.


    Meanwhile, Hope immediately pounced into Kace''s chest and cried as hard as she could until her body trembled and her words became unclear.


    "What happened?" Kace asked worriedly, but Hope couldn''t answer. However, he didn''t need that answer when he saw for himself what had made Hope cry like this.


    Not far from them, in Jedrek''s arms, was Serefina.


    Kace''s heart started beating faster as he saw the blood continued to soak the witch''s body and bad thoughts starting to haunt his head.


    No way, right?


    There was no way that they have to lose Serefina too...


    Meanwhile, Raine and Torak started walking over to them and began to understand what was going on there.


    For that moment, the three people sitting there remained silent, not sharing any words, while other people were watching from a place not too far away, as if they didn''t want to disturb their time.


    Serefina was still holding Lilac''s hand and the guardian angel was still looking down, not wanting to look directly into the witch''s eyes.


    She was afraid that her current feelings would be clearly visible in her eyes.


    However, Serefina didn''t need that, because she then invaded Lilac''s mind and started talking to her.


    [Can I have your man for one last time?]

 Chapter 1042: All of them were in pain

    [Can I have your man for one last time?]


    Serefina''s voice echoed inside Lilac''s head for the first time. It sounded so weak and powerless, just like how she looked right now.


    At first, Lilac didn''t understand what Serefina meant and was quite surprised when her voice suddenly echoed inside her head, because all this time, Lilac had only used mind- link to communicate with Jedrek.


    Lilac then lifted her head and saw Serefina''s pained expression, only to see how she was pleading with her eyes. As if this was her last hope.


    Can I have your man for one last time?


    Your man...


    One last time...


    Was this the end of the three of them?


    Despite what had happened between her and Serefina, Lilac still didn''t want them to end up like this. This was too much...


    This war had already cost them too many lives and Serefina was too important for them to lose... No matter what happened.


    Lilac felt her throat tighten and she had difficulty breathing. This was exacerbated by the fact when the Guardian Angel lifted her head and her eyes met Jedrek''s.


    There was no emotion in those eyes, or perhaps, he was too drowned out in sadness that he was about to lose his true love? No one knew for sure. No one could explain the meaning behind his expression except for Jedrek himself.


    Lilac was trying to find something that wasn''t inside Jedrek''s red eyes. As red as the sky above them. As red as the blood that had flowed in this war.


    Still, Lilac found nothing in there.


    The guardian angel just wanted to know what he was feeling right now. Was he feeling sad? Regret, for leaving Serefina for herself? Or did he now wish he could go back in time and choose the witch over her?


    What?


    What is it?


    What did he feel now? Lilac wanted to know.


    However, she did not get the answer.


    Instead, she again heard Serefina''s voice in her head, who spoke ina soft and weak pleading tone.


    [Please...]


    Serefina never begged anyone before. She would never lower herself to beg for something. Even when she was so desperate to ask Jedrek to choose her, the witch did not, because she knew what was best for both of them.


    At least, it was a decision she had continued to believe in during their hundreds of years apart.


    Especially begging Lilac. The woman, who Serefina desperately hated, and was been chosen by Jedrek. A woman who was very lucky that she could be with the love of Serefina''s life. The woman who had touched every inch of the man''s skin, the way she touched him before.


    However, now the witch did it.


    She begged her.


    She pleaded the only woman she hated, but was also afraid to hurt, because then she would hurt Jedrek too and Serefina didn''t want do that.


    The last pure- blooded witch lowered herself to beg Lilac.


    An action that could be said to be almost unbelievable from someone as arrogant as Serefina.


    It was just that, in some way, this kind of act was quite similar to what Jedrek had done to save Lilac in the past.


    When everyone thought that the king would never bend his knees in front of anyone, he did it, for Lilac. For his mate.


    This similarity tore Lilac''s heart even further.


    The two of them did everything for the people that were important to them.


    Lilac was indeed important to Jedrek, because of the mate bond between them. There was no way Jedrek would let Lilac get hurt before his eyes.


    However, what if there was no mate bond between them? Would he do the same? But, definitely, Jedrek would do it for Serefina, right?


    What they had was very pure¡­


    This thought only made Lilac fell deeper into her sorrow.


    But, she didn''t want to leave Serefina''s side feeling devastated and heartbroken like this.


    If it really was the last time, then she wanted this to be something she wouldn''t regret.


    [Please ...]


    Therefore, when Serefina begged for the second time, Lilac tried to force a smile on her face and leaned over.


    She wanted to let go whatever feeling that she felt now. Not for Serefina or Jedrek, but for herself...


    The guardian angel side within Lilac did not allow her to feel this resentment too deeply.


    And because of that, Lilac leaned over and kissed Serefina''s forehead and the back of her hand with which the witch was holding her tightly and nodded softly, before standing up finally.


    Jedrek, who did not know what had been discussed between Serefina and Lilac, stared at his mate with an expression on his face that was still emotionless.


    Meanwhile, on the other hand, before Lilac let go of the witch''s hand and left the two of them alone, Serefina had time to say her last words to Lilac in the same way.


    [Thank you and goodbye ...]


    Yes, maybe this was a goodbye for them ...


    It was hard to swallow how this all was going to end, when previously Lilac always wondered how it all would end.


    And even if she knew this would be the end of the three of them, would Lilac feel any better?


    Even so, regardless of everything, Lilac knew in the depths of her heart that she didn''t want Serefina to end up like this...


    She wanted the witch to continue living and have her own happiness. Meet someone and fall in love just like how she loved Jedrek.


    Maybe it was just Lilac''s selfishness...


    Because the fact that they have to face everything before their eyes now...


    Lilac bit down her lips, tears started flowing down her cheeks without her realizing it. Her heart felt very heavy as if her chest was caving in.


    And when Lilac turned around to walk away from the two of them, she missed a pair of red eyes that were staring at her back. The regret in his eyes and sadness that no one could decipher.


    How it hurt him for the way he hurt her.


    He was in pain too¡­


    All of them were in pain¡­

 Chapter 1043: Forgive me

    Raine immediately approached Lilac when she saw the guardian angel moving away from Jedrek and Serefina, where they were now alone and whatever they said would not be be audible for them any longer.


    Meanwhile, Hope was in Kace''s arms. The girl was devastated and aggrieved, knowing she had to lose two of the closest people in her life within a very short period, was a huge blow to Hope.


    And Kace...


    It could be said that he was lost for words about how he was supposed to show his feelings right now. Serefina was family to him. A person who had been so close and important.


    No matter how many fights there had been between him and Serefina, they both protected each other in the end.


    Were not siblings like that?


    Behind Raine, Torak was standing some distance away from his mate, who was hugging Lilac. The nature controlling guardian angel was now going through a mental breakdown.


    He made room for the two of them, but his eyes were sharp, staring at his brother who was hugging another woman in front of his own mate.


    Meanwhile, when Lilac felt the warmth of Raine''s body and her hands gently rubbing her back without a sound, she could no longer contain what she felt...


    Everything was so difficult and complicated.


    Lilac didn''t even know what to think. And in the next second, tears began flowing down from her two orbs nonstop.


    Lilac was so wounded by so many unseen wounds that she didn''t even know where to start if she had to heal all of them.


    The guardian angel looked so helpless.


    ==============


    Jedrek stared at Lilac with an emotionless face. He knew how badly he had hurt his mate again and felt he didn''t deserve her at all.


    He had chosen Lilac and decided to let Serefina go, but the truth was; he still couldn''t really get rid of his feelings for his first love.


    How could Jedrek do all that when Serefina was in such a critical condition?


    How could he possibly turn away from this woman who was once the most important part of his life when he was in pain and was nearing the end of her life?


    After what Serefina had done and after Jedrek found out the witch''s reason for leaving him, how could he just stand aside and act as if he didn''t know a thing?


    There was no way Jedrek would leave Serefina when she needed him so much with the possibility that he would never see her again...


    The cruel possibility that they would never meet with each other again¡­


    Jedrek felt very complicated in his heart.


    The beast inside his mind was yelping, scratching the side of his head and made it even hard by howling his mate''s name.


    Yes, the beast inside Jedrek wanted his mate, he wanted Lilac and the pain Jedrek caused her for choosing to stay with the witch made him feel the same pain.


    There was no way Jedrek didn''t feel any pain seeing how Lilac was crying silently and trying to be strong by hiding her feelings.


    The beast within him would be more than happy to kill anyone who had hurt his mate so deeply.


    It was just that, everyone present could point out that it was Jedrek, who had hurt Lilac in such a painful way, and even if he said ''sorry'' for a million times wouldn''t suffice to atone to his sin.


    He was the source of the pain for the two women he loved.


    Really, Jedrek felt that he didn''t deserve any of them.


    Serefina had sacrificed so much for all of this to happen and even had to lose her life twice and be misunderstood for so long.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek, who should be the person who knew Serefina the best, misunderstood the witch even more.


    How could all this happen?


    How could Serefina possibly trick him? And he devoured all those misconceptions and wasted his time resenting the witch.


    While Lilac...


    Jedrek didn''t even want to begin where he should start apologizing to his soul mate. With every breath that he took, the moment he remembered the worst part of his life, the most brutal and most depressing things in his life, Lilac was the part of his life that he regretted the most.


    The guardian angel was so gentle and forgiving, even after what had happened, after what Jedrek had done and after what he had said, Lilac still chose to stay by his side.


    And it took a tremendous amount of strength to do that.


    Jedrek thought, after the ceremony and Lilac officially belonged to him, with every steps and decisions that Jedrek had taken, their relationship had finally made some progress, but who would have thought that they would hurt each other again in the end?


    No.


    It was Jedrek who continuously hurt Lilac, while the guardian angel was so kind that it made Jedrek feel like he couldn''t tolerate himself.


    In front of him, Jedrek stared at Lilac who leaned over to kiss Serefina''s forehead and the back of her hand gently, as if saying goodbye in unheard words.


    Yes, there was nothing more they could do. Everyone knew this, it was just that they didn''t voice it out loud.


    Because this would only be a final goodbye, and losing someone would never be a good thing, even though they had lost so much, it still wouldn''t make their hearts very cold to let go of the witch.


    Jedrek stared at Lilac''s back as she walked away and whispered softly in his heart.


    Forgive me...


    That was all Jedrek could say, because he could not offer his heart, which was no longer whole, which was corrupted and worthless, his heart was utterly undeserved of someone like Lilac.


    It was only right if the guardian angel got someone with a whole heart, while at the moment, Jedrek couldn''t give it.


    Post that, Jedrek lowered his head again, focused his attention again on Serefina and for this moment, he let all of his forbidden feelings whatever he had been keeping for a long time, resurface again, as he turned his attention to her.


    Only to Serefina.

 Chapter 1044: It has been a long time since i saw you cry

    Despite the bone crushing pain, the witch managed to smile weakly at the man she had loved for a long time, the one she had given up everything she had, body and soul.


    However, if this were to be the end, Serefina didn''t want to go away in an aggrieved state or leave any remorseful feelings for Jedrek.


    Since Jedrek knew it all, Serefina didn''t want him to feel guilty about the decision she had made.


    Because right now, if she had to go, then leaving in Jedrek''s arms was the best thing she could ever get to end this pain, where Serefina always thought that she would die alone and lonely.


    "You''ve taken care of my cat?" Serefina asked in a low voice, but it was enough for Jedrek to hear her clearly. "After I was gone?"


    "Yes," Jedrek replied. "I had taken care of her like a treasure." It was an honest reply and it made Serefina smile.


    "I know you will take care of it," she said. "I just hoped that I can still see her when I got back."


    "You came back after hundreds of years, and the life of a cat isn''t that long,"Jedrek said back and this made Serefina laugh softly.


    However, at the end of her laughter, Serefina coughed up blood and Jedrek hugged her even tighter.


    "I want to go home..." Serefina whispered softly, as Jedrek cleaned the remnants of blood that had stained her lips.


    Serefina''s hair, which was long and red, looked very matted and Jedrek helped her to tidy up a little of her appearance by tracing the strands of her hair with his fingers.


    "Yes, we are going home..." Jedrek muttered, tucking Serefina''s hair behind her ears. "I will take you home, don''t worry..." and Jedrek felt Serefina nodding against his chest.


    "If there is one thing you can change, what do it would be?" Serefina asked again after a few moments of silence, enjoying Jedrek''s gentle touch on her skin, and his warmth on her body which slowly began to turn cold.


    Jedrek thought for a moment when he heard the question, before he answered with a faint smile on his lips.


    "I don''t want to fight with you on ''that'' day," Jedrek said quietly.


    Both of them let go of their feelings, as they reminisced the unspoken memories from the past, having a conversation that only the two of them could understand. Only for this one time.


    Only for once, because maybe there would no other opportunity to be honest, to speak whatever they felt about each other.


    "Yes, so do I." Serefina agreed. "I didn''t want to fight with you that day."


    ''That day'' was the day when Serefina had a quarrel with Jedrek which made her leave the castle and participate in the massacre of the shadow warriors and the capture of guardian angels with the other lycanthropes.


    The day Serefina was killed by a shadow warrior named Dorian and resurrected by the moon goddess, Selene, to carry out a mission to save the guardian angels who would be resurrected to help Donovan brothers win the war.


    Because Serefina wanted to see Jedrek again. She wanted to see him again so badly, she would do everything at any cost just to meet him again.


    Serefina wanted to take a look and make sure that Jedrek was okay.


    Therefore, leaving this world in Jedrek''s arms wasn''t a bad ending, right?


    ==============


    Raine hugged Lilac tighter, when she saw Jedrek and Serefina talking to each other intimately.


    But, she knew... Serefina''s time was short.


    Although Raine and Serefina''s relationship couldn''t be said to be good, she couldn''t deny that Serefina took the most prominent part in the process of healing her.


    In Serefina''s own way, which might tend to be brutal and pushy, the witch made Raine see the world in a better way and with clear eyes.


    There would be many things that could happen ahead of them than Raine could ever imagine and she would miss everything if she was always scared and there would be a lot of things that Raine would not able to do if she always hid behind Torak and didn''t dare to step forward.


    Serefina taught Raine so hard and now she was grateful for it.


    Because that was what Raine needed when she struggled to overcome her endless fear, while Torak always protected her, making sure that Raine didn''t have to face it all.


    However, Serefina pointed out things in a different way.


    And a simple ''thank you'' alone wouldn''t be enough...


    ==============


    Kace remembered very well how the first time he met Serefina and how the witch made him feel interest in the magic tricks she could pull off and even though the days that followed were not filled with peace between the two of them, it was Serefina who was always there for him when Jedrek and Torak were not in the castle, as they followed their father away from home.


    And since then Kace, always relied on Serefina for various things unconsciously.


    Kace admired the witch for her stubbornness and for her obvious feelings.


    Serefina was almost always honest with her own feelings, but toward the end of her life she managed to make them all think otherwise.


    ==============


    "It has been very long since the last time I saw you cry..." Serefina said in a voice that was getting weaker, as if every word could easily be carried away by the wind.


    There was no stubbornness nor arrogance that were always been attached to her image.


    Maybe it was because the witch was too weak to act peculiarly, or maybe she had felt much calmer and more peaceful, so she felt no need to cover up her feelings and pretend to be strong, when she was not.


    "I don''t," Jedrek replied.


    However, his lie was immediately disclosed by Serefina as she reached out and caressed Jedrek''s cheeks which were wet with hot tears.


    Serefina was the first woman who had wiped Jedrek''s tears and now she was also the one who wiped his tears for him at this moment again.

 Chapter 1045: Dont go!

    Jedrek then stretched out his hand and grabbed Serefina''s, which had wiped his tears earlier and brought it to his lips. Kissing those trembling fingers solemnly.


    However, the king did not say anything. He just stayed still post that, hugging Serefina''s cold body.


    If time were to repeat itself and they chose different paths, might they have had different endings?


    However, this was unavoidable, because at some point in Jedrek''s life, he would meet Lilac because it was what the moon goddess had set in stone.


    "Don''t cry, because this will only be the end of me, but not yours..." Serefina said in between panting breaths. She really didn''t want to see Jedrek sad.


    Serefina would leave this way, but Jedrek still had a life he needed to live after. There was still so much work to be done.


    And Serefina''s greatest regret was; she wouldn''t be there, beside Jedrek and watch him like she was used to do, but at least this time Jedrek wouldn''t be alone ...


    He would have his brothers with him...


    Torak and Kace would help him through all of this. They were stuck with each other and would forever be...


    "You are the first woman I loved and in the end I couldn''t protect you..." Jedrek said softly. He didn''t dare look into Serefina''s lime green eyes, which were slowly losing their hue of life.


    However, Serefina did not allow the king to avoid her, so she stretched out her hand again and touched Jedrek''s cheek so that he would turn and look at her straight in the eyes.


    Reluctantly, Jedrek complied with her request and found Serefina smiling peacefully at him.


    "You are here by my side, hugging me..." Serefina whispered softly and her smile grew even more wider. "That''s enough for me."


    And Jedrek''s tears fell on Serefina''s cheeks again, leaving a trace of warmth on them...


    Jedrek leaned over and kissed Serefina''s lips gently, as the witch breathed her last...


    In the arms of her loved one and after relishing a gentle kiss that warmed her cold soul, Serefina was gone for good...


    ==============


    Belinda and Sybil were trying to calm down the beast, the out of control beast of Calleb. He went feral after the death of his mate.


    His beast killed so many humans and turned the residential area into a slaughter house with the thick smell of blood in the air.


    Meanwhile some lycanthropes tried to stop him with no avail.


    Calleb in his beast form, overpowered by rage and grief, made it very difficult for others to calm him down. He looked like a monster that would kill anyone who were unfortunate enough to fall in his line of sight.


    Whether it was a friend or foe, he no longer cared when the beast instincts within him had completely taken over and rendered Calleb unable to control himself anymore.


    However, after killing so many humans on a spree, he ended up feeling drained and weakened due to the side effects of his actions.


    Only when he was fully exhausted, could Belinda, Sybil and the several other witches come near Calleb to finally control him.


    They locked him in a magical chest, the result of using a restraining spell and restricted his movements so that he could not get out of the invincible box, which served as a cage to him.


    This, of course, angered the beast even further. The Beast repeatedly slammed its head against the side of the cage, but it didn''t produce any results.


    Calleb did this over and over until his roars would be heard blaring through the silence that engulfed their surroundings.


    Heart wrenching howls that portrayed his hurt and loss.


    While on the other side of the town, Ethan was silent while hugging Rossie''s lifeless body.


    He couldn''t even let a single word out of his lips when he found that he had lost his only younger sister as well.


    No anger or outburst erupted from him, like Calleb was doing now, only emptiness. All of this happened so quickly, and within a short period of time he had lost almost all of his family members.


    And now Ethan felt that he was no longer connected to the real world, as if he was enveloped in his own sadness and sorrows under the silent night. Like he was being trapped into the feelings of unfairness he felt now.


    ==============


    There was no longer any movement from Serefina, and now Jedrek could only look down and stare at the witch''s face that had become pale.


    He couldn''t believe that he and Serefina had to end up like this.


    Jedrek could not believe that the witch had left him forever. All of this seemed surreal and almost absurd.


    However, this was a fact that was presented in plain sight and no one could say otherwise.


    Serefina was gone...


    The last pure- blooded witch was dead...


    Although, previously Serefina pretended to be treasonous and sided with the devils, but at least Jedrek knew that Serefina existed. She was alive.


    However, not this time...


    Even though she was in his arms, but her soul was long gone.


    Meanwhile, on the other hand, Hope, who was still in Kace''s arms, could see something over the shoulders of his mate...


    She saw her soul...


    Serefina now was looking as white as the faintest mist, but her soul was also so obvious. Her body was crystal clear and Hope recognized the shape...


    Just like Hope''s encounters before...


    This soul''s figure had a similar shape to the priestess, the children who became sacrifices on Mount Uzu, Chiron and the other centaurs''...


    And now, it was Serefina...


    Her soul was still there and she stood before her own body and Jedrek who still didn''t move from his position.


    For a moment, their eyes met and Hope could not hold back her tears when she saw the smile of the witch.


    "Don''t go..." Hope''s plea was like a desperate whisper... "Don''t go please..."


    And as if all their past memories were returned, Hope seemed to see every second that she had spent with Serefina and Lana.


    Lana who was always protective of her or the rare event when Serefina occasionally picked her up at school. As well as the memory about Serefina, in her unconventional style, teaching the parents of the boy who bullied her.


    "Don''t go..."Hope sniffled again, she shook her head vigorously. "DO NOT GO!"

 Chapter 1046: You have to let her go

    "Don''t go..." Hope sniffled again, she shook her head vigorously. "DON''T GO!"


    This time Hope shouted and got the attention of everyone who was present.


    In fact, Lilac, who had stopped crying, but was still in Raine''s arms, was also staring at her with swollen eyes.


    However, Hope''s scream had no effect on Serefina, because she still smiled at Hope and said very slowly, so that Hope could only read the movement of her lips.


    ''I have to,'' Serefina said.


    Hope shook her head again, but instead, Serefina turned her gaze to Jedrek and bent down while whispering to his ears...


    ''I love you. Always''


    After that Serefina kissed the top of Jedrek''s head before her body finally disappeared into the wind.


    Like a mist...


    The witch was really gone now...


    Bringing away her love for Jedrek while hoping that the man can live a happier life after this.


    Maybe, even though it took long, Jedrek would get his happiness back.


    Or maybe not...


    ==============


    Belinda grimaced as she saw how Calleb, in his beast form, went berserk and once again banged his head against the invisible wall around him, which left him unable to move freely and commit another murder.


    This was not real, right...?


    Belinda had never seen Calleb lose control over his beast to this extent. He didn''t care about anything anymore and nothing was more important in his eyes now.


    "We can''t stay here any longer than this," Belinda told Sybil next to her.


    They couldn''t stay there forever because the humans would return with reinforcements much stronger than before and Calleb would neither be controlled nor cooperated with.


    They had lost so many people, so many people they knew and Belinda wouldn''t let the same thing happen to Calleb.


    Belinda didn''t know how a lycan could get through the phase where they could accept the fact that their mates didn''t exist anymore, or whether they would become feral or not, becoming a being possessed only by the killing instinct.


    But whatever it might take, Belinda wouldn''t let anything bad happen to Calleb. She had known the lycan for a very long time and she would help him in any way she could.


    "Do you have any ideas?" Sybil asked, sounding exhausted and a little skeptical that things would get better.


    "We can''t do this alone and let the lycanthropes fight again when the humans come back later." Belinda didn''t even dare to imagine how things would turn out when they were forced to fight again and kill the humans. It would make them reach their limits and worse things would happen.


    "We have to join the Donovans," Sybil said, her white hair fluttered by the wind and she had to brush the strands off her face.


    Belinda looked doubtful when she heard the suggestion.


    "I am not sure if they are in a better situation than here..." Belinda muttered.


    And that was when someone said, walking unsteadily, up to them. "Take Calleb to the Donovans, things are under control there."


    Simultaneously, the two witches turned around and found that Sterling was walking toward them.


    "Sterling, are you all right?" Belinda approached the man. She thought that Sterling would not survive the tragedy that hit his family at the castle the other day and even though she heard that this man had been rescued by Lidya, his condition was not very good.


    "I can''t say that I am fine..." Sterling''s eyes were fixed on the beast, trapped in an invisible magical box in front of him.


    Calleb was still on a rampage and everyone seemed to be completely lost about how to handle the beast or calm him down.


    And Sterling also didn''t have anything to say, because he also knew what it felt like to lose your mate...


    "I am sorry for your loss..." Belinda expressed her condolences.


    But then, Sterling changed the subject, in a very husky, deep voice, "Where are Ethan and Rossie?"


    Belinda looked surprised. "They are over there..." she pointed in the direction where the two siblings were, but then she seemed hesitant to continue her sentence. "But, Rossie..."


    "I know..." Sterling interrupted her words and stumbled toward his children.


    Even the appearance of Sterling''s distant silhouette made the hearts of anyone who saw him very sad.


    "We must meet the Donovans..." Belinda decided.


    It would be an arduous task to teleport a hundred more lycanthropes with them, but not impossible.


    ==============


    Torak walked over to Jedrek who was still silent in his original position, after he was sure that his older brother had had enough time to mourn for the loss of Serefina.


    Torak also felt sadness at the sudden demise of the witch, although not as deep as Kace or Jedrek, because after all, it was the witch who had guided Raine all this time, even though not all of the methods she used had gotten Torak approval...


    But also because the relationship between Torak and Serefina was not as close as Kace and the witch.


    Regardless, he was grateful for what Serefina had done for them.


    If they won this war eventually, then all of that could be considered as the fruits of Serefina''s tremendous efforts.


    "Jedrek," Torak called out to his brother, crouching down beside him and gently squeezing his shoulder to let his presence known. "You have to let her go," he said.


    Jedrek did not move, he was still sitting frozen in his position.


    Torak don''t know which outcome was much better; seeing Jedrek turn feral after losing Serefina like what happened hundreds of years ago, or seeing Jedrek became very silent and letting all his emotions hide away, which would later forge into a time bomb over time that might destroy himself.


    "You have to let her go," Torak repeated his words.


    But, how could Jedrek let Serefina go?


    "We have to give her a proper burial," Torak said again. "She deserves that."


    "I love her, Torak..." Jedrek said in a voice like a whisper.


    Torak was silent for a moment, he stared at Lilac, who was still sobbing lightly in Raine''s arms, but looked much better now.


    "You will only hurt Lilac by loving her," Torak stated an undeniable fact.

 Chapter 1047: Longings

    "I know." Jedrek then looked at his mate, who was in Raine''s arms and felt the excruciating pain after seeing Lilac all heartbroken because of his actions. "The only thing that I have been giving her all this time is pain..."


    Torak said nothing when he heard that, his dark eyes were staring at the witch who had closed her eyes forever, as he bade her farewell softly in his heart.


    ''Goodbye Serefina, thank you for everything that you have done for us.''


    And everything was enveloped by eerie silence once again.


    However, a few minutes later, a popping sound like a soft explosion was heard not too far from them, but under these conditions, of course they would instinctively search for the source of the sound vigilantly.


    After all they were in high alert, just in case there was another enemy that was trying to ambush them.


    The minotaurs immediately circled around the guardian angels and the magicians were standing behind them, they were ready to attack.


    It was just that, the sight they saw next made them breathe out in relief, because in front of them, were not only Belinda, Sybil and some of the other shifters they knew, but Raine also recognized the brown colored beast which was Calleb''s.


    Raine couldn''t describe the way relief flooded her system when she noticed that the Beta was fine.


    Apart from that, they also saw Sterling, who was carrying Rossie and Ethan as well. They were all here... They survived...


    And there was nothing more important than to see old friends again.


    Raine couldn''t be more relieved than this. It could be said as knowing good news before hearing the worst news, since she was still a little clueless about the recent news.


    "Go..." Lilac separated herself from Raine, wiping away her tears. "I am feeling better now, thank you," she said softly.


    Lilac knew that Raine wanted to go over to Belinda and the people she knew, especially Calleb, who was still in his beast form.


    "Are you sure?" Raine asked worriedly, she could meet them later if Lilac still needed her company, but the other guardian angel gave her a weak smile to reassure her.


    "Yes." Lilac nodded. "There is something I want to talk to Sybil as well." She then directed her attention to the witch with white- hair, who was walking briskly toward Raine and Lilac.


    The witch looked like she had something that was needed to be discussed with her queen.


    "Okay then," Raine agreed and gave Lilac a quick hug before she went over to Belinda and the brown beast.


    After Raine walked away, Lilac looked at Jedrek, who was still hugging Serefina''s body, while talking to Torak. No one knew what they were talking about, but they didn''t seem to be too many exchanging words between the two of them.


    "Your majesty," Sybil greeted Lilac, and only then did the guardian angel shift her focus back to the witch.


    But, before Sybil could say a word, Lilac had something to tell her first.


    "I want you to help me with something," Lilac said in a hoarse voice.


    "Anything, your majesty," Sybil answered solemnly. She pledged her loyalty to the royal family and since Lilac was her queen, she would do anything for her.


    Meanwhile, Raine walked over to Belinda and hugged the witch, it seemed like she still didn''t realize what happened to her step sister, so was Raine, about what had happened to Calleb.


    "Belinda," Raine buried her face between the curve of Belinda''s shoulder and neck and hugged her tightly, breathing a sigh of relief knowing they were together and all right now.


    "Raine, I am glad you are fine..." Belinda returned the guardian angel''s hug. "Has all this ended?" She asked expectantly.


    Since the war had stopped here and it seemed they had won it, Belinda assumed that all these nightmares had finally come to an end.


    However, Raine shook her head.


    "No, not yet." Yes, because there were still three more devils they had to catch and lock up, and there were also craters, the gates to hell, which were still open. They had to close those too.


    Hearing that, Belinda nodded stiffly and began to observe all the people around her, who were still strange for her and finally she found Hope, who was still in the arms of Kace and also Lilac, who was talking to Sybil.


    But, then the two of them walked forward with facial expressions that were difficult to decipher.


    And that was when Belinda caught the figure of Jedrek who was hugging Serefina and Torak who was crouching by his side.


    What was Jedrek trying to do? Hugging Serefina like that in front of Lilac? Didn''t he know that it would create an awkward atmosphere between the three of them?


    Did her sister had gone insane to have a display of affection at a time like this?


    But, a moment later, Belinda realized there was something odd about the scene she was seeing.


    "Raine, what happened to Serefina?" she asked in a choked voice, as if her subconscious had already know the answer before Raine could even reply.


    "You have to go there and see for yourself," Raine answered softly.


    Belinda blinked a few times because she didn''t understand what Raine was getting at, but then she agreed and started walking toward the Donovans, feeling a little bit awkward.


    Her gut feeling told her that something was wrong with Serefina which she couldn''t explain, even her subconscious seemed to know the answer to this uncomfortable feeling, it was just that, Belinda brushed everything off and started walking with more steady steps after shaking her head to get rid of all negative thoughts.


    Meanwhile, on the other hand, Lilac cautiously walked over to Jedrek and nodded at Torak, as if to say she would handle it from here.


    Torak nodded politely and stood up to approach Raine, the two of them haven''t had the right time to express their longings to each other.


    Granted, this was not the right time, but at least, Torak wanted to feel her presence by his side and take the liberty of breathing in her scent.

 Chapter 1048: I know my love

    Granted, this was not the right time, but at least, Torak wanted to feel her presence by his side and take the liberty of breathing in her scent. All of this was grueling and tiring, both physically and mentally and the Alpha needed his mate to fill in the gaps.


    Likewise Raine. The guardian angel felt the same way.


    It was just that, before all of that could happen, something else was bothering her. She had felt this oddity since a moment ago¡­


    The brown beast.


    "What happened to him?" Raine asked one of the Alphas who came along with the others witches.


    "Luna," the Alpha greeted Raine politely, but the guardian angel waved her hand to dismiss his pleasantries.


    He didn''t need to do all of that at a time like this, and all she needed was an answer because she felt there was something wrong with the beast''s behavior.


    Raine''s forehead wrinkled even more and her black eyes stared intently at the beast, who, once again, banged his head against the invisible wall that surrounded him, made by several witches who just came here.


    "What happened to him?" This time Raine sped up her footsteps and stopped beside one of the witches. "Why did you lock him up like this?"


    The Alpha, who had greeted Raine earlier, followed her by running behind her and answered the question.


    "Supreme Beta, Calleb has lost his mate," the Alpha told his Luna and he could see Raine''s pupils getting dilated.


    "What?" Raine exclaimed in disbelief at what she had just heard and her mind instinctively started to deny the fact she had just heard.


    That couldn''t be happening, could it be? Rossie was all right, wasn''t she?


    Oh, Selene, what now...


    Raine had seen a Lycan who became feral because of the loss of his soul mate and never thought that such an awful thing would happen to Calleb as well.


    Raine walked closer to the invisible cage, but one of the witches held her by her wrist and shook her head, forbidding their Luna to go any near to it.


    "Luna, don''t do that, supreme Beta Calleb is not in the right state of mind now," she said carefully, not wanting to offend Raine. "He can hurt you." She added in hopes that Raine would relent.


    "Please, stay here, Luna." The Alpha also tried to prevent Raine from going any further than this.


    Therefore, Raine had no other choice but to listen to them and slowly retreat, but her eyes were still fixed on the brown beast, who looked angry and violent.


    It was Calleb, Raine could sense it, only the beast didn''t seem to allow anyone to see how devastated he was deep inside.


    For a moment their eyes met and Raine could see the despair in those red eyes and this broke Raine''s heart even more.


    Raine loved Calleb. Therefore, whatever hurts him, will hurt her too.


    They stared at each other for a moment, before the beast growled and furiously roared, then returned to banging his head against the invisible wall before him again and again.


    "You can''t lock him up like this..." Raine said softly. She wanted to hug Calleb right now. Tell him that everything was going to be all right, but she couldn''t.


    Everything would never be all right to the shifters, who lost their mates.


    "I am sorry Luna, but we can''t free him," said the witch. "The beast will start attacking people again if we do that. For now, he doesn''t even recognize who is a foe or friend."


    Raine could understand it. However, it still couldn''t make her feel any better...


    Her heart ached for Calleb.


    They lost so many important people in this war, until her heart felt like she couldn''t take anymore of these heartaches...


    Raine stood there, staring at the beast that was almost feral now, until she felt the spark on her shoulder and she didn''t need to see, who was that before she turned around to hug him and buried her face against his chest, sobbing.


    "Torak..."Raine''s voice sounded very heavy and hoarse. "Calleb..." she couldn''t even continue her words, before the sadness overtook her and Raine could no longer hold back her grievances and poured out all of her feelings in front of Torak.


    She was crying until her back shook violently.


    "I know, my love," Torak said softly, hugging Raine tightly as he rubbed her back in order to calm his mate.


    Before approaching Raine, he had a chance to meet Sterling who was hugging Rossie''s lifeless body and also Ethan, who was standing beside him.


    Some people tried to talk to the two people, not to calm them down though, because neither of them made any sound. They were so calm, it looked so heartbreaking, considering how much loss they had suffered.


    And Torak didn''t have to ask to know what happened. He could see Rossie''s stiff body and her blood soaked clothes, which were now dry and in that instant, he felt the pain Calleb felt through the bond they shared.


    Torak had not felt this before, as there had been a lot of mixed feelings in the last few hours.


    The battle, the loss of many lycanthropes, the death of the shifters and magicians who helped them, the battle with the devils and the death of Serefina...


    All feelings were mixed and Torak tried not to respond to any of it, so he could concentrate...


    It was just that, he did not expect that from those many feelings, there was also the pain of his Beta, the beast who was howling in sadness for the loss of his mate...


    While Raine was still crying in Torak''s arms, Hope had calmed down a little.


    She freed herself from Kace''s embrace and walked over to Sterling and Ethan, wanting to see Rossie with her own eyes for one last time.


    Maybe... just maybe, Hope could still see her, like how she saw Serefina''s soul just before she completely disappeared.


    With Kace at her side and his arms around her shoulders, Hope walked with unsteady steps, her eyes swollen and her sobs were still audible.

 Chapter 1049: Get rid of it

    And as soon as Hope saw Rossie''s body, which was still in Sterling''s arms, her tears broke out again. She turned around and buried her face against Kace''s chest.


    She still couldn''t believe this happened to her bestfriend¡­


    And no... Hope didn''t see Rossie''s soul, she didn''t get to see her for one last time. She was late and Rossie had disappeared completely.


    But, now that she was back in the midst of her family, maybe because of that she didn''t stay long... and Hope didn''t have a chance to say goodbye.


    It was a moment for them to mourn for the loss of the people they knew and also a reminder for them to understand how precious their time was, because no one knew what would happen after this...


    Would they be still alive to see tomorrow or would they be the ones who would witness their friends leaving one by one?


    No one was sure about tomorrow...


    Meanwhile, on the other side of this battlefield, the guardian angel was standing behind the man who was supposed to be her mate.


    Yes, they were mates, but Lilac knew, whom exactly Jedrek''s heart belonged to.


    Toward whom, he was feeling this deep sorrow... and there was nothing Lilac could do to say otherwise, because no one could force someone else feelings, could they?


    Lilac looked doubtful as she stretched out her hand, but in the end she touched Jedrek''s shoulder and knelt beside him.


    At first, Lilac didn''t want to see Serefina''s figure, but she couldn''t help but look at her...


    In Jedrek''s embrace, the witch''s face looked so peaceful, like someone who had completed an important mission, like a runner who had reached his finishing line...


    At least, after this... Serefina wouldn''t feel any more pain...


    Her mission had ended now and she had a better ending than she could have imagined...


    "We have to prepare a funeral for her..." Lilac said softly to Jedrek. Her little hands rubbed Jedrek''s broad shoulders, making soothing circles, as if doing so could make the king feel a little bit better.


    But, no one could make Jedrek feel better now...


    "We can''t delay this any longer..." Lilac persuaded Jedrek to let Serefina go.


    Meanwhile, standing behind Lilac and Jedrek, were several magicians and shifters, with their heads lowered, paying their final respects to Serefina.


    The last pure blooded witch was gone.


    "It is all right now... you can let her go..." Lilac whispered softly to Jedrek, pulling his hand that held Serefina''s hand gently.


    However, Jedrek turned his head and looked at her with tears in his blue eyes and this was the first time Lilac had seen Jedrek in such a devastated state.


    Her heart ached for him.


    "I can''t let her go, Lilac..." Jedrek answered in a very low voice and when he saw the pain in her eyes, the agony in his heart became even more unbearable. "I can''t..."


    Lilac felt a lump in her throat that she had to swallow it by force, but she was trying her best, not only for herself, but also for Jedrek and the people who had lost their loved ones.


    They couldn''t stay down¡­


    They still have things to do...


    "I know," Lilac said, caressing Jedrek''s face. "You can hold on to me now. You can lean on me."


    Lilac took Jedrek''s hand and pulled his head against her chest, causing the man to give up the love of his life and letting the witches do their job.


    Serefina''s body was lifted into the air as soon as Jedrek released her and Lilac formed a bed made of roots and rattan, as Serefina''s final resting place.


    Lilac still remembered that the witch did not like flowers, therefore, she replaced them with beautiful intricate plaits as decoration.


    At least this was the last thing she could do for her...


    ==============


    It took a while to get things organized and make the chaos more manageable.


    Abby and Leon survived the battle and now the two of them were taking care of the dragon shifters along with several healers who were brought in to help the injured victims.


    Meanwhile, the Lycanthropes, shifters, witches and eleven faes who had survived the war, worked hand in hand to make tents for them to rest.


    On the other hand, some magicians were still busy taking turns for chanting incantations to curb the beast, who was still feral. They still haven''t found a solution how to calm the beast.


    In the midst of the bad news that reached them, at least they heard the good news that Baby Eddard was fine and now the baby was under Adah''s supervision and was in a safe place.


    At least some of those who knew the baby''s parents were very relieved to hear this. It was like a breath of fresh air among the bad news that had been circulating around them.


    Hope looked up at the dark sky. It had been very long since the last time they had seen the sunlight and felt the heat of the sun burning their skin.


    "What are you thinking?" Kace asked Hope, when he found the guardian angel, standing in front of their tent, staring at the murky clouds that had been hanging low in the sky for many months now.


    Kace was just helping the others to find all of the liables of the war and gather their dead bodies in one place so they could have a proper burial.


    This was why Kace did not like the position of a leader, because every victim he found, he would feel responsible for their deaths.


    Only, this time Kace knew that there was nothing more he could do and that this was probably the best result they could get, because things could be even worse after this.


    Kace tried to get rid of that feeling and let the beast within him deal with it, since his beast side was more compatible with this matter than his human side.


    "Those gloomy clouds are depressing," Hope said honestly, half muttering to herself.


    "Can you get rid of them?" Kace asked.

 Chapter 1050: Where is rossie?

    "I am not sure," Hope muttered, but then she stepped forward and stared intensely at the cloudy sky above them.


    For some reason she knew that she could do this.


    This understanding just came to her, as if she had done this hundreds of times before and Hope would just do the same now, only she needed more confidence and with Kace, Hope thought she could do that.


    It felt very strange to do something you knew you were going to do for the first time, but already knew as if you had done it many times.


    Is this what people called as De javu?


    Therefore, when Hope looked up at the dark sky which was covered in gray clouds, for as long as they could remember, this had been the case for a very long time, they had almost forgotten how the sun felt on their faces and had lost track of time, without knowing whether it was morning, noon or night, Hope felt energy flowing through her body.


    It was as if she was connected to whatever was there and this warmed her palms.


    Hope then felt the urge to raise her hands in the air, and that was when all of this happened slowly but surely...


    Something happened to the sky above them...


    ==============


    Raine and Lilac were helping the healers to treat the wounded from the recent war and with Raine''s healing power, she was able to help some of them heal faster.


    All the injured victims have been gathered in a large tent and were receiving the treatment and care they needed.


    As for Lilac, she helped by setting up several makeshift tents around them and fortifying this vast arena so that they would not be attacked while they were in a state that made it impossible for them to fight back.


    With the help of the magicians, they made their own fortresses stronger which could not be easily invaded by black magic or curses.


    At least, this was the best thing they could do right now.


    Meanwhile, the shifters who were still in good condition, were sent to monitor the situation out there, because it seemed like the humans would be moving again soon.


    Not to mention the fact that there were still three devils roaming around out there, things were still not really safe for them.


    "How do you feel now, Bree?" Raine asked the little girl, who turned out to be an air dragon shifter.


    Bree pouted her lips and played with the hem of her tattered dress, refusing to answer Raine''s question.


    Raine smiled softly at her and tried to persuade the little girl to talk again.


    "I don''t want to shift into a dragon again," said Bree in a childish voice.


    No one could be blamed for this, because after all, her first experience of transforming into a dragon beast form couldn''t be said to be quite an enjoyable one.


    "Bad experience, huh?" Raine asked, running her fingers through Bree''s hair, and the little girl nodded. The expression on her face still showed the trauma she was going through.


    "You will be fine after this," Raine said in a low voice, but it was also soothing to Bree''s ears, making her smile a little.


    But then, her further words made Raine grimace.


    "Where is Rossie? I have not yet seen her since we escaped from the station. How is baby Eddard? Are they all right?" she asked. The little girl missed Rossie and baby Eddard too, because recently, she spent all her time with those two.


    Raine then took Rossie''s hand and said softly, "Baby Eddard is fine. Now he is in a safe place with Adah." It was true, so Raine had no problem saying it, but she had to choose her words carefully when telling her about Rossie. "Once you feel better, I will take you to see Rossie."


    Bree nodded and yawned, still feeling tired.


    "Rest, you did a very good job today and I am very proud of you." Raine then leaned over and kissed Bree''s forehead before leaving.


    The young air dragon shifter then closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep from exhaustion, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips when she heard Raine''s praise. Raine''s words made her feel proud of herself.


    On the other hand, after Raine left Bree on a wooden bed, made by Lilac, and visited a few more patients to help the healers.


    But as Bree mentioned Rossie, Raine couldn''t help but think about Calleb again.


    His condition was not any better than when he arrived here, he was still controlled by the beast inside him because his human side was so injured and seemingly chose to retreat, leaving the beast to deal with the situation and the heartbreak that they had experienced.


    Raine''s thoughts were divided.


    And when she had made sure everything was under control in this room, she decided to go outside the tent and see Calleb one more time.


    There must be something she could do, right?


    Torak had lost control over his beast and she was able to help him get through it, even though the case with Calleb this time was completely different and Raine wasn''t his mate, but at least, the Guardian Angel could think of something about this.


    Just as Raine was about to leave the tent, she heard a commotion outside and this immediately alerted her.


    Especially when Raine saw Lilac running toward her with a face like someone who had something urgent, her heart beat faster as she thought of the worst.


    "Raine, come here, follow me!" Lilac exclaimed as she pulled Raine''s hand to follow her, leaving Raine with no other choice.


    "What is wrong?" Raine could hear the panic in her own voice.


    "Hope did it," she said, her face looking a little bit brighter, with a soft smile on her lips.


    Raine had seen how Lilac busied herself with labour work by building a fortress around them, to forget about all the sad feelings she felt and her complicated relationship with Jedrek for a moment.

 Chapter 1051: Sweet moment

    Therefore, seeing the Guardian Angel smile a little, made Raine feel a little relieved, at least whatever Hope was doing now, did not seem to be a bad thing.


    "What did she do?" Raine asked curiously.


    "You have to see for yourself," Lilac said in a more cheerful tone and quickened her footsteps.


    This was the first time for Raine to realize that the tent that Lilac had built was so large that it took them some considerable time to get to the exit.


    And as they approached the exit, Raine could hear the voices of people muttering and shouting aloud, however, she couldn''t make out what they were saying.


    Feeling a sudden burst of curiosity, Raine accelerated her footsteps, dashed past Lilac and pushed aside the curtain that served as the door.


    That was when Raine realized what really happened out there...


    The first thing that greeted her as she stepped out of the tent was a bright, blinding light that dazzled her eyes.


    Automatically, Raine raised her hand and covered her face.


    What is that light?


    There is no way that it is...


    "Look, Raine!" Lilac shouted next to her and several people shouted similar things, telling each other what was going on.


    Only then could Raine catch their words.


    "Sun!"


    "Those strange clouds have disappeared!"


    "This is really amazing!"


    And the several others were also yelling almost the same things.


    Slowly, Raine lowered her hand that was blocking the blinding light and blinked her eyes several times, trying to get used to it.


    It was only then could she see how beautiful the clear blue sky was above them, being hit with the warm rays from the sun that was hidden behind the white clouds which resembled fluffy cotton candy.


    This was the most beautiful sight Raine had ever seen after being in a state of depression for a long time under a sky filled with wisps of despair and an equally heavy atmosphere.


    What they witnessed seemed to bring new hope to them after a long period of grievance, and Hope indeed did well.


    Kace had indeed chosen a name that suited her perfectly.


    Hope really had brought hope to all of them. They could feel warmth again which seem to be able to provide new energy and consolation for those who had lost someone that they loved or their comrade during this war.


    "Yes, she did very good," Raine whispered softly, a contended smile etched on her lips as Lilac clasped her hand tightly.


    "Yes," Lilac agreed. "But, you know it is not over yet, right?"


    "Yes,"Raine answered softly. "But, for now, let''s just enjoy what we still have."


    The blue sky above them reminded Raine of Torak''s blue eyes, she missed them and the way the Alpha looked at her.


    They didn''t have much time together as they have tons of things to do and make sure that the few people survived so far, got the much needed attention they deserve after the war with the devils.


    And as if Torak felt the same way, he soon appeared together with Jedrek next to him.


    The two of them had disappeared to set up a strategy and survey their surroundings, forming a perimeter with the few people they had.


    But, when this amazing thing happened, the first thing that came to Torak''s mind was to pull Jedrek out of whatever he was doing to avoid Lilac and the reality that Serefina was gone.


    Torak forced Jedrek to stop everything he was doing and follow him because he knew Raine would be with Lilac for sure.


    It was not that Torak wanted to get them together or like trying to make things better between them, it was just that he didn''t want internal problems between them to affect the decisions or actions they would take in the future.


    They were no longer a pair of emotional teenagers, so they should face this like the grown ups they were.


    Because the lycanthropes needed their king and queen, despite the internal troubles that were plaguing Lilac and Jedrek now.


    Torak smiled warmly when he saw his mate chuckling happily, as she stared at the sky above them and as if noticing his presence, she turned toward him before their eyes met and the guardian angel started running toward him with open arms in the next second.


    Of course, Torak caught her warmly when she jumped into his embrace and gave a sweet kiss on her cheeks, which were now flushed red.


    If at first Torak wanted to ensure that Jedrek and Lilac solve their problem, or at least help them reach an agreement and understood each other even though the results might not not as good as they could expect, but when he felt Raine''s body in his arms, Torak didn''t care about the relationship quo between Jedrek and Lilac anymore.


    Hell, they could take care of that themselves.


    "Today is so beautiful," Raine laughed softly as her lips curved into a sweet smile. She wrapped her arms around the Alpha''s waist while kissing the tip of his nose, laughing softly.


    "You look more beautiful," Torak said softly and then carried Raine to the nearest tent and started kissing her passionately.


    Raine was quite surprised by Torak''s actions, but when she felt his warm lips on hers, Raine forgot everything else, closed her eyes and enjoyed their moment together.


    Raine liked this. She cherished every breath that she took while being with Torak. Her mate. The only person who is hers and whom she belongs to.


    Torak smiled when he saw Raine stopped protesting and started to wrap her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer.


    Really, it was all truly, definitely tiring and he couldn''t imagine how he was going through it all.


    During these sweet yet small moments, all memories flooded in Torak''s mind, as he deepened their kiss and the Alpha shared it with Raine through a mind- link.


    Raine gasped when she saw her own reflection on the day of their meeting. More likely, on a cold night under the rain.


    She saw herself, who shutoff herself from the outside world, covering her face with the oversized hoodie she was wearing.


    For some reason, in Torak''s mind, she saw herself as someone so fragile, but at the same time so beautiful in such a chaotic and pale state.

 Chapter 1052: Walk toward different way

    Yes, whatever the circumstances might be, Raine always looked beautiful in Torak''s eyes.


    And when the images changed, Raine''s heart filled with immeasurable happiness as she saw herself calling Torak''s name for the first time, as she began to speak and open up to him.


    Of course, Torak didn''t show the actual moment when Raine called his name for the first time, because those memories would only spoil their present moment.


    After what happened and death that seemed to follow them in every step of the way, Torak just wanted Raine to know how much he loved her.


    How precious the guardian angel was in his eyes. No one could ever make him feel all of this.


    Torak then caressed Raine''s cheek and pulled away a little when Raine was out of breath, and panting, with her eyes still closed.


    Torak''s chest rumbled when he saw how beautiful the woman in front of him was. No, Raine always looked perfect in his eyes.


    "I love you, my love..." Torak whispered between his shallow breathing.


    "I love you too, Torak, with all my soul," Raine replied and lifted her head with her eyes still closed, rubbing the tip of her nose against Torak''s chin.


    However, just as they were about to start kissing again, someone suddenly walked into the tent while exclaiming in great joy.


    "Sun! Sun!" A man exclaimed as he pushed his way into the tent, ruining Raine and Torak''s moment.


    Hearing that someone else had entered the tent, Raine let out a soft cry and instinctively hid behind Torak''s body.


    However, it was not just Raine and Torak who were shocked, but that uninvited guest as well. He did not expect to find the Alpha and the Luna in his tent.


    Yes, this was not their tent, Torak just took Raine to the nearest tent without thinking that anyone else might enter. Well, that was kind of reckless...


    Torak felt the urge to be with Raine and he couldn''t think of anything but the woman in his arms.


    "Oh, I am terribly sorry Alpha, Luna..." The person looked away awkwardly as he felt guilty, he immediately bent his body and walked away, out of his own tent. "I will make sure nothing bothers you two again," he shouted shyly from outside the tent.


    And this made Raine laugh, her laughter sounded very sweet in Torak''s ears and he, who had been annoyed because their moment was disturbed, looked less angrier, as the Alpha looked back at the guardian angel with a gaze full of worship.


    "You shouldn''t rush into other people''s tents, Alpha Torak," Raine said, teasing Torak as she hugged his waist. "You should be the one apologizing to that person, you know."


    Torak raised an eyebrow arrogantly, but Raine knew he was not serious.


    "Well, too bad, even though it was my fault, but I am the Alpha, not him," Torak said smugly, but then he kissed Raine on the lips again, making the girl laugh between their kisses.


    "Bad Alpha," Raine criticized as she playfully slapped Torak''s arm.


    "But, you like it," Torak replied.


    "No." Raine shook her head, backing away from their kiss and stared at Torak intensely. "I love it."


    It may sound a little inappropriate to make out after what happened and the lives that were lost around them, but they needed this, they needed each other to keep themselves sane.


    And no one would blame them for simply enjoying their time together after the hard work they put in, right?


    ==============


    Jedrek stared at Lilac who was not looking at him on purpose and focused on the bright blue sky above them instead. Seeing that the sun shining so candidly, it was clear that it was daytime.


    After Torak and Raine''s departure, Lilac just stood there silently, basking herself in the warmth of the sun.


    Her smile slowly faded when she realized that Jedrek was staring at her intensely. It didn''t mean she disliked it, but this was the very kind of awkward atmosphere that the two of them were trying to avoid so badly.


    And when Lilac felt that Jedrek should stop staring at her and start saying what he wanted to say straight away, the guardian angel turned her head to ask, but at the same time Jedrek turned his head in another direction, about to walk away from there.


    This time, it was Lilac''s turn to stare at his back as he walked toward the tent, meant for the two of them. Apparently, Lilac had to make another tent for herself. They both needed time to overcome all the confusion and chaos that had occurred, especially in their relationship.


    However, when Lilac thought Jedrek would continue to walk away, the king stopped and turned back on his seventh step and looked at Lilac.


    "If you have anything to say, say it," Lilac said quietly, but loud enough for the lycan to hear properly.


    "The funeral will be held at sunset," Jedrek said.


    "I will be there," Lilac answered in a firmer voice and Jedrek nodded before resuming his steps, this time not looking back at all.


    And Lilac walked in the opposite direction from him, trying to digest everything that was happening around her, to calm herself down.


    ==============


    Raine felt tired and fell asleep for a while in their tent while hugging Torak. That day was the longest day of her life and also the most exhausting one, both emotionally and physically.


    Therefore, seeing his tired mate, Torak could not bear to wake Raine up and let her sleep as long as she wanted.


    However, Raine woke up two hours before the funeral, with a throbbing head.


    Raine blinked for a moment, but then she gasped and screamed softly when she realized someone was beside her.


    "Hope! What are you doing?" Raine held her chest and head, her heart was beating rapidly in shock. "Why are you looking at me like that while I am sleeping?"


    "Sorry, sorry, if I startled you," Hope said, then climbed onto Raine''s bed and laid beside her, while Raine sat up and stared at her in confusion.


    "You are acting like a stalker," Raine grumbled, but then noticed that Hope had something to say. "What is wrong?"

 Chapter 1053: The power beyond us

    At first, Hope didn''t say anything, she chose to remain silent and avoided Raine''s gaze, it was just that the guardian angel knew how this other guardian angel would be like. She just could not hold back her urge to speak.


    Hope was not someone who could harbor questions and suppress her curiosity well enough.


    So, all Raine had to do was wait for Hope to open her mouth on her own accord.


    Raine then laid down beside Hope and enveloped the two of them in a blanket. "Good job," she said with a smile on her lips.


    And that little compliment made Hope smile too. She knew what Raine meant.


    "The dark sky was frustrating and depressing, but now I feel much better." Raine expressed her feelings and Hope''s smile grew wider.


    Anyone will be happy when someone appreciated their work.


    "Raine, I have something to say," Hope finally gave up on her own silence just like Raine had expected her to do.


    "Already figured it out," she said softly. "Tell me what it is."


    Hope looked conflicted when she wanted to voice out her thoughts, but didn''t find the courage to out lay whatever was on her mind right now. And whatever it was, it definitely didn''t seem as something easy.


    So, Raine changed her position, she put her palm under her head for support and positioned herself on her side facing Hope, so that she could give her full attention to the guardian angel.


    "Take your time, tell me when you feel ready." Raine didn''t want to rush Hope, because she knew it was hard to line up a sentence when they were battling a struggle within themselves.


    Raine had been there and done that... So, she knew exactly how it felt.


    Hope took about five minutes to finally succeed in conveying her true intentions.


    "Raine..."


    "Hm?"


    "You are the guardian angel of time," Hope stated the obvious, but Raine only responded with a nod and a ''yes''. "Do you think... you ca..." Hope stammered. Her voice grew quieter and quieter.


    Hope''s eyes then hesitantly looked at Raine who was lying beside her calmly.


    "Do you think you can turn back time? You know, raising someone from the dead..." Hope ended her sentence in a whisper and because of their close distance, Raine had no problem hearing it.


    "Serefina?" Raine guessed right. She knew how much the witch meant to Hope.


    And the guardian angel looked at her shyly. "And a few other people¡­"


    Raine didn''t answer the request right away and neither said no or yes, but she looked at Hope with a frown between her brows.


    Hope thought that Raine''s attitude now was a as result of her dislike toward Serefina, but that wasn''t really the case.


    "I know that there are some people who don''t like Serefina... well, you could say her attitude is very unpleasant but..." Hope''s words were cut off by Raine statement.


    "No, that is not it Hope." Raine sighed heavily. "I know that Serefina has a trait that is, you could say as something that was extremely unpleasant." This sentence made Hope laugh softly. They both agreed that Serefina was not a pleasant companion, because of her arrogance.


    "You could tell she was annoying," Hope said.


    "She is annoying," Raine agreed. "But, that is not the case... Raising someone from the dead is a power far beyond my capabilities, Hope."


    Hope looked down, she already felt that her attempt was going to fail, but she wanted to give it a try nonetheless.


    This might sound selfish, but that didn''t mean she didn''t respect Lilac''s feelings, because Hope understood the complicated relationship between Lilac, Serefina and Jedrek.


    This was just a selfish wish...


    If Raine could bring Serefina back to life, then that meant she could also bring back Lana, Rossie, Ian and a few other important people, right?


    Then maybe the things wouldn''t end so sadly, would they? Losing someone who was really close to you was a very painful feeling.


    It was like there was an invisible hole in your heart and you didn''t know how to fill that void.


    Hope had never thought that she would lose Serefina and Lana one day.


    No, she never even thought that they would leave her side at all, because Hope grew up with them. They were her family and losing them both was really painful.


    "Hope, when I was unconscious, I was trapped in the dimension of time of my own past, where I met my parents and could do something to keep them alive," Raine began.


    "Then? Did you do that?" Hope raised her head, startled. If indeed Raine could go back in time and do something to bring her parents back to life, maybe they could do the same now.


    "In the beginning, I did things to change the time and course of my life, because I wanted my family back," Raine said.


    "That was so wonderful!" Hope exclaimed and sat down to observe Raine, with an expectant gaze. "You got your parents back."


    Raine smiled as it was the first reaction she had when she found herself with her two parents again. Wonderful.


    "It was indeed wonderful." Raine nodded in agreement. "But, you shouldn''t change the things that have already been set."


    "What do you mean?" Hope tilted her head, not understanding.


    "I had great days with my parents, being happy about how I grew up under their care and not alone, dealing with all the bad things I had to deal with when I lost them," Raine explained.


    "But..." Hope said the word slowly, because she sensed a contradiction in the way Raine narrated to her. If that was such a great thing, then Raine shouldn''t have shown such a sad expression right now, right?


    "When I changed the past, I also changed the future. And that change is not always for something better, it could be something much worse than we could imagine."


    Raine recalled how she saw a completely different and much more terrible future than she was currently in. Where she stood on a pile of corpses with a dark red sky above her head.


    It was simply terrible¡­


    It wasn''t something Raine wanted to remember.

 Chapter 1054: Her reward

    "I forgot about Torak," Raine said honestly. "Because when I don''t have to face all the bad things that have happened to me, I will not meet him at the time that was meant to be for me to find him. Everything changed."


    Hope felt pensive hearing that.


    "Time is crucial and we shouldn''t play around with it, but regardless, I don''t have the strength to do what you want." Raine took Hope''s hand. "Those who leave, do have a reason why they should go and we shouldn''t dwell on the past."


    Raine then pulled Hope into her arms, lending the guardian angel her shoulder to cry her heart out.


    They were of the same age, but Raine was much more understanding and calmer than Hope, because of all the life experiences she had gone through.


    "Hope, we still have things to do and we have to prepare ourselves for that," Raine said softly into Hope''s ear, reminding her of their ultimate goal for being revived.


    ==============


    Preparations for the funeral have been done quite well, given the limited time they got and how tired they are after what they went through.


    Now, under the luster of the almost sinking sun, they could see how many victims had lost their lives during the war.


    And this was only a fraction of the total people who have lost their lives in this war.


    Hope and Kace stood beside Serefina''s body which would not move again, the two of them lit fire to the witch''s last bed, a wooden bed made by Lilac, along with thousands of other creatures who left this world.


    Meanwhile, Raine, Torak, Sterling and Ethan were standing beside Rossie''s body, which looked pale yet pretty.


    They just regretted that Calleb couldn''t see the procession, couldn''t see his mate for one last time before she turned to ashes and blown away by the wind.


    As for Lilac and Jedrek, they stood side by side to lead the funeral procession.


    They offered a silent prayer of condolences to those who sacrificed their lives, while they got be grateful for those who are still alive to keep on fighting.


    Some magicians then threw fireballs into the air, as a sign that they could start the burning procession.


    And in an instant, the air was filled with sorrowful and billowing smoke, under the orange glow of the setting sun.


    They all fell silent, saying nothing while drowning in deep sorrow for what they witnessed before their eyes.


    The eleven surviving faes sang a song in soft humming voices to accompany the departure of the souls who had left this world.


    Their voices were so serene under the dim sky.


    Raine took Torak''s hand and looked at him gently, so did the Alpha.


    They have lost a lot, things and people, and what they witnessed before their eyes was only a small part of the facts that confirmed this again.


    ==============


    Someone was sitting in front of a garden decorated with purple flowers, on the terrace of a house that was rickety, as if it had been uninhabited for a very long time.


    In fact, no one has lived in the house for a long time, because the small family that used to live in it, was no longer here.


    The woman who was sitting and enjoying the view before her with a peaceful expression, let her red hair flutter in the wind, her hair was so long, as if she hadn''t cut it for quite a while.


    The woman''s lime green eyes were fixed on the movement of the purple flowers in the lush garden in front of her, which swayed in the wind rhythmically.


    She was waiting for someone to come, but there didn''t seem to be any sign of that someone else coming any soon.


    She waited and waited...


    It was uncertain how long she had been waiting, because in this place, no one could tell how many seconds or minutes had passed.


    The sun in the blue sky, was not too hot, so one could say, it was already late in the afternoon, but there was still no sign that it was getting dark any soon.


    The woman just continued waiting¡­


    But, there was no expression of impatience on her face, as if the red-haired woman could wait alone forever.


    "You are really patient this time."


    The soft voice like the gentle notes of a piano was heard from the left side of Serefina, which was an empty place just a second ago.


    "I have nothing to do anymore and have no other desire," Serefina replied to Selene''s statement.


    She then turned her head to find the goddess of the moon, smiling at her with sparkling eyes.


    And as usual, the goddess of the moon looked stunning in her white attire and crown that shone brightly, emitting a faint moonlight perched sweetly above her head.


    "I never thought that you could say something so dramatic." Selene leaned against the rickety wall of the house and stared at the sky, which when Serefina returned her gaze to it, had turned dark and the moon was already shining.


    However, this sudden change could not surprise her in the least bit, as there were things far more absurd than this that Serefina had been through.


    "I did a very good job." Serefina still remained straight to the point and immediately raised the first thing she wanted to get from the moon goddess. "Can I get my reward now?"


    "Yes, you did a good job," Selene said, approving her statement. "But, you shouldn''t have separated the guardian angels from their mates."


    Serefina glanced at Selene, but didn''t say anything.


    "Raine doesn''t have to move out of town to ''heal'' herself and you don''t have to restrict Kace to see Hope only once a year." Selene then said all the things Serefina shouldn''t have done.


    "What to do? I can''t help it," Serefina said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders and this only made Selene laugh softly.


    "Do you feel much at peace now?"


    "Hm," Serefina muttered. Staring at the garden that was overgrown with purple flowers in front of her. "Can I have it now?"

 Chapter 1055: Lost himself

    "What do you want?" Selene asked, even though she already knew what Serefina''s answer would be, she still wanted to test her for one last time. "Do you want everything to go back to how it was before?"


    "No," Serefina replied in a firm tone. "I want to disappear."


    "Are you sure about this?"


    "Yes."


    "As you wish." Selene then waved her hand and Serefina''s body started to fade like a disappearing image. "Goodbye Serefina."


    Serefina didn''t answer back, but she flashed a sincere smile to the goddess of the moon.


    And just like that, the last pure-blooded witch would completely disappear from this world. Not even her soul could be found again.


    Serefina chose this path for herself, because the feelings she had been harboring for a long time tormented her too much and she didn''t think that she wanted to repeat it again or put herself in a complicated situation more than she had already experienced.


    She wanted to be free...


    Because in this way, she knew that she could disappear, completely gone from others lives.


    And at the same time as her leaving forever, her soul would also disappear, along with her love and feelings.


    Not even the memories that she had guarded carefully all this time would remain whatsoever. Everything would fade away and she wouldn''t feel anything anymore.


    Nothing would hurt her again, including herself...


    Maybe this is for the better.


    Because this is better...


    ==============


    "Bree... come here," Raine tried to persuade Bree, but the little girl wouldn''t respond as she kept hiding herself under the bed while covering herself with a thick blanket. Crouching down and crying nonstop.


    "I can pull her by force, to get her out of there if you want," Belinda said, kneeling down next to Raine.


    However, the guardian angel hurriedly shook her head in disapproval. "No, we can''t force her in that manner."


    "I want Rossie!" Bree burst into tears when she found out that Rossie was gone. She even fell asleep under the side effects of the drugs she was given when the funeral took place. And now the little girl really wanted to see Rossie. She missed her so much.


    "Then, what should we do with her?" asked Belinda, frowning. She was inexperienced when it came to coaxing sulking children as she didn''t have much patience to deal with them.


    Just as her words fell, Hope and Kace entered the tent, they immediately squatted down beside Raine when they understood the situation. And they saw Bree''s body, under the bed, curled up in a fetal position.


    "It is okay Raine, I will handle it from here," Hope told Raine that she could leave now.


    Compared to Raine, Bree knew Hope and Kace better because they had spent a long time together.


    "Hey, little girl, come out here," Kace talked to Bree, but he got a punch on the arm and a fierce glare from Hope for talking to Bree nonchalantly. "I will lift this mattress and you take her out."


    Kace suggested, but he didn''t wait for Hope to agree before he moved and immediately picked up the wooden bed with one hand, while Hope moved closer to Bree.


    Sensing that her shelter had been exposed, Bree whimpered and began to cry again.


    However, this time Hope grabbed her and hugged her tightly.


    At first, Bree struggled and tried to run away, but Hope hugged her even tighter, making her give up her efforts to struggle free herself.


    Now the young air dragon shifter was crying in Hope''s arms, while Kace pushed aside the wooden bed he lifted and sat beside Hope, patting Bree on the back.


    "Oh, Raine, I almost forgot. Torak said when your business is over here, he wants you to meet him in the northern part of the fort," Kace told Raine.


    "All right, I will go see him." Raine immediately stood up and patted the front of her shirt, before finally she left with Belinda, leaving the three of them.


    ==============


    "Calleb, stop this madness," Sterling looked at the beast, who was in the invisible enclosure made of a magical spell, the beast was still trying to run away as it wouldn''t stop banging its head against the invisible walls time and again.


    Somehow the beast exceeded its own potential, which even now, he still didn''t feel tired without any sigs of giving up any soon, which might help him return to his human form.


    It seemed that what Calleb experiencing right now was purely based on the instinct of his beast and had absolutely nothing to do with his human side, who chose to back away from the reality they had to face.


    His human side was retreating from the reality of life that made his consciousness to no longer took part in his beast''s actions...


    Calleb had completely lost himself now, even Sterling''s voice could no longer be registered in his mind.


    "What should we do?" Ethan asked, standing next to his father and staring at the brown beast with a concerned expression on his face.


    The two of them were in so much grief whenever they thought about Rossie, which was undeniable, but it seemed like Calleb was dealing with this reality very badly.


    He lost control of himself.


    Calleb is a very sensitive person. Apart from his older sister, who died from a rogue assault and Raphael, a figure he already considered as his own brother, he had never lost anyone close to him.


    No.


    Calleb never thought he would lose his mate like this and the pain was many times more painful than anything he had ever been through.


    "We can only wait..." Sterling said softly. Calleb loved his daughter so much that her departure it left him in his current state, where he started to destroy himself.


    ==============


    Jedrek deliberately returned to his tent when it was getting very late, hoping that Lilac would have fallen asleep and they wouldn''t have to face any awkward situations.


    It wasn''t that Jedrek didn''t want to face Lilac, it was just that he knew that the guardian angel would need some time alone after what he had done in front of her.


    Jedrek did not regret his actions when he accompanied Serefina in her final moments or when he admitted his feelings for the witch. Those were not the things that he regretted.

 Chapter 1056: Guilty

    It was just that, he regretted when he had to hurt Lilac in the process and couldn''t become the figure he promised the guardian angel he would be.


    With slow and heavy steps, Jedrek walked toward their tent, his expression unreadable and his shoulders drooping, as if he had suffered dozens of defeats in a battle.


    Yes, he lost a battle with himself and his feelings, and the worst of it all was, him hurting Lilac again.


    This was a hard thing to explain when your mind and heart were on two opposite sides and you didn''t know which part of you, you wanted to follow.


    And every choice has its own consequences...


    Jedrek went into their tent, but what made him frown was; he couldn''t find Lilac inside, not even her scent could be traced, indicating that the Guardian Angel hadn''t even set foot in the tent.


    If she is not here, then where is she?


    It was already very late into the night, there was no way she was still continuing the services she busied herself over during the day, right?


    Jedrek''s frown deepened.


    The king then stepped outside and stood near the entrance of their tent, he closed his eyes and his expression twisted into one of a complete concentration as he sniffed the air around him hard, trying to catch Lilac''s scent.


    When the king opened his eyes, you could see that his blue orbs had been replaced with dark black ones, as dark as the night sky.


    And with hasty steps, Jedrek immediately walked quickly toward the source of the scent, which led him to a simple tent, about sixty tents away from his previous place.


    Lilac''s scent was coming stronger from this tent, and although this distinctive scent was mixed with the scents of over hundreds of supernatural beings around, Jedrek did not seem to have much difficulty in finding his mate''s exact location.


    Jedrek could confirm that Lilac was inside the small wooden tent in front of him, because her intoxicating aroma was rich around it.


    At first, Jedrek was hesitant to go in, as he didn''t know what to say when he had to face her directly, but in the end, with the thought that at least he had to make sure that Lilac was indeed inside, Jedrek continued his steps to enter the tent and pulled the curtain slowly.


    Behind the curtain that served as a door, Jedrek found the figure of Lilac, curled up on a wooden bed, with a blanket at her side.


    It seemed, Lilac had kicked the blanket in her sleep unconsciously.


    So quietly, Jedrek went inside and adjusted the blanket, so that it covered her entire body, to keep her warm.


    After confirming that Lilac wouldn''t kick away the blanket again, Jedrek stayed back for a while, staring at the guardian angel who seemed to be fast asleep, because of the fatigue that had gripped her entire being and made her feel too tired to even notice Jedrek''s presence near her.


    After waiting for a total of ten minutes, Jedrek leaned over, intending to kiss Lilac''s head and say good night, but¡­ the guilty feeling shackling his heart, made him stop just before his lips reached their target.


    Instead of kissing her, Jedrek just caressed Lilac''s head lightly, before he walked out of the tent.


    Lilac didn''t want to be in the same place as Jedrek and he respected her decision.


    So, if indeed the Guardian Angel couldn''t be near him for now, then Jedrek would stay away.


    It was just...


    After strolling past several tents, the king''s steps stopped, he turned around and looked at the tent, inside which Lilac was sleeping soundly, the frown in between his brows deepened.


    And without he himself knowing it, Jedrek stepped closer to the tent once again and within a few seconds, he was already standing in front of its door, dazed.


    This time, Jedrek did not go inside, but sat on the ground while leaning his back against it.


    He sat there all night, until the sun rose and its soft light woke him up.


    Only then did Jedrek left...


    ===============


    Raine fell asleep in Torak''s arms, the safest and most comfortable place she could ask for, and after a tiring and emotional day, Raine immediately fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow, feeling Torak''s warm body, hugging her from behind.


    It was just that, Raine''s sleep was interrupted when she heard a sorrowful howl in the distance.


    The howl was so sad and heartrending, and it didn''t take Raine very long to figure out whose howl was full of sorrow and wounds.


    It was Calleb''s.


    The beast inside Calleb was trying to call his mate back.


    Regrettably, it was not possible.


    After two full minutes of listening to the sound, Raine found herself unable to ignore it any longer.


    The voice was heartbreaking and Raine felt her sleepiness leaving her body.


    How could she sleep soundly in Torak''s arms when Calleb was in this condition?


    Therefore, carefully, Raine put away Torak''s hand from her body and tried her best not to make any sound or other noise that could wake Torak up.


    Luckily for Raine, Torak was out like a dead bulb due to the exhaustion he suffered and the side effects of his brutal killing of humans. He was bound to receive tremendous side effects.


    The Alpha was mentally and physically worn out.


    If only they didn''t have the blood of the Donovan Royalty and firebirds, their slaughter of thousands of humans could have put themselves in a more dangerous predicament.


    Or even worse; caused the death of the beast within them. This could happen to a shifter of lower rank and who did not have good endurance.


    Luckily this didn''t happen to the Donovan Brothers.


    Raine then walked out of the tent very slowly toward the place where they kept Calleb locked up, in the western part of this fortress.


    The chilling night air blew against Raine''s skin and made her shiver a little, but when she looked up, she could see the moon shining brightly.


    During her journey toward the west of this fortress, Raine encountered several lycanthropes, who were busy patrolling along with some minotaurs.

 Chapter 1057: His mate is in danger

    Although it was apparent that the two supernatural beings weren''t on good terms, but in matters of keeping this place safe, they seemed to have a tacit understanding, which allowed them to work well.


    It took Raine about ten minutes to get there. It also showed how big a fortress Lilac had built, as well as how much energy she had to burn to build all of this.


    Not only that, but it also showed how much pain she felt for whatever Jedrek had done earlier.


    Raine didn''t know how she would feel about all of that if she was in Lilac''s shoes, because seeing her fellow guardian angel so down about what happened, made Raine feel that sadness too.


    She couldn''t imagine herself being in Lilac''s position and Torak devoting his attention to other women, because all this time Torak had never made Raine doubt his loyalty¡­


    Not even once.


    Sigh...


    Raine''s worries about Lilac flew out of her mind as soon as her eyes landed on a heartbroken Calleb.


    Raine also saw Sybil and the two other magicians who were on duty to guard.


    Not only the magicians, but Raine also found Sterling with them. The man looked at the brown- furred beast with eyes which showed deep sadness.


    He was still coping up with his endless grief over the loss of his mate and children, but he still had Ethan and his instincts as a father, helped keeping him sane.


    "Sterling," Raine greeted Sterling and surprised the man by her arrival.


    "What are you doing here?" Sterling asked.


    "I think we both have the same reason for being here..." Raine answered with a smile on her lips and Sterling replied with the same smile.


    For a moment they both fell silent. Their eyes turned to stare at the beast before them, separated by a thin transparent wall.


    The brown beast was still howling loud heart-wrenchingly, like a wounded wolf, asking for help, or maybe it was a desperate call to his lost soulmate...


    "Where are you going?" Sterling gasped when he saw Raine walking forward, intending to get closer to the invisible cage.


    However, Raine didn''t respond, her focus was entirely on the beast.


    "Luna, please. Step back from there... it can be dangerous..." Sybil tried to warn Raine, but as if she was in a world of her own, Raine didn''t listen to her warning as she walked closer and closer to the point where she was standing right in front of the invisible wall.


    "Luna..." Sybil tried to warn Raine again.


    This time, Raine raised her hand and felt the smooth texture of the walls that kept the beast shackled.


    The brown beast stopped howling and stared at her with red and intense eyes.


    "Luna..."Sybil called to Raine. "Back off..."


    And the things the people around them thought weren''t going to happen, ended up happening.


    At first, Raine''s palms only touched the surface of the invisible wall, but then, as Raine moved her hand forward, she was able to pierce it, so did when she stepped through the magic formation that had been confining Calleb in place.


    They all gasped, feeling shocked as they widened their eyes in disbelief.


    And once they realized what was actually happening, Raine was already in the cage, with the feral beast staring at her cruelly.


    "Oh, sh*t!" Sterling cursed under his breath as he watched the beast''s feet shuffle, approaching the guardian angel.


    ==============


    Torak woke up, sensing that something was off.


    His head was aching and his eyes felt very heavy, drowsiness still violently attacked him, but this uncomfortable feeling forced him to wake up.


    When Torak tried very hard to open his eyes, he found himself in his bed alone, without a trace of Raine.


    The spot Raine should be in was cold, indicating that she had disappeared from his side for quite a while.


    "Raine?" Torak tried to call out to Raine in his hoarse voice, but he couldn''t hear an answer from his mate.


    Instantly Torak opened his eyes widely and glanced around the tent, but he didn''t find what he was looking for.


    With a body that was heavy and in pain, he forced himself to get out of the bed and went out of the tent, allowing his beast''s instinct to pick up his mate''s scent...


    ==============


    Raine didn''t know if this was a right thing to do or not but for sure she felt an urge within herself to do this.


    Therefore, this was what she was doing now.


    Raine walked very slowly toward Calleb''s cage and stepped through it with ease, as if it was a thin mist that had no effect on her.


    Even after finally entering it, Raine did not feel anxious or nervous, because the air in the cage was thick and full of deep sadness and sorrow.


    And the source of all that feeling was the brown beast who was staring at her savagely, as if the guardian angel was his mortal enemy.


    The beast began to walk, stalking her while growling dangerously.


    While from the outside, they could hear Sterling''s voice, screaming. "Remove this spell!"


    "I can''t!" Sybil replied, with fear evident in her trembling voice, that anyone who saw her right now, could understand how terrified she was feeling now.


    How could she not?


    A guardian angel, who looked very weak and so gentle, was facing a beast which almost went feral alone, and it was three times her size with razor-sharp fangs and claws that could slash through her neck in a single strike.


    Raine would die right away if the beast decided to pounce on her!


    What was the Guardian Angel even thinking?!


    "Raine get out of there!" Sterling exclaimed, then turned his attention back to the witches. "What do you mean you can''t dispel that magic? Isn''t that your handiwork?!"


    Sybil shook her head hard.


    "No... No... I don''t know, but I can''t..." Sybil then looked at the other magicians who were shaking their heads anxiously, indicating that they couldn''t undo this magic either.


    "Call Belinda!" Sterling gave orders as he ran the other way to find Torak.


    His mate is in danger!

 Chapter 1058: A dangerous move

    Inside the transparent cage, Raine and the beast were completely unfazed by the rioting that was happening outside, as if this trap was the only existing world  and nothing else was more intriguing to focus on, except the two of them.


    The beast''s deep growls still suffocated her, forcing Raine to back off, but what the guardian angel did was quite opposite, she shuffled closer to it while taking one step at a time, as the beast began to growl ferociously, as if warning her not to come any closer.


    Raine ignored all of that, however, the panicking crowd outside grew anxious when even Belinda, who just came over, couldn''t break off the magical formation  surrounding them.


    Raine also didn''t understand why Belinda or the magicians couldn''t do it, but there wasn''t enough time to ponder over all of that when the guardian angel''s focus was solely trained on the beast before her eyes right now.


    "Calleb, come here..." Raine stretched out her hand toward the brown beast, saying in a hoarse voice like someone who was pleading. "I know what you''re going through right now and I''m sorry there''s nothing I can do to help you¡­"


    Raine swallowed, feeling the bitterness stuck in her throat as she heard the beast let out that pitiful howl once again.


    A howl that seemed like he was calling for someone who couldn''t possibly answer him back. So painful and torturous.


    "Calleb, I know you are there, answer me ... talk to me," Raine said in a persuasive tone, her hands outstretched, intending to touch the side of the beast''s face, but the brown beast barked, his eyes changed into a darker shade of red, filled with anger.


    But, what Raine saw was despair...


    "Calleb, don''t you love me? Don''t you want to talk to me?" Raine started sobbing seeing Calleb like this.


    Raine had never thought that she would see Calleb, whom she had considered as a big brother figure, at the lowest point in his life, until he forgot his true self, losing to his beast instincts.


    "Calleb, it''s me... Raine. Don''t you recognize me?" Calleb in Raine''s memory was a person who could turn any type of situation cheerful, a person who had a bright soul and was not filled with hatred like the figure that was portrayed by his beast now.


    The guardian angel tried to speak to Calleb, her hand still outstretched, but she was no longer trying to approach him, Raine waited for the beast to approach her first and take the initiative to be touched.


    But, it was not an easy task.


    Because just then, the beast started baring its fangs at the guardian angel, staring at her as if she was an enemy with a gaze that was filled with vengeance.


    However, Raine knew that his beast wouldn''t attack her, she couldn''t explain this feeling and only knew about it, because if he wanted to attack her, he would have done it right after she stepped into the cage. He should have attacked her by now if he intended to, instead of backing away from her touch.


    The beast only seemed to warn Raine to stop approaching him, but despite all of the warnings, the guardian angel chose to do the opposite and this left the beast in a dilemma.


    The way he acted was what prompted Raine to urge Calleb to regain control over his senses.


    Because if the beast didn''t want to hurt her, it would mean that Calleb realized that the one in front of him was his closed one. The beast recognized the guardian angel, but no one knew what degree of attachment it would require to keep the beast from tearing apart the guardian angel''s body.


    Raine solely relied on the fact that the beast knew her and all she had to do was reach for the Calleb she knew within himself, his human side that he had buried deep behind the rage and despair of the death of his mate.


    "Calleb..." Raine called out, to someone she cared about, gently and when she was sure that she was safe to take another step forward again.


    The beast was within her arms length  and her fingertips brushed his soft fur for a second, before the beast growled viciously at her again.


    But this time, the beast backed away, avoiding Raine''s touch. His large head shook his head violently, as if he wanted to maintain his anger facade that almost collapsed.


    Raine knew that he was close to grabbing his conscience back, so she took another step closer to him.


    "Calleb..." Raine continued to call his name softly as a tear fell down her cheek.


    Raine then took one more big step before she fell to her knees and sat in a very vulnerable position...


    If the beast wanted, he just have to stretch out his claws and cut Raine''s neck in one swoop and take the Guardian Angel''s life away in the blink of an eye.


    However, he did not do that, he barked again, warning the girl in front of him, whose body looked very small compared to his, to step back and stay away, indicating that he did not want to hurt her.


    That was when Raine did another daring act, which left everyone who was there scream at the top of her lungs, warning her to stay away.


    Belinda and Sybil shrieked with immense fear on their faces and they tried their best to break down this magic barrier, but their frenzied desperation couldn''t yield the results they wanted.


    Because of what they saw; Raine, who had plunged herself to her knees, was in a very vulnerable position and a very high chance of being killed, leaned forward and embraced the beast''s neck, instead of staying safe, as if the huge monster was not a serious threat.


    As if he couldn''t kill her with just one strike of his.


    Or maybe the beast wouldn''t kill her...


    And, Raine just made this very clear to everyone present, because when she put her arms around the beast''s neck, the brown beast just growled and shook its neck, trying to get rid of this annoying little creature in front of him.


    However, not once did he make a move that would endanger the Guardian Angel''s life in any way.

 Chapter 1059: Get rid of this

    "Calleb, talk to me... come back... I miss you... I miss my big brother..." Raine whispered softly into the beast''s ear, as tears rolled down his fine brown fur.


    Her small shoulders shook and her body clung so tightly to the beast that she looked like a koala cub clinging on to its mother.


    "Calleb, I miss you... come back..." Raine grabbed Calleb tight as if she wouldn''t loosen her grip on him until she got him back.


    On the other hand, the beast''s snarl turned into a grunt full of pain before finally turning into a low whimper as he began to lower his head and closed his eyes shut.


    The beast seemed to have give up on struggling free from the guardian angel''s tight hug, because he couldn''t escape from her, so he let Raine hold onto him, or maybe it was the other way around¡­ he was the one who was holding onto her...


    ***


    Calleb felt like he was floating on the surface of the calm waters, so quiet that he didn''t notice his surroundings until a voice called out to him and disturbed him.


    It was Raine''s voice.


    At first Calleb wanted to ignore it, because it was very calm here and he felt better like this, as if something scary might happen if this serene was broken.


    There was a memory that he didn''t want to remember and it scared him half to death whenever he tried to ponder over it.


    Calleb didn''t know why and neither did he want to know what it was because this place felt perfect for him.


    Until Raine''s voice called out to him again.


    ''I miss you...''


    Calleb missed Raine too. When was the last time he got to meet the Guardian Angel? Or what happened until they got separated? Calleb wanted to return Raine''s call and find out where she was.


    But something was holding him in place and he didn''t want anything to bother him at this point.


    As soon as he emerged from the bubble of this comfortable place, a feeling of fear gripped Calleb''s heart which made him hesitate. Therefore, in order to defend his own quiet world, Calleb chose to stay put and ignore anything that could make him lose this peace.


    It was just that Raine''s voice was haunting him again and again, and he couldn''t help but want to answer the guardian angel''s call, especially when her voice sounded so sad, half begging him to come back.


    ''Calleb come back...''


    The voice called Calleb again and the lycan felt a sudden urge to reply, because it was Raine, who was calling out to him.


    But, return to where?


    Calleb knew he had to remember something, but what is it?


    Two opposing thoughts raked Calleb''s consciousness and this conflicted feeling created a bubble that surrounded him and protected him from the turmoil within himself.


    On the other hand, Calleb was afraid to remember whatever he had forgotten, but at the same time, he didn''t want to ignore Raine either. Her voice sounded very sad, as if she would be crushed if Calleb insisted on not answering.


    Calleb didn''t want to disappoint Raine, but...


    ''Come back...''


    Comeback?To where?


    And, why is he here? What is this place?


    At the prompting of Raine''s voice that sounded so desperate, Calleb dared to open his eyes and found himself alone.


    He didn''t like this solitude.


    Calleb never liked to feel alone, that was the reason why he always liked to be with Raine, because he didn''t want her to feel alone.


    Raine''s loneliness and sadness made Calleb close to her.


    Luckily, Torak didn''t kill him because they got too close. Calleb laughed softly at his own ridiculous thought.


    There was no way Torak would kill him, because he too had his own mate...


    But, his mate ...


    It was at this moment that Calleb felt a pain that he could barely fathom and endure. The pain was so excruciating that it made him feel like he was about to die.


    Is this what really happened?


    Calleb cowered in pain as all memories rushed to him like a storm ravaging a shipwreck.


    He felt his heart breaking and his head throbbed painfully as every breath he took was pure agony as if the air was contaminated with tiny silver needles. Unbearably painful.


    ==============


    Torak saw Sterling running toward him, with panic evident on his facial expression which made Torak''s heart beat harder and accelerate his footsteps as well.


    The Alpha ignored the uncomfortable feeling that enveloped him due to the excruciating exhaustion.


    Torak was still not fully recovered from the war that broke out a few hours ago and the side effects from the mass killing of humans that he and his brothers have took part in, started to take effect now.


    However, Torak forced himself to walk and despite how he felt, the expression on his face didn''t show any of his true emotions.


    It was just that, when Sterling started to say Raine was in danger, Torak growled and ran, along with several other lycans that were following behind him.


    "Alpha! Raine is in danger!" Sterling exclaimed and kept up with Torak''s pace as the two of them ran in the same direction, it seemed, just by relying on his sense of smell, Torak could immediately tell where Raine was.


    "What happened?" Torak asked in a low, cold tone. He smelled the air and was a little relieved as he couldn''t smell any blood.


    At least, no one was hurt for now...


    Not yet...


    That was when Torak saw Raine, hugging a brown beast that was growling angrily, as if in the next second he was going to tear his mate apart.


    Torak''s eyes widened and he ran as hard as he could to get closer, but when he wanted to shift into his beast form, he couldn''t do so...


    Torak was too worn out to shift into his beast and this upset him greatly.


    Especially when he got face to face with an obstacle, where he couldn''t get past the invisible wall which made him unable to get close to Raine and the ferocious beast inside.


    "GET RID OF THIS!" Torak roared viciously as he began hammering his fists on the surface of the magic wall hard.

 Chapter 1060: They killed my mate, raine...

    He watched in horror as Calleb in his beast form, once again roared and howled very fiercely and raised his forelegs which were adorned with extremely sharp claws, in order to shoo away Raine from him, but the guardian angel was too stubborn and determined to stay put.


    Torak really couldn''t stop worrying about this little mate of his.


    How could Raine put herself in harms way like that? Now, Torak could feel his heart beating on the tips of his trembling fingers.


    He was afraid that something bad might happen to Raine.


    On the other hand, Raine looked like she didn''t care about any prominent dangers that were presented before her eyes. She even hugged the danger itself and buried her face defenselessly in the crook of its shoulder.


    "Calleb, come back please... Don''t you want to see me again?" Raine whispered softly in to his ears, as tears rolled down her cheeks and wetted the beast brown fur.


    Raine could feel the growl that was stuck in the beast''s throat which caused its body to tremble violently, in order to keep his bloodlust at bay.


    The beast wanted to shake off the little creature that was clinging onto him so tightly, but it was also aware that couldn''t bear to hurt this girl at the same time.


    Something inside him was terrified by the very thought of drawing blood from her petite body, or even as much as leave scratch on her. It was very complicated, adding to her stubborness that didn''t allow the beast to break free from her tiny arms.


    However, the tenderness in her voice and the warm tears that fell on his fur, helped in calming down the raging turmoil inside the beast slightly.


    And now all he could do was letting out a soft whimper.


    The beast allowed himself being hugged like this and eventually gave up the thought of breaking himself free from her koala grip as he welcomed the warm fuzzy feeling that was caused by the girl.


    "Calleb..." Raine called his name again.


    And that was when the beast''s body trembled and jolted slightly as everyone could hear the all too familiar cracking sounds from the bones that were being readjusted.


    The big beast in Raine''s arms, slowly but surely decreased in size and left her with a human body that hugged her back, as he rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered softly in to her ears.


    "Yes..." Calleb answered her call and there was nothing more that Raine could wish to hear at this time except for his voice.


    The raging beast returned to his human''s senses and along with that, the pain also came back in thousand fold crashing over him, as every single miniscule particular of the memories of losing his mate crushed his being , rendering him paralyzed.


    Calleb was holding onto the small body of the guardian angel, who was holding him tightly, keeping him in place as his heart was being broken into million shards, while he could no longer take a shelter behind his beast.


    Raine pulled him out to the reality and Calleb had to face it.


    The calm that kept him masked from this pain was no longer there, as he tried to survive this raw feeling. A wound that cut him so deep that could render Calleb from doing anything aside from crying.


    Yes, both his human side and beast side were crying over the loss of their mate, the pain was excruciating and this almost killed them.


    It was only the warmth from the guardian angel''s body had been able to regain their senses and Calleb tried to focus on it alone, to keep his mind sane.


    In that very moment, the night was filled with agonized howls of a human, who was going through hell and back.


    Listening to him could literally make one feel his pain and shed tears sorrowfully.


    Meanwhile, the Supreme Alpha stopped trying to break down the invisible wall that kept his mate from his reach, because he could see how much his beta needed the guardian angel at this moment.


    Even when the wall miraculously disappeared, the Alpha was still standing in the same position and let the night absorb the pain of the lycan.


    Calleb needed this moment and Raine could handle him...


    Despite what was happening, Torak was very proud of her, because Raine had grown stronger, not only psychaly but psychologically as well.


    She was everything that Torak could ask for and he was glad that this perfect soul was his.


    Raine was a Luna by nature...


    Calleb gritted his teeth when wave after wave of pain crashed over him hard. He could barely breath as each breath that entered his lungs hurt him even more.


    "I lost Rossie..." Calleb said and by saying that out loud made everything feel even more real. It was valid. A solid fact that no one could deny. "They killed my mate, Raine... They killed my Rossie..." Calleb whimpered in pain, as he buried his face in the crook of Raine''s shoulder.


    "I know..." Raine said between her sobs. She caressed his back in soothing motions, but she was not sure if it would be of any help for him.


    "They killed my mate, Raine..." Calleb kept repeating those few words again and again, until he poured out what he felt now and it took a really long time for Calleb to recover.


    However, he was not alone, because Raine was beside him during the lowest state of his life, to hold him together, forbidding him from falling apart even more.


    While Torak and the other creatures stood silently as witnesses for how much destruction could happen to the one who lost the other half of their soul.


    ==============


    Hope was awaken by the howls of the roaring beast from afar. It sounded very painful and she knew where it was coming from.


    It was Calleb.


    Hope wanted to go and take a look, but her now exhausted body didn''t even allow her to open her eyes, especially when Kace wrapped his arms around her body for her to feel the safety that she needed in her mate''s embrace...

 Chapter 1061: Important thing that the guardian angels should discuss

    Kace was worn out because of the side effects of the battle with the humans, so it was almost impossible to wake him up at this moment.


    Thus, Hope thought of seeing Calleb later when the sun hit the horizon.


    However, as she almost slip into a deep slumber, the howling pain, slowly but eventually stopped. As if the beast had finally calmed down...


    Or, maybe it was only Hope''s illusion?


    The same thing was noticed by Lilac, she was also awaken by the sound of the sorrowful howling that rang through the silent night.


    She forced herself to stay awake as she wanted to check what actually was going on, though she knew where that sound was coming from.


    Calleb''s beast was still mourning over the loss of his mate and since nothing could be done to bring Rossie back, they didn''t know until when this would continue.


    Lilac put away the blanket from her body and got off the bed, but as soon as her feet touched the ground, she felt a wave of dizziness hit her and had to hold onto the edge of the bed to steady herself.


    When Lilac felt that she was fine enough to walk, she headed for the door. Despite her utterly exhausted current self, she still wanted to make sure that Calleb was fine.


    However, once she was outside, she was greeted with the sight of Jedrek, who was leaning his back against the wooden wall of the tent, sleeping soundly.


    Almost instantly, Lilac stopped walking and stood there in complete silence. She didn''t expect Jedrek would follow her and choose to stay near her, instead of in his own tent.


    Lilac crouched down and stared at the king, who was in deep sleep. He must be very exhausted after the long battle, but he chose to crash down for a rest here.


    If this was any other day, Lilac would be touched by his action. No. She was indeed touched by whatever he did for her, but there was this feeling that still couldn''t let her feel it freely.


    Something was disturbing the guardian angel which forced her to guard her heart and didn''t let what Jedrek did now bother her again, though it was a hard thing to do.


    But, Lilac didn''t feel like she was ready to deal with it.


    However, she couldn''t help but stretch out her hand to touch Jedrek''s hair and traced his jaw line with the tip of her fingers.


    "What should I do with you?" she whispered and got no answer in return.


    Lilac then got up and returned to her tent only to come back with a blanket in her arms, which she tucked around Jedrek to keep him warm.


    Despite everything that was happening, she didn''t wish for Jedrek to suffer even more than this. And this feeling was very tiring.


    This love that Lilac had for Jedrek was exhausting...


    Meanwhile, in afar away place of this fortress, finally the roars of the howling beast, lessened and the silence returned gradually.


    The moment the sun hit the horizon, its warmth woke Jedrek up and he found the blanket that Lilac put around him. The blanket was very soft to his touch, just like Lilac''s heart.


    However, he crushed it with his own hands, but even so, the guardian angel still cared for him...


    Jedrek stood up and entered the tent, yet he found no one inside. Lilac was gone.


    And the room was empty, just like his heart. He didn''t know what got into him, but he felt like crying to notice such emptiness.


    The king clutched to the soft blanket in his arms and fell to his knees, knowing how much pain he had caused for his mate.


    The beast inside him howled painfully, as it missed his other soul so badly.


    If the mate bond was snapped, then the feeling would be as severe as losing one''s mate and Jedrek felt like he was now going in that very direction with the recent developings between him and Lilac.


    ==============


    They needed four days to rearrange everything and make sure that each and every single shifter, magician and the other supernatural creatures were in shape for what was coming to get them, since the battle had not ended yet.


    Given how precious the time is, laxing for even a single moment would be considered one step closer to their failure. After all, there were still three devils out there that were out to wreck some havoc.


    And for now, the only information that they got from their scout was; there was strange movement in the south east.


    The humans were behaving rather weirdly. Just like crazed people. They became more aggressive and unleashed riots everywhere.


    An army of forces were dispatched, butnot to calm the situation, they headed toward their place along with the crazed humans.


    This time, they were more prepared and ready to wipe them out. Destroy this place for good.


    That would have happened if it was not for the magicians, who had dispelled more than a dozen of jet fighters, carrying some massive destructive ammo, before they could reach this place and nullified their attempts of turning them into nothing but dust.


    However, that couldn''t last for long either, because they almost reached their wits end. They should also conjure up a huge move to end all of this once and for all.


    Because the shifters couldn''t afford to fight yet another long battle that even included killing humans, and they were at least thrice in number compared to the last time the Donovan brothers had wiped out.


    And as for the guardian angels...


    Because Hope had to restrain three devils for days now, she always looked exhausted and out of energy, until the third day, she couldn''t even get out of the tent and could only stay in bed.


    This worried Kace greatly and he didn''t want to budge from his spot, if it was not for the talk with Torak and Jedrek which convinced him that Lilac and Raine needed to talk to her alone.


    Torak didn''t know what Raine wanted to tell Hope that she even had to keep it a secret from them, but he trusted her nonetheless.


    There must be something very important that only the guardian angels could understand.

 Chapter 1062: You will never lose me

    Meanwhile, Jedrek didn''t know how to talk to Lilac...


    Since that morning he found that Lilac had put a blanket over him, they had not talked even once and Jedrek kept looking for a sign that indicated Lilac wanted to talk to him, but he couldn''t find anything in the likes of it.


    The guardian angel completely acted as if he didn''t even exist when they were alone. But, she would be kind enough to barely acknowledge him when there were other people around them.


    "We need to end this soon..." Hope said when there were only the three of them inside the tent. Her eyebrows scrunched together when she felt the devils in her realms struggled to get free again.


    If this continued for long, then she wouldn''t be able to restrain them when she lost all her energy and all of their efforts would go in vain.


    "We need to close the craters," Lilac said, as she sat down on the edge of Hope''s bed. She held her cold hands and knew that Hope was trying really hard to keep the devil''s restrained right now.


    "How will you do it?" Raine asked, she sat down on the wooden chair that Lilac had created for her, next to the bed.


    "I know how to do it, I just need to go to the right place," Lilac said and then her voice turned into a whisper. "I think I have to take a long journey alone with Jedrek."


    Lilac had seen how she could end this. She knew what she had to do.


    "I will try to draw the devils toward you..." Raine said to Hope.


    "And we can end this..." Hope ended Raine''s sentence.


    For a moment, they fell into silence, as they plunged deep in their own thoughts, until Hope spoke what the things that they didn''t want to speak.


    A solid fact that they needed to confront eventually.


    Not only would it change their lives, but also their mates''.


    "Will we survive this?" Hope asked.


    They were aware of the prophecy about the guardian angels, and that their deaths were necessary in order to win the war.


    But, would they be able to come back to their own mates?


    Would the moon goddess be generous enough to give them another chance to be with their soulmates?


    Raine and Hope would love the idea of a second chance to be able to comeback to Torak and Kace, but Lilac...


    Would she take the chance to be with Jedrek if such choices were given to her?


    She didn''t know the answer to it.


    But, that was not the main point for now, all Lilac had to do now was to finish the task that was given to them as the guardian angels.


    Only after they succeeded, could Lilac think about that significant matter...


    They needed two more days for the plan to take the motion, because the Donovans were still recuperating from the after effects of the previous battle.


    The three guardian angels had briefed this plan to their mates and after some discussion, they agreed to go along with this.


    Raine and Hope along with Torak and Kace would stay in this place, while Lilac and Jedrek would go to the place, where they knew that the devils would be possibly hiding.


    Raine had been there before, the place that was called as the devils'' den, Lucifer''s place.


    Aeon had taken Raine, Serefina and the other lycanthropes to save Torak at that time, it was just that the place couldn''t be entered by everyone, they would need someone who was marked by the devils themselves.


    That place was surrounded by dark magic. However, Lilac could handle that. So, it was set now.


    Hope''s task would be to cage the devils in her realm and Raine, along with the other survivors, would deal with the humans or whoever would come to destroy them until Lilac and Hope could complete their tasks.


    This is it.


    It was either they could win it or they would die trying to fight back the devils'' influence. There was no way back now.


    Torak kissed Raine''s forehead and the tip of her nose. "If this will be the last day of my life, I will not ask for more except to spend every second with you..." Torak whispered in to Raine''s ear and kissed her neck tenderly.


    "Spend the time with me in the battlefield, you mean?" Raine giggled when she felt the ticklish feeling when Torak peppered her with kisses.


    "Wherever it would be, I just want to be with you," Torak said. His voice was very deep and solemn. He was voicing out whatever deep feelings he had for Raine and her only.


    Raine then stretched out her arms and hugged her mate''s neck, as she looked deep into those blue eyes. The colour that she loved the most ever since he walked into her life two years ago.


    The time really flew very fast and here she was already; standing at the end of the world with the love of her life, leading hundreds of supernatural creatures to the battle, creatures that she used to fear many years before.


    But everything changed just in the span of two years time.


    However, she felt no regrets whatsoever. Raine cherished each and every moment that she had been through and was ready to embrace what they would face after this.


    "Will you still feel the same even without the mate bond between us?" Raine asked him. The same question that she really wanted to know an answer to, but also the same question that Torak couldn''t give her a satisfying one.


    Because Torak would say ''yes'' without any hesitation, as the mate bond was still present.


    ==============


    Hope stretched out her hand to smooth the wrinkle on Kace''s forehead. She didn''t like how worried Kace was looking now. Nope, not in the slightest!


    "Everything will be all right..." Hope smiled softly, as she spoke with such difficulty because she knew her time has almost come.


    "How could you say that?" Kace asked, he took Hope''s hand tenderly and brought it to his lips. "I don''t want to lose you."


    "I am here. You will never lose me...." Hope placed her hand on Kace''s chest, right above his heart.

 Chapter 1063: I will count to ten

    The guardian angel was lying on the bed, while the lycan was crouching down beside her, looking all down and in foul mood. He didn''t even care about the preparations that those people were fussing over, just outside of this tent.


    Because his whole life was here and he just wanted to be with the best part of his life right now, with Hope.


    With Torak and Raine handling all the people and taking the lead for all of them, Kace could spend more time with Hope, as the guardian angel looked very weak now.


    Kace didn''t even know how Hope would fight the devils in her current condition, but all he wanted now was to keep her as safe as he could.


    He didn''t want any harm to come her way at this moment, or at least the harm that could hurt her psychologically.


    "I am afraid Hope... what if I lost you, after all of this was over?" Kace lowered his head, and buried his face in Hope''s palm, hiding his tears.


    "I will come back to you and I promise that..." Hope ran her fingers in his hair and then caressed the side of his face. "I will do everything to come back to you. So, wait for me, okay?"


    Kace didn''t answer back, he just nodded lightly.


    He remembered how he felt the first time he met Hope as a baby. She was very fragile and weak, but he loved her right away.


    Maybe it was the mate bond.


    However, seeing her growing up into a beautiful girl and experiencing all the things that he had been through with her was an amazing feeling that he didn''t ever want to end.


    Kace didn''t want lose his mate...


    He didn''t want to lose Hope...


    Not even for a minute.


    ==============


    Jedrek was standing in front of Lilac''s tent.


    He had been standing there for almost half an hour now, but Lilac hadn''t yet came out from inside.


    But, she couldn''t be blamed, according to her words forty five minutes ago, she said that would be ready in an hour. It meant, Jedrek had to wait for another fifteen minutes before he could see her.


    Jedrek didn''t need to be very impatient, because they would spend the whole journey only with the two of them, alone.


    This, somehow, made him feel nervous. He didn''t know how to act in front of his own mate.


    And even until now, they had not got a chance to have a proper conversation, no one was willing to start one. And when it sounded more easier to think it was the easiest way to deal with their complicated situation, but it was definitely not what they wanted.


    It made them awkward and feel uncomfortable whenever they were alone. And this journey could be more uncomfortable if they left things this way.


    Jedrek was hesitant when he took a step closer to the door of the tent. He wanted to talk to Lilac, but at the same time, he didn''t know how to start it or what he wanted to say to her.


    That hesitation kept toying around his mind for another twenty minutes until Lilac came out of her tent, looking as beautiful as always.


    Her big eyes widened in surprise when she found Jedrek right outside, waiting for her.


    "Sorry to keep you waiting," Lilac murmured and walked past Jedrek.


    ''I am sorry for hurting you''


    Jedrek replied in his mind, but in reality, he didn''t say anything as he followed Lilac and kept his eyes on her figure, staring at her back. Half wishing the guardian angel would look back, just to check whether he was following or not.


    But, Lilac had not done that. She kept walking forward. Not even once she looked back.


    And for some odd reason, this hurt Jedrek. He felt like he was Lilac''s past that the guardian angel didn''t want to dwell on.


    ==============


    "Can I come in?" Raine stood in front of a small tent, which was occupied by Calleb.


    After that scary night when Raine successfully brought Calleb back and calmed his beast down, it didn''t make the Beta feel any better.


    He was still succumbing himself into the deep hole of sorrow and rejected to see anyone, except Raine. Even Torak couldn''t make him step out of his tent.


    Calleb took sanctuary in this small space, he needed some alone time, but no one knew how long it would take for him to be his care free self again.


    Meanwhile, Raine still stood outside of the tent for another few minutes because she couldn''t hear any response from inside.


    "Hey, I will count to ten, if you still refuse to answer me, I will go inside," Raine said, pouting her lips because she felt being ignored by him. "Ten, coming in."


    Missing the count of one to nine, Raine went straight to ten and entered the tent.


    But, once she was inside and her eyes fell on Calleb''s figure, she shrieked and turned her body around while shutting her eyes tightly.


    "Calleb!" Raine exclaimed loudly. "If you are changing, say it so, at least I wouldn''t have to contaminate my eyes by seeing your naked body!"


    Calleb was not really naked, he just wore his boxers and was about to put on a shirt and a pair of pants when Raine entered the tent.


    "I thought you will count to ten," Calleb replied offhandedly. He didn''t look uncomfortable to make Raine uncomfortable. "Where did you learn to count like that?"


    Raine huffed, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and opened her eyes, only to stare at the innocent wooden wall before her eyes deadly.


    "I thought you were sleeping." No one would sleep at this hour and Raine knew that Calleb wouldn''t either. "Are you done?"


    Calleb scoffed. "This is not the first time you have seen a man naked, don''t be shy."


    Upon hearing that, Raine turned around and glared at Calleb, who fortunately had put on his pants and was about to wear his shirt.

 Chapter 1064: What are we looking for?

    "I don''t want to see any other man naked aside from my mate," she said viciously, but then her face fell when she realized what she just had said. "Oh, Calleb... I didn''t mean to..."


    Raine grimaced. She knew the word ''mate'' was a sensitive issue for Calleb now and she just messed his cool again. Calleb knew this too, but it seemed this was not the right time to bring that topic up again.


    Calleb gave Raine a reassuring smile and opened his arms. "Come here."


    Raine didn''t even need to ponder for a second before she ran toward him and snuggled into his embrace. "I am sorry."


    "Don''t be..." Calleb hugged the guardian angel and felt safe. "I should thank you for reaching out to me."


    If it was not for Raine, Calleb would have gone feral by now and there was no going back again.


    "I will be fine..." Calleb said and he felt Raine nodding against his chest.


    However, their moment together was disturbed when Torak entered the tent all of a sudden, without announcing his presence or counting to ten.


    The Alpha''s brows immediately knitted together upon seeing the sight that greeted him straight up as soon as he put a step inside.


    "Hands off of her," Torak said grimly, he looked daggers at his Beta.


    Calleb didn''t need to be told twice, as he threw his arms up, in a surrender gesture. Meanwhile, Raine glanced at Torak and smiled cheekily at her jealous mate.


    "Raine, come here."Torak shifted his focus onto his mate.


    But, before Raine went to Torak, she tiptoed and kissed Calleb''s cheek and this action made the Beta widen his eyes in horror.


    "Raine, you just saved me from the dark, but your actions will only get me killed by your mate," Calleb grumbled exaggeratedly.


    Yet, the guardian angel didn''t heed that statement and immediately ran toward Torak, who kissed her deeply, as if he was claiming what belonged to him.


    "Everything is ready?" Raine asked breathlessly after Torak finally pulled away from her.


    "Yes," He said.


    "Let''s end this." Calleb remarked.


    ==============


    Raine and Lilac visited Hope inside the tent and the three of them hugged each other before Lilac and Jedrek could be teleported to a different place by Belinda and Sybil.


    But, when they just came outside, Lilac caught sight of Bree, who was staring at them from afar, too afraid to come closer. Or maybe she was just too timid.


    "Bree, come here..." Lilac waved her hand to the little girl and she ran toward them.


    The guardian angel then knelt in front of her and kissed her cheek softly, as Bree hugged her tightly.


    "I am going to miss you..." The little girl said softly, but her words sounded like a farewell, it was like she knew that she would never see her again.


    "I am going to miss you too," Lilac kissed her hair and released her.


    Post that, Bree raised both of her arms toward Jedrek, who scooped her up and hugged her. "Please return safely, me and the other people will fight here."


    Jedrek didn''t know that he was this close to the little girl before, until she worried about him openly, but what she said warmed his heart.


    "I will." Jedrek nodded. "You too, be safe little warrior."


    Bree smiled widely. She liked how Jedrek addressed her.


    And after a few more minutes of saying goodbyes to each other, Sybil and Belinda were ready to do their job.


    "Stand closer," Belinda instructed the two of them, as they stood, at least, a meter away.


    At first, Lilac didn''t make any movement, she just mumbled ''just do it'', but Jedrek closed the distance between them and pulled her closer, resting his arm on her hips.


    Only then, did blue fire engulf their figures and swallowed Lilac''s surprised expression from the people present, as the two of them disappeared into thin air, along with the blue fire.


    The sun above them shone brightly in the clear sky, it looked like a perfect day that would be filled with smiles, but that was not the case as everyone under it knew what they would face soon.


    Torak grabbed Raine''s hand and looked at her.


    No words were needed to be exchanged between them, but there was a tacit understanding, even louder than the actual words.


    And not long after the disappearance of Jedrek and Lilac, one of the lycans came to them to report that they had seen the humans creeping closer this place.


    Once again, the devils were using the humans to fight them as they knew it would be a great disadvantage for their kind to kill them off.


    "Be ready," Raine said.


    ==============


    Jedrek and Lilac appeared right in front of the house, no, it looked like a bar.


    It was a building, painted in light brown color with high roof and a welcome sign on the front door, though it was still afternoon when they set off, the sky in this place was dark and they could see nothing else around them, except for this building.


    "It seems like this is the building that Raine had mentioned," Lilac murmured to herself and walked forward, but Jedrek grabbed her hand and walked ahead, keeping her slightly behind him.


    Lilac raised her head to see the king right after he made that gesture, but he didn''t even look at her, as he led her inside.


    This was a two- storey building with a dark aura surrounding it. Not to mention it was so quiet for a place like a bar and it went without saying that the more quiet a place was, the more dangerous it was.


    Both of them climbed stairs to the roof and opened the door. During that time, though the dark magic was quite powerful, still Lilac managed to redeem it, making their journey inside easier.


    Once the door was opened, the foul smell of alcohol assaulted their noses and Jedrek grunted, disgusted by the scent, since he had a strong sense of smell.


    "What are we looking for?" Jedrek broke the silence between them for the first time.


    "A book," Lilac replied.


    ==============


    Please check my other book; The Bride of the Vampire King.


    Hope you like it ((^o^))

 Chapter 1065: Nostalgic

    "A book?" Jedrek knitted his brows tightly, he couldn''t understand why they have to come this far just to get a book.


    And moreover, what this book got to do with their goal to take care of the rest of the three devils.


    For the other two guardian angels, Hope and Raine, they must have discussed the details of their plan with their mates, but it was not the case for Jedrek, because one could say that he barely spoke with Lilac about anything, not even the sudden change in the weather could make them converse with each other.


    Therefore, it could be understood if jedrek was a little bit lost and was not well informed about what was happening or what they have to do later.


    "Yes," Lilac replied curtly, seemingly, she wanted to keep their interaction as minimum as possible, since they both were in an awkward situation, or... relationship.


    ''Let''s end this and don''t meet with each other again'', more or less, that was the message that was written all over Lilac''s face and Jedrek could see it clearly as well.


    Just focus on the mission. That was it.


    "Can you tell me why you need this book?" Jedrek tried his best to make their journey inside this smelly building a little bit more comfortable, yet it seemed like his attempt couldn''t make any difference.


    Instead of answering Jedrek''s question, Lilac stretched out her hand and grabbed Jedrek''s wrist to pull him closer to her.


    "Follow my steps, or you will turn into dust," Lilac murmured. This place was filled with dark magic and the guardian angel couldn''t cover the whole place for them to roam around carelessly.


    It could be said that Lilac was following the steps that Aeon had followed before when he entered this place with Raine and the others in order to save Torak.


    About how she could do it... it was a privilege of being the guardian angel and after they discovered their true powers, one could say, there were a lot of things that they could do.


    One of those was what Lilac doing now.


    Both of them gritted their teeth when they felt the spark that erupted on the surface of their skins when Lilac touched her mate.


    It was incredible and... irritating.


    They shouldn''t be in this state and yearning for each other, because it would only make the situation hard for both of them.


    D*mn this mate bond!


    Lilac really wanted to curse out loud at Selene, for making things difficult for her. If she was sent to Jedrek as his mate with the intentions to teach him a lesson, the moon goddess should place her in a upper position.


    Yet, why did Lilac feel like she was the one being punished?


    The things that should happen were; Jedrek would be in so much pain after Lilac disappeared because her duty was over. The mate bond that snapped between them would make him go insane because he was in great pain, right?


    But, why did Selene make things difficult for her as well?


    Lilac couldn''t understand what the moon goddess'' intentions were. If what Jedrek felt for her was because of the mate bond between them, then what Lilac felt for him was because of her pure feelings...


    And that was unfair...


    "So, why do we need to find this book?" Jedrek tried to engage Lilac in a conversation again. Hoping they could have a normal conversation, since they didn''t have time to go into a deeper one.


    "We need the book to summon the devils and Hope will take care of the rest." Lilac briefly explained their plan, which she had not got a chance to discuss with Jedrek yet.


    She felt a little guilty to leave Jedrek in dark about what he should in this situation, but the king had never tried to ask about it either, he just followed her.


    "Okay," Jedrek murmured. His voice was right behind Lilac and his warm breath caressed her nape since Lilac tied her long hair into a bun. It made her shiver involuntarily and curse under her breath again. "So, I assume you know where this book is."


    Lilac didn''t answer him but from the way she walked in a certain direction, Jedrek already got his answer.


    Both of them walked in silence in this empty building.


    Where were the devils? Did they create another den and huddled there to brew some evil plan? Because now there were around thousands of human out of their minds that headed toward their fortress and was about to wipe them off from this realm.


    Lilac walked toward a bookshelf and picked a book from it. At first, Jedrek thought it was the book that Lilac had mentioned earlier, but his assumption was proven wrong when the bookshelf in front of them moved, splitting into two, and revealed a secret passage behind it.


    "A secret passageway," Jedrek raised his eyebrows, seemingly not very ecstatic to see this. "Nostalgic."


    Sarcasm dripped in his last few words and both of them knew why it sounded that way when it came from Jedrek.


    One could say that he had spent centuries after centuries dealing with a secret passageway in the first castle that buried dark memories about the soul of his crazy father that was still obsessed to bring their mother alive even though all their mother did was only lying on the bed, not even opening her eyes once for centuries.


    "Brought back old memories, huh?" Lilac couldn''t help but throw a snarky remark at Jedrek. She didn''t really have any interest to pity this man for what he had gone through.


    Yet, that was a lie.


    A part of Lilac''s heart felt like it was being grabbed and squeezed tightly, reprimanding her for making that kind of comment.


    However, Lilac felt the urge to snap at him.


    At least, this was what she could do to protect herself and hide her true feelings.


    "Kind of," Jedrek said in a gloomy tone. He stared at Lilac''s back, crossing his arms in front of his chest and squinted his eyes, as he didn''t say anything more when they walked along the path which looked like a corridor.


    ==============


    Please check my other book; The Bride of the Vampire King.


    Hope you like it ((^o^))

 Chapter 1066: Nostalgic (2)

    This place was so dark and humid, and was very long. It took them a few minutes to reach the end of it.


    And with the tension in the air, it felt like it was longer than it should be...


    Lilac walked in front of Jedrek without fear and it amazed him how the girl with such small frame held so much guts to walk alone on her own, not to forget that she could just turn around and ask Jedrek to walk in front of her, for she could very well hide behind him.


    Alright, that was the most ridiculous thought that had ever crossed Jedrek''s mind.


    The guardian angel that destroyed half of his aula when he met her for the first time and fought seven of his generals in a single battle, would never do that.


    A woman, who was brave enough to fight alongside with him during the war and strong enough to see her mate holding another woman and cried for her, would never do that...


    Lilac was so strong... body and mind.


    And it made the hollow in Jedrek''s heart grow bigger with every little detail that he missed.


    How deep was the cut that Jedrek had inflicted on her? Or, how far had his actions wounded her? Lilac had never showed it in front of him.


    Hence, Jedrek didn''t know how ruthlessly he crushed her feelings...


    After some time, they walked down the stairs and came another door, but before Lilac could open it, Jedrek stretched out his hand and reached to it first.


    "Let me," he said.


    At first, Lilac didn''t budge, she just stood there and stared at Jedrek with a questioning look.


    "At least, let me do this," Jedrek tried to ignore her sharp gaze, as he couldn''t help but sigh. "If there is something dangerous behind this door, at least you will be alive to finish this mission."


    What was that? Did they just go back to the way they interacted with each other when they met for the first time?


    Because this was the way they used to talk, neglecting the concern in Jedrek''s voice now.


    Lilac shrugged her shoulders when she heard that. "Whatever you see behind the closed door or whoever you meet later, don''t ever show your emotion or stray away from me."


    Jedrek scrunched his brows and looked at his mate, who didn''t even want to look back at him, as she kept  her eyes fixed on the door.


    "What are you waiting for? Christmas?" Lilac grumbled because Jedrek didn''t make any move even after a full minute.


    Alright, angry was better... At least, Lilac showed some emotion toward him and with this thought, Jedrek felt very pathetic.


    The king then pushed the door open and entered the room.


    As soon as they went inside, their bodies shivered involuntarily as cold wind blew past their faces.


    This room was so cold as if they just entered a refrigerator. Why was the temperature very low?


    Over his shoulder, Jedrek could see Lilac hugging herself as the cold wind wouldn''t stop gushing past them and out of instinct, he unbuttoned his jacket and gave it to Lilac, in order to keep her warm.


    "You can keep it for yourself," Lilac murmured and was about to walk past Jedrek, but the king draped the jacket over her shoulders.


    "Lycanthropes, fortunately, are hot blooded creatures, thus this is still bearable," Jedrek said lightly, buttoning up the jacket, so Lilac couldn''t throw it away.


    He smiled when he watched how Lilac scrunched her nose in displeasure, she was annoyed.


    After that small fuss, they continued to walk further inside, but aside from the coldness of the temperature, this tunnel passageway was not as dark as the one that they walked along earlier.


    There was still a glimmer of Illumination along the way, though they couldn''t find any light source inside.


    Lilac now walked beside Jedrek, her eyes stared at the path before their eyes and not even once did she glance at the king beside her, who was stealing a glance or two at her every now and then.


    Jedrek was in deep thoughts about what Lilac was thinking right now, since she had been blocking her mind, not allowing him to hear what was inside her head.


    But, Jedrek didn''t try to push her, because it would only aggravate the guardian angel further and that was the last thing Jedrek wanted now.


    When Jedrek was lost in his own thoughts, he saw something or someone move on his left side and out of instinct he turned his head to takea look.


    And everything became different all of a sudden.


    Jedrek was no longer inside the cold room with Lilac, but now he was inside a warm room that was filled with rich light, very bright until Jedrek had to squint his eyes.


    However, despite of the warm atmosphere, he could feel something bad was happening around here. People were crying, as if they were mourning for something or someone who had died.


    Jedrek watched as a woman cried beside a white baby crib and another man was holding her shoulders, whispering something in to her ears, so he could calm her down, yet it took little to none affect on her.


    Meanwhile, three other men, who appeared to be doctors, said their condolences and stood aside with grieving expressions etched on their faces.


    Jedrek didn''t know what was happening, but somehow, he felt his heart was in turmoil having to watch all of this.


    His legs trembled and his whole body was shaking uncontrollably, just like someone, who was awaiting his final verdict.


    Why was he feeling this way? And why was he here? What were those people doing?


    However, in spite of the dozens of questions that were roaming around in his mind, Jedrek felt the urge to walk closer toward the baby crib.


    He felt like the time slowed down when he was finally showed the figure inside it.


    Jedrek''s brows pinched tightly when he finally stood beside the crib and looked down at the small creature, as beautiful and pure as the morning dew.


    The beautiful baby puckered her pink lips and her small fingers were curled. She was very beautiful. The most beautiful baby that Jedrek had ever seen.

 Chapter 1067: I am sorry...

    But, realization soon gripped his heart in a bone crushing agonizing pain.


    Something told him to run away from that place right now, but a part of him, just wanted to stare at the baby for eternity.


    Yet, when he reached his hand out to touch the baby''s black soft hair, he realized that she was no longer breathing.


    The baby was dead.


    And the worst nightmare that struck him dumbfounded was the fact that the baby was none other than Lilac.


    Jedrek could smell her faint scent.


    Lilac, as a baby had died and all of this happened because of an order that he gave to Maximus.


    His general managed to kill her and here Jedrek was; standing right in front of the biggest mistake that he had ever made in his life.


    The very first mistake that managed to led him to do several other.


    But, what is this? What was he seeing now? They shouldn''t be here. He shouldn''t be here. Lilac wouldn''t die, she was alive, because the moon goddess saved her.


    Jedrek was with Lilac to find the book, but why was he here, alone? Where was Lilac?


    The king looked around him and found nothing, but the people who were grieving in deep sorrow upon losing the baby.


    And the sadness that hit Jedrek was a hundred times worse than those of the people here. He had to grab the edge of the baby crib, so he wouldn''t lose his footing.


    This was not true.


    No, it was true in some way, but this was something that had happened in the past and what they were here to search now has nothing to with this.


    Jedrek shut his eyes tightly and scrunched his brows, as he tried to remember the last place that he was together with Lilac. This must have something to do with the dark magic and the warning that his mate gave him before they entered this place.


    This was not a real event in his current time, this was only a fragment of memory from the past. If Jedrek could focus and free himself from this fatamorgana, then he would be fine.


    But, the feeling of losing his mate was very real, because he could feel his heart being shredded into million pieces and this successfully kept him from thinking straight.


    The beautiful baby was dead and he was the main reason why she wasn''t breathing now.


    His mate was dead. He killed her with his own hands by giving that ruthless order to Maximus.


    What kind of monster was he to kill a baby? His other half? His soulmate?


    Someone like him should be six feet under the ground for what he had done.


    The regret and sorrow that crushed him grew even worse along with the soft sobbing sounds of the mother of the baby. Lilac''s mother.


    If Lilac was not killed then, she would have grew up in a loving family that loved her and got whatever she deserved as a young girl. A warm family, lovely parents, or maybe adorable siblings...


    But, with a single order, Jedrek took those things away from Lilac.


    How could he do that to his own mate?


    Jedrek shook his head vigorously. He had to get out of this place, before his own feelings driven him to his death, but how should he escape this? How to ran away from one''s past?


    Jedrek''s grip on the crib tightened. He growled deeply when the pain was almost unbearable and he didn''t know what to do to lessen this pain.


    The more he breathed the more painful it became, as the sound of the people crying around him almost drove him crazy.


    The mother lost her baby and the lycan lost his mate...


    No.


    This was only an ilussion. Jedrek should be awake soon to finish his mission with Lilac. Lilac was not dead because the moon goddess would save her and everything would be fine. She would be alive again and would come to him.


    However, he also couldn''t shake these feelings of his; regret and shame.


    The burden on his shoulders and the agony in his heart were too hard to not notice and this made the king drop to his knees, as his ragged breathing became the only sound that echoed in his ears.


    Was the ilussion finally over?


    Jedrek questioned himself, but he needed more time to gather his courage to open his eyes, because he didn''t want to see the motionless baby again. To see how the baby closed shut her eyes for the eternity.


    That was a terrifying sight to see...


    When everything went silence once again and Jedrek was sure that the sounds of people crying finally couldn''t be heard, he opened his eyes and stared intensely at the floor under him.


    However, He immediately realized that he was still kneeling beside the crib.


    But, for some reason, the people around him had disappeared, leaving him all alone. Or maybe, he was not really alone, because from the corner of his eyes, he could see someone walking slowly toward him... or the baby...


    Jedrek could see his shoes and somehow, he knew whose those shoes belong to.


    And when he raised his head, his gut feeling was proven right, because Jedrek could see Maximus, standing right beside the crib, staring at the baby with a devilish smirk etched on his lips.


    "DON''T TOUCH HER!" Jedrek roared in agitation and sprung to his feet to rush toward him. "I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU TOUCH HER!"


    However, no matter how hard he was screaming or trying to stop Maximus, seemingly, nothing could stop the lycan from stretching out his hands to strangle the baby to her death.


    Jedrek forced himself forward, but couldn''t as if there was an invisible wall that prevented him from taking a single step closer toward Maximus. He couldn''t even touch him.


    "NO!!!"


    Jedrek roared in panic and agitation upon seeing how Maximus was preparing to kill his mate.


    It was totally different when you actually witness it with your own eyes than when you just gave a reckless order to kill your other half.


    ==============


    Check my other story: It''s Hard to Control My Naughty Wife ^^

 Chapter 1068: I am sorry... (2)

    It was hellish when you realized that the most precious thing and the essence of your life was being taken away right in front of you.


    "STOP! STOP! STOP!"


    Jedrek felt like his lungs would burst in pain as he saw how his little mate, baby Lilac, was not aware of the dangers that came to get her, as she stretched out her tiny arms, asking to be carried by the person in front of her.


    The baby was too young to understand that this person had came to take her precious life away.


    Meanwhile, Maximus stood ramrod straight with an aloof temperament, watching as baby Lilac gave him a smile as pretty as a freshly bloomed flower. Her tiny fingers curled into small fists when she raised her hands.


    The newborn looked very delicate and smelled so divine.


    Yet, all the pureness that Maximus witnessed couldn''t waver his sinister intentions, as the order that his king had given was the only thing in his mind and he fulfilled it gladly.


    A vicious smile appeared at the corner of his lips.


    Maybe because the person in front of her didn''t want to carry her or because the baby had finally felt something dark from him that made her uncomfortable, but gradually baby Lilac pursed her lips as if she was going to cry, craving for her mother''s warmth.


    Jedrek felt his heart being torn apart when he watched how baby Lilac started to cry as her eyes welled up with unshed tears. Her smile had long disappeared and was replaced by fear.


    No...


    Jedrek felt his entire body shaking in anger and helplessness. He wanted to reach the baby, carry her away and hug her so badly.


    He wanted to protect her, cradle her in his arms...


    Wipe away her tears and kill the monster that scared her so much.


    But, he was the monster...


    He was the reason why she was crying now... It was his order that made Maximus come to this place.


    Jedrek couldn''t believe it.


    Compared to what he had done to Lilac, the devils looked like saints now.


    No shifter would purposely hurt their mate and even worse, kill them for their own selfish reasons.


    What had he done...?


    Look at his father, he did all the craziest and unreasonable things just to keep his mate safe, alive, though all of those things that he had sacrificed still couldn''t bring their mother alive.


    But, he still did it. Just to hold onto a tiny hope that one day his mate would smile back at him.


    He sold his soul and almost put his children in danger.


    Crazy, but in some way, was more reasonable than what Jedrek had done to Lilac.


    Only now Jedrek could see how big and wrong the mistake that he did upon deciding a completely insane decision.


    It was very easy for Maximus to strangle the baby''s soft neck, stifle her last cry before her breath left her.


    There was no challenge, no blood, no unnecessary fight and there was no joy in killing this easy.


    Maximus gave the baby a derisive smile when he snickered after completing the task that was given to him.


    Meanwhile, seeing that the baby could no longer breath or make a noise, Jedrek felt his entire being turn numb, as if he had lost all the reason to continue living. He started to question his existence and forgot that the scene before his eyes was something that had already happened years ago.


    Jedrek wanted to kill Maximus, but the lycan had already died in his own hands...


    So, what was left for him?


    The king dropped to his knees once again, with both of his hands supporting his body as he roared at the top of his lungs upon losing his mate.


    Oh, he had never felt this kind of agony that could gnaw every inch of one''s skin...


    There was no sound that Jedrek could hear aside from the agony in his meaningless scream. A sound that tore his throat and would never be able to fix the thing that was long done.


    Lilac would be resurrected, but the fact that Jedrek once killed her would never be erased from the journey of both of their souls.


    How amazing was it? How they started their relationship...


    Jedrek balled his fists and hit his head as hard as he could, until the satisfying sound of cracking bones could be heard.


    One time.


    Crack...


    Two times.


    Crack...


    Five times.


    Crack...


    But, no matter how many times Jedrek hurt himself in order to lessen the pain in his heart, that would never be enough, because every time he would heal even before the wound could actually start to hurt...


    Jedrek didn''t want to be healed, he wanted to see his face painted in his own blood, so he could let everyone knew that he was regretting his decision...


    He was regretting that he had killed his own mate...


    How could he make up for this mistake?


    Was this how Lilac felt when she knew the person that supposed to love her was the main reason of her unhappiness?


    Jedrek couldn''t even imagine if Lilac killed him, then he had to face her again and was not allowed to do the same to her...


    Not only that, Lilac even stood by his side, while he was hurting her ruthlessly when he chose to accompany Serefina.


    Kissing another woman right before her eyes...


    Saying he couldn''t let Serefina go...


    But Lilac didn''t even make any fuss. Even if she wanted to wrench his heart in her grasp, her actions would be justified.


    Jedrek gritted his teeth, as he felt wave after wave of pain washing over his body.


    This was so wrong...


    Jedrek didn''t know how long he had closed his eyes, but the next thing that he heard was Lilac''s voice.


    The guardian angel was screaming in panic.


    "STOP IT!"


    Lilac''s voice and her intoxicating scent told him that his mate was nearby. The first thought that crossed Jedrek''s mind was; he finally escaped the nightmare of the dark magic that made him relive his shameful past.


    However, this was far from over...


    ==============


    Follow me on instagram @Jikan_yo_tomare for inner thought of the characters ^^

 Chapter 1069: Shameful past

    However, when his eyes caught sight of his mate not too far from him as Lilac was trying to talk sense into him, Jedrek knew it was far from over...


    "You are going to kill her!" Lilac cried when Jedrek was strangling Violet''s neck, hell bent on killing the witch.


    Yet, that was not the worst part, because Jedrek remembered what he had done to his mate next...


    The ruckus happened just like how Jedrek remembered, until he watched himself holding Lilac''s hand forcefully as his grip became deadly.


    Even from his position now, Jedrek could hear the sound of the cracking bones under his pressure and Lilac screaming in agony.


    His mate''s face became pale when she writhed in an almost unbearable pain when Jedrek broke her left arm.


    The bastard king finally let the guardian angel go, but he did nothing to console his mate, who was suffering in pain because of him.


    "Throw her in the dungeon," Jedrek said when a guard approached him.


    Jedrek had never felt this bad like he wanted to kill someone... but, that someone was himself.


    He caused Lilac so much pain and that was not the end to his madness. This was only the beginning...


    Jedrek was on the verge of questioning himself, moreover the decisions that he made throughout his existence, when the scene before his eyes changed once again...


    Now, he was inside a dungeon.


    The foul smell of this place hit Jedrek''s senses when he watched Lilac crying silently, as her tears flowed from her eyes nonstop...


    The guardian angel cradled her left hand gingerly, biting her lips in order to endure the pain that she was feeling right now, but it didn''t seem to work at all...


    Lilac was no different from normal humans, such pain wouldn''t go away easily like the case of those shifters. She didn''t have their healing ability to reduce the pain.


    And now there was nothing Jedrek could do aside from approaching her and fall to his knees beside his mate.


    "Lilac... what... should I do?" Jedrek stammered, his trembling hand stretched out as he wanted to touch her, but he couldn''t. That invisible wall prevented him from doing so... "I am sorry, forgive me..."


    Lilac couldn''t hear him, but another tear fell on her cheeks again when she shut her eyes and scrunched her brows.


    "What should I do? I am sorry... I am sorry..." Jedrek had never felt so helpless like this, even when he watched Serefina die in his arms and he told her how much he loved her, that feeling couldn''t be compared to this...


    With Serefina, it was love. His first love, a tough love that he had to bid farewell... But, with Lilac, it was different...


    His feelings were complicated, Jedrek felt all the feelings that he could imagine; sadness, love, self- abnegation, kindness, fear, hate, happiness, peace... all those feelings came to him during the short time he spent together with her.


    "Lilac... I am sorry..." Jedrek dropped his head on to the ground, beside Lilac, as tears streamed down his eyes like a broken dam. "I am sorry... I am sorry... I am sorry..."


    Jedrek couldn''t bear to watch what other wrong things that he had done to her after this, making her life more miserable than this...


    He killed her, broke her arm, trapped her in a realm from where she couldn''t escape for a year and betrayed her...


    He was the worst creature of all lycanthropes...


    And what did Lilac give to him in return? Her endless faith, kindness, love and patience... Everything that Jedrek didn''t deserve to ever experience...


    Just how could he hurt his mate to this extent? How could he hurt such a beautiful soul like her?


    Lilac gave Jedrek the happiness that he had long lost when she agreed to be his queen and many nights that they spent together...


    She softened his heart and tamed his anger. She became the perfect queen and handled all the hurdles that came to her way, alone, as her mate was a piece of trash that wouldn''t stand by her side to protect her like how a mate should...


    Lilac fought alone and she still had that tender spot in her heart to give Jedrek the love that he needed, strengthening the mate bond between them.


    Yet, Jedrek ruined it by doing the thing that he wasn''t most proud of...


    He clearly saw the pain in Lilac''s eyes as her heart was being torn apart at the very moment she chose to walk away to give Jedrek and Serefina time to be together during the latter''s last breath.


    Jedrek felt the darkness draw him in further and further...


    It was like a black hole that was sucking his soul, leaving him with nothingness...


    And the only sound that Jedrek could hear was his own voice that kept mumbling the word; forgive me... but, no one answered him back.


    If only he could start all of this again...


    But, what kind of expectations did he have?


    ''Jedrek...''


    Someone from afar was calling his name, along with the spark on his right shoulder. His mate was touching him.


    Jedrek couldn''t be mistaken. No one else could give him these tingly feelings.


    However, was he still inside the illusion of his shameful past? Or, had he finally escaped that? And was it really Lilac, who was touching him right now?


    "Jedrek?"


    Her voice was laced in worry and anxiety, the sound caressed Jedrek''s ears like a morning breeze after a night of storm.


    Jedrek didn''t know that his body was trembling right now, but the moment his eyes fell on his mate''s figure, and when their eyes met, Jedrek was shaken with the fact that his mate was still staring at him with tenderness... and love.


    What had he done to deserve such a beautiful soul like her? When all he did was hurting her over and over again...


    "Are you all right?" Lilac was now crouching down in front of Jedrek.

 Chapter 1070: This will be over soon

    "Are you all right?" Lilac asked while crouching down in front of Jedrek, she had been trying to wake Jedrek up from whatever illusion that he was trapped in since a few minutes ago.


    Lilac didn''t know what he was seeing, but the way he screamed the words ''forgive me'' with so much repentance, made Lilac feel like crying...


    Who was Jedrek asking forgiveness from?


    Was he sorry for Serefina? For not being able to save the witch? That could be the case... since Lilac had witnessed how much he yearned for her...


    "Jedrek..." Lilac was about to ask him again, whether he had regained his conscious or not, but the king grabbed her body and pulled her closer to him, and in a split second, she was being hugged fiercely. "Jedrek, what happened? What did you see?"


    Lilac was flabbergasted when she noticed that Jedrek was actually crying. He was crying on her shoulder while hugging her very tightly, almost crushing her with his beastly strength.


    But, from his trembling body, Lilac could tell that he was feeling despaired beyond words... he was scared. But, what made him feel so scared like this?


    Jedrek literally crushed Lilac''s body by the way he held his mate, as if she was the last thread that could keep him sane and Lilac had never seen Jedrek being so scared to this extent...


    Not even when he lost Serefina.


    The king looked like he lost his control and forgot about his surroundings completely, and Lilac didn''t know what to do to calm the turmoil inside his heart.


    "I am sorry..." Jedrek grinded the words out of his lips, yet no matter how many times he asked for forgiveness, it couldn''t reduce the regret in his heart and shake off the image of the dead baby or Lilac''s expression when he broke her arm from his thoughts...


    Her tears, the way her brows scrunched painfully and how she hugged herself on the cold ground of the dungeon cell...


    How could he send her to a place like that? How could he make her life so miserable when all she gave him in return was love and faith? To a monster like him...


    The memory lane didn''t stop there...


    Even though Jedrek was sure that he had returned to the current time and felt the spark that erupted between them when he touched Lilac, and knew that he had her in his arms, but the images from his shameful past, kept repeating behind his closed eyes.


    When Lilac looked at him with sadness, the way she turned her back, or how she told him to reject her that she was ready to let him go, for choosing Serefina over herself.


    However, what Jedrek did was refuse all of that and was very stubborn to have her with the thought that he would be able to go on with his destined mate while completely ignoring his past love with Serefina.


    Yet, the reality told him otherwise...


    The twist in the decision that he made was way too complicated...


    He hurt everyone involved...


    Could he be forgiven?


    Was there anything or something that he could do to make up for his mistakes? His wrongdoings?


    "Jedrek... what happened?" Lilac asked, she could feel her tears almost falling on her cheeks, upon seeing how Jedrek was breaking down now.


    "I am sorry... I am sorry Lilac..." Jedrek buried his face against Lilac''s stomach, as he knelt down in front of her and hugged her slender waist, while Lilac caressed his back gently, in order to soothe the pain away.


    "What are you sorry for?" Lilac was confused... her brows pinched together tightly, she bit her lip, as she stared at the man who bent his knees before her...


    The proud king seemed to no longer care about his pride, as he was too shameful to raise his head at the moment, as all the memories of what he had done to Lilac flashed before him.


    "Everything..." Jedrek breathed out that single word, trembling as if he was in so much pain...


    Meanwhile, Lilac still couldn''t understand, why Jedrek was acting like this all of a sudden. What was he seeing earlier that made him this vulnerable?


    Lilac didn''t know how to respond to his apology either, thus she kept silent and listened to him.


    They stayed in the same position for a few more minutes, because Jedrek didn''t look like he could continue their journey for the meantime and Lilac could only keep holding him, so he wouldn''t break down even further.


    Her mate was in deep sorrow and despite not knowing what he had seen, still Lilac knew in her tender heart that seeing Jedrek like this was hurting her as well...


    ==============


    "They are coming..." Raine said as she noticed the black smoke that marred the perfect blue sky above them spread rather quickly.


    The humans and their armed vehicles rushed toward them, very eager to wipe them off of this world, as they saw the supernatural creatures existence as a danger to their own, without even considering that they had been living side by side for centuries.


    Beside Raine, Torak shifted into his white beast, his red eyes glared at the fortress wall that Lilac had created to keep them safe, but because the guardian angel was no longer around, the fortress wouldn''t stand for very long, it would collapse within a few minutes from now, giving how much the force that it had been receiving so far...


    Raine shifted her attention toward the white beast and climbed on its body, and secured herself in a sitting position, while on her right side was the brown beast, Calleb''s beast. He too was ready to fight off those humans, the creatures that had killed his mate.


    Raine stretched out her hand and caressed the brown beast gently.


    Calleb''s beast tilted its big head and nudged Raine''s hand, assuring that he was fine and she didn''t need to worry.


    [Let''s end this...] Raine said through the mind link to Torak and Calleb.


    Right after that, the walls of the fortress collapsed as they could see countless armed vehicles zooming forward and infiltrating their safe place.

 Chapter 1071: Yes, you hurt me

    Deafening roars filled the air and the ground beneath them shook vigorously when the shifters and the minatours rushed to confront their opponents.


    Above them, in the blue sky that was contaminated with the black smoke, were three dragons, flapping their massive wings while letting out loud screeches that could make anyone who heard them tremble in fear.


    On top of the white beast, Raine squinted her eyes, as she concentrated on her own task.


    ==============


    Inside the hut, Kace was unfazed when he heard the loud commotion from outside that told him another war had started, because that couldn''t attract his attention... He could only focus on what was right in front of him; his dying mate...


    Apparently, restraining three devils in her realm, rewarded this side effect to Hope. Her condition became weaker with every second that passed and there was nothing Kace could do except to hold her hands and stay beside her, waiting for the other guardian angels to finish their task, so Hope could end hers.


    And after that...


    Kace didn''t even want to think what would happen after that...


    No one knew what would happen, but somehow, they knew the worst things would still be lurking around the corner when all of this over.


    When all the guardian angels had finished their missions, the sole reason why they were resurrected in the first place.


    Kace did not care about the deaths out there, because the only death that could scare him to his wits end was the one which was lurking around his mate...


    "If I am fortunate enough to get ressurected again, I want to tour around the world with you..." Hope said softly. Her face looked very pale, just like how she was when she just escaped from the grip of the death that forced Kace to mark her. "What do you think?"


    Hope was trying to make Kace think other things aside from the sorrowful fact in his mind. But, it seemed her attempt was not really successful, since the only response she got from from Kace was silence.


    "If I come back, I want you to take me on a date... a real date..." Hope turned around and looked at Kace, running her fingers in his hair. "The last time you took me on a date, I couldn''t get to enjoy as it was ruined by Abby and Leon." Hope pouted.


    Of course Kace remembered that. If he could say, he was willing to give up everything just to return to that time...


    Everything seemed more easier during that time, he had everything he needed and was sure that Hope was safe under Serefina and Lana''s care.


    But, death was the inevitable outcome of war, and everyone have their own turns, the only thing was no one knew when it comes knocking on their door.


    "I hated Abby for ruining our date and flirting with you." Hope scowled, her brows were scrunched together, but her voice was soft. "But now I feel thankful for her because she and her brother had saved Bree..."


    And now Leon and Abby were also a part of those people, who were fighting in the war out there.


    "Hm..." Kace could only give her that response, as he stared at their intertwined fingers. He would be besid her to make sure Hope was safe and also because he didn''t want to leave her alone.


    "Kace..." Hope stretched out her hand to touch Kace''s chin to tip his head up, so he could see her. "This is not a goodbye, you know that..."


    Kace gritted his teeth when he heard that, but didn''t say anything to answer her back.


    "Kace..." Hope frowned when her mate kept refusing to make an eye contact with her. "Look at me."


    Reluctantly, Kace raised his head and looked at Hope, when their eyes met he couldn''t hold back the fear that he had been trying to surpress.


    "I am afraid Hope... I don''t want to lose you..." A tear fell on his cheeks which was followed by another then another.


    "You will not lose me... This is not a goodbye..." Hope pushed herself up, so she could hug her mate and let him cry on her shoulder.


    Yes, this is not a goodbye...


    They hoped so...


    ==============


    Jedrek needed a few more minutes to calm down, but even though his body had stopped trembling, he was still hugging Lilac, afraid to let her go.


    During which no words were exchanged between them, until a question from Jedrek broke the serenity.


    "Would you come back to me if the moon goddess gave you a chance to return?" Jedrek asked in a low voice.


    Her hand that was caressing Jedrek''s back stopped when Lilac heard the question that she had been asking herself and still couldn''t find the answer.


    Even after Jedrek asked her out loud, Lilac couldn''t find it in her to say ''yes'' with certainty.


    The longer Lilac didn''t answer his question, the more Jedrek knew he had lost his mate... Lilac wouldn''t let him wait for an answer if she realy intended to come back to him, but the silence she gave him was also an answer.


    "We have to go now," Lilac said, patting Jedrek''s back. "We shouldn''t waste any more time here, everyone is waiting for the result..."


    Jedrek felt the hollow in his heart getting bigger when he heard that, but he nodded in agreement. "Yes, let''s go..."


    Reluctantly, and very slowly, Jedrek let go of Lilac and stood up.


    On the other hand, Lilac watched Jedrek''s expression when they started to walk in search of the book that they were trying to find out.


    "Why did you apologize earlier?" Lilac asked offhandedly.


    She heard Jedrek apologizing to her, but was still curious about the reason until he looked like a sinner, and was on the verge of a mental breakdown.


    "Because I hurt you," Jedrek answered in a simple way, though what he felt was nothing close to the word simple.


    Lilac bit her lip. "Yes, you hurt me Jedrek, I would be lying lie if I said otherwise."


    Jedrek lowered his head. "What should I do to make up for that?"


    Lilac shook her head. "What you are feeling right now is because of the mate bond, but once you are over it, you will be fine."

 Chapter 1072: Sacrifice

    Jedrek raised his head out of surprise, he didn''t think that Lilac would answer him in that manner, but before he could utter anything more, Lilac beat him to it.


    "That''s a fact. Once I am gone, and the mate bond is snapped, you will not think of me the way you are thinking now or feel the pain as excruciating as you are experiencing now." Lilac raised her head and met Jedrek''s gaze with her eyes. "Once all of this was over, we will be nothing to each other, but two people that once got to know each other and then turned into complete strangers. The mate bond was what binding us together, Jedrek..."


    ==============


    Raine and everyone could see that the humans they were fighting against in this war didn''t look normal. Something was totally off with them, especially their eyes.


    Their eyes were ones that of a golden shade. So much similar to those of the devils''.


    If this keep going on, it wouldn''t be a wonder if another thousand human beings lost their lives today.


    [Torak, take me to the center.] Raine mind- linked Torak, as the beast kept slashing his sharp claws and baring his teeth at the humans that kept attacking them.


    Silver bullets were shot, aimed at the shifters, if it was not for the witches and magicians'' constant interference, those shifters would have died with dozens of bullet holes in their bodies.


    The white beast roared when he leapt onto a massive iron vehicle and forced himself through the human barricade while dodging several bullets that were aimed at him.


    Raine looked around and stopped some bullets that the witches couldn''t manage to stop from reaching them.


    Raine could stop time, but she needed to be in the right spot, so that she could influence it over such a massive area.


    Not only that, she needed to save her energy for everything she planned next.


    The final task of hers was to restore the invisible wall that separated the supernatural creatures and the human world.


    This was not an easy task to accomplish, so did what Hope and Lilac had to achieve now, but they were certain they could go through it all.


    This was almost the end of their mission...


    Only three devils were left.


    Meanwhile, because of the huge numbers of the humans that were fighting with all of their might against the supernatural creatures, it took a long time while overcoming many difficulties for the white beast to bring the guardian angel closer to the place that she mentioned.


    Along the way, Calleb''s brown beast never left their side even once and fought back really hard to make sure that nothing would harm Raine.


    He would never forget the fact how those humans had killed his mate brutally and wouldn''t let the same chance fall into their hands to do the same thing to Raine.


    Fighting against the fact that the shifters couldn''t kill the humans without bearing the consequences, they ended their lives rather brutally and quickly.


    [Here...] Raine said through the mind- link when she thought that that was the perfect position to start. All she needed was to wait for Lilac and Hope to finish their tasks and be done with all of this.


    The white beast and the brown beast stopped in the center of the commotion and Raine jumped down from the white beast''s back to observe her surroundings.


    Immediately after, Raine realized something just when she was brought to the spot that she wanted, which was; they couldn''t stay there for a long time, because it went without saying that those armed vehicles or the silver bullets would eventually reach their targets; them.


    However, the moment Raine felt she was ready to unleash her attack, an unexpected thing happened at the same time.


    Just as Raine was about to stop the time to make all those humans around them stop attacking the shifters, Lilith appeared right before her.


    The female devil smirked viciously at the guardian angel and stretched out her hand to grip Raine''s neck.


    Lilith appearance was so sudden that rendered the two beasts on Raine left and right sides unable to react right in time.


    Yet, Raine didn''t even budge when Lilith wrapped her cold fingers around her neck. Instead, she stared indecisively at her.


    ==============


    Jedrek and Lilac finally reached another door across the room. The two of them walked in silence, as they were deep in their own thoughts.


    And just like before, Jedrek walked forward and reached for the handle of the door before Lilac could do, but this time he didn''t hear any warnings from the guardian angel, which also meant; he didn''t have a chance to start a conversation.


    Behind the door, was an even bigger room than the last one, with a crystal chandelier hanging very high above their heads and an opened book on top of a translucent podium in the center, but aside from these, nothing was inside and this room could be said as an empty room.


    "Is that the book?" Jedrek asked Lilac, finding an opportunity to engage her in a conversation.


    "Yes," Lilac replied curtly, as she didn''t even slow down to wait for Jedrek.


    Once Lilac was in front of the translucent podium with the opened book on top of it, she had to tiptoe, because it was too high for her petite stature.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek stayed closer to her, as his black eyes scanned the entire room, trying to detect any kind of threats that would catch them off guard if they relaxed even a bit.


    "What should we do?" Jedrek asked when he noticed that Lilac had just kept staring at the book, without doing anything.


    "Sacrifice," Lilac said in a toneless voice, her brows scrunched tightly, a reflection of her complicated thoughts.


    "What?!" Jedrek growled.


    "Step back," Lilac ordered Jedrek to stay away from her, but of course the king wouldn''t listen to her.


    "I will not go anywhere before you tell me what do you mean by sacrifice?" Jedrek felt like snarling at his stubborn mate for what she was trying to do.


    "What should I explain to you about sacrifice?" Lilac squinted her eyes at her mate. She bit her lip to prevent herself from losing control.

 Chapter 1073: This is the time

    "What should I explain to you about sacrifice?" Lilac squinted her eyes at her mate. She bit her lower lip to prevent herself from losing control.


    Instead of listening to her, Jedrek grabbed her wrist and stepped even closer until he could feel her warm body.


    "Let''s end this," Lilac said grimly and watched as Jedrek shook his head.


    "Please Lilac... Don''t do this to me..." Jedrek begged her.


    "You know what will happen to me in the end. This is not something that you can change..." Lilac reminded him again.


    "But, will you come back to me?" Jedrek noticed the uncertainty in Lilac''s eyes and felt suffocated, for he already knew what her answer would be.


    He didn''t want to hear it from her...


    What was he supposed to do with this situation? It was selfish of him to still wanting her to stand beside him after what he had done. After he broke her heart and made her suffer, going through all the hellish pain that she didn''t deserve...


    However, Jedrek wanted to be selfish for one last time. He couldn''t deny the fact that he needed her. He needed his mate, his queen...


    He couldn''t make Lilac happy when she was with him, but he still wanted her nonetheless...


    Couldn''t he be selfish for one last time? He wanted her so bad, but the way she looked at him, made Jedrek''s heart stop beating, because the meaning of her gaze was killing him from the inside...


    "Lilac..." Jedrek gritted his teeth and pleaded to his mate. "I beg you..."


    No one ever heard that word from the king. Jedrek would never utter that word no matter what.


    No matter how bad the situation might turn out for him, no one ever heard him begging someone for something...


    But, right at this moment, when Jedrek begged Lilac, it showed how desperate the king was in trying to have his queen by his side.


    To have her come back to him again after all of this over, so that they could start everything from the beginning.


    Yet, Lilac didn''t seem to be having the same idea as him. Because she still couldn''t make up her mind and was still conflicted with her own feelings.


    "You don''t have to say that," Lilac said, her heart ached to see the pain in Jedrek''s eyes, as if he meant every word he said.


    Maybe he did.


    However, Lilac couldn''t help but think that it was the mate bond between them that was making him say those, the bond that was so strong until Jedrek couldn''t avoid her even though he loved Serefina very much...


    The bond that bound them together, despite what they felt for each other. The bond that clouded their true feelings.


    It almost felt like whatever they had before was only an illusion, like a castle that was built from sand...


    And Lilac didn''t think she wanted to go through all of that again when she had a chance to be free from it.


    Lilac still couldn''t forget the way Jedrek looked at Serefina with love in his eyes and how he hugged her while whispering in to the witch''s ears.


    Yes, it was all over now.


    There would be no more Serefina in their life... But, the feelings were still lingering and for Lilac, the pain was still afresh. She was afraid of trying again, as the wound in her heart was still bleeding.


    Lilac just wanted to focus on what they had to do now and end this tiring war once and for all.


    "This is not you who''s talking," Lilac said in a hoarse voice. "This is the mate bond, which was making you feel the want to keep me beside you."


    "Lilac... give me one last chance." The king knelt before his queen and this was the second time he knelt for her.


    The first was when he had to save her life and the second time was to save what the remaining feelings that they had.


    If there was still something left for them to be saved...


    Lilac bit her lip when she saw how Jedrek bent his knees for her, again, begging her as if she was the love of his life, which Lilac very well knew that was not the case...


    Therefore, Lilac didn''t want to prolong this and make everything difficult for both of them, thus she opened her palms and created a waving motion, which pushed Jedrek away from her and forced the Alpha to be thrown a few meters away from his mate.


    "LILAC!" Jedrek roared and immediately stood up when he watched in horror how Lilac cut her own fingers and blood started dripping from her open wounds.


    The very blood which later stained the empty book and turned it into a black color. This did not make any sense at all!


    Why did Lilac become so heartless until she could not even give Jedrek a chance to mend the mistakes that he had made?


    Why wasn''t she willing to give him any chance? She just went ahead with her own plan with the thought of ending all of this, and then disappear from his sight once and for all...


    On the other hand, Lilac hissed when the pain from her hand made her eyes clearer as the blood that was dropped on to the empty book turned it darker.


    The guardian angel ignored the searing pain from her mate when she finally determined to finish this.


    No one would ever imagine how Lilac could keep up with this complicated feelings...


    And then, before Jedrek could reach her, something happened and this was not something that he had expected, not even in his wildest dreams.


    Jedrek stood there in shock as he watched the supposed to be floor, was now burning in fire, the flames licked the air around them and turned the room more humid and warm.


    In an instant, the coldness that Lilac felt before, disappear as she felt the heat of the fire warming up her whole body.


    Jedrek thought the flames would burn Lilac alive, but he was wrong, because the flames only lasted for a few seconds before disappearing completely, as if everything that he just saw was only in his mind.


    "Lilac! Are you all right?!" Jedrek didn''t even waste a second to reach his mate before doing a brief check on her.


    Only when he was sure that she was all right, could Jedrek sigh in relief and hugged her body tihgtly. His body began trembling, when the thought of losing his mate almost made his heart stop beating.


    Jedrek stared in disbelief at the room before his eyes, which was on fire just a few seconds ago.


    "What was that?" Jedrek could hear his voice which was laced with anxiety as he demanded an explanation from her.


    Meanwhile, Lilac in his arms only stared blankly at the empty book that had reverted back to its original color. No longer as black as it appeared a few seconds ago when it absorbed Lilac''s blood.


    "It''s over now," Lilac said, muddleheaded, as she let Jedrek hug her however he wanted.


    Lilac could feel that that her time was almost up. She had done this part of her task, but there was one last thing she needed to finish.


    Whether they managed to seal the devils inside the realm that belong to Hope, was out of her reach.


    They could only hope that Hope would do her part smoothly and all of the sacrifices that had cost them wouldn''t go to waste.


    "Let''s go... we have one last place that we needed to visit," Lilac said softly, wriggling her body away from Jedrek so she could get away from the spark and the intoxicating smell of her mate.


    Jedrek knew what that place was...


    And that would indeed be the last...


    ==============


    Hope felt it.


    It was a burning sensation that crawled on her skin, making her gasp in surprise before she felt her eyes became heavier and heavier as the sound of Kace''s voice gradually becoming a whisper, before it was completely gone.


    On the other hand, Kace watched in horror as Hope closed her eyes when her breath turned shallow.


    "No! Hope?" Kace shook her body and his brows creased when he didn''t get any reaction from his mate.


    Hope closed her eyes and didn''t seem like she would wake up any soon.


    However, that was not the most terrifying thing that he had realized, because even though it was only a small detail that could be easily missed out, but Kace still caught the sound of Hope''s heartbeat as it grew weak and then eventually stopped.


    It was bad...


    And Kace felt like his heart was dropped to the floor.


    ==============


    Lilith appearance was so sudden that rendered the two beasts on Raine left and right sides unable to react right in time.


    Yet, Raine didn''t even budge when Lilith wrapped her cold fingers around her neck. Instead, she stared at her indecisively and smirked, as if she had expected this.


    The guardian angel''s reaction was totally out of her expectations, thus the beautiful devil crinkled her perfect brows and stared deeply into Raine''s eyes when the guardian angel gripped her wrist.


    "This is over." Raine smiled as she felt a warm sensation wash over her body.


    She didn''t know this, but for some reason she knew right in her heart that Lilac had already done her part and Hope was about to do whatever it took to finish hers.


    Only then, would it be Raine''s turn and the guardian angel was more than ready to see the end of it...


    Lilith tried to fasten her grip on Raine''s neck, in hopes of breaking it, but the guardian angel did something entirely unprecedented...

 Chapter 1074: This is the time (2)

    It was not until then did Lilith realize that Raine had stopped the time around her.


    "Do you think this cheap trick can work against me?" She laughed and teleported Raine and herself away from Torak and Calleb. "Don''t you know that we have your blood?"


    However, a similar smug smirk crept onto Raine''s lips as well.


    "That''s right." Raine tightened her grip on Lilith''s wrist. "My blood is indeed on you all. That''s why, you should be worrying now as I will be taking back what is mine."


    Raine said with determination in her voice. This time she knew what exactly she was going to do, there was no hesitation whatsover...


    She understood very well what she had to do and what would come with the completion on her task.


    Her love for Torak and all the pain she had endured. The sorrow that she had to experience. All of that happened for a reason and it was almost like only now Raine could see a light in the end of this dark tunnel, the understanding came just like that...


    Nothing mattered to her now except to end all of this... Even her feelings for Torak.


    Because to save her mate''s life, was also an act of love, right? No one would be left alive if they failed now...


    There would be no story to be told when the devils managed to take over this realm...


    "Why are you smiling?" Lilith tried to crush Raine''s slender neck, to erase the smirk from the guardian angel''s face, yet she couldn''t do that, as if all of her strength had suddenly gone. "What do you mean?"


    And it took less than a minute for panic to set in the devil''s expression when she realized that she couldn''t teleport herself and she was stuck in her current place.


    The time stopped, but she should be able to move freely, also the minions that she brought. However, whatever happening now was not at all in line with what she had expected.


    Lilith was consciousness enough to understand that the time had been stopped, but she couldn''t move her body and the same thing also seemed to happen to her minnions.


    How could this be happening?


    This is impossible... This couldn''t be...


    Lilith stared at the guardian angel in front of her, with anxiousness written all over her face when she realized what she was facing right now.


    "I''m taking back what is mine," Raine repeated her words and then, slowly, realesed her neck from Lilith''s grip, taking one step back. "You never thought that I can do this, did you?"


    Raine tilted her head and stared at Lilith, who stayed in the same position with her hand stretched out.


    "What are you doing?!" Lilith exclaimed loudly.


    "I think you should have been wary when making a deal with a witch, especially a witch like Serefina," Raine mumbled, but loud enough for Lilith to hear her. "Serefina''s intention to give our blood to you was not just because she wanted to create a connection between your realm and Hope''s, but also to give me access to do this..."


    Raine snapped her fingers and one of the creatures from hell that was closer to them burst into dust, followed by the others.


    "Aargh!!!" Lilith screamed when she noticed that another creature had ended up with the same fate and disappeared like it was nothing, leaving no trace of its existence.


    "You have been warned," Raine said viciously and walked closer to the devil. "I will take back what is mine..."


    Lilith''s eyes widened in disbelief when she watched with her own eyes at the things Raine could do. It was impossible for Raine to be so powerful like this, right? She literally had them in her grasp.


    That d*mned witch!!!


    She fooled all the devils!


    They would never thought that this was what her true intention had been! She planned their destruction with the guardian angel''s blood and they took it gladly without knowing that would be the first step of their downfall.


    Raine was right, the witch was very cunning and the devils indeed underestimated her for thinking that they could control her.


    They were wrong. Totally wrong!


    "Do you think by having our blood, you can have our power for free without any consequences?" Raine raised her brows and chuckled, yet when her laugh died down, the only thing that could be seen on her countenance was fury.


    Hell hath no fury like a raging mad guardian angel...


    "The devils took the people that were dearest to me and you think I will be so kind to let you take more after that?" Raine''s voice dropped into a vicious whisper.


    Raine then stretched out her hands and traced her slender fingers on Lilith''s face, neck, shoulder...


    "You took Raphael... Lana... Serefina... Rossie... Ian... and many more..." She traced Lilith''s outstretched arm.


    "What? Do you think you can kill me?" Lilith said grimly. She hated how Raine was touching her, but couldn''t do anything. "You can''t kill me."


    "I am aware," Raine replied solemnly. "But, I can still do this."


    Raine put her hand on the back of Lilith''s and stared deeply into the devil''s eyes, and for some reason Lilith felt fear at the sight before her eyes, or more precisely what Raine could possibly do to her.


    There was something in the way the guardian angel was gazing at her.


    "Don''t you always think that your human figure is perfect?" And once Raine said that, green disgusting scales appeared on the surface of Lilith''s smooth skin, spreading over her whole body and when it reached her face, the skin became even worse, with wrinkles and half peeled.


    "Aarrggh!!!" Lilith couldn''t help, but scream in fear. Her human figure faded away, and was replaced by her true form. Her devil''s form. Her disgusting self.


    "You will stay in this form. Forever." Raine shifted her attention when she caught sight of the white beast with a brown beast, running hot on his tail.


    ==============


    "Let''s go... we have one last place that we needed to visit," Lilac said softly.


    She freed herself from Jedrek and walked back the way they came in earlier, but before that, she took one last look at the book, which had now melted down, as if it was made of ice.


    She wished everything would end well for the other guardian angels. They were just a step closer to finish their tasks and after that...


    Lilac glanced at Jedrek, who had been staring at her. A complicated emotion was swirling in those deep black eyes.


    However, before her feelings began to shake her determination, Lilac shifted her attention and walked ahead.


    The mate bond was a blessing for other shifters, but it didn''t seem to help or charm the relationship between Lilac and Jedrek.


    It was a curse.


    And Lilac would end this for both of them, since Jedrek couldn''t do it. At least, this was the last thing that she could do...


    Jedrek would be fine once she was gone and Lilac hoped that the mate bond which was binding them would also disappear along with her, so that he didn''t need to endure any pain...


    ==============


    The darkness faded away from Hope''s sight, though she was not sure whether she closed her eyes or not, but a ray of light could be seen at the end of this dark dream.


    A white light.


    Hope was not really surprised when she realized where she ended up now as she could notice the place that she was very familiar with.


    In front of her was the last three devils, looking all confused and grim. The devils were not in their human form, but in their true form, which looked terrifying to the sight...


    However, for some reason, Hope didn''t even flinch with the sight before her eyes.


    "Nice to see you here..." Hope smiled sweetly. Her complexion now was not pale anymore and she looked great, as if the figure on the sickbed was not her.


    Hope was in her realm and she was in total control of everything inside this.


    The last three devils stared at Hope with complicated expressions, as they felt a little bit weird to be in this white realm.


    However, when one of them was trying to say something, Hope had waved her hands and silenced them.


    "I wish you enjoy your time here," Hope said sweetly and watched gleefuly when the three devils before her eyes started to fade away, leaving her alone in this white realm.


    Hope grinned mischievously, she felt great!


    She no longer felt that she was very weak and exhausted like how she felt a few days ago. She could go back to Kace.


    Hope couldn''t help but feel excited when she thought about her mate, because Kace had been very anxious lately, knowing the lycan, his reaction was expected, it was already good enough that he didn''t kick a fuss over it.


    Hope felt bad for him.


    "It''s time to go then..." Hope mumbled.


    However, her smile dropped when she finally realized something...


    "What happened?" Hope looked around her, but she was still in her earlier position. Inside her realm. "Why can''t I get out of here?"


    Hope gulped hard when fear started to creep into her heart. She walked a few steps to look for something that she was not sure if it existed, like a door or a window that could help her go back to human world and return to Kace.


    However, she found nothing, except for the infinite stretch of white color.


    In the midst of all this, she heard a familiar voice calling her name. "Hope, you have done well."


    Out of instinct, Hope turned around and found the moon goddess, who was smiling tenderly at her.

 Chapter 1075: This is the time (3)

    Raine noticed the white beast and the brown beast that came closer to her, while the other creatures were frozen in their places, not able to move because Raine had stopped the time for them.


    Not only the humans, but also the creatures from the hell as well.


    Right now, those creatures that had stolen her power, were not able to overpower the true owner of the power who it actually belonged to.


    However, Raine''s task did not just end there, as the last step was the most crucial and hardest one of all.


    Raine watched the white beast turn into his human form and soon Calleb followed suit. Torak stepped forward to approach the guardian angel, but Raine raised her hands to stop him.


    Meanwhile, Calleb face twisted in disgust at the sight of horrifying devil, who was wailing sorrowfully, crying upon her figure. Her figure that would never change no matter what, because Raine had taken her human form from her.


    Indeed they couldn''t kill the devils, but at least Raine could do this to Lilith and Hope could seal them away.


    However, all of that came at a great expense and now they would finally face the end of it¡­


    "My love¡­" Torak stopped walking when Raine took a step back, avoiding him. "What happened?" He was confused.


    The war had already ended and Torak could tell it for sure when he saw how Raine overpowered their enemies, while the other shifters killed all the creatures from hell easily, since they couldn''t fight back.


    This was over and Raine was still alive.


    Wasn''t that a good news? It was only a matter of time before they started to celebrate the victory. Torak could also see his beautiful future with his mate after all this charade was over.


    But, why was Raine acting strangely all of a sudden? She was literally avoiding him now.


    "Come here, my love¡­ what are you afraid of?" Torak took a step closer, but Raine took a step back too.


    On the other hand, Calleb grabbed a big rock near him and dropped it on the devil, who was still wailing in pain, crying and shouting out all the profanities.


    Once the big rock hit her face, the devil stopped crying and disappeared into a thin black smoke, then carried away by the wind.


    Lilith definitely didn''t die, but she was so weak to even show herself for the time being, especially when the minions that she brought with her had been slaughtered without mercy by the shifters and the magicians.


    Above them, the three dragons flew very low and flapped their wings to join the massacre, venting out their frustrations and pain upon the loss that they had endured during the war which was caused by the devils.


    It was a great start and a wonderful ending that they could ever wish for after so many losses that they had been through.


    Yet, why didn''t Raine want to be touched?


    Torak was flabbergasted upon seeing the way his mate avoided him. "Did I do something wrong?" Torak asked carefully. Maybe he indeed had done something to upset her¡­


    "Torak¡­ I think this is the time." Raine said in a sad tone. She smiled bitterly at her mate. "I want to make this easier for you, but I don''t know how¡­"


    "No. Raine¡­ I don''t want this to end like this." Torak took three steps forward, too quick for Raine to dodge him and in the next second, she was already in his arms, being hugged tightly. "Don''t do this, my love. Don''t leave me," Torak begged her, as if his life depended on it, but he could feel his mate shook her head.


    "I don''t want to leave your side either, but I have to." Raine could feel it and the answer was crystal clear for her about what she had to do next. This understanding dawned on her as if she had known it from the beginning. Something that she just forgot.


    "What should I do to make you stay?" Torak whispered into Raine''s ears in a hoarse voice as tears rolled down his face.


    It was indeed true that there would be always a first time for everything and the same rule applied to the Supreme Alpha, Torak had never cried before, but he did now and the woman in his arms was the reason for it.


    His body trembled, as he tightened his hug, almost suffocating Raine, as though he wanted their bodies to fuse into one, not wanting to be left alone in this chaotic world.


    How could he imagine himself roaming around this world without her? He had already done that for centuries, but the two years he spent with Raine would never be able to compare to it.


    All of his achievements in those centuries when he was alone started looking dull once Raine stepped in to his life and Torak no longer wanted to live that kind of life.


    He needed his mate.


    How could he let her go?


    "Please, my love¡­ tell me what I should do to make you stay. I will do anything¡­" Torak was very determined with his words and he meant every single one of them. No matter what it cost to keep Raine by his side forever. "Tell me¡­" he begged her.


    However, Raine just cried silently in his embrace, unable to promise anything to him as she bit her lower lip to prevent herself from crying out loud.


    The pain in Torak''s voice hurt her as well. She didn''t want to see him in such pain.


    But, her time was up and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.


    Raine could feel her body starting to became very light as her hold on Torak''s warm body began to weaken.


    "Raine?!" Torak called her name in panic when he felt her body started to disappear, as if he was hugging something very soft and tender. "What is happening?!"


    Torak freed her from his embrace and watched with eyes wide open when Raine''s body became translucent. In her stead, were dozens of fireflies.


    Torak felt like he was hugging a thick mist, as her scent began to disappear, along with her body. "Can you not leave me?"


    "If I can, I would choose to be with you¡­" Raine whispered to him. "I always want to be with you, my love¡­" That was the first time Raine called him that and it hit Torak''s heart so deeply.


    Raine then grabbed Torak''s shirt and buried her face against his chest, wrapped her arms around his waist, while mumbling, "Torak, will you wait for me?"


    "I will," Torak said solemnly. "Make sure to come back to me."


    And with that, the fireflies flew in the air, as a soft white mist cascaded down from the sky and engulfed them all.


    It was the barrier that separated the supernatural world and the human world, which was broken during the war, but now it was fixed, yet it cost them the guardian angels.


    Torak then dropped to his knees, while clutching his chest, feeling the excruciating pain as the mate bond was slowly tearing apart, indicating that Raine was no longer in this world and they would be separated for God knows how long¡­


    Even it was only a slightest hope for Torak to see Raine again, then he would take it, as he knew that his life was only hanging by that thread of hope.


    ==============


    Lilac teleported them to the place, where the crater that allowing creatures from hell to enter this realm is situated and all they could do was to face them. Alone.


    Jedrek shifted into his white beast and Lilac jumped onto his back, and when Lilac caressed its big head unconsciously while feeling the softness of the white beast''s fur against her hands, the beast purred in delight.


    It reminded the guardian angel about how much she loved him, but also the pain that she had been through because of him.


    Yet, this was not the time for any of that, because their enemies were barring their teeth at them, ready to tear them apart if they didn''t move fast enough.


    When the first creature from hell moved closer to them, Jedrek raised his claws and tore its body apart, before he charged toward the crater, that was located in the middle of this abandoned place.


    This was the same crater through which Raine brought back Torak from Tartarus when Lucifer killed him.


    Meanwhile, Lilac used all of her power to assist the white beast, killing the creatures from hell as many as she could.


    The two of them moved in sync as if they could read each other minds and understand the next move that one another would make.


    Or maybe they indeed can do that.


    Lilac opened the path for the white beast, while the beast moved faster toward the crater.


    It didn''t take a long time before the white beast to arrive at the carter''s mouth and Lilac jumped to the ground swiftly and at the very moment Lilac felt a familiar yet strange sensation wash over her body and she knew that Raine was almost done with her task.


    It meant, it was her turn¡­


    Lilac''s heart began to race when she stood at the edge of the crater and the heat started licking her skin.


    Raine was too far from them and the time didn''t stop here, like how it happened around Raine, thus the only way to survive from this was to close the craters and it did cost big sacrifices.


    Lilac knew what was waiting for her, but to face death head on was a different feeling from anything she could ever imagine.


    Lilac closed her eyes to steady her trembling heart. This was what exactly she saw when the stone had answered her unspoken thoughts that time.

 Chapter 1076: The end of everything

    A small gasp escaped her lips as a tear fell on her cheek.


    Lilac gazed at the lava beneath her and then turned her head to see the white lycan, facing hundreds of creatures from hell not far from her, alone.


    There was no way Jedrek could fight them off alone in his current situation without getting serious injuries and that was the last thing that Lilac wanted to happen in her last moments.


    Despite of everything that happened, Lilac didn''t want to see Jedrek getting hurt. She loved him in spite of how deeply heartbroken she was, yet there would always be this feeling that nagged at her, screaming at her that whatever they have right now was not real.


    All of that was a result of the mate bond between them and Lilac no longer wanted to walk on the delicate egg- shelled path, which would break at any moment.


    She no longer wanted to feel insecure and be worried about his feelings toward her. This was very exhausting and Lilac didn''t want to go through all of that anymore.


    It also hurt her that she had to be separated from Jedrek this way, in this kind of situation and feelings. However, time waited for no one until they were ready to say their goodbyes.


    Lilac could literally feel her heart breaking into a million pieces, but at the same time, her mind told her that it was the right thing to do, that it was something that she had known from the very beginning.


    She knew her choice, she knew it beyond the shadow of a doubt, she felt it in her soul about the necessary things that she had to do.


    Her heart began to race when she stood there, at the edge of the crater, at the brink of her own life.


    And for a moment, Lilac opened her mind so she could mind- link her mate. [Jedrek¡­]


    [Lilac?]The white beast titled its big head and looked at Lilac with wide eyes, which were blood red, as he was ready to face another fierce battle in front of him. [Little flower, please don''t leave me. We will find another way to do this.]


    There was no other way.


    If Lilac ruined this chance, then Hope and Raine''s sacrifices would go to waste, and Lilac wouldn''t be selfish enough to do that. Especially to risk everything for being with Jedrek.


    However, Lilac didn''t say anything and just stared at the white beast, as he stared back at her, while the creatures from hell crept closer to them, indicating that they didn''t have much time to be wasted.


    [They are coming.] Lilac nodded at the massive number of creatures that would kill them without a second thought. Actually, that was not the last thing that she wanted to say to him, but she couldn''t think of any right words to be said in this moment.


    All of the things that swirled in her head were imprecise, wide of the mark.


    It needed a great amount of courage to avert her eyes from the white lycan and finally turn around to face her fate, that was waiting for her in the form of a burning crater.


    [Stay there Lilac. Stay there!] the white lycan felt as if he was being torn apart between facing the enemies and trying to keep his mate in the safe place. [I will get back to you!]


    But Lilac didn''t answer back, she shut her mind again and closed the mind- link between her and Jedrek when the white beast dashed toward the creatures from hell.


    Those filthy creatures wouldn''t stop coming until the crater was closed and that was Lilac''s task now.


    Lilac shouldn''t hesitate to do it, as she could feel that Raine was already done with her task. The two guardian angels were gone and this was her turn to do the same.


    Wasn''t this the purpose of her resurrection?


    But, why did her heart feel very heavy now when she already knew it?


    The flames from the craters beneath her feet reflected in Lilac''s eyes, when she turned her body. "Goodbye my king," Lilac whispered to the wind when she closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her face.


    This was an improper farewell¡­


    And the last thing that Lilac could hear was the painful roar from the beast, as if he was in a great agony. The sound was very heart- wrenching that it forced Lilac to open her eyes.


    As her body dove into the flame of the crater, Lilac noticed the white beast standing at the brink of the crater. His bloodshot eyes, showed how much fear he was experiencing right now.


    However, the next thing he did left Lilac gaping at him in disbelief.


    Because the white beast didn''t think twice before he jumped into the lava, to follow his mate. He didn''t even care when the flames licked his fur, as he was determined to be with her.


    People tend to say you would do everything for the one that you loved.


    Did it mean Jedrek finally loved her? Or, it was only the mate bond?


    It would be great if there was no such thing between them.


    ==============


    Calleb, who was watching how the creatures from hell disappeared before his eyes, immediately ran toward Torak and looked around him when the humans started to move again.


    However, because of the thin white mist that shrouded them that appeared to conceal their presence, those humans couldn''t see them and looked confused to find out they were in this vast land only with their people, while the non- human creatures could no longer be seen.


    The white mist was like a soft curtain which helped hiding them even in their humans form, as if shielding them away from any harm or unnecessary battle that shouldn''t have happened in the first place.


    But, it would only last for a short period of time, only until everything had settled down.


    And this was the last gift that Raine gave to them. The sense of protection. The guardian angels were the protectors of this realm.


    "Torak¡­" Calleb walked closer toward his Alpha, who dropped to his knees while clutching his chest tightly, as if he was in a great agony that was hard to be endured. "Where is Raine?"


    Calleb didn''t see when Raine disappeared as hundreds of fireflies, because the only thing that he noticed at that time was the mist shielding them successfully.


    Torak didn''t answer his Beta, as he gripped the sharp gravel on the ground, until his hands were bleeding, but the pain couldn''t be compared to what he was feeling right now.


    He lost the love of his life¡­


    Calleb looked around him to find Raine. The guardian angel must know how to handle Torak right now, but as long as he could see, there were only the shifters, magicians and the minatours that stood behind the curtain, staring at the mist and the humans on the other side of it, as if they were in a different world, because the human couldn''t see them, even though they were standing head to head.


    The supernatural creatures looked perplexed at this scene.


    "Have the war finally ended?" one of the creatures asked in confusion.


    The war had finally ended, but for some people, it didn''t feel like they achieved something great. If anything, they felt utterly miserable for losing the most precious thing that had ever happened in their lives¡­


    ==============


    Kace couldn''t believe with what he was seeing right now. He was still holding Hope''s hand when her body started turning ice- cold as her heart stopped beating altogether.


    It was impossible and couldn''t be real, right? There must be some mistake here¡­ Hope wouldn''t die like this¡­


    "Hope¡­?" Kace blinked his eyes to get rid of his tears that were now rolling down his cheeks. His voice turned hoarse and his body was trembling. "Hope¡­ wake up, Hope¡­"


    Everything flashed before his eyes when the first time he held baby Hope in his arms, how she called his name for the first time...


    How Kace protected her with everything he had, but now he lost her¡­


    "Hope, please wake up¡­ you are scaring me¡­" Kace caressed her cheeks and smoothed her hair from her face. "Don''t scare me like this, baby girl¡­"


    Yet, there was no response from his mate. The guardian angel didn''t move, neither was she breathing¡­


    Kace then sat down and cradled her in his arms, kissing her forehead, her hair, her cheeks, nose and lips, but Hope still didn''t give any response.


    And the most heartbreaking thing was when Kace realized the spark between them started to fade away, just like Hope''s body that started to turn into hundreds of fireflies.


    The sight was beautiful, but the pain was very devastating, especially when Kace could no longer feel her body in his arms.


    "No¡­ no¡­" He mumbled in panic when he watched how Hope''s body disappeared from his sight and he was left alone there, while from the outside he could hear all the supernatural creatures shouting in joy, telling to one another that they had won the war, that the creatures from hell finally disappeared and the barrier of the two worlds had been stabilized again.


    The screams of joy was a complete contradiction to what the Donovans were feeling right now.


    There was nothing they wanted so badly except to get their mates back.


    This victory was sorrowful and not even a glimmer of joy could they feel from it¡­


    The Donovans lost the battle within themselves when they fell to their grievances upon losing the love of their lives¡­

 Chapter 1077: After the war

    Raine didn''t know how long she was sitting alone in the same place, maybe she had been there for a minute, two minutes, an hour or two, or maybe she had already spent a whole day¡­


    Raine couldn''t tell because the sun still appeared as if it was just disappearing into the horizon but it didn''t move down since¡­ since God knows when.


    The only thing that Raine knew was; she had to wait for someone, even she herself didn''t know who she was waiting for¡­


    She just knew it, as if she had known this all long and what she was doing right now was something normal.


    It was natural for her to wait for this someone, even though she didn''t know who she was waiting for.


    Few more seconds or minutes passed, but Raine was still alone, staring at the red hue from the sun that was still radiating faintly in the horizon, as though the time was stopped and Raine was the only one who was immune to it.


    Raine didn''t remember why exactly she ended up here, or who she was, or the story of her past¡­ the only memory that she had was that of her waiting on this bench, with various colors of flowers surrounding her and her name; Raine.


    That''s it.


    She was someone with no past or future.


    But then, a woman walked toward her with a warm smile on her lips and her beautiful white gown almost looked identical to the one that Raine is wearing right now.


    The woman''s warm smile made Raine smile as well and she stood up to walk closer to her, because she knew she was the person that she had been waiting for.


    "Did you wait for too long?" The woman asked her sweetly when Raine stopped right in front of her.


    Raine shook her head.


    "Can we walk now?" The woman asked again and Raine nodded.


    "To where?" her voice was very soft and tender, just like the woman in front of her.


    "Walk down this path with me." The woman waved her hand and Raine turned around to see which path she was talking about.


    Behind her, there was a small path with big trees, which overlapped their branches with those of the opposite trees, on either side of it, canopied the path with theirs leaves, like a tunnel.


    Raine was not aware that there was a very beautiful path behind her earlier, but now she was very excited to walk with this beautiful woman with long black hair who was smiling at her sweetly.


    "Sure," Raine agreed and they walked together. "Where are we going? Will we meet someone?"


    "Yes, we will meet someone." The woman grabbed Raine''s wrist and together they walked along that path. "You will meet two other persons like you."


    "Like me?" Raine scrunched her brows, not quite understanding what this woman was talking about.


    However, as they walked alongside a river, before they entered the tunnel, Raine glanced at her and this woman''s reflection on the water and she frowned.


    "Why does our faces look very similar?" Raine asked the woman beside her, who had stopped walking too and was now staring their reflections.


    "Because you are me," the woman said and wrapped her hand around Raine''s shoulder and talked in a low voice. "Remember about the story of the first guardian angel of time?"


    The moment she asked Raine about that, dozens of memories spiraled down in her mind like a broken dam and Raine could remember everything.


    Everything¡­


    From the time when she was only a child until the last battle that cost her life¡­


    But the most important thing was a man named Torak Donovan.


    As soon as her heart remembered that man, Raine could feel the longing that gnawed at every inch of her skin¡­


    She missed him terribly¡­


    ==============


    "Where is Eddard?" Bree was roaming around the pack house, but couldn''t find the little boy anywhere.


    "I think he was outside with Belinda," one of the women in the kitchen answered the teenager before continuing with their task again, washing all of the dishes and preparing food for dinner, since the sun was almost down.


    Bree immediately ran toward the back door which would lead her to the back yard, where Belinda had planted many flowers.


    Years had passed since the last battle with the devils and human, and now everything, gradually, became normal again.


    Bree stayed in Torak''s pack because she couldn''t go with Kace, since that lycan disappeared right after the war. No one knew where he had gone, but they knew he would be fine.


    Kace just needed time to mourn upon the loss of his mate, just like the other Donovans.


    And moreover, there was Belinda in this pack, who insisted for Bree to stay with her along with baby Eddard.


    He was no longer a baby though, he turned seven a week ago and Torak threw a party for him, yet the Alpha only appeared for a short while just to congratulate him and then the rest of the party was hosted by Calleb, who hyped the situation.


    Even though the Beta looked all happy and cheerful, but Bree sometimes found him staring into the distance, as if he was deep in thought.


    It was not hard to guess what he was thinking all the time.


    Most of the time Calleb would think about his mate and his best friends, who were no longer by their side.


    Since the guardian angels disappeared after the war, the Donovans looked very down and chose to be alone almost all the time.


    But, the look in Torak''s eyes was not one of the mourning, he was waiting¡­


    Just like Calleb, the Alpha would also look deep in thought and when there was someone walking behind him whenever he was in that state, he would get startled and turn around very fast to see who was approaching him.


    It was not because he was scared, because Bree knew there was nothing that could easily scare him, but it was because he was waiting for his mate and the disappointment was apparent in his eyes when the person that approached him was not someone that he expected them to be.


    That person could definitely not be Raine but it was just that, Torak had built such habit over the years¡­


    Calleb had talked to him, but it seemed there was nothing much he could do, since he was not in a better situation to give some advance to his Alpha either.


    "Eddard!"Bree walked through the various flower plants and arrived at the meadow, the place that she and the little boy always played at, yet he was not there either. Bree couldn''t find Belinda either¡­


    Where did Eddard go? He was supposed to be in the pack house at this time because dinner was almost ready and he had not yet done his homework.


    "Eddard!"Bree called out his name again before she rushed forward and leapt, yet she didn''t touch the ground when her body started shifting into a beautiful dragon while flapping its humongous wings.


    ==============


    Eddard is a seven year old little boy who inherited everything about looks from his father, but in terms of curiosity and determination, he is a carbon copy of his mother.


    He was always full of curiosity and a little bit hard to be handled. When his was throwing a tantrum, it was only Calleb or Torak, who was able to calm him down.


    Thanks to Raphael''s blood as the supreme Beta, since he was just a child, he showed the domination of his bloodline, coupled with Lana''s traits, it was simply hard to talk down the little boy.


    Bree and Belinda would usually go with him whenever he wanted to take a walk, out of the pack house, because they were afraid Eddard would roam too far into the humans residences.


    After the war, the barrier between the two worlds had appeared again and the humans wouldn''t be able to see them in their beast form, but their existence had been exposed, thus they were still searching for them, even though seven years had passed.


    Eddard was very curious of this part of Torak''s territory.


    This place was indeed a little bit far from the pack house and he was only been here once when Torak took him for a walk.


    However, since the Alpha was always very busy and Calleb didn''t want to bring him to this place, Eddard decided that he was big enough to venture alone in this part of their pack area.


    The number of the shifters that survived after the war was not much, therefore it could be said that the supernatural creatures had decreased in numbers significantly.


    "I think it''s over here¡­" Eddard mumbled to himself when he walked passed a familiar path that led him to a beautiful waterfall that Torak had showed him once.


    Thanks to his smart brain, he could remember it perfectly, because not long after that, his ears perked when he heard the sound of the water.


    A big grin appeared on his tiny lips when he leapt forward and shifted into his beast. He could already shift when he was only five. Calleb was very proud of him when he did that. And Torak brought him to this place and told a story about his father.


    Eddard loved to hear how brave his father had always been and how beautiful his mother was.


    The little beast sped up when the sound of the waterfall got louder. He stopped running when the water splashed his face and he shifted back into human form.


    However, when he was soaking happily, a woman walked toward him and greeted him with a sweet smile etched on her lips, she squatted down and spoke tenderly, despite Eddard''s attempts to scare her by growling viciously.


    "You must be Eddard, right? You look very much like your father," she said.

 Chapter 1078: After the war (2)

    Sun was almost down when Torak, in his white beast form, started patrolling around the border of his territory.


    Since the war and the number of the lycanthropes decreased, also the fact that they had to be careful to blend with humans, everything changed.


    Torak couldn''t possible go out and claim his assets as Torak Donovan, because people had known him as one of the shifters and though seven years had passed they had not yet forgotten about him, in fact his name was on the top of the most wanted non- human existence list along with Raphael and Calleb.


    Because they knew the two of them were his personal assistants, but those humans did not know that Raphael had been killed.


    The shifters, who were not yet identified, were still able to socialize with the other humans, but for those shifters who had known as non- human existence, they could only seek a place to hide from them.


    In spite of that, Torak and the other survivors didn''t really feel difficult to adjust with the way of their lives now, especially when you didn''t have to think about money to support you financially, since Torak had a lot of it and it was enough for several more generations.


    Everything was fine, just a little bit adjustment needed and with the help of the magicians they could shield every pack from humans and ward them off.


    However, though everything was fixable, but for Torak nothing was fine when he didn''t have his mate beside him.


    Torak lived these seven years with half a dead mind and body. He would eat because he needed to but not because he enjoyed it, same applied to sleeping or other activities.


    Only when he walked like this could he feel calm a bit.


    But, today was exceptional. For some reason, his beast had been restless ever since the day had just started and Torak didn''t know what happened. He just felt edgy and nervous.


    Therefore, he took this opportunity to patrol around the border, longer than necessary, checking the things around it twice, or thrice, yet it was not at all helping in his case.


    For some unknown reason, the anxiety still lingered on his being, gripping his heart uncomfortably.


    Torak didn''t know what happened, but it was definitely something unusual for him to feel, until he felt it. No, he smelled it.


    The scent that only belonged to her. The scent of the fresh earth after rain¡­


    It was impossible, right? His senses were only playing another trick on him, just like what had been happening during the past seven years.


    However, even before he could process what was actually happening, his legs had started to pump forward, dashing through the woods, dodging logs and trees, led by his most favorite scent alone.


    This couldn''t be happening¡­ no, this must be happening¡­


    Torak couldn''t think straight, as he was muddleheaded and didn''t know what he should think of right now.


    It was his instinct and his longing for his other half that made him run toward the source of the scent. It was her scent.


    It was Raine''s scent¡­


    His mate¡­


    His mate finally returned!


    Torak didn''t even want to think if his guess was wrong and he would be disappointed again. For him right now, a glimmer of hope like this was all he needed.


    Maybe he would feel heartbroken if he found out that he was wrong, but at the very least, he could hang on to this tiny hope and believed that one day Raine would return, maybe not today, but one day he would have her in his arms again.


    Torak was sure beyond the shadow of doubt.


    It was just, the process of waiting for her was sometimes too exhausting. There would be always a night that Torak couldn''t sleep and look at the moon through his window and prayed for the safety of his mate.


    He didn''t know that he could be like this. But, he would do everything just to have Raine by his side again.


    The white beast moved faster when the scent got stronger and stronger, until he could hear the sound of the waterfall and found Eddard, who was standing there alone.


    Torak shifted into his human form without even slowing down, the transition was smooth.


    And when Eddard realized that someone was near, he turned around and found Torak.


    "Alpha!" Eddard ran happily toward Torak and hugged the Alpha, who was still disoriented while sniffing the air.


    He was not mistaken, Raine''s scent was still in the air. Very strong, as if she was standing next to him. However, Torak couldn''t find her anywhere.


    "Alpha¡­ who are you looking for?" Eddard asked in confusion. He raised his head to stare at the Alpha, while still hugging him.


    "Eddard," Torak said his name and finally paid attention to the little boy, forgetting the fact that he shouldn''t be there at this hour, especially when the sun was almost down. "Are you here alone? Was there someone else here with you?"


    Torak didn''t know why, but he almost had a hard time to breath, while waiting for Eddard''s answer.


    The little boy looked at Torak with his big eyes and nodded. "Yes, there was a beautiful woman with long black hair here."


    Torak felt his heart almost dropping to the floor when he heard that. A beautiful woman with long black hair. There were only a handful woman in this pack with long black hair and even if it was one of them, Eddard wouldn''t mention her as a beautiful woman, since he knew every single person in this pack.


    "Where is she now?" Torak dropped to his knees, so he could be at the same eye level with the little boy. His hands that gripped his small shoulders trembled with wave after wave of emotions. "Do you know where she was going?"


    Eddard nodded again. "At first I thought she is a human, an intruder, but there is something about her that told me she is not hostile."


    "So? Where is she now?" Torak asked again, being impatient. "Do you know where she is going?"


    "She asked about you," Eddard said, scrunching his eyebrows because Torak was acting very unusually.


    "And what did you say?"


    "I thought you were in the house pack, so I told her that you were there."


    "She went to the house pack?"


    Eddard shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so. But, I didn''t tell her where the pack house is, since she didn''t ask." He tilted his head. "I don''t think she know where the pack house is."


    "She knows." Torak stood up. His heart is beating so fast until it hurts.


    "She knows? Who is she?" Eddard followed Torak, who walked in the direction where he came. "Is she a new member in our pack?"


    "No," Torak said in low voice as it sounded very hoarse with emotions which were caught in his throat. "She is your Luna."


    "My Luna?" Eddard blinked his eyes.


    However, before the little boy could ask another question, Torak had given him an order.


    "Shift!"


    ==============


    Raine walked toward a pack house, the same pack house, as she remembered the last time she was here.


    The backyard garden, the flowers¡­


    Apparently, Belinda took very good care of everything here and managed to bring back this garden alive again.


    This garden was very beautiful. More beautiful than the last time Raine was here.


    Basking under the golden rays of the sunset, this scenery was simply outstanding¡­ she hoped she could see Torak here¡­ among the beautiful flowers.


    However, it didn''t matter where they would meet either, as long as Raine could see him again, she would be more than grateful.


    She met Eddard and that brought back a lot of memories about Raphael, since he looked like him a lot.


    However, when Raine coaxed him to come back to the pack house, he was very stubborn and insisted on staying back.


    And, because Raine knew that waterfall was still in Torak''s territory, which meant he would be safe, she left him to play by himself¡­


    Raine wanted to see Torak so bad and the thought of how he would react upon seeing her was something that she was looking forward to.


    And there she was when she heard it.


    A low growl that was very familiar and shook her to the core¡­


    The sound of heavy footsteps that were coming in her direction told Raine that he was around. He was close¡­


    And when the sound of it became more vivid, Raine looked around to find the figure of the white beast that she loved the most.


    From behind sunflowers, Raine watched as a white beast emerged from the shadows before walking under the red hue of the evening sunset, basking in his glory and as beautiful as Raine could remember.


    The white beast walked very slowly and then stopped, staring at her in disbelief, holding its breath as if what he is seeing right now is something unreal.


    Yet, Raine couldn''t hold back any longer and the way the white beast stopped approaching her, only agitated her.


    Thus, Raine decided that she would be the one who had to run toward her mate.


    Tears brimmed her eyes when she charged forward and literally threw herself onto the white beast, hugging his neck while feeling the softness of its fur against her skin.


    "Torak, I miss you, my love¡­" Raine whispered to the dumbstruck beast and only got a response after a few minutes, because he needed a long time to process that what he is seeing right now is not just a mere imagination, and that his mate was finally here.


    However, he felt something different¡­

 Chapter 1079: After the war (3)

    However, there was something different¡­


    Torak felt it the moment he touched Raine and felt the different from the way they touched each other.


    There was no spark.


    There was no the tingling feeling that they almost felt when they touched each other.


    There was no the bond between them.


    There was no mate bond all over.


    Torak was flabbergasted when the first time he realized this, despite being hugged very tightly by his mate, he didn''t feel the spark whatsoever.


    Not only that, in his beast form, Torak couldn''t mind- link Raine to show her about how he felt right now since all the words failed him to explain what he exactly felt about this.


    What happened with them now?


    The white beast then shifted back into his human form and hugged Raine tightly. However, the spark was still not there¡­


    How could this happen?


    Was the mate bond between them had gone? Was that the price that they should pay for?


    Yet, that was not important anymore when Torak could feel Raine''s soft skin and hair, also the warm from her body and her scent.


    All of sudden, everything seemed all right.


    There was nothing change even without the absence of the mate bond.


    Even though the spark from touching each other was not there and they couldn''t read each other mind no longer, the way Torak felt about Raine and how his heart beat for her was still the same.


    There was nothing change with his feeling. In his eyes, Raine was perfect. She was as beautiful as always and he couldn''t ask for more, or else he would be the ungrateful creature in this earth.


    The love for Raine and how the longing had finally came to end were the only thing that was in Torak''s mind right now.


    He had his mate back and nothing else matter.


    He loved her when the mate bond was still there and he loved her even now when the mate bond was no longer existed between them.


    This was such an amazing feeling.


    If the mate bond obligated them to be together, but without it, it didn''t make Torak''s love for her became less important.


    "Raine¡­" Torak whispered to her ears and buried his nose on the crook of his shoulder, taking liberty to breath in her scent. The sweet scent that only belonged to her. "Is it you?"


    "Yes, this is me¡­ I come back." Raine nodded, tears rolled down her cheek when she answered him. "I comeback for you, my love¡­" she whispered to him.


    The feeling was surreal to have her back in his arms and if this was a dream, Torak wished he would stay in this beautiful dream forever¡­


    "I miss you¡­" Torak''s voice was very hoarse when he cupped Raine''s face and kissed her slowly, devour the taste of her lips, while they were smiling in their kiss.


    There was nothing more perfect than this moment and Torak felt his waiting for seven years were worth it.


    ==============


    They were in the second floor and this entire floor was dominated with baby blue color, giving somewhat a calm vibrant and homey vibe.


    Just like how Raine remembered it, there were only two doors in this floor.


    One that led them to a huge dinner table and from where she stood, Raine could see the scene of the dining hall. The sight that many years ago made her froze on the spot, but now all she could feel was the warm greeting from all the people from this pack.


    Their pack.


    Raine couldn''t believe that time flew very fast and everything seemed surreal to come true now. There was no war, there was no threat from the devils and they were here safe and sound, together with all the people that they loved¡­


    The moment the Alpha and Luna stepped into the room, a loud of cheers and clapped echoed in the dining hall and only smiling face that they could see inside this room.


    Beside Raine, Torak stood very close to her as if there was strong glue that was put on them. There was not even a moment for Torak to stay away from Raine, as if he put his focus on something else, he would lost her.


    It was ridiculous, but knowing Torak, it was not impossible, because that was the way he protected her before, when they met for the first time.


    Torak wouldn''t let go of her, since he had a taste of the bitterness of the separation¡­


    There was no way he wanted to go through that nightmare again.


    Meanwhile, Raine seemed to understand her mate fear and grabbed his hand to walk into the dining room and sat among their people.


    At first Torak didn''t want to have this dinner, as he just met Raine again for less than four hours. Torak just wanted Raine for himself.


    However, the reality told him otherwise, especially when Calleb knew that Raine had finally returned, he made an announcement and hyped all the people to see their Luna.


    Of course, the news about Raine spread like a wildfire and no one would let Torak to have the Luna for himself.


    Maybe not now, but definitely Torak wouldn''t let them to have Raine for the rest of the night, because at that time, Raine only belonged to him.


    For now, the Alpha, reluctantly, agreed for this dinner and let them to meet Raine.


    "Raine, I miss you so bad," Belinda said, tears had stained her cheeks since the first time Calleb told them the news about Raine, and now she was crying again.


    May people that had known Raine came to her and hugged her for a bit longer, and in the process they had to push Torak away, because so many people came to his mate.


    "Stop being grumpy, Alpha." Calleb came to him and gave him a glass of drink, teasing the Supreme Alpha. "Raine is here now."


    Calleb could see how her presence alone was able to warm the room and made all the people more cheerful.


    She was indeed born to be a Luna.


    When all the people had they turned hugging Raine, this time it was Calleb, who stepped forward and hugged her very tight, swung her body and made Raine giggled in surprise, enjoying this.


    On the other side, Torak could only see them sullenly, since it was Calleb, he didn''t really mind it, as he had a big tolerance to his Beta.


    And after that, they had their dinner together. The atmosphere was so warm and there was only laughter and jokes that people threw at each other.


    It was such a beautiful night.


    However, it was enough for Raine, because she knew that deep inside of her, she wanted to be with her mate now. It was time for them alone.


    And as if Torak could read Raine''s mind, he stood up and took her hand, disregarding the people gaze that looked at them questioningly. Why their Alpha and Luna went out of the room even before the dinner ended?


    See, even without the mate bond between them, Torak was still able to know what Raine wanted from her small gesture alone. With or without the mate bond, Torak would still want her, love her wholeheartedly.


    And then, Calleb smoothened the situation. "Lets the Raine and Torak have a chance to make a small Alpha or Luna¡­" he said in low voice, but there was no way they couldn''t hear that.


    And with that understanding, the warm atmosphere returned.


    ==============


    Behind the close door, under the light of the moon, in their balcony, Torak kissed Raine deeply, as if he was trying to devour her presence and taste the sweetness of his mate''s lips.


    He didn''t want to let her go again.


    "The mate bond is gone¡­" Raine said breathlessly when Torak undressed her very slowly and her dress pulled around her feet.


    However, Raine didn''t feel shy¡­ she looked at Torak''s dark eyes with longing and shivered when Torak''s hand caressed her bare skin.


    "I know my love¡­" Torak replied softly to her lips and kissed her jaw, peppering small kisses along her collarbone. "And I still want you nonetheless. There is nothing I want, but you."


    Torak then lifted Raine and carried her into their room, placed her on the bed.


    For a moment Torak just stared at his mate, staring at every inch of her skin, as if he had never seen something more precious than this, until Raine pulled herself up and traced her slender fingers on his chest.


    "Take it off¡­" Raine said, tugging gently at Torak''s clothes. "I want to feel you."


    And Torak complied to her demand.


    Within a second, Raine could see the wounds from the war from years ago on Torak''s chest. It seemed there were wounds that couldn''t properly heal.


    "Is it hurt?" Raine traced her finger at the big wound that transverse from his left shoulder to his stomach.


    "Nothing is hurt me than to not able to see you." Torak took Raine''s hand and kissed her knuckles.


    Raine understood, because she felt the same too. Those wounds were only reminder that they had been through the worse together.


    Torak then laid her down on the bed again and gently nibbled on her stomach, made Raine moaned in pleasure when she wrapped her legs around his waist.


    However, Torak didn''t stop teasing her for a long time and this time, Raine pushed Torak down, kissing her mate and they made love as if there was no tomorrow.

 Chapter 1080: After the war (4)

    Sterling walked into the bar to look for someone, the only person that concerned him the most for the last seven years.


    His eyes skimmed briefly that almost empty room and found Leon instead. He was standing behind the table bar and was wiping a champagne glass.


    "Where is he?" Sterling stopped in front of Leon and immediately asked him without saying a ''hello'' beforehand.


    However, the man understood, who was Sterling talking about and nodded his head toward the door at his left, without raising his head from the champagne glass in his hand.


    Sterling then walked toward the door that Leon had pointed to him, with hurry steps. His face flustered red with anger.


    How could this lycan be so reckless?!


    Kace almost told to the whole world that he was a non- human! They had agreed that they needed to keep it down.


    However, this stupid lycan showed his power and made a chaos in the town. Taking down ten people with ease as if he had just ate a bunch of steroid and became superhuman.


    Damn superhuman! No one would believe that! Those stupid human would immediately assume he was one of the non- human existence.


    No. Kace was a non- human existence and he just revealed that!


    This stupid Lycan!


    Sterling pushed opened the door and found that stupid lycan was sitting on a high chair, with a bottle of drink in his hand, like he could be drunk even after drinking all the bottles in this bar.


    "The sun is still out there! What are you doing with that?! You just wasted those alcohol!" Indeed! There was no use of that alcohol for this lycan, but he still drunk it.


    "It feels good in my throat," Kace said hoarsely and then gulped down the liquid. "I will not die anyway, so why do I have to hold myself back?"


    "You will not die, but you surely will put someone into trouble." Sterling slapped the back of Kace''s head and sat down beside him, taking away the bottle from his hand. "Stop drinking! What is the problem with you?"


    Kace squinted his eyes in disgust, his hoarse voice was like a scratch on the wall when Sterling heard it. "Do you really ask why I am like this?" he raised his voice, but then shook his head. "Until when do I have to wait?"


    Of course Sterling knew, who Kace meant was¡­


    "It has been seven freaking years! I don''t even know, whether I can get my mate back!" he roared in frustration and put his head on the bar table.


    If Kace acted this way, there was nothing Sterling could do, except sighed helplessly.


    In this case, knowing your mate had died and wouldn''t get her back was way uncomplicated rather than waiting for the reunion that was not sure when exactly it would happen.


    It almost felt like you were going through your each day soullessly¡­


    ==============


    Leon was still wiping the glasses in his bar, while his sister was sitting on the barstool right in front of him and did not stop talking about her nonsensical wish.


    "Why he keeps waiting for someone that will never return when there is me?" She rounded her eyes in disbelieve, complaining to her brother about the way Kace treated her these past seven years. "Seven years! His mate will never return! She is dead!" she grumbled loudly and gulped down her drinks rather aggressively, as if that drink had wronged her in any way.


    Meanwhile, Leon rolled his eyes dramatically when he heard that. "Don''t let Kace heard what you just said earlier, he will run away from you and you will never be able to find him again." He shrugged his shoulder. "I don''t mind if he runs from you. But, he is my friend."


    "But, I am your sister!" Abby argued.


    "I need my friend more than a sister like you," he answered her straightforwardly. "At the very least, he doesn''t give me a headache like you do."


    Abby sneered disdainfully upon hearing that statement. "He will not hear it. He is sleeping now." And then, out of instinct, her eyes looked at the door where Kace and Sterling were there. "He should stop waiting and choose me."


    "Why he has to choose you?"


    There was a voice that came from the entrance door that startled the two siblings. Out of instinct, Leon and Abby turned around to find a girl with a long black hair was walking toward them with confidence.


    Her eyes zeroed in Abby''s when she approached her and stood right in front of the witch.


    On the other hand, Leon almost dropped the champagne glass in his hand when he realized, who was there. Who this girl was.


    Of course they knew her.


    This was the girl that they just talked about.


    She was Hope.


    "Why he has to choose you?" Hope repeated her question with hostility. The last thing that she wanted to see the moment she returned was the fact there was a fly around her mate.


    Therefore, she would crush those flies if they tried to be closer than this.


    Meanwhile, Abby gulped down hard and looked at Hope in disbelieve, forgetting the question that was thrown at her.


    "Listen," Hope said viciously, her patient grew thin when Abby acted mum like this. "Don''t flirt, don''t hope, don''t tease, don''t talk to my mate, because that''s all my job to do."


    And then, without waiting for the answer, Hope had shifted her attention to Leon, who was still staring at her like he was looking at a ghost.


    "Where is Kace?" Hope asked.


    Yet, Leon''s answer was interrupted by Abby, as she just snapped back to reality. "You shouldn''t be here! You are dead!" her voice screeched painfully in Hope''s ears. "You had gone for seven years!"


    Hope then gave the attention that Abby needed before she said, "I have gone, but now I am back." She replied simply. "So, stay away from him, before I do something horrible to your ugly face. You know, right? I just returned from the dead?"


    Hope glared at Abby fiercely and asked Leon again about Kace''s whereabouts, without taking her eyes away from his sister. "Where is Kace?"


    "He is inside that door," Leon replied, nodding his head at the door.


    Hope glanced briefly at the door that Leon showed to her and walked there without hesitation with steady steps. There was a complicated emotion that swirled inside of her heart.


    And the fact that Kace was still waiting for her even now and didn''t give Abby a slight chance to come close to him, made her heart swelled with pride. That''s his boy!


    Hope stood in front of the door and took a deep breath before she twisted the handle and pushed the door open.


    However, when she was about to step into the room, there was someone else, who opened the door at the same time like her.


    It was Sterling.


    The man looked at Hope in disbelieve. His eyes opened wide and his mouth formed a small gap.


    "Impossible¡­" he muttered to himself when he watched the girl, who was standing behind the door. She was smiling and greeted him, proving that she was not only an illusion.


    "Sterling, long time no see¡­" She said cheerfully and when the man before her eyes didn''t give her any response, she hugged him. "I am real. I am here."


    Only when Hope hugged him, Sterling snapped back to reality and reciprocated the warm hug to the girl. He kissed her forehead and said how grateful he was that she was there.


    "You should check on Kace." Sterling glanced into the room and released her body. "He is a mess without you."


    Hope giggled when she heard that and wiped the happy tears from her eyes. "I know."


    Sterling smiled fondly at her, because seeing her now was a great assurance that Kace wouldn''t do something outrageous again.


    "Go and see him," Sterling said and then he stepped out of the room, closed the door to give the couple privacy.


    The moment Hope was standing alone there, her eyes skimmed the room until she found Kace was lying on a couch with his arms over his face, sleeping, seemingly didn''t realize that the person he had been wating like crazy had finally there.


    With a slow and steady steps Hope approached her mate and sat beside him. She stretched out her hand and touched his cheeks.


    "Hey, wolfie, wake up¡­" She nudged his cheeks until she got a response from him.


    At first, Kace wanted to ignore this little disturbance, but then he sensed her scent and abruptly opened his eyes.


    For a moment Hope and Kace just stared at each other, as the lycan was still thinking this was a dream that he had wished for long time, because when he touched her, he couldn''t feel the spark.


    However, Hope then spoke, "there is no mate bond between us anymore. Do you still want me?"


    No mate bond?


    Kace''s mind spun in confusion and then found out that he couldn''t mind- link her as well.


    "I am just ordinary human with a long life span to be with you. Will you still want me?" Hope felt her throat tightened when her tears threatened to fall.


    Especially when Kace stretched out his arms and pulled her closer, whispering to her ears the words that she had expected him to say, but it was still echoed in her ears beautifully and shook her entire soul nonetheless.


    "Always."

 Chapter 1081: After the war (5)

    The destruction that resulted from the war seven years ago, left the kingdom with so many damages and many things had happened since then.


    Jedrek had appointed seven new generals and also the Beta, a second in command for him.


    The king hadn''t appointed a Gamma because he didn''t really think it was necessary since there were already seven generals, who were more than enough to help with work.


    Aside from the Beta and the seven generals, Jedrek also appointed another four supernatural creatures, as the lords for the four domains; east, west, north and south.


    Of which, the two dragon shifters took the east and west territories, while the other two were occupied by the magicians and the fae respectively.


    A lot of lycanthropes had died during the war and their numbers had decreased significantly, therefore the recovery of this realm took quite a long time.


    And after seven years had passed, finally everything almost returned to normal, though the sorrow of losing one''s family member, mate or children would follow them for the rest of their eternity.


    And that dark feeling was also felt by the king, he was not an exception in this case.


    Jedrek stood in his balcony, staring at the full moon above him while basking himself in its cool light and let the wind play with his cloak.


    He had been like this ever since they returned to this realm. Staring into the distance while deep in thought.


    No one had the slightest idea what had happened to him and the guardian angel during the war. However, they knew that the queen had sacrificed herself to save them, just like the other guardian angels.


    And for Jedrek, times like this were his moments to remember what had happened back then, because he didn''t want to forget even a tiny detail about Lilac.


    He wanted to remember how he had hurt her and how much he loved her. That was the only way for him to regret the mistakes that he had committed and repent for his reckless and ignorant actions that caused his mate so much pain.


    Jedrek then glanced at the burns on both of his hands. The ugly scars crept from his shoulders to his wrists, which he got when he followed Lilac and jumped in to the crater, the gates of the hell.


    He didn''t really remember what exactly happened when he felt his body get burned by the flames, as the only thing in his mind at that moment was only Lilac, about how he wanted to be close to her and be with her, even it meant that he had to go through the hell.


    However, before Jedrek could reach his mate, he had lost his consciousness and the moment he opened his eyes, he was brought back to the land below which the crater had closed.


    He found himself alone with his scars that couldn''t heal no matter how much long it took.


    Yet, Jedrek didn''t regret it even for a millisecond. He thought of them as a reminder of what had happened during the war and also how he lost Lilac.


    Everything seemed dull after that. Every single one of them were busy, as there were a lot of things needed to be fixed and established again.


    The hectic schedule helped Jedrek a little to forget about the hollow in his heart, but when the night came and he was all alone again, the void in his heart start longing for his mate and no one could fix that¡­


    It went without saying that all the Donovans believed that the guardian angels would return again and that their mates would come back to them, yet no one knew for how long they needed to wait.


    And for Jedrek''s case, he was even more anxious of the fact; whether his mate wanted to return to his side or not¡­


    Lilac.


    The name echoed for the millionth time in his heart, calling out to her softly in the breezy wind, yet it was only nothingness that replied to him.


    Jedrek was not sure about anything now, since seven years had passed and there wasn''t any sign of the resurrection of the guardian angels whatsoever.


    Jedrek glanced at his ugly scars and clenched his fists tightly.


    ==============


    The guardian angel had returned.


    That was a piece of news that managed to shake Jedrek''s composure and since he heard that news three days ago, the king always asked about some related news, whether they saw someone like Lilac or any other human, or a creature that was not a shifter.


    However, he got nothing.


    Maybe, tomorrow he would see her.


    Maybe, tomorrow she would return to him.


    Maybe, tomorrow they would finally meet.


    And Jedrek kept saying the same thing for the whole week, but nothing happened, except for the fact that his high hopes were slightly wavering.


    Yet, the king kept waiting for the return of his queen.


    ==============


    A year passed in a blink of an eye and nothing significant happened since the last news about the return of Raine and Hope to their mates.


    However, Lilac had never once appeared, even her whereabouts were unknown.


    At first Jedrek thought Lilac still needed time to think about their relationship and when she got the time that she needed, she would return to him.


    However, it didn''t seem like it was the case anymore.


    A year was enough time to think about everything thoroughly, but if even after a year Lilac was still nowhere to be seen, it only meant, she decided that she didn''t want to be with him anymore.


    That was the only explanation that Jedrek could think of, but every time that thought aroused, he would always deny it with the excuse that his mate still needed some more time.


    But, how long? And until when?


    Or maybe, it was just like his dark thoughts which told him that Lilac didn''t want to return to him.


    Why would she do that?


    Why wasn''t she willing to give a chance for them?


    Based on what he heard, Jedrek knew that the mate bond between Raine and Torak or Hope and Kace was long gone. There was no mate bond between them any longer.


    How could such an important essence be gone from their life?


    At first Jedrek didn''t believe it, but when he saw how happy his other brothers with their mates even without the sacred touch of the mate bond, the only thing that crossed his mind was; that was love.


    A pure love that took form very differently from that of the coercion of the mate bond. The love that it did not make you feel like it was not an obligation to love your other half.


    Then again, Torak and Kace didn''t seem to be bothered by that fact. They loved their mates regardless¡­


    Maybe that was the answer for the question, which had been asked by Jedrek and Lilac during the whole upside down charade of their relationship; whether they would still love each other and want to be together, even without the presence of the mate bond or not.


    Even now¡­ Jedrek still wanted to be with Lilac¡­ didn''t she feel the same too?


    ==============


    Seven years had passed since the return of the guardian angels, yet there was still no news whatsoever about Lilac and the king was still waiting for her¡­


    Under the bright sun, Jedrek walked toward a pack house. Torak''s pack house.


    Raine had just given birth to their second child and just like before, Jedrek was invited to see his brother''s child as Torak threw a party for the baby.


    "Uncle Jedrek!"


    A childish voice called out his name and made Jedrek turn around out of instinct, but the moment he saw the little boy, the child jumped up to him which caught him by surprise.


    It was lucky enough that Jedrek had such good reflections that he could catch the boy in time.


    "Uncle Jedrek! Show me how to hunt in the woods!" The little boy around six years old screamed excitedly.


    It was Sean, Kace and Hope''s second child. He met Jedrek a year ago when Torak called him for a small reunion that he said as a meeting to discuss about the issue with humans.


    And since then, Sean seemed to like his uncle Jedrek more than his own father, because at that time, Jedrek took him to hunt, though the little boy was not yet able to shift.


    "I will," Jedrek said, smiling as he put the little boy down, and he found his brother frowning at him while Hope giggled.


    "Hi Jedrek, nice to see you again," Hope greeted him sweetly, but his brother glared at his son.


    "Nice to see you too," Jedrek muttered.


    "You are a traitor," Kace hissed and Sean pouted his lips.


    But Hope elbowed him and spoke sharply, "Behave."


    Behind the couple was Sean''s twin sister, Selena. She was a cute and energetic girl, just like her parents and was the apple of Kace''s eyes.


    Everyone always teased Kace that, Selena only needed to move a little finger of hers and the lycan would come running to her. She had her father wrapped around her fingers.


    "Uncle Jedrek, will you teach me how to hunt too?" Selena came to Jedrek and in the next second, she was being picked too, but this time together they walked toward the pack house.


    "Yes, but after we see the baby," Jedrek said and Selena cooed cutely, clapping her hands excitedly.


    "Father said Aunt Raine has a baby girl!" Her eyes shone with happiness.


    "That''s what I heard." Jedrek nodded.


    In front of them, Kace was having a father- son argumentation and left the rest of them behind when they raced toward the pack house.


    "How is it?" Hope asked, but Jedrek knew what she meant. "There is still no news?"


    Jedrek shook his head and he felt the hollow in his heart became even darker.

 Chapter 1082: After the war (6)

    Jedrek watched the little creature in her crib, pouting her tiny lips as she clenched his fingers tightly.


    The baby blinked her eyes and yawned, and was about to put her own fist into her mouth if it was not for Jedrek, who pulled her small hand away in time.


    The feeling was incredible as it stirred something deep inside of him.


    How could a small creature like this that Jedrek could crush with ease, held such a power that could make the king feel floored?


    This was the first time for Jedrek to see one of his brother''s children when they were only a baby. Because every time he came, he would refuse to see the baby and only congratulated his brothers and their mates formally.


    However, this time Raine insisted for Jedrek to see her second child when she noticed how distraught the king looked.


    Fourteen years of waiting¡­


    That was long enough and challenging of your patience to its limits, especially when you watched how your other brothers finally got their happiness. The end that he should have been blessed with too, if only Lilac was there with him.


    Yet, the reality said otherwise¡­


    Lilac had never appeared before him and no one knew where she was now.


    "How are you feeling?" Raine asked as she teased her baby and the baby laughed, letting out a strange screech that, startlingly, enticed Jedrek.


    "I am fine¡­" Jedrek said absentmindedly, but his eyes had never left the small creature that had been holding his fingers since the moment he saw her.


    Raine looked at Jedrek and it went without saying that what he said was a lie, it was only an obligatory response that he used to say whenever someone asked about his feelings.


    "Do you want to hold her?" Raine gave the king an offer, which made Jedrek raise his head and reject it right away.


    "No, thank you. I am not good at handling a fragile creature like her." Jedrek immediately pulled his fingers out of the baby''s grip and felt sad when he lost the warm feeling.


    However, Raine then stretched out her hands to pick up the baby and cradled her in her arms, as the baby cooed in happiness for being held by her mother.


    "Come here. Try once." Raine moved closer to Jedrek and stretched out her hands toward Jedrek. "It is okay."


    "No!" Jedrek refused. He was so panicked.


    No. Of course this wouldn''t be okay. Nothing would be okay in Jedrek''s hands. He was not a protector, he was a living destruction.


    Jedrek couldn''t imagine what he could possibly do to the fragile baby. He could kill her accidentally.


    Yet, Raine didn''t even consider that when she thrust her own baby toward Jedrek and forced him to hold her.


    "Raine, I will hurt her!" Jedrek said in panic, but out of instinct, he received the baby and held her in his arms awkwardly. "Torak will be pissed if he see this!" He screeched when he felt the weightless baby in his arms. "What should I do!?"


    Raine chuckled when she watched Jedrek''s expression, the same reaction and expressions that Torak showed when he held their first baby, five years ago.


    Torak was also panicked and Kace laughed at his brother out loud.


    At that time, Torak looked like he was more than ready to shred his brother muscle to muscle, but the baby in his arms prevented him from doing so.


    Kace, of course, was fine with the baby, as he had met Hope since she was only a few days old baby and nursed his own mate.


    But, for Torak and Jedrek, this was their first experience of holding someone  very fragile, defenseless and precious at the same time.


    Raine understood how Jedrek felt when Aurora held his finger, the look on Jedrek''s face seemed like he was almost at peace.


    "Support her neck properly, or else you will hurt her." What Raine said didn''t help the situation became better for Jedrek and she knew that. She just teased him because he was too stiff.


    "You better take her away from me," Jedrek''s voice was almost like a whisper when he glanced at the baby that curled peacefully in his arms, not even bothering with the stress that her mother was putting him through.


    "You will be fine Jedrek, you will not hurt her," Raine said softly, she then took a step back and watched as Jedrek struggled to not move from his position. "I think the baby likes you."


    "No, she doesn''t," Jedrek grumbled, but Aurora proved him wrong, she gave him her toothless smile and cooed, snuggling closer in his warm embrace.


    Jedrek could feel his heart almost exploding when he watched it. It was a mixed feeling between fear and curiosity, but he didn''t know how to express that.


    "You are just like Torak," Raine commented. "He was very careful when he held me when we met for the first time, because he was afraid that he would hurt me."


    "You were not a baby when you met Torak for the first time," Jedrek pointed out the fact and Raine agreed with that.


    "Yes, I was not a baby, I was seventeen years old at that time," Raine said softly, reminiscing the moment she met Torak under the rain. "But trust me, I was as fragile as her."


    Yes, Raine had been through so much and psychologically, she was as frail as a newborn baby. You could snap her effortlessly and it would take a long time for her to be healed.


    And Jedrek was well aware of that, therefore he didn''t say anything and shifted his focus on to Aurora, who was busy nibbling his shirt.


    "Didn''t you meet Lilac?" Jedrek finally asked, bringing up the question that he wanted to know the answer for more than seven years. He had never really talked about this with anyone, let alone with his crude brothers. "I meant when you were in whatever realm you were in before being resurrected for the second time."


    Raine smiled softly at Jedrek, she had been waiting for him to ask this question since seven years, but only now did the cold demeanor that he had was slightly crack open.


    It seemed, the long wait of fourteen years had finally taken a toll on him and he had no longer had the energy to put up a strong front.


    "Yes, I met her, but we didn''t really talk, as it was only a brief meeting before we went back to this realm," Raine replied softly, caressing Aurora''s flushed cheeks.


    "What happened when you were there?" Jedrek asked again, but this time he looked at Raine in her eyes, waiting anxiously.


    Raine then shrugged her shoulder. "The first guardian angel of time showed me about the past, telling us about the story of her love to the first lycanthrope, who walked on this realm."


    Yes, Raine had been showed her past memories for the second time, but in a different point of view. She saw herself grew up from a traumatic young teenager to be someone powerful that could fulfill the task that was given to the guardian angels.


    It was such a blessing to be able to see herself become stronger and for the first time Raine was really proud of herself, it was the version of herself that she didn''t see while she went through those experiences or when, for the second time, the devils forced her to endure it again.


    "I think Hope and Lilac went the same thing like me." Raine smiled softly at Jedrek. "I choose to go back to Torak because he is my safe heaven. Hope must feel the same for Kace¡­" she paused for a while and looked Jedrek deep in his eyes. "But, I don''t know about Lilac."


    Jedrek could feel his own breathing turned even more erratic when he heard Raine''s explanation and he didn''t know how to express this feeling.


    If Raine and Hope had been showed their past memories, of course they would return to their mates, since neither Kace or Torak had made an attempt to kill them or hurt them in any other way.


    Unlike himself¡­


    It was like Jedrek was being reminded of his ultimate mistake again and again. This made him to succumb deeper into the darkness, unable to see any way out from this.


    "The mate bond between us had shattered, that''s the price that we have to pay to be able to come back to our mates, we gambled with that, as there was still a chance that once the mate bond between us disappeared, the feeling also would be gone, but¡­" Raine stretched out her hand and caressed Jedrek''s cheek, feeling the tips of her fingers getting wet from the tears of the king. "But, we came back."


    They dared to bet on their true feelings that could surpass the mate bond. The true love between them that didn''t need such bond, because they had created their own.


    Jedrek gritted his teeth when he heard that. He felt his heart break into million pieces and he didn''t know how to fix it when the hollow only grew larger and darker.


    "Lilac also returned with us. She bet the same thing like us. But, maybe she didn''t have enough confidence in you to find you again." Raine now used both of her hands to wipe away the tears from Jedrek''s cheeks, as the lycan trembled. "Because sometimes, time can''t heal the wound in someone''s heart, but effort and patience might will."


    Aurora yawned in Jedrek''s arms and snuggled closer to the warmth of the lycan''s body. She felt really comfortable to be held by him.

 Chapter 1083: The end

    The feeling when Jedrek watched how Kace had an argumentation with his son and how Torak stared at his little angel, or how his brothers looked very peaceful whenever they were surrounded by the people that they loved; their mate and children, was something that Jedrek could only imagine.


    This was the scene that always came into his dream, interrupting his not so peaceful sleeping time, bombarding him with the questions that started with; what if¡­


    Those questions haunted him relentlessly and left him unable to feel any other feeling anymore, turning him numb and feel lost for words.


    The family that he supposed to have, but he ruined his only chance, because he pushed away his own happiness with his bare hands, hurting his mate so deep that she chose to stay away from him¡­


    No. Jedrek had been ruining his life over and over again even before he got to meet Lilac. This was like a toxin that he passed down to the people around him and he didn''t know how to stop it¡­


    Raine said that she and Hope returned to their mates because they were their safe heaven, so it was easy to say that Lilac didn''t think the same¡­


    Jedrek left the party early and didn''t tell anyone about it. He just met Sean and told the little boy that they couldn''t go hunting now, because he wasn''t feeling good.


    Actually, Jedrek had never felt better since he lost Lilac, the moment he followed her to jump into the crater, the gates of the hell, just to be with her¡­


    And now, he didn''t know how long this waiting would take to end, or maybe it would never end and this was his punishment for neglecting the most precious thing in his life.


    Jedrek shifted into his white beast and let his instincts lead him away from Torak''s pack house, away from the commotion that was happening there, away from countless happy smiles and blessings that was thrown at the beautiful baby.


    The sight was too blindingly beautiful for a dark and sorrowful soul like him.


    Jedrek let his beast''s instincts lead the way, dashing through the trees and leapt over a river, letting the glaring sun bask his fur, as the scars on both of his front legs turned more prominently visible and those scars made his appearance more scarier than he already was.


    The white beast didn''t stop running even when the sun went down and left the horizon or when the sky had turned dark, showing the majestified charm of the night with the full moon surrounded by the stars.


    He didn''t know why he kept running nonstop. He just needed to run. Maybe this was him, who was trying to run away from his suffocated feelings that made his chest always cave in painfully.


    Maybe, physical pain was all he needed right now to overcome the pain in his heart that was bleeding again.


    The beast ran until the air left his lungs and he was left tired and exhausted¡­


    And now the beast, laid down in the meadow under the cool light of the full moon above him, staring into the distance like he always did¡­


    ==============


    Jedrek didn''t know how long he had been sleeping, but when the scorching light of the afternoon sun assaulted his eyes, he groaned and started to gain his consciousness.


    Didn''t know when he shifted back into his human form, but he didn''t feel any better. The numbness in his heart only reminded him over and over again about the void that he couldn''t evade.


    From the distance Jedrek could hear the sound of the cars and people talking to each other, laughing and teasing. There was life around him, but he didn''t feel like he was alive.


    Mindlessly, Jedrek stood up and started to walk toward the noise, since he didn''t really know where he was after the whole crazy running that he did yesterday, thus he decided to see which city he had ended up in.


    With unsteady steps he emerged from the trees and stepped on the pavement, where he met three school girls giggling at the screen phone that was being held by one of them.


    Jedrek walked passed them and another group of school girls, older people, a woman, who just stared at him and smiled meaningfully, a guy, and¡­ more people that he couldn''t remember.


    He walked like that until the sun went down again and he arrived at a familiar building.


    At first Jedrek didn''t realize it, but then he remembered that building was the house where Lilac was born. Her family''s house. The place where he took her life.


    The orange hue of the sun illuminated the almost empty street and the building before Jedrek''s eyes.


    It brought back memories, but not good ones¡­


    Jedrek stood there for almost two hours, until the lamps on the street poles were turned on and the sky turned dark again.


    There was no need to mention how Jedrek looked like after two days of being on the verge of mental breakdown and roaming around mindlessly. However, his looks alone could overcome his messy and unkempt appearance.


    When the laughter from the house could be heard from where Jedrek was standing, he walked slowly toward its gates.


    Maybe, he could hear more clearly if he went closer, maybe one of those voices belonged to Lilac.


    Jedrek just wanted to see if she was happy now and that was all that mattered to him at this moment, since the mate bond had shattered, he couldn''t feel her presence or mind- link her, therefore he needed to check by himself.


    Maybe Lilac was indeed inside the house¡­ he didn''t know how could something like this possibly happen, but the slightest possibility of meeting his mate was all he needed to walk down this path again¡­


    However, before he could reach the gates, a gentle gust of wind blew over and along with it came a faint familiar scent that made Jedrek stop in his tracks.


    He turned around and found a small flower shop, where the scent was coming from.


    Only with the scent alone, he could feel the longing in his heart gnaw at him again which then urged him to breathe in more of it.


    Forgetting about the house, Jedrek walked toward the small shop, which seemed to be almost closed, as someone inside was busy tidying up that place.


    The girl sensed his presence and came to him with a smile on her plump lips. But, she was not her and the scent was coming from the Lilac flowers on the display, not his little flower.


    "Is there anything I can help you with?" The girl talked to him politely, but her eyes shone brightly when she watched the man before her eyes and blushed slightly. He was handsome beyond words! Like the reincarnation of a Greek god!


    "I want lilac," he said, voicing out what he really wanted. The deepest plea that he had been holding back for fourteen years.


    "Oh, okay¡­ we have beautiful lilac flowers over here," she talked and showed Jedrek the flowers arranged in different rows of that small shop.


    A lot of sweet and fresh scent came to his senses when Jedrek followed her, but he didn''t really hear what she said or what the reason why she giggled happily while staring at Jedrek and led him back to the counter where she would wrap the flower into a beautiful bouquet.


    "Do you want to write a letter for the receiver?" The young girl offered him.


    At first, Jedrek wanted to shake his head and refuse, but something else caught his attention, making this the most momentous time of his life.


    She walked gracefully out of a door, looking beautiful as ever and as if the soft light of the moon outside was shining particularly on her, she looked like a goddess herself¡­


    At first his mate didn''t realize his presence, but when she raised her head and caught a sight of Jedrek, the time seemed to frozen.


    Jedrek remembered that the mate bond had nothing to do with this anymore, but how could his heart beat in the same rhythm like hers?


    The feeing didn''t fade away, if anything it only got amplified.


    They kept staring at each other, with many complicated and unsaid feelings between them¡­ the love that grown on each other¡­


    "Oh, I think you don''t want to write anything, then I will wrap the flowers for you¡­" the girl, who was being ignored made a conclusion, but before she could wrap the flowers, Jedrek spoke to her.


    "Write something down for me¡­" Jedrek said, his voice soft, as his eyes fixed on his mate.


    Slightly confused, the girl followed his order and took the note and pen. "What do you want to say?"


    Jedrek''s blue eyes bore into Lilac''s, he didn''t even dare to blink, afraid that she would disappear and with his velvety voice, he chanted a poem¡­


    "Of all the ones that begged to stay


    I''m still longing for you


    Of all the ones that cried their way


    I''m still waiting on you


    Maybe we seek for something that


    We couldn''t ever have


    Maybe we choose the only love


    We know we won''t accept


    Or maybe we''re taking all the risks


    For something that is real


    ''Cause maybe the greatest love of all


    Is who the eyes can''t see¡­"


    His voice echoed inside the flower shop beautifully. The way he spoke felt like he was talking out of his desperate state¡­


    And indeed that was what he felt right now¡­


    Tears started to stream down Lilac''s face when she heard him¡­ his voice, the words, the way Jedrek stared at her with desperation and longing, hit her deeply.


    She thought, after all this time, she would be fine.


    After all the years that had passed she would finally forget about him.


    After the pain that he had put her through, she wouldn''t want him anymore.


    However, that was a lie that she told herself.


    Because every inch of her being, still wanted him¡­


    Upon seeing his mate cry silently, Jedrek took the flower bouquet from the girl and walked closer to Lilac. As soon as he was standing in front of her again, he dropped to his knees and pushed the flowers into Lilac''s hands.


    "I am yours, will you take this senseless man again?" Jedrek didn''t ask, but begged her.


    And that was the time when Lilac knew that she couldn''t really lie to herself¡­


    She loved him and always will¡­


    ==============


    Thank you for reading "The Love of a Lycan" and this is officially the end. (I am crying a million tears because this story literally has been my daily life for the past two years¡­)


    THANK YOU!


    THANK YOU!


    THANK YOU!


    For your support, comments, feedback, power stones, gifts and the feeling of appreciation that I can''t describe in words.


    Maybe I will write a  side story or two about them, but it will be a irregular update, since I am writing another story now.


    "MY BLOODY ROMANCE FOR YOU."


    Please check my new book.


    This is a wonderful journey with you guys!!!


    ((^o^))


    XOXO


    Ps: The song; To the Bone, by: Pamungkas.

 Chapter 1084: Side story: let me do the right thing

    Jedrek couldn''t say how happy he was when he finally met Lilac and she still seemed to have feelings for him. It was unbelievable, but at the same it was an amazing feeling for him to say the least.


    He wasn''t used to sharing his feelings, but he wanted everyone to know that he was happy beyond words. It was quite complicated.


    Apparently, Lilac had been living near her original house after she returned to this realm, but because of her youthful appearance, she could only stay there for a few years before she had to move to another place.


    However, three months ago, she decided to return to this place again and opened this flower shop. She bought an apartment and wanted to stay here for as long as she could before she felt the need to move again.


    And here they were, inside Lilac small, but comfortable apartment on the seventh floor of a residential building not too far from her flower shop.


    "You live in this place?" Jedrek scrunched his nose in disgust, but he was trying so hard to not let Lilac saw it, though it was quite impossible.


    "Why?" Lilac asked, the corner of her lips curled into a slight smile, because she knew exactly why Jedrek didn''t like to be in this place.


    This apartment room, which only has one bedroom and bathroom along with a small living room and a kitchen, couldn''t be compared to the luxurious facilities of the castle that the king used to live in.


    But, Lilac said she needed time to decide whether she wanted to go back to the supernatural realm or not.


    Of course Jedrek wouldn''t rush her even though Lilac knew that if it was Jedrek from the past, he would use every way possible to bring her back to that realm.


    However now, Jedrek didn''t want to force her to do something that she didn''t want to do, especially when Lilac had willingly taken him back and the worse possibility in Jedrek''s mind didn''t actually take shape.


    The king would relent everything that Lilac wished for, thus he would let her stay for however much time she want, until she felt like it to go back with him.


    "No, nothing." Jedrek shook his head hurriedly and ventured into the room further. His ocean blue eyes skimmed every corner of the place, but there was nothing much that he could see except the sweet and colorful room, with many flowers surrounding it.


    Jedrek was not a fan of flowers, but he liked lilac, as they had the same scent like his mate, so literally speaking, the king now was surrounded by the ''touch'' of her.


    "You can sit anywhere you want," Lilac said as she walked toward the kitchen and took out a jar of water and two glasses for Jedrek and herself. "I just have water, I hope you don''t mind."


    Lilac''s voice was a little bit louder, since she thought Jedrek was in the living room and she was in the kitchen, thus the lycanthropes king wouldn''t be able to hear her.


    Apparently, she forgot that Jedrek could hear her just fine. It was just Lilac who had turned into a mere human. The king was still the same creature with extremely heightened senses.


    Jedrek then followed her into the kitchen. "I don''t mind it, as long as I am with you," he said and hugged her from back and rested his chin on her shoulder.


    Lilac giggled, but she squirmed away. "Behave."


    "Okay," Jedrek said, raising his hands above his head. A surrender gesture. He clearly didn''t want to upset her.


    Lilac smiled softly, the kind of smile that would make you smile as well without any particular reason. "What do you want for dinner?"


    At first, Lilac thought it would be awkward if she stayed with Jedrek in the same place like this, alone. However, it seemed the fourteen years of separation didn''t affect them too much, as they could interact normally, just like the times they had a good relationship and knew each other, before the war broke out years ago.


    "Why don''t you let me make something for you instead?" Jedrek asked. He stared at Lilac, who was raising her brows questioningly.


    "You can''t cook." That was a statement and Lilac was quite sure with what she said. Since when did Jedrek have to cook for himself when he could get everything with only a wiggle of his fingers?


    "I learned," Jedrek said offhandedly.


    Yes, he learned how to cook, though he was not really good at it, but he had a list of things that he wanted to do with Lilac, when he finally found her and today was just the first day of all the things to come.


    "Why do you want to learn it?" Lilac couldn''t understand Jedrek''s intentions.


    "So, I can take care of you," he said while rummaging Lilac''s small fridge and then frowned because he didn''t like how empty it was. "You don''t have anything here."


    "You don''t need to take care of me, I can take care of myself and my fridge is not empty, I just don''t go grocery shopping often."


    "What do you eat then?" Jedrek was still dwelling on the fact that Lilac didn''t have something in her storage as well.


    Lilac leaned her back against the dinner table and folded her arms in front of her chest. "You are so old fashioned. I can get any dish that I want with only a single call."


    Jedrek rolled his eyes when he heard that. "Let''s go buy something edible for you to fill your tiny fridge." He didn''t want her to be starving and the way the lycan said ''tiny fridge'' annoyed Lilac.


    "My fridge is not tiny. If you come only to criticize the way how I live, you can go." Lilac glared at Jedrek, thinking she would upset him, because usually he would come back with a strong response.


    However, to Lilac''s surprise, Jedrek didn''t retort her words. But instead, leaned over to kiss Lilac''s head and smiled softly at her. "I will not go anywhere nor will I take my words back. You need to be well fed."


    "I told you that I can take care of myself," Lilac said stubbornly like usual and this only made Jedrek reminisce about the past. It reminded him of how strong headed his mate had always been.


    "I know, but I still want to take care of you." He kissed her forehead. "Let me do the right thing now."

 Chapter 1085: Side story: gone missing

    Selena was born only three minutes earlier than her twin brother Sean, on a bright chaotic day. Maybe because they were twins, they had similar traits.


    However, it seemed Sean was talented in taking things to a whole new level.


    There would be not be a single day without him giving Kace a headache and make Hope scream in frustration. And today was one such day¡­


    Selena and Sean just started to shift into their beast, and just like their father, they turned into cute little white wolves. Hope couldn''t have enough even after taking pictures after pictures to capture that moment.


    Especially when the night was so bright, because of the light from the full moon above them.


    The family of four had a big house with a high wall surrounding that place, but all the servants would leave that house when the sun went down. Kace and Hope liked this neighborhood the moment they noticed it after she returned, and immediately decided to settle down there, thinking this was the perfect place for them to have their own family.


    Moreover, Ethan and Sterling didn''t live too far away from here.


    And that night was a sacred night when their two lovely children turned eight and started to shift into their beasts.


    Kace was there in his white beast form. The beast was there to guide their pups throughout their transformation that looked nerve- wrecking, as both of them writhed in pain.


    Yes, the first shift was always painful and Kace had already explained it to them.


    Actually, Kace and Hope were not sure if their children would be a shifter too, because Hope''s condition was a little bit complicated. She was a guardian angel before and now she is a normal human with a long life span.


    But, just in case this moment happened, Kace had them educated about the supernatural world since they were very young and had them to tell no one about this secret.


    Therefore, when the moon shone brightly and the two siblings showed the signs that they were about to shift, Kace was very excited, but Hope couldn''t stop biting her lips out of nervousness.


    It felt like she was about to give birth again and seeing her children''s faces contorted in pain didn''t help in calming her nerves at all.


    "Mommy, it hurts¡­" Selena whined, she stretched out her hand to touch the white beast, who nuzzled the side of her face. "Daddy¡­"


    Hope felt her heart being torn apart harshly, she knelt down beside Selena and Sean, but didn''t dare to touch them, because Kace said it wouldn''t be good.


    "I know sweety¡­ please hold on a little bit longer¡­" Hope''s voice cracked. "Kace¡­" She raised her head and looked at the white beast that let out a low soft growl, as if saying; everything will be all right.


    Hope felt a little bit less nervous, but it didn''t make her feel any better.


    On the other hand, Sean didn''t let out a single whine, but from the way he curled his body, they knew the little boy was only too stubborn to let them see him in a weak state.


    The white beast nudged and licked his pups every now and then to give them courage to go through all this and to let them know that they were not alone, that their mommy and daddy were there to support them.


    It took roughly an hour before their bodies shivered and white fur broke out of the surface of their skin.


    And it took fifteen more painful minutes to complete their transformation.


    But, the moment it ended, there were two little white wolves, whining and wriggling their bodies. Their red eyes looking around in confusion.


    They looked so small, compared to the big white beast, and flustered.


    It was such a beautiful sight to behold and heartwarming when they started to try to move around, falling and picking up themselves again, trying to adjust with their new forms.


    They were so cute and Hope couldn''t help, but feel excited about them.


    However, that was the story from the other day, because today, Hope really wanted to be able to shift into a beast as well, so she could catch her children whenever they ran about in the neighborhood.


    For new shifters like Selena and Sean, they were still visible in human eyes, even though they were in their beast form.


    People wouldn''t be able to be see their beast form when they reached ten years old, as the shield would set in motion.


    Therefore, whenever Sean didn''t listen to Hope and Kace warning to not go outside of the house or shift during daylight, Hope and Kace would go into panic mode.


    "Where is Sean?" Hope asked Selena, who was in her bedroom, doodling in her book.


    Selena and Sean had gone to play in the backyard in their beast form when the sky was still dark and no servants filed in yet, but if Selena was already inside her room and Hope couldn''t find Sean in the backyard, then¡­


    The little girl raised her head and blinked her blue eyes. "I don''t know."


    With that answer, Hope fell into panic mode again and went to find Kace. Because the last time Sean went out of the house in his beast form, a few humans saw him.


    "Sean is outside," Hope told Kace when she saw him and the lycan growled in annoyance before he put down the toast in his hands and went out of the house in his white beast form.


    "Wait, I will go with you." Hope ran to catch up with the white beast, who stopped in the street to pick up his naughty pup''s scent.


    Once the white beast caught up Sean''s scent that smelled like cocoa powder, he took off in a particular direction with Hope following behind him.


    Sean was around five hundred meter away from home, but that was not the most shocking thing for both Kace and Hope, because then they saw Sean, in his little white beast form, being played by a five years old little girl with her mother.


    Both daughter and mother apparently tried to feed him with a snack in the girl''s hand.


    "Mommy, the dog is cute, can we take it home?" The little girl asked her mother.


    Hearing that his pup was mistaken as a dog, the white beast growled loudly. Unfortunately, no one could hear it except Hope.


    "Behave, Kace." Hope warned him.


    After saying that, Hope immediately went ahead and greeted both the mother and daughter. "I am sorry sweety, but he is mine. He strayed away from home."


    "Oh," the little girl looked disappointed and looked at her mother.


    "It is not a stray dog, we can''t take it home," the mother said to console her daughter and missed the way Hope grimaced when her son was called dog.


    But, it was not the time for that, because they had to bring Sean home now. "Okay, I will take him now." Then she picked him up and cradled the little brat in her arms.


    "Can I see him again? He is cute." The little girl asked politely.


    Hope felt a little bit conflicted, but then nodded when she saw the eagerness in Sean''s eyes. "Sure."


    [We have a lot of things to talk, boy.] Kace growled through mind- link at his son and the little white lycan could only whine.

 Chapter 1086: Side story: something i want to say to them

    There was no graveyard for the victims of the war, as there was nothing left to be buried. Because they disappeared like smoke and left nothing behind to remind the living about them.


    But then after everything had settled down and the situation was brought under control, the Donovans initiated to build this place as a moment to for the souls that had left this realm during the war. And this place turned out be extraordinarily beautiful.


    It was a two acre vast land that was developed into a ''man made'' rain forest with a small river streaming in the middle of it.


    The number of trees in this forest equals the number of victims of the war and each had a name carved on the surface of the tree bark.


    And of course Raphael and Lana''s names were there too.


    The two trees were planted near the river, in the place with enough sun light for their leaves during the day and warm moon light during the night.


    The two trees had its roots entangled with each other and were the most biggest trees around, so every time someone went there, they would take their rest under its lush full leaves.


    As if those trees were alive and could understand, every time people came to take a quick nap beneath them, the two trees seemed leaning over to cover them from the bright sunlight while the wind played with their hair until they fell asleep.


    Just like what happened today.


    Today, Calleb felt like taking Eddard, who was turning five yesterday, to this rain forest that was named Peaceful Soul.


    Because this place was under the spell of more than a hundred magicians and fae, no human was able to see or enter this place.


    However, that was not a big deal for the shifters and any other supernatural creatures, especially those who fought side by side during the war.


    But today, Calleb felt a little bit sensitive because they just threw a party for Eddard yesterday and the little boy asked about his parents and why they were not there with him.


    Calleb felt like there was someone shoving a burning charcoal down his throat when he heard that and he began tearing up. It was Belinda, who finally came to his rescue and explained to the sad little boy that his parents had returned to the moon goddess''s side during the war with the devils.


    That his parents had fought very bravely and there wouldn''t be a single person in this realm who didn''t know about them, as they were heros in everyone''s heart.


    Therefore, today Calleb took Eddard to this place for the first time and indulged him by explaining the story of his parents.


    The little boy looked very excited and asked for Calleb to talk more about them, but his body couldn''t catch up with his excitement as he became very exhausted after a long walk and fell asleep under the two trees that were carved with his father and mother''s names.


    Eddard was fascinated right after he saw the trees for the first time and couldn''t stay still, skipping and bouncing like a small rabbit asking question after question until moments later the exhaustion took a toll on his small body.


    Seeing how Eddard slept peacefully, Calleb also lied down beside him and it didn''t take him a long time before he fell asleep as well.


    The wind that blew brought the sweet scent of this forest that could calm your nerves and made you relax. As if the whole universe was trying to take care of you and you didn''t have anything to be worried about.


    The shade from the trees also protected them from the harsh sunlight, but still gave the two of them the warmth of their own.


    Eddard fell into a deeper slumber until he felt something caress his cheeks, very light and soft. The way it touched him was very different, strange, but tender at the same time.


    Out of curiosity, Eddard opened his eyes and found a pair of similar colored eyes to his own, staring back at him lovingly. They belong to a woman. A beautiful woman with a handsome man behind her, and both of them were smiling sweetly at him.


    "Who are you?" Eddard sat down while rubbing his eyes.


    "Hi Eddard," the woman greeted him cheerfully, while the man only stared at the little boy softly and for some reason, Eddard was not afraid of them though the Alpha and Calleb had told him to not talking to strangers. "I have been waiting for this moment for so long."


    Eddard didn''t understand, he tilted his head and looked at them. "Do I know you?"


    "You look healthy and happy." The woman''s voice was very soothing in Eddard''s ears. He liked listening to her.


    "I am not happy¡­" Eddard said sullenly and then he looked down, as his small shoulders dropped, showing how unhappy he was.


    "Why?" The woman immediately hugged him and the man moved closer.


    Somehow, Eddard loved this woman''s scent, he liked being hugged like this and felt like pouring out all of his sad feelings.


    Eddard talked about how other children had parents and siblings, but he didn''t have any except Bree. But, he knew Bree was not his sister and about other things while the two of them continued listening to his child-blabbering for almost thirty minutes until Eddard told them about his wish to meet his parents during his birthday.


    "¡­but I know that it will never be possible." Eddard pouted his lips.


    "Why?" The woman asked again, while caressing his back.


    "Because Belinda said the moon goddess had taken both of them because they have brave hearts and very kind. But, I don''t want them to be kind or brave. I just want them to be with me," he said what he was thinking out loud and this made the woman burst out in tears, for a moment she couldn''t talk.


    Therefore, it was the man, who had been silent from the beginning, opened his mouth.


    "But, the moon goddess could also give them back to you. Maybe not forever, but for a little bit moment. Will it be enough for you?" The man asked.


    "Yes," Eddard said, he nodded his head. "There is something I want to say to them."


    "What is it?" The man spoke in a very tender voice.


    Eddard raised his head and looked at both of them, he blinked his eyes a couple of times as he remembered what Belinda said to him. "I love them and feel very proud of them."


    Yes, Eddard was sad, but he was also proud of his parents after listening to their story.


    As soon as those words fell from his lips, tears fell from the woman eyes and the man had to look the other way to hide his own.


    "We are also very proud of you and love you so much, my child." The woman whispered between her sobs.


    Once again, the wind blew and brought the sweet scent of the forest, as the leaves rustled and they spent the next few moments talking about everything.


    ==============


    Calleb opened his eyes when he felt his surroundings had started to become dark, he rubbed his eyes and saw the sun was almost set on the horizon, meaning it was their time to go back before Torak thought something worse happened to them and sent a whole army of lycan warriors to look for them.


    Not them actually, he would be worried for Eddard.


    Even though Torak rarely showed it, but he cared for Eddard more than he cared about his beta. Well, that was understandable, since Calleb was more than enough to protect himself if something happened, while the little boy had not yet shifted into his beast form.


    "Let''s go home." Calleb yawned and then stretched out his body, feeling satisfied when he heard the sound of his bones cracking. "Did you sleep well?" He asked.


    Calleb then dusted the dirt off Eddard''s pants and shirt when the little boy stood up. "I just slept for one second," he said exaggeratedly and showed with his tiny fingers how short his napping time felt like.


    Calleb didn''t take it seriously and just laughed at it. "Come on, I will carry you." He bent his body to carry Eddard, but he avoided him.


    "I will walk. I am a big boy now," Eddard said and his eyes glanced behind Calleb''s back for a second before he continued. "Mommy and Daddy said to be nice to you."


    Calleb frowned. "What?"


    He knelt in front of Eddard, but the little boy hit his head softly, like what Raphael always did to him while saying, "Dad said: ''Stop being sad.''"

 Chapter 1087: Side story: what the baby like

    Raine was feeling a little bit sluggish lately. She didn''t want to move from bed at all if she could, but of course she couldn''t do that, Torak would call all the healers if he were to find about her actual condition¡­


    However, Raine felt it was kind of cute to see Torak falling into panic mode.


    It was just a week since they stumbled upon the most amazing piece of news. The healer had confirmed that Raine was pregnant with their first child and Raine would never forget the expression Torak made then.


    The Supreme Alpha was literally floored by the news.


    For a few minutes Torak didn''t say anything and just scrunched his forehead, until Raine was wondering whether he listened to what the healer said or not.


    But then, slowly and surely, understanding dawned upon him when he finally spoke, "First child?" His voice was barely audible. "My mate is pregnant with our first child?" Torak repeated what the healer said.


    Meanwhile, Raine had been staring at her flat stomach since she heard the news.


    Raine didn''t feel anything strange except her appetite that went upside down. Sometimes she wanted to eat all the food on the table, but in other instances, she didn''t even want to see any of it.


    Torak didn''t know what happened to her except that her scent was slightly different, but not in a bad way. Raine smelled more ripe and sweet¡­ if he could describe it.


    But, it never crossed Torak''s mind that his mate was pregnant with their first child. He was just worried about Raine''s condition and that was what had been circulating in his mind for two days before Raine agreed to be taken to the hospital.


    And now they finally knew the reason behind Raine strange behavior all along.


    At first Torak thought it was because the side effect of Raine being a human and was stripped off her powers as the guardian angel of time, but now Torak knew that was not the case.


    Raine was pregnant. They were going to have their first born! Something that never really crossed their minds before.


    Well, they thought about this, but didn''t really say it out loud, as they were still relishing the happiness of spending time with just the two of them.


    However, now they were going to bring a little version of both of them in to the world. How amazing life could be.


    And since then also, Torak started being extra protective of Raine and their unborn child. He wouldn''t allow Raine to carry anything or walk too far.


    And because this pregnancy made Raine a little bit lazy and easily exhausted, Torak would wake up before her to prepare a healthy breakfast for her. He would make sure that everything was perfect for his mate.


    Just like now¡­


    Raine yawned and stretched her body when she heard Torak entering the room with a tray full of healthy food and fruits.


    "How are you feeling today?" Torak greeted her with his soft voice. The sound caressed Raine''s ears and it made her feel giddy.


    "Great," Raine said and then moved to the side a little to let Torak sit down beside her. "What did you cook Chef Donovan?" She teased him, because all of a sudden, Torak became a reliable chef and her personal nutritionist.


    Raine had never seen someone apply what they learned from book as perfectly as Torak, who developed a new hobby of reading everything about pregnancy.


    It was kind of cute, but also annoying at the same time, because Torak would be on alert almost every single second.


    Torak kissed Raine''s forehead and picked up a piece of toast before bringing it to her mouth, but Raine shook her head.


    "I need to brush my teeth," she said and then wriggled out of Torak''s embrace. "I have morning breath."


    "You don''t have morning breath," Torak complained, as he put aside the tray that was filled with Raine''s breakfast and saw a pout on his mate''s lips. "Even if you have, I still love you."


    Raine laughed lightly when she heard that, "I know you will love me regardless¡­" she leaned over and pecked Torak''s lips before she went to the bathroom.


    But, of course, Torak would follow suit and stay inside the bathroom, just in case Raine was too sloppy and fell.


    That was Torak''s number one nightmare.


    And the fact that the lycan was afraid to hurt Raine didn''t help the case at all. At first, Raine didn''t bother with that and only thought that Torak just needed time to calm his nerves.


    Yet, his worriness only increased with each passing day, especially when Raine''s baby bump started showing.


    Torak would sleep on the couch with the reason that he was afraid that he would bump her in his sleep, though Raine knew very well that Torak wouldn''t do that.


    Therefore, when she was three months pregnant and her bump was already prominently visible, which meant she was only one and half month away from delivering their baby, for lycans only needed to conceive for four months and a half, Raine was awoken in the middle of her sleep when she felt it was very cold beside her and found Torak sleeping on the couch.


    For some reason, Raine was angry because of the way Torak treated her. Oh, Selene! She was not a fragile glass doll!


    And then, without a second thought, Raine got off of the bed and approached the lycan. She sat there, on the cold floor, which would freak out Torak once he saw this.


    Well, Raine had never seen Torak being so afraid of something before she conceived. Suddenly, he was totally like a different person, no, actually this pregnancy only amplified his worries toward Raine.


    He was afraid to lose her and now he was afraid to lose both of them¡­


    Torak also found it difficult to comprehend how he could feel panicked at every single second of the day.


    Meanwhile, just like what Raine thought, the moment the tip of her fingers caressed Torak''s cheek, the Alpha was awake. His eyes immediately fixed on Raine, as he abruptly sat down.


    "What happened? There is something wrong?" Torak asked and helped her to sit down on the sofa. "Do you feel uncomfortable somewhere?" He knew that Raine would get cramps every now and then.


    "No, I am fine," Raine said and rested her head on Torak''s shoulder. "But, I want something."


    "What do you want?" The moment Torak heard there was something that Raine wanted, all of his sleepiness went away.


    Raine stared at Torak deeply, but behind her eyes there was something that she tried to convey.


    For a moment, both of them stayed like that until Raine leaned over to kiss Torak''s neck, as her hand crept under his shirt.


    Torak frowned, but when he realized what his mate wanted, his body became stiff and his voice turned heavier. "Raine¡­ we can''t do this¡­"


    "Why can''t we?" Raine pulled away from him and pouted her lips. "The healer said it is fine."


    "No, Raine¡­ I will hurt you¡­" Torak''s eyes then fell on her stomach. "And the baby¡­"


    "No, you will not¡­" Raine shook her head vigorously, denying his attempt to avoid her again. "You will never hurt us."


    It had been weeks since they had any intimate moment like this and Raine knew that Torak had been holding himself back. He was being too hard on himself.


    Realizing that she had ignited fire within Torak, pointing out something that he desired, Raine became even bolder. She pulled Torak to her and kissed him deeply.


    At first Torak tried to release himself, but when he felt Raine''s warm breath against his skin as she traced wet kisses along his jawline, Torak whispered breathlessly to her. "Raine, I don''t want to hurt you¡­"


    "You will never hurt me¡­" Raine whispered back to him. That was the same reply that she gave him when Torak hurt Raine once in the past when he marked her.


    With that being said, Torak carried her to their bed.


    ==============


    Raine woke up when she felt Torak''s fingers tracing her bare skin. From her collarbone to her pregnant belly, under the blanket.


    She wriggled and snuggled closer to him. "Morning¡­" she said sleepily.


    "Morning," Torak murmured. He didn''t stop drawing his mindless circles on her skin when he asked. "Are you okay?"


    Raine chuckled when she heard that. "I am fine, the baby is fine." And then she opened her eyes and stared at the Alpha mischievously. "Actually, the baby seem to quite like it."


    Only then did Torak started laughing along with her.

 Chapter 1088: Side story: date a dragon shifter

    Raine just gave birth to their second child and Torak just threw a party for the little princess last night, thus almost all the members from nearby packs came to visit them.


    After the great war ended, resulting in decreasing their numbers significantly, there were not many packs that were left. It would not be exaggerating to say that sixty percent of the total of the packs under Torak had been wiped off.


    It was a great loss for them, but on the other side, they could coordinate with one another more efficiently, since there were not many of them.


    Therefore, when last night Torak threw a party for his little daughter, almost all the representatives from every pack came and those people were just enough to be accommodated in this place.


    Calleb, like usual, drawn himself away from the commotion, since it was a little bit overwhelming for him. He himself didn''t know when he started to act this way.


    At first, Calleb would hype the crowd, but then, when everybody was enjoying the party and talking with one another with such joyful faces, all of a sudden, Calleb would feel numb. He would feel empty inside.


    And when that feeling came, he would draw himself away from the crowd to find a peaceful corner to will his sorrows away, since he knew the reason for him to feel that way.


    Calleb stared at the crowd and watched as all the lycans that he knew, danced with their mates with a big warm smile on their lips, enjoying this moment, being happy for their Supreme Alpha and Luna.


    However, here he was, trying to become invisible for everyone around. He didn''t want to be recognized, until Bree came over and sat down beside him.


    "What are you doing here? Alone?" Bree asked, she stared at the lycan beside her.


    The little girl, who unexpectedly was a dragon shifter, now had grown up to be a beautiful woman. She looked beautiful in her purple dress and for this dress, she dyed her hair in the same color.


    Belinda, who saw this girl''s antiques, could only shake her head without knowing what to do with her, since she couldn''t get angry at Bree.


    Bree was a free soul. Just by looking at her, you could see the wildness and mischievousness that was swirling in her naughty eyes. Well, actually you could see it since she was only a child.


    "Why don''t you dance with me?" Bree asked Calleb and tugged his hand to stand up, but the Beta was too lazy to be parted with his comfortable sofa and his peaceful corner, so he shook his head and pulled his hand again, making Bree frown.


    "Stop being sullen. You are spoiling the party mood," Bree chided. She looked like a mother, who was scolding her son for refusing to socialize with other people. "Now get up."


    "Leave me alone Bree," Calleb said, irritated. Because Bree was being very noisy now. He wanted to be left alone.


    Bree gave him a death stare that forced the Beta to grumble, but it was effective enough to make Calleb move his a** from the sofa and dance with her.


    "See? This is not bad, right?" Bree said when she took Calleb to the middle of the crowd, with all the couples dancing around them.


    "This is bad," Calleb was still grumbling, even when he spun Bree and caught her again. "What are you trying to do? I know you are up to something."


    There was nothing romantic between them, since Calleb only saw Bree as his annoying little sister and the girl saw him the same way, a grumpy big brother.


    Therefore, Calleb could say when Bree was being mischievous and had something brewing in her pretty little head.


    Bree didn''t answer him, but her eyes skimmed the room briefly and when she saw the person that she had been looking for, her eyes lit up and she asked Calleb to spin her again and danced very close to him, whispering to his ears, but said nothing.


    "What are you doing?" Calleb asked in irritation, because Bree just blew some air into his ears. "Stop being annoying."


    And only then Calleb saw Stephan entering the room and his eyes locked on the naughty girl in Calleb''s arms, as something click in Calleb''s head, finally realizing what Bree was trying to do.


    "Silly girl, don''t get me involved in your love story." Calleb knocked Bree''s head lightly, but the girl rested her head on Calleb''s shoulder instead, while staring at Stephan provocatively.


    "I am upset because he canceled our date last time," Bree whispered back to Calleb.


    "Yes, but whatever it was, it had nothing to do with me," Calleb replied, trying to pull away from Bree, but she hugged him even tighter.


    "I just want to annoy him back," Bree said sullenly and Calleb rolled his eyes dramatically.


    Meanwhile, from the entrance door, Stephan walked into the room and stood right beside Calleb, without saying anything, making the situation even more awkward for the Beta.


    Oh please, he just needed some peaceful time and didn''t want to get involved in this kind of argumentation between the couple.


    "Can I have my girl back?" Stephan asked Calleb in a wry tone, as he glared at Bree, who didn''t want to get separated from the Beta.


    "Sure, you can have her all for yourself," Calleb immediately said and stepped back from Bree, indicating that Stephan could take her now.


    However, the girl refused to dance with him and raised her chin when she walked out of the party dance floor, while saying. "Single like both of you can dance together."


    "Single?" The corner of Stephan''s mouth twitched when he heard that. "What do you mean by single? Aren''t we in a relationship?" He frowned deeply. "What is the matter with her?" He then looked at Calleb.


    "Don''t ask me, I don''t know." Calleb kneaded his temple. "Why don''t you chase after her?"


    Stephan then shuddered, "The last time I chased after her, she almost clawed me with her sharp claws."


    Calleb chuckled when he heard that and shrugged his shoulders. "You are dating a dragon shifter after all."

 Chapter 1089: Side story: porridge

    Jedrek felt his heart skip a beat when he heard Lilac sneezed for, after God knows how many times. His mate caught a cold.


    This was something that upset Jedrek for the fact that Lilac was a normal human. Because human''s body was very fragile and was readily susceptible to sickness, and that was what happened right now.


    Lilac''s temperature broke out in a fever last night and the girl refused to go to the hospital until now. No matter what Jedrek said, she always said that she just needed a good sleep and would be better later.


    But, even after the sun hit the horizon and the night had turned into day, Lilac was still fast asleep and there was no indication that her fever would go down any soon. This frustrated the lycan even more, since he didn''t know what to do to convince her.


    "Lilac, we need to go to the hospital, okay¡­" Jedrek tried to persuade her once again, but his mate kept shaking her head, complete refusal to go to the hospital. "My little flower, you are scaring me, don''t be like this¡­" Jedrek took a deep breath to calm his wrecking nerves.


    If it was his past self, he would already carry the stubborn girl in his arms directly to the hospital, but ever since they reunited three months ago, Jedrek would always try to respect what Lilac wanted or what she didn''t want.


    Thus, in this kind of situation, he was a little bit flustered because he didn''t know what to do and Lilac didn''t help at all his flustered self.


    "I am all right¡­" Lilac said in a hoarse voice. She had to admit it, being sick like this was quite annoying, but there was nothing to be worried about because she had gotten used to it. "I just need some sleep."


    Jedrek grabbed his hair out of frustration. "You have been saying that since last night." He pointed out the fact. "But, you are still in this condition even now¡­"


    "I am all right¡­" Lilac tried to sit down, but she was too weak and as soon as she lifted her sluggish body, her head felt dizzy.


    On the other hand, Jedrek immediately came over to her and let her lie down again, mumbling in frustration because Lilac was so stubborn. "What do you want? I will bring it for you¡­"


    "I need to cook something for our lunch¡­" Lilac said in her soft voice and this only made Jedrek growl.


    "We can buy food." Jedrek frowned deeply. He didn''t want his mate to move around recklessly, especially to go to the kitchen.


    "You know that I don''t like it." Lilac stared at Jedrek, pouting her lips. "Why don''t you cook for me?"


    Well, actually Jedrek was not that bad at whipping up something edible, but his skills definitely couldn''t be compared to Lilac''s cooking skills.


    "What do you want little flower?" Jedrek asked softly, he knelt down on the floor, beside Lilac''s bed.


    Lilac thought about it for a little while and then she told him what she wanted. It was only a simple porridge with shrimp, but the problem was; they didn''t have shrimp in the fridge, thus Jedrek needed to go out to buy it.


    Going out for grocery shopping, actually was not a good idea, but what else he could do.


    "Is it okay if I leave you alone?" Jedrek asked in concern. He looked at Lilac deeply in the eyes and saw her nodding weakly.


    "I will be fine, you don''t need to worry about me," Lilac said as she closed her eyes. "I will go to sleep and I hope when I am awake, I will have my porridge," she smiled and snuggled into her blanket.


    With that being said, what else Jedrek could do except to comply with her wishes? Thus, with heavy steps the lycan walked out of the room and went for grocery shopping.


    Jedrek just hoped it wouldn''t turn out be yet another nightmare for him.


    ==============


    All women''s eyes in the grocery shop were fixed on a man, who looked very aloof and mysterious, standing near the seafood aisle.


    This man looked out of the place because of his features, as if his whole appearance was a contradictory element to his surroundings.


    How could someone as handsome and godly looking as this man could be in the fish section in this grocery shop? Where mostly only women would occupy the place?


    On the other hand, the said man, who was none other than Jedrek, was trying very hard to ignore the intense gazes that those women were actively throwing at him.


    The look in their eyes that could tell him that he was a big catch and they would like to eat him whole if they were given a chance.


    Fortunately, with the scary aura surrounding the lycan king, no one was able to make a move on him. He looked like a dangerous thing that you could only appreciate from afar, but couldn''t be touched or else, you would be the one, who had to suffer.


    More or less, that was how Jedrek looked like for the outsiders.


    This was also one of the reasons why he was very reluctant to go to public places without Lilac. Because as a supernatural creature, their looks would be exceptional if one wanted to compare them with normal humans.


    "Can you make it fast?" Jedrek complained when the young woman who took care of the shrimp that he wanted deliberately slowed down her work, making him wait longer than necessary.


    "Oh, okay¡­ okay¡­" The young woman stammered, but her eyes were glued to Jedrek with passion. She didn''t even want to hide her intentions and this only made Jedrek growl in a low voice.


    That was not the only thing that happened, because when he was going to pay for it, the cashier even slipped a paper with her number to him.


    "You dropped this," Jedrek said as he gave back the paper to the cashier, whose face reddened after hearing what he said.


    She took back the paper and lowered her head until Jedrek disappeared from that grocery shop, with her heart thumping wildly.


    Jedrek grumbled and threw the shrimp into the car, before he drove away from that place.


    But, it didn''t stop there, when Jedrek finally reached the apartment building and took the elevator to go to Lilac''s floor, he was stuck with a woman, who didn''t stop staring at him and was daring enough to initiate a conversation.


    And after a few pleasantry words, she finally asked what she really wanted to know.


    "Do you live here?" She asked curiously. "I never saw you before."


    Of course, because Jedrek would always leave and return in his beast form.


    "Yes, with my wife," Jedrek replied out of politeness and could see how the woman raised her eyebrows skeptically.


    "You have a wife?"


    "Yes, and ten children."


    "But, you don''t have a ring on your finger," she pointed it out.


    "Instead of a ring, I got a tattoo of her name," Jedrek replied proudly.


    The woman''s eyes widened in surprise.


    ==============


    "This is amazing," Lilac said as she enjoyed her shrimp porridge. "See? It is not that hard to make this porridge. But, why do you look so tired?"


    Jedrek sighed when he heard that. "A lot of things happened."

 Chapter 1090: Side story: one more round

    It had been two months since Hope returned to this realm to stay beside Kace again.


    The two lovebirds looked amazing next to each other, but always left the other people uncomfortable, since they were to be fed up with the public displays of affection that the couple served them often.


    Actually, Hope was a little bit annoyed with the way Kace was now treating her, but seeing the lycan looking all happy while fulfilling all of her wishes. And in the end, Hope couldn''t say anything to reprimand him.


    However, there was one thing that Hope knew very well that Kace really wanted, but she kept pretending to act like a fool, though in her heart, she knew he felt anxious and was about to go crazy.


    Kace wanted a child badly.


    That was very clear from the way how dearly he loved children. He would even bring up children vaguely every time they finished doing it.


    This made Hope blush as she didn''t know how to respond to him, thus she tried to act cool, though what she felt was the other way around.


    Ugh. This was an embarrassing thing to talk aloud, but from what Hope knew, and with her knowledge on the shape shifter''s gen, like the lycanthropes, she understood that they had a strong seed, which would get you pregnant easily.


    However, it had been two weeks, but Hope didn''t think she felt any signs of getting knocked up or whatsoever.


    Hope wanted to ask him about this, but like what she thought earlier; it was an embarrassing thing to say out loud.


    She just wanted to know whether it was a normal thing? Well, as far as she knew, you would start to show just when you are only a week pregnant and start to feel the signs of having another life inside your stomach in a few days only. This was because pregnancy for shifters only lasted for four months and a half, so it was relatively fast if you compared it with human''s pregnancy.


    But, until now Hope didn''t feel anything!


    What happened to her?! Or was something wrong?!


    Was this because Hope was no longer a guardian angel and the mate bond being broken, hence there was no connection between them?


    No. No. No.


    Hope was pretty sure that was not the case. Maybe, all of this was only in her mind. Maybe, even Kace didn''t think too much about this.


    Maybe this was only her, who had high hopes for herself.


    Well, since she didn''t have a family of her own and you could say the same for Kace, thus she wanted to make her own little family as soon as she could...


    The thought of having Kace''s baby left Hope cringing, but that very thought also warmed her heart greatly.


    Therefore, Hope went straight to the point this time...


    "Why didn''t I get pregnant yet?" She asked out of curiousity and impulsiveness just when both of them laid on their bed, under the soft gaze of the moonlight out there, which could be seen from behind the window glass.


    "What?!" Kace almost got choked by his own saliva when he heard that and turned his head around very fast, too fast until he felt like he had snapped his own neck.


    Hope blinked her eyes and asked him innocently, "Well, we have done it a few times already, but why didn''t I get pregnant yet?"


    Kace grimaced when he heard that and then stared at Hope timidly, who was lying beside him. "Why do you think that way?" He asked softly.


    This time, it was Hope, who was confused. "I thought you wanted a child."


    Kace''s brows creased deeply. "Of course, I want one..." then he added carefully. "But, I don''t think that I ever mentioned it to you..."


    "No, you have never mentioned it before, but the way you would talk about children and how you usually treat them, showed me what you want..." Hope mumbled as she explained. "Actually, you did mention it once, but I don''t think you remember it, since you only talked about it offhandedly."


    Great! Kace totally forgot that he ever said something like that.


    "Did I?" Kace asked in a soft- whisper like voice, which caressed Hope''s ears gently. She then snuggled closer in Kace''s arms and buried her face against his chest.


    "Don''t you want a child?" Hope asked again, her voice all muffled.


    "Of course, I want a child," Kace said immediately, not letting Hope have another bad thought regarding their current topic again.


    "But, why don''t you let me?" Hope knew that this topic was a little bit sensitive and steamy, but she needed to know what was Kace''s reason for this.


    Kace looked hesitant when he had to answer her, but then he said the truth. "Because, I thought you were not ready."


    Hope frowned and then looked at her mate questioningly. "Why do you think in that way?"


    Kace shrugged his shoulders when he heard that question, "I don''t know... maybe because you are too young to be a mother and you still need to enjoy your time..."


    "I enjoy my time with you..." Hope flipped her body and now she used her elbows to support her upper body, so she could stare at Kace. "And I want this, not only for the two of us..."


    Hope said her last sentence in a whispery voice that made the blues in Kace''s eyes darken further.


    And then there were no more words that needed to be shared between them when the soft glare of the moonlight became the witness of the passionate love that the two of them had for each other.


    ==============


    The light from the moon glistened on Hope and Kace''s bare skin as they laid back on the balcony and let the wind caress their bodies.


    Hope looked like a little kitten when she snuggled closer to Kace and nuzzled his neck. She yawned sleepily and was about to get up to walk toward their comfortable bed, but Kace held her back.


    "Lay down," he said and wrapped her in his arms once again.


    "Let''s go back to the bed," Hope said, yet Kace shook his head.


    "Stay still."


    "Why?"


    "To make sure that I got you pregnant," Kace grinned foolishly.


    "What?" Hope chuckled when she heard that.


    "Or maybe we can have another round." Kace wriggled his brows suggestively and Hope laughed out loud when she heard that.


    ==============


    "You have to check again, maybe that test kit is not working properly." Kace urged Hope to take another test early in the morning.


    "Kace, stop it." Hope was annoyed because Kace was being beyond irrational. "We just did it last night."


    "Oh, my seed is very potent. You must be pregnant by now." Kace didn''t want to hear any refusal from his mate.


    "I just did the test and the result said negative." Hope was not really worried about this, because it completely did not make sense if she indeed got pregnant by now.


    "But, I bought a new one. Try this." Kace gave another test kit to Hope, which she threw away, while glaring at her mate.


    "No. I need time to pee." Hope folded her arms defensively.


    However, Kace came up with a brilliant idea. "Or, maybe we can try another round again."


    "No, my body is in pain." Hope refused immediately his suggestion and got off the bed, before Kace could reach her.


    "Come on, Hope. Just one round."


    "NO!"

 Chapter 1091: Side story: consolation

    The emptiness and the loneliness or the void that Calleb felt upon losing his mate had never been filled. He always felt like he was not a whole person anymore.


    And despite the mischievous acts or smiles that he showed to the world, Raine could see the sadness behind all of his fa?ade. After all, the two of them were very close.


    If it was not for Raine and the fact that Calleb had not yet marked Rossie, there was a high chance that he would have gone feral for real and if he was left in that state, especially when the war was happening, it would have been really hard to get him back to his real state.


    However, the damage was evident. The damage upon losing one''s soulmate was something that they couldn''t take lightly¡­


    Just like this gloomy morning, when the sky was covered with the dark clouds, indicating that the rain was about to pour down the earth, Raine found Calleb, staring blankly into the distance, at the trees next to the pack house through the window.


    The Beta didn''t even realize that the Luna was just behind him until she tapped on his shoulder which managed to startle him slightly.


    "What are you staring at?" Raine asked, while leaning against the wall across from Calleb, facing the same window that he had been staring at.


    "Nothing." Calleb grinned, showing his signature wolfish grin, yet this couldn''t fool Raine from knowing that he was anything, but fine.


    "It had been raining for four days straight," Raine murmured.


    "Yes," Calleb agreed. "Maybe we are already in the rainy season¡­"


    "Hm¡­" Raine mumbled and looked at Calleb intensely. "Feeling sad?"


    "Hm?" This time Calleb looked at Raine and a fake smile, again, appeared on his lips. "No. I am perfectly fine."


    But, Raine shook her head. "No, you are not¡­"


    Calleb wanted to refute that, but he realized that Raine knew him more than anyone else, thus he just let out a wry laugh and started staring at the floor beneath his feet. He felt defeated¡­


    Seeing how broken he was, Raine walked toward the Beta and hugged him. At first, Calleb tried to avoid her, but in the end, he laid his head on her shoulder and let out silent tears¡­


    The tears that he had been holding for years. His pain that no one could understand along with the sadness that gnawed at his heart.


    Calleb couldn''t really tell this kind of things to anyone else, since everyone looked up to him as the Supreme Beta. There was no way he could let people see this side of him.


    Something once broke Calleb into a million pieces and it was his own sorrow.


    Losing someone had never been easy, especially when you couldn''t find the best way to vent out your frustrations and could only hide behind a fake smile, also the word ''I am fine.''


    "I know, it will be meaningless if I say everything will be fine¡­" Raine hugged him and caressed his back, feeling the sturdy body of the Beta shuddering involuntarily, without him being able to stop it. "But maybe you can consider a chosen mate?" She asked carefully, worried that Calleb would get offended.


    At first, Calleb didn''t say anything, he just stayed still in the same position, and it took him two full minutes to gather his bearings and let go of her consolation hug.


    "I will be fine," he said curtly. Torak and Raine, even Belinda had mentioned this to him a couple of times. That he should see someone new.


    After the war, there were a lot of shifters who lost their mates and maybe, just maybe¡­ Calleb could find someone that could make him feel comfortable¡­


    But, Calleb didn''t see the problem this way. It would be meaningless to be with someone that was not destined to be his, though Belinda had said, if he found someone and they ended up together, did that not mean they were meant for each other?


    Yet, Calleb was too stubborn to agree with her and stayed like this for years already.


    "Calleb¡­" Raine said his name with sadness, as she couldn''t hide her feelings for what he was going through.


    Indeed, it was not only Calleb that had lost his mate, and there were a lot of shifters had gone through the same thing, yet Raine was not close to them like she was with Calleb.


    "I will be fine, Raine," Calleb cut her words and caressed her cheek. "I promise."


    And then from behind her, he saw Aurora, walking toward the two of them with unsteady steps and a bright face.


    "Uncle Calleb!" The four years old toddler stretched out her short arms to Calleb, asking to be picked up.


    Happily, Calleb obliged to the little creature''s demand and Aurora squalled in delight when she was picked up high before she was placed on the Beta''s shoulders, grabbing his hairs with her tiny fingers.


    "Why do I have to see someone else when I have her that can leave my heart content," Calleb said teasingly. His mischievous smile appeared again and he looked a little bit better while Aurora played with him, hugging his head or covering his eyes.


    However, Raine didn''t think the same, she folded her arms in front of her chest and stared at Calleb. "Torak will kill you if he heard that," she informed him sullenly, pretending to be upset that made Calleb laugh out loud, while trying to free his eyes from Aurora''s palms, which latched onto his face like an octopus'' appendages.


    "No way." Calleb shook his head. "He love me too much to kill me."


    "Well, you can say that to him yourself," Raine replied, concealing laughter in her voice.


    "Father!" Aurora squalled and let go of Calleb''s eyes. Only then did the Beta see the Alpha walking toward them.


    Since Aurora''s scent engulfed his senses, Calleb couldn''t smell Torak''s before it was too late.


    On the other hand, Raine laughed and took Aurora away from Calleb while saying, "good luck," and winked at him.


    Calleb: Oh, sh*t!

 Chapter 1092: Side story: decision (1)

    "I don''t want to," Lilac said this for a hundred times now. She rejected Jedrek''s idea to go back to the other realm or to claim back her position as their queen.


    This discussion had been going on for two months now and Lilac''s answer remained the same every time it was brought up.


    Even though their relationship was improving greatly, Lilac still refused to go with him to the other realm or stay there like how they should be.


    Well, Jedrek said it himself that he didn''t want to force Lilac into agreeing with him, but it had been two years since he finally found her, but there was no progress or whatsoever in this aspect.


    "Can you reconsider it?" Jedrek asked again in a tired voice as he spread some butter on a toast before giving it to Lilac once he was done. "I will give you more time."


    Lilac, who was taking the toast from Jedrek, immediately dropped it onto her plate and then frowned upon hearing what the man in front of her said. "I have considered it enough, but my answer is still the same."


    Both of them could be super stubborn whenever it came to something they wanted, though Jedrek had really improved in this part, but still¡­ old habits, die hard.


    "No matter how much time you give me, my decision to not go back to that realm will not change," Lilac said in a firmer tone. She then picked up the toast again and bit into it. She chewed slowly, as she noticed her stomach was upset.


    Maybe, because of the quarrel so early in this morning. She didn''t think she wanted to go to her flower shop and just wanted to stay at home, lying down on her bed lazily.


    Jedrek''s expression looked defeated upon facing his stubborn mate. "Lilac, at least tell me what your reason is, my little flower."


    It was very clear to hear that the lycan king was trying to suppress his ego and emotions. Trying so hard not to lash out in front of this rock- headed girl.


    Even so, Lilac still continued with her cold demeanor, especially when she answered this question. "Because that place remind me of you and Serefina." This time Lilac gave him an absolute answer revealing her uneasiness. She didn''t want to be in the same place where the memories of Jedrek''s lover lingered around.


    What had happened back then was still afresh in Lilac''s memory about how much love Jedrek had had for Serefina, though she already forgave him, but it didn''t mean she could completely forget about that.


    No, that pain would forever follow her¡­


    Every time they were together or whatever they did when there were only the two of them, the memories of how much pain that she had been through because of that still pricked at the back of her mind.


    Those were not something pleasant to be remembered¡­


    Meanwhile, when Jedrek heard that, he fell silent and didn''t utter a single word as he realized that those great mistakes were indeed his fault for putting his mate in such a situation.


    This made him resign himself and walk out of the kitchen without saying anything. No one could understand what was on Jedrek''s mind. Even he himself couldn''t describe what he felt now.


    Did he feel annoyed? Angered? Irritated? But¡­ maybe what he felt right now was simply the feeling of being ashamed¡­


    He was ashamed of himself and there was nothing he could do to change that or what Lilac felt about it. Because, it was ultimately his mistake and no matter how lengthy apologies he could make, they couldn''t turn the situation any better.


    On the other hand, Lilac regretted it the moment she finally let it all out. The truth about what she felt right now, but she couldn''t lie to herself anymore.


    However, when she watched how Jedrek turned around and walked out of the kitchen with his slumped shoulders, she felt bad for bringing up the topic of Serefina again.


    That topic was like a taboo to be discussed in their relationship, since it left deep scars on both of them and no one wanted to talk about it again.


    Lilac then bit down on the toast and felt bitterness in her tongue. The taste felt awful and she couldn''t finish it at all¡­


    Her stomach grumbled again and all of a sudden, she realized her body was not well¡­


    ==============


    "Are you okay?" A girl in her twenties approached Lilac when she was sitting behind the row of lilac flowers, while holding her head with her hands. She had been like that since two hours ago and this made Anna worry about her.


    Anna was the new employee in this flower shop that Lilac owned. She had been working there for three months now, while studying in college.


    "I am fine, just a little dizzy¡­" Lilac said in a low voice, shaking her head and stood up. But it turned out to be a wrong move. Because after that, she felt her legs give up on her as she wobbled.


    If it was not for Anna''s quick reaction, Lilac would have fallen to the ground and suffered some injuries, but because Anna moved fast, she was able to save her from the horrible fall.


    "Come, let''s take some rest," Anna said while supporting Lilac''s body to sit down on the nearest chair. "I will make a cup of tea for you and close the shop."


    And Lilac didn''t say anything about it, she just sat there in silence and watched how Anna took care of everything.


    Outside, they could see the moon shining brightly and that all the lamps in street had been turned on.


    After Anna made a cup of hot tea and closed the shop, she sat beside Lilac and watched her closely. "You look pale," she commented. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" She offered.


    Lilac shook her head. "No, I am fine¡­ but, can you get me a taxi?" She didn''t think she could walk to her apartment in her current condition. Though it was not really far, but still, it would take twenty minutes to walk from here.


    "Sure," Anna nodded her head. "Do you want me to go with you too?"


    Lilac shook her head again. "No, I am fine¡­ you can go home after my taxi is here."


    At first Anna wanted to refuse, but then she realized that Lilac didn''t leave any space for argumentation. Therefore, she could only agree with her.


    ==============


    Jedrek didn''t come home last night, since he left the kitchen after their quarrel over the same thing again and again. While Lilac was too tired to think about that since she felt unwell.


    Thus the moment she reached her apartment, she threw herself onto the couch, before hugging her body in a fetal position while trying to suppress the nausea that she felt. She soon fell asleep like that.


    However, when Lilac woke up this morning, she found herself lying in her bed, tucked under her warm blanket blanket.


    She then heard light footsteps that approached her room.


    Lilac blinked her eyes a couple of times to adjust with the bright sunlight from behind the curtain.


    And the first thing that she saw was Jedrek, standing in front of the door while holding a tray with a bowl of soup and a glass of warm milk.


    "Do you feel better now?" Jedrek asked, as he walked into the room and sat beside Lilac''s bed. "You were sleeping on the couch when I got home last night," he informed her.


    "Yes," Lilac said tiredly and took the glass of warm milk from the tray. She felt thirsty and the warm liquid made her feel better. "I didn''t feel well last night."


    Jedrek then stretched out his hand and touched Lilac''s forehead, but it didn''t seem like she had a fever, just like last night.


    "How do you feel now?" Jedrek asked in a worried tone.


    "Fine," Lilac murmured, she felt better, but when she finished her milk, all of a sudden her stomach turned upset and the after taste of the milk could no longer provide any comfort to her as a wave of nausea hit her again.


    "What happened?" Jedrek''s eyes opened wide when he watched Lilac jump from their bed before sprinting toward the bathroom.


    "Go..." Lilac waved her hand at Jedrek as she sat down beside the toilet. She didn''t want him to see her like this.


    Yet, there was no way in hell Jedrek would leave her like this.


    "No, I will stay with you." He refused to move even an inch away from her and instead, holding her long hair so it wouldn''t get in her way, he stayed there patiently.

 Chapter 1093: Side story: decision (2)

    For fifteen full minutes, Lilac struggled with her nausea and during that time, Jedrek stayed by her side and patiently tried to make her feel better.


    "We should go to the hospital," Jedrek said in a firmer tone, while Lilac kept shaking her head to refuse his suggestion though her face looked even paler. This sight frustrated him greatly.


    Lilac felt another wave of sickness and she finally gave up¡­


    "Okay¡­" she complied, nodding her head weakly.


    And with that permission, Jedrek didn''t waste any more time to pick her up and drape a warm jacket on her shoulders, after that he carried her to the parking lot, where he put her down carefully and secured her with a seatbelt.


    "Do you feel comfortable this way?" Jedrek asked, worriness could clearly be heard in his voice, and only after he saw Lilac mumble something as a ''yes'', he walked around the car and sat down behind the wheel.


    Jedrek was too nervous and tensed right at this moment, as the only thing in his mind was to get Lilac to the hospital immediately.


    "Where did you go last night?" Lilac asked to break the silence between them and to find comfort by hearing Jedrek''s voice, because seeing her mate going all panicked only made her feel even worser.


    Jedrek mumbled something incoherently and glanced at Lilac briefly, almost like he was reluctant to answer that simple question of his mate.


    "What is it?" Lilac frowned because she couldn''t listen to him clearly. "Where did you go?"


    Jedrek shook his head and glanced at Lilac again before he focused on the road ahead of them. "We will talk about this later when you feel better."


    Lilac wanted to be stubborn like usual, but seeing the way Jedrek looked at her, she knew there was no room for argumentation when he was being like this, thus she didn''t ask him any further and instead chose to concentrate on making her sickness feel better in this moving car.


    It took around fifteen minutes before they arrived at the hospital and Lilac got the treatment that she needed.


    When Lilac was being checked inside the room, Jedrek was waiting right outside the door. With his ability, he could hear the beeping sound from the machines that the doctor used on Lilac and what instructions she had given to her, but there were a few times here and there that he couldn''t hear clearly.


    It had been a while since Jedrek felt this kind of tension and he really didn''t like this feeling especially when it had something to do with his mate.


    Even ten minutes of waiting was too much for him. There were several times he wanted to barge into the room and ask the doctor what happened to her himself. Was she alright? Is there something crucial that happened to her?


    Okay, maybe this was ridiculous, but Jedrek couldn''t help but think about Lilac''s human body. He was well aware how fragile and weak a human''s body was and he hated that fact!


    Though it was only ten minutes, but Jedrek felt like he had been waiting forever, hence when the door finally opened, he immediately went into the room and approached his beautiful but now pale mate on the hospital bed with the doctor beside her.


    "How is she? Is she all right?" He didn''t wait for another second to know how Lilac''s condition was. "Nothing major happened, right?"


    Lilac touched Jedrek''s arm to calm the king down, it seemed like he was ready to wreck some havoc if something major were to happen to her.


    The truth was; Lilac felt him overreacting was kind of cute. It was strange to have this feeling when she felt like the world around her was spinning, but seeing how worried Jedrek was about her, warmed her heart.


    The doctor gave Jedrek a soft smile while she sat back on her chair behind the desk, as Jedrek helped Lilac to sit down on the examining bed.


    "Your wife is perfectly fine," the doctor said in a light tone, staring at Jedrek with a meaningful gaze. "But, maybe this can be a serious thing for both of you."


    Lilac smiled softly when she saw Jedrek''s reaction when he heard what the doctor said. She didn''t know that Jedrek could frown really hard like that.


    "What do you mean?" Jedrek asked in a harsh tone, though he didn''t mean it that way. If it was in his realm and the person that he was facing now was his subordinate or a healer in the palace, he would have gone all Alpha on her by now.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t do that because Lilac would hate it when he did that. Jedrek had learnt it for more than two years now.


    "Congratulations!" The doctor clapped her hands and smiled widely. "She is expecting."


    This time, Lilac giggled softly while caressing Jedrek''s arm that held her body. She looked at Jedrek and waited for his reaction.


    However, the only word that came out of the king''s mouth was barely a whisper. "What¡­?" Then he became silent. Completely silent.


    Jedrek being so quiet left the doctor confused and she second guessed her congratulatory words. "Do you expect a child, sir?"


    She thought Jedrek was not happy with this news, but fortunately, Lilac knew her mate better than anyone else.


    "He is happy," Lilac whispered to the doctor, while still caressing Jedrek''s arm. "He just needs time to discern this information."


    The smile on the doctor''s lips returned as she resigned herself to give the couple some much needed alone time. "I will be back to run another check on you," she said with consideration.


    Lilac reciprocated her smile and watched as the doctor walk out of the room, leaving them alone.


    "Are you happy?" Lilac cupped Jedrek''s face and stared straight into his eyes. She could see a lot of emotions swirling in those captivating blue eyes that were flickering between blue and black.


    Jedrek didn''t answer her for a few minutes before he said in hoarse voice. "Are you really pregnant?"


    Lilac smiled and nodded. She knew that Jedrek was only dumbstruck with the news, because there was no way he wouldn''t be happy with this. Having first child was a big deal for the lycans. No matter how fierce they were, it was almost impossible to see a lycan who would despise their own flesh and blood.


    "Yes, I am." Lilac emphasized her words, making everything sound more real for Jedrek.


    "Are you for real?" Jedrek was still in disbelief.


    "Yes," Lilac kissed his lips. "How do you feel now?"


    Jedrek shook his head, and Lilac saw his gaze softening gradually. "I don''t know¡­ I don''t know¡­" he then pulled Lilac closer to him and hugged her very gently, as if she would break if he put too much pressure on her.


    There was a serene silence that enveloped the room, as they hugged each other, until Lilac remembered something that she wanted to know.


    "Where did you go last night?" She pulled away from his hug and looked at him questioningly.


    "Oh, I was¡­" Jedrek grimaced, he was not sure if this was the right time to tell Lilac about this¡­


    ==============


    An innocent piece of paper was being crumpled under the pressure of the Supreme Alpha''s hand, as his eyes flickered from blue to black.


    "What is going on in his mind?!" He looked pissed at whatever news that he received this morning and the paper became his sole victim to release some stress upon.


    Calleb, who just entered the room, immediately felt Torak''s negative emotions and was about to step back. He knew better than to approach this annoyed lycan at this moment.


    However, luck seemed not to be on his side when Torak caught sight of him and ordered the Beta to enter the room.


    "Find out why Jedrek did this in my territory!" Torak was very upset when he found out about what Jedrek had done. "I have let him stay in this realm, but this is too much."


    "What happened?" Just then, Raine came into the room and heard her mate''s harsh voice. She looked at Calleb and Torak, but the Alpha was too upset to answer her, thus she turned her attention to the Beta. "What happened to him?"


    Calleb then walked closer to Raine and whispered. "Apparently, Jedrek bought a huge house like a castle in his territory and this upset him."


    And Raine giggled upon hearing this. Another siblings quarrel¡­


    Yes, Torak didn''t like it if his brother had a plan to stay forever in his land.

 Chapter 1094: Side story: i will be right beside you

    When a woman was bearing the child of a lycan, they would have a different gestation period from normal human pregnancy.


    It would only take roughly five months for them to bear the child into a full term until the delivery.


    Therefore, when Hope was four months pregnant, she looked like a nine months pregnant lady that even her petite body couldn''t cover for it.


    Well, it was predictable, since she was carrying twins. And so, it was expected.


    "I can''t see my toes¡­" Hope complained when she sat down and her vision was hindered by her own tummy. She frowned hard. "I can''t cut my nails."


    Kace, who was cooking dinner for them, smiled and then approached his mate with a big wolfish grin etched on his lips. "I have cut your nails just two days ago, they still look good."


    Hope was not happy when she heard that. "But, I look like a big ball," she said. "Next month, I don''t have to walk, but roll to move from one place to another."


    This statement made Kace laugh really hard and tousle his mate''s hair, kissing her forehead.


    "I look fat, right?" She asked the obvious. There was a time when Hope felt really insecure with her body and appearance, though Kace had never said anything about it.


    Of course, because he never felt there was anything wrong with her. Hope was carrying his children, there was never a single complaint that ever crossed his mind. "You look pregnant," he corrected her.


    Hope pouted her lips and caressed her stomach, but then a soft smile appeared on her lips. She liked it when she felt a movement or two from her babies.


    Kace was very excited when he heard that she was pregnant with twins. He thought; he had beaten Torak in this aspect, because Raine got pregnant before Hope could. Therefore, at least he got more children before his brother.


    Well, it was a ridiculous way of thinking. Hope rolled her eyes when she heard this, but the happiness that emanated from Kace''s blue eyes was something that made Hope happy as well.


    Happiness was contagious and Hope enjoyed the first three months of her pregnancy. She was able to eat everything and asked for random food when her cravings got beyond weird. Kace had never complained during that time and Hope could justify her actions, shoving all the blame onto her pregnancy.


    However, when she entered her fourth month, she started to feel her body was too heavy to walk around the room and the feeling of exhaustion was coming to her too easily.


    "Yes, ''looking pregnant'' is the right phrase," Hope grumbled, as she took the glass of warm milk that Kace handed to her. "We will eat dinner, but you gave me this. No wonder, I''m gaining weight so fast."


    Kace chuckled. "You are the one asking for a glass of warm milk before dinner since five days back, but tonight I brought it you before you asked for it," he pointed out the obvious and laughed when Hope grumbled, but she drank the milk anyway.


    "I will become fatter than I''m already," Hope said, while putting down the glass and licked her lips.


    "So, do you want to go on a diet?" Kace teased her. Recently, Hope started getting terrible mood swings. She would be happy in one second and then get mad or feel insecure in the next second. Well, Kace had taken care of her since she was only a day old, thus this was nothing to him. "You don''t want to eat?"


    "Of course, I want to eat. The babies will be starving if I did not," Hope said with a glimmer in her eyes, happy to smell the food that was almost done.


    "I know you will answer like that," Kace said, winking at her and then prepared their dinner.


    ==============


    It was late at night when Hope woke up all of a sudden and let out a muffled scream. She grabbed Kace''s hand, who was sleeping beside her.


    It didn''t even take Kace two full seconds to become fully awake and realize that something was wrong with his mate. He bolted up and sat down, then looked at Hope''s wrinkled forehead, as she grimaced in pain.


    "What happened?" Kace asked, anxiousness dripped from his voice, especially when he saw Hope holding her stomach painfully. "What is it? Tell me." He could feel panic wash over his being upon seeing what was happening as his head started spinning at the thought of worst case possible.


    "I think¡­ I think the babies are coming¡­" she said, stuttering. "But, it is not the time¡­ it is too early¡­"


    It should be two weeks from now for Hope to give birth, therefore it was too early for it, added that to the fact that they were their first borns. Since they didn''t have any  experience in this, their panic just got multiplied.


    "We have to go to the hospital!" That was the first right thing that Kace could think of right now.


    The lycan immediately took the bag that they had prepared ahead of time if an unexpected situation were to arise and then carried Hope in his arms to their car.


    Kace tried his best to make her feel comfortable as much as he could, but it seemed there was nothing he could do to ease her pain at all.


    After Kace put down Hope carefully, he bolted to the driver seat and drove the car like a madman, yet he made sure that his mate was secured beside him.


    ==============


    Sterling was the first person that Kace could think of calling during that chaotic situation and he came with Ethan to the hospital very fast.


    At first, Hope didn''t want Kace to accompany her into the delivery room because he was too stiff and panicky, but there was nothing she could do to change Kace''s mind.


    However, Kace finally felt a little relaxed when Sterling came and helped him calm down, saying that it was normal for having a baby ahead of time that his deceased wife also experienced the same thing when she carried the twins.


    Realizing that Sterling was in the same situation many years ago, made Kace trust what he said.


    After a few minutes of talking, eventually Kace relaxed a bit and this calmed Hope as well. Therefore, when it was time, Hope agreed for Kace to accompany her.


    "It will be okay, we just have to have hope," Hope told him when Kace bent down and pressed his lips against her forehead reassuringly. He then nuzzled his nose against the side of her massive bump.


    "Yes," he whispered. "We have made it so far. I will be right beside you."


    Hope knew he would. Kace would always be beside her during thick and thin or anything.


    Kace knew that his life was not perfect, he was still dealing with the insecurities that he always felt in the past, especially after the second war and he had to lose so many people that had been dear to him.


    Being separated from Hope for years was worse than anything else, but now she was here and they were soon going to welcome the new members of their small family.


    Thus, slowly but surely, Kace would improve himself for his mate and their children.


    Their journey was not over yet¡­


    Hope was all they needed¡­

 Chapter 1095: Side story: second chance

    On Raine''s orders, Calleb went to a neighbouring pack to deliver some documents. He didn''t need to do this and could ask someone else to carryout such a menial task. But, his Luna insisted that he needed to meet someone outside of their pack.


    Or, more specifically, a woman.


    Yes, Raine had been trying so hard to help him get rid of Rossie''s memories, despite his great pretense of laughing and joking around with the people in their pack, Raine seemed to be able to see through him and knew very well that he was not okay.


    D*mn her for being so sensitive to even catch that!


    However, at the same time Calleb was also grateful that someone was able to notice this side of him and this kind of feeling, being noticed by someone, comforted him in a way that he couldn''t describe.


    Therefore, here was Calleb, entering the said neighbouring pack to deliver the required documents, a labor work that didn''t need the Supreme Beta''s involvement in the slightest.


    Even Jack didn''t have to do this¡­


    Calleb sighed deeply. Raine gave him an advice to go out, but he didn''t listen, but he couldn''t do that when she went all Luna on him.


    That girl could be annoying sometimes and no one would believe that Raine didn''t even say a word when they met for the first time. She carried traumas with her and was very quiet¡­


    Yet, look at her now; she was living up to her role as their Supreme Luna and was ruling side by side with Torak very well. Along with that, she was a mother of two children. She surpassed the expectations of everyone who knew her from the beginning.


    And Calleb was proud of Raine, as someone who witnessed all the things that she had to endure to become who she was right now.


    However, right now, he had another problem that he needed to settle down first.


    Calleb shifted into his human skin when he reached the border of the pack and greeted the warriors that were in charge to look after their pack''s border safety.


    Of course, they knew who Calleb was and he entered the pack easily, without as much as a simple fuss. One of the warriors asked whether he wanted to be accompanied to the pack house or if he wished to go there alone, Calleb chose the latter.


    He knew this place like the back of his hand.


    It didn''t take so long for him to arrive in the pack house, since this pack was not very big and didn''t cover so much land, and their population also decreased greatly when the war ended twenty years ago.


    Calleb greeted some of the warriors and had a few quick words with them when he entered the pack house, nodding to some women there and grinned when he saw children roaming around on the second floor of the pack house.


    It was so lively here. They seemed to have overcame the trauma of the war and the sadness upon losing someone they loved. Or maybe, they were just like Calleb¡­ hiding their true feelings and trying to live the best of their life, while carrying their wounded hearts.


    What he felt here was something familiar to him, but when he went to the third floor, where the study room of the Alpha of this pack was, he felt something unusual.


    This strange feeling made the supreme Beta frown, and as he went step by step, closer to the study room of Alpha Rodrigo, this weird feeling became stronger.


    It just got stronger and stronger¡­


    Like the sound of footsteps that echoed throughout the walls, as if someone was in a rush to go somewhere, or maybe this someone was in a rush to confirm their own feeling as well.


    Yet, Calleb was too dumb to realize it in time, since he was in disbelief that such thing could happen to him.


    This was impossible, right? Something like this wouldn''t happen to him, right?


    Yet, a part of him, the very void in his heart, the place where he buried Rossie''s memories, was shaken. The feeling was too familiar, but odd at the same time.


    However, there was this big part of him that made him realize something before anything else, which was; his beast craved this feeling.


    The beast in his head was wailing painfully and howling, urging him to find the source of their restlessness.


    As the sounds of the foot steps got closer and closer, Kace could feel the tension in the air getting thicker. He couldn''t help but anticipate what would happen in the next second.


    His limbs went numb the moment he saw her for the first time. Her big eyes stared at him indisbelief and equal shock that Calleb felt right now.


    The Beta was standing in the middle of the staircase, while the woman was on the third floor, staring down at him and tripped on her own feet when she stopped all of a sudden.


    Of course, out of instinct, Calleb would stretch out his hands to catch her, but he was not in his fully conscious- self to be able to handle the impact.


    Therefore, instead of saving her from the fall, both of them rolled down the stairs with Calleb hugging the woman tightly, afraid she would get hurt.


    And that was also the time when Calleb felt the spark between them, the moment he touched her. The spark that he thought he would never feel again.


    The feeling was very amazing and couldn''t be described in words alone. This was the same feeling that Calleb felt when he met Rossie for the first time, but there was something significant that made it seem very different.


    Both of them grunted when they finally stopped rolling down the stairs and ended up sprawled on the floor.


    The scent of this woman that he smelled was nothing similar to Rossie''s scent, yet it made him feel the feeling that he craved for years.


    Especially when the woman smiled and started laughing at their current situation. "Hi, stranger," she said and her voice rang like a melody in his ears.

 Chapter 1096: Side story: second chance (2)

    "Hi, stranger," the girl said merrily, as she lay sprawled on top of Calleb.


    "Hi, mate," Calleb answered her in a disoriented voice. He felt like he was daydreaming, that this was not real, not to mention the moon goddess gave him the second chance.


    Meanwhile, the girl''s voice was like the Beta''s favorite melody that he had not heard for a long time. The kind of sound that could shatter your being and shake your soul.


    The beast inside of Calleb whimpered, trying to get out and see their mate with its own eyes. It wanted to mark her regardless anything, to claim her as his, not wanting something like what had happened to their previous mate happening to her again.


    Yet, fortunately, Calleb still held the control over his beast, thus that kind of situation wouldn''t entail. It was not a good first impression to bite your woman on the first meeting itself.


    However, Calleb found himself unable to move, he was held captivated by the charm of the girl on top of him. Her smile was blinding, demanding every ounce of his attention, as the Beta couldn''t take his eyes off of hers.


    They stayed like that for God knows how long, until a grunt disturbed their tranquility and brought them back to the reality that they were not the sole existence in this universe.


    "Both of you, can you move aside for a bit, please?" Though the voice said ''please'', anyone who heard him could say for sure that he was pissed. "I am trying to heal over here, but if you keep pressing me down, I am afraid my bones will not heal correctly."


    Only then, did Calleb and his newly found mate realize that the two of them were not the only people, who had fallen down the stairs.


    The girl''s blush and the red tinge on her cheeks, immediately spread to her neck, as she moved off of Calleb groggily.


    But, for the Beta, she looked very cute even when she was embarrassed like this. Something inside of him stirred. A feeling of pride and a desire to protect, took root in every single vein in his body.


    Somehow, this feeling overwhelmed Calleb. Maybe it was the result of being able to taste how it felt to lose a mate, therefore, he felt the rush of protectiveness toward her.


    "Are you okay?" Calleb asked the girl, whose name was still unknown. "Are you hurt somewhere? Do you want to see a healer?" He bombarded her with questions, disregarding the person that both of them just used as the landing mattress to take their fall.


    "No, I am fine. I am sorry," the girl said, shaking her head, yet her eyes were glued to Calleb''s curiously.


    "Hey, you should ask me whether I am okay or not," the man was a young warrior, who was unfortunately knocked off by them while walking under the stairs. "I feel like I have broken a few bones," he complained.


    "No need to be so dramatic, you will recover just as fast," Calleb said in a grumbling tone, but his focus was still on his mate.


    The girl in front of him had beautiful long curly, dark- brown hair and a dimple was made visible on her right cheek whenever she smiled. It was very adorable. Calleb felt a desire to give a long kiss on her cute dimple.


    Behind the two of them, a certain warrior was still grumbling, while holding his injured arm and walked out of the room, staying away from the two of them. Yet, his annoyance didn''t even have much effect on Calleb and his newly found mate.


    "What is your name?" Calleb asked the most basic question that he could think of right now, aside from the urge to mark her right there and then.


    "Arabela," she said.


    "Arabela," Calleb repeated her name and the name beautifully rolled off his tongue. He loved how it sounded when he said her name. "I like your name."


    ==============


    "What? What did he say?" Raine was feeding Aurora when Calleb called her all of a sudden and informed that he found his second chance mate.


    The first person that came into his mind when he found Arabela was Raine. He wanted his Luna toknow about this before anyone else. He didn''t even think about telling this to Torak.


    Of course, Raine was excited and happy beyond words. She was elated, yet the following information that Calleb told her made her frown.


    "Why wouldn''t Alpha Rodrigo let her go to our pack?" Raine gave Aurora to the a female werewolf there to be fed, while she walked away to have an uninterrupted conversation with Calleb.


    "He said that his pack lacks members, thus I should be the one to move to this pack instead," Calleb said in an irritated tone, while staring daggers at Alpha Rodrigo in front of him.


    Meanwhile, the Alpha looked nervous when he heard Calleb saying that. Originally, he just wanted to have the Beta join his pack. Of course, having Calleb around was a big advantage for him and his pack, but he didn''t know that the situation would turn very tense like this.


    Alpha Rodrigo started to regret his decision.


    Not to mention that Calleb didn''t even bother to confront him further when he rejected his permission to take Arabela away. The Beta didn''t talk much and immediately called the Supreme Luna.


    It was bad, but it would be worse if the Supreme Alpha also got involved in this tangled situation. Everyone knew how the Alpha spoiled his Luna.


    "That''s ridiculous!" Raine growled. She despised anything that stood in Calleb''s way to get his happiness.


    "That''s what I thought," Calleb agreed calmly, while intertwining his fingers with Arabela''s. He knew he would win this argumentation, hence there was nothing to be worried. "I have every right to bring Arabela to our pack."


    A spell of silence followed his words and Calleb could imagine what kind of expression would Raine make right now.


    "Give the phone to Alpha Rodrigo," Raine hissed viciously and this made Calleb smile knowingly. He knew Raine would take care of this matter for him. "How dare him to act like that!"

 Chapter 1097: Side story: my child is strong

    "This is impossible¡­" Lilac said breathlessly when she saw the place that Jedrek had bought for the two of them. Well, they would welcome a new member to their small family in around three months from now, since Lilac was already two months pregnant.


    Because it would only take five months for her until giving birth. Thus if one looked at her closely, they would notice the slight bump on her stomach which Jedrek loved to see her with. He thought she looked very sexy that way, especially since Lilac now gained more weight and this highlighted the curves on her body.


    "Of course, this is possible," Jedrek grinned and took Lilac''s hand to enter their new place. The place that they would call their home. "I don''t want our firstborn to live in that small apartment," he grumbled when he said this sentence, which made Lilac laugh out loud.


    "But you shouldn''t have bought this place. This is too big for the three of us," Lilac said while letting Jedrek lead her into the castle like house. "This is too much."


    Actually, this place was really beautiful, and she indeed loved it. However, she still thought that what Jedrek had done was a little bit too much. He could buy any ordinary place, a big house but not a castle.


    Yet knowing Jedrek, as the king of the lycanthropes, he would go for something like this. He wouldn''t settle for anything ordinary.


    Sigh¡­


    Because Lilac didn''t want to go to his realm, thus he brought the realm to this world. At this rate, what else Lilac could do? She couldn''t complain when she herself liked it too.


    "Of course not," Jedrek refused her statement. "My castle is bigger than this," he said proudly.


    "Yeah," Lilac groaned, but then her focus got attracted by the small garden in front of the big floor to the ceiling windows in the living room, which was filled with lilac flowers.


    Out of instinct, her feet brought her nearer to the windows to enjoy the scenery, as Jedrek followed behind her.


    Lilac stopped in front of the windows and placed her hand against the glass, smiling tenderly when the soft and warm sun light hit her face and she needed to squint her eyes slightly.


    She remembered the feeling when she was still able to control the nature around her or whenever she felt the vibe through the ground beneath her feet.


    Sometimes, Lilac missed her power, as she had had it since she was only a child and losing it was something that still bothered her¡­ for some odd reason, she felt like she lost half of herself.


    "Do you like it?" Jedrek approached Lilac and hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, while caressing her stomach, feeling the bond that started to form between the baby and him. He could feel it.


    "I love it," Lilac answered, a soft smile formed on her lips and it grew wider when Jedrek landed a kiss on her cheek.


    "I am glad that you like it," he said. "Want to see our bedroom?" He asked seductively.


    Upon sensing the double meaning behind Jedrek''s words, Lilac slapped his arms playfully. "Don''t ever think about that," she said.


    "Why? Think about what? I am innocent," he complained.


    And then Lilac turned around and cupped his face between her palms, staring deeply into his blue eyes. "You are nothing, but innocent Mr. Donovan."


    ==============


    "This is a very big place for only the three of us to occupy." Lilac traced her fingers along Jedrek''s jaw line, wiping away the sweat on his skin after the love making session that just ended. "It will be a bit lonely."


    Well, Lilac couldn''t resist it when Jedrek made a move on her while they were in their bedroom, since she had this weird insatiable desire for her mate.


    Lilac took note that during her pregnancy, she tended to be more active than usual. Well, she wouldn''t admit it and would gladly blame this on her pregnancy¡­


    "Of course, there will be some helpers too," Jedrek said in his sleepy voice. He then turned around and planted a kiss on Lilac''s forehead, snuggling into his mate''s embrace. "Don''t worry, it will not feel as lonely as you think after everything was settled."


    Jedrek had thought about it carefully and considered all of Lilac''s worries about this place even before she brought them up, since he knew that Lilac was quite a social type. She would love to be surrounded by people, making her the perfect queen for him.


    It would be perfect if Lilac agreed to go back to their realm, but knowing the strong reason behind Lilac''s refusal, Jedrek didn''t want to push his luck. He was already lucky enough that Lilac was willing to take him back, after the worst nightmare that he forced her to go through, after the many horrid things that he had done to her.


    If it was not now, then maybe one day Jedrek could convince Lilac and take her to the place where they belong to.


    Meanwhile, Lilac hugged Jedrek''s head, playing with his hair, while staring at her surroundings.


    "I just realized something¡­" Lilac murmured.


    "Hm?"


    "Why is it only this room that is quite clean than any other room?" Lilac remembered that there was no furniture in this big house and one could even say that this place was rather empty. "Who put this bed here?"


    However, why was there a bed inside their room? And Lilac could see that this bed was very neat, as if someone intentionally put it here for them to have some rest.


    On the other hand, upon hearing Lilac''s question, Jedrek kept quiet. He didn''t want to answer that, until Lilac realized it herself.


    "Wait, don''t tell me you have planned all of this?" She asked suspiciously.


    The king laughed when he heard that and started to make his move again.


    "No, I need to rest, I am pregnant," Lilac said in a stern voice, but the gleam of mischievousness in her eyes couldn''t escape his eyes.


    "I think my child is strong enough for another round."

 Chapter 1098: Side story: first day

    Today was the day on which Sean and Selena going to enter their school life finally and Hope was very excited, at the same time, nervous for her twins.


    "Kace!" Hope shouted at her mate. "Can''t you move faster? We will be late if you don''t hurry!" Hope was struggling to make Sean stop moving around and put his socks on for him, but the little boy kept shifting into his beast. "Shift back!" She almost lost her temper in order to make her son listen to her.


    Yes, the twins were only able to shift into their beast a few days ago. Thus, they were still very excited to explore more about their other form. It was kind of cute to see two little wolves roaming around the house.


    But, it wouldn''t be fun if they got caught in their beast''s form, as they should keep this as secret.


    Yes, the little ones were still not protected by the magic that helped their people conceal from the normal humans'' eyes because they needed to reach a certain age for the magic to affect them.


    Therefore, going to school was quite risky, yet Hope wanted her children to experience this. Though Kace didn''t disagree with her, but he told her all the possible worst consequences.


    His idea was to have a homeschooling teacher come to their house, but Hope turned off the idea immediately once she heard that.


    She didn''t like the prospect of having her children trapped inside the house, unable to interact with the other children of their age. It would be quite a sad and gloomy childhood.


    "I am coming, I am coming," Kace said from behind the closed door. The lycan was struggling with Selena''s short hair. She wanted her father to braid her hair, but no matter how many times Kace said that he couldn''t do that because her hair was too short, the girl only made a fuss over this simple matter.


    Selena wanted a braid and Kace had to do it. She refused to listen to her father''s desperate explanations.


    "How can I braid your short hair my little girl," Kace was almost crying when Selena shot him a fierce look. She looked even fiercer than Hope when she was in the same age.


    Selena pouted her lips, took her bag and walked out of her room, leaving Kace alone there with colorful hair bands in his hands.


    Just two days back, the little girl wanted to have short hair like her mother, because Hope just got her hair cut, as it was too difficult to take care of their toddlers with long hair.


    However, today, on her first day of school, Selena wanted her hair to be braided like usual, which was only next to impossible.


    Sigh¡­


    Shaking his head, Kace stood up and followed his daughter out to find Hope in the living room, trying to appease the upset Selene.


    "I want my hair to be braided, I look pretty that way¡­" Selena sobbed and Kace carried Sean, who was trying to sneak out to his room again, because he didn''t seem that excited about going to school.


    "You look pretty this way," Hope said, encouraging her daughter. "I have told you that once you cut your hair, you will not be able to have the braids that you like until your hair is long enough."


    Hope was exceptionally patient with her children and looked very mature, which made Kace fall in love with her all over again. She knew what to do with their little ones, who were very hard to be handled sometimes.


    "Now, since we can''t braid your hair, I will just put a hairpin, okay?" Hope persuaded her once again and finally Selena agreed with her.


    Thus, the drama of this early morning finallycame to an end just like that.


    The next thing that Hope and Kace should do was to take them to their school and pick them up again later.


    Selena was very excited to see new friends, but Sean didn''t look happy that happy. He wanted to stay inside his bedroom or shift into his beast and roam around the neighborhood.


    "Remember, don''t shift in front of other people, okay?" Kace squatted down in front of Sean and talked very seriously to his son, because he knew how adventurous and rebellious he was. "This is absolute and I don''t want you to argue with me in this case. Understood?"


    Sean looked at his father sharply with his blue eyes, ready to argue, but remembering how scary his mother could be when she got upset, he didn''t have any other choice. Since he knew that it was essential for them to keep this as a secret, though he didn''t quite understand what the reason and it was still a question for him about why couldn''t all the humans shift like he could .


    "Okay," he said.


    "Good boy," Kace ruffled Sean''s head and grinned, but Sean swatted his hand and frowned.


    "I am not a dog," he protested, as he always heard that sentence usually used to praise the dogs in their neighborhood.


    ==============


    "Calm down, they will be fine," Kace said to Hope, who was frowning all through their journey back home after leaving their children in their school. "We will pick them up later."


    "But, today is their first day and I feel bad for not staying with them," Hope murmured, as the car stopped in front of their house.


    "Don''t worry, I have done this before when you went to school for the first time," Kace reminded Hope that he was there on her first day as well.


    Hope smiled when she remembered that. "Yeah, Serefina was mad when she saw you there. I still remember her expression at that time vividly."


    Sadness clouded her eyes when she remembered the witch, so did Kace''s. Among the three Donovans, he was the closest person to Serefina and the two of them got along very well, though in a weird way.


    "Okay, go inside first," Kace said, so they wouldn''t be enveloped by sadness for a long time, because he knew Hope would start tearing up when they talked about the witch, as it would lead them to remember about Lana as well.


    "Where will you go?" Hope frowned because she realized that Kace didn''t drive into the garage and was about to leave again.


    "There is something I have to do at work," Kace gave a short explanation and kissed Hope''s forehead before she got off the car. "I will come back to pick you up and we will go to the school before their last class is over."


    Though it was a little bit weird, but Hope didn''t ask much and then got down from the car.


    ==============


    A white beast entered a certain class, moving slowly between the teachers and then walked closer to two children, a boy and a girl, who were sitting next to each other.


    Sean watched the white beast with a deep frown that reminded Kace of Hope when she was upset or saw something that she thought was not right.


    [Don''t tell your mommy about this.] Kace mind- linked his two children and then sat down in front of Selena, who was smiling widely, as she rubbed his head, while her twin brother could only look at their father in disagreement.


    [You are hopeless dad.] He mind- linked him.


    ==============


    Please check my other book; The Bride of the Vampire King.


    Hope you like it ((^o^))

 Chapter 1099: Side story: something happened

    Jedrek gave Lilac a rub on her back to ease her pain, since their child was very active at night and most of the time would give his mate a hard time while sleeping.


    This affected Lilac''s sleeping time. She would sleep when the sun peeked from behind the horizon until it shone brightly in the middle of the day or through the whole day, and then wake up at night.


    However, Lilac had never complained about this. She loved it when their child kicked her and moved around, creating bumps all over her stomach.


    At first, they were concerned about how active their child was until the healer from their pack, who came from their realm, but now staying with them in this castle like house, said that it was normal for having an active baby.


    Both mother and baby were very healthy. Only after hearing this, did they start enjoying such moments as they couldn''t wait to see him. To welcome him into this world¡­


    He would be a strong child and Jedrek could feel it.


    "Feel better?" Jedrek asked Lilac when his mate snuggled closer to him and kissed his chin. "Do you crave something?"


    Well, though this was the last month of the pregnancy, but somehow Lilac still craved for something, maybe it was her way of asking to be spoiled, or it was indeed a craving that she felt, but either way Jedrek didn''t mind it at all.


    He was more than happy and felt proud when he could provide anything that his mate and child wanted.


    Even the most ridiculous thing like; having a warm house party for the second time because Lilac wanted to see Raine and Hope again.


    Jedrek was not thrilled to see his brothers for a second time this week, but seeing how happy Lilac was to be able to meet Hope and Raine again, also their children, the king brushed off his irritation and tried be happy for his mate.


    "Hm," Lilac purred against his neck when Jedrek''s warm palm caressed her stomach. "I feel bad for making you stay up all night with me," she said softly.


    "Don''t say something like that, I am more than happy to have some interaction with my firstborn, though he is not here yet," he said dreamily, while imagining how his son would look like. It would be better if he got Lilac''s temper rather than his, as he was not really proud of his character.


    Having Lilac''s appearance would be good too, though he was a boy. Well, Jedrek would never complain¡­


    For now, Jedrek felt his life was complete, with his mate by his side and their child, it was the epitome of happiness that he had never felt for the past few years.


    "So, I am not annoying when I asked for some absurd thing?" Lilac raised her head and peeked through her long lashes, as their eyes met.


    "Absolutely not," Jedrek appeased her worry, as he leaned over to kiss her small nose. Lilac didn''t look like she gained weight at all. The only thing that indicated that she was pregnant was only her big baby bump. Aside from that, she didn''t show any significant changes.


    In the beginning, it concerned both of them. Lilac thought there was something wrong with her, but only when the healer just laughed it off and said there was nothing to be worried, could she sigh in relief, especially when it showed there was nothing wrong during the pregnancy.


    "Really? Even when I asked something ridiculous? I am not annoying?" Lilac confirmed this again.


    "No, you are not," Jedrek assured her. "To me, your requests were not annoying at all."


    Lilac grinned widely when she heard Jedrek''s words. They were very pleasant to her ears. "Then, can I ask for an apple? But I want it to be cut in rabbit shape¡­"


    Jedrek: "¡­"


    ==============


    Lilac woke up when she felt there was someone near her because of the hushed voices, indicating that she was not alone and it was most likely not Jedrek.


    At first, the bright sun light which hit her eyes made her let out a small groan, as she tried to regain her consciousness.


    "Good afternoon sleeping beauty¡­" Hope jumped to the spot beside Lilac and this made Raine shriek before she reprimanded her for her recklessness.


    "Don''t do that, you almost made my heart stop, what if you missed and hurt her!" Raine scolded her, but Hope just laughed lightly.


    "Of course that will never happen," Hope said smugly. "I have excellent body coordination." And then she glanced at Lilac beside her, who didn''t bother with this small ruckus, as she rubbed her sleepy eyes and yawned. "Moreover, she was lying still like a dead log, there is no way I will hurt her."


    Raine just grumbled when she heard that. She knew that Hope wouldn''t hurt Lilac, as she jumped a bit far from her spot, but still, seeing the way she jumped just now, made her heartbeat accelerate very fast.


    Even though she had twins now, but her behavior didn''t change in the slightest. She was still very lively and reckless like she used to be. Well, that was not entirely a bad thing¡­


    "What time is it?" Lilac asked in her hoarse voice as she propped herself up and leaned against the headboard of the bed.


    "You have slept through an entire morning and afternoon," Hope generously informed her and helped Lilac in tidying up her long hair, while Raine sat down on her other side.


    "We have been here for hours, waiting for you to wake up," Raine said, giving a glass of water for Lilac, so that she could feel refreshed after her long sleep.


    "Yes, you are the one, who invited us, but it was Jedrek who we met," Hope complained.


    "Where is he?" Lilac looked around her and didn''t find her mate. She was still in their bedroom and knew it was a little bit hard for anyone to make Jedrek step out of the room while she was still sleeping.


    Little did anyone know that Jedrek was quite overprotective of Lilac and their baby.


    "He is in the front yard with our mates and children," Raine answered her and then she too leaned against the headboard after putting the empty glass on the nightstand.


    Lilac was surprised that they left the three of them alone, even letting them look over the kids. "Do you think it is safe to leave them be?"


    Raine and Hope laughed at Lilac''s question.


    It was true that leaving the three Donovans alone was quite worrying, as the last time they reunited, they didn''t stop bickering.


    "Actually, the children will keep them behaved," Raine said gleefully, while Hope started laughing.


    "The children will indeed keep them occupied, keep them busy just to start an argumentation, so it was very safe to leave them alone," Hope chimed in.


    Lilac laughed, she could imagine how those powerful lycan would look while babysitting the children without their mothers, because as far as Lilac knew, this never happened before.


    "Okay, let''s go, I want to see them," Lilac said and moved forward to get off the bed, but then she let out a muffled growl when she felt something wrong with her stomach.


    "What happened?" Raine was the first one to notice this. She immediately held Lilac, who held her stomach.


    "My stomach hurts," she whined.


    "Oh, no! What is happening?" Hope was flabbergasted.


    "Call Jedrek to come!" Raine instructed.

 Chapter 1100: Side story: i love you both

    "It''s okay¡­" Raine said, as she tried to help Lilac to lean on the headboard of the bed, while Hope had dashed out of the room to call the Donovan brothers.


    It didn''t take very long before Raine and Lilac could hear some noises in the corridor, indicating that those lycans would be here in the matter of a few seconds.


    And Kace arrived first, maybe because Hope found her mate first on her way to find Jedrek.


    Kace appeared at the doorway, yet didn''t continue to enter the room. He was too petrified to move. The memories when Hope was about to give birth to their children flooded his mind again and he remembered how panicked he had been at that time.


    "It''s early," Lilac said, gritting her teeth to suppress her panic. Fear gripped her heart when the contractions came.


    The healer said she would give birth two weeks from now, but the seal had already broken and Lilac couldn''t help but think of the worst case scenario. She was afraid something would happen to her baby.


    This was her first pregnancy, so maybe she did something wrong. Even though the healer had said that she and the baby were healthy, but Lilac started to wonder if she messed up somehow¡­


    "It''s okay Lilac, this is normal. Aurora came early for me too." Raine tried to assure her saying everything would be all right.


    Meanwhile, it didn''t take another second before Jedrek appeared. He shoved Kace aside rudely, and his younger brother stumbled on his feet, yet he didn''t protest at all.


    Only then Torak appeared with the kids. It was very surprising to see Torak getting along well with those kids and the little ones also listened to him.


    Jedrek immediately bolted to lilac''s bedside, where Raine took a step back, for the king to replace her spot.


    Jedrek kneeled and stretched out his right hand before placing it on Lilac''s thigh, and felt its getting soaked instantly.


    "You will take her to the hospital, right? I will prepare a car," Kace said as he stepped in the direction of the door, but Jedrek stopped him.


    "No, she will give birth here, I have prepared everything. Call Clarice, the healer, she knows what she have to do." Jedrek didn''t break eye contact with Lilac when he instructed them.


    "Oh, got it." Kace ran toward the other side of this house while grumbling about how big this place was.


    On the other hand, Torak didn''t enter the room and stayed outside with the kids. He didn''t let them see the chaotic situation inside.


    "Uncle, what happen in there?" Selene stared at Torak with her big blue eyes, shifting her attention from Torak to the door of the room that was still opened, but she couldn''t see anything from where she was standing now.


    "The baby is coming," Torak explained it plainly, while making Aurora sit on his thigh.


    Meanwhile, the boys, Sean and Jasper were trying to sneak inside the room, but Hope caught them both and held their hands to keep them away from there.


    Only then did Raine come out of the room and closed the door behind her. She sat beside Torak on the soft plush sofa and caressed Aurora''s hair.


    "How is it?" Torak asked. He still looked aloof, but one could hear the concern in his voice when he asked this. No matter what, Jedrek was his brother.


    Raine thought about this for a moment and then smiled, the kind of mischievous smile that she always gave him when she wanted to tease him.


    "He looked a lot more calm than you when I gave birth to Jasper," Raine said, laughing and then kissing Torak''s cheek when he growled in a low voice.


    One minute after that, Kace came with the healer and another four people, who would help during the delivery. They brought some things with them and all the stuff that were needed later.


    "He is very traditional, why don''t he just take Lilac to the hospital?" Kace grumbled as he sat down beside Hope, who was trying to make the boys stay still, yet they were too curious to see what was happening behind the door. "Stay still boys," Kace said sternly.


    "You know him," Torak commented, but Kace sneered in response.


    "No, I don''t know him."


    ==============


    "You are doing so well," Jedrek whispered into Lilac''s ears when the healer and the other people, who entered the room were preparing for the delivery.


    They had prepared all of this as early as a month back, but who would have thought that Lilac would have it early, yet Jedrek was glad that he had thought about it ahead of time, as he wanted to have the baby here.


    Lilac didn''t have a problem at all with this, since she knew that Jedrek would do his best to provide everything that was necessary for this moment. Everything that was best for their child and her.


    Lilac buried her face against Jedrek''s neck when the people tried to get everything in order.


    Jedrek caressed her warm stomach, as he moved slightly to hold lilac''s gaze. Those black eyes were filled with determination and he felt himself swell with pride for his woman.


    The healer knew that she wouldn''t be able to make her king step aside, thus she let him be and accompany Lilac during the labour.


    And Jedrek remained there for two hours straight. He stayed there from her first push to the very last, until fatigue washed over her expression and her bulging belly lost a significant amount of its roundness, when the baby slid out of her in a burst of squirming bloody mess.


    In the next second, the baby screamed once he was being held by the healer, demanding the world to welcome him.


    The moment Jedrek heard him scream, he couldn''t find a single word to describe how he felt right now and this was the first time he moved away from Lilac to ensure that their baby was all right, then let them clean him.


    "The baby is here," Jedrek informed Lilac, his gaze held hers with proudness and love, as he kissed her temple.


    Of course, Lilac knew it and that statement brought a big smile to her lips.


    After this, everything happened very fast, and now their baby was lying across Lilac''s breasts, shrilling, agitated, wrinkled, but extremely beautiful.


    Jedrek wanted to carry him, but didn''t want to separate him from Lilac yet. He had been waiting for this moment and practiced on how to carry a baby ever since he knew Lilac was going to have their first born soon.


    Of course, no one knew about this except for the healer and his Beta, about which they wouldn''t breath a single word out at all.


    Therefore, the only solace that he could have was to let his fingers remain softly attached to one of the baby''s astonishingly small feet, while Lilac simply stared at him.


    Lilac stared at her baby with love and adoration. He was very small but precious and pure¡­


    And Jedrek found himself falling deeply in love every time a squeal gushed out of his pouty lips, babbling. He leaned over and his tears fell on Lilac''s cheek when he kissed her. "I love you both¡­" he whispered solemnly.

 Chapter 1101: Side story: no, why should i?

    Kace was only eight years old when he sneaked out to go to the central city, throwing the entire castle into an unexpected catastrophe.


    People wouldn''t be surprised to see the King having an outburst again, but to see the Queen showing her ferocity was a rare sight to behold.


    And now all the people in the castle were able to witness one such rare moment.


    The queen was no longer gentle and kind, but she was a storm in broad daylight once she knew that her younger son was not in the castle and no guards knew where he went.


    Kace was too young to roam around in the city alone and everything could happen to him. As he was one of the Donovans, his royal blood alone could attract an enemy to do something bad to him.


    Or maybe this was just the queen, who was being overly anxious, but she really didn''t like it when she wasn''t kept updated with her son''s whereabouts.


    "Stop reading that and join me to find Kace," Torak said to Jedrek when he entered his room. Of course, as the older brother, he had the responsibility to take care of his younger one.


    On the other hand, Jedrek didn''t look very happy when Torak interrupted him. He squinted his eyes at him and continued to bury his nose in the book in his hands.


    However, Torak was as stubborn as him, thus in the next second, the book in Jedrek''s hand was gone and this incited a growl from him.


    "Stop growling at me," Torak said, not even flinching when Jedrek stood up. He was taller than his brother, yet it was not something that would scare Torak away. "Or else mother will make things difficult for both of us."


    Both of them knew that Kace was their mother''s favorite son, but she always said that their younger brother was still very little, thus he needed some extra attention, but either way, both Jedrek and Torak didn''t mind it at all.


    Seeing the way their mother spoiled Kace was enough for them to be very glad that it was not them, who was in their younger brother''s shoes.


    "Where did that brat go?" Jedrek growled again as he grumbled while he stood up from his chair.


    Actually, it was not the first time for Kace to leave the castle. But of course, this was the first time that their mother came to know about what he was doing and this shoved the whole castle into a panic mode.


    "Do you think I will be here if I knew?" Torak remarked at his brother''s question.


    "Watch your mouth," Jedrek snapped. The Alpha''s blood in his veins didn''t like the disrespect that Torak just showed to him.


    However, it was not only him, who have Alpha''s blood running hot in his veins, therefore Torak didn''t even flinch when he heard the warning in his voice.


    "You have to watch your behavior instead," Torak talked back to him.


    Both of them often quarreled with each other, but fortunately they also knew that they should leave it at that and shouldn''t prolong it into something crucial.


    Jedrek threw Torak a look, but he didn''t say anything as they walked down the corridor, where many guards were walking back and forth with hazy gazes, as they mind- linked each other to inform the progress.


    "There are a lot of guards, who are already looking for him, there is no need for us to join the herd," Jedrek said, grumbling.


    However, even though that was what he said, he led the way to the backyard garden, where more guards and servants were swarming in one place. The queen must be in her throne, listening to every mind- link that involved her son, while the king was away from the castle.


    Yet, actually this was quite fortunate for those poor souls, because they wouldn''t want to experience the wrath of the king and queen at the same time.


    "His scent is not here," Torak said, as he lifted his nose and smelled the air, but his younger brother''s scent was not in the air, but Jedrek stubbornly moved forward and didn''t hear what he said. "I said he is not here!"


    Torak then grabbed Jedrek''s arm to pull him back, so he would listen to him.


    "He knows how to cover his scent," Jedrek answered him and swatted Torak''s hand away from his arm. "He stole something from the healer to cover his scent. You too heard it through the mind- link."


    Yes, the thing that little Kace stole from the healer was a pouch of magic dust that could hide one''s scent for a couple of hours.


    Torak knew about the magic dust, but... "How did he find about the magic dust?" He squinted his eyes, staring at his brother accusingly.


    "I told him about it," Jedrek replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, as if that was not anything big.


    Torak opened his mouth, and was about to protest, but then he swallowed his words when he realized that Jedrek wouldn''t listen to him anyway. His brother just loved annoying people and it was a waste of his time and breath to scold him for doing something that he himself knew was wrong.


    However, that was not the main point now, because the magic dust had some side effects that couldn''t be ignored. That was why, even though they knew there was some kind of that magic, no one would recklessly use that.


    Well, at least an eight year old child wouldn''t think about the consequences, especially when the person who told them about it didn''t give complete information.


    And just like what they thought, after a long walk inside the forest, where the quietness engulfed them and the sound of waterfall and chirping birds filled the air, they found the little white lycan, whimpering near the water, trying to rub his fur against the rocks.


    "You didn''t tell him that using the magic dust would cause a very intense itching sensation, did you?" Torak glanced at Jedrek, who was walking toward their brother calmly. There was no regret on his expression when he replied.


    "No, why should I? He didn''t ask."


    How could you expect an eight year old to ask about that?!

 Chapter 1102: Side story: we are in this together

    Jedrek then walked closer toward their brother. The white little beast had now started whimpering in pain and looking at them with tearful eyes, while still scratching his body against the rock.


    The moment Jedrek stopped near the riverbank, the white little beast came closer to him and was about to rub his body against his feet, but before he could do that, Jedrek lifted him by his scruff and carried him away from the river.


    Once they were away from the river, Jedrek carelessly tossed the little beast on to the solid ground and spoke calmly. "Shift."


    Kace was indeed a Donovan, but he was too small and was not in a good condition to refuse Jedrek''s order when he used his Alpha tone.


    Meanwhile, Torak could only shake his head upon seeing how Jedrek was treating their little brother. "Using your Alpha tone on him¡­" he muttered as he stood beside Jedrek. "You are unbelievable."


    When Jedrek heard that, he didn''t give any response and just glanced in Torak''s direction briefly before he refocused his gaze on Kace, who was trying to shift back into his human form, while struggling with the itching that he felt and the need to concentrate.


    It took around two minutes for Kace to be able to shift back into his human form and as soon as he was able to do it, he lay sprawled helplessly on the ground.


    "It is very itchy¡­" he said sullenly, trying to reach the itchy parts of his skin, which covered almost every single inch. He felt like small insects were walking on his skin and this feeling was almost unbearable. "You didn''t say anything about this¡­" Kace whisper- shouted accusingly at his older brother, his blue eyes filled with hatred and pain. He was annoyed.


    "Did you ask?" Jedrek folded his arms and stared at Kace for a few seconds before he decided that this wasn''t the right time to bicker with his poor little brother.


    Therefore, he walked toward him and bent down, offering his shoulders to him. "Climb up," he said in a boring tone.


    Kace grumbled and kept scratching his body, but he did what he was told and started climbing Jedrek''s back.


    Once the little boy was secured on his back, Jedrek stood up and started walking through the forest, to go back to their castle, where all the people were still looking for the little prince.


    Meanwhile, Torak followed behind the two of them silently. He didn''t want to get involved in their squabble. At this moment, Jedrek did not seem as mature as he should be at his age.


    "Stop moving," Jedrek reprimanded him. "Or I will drop you."


    "It is so itching!" Kace shouted into his ears and this made Jedrek growling in a low voice, a warning. "It is very itchiiiiinggggg!" The little boy didn''t care about his brother''s warning, because all he could care about was the suffering that he had to go through because of him. "I want motherrrrr!!!"


    "Shut up!" Jedrek scolded him, raising his voice a few octaves, but it didn''t stop Kace from screaming into his ears and this annoyed his brother to a great extent.


    "I want motherrrrrrr!!!"


    On the other hand, Torak looked up at the blue sky, his expression was that of one who was boring with his current situation.


    Because after this, he would have to hear their mother scolding Jedrek and the situation wouldn''t get any better soon, knowing their mother''s personality.


    He just hoped he wouldn''t get affected by Jedrek''s stupidity.


    ==============


    "How could you do that to your own brother?!" The queen felt a headache coming when she heard what actually had happened from Kace. "You know exactly what are the side effects of the magic!"


    The queen was trying to hold down Kace''s small body, so the healer could put some oilment on his burning and itching skin, as the time passed, the itching became even more unbearable and now Kace was crying his eyes out.


    Actually, this wouldn''t be hurting so bad if one used it in decent amounts, yet Kace didn''t know it and just poured the whole pouch of magic dust on his body, therefore the result was so bad.


    It was a good thing that Jedrek knew the place where Kace always hid whenever he went out of the castle area.


    "I didn''t do it, he did it himself," Jedrek retorted. "I didn''t order him to use the magic dust." Literally speaking, what Jedrek said was true, but it sounded wrong if you knew the whole story.


    The queen pinched the bridge of her nose and let the healer to do their job.


    Jedrek was indeed the carbon copy of his father, because he didn''t want to lose any argument, though the facts were right in front of their noses. It was hard to talk to them when they were being stubborn.


    Sometimes, the queen felt there was something wrong with the way those two men were thinking.


    "But, you told him about it." The queen didn''t want to back down either and the other people inside the room could only stay silent since they didn''t want to disturb their hot squabble.


    Even Torak just listened with a boring expression on, while standing beside Kace''s bed, folding his arms and waiting for them to be done with this, because he wasn''t allowed to leave the room.


    To think about it again, he had nothing to do with this, thus there was no benefit whatsoever for him being here.


    However, he didn''t want to jump head on with his angry mother.


    "Just because he asked me."


    The queen let out a frustrating sigh and shook her head again. No. She couldn''t handle it this way. "You will stay inside the dark room, inside the library, until you repent for your mistake!"


    After saying that, the queen walked out of the room, following the other people who were carrying Kace toward his chamber.


    "Let''s go," Jedrek said to Torak.


    "What do you mean by ''let''s go''?" Torak frowned. "That is your punishment. I will not go with you."


    "We are in this together."


    Torak: ???


    ''We are in this together'', my a**!

 Chapter 1103: Side story: so do i

    It was a year ago that Jedrek jumped into the crater of hell to follow Lilac, hoping that he could repent for everything that he had done to her and if she had to vanish from his life, he didn''t want to exist in this world without her either.


    He knew, but at the same time couldn''t imagine how much he had hurt her. He was too selfish and stupid to realize it sooner.


    However, he couldn''t possibly ignore Serefina in her final moments and when she was breathing her last, especially after he knew what she had been through throughout those decades when they were apart.


    Yet, that couldn''t justify every action that he had took, which had inflicted unbearable pain on Lilac.


    "Your majesty, there are a few people that want to see you," one of his seven generals came into his study room, stopping him in his line of thought, which was filled with infinite regrets and endless despair. His heart longed for his mate¡­ for Lilac to be there with him.


    Jedrek was standing behind the floor to the ceiling windows, from where he was staring at the progress of the rebuilding of his realm after the war.


    Mostly, everything was going smooth and there was nothing much to be worried about. Jedrek must feel relieved and elated by this progress, yet he didn''t even feel any near that fancy feeling, as the hollow in his heart only grew deeper and darker.


    "Who are they?" Jedrek asked. He had lost all the former seven generals to the war and now he had established new ones. He also omitted some of the rules, such as removing omega rank, since he remembered Lilac ever complained about it, because it didn''t seem justifiable to degrade the people of that rank.


    In his loneliness, he remembered all of Lilac''s words and her little complaints on how he ran the kingdom. He didn''t heed to those at that time, but now he wanted to build a realm that she wanted¡­ because he knew, she had a better vision than him.


    As expected from the queen, his queen¡­


    Yet, she was not even here to see anything of this or to give another advice so Jedrek could rule this new era in a better way than he had done before.


    He knew he was not a good king, therefore he needed his queen. Not only to rule beside him, but also to fill the empty hollow in his rotten heart.


    "Dragon shifter people," the general informed his king. "They brought something for you and asked for your permission to put it in our garden."


    Jedrek frowned, he looked at his general questioningly. What did those dragon shifters bring for him that needed to be put in his garden?


    "What is that?" He asked, while walking across the room.


    For a few seconds, the general looked hesitant whether to tell him about this or not, but there was no way he could ignore the question.


    "Lilac."


    ==============


    "The flowers will bloom eight months from now and in the east, there are a lot of seeds of this flower." One of the dragon shifters told Jedrek politely. He was looking at the king''s shoulder, as he was not daring enough to look at Jedrek right in his eyes.


    The population of dragon shifters decreased significantly after the war, especially when they faced a dead end in having young generation of the dragon shifter, since only the females from their race could reproduce an heir for them.


    And the only female dragon alive was Bree, yet there was no way they could force their idea on her when she was heavily guarded in Torak''s pack, unless she was willing to match with one of the dragon shifters, if that was not the case, then there was nothing they could do¡­


    "Lilac flower," Jedrek muttered. He stared at the tens of heavy and huge sacks behind the dragon shifter, filled with many seeds of Lilac flower. "Why do you think I need that?" He asked in a stern tone.


    He didn''t need something else to remind him about Lilac, since his very existence was the solid reminder of how he had failed miserably to keep his own mate beside him.


    On the other hand, the dragon shifter looked a little flustered, he had been warned that the king could misunderstand the meaning behind this gift.


    "My apologies, your majesty," he said humbly. "But, our lord thought that your garden is too barren and because lilac is a beautiful flower and the queen will like it when she returns, he wants to give you this small gift."


    Jedrek fell silent for a while and no one knew what was inside his mind right at this moment, until he spoke again. "Yes, Lilac is a beautiful flower. The queen will like it when she returns." He said softly and then walked away, letting them do what they wanted to do.


    ==============


    Jedrek was standing in the hallway, while staring at the countless people, who were busy planting lilac seeds.


    Eight months¡­


    Eight months and the garden would be filled with various types of lilac flowers and just like what the dragon shifter said, it would be beautiful.


    "Are they planting lilac flowers?" A soft and chirpy voice sounded beside Jedrek.


    Because Jedrek was in deep thought he didn''t even realize when this little fellow had came near him. The little boy tilted his head, waiting for Jedrek''s answer.


    The king didn''t know who this little boy was, but from the way he was dressed, he must be one of the servant''s child.


    "Yes, they are," Jedrek answered, didn''t mind at all to have the little boy accompany him.


    "Will the garden be filled with many lilac flowers?" The little boy asked again bravely. He really had some noteworthy guts to have a chat with the king without flinching. "Lilac flowers remind me of the queen. She is very soft and strong and kind and beautiful. I miss her," he said truthfully, with the innocent honesty that his pure soul had.


    Meanwhile, Jedrek could feel his heart being squeezed painfully yet familiarly once again. It felt like the little boy had voiced out what he couldn''t, since he didn''t have someone to talk about it.


    "So do I."

 Chapter 1104: Side story: lilacs scent

    Tonight, all of the lilac flowers bloomed beautifully under the moonlight and it evoked a strong longing feeling in a certain lycan king''s heart, as he stood in the middle of them, hiding under the dark sky and among the strong yet soft scent of the flowers.


    Jedrek closed his eyes when the wind caressed his skin gently and fluttered his robe. He could even hear the chirping sounds of the night bird that filled the serene night, as his heart started to bleed again.


    Two years had passed since the big war had happened and now his kingdom started to gain their footing again, as the magic that separated their and human''s realm started to function and the humans couldn''t see them in their beast form anymore.


    Yet, though the world had started returning to normal, there was nothing that Jedrek felt right. There would always be a missing part for which he searched in every corner of his day.


    Jedrek was not able to show this feeling to anyone else, more so he didn''t have someone to talk to about this.


    Torak would have his Beta or the people in his pack that would be worried about him, while Kace would have Sterling and many other friends to distract him from his longing feeling upon missing their mate.


    However Jedrek¡­


    He was the king and it had been really a long time since he had someone to talk to or told them what he felt.


    He was used to giving an order, not to have a deep talk with someone¡­ no, until Lilac came into his life and he started to see life from a different point of view, yet he couldn''t rule his people like Torak did. He was used to using fear to rule them¡­


    And now, though he was surrounded by thousands of people and he, literally, despite never been left alone, felt empty¡­


    ==============


    He felt the fire Licking his fur as the humidity made it hard to breath for him.


    Where was he?


    Jedrek didn''t know where he was, but he was too afraid to open his eyes and figure out what kind of situation he was in right now.


    His heart was beating fast.


    ''Jedrek.''


    It was her voice, calling out his name softly, but full of grief.


    ''Jedrek, you hurt me¡­''


    The sadness in her voice ripped his heart apart, shredding it into a million pieces. His heart ached so badly that the king grunted and tried to curl his body, so he could protect himself from breaking down.


    ''Jedrek, you killed me and now you hurt me again and again¡­''


    The beast inside of him whimpered when he felt the snap of the mate bond. The only thing that entangled their fate together, but now it was no longer there.


    ''You will be fine once the mate bond disappear, you love me because of the mate bond. You feel hurt because of the mate bond that bound us together, but once it is no longer there, you will be all right¡­''


    No. It was a lie. That statement was not right.


    Losing the mate bond only added to the excruciating pain that Jedrek was experiencing right now. The feeling couldn''t even be described with words.


    It felt like he didn''t have a past, nor could he see any future. He didn''t even feel like he was existing in this current time. This kind of empty feeling tortured him badly.


    ''You don''t love me¡­''


    No, I love you!


    Right at that time, Jedrek opened his eyes and watched how Lilac''s body was burned before disappearing into the blazing flames, leaving nothing of her.


    Yet, the way Lilac looked at him was the most unforgettable thing that haunted him night and day.


    The way she looked at him, as if telling him that she had given up. She didn''t want to be with him anymore because it was too painful and she didn''t want to be in pain any longer.


    The pain that Jedrek inflicted on her even before they had met with each other.


    She gave up on him.


    "AARGH!"


    Jedrek woke up with a start, his red eyes scoured the entire room, looking for the fire in his dream or even the sad gaze in Lilac''s eyes, or at least her shadow. But there was nothing there, it was only him, alone, engulfed by the darkness until someone opened the door and light poured inside his bedroom instantly.


    "My king, is there something wrong?" one of the two guards that entered the room asked him, because they heard Jedrek''s high- pitched screams earlier. He approached him carefully, while the other looked around the room, in order to look for any danger.


    For a short period of time, Jedrek couldn''t say anything, his mind was too occupied with the lucid dream that he just experienced.


    That was what he felt after he jumped into the crater of hell when he followed Lilac. When the guardian angels had to sacrifice themselves to stop the war.


    "My king?" The guard approached his king, puzzled because Jedrek just shook his head and covered his face. His breathing became uneven.


    And maybe this was impossible to say, but at this moment, the guard could see how the mighty king looked very vulnerable and weak.


    "Your majesty, are you all right?"


    "¡­Out," Jedrek said in a rough voice. "Get out," he said in a more stern voice.


    However, the guard didn''t seem to comprehend the order in time, as he stood rooted to his place, not moving even an inch, flabbergasted by the sight that he was seeing now.


    Did the king cry?


    "SCRAM!" Jedrek growled viciously when his order was being ignored.


    Only then did the guards scamper out of the room at lightning speed as they watched how the beast inside the king came to the surface.


    Lycan with red eyes was very terrifying to witness, especially when it was the king of the lycans¡­


    And as the room became quite again, Jedrek could smell lilac scent that was brought along by the wind through the opened window.


    It was the second time for those flowers to bloom¡­

 Chapter 1105: Side story: he didnt need anything else

    Jedrek walked through the hallway of his kingdom, feeling the cold night wind caressed his skin with droplets of rain dampened his robe.


    There was some point that he stopped walking and took the scenery before his eyes with gloomy gaze.


    It had been a few days since rain would pour down the earth every night in this realm, as if the gloomy days were not enough to torture Jedrek''s shattered heart.


    Below him, he could see the lilac flowers bloomed, yet its beauty had to bow down toward the storm that raged that night.


    The beautiful flowers looked pitiful under this stormy night¡­


    Yet, Jedrek knew they would survive and showed their grace tomorrow when all of this was over, just like Lilac¡­ she would come back stronger every time someone put her down.


    His beautiful flower¡­


    Yet, the question was; would she comeback again this time? Would she choose to return to his side again, for one more time? To give the king a chance to repent for the horrible mistakes that he had done? To give him a chance to treat her better the way she deserved?


    Lilac was wrong when she said that one the mate bond between them was no longer there, Jedrek would be fine to live his life without any care about the feeling for her, which was no other than a feeling that was forced onto him by the mate bond.


    She was wrong.


    Because the truth was; Jedrek was nothing but fine at this point. He felt like walking in the edge of the world once again. The waiting was killing him¡­ especially when deep down in his heart, he knew that there was only a slightest chance that Lilac would willingly go back together with him.


    The sadness and the pain in her gaze before the fire from the crater of hell burned her body, was something that haunted Jedrek in his nightmares and days.


    Years had passed, but there was no sign of her, though there was not a single second that passed without Jedrek was looking for her, not even her scent.


    At that time, thunder pierced Jedrek''s ears and light ripped the dark night apart, illuminating the garden that filled with lilac flowers for a brief moment, but it was enough for Jedrek to catch a glimpse of one of the lilac flowers that was almost toppled down by the strong wind.


    A frown engraved on Jedrek''s forehead when he saw that and without a second thought he jumped down and landed gracefully on the watery ground, let the rain poured on him and got him soaking wet, yet that was the last thing that he cared at this time.


    Darkness made it hard for Jedrek to see straight ahead, but he knew by instinct where exactly the location of that poor flower was, thus he moved without hesitation.


    People, who saw him would think that he had lost his mind for being so impulsive to save a mere plant from this raging storm in the middle of the night, but Jedrek had indeed lost his mind and soul, and it had been a long time since those two could work properly.


    Therefore, here he was, the king of the lycanthropes, getting all soak, trying to hold back the plant.


    Jedrek used both of his hands to hold it, while closing his eyes, felt the strong and harsh wind grazed him.


    However, after a certain moment he closed his eyes, all of sudden everything became very quiet. There was no longer the sound of thunder or the merciless wind that tortured him.


    Everything went silence and tranquility engulfed him¡­


    Frowning, Jedrek opened his eyes slowly and to his surprised he found himself inside a comfortable and warm room.


    However, the most shocking part was; there was someone else beside him and it was the woman that he had longed for¡­


    The true essence of his existence, his salvation, the reasons behind his every smile¡­


    "Lilac¡­?" Jedrek called her name, but it sounded like a whisper. He looked at his mate with unbelievable eyes, while his mind was very slow to comprehend the situation he was in now¡­


    Only after a long period of moment that Jedrek finally got his memories back and realized what he experienced earlier was only a nightmare.


    No, actually it was not a nightmare, since those things indeed happened to him during the years when he was waiting for his mate to return.


    Jedrek rubbed his face harshly and he could feel the remaining tears from the corner of his eyes.


    Oh, Selene¡­ it was only a dream¡­ a dream from his darkest days¡­


    Even now Jedrek could still feel the cold wind from that night, as his body shivered involuntarily. He then moved closer to Lilac and hugged her tightly, buried his nose on the crook of her shoulder and took the liberty to breath in her scent.


    It was proven that her scent could calm his wrecking nerves and gave him the peace that he really sought of.


    His mate was here and that was all what matter for now.


    Jedrek couldn''t be more glad than this.


    As long as Lilac was beside him, he wouldn''t ask for anything else. It would be greedy of him if he did so. However, maybe he was a little bit wrong¡­


    When Jedrek felt Lilac shifted her position to find a comfortable spot within his embrace, at that time he heard a soft mumble not too far from there.


    The sound was enchanting and the familiar scent exhilarated the beast inside of him, as it perked its ears, urged Jedrek to go and take a look.


    Of course Jedrek knew whose mumbling it was¡­


    Slowly and gently, Jedrek got off of the bed, but before he walked away, he tucked Lilac beneath the warm blanket and landed a soft kiss on her forehead, caressing her head and smiled indulgently at his sleeping mate.


    Lilac was so beautiful as ever, even though she was in deep sleep and her cherry lips slightly parted.


    After a few more moment worshipping his mate, Jedrek walked to the source of the mumbling sound and found his son was awake.


    The baby was playing with his stubby fingers, while making weird sounds. He looked happy, while playing by himself.


    The baby was only six month, but one could see that he got the Donovan''s blue eyes, but his lips and the warm smiled that grazed his lips very often, he got it from Lilac, since Jedrek didn''t really like to smile even when he was only a child.


    The baby''s blue eyes caught Jedrek''s figure, who was standing silently beside his crib, and then he extended his short and small hands, opening and closing his small palms, while laughing, as if he was talking to Jedrek, yet there was a single word that he could articulate clearly.


    But, it didn''t matter, because the moment Jedrek put his finger on his palms and he wrapped it tightly, a big, toothless smile broke on his lips.


    And the sight brought Jedrek to tears¡­


    He got Lilac by his side and now they had their beautiful son¡­


    Jedrek felt complete and he didn''t need anything else¡­

 Chapter 1106: Side story: beautiful woman in the world

    Aurora has curly hair, just like Raine when she was little. But as she grew up, the curls disappeared and her hair became straight.


    The little girl liked her curls and wouldn''t like it when someone touched her hair except for her mother and father. Oh, and of course uncle Calleb. Aurora loved the Beta.


    "Good morning little princess," Calleb''s voice greeted her, as the warm rays of sunlight filled the room. Aurora had to squint her eyes.


    "Good morning uncle Calleb¡­" Aurora mumbled her reply, but she took the blanket around her body and covered her face with it. She was still sleepy and didn''t want to wake up.


    "You have to wake up now Aurora, your father has been waiting for you at the dining table," Calleb said. "He wants to have breakfast with you, today is your first day to go to school, you don''t want to be late, do you?"


    The four year old little girl poked her head from under the blanket and blinked sleepily at Calleb. "Where is mommy?"


    The bed dipped when Calleb sat on it before he pulled the blanket away from her body. "Mommy took Kayden to school and later daddy will take you after you finish your breakfast, so hurry up!"


    Aurora didn''t seem to be infected by Calleb''s cheerfulness, instead, she stretched out her short hands, asking silently to be picked up.


    Of course, Calleb didn''t mind at all. Happily, the Beta put his arms around her small body that felt very soft. Her scent was something that Calleb was fond of, aside from his mate''s scent, of course.


    Sleepily, Aurora rested her head on Calleb''s shoulder and held onto him tightly while he took her to the dining room, where Torak and a few of his lycan warriors were waiting to have their breakfast.


    "I don''t want to go to school," Aurora said in her small voice when they walked down the stairs. "I don''t want to wake up early." She rubbed her face against Calleb''s neck.


    Calleb laughed when he heard her grumbling. There were some things that Aurora took after Raine, especially when she had to new people. She was shy, but sometimes, she looked like Torak when she was pissed and couldn''t get what she wanted.


    Even Torak wouldn''t be able to calm her down. Well, most of the time, the Alpha would give her whatever she wanted¡­


    "But, you will meet new friends at school," Calleb persuaded her while rubbing her back. And just like Raine, she liked it too. "Aren''t you excited?"


    "No," she said sternly. "I have you and some friends here."


    "Well, you have to talk to your mother about that¡­" Calleb didn''t know what else he had to say. However, it was an absolute answer that Raine wouldn''t like it and no one would argue with her if it was about her children while Torak would agree with her regardless.


    Even Aurora knew that, as she pouted her lips and held onto Calleb tighter.


    They went down a few more levels before the two of them arrived in the dining room, where almost all the people were enjoying their food while having a chat with each other.


    "Daddy!" Aurora called out for her father, and her blue eyes lit up. She raised both of her arms even before Calleb walked closer to Torak.


    Out of instinct, Torak caught her by her armpits because the little girl was struggling to get away from Calleb.


    "How was your sleep?" Torak put Aurora on his lap, making her face the sumptuous dishes on the table, while he put aside his plate and took out a new one.


    Meanwhile, Calleb sat down beside Torak and kissed his mate on her cheeks.


    "I have a dream, a beautiful dream!" Aurora used both of her hands to describe how beautiful her dream was.


    "Do you want to tell me what was your dream about?" Torak spooned some porridge for his little daughter and she ate it well.


    "I am in a big and large garden, filled with purple flowers." Aurora stopped, as she munched on her sausage. "And there is this beautiful woman, she can do magic."


    "She can do magic?" Torak repeated her words. "What kind of magic did she do?"


    "She could move us to a different place only by doing this." Aurora tried to flick her fingers, but there was no sound that could be heard. "And she can also fly."


    Calleb laughed and rubbed Aurora''s head, "Seems like you had lots of fun."


    "Mm¡­" Aurora mumbled, nodding her head with her cheeks fullof food.


    Torak took a napkin and dabbed around her small mouth, as the sauce dripped from the corner of her lips.


    "How beautiful is she? Is she more beautiful than me?" Arabela teased the little girl, she looked at Aurora with glimmer in her eyes.


    "Hm," she mumbled, thinking about it. "I don''t remember her face, but I feel she is beautiful. Her red hair is beautiful."


    ==============


    This was the first time Torak went to the school, because usually, it would always be Raine, who would do this kind of thing, especially when both of their kids were going to human school, to be able to mingle with them at such a young age.


    "Daddy, why everyone is staring at you?" Aurora frowned, she hugged Torak''s neck tighter, while glaring at the other people, who were staring at Torak. But her facial expression only made the little girl look cute.


    "They are staring at you because you are beautiful, my love." Torak kissed her chubby cheeks.


    "Hi beautiful, are you looking for someone? Are you a new student here? I think I will be your homeroom teacher, my name is Tiffany," a young woman came to Torak and greeted the father and daughter duo with enthusiasm.


    "Yes, we are looking for my wife and her brother," Torak explained shortly.


    "Owh." Tiffany''s smile faltered a little. "What is your son''s name, sir?"


    "Kayden," Aurora said, not giving the young woman an opportunity to talk to her daddy. "Daddy, let''s go see mommy."


    "Okay," Torak smiled indulgently at his daughter and this would be able to melt anyone''s heart just by seeing it.


    Actually, it was not a difficult task to find Raine and Kayden, because he could literally smell them from where they were standing and the two of them were walking to that direction, but seeing the little girl in his arms being all edgy, Torak thought it would be better to move away from this homeroom teacher.


    Yet, Tiffany didn''t seem to notice this subtle rejection as she still offered her assistance, too mesmerized to see someone like Torak.


    "I will take you to Kayden''s class, over here," Tiffany said politely and this didn''t make Aurora happy at all. She buried her face against Torak''s neck and chewed on her thumb, indicating that she was upset.


    "Your daughter is very beautiful, sir." Tiffany complimented Aurora to strike a conversation with Torak.


    "Of course, because my mother is the most beautiful woman in the world," Aurora chimed in. Right at that time, she saw her mommy and her brother walking toward them. "Mommy!"


    Only then, Tiffany knew that the little girl didn''t lie when she said her mother was very beautiful.

 Chapter 1107: Side story: ice cream

    The bell just rang and it didn''t take a long time before the children came out of their respective classes to find their parents so they could go home.


    Usually, it would be Raine, who would pick up the kids from their school, but today the Luna and the Alpha had to attend an important event, thus Raine couldn''t do that.


    Instead, it was Jack, the Gamma, who came to the school to pick up Aurora and Kayden.


    "Uncle Jack!" Aurora exclaimed, as she ran toward the Gamma with a big smile on her face and the little girl''s smile was simply infectious that Jack couldn''t help, but smile as well.


    "Don''t run, you will fall," Jack said and then he approached the little girl and picked her up. The blue backpack that she was carrying looked very big on her small frame, therefore Jack took it off from her shoulders. "Where is your brother?"


    "I don''t know." Aurora raised her hands and then sneaked her arms around Jack''s neck. "He said he needed to go somewhere, but I don''t know. He didn''t say anything."


    "Hm?" Jack furrowed his eyebrows. Where did the kid go? "I think we need to wait for him."


    "I want ice cream!" Aurora giggled. She loved ice cream, even though her mother often scolded her because she ate too much until her stomach ached and her father would go into a panic mode. Still,  Aurora loved ice cream. "Let''s buy ice cream while waiting for Kayden!"


    "Ah, but¡­" Jack looked troubled. He knew that Raine was always strict about what Aurora ate, because she would get stomach ache whenever she ate too many ice creams. However, just one scoop wouldn''t be harmful, right?


    "I want ice cream, uncle Jack," Aurora pleaded, she blinked her big eyes. "Please¡­"


    At this rate, who would have a heart to reject her pleading? "Okay, but only one, because if you get sick, your father would have my head."


    Aurora laughed when she heard this, she knew how much her father loved her. "Don''t worry uncle, I got your back."


    "You little devil," Jack grumbled playfully and put down Aurora when she wiggled her body. "Let''s buy an ice cream then."


    "This way!" Aurora looked excited when her wish was granted. "There is a delicious ice cream outlet over there!"


    ==============


    Kayden was in his fifth grade, while Aurora just entered elementary school, but thankfully they were in the same school, thus it was easy to monitor both of them.


    "Kayden didn''t say anything else?" Jack asked little Aurora again as he started to feel worry because the first son of his Alpha had not yet appeared even after an hour had passed and Aurora managed to get her second ice cream, because they had to wait for a long time there.


    "No," Aurora said curtly as she tossed her ice cream spoon into the dustbin and licked her lips. It tasted sweet. "He didn''t say anything else."


    "It''s not good," Jack muttered. Kayden had never done this before. "We need to check on your brother," He spoke, more to himself.


    On the other hand, Aurora just sat there quietly and watched how Jack became restless, as he mind- linked the other lycans.


    Because Aurora had not shifted yet, she couldn''t communicate through mind- link, but Kayden was supposed to be able to do that.


    "Why don''t you mind- link him directly?" she asked.


    "I tried, but he didn''t respond," Jack answered her question and continued to mind- link all the lycans nearby.


    It didn''t take a long time before twelve to fifteen Lycans appeared in their beast form, so no human would be able to see them.


    [Kayden is missing, find him and let me know where he is.] Jack gave them an order. He couldn''t do it by himself because he needed to keep his eyes on Aurora. [Inform me right away when you find him.]


    All the beasts nodded their heads before they ran in different directions to find Kayden. If something bad were to happen to him, they didn''t want to imagine the wrath of the Alpha.


    With many beasts scouting around the school building and their incredible abilities as the lycans, they managed to find Kayden quickly behind the second building of that school, which was the most faraway building in that area.


    Jack immediately carried Aurora there, so they could move faster, as he heard a report that Kayden was just involved in a fight.


    "What happened here?" Jack was out of breath as he ran very fast to reach that place.


    "Kayden fought four of his classmates," one of the lycans informed Jack.


    When Jack arrived there, the twelve beasts had shifted back into their human skin and was circling Kayden protectively.


    "Did you fight earlier?" Jack put Aurora down and approached Kayden, as the other people made way for him.


    Fortunately this was the quietest place of the school building where not many people would visit, thus no one would see there were a lot of men there.


    "Yes," Kayden answered curtly and then picked his backpack. He brushed away his hair from his face. His wounds started to heal already.


    "Why?" Jack couldn''t understand, as long as he knew Kayden would rarely go looking for trouble, he didn''t like to standout and get unnecessary attention.


    Kayden seemed still upset about whatever reason he fought his classmates for.It could be seen from his piercing eyes when he stared at Jack upon hearing his question.


    "I don''t like them." He kept his answer short and then walked toward his sister and grabbed her hand. "They have their eyes on my sister."


    "What?" Jack frowned. "They said they like your sister?"


    "They thought she is cute," Kayden replied.


    Jack face palmed himself. Kayden started to act like his father. "But, you don''t need to beat them."


    "I don''t need to beat them, but I wanted to," he said stubbornly.


    Meanwhile, Aurora looked at her brother and asked in her crispy voice. "Did you fight? Did you win?"


    "Of course," Kayden said proudly.


    "Can we have ice cream to celebrate it?" she asked enthusiastically.

 Chapter 1108: Side story: black wolf

    There was one room dedicated to Raine for her painting, since she loved to paint, but when she has Kayden and Aurora that room was rarely used, until they discovered Aurora has the same passion like her mother.


    One of the few activities she liked was painting. Ever since she could hold a pencil in the age of four and write her name, she already showed her interest in drawing.


    Therefore, that room now was used by Aurora to keep dozens of her painting there.


    The thing that she liked to draw usually was nature and because they lived surrounded by the pines trees, she would put it on her draw.


    Yet, recently she liked to draw wolves, a pack of wolves, since she watched her brother shifted and learned how to hunt in his beast form with the other lycan warrior.


    Her drawing became more and more vivid and for a child in the age of eleven, it was simply amazing.


    Torak loved to spend his time there to see whether Aurora drew a new one, or simply stared at Raine''s old painting with a smile on his lips, reminiscing the old time.


    However, there were two painting that bothered Torak, which composed with a wolf, a black wolf, to be precise.


    Torak had never seen a black wolf in his pack, there were several wolves with dark fur, but not completely black. Who did Aurora draw?


    This bothered Torak so much, especially when the little girl was throwing tantrum at him because he didn''t allow her to sleep over at her friend''s house.


    How could Torak let her go to human''s house and be at ease?! Nah, never.


    ==============


    "What happened with both of you?" Raine elbowed Torak lightly when she saw Aurora chose to sit between Calleb and his mate, as usually, the little girl loved to sit on her father''s laps, though she was already big enough to do so.


    "Nothing," Torak said curtly, but didn''t look Raine in the eyes.


    There must be something happening¡­


    Yet, before Raine could ask further, someone mind- linked him, saying that they caught a rogue near their border, thus it saved Torak to be investigated, as he leaned to kiss Raine''s forehead and excused himself.


    Raine also didn''t have a chance to ask Aurora because she already went to the car that was drove by one of the lycan warrior to go to school, hurried Kayden to finish his breakfast faster, as if she knew that her mother had felt the oddity between her and her father and a long list of question was not something that she could avoid.


    "What happened with her?" Raine muttered, watching the car drove away. "She leaves for school fifteen minutes early."


    "Maybe she has a homework that she forgot, so she wanted to make it at school," Calleb chimed in and this got him a look from Raine.


    "Are you talking about yourself?" Raine asked and Calleb only laughed since he got caught.


    ==============


    "What''s wrong?" Raine asked, she pulled herself from Torak, as she felt there was something bothering the lycan when they kissed.


    Both of them were laying on the bed, under the dimly lit room, with the night chill wind fluttered the curtain, as the door of the balcony was being left open.


    "Nothing," Torak said, attempted to kiss Raine agai, but she avoided him swiftly.


    "No, you have zoned out since this morning and Aurora seems pissed for some reason that she doesn''t want to tell me," Raine said, running her fingers between Torak''s hair, since she knew he loved this gesture and made him more relax.


    And it was proven to work, after a while of coaxing, Torak sighed deeply, or she could say as an annoying grunt.


    "I think Aurora likes a boy," Torak said, but even now, he was still doubted that thought.


    Upon hearing that, Raine lifted her eyebrows. This was a news for her. She didn''t even know that her little girl started to have a crush on someone. "What makes you think like that?"


    "Her painting," Torak replied in small voice. "She drew black wolf in her last two paintings."


    "So?" Raine couldn''t connect the lead about why her painting related to a boy? "What is wrong with her painting?"


    Torak furrowed his eyebrows, pursing his lips and made Raine felt like she was facing the cranky Kayden instead of Torak. Or she could say; cranky Kayden was replicated of his father.


    "We don''t have a black wolf in our pack," Torak stated the obvious. "Where did she meet this black wolf?"


    "Maybe she just draws it without any meaning in it." Raine tried to be more logic. "You are just overthinking things."


    "No, no. This is father''s instinct," Torak said stubbornly. He didn''t budge with his opinion. How could he let Aurora to sleep over at her friend''s house when the thought that she secretly met some brat out there hunted him?


    ==============


    Torak was determined to forbid the girl to have a sleep over and Aurora also was being stubborn, she didn''t talk to Torak and today was the third days.


    Therefore, to ease the situation, Raine would start with the mysterious black wolf in Aurora''s painting to ease Torak''s mind that his daughter was not in love with someone, since in Torak''s opinion it was too soon a thousand years for her to feel that.


    Yeah, sometime Torak tended to exaggerated things when it came about his children. He would go from the respective supreme Alpha to an annoying overprotective father real fast.


    "Who is that wolf?" Raine asked when Aurora painted another painting with black wolf in it. Torak would be restless again if he saw this.


    Aurora glanced at her mother briefly and pursed her lips. "This is father."


    Raine was surprised, she didn''t expect this answer. "But, you know right that your father has white fur?"


    "I know," Aurora said calmly. "But, because he annoyed me, I will draw him in black."


    **************


    Check my instagram @jikan_yo_tomare to see the painting ((^o^))

 Chapter 1109: Side story: they are cute

    So, it was proven that his daughter didn''t have a crush on some bratty boy, but it didn''t mean that Torak would immediately agree to her plea to sleep over at her friend''s house either.


    Therefore, the cold war between the father and daughter duo kept going on until today and this gave Raine a headache.


    Though Aurora usually looked very sweet, kind and obedient, there would be times when she showed her stubborn side and the fact that the strong Alpha''s blood was indeed running in her veins.


    "When actually will they stop doing that?" Kayden asked his mother as he got ready for his school. He was a teenager now and it went without saying that two more years and he would break every girls'' heart out there, since he wouldn''t settle with anyone until he found his mate. "Father needs to grow up."


    Raine chuckled when she heard that and tousled Kayden''s hair, which made the boy furrow his brows. It was obvious that he didn''t like it when someone touched his hair, but his mother and sister were the only exception.


    "He is in a life crisis," Raine said lightly and smiled softly, as both of them walked in the corridor toward the front yard, where Aurora had been waiting for Kayden inside the car.


    Ever since Aurora had a beef with Torak, she would eat her breakfast early and finish it as soon as Torak entered the room.


    It didn''t matter to Kayden if their quarrel didn''t affect him, yet the fact was; he must finish his breakfast early too, because Aurora would be very impatient to go to school.


    Another problem was; Kayden didn''t like going to the school this early.


    "A life crisis?" The furrow between Kayden''s brows deepened. "How is it possible for our father to have a life crysis? He has a problem with his priorities and overprotectiveness."


    Well, that was not totally wrong either. Torak has a lot of love for his family and sometimes this love could even drown you. It was understandable. If one would look back and see what the Alpha had gone through, from the curse, living a long life without his other half until he finally found Raine, the war, many people dying, including Raine and Raphael, then a miracle happened and here he was; with his little family that he thought he would never have.


    Of course, he wouldn''t let anything slide...


    Kayden then got in the car, ignoring Aurora, who was grumbling because he moved too slow. The lycan warrior then started the engine, which hummed softly.


    "Enjoy your day," Raine said, kissing Aurora, as she kissed her back and put on her seatbelt.


    Raine stood there for a while until the car couldn''t be seen anymore and then turned around to return to the pack house, but she found Torak, who was staring in the same direction as the car drove away with an emotionless expression.


    But, Raine knew better, whenever Torak showed that kind of stoic expression, he was actually hiding his true feelings.


    "When will you stop being so stubborn, Alpha?" Raine teased him, as she hugged his waist and kissed his chin.


    "I am not being stubborn," Torak said again stubbornly. "I don''t see the reason why she needs to sleep over at her friend''s house."


    "You never did this, did you?" Raine asked rhetorically and from the look in his eyes, indeed, Torak had never done such an activity. "Neither do I."


    "See? Not even you..." But, before Torak could complete his complaint, Raine spoke again.


    "But, if I could, I would." She stared deeply into Torak''s blue eyes. "I want to have that kind of experience. Sleeping over at a friend''s house, shopping and gossiping about trivial matters. Maybe it looks like such a silly thing, but it would be something memorable to remember."


    Raine understood why Torak acted like this. He was scared, but he would never admit it.


    Torak was scared because his children seemed to no longer need him. His son has grown into a young adult and has his own life. There were very few things that Torak could do for him, since Kayden could do everything himself mostly.


    Raine had seen Torak''s restlessness since Kayden was no longer looking for Torak if he got into trouble, as he tended to solve it by himself. Well, that was not a bad thing, after all, he would be an Alpha one day.


    At that time, Torak didn''t really realize his own feelings because Aurora would help him to fill the void. The little girl was very close to him and Torak spoiled her too much.


    Yet, when this time it was Aurora who started to have her own life, Torak still couldn''t let go of the little girl in his mind, who would cling onto him whenever she got a chance.


    "Do you think it is safe?" Torak asked in a low voice, he scrunched his eyebrows, deep in thought.


    "What do you think will happen?" Raine assured him, but Torak didn''t give his decision yet, because once again he avoided the topic.


    "I have a meeting," he said, avoiding Raine''s meaningful glance and walked into the pack house.


    ==============


    Aurora was standing in front of Torak''s study room, playing with her long hair absentmindedly. Earlier, uncle Calleb told her that her father was still in his study because there was some work that needed to be done.


    Actually Aurora felt bad for not talking to her father for days and this was the longest that they didn''t talk to each other and everytime she did that, she felt awful.


    "Just go for it."


    A familiar voice spoke and this startled Aurora. As she turned around, she found her brother, Kayden holding a bottle of water. It seemed he would sleep late again and study, since he had to sit for an exam tomorrow.


    "What do you mean? I was just walking..." Yet, before Aurora could finish her lame excuse, Kayden had already walked away, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly before climbing the stairs to reach his room.


    Aurora pursed her lips. Of course, nobody would believe that. And, she was very sure that her father already knew that she had been standing there for a while. After all, you couldn''t take a lycan''s sensing abilities lightly.


    And this was proven right when all of a sudden the door was opened as Torak appeared in his white shirt and beige pants.


    "You surprised me, Dad!" Aurora grunted to cover up her embarrassment for being caught red handed here.


    "Do you need something?" Torak didn''t say much, he just stood there, leaning his body against the door frame, staring at his daughter with a soft gaze. Unfortunately, Aurora couldn''t see it since she lowered her head.


    Aurora played with her thumbs, her habit whenever she felt nervous and this made Torak want to hug her tightly. How childish he was for not talking to her and being an annoying father...


    Well, if she really wanted to sleep over at her friend''s house, maybe...


    "I am sorry Dad," Aurora said softly, "I know you are worried about me... I will not go to my friend''s house..."


    Hearing that, Torak was a little bit taken aback, since he was about to give in to her request. Yet again. However, still, he could see her sadness and that broke his heart.


    Meanwhile, Aurora felt a little nervous when Torak didn''t answer her and when she was about to lift her head and look at her father, she felt her father''s warm and big hand, touching her head, tousling her hair.


    "I was about to give you permission to do so, but since you don''t want to do it anymore, then I think we don''t have a problem here," Torak said and watched Aurora raise her head in surprise.


    "Daddy!" the girl hugged her father tightly and buried her face against his chest, while Torak caressed her hair.


    "So, you still don''t want to go?" Torak teased her.


    "I want to go," Aurora sobbed.


    "But, there will be more than a dozen rules that you have to follow." Torak''s voice turned serious.


    "I will follow them all, thank you Daddy!" Aurora was very happy, she tiptoed and kissed Torak''s cheeks.


    Oh, how could Torak have a heart to make this sweet little creature sad? He would give the world just to see that smile...


    Meanwhile, there were two people, who were watching that, sitting on the top of the stairs.


    "Finally, they both stopped being childish," Kayden scoffed in a low voice while leaning toward his mother a little, who was sitting next to him.


    Raine chuckled. "They are cute, aren''t they?"


    "Meh, no way." Kayden scrunched his brows and questioned his mother''s perspective. How could she say they were cute?

 Chapter 1110: Side story: birthday gift

    Calleb had been running around, busy asking people about the best birthday gift that they ever gave to their mates and the answers were annoyingly varying.


    Some people would say their mate loved it if they gave them a gold ring or jewelry, yet Calleb knew that Arabela was not the type of girl who enjoyed wearing those things.


    And some people would say it didn''t matter what they gave since the thought that counted and of course the way they treated them, yet it didn''t satisfy Calleb, he wanted to gift his mate with something memorable on her birthday.


    Of course, Calleb had treated Arabela like the most precious thing in the world for him. He knew the devastating pain of losing one''s mate and he didn''t want to walk into that hell again.


    Therefore, he did everything in his power to make Arabela happy, even trying all the things that he never had a chance to do with Rossie during their short time together.


    "She will like everything that you give her," Jack said. He patted Calleb''s head and then sat across from him. "Even if you just give her broccoli."


    Calleb threw the Gamma a glare. "I will not give her broccoli. She hates vegetables."


    Jack laughed when he saw Calleb pursing his lips before grabbing his hair out of frustration. This was her first birthday after they started this relationship and it was only two months since they met with each other.


    "Why don''t you just give yourself?" Jack wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I can help you wrap a pink ribbon around  your head and you can hide inside a big box."


    That comment was rewarded with a hard knock on his forehead.


    The Beta and the Gamma were discussing about this topic in the kitchen while having their dinner after a long day of working.


    There was no one around, except for the two of them with their bowls full of food.


    "I have given her all my heart, soul and body," Calleb said proudly and Jack snorted upon hearing this. "I want to give her something special."


    "Then I guess she finds nothing special about your heart, soul and body," Jack laughed at his own joke and this made Calleb throw a piece of bread at him, yet Jack caught it in time before it hit his face and stuffed it in his own mouth. "Don''t stress yourself on this matter, I believe she will love everything you give to her."


    Calleb groaned. "I know¡­ she is very sweet and never asks for anything¡­ but, I want to do more for her."


    Jack clicked his tongue. "You are a helpless man¡­"


    Right at that moment, Torak walked into the kitchen and found his Beta in a gloomy mood. "What happened to him?" the Alpha asked, as he nodded toward Calleb.


    "He is on the verge of breaking down," Jack replied dramatically.


    "Hm?" Toran went to the kitchen because Raine wanted to eat apples while they were watching a movie. It was a rare occasion for them to have such a moment together, since Aurora slept early.


    Even though now she had her own room, she kept fussing over anything and everything. The little girl didn''t want to sleep alone.


    "He is stressing himself over the gift that he wants to prepare for Arabela on her birthday next week," Jack informed Torak.


    The Alpha raised his brows at Calleb and then walked toward the fridge to take some apples. So, the rumor was true that Calleb had been asking around about this stupid question. At this rate, Torak wouldn''t be too surprised if his mate already knew what he was up to.


    "Torak what do you think? What is the most important and memorable gift that you ever gave Raine?" Calleb asked him and Jack listened closely.


    "All my gifts are important and memorable," Torak answered lightly. "I think you know better what gifts I gave her."


    Both Calleb and Jack grimaced when they remembered what those gifts were.


    A very fancy birthday party, an apartment, shares in the top companies, an island, a vast piece of land, jewelry¡­ well, they didn''t want to count anymore¡­ Torak was very generous with his gifts¡­


    Maybe Calleb should change his question.


    "What will Raine want to have the most for her birthday?" he asked again, this time he didn''t want to see from the givers point of view because that was not helping at all.


    On the other hand, Torak tilted his head, thinking about what Raine really wanted¡­ for as long as he remembered, Raine had never asked him for anything.


    "Raine had never asked me for anything for her birthday. She likes everything that I gave her," Torak contemplated and now he realized that Raine rarely asked him for anything and it had been a while since Torak gave her a surprise gift.


    Maybe a week of honey moon would be good. They weren''t able to find enough time for a vacation after having Kayden.


    "I know, she will never ask for anything from you since you will give her before she even asks for it." Calleb sighed and continued eating his dinner.


    "Actually, she once asked for something for her birthday," Torak recalled.


    "What? What is it?" Calleb and Jack asked almost at the same time. They looked at Torak expectantly.


    "She wanted me to mark her on her special day," Torak said truthfully, that was the only request that Raine had ever made for her birthday.


    "Huft!" Calleb was annoyed. He remembered clearly about that. Actually, it was him, who instigated Raine to be marked by Torak and when she finally got him to do it, it didn''t go that well. "I marked Arabela an hour after we met."


    "So hasty," Jack commented.


    "I hope I knew her birthday was only two months away, then I would have definitely waited¡­" Calleb said regrettably. He had to admit that he had been too hasty.


    "I heard this myth," Torak said. "If a male lycan, who has not yet found their mate, bites your mate then the mark would disappear."


    "Is there a myth like that?" Jack contemplated.


    Calleb furrowed his brows.


    "Maybe you can give it a shot, so you can re-mark her." Torak shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and walked out of the kitchen while saying. "Jack is still mateless."


    "Torak!" Calleb growled.

 Chapter 1111: Side story: i love drama

    This was another day in the castle, to be precise, two weeks after the three Donovan brothers reunited for the first time after centuries of being in a cold war with each other.


    The interaction between them was still very perfunctory, but at least they were on the same page when they discussed how to defeat the devils.


    Meanwhile, the three guardian angels were trying to figure out the extent of their own power to make the most of it. And one of the things that they did was learning how to fight.


    Fighting was not something new for Lilac, unlike the other two guardian angels.


    For Hope, she used to fight when she was little whenever there was someone making fun of her. Yet, the skill that they needed to fight right now was different. She couldn''t throw a punch and expect her opponent to bleed, nothing like those people that she fought before.


    As for Raine, she never engaged in a real fight ever, since she spent almost half of her life in dreadful situations and was not in good condition.


    Therefore, the two of them were trying to make Raine come out of her comfort zone and became bolder. They needed that in the upcoming war¡­


    However, Hope seemed to take things too far and was very excited that they had another activity besides roaming around the castle and searching for information about their power, which they were unlikely to find an answer to.


    "Raine, you need to punch him harder," Hope said exasperatedly when Raine punched a lycan warrior in front of her hesitantly. "You will be fine, right?" Hope looked at the lycan warrior, asking for his agreement.


    "I will be fine Luna," he said, smiling at his Luna. As a matter of fact, he didn''t know why he had to be a punching bag. It didn''t mean that he was complaining, since every punch that Raine delivered barely made him blink his eyes, but¡­ what actually were the three guardian angels trying to do?


    Raine frowned at Hope and then looked at Lilac, who was sitting on the grass, grinning at her. She seemed to be enjoying this situation too much.


    "Wait, why should I learn how to fight?" Raine complained. "It is not like the enemy we are facing will be weak enough to let me hit them, right?"


    Lilac giggled when she heard that. She knew that Hope was just bored to death and wanted to do something different, but seeing the way she taught Raine how to fight was, kind of, entertaining.


    "But, what if the devil comes closer to you? At the very least, you will be able to defend yourself, right?" Hope was still stubborn with her stance.


    Yet, Raine felt there was something wrong with her statement¡­


    Even though the devils came very close to Raine, they wouldn''t be exchanging fists to fight. Even if that was the case, it was very unlikely for her to win.


    Meanwhile, not far from this group of three guardian angels and one lycan warrior, who were huddled under a lush tree in the yard, were the Donovan brothers, walking in the corridor after their long meeting with the other Alphas.


    "What are they doing there?" Kace tilted his head when he noticed his mate talking to Raine very passionately.


    Torak and Jedrek stopped walking as well, as they saw their respective mates.


    "Your mate is teaching his mate how to fight," Jedrek said lightly, but his eyes stared intensely at Lilac, who was laughing. She looked radiant¡­


    Jedrek had never seen Lilac being this happy and carefree before and somehow, the sight brought a soft smile to his lips. He knew that they still needed time to make this relationship workout¡­


    "Can she fight?" Torak glanced at Kace, he doubted Hope''s fighting skills.


    "No," Kace said proudly.


    Whether Hope could fight or not, it didn''t matter. Because, it was fun enough to see the fire in her eyes when she told Raine that she made a wrong move, when she actually was clueless to begin with. Lilac then stood up and said something to the two, as she grew a few trees from the ground that slightly hid them from the three Donovan brothers'' sight.


    "Let them have their own time," Jedrek said as he walked ahead. "There are a few things that we need to discuss."


    Torak frowned, he couldn''t see Raine and what the other two guardian angels were doing, yet he knew there wouldn''t be anything serious happening to her since one of his lycan warriors was with them.


    However, before Torak and Kace could follow Jedrek, they caught sight of Hope running toward them.


    "Jedrek!" Hope shouted his name with urgency and made the king halt. "Lilac! She is hurt! You need to see her!"


    "What?" Jedrek furrowed his eyebrows, but didn''t wait for Hope to explain further because a second later, he started sprinting across the yard to find his mate.


    From behind the trees that Lilac grew, Raine walked out and her eyes caught sight of Torak. She smiled when she saw Torak run toward her.


    "Are you okay? What happened?" he asked worriedly.


    "I am fine," Raine replied, confused, but then she understood. "Oh, Lilac just got her finger scraped because Hope said Jedrek is staring at her."


    "But, it didn''t sound like that." Torak meant the way Hope informed Jedrek. It sounded like Lilac just cut her entire arm instead.


    Raine laughed. "She just exaggerated things."


    And not long after that, they could hear Jedrek and Lilac arguing behind the tree.


    Meanwhile, Hope was grinning at her mate while she was being scolded. "Their relationship is not as good as ours." Kace grumbled. "You know that you don''t need to shout across the yard as if there was a crazy lycan attacking you, right?"


    "Nah, it will not be fun that way." Hope waved her hands and pulled Kace''s hand to walk closer, so she could eavesdrop on their argumentation. "I love drama."


    On the other hand, Torak took Raine away from there, he didn''t want his mate to be with those people.

 Chapter 1112: Side story: you better apologize

    Hope and Kace went to get her pregnancy checked up for the first time and after that the doctor kindly gave advice and showed them what a normal birth looked like.


    "How is it possible for something so big to come out from there?" Hope whispered to Kace, who was also in the same dilemma as her.


    Kace was shocked and speechless when he watched the simulation video. "It just looks like something out of a sci- fi horror movie," Kace whispered back to Hope.


    "I think it will be a thriller since it includes some blood," Hope replied.


    Both of them only fell silent when the female doctor cleared her throat before explaining everything about pregnancy.


    Kace and Hope were very fascinated with every small detail that the doctor told them, since this was their first time experiencing it.


    The two of them looked adorable together, just like a young loving couple in their early twenties. No one would believe that Kace was over a few centuries while Hope was even older than that, if one counted the years where she went missing as well.


    Yet, it didn''t matter how old they were, as they would live long enough to love each other.


    Sometimes, Kace would tease Hope or it would be the other way around, or they would do stupid things together, just like when they went on a shopping spree for the baby, but brought the wrong card which had been expired, thus they couldn''t pay the bill.


    And because the shopping center that they went to was closer to Torak''s pack than to their own home, Kace called his second brother to come to his rescue.


    The urgency in Kace''s voice compelled Torak not to ask much and he immediately went to see him.


    Only when he arrived and knew what the problem was, he looked at the couple, annoyed. How could they be still so reckless when they were going to have a baby soon?


    Meanwhile, Kace and Hope could only give him innocent faces, talking sweetly to him and even asked him to have lunch with them, of course it was on Torak, since they didn''t have the money.


    "No, I will have lunch with Raine," Torak rejected Kace downright and threw the card to him. "Send it back to me when you are back at home," he said and walked away, but before that he added. "Including the money that I paid for your stuff."


    "Cheapskate," Kace murmured.


    "And I can hear you," Torak warned his brother.


    "I thought you were my brother," Kace shouted. "How can you be so calculative with me?"


    "Money is money, brother." Torak glanced at him through his shoulder and then continued walking away, didn''t even bothering to answer him again.


    "Let''s go eat something delicious." Hope also didn''t bother with the two squabbling and took the card as she walked in the opposite direction.


    And that day, Kace and Hope continued shopping again until the shopping center was closed, making Torak even more annoyed with the notifications that came into his phone multiple times whenever they used the card.


    "You can turn off the phone, you know," Raine giggled behind him, as she put her head against his back and smelled his refreshing scent.


    "He did this on purpose, knowing this will irritate me, how childish," Torak grumbled, before he put his focus solely on his mate. This was the best way to cool down.


    And the card, Kace only gave it back when they visited Torak when Raine gave birth to Aurora, which rendered the card useless because it was already expired by then.


    The interaction between the two of them would always be like that, since they were in sync when it came to fooling around.


    Or, there would be times like the one when Hope was eight months pregnant and Kace said he would make breakfast for her.


    "Be ready to fall for my charm," Kace said confidently, making Hope giggle when her expectations rose that this would be the best breakfast that she could ever get.


    However, five minutes later, not even a smile appeared on her lips when she saw two pieces of toasted bread on her plate.


    "''Be ready to fall for my charm'' you said?" Hope repeated what Kace said earlier, while staring at the poor toasted bread and a bottle of strawberry jam.


    "Do you want to eat pineapple jam as well?" Kace laughed upon seeing Hope''s expression. "I like to mix the two."


    There were also couple fights between them, which only happened on rare occasions, yet when Hope was on the verge of unleashing her wrath, Kace wouldn''t dare to say a single word, especially when he was the one in the wrong.


    One such rare squabble happened when the twins were six years old.


    Kace was upset because Hope didn''t come to Stanley''s housewarming party, even though they had been waiting for her until evening.


    Today Stanley moved to a new home and Kace had written it on the calendar board, where a note for every event or activities during this month for the entire family was stuck meticulously. This had become a habit for them, so no one would forget.


    But, Hope missed it and she didn''t pick up her phone either.


    "Today? No, you wrote that the housewarming party is next week," Hope was upset because Kace scolded her.


    Well, actually the lycan was anxious because she didn''t pick up the phone. As it turned out, Hope was in the kids'' room to put them to bed and her phone was in their bedroom.


    Even Stanley also came, just in case something happened to her.


    "No, I wrote that it was today!" Kace argued back. He insisted that he had written it right.


    Without saying much, Hope pulled Kace to the kitchen where that damned calendar board was hung and pointed her finger at the date.


    "Do you still want to argue with me?" she asked sarcastically.


    And it appeared that Kace indeed wrote it wrongly, yet he was too embarrassed to admit it, thus he murmured something that didn''t make any sense. "Somebody must have rewritten it wrongly¡­"


    Upon hearing that, Hope started to laugh and Stanley, who was standing next to Kace, whispered in his ear.


    "When a woman starts laughing during an argument, it means you just activated the psycho part in her brain, you better apologize, buddy."


    **************


    Also read my new stories:


    1. THE PROTECTOR: until my last breath.


    2. MY BLOODY ROMANCE FOR YOU.


    Hope you like it ^^

 Chapter 1113: Side story: dance with your baby

    "Jedrek where are you?!" Lilac shouted for the king, as she was frustrated. She had been looking for Jedrek and their baby for more than twenty minutes now, but in this castle like house, it was impossible for her to find them. "We don''t have time to play hide and seek! We will be late!"


    Lilac''s voice echoed through the walls, while the sun was shining through the glass windows lengthened the shadow of things that it went through and gave out a dreamy sight.


    "Where is Jedrek?" Furiously, Lilac asked the first servant that she met on her way to the back yard. Damn! This house was so big! She was tired already.


    "I don''t know my queen, the king has disappeared since an hour ago," she said warily, afraid of being on the receiving end of Lilac''s wrath.


    This was one of the things that she didn''t like. She had told them to not address her that way, but they simply wouldn''t listen to her. Actually, all of this was mostly Jedrek''s fault.


    "Lie," Lilac said coldly. There was no way they didn''t know Jedrek''s whereabouts. There were a lot of methods they could use to find him.


    They could sniff around for his scent or their baby''s, or even mind- link the king directly.


    The young servant was startled. She lowered her head, hiding the troubled look on her face. Apparently, she was not a good liar.


    "So, where is he?" Lilac moved closer to impose more pressure on her. She didn''t want to do this, but she had no other choice, or else they would be late.


    And one should know that receiving Jedrek''s wrath was much better than Lilac''s.


    ==============


    "No, Lilac, we don''t need to go," Jedrek insisted, he held baby Micah close to him, as if Lilac was an enemy, who would steal his dearest son.


    "Stop being a child Jedrek, everyone go there!" Lilac braced her hands on her waist. She was trying her best not to raise her voice because Micah was watching them closely, but it was a hard thing to do.


    "My son doesn''t need to go there," Jedrek was stubborn, he didn''t want to agree with her.


    "We have agreed on this," Lilac reminded him and took a step forward to take Micah from Jedrek when the baby smiled brightly and stretched out his stubby hands toward her. He got his father''s eyes and Lilac loved them.


    "No, I didn''t agree with you, it was just your assumption." Jedrek took a step back and hid Micah from Lilac. "No, son. Your mama is not in her right mind now. You are safer with me honey."


    Lilac rolled her eyes. She didn''t even remember, since when Jedrek started being such a melodramatic father like this.


    Oh, wait. Lilac knew it, this all started the first time Jedrek carried Micah in his arms and then refused to put him down no matter what. The baby mesmerized him to an alarming state.


    Jedrek often disappeared in the middle of the night and she would find him in the baby''s room, staring at the sleeping Micah because he was afraid something bad might happen to him since he was left all alone.


    Please¡­ the baby was just sleeping, not left alone¡­


    Lilac didn''t know that Jedrek had this cute side to him. It had indeed been fun to see him being like that at first, but when he decided to move the crib to their room and only left Micah''s side when he needed to be fed, it became annoying.


    Well, he was being annoying every moment of the day recently.


    "I don''t want to hear your excuses. I will wait for you in the car and if you don''t come with Micah within five minutes, I will never talk to you." After saying this, Lilac walked away.


    This was the only method that worked¡­


    ==============


    Since baby Micah was only eight months old, Lilac thought it would be a great idea to bring him to a toddler school. So that, he could interact with other babies and find activities outside of their home. Also to introduce him to the outside world.


    However, neither Jedrek nor Micah enjoyed this arrangement, both of them had the same stoic expression and Lilac couldn''t stop herself and took a picture of them.


    "I told you that our baby is too smart for this." Jedrek flicked a wooden block in front of him, as it fell down.


    "No, it is you, who gave a negative vibe," Lilac scolded Jedrek and put Micah on her lap, while the other parents around them talked to their baby and played with wooden blocks, or any plaything around them.


    "Lilac, this place is ridiculous, Micah hasn''t even smiled once since we entered this place," Jedrek pointed out.


    "It is because he is surprised with his new surroundings, once he gets used to this, he will be more active," Lilac replied, trying to make Micah put a wooden block atop of the others, but the baby threw it away with a bored expression.


    "I told you, he doesn''t like being here." Jedrek smirked and took Micah into his lap again. "He likes to play with me."


    If Jedrek thought playing with those toys was bad, then he had not yet seen the worse and it happened when the instructor or the teacher asked them all to stand up and she started to wiggle her hips from left to right energetically.


    Both Jedrek and Micah looked bored, and Lilac couldn''t believe an eight months old baby could manage to pull such an expression.


    "Okay, dance with your baby!" The teacher shouted happily and all the parents stood up, carrying their child as they shook their body mimicking the teacher''s actions.


    "Ridiculous," Jedrek grumbled. "You will not ask me to do that stupid move, will you?"


    "Come on Jedrek, this is fun!" Lilac stood up and tried to make the bad king stand up too while urging him to step to this weird dance number.


    "I will not do this Lilac!" That was what he said, but five minutes later the king should admit that he had no power against his queen.


    During this session, both Jedrek and Micah had grumpy faces. Like father, like son.


    **************


    Also read my new stories:


    1. THE PROTECTOR: until my last breath.


    2. MY BLOODY ROMANCE FOR YOU.


    Meet me on Instagram: Jikan_Yo_Tomare


    I hope you enjoy it. ((^o^))

 Chapter 1114: In another life (1)

    If there was a different life, another life that would allow you to get what you couldn''t have before, would you give it a try?


    Even if there was a big price to pay for it, was it okay?


    If you loved someone in your previous life and you couldn''t be with them, and then you both ended up separated by time and space, was it okay to take a second chance in another life in hopes of getting together with them again?


    Was the hope of being together without having to think about the consequences that would follow, a mistake too?


    There were many complicated depictions of love and several more other things to consider, but this love of hers was not wrong, was it? When she has sacrificed everything and finally has to give up everything she could have for something more righteous, didn''t that kind of love play a big role too?


    She deserved happiness as well, right?


    The girl woke up with a stabbing pain in her chest and a tear welling up in the corner of her lime green eyes.


    Even when she opened her eyes, the soft sobs from her lips could still be heard. It took her a while longer to gather her memories and realize that it was all a dream.


    The dream that often repeated and made the morning of the girl with fiery red hair even gloomier.


    This room was filled with various fiction books that could make you imagine things that were impossible in the real world, adorning every corner of the room.


    "Why is it like this again¡­" a whimper escaped the girl''s lips, like a soft whisper in the silence of the morning.


    Even the sun was just shining, peeking over the horizon.


    "A dream?" she said, more to herself. A question that still puzzled her, because she didn''t know what to make out of it.


    Each time she woke up with soft sobs and tears running down her cheeks and her pillow, she couldn''t remember what she had just dreamed of.


    However, the feeling of hopelessness and sadness were real. It was that feeling of grief that reminded her that she just had a dream that seemed so real but had simply been forgotten.


    Even when her eyes were wide open and she went about her routine in the morning, those feelings dominated her heart, seemingly, keeping her from remembering the forgotten dream.


    Does that make any sense? It just sounds crazy...


    The girl was silent in her bed for a while longer. Like the previous days, she tried to remember what the dream was about, but just like the previous days, she failed to remember it again.


    All she knew was that her chest hurt like someone had stabbed her right in the heart.


    But, on top of that pain was another foreign pain that was far more painful. She couldn''t tell what it was¡­


    "Serefina! How long do you want to sleep? You will be late," her mother''s voice and a knock on the bedroom door made Serefina gasp, she then wiped the last tear that had flowed from the corner of her eye and patted her cheeks to dispel the gloomy feeling that overcame her.


    "I am awake!" Serefina replied.


    "Then come down and have breakfast," her mother said before finally leaving her room to continue making breakfast.


    Serefina sighed and got off her bed and opened the curtain that covered the bedroom window, letting in the warm morning sunlight.


    "What a dream huh..." she mumbled.


    ================


    Changing schools in the last year of school was extremely rare, but that was the topic of conversation this morning.


    The girls started gossiping about the new male student who was about to enter their class and of course all they discussed was how handsome he was, while Serefina wasn''t at all interested in the topic until she saw the said handsome student herself.


    When the bell rang and class was about to start, their teacher introduced him. His name was Jedrek Donovan, the son of this country''s prominent figure and this fact only adds to his appeal.


    No eye looked at him without admiration, including Serefina, although she tried to appear disinterested.


    The atmosphere in the class became even more chaotic when the young man was asked to sit beside Serefina, because that was the only empty table left.


    Only, Serefina''s admiration ended there as the man opened his mouth and said something arrogantly.


    "This seat doesn''t suit me," he grumbled as he placed his expensive bag on the table, looking indifferent to his surroundings.


    What?


    Serefina''s lime green eyes narrowed as she turned her head and glared at the youth beside her.


    "If you have enough money, why don''t you buy your own table?" Serefina said fiercely. This guy sucks.


    Jedrek who heard that, looked back at the beautiful-eyed girl and smiled sweetly, but of course Serefina could sense that he was mocking her.


    "You have beautiful eyes," he said in a tone so low that only the two of them could hear. "I guess I am fine sitting here with you."


    Hearing that answer, Serefina rolled her eyes and tossed her hair. "It''s good that you think so, but I just wanted to say that if you are quite happy sitting in a chair like this, then you''d be even happier sitting in an expensive chair you bought yourself."


    Jedrek laughed softly and for some reason his laughter and smile made Serefina''s heart tremble. There''s something wrong with her. Serefina knew that. Ever since she started having those dreams, something had indeed gone wrong with her.


    How could Serefina be happy to see that smile and be tempted to laugh with him too?


    Of course with her stubborn nature she wouldn''t do that, so instead of smiling along with Jedrek, Serefina looked at him fiercely.


    "You know? Money can''t buy happiness and I am happy to have a friend like you," he said lightly.


    "Money can''t buy happiness?" Serefina repeated. "Then give me all your money and I will show you how happy I am."


    And again that mesmerizing smile tugged at Jedrek''s lips, making Serefina turn her face toward the window.


    "And again, we are not friends," she added.


    However, from the reflection in the glass, Serefina could see Jedrek''s smile and his blue eyes staring at her as well.

 Chapter 1115: In another life (2)

    "Are you sure this outfit is alright?" Calleb looked at his reflection in the mirror and asked for Raine''s opinion again. He couldn''t hide his nervousness.


    Raine sighed in exasperation at Calleb''s question for the hundredth time. How many more times did she have to say that there was nothing wrong with the clothes, or his hairdo, or with the bouquet of flowers he was carrying?


    "You''re so annoying," Bree said. The little girl sat on the sofa watching Raine, who seemed to be on the verge of losing her temper while answering Calleb''s never ending questions.


    "Thank you Bree, you said what I wanted to say the most," Raine said softly to Bree before casting an irritated look at the Beta. She then sat down beside the little girl.


    "I know you are on the verge of losing your temper with him." Bree held out the box of chocolates she was holding and Raine took one out of it.


    "You two suck," Calleb grumbled, pouting.


    That night, Calleb wanted to take Rossie out for dinner. He would pick her up at her house, of course after meeting her parents as well as her two twin brothers who looked just as scary when Torak was angry. Well, maybe Calleb was exaggerating a little, but what he wanted to say was; asking his mate out on a date was not easy.


    "Didn''t you say you wanted your partner to be a home girl who was closely guarded by her family?" Raine reminded Calleb of his own words from years ago. "Congratulations! Looks like Selene had heard what you said and granted it."


    "No, this is too much. I feel like I am about to go to war every time I step foot in her house," Calleb said in a pitiful tone, ruffling his hair again in frustration.


    "But you still go to visit her," said Bree, munching on her chocolate.


    "Of course, I miss her," Calleb sighed.


    Bree stuck her tongue out. The little girl still didn''t understand what Calleb was feeling right now.


    "Can''t Torak give the order for Rossie to stay here?"


    "You want to force her to stay with you?" Raine raised an eyebrow, criticizing Calleb.


    "Raine," Calleb grumbled. "You make it sound really bad! You know that''s not what I meant," the Beta grumbled, annoyed.


    Raine and Bree laughed again, it was fun to tease Calleb and this became their new hobby every time Calleb went to Rossie''s house.


    "Everything has been prepared, isn''t it?" Raine asked as she gathered Bree''s hair before tying it into a ponytail. This girl sometimes did not pay attention to herself and often acted casually, although at times she was very reliable, after all she was a dragon shifter. "Then go, don''t keep her waiting. This is not your first time visiting her house."


    ================


    "Remember! I want her to be home before it hits Twelve." Sterling warned Calleb again and again.


    Meanwhile Calleb could only say yes, because there was nothing he could do under the fierce gazes of Rossie''s twin brothers and her father, while his partner still hadn''t come out of the room.


    At this rate, Calleb felt that it would be better to fight ten lycan warriors at once¡­


    "And don''t kiss my sister on the lips," Ian added. He folded his arms in front of his chest, showing that he has more dominance over the Beta.


    Whoops! This little boy! Calleb grumbled.


    If only Ian wasn''t Rossie''s older brother, then he would be happy to show what it meant to be dominated.


    However, all the negative feelings that Calleb felt vanished when Rossie walked out of her room, looking very elegant, beautiful and sweet in a white dress and a matching bandana.


    She wore a knee-length dress and also a pastel yellow outer.


    Seeing his mate, Calleb really had to find another word for ''beautiful'', because ''beautiful'' alone could not describe Rossie in his eyes.


    Well, maybe Calleb was being unfair, since Rossie was his mate, but he would beat anyone who dared say otherwise.


    However, his vision suddenly darkened when Ethan covered his eyes with his palm. "Don''t look at my sister like you''re going to eat her at once."


    "Can''t I eat her?" Calleb commented. The words just slipped out of his mouth without thinking and instantly the room was filled with a low growl that sounded dangerous.


    Ugh! This was the original definition of; entering a wolf den...


    "I was just kidding, I was just kidding," Calleb corrected himself. He didn''t want them to change their minds and forbid Rossie to go out with him.


    Hell! Calleb wouldn''t be going anywhere even if they kicked him out now without taking Rossie to the restaurant he had booked.


    "How?" Sophia gently pushed her daughter forward, while Rossie smiled sweetly at Calleb. She walked closer to her mate.


    Maybe at the start of their relationship, she seemed shy around Calleb, but the mate bond between them helped things get better.


    Rossie felt comfortable with this man and she would find herself smiling so widely or feeling so excited every time she thought about him.


    It sounds stupid and a little cheesy, but that''s how she felt.


    "How do I look?" Rossie asked, and twirled in front of Calleb, ignoring the grumblings of the three men behind her.


    "You are so beautiful," Calleb said sheepishly, he touched the back of his neck, his habit whenever he felt shy.


    "Of course my daughter is beautiful," Sterling chimed in, but Rossie glared at him.


    "Shut up dad," Rossie grumbled. She then looked back at Calleb. "You are not so bad yourself." She then tiptoed and kissed Calleb on the lips without hesitation.


    For a moment, Calleb was silent. He was beyond surprised as he didn''t expect Rossie to be so brave. His chest felt like it was going to explode with joy, especially when Rossie did it right in front of her family members, but the fierce gazes of the three pairs of eyes in the room reminded him of the critical situation he had to face after that brief kiss.


    Calleb immediately raised his hands and hurriedly said. "Not me. I didn''t kiss her. She kissed me first!"

 Chapter 1116: In another life (3)

    The moon seemed to be shining brightly above the dark night sky that was studded with starlight and white clouds, drifting in the cold night wind.


    Lana admired the scene while standing on the balcony of her room, stroking her growing belly with a soft smile on her lips.


    It was nice and refreshing to be able to feel the cold air against her skin and this was their last night at the inn.


    Torak gave the Beta a week off to spend more time with his pregnant wife, because the Alpha knew very well how sometimes a pregnant woman was difficult to handle while Raphael spent too much time by Torak''s side, dealing with never ending problems.


    And when Calleb protested that he had to do everything alone, Raphael simply said that he had to get Rossie pregnant first if he wanted to have the privileges he got.


    Of course Calleb immediately withdrew from the challenge. He gave up unconditionally and no longer grumbled that Raphael had gone on a vacation with Lana.


    ''With the progress I have now, I think I will have to wait another hundred years until I get to the point where I can go that far with Rossie,'' Calleb said at that time with a pathetic expression.


    Meanwhile, Raphael and Jack could only laugh at his not- so -smooth love journey.


    ''I feel like my mate is not only Rossie, but I am also paired with her father, mother and also her two twin brothers,'' Calleb complained again.


    All those memories brought a smile to Raphael''s lips.


    "What are you laughing at?" Lana asked while hugging Raphael''s arm, now they were both standing on the balcony, staring at the reflection of the moonlight on the surface of the lake.


    "Nothing." Raphael shook his head. "Just a few funny things."


    Lana then tiptoed and kissed Raphael''s cheek. "I love seeing you smile like this," she said softly, like the wind whispering into Raphael''s ear. "I haven''t seen you smile lately."


    Yes, because of the piled up work, it stressed Raphael a little too much with all the things he had to deal with.


    "I am sorry," he whispered softly into Lana''s ear, pulling her close and hugging her from behind.


    Raphael carefully placed his hand on Lana''s growing belly and rested his chin on her shoulder, breathing in her scent that could calm the beast inside him.


    Because Raphael was rarely at home, the beast inside him was irritated as it demanded him to be close to his mate and also their unborn child.


    Perhaps, it was also for this reason that Torak gave Raphael time off so that he could reorganize his thoughts and compromise with the beast within him.


    Raphael needed to be near Lana and Torak could feel his beast was on edge. After all he was an Alpha, the beast inside him could feel his beta''s.


    "You don''t need to apologize," Lana said softly. She knew what Raphael meant and she didn''t blame her mate for it at all.


    Maybe this was because of the experiences that Lana had gone through with Raphael. Since from the beginning they were together, the situations they had to face were quite harsh, thus shaping Lana''s personality to be more mature and understanding.


    "I still feel like I should apologize to you," Raphael denied Lana''s words and hugged her tightly, certainly not tight enough to hurt their future child.


    Lana chuckled when she heard Raphael''s sincerity, seemingly, he was regretting how he had not paid enough attention to her while she was carrying their first born.


    "You give me peace of mind that I have never felt before and I think that''s enough reason for me to forgive you," Lana said as she leaned her body against Raphael''s chest and gently stroked his arm. "If there was no mate bond between us, would this relationship still feel like this?" Lana mumbled softly. "Will you love me?"


    "What about you? Will you love me?" Raphael turned Lana''s question to her which made both of them laugh. "A mate bond is a sacred thing and a gift to our kind, but I think even without it, if you really love someone then you will continue to love them."


    Yes, like what happened with the Donovans, they lost the mate bond, but that didn''t mean it was a problem, it just made the love between them feel more pure.


    "I wish we could live forever like this, together with Edgar," Lana said affectionately while rubbing her belly. "Become a small family that is inseparable and live happily. That''s my only wish."


    Raphael smiled, his expression softening when he heard Lana''s wish. The same hope he had. "I wish we could live forever with our children and watch them grow up and guide them to be better people in this more peaceful world."


    ==============


    On a dewy morning with fog still covering the foot of the mountain, the air was cold and the ground was wet from last night''s rain; came from one of the houses, a strong cry of a newborn baby.


    The cry was so strong, breaking the silence of the morning with joy and happy laughter.


    It was the cry of Baby Edgar, Raphael and Lana''s first born.


    Lana had been struggling since last night to bring Edgar into the world, but it wasn''t until morning that Edgar could really breathe fresh air and announced his existence to the world.


    Raphael couldn''t hold back his tears when he saw his first son for the first time.


    Baby Edgar was so small and tiny, so fragile yet he could hold his heart in his baby fists.


    He was crying, but as soon as Raphael hugged him, his cries died down, as he started mumbling incoherently.


    It was a magnificent sight for Raphael as well as the first time for him to hold a baby.


    "Hi champ, I''m your father..." Raphael said while holding Edgar''s small hand. He would hold his son''s hand and guide him well throughout his life.


    Raphael then turned his attention to Lana before laying their baby by her side. He bent down and kissed Lana''s forehead gently.


    "Thank you Lana, you two complete my life," he said. "I''ll take care of you two forever."

 Chapter 1117: In another life (4)

    Raphael returned home in a hurry after he heard Edgar was sick through a phone call from Lana a while ago, who said that she had just returned from the healer''s place.


    Of course, as new parents with an eight- month- old baby, this left them both panicking.


    Luckily, although Raphael and Lana decided not to live in the pack house, their house was not too far from the pack house.


    "How is he now?" That was the first question Raphael asked as soon as he opened the main door of the house and stepped inside.


    The Beta saw Lana nursing Edgar in the living room.


    Lana lifted her finger to her lips, asking Raphael not to make any noise. "Edgar is fine now, but he had been crying since this morning and it was really hard to calm him down," Lana said quietly. The woman looked tired and although Edgar seemed fine now, it couldn''t take away the worried look from his mate''s eyes.


    "What did the healer say earlier?" asked Raphael, this time in a much lower tone. He then sat next to Lana carefully, watching how Edgar was gripping the shirt Lana was wearing while his eyes were tightly closed. He seemed to have fallen asleep, but Lana was still afraid to lay him on the bed.


    "He said Edgar was fine and not to worry," Lana said quietly, her eyes still on her son. "Although it''s rare, it''s still natural for shifter babies to get sick in the early years, because their immunity power isn''t fully developed yet," Lana explained to Raphael about what the Healer had told her.


    At first, Lana didn''t want to worry Raphael by talking about this while he was at work, especially when Raphael had to leave his job, but when her mate called and asked how their child was, of course she couldn''t lie.


    "Have you had lunch?" Raphael glanced at the clock, it was almost noon and well past lunch time. Lana shook her head in answer.


    "I can''t put him on the bed, I''ve tried a few times, but as soon as I put him down, he''d start crying again," Lana said.


    She was hungry, especially since Edgar was constantly suckling, but it was very difficult to eat while carrying him.


    Raphael frowned, he didn''t know that being a mother was so difficult. Even though he was so busy with work, at least he would have enough time to eat and could rest when he got home, but it was different for Lana...


    And even though Raphael always cooperated well, there were things he couldn''t do.


    "Come here, let me carry Edgar." Raphael stretched out his hands. "You eat first."


    Lana looked doubtful for a moment.


    "You have to take care of your health too, it''s okay¡­ I will carry him carefully," Raphael coaxed her.


    Then slowly, Lana moved Edgar who was still in a feeding position and moved the baby into Raphael''s arms.


    Edgar seemed almost awake for a moment, but after Lana patted him, he closed his eyes again.


    "Okay, I will be right back," Lana said in a whisper, she caressed Edgar''s cheek and gazed affectionately at her son and husband.


    "I will be right here, take your time," replied Raphael. "Get some rest, you look really tired."


    Lana smiled widely and kissed Raphael''s forehead instead of thanking him. She was lucky to have a mate like this man.


    But, even before Lana could take a third step, Edgar let out a mumbling sound and started to squirm, there was a faint crease between his eyebrows, before he finally burst into tears.


    Maybe because he felt the changes around him, since it was Raphael who was holding him. But, it turned out to be crucial as it made the baby feel uncomfortable.


    It''s a hard thing to explain, but Edgar would sleep longer when Lana carried him, and no matter how carefully Raphael held him, the baby could still detect the difference.


    This was also one of the things Raphael couldn''t help with, even though he really wanted to.


    "Come, give him to me," Lana said softly as she sat back down in her original place. She held out her hands to ask for Edgar.


    "But¡­" Raphael hesitated. Lana looked tired and hungry, but he couldn''t stop Edgar from crying either. The baby wanted his mother and sometimes this made Raphael feel jealous.


    "It''s okay." Lana then took over Edgar from Raphael. "Edgar was in my womb for a few months, so naturally he''s more familiar with me." Lana knew what Raphael was thinking and said this to make him feel better.


    "Yes, I understand," Raphael said slowly, then he stood up and walked away.


    Meanwhile, Lana could only stare at Raphael''s back, which looked down, it seemed that her partner was very disappointed that Edgar couldn''t feel comfortable around him.


    Apparently, after calming Edgar down, Lana had to calm Raphael down too.


    However, a few moments later, after Edgar was successfully put back to sleep, Raphael returned with a tray full of food, a gentle smile etched on his lips.


    "If I can''t calm Edgar down, I can at least keep you from starving," Raphael said with a grin.


    Oh¡­


    Lana laughed softly and felt that her life was perfect.


    ================


    By nightfall, Edgar''s condition had improved and he was now playing with Raphael in the living room watching a cartoon on television, while Lana was cutting fruits for the two of them.


    Edgar''s fever had now subsided and he looked more cheerful.


    "Ma..." Edgar said as he raised his hand when he saw Lana come back with a plate of apple slices.


    "Humph, he really is his mother''s son, he can''t even focus when you''re not here," Raphael grumbled, but of course he wasn''t serious about his words, especially when Edgar kissed his cheek as soon as Lana hugged him.


    After that Lana put Edgar back on the carpet and let her son engrossed in his toys.


    "I love you," Raphael whispered into Lana''s ear, which made her blush.


    Raphael then reached out his hand, touched Lana''s cheek and pulled her closer, he was about to kiss the most perfect woman in his life when Lana turned her face away in surprise, just before their lips touched.


    "What hap¡­" Raphael immediately turned his attention to see what Lana was looking at.


    And the sight made both of them gasp.


    "Edgar is walking!"

 Chapter 1118: In another life (5)

    Ethan was studying hard for the university entrance exam he was interested in, as he wanted to be a programmer which was quite surprising for both their parents, because no one had chosen that major before.


    Nonetheless, his family supported him.


    While Ian, on the other hand, did not have such enthusiasm to continue his studies to a higher level and simply gave up, instead of having to face difficulties which he thought were not worth it at all.


    However, Ian started getting increasingly bored because Ethan was constantly languishing in his room and kept struggling with his books.


    "You have to get out of your room every now and then," Ian groaned desperately, seeing Ethan immersed in the thick books in front of his face.


    "Shut up," Ethan grumbled. "Get out of my room," he said irritably.


    "You should get out of this room." Ian then got out of bed and grabbed the thick book Ethan was reading, and before his twin could protest, he added, "You know, resting is also necessary for you, if you push yourself too hard, then there will not be any information you can remember from reading this."


    "No! Get out of my room," Ethan shouted, struggling against Ian who was trying to drag him out of the room.


    And for a moment, a fight broke out between the twins until their mother shouted from downstairs for the two of them to stop and not make a fuss.


    Well, in an instant they became quiet. Neither of them wanted to see the fury of a female werewolf.


    ================


    Ian finally managed to drag Ethan out of his ''study cave'' and took his twin brother to one of their friends'' house, who said his female cousin was visiting from another pack under Alpha Torak''s territory.


    Furious and unable to resist Ian''s desire to separate him from the textbooks, Ethan followed his twin brother to Billy''s house.


    Ethan still wasn''t done with his grunts, especially when he got a feeling that something was off about him by the moment they approached the house. There was something that made the beast inside him feel restless. Pacing around impatiently.


    It''s just that Ethan didn''t understand what''s really going on.


    "Billy said his cousin is very beautiful, at least we can''t miss this," Ian looked very enthusiastic to see Billy''s beautiful cousin.


    But, Ethan wasn''t interested at all, he seemed to be breathing heavily, because of the discomfort that made his chest feel a little tight.


    Then, the first thing Ethan noticed was the scent, a calming scent that could make the beast inside him suddenly turn very enthusiastic and stop being agitated.


    However, the sudden emotions were too confusing for Ethan, so he couldn''t grasp what was really going on quickly and made him feel lost for a moment.


    "Hey, are you all right?" Ian tugged at Ethan''s shoulder, as his twin kept shaking his head strangely. "What happened? Do you have a headache?"


    It''s rare for shifters to get sick, but it''s not impossible, thus if they did, then the odd situation should be taken seriously.


    However, what Ethan felt right now, wasn''t some kind of pain, even though his heart was beating really fast and his head felt like it was spinning.


    Because now he knew what was the source of these weird and foreign emotions.


    The cause was a girl, who was standing right at the top of the stairs, with a slightly lowered head, looking at him intently.


    Their gazes met and then, everything started to make sense, as the shifter''s most sacred word left the lips of the two.


    "Mate..."


    Ethan and the girl whispered almost at the same time and gasped at the sudden realization.


    The cute girl with black curly hair that reached to her waist, covered her mouth with a stunned look directed at the man at the bottom of the stairs.


    Meanwhile, Ian who heard and witnessed all this fell silent instantly. He was pleasantly ''shocked.'' Ethan has a mate now? Was that true?


    But, seeing how the two looked at each other, made Ian believe what was going on was true.


    "Hey, can you two stop staring at each other like that? How about giving each other a hug? Or a kiss?" Ian said in a low voice, hoping to burst the bubble of surprise between the two who had just met.


    However, the goodwill to remind them, became a boomerang on Ian, and he got the most cynical stare he had ever gotten from Ethan.


    Sob sob... his brother even became very mean to him right after getting a mate...


    ================


    It had been two months since Ethan met Ella, who was Billy''s cousin and his mate. It was an extraordinary coincidence and Ian should have gotten a medal for bringing them together by forcing Ethan out of his hermitage cave behind a pile of books.


    Ian should have gotten a reward for what he had done, but Ethan was actually super busy with his studies and Ella even more, so he didn''t have time for Ian.


    Like this afternoon, Ella came to visit their house with a homemade sponge cake, of course the girl was warmly welcomed by all family members, and after that she immediately went to meet Ethan in his room.


    Ian could only complain and grunt because he hadn''t found a life partner of his own and was starting to look uninspired, and cursed more often, which made Rossie feel annoyed. She directly threw him out of her room because Ian kept complaining.


    "If you have so much time, why don''t you just help me?" Rossie grumbled. "Get my scissors in Ethan''s room, he borrowed them yesterday and they haven''t been returned."


    Inevitably, Ian complied with his dear sister''s orders and walked languidly to Ethan''s room.


    It was Ian''s habit to go straight into his twin''s room and open it without knocking on the door first.


    But, this time he finally learnt that he had to change this habit.


    As soon as Ian saw what was going on in there, he automatically closed the door, followed by an angry growl from Ethan; "GET OUT!"


    "I¡­ I was looking for scissors!" Ian stammered.


    And to be sure, what Ian saw was not what he was looking for¡­

 Chapter 1119: In another life (6)

    "Can you stop staring at him?" Dageus asked Serefina resentfully. His voice sounded very unpleasant to hear. "He is an asshole," he grumbled.


    Hearing how Dageus was badmouthing Jedrek, Serefina glared at him hostilely.


    "What? Did I say something wrong?" he asked irritably.


    "If you are not my childhood friend, then I am sure I will beat you to nothing," Serefina grumbled, no less annoyed.


    "If you were not my childhood friend, do you think I would want to waste my precious time and breath telling you that you are so stupid to think of him?" asked Dageus irritably. He then smacked Serefina''s head, hard enough to make the woman groan in pain.


    "What are you doing? Looking for death huh?! It hurts, you know!" Serefina rubbed her head.


    "Oh, sorry, I thought your head had turned to stone for not listening to other people''s words anymore," Dageus said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders indifferently. "After all, I didn''t hit you that hard, so don''t overreact."


    "You hit me really hard, so don''t think you didn''t hurt me," Serefina didn''t want to concede.


    "Of course it''s not that harsh, there is no way I mean to hurt you."


    "Of course it hurts." Serefina glared at Dageus and her green eyes looked so lively.


    Dageus liked the spark in Serefina''s eyes, especially when this girl thought she could beat him at everything, especially in an argument. Even though in the end Dageus would relent, at least he could see the spark in her beautiful green eyes and that was enough for him.


    "YOU TWO OVER THERE! THIS IS A LIBRARY, NOT A FIELD, IF YOU WANT TO FIGHT, GET OUT NOW!" cried the librarian, Mrs. Andrew.


    Dageus and Serefina were well known throughout the campus, where they were often seen together.


    Even though they were separated during high school because Dageus couldn''t enter the same school as Serefina due to insufficient grades, they met again in university.


    But, it''s not only Dageus, even Jedrek and his fianc¨¦ were in the same campus, yet they were both in a different department from theirs.


    "Get out you two!" grumbled Mrs. Andrew, when she saw Dageus pulling Serefina''s hand to get out of the library.


    ***


    "You got us kicked out of the library." Serefina tossed her hair that she had just dyed red and glared at a female student who was glaring at her because she was walking side by side with Dageus.


    Yes, this man was handsome, Serefina had to admit that this man was very popular among the girls.


    However, of course Serefina wouldn''t say that to Dageus directly, this man''s head would only grow bigger.


    "Well then, I will be going. Bye," Dageus said lightly and walked away, not giving much thought to the fact that he had just been kicked out of the library.


    Well, it wasn''t the first time for either of them, so there was nothing to fuss about.


    After Dageus left, Serefina intended to return to her classroom, but the female student who had been looking at her with a disapproving gaze earlier came up to her and blocked her way.


    Serefina really didn''t like this kind of stuff. Especially when the latter and her two friends surrounded her.


    "Get out of my way," Serefina said coldly.


    They didn''t know each other, but that didn''t mean the three didn''t know Serefina.


    "You better stay away from Dageus, seeing you two is really annoying," said Nessie. This girl looked very fierce when she spoke, especially since she had two other friends backing her up.


    "Oh, I thought so too," Serefina imitated Nessie''s gestures and speech. "It''s so annoying when he''s around me."


    It was the same as saying that it was Dageus who had always clung to her and not the other way around.


    "Don''t twist my words!" Nessie became very angry because she felt ridiculed. However, her two friends couldn''t help her because when they saw Serefina''s smile fade and the girl''s expression turned serious, she gave a very scary vibe.


    Her green eyes seemed to say that they better not touch her, or something bad would happen.


    "Why? You like Dageus?" Serefina asked, without taking her piercing eyes away from Nessie, if Dageus had been around, it was certain that the man would have been mesmerized by how ''lively'' the look in his little friend''s eyes was.


    "You¡­ if so, what can you do about it?" Nessie stuttered, she was afraid to look Serefina straight into her eyes, so she looked at Serefina''s forehead. "I don''t like you being around Dageus."


    Serefina snorted, then she grinned. "If you like him, just make a move on him. I didn''t expect it, your taste is so bad."


    After saying that, Serefina pushed Nessie so hard that she fell to the ground, but the former didn''t care at all as she sauntered away, leaving screams behind her, cursing her with harsh words.


    Serefina had no time and didn''t want to waste her energy on something unimportant.


    ================


    "What did you say? Bad taste?" Dageus narrowed his eyes at the girl in front of him who was yawning.


    "She pissed me off," Serefina said, while resting her head on her hands on the table. "If she likes you, she should come to you, not to me."


    "But, that ''bad taste'' is too¡­" Dageus growled in annoyance, how could Serefina say that so casually?!


    "Don''t hit me again, I''m sleepy, I don''t want to be kicked out of here. I want to sleep."


    Dageus and Serefina met in the library to discuss their assignments, but because last night she had lacked sleep, she came to the library early to take a nap.


    But, who would have thought that Dageus had arrived earlier and was working on their assignments?


    "You should come here to finish this, not sleep," Dageus rebuked.


    "We promised eleven, while it''s only ten-thirty, so I still have thirty minutes to sleep," Serefina muttered with her eyes closed.


    Seeing Serefina who seemed unable to hold back her sleep, Dageus finally fell silent and let her sleep.


    It wasn''t until eleven o''clock that he intended to wake the girl, but after several times of calling her name, Serefina didn''t show any signs of waking up.


    The midday sun shone on Serefina''s face and made her frown, thus what Dageus did was; stacking the books right in front of her face to block out the sun and allow her to sleep a little longer.

 Chapter 1120: In another life (7)

    The light of the afternoon sun fell on Raphael''s, who was fast asleep. He had just slept this morning, because there were some creatures, who boldly broke through the border and made a fuss, so he and Calleb had to take care of the matter, therefore, it was only this morning that he was able to go home after solving this ridiculous problem.


    But, as a father of a four- year- old son, a curious and impatient little boy, of course, noon was not the time to rest.


    "Mom, why is dad still sleeping?" Edgar asked, jumping up and down in the kitchen, where Lana was preparing lunch for them. "I want to play with daddy," the little boy whined to his mother. He was displeased that Raphael spent most of his time outside, but once he was at home, he was sleeping.


    Lana smiled and crouched down in front of her son. She kissed his rosy cheeks. "Daddy is very tired because he just got home from work this morning, so let him sleep for a bit, okay? How about playing with mom?" asked Lana, offering a solution.


    But, Edgar wrinkled his nose, he pouted. "Edgar wants to play with dad. Edgar has been playing with mom every day."


    The corner of Lana''s lips twitched when she heard that. Did his son mean that he was tired of playing with her?


    "Let dad sleep for a bit, okay?" Lana said, she understood that Edgar missed Raphael, but she also understood that Raphael''s position as a Beta sometimes required him to spend more time outside the house.


    "Until when?" Edgar lowered his head and stomped his feet in annoyance. Lana didn''t know where he got this traits from. "I have been waiting a very long time to be able to play with dad. It''s sooooooo long." He confirmed his sentence with a cute hand gesture.


    "How about later after lunch you wake daddy up to play with you? Maybe by that time father was already awake?" Lana remembered that Raphael told her not to wake him for lunch, because he wanted to rest, her mate seemed really tired.


    But, she couldn''t ignore her son too.


    Huft, it turned out that being a mother was not an easy job...


    ================


    Edgar couldn''t wait until lunch, so he went into Raphael and Lana''s room and found his father sleeping on the bed, sprawled, on his stomach. There was a soft snoring from his slightly parted lips.


    Edgar carefully climbed onto the bed and sat on Raphael''s back.


    At that time, Edgar looked happy to see Raphael open his eyes because his instincts that noticed someone nearby, made him alert.


    However, when he saw his son smiling at him happily, Raphael''s wariness dropped drastically and he fell back asleep in no time.


    This annoyed Edgar. He tugged at Raphael''s ear. "Daddy, wake up!" he said in a childish cry, jumping up and down on Raphael''s body. "Get up. Come play with me."


    "Hm," Raphael muttered incoherently with his eyes still closed.


    Because Edgar''s body was small and meant nothing to him, so when the little boy jumped on his back, he was not bothered, precisely because of Edgar''s distinctive scent, it made Raphael feel even more comfortable, he really felt like he was at home and fell into a deep sleep.


    Meanwhile, the four-year-old boy who didn''t get the attention, was getting more and more annoyed. He tugged at Raphael''s hair while biting his ear. "Father wake up! Get up!"


    He bit Raphael''s hand with his tiny teeth, his cheek as well as his neck, but still didn''t get the response he wanted.


    Thus, his green eyes began to water. Edgar didn''t understand why his father ignored him, he felt neglected.


    It was only when Raphael heard his son''s sobs that he woke up from his sleep and saw Edgar who was already crying, tears running down his small face and this took the Beta by surprise.


    "What is it? Why?" he asked frantically, turning carefully so that Edgar wouldn''t fall, for his son was still sitting on his back. "Are you hurt?" Instinctively, Raphael looked for the scars on Edgar''s small body, but found nothing there. "Why are you crying?"


    "I''m hurt," Edgar sobbed he then rubbed his face roughly.


    "Hurt?" Raphael was surprised. He then sat Edgar down in front of him and began to look more closely at where his son had been injured.


    Was it possible that while he was sleeping earlier, he had accidentally dropped Edgar on the floor? But Edgar had been on his back. Or maybe he hit or scratched him by accident? However, Raphael swore that he didn''t move at all, the beast inside him couldn''t possibly take over his consciousness and perceive Edgar as a threat.


    "Did you fall?" asked Raphael in a bit of a panic, because he couldn''t find the wound. Edgar shook his head. "Did dad hit you earlier?" Again Edgar shook his head. "Then where you hurt?"


    Edgar then pointed at his chest. "My heart," he replied.


    And then Raphael realized what that meant, at that moment he was at a loss for words.


    Not that Edgar was taught to say those cheesy things, but he learned it from Lana. Because often when Raphael didn''t grant his wife''s strange wishes, Lana would pretend to be sad and say that Raphael has hurt her.


    Lana used to say that right in front of their son, so naturally, Edgar remembered it.


    "You really are your mother''s son," Raphael grumbled, but then he burst out laughing.


    ================


    Lana had already prepared lunch, but after calling Edgar so many times, the little boy still hadn''t shown up.


    Therefore, she looked for him and ended up in her own room.


    There, on the bed, Raphael was hugging their son and Edgar clenched his fists on his father''s chest. They both fell fast asleep.


    Lana sighed. "I have cooked and you two are sleeping¡­"


    But then she took her cell phone and captured the moment, smiling at the two of them. This was a small family she would always be proud of¡­


    Two men who would fill her days with the unexpected. Two men she loved with all her heart.


    Slowly, Lana walked over to the bed and lay beside Raphael, who instinctively hugged her body, while Edgar drifted off to sleep between his parents, feeling safe and comfortable.

 Chapter 1121: In another life (8)

    Serefina didn''t know if she should laugh or cry when she saw this.


    Because of Dageus, she was now in a very unpleasant situation. It felt like when she met that man, Serefina wanted to crack his head and see what he was really thinking to trick his friend like this.


    In front of Serefina now, she saw that there were many bouquets of flowers with all kinds of color variations from many different types.


    One¡­


    Two¡­


    Three¡­


    Eight¡­


    There were eleven bouquets of flowers offered to her by a senior, who was two years above her, but they were from different faculties. Serefina only knew this man named Rommy as a friend of Dageus.


    But¡­


    Dageus should have told his friend that she didn''t like flowers! Even Serefina has an allergy to certain types of flowers, but now Rommy was confessing by bringing various types of flowers. Not one, but eleven bouquets of flowers!


    If only Serefina hadn''t thought about the good relationship she still wanted to have with this man and how Rommy looked at her sincerely when expressing his feelings, then it was certain that she would kick all those bouquets of flowers away from her.


    Ugh! Serefina doesn''t like flowers!


    Now, they were inside a deserted classroom. It was Dageus who asked her to come here, but who would have thought that the one Serefina met was his friend.


    "Sorry," Serefina said quietly. She didn''t know how to politely reject a guy and again, Rommy was so sweet planning this for her.


    Who still did this today? Sure there were, but not many¡­


    Rommy then scratched his head that didn''t itch and smiled understandingly. "As expected that I would be rejected."


    Serefina laughed blandly when she heard that statement. Supposedly, if you knew you would be rejected, you wouldn''t have to do this and waste your time.


    And as if Rommy could hear what Serefina was thinking, he then said. "I just want you to know how I feel, because it''s very uncomfortable to keep a feeling."


    "Thank you."


    "What for?" Romy laughed.


    "For this." Serefina waved her hands around her, showing the flowers and also a bouquet of red roses that Rommy was still holding.


    Rommy''s laughter grew louder. "You''re grateful, but you didn''t take any of these flowers yourself," he said.


    Ugh!


    Inevitably Serefina stretched out her hand to take the flower that Rommy was holding and held it tightly.


    "Do you not like me that much? So you don''t like the flowers I gave you? Dageus told me that you really like flowers¡­" said Rommy in a disappointed tone.


    Serefina frowned. "Dageus said that I like flowers?"


    Rommy nodded, quite surprised by Serefina''s reaction. "He said that you really like flowers. "


    Serefina then took a deep breath and placed the bouquet of flowers in her hand on the table and looked at Rommy. "You just got tricked by Dageus," she said simply.


    "Eh?" Romi was confused.


    "I don''t like flowers at all." Serefina emphasized her last sentence so Rommy could see the sincerity in her words. "So it doesn''t matter who it''s from, but I really don''t like it."


    "Dageus lied to me?" Rommy confirmed this.


    Serena nodded. "He pranked you. He should have known that I don''t like flowers and I''m even allergic to certain types of flowers."


    Hearing that, Rommy was wide-eyed. "Are these flowers¡­?"


    Serefina glanced at her surroundings briefly and shook her head. "No. If there is, I would be out of breath."


    Rommy slapped his head hard. "Looks like I have to meet that man, he''s too much," he growled.


    "Yes." Serefin nodded in agreement. "Teach him a lesson or two."


    Rommy smirked when he heard Serefina''s comment. "But, I wasn''t rejected because I brought flowers, right?" Rommy wanted to make sure of this. "If that''s the case, I''ll bring you something else you like next time." But, of course Rommy wouldn''t ask Dageus again.


    Serefina laughed and shook her head. "I will like to be friends with you."


    "Ah, I was rejected twice," said Rommy dramatically.


    Not long after, he cleaned the bouquets of flowers and didn''t let Serefina help him, only after that they both walked away from the empty classroom to go home.


    At first, Rommy wanted to walk Serefina but was rejected by her. The girl reminded him that Rommy had to find Dageus and teach him a lesson.


    Therefore, Serefina walked home alone, as Dageus was nowhere to be found, the man could not be reached as well.


    The evening sky gave off a beautiful golden glow and this made Serefina, for some reason, feel calm and comfortable. She liked this calm atmosphere.


    It was only when Serefina was walking on the wayside that she heard footsteps behind her and instinctively turned her body to see who was running.


    "Dageus?" Serefina frowned seeing the man running like a thief.


    "Yeah, it''s me," he said breathlessly. "Why? You''ve forgotten me because you are with my friend now?"


    Serefina raised her eyebrows. What happened with this man? He sounded annoyed. "You''re outrageous. How can you tell him to bring flowers for me?"


    Serefina then kicked Dageus in the leg in annoyance, but instead he dodged quickly and pulled the girl to walk on the inner side of the road.


    Dageus always did this whenever they walked together.


    "Leave it alone," he said, groaning. Looked like he was not in a good mood.


    And after that, they had nothing more to say. They were both silent. For Serefina, seeing how Dageus stopped talking and didn''t bother her, was unusual, but she also didn''t mind having some quiet time on her way home.


    Yet, it didn''t last long.


    "Hey, you haven''t answered my question," said Dageus.


    "Which question?" Serefina asked in confusion.


    "Did you accept him?" Dageus kicked the pebbles that blocked his path. He didn''t look at Serefina at all and walked over first. One step ahead of Serefina.


    "Just ask him," Serefina said.


    "I am asking you," Dageus insisted.


    "No," Serefina replied curtly.


    There was a moment of silence and when Serefina thought the conversation was over, Dageus asked again.


    "What about be my woman instead?"


    Since Dageus was walking right in front of Serefina, only his back was visible, reflecting the afternoon sun.

 Chapter 1122: Aurora

    The night was so dark with moonlight covered by gloomy clouds, while thunder and lightning flashed in the black sky, indicating that tonight a thunderstorm would come.


    Everyone standing guard around the border pulled up their raincoats in preparation for a downpour tonight.


    For the past week the weather at night had been unfriendly and forced all the lycan warriors to take cover under their guard posts, while they guarded the border.


    For some reason, recently there were several rogues crossing their borders without permission, and when they were being caught and interrogated, they always said that their village had been attacked and there was nothing left there.


    This news was indeed quite disturbing for Torak and made him ordered to add security around the border.


    Torak has indeed heard about several Alphas who have defected from his dominion since the war, and now intended to build a new world by opposing Torak as the Supreme Alpha. They thought they could replace Torak because there were many other shapeshifters who had died during the war, especially the Alphas and their pack members who were so loyal to the Supreme Alpha.


    The defectors thought this was the right time to remove Torak from his position and challenge his rule.


    Not just once, but there had been three attacks during this one month to the pack that Torak was leading and even though those attacks didn''t take any casualties on Torak''s side, but still knowing the nature of the Alpha, he became a little bit more overprotective and made excessive guard especially around his family.


    Not only that, a week ago an intruder was found, he managed to break into the pack house, and now Torak even increased security around the border by three times.


    This was insane, and the first time this has happened since the war ended.


    Even Aurora, who was now a teenager and only two days ago celebrated her seventeenth birthday, was not allowed to leave the house for her safety.


    "Is everything okay here?" Kayden asked one of the guards there. He came in his human form and wore his favorite brown leather jacket that Aurora bought for him.


    "Yeah, nothing happened," one of them replied, smiling as Kayden approached. "Soon I will be patrolling from the north to the east side."


    "I will come with you," Kayden said in a low voice. He then looked up at the dark sky and looked somber again. "Looks like it''s going to rain again."


    Kayden was old enough to take on his father''s position, but he always refused for reasons only he knew, even though Torak had mentioned this many times. Rumor has it that he was still trying to find his mate.


    Yes, even when all the lycans his age had found their mate, Kayden had yet to find his.


    And another rumor said that the curse Torak had passed on to his son.


    Of course no one dared to say that directly in front of Kayden or Torak, they still didn''t want to die, after all.


    "Okay, let''s go," Gin said, one of Kayden''s close friends. He was the strongest candidate as Beta if Kayden became Alpha.


    Kayden didn''t say much, which was what he inherited from Torak, then jumped up and turned into a huge white beast, a very smooth change.


    "Wow¡­" Gin and the other three lycan warriors clicked their tongues at the white beast standing before them, dashed to the darkness.


    "I have seen him change many times, but still in awe of his beauty..." Gin shook his head and followed the white beast by turning into his light brown beast.


    ================


    "Where is Kayden?" Aurora asked, she had just come out of her room because she heard the sound of thunder so loud and felt uneasy because the atmosphere in the pack house was too quiet.


    "He went with your father," Raine replied, sitting by the window, staring at the raindrops that seemed to race against the frosted glass. It started raining.


    "He went on patrol again¡­" Aurora muttered. Then sat beside her mother and rested her head on Raine''s shoulder, looking at the living room which was shining brightly and looked warm.


    "What is it?" Raine asked as she gently stroked her daughter''s head, she could feel the anxiety from Aurora''s tone and this was enough to make her a little worried, because recently her daughter seemed a little restless.


    Raine thought it  was because Torak were too strict with her.


    "It''s okay..." Aurora replied quietly, she shook her head and closed her eyes, feeling her heart beating fast. Something was bothering her and she wasn''t sure what she was feeling right now.


    Aurora had never felt this way before and she didn''t know how to explain it. Maybe it was because it has been raining a lot lately, so it affected her mood.


    ================


    [OVER THERE!] Gin called out to the other two beasts.


    The four of them darted through the branches of trees that had fallen to the ground and also past the pines that were hiding their prey.


    Meanwhile, it started to rain, making their sense of smell impaired and difficult to see in the thick fog.


    Damn!


    It was too much trouble when they found out that their territory was being invaded by the rogues again.


    There were at least four rogues they managed to find, crossing this border and trying to attack a guard.


    [WHERE ARE THE OTHERS?] Gin asked through a mind- link, then a sharp howl sounded in several places, indicating their presence.


    [Some are on their way here,] answered one of the beasts through mind- link.


    At least they weren''t outnumbered and endangered themselves, as these rogues could act recklessly and hurt their attackers, without batting their eyes. They seemed so desperate to move to the east.


    [Kayden, you''re moving too fast!] Gin shouted, he was lagging far behind, while the white beast had already knocked one beast down and held him on the wet ground, until another lycan warrior came and tackled the creature.


    The white beast intended to continue his chase, but, before Kayden could move any further, something hit his side and bit him on the shoulder.


    Immediately, a savage howl could be heard from the white beast.

 Chapter 1123: Aurora (2)

    A roar full of anger erupted from the white beast as a black lycan attacked him all of a sudden.


    The black lycan was well camouflaged among the pine trees, fog of rain and also the dark night.


    Kayden tried to release the bite by clawing at his attacker''s body, but he only realized now that the attacker was so strong and no matter what he did, he couldn''t get the bite off his shoulder.


    The assailant bit him in the area only inches from his neck, where if he had been bitten in that spot, it was certain that Kayden would not survive by now.


    The two lycans have colors that were very contradictory to each other and look like a symbol that portrayed balance, although it was not the case for them now.


    The white lycan''s roar grew louder and louder, while the other shifters rushed towards him and offered assistance.


    Gin, in his lycan form, jumped onto the black lycan''s back and tried to pierce his sharp teeth into his neck, but before he could do that, the lycan flipped its body very quickly and made Gin crushed by the black lycan''s body.


    But, at that moment the black lycan released its bite on Kayden and he took this opportunity to break free.


    Kayden stepped aside to recuperate, while the other two lycan warriors stepped forward to help Gin, in order to subdue the assailant.


    However, the black lycan was so strong that even the three lycan warriors couldn''t stop him.


    He managed to overthrow the two lycans that were attacking him and prepared to flee when the other five lycan warriors came to their aid.


    Meanwhile, Kayden was still trying to recover. Unlike most lycans, he took longer to heal, maybe this was because her mother wasn''t a shifter and according to what Kayden had learned, her mother wasn''t even a human, but a guardian angel.


    He didn''t know¡­ Kayden never asked about it.


    The sounds of roars and howls filled the cold, fog- shrouded night, as the battle continued fiercely.


    Even now the black lycan had to fight six lycan warriors at once while the other two had fallen unconscious.


    Kayden was amazed to see the lycan. He had never seen a lycan with the same power as his father¡­


    And when Kayden thought of Torak, the figure of a white Lycan that looked so graceful, but at the same time dangerous, walked with steady steps towards the battle.


    His savage red eyes showed how angry the Alpha was at the intruder who had dared to enter his territory.


    The white lycan growled deeply, causing the other six lycan warriors to retreat and make way for him.


    And now, the Alpha would come face to face with the intruder who was so bold to hurt his pack members.


    [Back off, son,] Torak said in his Alpha voice to Kayden through mind- link.


    He knew that the fight this time would require a large amount of space and the Alpha didn''t want his son to get hurt because of it.


    Kayden then stepped aside, like the other lycan warriors¡­


    ================


    Aurora woke up suddenly when she heard a deafening sound of thunder, her heart was beating very fast and her facial expression was worried.


    She fell asleep on the sofa in the living room, while her mother was still sitting in the same place, staring out the window. She must be waiting for Torak to come home.


    Often, Raine would not sleep, waiting until Torak returned, especially when the weather was bad like this.


    Even after so many years together, her mother and father were like an inseparable couple.


    Well, that''s a good sign actually¡­ incredible. And Aurora wanted a mate like her father.


    "They still haven''t come back?" Aurora asked, half yawning and rubbing her sleepy eyes.


    "Not yet," Raine answered quietly, then turned her attention to her daughter. "Why don''t you just sleep in your room?"


    "I don''t want to sleep alone," Aurora muttered, she then covered herself and lay back down on the sofa.


    "You are like a child," Raine commented.


    "The sound of thunder and lightning is scary," replied Aurora. She liked the rain, but the rainstorm scared her a little.


    "Yes," Raine agreed. "The weather is so bad tonight," she muttered. That''s why she couldn''t sleep until Torak came back because she felt uneasy.


    Although the situation was much better than before the war, but that didn''t mean the general problem that often becomes a conflict between the pack, never happened.


    "Mother? Where are you going?" Aurora asked when she saw Raine suddenly stood up and ran towards the elevator. Without thinking, Aurora immediately followed her mother and got into the same elevator. "What is it?"


    Raine shook her head. "Looks like Torak and your brother bring some rogues," she said uncertainly. "Stay away."


    Aurora just mumbled in response and when the elevator door opened, the two of them stepped out, Aurora walked behind Raine.


    In the front yard, there were already many people gathered and this naturally made Aurora curious. She then rushed forward to take a closer look at what was really going on, while her mother was already standing on the terrace under the canopy.


    It was still raining at night and didn''t seem to stop soon.


    However, there are other things that caught Aurora''s attention, such as; the black lycan who stood proudly in the center of the crowd.


    On the other hand, her father was trying to dominate the lycan and ordered him to shift  back to his human form, but it didn''t seem like things were going well.


    However, something made Aurora walk subconsciously towards her father¡­ or towards the lycan¡­?


    She didn''t know¡­


    Aurora didn''t even notice when the rain poured down on her. Her body seemed to have its own mind and ordered her to move closer and closer.


    "Aurora! What are you doing!? Get out of here!" Torak exclaimed when he saw his daughter in the rain.


    Torak''s voice actually made the black lycan in front of him caught the sight of the girl''s figure¡­


    And when their eyes meet, things become very clear and soon would be complicated¡­


    Meanwhile, Aurora felt her consciousness disappear when she saw those eyes¡­ and the last thing she heard was her father''s roar as someone grabbed her body and the way he held her, was very comforting¡­

 Chapter 1124: Aurora (3)

    Aurora heard the sound of whispering and hissing loud enough around her and this made her wake up from her unconsciousness.


    The voice was so low and sounded full of emotion, as if there were several people arguing, but at the same time they wanted the quarrel not to disturb those around them, or no one to hear the quarrel.


    Whatever it was, it felt unreasonable with a very thick aura of hostility.


    Even as Aurora began to regain her full consciousness, tension could be felt in the air.


    "Mom?" That was the first words she spoke the moment she opened her eyes. For some reason Aurora always knew that her mother would always be near her, especially in moments like this.


    "Yes, honey, mother is here," Raine said, who then knelt beside Aurora''s bed and held her daughter''s hand.


    Not far from where she lay, Aurora could hear her father growl viciously, a growl that meant warning and was met with the same sharp growl.


    But, the second sound made Aurora''s heart beat very fast and all the memories came back. The moments where she lost consciousness and how she got a shock that she had never thought of before.


    Aurora knew that sooner or later she would meet her mate, but not so soon, because only two days ago she turned seventeen, the time when lycans would meet their mate, but Aurora always thought that she would not find him so quickly.


    Even Kayden still hadn''t found his.


    Therefore it never occurred to Aurora that a night with a rainstorm like this where there were several rogues crossing their pack''s territory without permission and having to fight with her brother and father, was the night where she would find her mate.


    Is he a rogue? Father won''t like that fact...


    "You can''t see her!" Torak growled in a voice that was so firm, showing his position as an Alpha.


    But, whoever the man, who became Aurora''s mate, did not remain silent. He didn''t want to be intimidated by the Supreme Alpha when he replied with the same firmness.


    "I will meet her. With or without your permission. She''s my mate." The man spoke each sentence very firmly as if Torak had a problem understanding it.


    At least, with the way this man replied to Torak, Aurora could feel the Alpha aura in his voice. So, he''s not a rogue?


    Aurora still felt her vision blur, but she was so excited to see what this man was like, that she tried to get out of bed and meet him, see him in person.


    "I am his father." Torak hissed the sentence in a trembling voice. It was unusual for the Alpha to lose his composure like this.


    The two of them stood facing each other, and if this was allowed to continue, then Calleb, who was standing between them and was supposed to mediate the dispute, would not be surprised if one of them ended up losing all self-control and shifting into a their beasts, started fighting again.


    "You know very well the supreme law of our kind, Supreme Alpha," the man said in a low, confident voice. "I don''t care if you''re the father, but since she''s my mate, she''s mine."


    And with those words, Torak completely lost control of himself, his claws extended and his fangs looked so terrifying, it only took him a second to transform into his white beast form.


    However, Aurora''s voice stopped the transition process, as does the mysterious man.


    Maybe this is what made Torak look uneasy. Because he felt that someone would take his beloved daughter from his side and he couldn''t prevent it, because this would happen sooner or later.


    Torak knew that when Aurora found her mate, she will not belong to him anymore, but¡­ still all of this didn''t feel right for the Alpha.


    Aurora''s bedroom door opened and her petite figure with long black curls covering her chest, appeared. The girl looked so sweet, even though she was now screaming at her father to stop growling.


    "Dad stop it," Aurora said sharply.


    "Aurora, go to your room." Torak gave orders to his daughter.


    But, alas, sometimes when you pamper your daughter too much, she becomes a dead end for you.


    "No," Aurora said firmly. She folded her arms across her chest and pursed her lips, staring disapprovingly at Torak through her bright blue eyes.


    Seeing Aurora''s stubbornness, Torak knew that he would not win this, especially when Raine was by their daughter''s side and supported her.


    Now the Alpha could only clench his jaw tightly and lean his body against the wall behind him. Feeling annoyed.


    "Torak, leave them alone¡­" Raine said softly, she stood beside her mate and rubbed his arm to ease his emotions.


    "No, who knows what this creature will do to our daughter." Torak didn''t take his eyes off the man before him.


    Meanwhile, the man didn''t reply to Torak''s fierce words, but from how his shoulders looked so tense, Torak could tell that he was trying to restrain himself from losing control in front of his daughter.


    On the other hand, Aurora tried to see the face of the man, but she couldn''t because the man covered his face with the hood of the jacket he was wearing. Aurora couldn''t see clearly.


    However, Aurora could confirm that this man was so big. He was as tall as his father, but much bigger.


    Or maybe it was because of the effect of the jacket he was wearing?


    "What''s your name?" Aurora asked quietly. She felt awkward talking to her mate in front of her parents and this man suddenly didn''t say a word once she was there.


    "Draghar," he said in a deep, hoarse voice.


    "Uhm, I am Aurora," Aurora introduce herself, because Draghar didn''t ask her name back.


    "I know," he replied in the same stiff tone, then he took Aurora''s hand and pulled her away from there.


    "Where are you taking my daughter!?" cried Torak angrily, but Raine restrained him from following them. "I will skin him if he ever hurt my daughter."

 Chapter 1125: Aurora (4)

    "He took my daughter, Raine, I can''t take this," Torak growled with anger, as he felt a heat rush through him and made him have to take all his self- control to be able to resist the urge to turn into his white beast and chase Draghar down.


    Torak did not want this moment to happen so quickly. He had only had her daughter for seventeen years and now a stranger was going to take her away? How could Torak take all of that calmly? He couldn''t think of any other excuse he could use to tolerate the situation.


    This was not happening.


    On the other hand, Raine just smiled when she saw how tense Torak was now. She herself was surprised to find their little daughter had found her mate, but according to Lycan law, Aurora should go wherever her mate took her.


    That is the supreme law of the lycan and nothing can change that fact, including Torak himself.


    "I''m going to meet that damn man and give him a warning to stay away from my daughter," Torak grumbled. He had never looked like this before.


    Meanwhile for Raine, this scene was actually a bit funny if only she wasn''t busy calming her overly emotional mate.


    They were in their room after Raine managed to convince Torak not to go after Aurora and Draghar, even Calleb tried to persuade the Alpha too, but it didn''t end well for him.


    "You want him to stay away from our daughter? Don''t you know for sure how much pain she will have to endure if you keep her away from her mate?" Raine asked in amusement when she saw Torak looking like someone who had just been slapped in the face.


    And those words proved effective, as Torak walked back and forth in the room, trying to calm his current tumultuous emotions.


    "What are you laughing at?" Torak asked grumpily when he heard Raine''s soft laugh.


    "You should have seen yourself, then you''ll know what I''m laughing at," said Raine cheerfully.


    "We''re talking about my daughter," said Torak irritably. He didn''t want Aurora to feel the pain of being separated from her mate, but also didn''t want her to be taken away from him. This is very annoying.


    If Torak had known this was going to happen, then he wouldn''t have brought the damn lycan back to the pack house.


    "Our daughter," Raine corrected. "She''s my daughter too, I''m the one carrying her."


    Hearing that, Torak looked at Raine and his eyes softened because he knew he had said the wrong thing. "You know what I mean, my love."


    Raine smiled sweetly as she always did. "Of course I know," replied Raine. He then patted the spot beside her, on the sofa. "Come here."


    Torak looked reluctant and didn''t want Raine to calm his emotions, but who could resist a loving caress on your head when you need it the most?


    Raine knew what Torak needed and this would help to calm him down.


    "Aurora is not a child anymore Torak," Raine said softly, she then hugged Torak''s head and placed it on her lap, playing with his hair between her fingers and this was very helpful for Torak to relieve the emotional shock he was feeling. "Isn''t it time for her to find her own way. Besides, I don''t see anything wrong with Draghar."


    Torak let out an incoherent grunt when Raine said that name.


    "He''s weird," Torak said grumpily.


    Raine laughed again and the sound of her laughter relaxed Torak a little, but if Raine could tell the truth, Torak was actually much weirder than that guy called Draghar.


    This incident really showed a side of him that Raine had never seen at all.


    ================


    Draghar stopped pulling Aurora''s hand when they arrived at a large meadow behind the pack house, a place where Raine and Belinda often planted some flowers there.


    "Uhm, I''m sorry for what my father did earlier, but usually he''s very nice." Aurora took the initiative to talk first, because Draghar didn''t say anything for a while.


    The cold night air blew and shook the grass carrying the fresh smell of wet soil after the rain.


    And because of that too, the bottom of Aurora''s dress was a little dirty with mud.


    "I''ll talk to dad tomorrow, he''ll understand, he''s just in shock," Aurora said softly, but Draghar didn''t respond.


    The man still had his back to Aurora and covered his head with a hoodie from the black jacket he was wearing.


    "Draghar?" Aurora called, she touched his arm and could feel the man becoming tense. "You didn''t say anything."


    Oh, is Draghar so nervous that he can''t say anything? That''s really sweet if that''s the case.


    "May I see your face?" Aurora asked carefully, then stepped aside to see Draghar''s face covered in the hood of his jacket.


    However, when Aurora''s hand had reached out and was about to touch him, Draghar quickly grabbed the girl''s wrist and said in a deep, rough voice.


    "You won''t like what you see," he said, almost growling.


    Aurora didn''t understand what Draghar meant by that and why wouldn''t she like it?


    "Why?" Aurora asked. "Is there something wrong?"


    Draghar seemed to growl and this made Aurora flinch slightly. She never had anyone growl at her.


    However, seeing her slightly surprised, Draghar gritted his teeth. "Wrong. Everything is wrong. I shouldn''t be meeting you."


    This statement made Aurora frown. "You don''t want to have a mate?"


    Hearing that, Draghar growled again. "Of course I want it!" The words were spoken like a roar, but then he realized his mistake and held back his temper.


    Looked like Draghar has anger issue here.


    "Then what''s wrong?" Aurora didn''t understand.


    She loved the sensation when Draghar touched her. Calleb once explained how it felt when you touch your true mate, but experiencing it in person was very different. "Is there something wrong with me?"


    Once again, the growl of disapproval could be heard and Draghar gently touched Aurora''s cheek.


    Draghar''s hands were rough, as if he was someone who''d done manual labor all his life, but Aurora liked it nonetheless.


    Weird indeed, but maybe that''s how this mate bond worked.


    "You are perfect Aurora," he said softly, but the sound tinted with sadness. "You''re so perfect."

 Chapter 1126: Aurora (5)

    "You''re perfect Aurora," Draghar said thoughtfully.


    Aurora loved how Draghar called her name.


    And the compliment made Aurora lower her head, for some reason she didn''t dare to look into the shadow of the hoodie covering Draghar''s face, because she knew that the man was currently staring at her intently.


    Aurora could feel it, as well as the heat that ran down her face and made her breath hitch.


    She didn''t even know how to reply to Draghar''s beautiful words, especially when he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.


    The sensation that she felt on her skin, and also the way his lips touched her, was difficult to put into words or describe.


    Aurora felt her whole world was so intoxicating.


    "I''m leaving tomorrow," Draghar said suddenly, whispering to Aurora after he kissed the girl in front of him.


    Hearing that Aurora raised her head suddenly. She stared intently at Draghar, trying to get a better look at his face, but except for his lips, chin and the tip of his nose, Aurora couldn''t see the rest of his face or his eyes.


    "You''re leaving?" Aurora frowned. "You want to leave me?" the words were spoken in a disbelieving tone. How could he just leave when they had just met? Didn''t he want to take her with him? Or was Aurora being rejected now? "Am I being rejected?"


    Aurora''s last question made her throat feel like it was clogged, she couldn''t imagine the pain of the rejection


    But¡­ No¡­ Draghar didn''t show that he would reject Aurora¡­


    "No, of course not. I will never reject you." Dragar shook his head. "I don''t want to leave you here either."


    Hearing that, Aurora''s heart felt a little better, but that didn''t mean she was completely relieved, because she still couldn''t understand the direction of this conversation. "You will take me with you, won''t you?" Aurora had to confirm this.


    Indeed it would be very hard for her to leave the house and the people she knew since childhood and the environment she had known even by closing her eyes, but thinking about separating from her mate, it was even more impossible¡­


    Calleb had always said that the mate bond was a gift and the strongest thing a lycan could possibly have, and now Aurora could understand it.


    "Draghar?" Aurora called him because she still didn''t get an answer from this man in front of her. "What is it? What is the problem?"


    Draghar looked so tense, his breath catches when he lowered Aurora''s hand that he''s holding.


    "I don''t think you''ll like what you''re about to see," he said in a hoarse voice. It was as if there was an emotional struggle in every word he spoke.


    "Why?" Aurora stared at him, but Draghar''s caress on her cheek made her close her eyes and held his hand.


    As Aurora had expected, Draghar''s hands were both rough and large, but by touching them like this, Aurora had a feeling of security and comfort.


    "Do it." He spoke, as if he was a soldier who had lost a battle and was ready to receive a death sentence from his enemy.


    Aurora opened her eyes and tried to digest what Draghar was really hiding.


    Then slowly, Aurora raised her hand again to open the hoodie that protected Draghar''s face. She didn''t feel like she had anything to be afraid of. This was her mate. And whatever she would see later, Aurora would gladly accept it¡­


    But, again before Aurora could pull the hoodie off, Draghar held her hand and said quietly.


    "If you''re going to reject me after this, then do it. I will understand," he said, then kissed the back of Aurora''s hand gently. "I will never think of you badly and will never hate you," he promised. "I will understand."


    There was sadness in the way Draghar spoke and it made Aurora want to cry.


    Really, it''s a mystery how someone you just met could be so meaningful in your life like this.


    "Why should I reject you?" Aurora whispered to him, her eyes brimming with tears as she could feel the sadness in the mate bond between them.


    "You''ll find out for yourself," he replied.


    Aurora wasn''t stupid, at least she understood what Draghar was trying to hide from her. Is it a wound? Was the wound on his face so terrible that he thought that Aurora would reject him because of it?


    How bad is it actually? And what happened to him?


    ================


    "How''s Thorak?" Calleb asked when he found Raine coming down to the kitchen to get a drink. "Is he still sulking?"


    Raine laughed at the Beta. "Yeah, he''s still having a hard time accepting this. Looks like he''s still in shock."


    Calleb laughed softly, but then suddenly stopped.


    "Why happened?" Raine asked in surprise after seeing Calleb''s drastic change in mood.


    "I wanted to make fun of him, but then I remembered that whoever the lycan was, he was going to take Aurora away, and I can understand why Torak is getting so cranky." Calleb became somber when he had said that.


    Raine laughed again. Of course she felt sad that Aurora was leaving, but they could still meet, right? This is not the end of the world.


    "Who exactly is that man? Is he an Alpha?" Calleb asked, he was not there when Draghar was arrested and had very little information about it. "I can feel the Alpha aura from him, but I''m not so sure either."


    "He is the Alpha of a large pack in the south, where the previous Alpha, decided to break away from Torak territory after the great war took place," Raine explained what Torak had told her earlier.


    Indeed, after the great war took place, there were several packs who chose to separated themselves from Torak''s territory and the Supreme Alpha did not mind that at all, because he had other priorities and was not in a state of wanting to expand his territory.


    After all, that moment was a dark time in Torak''s life. He lost Raine.


    "And now that Alpha''s son is in charge, will Torak propose that he should bring his pack back into his territory?" Calleb asked.


    "Probably." Knowing how Torak was, Raine felt it was a possibility.

 Chapter 1127: Aurora (6)

    "Well, things will be fine if he agrees to be under Torak''s leadership again, but things will get a little tense if he decides to go against it," Calleb said.


    They both knew, it wasn''t a matter of which pack Torak controlled, but that it was a matter of where his daughter would be.


    Everyone knew how much Torak pampered Aurora and how her little girl could easily have the Alpha wrapped around her fingers.


    The instinct to protect as an Alpha was always triggered whenever the little girl looked at him with her round and expectant eyes.


    And now, all of a sudden, a Lycan came in a not- so- good way and intended to take Aurora away. Of course, this fact was very difficult to accept.


    "Well, I hope the two of them won''t destroy this house by fighting with each other," Raine said, grimcing slightly at the thought of that possibility, because from what she saw, it seemed that the mate of her daughter had the same tough temper as Torak and that would be troublesome later.


    Calleb laughed grimly when he heard that. He could even imagine how the two Lycan Alphas insisted on one another.


    Kayden appeared at the kitchen door, his expression grim as a bandage could be seen on his shoulder.


    Maybe it''s because Raine wasn''t a shifter, but it couldn''t be said to be a human either, even though her ability as a guardian angel has been lost, but this seemed to have an effect on her children, where Kayden and Aurora didn''t have the ability to heal very quickly.


    Therefore, the black lycan''s bite wound still left on his shoulder even after several hours had passed. Wounds like that usually took half a day or a day for Kayden to completely heal and although her son never said this, Raine could see that he was a little frustrated by that fact.


    "Where''s Aurora?" Kayden asked. "I didn''t find her in her room."


    "Oh, looks like she''s outside," Raine replied as she made tea for herself and Torak.


    "Outside?" Kayden frowned. He looked worried. "There is a dangerous lycan that father managed to catch, what is Aurora doing outside?"


    "Dangerous lycans?" Calleb teased, he knew who Kayden was referring to, and he was also sure that Kayden still didn''t know that the ''dangerous Lycan'' was his beloved sister''s mate.


    "Yeah, didn''t you hear?" Kayden furrowed his brows at Calleb. "He is a rogue who violated our borders."


    "Oh, you mean Draghar?" Calleb said innocently, ignoring the warning stares from Raine, who seemed to be telling him to stop teasing her son. "He''s with Aurora now."


    "What?!" Kayden jumped. His surprise was evident in his eyes and facial expression. "No way, what is he doing with Aurora?!"


    "Oh, didn''t you hear? He''s your sister''s mate," Calleb replied calmly, as if it was common knowledge that Kayden should have realized by now.


    "No way," Kayden muttered. He then looked at Raine asking her for an explanation. "Mom, that''s not true, is it?"


    "That''s right, honey," Raine replied.


    Kayden was in the infirmary when Torak managed to subdue the black lyan, so he didn''t hear any news about this.


    "No, I''ll check it myself." After he finished saying that, Kayden immediately ran away in a panic, leaving Calleb and his mother behind.


    "You!" said Raine sharply while hitting the back of Calleb''s head lightly. "You''re causing trouble."


    Calleb laughed when he heard Raine''s grumble. "Leave it alone, I want to see how that lycan named Draghar can overcome the jealousy of an older brother and his mate''s father."


    "You''re going to get Aurora in trouble," Raine protested. "What if the lycan rejected her?"


    "No way, how could he reject my sweet Aurora," said Calleb proudly.


    ================


    Aurora had steeled her heart when she had to actually see the face of her mate. She understood that there was something Draghar was trying to hide from her and this was something that made her mate uncomfortable and thought that she would reject her right away when Aurora saw it.


    But, Aurora would never do that. Why should she reject Draghar just because of something like that?


    Slowly and carefully, Aurora removed the hoodie covering Draghar''s face and let it fall on the man''s shoulder.


    The gloomy night sky didn''t help Aurora to see clearly, or provide sufficient light, but at least she could see two deep slashes running through Draghar''s left eye.


    And when the man opened his eyes, two colors of his eyes were different.


    His right eye was brown, while his left eye, where the two slashes were, was slightly lighter, light brown and looked empty.


    Even though Aurora had prepared herself for the worst, she still couldn''t lie to her own emotions.


    Aurora gasped and her forehead furrowed, and Draghar took this as a reaction of rejection from his mate, therefore, he stepped back away from the girl.


    "I see," he said in a deep voice. He tried to hide his disappointment.


    But, that''s not what Aurora meant...


    "Wait, you misunderstood me." Aurora held Draghar''s arm, preventing himself from moving away from her. "Where did you get that wound from? Who did it?"


    Dragar was silent. He let Aurora held his arm, because he liked the sensation when they had skin to skin contact. He did not expect that he could find a mate as perfect as the girl in front of him. Is this real?


    People around him always said that when he met his mate, he would be rejected as soon as the unlucky girl saw his face. They said he was nothing at all.


    Draghar rejected those words at first, but if you heard it over and over, of course over time you would believe it as something real.


    "Are you going to reject me?" Draghar asked. Now he looked Aurora right in the eye. Those beautiful blue eyes stared back at him with the same intensity. He looked confused and silence enveloped them until Aurora''s small lips moved to answer.


    "Why should I reject my soulmate?" Aurora asked Draghar. She then reached out and cupped Draghar''s face and could see him flinching slightly at this touch. "You''re perfect, Draghar."

 Chapter 1128: Aurora (7)

    Draghar couldn''t understand how he could choose a path through the territory of the supreme Alpha''s pack, even though the beta had warned him not to take that route, but he did not heed the prohibition and followed his beast instincts that urged him to go there.


    Draghar of course knew that this area was very heavily guarded, especially after the many rogues that had increased in number after the great war that occurred many years ago and now there was a many shifters that was so hard- pressed to form a large pack like Torak''s.


    But, still, despite all the controversies that occurred, Draghar still chose to cross the border and put himself and the other three lycans at risk of being caught.


    And sure enough, it didn''t take long for the lycan warriors that the Supreme Alpha had to apprehend the three lycans who had crossed with Draghar, while he himself managed to knock out several lycan warriors, including the next Alpha before he came face to face with Torak Donovan, the supreme Alpha. The legendary Donovan.


    Not only because of the story of their infamous curse among supernatural beings, but also the story of how the Moon Goddess, Selene, lifted the curse and also the great war with the demons.


    Yes, who didn''t know about the Donovans?


    But, that wasn''t what made Draghar flabbergasted. He had never been surprised or intimidated by such stories and the figure of Torak Donovan, for he had never thought of dealing with him.


    At least until tonight, when he finally found out that the daughter of the supreme Alpha was his mate.


    Her name is Aurora...


    Oh, Selene¡­


    She was so beautiful and enchanting, so pure and radiant, that Draghar felt that even touching her could taint this beautiful girl who was destined to be his mate¡­


    She was so tiny and petite, but something inside of her made Draghar even want to kneel before her and swear to do anything just to have her by his side.


    Draghar didn''t mind giving up anything for Aurora just so she wouldn''t turn him down, but he doubted there was anything he could give. There was nothing precious about him that he could offer to Aurora.


    When their eyes met and Draghar realized that he had met his mate, his heart seemed to stop beating, especially when suddenly Aurora fell unconscious, it felt like the time stop along with his breath.


    Draghar didn''t even notice the moment he switched to his human form and shocked some of the people around them at the time when they saw his scar.


    Draghar ignored them, as it wasn''t the first time he had received such stares from the people around him.


    And when Torak carried Aurora in his arms, he didn''t even notice as he growled dangerously, thinking that another lycan wanted to take his mate away from him.


    It was only when the Alpha said to stay away from his daughter, that Draghar realized that Torak was not a threat...


    And now, Aurora was standing before him. She kept staring at him with her gentle eyes and beautiful face, while the cold night wind played with her long, black and curly hair.


    She stood very close to Draghar, caressed his wound with her long fingers, while saying that he was perfect.


    "You''re perfect Draghar," Aurora said softly, there was acceptance in the way she looked at Draghar, love in the way she touched him and also the sincerity in the words she spoke.


    How could a creature as beautiful as this be his mate? Aurora offered Draghar a life, while he has nothing of value to give...


    Draghar''s life wasn''t good, things never went smoothly for him even from the first moment he could remember.


    "I want to go with you," Aurora said without hesitation. Her voice was like a melody to Draghar''s ears which made the lycan feel that he was in the most beautiful imagination he could possibly dream of.


    However, the most important question was; did he want Aurora to be in his pack?


    It was not a life fit for Aurora to live¡­


    "Think about it," Draghar said in a low, serious tone. "I''ll wait for the answer tomorrow."


    Aurora didn''t understand what was wrong with this, and why Draghar seemed reluctant to take her, but when her mate put his hoodie back on and covered the wound on his face, Aurora knew this was the end of their conversation.


    At least, Draghar didn''t really end the night by leaving her alone, he took her hand and slowed his pace for Aurora as they returned to the pack house.


    Their return journey was quiet, because neither of them said anything, only the sound of the nocturnal accompanying their steps.


    However, when they were just about to enter the pack house, Aurora found her brother, Kayden, who was so angry when he saw her with Draghar.


    "Aurora! Where have you been with this stranger!?" Kayden exclaimed, his blue eyes turning dark as he approached his sister, especially when he saw Draghar holding Aurora''s hand.


    "Stop it," Aurora said sharply, she stood before Draghar, folding her arms across her chest and lifting her chin defiantly.


    Immediately Kayden stopped and furrowed his brows deeply, looking displeased with Aurora''s attitude.


    "He''s not a stranger, he''s my mate," Aurora said proudly.


    And that didn''t pass from Draghar''s ears, there was an inexplicable satisfaction that made his chest swell with joy when his mate defended him like this in front of her brother.


    Not many people have ever defended him before and this certainly has a different meaning for him.


    "Seriously, that''s impossible," Kayden muttered in disbelief. "He''s dangerous, he''s a rogue."


    "There must be a misunderstanding here, he''s not a rogue." Aurora was sure of this, she could certainly tell the difference between a rogue and an Alpha, because after all a shifter could tell the difference rank with just one look.


    Kayden could do that too, if he was not blinded by anger.


    "He hurt me!" Kayden exclaimed in annoyance, showing his bandaged shoulder.


    Draghar gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly, waiting for Aurora''s reaction. After all, Kayden was her brother...

 Chapter 1129: Aurora (8)

    A man should understand, he doesn''t protect his woman because she is weak, he protects her because she is important.


    -Unknown-


    **************


    "He hurts me!" Kayden exclaimed in annoyance, he then pulled the shirt he was wearing and showed the white bandage that was still wrapped around his shoulder to his sister, hoping that Aurora would understand how dangerous this man was and that she didn''t go near him.


    On the other hand, although, no one could see Draghar''s worried expression because Kayden showed the wound to Aurora, he couldn''t help but clench his fists.


    How did his mate react? Will Aurora hate him? Thinking that he was a wild beast that was out of control and had hurt her brother? What if she thought so?


    But, unexpectedly, Aurora actually raised her hand and hit Kayden''s wound while her big blue eyes glared at him.


    "Don''t be a crybaby!" she scolded. "You guys fought earlier and you thought that he was a rogue crossing our border without permission, so I guess he didn''t just have to fight you, there must be plenty of lycan warriors attacking him too."


    Kayden couldn''t believe what he was hearing. "You defended him from your brother?!"


    "I''m not defending anyone, you''re my brother and he''s my mate, so stop making trouble," Aurora grumbled.


    "I almost died," Kayden said, dramatizing the scene. Somehow the Donovan men tonight were so fond of being more dramatic than usual.


    Whether it was Torak or Kayden, they fussed over little things they usually never had a problem with.


    "You''re not dead and your wounds are almost healed, so stop being so childish." Aurora then grabbed Draghar''s hand and pulled him away.


    "Don''t tell me you two will sleep in the same room, I''ll tell dad if you do that," Kayden threatened his sister.


    No, this is not true. Yesterday Aurora was still her sweet little sister and now she''s going to sleep with a stranger in her room?! Kayden couldn''t accept that.


    Meanwhile, hearing Kayden''s comment, Aurora rolled her eyes and continued to walk away while still pulling Draghar with her.


    "I''ll tell dad if you let him into your room!" Kayden growled. His eyes remained black as he followed Aurora and Draghar. "I''ll be the one breaking down your bedroom door if you do that!"


    In the end, the two siblings quarreled again as they usually did, until Draghar intervened.


    "Luna Raine has prepared a room for me, I will sleep there," Draghar said.


    He didn''t have a brother who cared about him or worried about him like Kayden, but even though he looked aggressive and annoying, Draghar immediately knew that Kayden loved his little sister.


    So, Draghar thought to respect that. After all, this was just a way for him not to add to Kayden''s bad side after the wound he inflicted on his shoulder.


    It was an accident. You can''t expect to come out unscathed in such a fight, when several lycans attack you fiercely, you won''t be able to control who you hurt.


    Also, since Kayden was Aurora''s older brother, Draghar didn''t mind lowering his ego a bit and relenting.


    Wasn''t that what he had always done for the first years of his life? Back down¡­


    "You don''t have to listen to his words," Aurora grumbled when she heard what Draghar said.


    Meanwhile, Draghar raised an eyebrow, though neither Aurora nor Kayden could see it.


    "You want me to sleep in your room?" asked Draghar.


    "Hey!" Kayden exclaimed angrily.


    Aurora gasped when she heard that. She didn''t think that her words could be interpreted as an invitation¡­ "That¡­."


    Immediately, Aurora''s face turned red from the embarrassment she was trying to hide, even her voice trembled slightly when she tried to explain.


    Draghar understood, and he didn''t want Aurora to get into a difficult situation by trying to explain this. "I''ll see you tomorrow morning."


    "Don''t see her," Kayden grumbled. He was slightly surprised that Draghar did not show his arrogance and chose to mediate the dispute between himself and Aurora. Well, he got half point from him¡­


    "Okay, meet me tomorrow morning." Aurora smiled to him.


    "Good night," Draghar said in his low and deep voice, then he leaned in to kiss the top of Aurora''s head. He loved Aurora''s scent. Smelled like a spring breeze, carrying various floral scents¡­ so soft and refreshing¡­


    "How dare you kiss my sister!" Kayden was furious to see the scene in front of him. "I''ll kill you!"


    "I''ll kill you if you dare to hurt a strand of his hair," replied Aurora no less fiercely.


    Maybe Torak was the Alpha in this pack, but when his mother was angry, even the Alpha would be silent.


    The same was happening to Kayden now. He didn''t understand why Aurora was giving him that terrifying glare.


    She is so scary to say the least¡­


    ================


    Draghar couldn''t remember the last time he felt this happy.


    And he couldn''t remember it at all. Perhaps it was because he had indeed never felt a feeling like this before, or even one that came close. Not at all¡­


    However, his steps came to a halt when he smelled the scent of other lycans around him, and not just any random lycan, as he could sense a very strong domineering aura.


    Draghar had only met him for a relatively short period of time, but he could immediately tell who was waiting for him.


    In front of the door of the room that Luna Raine had shown for him to stay in, was Torak Donovan. The Alpha was standing there, waiting for his presence.


    "Where is my daughter?" asked Torak coldly.


    "Aurora is fighting with her brother," Draghar answered honestly. Because that''s exactly what happened when he left Aurora earlier.


    In fact, he wanted to be there a little longer, to hear what the sibling fights were like.


    Because the fights between siblings that always happened to him would end up much worse than a nightmare.


    On the other hand, Torak who heard that answer, just rolled his eyes. A habit he got from Aurora when her little girl was upset.


    "Did he reject you?" asked Torak directly.


    "No."


    Torak grumbled again. "Then come with me, we have something to talk about."

 Chapter 1130: Aurora (9)

    We all broke our rules for someone.


    -Unknown-


    **************


    "Did she reject you?" asked Torak directly. He didn''t want to have small talk with this lycan in front of him.


    "No," Draghar answered directly. His answer sounded firm and filled with delight, realizing that what people were saying about how his mate would reject him immediately, turned out wasn''t true.


    Hearing that answer, Torak again grumbled in an indistinct voice. "Then come with me, we have something to talk about," he said in his Alpha voice. "This matter would be easier if my daughter rejected you."


    Draghar frowned upon hearing Torak''s words, but just like Kayden, it was the worried tone of someone who loved and cared for you deeply.


    Draghar couldn''t be happier than this to know that his mate grew up in a family that loved her and Aurora has neither lack of love nor lived a hard life.


    Thus, Draghar was determined to do everything possible to provide the same thing as this.


    Maybe not the same as what Aurora got from her family here, but at least it was close¡­ he hoped that Aurora wouldn''t be disappointed¡­


    "Right now?" asked Draghar as Torak went ahead of him and ordered him to come with him.


    "Yes, right now," answered Torak without turning his body.


    With no other choice, Draghar then followed Torak and walked beside him, because as an Alpha, the beast within him didn''t allow him to be overly dominated by other Alphas.


    The two of them walked down the corridor in silence and as they walked past Aurora''s room, Draghar slowed down just to stare at the closed door.


    Draghar knew it was his mate''s room from the strong scent there.


    "Don''t you dare go inside," Torak warned and quickened his pace so that the lycan wouldn''t stare at his daughter''s bedroom door for long.


    On the other hand, Draghar laughed softly when he heard what Torak had just said.


    "There is something funny?" asked Torak, he frowned and walked into his study. "I don''t remember when I threw a joke at you."


    "Kayden said almost the same thing a moment ago," Draghar replied, he then entered the room and closed the door, sitting down on the chair opposite Torak, with only a long table between them.


    If these two decided to fight each other, then no one would be able to stop them now.


    Or when this conversation turns into a heated argument, then of course a long table alone would not save the situation.


    "It''s good that you''ve received enough warnings." Torak then stared intently at Draghar through his brilliant blue eyes.


    And Draghar immediately knew, where did Aurora get those blue eyes. But, of course, Aurora''s blue eyes were much more beautiful than her father''s.


    "Take off your hoodie," Torak ordered. "It would be very rude if you spoke to your interlocutor without looking him in the eye. I think you know the etiquette."


    Immediately Draghar stiffened and this slight change did not escape Torak''s sight. He didn''t understand what made this lycan so reluctant to show himself, even though several people had seen the wound on the left side of his face.


    With one sharp and deep breath, Draghar tugged at his hoodie and exposed his face under the bright light.


    And this made all of his wounds look much clearer, also showing some of the wounds on his arms which were not covered by the jacket he was wearing.


    "What do you want to say?" asked Draghar, he looked directly at Torak. His tone sounded much stiffer and his voice much deeper because of the tension in the air.


    "I want your pack to be directly under my territory again," Torak said without preamble. "This is not a request, but a demand."


    Draghar narrowed his eyes at Torak when he heard that. "Why should I do it? Because I''m your daughter''s mate?"


    "Yes," Torak answered curtly. There''s no more perfect reason than that.


    "What if I refuse?" Draghar leaned over and looked at Torak.


    Now the two Alphas stared at each other intently, and like gasoline waiting for a single spark to ignite the entire room, that was the current situation between the two of them.


    "I will insist." Torak leaned towards Draghar, signaling how serious this matter was and how important it was. "I will use all means to ensure that my daughter is in a safe place."


    Torak emphasized every word he said. Either because he already knew what kind of pack Aurora would enter or this was just purely his concern as a father.


    Draghar couldn''t determine which excuse Torak used, but one thing was certain for their current situation; they both have the same goal.


    "Alright," Draghar replied lightly. If this was really for Aurora''s safety, then he would agree to anything, not because he felt intimidated.


    Torak narrowed his eyes slightly because he got the answer easily. He had thought of a way to enforce his will, even the most extreme way, but with just the one reason Raine suggested, Draghar readily agreed to it.


    Sometimes Torak was amazed by how Raine could offer a solution so calmly.


    "It''s not as difficult as I thought to get your approval." Torak stared intently at Draghar.


    "It wasn''t me who made the decision to separate my pack from your territory," Draghar answered quickly. "It doesn''t make any difference to me anyway, whether my pack is in your territory or not." As long as Aurora''s safety was guaranteed, then anything was fine with Draghar.


    Torak only raised his eyebrows when he received such a nonchalant answer. "I have a feeling you don''t believe in being able to protect my daughter while in your own pack."


    "How are my people¡­" Draghar ignored Torak''s last sentence and changed the subject as if he didn''t want to talk about the matter.


    "They will be released tonight," said Torak, he then rested his back on the back of the chair and looked at Draghar''s face. "Where did you get your wound from?"


    Unfortunately, Torak was not someone he could just ignore, because once Torak wanted something, he would get it, as well as the answer to his question.

 Chapter 1131: Aurora (10)

    Behind every scar, is an untold story of survival.


    -Unknown-


    **************


    "Where did you get that scar from?" asked Torak when he clearly saw the wound that crossed the left side of Draghar''s face. This lycan was like someone who has gone through a lot of bad things in his life.


    And from just one look, Torak knew that his life couldn''t be said to be going well. There was a hard side to Draghar that made him stronger and more ferocious than any other alpha Torak had ever met.


    The side inside Draghar that was always on alert.


    And those wounds...


    Torak dared to guarantee that Draghar was much stronger than Kayden and had also been through more crucial fights than his son.


    But, under what circumstances would Draghar have to fight? And how did he position himself in the pack¡­


    Torak understood very well, if your position as an Alpha certainly did not guarantee you were accepted into your pack. You may be the strongest person out there, but you may also be the most hated person in the pack.


    In this case, the people in the pack were afraid of their Alpha and were forced to submit to it.


    And Torak didn''t want Aurora to be Luna in a pack like that.


    He couldn''t possibly just let his daughter go without knowing the real conditions there...


    "You don''t want to tell me?" asked Torak after Draghar had said nothing for a long time. "Then let me change the question; how did you get your position as Alpha? You weren''t the first son of the previous Alpha."


    After learning, who Draghar was and even more so because he was his daughter''s mate, Torak had asked for all the information he could get about the Blood Moon pack in no time.


    And he found that the previous Alpha had three sons and a daughter, while Draghar was his second son.


    And also there were no reports that the Alpha''s first son has died, then there was only one way how Draghar could occupy his position as an Alpha.


    "Did you gain your position through fighting?" asked Torak. This was the same thing that Jedrek did when he usurped his position as king from their father who had been completely ruled by the demons.


    And it''s not a position- taking that could attract the sympathy of other shifters in a pack.


    There were many things Torak wanted to know about the lycan in front of him before he took his daughter away to a faraway place.


    "Yes," Draghar replied curtly. This time he gave the answer to Torak''s question.


    "Who did you fight?" Torak leaned forward and took Draghar more seriously.


    This is bad¡­


    "The previous Alpha," replied Draghar again in a deep, hoarse voice. He looked tense and uncomfortable with Torak''s questions. While the beast inside him started to prowl and growl in distaste.


    Only, Draghar was trying to control himself. He didn''t want to tarnish his already bad image in front of Torak.


    "You have an older brother who is supposed to be an Alpha after your father, what did you do to him?" asked Torak inquisitively.


    Draghar knew that Torak''s question would get to this point, but still when he gave that answer, it didn''t sound good, no matter how he put the words together.


    "I challenged him to a fight too," Draghar replied in a stiff voice. His dark brown eyes stared intently at Torak. As if challenging the Alpha. The beast inside of him again felt threatened and made a self-defense in an aggressive manner. "If you ask me why I did that, then I won''t give you the answer."


    "Why?" Torak narrowed his eyes, responding to Draghar''s aggressiveness. This man couldn''t control the beast inside him well enough¡­


    "Because that was what I needed to do at the time and I won''t give you any further explanation than this," Draghar said, this time his voice sounded like someone, who was snarling and his eyes starting to turn black.


    Likewise Torak. He didn''t accept Draghar''s rudeness, especially not in his turf.


    However, before anything worse happened, Raine opened the door of Torak''s study, without knocking it first.


    "Oh, I thought Torak was alone," Raine said with a sweet smile on her lips. "Are you guys discussing something serious? If so, I will come back later," she said.


    But, then Draghar stood up and Torak did the same thing at almost the same time.


    And before Draghar could finish his sentence, Torak had already walked swiftly towards Raine and placed her behind his back, as if Draghar was a threat to his mate''s safety.


    "We''re done," Draghar said stiffly, then walked out of the study.


    When the door closed and there were only the two of them, Raine walked around Torak and looked into his black eyes.


    "You guys are at odds?" she asked as she ran her finger down the side of Torak''s face, calming the Alpha.


    "That lycan is dangerous for Aurora," Torak said gloomily.


    "Why?" Raine frowned.


    "He''s not well controlled," replied Torak.


    ================


    Aurora woke up earlier than usual and immediately got out of bed and took a shower, she also spent more time choosing what clothes to wear this morning, which she usually didn''t really care about.


    Then with a doubtful look, she looked at her dressing table.


    Should she wear light make- up?


    Aurora was really annoyed that she became indecisive like this, but also felt like her heart was going to explode with joy.


    Just imagining that she would meet Draghar was already something that pleased her.


    Especially when she smelled his scent.


    Wait a moment.


    Aurora startled when she realized something. She thought she was just imagining this, since her head was filled with Draghar, but when she opened the door, she found the man standing there.


    "Good morning," he greeted in a low voice and his hoodie covered almost half of his face.


    "Good morning," said Aurora. "You woke up so early."


    "Yes, because I can''t wait to see you again." The beast within him did not understand the word waiting.

 Chapter 1132: Aurora (11)

    I don''t need you to light up my world, just sit with me in the dark.


    -Unknown-


    **************


    "Yes, because I can''t wait to see you again." The beast within him did not understand the word waiting.


    Hearing Draghar''s answer, Aurora could feel her face heating up and she subconsciously lowered her head to avoid her mate''s intense gaze.


    Even though Aurora couldn''t see him and Draghar chose to cover his face again with the hoodie he was wearing, but still she could feel the man''s heated gaze, as if she was the only one in his eyes.


    Now Aurora realized how her mother felt whenever her father looked at her.


    At that time, Aurora did not understand why her mother still very shy when her father looked at her, even though they had been together for years.


    But now Aurora realized it. Being loved so much sometimes makes you so happy that the time you have spent together is still not enough.


    "Can I give you a good morning kiss?" Draghar asked in his hoarse voice.


    Even Aurora could hear the nervousness and this made the girl want to laugh happily.


    Aurora was happy because she could make this big lycan look nervous and clumsy. She thought it was very funny.


    Only, after a while, nothing happened. The two of them stood facing each other and just stared in silence. Mute.


    According to Aurora, she didn''t need to answer. It''s a woman''s language, which meant silence was a ''yes'', well, in most cases, it could be interpreted that way.


    But, in the context of this matter, of course Aurora''s silence meant she was waiting for Draghar to kiss her.


    But, after a minute had passed and the silence became a little unpleasant, Aurora finally decided to speak.


    Too bad, Draghar was inexperienced with creatures called women. He was used to getting orders clearly. Yes and no. So, the meaning of silence was not in his dictionary.


    He''s not very sensitive to this one issue.


    "Should I ask you to kiss me?" asked Aurora when Draghar did nothing.


    "Oh," said Draghar, looking flustered, especially when Aurora tugged at the collar of his jacket and made him lower his head so he could level his face with the little girl''s height.


    And as soon as their faces met, Aurora kissed Draghar while whispering softly against his lips.


    "Good morning," she said cheerfully. A smile spread across Aurora''s lips and this made the beast within Draghar perked its ears warily, waiting for what would happen next.


    And what Draghar had in mind was to mark his mate. Make her as his permanently. With a mark from him, then the other lycans would know that this perfect girl was his and would only be his.


    Aurora''s neck was so close, so close and it took only one movement for Draghar to sink his fangs into the soft skin between the curve of her shoulders and neck, where his mark would be visible.


    Aurora''s soft breath caressing the side of his face tempted Draghar to lose control over the beast that he unknowingly let out a low growl.


    And this made Aurora flinched, especially when suddenly Draghar hugged her tightly and brushed her hair away from her neck, the place where he was going to mark her.


    No¡­


    No¡­


    Aurora just gave him a good morning kiss and she didn''t see anything wrong with it...


    However, this was an ending that Aurora had not imagined at all¡­


    "No, Draghar, not here¡­" Aurora wasn''t stupid, she knew what would happen next. But, of course she didn''t want to be marked in front of her bedroom door, in the hallway. This didn''t feel right. "Draghar!"


    However, Draghar seemed not to have heard Aurora''s refusal, his eyes darkening and his fangs lengthening when he saw the soft pulse on Aurora''s neck¡­


    He will mark her and make her his. Aurora only belongs to him¡­


    But, before all that happened, Draghar''s body suddenly was pushed really hard and hit the wall, making a deep dent in the wall. The sound of it was also deafening.


    Aurora let out a low shriek as Draghar''s body just slipped away from her and someone was standing in front of her, protecting her from her own mate.


    "Daddy..." said Aurora in a slightly trembling voice. And when her eyes fell on Draghar, she was wide-eyed at her mate. "Draghar¡­"


    It was natural for Aurora to worry about Draghar, because after all, the broken wall indicated that the impact was very strong.


    Aurora could even hear the sound of his bones being reconnected and this scared her.


    It was certain that some of Draghar''s bones had been broken.


    "Stay here," Torak said in a low voice full of warning. He also used his Alpha voice to keep Aurora in place, something he rarely did.


    And the commotion caught the attention of several people. Especially Kayden who immediately rushed to Aurora''s side and stared at Draghar with his eyes that had turned black.


    On the other hand, Draghar seemed to have lost himself and looked at the two lycans in front of him, who stood between himself and his mate, as his enemies.


    Thus, without a second thought, his body arched forward and he began to growl and roar very loudly, announcing his anger.


    He didn''t want another lycan between him and his mate. He didn''t want another lycan to touch her. No one else can touch her...


    As if Draghar''s sanity had been completely taken away by the beast within him, he began to shift into his black lycan and charged towards Torak.


    Likewise with Torak, he didn''t take a second to decide what to do when he shifted into his white lycan and crashed into the black beast in midair.


    Both of them roared and growled fiercely, their eyes were no longer black, but red, indicating that this fight would not end without one of them getting hurt and Aurora didn''t want that ending.


    Meanwhile, seeing the unfavorable situation, Kayden very quickly pulled Aurora''s hand, just a moment before the two Alphas charged towards them and wrestled in a fierce fight.


    The two of them then hit a large glass window and fell from the seventh floor of the pack house.

 Chapter 1133: Aurora (12)

    The things you hide in your heart¡­ eat you alive¡­


    -unknown-


    **************


    Aurora couldn''t believe what she was seeing now. How could such an innocent kiss end like this?


    With wide eyes and heart on her throat, Aurora saw the two beasts crash into the large window and jump from the seventh floor of the pack house.


    The deafening sound of broken glass made her cover her ears instinctively, but that didn''t stop Aurora from witnessing it all.


    Kayden then hugged Aurora''s body, protecting her from the scattered glass shards as her sister screamed in horror.


    Aurora screams like a terrible melody in this morning and it invited all lycans to come to the floor where the Alpha and his family live.


    Calleb came first followed by several lycan warriors and as he walked hastily towards the broken window, below, he could see two beasts fighting fiercely, even their roaring made anyone who heard them feel as if get a heart attack.


    "What the hell?!" Calleb cursed, he was gaping there. "Who is Torak fighting?" he asked in disbelief.


    But, he didn''t need an answer to find out, by just looking at the horror in Aurora''s eyes at this moment he could already guess that the one Torak was fighting was the girl''s mate.


    "What really happened?" Calleb asked Kayden.


    Kayden shook his head then look at his sister, who was still trembling in his arms. "I don''t know," he answered honestly.


    Kayden came out of his room because he heard a loud noise and felt the walls vibrate, and when he was in the corridor he found Torak and Draghar staring at each other savagely.


    Of course he knew what was going to happen next, so he rushed over to Aurora, who was standing behind their father''s back, to protect her.


    "I''ll walk her to his room first," Kayden said.


    "I''ll catch up with Torak," Calleb said then brought several lycan warriors with him to chase their Alpha.


    Calleb didn''t really know what the problem was, but if one of them was killed or seriously injured, then no one would be happy with such an ending.


    Whoever wins or loses, Aurora''s heart will break to find it out.


    "No, I don''t want to go back to the room," said Aurora when Kayden pulled her into her room and Calleb and all the lycan warriors had gone after the two Alphas. "I''m fine, I''ll look for father and Draghar too."


    "No, you will be in this room until they come back," said Kayden, he grabbed Aurora''s hand and pulled her into her room and sat her on the edge of the bed. "Now tell me what happened."


    "I¡­" Aurora tried to remember what had happened and she shook her head, trying to shake off the fear that had begun to eat her away when she realized what Draghar would do to her. "I kissed him¡­ just a peck." Aurora hastily added, not wanting her brother to think anything of it.


    "Then?" Kayden insisted.


    "I don''t know¡­ he suddenly turned aggressive and I think¡­" Aurora swallowed hard. "I think he intended to mark me..." she said with difficulty.


    Kayden growled angrily and was about to stand up, but Aurora hastily pulled him back to sit down and explain.


    "I don''t think Draghar meant it that way, it''s just¡­ the beast inside him is stronger..." Aurora looked at Kayden, as if asking her brother to understand. "I feel there is something strange about the beast in him."


    Aurora didn''t want to say this, she didn''t want to have any assumptions about her mate, but she did feel that there was something strange about the beast inside Draghar, although she didn''t know what was really going on and tried to brush it off because she was too happy to meet him.


    "That''s an unforgivable act," Kayden growled. "Marking your mate without their consent is a mistake."


    ================


    Torak knew that something was wrong with Draghar, but he didn''t expect that this lycan''s self- control was so low that he almost made a big mistake by putting his mark on Aurora without her consent.


    The white beast looked so angry that it bit the black beast''s left arm very hard.


    They no longer felt the pain of falling from a height of hundreds of meters as the two alphas moved the fierce battle close to the forest and destroyed several trees in the process of subjugating each other.


    Torak does not stop there, he attacks no longer to subdue, but to kill, because he can feel the same killing instinct from his opponent.


    The bodies of the two beasts were enormous in size, but Torak was far more experienced in this kind of battle, even though the black beast wasn''t exactly a weak opponent, but still, their skills were different.


    Quickly, the white beast dominated its opponent and roared savagely. The beast within Torak couldn''t accept the fact that the creature before him had nearly hurt their daughter and his overprotectiveness became increasingly unstoppable.


    However, to Torak''s surprise, the black beast didn''t budge, he didn''t look down at all, even after being dominated.


    It was as if he had often gone against the orders of the Alpha''s voice and was getting used to fighting it back.


    This was not natural at all, because usually every shifter would submit to other shifters who have more strong dominance. Only, the same was not true for Draghar.


    How many direct orders from Alpha had he violated?


    And Torak''s last resort was to ram his large, sharp claws into the side of the black beast''s belly, immobilizing it, but not enough to kill it.


    The black lycan''s body hit a tree and toppled it. He didn''t move and remained on the ground, while blood started flowing from his injured stomach.


    The wound was so large that it made the beast unable to stand back up.


    It''s just, those eyes¡­ the black beast''s eyes still didn''t give up. He looked at Torak very savagely and seemed to want to tear him apart.

 Chapter 1134: Aurora (13)

    Those who forgive themselves and are able to accept their true nature, they are the strong ones.


    Those who can''t acknowledge themselves will eventually fail.


    -Unknown-


    **************


    "Shift!" Torak commanded in a very firm voice and even sounded very dangerous and savage.


    He walked towards the black beast that was badly injured in his human form. His realization came just in time and his logic worked well to remind him that this creature before him was Aurora''s mate, his daughter and not his enemy.


    Because otherwise, very bad things would happen and Torak didn''t know how he would deal with Aurora later.


    As it turned out, his daughter was still his top priority, even though he was almost completely overrun by the monster inside him.


    "Shift, now!" Torak gave the order in his alpha voice, much firmer than before and even sent the birds perched on the trees flew to the sky.


    The sun began to shine and the cold evening air had now been replaced by the warm morning breeze.


    Under the light of the morning sun, Torak could see the black beast roaring and growling, struggling to stand up. Looked very arrogant and stubborn to accept his defeat.


    Torak thought that in such a badly injured condition Draghar would still attack him, but apparently his guess was wrong, because the black beast ran towards one of the pine trees and hit his own head there, breaking the tree.


    This certainly surprised Torak. What is this? Did he intend to commit suicide? Torak had never heard of a suicide shifter, especially an Alpha.


    However, what Draghar did was to weaken the beast within himself, so that he could easily take control.


    And when the fourth tree fell, the black beast fell to the ground with blood flooding the ground around him. His head was visibly injured and slowly, painfully, Torak watched Draghar struggle to transform back into his human body.


    The man''s face was almost unrecognizable because of blood and Torak was sure that Aurora would cry bitterly if she saw her mate in this condition.


    "Don''t let¡­ Aurora see me like this," Draghar said breathlessly. He then turned around and let the warm morning sun warmed his body.


    Torak didn''t say anything and sat on the ground, not far from Draghar. He stared at the man with a furrowed brow, while the beast inside him still roared furiously at the memory of what Draghar nearly did to his daughter.


    "You can''t control your beast," Torak said. It wasn''t a question, but a statement he put to Draghar, based on what he had seen.


    Draghar was breathing rapidly, his vision dim as blood oozed from his open wound. His healing abilities weren''t fast enough to cover the wounds, but that didn''t mean he would die.


    No. Draghar had been through much worse than this and was still alive, therefore, even this didn''t mean anything to him.


    "The beast within you is stronger than your human side," Torak spoke again, he then threw a nearby stone at Draghar''s hand, when the man closed his eyes.


    Draghar growled.


    "I just wanted to make sure that you didn''t die," Torak answered Draghar''s growl lightly, as if it was just an insignificant topic.


    "I won''t die just because of this," Draghar replied in one low growl. He then opened his eyes and silence fell over them both before he finally answered Torak''s question. "Yes, I think so."


    "You''re a danger to Aurora." Torak didn''t want to say this, but he had to know everything that could harm his daughter. Especially from a mate who couldn''t control himself.


    "I won''t hurt her." Draghar said that, but deep down he knew it wasn''t true. He felt unsure of his own words.


    "No, you will hurt her. Whether you like it or not, you''re going to hurt her."


    "Because I can''t control the beast inside me?" asked Draghar grimly. He felt that the bright morning sun didn''t potray what he was feeling right now.


    Torak was able to control his beast well, but he still had moments where he hurt Raine. "You should stay away from Aurora."


    No answer.


    They both fell silent again until Calleb came and approached them. But, by that time Draghar''s condition was much better. Only the pool of blood on the ground, could show how severe the wound was.


    ================


    "You can''t keep me in a room like this Kayden!" Aurora cried angrily. She growled at his brother. The beast within her could sense that their mate was hurt and Aurora had to know how he was now.


    Torak closed his mind, therefore, Aurora could not use mind-link to contact her father, while in front of him Kayden insisted for her to stay in the room.


    "You. Will. Be. In this room." Kayden spelled every word, while his eyes turned black, when he said that, he also used an Alpha tone.


    However, the alpha''s blood was flowing inside Aurora so it didn''t give Kayden the effect he wanted.


    Luckily, before the argument reached any further, Raine entered the room and calmed the atmosphere.


    "You can go Kayden," Raine said. He then looked at Aurora, who immediately burst into her arms.


    "You''re not going to let her go, are you Mom?" asked Kayden skeptically.


    "It''s Aurora''s right to decide whether she wants to go or not," Raine replied firmly.


    "Mom! Don''t you know what that bastard almost did to her?" he growled disapprovingly.


    Meanwhile, hearing Kayden''s harsh words, Aurora couldn''t help but growl at him. She looked at his brother angrily.


    "I know what happened and Aurora still has to decide whether she will take him back or not," Raine said.


    "Father is not going to like this," Kayden grumbled.


    Raine frowned. "What does father have to do with this? Draghar is Aurora''s mate not your father''s."


    If only Raine had said that in a less tense atmosphere like now, it might sound like fun and a joke that would make Aurora laugh enough, but not now.

 Chapter 1135: Aurora (14)

    "I just want you, that''s it."


    -unknown-


    **************


    "Where''s Aurora?" Torak asked as soon as he returned to the pack house and he found Raine was standing on the terrace, waiting for him. His mate always looked beautiful and charming, even when she was worried like now.


    This could be seen clearly by the way Raine frowned and smiled bitterly at Torak.


    "She is in her room, Kayden won''t let her go out to see Draghar." No matter what Raine said to her son, Kayden didn''t seem to want to hear any reason why he had to release his sister from the confines of her room.


    Not only that, Kayden even ignored Raine''s anger, which was a rare event and Raine couldn''t just force her will on her son, when she knew his intentions were good, it''s just that their ways were contradictory.


    "Maybe that''s best," Torak said curtly, he then kissed Raine''s forehead and was about to lead her inside, but his mate kept staring at the road, as if waiting for someone. "He''s with Calleb." Torak knew who Raine was waiting for.


    "What did he do with Calleb? He''s fine, isn''t he?" she asked.


    Torak scowled when he heard the worried tone in Raine''s voice. "You didn''t even ask me how I was doing."


    Hearing that statement, Raine didn''t know whether to cry or laugh. "I''ve seen you in person and I''m pretty sure that you don''t lack anything, my love," Raine said, giving Torak a sweet kiss on the cheek to ease his annoyance.


    And that helped quite a bit...


    "Draghar will be leaving tonight," Torak said and when he saw Raine was about to open her mouth, he immediately added. "Aurora won''t come with him." He knew what Raine was going to ask before she even said it.


    "What? Why is that?" The wrinkles between Raine''s brows deepened when she heard Torak''s statement. "Did you tell him not to take Aurora away? Aurora will be very disappointed in you."


    Torak then shook his head slowly. "No, the man himself decided and I think this is quite good." Torak thought for a moment and added. "Wise decision."


    However, Raine didn''t feel the same way. She felt it was totally wrong. How can you say it was the right decision when you have to leave your mate? Raine couldn''t stop thinking about it.


    "No, that''s not true. How could he leave Aurora?" Rain shook her head. "Aurora will be very sad when she hears about it."


    Torak was silent for a moment. He knew that this would be painful, but he also knew that Draghar was even too dangerous for himself. So how could he possibly allow potential danger to be around his daughter?


    "Yes, Aurora will be sad. But, that doesn''t mean they reject each other. That guy just needed time to control the beast inside him, and after that¡­" Torak didn''t know what he was going to say next.


    Separating two mates was a cruel thing. And when Torak realized that Draghar was Aurora''s mate, he knew deep down, he would not be able to avoid the moment his little girl left him.


    However, things were a little different¡­ Draghar was not an easy person to deal with and Torak didn''t want his daughter to get hurt.


    "He will be able to control the beast within him. That''s why he needs a mate. Wouldn''t a lycan''s mate be someone who would give them balance?" Even though Raine wasn''t a shifter, that didn''t mean she didn''t know them well and the rules therein.


    "Did you know that he almost marked our daughter without her permission? The beast in him wanted to mark his mate and he can''t control that," Torak said. He could feel the irritation back in the back of his throat and he needed this as justification for his reasoning.


    But, Raine, as usual, she always found a way to show Torak that what he believed all along wasn''t always true.


    "Torak, you marked me without my permission too¡­" Raine reminded him and she could see the memory flashing back in Torak''s eyes and this made him flinch a little. "But I''m strong enough to get through it all when you think I''m not. Therefore, the same thing will happen to Aurora."


    Torak clenched his jaw tightly. He was still reluctant to admit this.


    "Aurora is not a little girl you have to protect constantly, she can determine what is good for her." Raine reached out and rubbed the side of Torak''s face gently to make her mate felt better. "It''s about time she made her own decisions."


    "She''s only seventeen," Torak said with a hint of despair, he felt his reasoning this time was very weak.


    "I was seventeen when you found me¡­"


    ================


    Draghar didn''t have much to tidy up before his departure, but he lingered in the room anyway.


    The thought that he had to leave his mate just as soon as he found her, was a very unpleasant feeling, to say the least. He''s in a very bad mood right now.


    But then Draghar smelled a scent he recognized before he even heard a knock on the door.


    Luna Raine.


    "Come with me," said Raine after Draghar opened the door for her and greeted her in a somber tone.


    Raine saw that whatever wounds Draghar had in his fight with Torak, they had now fully healed and that was a good thing. She didn''t want Aurora to see Draghar black and blue because of the fight he had with Torak.


    "Where to?" asked Draghar sceptically.


    However, Raine didn''t tell him and started walking down the corridor, so Draghar couldn''t help but follow her until he realized that Raine was taking him to Aurora''s room.


    "You should at least tell her about your departure," said Raine. He then pulled Kayden who protested and was about to attack Draghar.


    But, this time, Raine didn''t let Kayden win the argument.


    A moment later, Draghar stood pensively in front of Aurora''s door, where he could hear his mate''s hasty footsteps. Aurora must have known of his arrival.


    "Don''t open the door, let me talk like this."

 Chapter 1136: Aurora (15)

    You can''t always wait for the perfect time.


    Sometimes, you have to dare to do it.


    Because life is too short to wonder what could have been.


    -Unknown-


    **************


    Draghar saw himself as a threat to Aurora and he didn''t want him to lose control again because he himself wasn''t sure how to control the beast inside of him, in front of her, when the wild and savage desires of the beast within him couldn''t be contained.


    "Don''t open the door, let me talk like this," Draghar said when he heard Aurora''s footsteps stop just behind the door, just a second before she opened it and saw the figure of a monster inside the body of a man like Draghar.


    "Why?" Aurora asked from behind the door. She was very tempted to push it open, but something in Draghar''s voice stopped her. "What is it? Are you okay?" Had her father hurt him?


    Oh, if that happened, then Aurora would have a very serious conversation with her father later.


    When she was calm, maybe Aurora''s nature was more like Raine, she would appear soft, fragile and like a girl who needed protection, but when she wanted something, then the little girl would seem like a domineering alpha.


    Aurora knew what she wanted and she was so stubborn to get whatever it was...


    "I feel that you are safer this way," Draghar said.


    "Draghar¡­" Aurora wanted to protest, but the man stopped her complaint.


    "Please listen to my explanation first," Draghar said in a low, but urgent voice and this made Aurora speechless.


    An instant silence fell over the two of them, as if it would last forever until Draghar started to speak.


    One sentence that Aurora did not expect to hear.


    "I am leaving tonight." He halted. "But you will not come with me. At least not now. I will pick you up later¡­"


    There was no response from Aurora, which meant she was still listening to what Draghar had to say next.


    "As you probably know by now, I can''t control the beast inside me well," he said. Draghar felt a little embarrassed to admit this.


    During his life, Draghar had never shown his weakness in front of others, nor talked about it, because he knew, once that person could see that he was weak, then he would not survive in life.


    Life in the pack was harsh, not the peaceful type of life like in this Torak''s pack. Therefore, Draghar thought this was a good decision, even though the beast inside him was trying to kill him for making such a decision.


    If Draghar couldn''t even protect Aurora from himself, then how was he going to protect Aurora from the pack? That would be a little unreasonable, wouldn''t it?


    Aurora was still silent, there was no response from behind the door, even Draghar didn''t know what kind of expression his mate had now.


    "It would be better like this," said Draghar. He didn''t know how to put good words together, because he himself had never been in a situation where he had to pay attention to his words.


    Thus, having said what he had to say, Draghar had nothing he could offer to make this separation a little better for the two of them.


    He couldn''t promise anything that he didn''t know for sure.


    "I''ll go now," Draghar finally said.


    It''s so sad, how he couldn''t even see Aurora''s face one last time before he actually left.


    However, before Draghar could turn around and leave, Aurora opened the door.


    This was quite surprising as well as a relief for Draghar, because he could see his mate, but the expression on Aurora''s face didn''t match the mood at all.


    In front of him, from behind the door, Draghar could see Aurora was staring at him very sharply. She pursed her lips tightly and clenched her fists.


    And when the girl finally spoke, her voice sounded like a hiss.


    "You''re not going anywhere without me, Draghar." She then stepped aside, showing what was behind her. They were two large suitcases, which were already filled with the things she needed. "I''ve even packed my things."


    Seeing that, Draghar didn''t know what to say. He looked at Aurora''s face with disbelief and there, he saw his mate''s stubbornness for the first time and knew that he would not be able to change the girl''s decision¡­


    ================


    The parting between Aurora and her parents and Kayden was tearful, at least, Raine and Aurora cried, while Torak hugged his daughter very tightly for a long time and talked to Draghar.


    Aurora felt that her father was issuing every threat he could think of to make sure that Draghar would treat her well.


    It''s very typical of his father and Aurora would miss his overprotective nature...


    While Kayden was still trying to keep her there.


    "I will allow you to enter my room without permission if you are willing to stay here and not follow him," said Kayden with a grim face.


    Meanwhile, Aurora rolled her eyes. "I''m not interested in your offer, but thanks," she said and Kayden growled.


    Meanwhile Raine hugged Aurora again and cried because this would be the first time they would be apart for so long.


    The two women were women who could handle Donovans well, but still, they would be very sensitive and would be the first to cry when their hearts were touched, like now¡­


    "I''ll visit you," Kayden said to Aurora. "He had better treat you really well."


    Since Draghar''s pack, the blood moon pack, was very far away, requiring two days of travel, Torak provided two cars that Draghar and Aurora could use, and three other lycans caught with Draghar.


    It would be a long journey and a new experience for Aurora. In a new pack full of mysteries, but as long as she''s with Draghar, she felt she could get through anything¡­


    At least that''s what Aurora thought before she found out what awaited her in Draghar''s pack¡­

 Chapter 1137: Aurora (16)

    Dear woman, be like the moon. Don''t show your full heart every day.


    -Alexandra Vasilliu-


    **************


    "Are you feeling tired?" Draghar asked Aurora who was sitting beside him. He looked at his mate with eyes filled with enthusiasm as well as all kinds of feelings running through his mind.


    It was a beautiful feeling and Draghar didn''t know how to explain it to Aurora because he felt it was something that couldn''t be described in words.


    He had never felt this happy in his entire dark life.


    When his life was only filled with endless brutal fights and bruises, he never thought that one day his mate would appear in front of him and give tenderness to his hard life.


    "I am fine, just a little sleepy." Aurora yawned, unable to hide her tiredness any longer.


    Traveling so far by just sitting in the car, was really tiring, her legs felt sore and so did her back.


    "We''ll find a hotel near here," Draghar said in the softest voice he''d ever used.


    Draghar couldn''t believe his own luck when Aurora bravely and impulsively chose to go with him and leave the pack and family who love her behind.


    It was a huge sacrifice that meant a lot to Draghar, and he was determined to repay everything by treating Aurora the best he could.


    "We''ll be staying here for a while." Draghar then pulled the car over and entered a five- star hotel there.


    Prior to this, Draghar and the other three members of his pack had left their pack and crossed Torak''s territory in their beast forms, therefore, none of them drove a car.


    For a moment, Aurora even thought that it would be better to reach Draghar''s pack the same way.


    Because all this time, apart from her pack, Aurora had never shifted in a big city or in front of humans, even though they couldn''t see her in her beast form.


    And again, Aurora would be happy to do and explore things that she has never done before. That seemed like a lot of fun to do.


    Unfortunately, her father and Draghar disagreed on that and neither did Kayden, but her mother didn''t say anything and just smiled.


    "Come on." Draghar turned around the car and opened the door for Aurora, he reached out his hand to help her and felt the soft and small hand on his rough hand.


    He would not believe that this beautiful creature was his mate.


    "Hi, Aurora," Collin greeted her, Draghar''s beta. He looked much more cheerful than the other three lycans who followed behind him.


    Before leaving, Draghar briefly introduced her and the three other lycans to Collin, but made it very clear not to approach the three lycans.


    Which in other words, Draghar forbade her to be friendly or friendly with the members of his pack.


    ''They are not to be friends with.''


    That was the only excuse that Draghar gave to Aurora and when she insisted on getting a more detailed answer about it, Draghar just said that and promised later he would tell her everything that Aurora wanted to know, but not now.


    Now is not the right time.


    Aurora didn''t understand, but since Draghar promised to tell her, she felt she just needed to be patient.


    "Hi, Collin," Aurora greeted the beta back.


    "What about him? Can he be tamed during the trip?" Collin asked, glancing at Draghar, who was snarling lowly.


    "Watch your mouth," Draghar warned the beta.


    However, it seemed that Collin didn''t really respond to that, or maybe he was used to being under Draghar''s threats, so it wouldn''t be a problem for him to listen to one or two more threats¡­


    No big deal for him...


    "Oh, I see you haven''t been marked by him," Collin said in surprise as he peeked at Aurora''s neck and found no sign of Draghar''s marek there. "I thought he was the impatient type and would mark you right on the spot."


    It was certain that Collin had not heard of the incident that occurred in the corridor in front of Tarsa''s room, where Draghar was only a step away from doing that.


    Therefore, when Collin brought up the mark on Aurora''s neck, Draghar then pulled Aurora to his side and glared at Collin sharply. "Stop it," he said simply.


    And when their eyes met, Collin knew the joke had gone too far.


    "Okay, okay¡­ sorry¡­" Collin raised his hands, as a sign of surrender and then smirked at Aurora. "We should be good friends, I wonder how he will treat you."


    Aurora didn''t understand what Collin meant.


    Meanwhile, the three lycans, who were walking behind them could be heard grumbling in annoyance as they entered the hotel lobby.


    Aurora didn''t know what bothered them, but then she heard one of them spoke in a voice loud enough to hear.


    "Why should we stop? It must be because we are with that woman," grumbled one of the lycans and this made Aurora frown.


    Are they talking about her?


    "Why are we stopping at this hotel when we can continue our journey? That woman is too weak," another replied.


    Hearing this, Aurora''s facial expression immediately changed. She then was about to turn around to face the three lycans behind her, but Draghar moved faster.


    "Go with Collin first," said Draghar softly he then pushed Aurora''s body slowly to stand next to Collin.


    Collin was the same height as Draghar, but slightly smaller than the Alpha and when Aurora was by his side he smirked and pulled the girl to come with him, while Draghar walked the other way with the three lycans.


    "What happened?" asked Aurora curiously, she knew that something was wrong. "Where did Draghar and the three of them go?"


    Collin reached into the black backpack he was carrying and pulled out his ID and some money to pay for the room they rented, and he leaned in to whisper to Aurora, giving her the answer she wanted.


    "Don''t worry, your mate will only give them one or two pieces of advice," Collin said.

 Chapter 1138: Aurora (17)

    Be gentle when he shows you his scars.


    It takes more courage to remove one''s armour, than to assembly it.


    -J. Strelou-


    *************


    "Don''t worry, your mate will only give you one or two advice," Collin said in a relaxed tone, he then faced the hotel receptionist and gave the sweetest smile to the woman in front of him.


    And somehow the word ''advice'' didn''t fit Draghar''s personality at all. Aurora felt that it would be more than an ''advice'' the three lycans would receive.


    Meanwhile, Aurora couldn''t understand how Collin could be so flirtatious with the receptionist in front of her.


    She knew that the beta was just trying to be friendly, but there was something more in the way he spoke to the receptionist.


    Even at this point, Aurora could already feel the huge difference between the people in her pack and Draghar''s pack.


    Especially when the three lycans gave their opinion about her.


    After all, she was their alpha mate, which meant making herself Luna, but why didn''t they give her the respect she deserved?


    Even though there were members of the pack who didn''t like her mother, that didn''t mean they would criticize her mother right in front of her father rudely. They really sought to be killed if that''s what they do.


    And again, it''s not like there was someone in her pack who hated her mother. They love her family and respect them as the leader, Aurora knew that for sure.


    It was just¡­ Draghar''s pack¡­ feels disorganized and more brazen¡­ they didn''t know mannerism¡­


    "Come on, we are going to your room now," said Collin, he then threw his arm around Aurora''s shoulder lightly, embracing her casually, touching her without her consent.


    It wasn''t that Aurora didn''t like it or that she felt too pure for Collin to touch, but weren''t they new to each other? They weren''t that close to touching each other...


    Or maybe it''s just Aurora overthinking this?


    ================


    Collin escorted Aurora to her room and left her there while he got a room right next to Aurora and Draghar''s.


    But, then Aurora realized this very late. She will be in the same room as Draghar?!


    "You guys, do you have to sleep separately? Besides, it would be a waste of money to rent one more room, because I don''t think Draghar will let you go tonight either," Collin said in double meaning words.


    It was not difficult for Aurora to understand what he really meant.


    But, still, imagining that she would sleep with a man was something significant to her.


    She never even slept with Kayden again after she felt that her body had changed and was no longer a child, but now¡­


    "Make sure you can tame him well, okay?" Collin winked before he went into his own room and left Aurora there, still pensive.


    "Oh, no... what should I do..." Aurora muttered in the quiet corridor.


    For a moment, Aurora thought about pretending to be asleep and locking the door, pretending not to hear Draghar''s call if he came and wanted to enter the room, but then Aurora felt it wasn''t the right thing to do...


    After all, by doing so, she might hurt Draghar''s feelings¡­


    But, what did Draghar expect from tonight? They would sleep in the same bed together and be so close, just the two of them and there would be no her father to interfere in whatever they would do¡­


    But, how long would she act like this¡­ wasn''t it marked as a form that Draghar wanted her and Aurora wanted the same thing¡­


    ================


    Draghar only returned after thirty minutes, he had no trouble finding the room because Collin had informed him through mind- link, when Aurora had finished bathing and was now in her pajamas. She wore long- sleeved pajamas, hoping Draghar didn''t have any ideas¡­


    "I am going to take a shower first," Draghar said, telling Aurora.


    "Oh, I already ordered food for us, because I don''t know what you like, so I ordered some food," Aurora informed him, he looked at Draghar who walked into the bathroom with his hoodie still draped over his head, he still covered his face from Aurora.


    It seemed that the Alpha still didn''t feel comfortable showing the wounds on his body to his mate.


    This takes time¡­.


    Aurora thought to herself.


    "Okay," Draghar replied curtly, then went into the bathroom.


    Maybe Aurora didn''t notice before, because she was too nervous to think about what would happen next between her and Draghar, but now she could smell the faint smell of blood coming from Draghar.


    Aurora''s brows furrowed. Was Draghar hurt? She would look into that later after her mate finished bathing¡­.


    And not long after, the food Tarsa ordered finally arrived, she couldn''t wait to spend her dinner with her mate.


    For a while, her nervousness was forgotten as her hunger called out to her.


    Luckily, Draghar came out of the bathroom not long after, with only a towel hanging from his slender waist.


    Aurora was watching a random broadcast on television, waiting for Draghar so they could have dinner together, but when she saw the man only wearing a towel around his waist and coming out of the bathroom shirtless, Aurora''s heart was beating fast. She seemed to freeze in place.


    Meanwhile, Draghar seemed to have forgotten that Aurora was there, he walked to his bag which was on the sofa and took a clean shirt from it.


    Only then, Aurora can clearly see the wounds that adorn her mate''s body.


    This time, Aurora was no longer stunned because Draghar came out wearing only a towel, but this time she was stunned to see how many wounds on Draghar''s body, especially his back, where Aurora could see dozens of deep claw marks, and was unable to heal by their abilities as a shifter.


    How could this happen? And why don''t the wounds heal...


    This time Aurora thought more deeply about what Draghar said before she agreed to go with him.


    ''my pack, not like your pack.''

 Chapter 1139: Aurora (18)

    Kiss my lips and give me one of your amazing hugs.


    -lovablequotes.com-


    **************


    Draghar completely paid no attention to this and forgot about his wounds, for they had stuck to him like his own skin and he had forgotten that they were an unusual sight, for he had had them since the first time he was able to remember.


    Was it when he was only five or six or seven¡­ Draghar couldn''t tell for sure at all.


    Not only because pain had become a very familiar thing to him, but also because he felt that it was the only feeling he had ever felt.


    Of course it wasn''t until he met Aurora and Draghar began to understand that pain wasn''t the only feeling he was supposed to accept. If there was a beautiful feeling like being loved by someone.


    It was because of his insensitivity that he didn''t realize that Aurora was watching him until he heard her sobbing.


    Immediately he became alert and turned around quickly. How shocked Draghar was when he found Aurora was crying so hard that her beautiful eyes filled with tears.


    Her face reddened as she couldn''t help the sadness she felt, even now that Draghar saw her, she could feel that sadness seeped through the mate bond between them, even though she hadn''t marked Aurora yet.


    "What is it? What happened?" Draghar was half running when he approached Aurora who was still sitting on the edge of the bed rubbing her face roughly, trying to wipe her tears but to no avail¡­


    Draghar didn''t understand what had happened to this girl, when she suddenly hugged him and buried her face against Draghar''s shoulder.


    The Alpha''s heart seemed to stop beating when he felt the sensation of their physical contact. Fear began to creep up on him as he was afraid he would lose control over the beast within him again like last time.


    Thus, hesitantly and very stiffly, Draghar patted Aurora''s back, hoping the gesture would calm her down.


    "What is it? What happened? Are you hurt?" Draghar didn''t smell blood from her and he was sure the last time he saw Aurora she was fine.


    But luckily, the thing Draghar feared didn''t happen. He didn''t get out of control. Perhaps it was his fear and also what had almost happened earlier that made him feel more wary of himself.


    While with Aurora, he must be able to fully control himself if he did not want to hurt his mate.


    On the other hand, it took Aurora a moment to calm down and start talking about the cause of her crying.


    Draghar wiped the tears that fell down Aurora''s cheeks with his rough hand as gently as possible and waited patiently for Aurora to speak.


    But, the answer given by his mate was an answer that Draghar had not expected at all before.


    "Where did you get those wounds from?" asked Aurora quietly as she traced her slender fingers across Draghar''s skin which was covered with scars, like tattoos drawn on his skin.


    Even Aurora had a hard time finding any part of Draghar''s body that wasn''t scarred, be it minor or major.


    The sight hurt her deeply.


    Let alone seeing so many wounds on her mate, even Aurora had never seen a lycan with a scar, because their kind would definitely heal completely after some time, no matter how severe the wound was.


    Therefore, Aurora couldn''t imagine how Draghar''s body could be covered with scars?


    "Where did you get these scars from?" asked Aurora again because Draghar just stayed silent and looked at her with a look that he couldn''t understand. "Who has done it?"


    It felt like Aurora wanted to rip and sink her claws into the person who had done this to Draghar. How dare they hurt the man in front of her.


    The alpha blood flowing within Aurora didn''t like the sight she was seeing and she felt the urge to subdue whoever was giving Draghar a hard time.


    "Are you crying because you saw these wounds?" asked Draghar in disbelief.


    No one had ever cried for him all this time. Even if there was crying, then it was other people who wanted to make him submit and cry in his own pool of blood.


    "Who has done it?" Aurora started crying again. Anger and sadness mixed into one.


    Draghar was still deep in his own thoughts, he still couldn''t believe the reason Aurora was crying.


    "How can the wounds not heal?" asked Aurora again because Draghar still didn''t give her a satisfactory answer.


    "Oh, Aurora¡­" Draghar sighed, then leaned over, pressed his forehead against hers. Closed his eyes, enjoying their touch. This was the happiest thing for Draghar in his entire life. "What did I do to deserve you¡­"


    "Because I deserve someone like you," Aurora replied.


    Draghar looked down on himself when he said that, but Aurora didn''t want her mate to feel that way. They were a couple destined to be together, therefore, it was fitting that they were shoulder to shoulder.


    "Now answer me¡­ how come those wounds don''t heal?" Aurora then distanced herself and looked back at the wounds on Draghar''s chest. There was a large wound that seemed to split his chest, as if the attacker wanted to kill him by taking out his heart.


    Just imagining that brought tears to her eyes again, but that didn''t mean it made her weak, it just made her feel more like doing the same thing to Draghar''s attacker¡­


    With this, it can be well confirmed that there was a brutal part of Torak that he passed on to his daughter.


    "Wolfbane," Draghar replied in a stiff voice. He didn''t want to say this and make Aurora feel even worse, but from her eyes alone, Draghar knew that his mate would not leave this topic until she got the answer she wanted.


    Draghar then pinched Aurora''s chin with his index and thumb, and lifted her head so that the girl would stop staring at his wounds.


    "I''m fine..." Draghar said. He kissed the tears in the corners of Aurora''s eyes.


    "I don''t know what you''ve been through, but may I give you a kiss now?"

 Chapter 1140: Aurora (19)

    This is my confession.


    As dark as I am,


    I will always find enough light to adore you to pieces,


    With all of my pieces.


    -Johnny Nguyen-


    **************


    The last time Aurora kissed Draghar, she got into trouble because her mate couldn''t control the lycan inside of him and made an incident that Aurora didn''t want to happen again.


    Therefore, this time she didn''t want to surprise Draghar like that and asked for permission in advance for Draghar to get ready.


    However, when he heard Aurora''s request, Draghar laughed softly which made the girl in front of him frown.


    "Why are you laughing?" Aurora asked, confused. Now she had forgotten her crying, though occasionally tears still fell down her cheeks.


    "Because you are so adorable," Draghar replied, then tucked a strand of Aurora''s curly hair behind her ear. His mate looked very cute when she was confused like this. Her blue eyes stared at him with a frown between her eyebrows. "I wouldn''t mind if you wanted to kill me."


    If he had to, it seemed that Draghar would not protest. He has received so many death threats and if he has to die, then leaving this suck world in his mate''s hands was the best option...


    Meanwhile, the sentence that Draghar meant as a joke, actually made the wrinkles between Aurora''s eyebrows deepen. Draghar''s way of joking seemed too dark for the girl.


    Apparently, they should have a good talk about this¡­


    "I won''t hurt you," Aurora said in a grumbling voice.


    "I know," Draghar replied. "I''m just kidding." Draghar then cupped his hand on Aurora''s face, now he''s quite happy that Aurora has stopped crying, therefore his own mood has improved a bit. "You can do anything to me."


    Hearing those words, Aurora wrinkled her nose. "Why do I feel your words have a double meaning."


    "Well, at least you know I''m not always clear- minded." Draghar smiled happily seeing Aurora''s eyes widen in surprise at what he said.


    "Draghar!"


    They were both still trying to dive into each other''s character and also still trying to understand each other''s feelings, so it would be a long journey until they could really learn about themselves and their mate.


    But, it would be a beautiful journey.


    Draghar wouldn''t mind repeating his life again from the first day he got hit. Even though his life was like hell, but if he knew one day he would get a mate like Aurora, then he would not curse the moon goddess and lived his life holding on to this day.


    Aurora kissed Draghar''s forehead gently, causing the Alpha to close his eyes as his mate''s soft lips kissed his eyes, tracing the wound on the left side of his face.


    Then to his nose and down to his lips¡­


    Aurora''s lips were sweet and soft, something very foreign to Draghar. Because those kinds of things didn''t suit him, but somehow Aurora made him feel like he deserved them all.


    Her small hands were behind Draghar''s head, pressing his head gently, deepening their kiss.


    Draghar liked how Aurora was trying to take control in this situation. The alpha blood within her didn''t allow her to be completely dominated.


    After the long kiss, Aurora pulled away and her bright blue eyes stared at Draghar, her lips saying, "You seem to be controlling yourself well."


    "Hm," Draghar muttered which sounded like a growl. "I''m trying."


    Draghar thought the intimacy between them had ended there and Aurora wouldn''t dare go any further than this, but this unpredictable girl before him proved him wrong.


    Just like Aurora did when she decided to go with Draghar and leave her family and pack.


    This time, Aurora did the same.


    Aurora approached Draghar back and pressed her lips to Draghar''s ear, making the man''s breath hitch as she traced his jaw and his lips down to his neck, whereupon she kissed the wound that ran along his shoulder.


    The sensation that Draghar had felt all this time when Aurora touched him or when they kissed, couldn''t compare to this.


    Draghar felt that something inside him was awakened, his wild instincts as well as his ferocious desires, while the beast inside him was in a state of alert, waiting to see what his mate would do next.


    However, with the last bit of self-control that Draghar had, he pulled Aurora''s face as she started kissing the wounds on his chest, as if she wanted to erase the pain Draghar had suffered when the wounds were inflicted on his body.


    "Aurora." Draghar''s voice sounded much deeper and also much rogue than usual, that one word he uttered with feeling. "I could hurt you if you continue this."


    However, she instead looked at Draghar bravely, her eyes were firm. She knew what she wanted and she wanted it now.


    "Mark me," Aurora said in a calm voice, the exact opposite of what Draghar was feeling right now.


    Draghar felt his chest rumble violently when Aurora said that. The beast within him roared ferociously when he heard the word he had been waiting for.


    But, despite the emotions that welled up inside him, Draghar had to confirm something first and this was far more important than anything, even his own damn wish.


    "Are you sure? I could hurt you." Draghar seemed to feel his breath stop in his throat.


    "You won''t hurt me Draghar," Aurora said, cupping her hands over the man''s face. "I''m not that weak."


    Of course Draghar knew that Aurora wasn''t that weak. She wasn''t weak at all, neither physically nor mentally. Since no weakling could accept Draghar¡­


    "Mark me," Aurora repeated her words to convince Draghar of what she wanted now. "I am ready."


    Draghar was silent for a moment, but he couldn''t lie that this was what he had been waiting for and wanted. And now Aurora asked him to do just that.


    Marking a mate was not easy for lycans, which meant they would unite their souls and deepen the bond that exists between the two.


    "This is going to hurt," Draghar warned Aurora, giving his woman an excuse and a last chance to back off.


    **************


    meet me on Instagram @jikan_yo_tomare

 Chapter 1141: Aurora (20)

    "Why do you like thunderstorms?"


    "Because it shows that even nature needs to scream sometime."


    -E.D-


    **************


    Draghar knew when a threat approached him, or how to fight at a disadvantage situation or how to survive in the wild, where he had to rely on his animal instincts to defend himself.


    Draghar knew how to kill his enemies without wasting much time or killing them in one fell swoop with his large, sharp claws.


    Draghar knew all sorts of complex and complicated things about how to torture a shifter until they begged him to be killed.


    Draghar knew about everything that was bad, cruel and uncivilized. He knew all that because that''s how he lived.


    But, when it came to Aurora, all his knowledge was wasted, because he couldn''t find answers or understanding of how Aurora thinks or decides things.


    The girl that was so beautiful in front of him was like a bunch of paradoxes.


    Aurora wept when she saw the wounds on his body, one thing that Draghar never thought he would get, someone who cared so much for him that she was crying for him because of the pain he had suffered.


    But, at the same time she also wanted to hurt the person who had hurt him. Do the same for the person.


    And now, despite how Aurora touched him gently and her demeanor that showed calm and tenderness, this girl asked him to mark her, which she knew very well that it would be dangerous for her.


    The first thing Draghar imagined about Aurora was; a demure girl who was very gentle girl, so the slightest roughness would scare her away.


    But no, Aurora was not like that¡­


    And now Draghar didn''t want to guess he wanted to see what other surprises this little girl would bring to him¡­


    Now Aurora was beneath him, staring at Draghar with her misty and seductive eyes, looking confused but also so determined to get through this process.


    Draghar loved how Aurora''s body trembled when he landed a kiss on her long, smooth neck.


    Also loved how Aurora''s breath caught when he touched her chest, or how she said his name when Draghar traced her beautiful curves, stripping her clothes off one by one without her noticing.


    "Aurora, if you want me to stop, now is the time¡­" Draghar whispered into her ear, his body shaking violently, as he struggled to contain himself. Not only that, his brown eyes have now turned black. "Because more than this¡­ it will be too late if you want me to back off."


    However, just like her previous decision, Aurora had already made up her mind, so she wasn''t going to back down, not now.


    "I want you..." Aurora said in a trembling voice. Her body felt hot under Draghar''s and her face turned red. She looked at his mate through her misty eyes.


    And to Draghar, Aurora''s words had just truly become a sign for the beast within him to be free.


    Draghar tried to treat Aurora as gently as he could and give her the comfort and pleasure she needed, as the marking process would be very painful for her.


    But, Aurora did not make it easy, because every word that slid from her beautiful lips, seemed to make Draghar''s madness increase and every time she touched Draghar, the man felt like he was on fire.


    Draghar wanted to devour this girl, but on the other hand, he had to keep reminding himself that this was Aurora''s first and he didn''t want to show the beast instinct that overcame him.


    He wanted to make this a memory for Aurora, but as soon as he felt his mate''s body, Draghar felt himself going crazy¡­


    ================


    Draghar didn''t sleep all night and the only thing he did during that time was stare at Aurora''s face as well as the marks on her neck which were red and raw¡­


    Draghar thought there was something wrong with the marking process that he did, although he tried to give the best for Aurora and tried to make her feel comfortable, but still he couldn''t deny that it was the most painful event for his mate.


    When Draghar''s fangs pierced the soft skin on Aurora''s neck, along with the pleasure she was getting, Aurora closed her eyes tightly and whimpered.


    Draghar felt Aurora''s nails digging into his skin that they left scars on his shoulder for a few moments, before they disappeared.


    However, the wound that Draghar created on Aurora''s skin didn''t heal right away and was still bleeding for a while.


    For a moment, Draghar''s joy at successfully completing the process turned to horror as he saw Aurora''s pale face with blood dripping down the white bed sheet.


    His body trembled and called out Aurora''s name over and over and it was only the girl''s quiet muttering and calm breathing that made Draghar stop panicking.


    "My ability to heal is very slow..." said Aurora at that time, before she closed her eyes and fell asleep. Her energy was drained and her body was now adapting to her mark.


    Just like Kayden, Aurora''s ability to heal was very slow, compared to other shifters, but fairly fast when compared to humans in general.


    Normally it would take a day or two for Aurora to recover, but during that time Draghar didn''t feel at ease¡­


    Like now, only a few hours had passed since he''d marked his mate, but every five minutes, he''d check on Aurora, sticking his finger before her nose, feeling her warm breath.


    Aurora fell asleep without moving at all and of course this made Draghar even more worried. He felt that he would go crazy if he had to wait for days.


    Draghar was tempted to call the doctor, just to check on her condition, but that would confuse the human doctor.


    He was also tempted to call Luna Raine, to ask about Aurora''s condition, but then he refused to do so, because it would feel awkward to tell this...


    "Aurora¡­" Draghar called, he caressed the girl''s head and smoothed the blanket around her, before he lay down on his side and rested his forehead on his mate''s shoulder. "You scared me¡­"


    **************


    meet me on instagram @jikan_yo_tomare

 Chapter 1142: Aurora (21)

    Collin raised his eyebrows with a mischievous and meaningful look when Draghar said that they needed a few more nights to continue this journey.


    "You have done it, haven''t you?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as he said that, as if he knew everything Draghar was doing.


    Or¡­ maybe it was already very clear what Draghar had done to Aurora, no need to guess so hard.


    "You marked her, didn''t you?" Collin asked in a low, flirtatious voice, winking one eye. "So how? Is he to your taste?" he asked again.


    Hearing this, there was an angry growl from behind Draghar''s throat. "Watch your words."


    Hearing that threatening tone, Collin backed away slightly and then shrugged his shoulders, as if it was no big deal to him.


    "Hey, I was just joking," he said, raising his hand, but then his next words didn''t show at all that he was joking when he said that. "But, you know how things are in our pack, I am not sure she can adapt well to the people there."


    That was something Draghar had in mind. He knew very well what the condition of the pack was and would not let Aurora suffer because of it.


    "If my mate can''t adapt to them, then they have to adapt to her," Draghar said in a firm and very clear voice. His eyes showed a determination to do so.


    On the other hand, Collin just raised his eyebrows and said casually. "You will fight with all of them to make your wish come true?" there was a hint of disbelief and tiredness in his voice.


    "If that''s what is required," said Draghar.


    There was a moment of silence in the hallway of the hotel room when the Alpha and the Beta just fell silent. They seemed to be in each other''s minds and the atmosphere in the corridor became so quiet that Collin finally decided to end it with a statement that Draghar couldn''t avoid.


    "You know that how she lives in her pack is a very different matter from how people live in ours, right? They won''t just accept outsiders," Collin said. He then glanced at the room where the three lycans who had come with them were staying the night.


    Of course Collin didn''t want to be in the same room with wild and uncivilized creatures as they were, but he wasn''t sure the news of this delay would be good news for the three of them.


    Indeed last night Draghar had given one or two ''advices'', but that didn''t mean they would take this delay for granted.


    "Aurora is my mate, which makes herself a Luna, they should respect that," Draghar confirmed his words.


    Only, Collin sighed heavily, as if he had known beforehand that would be Draghar''s answer.


    "You know that it won''t be a solid basis for them to be nice to Aurora. They are beasts. They have long forgotten such a system," Collin reminded Draghar.


    "Then I''ll be the one to remind them that things can no longer go the way they want. And the system that the alpha had before, is gone, because I am their alpha now, it''s my words that they have to hear." Draghar glared at Collin and the Beta looked down.


    "I would be very happy if it could be done well¡­and soon," he said, then he raised his hand to scratch his head which wasn''t itchy.


    Things he often does when feeling frustrated or feeling uneasy.


    There were so many complicated variables and with just one look at how Alpha Torak''s pack was, of course Collin knew that the way Aurora has been raised and the environment that has been around her all this time, would not match their pack.


    The situation in the Blood Moon pack only got worse and worse when the previous Alpha decided to get out of the territory of the supreme Alpha Torak.


    One could say it was an unfit place to live in.


    It was only because Draghar was the strongest of them that the place was still habitable.


    Yes, everything in the Blood Moon pack depended on how strong you were. Because once you show weakness, there would be no mercy for you.


    Therefore, seeing how Aurora looked so sweet and gentle, it really didn''t suit their pack.


    Collin initially thought that Draghar would leave Aurora in her pack, or¡­ as people always said to the Alpha in the past, that he would soon be rejected by the woman who would become his mate, but that didn''t happen.


    "I''ll make sure of that," Draghar said, then he turned around, about to go back into his room and accompany Aurora, but before that he turned to Collin and said, "you take care of the three of them."


    Hearing the task, Collin groaned. "Can''t I just kill them all? So there''s no need for unnecessary bickering?"


    ================


    Draghar returned to the room where he left Aurora who was still asleep, the woman showed absolutely no sign that she would wake up soon.


    Gently and with dedication, Draghar then took a clean bandage and replaced the bandage on Aurora''s neck which was red with blood.


    At this rate, Aurora would lose a lot of blood¡­ would this be okay? Was it okay?


    Draghar was annoyed that he didn''t have anyone he could trust to share this anxious feeling.


    Or rather, Draghar was used to harboring what he felt. Except for anger and aloofness, there wasn''t much emotion that Draghar showed to outsiders.


    This really frustrated him and it had been a long time since he had been afraid of something. In fact, there was a point in his life, where he was not afraid of anything, even death itself was not a big thing for him, since many times he had stepped his foot in the face of death, even though it didn''t seem like the right time to go any further.


    Only now¡­


    Draghar has a will to live and protect that was much stronger than anything else¡­

 Chapter 1143: Aurora (22)

    Aurora did have the ability to heal much slower and she had told Draghar about this too, but still, waited for three days without knowing when his mate would regain consciousness, was an awful feeling.


    Or maybe Aurora would not come back to him¡­


    It has already been said, that the process of marking, was a dangerous process and not arbitrary.


    Those times were very torturous days for Draghar, as if every second that passed brought new wounds to the alpha and he couldn''t help but feel the bitter taste of fear and anxiety mixed together as he stared at Aurora''s pale face and completely did not move from sleep.


    Therefore, on the third day, Draghar decided to call Torak and face whatever supreme Alpha would do to him if he found out that he has endangered his daughter''s safety.


    For Draghar at this moment, nothing was more precious than Aurora''s consciousness.


    But fortunately, before Draghar could call the Alpha and ask for his help, Aurora opened her eyes.


    She groaned and scrunched up her face, though her eyes were still closed.


    At that instant, Draghar immediately ran to her side and knelt beside her bed and grabbed the girl''s hand.


    "Aurora¡­ you hear me? What do you feel? What do you need?" Draghar really felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw, slowly, Aurora opened her eyes and looked straight into Draghar''s.


    It was an extraordinary moment and Draghar couldn''t find the right words to describe it.


    Aurora''s face, her eyes, the way she looked at him¡­


    Draghar felt that he could stay like this forever, if only time had stopped right then and he could only stare at Aurora''s face all his life, it would be a bliss.


    The love that Draghar has for Aurora was growing and it''s a wonderful thing for him to feel.


    Everything would be fine from now on, everything would be fine¡­


    No one would be able to take his mate away from him.


    [Did I sleep too long?]


    Suddenly Aurora''s voice echoed in Draghar''s head. The girl uses mind- links to communicate with her mate, one of the many things you could do when you have marked your mate.


    Aurora was too weak and didn''t have the extra energy to use her own voice, therefore, she used this method.


    [Yes,] Draghar replied in the same way.


    He stared intently at Aurora''s face, like a blind man who had just seen color, like someone who missed his lover, like a poet who finally found the most beautiful poem in his life.


    That''s how Draghar looked at Aurora.


    He would never get tired of looking at the girl and would never feel fulfilled every time he looked at her.


    Aurora then raised her hand and touched the dark shadow around Draghar''s face, then around his sexy lips¡­


    Looked like Draghar hasn''t shaved in days.


    But, Aurora liked Draghar''s appearance. No, she liked everything about his mate. Whatever he did, or however he looked.


    [I hurt you.] Draghar said, there was a hint of regret in his words, and Aurora didn''t like that¡­


    Aurora didn''t want Draghar to regret what had happened, because it was the best thing that had ever happened to Aurora in her entire life.


    Therefore, Aurora then cupped her hand on Draghar''s face and smiled at him, biting her lip, while replaying the last thing that she remembered.


    Words alone would not be enough for Aurora to convince Draghar and also, this method was much more effective.


    Aurora felt very grateful because they were a shifter who has this way of communication.


    Aurora then remembered how Draghar first kissed her gently and also passionately¡­ then Draghar, who traced her curves with his rough fingers and how Aurora felt her heart would explode at every touch he gave.


    He was driving her crazy and feeling things she''d never felt before¡­


    Aurora didn''t hold back what she felt and wanted her mate to know that she didn''t regret a second of that moment.


    "Aurora¡­" Draghar gasped and Aurora just smiled seductively.


    ================


    "Where are the other three lycans?" asked Aurora when she didn''t notice the other three lycans who had come with them earlier weren''t going with them now.


    It was only on the fifth day that Aurora was able to fully recover and left the hotel to continue the journey to the blood moon pack, as they had originally planned.


    "The three of them left first," Collin lied smoothly, as if he was already very good at it and didn''t feel guilty or sorry at all for telling a lie.


    Collin then glanced at Draghar, though the Alpha completely ignored him.


    But, of course the gesture didn''t go unnoticed by Aurora, she turned her body to look at Draghar, but her mate didn''t say anything.


    Maybe it''s just her feelings, but Aurora felt that something was hidden, it''s just that she didn''t want to think too much about these baseless feelings and preferred to get rid of those.


    Draghar then carried Aurora into the car, while Collin got into another car, this time, he was driving alone.


    "It took all day to get to the blood moon pack," Draghar said as he started the car engine and leaned over to put the seatbelt around Aurora''s body for safety. "If you need to rest, just tell me."


    In that case, Draghar wouldn''t protest or utter a single word of complaint if Aurora was too tired and they had to rest, because after all, he wanted Aurora to be at her best when they reached the blood moon pack.


    His mate would need it¡­


    And if he had to choose¡­ Draghar wanted to forever be on a journey like this with the woman who had shaken his world, in a good sense.


    On the other hand, Aurora smiled slightly at Draghar and his sweet attention. She wished they would be like this forever.


    Her decision to go with Draghar, wasn''t a wrong decision¡­ she knew it¡­


    Right?

 Chapter 1144: Aurora (23)

    Aurora loved the view on their way to the blood moon pack, especially when they get off the main road and drove through the mountain roads which showed how beautiful the place was.


    It was a magnificent sight to behold, where mountains and big trees are visible along the roadside.


    The air in this place was so clean and it reminded Aurora of her own pack. She again missed her home.


    Yesterday, she had just called mom, dad and Kayden, of course Aurora didn''t say anything about her being marked, maybe later, because that kind of topic could be very awkward, especially with her dad and brother.


    Draghar had said before that his pack was in a place at the foot of the mountain, which was a bit far from the city.


    But, according to Aurora, this was not a problem, because her pack was in a isolated place as well, away from the city life.


    However, there was still one thing that really bothered Aurora, especially now.


    "What is it?" she asked when she saw Draghar being much quieter than usual. "Is there anything you have in mind?"


    Draghar didn''t say much, but that didn''t mean he was this quiet. And every now and then, to make sure her mate was okay, Aurora would try to read his mind through mind- links, but Draghar closed his mind, even to Aurora.


    This was not unusual, maybe this man was used to not sharing what he was thinking, it''s just, the expression that Draghar has now, made Aurora think that her mate was hiding something.


    "What is it?" asked Aurora again, touching Draghar''s tense upper arm. She could even feel the muscles beneath Draghar''s jacket tighten. His knuckles gripping the steering wheel looked white from the pressure he was applying. A little stronger than this, then Aurora was worried that Draghar would snap the steering wheel he was holding now. "Is there something you want to say?"


    They were on a road that only one car could pass, while to the left of Aurora''s window was a beautiful mountain view, to her left was a river flowing quietly.


    And when Aurora asked that question, at that very moment Draghar then pulled over the car, right beside the riverbank.


    "What is it?" Aurora asked with a confused face when she saw Draghar pull over the car. Wasn''t their journey just a little longer?


    The last time Aurora had asked when they would arrive, Draghar pointed at a high wall surrounding a large area around the foot of the mountain.


    And when Aurora asked why his pack used fortifications around their residence, Draghar only replied that the fort was useful for repelling rogues or intruders who were trying to disrupt the pack.


    It''s not too strange, because each pack has its own way of protecting their territory.


    However, what made Aurora look confused was the fact that Draghar looked tense when he said that and it didn''t take a genius to know that there was something else to the use of the fort.


    Yet, Draghar was still reluctant to tell Aurora.


    "You can tell me now," Aurora said, reassuring Draghar. She knew, sooner or later, Draghar would tell her about this.


    At the side of their car, another car stopped and it was confirmed to be Collin, the beta. He got out of the car and took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.


    And in no time, the man was sitting on the hood of the car enjoying every puff of the cigarette between his fingers.


    Collin''s very relaxed attitude made Aurora think that this man had known that their stop this time would take a long time, enough for him to enjoy the cigarette.


    Meanwhile, Aurora was quite surprised when she saw Collin do this, but said nothing, because her focus now was on Draghar, her mate was still silent, as if he was trying to find the right words to say to his woman.


    "I told you not that my pack is not like yours," Draghar reiterated.


    And Aurora had heard Draghar say that so many times that she became even more curious about what Draghar''s pack was like, why did he keep saying it?


    It''s not a problem for Aurora that Draghar pack would have a hard time accepting her, because she understood that everything has to go through an uneasy process.


    However, why Draghar made it sound like what would happen next was something Aurora didn''t like at all and was not be able to face it.


    "Just tell me what''s wrong?" Aurora pulled Draghar''s hand and looked him straight in the eye. She couldn''t help but feel anxious at the tension Draghar had.


    Meanwhile, Draghar could see the sincerity in Aurora''s eyes and her determination when she said that. He couldn''t be more grateful than this.


    "There are some things I want you to obey and some places I want you not to go, can you do that?" Draghar asked.


    Aurora frowned when her mate said that.


    "Why?" That one word, of course, couldn''t help but leave her lips and she really couldn''t understand why Draghar had to forbid her from going to a certain place?


    Moreover, even though Aurora looked demure and seemed like a girl who wasn''t difficult to manage, but the Alpha blood within her was against Draghar''s desire for her to obey orders.


    "Please don''t ask," Draghar pleaded. He reached out his hand and touched the side of Aurora''s face, then looked at the mark on her neck that looked very raw.


    Draghar would love to know and can''t wait to see his mark on Aurora''s neck would look like.


    "Please, take my word for it." This time Draghar''s voice got much deeper as he asked Aurora to agree.


    Aurora didn''t immediately say yes, she seemed to think for a moment before she replied, "Only if you explain to me what really happened. And what is the meaning and reason behind it," she said.

 Chapter 1145: Aurora (24)

    Aurora would probably understand why she was forbidden from going to certain places or why she had to go along with Draghar''s words if her mate provided a reasonable excuse for her.


    Draghar was indeed her mate, but Aurora would not blindly follow anything if she didn''t understand it.


    Hearing Aurora''s request, Draghar was silent for a moment, then he leaned his body against the back of his seat while looking ahead, where the sun was starting to set.


    "In my pack, you don''t become an alpha because you are a descendant of an alpha," Draghar said in a calm voice, he still didn''t look at Aurora, who was now staring at him. "You became an alpha because you are the strongest among the lycans in your pack."


    Aurora didn''t urge Draghar, she let him take his time to tell her everything she needed to know.


    "Being strong is the main rule in my place and the alpha position is a very risky position, because I will take on challenges almost every day."


    Aurora knew what kind of challenge it was. The challenge was carried out because there were members of the pack who did not agree with the existing alpha leadership.


    It''s just that, in Draghar''s pack, they challenged him because he wasn''t born an alpha, even though his father was an alpha and all his siblings were born as an alpha.


    "Not an alpha?" Aurora frowned. "Then what is your status?"


    A shifter, of course, could feel the status of other shifters, especially if you were an alpha, the dominant aura that radiated from you would be very different from those around you who were not.


    "I used to be an omega," Draghar said quietly. He then turned to look at Aurora beside him, he wanted to see how his mate would react and was prepared for the worst.


    He should have said this before he marked Aurora or took her too far from her pack.


    However, all of that had already happened and the bond between them had been so strong that Draghar was not willing to let Aurora go even for a moment.


    Aurora was an alpha, even Draghar could feel it and to be paired with an omega, it''s an insult...


    Thus, when Draghar saw that neither the hateful eyes nor the judgment he always got from the people around him, was not there, he could breathe in relieved.


    "Did they treat you badly?" Aurora asked. She was more focused on how those people treated Draghar as an omega in the pack. Not the status of Draghar who used to be an omega.


    Granted, things like this happen rarely, very rarely, but that didn''t mean they never happen.


    Children who have omega status who were born from an alpha, or an omega who fought hard to raise their status, all of those things were possible.


    And for Aurora it was not a problem.


    However, what bothered her were Draghar''s words earlier which told her that his pack held in high esteem for strength.


    So with such a system, wouldn''t it be difficult for an omega to live in a pack?


    "Is that why you have these wounds?" Aurora frowned and bit her lip, she took Draghar''s hand and rolled up his sleeves, then looked at the wounds that adorned his arm and the palms of her mate which felt very rough for a shifter who could heal themselves quickly.


    How hard had his life been all this time?


    "Yes," Draghar replied, as if it was no big deal. "Omega doesn''t really have a good life in my pack."


    "What about your father?" His father was an alpha, so there''s no way he''d just be quiet when he saw his son being hurt, right?


    Her own father would throw a big fuss and lose control if she was hurt, let alone someone hurt her. Aurora was very sure that even her own mother would not be able to calm her father if something this bad happened to her.


    "Didn''t he say anything when he saw this?" However, from the way Draghar stared at her. Aurora could see the answer. "Your father had a hand in this too?"


    Aurora felt deep pain and sadness for what Draghar had gone through and she couldn''t hold back her tears.


    Seeing that, Draghar covered his injured arm and pulled Aurora close to him. He rubbed her back to calm his mate.


    "I''m fine now. I''m fine," Draghar whispered into Aurora''s ear while kissing the top of her head.


    "They hurt you..." Aurora whimpered, feeling very sad to know this.


    "They won''t be able to hurt me anymore now," said Draghar, he had become stronger now, much stronger.


    To become an alpha, where you were born as an omega, was not a pleasant and easy journey, but Draghar did not regret it, because in the end he was able to meet Aurora.


    His mate even cried for all the suffering he had gone through.


    "Your heart is too kind and gentle for me and my pack," Draghar said softly. This was something he had been worried about from the start. Aurora''s kindness was incomparable to the rudeness of most of the people in his pack.


    "I want to teach those who hurt you a lesson," Aurora said between sobs and this made Draghar laugh.


    Draghar had just commented on Aurora''s tender heart, but in the next second, this girl actually wanted to beat up those people¡­


    Aurora then wiped her face after a while and calmed down a bit, and that''s when Draghar warned Aurora about his warning again.


    "Aurora," Draghar called her name in his deep voice. "I was serious when I said there are certain places you can''t go unless it''s with me and don''t go too far from the pack house."


    Aurora blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek which Draghar quickly wiped away with his thumb.


    "Please," Draghar said softly. "I don''t think I''ll be able to deal with it if something bad happens to you." Draghar frowned, he didn''t even want to imagine it.


    "What kind of places are those?" Aurora still wanted to know more before she agreed to Draghar''s terms.


    It''s in her blood to disapprove of anything until she''s absolutely sure of what she''s doing, especially a warning.

 Chapter 1146: Aurora (25)

    "There are several places, but the most forbidden one is the training ground for the border guards," Draghar told her. "I''ll take you there, but after that, you can''t go near that place if you''re not with me, okay?"


    Aurora bit her lip, thinking for a moment before she agreed. "Okay."


    "Thank you," Draghar kissed Aurora''s forehead.


    Outside, the sun was setting beautifully, with its orange light reflecting off the surface of the river in front of them, giving it a stunning hue.


    And when they finally arrived at the blood moon pck, it was dark and the lights had been lit.


    Draghar had informed Aurora that there were three layers of protection within the pack, of which the first level of protection, was the outermost part of the pack, where the lycans patrolled outside of the fortress protecting their territory.


    Aurora was strictly forbidden to talk to these lycans, because they were feral and a little difficult to deal with.


    This first check point was what Draghar and Aurora passed when they arrived at the blood moon pack.


    Someone stopped the car, while Draghar turned off the car''s headlights when one of the guards walked towards the Alpha and he asked him to open the car window.


    On the other hand, another guard approached Aurora and knocked on her window, asking her to lower the windshield.


    "Alpha," said a lycan standing by Draghar''s window.


    "Open the gate," Draghar ordered in his deep voice.


    However, the man did not immediately do as Draghar ordered, he instead looked at Aurora with a furrowed brow.


    Meanwhile, a lycan who was standing on the side of Aurora''s window, suddenly unlocked the car door and was about to pull her out.


    "Who''s she?" asked the lycan.


    But, before the lycan could touch Aurora, Draghar had already caught his hand and growled dangerously.


    "Touch her and I will snap your neck," Draghar growled, gripping the lycan''s hand so tightly that Aurora could hear the sound of his bones.


    This was really a very unpleasant situation for her, sandwiched between two lycans who were staring at each other intensely, as if to show their dominance.


    But, it didn''t take long, because in the next second, the lycan withdrew and walked away.


    And now Aurora understood why Draghar didn''t want her to be around these lycans. She could feel their wild animal instincts. Or it could be said that they used their instincts more than their human side.


    This kind of thing Aurora found in the lycan warriors in her pack, however, it could be said that they were not as vicious as the lycans in Draghar''s pack.


    After closing the car door again, Draghar closed the window and started his car towards the second check point.


    "Are you okay?" Draghar asked worriedly, he looked at Aurora who was sitting next to him, he pulled over to really check on his mate.


    "I am fine," Aurora said quietly. She then added because she didn''t want Draghar to think she was lying. After all, her mate could feel the shock she was feeling right now. "I am just a little surprised, that''s all."


    "We will be at the pack house soon, after that, you can rest." Draghar drove the car to pass the second check point. "The people in the pack house will be easier to approach."


    At least they weren''t as vicious as the guards.


    Aurora then stretched out her hand and gently massaged Draghar''s nape, just as Draghar could feel the shock she was feeling, Aurora could feel the tension within Draghar too.


    Her mate seemed to be trying not to show his bad side to Aurora, he tried to be as calm as possible in front of her, but that''s precisely why he was holding back his emotions.


    "I am fine, just a little surprised," Aurora smiled as she said this.


    They then passed the second check point which guarded by the lycans guards as well, but they looked much younger and a little less ferocious than the previous one.


    Draghar said they were young lycans who were still in their training.


    Aurora could see that some of them were the same age as her, only she wasn''t so sure because the lycan''s age was hard to tell from their appearance alone.


    Draghar just rolled down his window and they passed easily.


    It took about ten minutes from the second check point for them to reach the Blood Moon pack''s pack house, which was a very large house.


    Unlike the pack house in her pack which has seven floors, the pack house in the blood moon pack was actually a very spacious, white one- story house.


    The crystal chandelier on the terrace showed that the house was old and aesthetic.


    There were three steps Aurora must climb with four pillars on the left and right when they enter the house.


    "Are you hungry?" asked Draghar, he just remembered that the last time they stopped to eat was this afternoon.


    "Yes, very much," said Aurora. She was hungry and tired, but couldn''t sleep if her stomach was grumbling.


    Hearing that, Draghar pulled her closer and hugged her waist. "We are going to our room first, then I will cook something for you."


    Aurora''s eyes lit up when she heard that. "You can cook?" she asked enthusiastically. Although her mother could be considered great at this kind of things, but for Aurora, Kayden''s cooking was even better than hers.


    "Of course," Draghar replied.


    The two of them walked into the pack house.


    Because of her fatigue, Aurora hoped she didn''t meet Draghar''s pack members first, but apparently, her wish was not granted.


    When they entered the house, Aurora could see a lot of people who were there.


    At first they were about to greet Draghar, but then, when their eyes fell on Aurora, the greeting turned into a question, accompanied by a questioning look in their eyes as they talked to Aurora.


    "Who is this woman?" asked one of them.

 Chapter 1147: Aurora (26)

    "She is my mate," Draghar replied in a stern voice, as a young man walked up to him and dropped his probing gaze on Aurora.


    Instinctively, Draghar placed Aurora behind his body, so that the man in front of him could not see his mate and shifted his focus to him.


    He didn''t like other men staring at Aurora intensely, whatever the reason.


    Not long after, Collin came with two large suitcases belonging to Aurora and stopped when he saw the questioning gazes of eight people in the room, feeling strange because Draghar came with a woman.


    "Hey, don''t provoke your alpha and don''t stare at the girl too hard if you don''t want to die. She is his mate." Collin then left, disappearing into a corner of the room as he turned to go down a corridor, carrying the suitcases to Draghar''s room.


    Of course Aurora would stay in Draghar''s room, where else would she sleep. The alpha even, if possible, would not let go of his mate.


    "Mate?" one of the men mumbled, trying to spot Aurora, who was hidden behind Draghar''s body, but since the girl was so small he had a hard time to see her figure. "You mean a girlfriend? You got a woman on the way back here?"


    Maybe this man didn''t mean anything bad, he was just asking what bothered him, but the way he was conveying it really made Aurora uncomfortable.


    This time, Aurora truly felt the difference between her pack and Draghar''s.


    Even though Draghar had explained mostly about the conditions in his pack, which said they were too wild and a little unruly, now Aurora could understand more about what Draghar meant.


    "She''s not just any woman I met on the street," Draghar growled, and this was very effective at making the man lower his head.


    This is one of the things that Draghar mentioned, that strength was very important to someone in his pack.


    "She is my mate. The woman who was destined for me," said Draghar, there was a hint of pride in his voice when he mentioned it and Aurora couldn''t help but feel happy that Draghar had acknowledged her like that.


    Because after all, someone who proclaimed he has you proudly, would certainly make your heart flutter, just like how Aurora was feeling right now...


    The eight people consisting of two men and six women, all gasped and widened their eyes in disbelief.


    It seemed that the rumor that Draghar would immediately be rejected by his mate if one day he could find her was something that Draghar''s pack believed.


    Therefore, when they heard that Draghar brought his mate home, they looked incredulous and their expressions couldn''t lie about what they were feeling right now.


    As if that belief was absolute.


    "She''s your mate? Really your mate?" a copper-brown haired woman stepped forward, she turned her head to see Aurora''s figure more clearly. "You didn''t kidnap her, did you?"


    Draghar growled when he heard that and the woman was startled then took a step back.


    Okay, that was overboard¡­ thought Aurora when she heard the woman''s comment.


    Without thinking, Aurora then stepped out from behind Draghar''s back and showed herself before them. A sweet smile formed on her lips as she greeted.


    "I am Aurora, I am Draghar''s mate," Aurora said softly, but she bravely looked them in the eye one by one. Staring at the eight people in front of her calmly. "And no, Draghar didn''t kidnap me. We met when he came to my pack and I asked to come with him."


    Aurora corrected her sentence when she explained about how they met for the first time. And not to forget, the girl was holding Draghar''s hand, indicating that her mate either didn''t do anything bad to get her or that she was forced to come here.


    "You''re so beautiful," muttered one of the women there. She didn''t even hide her admiration for the figure of the girl beside the alpha, who had long, curly hair flowing down to her waist.


    "Thank you." Of course there wasn''t any woman who wouldn''t be happy when she was complimented with those words, and knew that it wasn''t a lie.


    However, the girl''s next words made the smile on Aurora''s lips fade.


    "But why do you want him? Why didn''t you reject him?" asked the girl with a confused expression on her face.


    How could she express her opinion in such a manner? She said that without a second thought¡­


    Aurora then turned to Draghar, but the alpha didn''t seem bothered by the question, even now Aurora just realized that Draghar had lowered his hoodie and left his injured face exposed.


    It seemed, even though people in Draghar''s pack talked frangkly, his mate felt much more comfortable with all of them, to show his wounds.


    "Why should I reject?" Aurora asked, she then let go of Draghar''s grip and embraced his strong arms instead. "He looks amazing to me."


    And Aurora smiled with satisfaction when she saw the eight pairs of eyes in front of her widen in surprise, their lips slightly parted.


    Meanwhile Draghar gave her a peck on the top of her head.


    And after that, Draghar didn''t say anything else as he pulled Aurora''s hand away from those people.


    Aurora took the time to wave her hand at them. Hm, apparently they weren''t as bad as she thought...


    Draghar then took Aurora to his room, through a corridor where there was a small garden in the middle of the big house, which was overgrown with various kinds of flowers.


    The two of them were silent and Aurora didn''t feel anything strange about this, it''s just that occasionally she tried to read Draghar''s mind, but it seemed that the alpha had gotten so used to closing his mind that he wouldn''t allow anyone to know what he was thinking right now.


    Draghar then led Aurora to a dark brown door and opened it, where the girl could see that her two suitcases were already there.


    But, before Aurora could see what the room was like, Draghar had pinned her behind the door and started kissing her a little harshly.


    He stopped and pressed his forehead against hers¡­


    His breath catches¡­

 Chapter 1148: Aurora (27)

    Aurora didn''t understand, has she done something wrong, so she got punished with a slightly rough kiss? Hm, but she liked it¡­ so this couldnt''t be called as a punishment, right?


    Her eyes blinked in confusion when Draghar suddenly broke their kiss and pressed his forehead against hers. His breath caught and Aurora could see that her mate seemed to have difficulty controlling his emotions.


    "What is it?" Aurora asked, she then cupped Draghar''s face with both hands and enjoyed the sensation she felt from the physical contact, it seemed Aurora would never get tired of touching Draghar. She could do it all day...


    "Thank you," Draghar said unexpectedly.


    Those were the last words Aurora thought Draghar would say.


    "Thank you for what? I didn''t do anything for you," Aurora said slightly confused, she tilted her head, trying to find out what Draghar meant by that, but had absolutely no idea what she had done to receive such a word.


    "You defended me," replied Draghar gently, he then distanced himself from Aurora and bent down to carry the woman. He liked their closeness.


    Being close to Aurora was an infatuation that Draghar couldn''t stand. Her scent was like a drug that was specially made for him ¡­


    On the other hand, receiving this sweet treatment, Aurora immediately wrapped her arms around Draghar''s neck and allowed the man to take her into the room.


    "Shouldn''t it be like that?" Aurora said, kissing Draghar''s jaw. "I am only telling the truth after all."


    "Oh, Aurora¡­ you don''t know how much it means to me¡­" Draghar spoke with a sigh that made Aurora''s heart ache a little.


    How difficult was Draghar''s life before? To make him so grateful for the simple treatment Aurora did to him?


    The room was much larger than the room Aurora had, perhaps as big as the room her parents had, but there was no balcony there or a window to see the view outside.


    And one thing that Aurora realized was; the room was very minimalistic, there was only a big bed and a sofa and a round table, while on the other side there was a door which Aurora believed was Draghar''s walk- in- closet, after that nothing.


    Plus two Aurora suitcases, and there were no other things in the big room.


    However, Draghar did not take her to the bed, but into the bathroom. At this point, Aurora frowned. "What¡­?" Aurora looked at Draghar confusedly as the man entered the bathroom and turned on the faucet in the bathtub after lowering Aurora down. "What would you do?"


    "You should take a shower first¡­ after that you will sleep comfortably," Draghar told her, but there was a mischief behind the way he looked at Aurora.


    "Okay..." Aurora said slowly. "You can come out now¡­ I can shower myself¡­"


    However, Draghar shook his head. "No, I will bathe you."


    Hearing that, Aurora''s eyes widened in surprise. "No, you wouldn''t do that¡­" Aurora stepped back, realizing that the exit from the bathroom was behind her.


    "Oh, of course I would¡­" Draghar grinned happily. "This is my way of thanking you."


    Joke aside, Aurora was happy that Draghar was showing this side of himself and her mate looked much more relaxed in his own pack. In his own territory, because along the way, Aurora could feel the tension Draghar was feeling.


    And all of that diminished a bit once they passed checkpoints one and two, while in this pack house, Draghar, one might say, seemed almost normal¡­


    "You wouldn''t do that Alpha Draghar..." Aurora deliberately suppressed the word ''alpha'' in her sentence, knowing clearly that Draghar liked it.


    After saying this, Aurora then ran out of the bathroom.


    And chasing was something every shifter loved. Especially by the Alphas¡­ and this actually made Draghar smile at how mischievous his mate was.


    Of course, Aurora wouldn''t be able to outrun Draghar, and before she could reach the bedroom door, the man had wrapped his arms around Aurora''s waist and carried her back into the room.


    "I didn''t know you were this naughty," Draghar said as he lightly slapped Aurora''s back.


    "Hey, did you just slap my bum?" Aurora protested. She hung by Draghar''s side while the man lifted her up with only one hand, as if Aurora had no weight.


    "Yes," Draghar replied curtly.


    With that answer, Aurora hit Draghar''s back as well and laughed.


    The laughter of the two could be heard echoing in the room and warmth filled the atmosphere. Before this, there had never been a laugh that echoed here.


    "You are not seriously doing this, are you?" Aurora widened her eyes as Draghar lowered her back into the bathroom.


    "Of course I am serious," Draghar replied with a facial expression that showed that he meant his words. "You are too tired to shower by yourself."


    Aurora rolled her eyes dramatically when she heard this. If any of them were tired, it would be Draghar, because along the way, the man didn''t allow her to take turned driving, while Aurora spent most of her time sleeping.


    "Then you took the initiative to bathe me?" asked Aurora in disbelief.


    "Why? You are not comfortable with this?" Draghar meant to tease his mate, but that didn''t mean he would do anything that would make Aurora uncomfortable.


    Aurora thought for a moment. "I''ve never done this before," she said in an embarrassed tone, which could mean that she wasn''t against exploring their relationship to this point.


    Maybe it was too soon, but this was what Aurora wanted now and she knew for a fact that Draghar felt the same way about her. They feel comfortable with each other.


    And unlike normal human relationships, this mate bond would keep them together...


    "I would lose my mind if you ever do this with another man, little one..." Draghar said right on Aurora''s skin, where his mark was.


    Oh, that''s right¡­ Aurora hadn''t thought of that before.


    And slowly and carefully, Draghar took off Aurora''s clothes, enjoyed the process and worshiped the woman before him through his intense gazes.

 Chapter 1149: Aurora (28)

    Aurora felt very tired, the long journey to get to the blood moon pack was really exhausting.


    Therefore, last night after finishing bathing and teasing Draghar for a while, Aurora didn''t even realize when she had started to fall asleep.


    All she remembered was her hugging Draghar tightly, while the man kissed her gently, before finally losing consciousness and she fell fast asleep.


    It wasn''t that Draghar''s kisses were boring, of course it wasn''t. But, it was because tiredness and feeling refreshed after a shower that made her feel so comfortable, especially knowing that her mate was beside her, it was a wonderful feeling.


    In the blood moon pack, they would have breakfast together, but not with dinner, Draghar told the custom in his pack when he bathed her last night.


    But, Aurora woke up a little late this morning.


    She immediately opened her eyes and rubbed her face roughly as soon as her mind re-imagined about the shower together. She could even feel her face starting to heat up.


    Then quickly, Aurora turned to her left, where Draghar was supposed to be lying there, yet she couldn''t find him.


    Looked like Draghar had woken up and gone to do his duty as an Alpha. Aurora understood because she had watched her father all her life.


    Then with a big yawn, Aurora squirmed, it felt like she still wanted to sleep all day on her bed and hug the pillow that smelled like Draghar.


    Just then, Aurora''s eyes fell on a paper that Draghar seemed to have left for her on his pillow.


    On the paper, Draghar wrote that there would be a girl named Clarice who would accompany her for a walk around the pack house and several places there.


    Draghar would come to Aurora once his business was done.


    Her mate didn''t say where she could find Clarice, therefore, Aurora was surprised to find the girl waiting for her at the door.


    Today, Aurora chose to wear casual clothes with a t-shirt and jeans and her favorite baseball cap for a walk.


    "Since when have you been waiting for me here?" Aurora asked in surprise when she found a girl the same age as her, leaning against the wall beside her bedroom door.


    The girl was wearing a knee-length yellow dress with copper- colored short hair and pale blue eyes. She smiled when she saw Aurora had finally woken up from her long slumber.


    "Since the Alpha told me to wait for you to wake up," she replied in a cheerful tone. She was the first person who seemed friendly with Aurora''s arrival in this place.


    "And when was that exactly?" Aurora grimaced because she was sure she was up too late.


    "About four hours ago," she answered sheepishly.


    Oh, she was so sweet. Aurora felt that they could be good friends.


    "You shouldn''t have to do that," Aurora mumbled, feeling bad that Clarice had to wait so long outside her bedroom door.


    Of course Clarice couldn''t disobey the Alpha''s direct orders, even Aurora could feel her very submissive nature, indicating that she was an omega.


    "It''s okay." She waved her hand quickly. "You must be hungry, let''s eat. After that I will show you this place."


    With Clarice reminding her, Aurora''s stomach started to protest and grumble, asking to be filled and they both laughed when they heard it.


    "Since breakfast is over, we have to go to the kitchen to make our own food," Clarice said as she pulled Aurora''s hand.


    ================


    The kitchen that Clarice pointed out was at the back of the house and it took a few minutes reached there.


    Now, Aurora has just realized how big the house was, maybe because this pack house was not multi-storey, therefore, it required a lot of land to accommodate all the rooms.


    "Where are the rest of the pack?" asked Aurora on her way to the kitchen with Clarice.


    "Oh, usually at times like this, they are outside the pack house to work." Then Clarice explained that there was a small town near the Blood Moon pack, where some of them would work there, mingling with humans.


    It didn''t look too different from her own pack, Aurora thought.


    And when they were about to turn at the corridor, Aurora was too busy chatting with Clarice, listening to her explain things, to not even notice that someone was walking in the opposite direction so a collision was inevitable.


    "Sor..." Aurora was about to say her apology when the woman she bumped into started swearing.


    "Fuck! You don''t have eyes, do you!" exclaimed the young woman, while two of her friends stared fiercely at Aurora and Clarice.


    Hearing that, the words that Aurora was about to say, were forgotten. She stared at the slender woman before her with cold eyes. The woman was taller than Aurora with short, shoulder-length yellow hair.


    "I never saw you, who are you?" she rolled her eyes when he met Aurora''s gaze. Looked all arrogant and haughty.


    "Aurora, mate of Alpha Draghar." Aurora said this calmly, without taking her eyes off the woman in front of her. "You?"


    The woman in front of Aurora widened her eyes when she heard this, while the other two friends immediately looked at her from head to toe in amazement, as if appraising Aurora.


    "Oh, it turns out you''re the woman who was rumored last night," said the woman, then smiled kindly. "I''m Lathia, nice to meet you."


    Aurora didn''t know what rumors she got from her brief encounter with the eight members of the pack last night, but for sure, she felt uncomfortable with the attitude of this woman named Lathia who suddenly became friendly with her.


    Lathia purposely shifted Clarice from Aurora''s side and then embraced her in a friendly manner.


    "You must still be confused about the places around this pack house, I will accompany you for a walk and show you this place. Have you been to the training ground? There are a lot of handsome men there."


    "Wait, Alpha Draghar said that Aurora can''t go there," Clarice interrupted them.


    "Shut up!" Lathia shouted in annoyance.


    "You shut up," said Aurora.

 Chapter 1150: Aurora (29)

    Aurora didn''t understand why these three people were bothering her and being so arrogant in front of her, but she certainly didn''t like the way they talked to Clarice.


    And when the woman named Lathia gave the order for Clarice to stop talking, this made sinister side of Aurora was triggered.


    However, without realizing it, she used an Alpha tone in her voice, which surprised the four people.


    "You shut up." Aurora''s voice wasn''t harsh or she was yelling, it''s just that a domineering aura that was so obvious could be felt in every word that came out of her lips.


    Aurora rarely uses this, because she really didn''t need to use it. There was no sane person in her pack that would bother her to the point of forcing her to use an Alpha tone, but looking at Lathia, it pissed her off.


    For a moment, there was silence and it felt very unpleasant, especially when the four of them fixed their gazes on Aurora.


    "Draghar said not to come to the training ground, so I''m not going," Aurora said after a while, this time her tone was much softer.


    It was only after hearing that, Lathia smiled wryly at the girl in front of her, it went without saying that Aurora was far more domineering than her.


    "I missed my breakfast, I''m going with Clarice to make my food," Aurora said, as both Lathia and her two friends seemed lost for words in shock.


    After saying this, Aurora did not wait for a response from them and immediately approached Clarice to pull her away from the three people.


    "What the hell was that?!" Lathia grumbled with her jaw clenched in annoyance after Aurora and Clarice''s figures could no longer be seen. "How could she prefer that stupid girl?"


    "You''d better keep your word," said a male voice, he approached the three girls, who were grumbling in annoyance.


    "What are you doing here Cole?" Lathia frowned when she saw the magician. "I hate it whenever I don''t know when you''re going to show up."


    Cole was one of the four mages in the blood moon pack and the youngest of the four. He''s used to disguising his scent so the shifters there wouldn''t be able to notice him until he revealed himself.


    "I said don''t mess with her." Cole ignored Lathia''s grunts, his eyes focused on the corner where Aurora and Clarice had disappeared, heading for the kitchen.


    "So what? What am I doing? I''m just being nice to her." Lathia scowled she looked at the man in front of her disapprovingly.


    Cole was taller than Lathia, but he looked too skinny for a man and coupled with his cute face, he was almost like a woman.


    "Just because she''s the Alpha''s mate doesn''t mean she can act arrogantly," Lathia grumbled when she said that. "Without her status as Draghar''s mate, I could have taught her a lesson or two earlier for her to be more polite."


    Cole then turned his attention to Lathia and smiled sweetly, you could even say, he was much prettier than Lathia right now when he smiled like that.


    "This is just a suggestion from me," Cole said softly. "Although she looks kind and friendly, you shouldn''t be looking for trouble with her," the magician suggested. "She can give you three or four lessons."


    Lathia looked even more sour when she heard Cole''s words. What did the magician mean by talking like that?


    Aurora didn''t look like a fighter type. She looked like a nerdy home girl. Maybe that''s why she didn''t reject Draghar. Because she''s too kind to hurt his feelings...


    At least that''s what Lathia thought of Aurora after their brief encounter.


    ================


    "You''re really great!" Clarice said brightly, praising Aurora. She moved to and fro like a nimble little dove, to make Aurora breakfast because she had said that cooking was not something she could do well.


    "What''s so great?" Aurora asked with a confused face, but she liked Clarice, she was cute. "I am not doing anything."


    "The way you replied to Lathia''s words so cool!" Clarice then stood in front of Aurora. "You shut up." She imitated her.


    And this made them both laugh.


    "Who is Lathia anyway?" Aurora asked curiously. Why was Clarice so afraid of her? Is she a bully? Well, Aurora had met people like that at her school before.


    "She''s a close friend of Rose," Clarice said, her expression gloomy.


    "And who is this Rose?" asked Aurora again curiously.


    "Hmm? Alpha Draghar probably hasn''t told you yet," Clarice muttered, she looked confused, but then answered Aurora''s question. "Rose is Alpha Draghar''s little sister."


    Draghar was the second son of the previous alpha and he has one older brother who was supposed to be the successor of the alpha''s lineage, but it turned out, it was Draghar who became Alpha in place of their father.


    It was also still a mystery to Aurora about what happened to his first brother¡­


    Aurora was still looking for the right time to ask that question.


    "I think Alpha Draghar was too happy to meet you that he forgot to mention this," Clarice said. "You two have only seen each other for a while."


    Aurora smiled. "Tell me more about Draghar, it seems there''s a lot I don''t know about him."


    Clarice then served a cup of hot tea and a few slices of sandwiches in front of Aurora which she ate gleefully, she was hungry.


    "Rose is one of the guard lycans in this pack, she''s so tough that no one can stand against her," Clarice said.


    "She sounds like an Alpha in the female version," Aurora muttered. "Then, why did she choose to take part in the guard?"


    "I don''t really know Rose, because she''s so cold and seems hard to approach, but Alpha Draghar has a cute little brother." When Clarice talked about Draghar''s younger brother, her face looked much more cheerful. "His name is Knox."


    And just at that moment, someone opened the kitchen door very loudly, causing Aurora and Clarice to turn their heads at the same time.


    And there stood a boy about six years old.

 Chapter 1151: Aurora (30)

    In the open doorway, Aurora could see a boy, about six years old, standing there with his big eyes staring at her.


    In just one glance, Aurora could tell that she was Draghar''s brother because the resemblance between the two was so obvious.


    Especially those brown eyes.


    His small hand raised and his tiny finger pointed at Aurora, as his mouth formed a word. "You!" he cried, then ran towards Aurora.


    Seeing this, Aurora was quite surprised, especially when the little boy stopped right in front of her and lifted his head, looking at Aurora intently, his facial expression was cute and his rosy cheeks looked very adorable.


    "You are Draghar''s girlfriend?" he asked in a childish voice.


    "Girlfriend?" Aurora mentioned the term and found it very funny. "Yes, I am Draghar''s girlfriend."


    "This is¡­" Clarice was about to introduce Knox when the little boy raised his hand and stopped her from speaking.


    "I will do it," Knox said impatiently. "My name is Knox, the younger brother of Alpha Draghar. You?"


    "I''m Aurora," Aurora replied, she felt delighted. Knox''s reaction when he saw her made Aurora feel welcome in the pack, mainly because she was Draghar''s younger brother. "Nice to meet you."


    "You''re beautiful," Knox said, praising Aurora, even from the way he looked at the girl in front of him one could tell that the little boy was in awe. "Your hair is very long, may I touch it?"


    "Of course," Aurora replied, then lowered her head, caused her long, curly hair to fall to the side of her face.


    "Wow, so soft." Knox touched Aurora''s hair, running his little fingers through the long strands of her hair. "People in this place always have short hair, even Rose doesn''t want to grow it long."


    Maybe if Knox wasn''t a little boy who was only six years old, people who saw his reaction would mistake Aurora for his mate from the way he looked at the girl.


    "Why do people in this place have short hair?" asked Aurora. She only realized it now.


    "Because father didn''t like women with long hair," Knox answered innocently, but his eyes were still on Aurora''s hair.


    Aurora actually wanted to ask more about it, but then she restrained herself and didn''t want to ask something she shouldn''t have asked in front of Knox.


    On the other hand, Clarice signaled for her not to ask further. There seemed to be a lot of things that Aurora has to figure out on her own¡­


    Well, looking on the bright side, it looked like she and Draghar wouldn''t run out of topics to discuss¡­


    ================


    Knox would start school next week and he was very happy that Aurora promised to take him, because both Draghar and Rose couldn''t promise to come on his first day.


    "They are busy training," Knox answered while licking the ice cream that Aurora bought.


    Now, the three of them are outside the pack house and Knox insisted on taking Aurora to buy ice cream at the place where he usually bought it, which he thought was very delicious and she should try it, even though Aurora suspected that the little boy just wanted to eat ice cream.


    But, because Aurora also loved ice cream, of course she wouldn''t refuse.


    Some of people they met, looked at Aurora inquiringly and even blatantly looked at her intently.


    It seemed they were not used to meeting new people.


    At this point, Aurora felt that her ability to observe her surroundings and people would greatly improve, because there were so many things she had to observe¡­


    "Is it that busy?" The three of them sat on a park bench under a shady tree. It was a little humid that day.


    "Yes, because we don''t know when we will be attacked," Clarice replied.


    "Attacked?" Aurora didn''t know about this.


    "Perhaps Alpha Draghar should explain this to you," Clarice muttered, not wanting to misspoke in response to Aurora''s question.


    ================


    "What is she doing here?" Draghar frowned when he found his youngest brother in his room, sleeping, while Aurora was beside him, reading a book.


    "Oh, we walked all day around the pack house, I think he was too tired and fell asleep," Aurora explained.


    Since Aurora was the last child, she didn''t know what it was like to have a younger sibling, but with Knox around, she felt that it would be great if she had one.


    Moreover, Knox was very funny and smart, and often Aurora would find the little boy looking at her with a surprised expression.


    "I''ll take him back to his room," Draghar grumbled as he walked towards the bed.


    Outside, the sun was almost setting, and this was the earliest time for Draghar to return from his training because he wanted to be with Aurora.


    Too bad, Draghar thought, he could just be alone with his mate, but who would have thought that Knox would have stolen his spot?


    His brother had indeed been fussy since morning to meet Aurora, but Draghar told her that Aurora would be angry that her sleep was disturbed, so he waited until his mate woke up.


    "Let him sleep here for a while, he just fell asleep," Aurora said, preventing Draghar who was about to carry Knox from this room.


    "Seriously¡­ I''ve only been gone for a while and now there''s another man on my bed," Draghar grumbled and this made Aurora laugh.


    Aurora''s laughter was Draghar''s favorite sound and it made his heart beat faster.


    "He''s a six- year- old kid, not a man," Aurora corrected.


    But, before their conversation could continue, the sound of a bell ringing made them pause for a moment.


    The bell rang for three times.


    "What''s that?" Aurora asked Draghar, when the bell finally stopped.


    However, when she turned her head towards Draghar, she could see the expression on the man''s face changing and this confused her.


    "What is it?"


    "Stay in this room," Draghar said firmly before he turned into his black beast and charged towards the door.


    ==============


    Meet me on instagram @jikan_yo_tomare


    ^^

 Chapter 1152: Aurora (31)

    The sound of the tolling bell signaled that their pack was under attack and how dangerous the situation was was determined by the number of times the bell rang.


    And three was the highest, it meant the attackers have passed check point one and almost disabled check point two.


    How could that be when Draghar was just there about half an hour ago.


    How could their defense be breached in such a short time? This doesn''t make sense. What''s really going on?


    "What is it?" Aurora looked confused because she didn''t understand the meaning of the ringing of the bell, but she could sense that it wasn''t a good sign, especially when she saw Draghar became tense after hearing that.


    "Stay in this room," Draghar said firmly before he turned into his black beast and charged towards the door, he sped away, leaving Aurora and Knox in the room.


    Whoever had attacked them, Draghar couldn''t let them go any further than this, especially when they managed to the pack house.


    As the people in the pack house weren''t the fighting type.


    "What is it?" Knox woke up because he heard the sound of the bell ringing loudly and noise from outside the room. Aurora could even hear some people calling their family members, asking them to gather and not leave the pack house.


    "I don''t know," replied Aurora, she then helped Knox to sit up.


    The boy then rubbed his sleepy eyes with the back of his hand. "I heard the sound of a bell¡­" he mumbled.


    "Yes, the bell was ringing," Aurora replied. "You know what that means?" he asked.


    Hearing Aurora''s answer, Knox then crawled closer to Aurora and hugged her body.He loved being around his brother''s boyfriend and loved her scent. Aurora was warm.


    "That means we are under attack," Knox muttered, a hint of worry in his childish voice.


    "Attacked?" A feeling of anxiety immediately swept over her when she heard the answer, she was worried and a little confused, because her pack had never been attacked to such extent until creating a fuss¡­ "Knox, I think we should get out of this room."


    However, the little boy buried his face in Aurora''s chest and shook his head.


    "I don''t want to," he said.


    Aurora understood that Draghar''s little brother was scared, but staying in this room wasn''t safe either. In a situation like this, it was safest to be with the rest of the pack.


    "I''ll carry you and we''ll get out of here, how about it?" asked Aurora making an offer to Knox. "We will be with the rest of the pack, you can meet your friend there too."


    Only then did knox nod his head, but he still buried his face in Aurora''s shoulder and hugged her neck tightly.


    Aurora then took the jacket hanging by the door and immediately covered Knox''s body, because if they had to get out of this pack house, then at least this little boy wouldn''t be cold from the night air.


    "Aurora," Clarice called, who was running towards her breathlessly. "Come on, we have to go to the main hall, people are waiting there."


    Clarice then led the way to the main hall, where many people were already there. Several small children were seen crying and mothers tried to calm their children.


    There were only women, children and the elderly there, while men stood guard in front of the pack house, protecting their families, in case checkpoints one and two were breached.


    "Does something like this happen often?" Aurora and Clarice stood side by side by the door.


    "Yeah, but usually the attacks don''t go this way," Clarice replied. "Check point one can usually easily ward off this attack."


    Aurora didn''t know what was attacking them, but she felt these kinds of attacks were one of the reasons why the pack was surrounded by tall, towering walls.


    "Is this a rogue attack?" That''s all that crossed Aurora''s mind, because the rogue was the one who attacked them the most.


    Actually it can''t be called an attack because it''s more accurately called as trespassing.


    "No, this must be that pack¡­" Clarice muttered.


    However, Clarice didn''t have time to explain further when they heard a loud explosion from outside and the ground beneath them shook violently.


    Everyone in the hall screamed in terror as the children began to cry more and more hysterically.


    Knox hugged Aurora even tighter making it hard to breathe, while Aurora could only rub his small back which was shaking with fear, whispering soft words to comfort him.


    "What pack?" asked Aurora when the commotion outside had died down.


    ================


    Draghar stared at his brother angrily, while Rose was beside him. Her sweet face lookeed firm and didn''t show any emotion.


    "You still think you''re an Alpha?" Gerald asked scornfully at Draghar before him.


    They had almost identical faces if Draghar hadn''t had the scar on the left side of his face.


    "You took that position from me!" Gerald''s voice boomed, while the lycans in their beast forms, showed their long claws to face Draghar and his pack.


    Draghar''s people at a disadvantage because some of their members were traitors, especially the lycans who were at the first check point where they were loyal followers of the previous alpha and didn''t really agree with Draghar as their new alpha.


    "Rose, come with me," Gerald said to his only sister. "This pack will disappear and I will kill the person who stole the alpha position from me."


    She glared at Gerald intently. "He didn''t steal it. You guys put up a fair fight for the alpha position."


    Rose''s voice sounded very calm when she answered Gerald, while her brother looked a little hurt at the rejection he received.


    A wry laugh could be heard from Gerald. "Then, I will not say anything more." His eyes then looked at Draghar with a sharp and cold look. "Don''t let you lose both of your eyesight."


    It was a warning, reminding Draghar that he would be completely blind if Gerald managed to injure his eye again¡­

 Chapter 1153: Aurora (32)

    It''s been two hours already but, it looked like a fierce battle was still going on out there and the members of the pack were still not allowed to leave the great hall.


    And even though two hours passed, they all felt like two long days¡­ as if their wait would never end.


    At every second, they would be terrified at the bad news and the slightest movement, making them jump in fear.


    And during those two hours, Aurora spent this time observing the members of the pack.


    It could be said that this was the first time for Aurora to see the entire pack, but she didn''t expect that she would meet them in this way.


    Under these circumstances, neither of them paid any attention to Aurora or noticed that there was a new member of the pack that they didn''t know.


    There were around eighty people in this great hall, but of course this number was not the total number of the blood moon pack, because there were still some lycans warrior as well as people from low status, who were fighting outside.


    Suddenly someone opened the door of the hall, making those who were near the door jump in fear and direct their focus there.


    "Victor?" Clarice called out to the man who had just opened the door.


    Meanwhile, Aurora sat on the floor, with Knox still clinging to her, not wanting to let go and every time there was a scream, howl or growl, his body stiffened, he hugged Aurora''s neck tighter.


    "What are you doing here?" Clarice asked the man named Victor confusedly, who then crouched down in front of Clarice and Aurora.


    "You have to come with me," Victor said to Aurora.


    "Why?" asked Aurora a little confused. She didn''t even know this man. Even as a child Aurora was always told not to follow strangers, so there was no way she would do otherwise when she grew up. "Who are you?"


    This time it was Clarice who explained that Victor was a magician in their pack. He was the second wizard in this place, while Cole was the fourth wizard, the youngest.


    "You have to come with me," said Victor, he looked at Aurora and also Knox who was still hugging the girl''s neck. "Give Knox to Clarice."


    Aurora narrowed her eyes at Victor. "Why should I come with you?" For some reason Aurora felt an uneasy feeling from the man in front of her, witch or not, his vibe made Aurora uncomfortable.


    However, she also had doubts about her feelings, because the current situation had made her even more wary than before. Made Aurora''s instincts become suspicious of anyone who tried to get close to her.


    "Because Alpha Draghar asked to meet you. You must be secured to a more hidden place," Victor answered bluntly.


    "Then why only me? Doesn''t he think about the rest of the pack?" Aurora asked. She swept her eyes across the room and couldn''t believe that Draghar wasn''t thinking of them.


    She didn''t know how cold Draghar was or how careless he was, but as an Alpha, it was his duty to make sure his pack was safe in an attack like this.


    Aurora was born as a Donovan, where the responsibility of an alpha was something she understood well, like the blood that flowed through her body.


    "Because you''re his mate and he doesn''t want you to get hurt," Victor said urgently, as if Aurora was just wasting their time by arguing with him. "As for the people here, they''ll be fine, I''ve surrounded this place with protection spells along with the other three magicians." Seeing that Aurora was still motionless in her place, he added. "Don''t you want to meet him?"


    "How is the condition? Is the battle out there over?" Aurora did want to see how Draghar was doing. It was her first day in the pack and something as bad as this happened¡­


    "Alpha Draghar and several other lycans are still fighting the rogue that attacked us," Victor replied.


    Aurora narrowed her eyes. "You''re a magician?" she wanted to make sure about it.


    "Yes, I''m a magician," replied Victor firmly.


    Aurora tried to contact Draghar through mind-link, but maybe they were too far apart or maybe because Draghar simply closed his mind like what he always did, and this made Aurora worried. They really should talk about this later.


    "Okay," she answered. After a while, she looked at the magician in front of her and made her own judgment.


    "Okay, give Knox to Clarice," Victor said.


    Only, when Aurora was about to give the little boy to Clarice, Knox didn''t want to let go at all. He insisted on hugging Aurora tightly and clinging to her like a koala.


    And since Knox didn''t want to let Aurora go, she couldn''t help but take him too.


    "May I come with you? I''ll carry Knox while you talk to alpha Draghar¡­" Clarice pleaded. She felt comfortable with Aurora.


    "Okay," replied Aurora.


    "No," said Victor.


    "She will come." Aurora frowned. Her suspicion of Victor only deepened¡­ she sensed that the witch was up to something when he asked Aurora to come with him.


    ================


    "Are you sure we are walking towards where Draghar is?" Aurora asked Victor who was walking in front of her. He slowly persuaded Knox to switch to Clarice, and after several tries, the little boy finally agreed to be carried by Clarice and released Aurora.


    Only, his little hand gripped a tuft of Aurora''s long hair, so she wouldn''t walk too far from him.


    This little boy could even be a lot more possessive than his big brother¡­


    "I don''t think Draghar is here..." said Aurora.


    But, just after Aurora finished saying that, Victor suddenly turned around and a yellow light emitted from his palm, which hit Aurora and Clarice, of course Knox too.


    Clarice and Knox immediately fell to the ground, but Aurora still stood staring at Victor coldly.


    "How could¡­" He couldn''t believe his magic didn''t work on the girl.


    "Because I''m a Donovan."

 Chapter 1154: Aurora (33)

    Victor did not expect what he saw now. He was so confident in his magical abilities, but what he saw before him, was completely beyond his expectations.


    He should have only brought Aurora, since it was his task, but since Knox and the omega had come along, he had no other choice but to take them too.


    However, when he attacked to incapacitate Aurora and Clarice, only Clarice and Knox were affected by the magic, while Aurora stood staring at him as if nothing had happened, she didn''t even move or frown at all.


    "How can¡­" Victor couldn''t believe his magic didn''t work on the girl. How to explain this?


    "Because I''m a Donovan," Aurora said calmly, as if answering the witch''s unspoken question.


    Yes, a Donovan blood flowing inside Aurora makes her immune to almost all kinds of magic. At least, even though she had a slow healing ability, she still got the other Donovan''s abilities.


    "You didn''t expect this?" Aurora glared at Victor, her eyes turning black as she glanced over her shoulder at Clarice and Knox, who were unconscious, lying on the dirty ground.


    Luckily, Aurora could still hear the sound of the two of them breathing as well as Clarice and Knox''s heartbeats, which meant they were still alive.


    They were now at the foot of the mountain, at the furthest part of the main gate, where the battle was still going on, but here, Aurora could no longer hear the howls or growls of the beasts.


    "Donovan?" Victor repeated the name. The name was certainly familiar to him who had spent his entire life in the pack of shifters. "Impossible¡­"


    Donovan was the name for a noble lycan, and there wasn''t a shifter who didn''t know that name.


    "Of course it''s possible, my father is Torak Donovan," Aurora said calmly, but her eyes, which had now turned pitch black, glared at Victor fiercely.


    Aurora knew this ability because Belinda happened to do magic on her and it didn''t work at all, and her father explained why that was.


    "Witch, huh?" Aurora said those words like someone who was cursing. "A magician without their magic is nothing¡­"


    Then, with a graceful movement, Aurora leapt forward, lunging at the witch, but before her feet could touch the ground, she had turned into her beautiful white beast¡­


    It was only then that Victor realized that he was in big trouble. This girl really was a Donovan, because there wasn''t a shifter who has a white beast like the Donovans, it''s the color of their family¡­


    ================


    Draghar returned to his human form when he had beheaded his last enemy and confirmed the others had escaped from there.


    His body was covered in blood and he tried to smell the air, whereupon he tried to locate Gerald. His brother ran away in the middle of the battle earlier.


    "Where''s Gerald?" Draghar asked Rose when his sister approached him and informed him that check points one and two were safe and that no enemy had managed to reach the pack house.


    "I don''t know, I lost him." Rose frowned. "I''ve ordered our five hunters to go after him and find out his whereabouts."


    Draghar gritted his teeth and said nothing else as he hurried away from there, while Rose and Collin took care of the mess.


    [What should we do with these traitors?] Collin asked Draghar through mind link, as he watched the alpha walk away and shift into his beast form before he dashed towards the pack house.


    [Kill them.] The command not only echoed in Collin''s head, but also for all the Lycan warriors there.


    And in an instant, there could be sounds of pleading, roaring, howling and growling from the lycans who were trying to betray them by helping the enemy.


    Even though most of them managed to escape, that didn''t mean the Blood Moon pack hadn''t lost many of their experienced pack members.


    On the other hand, the black beast darted towards the pack house. He had to make sure that Aurora was okay and nothing happened to her now.


    He had left in such a hurry because he could feel the tension through the bonds within the pack, regarding the sudden attack, that he had no time to say anything to Aurora except to tell her to stay in the room.


    No, she should be with the rest of the pack¡­


    The black beast darted through the trees, hidden in the shadows of the night and making it almost invisible if the crescent moonlight hadn''t shone on the areas where shadows weren''t covered.


    And in an astonishing speed, Draghar had arrived at the pack house, where there were several people who had come out of the great hall and greeted him.


    Draghar didn''t respond to them and tried to find his mate.


    ================


    Aurora should have guessed this; Victor didn''t move alone, there were several people behind him who helped him.


    What''s this? Is this some kind of coup de etat to bring down Draghar? Which meant, there''s no doubt that Victor was a traitor. How many traitors were there in this pack?


    Aurora didn''t expect that it was her first day here, she was presented with the fact how different her pack and Draghar''s were.


    When the white beast was about to attack the magician, suddenly, from her left side, there was a sand-gray beast that lunged at her, making the white beast have to maneuver in the air and avoid its blade-sharp claws.


    A terrifying roar could be heard from the beast attacking Aurora followed by the appearance of two other beasts.


    Which meant that there were three beasts and one magician that the white beast had to deal with.


    In a situation like this Aurora wished she had learned well from Kayden and Calleb when they taught her to fight, instead of wasting her time by grumbling...


    "Give up, then no one will get hurt," Victor said triumphantly. However, it was his first mistake, because he had provoked the white beast in getting too close to her.

 Chapter 1155: Aurora (34)

    If Victor was planning to provoke the angry lycan, he shouldn''t have stood too close and foolishly put himself in danger.


    Especially when he was a magician and the only power he relied on was his magic. His second fatal mistake was that he had forgotten that the white beast wasn''t even bothered by the magic he cast at her.


    Because when Aurora attacked Victor and the man was frantically trying to save himself by using magic out of an instinct, he really had forgotten about that fact.


    And the three beasts that were there didn''t help either because they thought, Victor could handle the situation on his own.


    Unfortunately, that mistake made the magician have to give up his right hand. In one slash, the white beast raised its extremely sharp claws and cut off Victor''s hand.


    The blood splatter from the wound tainted the beast''s white fur and it made her roar furiously, ignoring the pain she had inflicted on Victor.


    On the other hand, the three beasts, which were dumstruck, were silent, couldn''t move from their place, witnessing what had just happened.


    And when the white beast turned its attention away from the helpless Victor, they found his eyes had turned red, because the three beasts were standing too close to Clarice and Knox.


    The white beast simply thought they would hurt her friend as well as her mate''s little brother¡­


    ================


    Draghar could not find Aurora in their room, nor in the great hall. Where is the girl at?


    He tried to reach Aurora through mind-link, but he couldn''t, it seemed they were too far apart¡­


    And that''s when Lathia came to Draghar and said what happened.


    "Aurora, Clarice and Knox went with the wizard, Victor," Lathia told the Alpha.


    "Where did they go?" Shouldn''t Victor know where his position when an attack like this occurred? Why did the witch leave her position and instead take his mate away.


    "Don''t know, but they seem to be in a hurry," Lathia said again. "It seems that Aurora wants to save herself and¡­"


    But, before the girl could finish her sentence, Draghar had left as if he no longer listening to the words she was saying.


    Lathia who was left just like that stared at Draghar''s back in annoyance and grumbled, while clenching her fists at her sides.


    On the other hand, Draghar ran back outside and tried to catch the scent of Aurora or Clarice or his brother, only, he couldn''t smell them. It was certain that this was Victor''s doing, he erased their scent so as not to leave a trace.


    Something wasn''t right with today''s attack¡­ Draghar could sense it, but because of the battle that had taken place earlier, he didn''t have time to think about it any further.


    Now he could clearly see that the surprise attack was just a distraction.


    They''re after Aurora. Gerald wants his mate¡­


    Given the number of traitors at the first check point, it is not difficult to guess that Aurora''s presence in this pack has been known.


    They''re after Aurora and Draghar doesn''t know where his mate is.


    [COLLIN, BRING EVERYONE HERE! RIGHT NOW!] Draghar gave the order in his alpha voice.


    [Woah¡­] Collin almost hit one of the trees while he was running, when he heard the command. [What is it? What happened?]


    [THEY TAKES MY MATE!]


    ================


    Aurora smirked triumphantly when she managed to overthrew the two beasts that attacked her, even though she was outnumbered and now only one brown beast was left, staring at her angrily.


    During the fight earlier, the brown beast seemed not to want to join the fight, underestimating Aurora''s abilities.


    But, now that he had seen his two friends fall, he could no longer look at Aurora arrogantly.


    It''s really annoying when someone thought you were weak.


    The brown beast then growled and circled around Aurora''s body, trying to find the white beast''s weak point by trying to attack her from behind.


    But, of course that was the main rule of every fight; Don''t let your enemy get behind you.


    Her father had said that many times when Aurora cried because Kayden hit her too hard during their practice. The incident was very memorable.


    "Looks like you don''t need help." A voice startled the two beasts until they both stopped what they were doing.


    And not far from them, Cole was seen leaning his back, while sitting at the root of a tree, watching the two beasts.


    Since when has he been there? Neither the white beast nor the brown beast noticed it at all.


    "Continue, continue..." Cole said with a smile on his lips, he looked very relaxed and didn''t care about the fierce battle before his eyes, even when he saw Victor, he didn''t flinch a bit, even though they were both fellow magician. "I just gave some comment, just go on. Let''s just pretend I''m not here."


    Seeing the brown beast was being distracted by Cole''s presence, this moment was used by Aurora to attack her opponent.


    In one very swift movement, Aurora slashed the neck of the brown beast with her claws, causing the brown beast to fall to the ground and blood oozing from the gaping wound on its neck.


    Moments later, the brown beast lost its abilities and reverted back to its human form, but his injuries were too severe and its ability to heal wasn''t fast enough to handle that.


    The brown beast was a young man, who Aurora was sure was the lycan at check point one when she entered the pack last night. He was the one who opened her car door to check on her.


    It turned out to be true, there were quite a few traitors within this pack. How is Draghar doing now?


    It didn''t take long for the shifter to finally give up and breath his last, in a pool of his own blood.


    Meanwhile, the white beast didn''t return to its human form. The beast was glaring at Cole. Who is this man? Is he a friend or foe?


    Aurora couldn''t lower her guard yet...

 Chapter 1156: Aurora (35)

    "You don''t have to look at me like that," Cole muttered as he walked closer to the white beast who was staring at him fiercely. Not only that, the white beast stood guard beside Clarice and Knox''s bodies, preparing to pounce on Cole if he did something recklessly.


    Of course Cole wouldn''t be so stupid as to do that, for he had seen Victor''s futile attempts to protect himself and how magic was of little use to Aurora. She was indeed a true Donovan.


    Cole must have heard of the Donovan noble family being unaffected by most curses, but this was the first time he''d seen it with his own eyes.


    This was also one of the reasons why Cole didn''t help Aurora before, because he wanted to see how Donovan''s blood worked and whether their magic- resistant abilities were real?


    And what he had witnessed, proved all that.


    Cole then walked slowly towards Aurora, raising both hands. "Listen. I''m on your side, okay? I won''t hurt either of them, I''ll check on both of them." Cole tried to persuade Aurora to stop growling at him and let him check on Clarice and Knox.


    It''s just that, after what happened, of course Aurora would not believe the man in front of her just like that.


    A warning growl echoed through the forest, forcing Cole to take two steps back.


    "Okay, I''ll let Draghar and the rest of the pack know that you''re here," Cole said. He didn''t want to lose his hand like Victor for forcing his will on Aurora.


    Therefore, it would be safer for both of them if the alpha was here.


    After saying that, Cole created a green haze of smoke and shot it into the air. Make a sign to let him know he''s there.


    The white beast was still wary, his eyes watching Cole''s movements down to the smallest detail, because she still couldn''t believe him. It could be the smoke as a sign to inform their presence to their enemies...


    Anything could happen.


    But, Aurora''s anxiety doesn''t seem to be proven, because not long after, she can smell her mate''s signature smell. Draghar was running towards her and she could hear his frantic thoughts.


    Aurora could feel all the uncertain feelings, anxiety, fear, inside Draghar''s mind.


    It didn''t take long for Draghar to finally get to the place where Aurora was, along with dozens of other lycan warriors.


    And the first thing that Aurora saw was the black beast jumped from the dark shadow of the trees and looked surprised when he saw her.


    Perhaps this could be said to be the first time their beasts met and Draghar was fascinated by the snow- white creature in front of him, although blood from her enemy still lingered on Aurora''s white fur, it didn''t detract from the beauty of the white beast at all.


    The white beast was so graceful, charming and at the same time so powerful and fierce¡­


    How could all these contradictory combinations exist in one being? But, Aurora did. She was all those kinds of contradictions.


    And it wasn''t just Draghar who was fascinated by the white beast''s figure, dozens of lycan warriors behind him looked surprised to see that as well.


    This was the first time they had seen the figure of a white beast that belonged only to the Donovan family. And now they saw it right before their eyes¡­


    Slowly, the black beast approached his mate and rubbed her face with his.


    It was only when the two of them could feel the presence of their mate for real that the two beasts returned to their human forms, making the lycan warriors who were still gasping at the presence of the white beast there so shocked when they found it was their alpha mate.


    This was wonderful!


    Their Alpha, whom they thought would be rejected by his soulmate if he found her, turned out to be paired with a noble from the Donovan family. Not only was he not rejected, but it seemed that the woman genuinely accepted Draghar.


    There was no way Draghar had kidnapped a Donovan. It was the same as declaring war on the Supreme Alpha.


    And even if their pack was no longer in the supreme alpha''s territory because the previous alpha decided so, that didn''t mean they were capable of taking on Donovan''s pack.


    Of course this news would spread very quickly once they arrived at the pack house.


    "Draghar ..." Aurora hugged her mate''s body and felt the warmth. Letting Draghar hug her tighter, because that was what she needed right now.


    "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Draghar''s voice trembled when he asked this, he wasn''t used to feeling this kind of panic.


    "No," Aurora said quietly, shaking her head while Draghar wiped the blood that was still on her cheeks as well as her curly hair, grateful that it wasn''t his woman''s blood.


    But, as soon as Draghar looked at Aurora''s hand, he could see several wounds on it, one quite long on her arm, it looked like one of those damn traitorous lycans had managed to injure her.


    Unknowingly, a growl escaped Draghar''s lips, a dangerous growl that made the lycans behind him as well as those who were checking Clarice and Knox''s condition, fell silent.


    "I''m fine," Aurora said to Draghar, then pointed her finger at Clarice and Knox. "What about them?"


    Draghar then turned his attention to Cole who was still standing far from them. What was the witch thinking?


    "What do you do there?!" Draghar shouted at Cole.


    "Your woman won''t allow me to come any closer," Cole replied, he then smirked at Aurora, but the girl was still glaring at him.


    Draghar who finally realized what happened immediately explained briefly to Aurora. "He is my Gamma."


    "Gamma?" Aurora frowned. "Are you sure he''s not a traitor?" Aurora didn''t even bother to lower her voice and let Cole hear it.


    "Hey, I meant to follow you all the way here because I was worried about you," Cole defended himself.


    "But, you didn''t help me at all," said Aurora.


    "Because I know you can handle them just fine," Cole replied nonchalantly.

 Chapter 1157: Aurora (36)

    "Draghar." They arrived at their room and Aurora saw Draghar kneeling in front of her, while herself sitting on the edge of the bed.


    On the other hand, Draghar was concentrating fully on treating the wounds on Aurora''s arms and knees and there were also some scratches on her skin.


    This made him angry. He was wrathful when he found each of these wounds. Mainly due to the fact that Aurora''s wounds would not heal quickly it would take two to three days for such wounds to heal.


    "Hey, listen to me¡­" Aurora reached out and cupped Draghar''s face, pulling him closer so he could look at her. "I''m fine."


    "Stop saying that Aurora! You''re not okay!" Unintentionally, Draghar snapped at Aurora loudly, due to the emotion he had been trying to suppress for a long time.


    However, when he saw the surprised look on Aurora''s face, he immediately realized his mistake.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to yell at you." Draghar shook his head and stood up, walking away from Aurora. His mind was in a mess and he didn''t want to accidentally hurt his mate, either physically or verbally.


    But, Aurora didn''t let Draghar go. She walked quickly and hugged the man from behind, pressing her face against Draghar''s broad and sturdy back.


    "Where are you going?" asked Aurora in a low voice. She rubbed her face against the man''s back and could feel the tension in Draghar ease slightly as he took a deep breath. "I want you here with me."


    "I''ll be outside," Draghar replied stiffly.


    "Why are you outside while I''m here?" asked Aurora in a voice like she was muttering.


    "I don''t know, I just need some time alone." Dragar shook his head. He didn''t know how to deal with Aurora now.


    He felt very guilty for hurting her, but also couldn''t leave her because he didn''t feel it was the right thing to do.


    And the most important thing was; Draghar didn''t want to answer the question that Aurora would surely ask now.


    Draghar was used to dealing with everything alone and also used to not explaining what he was doing, so he felt a little uncomfortable at the moment, because he could guess what Aurora wanted from him.


    "I want you to be by my side," Aurora said, responding to Draghar''s words just now. "Can''t you stay here?"


    Draghar sighed and turned around.


    "Okay¡­"


    ================


    Unlike what Draghar thought, Aurora didn''t even ask anything about the attack.


    The two of them finally lay on the bed and hugged each other, feeling each other''s presence and Aurora began to sleep soundly. Her hair was spread out on the white pillow and her sleeping face was very peaceful, with her red lips parted slightly.


    Maybe Aurora didn''t ask him anything about today''s attack because she was still in shock, but Draghar felt a little relieved, because Aurora didn''t say anything¡­


    Draghar was not unaware that Aurora was trying to read his mind, several times he had felt that way, but he didn''t allow anyone to enter his mind. No one¡­


    And the habit has become something absolute for him.


    It''s not that Draghar didn''t want to share his thoughts with Aurora, it''s just that he felt that he was too dark for her¡­


    Draghar then leaned over and lightly kissed the top of Aurora''s head, fixed the blanket around her and slowly got off the bed.


    ================


    "I called you a long time ago and you''re only here now?" Rose looked at her brother fiercely, she had been standing in front of Draghar''s door for about half an hour before the man finally came out.


    "Aurora just fell asleep," Draghar replied curtly.


    "She is not a baby," Rose said fiercely. She rolled his eyes when she heard Draghar''s excuse.


    Only, Draghar didn''t want to fight with Rose about this. "You got Gerald?"


    "He ran away," Rose answered simply. She then glanced at the door and was about to say something, but she swallowed it back and changed the topic. "The army that Gerald built with those magicians has grown stronger."


    "Yes," replied Draghar.


    "We lost a lot of members."


    If things continued like this in subsequent attacks, Rose wasn''t sure they would be able to hold out.


    ================


    Aurora had tried several times to discuss the communication problem between them and Draghar, but the man seemed to always avoid the topic.


    Draghar seemed to just want to make Aurora felt safe and didn''t want to discuss anything else about himself deeper.


    Now, even Aurora could feel that Draghar had built such a strong wall between the two of them. Whether it was to keep Aurora from knowing him, or the high wall was meant for Draghar to hide himself¡­


    And after almost a week in the pack, another thing that Aurora noticed about Draghar was that he always did everything alone. He''s never asked anyone to do anything for him, but that didn''t mean Draghar wouldn''t help other members of the pack who need his help¡­


    "Hey, beautiful!" Cole called out to Aurora as he walked behind her and surprised her.


    "Cole, if you do that again, I''ll really claw your face," Aurora grumbled.


    Cole, the Gamma of the pack, was even more annoying than Calleb when he''s making fun of her like this, especially when Aurora couldn''t sense his presence.


    "What are you thinking now beautiful?" Cole asked as he walked beside Aurora. Of course the word ''beautiful'' that the magician gave her would not be said in front of Draghar.


    The alpha could cut his tongue if he did that.


    "Nothing," Aurora replied nonchalantly. "Then what are you doing here?"


    Aurora had just returned from accompanied Knox to buy his stationery for school tomorrow, and now the little boy was with Clarice.


    "Rose wants to see you," Cole said.


    "Where is she?" asked Aurora, frowning. She wasn''t very close to Rose and the few times they''d met the girl didn''t show that she was interested in making friends with her.


    "At the training ground."


    "But, Draghar forbade me to go there."


    "You''ll regret it if you don''t come, pretty," said Cole. "Perhaps you will know more about your man."

 Chapter 1158: Aurora (37)

    Aurora cursed herself for not being able to win over her curiosity and also because she knew for sure that Draghar would not like this.


    The wounds that Aurora had had indeed healed, but that didn''t mean Draghar became any more relaxed because of it.


    Even Aurora could tell that her mate had become much more tense than usual, he seemed suspicious of everyone, including Collin and Cole.


    And not only that, Aurora could even pick up on the uneasy feeling of the rest of the pack when they were near Draghar, as if the man gave off a negative aura with every step of his existence.


    Aurora couldn''t even force Draghar to talk about the matter as this made the man even more wary, even to herself, his mate. Does that make sense?


    Therefore, when Cole said that maybe she could get to know Draghar better by coming to the training ground, what Aurora thought was; she could see another side of Draghar when he was training the lycan warriors there, and it didn''t occur to her to have to fight against Rose.


    "What do you mean?" Aurora blinked in confusion at what she had just heard. Did she really hear Rose challenging her to a fight?


    "I challenge you to a fight," Rose repeated.


    Oh, it''s true. Aurora didn''t hear wrong. But, why did she have to fight against Rose? It wasn''t on Aurora''s wish list at all.


    Even if there were people who Aurora wanted to beat right now, it was Lathia and her two friends who were here.


    Indeed the training ground was a terrible place, even when Aurora was there for the first time, it gave off an impression she didn''t like, but it didn''t seem like that was the case with Lathia and her two friends.


    They seemed so comfortable and enjoying being among the lycan warriors here.


    There weren''t many female lycan warriors in this pack and even so, the domineering aura emitted by Rose wasn''t shaken at all by that fact. It can even be said that Rose has an aura that was much more dominant than most of the lycans there.


    "Why should I fight you?" Aurora asked not understanding, she then glanced at Cole next to her, asking for an explanation.


    "I do not know. I''m just relaying Rose''s message to you," Cole said nonchalantly, in his casual way and walked back from the two women.


    As before, the magician seemed just wanted to be a bystander.


    Aurora scowled at Cole''s behavior. He was so annoying, even more annoying than Collin.


    "I just want to prove to all of them that you are worthy as a Luna." Rose pointed her hand at the roughly one hundred lycan warriors there. "Do you really deserve that status?"


    It was a challenge for Aurora. And she had been warned by Draghar over and over again that his pack valued strength more than anything else.


    Therefore, automatically, they would respect Aurora more after seeing her ability.


    The news about her being a Donovan certainly made most people view her differently, they were much friendlier to Aurora, but most of the time, they tended to be more curious about Aurora''s fighting abilities. .


    ''Is a Donovan that great?'' at least that was the message that Aurora got from the way they saw her.


    "And if I win, will they all admit it?" asked Aurora, looking at all the lycans in the room.


    This training ground was a very big place like a dome with various kinds of tools for self-protection being there.


    "At least they won''t look down on you," said Rose. She then circled around Aurora.


    And it was a sign that she was judging her opponent and Aurora has to be wary of it.


    On the other hand, Aurora looked back at Cole who was grinning at her. The magician should have told her beforehand that Rose was going to challenge her to a fight. He was really sly¡­


    But, then Aurora remembered what made her agree to come to this place. "And if I win you will answer all my questions about Draghar?"


    Rose raised an eyebrow. "I don''t mind telling you, but what I want to know is..." She stopped circling Aurora and now stood looking at her intently. "Can you handle it?"


    "Huh, apparently she doesn''t know anything about Alpha Draghar," Lathia suddenly commented when she heard Aurora''s question. "I don''t think Alpha Draghar really trusts her to tell his past."


    Hearing these comments, a growl escaped from Aurora''s lips. She didn''t like being humiliated like that¡­


    "I don''t think that even if she is a Donovan, she will not be as great as her name." Lathia didn''t stop there.


    She was still annoyed that the people in the pack house looked at Aurora with admiration, especially when Alpha Draghar formally introduced her to the rest of the pack one morning, during their breakfast.


    "I think she must have been crying after the attack the other day."


    "Shut up, Lathia," said Rose and immediately Lathia didn''t say anything, but the look in her eyes that looked at Aurora was very provocative.


    And Rose knew better why Draghar didn''t tell his mate about this. After all, Lathia didn''t know about it because Draghar told her, but because she, like all members of this pack, witnessed with their own eyes, how Draghar survived under the tyranny of his own parents.


    "Rose," Aurora called, without taking her eyes off Lathia. "I will fight with you later, but after I talk to her."


    Rose raised her eyebrows.


    "I want to talk to her." Aurora then smiled very sweetly at Lathia as if she was looking at her old friend. At this point, no one would have thought that she could even hurt a fly. "You''re not afraid to have a private talk with me, are you?"


    Without thinking, Lathia jumped down from the lap of one of the lycan warriors there and walked towards Aurora.


    "What¡­" Lathia didn''t have time to finish her sentence when a slap landed on her face.


    No, it wasn''t a slap, Aurora hit her with her fist, then spoke, her voice sounding soft and harmless.


    "I didn''t cry, but even if I do, it doesn''t mean I can''t slit your throat while shedding tears."

 Chapter 1159: Aurora (38)

    "I am not crying, but even if I do cry, it doesn''t mean I can''t slit your throat while shedding tears," Aurora said very firmly. She didn''t even take her piercing glare away from Lathia.


    Hearing that statement, there was a small smile on the corner of Rose''s lips. She quite liked Aurora''s bravery and didn''t expect the girl to say that so plainly, it was clear to everyone that she didn''t like the way Lathia looked down on her.


    At first, Rose looked down on the girl Draghar brought home and was introduced as his mate. Aurora looked weak and unsuitable for this pack, especially as Draghar''s mate, who would automatically become a Luna.


    But who would have thought that the girl turned out to be so strong, very different from the initial impression that Rose got when she saw her gentle and slightly shy appearance.


    "You two want to fight?" asked Rose, offering a solution for Aurora to channel her frustration at Lathia''s behavior so far.


    Hearing the offer, Lathia automatically widened her eyes at Rose. How could she say such a thing? Shouldn''t she know that Lathia wasn''t the fighting type. She wouldn''t be able to win this fight.


    Especially if the rumors circulating about Aurora were true, that the girl in front of her had managed to kill three lycan warriors who attacked their pack, of which the three lycans were traitorous lycans on duty at check point one.


    "Why would I fight her?" Lathia grumbled, she held her cheek, although it didn''t hurt too much, it was the shame that was still left on her that made her even more angry at Aurora.


    On the other hand, Aurora did not respond to Rose''s offer. "Can we begin?" Aurora asked, turning her body to face Draghar''s little sister, as if Lathia wasn''t worthy enough to get her attention.


    "Get out of the way Lathia," said Rose.


    Lathia grumbled as she regrouped with the other lycan warriors and watched the upcoming match between Aurora and Rose. She hoped that Rose would teach Aurora a valuable lesson.


    "I hope this will not end easily," Rose said, she then walked straight towards Aurora, no more circling like she did earlier, because this time she would attack the girl directly.


    Aurora didn''t say anything she just focused on Rose and watched every move made by her opponent.


    Therefore, when Rose lunged forward and jumped at Aurora while shifting to her black beast form, she did the same.


    The fangs and claws clashed in the air and the two beasts that had such a stark contrast to each other looked fierce.


    The two of them didn''t hold back from attacking each other¡­


    On the other hand, the lycan warriors who were watching what was happening before them, were stunned when they saw the white lycan figure in front of them.


    This was the first time for them to see directly the figure of a Donovan in their beast form.


    Of course there wasn''t a single person who didn''t know Donovan''s name there, especially after the great war with the demons ended. Donovan''s name was so exalted and their story was a bedtime story for children, where they were described as strong and invincible.


    Maybe the stories were a bit exaggerated, but that also meant the Donovans were not someone you could underestimate.


    Meanwhile, Cole who witnessed this smiled happily. "If Draghar saw this fight, I wonder what his reaction would be¡­"


    "He''s going to kill you, of course," Collin said.


    The Beta then sat beside the Gamma, while from his hands and lips a thin smoke billowed from the cigarette between his fingers.


    "When are you going to stop doing that annoying habit?" Cole furrowed his brows at the cigarette that Collin held. "I didn''t know a shifter could get addicted to that kind of stuff."


    Collin laughed. "Of course not. I just love it. There''s no particular reason." He then nodded towards the battle before him. "She''s pretty tough."


    Cole smirked. "She''s still not used to this fight. Life in her pack is too peaceful for her instincts. She become a little blunt," Cole commented. "I wonder what if she goes berserk. Should we find out?"


    ================


    Draghar''s face was cold as he faced Victor, while on his left was Vincent, one of the four magicians in this blood mood pack.


    "If we let it continue like this, he will bleed to death." Vincent stared coldly at the dying Victor. His left arm had been cut off from Aurora''s attack during the attack a few days ago and now he could only groan in pain from Draghar''s torture.


    "If indeed he prefers to die rather than provide valuable information to us, then let him choose that path," Draghar said. He still didn''t expect Victor to betray him by becoming a traitor who defended his brother, Gerald.


    This really put Draghar in a very bad mood. He felt like there was no one else he could trust.


    They all had the potential to stab him in the back, if he let his guard down a bit. And that only added to the trust issues that Draghar already has.


    "You are not as strong as Gerald," Victor said in a breathless voice, blood still flowing from his severed hand and his pale face, almost making it hard for anyone who saw him to read his expression.


    At those words, something inside Draghar rose, something dangerous and dark. He didn''t even realize what he had done until it happened, as his sight turned black and all he wanted to do was to kill¡­


    Draghar raised his foot high and stomped on Victor''s face until blood spluttered on the cold and dirty prison floor, and there was no longer the voice of the wizard despising him and comparing him to Gerald.


    ''You are not as strong as Gerald.''


    Those were the same words Draghar had heard since he was a child. His father always said that whenever he tortured him.


    It wasn''t a problem at the time, because Draghar wasn''t born as an Alpha, like how he was now.


    He was born an omega and it was a disgrace to his father who was an alpha¡­


    ================


    It had been about an hour that Aurora and Rose had been lying on the ground after their fight, they put it into a halt, because if they fought more than that, one of them would be killed.


    Meanwhile the other lycans had already been disbanded by Cole and Collin, so there were only the two of them in this place.


    "Draghar was born as an omega..." said Rose, she lay on the floor, waiting for her wounds to heal and apparently her fight with Aurora, had drained her energy.


    Aurora was not great at attacking, but she moved very agile and fast, dodging every attack and taking the opportunity to counterattack.


    Fighting with Aurora was really frustrating, because when you couldn''t get it on the first try, you would get more and more agitated in the next tries and it made your emotions affect your movement, made you attack blindly, relying only on your instincts, and it was a mistake in every fight.


    But, that didn''t mean Aurora wasn''t hurt. Of course there would be times when she let her guard down and Rose managed to get her.


    "Yeah, I have heard of that¡­" Aurora mumbled, gasping for air. She lay beside Rose, her head spinning and feeling dizzy. Never had she fought like this before¡­


    Rose was very tough, making Aurora wonder why they train so hard as if their lives were always in danger every minute.


    "Do you know how Draghar got all those injuries?" she asked.


    "I wouldn''t be here and risk my life asking you about Draghar if I knew the answer." Aurora turned her head, furrowing her brows as she stared at Rose beside her.


    However, the girl seemed less affected and started to tell how the wounds on Draghar''s body started and why they couldn''t heal with their healing abilities.


    "Our father found out that Draghar was so weak during their first hunt, that he refused to kill their prey and let it go." Rose started her story.


    "I let go of my first game," Aurora mumbled. She remembered when she was hunting with her father and brother, they both allowed her to let go of the prey and it was no big deal.


    "That is completely unnatural in this pack." Rose frowned as if she remembered something unpleasant. "Come to think of it, Draghar was quite weird back then. He''d rather be beaten than kill the rabbit he caught."


    Aurora raised her eyebrows, she couldn''t imagine the fierce and scary looking Draghar hugging a little rabbit and protecting it.


    "He was seven years old at the time," Rose said.


    "He must be so sweet and kind," Aurora commented, which made Rose frown.


    "Yeah, too kind and you know what he gets for being too nice?" Rose asked a rhetorical question. "He received a hundred lashes and was deprived of food and water for a whole day."


    Aurora immediately took a sitting position and looked at Rose with disbelieving eyes when she heard this. "That is torture." The sound that came from Aurora''s lips was like a growl, her jaw clenched tightly. "How could a father do that to his own child?"


    Rose laughed grimly when she heard that statement. "Not all dads are like Torak Donovan, girl." He said that with a wry smile. "And in the end even that stupid rabbit was killed, so there''s no meaning in what Draghar did."

 Chapter 1160: Aurora (39)

    "It''s not only his attitude that shows weakness, but there are many more that make him very despised in our father''s eyes. Because as an alpha, having a weak son like Draghar naturally made our father very angry. He started blaming our mother and torturing her."


    There were a lot of emotion that flashed in Rose''s eyes, as she recalled the incident. She spoke as if it wasn''t her own experience, as if it was someone else''s life experience.


    Gerald blamed Draghar for hurting mom and started torturing him too.


    Aurora couldn''t imagine what kind of family Draghar had¡­ how could their father commit such a brutal act?


    It was completely unimaginable for Aurora, because it was difficult for her to imagine her own father hurting her mother...


    "Mother died after giving birth to Knox and that was how Draghar''s dark days began," Rose said in a stiff voice.


    "What happened to him?" Aurora bit her lip subconsciously, she hugged her own legs, trying to calm her heart.


    It''s true what Rose said. She felt unable to hear the continuation of Draghar''s torture, but Aurora needed to know. She got to know what Draghar''s past was like and what made him change...


    Maybe Draghar would tell all that to Aurora one day, but for now, she didn''t have the patience to wait, because she felt Draghar was getting out of her reach.


    Not physically, but Aurora always felt Draghar built a solid wall around her and wouldn''t allow anyone to come in and see her true condition.


    Even now Aurora still couldn''t read what was in Draghar''s mind. He was too strict about his thoughts and himself, even from his mate.


    "At that time, the torture that Draghar received was multiplied and they started using wolfbane to torture him. Even father didn''t care if other members of the pack were involved in the torture."


    Aurora could feel her breath catch when she heard that. Wolfbane?! That''s very dangerous. The poison can kill them, the lycans.


    "That''s why the wounds on his body can''t heal."


    Yes, Aurora remembered that Draghar had mentioned that when they were at the hotel, on their way to the pack.


    Then, Rose briefly told what kind of torture Draghar received when he was a child until he was a teenager.


    All forms of torture that Aurora had never even imagined before, nor had she ever thought of.


    Every time Rose said that Draghar didn''t fight back at all when he received all the torture and still tried to be nice to everyone he met so they would like him a little bit more and stop torturing him, then at that moment Aurora felt like her heart was being stabbed by a dull knife.


    She couldn''t imagine the little Draghar trying to be nice to everyone just to get them to stop torturing him¡­


    How could they have the heart to do this to a child?


    Rose also said that Draghar really stopped crying when his father was so angry to see him crying like a woman and added to the punishment he received.


    Even until now, Rose had never seen Draghar cry no matter what problems he faced or how painful it was for him.


    Aurora felt her heart squeezed very tightly in every word that Rose uttered in telling how dark Draghar''s childhood was.


    "Then what made Draghar change?" Aurora ventured to ask carefully. Even now the tears were flooding her eyes and made her face feel hot.


    Rose stared at Aurora for a moment when she heard the question. "He watched the first girl he liked die in front of him."


    "What?" Aurora didn''t know what kind of expression she was showing now, but she certainly didn''t expect it at all.


    Rose then sat in front of Aurora when she saw her response. "Don''t get me wrong, this girl was just an omega like Draghar back then and felt sorry for him, that''s why she secretly gave him food and drink whenever he was punished."


    Aurora lowered her gaze. Actually, Aurora felt she would do the same, whether Draghar was her mate or not¡­


    "That girl did this a number of times and it''s safe to say she was the first to show Draghar warmth when everyone was hurting him." Rose took a deep breath. "It''s not a romantic relationship, I guess Draghar is just happy that he finally has a friend..."


    "Then what happen?" Aurora hugged her body tighter, as if trying to keep herself strong until the end of the story.


    "Gerald killed her when he found out that the girl gave Draghar a glass of drink after he had locked him up for three days without eating or drinking." Rose furrowed her brow. "I don''t know for sure what happened back then, but something changed from Draghar at that time¡­"


    Aurora could feel the change in Rose, she looked so reluctant to explain in detail what she felt about Draghar''s change, as if it scared her.


    "He is no longer being nice to the people around him or gave response. It could be said that Draghar didn''t utter a word after the incident, he also stopped paying attention to those who ordered him or beat him. In short, he didn''t show any expression at all."


    Rose said a few more things in a mumbling tone, but they were all about how they tortured Draghar for not giving any response.


    "Until one night Draghar challenged father to a fight and killed him without even batting an eye when he beheaded him."


    "That''s how Draghar got his alpha title, while Gerald was driven out of the pack, because he refused to fight Draghar head-on." Rose then looked at Aurora intensely. "I remember what Draghar was like back then. From within him, it was as if a very dark, cruel and savage creature had just awakened from a long sleep. He looked very horrible at the time."


    Of course this was a blow for Gerald. He had dreamed of that position even just as soon as he understood what it meant to be an Alpha.


    At this point, Aurora understood why Draghar didn''t trust other people, even members of his own pack and the events of the last attack must have really bothered him.


    "You don''t blame Draghar for that?"


    Rose stared at Aurora for a moment before she answered the question. "I agree with him that my father wasn''t the best and if it wasn''t for Draghar, it''s certain that Knox would be the next target. Can''t you see how sweet that kid is?" Rose said the word ''sweet'' in a somber tone, as if it was a mistake.


    Being too kind and sentimental seemed to be a sin in this pack, for being too affectionate was seen as a weakness.


    Draghar''s pack was very different from hers and this made Aurora feel a little anxious. Did she have the strength to be Luna in a pack like this?


    "Don''t trust anyone in this pack Aurora," Rose warned her, just like Draghar did.


    ================


    After hearing all of Rose''s stories, Aurora came home to the pack house in a heavy mood, therefore she didn''t go straight back to her room with Draghar, but was in the kitchen making her own dinner.


    She needed alone time to think more clearly.


    It''s just a shame that Draghar couldn''t be away from her longer than necessary. Because once he couldn''t find Aurora in the room or in the great hall, where people gathered, he turned into a panic.


    In a precarious situation when he was at odds with Gerald, of course anything could happen and Draghar was used to thinking about the worst.


    Therefore, when he finally managed to find Aurora in the kitchen after asking Clarice, only then could he breathe a sigh of relief and with long strides, he immediately approached her.


    Draghar''s strong hands wrapped around Aurora''s waist, as he kissed the girl''s hair. "I have been looking for you everywhere."


    Aurora was shocked, she didn''t notice Draghar''s presence because she was deep in her own thoughts.


    But, then Draghar caught something odd about it. Of course he could sense the restlessness Aurora felt through the bond between them.


    "What happened?" asked Draghar gently, he turned his mate''s body and looked straight into her eyes.


    And that''s when Draghar could read it, read what Aurora was thinking right now, because she was too late to close her mind.


    "You know it," said Draghar coldly. "Rose told you about the story."


    Even when he said it, Draghar was so reluctant to admit that the dark story was the past that he didn''t want to remember at all.


    Draghar stared at Aurora fiercely, his eyes flashing between dark brown and black. He was struggling to regulate his emotions so that the wild side inside him could be controlled.


    "Ah!" Aurora let out a muffled scream when Draghar grabbed her too tightly and made the wound on her arm from the fight with Rose even more painful.


    As if electrocuted, Draghar immediately let go of his embrace on Aurora and jumped back. He was still staring intently into Aurora''s eyes, but there was sadness in his voice as he spoke.


    "Why did you look after that matter?" he asked like a low growl.


    Aurora wrinkled her forehead while holding her aching hip. "You don''t want me to know?"


    "You shouldn''t know such a despicable thing," Draghar clenched his jaw tightly.


    Okay, since the problem has become like this, then Aurora will confront him, because there will never be a right time.

 Chapter 1161: Aurora (40)

    "You shouldn''t know such a despicable thing," Draghar clenched his jaw tightly.


    Aurora then walked closer to Draghar, she could see the agitation in her mate''s eyes, when she had learned about the past he was trying to hide from her.


    "Draghar, how long are you going to cover this up?" Aurora looked at him sternly. "Don''t you think I deserve to know everything about you? I will tell you everything about myself. I will answer any questions you may have about me. Nothing I will hide from you."


    Draghar shook his head, he again moved away from Aurora, as if he had a deadly disease that could infect the girl and this only made her more frustrated with the man''s attitude.


    "Everything is different Aurora, you don''t have a past like mine!" Draghar growled at the girl in front of him. But then he shook his head vigorously again. The thought that Aurora had the same past as his frightened Draghar to the bit.


    He did not expect this to happen to Aurora and was very grateful that the girl did not have to feel that way. She had the perfect family and nothing else would make Draghar more relieved than knowing that.


    It''s just that, when you get used to closing yourself off and burying all the bitter memories, which could be said to be a disgrace, you would become unaccustomed to sharing them, and for Draghar''s case, especially with Aurora...


    Draghar didn''t want Aurora to know about it, because he felt so humiliated right now. Damn Rose!


    Draghar felt so vulnerable and he didn''t like that feeling, because it reminded him of his old self, who was easy to manipulate and his self- worth was being trampled on when he showed his fragile and weak self.


    And now, with Aurora knowing that, for some reason Draghar felt very angry, because he felt that way again.


    "Draghar, you can''t avoid me all the time." Aurora tried to approach him, but Draghar raised his hand and glared at her.


    "Please don''t come near me for now," he said stiffly, his body shaking and his brown eyes turning black, indicating the conflict within him that he was feeling right now.


    "No." Aurora then stepped forward bravely and hugged Draghar''s body. "Why are you angry? Did you think that I would look at you differently after I found out about that?" Aurora didn''t understand at all, she didn''t understand what Draghar was afraid of from herself knowing this.


    "Please stay away from me Aurora, I can hurt you," Draghar growled again. His body stiffened the moment Aurora hugged him when his emotions were messy and disorganized.


    "You won''t hurt me Draghar." Aurora insisted. "I want us to discuss this. There''s something wrong with the way we communicate if you don''t want to talk about what''s bothering you. If you need time, I will give it to you, I will wait for you, but don''t avoid this."


    Draghar snarled at her again and shouted at Aurora in a loud voice, using his alpha voice to get the girl out of the way. "LEAVE!"


    Aurora flinched when she saw Draghar became violent. It never occurred to her that Draghar would be this angry and use his alpha voice on her.


    And that made Aurora take two steps back, staring at Draghar with disbelieving eyes.


    "You snapped at me and used an alpha voice on me?" actually the alpha voice didn''t have much effect on Aurora, because she herself had alpha blood, but still the way Draghar snapped at her made Aurora unable to accept it.


    Draghar realized his mistake, but the look in Aurora''s eyes scared him. He had been surrounded by those kind of eyes once and his mate was the last person he expected to give those eyes again.


    The words of apology that almost escaped his lips before, now he couldn''t say it, because that was what he always did in the past. He always apologized whenever they looked at him like that.


    Of course, no matter how strong Draghar was now, there was a part of him that was still very fragile and had not healed from the prolonged trauma he endured when he was a child.


    What had happened to him wasn''t something he could easily forget just because he wanted to¡­


    "Draghar¡­" Aurora was confused by what was happening and she didn''t know how to act. This was her first relationship with a man and it wasn''t just Draghar''s attitude that confused her, at the same time, she was still trying to adapt to a completely different pack.


    And that was not an easy thing.


    Now, Aurora felt alone and Draghar was not helping her at all by yelling at her like that and treating her unreservedly.


    Aurora felt herself in a strange place with strangers...


    This relationship frustrated her. She thought that having each other and their strong feelings, then it was enough for Aurora to follow Draghar wherever he went.


    However, it turned out to be a misconception. There were a lot of things they had to talk about and discuss, but Draghar wasn''t helping at all in this regard¡­


    Her parents were always able to communicate with each other when faced with a problem, but why couldn''t she do that with Draghar?


    "Draghar!" Aurora screamed for Draghar when he suddenly shifted into his black beast and crashed into the glass in the kitchen, sending sharp shards scattering as he fled from there.


    Luckily, Aurora didn''t stand too close to the window so she wasn''t hurt when it happened.


    ================


    Aurora waited until late at night, but Draghar did not return. She was frustrated and tried to find him, but she didn''t know where to start.


    Aurora needed someone to talk to, to tell her what she should and must do in a situation like this. However, she felt she didn''t really have anyone here to talk to.


    And the only thing that crossed Aurora''s mind was her mother.


    Therefore, with trembling hands, Aurora tried to contact her mother. She knew that it was very late at night and that her mother had probably fallen asleep.


    But, she couldn''t think of anything else anymore¡­


    Therefore, she promised, if her mother did not pick up this call then Aurora would not try for the second attempt.


    However, in reality, Raine picked up her daughter''s call on the fourth ring. Her voice still sounded a little sleepy, but awake enough to hear Aurora''s sobs.


    "What is it, honey?" Raine asked softly when she heard Aurora''s cries getting louder and this woke Torak who was sleeping beside her, the alpha''s eyes blazing at his mate who got a call from their daughter.


    Meanwhile, Aurora didn''t understand why she suddenly cries uncontrollably when she heard her mother''s warm voice...


    ================


    After talking with her mother for a while and feeling much better, Aurora chose to leave the room and look for Collin, the beta can definitely help her to find Draghar, because until the sun rises he still hasn''t come back.


    Aurora was grateful that she didn''t have to talk to her father. Of course her father''s response was not something that could help her to ease her anxiety at this time.


    Aurora knew where Collin''s room was after asking a young woman who was holding her child. She pointed to the very far end of the pack house''s right wing.


    Given that it was still early, Aurora thought that Collin was still asleep. So she knocked on the door first.


    But, even for five minutes Aurora stood there, still no response from the beta.


    Was Collin already up and going to do his chores? Because that was what Calleb did when he was not in his own house.


    But then, when Aurora tried to turn the door handle, she found the door unlocked.


    "Collin," Aurora called carefully as she stepped into the room. This room was utterly so messy.


    Aurora couldn''t even describe how messy the room was, she couldn''t even believe anyone could live in such a place.


    Because of all the things scattered on the floor, Aurora accidentally stepped on something which made her scream in pain and finally bumped into a display cabinet, which made the things inside rattled quite loud and make a noise.


    "Who is that?" cried a woman''s voice.


    The voice startled Aurora. She stood still in her place. As far as Aurora knew, Collin still hasn''t found his mate, but why was there a woman in his room? Did she just find that lucky girl?


    "Who is there?" The woman''s voice sounded still sleepy and then there was a rustling sound and someone walking towards Aurora.


    However, the one who approached Aurora was Collin. "You? What are you doing here?" Collin asked, yawning.


    "Collin, who is that?" the woman asked again and now she was following Collin to see who had entered his room.


    And how surprised Aurora was when she found Clarice standing there, half naked and only using the blanket to cover herself. She didn''t recognize her scent because of another smell in this room.


    Surprise was evident on Clarice''s facial expression, as she quickly gathered her things and rushed out of the room.


    "You¡­ and Clarice¡­" Aurora stuttered when she saw what was happening and understood what they had done. "You two are a mate?"


    Collin laughed when he heard Aurora say that. He waved his hand nonchalantly. "No, we are just friends in bed. She is not my mate."


    "But you guys..." Aurora shook her head vigorously. "How can you two be together, even though she is not your mate?"


    Collin frowned and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Why not?" he asked back.

 Chapter 1162: Aurora (41)

    Why not?


    Aurora widened her eyes in disbelief. How could he question that? Is that even something worth asking? Aurora could not believe what she was facing.


    This pack the longer she was in this place, the weirder it felt¡­


    But, for now, it didn''t matter to her, because as long as Collin and Clarice did it with consent, then it was their business.


    For Aurora, Draghar''s problem was much more pressing now.


    "You have to help me find Draghar," said Aurora, she tried not to stare at Collin''s half naked body, especially when they were in the beta''s messy room, it felt very strange to be in another man''s room.


    "Indeed, where is he?" Collin asked while yawning, still looking sleepy because Aurora woke him earlier than his usual time. He clearly was not a morning person.


    "He didn''t come back last night," Aurora said quickly, her worry evident on her expression.


    However, Collin couldn''t read the situation and chose the wrong time to throw one of his not- so- funny jokes.


    "Maybe he has having fun somewhere else," Collin replied nonchalantly and started to laugh softly, but then his laughter died out as soon as he saw the expression Aurora was showing. "Okay, sorry, I am just kidding," he said hastily before the girl in front of him clawed his face. "Draghar is not as corrupt as I am. I can confirm he is the most loyal man you can get."


    Aurora shook her head, she really didn''t want to hear Collin raving about such obscure things.


    "Tell me where Draghar is, or it will be your last joke," Aurora said firmly, she didn''t seem to be playing with her threats, even though she was actually imitating her father when he scolded Kayden for not listening to him.


    "Alright, alright¡­" Collin raised his hands in surrender. "I don''t know where he is, but I think I know the places he might go."


    "Then take me there," Aurora demanded impatiently.


    "Okay," Collin replied casually and was about to leave the room, but Aurora then screamed. "What? What is it?" he asked confusedly, he looked around to find the source that made Aurora react like that.


    "Oh my gosh Colin! Wear your cloth!" she cried in annoyance.


    And only then did he realize that he was only wearing boxers, but it wasn''t an embarrassed face that the beta showed but laughter that echoed in the room.


    "Then I will take a shower first, okay, or they will find out right away what I have done in this room last night." Collin then stretched out his hand, about to pinch Aurora''s cheek. "You are so adorable."


    Only, Aurora moved faster and brushed the hand away. Sometimes, Collin was too easy with his hands and this irritated her. "Do not touch me."


    Aurora grumbled incoherently as she stomped her foot out of the room.


    ================


    "You should look for Cole if you want to find Draghar," Collin said as they walked into the forest at the foot of the mountain, where Aurora was attacked.


    Actually, that place made Aurora remember the previous bloody events and made her feel bad, but once she found the beauty of the place, she forgot all the bad memories and simply enjoyed the scenery there.


    "Oh, I didn''t think to look for him earlier," Aurora replied in a dreamy voice, she was a little tired from not sleeping all night. "I was thinking of looking for you first."


    "Oh, wow!" Collin rounded his mouth, as if he was flattered by Aurora''s casual words. "I am glad that you think of me more than that witch."


    Aurora rolled her eyes when she heard this. "Not that I am thinking of you."


    Collin laughed, he didn''t seem at all concerned about the fact that Draghar had been missing all night.


    "Did you have a fight with Draghar after he found out that you have learned about his past?" Collin asked and he guessed right.


    "Yeah, sort of," Aurora answered gloomily. "I don''t understand why he is mad at me."


    Collin sighed when he heard this. "He is actually not mad at you Aurora," Collin said quietly. "He is mad at himself."


    Aurora did not understand the sentence. "Why?"


    "Despite his attitude which is sometimes rude and looks like he doesn''t care, he is actually just a deeply traumatized person. You already know most of the story." Collin recalled some of the events that Draghar had experienced during his life. "His decision to kill the previous Alpha was not an easy one either."


    Aurora walked beside the man and stared at him intently, waiting for him to continue the story.


    "The previous Alpha planned to give Rose to the Blue River pack, which is the pack that attacked our pack yesterday, as a token to join force together." Collin recalled the incident. "Rose definitely didn''t go into detail about this."


    Collin then turned his gaze to Aurora and saw the girl nodded. "Yeah, she didn''t say anything about it."


    Collin nodded. "Well, that''s how it is¡­ sometimes there are secrets you don''t want to reveal."


    "But it''s nothing to be ashamed of," Aurora insisted and Collin ruffled her hair until it turned into a bird''s nest. "Stop it," she grumbled. This man always touched her without warning.


    "Even if you say, it''s nothing to be ashamed of, but everyone''s perspective is different. You didn''t experience what they went through, so maybe you can sympathize, but you don''t really know how they felt when it happened."


    Aurora lowered her head, taking in Collin''s words.


    "After all, the Alpha of the Blue River pack already has a mate." Collin glanced at Aurora and saw her surprised expression. As he had expected, this girl was too innocent about the outside world. "Now you can imagine what Rose''s life would be like there."


    "That''s why Draghar killed his father?" asked Aurora.


    "There are only two choices; he let them take Rose, or he becomes alpha and calls off the deal." Collin shrugged. "And it''s clear what choice Draghar made, ever since Gerald, his first brother had the same crazy ideas as his father."


    Aurora bit her lip. She couldn''t imagine Draghar making such a difficult decision, moreover, back then he didn''t have anyone. He was alone and could only rely on himself. How could he survive in such a family?


    Draghar''s attitude, which had been difficult to trust anyone or seemed so wary of, was understandable.


    "Rose wasn''t always nice to him, but at least she didn''t hurt him and for Draghar at the time, that was a lot of better."


    Now, Aurora really wanted to meet Draghar and hug him, tell him that she loved him very much. There''s nothing wrong with all of that¡­


    Really¡­ Aurora just wanted to hug him tightly, that''s all.


    "Hey, don''t cry in front of me," Collin said frantically when he saw Aurora started to cry, the girl rubbed her eyes roughly and sobbed softly. "Hey, stop crying, I don''t know how to calm a crying girl. You can cry later when you meet Draghar."


    However, hearing Draghar''s name, Aurora''s cried grew louder. She wanted her mate now¡­


    "Hey, hey¡­" Collin scratched his not- itchy head and looked at Aurora frantically. "Stop crying. You didn''t cry yesterday when Rose told you this."


    "Yesterday I didn''t fight with Draghar," Aurora sobbed. She rubbed her eyes, but the tears wouldn''t stop.


    "Save your tears until you meet him and after that you can cry until your heart content," said Collin, he then patted Aurora''s head and thought that this girl was like a stray kitten. "You can''t..."


    Just before Collin could finish his sentence, the two of them gasped at the smell of someone they both recognized and in the next second a dangerous growl sounded, coming from the direction of the trees, along with the figure of a black beast charging towards Collin.


    The beta who didn''t expect the sudden attack didn''t have time to dodge and bounced far enough that his body hit a tree.


    "Ow! Draghar, calm down dude!" Collin grumbled.


    Meanwhile, Aurora who saw the black beast trying to lunge at Collin who had fallen, hurriedly approached him and hugged his neck, not caring about the beast dangerous roared.


    Slowly, Aurora could feel that the beast''s body shifted, turning to his human skin, who then hugged her back very tightly.


    "What happened?" asked Draghar in a worried tone. "What did he do to you to make you cry?"


    Aurora shook her head and buried her face in Draghar''s neck, hugging him tighter.


    "Don''t leave me like that," Aurora sobbed. "I am sad that you won''t talk to me."


    On the other hand, from a considerable distance away, Collin cleaned himself of the dry leaves. "She forced me to look for you, if you ask who made her cry, she''s crying because of you."


    After shouting those words, Collin hastily ran away, not wanting to get scolded by Draghar for taking Aurora away from the pack house.


    "I am sorry," Draghar said softly. "It is my fault¡­"


    Aurora then released herself from Draghar''s arms and rubbed her face roughly, until her cheeks turned red, and Draghar pulled her hand away, wiping the tears on her cheeks more gently.


    "Please don''t cry, seeing you cry like this makes my heart ache," Draghar said very softly. He really meant it.


    He didn''t think that seeing your mate sad can make your heart feel the same pain...


    "I will not act like that again, okay," Draghar coaxed Aurora. "You can ask me anything from now on."

 Chapter 1163: Aurora (42)

    Breaking was not a reason to break and breaking was not a reason to destroy.


    The pain that Draghar felt over his past as well as what he has received was not a reason for him to hurt others who were innocent to him, especially his mate, Aurora.


    Seeing the girl cried like this really made Draghar''s heart roar furiously at himself and he couldn''t describe how painful it felt.


    "Please Aurora, don''t cry," Draghar pleaded. He hugged Aurora''s body tightly and rubbed her back to calm her down.


    The Alpha tried various ways to make the girl in his arms stopped crying, but all in vain.


    It wasn''t until half an hour later that Aurora''s crying subsided and she looked much calmer than she had been a moment ago.


    Draghar immediately pulled her to sit on a large root of a tree in the forest and wiped the remnants of her tears.


    Aurora''s face was red when she had finished crying and her eyes were puffy. Maybe this was crazy, but to Draghar, even in such conditions, his mate still looked so charming and very sweet.


    It was a very subjective opinion, but he would beat up anyone who said otherwise.


    "I am sorry for what I did," said Draghar, he regretted it very much and kept thinking about it the whole night he was in this forest. "I shouldn''t have yelled at you or spoken harshly to you, or blamed you for knowing my past."


    Aurora''s tears rolled down her cheeks again, but this time she bit her lip that caused she only let out a muffled sob. For her, what Draghar told her meant a lot.


    He did not only apologize for feeling compelled to do that, but he apologized because he knew his mistake and that was something Aurora really appreciated.


    "I know you are just trying to understand me better, but I am overreacting about it," Draghar said in a softer voice as he smoothed Aurora''s messy hair. He really liked the curls in Aurora''s long hair. "I am just not used to having someone so eager to understand me. I am used to them trying to hurt me."


    The bad experience that Draghar had, early on in his life, made him feel like everyone would hurt him, so he had to be vigilant and that''s why he acted defensive when Aurora tried to break down the wall that had protected him from the outside world.


    Yes, the wall was built not to separate Draghar from the others out there, but to protect himself. Therefore, when someone tried to enter, he would act very aggressively.


    "I will not hurt you," Aurora said with pursed lips, she then cupped her hands on either side of Draghar''s face and looked at him earnestly.


    Aurora''s serious face actually made Draghar laugh softly. He then leaned in and kissed Aurora''s forehead lightly.


    "I know sweetheart, you wouldn''t do that to me," Draghar said in a lighter voice. "This is just my way of surviving, you could say it has become a habit that is hard to break."


    Draghar then pulled Aurora into his arms and rested his chin on the top of the girl''s head while hugging her tightly, letting Aurora hear his heartbeat, while resting his head on Draghar''s chest.


    "But now, I am ready to share myself with you." Draghar then thought for a moment. "I might find it difficult to express how I feel or answer any questions you want to know, but I hope you will be patient with me being like that."


    ================


    "Torak, I don''t think we need to do this..." Raine looked at her mate who looked very tense, since last night Torak made a fuss to come to the blood moon pack because he knew Aurora cried.


    Raine has made it clear to her mate that it was a problem that should not be exaggerated, a common problem that many couples experience.


    Even the two of them had experienced such a phase.


    It''s just that Torak doesn''t want to know about all that, because what''s on his mind right now is; her little girl was crying and he couldn''t just stay still.


    "No Raine, not this time¡­" Torak said softly but firmly to his mate. "I will feel much better only after seeing my daughter with my own eyes. I have to make sure that man gets my daughter the respect she deserves."


    Seeing Torak''s decisiveness, Raine could only smile and kiss his cheek. "Don''t be so hard on Draghar, he must be regretting what he did."


    Thork growled. "I want to see how sorry that boy is."


    Torak was so serious about his words, he didn''t even care if he had to take his private plane and land in the nearest town of the blood moon pack, where they now only need to drive a few hours to get there.


    Torak himself brought several lycan warriors to accompany them and let Kayden and Calleb take care of the pack.


    His first son was supposed to take over his position as Alpha, but he was still stubborn not to do it.


    ================


    Aurora had fallen asleep briefly on Draghar''s chest when her crying had subsided and she felt much better¡­


    For some reason after she felt much calmer, the next thing Aurora felt was an unbearable drowsiness.


    Maybe because she was in the arms of the man she loved, maybe because of the sensation she felt when they touched, or also because Aurora was relieved that their problems were finally over.


    But, whatever it was, Aurora felt much better when she opened her eyes and found Draghar sleeping beside her. It seemed that the man had also had a very unpleasant night fighting with her.


    This was their first fight, but Aurora was sure it wouldn''t be the last, but if they can overcome this and end the fight like this, then Aurora would not feel worried about their future.


    Aurora then reached out and touched Draghar''s face, watching him carefully¡­ she traced the wound on her mate''s face with her finger and felt that the wound was proof of how great this man was to survive to this day and Aurora was very grateful for that.


    Aurora felt that she could see Draghar''s face who had slept all day, even though they were now lying on the thick grass, under the shade of a shady tree.


    In his sleep, Draghar pulled Aurora closer to him and snuggled in his mate''s neck, feeling her warmth and breathed deeply in her scent.


    "Draghar..." Aurora called after a while they hugged like that and Draghar was fully awake, it was just that he still wanted to hug Aurora a little longer.


    "Hmm?" Draghar muttered.


    "I want to ask you something," Aurora began and could feel Draghar''s body tense up, but then he said in a gentle voice.


    "Sure¡­"


    Aurora paused for a moment and rubbed Draghar''s arm around her body, waiting for her mate to no longer be so tense.


    "Rose told me about the girl who helped you." Aurora stopped and landed a peck on Draghar''s cheek as she felt his body react to her words again. "Maybe next time..." said Aurora at last.


    It seemed like it would take a little longer for Draghar to open up to her.


    But then, Draghar started to speak in a low voice. "Her name was Diana, she was an omega," Draghar said.


    Hearing this, Aurora then changed her body position so that she could face Draghar while still lying down and using the man''s arm as a pillow.


    "Maybe it''s just a child''s instinct, she just wanted to help me because my father tortured me quite hard back then."


    Almost the same as what Rose had told Aurora, but Draghar added some details that his sister didn''t know.


    And from how Draghar talked about Diana, Aurora felt grateful to the girl she never knew because at least she had helped Draghar through his difficult times.


    Until in the end, Draghar''s story reaches an incident that triggered him to change and realizeed that the kindness he received must be paid dearly by Diana.


    "Gerald killed her right in front of me after harassing her along with some of his friends who were lycans guarding the first checkpoint."


    Those were the last words Draghar spoke to Aurora at the end of his story and she didn''t need a detailed explanation of how it happened.


    Aurora couldn''t even imagine it, let alone having to witness it with her own eyes like Draghar experienced, of course it was something that really made an impression on her mind.


    It was understandable that that incident was the turning point for Draghar''s change, anyone would no longer be the same after going through something like that.


    And Aurora deeply regretted the past that Draghar had to endure.


    "I am fine," Draghar said as he kissed the back of Aurora''s hand which gently caressed his cheek.


    Being in this woman''s arms was the most comfortable thing Draghar had ever felt and nothing could change his opinion.


    "Thank you for telling me this," Aurora said softly, she knew this was a tough thing to tell but, Draghar did it for her.


    This was only one of many stories that would reveal Draghar''s past, but also after hearing it, Aurora felt a little bit closer with her mate.


    There would be a lot of time they would spend together, therefore, the two of them would slowly walk together.


    "I feel better after telling you this," Draghar said sincerely. "Thank you for not judging me."

 Chapter 1164: Aurora (43)

    Aurora was happy that Draghar told her this and she felt that her mate was slowly starting to open up to her.


    It was a good thing and a truly reassuring step for Aurora, knowing that their relationship had developed and was on the right path.


    It was also because she felt much better after talking to her mother last night, maybe because of that Aurora could understand what Draghar was feeling and see it from a different perspective, it definitely helped her to feel calmer.


    Otherwise, Aurora felt that she would spend the night feeling very bad and lost.


    But then, Aurora suddenly remembered something and she immediately broke free from Draghar''s arms and sat up straight.


    "What is it?" Draghar asked, who also sat down and looked around him, thinking if a stranger was interrupting their time or something, but it turned out to be just the two of them there.


    "I forgot something," Aurora muttered in a low voice.


    "What did you forget?" Draghar asked worriedly when he saw the crease between Aurora''s eyebrows, the girl bit her lip.


    "I forgot that today is Knox''s first day of school and I promised to drop him off." Aurora had promised the little boy long ago, but because of the unexpected problem with Draghar, she had completely forgotten about it.


    Draghar shook his head and sighed, "You scared me for a moment just now."


    Aurora then hit Draghar''s arm because his mate didn''t take this seriously. "This is also a serious matter. I have already broken my first promise."


    "Don''t worry, Knox is very forgiving, he will not be angry with you for long," Draghar said softly and pulled Aurora back to lie down on the grass, which then her body fell on top of him. "You just need to take him to buy his favorite ice cream and he will soon forget about this incident."


    "Hey, you can''t treat your own brother like that," Aurora rebuked Draghar, although she didn''t deny that the idea of ??buying ice cream was a good one, because it seemed she needed it too.


    "You can pick him up after school hours, which means we still have plenty of time for the two of us now," Draghar then hugged Aurora''s body and whispered something in her ear. "I am in the mood, consent?"


    ================


    "Why is your face red?" Clarice asked as they drove to pick up Knox. Aurora drove the car and asked Clarice to come along.


    And Aurora just found out that Draghar much preferred truck- type vehicles like this, so when she drove the modified old car, Aurora didn''t seem to fit the big car at all.


    "Ah, it''s okay," Aurora stammered a little, as she re-imagined what had happened between her and Draghar in the forest.


    Aurora never thought that she would be able to be so brave and do it in the open, but the experience would be an unforgettable moment in her life.


    Today, Aurora rolled her hair up on top of her head, forming a bun and showing her slender neck where Draghar''s mark could be seen very clearly, as she was only wearing her mate''s loose black t-shirt and jeans.


    On the other hand, after hearing Aurora''s short answer, Clarice didn''t ask any further and was silent the whole way, but the girl looked restless and much quieter than before.


    It''s just that Aurora could understand, maybe Clarice felt uncomfortable because she has caught her with Cole this morning, although it was indeed a surprise, but she didn''t plan to interfere or want to discuss the matter, because right now there were other things that filled her mind and soul.


    The drive to Knox''s school wasn''t too far and it only took them ten minutes to get there.


    Luckily when Aurora got there, it was time for the school bell and a few minutes later she could see Knox''s figure in the crowd of little kids around his age.


    "Knox!" called Aurora while waving her arms and seeing the little boy approaching her excitedly.


    "Why don''t you come with alpha Draghar?" asked Clarice. "Judging from the look on your face, it seems you two have made up," she guessed.


    Aurora glanced at Clarice and grinned. "Yes¡­ we made up, but Draghar had urgent business at check point one that he couldn''t leave and he said he would be back a little later."


    Clarice nodded slowly and the conversation was cut short when Knox slipped into Aurora''s arms and hugged her neck tightly.


    "Clarice drove me to school, since you were nowhere to be found this morning," he whined.


    Aurora then lowered Draghar and wrinkled her face, showing a regretful expression. "I am so sorry, but something happened and I have to sort it out first."


    Knox still looked sullen and didn''t want to look Aurora in the eye.


    "How about we eat ice cream before going home?" asked Aurora giving advice which was well received by him.


    As Draghar said, the younger brother was very easy to persuade.


    ================


    After buying ice cream and Knox having become even more cheerful, Aurora drove the car back to the pack house, only, before Aurora could park the big vehicle, Clarice started a conversation.


    "Can we talk for a minute?" Clarice asked her, when Knox had gotten out of the car.


    Aurora looked at the girl next to her and nodded.


    "But not here, can you take me somewhere? I feel more comfortable there. It''s a beautiful place too, I want to show it to you." Clarice held Aurora''s hand as she was about to turn off the car engine.


    Although it sounded a little strange, Aurora agreed to this and drove away the car again after waving to Knox and seeing the little boy walking into the pack house.


    "What do you want to say?" asked Aurora, backing the car so they could return to the main road.


    "Oh, here''s Aurora¡­ about what you saw this morning between me and Cole¡­" Clarice mumbled, she seemed hesitant when she was about to say this. "I¡­ the relationship between us¡­" Clarice stuttered as she was about to start her story.


    "No problem," Aurora said lightly as she waved her hand, indicating that it wasn''t something Clarice needed to think about. "I am not clear about the relationship between the two of you, but I don''t think it''s my place to say something."


    Hearing that answer, Clarice lowered her head and twisted the hem of her shirt worriedly.


    "Thank you," she mumbled. "In this pack, we can have relationships with whomever we want and don''t wait for our mates to appear," Clarice added, providing a bit of information about the blood moon pack.


    Aurora frowned, although she had expected something like that, but still she found it difficult to understand it more clearly, because what was here and what Clarice had just told her, were completely different things with the morals that Aurora holds.


    It''s just that, learning from Draghar''s case, it seemed she couldn''t see a single problem from her own point of view alone.


    "Then, what about Draghar? How many women had he been with before?" asked Aurora, she meant the question as a joke, but it seemed she used the wrong tone.


    "You don''t have to worry, Draghar has never been with anyone but you. You are the first woman he has ever been close to." Clarice smiled reassuringly the friend beside her.


    And they both laughed softly, but after the laughter disappeared, the atmosphere in the car was quiet, until Aurora found a crossroads.


    "Where are we going?" she asked, breaking the awkward silence.


    "Oh, let''s turn left and then go straight," Clarice instructed.


    "If you asked me out just because of what happened between you and Cole this morning, I don''t think you have anything to worry about now," Aurora said, glancing at Clarice who still looked unsettled.


    "No, I just wanted to show you this place," Clarice said in a low voice. "This place is great."


    ================


    Draghar was having an argument with the leader at check point one over a security issue. This was not unusual, considering the two of them often disagreed on many things.


    "Sebastian, I won''t repeat my orders again," Draghar growled very dangerously when he heard he was again throwing tantrums by challenging his orders. "Keep at your own post and do your job properly."


    Sebastian had tried his best to get Draghar to agree to his crazy plan, which was to unite their pack with the blue river pack on the grounds that if the pack attacked them one more time, no one would be alive in the second attack, considering there were quite a number of members from the first check point that became traitors while most of the others died in the first attack.


    But, of course Draghar flatly refused Sebastian''s wishes. Joining the Blue River pack was tantamount to delivering his own head.


    Gerald was certain to kill him on the spot.


    "We have rejoined the pack of supreme alpha Torak, therefore our pack is under his authority as well," Draghar reiterated this, only that Sebastian was not happy with the information.


    "What do you think supreme alpha Torak can do if we get attacked? They are very far from this place and even if they are willing to help, there will only be corpses once they got here," Sebastian said curtly.


    And just at that moment someone knocked on the door and announced that someone wanted to cross the border.


    "Who?" Draghar asked.


    "Supreme Alpha Thorak and some people from his pack."

 Chapter 1165: Aurora (44)

    Clarice took Aurora to a small cafe located a little bit far from the pack house. The cafe looked gorgeous with a touch of light lime color on every wall.


    However, Aurora didn''t feel that this place was so special that Clarice brought her here.


    After getting a seat and ordering drinks and snacks, Clarice began to tell about her life in the blood moon pack and also mentioned some gossip about Draghar after the man killed his own father and snatched the alpha position from his brother.


    "At that point the situation got a little out of hand and things seemed confusing. Not to mention the addition of Sebastian, the head of check point one who always opposes his decisions." Clarice drank her drink in a hurry.


    "Why doesn''t Draghar get him out of the pack when he really wants to join this pack and the blue river pack?" Aurora asked curiously.


    "That''s because most of the guard lycans are very loyal to him. Therefore if Draghar removes Sebastian from this pack, most of the lycans at check point one will follow him and that will bring a crisis to the security of our pack." Clarice reached out for her glass again to drink.


    "Clarice," Aurora called her name as she reached out and grabbed the girl''s hand in front of her. "What are you hiding from me?" she asked suddenly.


    "What?" Clarice looked surprised. "Nothing, I am not hiding anything." Clarice shook her head and answered too quickly.


    On the other hand, Aurora narrowed her eyes and watched how Clarice finished her drink in just one gulp. Of course it was a suspicious move¡­


    "You know how horrible the people at check point one are? They are like monsters and prioritize their instincts over their human side, that''s why Draghar separates them from the people in the pack house," Clarice explained again excitedly.


    The people in the pack house are those who mostly have omega status, so life there was much better, while the people at check point one have their own place to live, separated from the others.


    Aurora didn''t understand why Clarice suddenly wanted to explain all this to her, but she let the girl do it and took a sip of her drink and then ate the snacks they ordered earlier.


    But when Aurora had finished eating half her cupcake, Clarice stopped talking and stared at her with a strange, hard- to- explain look in her eyes.


    "What is it?" asked Aurora because she felt something was wrong.


    "I am sorry Aurora," Clarice said in a trembling voice. "I am sorry," she said again, crying.


    Aurora became alert and immediately stood up from her seat, her eyes glaring at Clarice, as she began to feel something strange.


    Her throat felt like it was burning and her breath became labored.


    And the last thing Aurora saw was the figure of Clarice standing before her, while covering her mouth and crying, saying her apologies and when darkness enveloped Aurora, she heard several footsteps entering the caf¨¦, as everything became so dark that Aurora was no longer aware of her surroundings.


    =================


    Draghar was quite surprised by the sudden presence of Torak in his pack and immediately approached the supreme alpha.


    "What brought you to my pack?" Draghar asked in bewilderment.


    "Can''t I visit my daughter?" Torak asked aggressively, he folded his arms, to show his dominance, but it had no effect on Draghar. "After all, isn''t your pack already under my territory?" he asked.


    Seeing that the situation was no longer conducive, Raine immediately walked over to Draghar and hugged him, making Torak frown.


    "Long time no see, how are you?" Raine asked as she hugged her daughter''s mate.


    Draghar, who didn''t expect the warm treatment, hugged Raine awkwardly and nodded, "thank you, I am good." And seeing Raine smiling, it reminded Draghar of Aurora''s smile, therefore subconsciously, she returned the smile. "Let''s go to the pack house, Aurora will definitely be surprised to see you."


    And Raine easily melted the ice between the two alphas and extinguished the fire of tension that almost arose because of their showed of dominance.


    ================


    "Draghar!" Knox immediately ran to his brother and left his friends as soon as he saw Draghar getting out of the car followed by several cars behind him.


    The little boy threw questioning glances at the people who got out of the car, because it was unusual for the people in the pack house to be this packed with the arrival of strangers.


    Draghar then lowered his body and carried Knox in one hand, while the boy wrapped his arms around his neck.


    "Where is Aurora?" Draghar asked, holding Knox in his arms.


    "Aurora left with Clarice when she drove me home earlier," he answered in a cheerful voice. Then he cast his gaze towards Torak, Raine and several other lycans who had come along with Torak. "Who are they?"


    Draghar then walked towards Raine and Torak.


    "Greet them, they are Aurora''s parents," Draghar said to his brother. No matter how annoyed Torak was with him, he couldn''t possibly show it to Knox.


    Along the way, it seemed that Draghar could guess what had brought these two people here suddenly¡­


    However, Draghar didn''t blame his mate, because after all he had left Aurora in a state of confusion while the girl had no one but herself in this unfamiliar pack she had just met.


    "What''s your name?" Raine asked Knox as she walked over and rubbed his head, which made the boy smile happily.


    "I am Knox!" he said cheerfully. "You look like Aurora," he said again, touching Raine''s cheek.


    "Of course, I am her mother," Raine replied with a chuckle.


    "You have long hair¡­" Knox then ran his tiny fingers through Raine''s hair.


    The little boy looked amazed at Raine''s long hair, just like when he saw Aurora for the first time.


    And because Knox never saw his mother in person and only looked through photos, where in the photo his mother had long hair, it seemed that this little boy started to like long hair because he thought it was close to a mother figure he had never seen, especially when all the women in this pack have their hair short.


    However, Knox gave Torak a different reaction when he saw the supreme alpha.


    His brows furrowed and he immediately hugged Draghar very tightly, burying his face in his brother''s neck. "Draghar, he''s scary," Knox whispered into Draghar''s ear, which Torak could hear clearly.


    Actually the fear that Knox felt was due to the dominance that radiated from Torak''s entire body and made him look scary to those of lower ranks.


    And at this point it was certain that Knox was the same as Draghar when he was a kid¡­ he didn''t have a strong dominance when he was at his age like Knox.


    Hearing that, Torak''s jaw hardened. Annoying child¡­


    "Where''s Aurora?" Raine broke the tense atmosphere again and gently rubbed her mate''s arm so he wouldn''t be too upset.


    "Aurora is out with Clarice," Draghar replied. "We will just wait inside, I will take you to your room."


    After saying that, they all walked into the pack house and Torak and Raine got a room near Draghar and Aurora''s room while the lycan warriors occupied another part of the pack house.


    ================


    It was getting late, but Aurora still hadn''t come back and this made Draghar so confused about what really happened to his mate that she didn''t reply to his messages or pick up the phone.


    The same thing happened to Clarice as well. They were both unreachable.


    "Enough with this," Torak growled, who had run out of patience and rose from his seat. He looked like he was about to kill someone if he has to wait and sit around doing nothing while his daughter''s whereabouts were unknown. "Order your men to find out where Aurora is."


    "I already did," Draghar replied. Even without being told he had already done so when he couldn''t contact his woman.


    Then, as if there was an understanding between the two of them, Torak and Draghar didn''t waste much time as the two of them rushed out of the pack house to look for Aurora and Clarice.


    "Wait here," Torak said in a deep voice, as he bent down and kissed Raine on the forehead, leaving her mate with the annoying little boy. "I will be right back."


    And Torak went with Draghar to trace where the two women had gone late into the night like this.


    Torak also left the four lycan warriors to be with Raine, because he didn''t trust anyone in Draghar''s pack.


    However, before the two of them could go to explore the city and find the whereabouts of the two women, they both found Clarice, who was running very fast towards Draghar with short breaths and messy hair.


    At that instant Draghar felt his heart skip a beat, knowing that whatever Clarice was about to tell him, wasn''t good news¡­


    "Alpha¡­" Clarice started, her voice shaking violently as she stared at Draghar, but then she took a step back when she saw Torak, instantly her whole body trembled from getting that sharp gaze from Torak''s black eyes. She could easily distinguish a very strong killing instinct.


    "Is her name Clarice?" Torak asked, his voice deep and hoarse, as if he was having trouble speaking because he had to contain his strong emotions.


    "Yes, she is," Draghar said in the same dark voice. "Tell me now, what happened," Draghar demanded, glaring at Clarice sharply.

 Chapter 1166: Aurora (45)

    Of course what Clarice felt from the man standing beside Alpha Draghar were very different from how she felt from the Alpha.


    Both of them indeed showed strong dominance, yet there was something in raw and vicious from this man.


    What Clarice felt from the stranger was as if he was about to skin her alive and even Clarice was having a hard time continuing her words.


    Who is that man actually? How could he be so scary just by standing like that? Clarice frowned and she seemed to stutter when she answered the question.


    "Her name is Clarice?" The man standing beside Alpha Draghar asked, his voice deep and hoarse and this made Clarice shudder in horror, she trembled in fear like a leaf falling in the wind, how much effect this man had, just by asking her name.


    "Yes, her is Clarice," Draghar said in the same dark voice. "Tell me now, what happened," Draghar demanded, glaring at Clarice sharply.


    "That¡­" Clarice stuttered, she felt her whole body refuse to linger in front of the stranger and the alarm in her head seemed to be screaming for her to run away from there as soon as possible.


    Clarice hugged herself and looked down, avoiding Torak''s black eyes that were staring at her fiercely.


    "Someone from the blue river pack took her¡­ while we were on our way home¡­" Clarice had a hard time finishing her sentence, but it was enough to make Draghar roar furiously, like a wounded animal, as he lunged forward, he then landed in his beast form before he ran towards the first check point.


    And it goes without saying that what he wants to do now is only one thing, which is a war to get his mate back to his side.


    Gerald is very brave to kidnap his mate right in front of him and if that bastard really wants to get Draghar''s attention by initiating this war, then war is what he will get for his actions that have taken Aurora away.


    The bastard kidnapped her!


    ================


    Aurora didn''t know how long she had been asleep or where she was now, but for sure, she could now remember what happened to her last time before she lost consciousness.


    She was pretty sure that Clarice, or whoever had ordered the girl, had put something in her drink or food.


    Aurora didn''t know whether to laugh or cry when she learned this, because as Rose said that she shouldn''t trust anyone in the pack and only now did the words ring in her ears and Aurora understood the meaning of her warning.


    Aurora had come to her senses, but she didn''t immediately open her eyes and show any movement, because she wanted to read the situation around her first and it would be to her advantage if she could get information that she could use to know where she was now, or much better, to escape from here.


    However, her surroundings were cold and there was only one movement she felt around her.


    It was the sound of a slow footstep and also another sound like boiling water...


    But then the person''s footsteps stopped not far from Aurora. This person paused for a while, before finally decided to walk towards Aurora.


    "How long are you going to pretend to sleep like that?" a male voice asked and Aurora had never heard his voice before.


    Somehow he could tell that Aurora had woken up, therefore, there was no use for Aurora to pretend she was still asleep.


    With that, Aurora opened her eyes just as the man was about to touch her cheek and out of instinct, she quickly dodged, her black eyes staring at the man in front of her very sharply and a hiss escaped from between her chapped lips.


    Aurora could feel her throat that hurt so much, as if she had just eaten sand from a barren desert.


    "Wow, you really are very intriguing¡­" the man mumbled as he crouched down in front of Aurora, who was tied up on a bed with her arms behind her back. "I have never seen this before and only heard about Donovan''s ability to survive under curses and magic and now I can confirm that it''s not just a rumor."


    Aurora looked at the man in front of her very sharply and then a smirk was etched at the corner of her lips. "Ever heard that Donovan never shows mercy to their enemies? You better start believing that too," Aurora replied fiercely which made the man flinch a little.


    Seeing the reaction given by the man, Aurora smirked, as her eyes turned a few shades darker.


    The way he flinched didn''t go unnoticed by her, which indicating he still held fear for Donovan''s revenge.


    In this case, Aurora should thank to her father.


    "You sure have an amazing mouth¡­" the man said in a mumbling sound, but he felt annoyed nonetheless. "But, you better not get too excited, you don''t know what will happen to you after this"


    Aurora growled dangerously, she tried to untie her hands, but was unable to break free.


    It was only after she felt a pain in her wrist and looked back to see what had bound her, did Aurora realize that she had been bound with silver handcuffs.


    Damn it!


    "You better save your strength because I don''t want you to get hurt." The man then stood up and grinned at Aurora, a triumphant grin. "At least, it''s not time for you to feel the excruciating pain yet."


    Aurora squinted his eyes at the man in front of her, trying to assess what kind of man that she faced and where she was now.


    But, all Aurora could see was herself in a smelling room with the sound of boiling water, which she couldn''t find the source of.


    "I want to see how Draghar reacts when I hurt his mate right in front of him," said the man again with a chuckle. "He must be going crazy just watching that."


    "F*ck you!" Aurora hissed. She had to think of another way to get out of this place or free herself. But, what chance could she get?


    Just as Aurora was watching the unusually messy room, Aurora recognized this familiar scent, even before the person''s figure appeared in front of her.


    "Impossible..." Aurora muttered quietly. She didn''t believe this. "There is no way he..."


    "There is nothing impossible," replied Collin as he stepped into the room, he then stood in front of Aurora with his usual smile. "Hey, beautiful."


    And Rose''s words replayed in Aurora''s mind again; Don''t trust anyone in this pack.


    ================


    Raine''s facial expression immediately turned cold when she heard Clarice''s confession that her daughter had been kidnapped by the pack that had recently attacked this pack.


    It was very difficult to read what kind of emotions were raging inside Raine right now.


    "And they let you go?" Raine asked in a low voice, but enough to make Clarice swallow hard, because from her soft tone, she could sense that Raine was actually threatening her.


    She was suspicious of her¡­


    Or maybe it was because Clarice was being paranoid, afraid that someone would find out, because then she would die.


    "They let me go to deliver this message to you," Clarice said quietly, repeating what she had been taught.


    "Did you fight them?" she asked.


    "I fought them, but I couldn''t beat them." Clarice grew nervous as Raine sat beside her and took her hand.


    "How many people?" Raine asked again. "How many people did you fight?"


    "There were two people¡­ I fought two people, but I am not a good fighter¡­" Clarice wanted to pull her hand from Aurora''s mother''s grip and sit as far away from her as possible. She felt that this woman could smell a lie from her.


    "Then how many people did Aurora fight? Because normally she can fight at least three lycans at the same time and you know, if curse and magic can''t hurt her?" Raine added some details.


    "Four¡­ Aurora fought four people," Clarice answered hastily.


    "So you fought two and Aurora fought four." Raine paused for a moment, but then she put her finger under Clarice''s chin and made the girl look into her eyes. "But you said that five people attacked you; four werewolves and one witch."


    Just by looking at how Clarice behaved around her right now, Raine knew what was wrong with this whole incident.


    "Clarice¡­" Raine then caressed Clarice''s hair very carefully, tucking the strands of hair behind her ear. "People always see me as a fragile and sweet woman, but they forget that I have gone through several battles, fought demons and faced death."


    Of course Clarice knew about that story, it was a very popular story among shifters, about how their kind had defeated the demons with the help of the guardian angels.


    Clarice swallowed hard, even Raine''s every touch on her face felt like a sharp knife stabbed into her skin.


    "People always misunderstand my appearance," Raine said as if mumbling. "But you know, even a guardian angel has gone through hell to save his loved ones and I wouldn''t mind dragging people who hurt my family and sinking them to the bottom of hell if need be."


    Clarice knew it was a threat. Clarice knew that Raine had found out what she had done¡­


    "So tell me the truth before I show you what hell is."


    Right now, Torak and Draghar were preparing to attack, so it was only Raine and Clarice in this room.

 Chapter 1167: Aurora (46)

    In the past, Raine had gone through the hell created by Lucifer to save Torak because she thought she had lost the man.


    And now, Raine would neither think twice nor waste a second to do the same as before to save her daughter.


    Especially since it concerned her daughter. As a mother, Raine will do whatever it takes to make sure Aurora stays safe. It was her instinct as a mother¡­


    Therefore, when she found Clarice lying, she really meant what she said, those threats were not only bluff.


    There was nothing Raine would not do to save Aurora, likewise Torak.


    "You, keep her here," Raine said to one of the lycans Torak assigned to guard her. "You guys come with me. We are going to meet Torak."


    The three lycans then looked at each other when they heard the order. "But, alpha Torak said for you to stay here and not allow you to meet him on the front lines." One of them tried to give Raine some understanding.


    However, when Luna turned to look at them, they knew it was an order they couldn''t refuse.


    "Then you can stay here," Raine replied curtly and walked out of the room.


    Of course, the three Lycans soon caught up with their Luna, there was no way they would let her go alone. They knew how much the Alpha valued ??their mate, even a strand of her hair held importance, and if their Luna got hurt, it was not impossible that the Alpha wanted their heads as punishment.


    =================


    Actually, Raine could have called Torak and told him all the information Clarice had given her when she managed to threaten the girl.


    Omegas were very easy to intimidate and they actually have pure hearts, so Clarice has a hard time lying to Raine.


    As for Torak and Draghar, they didn''t have time to pay attention to such small details, because as soon as they heard Aurora was in danger, all their beast instincts were triggered, which made them want nothing but to go berserk in order to get her back.


    However, Raine chose to meet Torak and Draghar in person because she wanted to say it personally and see what they would do to get their girl back.


    ================


    Collin stepped into the room, he then stood in front of Aurora with his usual smile. "Hey, beautiful." His hand reached out and was about to touch the face of the girl in front of him, but Aurora moved away from the man and cast a look of contempt in her eyes.


    She had long disliked the way Collin touched her, even when they were at the hotel, where he touched her without her permission, even though they were not that close at the time.


    However, until now Aurora couldn''t say that she was close to Collin, and for sure they will not be close in the future.


    "Draghar will kill you for this betrayal," Aurora growled. She now more or less knew what it was like to face betrayal.


    Even for her who didn''t think of Collin as someone significant in her life, the shock had now turned into pain because the person they didn''t expect would do this immoral thing actually stabbed them in the back.


    Aurora couldn''t imagine how Draghar would feel when he found out about this.


    And to think that her mate had gone through all this pain to get to the point where he didn''t trust anyone, made Aurora''s heart ache.


    That''s how hard the life Draghar has to live...


    "Oh, or he will be killed first for trying to save you," Collin said lazily, as if this chat was just a light topic to pass the time. "I know Draghar very well and I know that he will do anything to save you. You are a perfect bait," said Collin.


    "You jerk!" Aurora growled, she then cursed with all kinds of bad words she knew, her anger made her want to shift into her beast form, it was just that there was something strange that she felt.


    Aurora couldn''t shift into her beast, it was like something was holding her from doing that and Collin could easily read Aurora''s confuse eyes to know what this girl was thinking right now.


    "Why? You can''t turn into your beast side?" he asked with a disgusting smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Of course I had anticipated this."


    Collin then walked closer to Aurora, while walking closer, he took a large golden scissors, which looked rusty.


    "Since Donovan''s blood flowing through your body renders almost all magic useless to you, poison is the only way to immobilize you," Collin said. His smile grew wider when he saw Aurora''s dark black eyes widen with anger. "There was wolfbane in the drink you drank at the cafe. But, don''t worry, it''s harmless. The dosage is so precise that it will only weaken the beast within you."


    And that was a brief explanation of why Aurora couldn''t use her power to shift into her beast form. Because if she could, she would made sure to wipe that sickening smile off the beta''s face once and for all.


    "What are you doing?" asked Aurora in a deep voice, her eyes widening when she saw Collin on top of her with a large pair of scissors in his hand.


    "We are going to drive Draghar crazier with this¡­" Collin said in a triumphant voice¡­


    =================


    Draghar was at loggerheads with Sebastian when he ordered them to act immediately and attack the Blue River pack.


    "It was an act of suicide!" Sebastian cried angrily. They even had a very low number after the first attack, but now the Alpha was ordering him to attack their pack? Has he gone mad?


    There wouldn''t be a victory for them and that''s for sure.


    "If we don''t attack them, they will attack this pack." Draghar clenched his jaw tightly and his voice sounded like a vicious growl. At this point his emotion was all over the places, he barely could handle.


    He wanted Aurora and the lycan members in his pack to be of no help at all.


    "Then just give up! We can unite this pack with them!" Sebastian exclaimed furiously.


    However, before things got too troublesome to control, or before Draghar lost his temper in dealing with the leader of checkpoint one, Torak had spoken first.


    "You want to unite this pack with the pack that kidnapped my daughter?" asked Torak, his voice sounded very cold, even when his figure entered the room, the air immediately felt frozen. "This pack is in my territory, so I make the decisions."


    Hearing that, Sebastian threw a disdainful look at Draghar. "You handed this pack over to him? You will forever be under his command."


    "Then what about you who want this pack to join the Blue River pack?" Draghar replied to Sebastian. "At least I chose a more qualified pack than just a band of bandits led by Gerald, a lycan who was thrown out of his position, for not being able to fight me head-on."


    Hearing that, Sebastian gritted his teeth.


    "You will obey my words and prepare those lycan. We will attack the Blue River pack," said Draghar firmly. He didn''t have the patience to deal with Sebastian at the moment.


    "You will not win this battle and waste the lives of those who will die later." After saying this, Collin immediately rushed out of the room, followed by his two other confidants.


    "Where is Collin? I don''t see him anywhere," Cole said suddenly when the Gama realized that the beta wasn''t there at this crucial time.


    Hearing that, Torak frowned. "Your pack is a complete mess," he commented. He had never seen a pack so disorganized like this.


    Even for himself, the only way to bring them all in order, especially someone like Sebastian, who refused direct orders from his alpha, Torak would not hesitate to kill the man¡­


    "Right, this pack is a mess," Cole replied, nodding his head, the wizard looked less panic in the face of a situation like this.


    "Find out where Collin is," Draghar said, giving Cole an order.


    This pack was indeed very chaotic, because Draghar was not raised to lead or have anyone who could teach him to become an alpha, not to mention the situation in this pack was already chaotic after being led by his father.


    "For sure, he is not in this area," Cole said after a while, the wizard looked blankly at the room in front of him. "He is not in this pack."


    And just at that moment, someone opened the door in a hurry.


    "The Blue River pack sent this," said a lycan guard there, he then placed the black box in his hand on the table.


    The box wasn''t too big and only about the size of a hand''s grip, but both Draghar and Torak, they both had a bad feeling about what was inside the box.


    "Where is the sender of the message?" asked Cole curiously.


    "Sebastian has let him go," he replied curtly.


    "If he is so defensive of the other pack over his, you''d better get rid of him," Torak grumbled.


    And Draghar wished things would be that easy to get rid of him.


    "Open the box," said Draghar to the lycan guard.


    Quickly, the lycan opened the mysterious black box, and what they saw inside it really made Draghar and Torak lose their sanity, as their eyes turned bloodshot.


    Because inside the box, they could clearly see Aurora''s long black curly hair¡­


    This is outrageous!

 Chapter 1168: Aurora (47)

    In the black box that had just been sent by someone from the blue river pack, they could see very clearly that it was Aurora''s hair, of course Draghar and Torak immediately recognized it.


    They know for sure the owner of that beautiful long curly hair.


    Instantly, red was the color that could be seen in their eyes, as a growl full of threats and malice escaped their lips.


    "Oh no¡­"


    There was a soft sigh from the door, and when they all turned, they could see Raine, standing in the doorway with her hand covered her mouth, her eyes glued to the hair in the black box. The luna was utterly shocked with what she was seeing.


    And without thinking twice, Torak pulled Raine into his arms, he hugged his mate tightly while speaking in a voice that was a little harsh and hoarse, because even now he has difficulty to suppress his anger.


    "I will get our daughter Raine, I will get her back." It was not just a promise, but an oath that Torak said. "And I will make them pay very dearly for what they have done. I will make sure of that. "


    Meanwhile, on the other hand, Draghar said nothing, but from the red eyes and the murderous intention that radiated from within him, one could tell that he was being filled with the ferocity of the beast side within him.


    Torak was no exception. Raine could even feel the rumble of anger inside her mate, as if the beast inside him was trying to break free and forget his human side.


    If only he wasn''t hugging Raine, maybe Torak had lost control and let the beast inside him take control.


    But, before Draghar could get out of the room, Raine immediately wiped away the tears and held the alpha''s hand.


    "You have to hear this first," Raine said and a moment later, she told them what information she had gotten from Clarice.


    ==============


    Sebastian put on an unpleasant face when he saw the arrival of Draghar and Torak.


    Not only Sebastian, most of the lycan guards who were there put on the same face when they saw Torak, Draghar and some lycan warriors brought from Torak''s pack, coming towards them.


    There are about twenty lycan warriors behind the two alphas, while Raine has returned with three other lycans to the pack house, because Torak didn''t want anything bad to happen to her.


    As a matter of fact, no matter what, he would do something horrible soon.


    "Why did you call us to gather here?" Sebastian asked angrily. "Didn''t I already say that checkpoint one will not be involved in the suicide mission to save your mate?"


    Sebastian was getting more outrageous in the face of Draghar, he didn''t even consider him an alpha anymore and this was an insult to Draghar, in front of so many other pack members.


    Meanwhile, Torak stopped walking just a few steps from Sebastian, letting Draghar finish his own affairs.


    "I refuse to take part in this suicide mission and also my people," Sebastian said even more emphatically.


    But, then he could feel the killing instinct radiating strongly from Draghar''s body, when he stopped walking right in front of the leader of checkpoint one.


    "You refused?" Draghar asked in a deep and emotionless voice.


    "Yes, I refuse," Sebastian reaffirmed his sentence. "Me and my people." He emphasized every word he uttered.


    But, before he could brag any further, Draghar had quickly grabbed Sebastian''s face and crushed it to pieces.


    The leader did not even have the opportunity to defend himself or even know the death that came to him very quickly.


    Because of what happened next, Sebastian''s face was shattered in Draghar''s hand. The claws of each of the alpha''s nails looked very sharp and strong, making anyone who saw what was unfolded flabbergasted and think twice to act brashly, as Sebastian did.


    Within seconds, Sebastian''s lifeless body fell to the ground, with blood flowing profusely from his wounds that could no longer be healed.


    Seeing the scene, of course everyone who was there looked panicked.


    But, then Draghar spoke in his alpha voice where they had to be silent and listen carefully to what he was going to say.


    "If anyone rejects my order, step forward now!" Draghar seemed to have difficulty controlling his emotions, his eyes have turned red and every second was precious to him.


    But, after a few seconds waiting, no one was dared enough to to step forward after what they had witnessed, as they knew that death was the answer of those who opposed the Alpha''s orders, therefore, they all remained silent in their respective places.


    However, Draghar then asked them to show their arms, whereupon Raine had told him that the people who worked for the blue river pack had made a deal with the magus from that pack.


    And according to Cole, it was very easy to know a shifter who has made a deal with the witches, because the deal left a mark¡­


    Hence, that night became the most horrific night in the history of the blood moon pack, where there was a lot of blood flowing and unfaithful pack members losing their lives.


    But, that was the price to be paid for a betrayal.


    In the end, Draghar has to admit that if what Torak said was true, sometimes when they have to straighten a rule, you have to clear the problem from its roots first.


    And when a warning was no longer enough for them to correct attitudes, then death was the only way to correct everything.


    And that''s what Draghar did.


    This was the action that his pack needed, which he should have been done a long time ago.


    ==============


    "You will pay for all this," Aurora growled as she saw her hair scattered on the bed, where she was tied with a chain that connected to the wall behind her bed. "I swear you''ll regret this¡­"


    Aurora looked down, not showing an expression on her face, but Collin could clearly see that this girl was really ready to kill anyone once she got the chance.


    To be honest, seeing Aurora like this, was quite annoying to Collin, because he didn''t want to say out loud that he was actually a little scared of her now¡­


    "You have to be free from that shackles first if you want to kill me," Collin said in a scornful tone to cover his nervousness. Then he turned to the other man in the room. "How is the process?"


    "It''s almost over. This will be over soon. " He smiled contentedly at the results he had worked on. "These silver bullets will certainly easily stop them."


    Silver bullet¡­


    Aurora widened her eyes and raised her head when she heard that. They could indeed survive all sorts of wounds, but silver was another matter¡­


    Their people would be injured when hit by the silver bullets.


    "Why? Shocked?" Collin asked Aurora, he could clearly see the change in expression on the girl''s face. "Calm down, I will make you meet each other before we kill him¡­"


    ==============


    After Draghar''s massacre of those who had made a pact with the magus of the blue river pack, the number of remaining shifters actually dropped drastically.


    But at least they were far more trustworthy than those who would stab their back, and it was those kind of people that they must be wary of.


    "This is enough¡­" Torak said to Draghar who was standing next to him, while they would soon enter the blue river pack territory.


    Even now, they could see their pack house from a distance.


    "Make sure you kill whoever gets in the way," Torak said before he turned into his white beast.


    "That''s my plan," replied Draghar, who then turned into his black beast, followed by the other lycans behind them.


    Now, the two alphas led about eighty lycans behind them to attack a pack, numbering more than three hundred people¡­


    This was a bet, but neither Torak nor Draghar would back down when the stake was Aurora¡­


    It did not take long for them to reach the territory of the blue river pack, where they faced their savage and brutal guards.


    It''s just that brutality alone was not comparable to what moved the small group to destroy the pack they were attacking.


    Nothing could stop the eighty lycans and two Alphas from entering their enemy territory.


    And it didn''t take long for them all to do that, as they rushed forward quickly to reach the pack house of the blue river pack, where they left traces of corpses along the way.


    There were many lycans under the lead of Torak and Draghar who died, but there were many more from the blue river pack, for trying to withstand their uncontrollable onslaught.


    Torak and Draghar killed anything or anyone they saw and left no one who dared to fight them to stand in the way.


    Meanwhile, the little ones and the women would take refuge behind their respective homes, frightened.


    At least by hiding they wouldn''t get hurt¡­


    This was a sudden attack. Although Gerald had guessed that they would come to attack, but at least not in such a short time, and even very desperately brought only a few members of the pack to fight them.


    "Looks like Draghar finally lost his sanity by bringing in only a few people to attack," Gerald growled.


    "But, now they have entered the central area and will reach the pack house in a few minutes," a young man reported nervously.


    "What?!"

 Chapter 1169: Aurora (48)

    Gerald couldn''t believe what he had just heard.


    "But now they have entered the central area and will reach the pack house in a few minutes," a young man reported warily.


    That was very fast. Too fast. How could they break through the pack''s defenses that were so tight and strong? They even use magic!


    "Where are the guards?!" Gerald cried angrily. He couldn''t believe that the eighty lycans could break through their defenses so quickly. "Where are those damn magus? Why are they not working properly?! They can kill those damn lycans using their power! Why are they so useless?!" anger overcame Gerald because he thought he was a few steps ahead with his brilliant plan.


    Only, fury overtook him when he realized that all those plans were in vain, as he found out that the outcome had turned out like this.


    "Those lycans were so strong, they killed all the guards who tried to block them." The young man who reported the incident swallowed his saliva with difficulty due to the fear that was running through his veins. "As for the magus..." he said, stammering. "A white lycan finished them all¡­ it seems¡­ it seems like magic doesn''t work on him."


    "Donovan!" growled Gerald furiously.


    He knew that magic didn''t work on the Donovans, so he put some silver in Aurora''s drink.


    But, how to stop the white Lycan? How can he stop the lycan?


    "Where is Darius!?" Gerald shouted at the young man before him.


    "Darius is in the basement, still struggling with the silver bullets," replied Chio, a man leaning his back against the wall. He had noticed this for a long time and listened to the report from the young man earlier.


    "CALL HIM! ASK ABOUT THE BULLETS!" Gerald was so angry that he couldn''t control his emotions. He couldn''t let Draghar and those beasts that he brought, trespassed to the pack house.


    "Right away," the man replied hastily, then immediately ran outside to do as he was told.


    "You don''t have to worry too much, their numbers must have been halved by the time they made it to the pack house." Chio looked so relaxed.


    To someone who was the alpha of this pack, he didn''t seem too panicked when he heard that his pack members were facing a massacre out there or that a bunch of crazy lycans were trying to destroy the pack just to get a girl.


    "Even so, they are too strong," Gerald growled. "You can''t underestimate them."


    Chio smirked. "Let''s see how strong they are. Will they be able to withstand the silver bullets that rain down on them later?" Chio then walked up to Gerald and patted him on the shoulder. "This would be something interesting to watch, wouldn''t it?" he asked.


    Gerald didn''t answer that, because for him, things would become more interesting when absolute victory was in his hands, but at this moment, no one could guarantee that¡­


    Gerald couldn''t even say who would win in the end, because with them being able to break through the defense of the Blue River pack alone, it was something to anticipate.


    Damn! Gerald cursed in his heart. Then he stormed out to find Darius himself, he wanted to make sure that everything went according to plan.


    He didn''t want to have any errors this time.


    ================


    Aurora could hear the commotion outside as well as the sounds of hurried footsteps pounding in the corridor outside this room.


    Even in this condition, Aurora''s hearing was still very sharp, she was able to hear the voice of someone reporting to Collin about what was happening out there.


    Draghar and her father had come, along with some lycans to ravage this place.


    Aurora wasn''t too surprised when she heard Draghar''s name, but when the man mentioned the white lycan, of course she immediately knew who had come so far just to make sure she was safe.


    And just as Aurora was about to hear more about what was going on out there, someone suddenly entered the room, while Collin followed behind him.


    "It''s all over, take it easy," Darius replied, smiling softly when he saw Gerald''s scary face. He really had a dreaded expression on his face.


    "All those silver bullets¡­" he said like a hiss. "Prepare all those silver bullets and fire at the damn lycans that''s about to get close to the pack house."


    Aurora gritted her teeth when she heard their plan. Magic was something she wasn''t afraid of, but silver bullets were a different matter.


    But then she could see out of the corner of her eye several lycans walked in and took out three large chests that two people had to carry, which contained nothing but those damn silver bullets.


    "And I need her to be on the front lines. I want to see how they dare to attack us when they see her in danger." Gerald pointed at Aurora. "I can''t believe my stupid little brother got a mate who wanted him. And even more so a Donovan." There was anger and resentment because of this unfair fate.


    Meanwhile, Gerald''s mate was only a beta daughter in this blue river pack, but Draghar got a Donovan instead. Of course a Donovan was worth more than any alpha''s daughters ...


    "You look better with short hair like that," Collin commented as he let go of the chain attached to the wall, to be able to move Aurora, but the girl bit him so hard that her fangs stuck so hard in Collin''s arm. "Fucking girl!"


    A slap so hard landed on Aurora''s cheek that it made her vision darken for a moment, as her head hit the iron on the edge of the bed.


    "Enough!" Gerald exclaimed when he saw Collin about to kick Aurora. "We need her alive."


    "Tsk!" Collin clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You are lucky. Otherwise, you would be dead by my hands by now."


    And then violently, Collin made Aurora stand up and walk towards the door.


    "You will meet your mate now. Do you like it?" he whispered to Aurora''s ear and his hot breath brushed against her shoulder, making her feel nauseous from being around this man.


    "I will be happy after putting that one silver bullet in your head," replied Aurora, she moved away from Collin.


    "You can try it later," Collin said, smiling with satisfaction because he was sure it would never happen.


    ================


    This terrible thing finally happened to the Blue River pack.


    The beast brought by Torak and Draghar managed to enter the forecourt of their vast pack house.


    Only, their number had been reduced by more than half. Maybe now there were only about thirty lycans left to rush through the pack house and slaughter whoever was there.


    However, just as the beasts advanced, gunshots rang out and one of them immediately fell to the ground and died with a hole in his head, without getting a chance to recover.


    Silver bullet.


    As if Torak and Drustan could read each other''s minds, they soon discovered that it was no ordinary bullet. It was a silver bullet that could injure them.


    Immediately, they all took cover behind the rocks in the garden while monitoring the situation there and looking for where the shots came from.


    "Shift," Torak said. They were not in the same pack, therefore there was no mind- link between them, which made it difficult for the two of them to communicate under these circumstances.


    However, for people who couldn''t communicate with each other during the fight, the two of them fought really well just now.


    The black beast then shifted back to its human form, as well as Rose, who participates in this mission.


    The three of them looked around them and saw that their numbers had decreased quite significantly, as there were several other beasts that had been hit by the unexpected fire.


    "Aurora is in there," Draghar growled. "But, I can''t reach her through mind- link." He did not want to imagine what they did to his woman to be able to cut off communication between them.


    "I will clear things up here, you better find another way to get in there and get my daughter back," Torak said.


    "I have been to their pack house, I think I remember the location of the room in there and indeed there is another door at the back of this pack house," Rose added. She had come to this pack house when his father was about to hand her over to the alpha of the Blue River pack.


    "Good then, you two can go there," Torak said. He didn''t want to waste their time.


    "Draghar," Torak called before the man moved away with Rose.


    Hearing his name being called, Draghar stopped his steps and turned to Torak, as if to ask what else he was going to say.


    "If you find the man who has hurt my daughter, make sure he doesn''t have an easy death," said Torak. "I want those people to pay for every wound on her body or every hair they cut off my daughter. I want them to pay for all that."


    Torak''s red eyes looked at Draghar seriously.


    "Of course," Draghar replied. "I''ll make them pay for all that."


    From inside the pack house, they could see several people holding guns, and it was certain that every bullet from the guns was silver.


    "Which body part do you want?" Draghar asked Torak. "I''ll give it to you as a welcome gift to the blood moon pack."


    "I wonder what''s going on in their head," Torak answered.


    ******


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 Chapter 1170: Aurora (49)

    Torak waited until the people who were carrying weapons with silver bullets as their ammo, came out of the pack house and prepared to fight like that, like human, instead of shifting into their beast forms.


    It was very pathetic to see those shifters, they seemed like they have lost their pride as a shifter.


    The twenty two shifters who were still behind the rocks and walls, taking a shelter from the fire attacks that their enemies would launch, were still waiting for the alpha''s next order.


    They didn''t know what to do in a situation like this, but if the alpha wanted them to surrender or fight to the death, then that was what they would do without a second thought.


    Therefore, the beasts were very surprised when they saw Torak walking out of his hiding place, in his human form and strolled very casually towards their enemies.


    There were no orders, no plans, there was nothing for those lycans, who had fought with him from the start and lost many of their comrades.


    The supreme alpha seeming took this matter into his hand alone.


    What was in his mind right now? Instead of giving them orders or instructing something, Torak would just give up?


    The beasts there looked at each other, assuming that was the Alpha''s decision.


    And not only that, since Draghar and Rose were not there, automatically Alpha Torak would have full control over them, but what was his intention with what he was doing now?


    Did the alpha intend to commit suicide? Or gave themselves up in frustration at not being able to find his daughter and now they were surrounded by the enemies?


    Whatever reasons crossed their minds, none of them made sense.


    They were fighting alongside a Donovan, the most prestigious family of shifters that was known for their beastly side, so it was impossible to see a Donovan give up so easily¡­


    However, the confusion didn''t last long, because a few moments later, Torak answered all of that¡­


    Still walking towards the gun- wielding members of the Blue River pack, Torak lifted both his arms at his sides, as the armed lycans in front of him raised their weapons and aimed them at Torak simultaneously.


    Of course, no matter how strong a Donovan was, or how impervious they were to most magic, they would still be injured when facing silver.


    And now, there wasn''t just one, but about thirty rounds of bullets about to be fired at him at the same time and Torak still didn''t look scared at all.


    He didn''t budge from his position.


    "If you keep going, I will shoot you!" Chio exclaimed. The alpha was standing at the very back of the armed forces. "The whole world will know if I am the one who kill the Donovan. They will be afraid of me, as the one who killed the supreme alpha!"


    Chio was the Alpha of the Blue River pack, but his was so cunning for his own good, making him more worthy of being called a bandit than an alpha.


    "You heard what I said Donovan!?" Chio roared when he saw Torak not stop walking towards him. "Prepare weapons! Aim at him!" The alpha''s voice boomed.


    Meanwhile, the sky slowly turns orange when the sun was about to set.


    In Chio''s order, all of the lycans there prepared their gun and aimed at Torak, waiting for the next order to kill the Donovan, right then and there.


    ================


    Rose remembered that there was a back door in this pack house, but since the last time she had been in this place was so long ago, she had a little trouble finding the door again.


    Draghar and Rose encounter several guards in the process of searching for the door, and they both managed to kill all of them.


    It was not a difficult job to do for the siblings. The two of them seemed to have their own understanding when it came to situations like this and Rose was very reliable.


    And once they found the door and entered the pack house, they both found many women and children sheltering there, terrified of their attack.


    When they saw Rose and Draghar step in, everyone immediately covered their children and tried not to have eye contact with the two of them.


    But, Rose grabbed a young woman''s hand, who was hugging her daughter and started questioning her.


    "Don''t hurt me, please, I don''t know anything," the young woman began to cry while protecting her child behind her body.


    "I won''t hurt you, but tell me where do they usually keep a prisoner?" she asked.


    There were too many people in this room, so they couldn''t catch Aurora''s scent and Draghar still was not able to reach her through mind link.


    Something must have happened to Aurora that she was like that and Draghar made sure that he would avenge any unfair treatment that his mate had to endure.


    Those bastards would pay for every wound on her body.


    Stuttering, the woman pointed towards the second floor of the house. Towards one of the doors they could see from there.


    And without wasting much time, Draghar and Rose immediately rushed up to the second floor.


    ================


    "Impossible¡­" Chio mumbled, his voice clearly trembled with disbelief at what he was seeing, while his eyes widened at the sight of the blazing flames.


    The flames were blue, from a bird that appeared out of thin air on Torak''s palm and stopped the silver bullets aimed at him.


    This was the legendary firebird belonged to the Donovan family and not many people have seen this.


    This firebird was also the one that helped them during the battle against the demons and was a sacred animal for the Donovans.


    And now, the firebird was moving around Torak, leaving fire dust around its beautiful figure, but as if understanding what its master wanted, at once the firebird let out a breath of fire that burned the lycans who were pointing weapons at the alpha.


    Some of those who didn''t have time to escape had to succumb to the bird''s fire and die instantly, while their weapons melted into molten iron on their roasted corpses.


    Meanwhile some of the lycans were still pointing their guns and firing the bullets.


    But, every time the bullets tried to penetrate the wall of fire created by the firebird, they instantly melted and fell to the ground, becoming something worthless.


    Seeing this, Chio didn''t stay still, he ordered the two magicians on his left and right to take down the firebird, however, just like the Donovans, the firebird was ineffective against magic.


    In fact, one of the reasons why the Donovans could be immune to magic was because they had this sacred bird within them.


    And realizing that his efforts were in vain, the magicians stopped and advised Chio to retreat immediately.


    "I will not run away from him!" Chio shouted stubbornly, he couldn''t believe that he was utterly defeated. He felt that after discovering how to produce those silver bullets on a large scale, he was the most powerful person in this realm.


    In a rage, Chio grabbed a nearby rifle that was being used by one of the lycans, and with that weapon now, he tried to shoot those silver bullets at Torak. Did it continuously and hope to have different results.


    Meanwhile, behind Torak, the beasts from Draghar''s pack began to emerge from their hiding places, as they witnessed many gun- wielding lycans had been killed by the flames dancing beautifully around the alpha.


    And now, it was their time to counterattack.


    ================


    As they climbed the stairs, Draghar could smell Aurora and immediately knew where she was, only there was one more scent that made him frown in disbelief.


    He felt that this scent was very misplaced, because Draghar smelled Collin''s scent at this moment.


    But it turned out to be true¡­


    The beta stood before Draghar and Rose with a rifle in his hand. It didn''t take a genius to guess that the bullet inside the rifle was silver.


    "I wonder where you have been during this attack, but it turns out you have arrived first," Draghar said to the beta.


    He felt betrayed to see the beta, the person he trusted, stab him in the back. Was he that horrible that he had to be betrayed so many times?


    Draghar then shook his head vigorously and focused himself on his original goal. This was not the time to think about that.


    "Hi, Draghar, as well as Rose¡­" Collin said lightly, but he didn''t lower the gun that was aimed directly at Draghar''s head.


    "You are an asshole, you know that, don''t you?" Rose said in a toneless voice, she seemed to be looking around her, thinking about how to escape Collin''s aim, but she couldn''t find anything to help.


    "Get out of my way, Collin, or I won''t hesitate to kill you," Draghar growled dangerously. He then turned his attention away from the gun in Collin''s hand, to the man''s face, staring deeply into his eyes. "You will regret what you have done."


    "I don''t think so," Collin replied, then shook his head slowly, stuffing his free hand into his trouser pockets. "You are a predictable person Draghar¡­ you really came to save your lover."


    Rose grabbed Draghar''s hand, she knew that Collin was only provoking him to do something reckless.


    "Are you traumatized because in the past Gerald once hurt your girl?" Collin asked in a sickening voice. "And now he is going to do it again..."

 Chapter 1171: Aurora (50)

    Of all the people Draghar thought would betray him, he had no idea it would be Collin, because he had known this man long enough and he thought they were quite close.


    So when Draghar managed to become the alpha to their pack, he assigned Collin as his beta, but who would have thought that there would be a day when the two of them would stand on different sides and look at each other with the intent to kill one another?


    This was hard to believe and Draghar felt that this betrayal had completely broken all the trust he had.


    "Where is my mate!?" Draghar roared angrily, his bloodshot eyes staring at Collin with murderous intent, it seemed that he no longer even cared about the fact that Collin was holding a weapon filled with silver bullets, which could kill him at any moment.


    "She is not with me," Collin said lightly while shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly while looking at Draghar with a smile on his lips. This was really messed up. "Oh, but I must say that she looks beautiful with her new short hairdo."


    Hearing that, Draghar lost his control and lunged forward, he jumped so high and landed in his black beast form, roaring furiously.


    On the other hand, Collin looked surprised when he saw the black beast before him, not because he had never seen Draghar in his beast form, but because he had never seen the alpha this furious except when he faced his own father and removed his brother from the position of alpha.


    Thus, blindly, Collin fired a shot at Draghar, with one bullet managed to hit the black beast''s upper arm, making the lycan roared even more furiously, while behind him, another black beast, slightly smaller in size, charged forward.


    Rose no longer thought about the consequences she would have to face when she charged at Collin right now, facing the barrage of silver bullets aimed at her.


    However, just as she was about to reach the man and managed to dodge all of the bullets, suddenly Draghar, in his beast form, rammed her side of her body and made her fall, flying a few meters and hit the wall.


    At first Rose wanted to be angry with her brother because she almost managed to get Collin, burying her sharp claws and fangs in the beta''s human body. It would have been easier to kill him, however, when Rose saw what had really happened, her eyes widened in disbelief.


    Unexpectedly, Collin turned out to have a silver dagger that he drew into the side of Draghar''s neck. If it wasn''t for her older brother who threw her to the side, it was certain that she would be in such a terrible position.


    And now, the red blood dripping from Draghar''s neck was visible to see, soaking his black fur, as the beast roared furiously and tried to escape by kicking Collin across the room.


    Draghar roared loudly as blood gushed from his open wound. If left like this, he would bleed out and his life would be in danger, as his ability to heal was hindered from the silver''s side effects.


    Seeing this, Rose wasted no time and immediately lunged at Collin when he was losing his balance after Draghar kicked him across the room.


    Quickly, Rose reached the traitor and bit him hard on the neck, not letting the man got a chance to shift into his wolf form or pull out any other dangerous silver object.


    It all happened so fast. Rose tore at Collin''s neck and he didn''t even have time to curse like he always did, and in the next second his filthy life had gone.


    After immobilizing Collin, Rose immediately ran towards Draghar, who had returned to his human form with blood still dripping from his neck.


    "Are you okay?" Rose asked worriedly, but seeing Draghar was still able to stand up, that was a good sign, looked like Collin didn''t have time to stab Draghar too deep before his brother kicked him away.


    "Yeah," Draghar growled, clutching his neck, but he didn''t stop to let Rose check on his wound, because he still had to find Aurora.


    Draghar could still smell Aurora''s scent, he was very close to her. She was still in this house.


    With that understanding, Draghar quickened his footsteps, not caring about the pain he felt in his neck or the blood still flowing from his wound.


    ================


    Gerald pulled Aurora''s hair because the girl resisted when he was about to take her away from this pack house.


    He had seen how Torak Donovan wiped out almost all the remaining guard lycans in this pack with just a strange flaming bird that breathing fire.


    Was that the so- called firebird? Gerald had heard of it several times, but wasn''t sure if it was the same bird referred to in the story.


    "Hurry up!" Gerald lost his temper with this girl in front of him. Even though her hands were shackled with silver chains, she still tried to fight back.


    On the other hand, Aurora could feel that the poison given to her was slowly fading and she could now feel Draghar''s presence getting closer, although she still couldn''t use mind- links to talk to her mate.


    Aurora just needed to last a little while. Thus, with all her might, she tried not to move from her spot and held on as Gerald beat her body.


    He will pay this back dearly in a moment soon¡­


    And when Gerald raised his leg to kick Aurora, the girl caught him and with her sharp claws, she hurt Gerald''s leg.


    However, because the effect of the wolfbane was still in her body and had not completely disappeared, this made Aurora unable to shift completely and was only able to do that.


    "Damn woman!" Gerald roared furiously as he fell to the floor with his injured and bleeding leg. He had to wait a while for the wound to heal, but that didn''t mean the pain would go away soon.


    As for Aurora, she tried to go the other way from Gerald''s destination, but the man held her leg. He gripped Aurora''s ankle so tightly that even when the girl kicked his face really hard, he didn''t feel anything and still didn''t let go of his grip.


    "I will kill you! I will kill you!" shouted Gerald like a madman.


    Right now, the two of them were in the corridor of the pack house and no one was there except them.


    Aurora found it difficult to fight Gerald because her hands were still tied and also her strength has not fully recovered yet.


    Therefore, when Gerald managed to pull Aurora to him, with anger that had blinded his eyes and prevented him from thinking clearly, Gerald strangled Aurora with all his might.


    Gerald''s big and strong body was on top of Aurora''s and this made it difficult for the girl to break free from his strong stranglehold because she was in a completely disadvantageous position.


    "YOU DIE! YOU DIE!" Gerald snarled, his face red with anger. "YOU FUCKING WOMAN!"


    At this point, Aurora felt lightheaded and her vision began to blur, while her attempts to push Gerald''s body away proved futile. The man didn''t even move at all.


    And when Aurora felt that she could no longer breathe and almost lost consciousness, she felt someone ripped Gerald''s body away from her very quickly.


    And the last thing she heard was a roar full of anger and someone calling her name frantically.


    Aurora recognized the voice. No, she missed that voice and didn''t expect that she would hear her favorite voice again. She thought she would die in Gerald''s hands.


    However, Aurora could not return the call because she was too tired and her whole body ached.


    And when darkness enveloped her and exhaustion began to overtake her, Aurora gave up and allowed herself to sink into the darkness.


    =================


    The first thing Gerald felt as he woke up was an unbearable pain. And before he even opened his eyes, the pain made him grunted helplessly.


    Gerald tried to move his body, but the slightest movement was enough to make him feel multiple pains.


    He had never felt pain like this before. Will he die?


    And in the end, with great difficulty, Gerald slowly opened his eyes and found himself in the bathtub, with metallic colored water pooling his body, leaving only his head on the surface.


    His eyes roamed the bathroom until he found Draghar standing beside him with a triumphant look, while a bandage was wrapped around his neck, recklessly.


    "What do you want!?" Gerald shouted, but then he groaned in pain. Her grievous scream echoed throughout the bathroom wall. "FUCK!"


    Draghar didn''t move from his position, he seemed to enjoy every scream and cursing that Gerald threw at him, as if it was the music he liked the most.


    "How do you feel?" asked Draghar at last when Gerald had stopped screaming and could no longer endure the pain he was in.


    Gerald didn''t understand why he felt such excruciating pain when Draghar didn''t even touch him at all. "What¡­ did you do to me?" he breathed ragedly.


    Draghar smirked. "Something you did to my mate," he replied. "I told you that you will get a hundred times more terrible retribution if you hurt my woman..."


    Gerald then saw the water that was pooling his body and then he realized what water it was¡­


    "You couldn''t have done this to me¡­" Gerald muttered as fear gripped his heart.

 Chapter 1172: Aurora (end)

    "You couldn''t have done this to me¡­" Gerald mumbled as fear gripped his heart.


    Draghar looked at Gerald with a mocking smile. "Why not possible?" he then bent down and picked up something from the floor, but what he took only made Gerald even more hysterical.


    Gerald screamed on the top of his lungs like a frightened innocent little girl, it hurt Draghar''s eardrums, as his scream echoed in this small room.


    Anyone who heard the scream would be able to imagine how frightened the shifter was. They would begin to think what kind of horror had made him shriek like that.


    Meanwhile, Draghar laughed heartily, enjoying every shriek his brother made.


    What Draghar picked up from the floor and made Gerald scream in terror, wasn''t an object, but the corpse of Chio, the alpha of this blue river pack, which Draghar had tortured earlier, while waiting for Gerald''s consciousness to return.


    Chio''s body was already visibly crushed while blood was still oozing out from his peeling and almost rotting skin. From the expression on his face, Gerald could at least imagine, what kind of death he had faced before.


    "No, no¡­ don''t do this to me Draghar¡­ please¡­" Gerald begged. The arrogance that he displayed a moment ago when he had Aurora as his prisoner, could no longer be seen. This man even cried, begging for forgiveness from the brother he hated. "I won''t do it again¡­ I promise I won''t do it again¡­"


    Gerald clenched his jaw tightly as his slight movement made his skin burn. The pain was so excruciating that he wondered, what water was this...


    "Won''t do it again?" Draghar asked sarcastically. He then threw Chio''s rotting body across the bathroom and picked up a large bottle of metallic liquid. "Do you really have a chance to be able to do something again? The only thing you can do now is make me happy with your suffering."


    Then, without warning, Draghar poured the liquid into the water in the bathtub.


    It was then that Gerald''s screams and roars were heard again and this lasted longer than before, showing how painful it was.


    "This is silver, silver liquid," Draghar said casually when Gerald''s screams had subsided a little. Perhaps this man was too tired and there was no more energy left in him.


    "Don''t¡­ don''t¡­" said Gerald in a weak voice. His head felt like it would explode and his brain would melt.


    "Don''t?" Draghar snorted. "You hurt my woman, you should have seen this coming."


    Then, Draghar took out a dagger, the same dagger Collin had used to stab him before.


    Draghar then carved a word on Gerald''s forehead and cheeks with the sharp edge of the dagger. Bastard.


    And that forced Gerald to scream again so loudly that he felt his vocal cords was damaged.


    "Too bad¡­ you''re too stupid to realize this¡­" Draghar clicked his tongue and then pushed Gerald''s head with the tip of the dagger, into the silver- filled water.


    ================


    "You took a long time," Torak said as he watched Draghar come out of the bathroom where he was torturing Gerald.


    Torak was there from the moment Chio''s first scream to Gerald''s pleading voice for Draghar''s mercy for not killing him. Torak heard them all and he enjoyed them.


    "I''ve been done since ten minutes ago, but then I remembered that you asked for this," Draghar then lifted a clear plastic in his right hand and placed the plastic in front of Torak, on the floor. "Be careful, there''s still some silver in there."


    After saying that, Draghar walked away from Torak. Now that his revenge had been avenged, there was nothing else Draghar wanted to do but be by Aurora''s side immediately. He wanted to see his woman right this instant.


    Meanwhile, inside the plastic, it turned out to be Gerald''s head. Draghar remembered that Torak wanted to see what was inside the head of the man who had hurt Aurora. That''s what Torak said when they broke into the pack house area, a few hours ago.


    Thus, Draghar fulfilled his promise by bringing Gerald''s head to him.


    On the other hand, when Torak saw what was inside the clear plastic bag, his brow furrowed and he muttered in annoyance while throwing a sharp glare at Draghar''s back, who was walking away.


    "Annoying brat."


    ================


    "She will be fine," Raine said softly as she approached Draghar who had been sitting motionless for hours beside Aurora''s bed, holding her hand tightly.


    Draghar said nothing. He had remained silent like that ever since he returned from the Blue River pack and finished what he should have been done a long time ago.


    Torak had seen Aurora several times and seemed very worried about hiss daughter''s health, because she had slow healing ability, but then the alpha became very understanding and left Draghar with Aurora for time to time, just the two of them.


    Torak asked Raine to let the man alone, but it had been too long and she knew better how to deal with situations like this, because she too had faced the same situation many times, and she understood that this was not at all pleasant.


    "Come here¡­" Raine reached out her hand and gently hugged Draghar''s head. "Don''t blame yourself like this, Aurora won''t like it¡­" she said softly while caressing Draghar''s back.


    He didn''t know what got into him, but he felt like something had stung his eyes and when he blinked, tears fell down Raine''s shoulders.


    Of course that took him by surprise. Draghar couldn''t even remember the last time he cried.


    He did not even cry when he saw Aurora hurt, of course his heart ached, but he knew, his tears would not bring miracles and make Aurora come back to him.


    Therefore, instead of showing his weak side, he tried to be tough. Suppressed all his feelings.


    Especially after the incident with Aurora. Draghar kept blaming himself behind that high wall he had built. He has failed in saving his mate and protecting her¡­


    However, when Raine hugged him warmly and rubbed his back while saying that it wasn''t his fault, it broke something inside Draghar. The high and strong wall he built to alienate himself was cracked¡­


    Draghar felt a mother''s love that he never got.


    He never remembered that his mother had hugged him like this when he was sad or in pain.


    Therefore, when he felt the warmth of this embrace, Draghar couldn''t hold back his tears.


    "I know this is hard and you did your best to save Aurora, and Torak and I are grateful for that," Raine whispered softly into Draghar''s ear, she couldn''t help but cry when she said that.


    Those words that Raine said sincerely, only made Draghar realized that he needed words like this¡­


    ================


    "I am annoyed. I am annoyed," Aurora grumbled when Raine cut her hair short because when Collin did her hair, he made a very messy cut and this made Raine, inevitably, have to trim it again quite a bit to make it looked neat.


    "Your hair will grow back, honey," Raine said softly, then bent down and kissed her daughter''s head. "You look beautiful."


    Raine knew how much Aurora loved her long, curly hair and for as long as Raine could remember she had never cut it past her waist, but now, even Raine could see the mark made by Draghar, peeking out from under the white sweater she was wearing.


    If only Torak and Kayden had seen that, it would have been ''fun.''


    "Don''t look at me," Aurora grumbled as she saw Draghar approaching her, walking beside her father.


    It seemed like this incident brought their relationship a little closer, although it couldn''t be said that the two of them got along quite well, because after all, having two alphas at the same time and place wasn''t a good idea.


    This morning, after Aurora was feeling better, Raine took her out to do her hair.


    And now they were both in the backyard with the mountains view in the background.


    Raine likes this place.


    Meanwhile, from the direction of the pack house, Draghar and Torak walked over to their respective mates.


    "Why? You look beautiful," said Draghar as he knelt in front of Aurora, holding her hand and pressing it to his lips.


    This made Torak frown, although he didn''t say anything, it seemed that the supreme alpha was still not used to the sight of his daughter being touched by another man.


    "I know I am beautiful, but I don''t like this short hair," Aurora grumbled, she pursed her lips and this made Draghar laugh softly and hug her tightly.


    "I am glad that you are able to sulk like this," Draghar whispered into Aurora''s ear and ruffled her short hair, making it even more messy.


    "Stop doing that," Torak rebuked, a frown on his face. "Aurora, come here."


    Torak opened his arms and his daughter ran into her father''s arms, who then combed her hair very gently and kissed her forehead.


    "I don''t agree with your mate in many ways, but I agree when he says that you are very beautiful, dear," Torak said quietly and looked pleased when his daughter laughed.


    Meanwhile Draghar could only grumble with incoherent words.


    But, then, Torak''s gaze fell on the mark that was on Aurora''s neck. It was a mark that Draghar had made, which meant their relationship had progressed beyond Torak''s imagination.


    "This mark¡­" Torak then cast a sharp glare at Draghar. "You¡­"


    And as Raine had expected, this would be fun¡­


    *******


    What do you think about Aurora''s story? ((^o^))

 Chapter 1173: Kayden

    "Shouldn''t you apologize and return to your pack now?" Sean asked Kayden as he downed his second glass of scotch.


    He didn''t even understand why he could be here and accompany his cousin who was running away from home.


    "No," Kayden replied curtly and this was the same answer he gave to every question and suggestion Sean offered to him.


    One week ago, Kayden got into a huge argument with his father, Torak, which even his mother couldn''t mediate them like usual.


    And at the end of the fight, Kayden chose to leave the house. He needed a life beyond the shadow of his great father.


    For others maybe having a father like Torak Donovan was an honor.


    Well, Kayden felt the same way until he realized the heavy burden of responsibility he had to carry when he had to be under his father''s name.


    Every eye that looked at him would judge him and compare him to his father. Not only that, Kayden began to feel that everyone expected him to be greater than his father or at least as great as his father of doing his part as an alpha.


    With all these unreasonable expectations, it made Kayden feel very insecure to take the position from his father.


    It was not that Kayden looked down on himself, he was not bad, it''s just that when it came to going beyond what his father has accomplished, he felt like he was nothing...


    Kayden really looked after his father. Torak was a figure who has always been an example to him, therefore, he always wanted to be like his father, but the hopes and expectations of the people around him made Kayden feel suffocated and this got worse by the day.


    Especially when the side of him, which felt that he wouldn''t be able to be like his father started to resurface, Kayden would subconsciously hate Torak and by feeling like that, he would hate himself.


    "Hey, at least tell me why did you run away from your pack?" Sean asked, he looked at his cousin who looked very flustered.


    He was quite happy because they were shifters where they could talk in low voices and still managed to hear each other in this night club, where the music was blaring.


    Kayden didn''t answer the question and took another sip of his drink.


    Seeing his cousin''s attitude, Sean was really frustrated. "I can''t understand why your father hasn''t found you until now." If Torak had wanted to find Kayden of course he would have been able to find out where his son was in a matter of hours, but up to this week, not a single shifter had chased Kayden.


    "Maybe my words hurt him and he doesn''t want to see me again," Kayden replied without a second thought.


    "Nonsense." Sean couldn''t believe that his uncle, Torak Donovan, would just let his beloved son go. "I guess your dad just wanted you to be more responsible for your life, so you took the alpha position from him."


    At this point, by looking at the problems Kayden was facing, Sean felt lucky that his father, Kace, was not an alpha, so he didn''t have dozens of people who would be his responsibility in the future.


    Ugh! Just imagining it made Sean nauseous¡­


    "By freezing all my cards?" Kayden turned to Sean and gave his cousin a sinister look. "He wanted to kill me."


    "Not really¡­ I guess Uncle Torak just wants you to have no money and come back home." It made more sense, but Sean also understood that Kayden wasn''t serious when he said his father wanted to kill him.


    And before the two of them could continue their conversation, two women came over. Both women wore very short clothes and too much makeup with seductive red lips.


    Actually, neither of them were bad, it was just that neither Kayden nor Sean really liked this type of woman.


    "Hey, wanna buy us a drink?" asked one of them, who then sat down next to Kayden and the other woman sat down next to Sean.


    Luckily, the sound of the music blaring loudly prevented the two of them from hearing the disapproving growls of the two men.


    Of course Kayden and Sean looked very attractive for any woman who saw them. Their faces and bodies were the perfect combination that all women want from the men they date.


    In fact, many women had already paid attention to the two men, but only these two, who was brave and slightly shameless enough, and had the courage to openly approach the two of them.


    "You can order any drink, I will pay for it, but leave us," Kayden said in a firm voice. He didn''t like women getting too close to him, and neither did Sean.


    Only, Sean could cover his dislike better.


    "Why? I haven''t seen any other woman with you all this time," said the blonde woman sitting next to Sean, she tried to rub her front body against the shifter, but Sean tried to avoid it.


    "Ladies, I''m sorry, but we''re both available," Sean said, saving them both. "But if you just want something to drink, you can order whatever you like."


    "Available?" said one of them in a somber voice and rested her chin on Sean''s shoulder, this made the man''s body stiffen. He didn''t like this gesture. "Aren''t you two alone? Don''t tell me you are on a date with each other," said the woman in a teasing voice, she didn''t mean to be serious in saying that.


    "You are right," Kayden replied, standing up right away. He felt that if these women bothered him any further, he would commit an even more violent act than this. "We are on a date and you guys have bothered us."


    After saying this, Kayden immediately grabbed Sean''s hand and led him away from the place, leaving the two women in silent, in their seats and unable to say anything else.


    ==================


    "You are ruining my reputation," Sean grumbled when they reached the car park, where both of them drove their own cars. "What does that hand gesture mean?" Sean asked suspiciously when he saw Kayden holding his hand out to him.


    "Give me your card," Kayden said. "I don''t have any more cash." Due to his father froze his card, Kayden couldn''t use his money and there was no way he could live in this city without having any money at all.


    "Did I just get robbed?" Sean muttered, staring at his cousin in disbelief. "You sound like a hooligan. At least say the word ''please''."


    "Please," Kayden said immediately, in an even tone. If Sean wanted to hear that word so he could give him his card, then Kayden would say it as much as he wanted.


    "You know that your father is a billionaire? How can you ask me for money? Why don''t you just go to one of your father''s companies and take the money from there?" Sean grumbled.


    Kayden snorted when he heard that. "You think I don''t know your father''s fortune?" he said sarcastically. "Give me your card and I''ll return it later after mine has been fixed."


    Sean rolled his eyes when he heard that. "And when exactly is it? Ten years from now? Twenty, or a hundred?" Anyone would know that a shifter has a very strong will and they tended to be very stubborn about anything.


    "Soon," Kayden replied curtly, still holding out his hand. "Don''t be stingy at times like this Sean, I''ll take it by force if you don''t give me the card."


    "You really sound like a hooligan now. I''m two years younger than you! Aren''t you supposed to protect me?" he grumbled. Kayden was an annoying cousin at this moment.


    "I am older than you, therefore, listen to what I have to say," Kayden said with authority.


    And in the end, with a heavy heart, Sean gave Kayden his card with a grunt. "My father will kill me if he finds out about this."


    "Then don''t let him find out," Kayden said casually and patted Sean lightly on the shoulder. "Thank you."


    After getting what Kayden wanted, he quickly left, at least with this card he would be able to survive for a few months before getting a job.


    Kayden really wanted to laugh at himself. He could get anything and do whatever he wanted by simply returning home and fixing his relationship with his father, but he just made things difficult for himself.


    "Looking for a job¡­" Kayden snorted. Prior to this, he had managed ten of his father''s companies, which meant he employed several thousand people, but now he was looking for a job?


    Kayden wanted to laugh at the irony he faced¡­


    It was getting very late and Kayden was driving the car aimlessly, trying to find a hotel in the city, where he could stay a few nights and figuring out what his next step should be.


    Of course, returning to his pack was always on his to-do list, but the thought of it made him very annoyed with himself.


    Like most stubborn alphas, so is Kayden...


    It''s just that, when Kayden was driving the car, out of the blue someone jumped in front of him and made him stop suddenly.


    It was a woman and when the woman lifted her head and looked back at Kayden, the shifter remained motionless in his seat, staring at the girl, as his heart was beating erratically.


    Kayden felt his world stop and spin again with the girl as his center of gravity¡­

 Chapter 1174: Kayden (2)

    Tiana couldn''t stand what Oliver did to her anymore, not only this time he hit her and made her lips bleeding because of the blow, but also this relationship was very toxic.


    They had been together for more than eight months, but in the last four months his attitude had changed and two months ago, he had started to hit her.


    At first Oliver would only hit her when he drunk and upset, but now, he even hit her when he was somber.


    "Stop this!" cried Tiana. She tried to retaliate from Oliver''s hand that was trying to touch her. Their problems always start with trivial matters, to something that involves principles. "You hurt me!" Tiana exclaimed, she was sobbing in pain.


    She tried to throw the man with anything she could reach and escape from this d*mn house.


    At first Tiana came because Oliver said that he was sick and asked her to bring some food, but after Tiana came, this man actually beat someone to a pulp and now was seriously injured.


    Of course, instinctively, Tiana tried to stop him, but it turned out to be a boomerang for her, Oliver thought Tiana had feelings for the man that she had never even met before.


    "I want us to break up!" Tiana screamed loudly. She looked at Oliver fiercely.


    He was not the man that Tiana met eight months ago. She didn''t expect that Oliver would act so horribly like this. How could the gentle figure of the man Tiana loved eight months ago turn into someone she completely didn''t recognize anymore?


    Or maybe this was Oliver''s real character? Only, Tiana just saw it now.


    "Break up?!" Oliver repeated the sentence, making Tiana shudder in horror, because she had a bad feeling that this wasn''t going to end well. "You want us to break up so you can be with this asshole?" he hissed very sarcastically. He then kicked the man who had been helpless with so much force, causing Tiana to scream in terror again. "I will kill you both!"


    "I don''t even know him!" Tiana exclaimed, out of the corner of her eye, she could see a small knife near her and very slowly Tiana moved to take the knife. "I''ve never even seen him before!"


    Oliver has gone too far. He dared to beat the stranger to death and now he dared to beat her too, those two things alone were enough for Tiana to conclude that Oliver was not only bragging when he said that he was going to kill them.


    Tiana couldn''t stand this man anymore and she wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.


    "Don''t lie to me, you damn woman!" cried Oliver furiously, then with long strides he approached Tiana, but he stopped when he saw the woman pointing a knife in his face.


    "Don''t come near me, Oliver, don''t come any closer! Or I will stab you!" Even though Tiana said it very loudly, it didn''t mean that Oliver didn''t notice her voice shaking with fear, so did the knife that was being pointed at him. The knife was unsteady in her trembling hand.


    Seeing Tiana''s wasted effort made Oliver smile very cynically. "You think you can hurt me with that knife?" he asked scornfully. "You wouldn''t dare stab me," he said confidently.


    Oliver knew Tiana enough to say that this woman couldn''t even hurt a bug, so there was no reason for this little girl to be able to stab him.


    "Do not come close!" Tiana screamed loudly. She walked backwards, away from Oliver, but at the same time closer to the exit door. She had to get out of here and run away from this madman.


    If only she knew Oliver''s true nature was like this, then Tiana would absolutely not want to know a man like him.


    "What is it, honey?" he asked scornfully. "You want to hurt me? Stab me?" his mocking laughter could be heard, echoed through the living room. Meanwhile, the man he had beaten earlier seemed to have fallen unconscious. "You won''t be able to do that."


    "Do not come closer! I said don''t come any closer!" Tiana then swung the small knife in her hand and almost hurt Oliver.


    Stop shaking. Stop shaking. Tiana said to herself over and over again.


    "You b*tch!" Oliver growled when he saw Tiana actually swung the small knife in her hand. "You really need to be taught a lesson!"


    Seeing Oliver about to lunge at her, Tiana instinctively threw the knife and plunged it into his left shoulder.


    The sound of the man''s roar full of pain made Tiana unable to think of anything but escape from there. She no longer thought about which way she was going, because the only thing on her mind was to get as far away from him as possible.


    The word ''fear'' alone could not describe what she was feeling right now, because every particle inside her was no longer able to function properly, as Oliver''s roar boomed and his footsteps stomped on the ground.


    The man chased after her. He would get to her, and when it did, Tiana didn''t want to think about what he would do to her later.


    It was probably true what he said earlier that he was going to kill her. In this situation, it was very possible to happen.


    Therefore, the only thing on Tiana''s mind was to run, run as fast as she could, while Oliver chased after her.


    Tiana ran through Oliver''s large yard and over the fence, then ran along a quiet street, where not a single person could be seen.


    Tiana had to run in the direction where a lot of people were gathering, because only then, Oliver would stop chasing her.


    And when Tiana reached the T-junction, she saw a main road on her left. Since it was very late at night and there was not many people passed through this area, thus the road was deserted.


    But at least, if Tiana found just one car and stopped it, then she would be able to survive Oliver''s pursuit.


    With that thought, Tiana ran with all her might towards the main road.


    And when she saw a car headlight from the opposite direction, without thinking, Tiana jumped in front of it, which made the car to stop abruptly.


    The screech of the tires was painful to her ears, but Tiana didn''t have time for that. She had to leave before Oliver could reach her.


    "Please, help me!" Tiana cried desperately, tapping rapidly on the side of the driver''s car window.


    Tiana couldn''t see who was in the car, because the glass was too dark, but for sure, the person didn''t give her response, while Oliver was getting closer.


    At this point, Tiana was having a mental breakdown, she kept knocking on the car door. "Help me, please..." she sobbed.


    On the other hand, Oliver was getting too close for Tiana to be able to escape from him, as there was no way he could outrun the angry man now.


    And when Oliver was only a few steps away and Tiana thought she was at a dead end, the car door suddenly opened and a man stood between Oliver and her.


    ***


    Kayden was dumbfounded, he couldn''t believe that he would meet his mate at a time like this, when he was in serious cold war with his father, and somehow, Selene decided this was the right time to add more.


    But, it didn''t seem like a problem about how he found his mate, but the problems faced by his mate that would become a new problem for him.


    Whatever it was, Kayden must have dumbstruck when he saw the woman who would become his entire life, the woman who would be everything to him, who was now crying and scared, asking for help from him.


    Wait, what''s this?


    And as if answering Kayden''s question, the shifter could see a man, with blood on his shoulders, running towards his mate with a face that showed he was going to hurt this woman, his woman.


    It was only when he realized that the danger that lurked his mate, Kayden rushed out of the car and stood between his mate and the man.


    The man was the same height, but had body bigger than him, adorned with muscles. He might look strong and terrifying to a human, but sadly that standard didn''t apply to Kayden.


    "Stay away from me or I won''t hesitate to beat you up!" The man threatened, roaring like a wounded animal.


    In an instant, Kayden could tell that this man wasn''t a shifter, and neither was his mate. They were both human.


    "Get in the car," Kayden said in a calm voice, he even took the time to open the back door of his car for the girl.


    "We have to get out of here," the girl said in a trembling voice. She was afraid of this man chasing her, but she still thought about Kayden''s safety. Isn''t she so cute?


    "You don''t have to worry about me, come on in," Kayden said again, reassuring her. Actually, Kayden wanted to stare at her mate for a long time and enjoy the moment of their first meeting, but unfortunately there were far more pressing things to do now.


    Only, a moment later, the woman''s eyes went wide and Kayden could see that her eyes were the color of bright green. She has beautiful eyes¡­


    But then Kayden''s body staggered to the side when he received a heavy blow from the big man.


    Kayden didn''t expect the attack because he was devouring his mate existence at this moment.


    However, this man pissed him off¡­

 Chapter 1175: Kayden (3)

    Tiana watched with horror evident in her eyes as Oliver pushed the body of the stranger. The image of what had happened to the poor man at Oliver''s house flashed through her mind again.


    It was not impossible that Oliver would do the same to this man and if anything happened to that stranger, it would be Tiana''s fault for stopping his car and getting him into trouble he shouldn''t have.


    Meanwhile, on the other hand, Kayden looked furious when he was pushed away by the big man. He really did not expect this, as he was not ready for a battle, since he was enjoying his mate''s presence and cherishing the first moment of their meeting.


    It was just that this asshole ruined the moment.


    Not only that, he even tried to grab his mate''s hand very roughly with his dirty hands.


    Seeing the unpleasant sight in front of him, of course made Kayden mad, instantly the color of his eyes turned darker than before, especially when he saw how his mate was crying and trying to free herself.


    It was fortunate that Kayden had strong self- control, thanked to his years of training, otherwise, he would, of course, have turned into his beast form and finished off the man, after all, he was a threat to his mate.


    But, if that happens, then Kayden would receive hard consequences for killing humans. As shifter, they were forbidden to do that.


    "Get your hands off her," Kayden said in a low growl that sounded dangerous, but the man didn''t pay any attention to it.


    And when the man was about to raise his hand and was about to slap the girl, that was when Kayden lost control of himself for a moment and pulled his mate from his grip, before he pushed him away with a very strong force.


    The big man''s body was blown about ten meters away with just one push of Kayden''s hand and this left the two humans shocked at what was happening.


    "Are you okay?" Kayden asked worriedly at the girl in his arms. At this point, he had to refrain from touching her any further while feeling the pleasant sensation, the spark danced on his skin when he touched her. This was a natural thing to happen, indicating that the mate bond between the two of them was strengthened.


    The woman blinked a few times, still looking surprised by what she had just seen, before finally nodded her head.


    This man had a slimmer body than Oliver, but that didn''t mean he was skinny, Tiana could feel the muscles of his body under the jacket he was wearing, since he was hugging her so tightly and this made her blush, she scolded herself for thinking such things at time like this.


    "Who is he?" asked Kayden.


    And the man''s voice resounded sweetly in Tiana''s ears, making her unable to help but stare into his face.


    Oh¡­ he looks so perfect¡­


    For some reason Tiana felt her heart fluttered just by hearing the worry in his voice.


    "He is... my boyfriend..." said Tiana shyly. Embarrassed to admit that this brutal beast- like man was her boyfriend, she then lowered her face, missing the obvious change on Kayden''s expression.


    Boyfriend¡­


    That one word echoed inside Kayden''s head very loudly and made the beast inside him roar furiously as various questions flashed through his mind.


    How long their relationship? What have they done? Doesn''t that mean they have done most of the thing a couple has ever done?


    And imagining the man''s hands on his woman, made the beast inside Kayden tried to surface and ripped the man''s body apart with its sharp claws.


    "I think it''s time for you two to break up," Kayden said coldly, actually there were curses he wanted to throw, but unfortunately, he didn''t want to scare this girl more.


    "Yes," Tiana replied, still lowering her head. "I don''t think I want to be with him anymore," she muttered.


    Hearing the girl''s answer, made Kayden''s anger subside a little. Well, that meant goodbye to this jerk.


    "You heard what she said, didn''t you?" Kayden threw the question at Oliver, who was still trying to stand up. That punch really immobilized him.


    "Fuck!" roared Oliver, ignoring the pain in his ribs, it looked like he had broken ribs. However, he was not going to give this young man that satisfaction and make him smile even wider knowing that he had been wounded.


    But, how could he break his ribs in just one blow of his left hand?


    "Get in the car," Kayden said in a voice that he assumed much more gentle, despite the various emotions running through his veins now.


    Meanwhile, Tiana didn''t wait for a second order when Kayden told her to get in the car. She sat in the back seat and watched what happened between Oliver and this stranger.


    Apparently, this man was reliable. He was strong and it was evident how Oliver staggered towards him with just one hit from him.


    "You have nothing to do with this!" Oliver roared. "You''d better stay away from here!"


    Oliver looked very angry because he felt he had been humiliated by this stranger.


    While Kayden did not take the threat seriously. Oh, please¡­ he could kill this man in one more hit, but he couldn''t have done.


    So instead of killing this jerk, Kayden walked up to him and stood right in front of him very casually, as if he wasn''t facing a madman who could kill him at any moment.


    Sure enough, when Kayden was very close to him, Oliver raised his hand, clenched his fist to hit Kayden''s face who was grinning smugly.


    However, another unexpected thing happened. Kayden stopped his fist and held it with only one hand, he squeezed his fist so hard that Oliver could hear the bones of his fingers breaking.


    How could he be so strong?!


    Seeing the horror that flashed across his opponent''s eyes, made Kayden smile with satisfaction. He was indeed not allowed to kill this man, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t hurt him until his heart content, right? This was much better¡­


    "Get out of her life, otherwise I will get rid of you," Kayden said with a hideous smile on the corner of his lips.


    After saying that, he walked away from the man and headed for his car. He opened the passenger door, where his mate was staring at him in confusion and fear.


    "You can move to the front seat now, I will drive you home," Kayden said in a very soft voice, the exact opposite of what he had done to Oliver.


    Now, the man was crying over his crushed hand, growling in pain as he knelt in the middle of the road.


    "What¡­ what did you do to him?" Tiana asked confusedly when she saw Oliver howl in pain, as he walked out of the car and sat beside the driver''s seat.


    "Just talking," Kayden replied casually and then started the car and drove off into the night, leaving Oliver there alone.


    But, before Kayden''s car was completely out of sight, Oliver remembered the license plate number of the man''s car and vowed to avenge this strange man who had taken his woman away.


    He would make him feel the worst pain than this and regret causing trouble with him.


    That guy didn''t know who he was dealing with...


    With eyes full of killing intents, Oliver tried to pull out his cell phone and call for help.


    ================


    "Where do you live?" Kayden asked, gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Tighter than this, maybe he would crush it and scared the girl, who was sitting next to him.


    "You can drop me off at the nearest bus stopp, I will go home alone from there," said Tiana in a voice that was still trembling. "Thank you and sorry for causing you so much trouble."


    Kayden groaned when he heard how the girl thanked him and apologized to him. That was not what he wanted.


    "What is your name?" asked Kayden. He hadn''t gotten his mate''s name since half an hour ago they met.


    "I am Tiana," Tiana replied in a low voice. She glanced back at Kayden and could see that the man seemed tense, but Tiana didn''t know what made him like that. "You can drop me off there." Tiana pointed to the stop in front of them, but Kayden didn''t slow down at all.


    "I said I will take you home," Kayden said in a firm voice. "After what happened, I can''t possibly leave you alone."


    "I am fine... you don''t have to do that," Tiana said quietly, she tilted her head and saw that the bus stop was far behind.


    "Listen, Tiana," Kayden said the words more forcefully, causing Tiana to stiffen in her seat. She looked scared and this frustrated Kayden, because this was not what he wanted. "I''ll take you home, okay?"


    "I can go home alone." Tiana didn''t want strangers to know where she lived.


    Hearing that, Kayden groaned and drove his car faster. If this girl had been a shifter, she would have known right away that she was his mate and not be as prejudicial as she was now.


    "Okay, but accompany me to eat first, I am hungry." Kayden blurted. He  didn''t know where he got the idea from. "At least after the fights I''ve had, you can do this for me, can''t you?"


    Tiana frowned. She didn''t see this guy fighting just now, he just beat Oliver effortlessly...

 Chapter 1176: Kayden (4)

    "Looks like this place is about to close," Tiana said in a low voice when she saw a building in front of her.


    "Don''t worry, they will cook something nice for us," said Kayden. He seemed more approachable and warmer than he had been in recent days.


    None of the chairs and tables matched each other, not even the daffodils in the beer bottle as decorations in the center of the table.


    On one wall the caf¨¦ was decorated with chalkboards scribbled with hundreds of handwritings in every color and on the other one was decorated with photo frames that didn''t match each other at all. Dreamcathcers swung over Tiana''s head and she almost ran into it if it were not for this man named Kayden who held it for her.


    "What are we going to eat here?" Tiana asked in a slightly worried and curious voice. She couldn''t tell if this place was a restaurant, nor a cafe for them to grab a cup of coffee and snacks, so she wanted to know what was being sold at this ''unique'' place.


    "When someone treats you, don''t ask anything," Kayden said with a smile.


    Although Kayden couldn''t say that he had made the atmosphere between the two of them more friendlier, but at least he managed to make this brief relationship less awkward.


    Tiana smiled slightly at him, saying, "May I ask what the ingredients of the meal will be?" she responded to Kayden''s terrible jokes quite well and this was a plus in the eyes of the shifter.


    "Of course not. You must eat it whatever it is, even if it is made from seeds." Kayden pulled out a chair for Tiana and let her wait there for a while, while he went into the kitchen and talked to someone there.


    Tiana couldn''t believe that just moments ago she was about to become a victim of Oliver''s violence, but now she was in a strange place with someone she just met.


    Even though Kayden looked good, he was still a stranger, who she had just met.


    It was just that Tiana felt very comfortable with this foreign man, as if they have met before, you know like two people who immediately clicked with one another, even though they have just met, maybe that''s how Tiana felt about Kayden now.


    Kayden''s laughter could be heard from the kitchen. See? Tiana even memorized his voice, wasn''t that something extraordinary. The thought made her bit her lip in worry.


    Not long after, Kayden returned with a slightly stocky man who always seemed to smile.


    "So this is your mate? Not bad," Moris said to Kayden in a voice so low that Tiana couldn''t hear him.


    "Don''t talk carelessly, she is human and doesn''t understand our world, let alone with the mate bond," Kayden said in a grumbling voice. That was something that should be regretted.


    Meanwhile, Moris was a member of the Aspen Valley pack, which was under his father''s territory.


    "So, how is the problem with your father?" asked Morris. Of course he heard that the Supreme Alpha''s first son was doing something brazen by running away from home.


    At the question, Kayden growled in annoyance and grumbled something incoherently, before finally strode toward his mate, leaving the question unanswered.


    On the other hand, Moris couldn''t help but sigh, just like his father, even his son had an incomparable stubbornness. No one knew what would make the two fathers and sons reconcile.


    "Good evening, Tiana," Moris greeted Kayden''s mate, who looked nervous and surprised at his sudden greeting.


    "Oh, good evening¡­" Tiana''s voice trailed off when she didn''t know what this man''s name was.


    "Moris, you can call me Moris, I am¡­" Moris glanced at Kayden, frowning slightly as he searched for the right words to say. "Friends of Kayden," he said at last.


    "Moris," Tiana said so softly and gave him a gentle smile, that it made Kayden want to throw Moris out of this place.


    "Okay then, I will prepare something for you two," he said before resigning and smiling at Kayden, understanding the gesture given by the man.


    There was nothing scarier than getting into trouble with a shifter who has just found their mate, especially if that shifter has alpha blood in him.


    After Moris left Tiana and Kayden, the girl smiled wryly and passed the time in silence. She was seen playing with her hands while tugging at the hem of her shirt.


    Well, Kayden wanted to tug at the hem of Tiana''s shirt too and play with her hands, but of course that was for a completely different reason.


    Looking at Tiana now, it seemed like Kayden would have to push all those thoughts into the back of his head for limitless time, until he was absolutely sure that this girl felt safe with him.


    Due to the event that had just happened to her, Kayden was not sure if he could make a rapid progress like he wanted.


    "May I know what happened?" Kayden asked, because the silence made his mind wander to things he shouldn''t be thinking. "How did you end up with a guy like him?"


    Tiana glanced at Kayden, but then she lowered her head and kept her mouth shut again.


    "Okay if you don''t want to talk, but I don''t think you should be around him anymore," Kayden mumbled.


    And not long after, Moris returned with their super.


    =================


    "Yes, he has found his mate!" said Moris in a booming voice in the kitchen, while Kayden and Tiana had just left the restaurant. "The mate is a human!" he said.


    On the other side of the line, Raine''s voice breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God he is okay and found his mate, that''s a great thing." Of course Raine was happy for her son.


    Moris and Raine then talked for a while before the phone line was cut off. Indeed Kayden ordered him not to tell Torak about his arrival, but that didn''t mean he was not allowed to tell Raine, right?


    Of course this news would eventually reach Torak, but it was definitely not Moris who told the supreme alpha.


    Kayden should have given him clear and detailed orders.


    =================


    "I live here," said Tiana in a low voice.


    Kayden felt himself as an asshole for insisting on taking Tiana to her house, which meant he would know where she lived.


    But wouldn''t Kayden be able to protect her a lot better then? Kayden could see in the eyes of the man named Oliver that he wasn''t done with her yet.


    The man would look for her and Kayden wouldn''t let the bastard hang around Tiana.


    This situation really frustrated Kayden, he just wanted to tell Tiana not to be afraid of him and that he was more than capable of protecting her.


    But, then the most important question was; who is he? In Tiana''s eyes, Kayden was just a man she had just met and nothing more.


    Even if he had been a little friendly earlier, it was because of her gratitude for Kayden''s help, but more than that, Tiana would be alerted by his presence.


    He couldn''t force himself, but on the other hand he really wanted to end this awkward moment between the two of them. This was very unpleasant.


    "You can go now," Tiana said, this time, she didn''t hide her discomfort because of Kayden''s presence and it hurt the shifter.


    "Okay I am going, make sure you close all the doors and windows of your house and lock them," Kayden warned. This world was too terrifying for his mate and he didn''t want this girl in front of him to get hurt.


    "I see," said Tiana, she stepped back a little when Kayden was about to approach her.


    Seeing this movement, Kayden clenched his jaw tightly and balled his fists. He shouldn''t have made things more complicated than this and made Tiana even more uncomfortable¡­


    This frustration was going to kill him


    "Then I will go." Kayden smiled and turned to go back to his car, otherwise he might have thought of a thousand ways to force himself to be allowed to stay at this girl''s house.


    And that was included rammed his own car to the tree nearby until it was crushed, so that he has a strong reason to spend the night.


    Tiana had just entered her house when she saw Kayden get into the car and start the engine.


    Of course, Tiana checked all the doors and windows, making sure they were locked properly. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but Tiana felt that Oliver would find her, so she had to find a way to avoid him.


    Leaving the town and disappeared from this place seemed like a good plan to do and it was already in her mind.


    But, enough for that now, it had been a really tiring day and as soon as she had finished showering and changed into clean clothes, she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.


    But, what Tiana didn''t know was; Kayden didn''t go far from her house.


    The shifter parked his car in a nearby park and ran back to Tiana''s house in his white beast form.


    He knew this was very risky, because as his mate, Tiana would be able to see him in his beast form, but he couldn''t help but be near this girl.


    With that, the white lycan spent the whole night standing guard in front of Tiana''s terrace, curling his body and making sure that he woke up at the slightest sound from inside the house.

 Chapter 1177: Kayden (5)

    Kayden felt his pride hurt when he did this. Because, how not? For these two whole days, he had followed Tiana like a creepy stalker.


    Seriously?! He is the future supreme alpha from the largest pack, who is respected by all shifters. Just by hearing his last name, they would know what kind of problem they were dealing with. He is a descendant of Torak Donovan, a highly respected noble lycan.


    Well, Kayden could write all that stuff down for the next two hours, but what he was doing now, didn''t match up to his background and the great things that entail behind his name, because right now, the future supreme alpha, was hiding in the dark, narrow alley only to follow his mate who had just come out of the house after shutting herself in for two whole days.


    Yes, after that incident, Tiana really locked herself up and that action made Kayden worried to death. If it weren''t for the smell of food wafting in the air, indicating that the girl was cooking for herself, then Kayden would have definitely broke into the house.


    "Tsk!" Kayden clicked his tongue in annoyance. Annoyed at the fact that he had to approach Tiana so slowly.


    This feeling was almost the same as someone who wanted to run, but was forced to walk slowly. It was really frustrating.


    After carefully considering a stupid scenario in his head, Kayden walked into the same supermarket that Tiana entered.


    Quickly, Kayden knew where the woman was. Therefore, he easily carried out his plan.


    Kayden walked towards the aisle where Tiana was looking for spices while Kayden took some sauces that were on the same shelf.


    "Oh, you¡­" Tiana noticed Kayden first. Of course she had to notice him first, because that was the plan.


    "Hi, we meet again," Kayden said quietly, like a mumble. He had to maintain his pretense so as not to make Tiana suspicious.


    "You are here?" Tiana asked suspiciously. "Do you live nearby?"


    As Kayden had guessed, this girl immediately assumed the worst. He couldn''t blame her, because after what happened, it was better to be wary.


    "Oh, yes¡­ I live not far from here." Kayden rented a fully furnished house, which was two blocks from Tiana''s, because it was the closest house he could find, and cost almost all the money Sean gave him.


    Sean would have killed him if he found out about this. Maybe later he would ask Micah for help if Sean refused to lend him some money again...


    See? He almost like a beggar.


    Ugh!


    Actually Kayden just needed to go home and apologize to his father and this would be over, he just didn''t want to do that. His ego was still too high and the money he had was still enough to last him a few more weeks¡­


    "I wanted to say that we were actually neighbors, but at that time you looked so scare and wanted to be left alone, so I didn''t get to say it." Kayden hoped the sentence he said didn''t sound like he had remembered it.


    "Oh, I am sorry about that¡­" Tiana looked unease for having a bad attitude towards Kayden, thinking that this man was stalking her.


    Well, something better left unknown...


    =================


    "I think it''s quite nice to have a little sister," Tiana said, her face looking much more radiant as she and Kayden walked home, while chatting.


    Mostly, Kayden would tell about his childhood and also his sister who was very bossy and moody.


    "You wouldn''t say that if you met Aurora," Kayden said. He was actually just exaggerating, Aurora wasn''t that bad. It''s just that sometimes she could be annoying, especially when their father was always defending her.


    Tiana smiled so sweetly that it made Kayden wanted to throw the groceries and kiss her sweet lips.


    This was driving him crazy, the other shifters have definitely marked their mate by now, but Kayden? Not even a hug.


    It wasn''t that Kayden didn''t like their chat, of course he did, it was just that this long progress between them was really frustrating. The impatient trait that he got from his father put him in so much trouble in situation like this.


    He wanted to tell Tiana that he was a shifter, but of course Kayden wouldn''t do that. This girl would run to the ends of the world when he said that.


    "Even though you complain about your sister, I can see that you really love her," Tiana said softly.


    Now, they had arrived in front of Tiana''s house and Kayden stopped on the terrace. Waiting for what his mate would do, he didn''t have a choice, but to walk in her pace.


    "Well, you could say that." And after that, there was silence that enveloped the two of them.


    "Want to stop by? I''ll cook lunch," Tiana asked in a slightly unsure voice. She fidgeted nervously, as she was about to invite a stranger into her house, but Kayden was being very sweet and after a toxic relationship with Oliver, Kayden''s attitude made her feel better.


    "It''s okay... I''ll cook at home..." Kayden tried to refuse, because he knew that Tiana felt uncomfortable.


    "It''s okay, I can cook something for you," Tiana said.


    "Okay if you insist."


    And with that, Kayden walked into Tiana''s house and put her groceries there.


    Tiana lives alone after her grandmother''s death, as her parents live in different city.


    =================


    The lunch was meaningful for Kayden, because after that, Tiana seemed more at ease with him and more accepting of his presence, but of course Kayden could see that Tiana was still very hesitant and refused to make the relationship between them more than friends.


    Kayden understood.


    On the third day after lunch, Tiana returned to her part- time job at a restaurant.


    Oliver didn''t even approach Tiana as she expected, so this time she felt safe enough to leave the house. Maybe she really didn''t mean much to the psycho guy and that was a good thing.


    One night, Kayden came to the restaurant where Tiana worked, to take her home, because she got the night shift.


    And it was the right decision in Kayden''s life because right at that moment, Oliver decided to show up and spoil the mood.


    "This restaurant is almost closing," said Tiana, when she found Kayden waving his hand while standing at the door.


    "I came to pick you up, I just came back and passed this restaurant, so we can go home together." Well, that''s not true, Kayden had purposely come to walk home with Tiana because he was worried.


    Tiana laughed softly. "Wait for me ten minutes here," said Tiana, who immediately walked into the restaurant again, rushing to finish her task with her five other colleagues.


    Only, the ten minutes promised had gone by ten minutes ago and the girl still hadn''t show up.


    Kayden felt suspicious and walked towards the back door of the restaurant which was on the other side of the street where he was waiting and found Oliver, who was raising his hand and backhanded Tiana very hard.


    The sound of Tiana screaming in pain was the only thing Kayden heard before he ran to Oliver in a fury that made his body tremble.


    Don''t kill him. Don''t kill him. Don''t kill him.


    Kayden repeated the sentence, reminding himself that he was not allowed to kill.


    But, when Kayden saw the smile on Oliver''s lips and the tears rolled down Tiana''s cheeks, he lost control.


    Kayden ran at full speed and slammed his fist into one of the five men who had come with Oliver here.


    The man was hurled to the other side of the wall and fell unconscious there.


    "Let her go." Kayden''s voice was so deep and harsh it made everyone who heard him tremble, including Oliver, but the man refused to bow to him.


    Instead, all he did was pull a gun out of his pocket and point it at Kayden.


    Of course seeing that, Tiana screamed in fear. She tried to free herself from the two men holding him, but to no avail.


    "Stop it Oliver! You can kill him!" cried Tiana scared.


    However, Oliver glanced at Tiana and smiled happily. "That''s exactly what I wanted," he said calmly.


    "You are crazy!"


    And along with Tiana''s scream, Oliver shot his bullet right into Oliver''s shoulder.


    "Don''t worry, I''m not going to kill him that quickly," Oliver said, laughing happily when he saw the blood from Kayden''s shoulder, but the man just walked up to him very fast and snatched the gun from Oliver''s hand, tossing it to the other side.


    Kayden looked completely unaffected by the wound on his shoulder and this made Oliver widen his eyes in disbelief.


    In the end, three other people who saw that Oliver was easily defeated by Kayden in a barrage of blows, immediately came to his aid, releasing Tiana.


    At that moment, Tiana looked terrified as Kayden had to face the four people who ganged up on him.


    Tiana wanted to help, but didn''t know what she should do, while the five-man fight blocked the only way for Tiana to go and ask for help.


    Just then, Tiana saw one of them pull out another gun and was about to shoot Kayden.


    It was unknown what possessed Tiana, but she immediately grabbed Oliver''s gun that Kayden had thrown earlier and aimed it at the man.


    Tiana knew how to hold a gun, Oliver once taught her.


    And a gunshot filled the night in that dark alley.

 Chapter 1178: Kayden (6)

    Tiana didn''t think clearly when she decided to take Oliver''s gun that was thrown by Kayden. Because the only thing in her mind was how to save Kayden from the dangerous situation and so that the man wouldn''t become a target of Oliver''s men.


    Who would have thought that the training Oliver gave her in order to scare her because Tiana didn''t like the sound of guns, would end up like this.


    And the bad news was; Tiana shot right at the man''s head, creating a hole that bled profusely before the man finally fell to the ground.


    Immediately, Tiana''s body felt stiff and cold. The gun in her hand seemed not to want to leave her grip, as if to show that she had killed someone, that she had pulled the trigger and fired the deathly bullet at a man who was now lying on the ground, pooled in his own blood.


    "Oh, shit!" someone cursed loudly, but Tiana didn''t know who was cursing at this time. She didn''t even care who the person cursed at, because now, Tiana''s eyes were only glued to the man in front of her.


    Everything passed very slowly, or very quickly, she lost sense of time¡­ Tiana seemed to have lost track of time and was no longer aware of her surroundings.


    The shock she was in was so intense that Kayden had to shout at her face, calling her name several times to get her attention.


    "Everything will be fine, everything will be fine." Kayden kept saying that while pulling Tiana''s body into his arms. He could feel her body shaking with fear.


    Slowly, Kayden took the gun that was still in Tiana''s grip, he didn''t want to startle this girl more than this.


    "Don''t look," Kayden whispered into Tiana''s ear, hugging her head and pressing her face to his chest. "You will be fine."


    Tiana could feel Kayden''s warm embrace on her cold body, but she couldn''t feel her arms and legs suddenly becoming weak and causing her to fall to the ground.


    Luckily, Kayden was hugging her, so Tiana wouldn''t hurt herself even more than this.


    "I killed someone, I killed someone¡­" Tiana whispered softly. She felt that it was not her voice and that what had happened was not her fault, although deep down she knew that she had killed the man.


    Tiana was in a state of denial, where she couldn''t think clearly.


    "No, you defended yourself, you didn''t kill him." Kayden rubbed Tiana''s back frantically. He didn''t know how or what words to say to make his mate feel better. "You didn''t kill him Tiana, you defended yourself, because if you didn''t kill him, he would kill me."


    Although the last statement was not true. Because of a bullet or two, it wouldn''t be possible to take Kayden''s life so easily.


    "You saved me Tiana, you saved me," Kayden whispered the words over and over again, until Tiana''s body trembled and finally she was able to express what she was feeling and vent out the stress she was trying to endure, she was crying.


    Tiana cried so hard and gripped the front of Kayden''s jacket very tightly.


    Meanwhile, Oliver and three other friends have left the crime scene, leaving two of his friends lying on the dirty and cold ground.


    One of them died and the other was still unconscious.


    It took a while for Tiana to feel much better, but her tears didn''t stop, as she kept repeating words like; I have killed him, I am a murderer.


    And it took even longer for Tiana to let go of Kayden''s arms.


    "I want you to close your eyes, okay?" said Kayden and he waited until Tiana nodded and closed her eyes.


    And after that, Kayden let go of Tiana''s body and moved away, but the girl gripped his arm so tightly that her nails embedded on his skin and left scratches there.


    Kayden understood that Tiana didn''t mean to do that, therefore, he gave Tiana a kiss on the forehead to calm her down.


    "Don''t leave me," Tiana whimpered in fear. She didn''t want to be left alone. Was Kayden going to leave her here?


    "No honey, I won''t leave you," Kayden said softly, then he gave Tiana one more hug, kissing her forehead to make herself feel much better. "I want you to stay here for a while and I will take care of things."


    Kayden was in alert, just in case someone came through this back alley, but it didn''t look like anyone would be passing through, so they both would be safe for a while.


    "I want you to close your eyes and stay here until I return. I''ll be back as soon as possible," said Kayden, reassuring Tiana. "Count to a hundred and I''ll be back before you finish."


    Okay, that sounded like a childish solution, but Kayden couldn''t think of any other way to persuade Tiana to let him go.


    And it turned out to be successful. Tiana released her grip on Kayden and started counting while closing her eyes. "One, two¡­"


    "That''s great honey," Kayden said, then landed a kiss on Tiana''s forehead, he walked away towards the man that his mate had shot. He brought the gun that Tiana used to shoot him, as well.


    Kayden then knelt beside the man and confirmed that he was dead so there was nothing else he could do.


    Kayden put his finger on the man''s neck and was sure he was dead, only then did he walk over to the unconscious man and kneel before him.


    Kayden rubbed the gun in his hand to remove fingerprints of himself and Tiana, then placed the gun in the man''s hand. It did look really bad to blame someone else for an act like this.


    Only, Kayden wasn''t in a state where he wanted to check his morals. After all, it was them who came to find trouble with Tiana.


    Kayden still couldn''t imagine if he didn''t take the initiative to walk her home tonight, if he didn''t come, what would they do to his mate? He didn''t even want to start imagining that¡­


    And after erasing all evidence that could point to Tiana or himself, Kayden then returned to his mate.


    "Seventy- six...seventy- seven..." Tiana continued to count as to what Kayden wanted, she only stopped when someone carried her, at first she tried to struggle, thinking that it was one of Oliver''s men, but then Kayden''s calming voice could be heard.


    "Hey, it''s me..." he said. "You can open your eyes now, I will take you away from here."


    =================


    Kayden didn''t bring Tiana back to her house, of course he wouldn''t leave his mate, as an easy target there, knowing that Oliver might already be in the house and ambush them.


    Therefore, Kayden took Tiana to his house and put her on his bed.


    The girl still looked so shocked and didn''t say anything, she didn''t even ask why Kayden had brought her to this strange place.


    The furniture in this room cannot be said to be sufficient, even at one glance one would be able to realize that this room has never been occupied before. It was too dull.


    However, Tiana wasn''t in a state where she would pay any attention to all of these things, because for now all she had in mind was the blood flowing from the wound of the man she had shot.


    Luckily now, Tiana had more control over herself and now she was hugging herself on the big bed while Kayden went to the kitchen.


    Kayden returned not long after with a compress and also a small towel and a basin filled with water.


    "Your face will swell for a few days, but otherwise, you''ll be fine," Kayden said in a grumpy voice.


    Now that they were no longer in that dark alley, Kayden could see how swollen Tiana''s cheeks were and this didn''t please him at all. He wanted to kill Oliver for doing this to his mate.


    Then gently, Kayden pressed the wet towel to Tiana''s cheek, where the bastard''s handprint was.


    Tiana winced in pain and this made Kayden panic a little. "Oh, sorry, sorry¡­ I will be gentler."


    Kayden frowned trying not to hurt Tiana further, but the girl grabbed Kayden''s hand and took the towel instead.


    "I can do it myself," she said softly, smiling at Kayden. "Thank you for everything you have done for me."


    Kayden smiled back, quite pleased that he heard his mate thanked him, but then Tiana''s next words made the smile fade.


    "But I think you should stay away from me now, if you don''t want to get involved any further than this." if it was not for her, Kayden shouldn''t be getting into trouble.


    "Of course not. I want to get myself involved in this matter," Kayden said without thinking, but he didn''t need to think about making that decision, because the answer would always be the same.


    Tiana who heard this narrowed her eyes. "Why would you do this for me?"


    Kayden frowned, trying to find a good reason, but couldn''t find any. "Because I like you. Could that be a reason?"


    Tiana was quite surprised when she heard that and then she laughed softly. "Don''t tell me this is love at first sight for you?"


    Kayden smirked. "You can put it like that."


    But, then Tiana''s laughter faded as her eyes stared at the wound on Kayden''s shoulder. "Your wound..." and that''s when she realized it.


    Kayden''s wound has healed. Tiana couldn''t be wrong, the wound was no longer bleeding. But, that''s impossible, right?

 Chapter 1179: Kayden (7)

    Tiana reached out her hand to check Kayden''s shoulder gunshot wound, as she was sure it had penetrated his shoulder. The blood she saw when Oliver shot him was very real.


    No, even now Tiana could still see the blood that stained the front and back of Kayden''s shirt.


    But¡­


    Tiana recalled after the shot occurred. Kayden didn''t even seem bothered by the fact that he just got shot and beat Oliver mercilessly.


    Even when he was being ganged up on by three of Oliver''s other men, he didn''t seem overwhelmed.


    In a state of being shot and also beaten, it seemed unlikely that Kayden could win the fight. But, in fact that''s what happened and Kayden even won it.


    Does that make sense?


    "Let me see," Tiana said in a low voice and without taking her eyes off the wound that should have been on Kayden''s shoulder.


    Only, Kayden caught the girl''s hand before she could even touch it. The man shook his hand slowly at him.


    Kayden did intend to tell Tiana about herself, but not at a time like this. He didn''t think this was the right time for that, considering Tiana herself had just experienced a shocking incident. The trauma could still be seen clearly in his eyes.


    So, to receive this big news¡­ Kayden didn''t know how Tiana would react and he also didn''t think he could handle this girl, should she panic and fear him.


    "I am fine," said Kayden.


    However, Tiana shook her head violently. She didn''t believe his words. "I saw you got shot, how can you be okay?" somehow Tiana said that in a low voice like a whisper.


    Her hands trembled in Kayden''s grip as she tried to calm herself, but it didn''t work out well enough.


    "I am fine, the bullet didn''t really hit me, it just scratched my arm," said Kayden, trying to reassure Tiana, ??even though he wasn''t really sure Tiana would believe such a lie.


    "Don''t lie to me Kayden..." Tiana said, she shook her head and looked at the man in front of her with an expression that implied that she could prove it and that''s what she did.


    Tiana pointed at Kayden''s blood stained shoulder and tilted her head to look at his back.


    "The bullet went through your shoulder, but you don''t look like you are in any pain." Tiana looked deeply at Kayden, trying to find the lie in the man''s eyes, but this time Kayden looked away and was more interested in looking at the tree outside the house through the window.


    "I have a very high pain tolerance," Kayden said. Of course he felt pain when the bullet went through his flesh, but at that moment, he didn''t have time to feel it when his mate was in danger.


    And besides, the pain didn''t last long. Even though he couldn''t recover quickly, but of course his ability to heal was above the average of a normal person, so things like this weren''t too much of a problem for him.


    "Take off your clothes," Tiana said firmly.


    Hearing that, Kayden raised his eyebrows. "I can misunderstand your words when you say such things."


    Tiana rolled her eyes and almost groaned in annoyance. This wasn''t the time to be joking, but for some reason she found it quite funny and made her a little less tense.


    So instead of laughing like she wanted to, Tiana gave a small smile. "Come on, tell me, what''s your secret?"


    Seeing Tiana smile, this made Kayden smile too and he said quietly, in a tone as if he was keeping a big secret. "There aren''t any secrets."


    "I couldn''t believe it even more when you said it isn''t a secret. People tend to say the opposite," said Tiana. She kept looking at Kayden''s shoulder and then his beautiful blue eyes.


    "You should try to believe me now," Kayden replied, he reached out his hand to touch Tiana''s forehead and they both smiled.


    Something inexplicable happened between the two of them and it wasn''t a bad thing. This was precisely the one thing that made Tiana feel comfortable around this man.


    "Are you superman?" Tiana asked, she tried to touch Kayden''s shoulder, but the man held her hand again.


    "I don''t mind when you give me kryptonite," Kayden replied. He liked Tiana who seemed much more comfortable around him and also seemed calmer after the incident.


    "Then, not superman, huh?"


    "Mm-mm." Kayden shook his head.


    "Are you spiderman?" asked Tiana with another question.


    "I had never been bitten by a spider." Kayden followed Tiana''s game, and if this continued, maybe Kayden would end up telling her about his true identity.


    "Not bitten by a spider..." Tiana nodded. "Then batman?"


    Kayden burst out laughing. "I am as rich as Bruce, but I still have both parents and a younger sister named Aurora, remember?"


    "Oh right," Tiana said quietly, she forgot about Aurora for a moment, Kayden had told her about his annoying little sister. "Any other clues?"


    "Guess," Kayden said secretively. Mirth danced in the man''s eyes. Perhaps, tonight''s bad incident, wasn''t as bad as he thought, especially when they ended up getting closer.


    Maybe it''s true what people say about the statement that a stressful experience would allow you to get to know each other better and lighten the mood¡­


    "You are not superman, spiderman, or batman..." Tiana pondered, but her eyes were on Kayden. She saw a reflection of herself in the man''s eyes and this made her heart feel much warmer.


    "No¡­" Kayden confirmed.


    The quiet room was decorated only by the sound of the wind howling outside and the sound of twigs knocking on the glass window.


    And I don''t know who started it or what they felt when it happened to them, but for sure they were getting closer and closer, feeling the warmth of each other''s presence, while Kayden allowed Tiana to wrap her arms around his neck.


    "I am not sure if you want us to do this..." said Kayden, he looked at Tiana with a sharp gaze and instantly his eyes turned dark.


    Of course Tiana saw this clearly and spontaneously, she backed away, she looked at Kayden with her eyes wide in surprise.


    "Your eyes..." Tiana said, she couldn''t explain how Kayden''s eyes turned dark. "Your eyes color has changed," he whispered frantically.


    Seeing the frightened Tiana, Kayden backed away and put some distance between them. He noticed that the color of his eyes had now changed, because the beast within him had surfaced and he could feel it.


    "Yeah, I guess so..." Kayden said carefully, trying to see the mental state of Tiana, because he didn''t want to scare the girl.


    "You¡­" Tiana had a hard time finding the right words, she didn''t understand how to put this question. "You are¡­ what?"


    Instead of using the word ''who'', Tiana used ''what'', as if Kayden wasn''t human, although that wasn''t wrong either. Kayden couldn''t be said to be fully human.


    Kayden didn''t immediately answer Tiana''s question, he then looked at the girl''s eyes intently. "Are you sure you want to hear this?" he asked.


    Tiana took a deep breath. She felt that this was something that would not be easy for her to accept, but¡­ wasn''t she already in deep trouble now? So there''s no way Kayden could add any more trouble to her life by telling her a secret, right?


    Therefore, Tiana nodded confidently.


    "You''d be surprised," Kayden said in a light tone, but the look in his eyes showed that he wasn''t messing with what he was about to say. Tiana would be really surprised¡­


    "I have been quite surprised today, I think I can still receive one more," Tiana replied, but before Kayden opened his mouth to give Tiana the answer she wanted, she asked again. "Are you going to hurt me?"


    "Never," said Kayden with absolute certainty. It was the purest and most convincing answer to give Tiana. Even if he lost control of himself over his beast, he wouldn''t hurt Tiana at all.


    Because the beast within him would definitely recognize their mate.


    "Okay..." Tiana said in a slightly louder voice. "Tell me¡­"


    Kayden looked into Tiana''s eyes intently, he was trying to muster up the courage to tell this to his mate. Wasn''t this the moment he had been waiting for since the first time they met?


    And now Tiana asked Kayden to tell her.


    "I am a shifter, lycan." Kayden emphasized every word in his sentence, and made sure Tiana heard him well.


    The seconds that passed after Kayden revealed who he was felt like a long time, especially when Tiana didn''t give any response.


    The girl was silent, she just stared at Kayden as if she didn''t hear what the man just said.


    "Lycans? Shifters?" Tiana repeated the word in a lower voice, she was still digesting it, but then she shook her head. "Are you messing with me?"


    Kayden knew that Tiana would react like this, but at least it was much better than the worst reaction Kayden had imagined.


    "Okay, so you are not messing with me¡­" Tiana answered her own question, nodded her head, as if she was trying to convince herself.


    "You don''t believe me." It''s not a question, it''s a statement.


    "Shifters and lycans are just myths," Tiana said, but seeing Kayden''s expression she wasn''t quite sure what she believed.


    "Myths mean that these creatures once existed, it''s just that not many people believe in the truth," Kayden replied.


    "Then show me." Tiana sat up straighter now. "Show me."

 Chapter 1180: Kayden (8)

    Tiana didn''t know what else she could believe or not, because so many things had happened in the past few days.


    Two weeks ago, Tiana wouldn''t have believed if there was someone told her she would kill a person with a gun, by shooting him in the head, or told her that mythical creatures like shifters and lycans were real.


    But, now she had to experience both.


    Tiana was in a state she wouldn''t even be able to believe in herself if it was true that Kayden could transform into something else, just like what he said.


    Therefore, there was no harm in risking it, right?


    Well, there were only two choices for Tiana now, either swimming or drowning and Tiana didn''t want to be between the two, not knowing what she was getting into.


    "Then show me." Tiana sat up straighter now. "Show me your other form." The words just slipped from Tiana''s lips when Kayden confirmed her wish.


    ================


    Tiana woke up with a very dizzy head and a blurry vision. She groaned slowly as she felt her whole world spinning.


    And the first thing she saw was Kayden''s figure. He was shirtless with a white t- shirt that written ''DESTINY'' on his left hand.


    Just when Kayden heard Tiana grunt, indicating that she had woken up, he immediately turned around and walked over to the girl.


    Because his body was clearly visible and he forgot to wear his shirt, Tiana could see the gunshot marks on the man''s shoulder.


    The gunshot marks had almost faded and healed, as if they were from a few weeks ago rather than evidence of the horrific events that had just happened last night.


    But, then Tiana''s confusion was replaced by something else, an unclear image popped up in her head.


    A faint shadow of something large, white and savage.


    A figure resembling a wolf¡­


    Lycans.


    Yes, that seemed to be what Kayden said before, he was a shifter, a lycan, a mythical creature.


    And as the memories became clearer in Tiana''s head, the same fear began to run through her body and made her scream in panic.


    "Hey, calm down, calm down¡­" Kayden raised his hand and came to the bed, while the girl was trying to get away from him. She panicked and tried to get out of her blanket, but instead she fell to the floor. "Are you okay?"


    "Do not come close!" cried Tiana in fear, her voice shaking and she couldn''t be seen, because she fell under the bed and was covered by the blanket.


    But Kayden knew that at least falling off the bed wouldn''t cause her any horrible damage.


    "Okay, I am not going any closer, I am right here," Kayden said in a resigned voice. He then put on the shirt in his hand and saw Tiana''s head peeking out from under the bed. Her hair looked messy but her eyes stared curiously at Kayden. "Get out of there, we have to have breakfast."


    Only, Tiana didn''t answer the call, as if she didn''t hear what Kayden said.


    Last night, Kayden almost had a heart attack, he didn''t know if a lycan could have a heart attack or not, but it seemed like what he felt last night was close to one.


    When Kayden turned into his white beast form, unexpectedly, Tiana screamed, his mate screamed in fear and was unconscious.


    Of course, immediately Kayden returned to his human form and examined Tiana.


    He had expected this to happen, with the stress piling up, making his mate unable to bear the things that he was trying to show. Kayden failed to see this because Tiana pretended that she was fine.


    "Don''t come any closer," Tiana said in fear and Kayden raised his hand in resignation.


    "I am not going anywhere." Kayden then walked over to get a chair and sat not far from there. "You can sit on the bed now, the floor is cold and you haven''t eaten anything."


    Tiana looked at Kayden with disbelieving eyes, but what he said was true, the floor was cold and when he reminded her that she hadn''t eaten anything, Tiana could feel her stomach churning and begging for attention.


    Ugh! This is embarrassing¡­


    "You¡­ that last night¡­" Tiana had a hard time finding words and explaining what she was feeling right now. "Is that¡­ real?" she asked at the end of the sentence.


    "Yes," Kayden answered curtly and carefully watched Tiana''s reaction. Her face suddenly contorted and her eyes widened, she looked like she was about to scream again, but tried to contain herself.


    Therefore, Kayden allowed his mate to take as much time as she needed to calm down.


    "Are you¡­ eating people?" Tiana asked then.


    Hearing that absurd question, Kayden couldn''t help but laugh. What does it mean? Does he look like that in Tiana''s eyes? That''s why she felt so scared?


    "Okay, I know that question must sound stupid to you, but just answer my question, okay!" Tiana said, slightly annoyed that Kayden laughed at her.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to laugh at you," Kayden said, trying to stifle his laughter by biting his lip and taking a deep breath. "No, I don''t eat humans."


    "But you eat meat?" Tiana asked, rephrasing the absurd question in her head.


    "Yeah, I eat meat," Kayden then added. "But you eat meet too, didn''t you?"


    Tiana pouted when she heard this, but then she ignored the look in Kayden''s eyes, which were looking at her with a smile, as if her confusion was what attracted the man in front of her.


    "What are you going to do to me after I find out your secret?" Tiana asked in horror, for she had imagined the worst thing Kayden could possibly do. Maybe he would shut her mouth by killing her, right? Everything was possible¡­


    But, instead of answering right away, Kayden got up from his seat and walked towards Tiana with brisk steps.


    "What would you do? Stay where you are!" Tiana screamed, she tried to escape from Kayden by crossing the bed, but Kayden caught her ankle and pinned her down.


    "Hey, calm down!" said Kayden, holding Tiana''s hands above her head as her mate''s beautiful nails scratched against his cheeks.


    "What are you going to do!? You promised not to hurt me!" Tiana exclaimed, still trying to free herself from Kayden''s grip.


    "I didn''t hurt you, can''t you see that you hurt me?!" Kayden exclaimed, he then showed the side of his face that was scratched by Tiana and made the girl feel guilty.


    On the other hand, Tiana then stopped struggling and saw four claws from her nails on the side of Kayden''s face, but a moment later, slowly, the wounds closed in and gradually disappeared until they healed completely.


    "Wow..." Tiana muttered. Even in her frightened state she still found herself in awe of Kayden''s healing abilities. "You are recovering quickly."


    "Well, for humans, I did recover quickly." But not for shifters.


    "Can you die?" Tiana asked with an expression that really showed her curiosity.


    "Of course, if you try to kill me in some way, I will die," Kayden said in a more serious voice. "Are you trying to kill me?"


    "No way," said Tiana immediately.


    "So you will not run away if I let go of your grip?" asked Kayden with a serious face. "You are not going to try to claw me to death, are you?"


    "You are not going to hurt me, are you?" Tiana answered him with another question.


    "Of course not," Kayden repeated. "I am hungry, so can we eat in peace?"


    "Yeah, I am hungry too," Tiana admitted shyly.


    "Good then, because I have made breakfast for both of us," Kayden said as he tried to release his grip on Tiana''s wrist.


    "You can cook?"


    Kayden rolled his eyes and groaned in annoyance. "I''m not that different from you, okay?"


    =================


    "Stop looking at me like that," Kayden said, he could feel Tiana''s gaze on him from the moment they started their breakfast.


    Hearing Kayden''s warning, Tiana lowered her head and focused on the breakfast the man made. The food was very good and it was beyond her expectation.


    "Is there anything else you want to ask?" Kayden asked, putting down his spoon after he finished his breakfast.


    "Are you going to turn into a werewolf when the full moon?" but then she answered her own question. "Oh no¡­ last night I guess wasn''t a full moon, so you can shift at any time¡­"


    "Yep," Kayden replied curtly as he added the milk in her glass.


    "Oh!" Tiana seemed to remember one very important thing. "I have heard of this¡­ long ago¡­ many years ago¡­ there were astral beings roaming around and now they''re extinct. Is that true?"


    Kayden of course knew that, though he wasn''t born yet.


    "Yes that''s correct." Except for the extinct part. However, Kayden would explain this another time.


    "Then there''s this thing¡­ it says a shifter will only be loyal to one person?"


    Kayden raised her eyebrows in amazement. It turns out that Tiana knew quite a few things about his world. "You are right."


    However, before the conversation about that topic could take place and Kayden had a chance to explain to Tiana that she was his mate, the sound of the doorbell interrupted them.


    "I will check it out." Kayden then headed towards the door, leaving Tiana alone.


    But, Kayden didn''t leave for long before he finally came back with a serious expression.


    "We have to go right now."


    "What is it?"


    "Police."

 Chapter 1181: Kayden (9)

    Kayden felt something odd when he heard the doorbell ringing, how could it not? He didn''t actually live in this house and he just rented this house only for last few days, nor did he have any friends to come visit him, so it was impossible for Kayden to have a guest.


    And Kayden''s suspicions proved correct. From behind the curtain, he could see two uniformed policemen standing in the doorway.


    Of course this was a strange and unreasonable thing. Why did the two police officers come to his house after last night''s incident?


    Yet, it was make sense since there was the fact that he just knew a few days ago, which was Tiana''s ex- lover, Oliver, was the son of a policeman who has a high rank in this city.


    Hence it was right to assume that Oliver could freely use his parents'' power for his own interests.


    This whole thing was really messed up¡­


    After seeing that the two cops were checking the car parked in his yard, Kayden didn''t have to wait long or confirm his suspicions, because the only things on his mind were; to save Tiana from here.


    Therefore, without waiting any longer, Kayden immediately ran back into the house to tell Tiana about this, that they had to leave now.


    "We have to go right now." Kayden pulled Tiana''s hand, so she immediately stood up.


    "What is it?" Tiana looked confused, but the fact that she was no longer afraid of being around Kayden made him feel better.


    "Police," Kayden replied curtly and with that one word, Tiana could immediately understand the situation they were in.


    "What should I do?" Tiana asked, she looked towards the front door and the sound of the bell ringing scared her.


    "Listen," Kayden said, he placed his hands on both side Tiana''s face so the girl could only focus on him. "I want you to do what I say," Kayden said quietly.


    Tiana then looked at him, her eyes glazed over, but she tried to focus on what Kayden was about to tell her.


    "Go to the bedroom and put some clothes in the duffel bag in the closet, then go to the park and wait for me there." The park Kayden was referring to was only a block away, so Tiana should be able to reach it in just five minutes of running.


    Tiana nodded her head, but then she remembered something. "Then what about you? What will happen to you?" she asked.


    Kayden chuckled when he realized that Tiana was worried about him.


    "Don''t worry about me, I will be fine," Kayden said lightly. It''s not a big deal for him to deal with humans.


    "Are you going to kill them?" Tiana asked suspiciously, her eyes wide with shock at the words she had spoken herself. "Don''t kill them."


    Kayden took a deep breath. His mate was adorable, but he needed to do something else right now.


    "I will not kill them. No lives will be lost here," said Kayden in a reassuring voice. "Listen. Wait for me at the park and don''t go anywhere, okay?"


    Tiana looked at Kayden for a moment and nodded before the man finally let go and Tiana ran into the room to follow what Kayden just said.


    =================


    "The car is in the name of Tony Gestova," said one of the policemen, they came with a warrant and searched the house.


    Meanwhile, Tiana had left the house without the two policemen noticing.


    "That''s my father''s name," Kayden replied. He scowled because it turned out that what he had brought was his father''s car, because so far they had never questioned the name under the car they bought was.


    Torak could no longer use his name because of a case many years ago. Torak Donovan''s name as a shifter and non- human being became a byword in society and was reported everywhere when the veil that separated the world of humans and the astral beings disappeared.


    All of his companies were forcibly shut down and he couldn''t use that name anymore, during that time, Torak spent most of his time in the pack.


    But, actually all that was not a problem because shifters have a very long life while humans didn''t, and they have limited memory and information about it.


    Therefore, it only took a few years, until things calmed down, for Torak to be able to expand his business again with a different name, while still managing everything.


    "You are Tony Gestova''s son?" asked the policeman.


    If the cop hadn''t mentioned the name, maybe Kayden would have been confused about remembering what the name under the car was actually.


    "Yes, he is my father," Kayden replied calmly.


    "Then tell us where you were at around midnight last night?"


    =================


    If it wasn''t for Kayden''s amazing senses, maybe he wouldn''t have been able to find Tiana so easily, because not only was the girl waiting in the park, but she was also hiding under the slide, where Kayden had a hard time seeing her, hugging the backpack that Kayden asked her to take.


    Meanwhile, Tiana almost screamed very loudly when she saw the white lycan approaching her if only Kayden didn''t quickly turn into his human form.


    "Hey, calm down, it''s me, I..." Kayden immediately approached Tiana and calmed her down. "I thought you wouldn''t be surprised anymore."


    "I am not used to seeing that..." Tiana muttered while groaning in fear. Her body was still shaking, but she didn''t resist Kayden''s touch, which was a good thing.


    "We have to get out of here now, let''s go," said Kayden as he took the backpack from Tiana''s hand and carried it while his other hand reached out for the girl.


    Tiana then took Kayden''s hand and tried to stand up, patting her pants, to remove the dust and dirt that had stuck to her because she was sitting on the ground.


    "What about the two policemen? What did you do to them?" she asked worriedly because Kayden might do something she didn''t expect.


    "Don''t worry, they are fine," Kayden said calmly as he pulled Tiana to the main street and waited for a taxi.


    Kayden knew what was going on in his mate''s mind and so he explained in detail that he had just let them wait in the living room while he sneaked out of the house.


    "They can''t see you in your other form?" Tiana frowned in disbelief. "But, why can I see you?"


    "Because you are different," Kayden answered quickly.


    Tiana''s frown deepened when Kayden said that. "I feel bad when someone as odd as you says that I am different. Is that a compliment?"


    Kayden laughed at that. "I will explain later, and yes, you can take that as a compliment."


    A taxi then stopped in front of the two of them and Kayden held the door open so Tiana could enter first, after which she said an address as their destination.


    "Where are we going?" Tiana asked confusedly, Kayden seemed to know very well what to do and how to deal with this situation. It goes without saying that this man is a trustworthy leader.


    "We are going to stop by one of my family," Kayden replied. He was running out of money and one of the most essential things in running away was money.


    "Your family? Your mother and father?" Tiana asked wide- eyed. "I don''t think I..."


    "No¡­" Kayden immediately cut her off and grimaced. He still didn''t want to go back home, even though he knew that his father could solve this problem in a snap of his fingers. "He is a close friend of my family who is considered family."


    ================


    "Is he a dwarf?" Tiana asked in a very low voice, like a whisper, looking up at the creature that was no more than her knees tall.


    "Yes, his name is Nutdrouk," Kayden replied as he stepped into the room filled with various items while Tiana clung to him and looked scared to explore the big house filled with strange furniture.


    "I heard that, lady," said Nutdrouk in a hoarse voice, like the sound of a crow. "And I am not your family, so why do you come here?"


    Nutdrouk stomped his short legs and looked at Kayden with a puckered nose, as if he didn''t like the sudden visit.


    Yes, indeed there were not many things that the dwarves like...


    "I just killed people, so I need a car to escape and also money," Kayden replied calmly, while Tiana looked panicked when Kayden said all that honestly.


    Could they believe the creature in front of them, who seemed that he didn''t want to be involved in any trouble Kayden delivered to him at all.


    And the fact that the creature wasn''t even surprised when Kayden said it was he, who had killed someone didn''t escape Tiana''s attention.


    "Your father could have solved your problem quicker, so go to him," Nutdrouk grumbled. "And you don''t have any money anyway, so go away. I do business here."


    "Just put it on my dad''s bill," Kayden replied lightly.


    "No," replied Nutdrouk curtly.


    "Are you fighting with your father?" Tiana asked curiously, but Kayden just waved his hand, as if he didn''t want to talk about it. That''s not the right topic for now.


    Kayden then stepped over to Nutdrouk and crouched down in front of him. "You''re really not going to help me?" he asked in a threatening tone, his eyes staring straight into Nutdrouk''s green eyes and making the dwarf groan in annoyance as he thought how troublesome this young man was.

 Chapter 1182: Kayden (10)

    Nutdrouk knew that these two fathers and sons had almost the same traits.


    Both stubborn and fond of threatening someone else to get what they wanted, only, the part that irritated him the most was the fact that he can''t fight either of them.


    No, even Raine and Aurora have the same tendencies and the two women could become very terrible if their wishes were not fulfilled.


    It seemed Donovan had bad influence to their surroundings.


    Every time the Donovans visited him, it was certain that Nutdrouk would get endless headaches and this really annoyed him, but in any case, they gave him a lot of money.


    So it can be said that the relationship between the two was a kind of love- hate relationship.


    "I am not going to give you what you ask for until I get the right price and the money," Nutdrouk said in a voice that sounded very determined, but actually it took all his willpower to refuse Kayden''s request.


    "Are you seriously going to do this to me?" asked Kayden, now his black eyes stared at Nutdrouk fiercely, as if he was ready to pounce on the dwarf. It''s really annoying when someone refused your request right in front of your crush or, in Kayden''s case¡­ his mate. It was really annoying and Nutdrouk did that to him.


    "Y¡­yes¡­" Nutdrouk replied unsure of what he was saying. Well, Kayden was as scary as Torak.


    "You will see how I destroy your small business once I get my position as an Alpha," Kayden said in a sinister voice. "You know what my problem is and why I ran away from my pack and my father?"


    Of course news of Kayden ran away from the pack had already spread, only because Torak didn''t take action could his naughty son still roam free.


    But, if Kayden came back and took on his responsibilities as an Alpha, of course the problem would be solved in an instant.


    "I can destroy you just this easily." Kayden then snapped his fingers and that''s not an exaggeration because that''s how easy it was for Kayden to destroy Nutdrouk and his small business.


    The dwarf looked very angry. He thought he''d been immune to the Donovans'' threats, but Kayden had really pissed him off.


    It''s just that, apart from obeying the orders of this future alpha, what else can he do? Because it was impossible for him to fight it.


    He then stomped his short legs and cast an annoyed look at the girl standing not far from Kayden, as if she had such a big mistake against him.


    "Careful with your eyes," Kayden warned him.


    "I''ll put this on your father''s bill. You have to remind him to pay for it, or Raine or whoever. I want my money!" Nutdrouk grumbled. He didn''t care where Kayden got the money, he just wanted all of this annoying brat''s requests to be paid off. They were a very rich family, why did Kayden have to complicate matters by running away?


    "You take it easy," Kayden said, patting Nutdrouk on the back, as if they were old, close friends.


    Then, Nutdrouk walked with furious steps, took Kayden''s wish list which Tiana was holding roughly and walked away to collect the items they needed on this ridiculous escape.


    =================


    "Is¡­ all of this, all right?" Tiana asked with a disbelieving face. She still wasn''t sure what she was going through.


    They got a car, a large box of money and also some equipment such as clothes, pants and other things, all of which were ready in the car they were driving now.


    "How did you¡­ how did you get all this?" Tiana looked at Kayden who was driving beside her with disbelieving eyes. "Are you¡­ a rich man?" she felt stupid to say that.


    At this point, Tiana tried to remember the names of the rich people in this city. Or maybe Kayden wasn''t even from this town¡­


    Meanwhile, hearing Tiana''s statement, of course it was very funny for Kayden and this made the man laugh.


    "Sorry," he said, trying to be polite, but Tiana shook her head and didn''t look the least bit offended by what Kayden had done.


    "No, no need to apologize, just answer my question," she insisted.


    "Well, you can say that..." Kayden said confidently, he really enjoyed the admiring gaze of the girl next to him, not only that, Tiana even asked a few questions after that and looked amazed after hearing Kayden''s answer.


    While their conversation seemed to never run out of topic, the sky outside was getting darker and the lights from tall buildings could be seen.


    "You mean you own several companies? But under a different name because you guys are shifters and have to cover up your identity?" Tiana wanted to be sure about this and saw Kayden nod. "Then, which are your company buildings in this city?"


    Tiana then waved her hand at the buildings in front of them that were so tall and beautiful, especially at night like this. They exude luxury as well as extraordinary charm.


    "Hm¡­ all," Kayden replied calmly. He didn''t mean to brag about this, but indeed they were in the center of town, where the entire building there belonged to his family, but of course under a different name.


    "No way..." Tiana couldn''t believe it, she looked at Kayden, waiting for the man to laugh and say that he was just joking, but unfortunately, Kayden didn''t do that. He only glanced at Tiana and focused himself on the road in front of him. "Are you serious?" Tiana asked.


    "I am serious," Kayden reassured his mate.


    Tiana was speechless for a moment then she glanced at the box in her lap which was filled with money. "You''re not afraid to give me this much money?" Tiana asked, gazing the box.


    And once again Kayden laughed happily, as if what Tiana just said was like the funniest joke he had ever heard.


    "I can give you more than that," Kayden said in a serious tone, although a sweet smile still adorned his lips.


    Tiana felt her heart beat faster when she heard Kayden''s statement and couldn''t understand how she could meet this man and what made Kayden want to do all this for her.


    Since the only way to get the answer was to ask, and that''s what Tiana did.


    "What made you do all this for me?" Tiana asked with a serious face.


    =================


    Tiana woke up when it was midnight and when she looked at the driver''s seat, she panicked a little when she saw that Kayden wasn''t there.


    But then she saw the man was inside a minimarket, seemed to have bought something and now they were at a gas station.


    And after seeing that Kayden was really there, Tiana started to feel relieved again. She thought that she was abandoned, but apparently not...


    And when she looked at the clock on the dashboard of the car, it was already midnight, which meant that Kayden had been driving this car for ten hours non- stop.


    Tiana felt guilty for causing so much trouble to the man, but only, Kayden was so stubborn and forced to drive the car, not giving Tiana a chance to take turns.


    This reminded Tiana of the answer he gave a few hours ago, before she fell asleep very soundly.


    ''Because you are my mate.''


    It was a simple word, with such an extraordinary meaning, that Kayden had told her to answer his curiosity.


    Tiana didn''t know that the term actually existed in the world of shifters, but she had heard it from her grandfather.


    Yes, actually, it could be said that Tiana knew about the shifters'' lives from her grandfather who was always telling her stories about these astral beings and how they had lived among humans decades ago.


    His grandfather believed that even now these astral beings still live among humans, only that they went back into hiding because humans were annoying creatures.


    Tiana often laughed when she heard this, but not now. She knew that humans were annoying creatures and now she agreed with it.


    Especially humans like Oliver, he was the kind of human that must be exterminated and should not be allowed to roam around in this society.


    "Oh, did I wake you up?" Kayden asked when he got into the car and found Tiana already awake, the girl was looking at him with a sleepy face and slightly messy hair.


    "No, I just woke up." Tiana then yawned at the end of her explanation. Seeing that, Kayden ruffled the girl''s hair and made Tiana slightly dodge.


    "Sorry, I''m not used to it," said Tiana in a low voice, but Kayden didn''t seem to mind at all, he then handed a large plastic bag of food to Tiana''s lap.


    "I don''t know what you like, so I bought what I thought was good," he said as he ran the car out of the gas station.


    Tiana knew that she didn''t need to be this defensive towards Kayden and the fact that this near-perfect man loved her unconditionally because of the mate bond that existed between them, made Tiana feel much calmer, but of course, she still didn''t expect this to be the case.


    "Are you sure you want to take me all the way to my parents'' house?" Tiana asked while eating the sandwich she found.


    "Of course," Kayden replied confidently.


    They should be able to get there two days from now if they had to stay overnight, but something happened on the second day of their trip.

 Chapter 1183: Kayden (11)

    Kayden took a room for the two of them to stay in before continuing their journey on the next morning.


    And the place Kayden took was a luxury hotel which made Tiana widened her eyes.


    "We don''t need to stay in a hotel this expensive," Tiana said, she didn''t agree with the value of money that had to be spent for them to stay here, which was not even half the day.


    "No, I am not taking you to a cheap hotel," Kayden replied as he unpacked a large bag of clothes and took a boxer from inside. "Do you want to take a shower first, or should I take a shower first?" he asked.


    Tiana opened her mouth to say something, but then she shook her head. "If you have enough money to rent a room in this place, then why are you only renting one room?"


    Kayden shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "It would be a waste of money if we had to rent another room," Kayden answered, then he walked to the bathroom to take a shower first. It was already night, so they had to rest soon, because their journey tomorrow would be very long.


    "If you think it''s a waste of money, then why are we here?" she asked cluelessly.


    But Kayden couldn''t hear the protest, because he had turned on the shower and started bathing.


    Meanwhile, Tiana could only sit there, waiting while changing several news channels on television.


    How did she end up with Kayden? It was the most absurd thing that had ever happened in Tiana''s life and she would never thank him enough for what he had done for her.


    While out there, Oliver, her ex- boyfriend, who she had been dating for the past eight months, was trying to hurt her, and here, she felt safe with a stranger she hadn''t even known for a month.


    Tiana stared at the television screen, even though she wasn''t actually watching it, because her mind was elsewhere and she couldn''t stop thinking about all of this after she met Kayden.


    No one knew how long Tiana pondered in this matter, but as soon as she realized, Kayden had come out of the bathroom, his short hair was wet and water ran down his broad chest.


    Okay, this is too much¡­ is Kayden teasing her?


    "What are you doing?!" Tiana half screamed in panic when she saw the man standing right in front of her wearing only boxers, while one hand was drying his hair with a towel.


    "You''re looking at me intensely, therefore, I''m trying to help you get closer look, do you like what you see?" he asked. And Kayden was happy when he saw the blush on Tiana''s cheeks, indicating that she was embarrassed.


    But her next words didn''t show that at all, especially when she shoved Kayden away from her, groaning.


    "Do not be too confident. You are not the only man with a good body in this world," Tiana said fiercely. She didn''t mean to say it so sharply, but her embarrassment at having been caught staring at Kayden so intently, made Tiana unable to help but get defensive.


    Tiana then used that moment to flee to the bathroom and even have time to lock the door.


    It took a second slower for Kayden to realize this. "How many male bodies have you seen!?" he asked irritably.


    The fact that Tiana already had a boyfriend before even meeting him was already upsetting him, especially with the other fact that she had seen another man''s body. That''s very annoying.


    ================


    Kayden couldn''t sleep well because the sofa he was laying down was very uncomfortable. However, what was most obvious reason for him was because Tiana was sleeping not far from him and was in a fragile state and this made his heart flutter¡­


    He could hear the sound of her breathing as well as seeing her body wrapped in the blanket and this was driving him crazy. When he could touch her, but couldn''t because it would only complicate what was between them.


    Tiana didn''t reject him yet, but maybe it was also because she was afraid that Kayden would stay away from her while she knew for sure that right now, in critical times like this, he was the only one she could rely on.


    That fact was a bit disturbing, but Kayden didn''t mind it at all.


    Annoyed, Kayden threw down the blanket and walked over to the bed and carefully lay down on it.


    Kayden tried not to make any sudden movements and wake Tiana up.


    For a while, Kayden just lay on his side and stared at the girl''s face, but then after he was sure that Tiana was deep in her sleep, Kayden reached out his hand carefully and hugged the girl very gently.


    Crazy. Crazy. Crazy¡­


    Kayden kept cursing himself for doing this to Tiana, but he couldn''t help. What else could he do?


    He had been tossing and turning restlessly on the sofa for almost an hour and couldn''t sleep at all.


    Okay, this may sound stupid and this justification can''t be justified, but Kayden was trying to convince himself that he was doing this for both of them.


    He needed rest, or else their trip would be delayed.


    And when Tiana was in his arms, Kayden could breathe a sigh of relief, he kissed the top of the girl''s head and hugged her tighter, Tiana even snuggled closer toward him, resting her head on Kayden''s chest without her realizing it, because she was looking for a more comfortable position, and laying her head on the man''s chest was making her sleep more soundly.


    "It''s better this way," Kayden said in a low voice as they both found a better position.


    ==================


    Neither of them talked about last night''s events, or the fact that the two of them had woken up hugging each other.


    Kayden thought Tiana would be mad, but it seemed she just looked embarrassed and quickly packed up.


    Today''s trip was much more fun than before and they both felt that this was not an escape but just a picnic.


    And it feels good.


    On the way, this afternoon, Tiana found out that Kayden was a bad singer. He was completely tone- deaf and she teased him for it.


    A tease that move to other tease and the awkwardness between the two of them just melted away.


    "What are we going to eat?" Kayden asked when it was time for them to have dinner, and the sun had set an hour ago.


    "Maybe we can buy snacks," Tiana suggested. "My parents'' house is only about twenty minutes away, I''m sure they have better food than any restaurant around."


    Kayden smiled. "Okay fine." It''s been a long time since he tasted home cooking.


    And they both decided to stop the car at a small shop on the side of a quiet road.


    Only, before Kayden could get out of the car, someone had come to the side of his car and shattered the windshield.


    Kayden could see the shards of glass flying right in front of his eyes, but out of the corner of his eye, he could also see that another man would do the same to Tiana.


    Oh, hell! He won''t let his mate get hurt.


    Thus, without thinking, Kayden grabbed Tiana''s body and hugged her tightly, using his own body as a shield, while his foot kicked the door on his right side open.


    With great difficulty, Kayden pulled Tiana out of there very carefully, so that the shards of glass wouldn''t scratch her.


    Only, as soon as his feet hit the ground, a punch flew to his face and made Kayden fall, and so did Tiana.


    "You think you can run away from me?!" a voice of man roared, very frighteningly and violently, while Kayden struggled to his feet, amidst the rain of fists slamming into his face.


    He was really fed up with all this.


    And when he saw Oliver grabbed Tiana''s hair and drag her between the shards of glass. Kayden couldn''t see anything anymore, except darkness as his anger clouded his vision and he turned into his white beast.


    There were about ten people there and they were driving four cars parked haphazardly around this deserted place.


    Meanwhile the people in the small shop, not far from them, were a group of middle- aged people who could do nothing but shout for them to stop.


    Kayden had really run out of patience and when he was in his lycan form, he wasted no more time and instantly tore into those who came into contact with him.


    Meanwhile, on the other hand, the ten people were shocked to see Kayden''s body suddenly disappear from their sight and one by one their friends roared in pain, before their bodies cut into two or had their heads separated from their bodies.


    It was the most terrible thing they had ever seen and before they could understand what was really going on, it was too late, for they were already dead.


    Only Tiana was able to see the whole incident and was very shocked when she saw how savage and brutal Kayden''s real figure was in his beast form.


    Even Tiana didn''t notice when Oliver released his grip on her hair and tried to run towards the car.


    It''s just, too bad¡­ Kayden had crushed his head in a very sadistic manner and made the blood spray around him and splashed at Tiana.


    The girl sat limply, no longer able to feel the pain in her body¡­

 Chapter 1184: Kayden (12)

    Tiana was frightened when she was seeing how Oliver''s head was crushed by the white beast, in his firm grip, Oliver''s head seemed to have no meaning. This was done very easily.


    Even Tiana did not have time to close her eyes to cover herself so as not to see such a terrible thing.


    Tiana''s body trembled and her legs went limp as the thick red blood splashed onto her face and more blood splattered around the bodies of the other ten people who had died helplessly at the monster''s hands.


    And when everything was over, there was an eerie silence that ensued as the white lycan stared at Tiana through its bloodshot eyes, as red as the blood he had shed.


    And not only that, when the lycan walked up to her with his face still covered in blood, Tiana couldn''t move an inch, as tears of fear rolled down her face.


    Realizing that his mate was frightened by being around him, this made the lycan negated his intentions and stood in his place, before finally the white beast transformed into Kayden that Tiana knew.


    The man looked at Tiana gently, but the wrinkles on his eyebrows indicated that he was worried about her.


    "Tiana," Kayden called in a trembling voice. His face was a little pale and he didn''t look in good condition at this time. Was it due to the effect of the slightly dim light of the street lamp?


    Tiana couldn''t figure out the answer because in the next second, Kayden''s body had fallen to the ground and he was motionless.


    What else is this? What is wrong with him? Is he hurt?


    The questions kept spinning in Tiana''s head, but she couldn''t find the answers, because what she saw now was the figure of Kayden lying helplessly on the solid asphalt among the corpses of the humans he had killed.


    What is wrong with him?


    Tiana was scared, she wanted to approach Kayden, but her body didn''t want to compromise with her, she couldn''t even move a finger now.


    Luckily, some old people who were nearby, in a small shop they were about to approach, immediately came to her.


    Small commotions and screams that could be heard, revealed how terrifying the scene was, continued to echo around Tiana. This made her head spin.


    People around her asked how she was and what happened, but Tiana had no answer to offer them, she just shook her head weakly.


    Until someone shook her body.


    "Do you know the man over there? He is still alive. I saw you two getting out of the car together, are you his friend?" asked an old man standing in front of Tiana, blocking her view of the remnants of what had just happened.


    "Still alive?" Tiana asked, her voice distant and filled with emotions that were hard to describe.


    "Yes, still alive," the old man reiterated.


    "Yes, I know him." A strange sense of relief flooded Tiana and she no longer thought about the misfortune that Oliver and his friends had to endure.


    Kayden is still alive¡­.


    =================


    Tiana clutched Kayden''s cell phone while waiting for her family to come to be with her at the hospital.


    Until this moment, the doctors didn''t know what happened to Kayden and they didn''t understand why he still hasn''t regained consciousness after being examined, because there were no serious injuries on his body, one could even say that he wasn''t injured at all.


    Not only that, there were no signs that he had hit his head which could cause him to be in a coma like now.


    No one understands¡­


    However, Tiana knew some things that they didn''t. Kayden was a shifter, probably there was differences between treating the shifters and normal human.


    "What should I do¡­?" Tiana sobbed softly. She sat in front of Kayden''s room, holding his cell phone.


    Maybe this was inappropriate for Tiana to do this, but she didn''t think there was any other way she could find to save Kayden.


    Since Kayden was a shifter, then maybe the person who understood him was another shifter.


    So, with that in mind, Tiana opened Kayden''s cell phone which luckily didn''t have a password and searched his phone''s contact list.


    All names related to his home or parents and after some time, she found a contact name that read ''mother''.


    With trembling hands, Tiana pressed the call sign on the number and waited a while when the incoming call tone rang.


    Tiana''s body trembled and she felt her blood rise to her head, causing her vision to become blurry. Maybe this was called a panic attack.


    Tiana didn''t know what to tell Kayden''s mother about her child or how to start telling her about this horrific incident.


    Was it okay to call his mother? Or maybe she should call his dad? Because what mother wouldn''t be hysterical when she found out her child had just killed ten humans in such a brutal way¡­


    But, what Tiana didn''t know was; Kayden''s mother has killed more than her son has ever done...


    The ringing of the call ended. Nobody picked it up.


    Tiana dropped her hand limply. Should she try calling again? Or should he wait for Kayden to wake up? Because according to what the man said, he was having a feud with his family¡­


    But, before Tiana could decide, the cell phone in her hand vibrated again and the same number she had called earlier called her back.


    "Hello?" Tiana said in a low voice.


    There was no answer for a while, before finally a soft- sounding female voice asked her a question.


    "Who''s this? Isn''t this Kayden''s phone?"


    "This¡­ my name is Tiana¡­ and Kayden¡­" Tiana stammered when she started telling her the story. It''s very difficult to repeat a terrible story, especially one that traumatized you.


    Because by retelling it, it meant you have to remember the incident again. However, Kayden''s mother listened well.


    ================


    Tiana was being hugged by her father and mother, they looked worried at Tiana''s condition and told her to go home, but the girl insisted on accompanying Kayden there. She wanted to be there when Kayden woke up or when his family came.


    Tiana estimated that Kayden''s family would come in about two days because it was quite far from where they were, therefore, it was fine for her to go home.


    But somehow Tiana didn''t want to leave Kayden alone there. She felt much safer with this man.


    And when the sun was shining brightly and Tiana was still asleep from exhaustion, she was woken up by her mother because there were some policemen looking for her.


    "Who?" Tiana asked with a pale and frightened face, hearing the word ''police'' certainly made Tiana imagine Oliver, where his father was a high-ranking policeman.


    So from that reason, he could act arbitrarily and do whatever he liked, because not only was Oliver''s father an important official, but he also spoiled his only son.


    "A policeman is looking for you," said her mother with a worried face, because she felt there was something strange about this policeman.


    Tiana had not had time to ask further or listen to her mother''s explanation, when the hospital room door had opened and a man, whom Tiana knew was Oliver''s father, walked into the room.


    "Tiana, we meet again," he said. However, from the way she called out her name, Tiana could tell that there were various terrifying threats hidden behind his seemingly harmless smile. "Can we talk for a minute?" he asked.


    "You know him?" her mother asked worriedly.


    "Yes, I know him," Tiana replied in a choked voice. She then gave her mother a smile and told her to wait outside. "It''s okay, mom. He is the father of a friend I know," Tiana explained.


    Only then did Tiana''s mother leave the room, but with a worried expression on her face.


    Especially when she walked out and saw that there were two policemen standing guard at the door. They didn''t look friendly at all.


    When it was just the two of them, Reymond, Oliver''s father, sat beside Kayden''s bed, he stared at the young man lying unconscious with a disdainful and disgusted look.


    "So tell me what happened?" the man asked with authority.


    "I don''t know..." said Tiana. It''s not that she didn''t know what happened, but she can''t explain it, because what had happened couldn''t be explained with common sense. And again, Tiana couldn''t possibly tell anyone that Kayden was a shifter.


    She remembered well the story from her grandfather who told her there was a time when the shifters were being hunted down.


    "You did not know?" Reymon asked fiercely. "I can kill him and say I don''t know."


    Tiana was shocked when she saw Reymon unplug Kayden''s oxygen tube. "Stop it!" Tiana screamed in panic. "You can kill him!"


    "Of course I can kill him and no one will know. I can put you in jail, and accuse you of doing it and no one will ever know."


    ================


    Torak helped Raine down the flight of stairs and took her by the hand into the car that was waiting for them.


    "Don''t scold him when you meet him," Raine reminded Torak, he still looked grouchy when he heard his son made such a mess. "I don''t condone what Kayden did, but you would do the same if it happened to me."


    Torak glanced at his mate and frowned.


    "He took your ugly traits, so accept it," said Raine mercilessly. "Now you can feel how hard it is to face yourself. Stubborn men¡­"

 Chapter 1185: Kayden (13)

    Tiana stared wide- eyed at what Reymond had done to Kayden. He was a total jerk for pulling out the oxygen tube from Kayden.


    "Stop it! You will kill him!" Tiana cried with rage, she stepped forward, intending to do whatever it took to hurt Oliver''s crazy father.


    Now Tiana knows where Oliver got his madness from.


    But, then casually, Reymond took out a gun from his waist and pointed it at Kayden''s forehead while smiling sweetly at Tiana.


    "Now tell me who killed my son?" Reymon''s calm voice was far scarier than anything and his eyes flashed the vengeance.


    "Me! I killed your son!" Tiana exclaimed, she saw Kayden was having trouble breathing, even when his eyes were closed. "Now put the oxygen back on him."


    Hearing this statement, Reymon burst out laughing, as if he had just heard the funniest joke he had ever heard in his life.


    "Tiana¡­ you didn''t expect me to believe that, did you?" he asked in a hoarse voice, but then he saw Kayden''s condition and decided to put his respirator back on.


    This made Tiana feel a little relieved, even though Reymon still had the gun pointed at Kayden''s head.


    "You expect me to believe that you killed my son? And his ten friends?" Reymond snorted, he looked at Tiana with hateful eyes. "If it weren''t for Oliver saying he just wanted to play with you, you wouldn''t be able to approach my son with your status."


    Tiana clenched her fists at her sides and looked deeply into Reymond''s eyes. If it weren''t for him holding a gun and being able to kill Kayden at any moment, Tiana would have cursed him and punch him on the face.


    Unfortunately, the situation didn''t allow her to do that.


    Tiana wasn''t sure that Kayden would survive if Reymond actually shot him in the head at close range, whether he was a shifter or not.


    "Now, tell me what you know. Who is this man?" he asked.


    ====================


    Torak and Raine walked down the hospital corridor, along with several lycan warriors who were walking behind them with Jack, the Gamma, in the lead.


    However, there was a commotion that caught the attention of both of them, as it came from the room where their son was being treated.


    A middle- aged woman was arguing with two men who were guarding in front of a room, and upon further inspection, it was indeed Kayden''s room that Tiana had told her about.


    "What is this?" asked Raine seeing the commotion.


    "Don''t interfere, go ahead and continue walking away!" exclaimed one of the men. He didn''t even lift his head to take a closer look at Raine, because the woman in front of them was raging to enter the room.


    Hearing the harsh answer from the man, of course Torak did not remain silent, immediately, his facial expression changed and he looked cold and stiff.


    "No one talks to my wife like that," he said in a gruesome tone.


    "Get out of the way, it''s none of your business!" shouted the other men, he still didn''t realize what danger lurked him for that arrogant attitude.


    Only, Torak wouldn''t get that away easily, not after they treated his wife like that.


    So, instead of walking away, Torak came up to them and grabbed the man by the neck, lifting him up with one hand and causing an uproar from the onlookers.


    "Torak," Raine warned him. "Do not do it."


    Torak glanced at Raine, his wife''s furrowed brows made him give up his intention to kill this man.


    "Fine," Torak answered simply as he threw the man across the room until his body hit the wall and left a mark there.


    Jack, who witnessed that, whispered to Raine. "Should I call Belinda now to erase these people''s memories?" he asked.


    "Yes¡­ call Belinda," replied Raine with a deep breath.


    She then grabbed Torak''s outstretched hand and stepped into the room where Kayden was being cared for, after Torak told Jack, "Take care of them," he said simply.


    On the other hand, Tiana''s mother looked surprised, she couldn''t believe that a human had this ability. For a moment, she just stood frozen in place, until a young woman gently pulled her hand away, and smiled at her.


    "You must be Tiana''s mother, right?" asked Raine, while Torak put his arm around her, while Jack and several bodyguards were cleaning up the mess that Supreme Alpha had caused.


    "Yes¡­ and you?" she asked timidly.


    "I am Kayden''s mother, Tiana''s friend," Raine replied casually and the two of them entered the room, only to see a much more shocking sight.


    A man was sitting by his son''s bed with a gun to Kayden''s head, while Tiana was standing on the other side of the room, looking terrified, but anger could be seen in her beautiful eyes.


    "Tiana," She immediately approached her daughter and hugged her tightly. "What''s going on here?" she asked.


    Seeing this, Raine was worried about her son, but what she was much more afraid of was Torak''s reaction.


    "My love," Torak called her, but the affection didn''t sound sweet to Raine''s ears at the moment. "Could you take the two of them out of this room for a while?"


    "Torak," Raine called. "Don''t overdo it," she said.


    "Don''t worry."


    Precisely when Torak told her to not worry, it was a sign for Raine to start feeling worry.


    However, this was not the time to argue with her husband, she then smiled sweetly at Tiana and her mother, holding out her hand.


    "You must be Tiana, nice to meet you, let''s chat outside while drinking tea," said Raine in a soft voice.


    "But¡­" Tiana still looked hesitant to just leave Kayden, but Raine reassured her that everything would be fine.


    And when she was outside, Raine told Jack to keep an eye on Torak. "Don''t let him overdo it." The word ''overdo it'' here, of course involved someone losing their life.


    ==================


    "Who are you?" Reymond asked with narrowed eyes when he saw Torak before him. He could guess who he was, but he just wanted to confirm this.


    "Can you get your gun off my son?" asked Torak coldly. He then casually took the sofa and sat there. "You pointed a gun at my son."


    Of course the aura emanating from him was so strong that it made Reymond feel uneasy.


    "Who are you?" Reymond ignored Torak''s question and kept his gun pointed at Kayden''s head.


    Because his words were not heed, this made Torak a little annoyed. There was no one who did not listen to what he has to say, especially one who threatened the safety of his family.


    Thus, he reached out his hand and grabbed a ball- shaped display from the table and quickly threw it at Reymond''s head.


    Torak knew that the man wouldn''t be able to accidentally fire a bullet at Kayden, because the gun was still on safe mode and wouldn''t fire.


    "Fuck!" Reymond growled furiously. "You do not know who I am!?"


    Torak tilted his head when he heard the question. "I don''t need to know who you are, but I think you need to know who the person you''re dealing with."


    Hearing those words, Reymond lost his temper, he then quickly grabbed his gun and fired it straight at Torak''s chest.


    But, alas, Torak saw the movement and he had gone through more battles to be able to dodge a bullet with ease.


    "What?" Reymond didn''t even notice that Torak was walking towards him, as he watched how he could dodge a bullet so accurately. "What is this¡­"


    And in the next second, Torak had banged the man''s head against the wall leaving a bloodstain there.


    "I hope he doesn''t die, otherwise mother will be very upset with you."


    Hearing the voice, Torak turned around and looked at his son accusingly. He wanted to be mad at Kayden, but he didn''t want to make a fuss with Raine.


    This situation really sucks. Why did his wife always defend their children?


    "No, he''s just sleeping soundly." Torak kicked Reymond''s body which had fallen at his feet and confirmed that the man had simply lost consciousness. "How was your sleep, kid?" he asked.


    "You''re making a lot of noise, how can I sleep so well," Kayden grumbled, he then removed his respirator and pushed himself up so he could sit down. But, it seemed that it will take him a while to do that, because his head ached so much.


    "How many people did you kill?" asked Torak, he then sat back down on the sofa he had sat on, letting Reymond''s body just lay on the floor.


    Out there, Jack must have been struggling to cope with the people from the hospital trying to get in because they heard gunshots and the commotion the two Reymond''s  people were making.


    "I don''t remember," Kayden replied, shaking his head. "Ten, eleven¡­ I didn''t count them."


    "And you fell unconscious right away?" asked Torak.


    "Yeah, I guess so," Kayden grumbled.


    Torak has known this for a long time, that his two children, as well as the children of his other siblings have the same thing.


    They couldn''t kill humans, because the effect would be so strong against them. Luckily Kayden was only unconscious for a day.


    "We have a lot to talk about," Torak said in a serious tone.


    "Can''t it wait until I feel better first?" Kayden complained.


    "Drop your complain, you''re the one who started this."


    "Where''s mother?"


    "Even your mother won''t be able to help you."


    "Are you sure, father?"


    Torak: "..."

 Chapter 1186: Kayden (end)

    Reymond was furious, when he woke up, he was in one of the wards in the hospital and his superrior was sitting beside him.


    With great difficulty, Reymond tried to sit down and straighten himself, before he finally spoke in a low voice.


    "Sir, why are you here?" Reymond asked his superior, he looked at the old man in amazement.


    This was not a natural thing for your superior to visit. Especially at a time like this.


    But then he remembered the man who had beaten him into pulp and instantly anger began to run through his veins.


    Could it be that his superiors had come here to tell him that they had arrested the madman for daring enough to attack a policeman?


    "You know who you''re dealing with?" asked the old man, his face contemplative and displeased. "You should first find out the person behind that young man."


    Reymond frowned in confusion.


    "The murder case of your son and ten of his friends will be closed and will not be followed up, they died from a wild animal attack, and the evidence from their injuries supports that theory."


    Reymond''s face was very difficult to describe, but the main thing was; he did not believe that his son''s case would be closed just like that. How could such an absurd thing happen?


    Then the superior continued. "You will be reassigned to another city and it will take effect as soon as possible."


    And after dropping all the shocking information, he stood up and said his last words.


    "You never saw me here and don''t find out who that man is, or else you''ll be in unimaginable trouble."


    ====================


    "Why do we have to stay at their house?" Torak continued to grumble while they were in the car, alone with Raine, while Kayden and Tiana were in different cars.


    Today, after four days in hospital, Kayden was finally allowed to go home. Actually, when Kayden had gained his consciousness he could have gone home soon, it was just that they had some things to take care of, so Kayden was better off at the hospital.


    "If we''re not in that house, then where are we going to stay?" Raine asked, while leaning her head on Torak''s shoulder and holding his hand so this husband of her could calm down a bit.


    "We can find a hotel or an inn." Torak refused because he has to live in a human house and from what he could see, Tiana was not from a wealthy family.


    Let''s just say he''s arrogant, but he didn''t want to live in a foreign house that didn''t have good service.


    And Raine understood all of that. As a shifter who used to live in luxury and once hated humans because he thought they were very weak, of course this became a habit for Torak.


    But, they have to do this for their son right? At the very least, they had to let Tiana''s parents know that their daughter was in the right hands, so they could bring the cute girl back to their pack and Kayden could ascend the throne as Alpha.


    Kayden had agreed on this after a long conversation with Torak. Raine suspects that Torak was threatening, rather than a conversation, their son to take over his place, with a murder case being as his leverage. Even towards their own son, this man was full of calculations.


    But, things seemed to be going smoothly now, although Kayden still looked annoyed at his father and Torak didn''t seem to care, at least the two of them weren''t clawing and biting at each other like they had last time.


    "No," said Raine firmly. "We have to get along with Tiana''s parents."


    "Their house must have no servants," Torak grumbled.


    "Oh, stop grumbling like old geezers." Raine rolled her eyes.


    "I''m hundreds of years older than you," said Torak.


    And Raine laughed when she heard that. "Yes you''re right. You are very old. I don''t know why I can be with you."


    "Of course because you can''t stay away from me." Torak then saw Raine raise her eyebrows. "Yes, and I can''t stay away from you," he said in a defeated tone.


    ==================


    Tiana''s house could be said to be simple, but also very beautiful to look at, and not only that, she has a large yard, where at night they could have a barbecue party outside the house and that''s what they were doing now.


    Torak was chatting with Tiana''s father and it was easy for him to win the man''s sympathy and pave the way for his son to face his mate''s father.


    Supposedly, his son thanked him for this.


    But then, Torak saw Kayden was talking to Raine and his expression was a little suspicious, therefore, when Raine left, Torak immediately approached Kayden and he had a chance to see what was the thing in the blue velvet box.


    "Where did you get the ring from?" Torak surprised Kayden with his question.


    "I got it from Nutdrouk," Kayden answered lightly. "I intend to give this ring to Tiana."


    Of course he would give the ring to Tiana, who else would he give it to, but it didn''t matter to Torak.


    "How did you pay Nutdrouk?" Torak remembered well that he had frozen all of Kayden''s cards, one of the most subtle ways he could get his son home, instead of rallying all the lycan warriors and hunting him down, but how could he still buy such an expensive item from Nutdrouk?


    Torak knew very well the price of the ring. It was only because Raine didn''t want it that the ring could be in Kayden''s hands now.


    "I''ll pay for it later," replied Kayden, he then closed the box and smirked at Torak.


    However, when he was about to walk away, Torak stopped him. "You forgot that I froze your account?"


    Kayden then folded his arms and looked at his father. The two blue eyes stared fiercely at each other, which made Raine a little worried.


    "Father, did you forget that if I take my place as Alpha, then I will have all access?" Kayden smiled very sweetly. "It was in our agreement, isn''t it?"


    Insolent child¡­


    Torak growled, but all he could see was his son turning around and walking away, smiling triumphantly.


    Kayden considered freezing Torak''s money the next time he went on vacation with his mother as they had planned, when he became Alpha.


    Kayden was a little curious, how angry his father would be...

 Chapter 1187: Selena

    Selena felt happy, anxious, scared, panicked, worried, elated, and everything that can be said now to describe her feelings after meeting her mate.


    He was a grown man she met a few days ago.


    Selena was about to cross a street and the man passed by on his racing motorbike, looking so bright under the light of the sun.


    He passed her and didn''t even look at her, and the two- second encounter had her on the cusp for two whole weeks.


    Two precious seconds to realize that the man was her mate and also two damned seconds because she has absolutely no idea who this man was, where he lived, or more importantly¡­ how did she ever find that man again?!


    Selena was frustrated. Really frustrated that she couldn''t find a way to find him again.


    Now, she lived far from home, since they were always moving from place to place and no longer lived in the same house.


    Because no one would believe that she was the daughter of Kace and Hope, as they were both not old enough to have a child who has reached early adulthood.


    Her parents looked like a young couple and acted like one.


    Therefore, this time Selena chose to live in an apartment that she had been dreaming of for a long time.


    And she had only been in this city for two days when she met her soul mate.


    Those two seconds really made Selena desperate.


    "Argh!" Selena threw her pillow against the wall and let out an annoyed roar. The beast within her wanted to meet her mate. Hey, she wanted the same thing. But, where is the sexy man?!


    And it was only after almost giving up, two months later, that Selena met the man again.


    At the supermarket, while he was buying a pack of cigarettes at the cashier.


    It was nighttime and not many people were in the area, and although many would say it was unsafe for young women to walk alone, this supermarket was the closest to Selena''s apartment.


    And she almost screamed with pleasure and jumped for joy when she saw the sexy man again, clad in a black leather jacket and messy looking hair. He looked very mature and very handsome¡­


    Well, this was a very subjective judgment, since the man was her mate, but for the next few seconds, Selena indulged herself by standing right behind him, enjoying his distinctive, masculine scent. He was tall and Selena''s head would only reach his shoulders.


    "Excuse me, your item?" asked the cashier who was standing next to the cashier, who was serving her mate.


    And Selena hated the fact that she was trying to be friendly to her mate, but, seeing how his mate treated her coldly, certainly made Selena smile proudly.


    Selena then walked to the cashier next to her and gave her all her groceries, but just at that moment, her mate left, holding a cigarette in his right hand and stepping outside into the cold night air.


    "Oh, damn!" Selena cursed loudly. She then immediately rushed off after the man. Hell, she wouldn''t lose him again.


    She ran out of the supermarket, ignoring frustrated calls from the cashier handling her groceries, which she just left without paying.


    The cold night breeze blew against Selena''s face as she ran, she pulled up a blue bear- print jacket, which wasn''t attractive at all.


    Not in this outfit Selena wished she could meet her mate, but she had no other choice.


    And to run back to her apartment to put on more appropriate clothes, of course that wasn''t an option at all.


    On the other hand, the man walked briskly towards his black racing motorbike, parked a little further from the supermarket he was visiting and also near a group of young men who were rotating their cigarettes at each other.


    The man was seen checking all the pockets of his jacket and pants, while a cigarette tucked between his full lips. It was a sight that made Selena''s heart flutter.


    He looked absolutely amazing under this moonlight.


    Oh, Selene. This man is so perfect¡­ Selena exclaims in her heart.


    However, one thing Selena realized after that, that this man was not a shifter. He was just an ordinary man¡­


    Or, is he?


    Because in the next second, when the man realized that he couldn''t find the match in the pocket of his pants or jacket, he flicked his own hand and from the tip of his finger there was a small flame that burned the tip of the cigarette.


    Selena held her breath when she saw the sight. What''s that? Is he a wizard? She wondered to herself.


    And the fire that was at her fingertips was extinguished when he took a deep breath and exhaled white smoke from his lips into the air.


    It wasn''t unusual for Selena because she had seen several witches do this. Which meant her mate is one of them?


    Selena had to reconfirm about this.


    And to do so she immediately walked over to the man, but her curiosity and enthusiasm overcame her common sense which told her to make this meeting as natural as possible.


    Instead¡­


    "Hey!" Selena exclaimed as she got close to the man, surprising him with an unexpected greeting. "Are you a wizard?" she asked excitedly.


    The question slipped from his lips before he could even stop it and by the time Selena realized it, it was too late.


    The man looked at Selena with a strange look, his eyes narrowed, as if he was observing a strange young girl wearing a bear jacket in front of him.


    But, instead of answering the question, the man walked back to his motorbike, ignoring her.


    "Hey, I''m talking to you!" Selena sprinted at a brisk pace to keep pace with his, ignoring the stares of the four young men there waiting for some drama to unfold in the evening.


    The man walked briskly to his motorbike, but Selena already ran ahead and leaned against it.


    "Get out of the way," he said coldly.


    Ugh! Looks like he doesn''t feel the mate bond¡­ Selena complained. Well, this will be a challenge then¡­

 Chapter 1188: Selena (2)

    Xander didn''t know what this young girl in front of him wanted, he continued to stare at him intensely, as if she was about to swallow himself up just by looking at him like that, but it wasn''t a problem for him.


    Because the main question was; what is this shifter trying to do by staring at him like that?


    Yes, Xander knew that this girl was a shifter. werewolf? Werebears? He was not sure about that, but as a non-human being, he was not clueless about the other creatures.


    "Get out of the way," Xander said coldly.


    However, the girl didn''t get off her bike either, she was still sitting there and Xander didn''t like anyone else touching something that belonged to him.


    "Get out of there before I hurt you," Xander said with sharper and threatening words. However, all he got was an expression full of interest.


    This girl must be crazy.


    The other women he met would have run away if Xander had shown his current dark mood.


    They were indeed attracted to this dark side of him and kept trying to get close to him because of the mysterious aura he had attached to him, but once they crossed the line and Xander showed hostility openly, they would stop.


    But, not with this girl. Either she was too stupid to grasp the threat behind Xander''s words, or she was too brave to challenge him.


    This time, Xander didn''t say another word, but immediately removed the girl''s body from his motorbike.


    Only, as soon as they touched, there was something tickling, a sensation he had never felt before, but before his mind could decipher what it was, Xander heard the girl''s voice screaming beside him.


    "You feel it too, don''t you? You feel that, don''t you?!" Selena squealed in delight when she saw the surprised look on her mate''s face.


    Xander narrowed his eyes when he saw the enthusiasm of the girl. He then jumped to the side when the girl tried to touch him again.


    Xander had never seen a girl as fearless and shameless as her.


    "You feel it too, don''t you?" Selena asked Xander, her big eyes wide with enthusiasm.


    For a moment, Xander seemed to be hypnotized by those blue eyes. Her eyes radiated warmth and that was something that was missing in his life.


    And after all, he doesn''t need warmth when on many occasions he burned anything he touched.


    "Don''t touch me," Xander growled, when he saw the girl was about to touch him again.


    Selena pursed her lips when she saw the rejection from her mate. "Why? Are you afraid that I will do something to you? Don''t worry, I''m an honorable lady."


    Oh, of course she''s a lady of honor, she''s from the Donovan line.


    However, on the other hand, Xander was completely at a loss for words when he heard what the girl had to say. Not only was she shameless, this girl distorted the fact that she was the man here, didn''t in general, if something happened between them, it was him who benefited?


    Xander then threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped it, he was about to leave this strange girl, but his jacket was pulled back.


    "What do you want?" Xander growled, couldn''t she see that he was trying to hold his temper?


    Selena didn''t even know what she really wanted, so the question just slipped from her lips. "What''s your name? May I have your phone number?"


    Xander''s jaw hardened when he heard that. He didn''t answer the question, because just at that moment, four teenagers who were not far from them approached.


    "If he doesn''t want to give you his number, I can give you ours." One of them, who had black hair and wore a red shirt, said in a screeching voice.


    "If he doesn''t want to play with you, just play with us," said one of his friends who wore a yellow shirt with lots of piercings in his ears.


    Selena frowned disapprovingly, she then turned to look at her mate, checking how he would react to this.


    But, unlike what Selena expected, her mate was not really care as he started the engine of his motorcycle.


    "Hey, isn''t this the time when you should be helping me and beating up those four people?" Selena pointed at the four people who were bothering her, clutching her mate''s jacket.


    However, very viciously, Xander waved the girl''s hand while saying, "pass."


    After that, he rode away from there, leaving Selena to face the four men alone in an empty parking lot.


    "Seriously¡­" Selena complained as she watched the big motorcycle drive away. She didn''t even care about the danger that lurked her from the four people near her, because she didn''t think that they were any danger at all.


    "See, he doesn''t want to be with you, so you can just be with us," said the man when, he tried to touch Selena''s shoulder, but she moved faster and avoided him, without even looking at him, while her eyes were still glued to the corner where her mate had disappeared. .


    "You don''t have to beg when you''re with us," said the yellow t-shirt man, and the four of them began to speak in inappropriately dirty words.


    Only, Selena wasn''t really listening, her mind was still fixated on the fact how she could meet her mate again, of course, she had memorized her vehicle number, maybe she could get something out of it.


    But maybe it''s not necessary...


    A calculating smile etched on Selena''s lips, she then turned quickly to the four men who were still demanding her attention.


    "Hold my hand," Selena said as she reached out her hand to one of them. "Quick, hold my hand," Selena said impatiently.


    The four men then frowned, of course this girl''s change in attitude made them confused.


    "Quick!" Selena exclaimed fiercely, which automatically made all four men grabbed her hands together, even though they still didn''t understand what this girl wanted.


    But, not long after, they could hear the sound of motorbike engines blaring in the distance and a sly smile on the girl''s lips.


    This girl is scary...

 Chapter 1189: Selena (3)

    Xander didn''t think he was a moral man, but still, the image of him leaving a girl in the hands of four men haunted him.


    He kept reminding himself that the girl wasn''t human, she was a shifter and she had more than enough ability to fight the four men off. The shifter girl could beat the four of them and solve the problems she was faced with without needing anyone''s help.


    But then, one keyword bothered him; she was a girl. Shifter or not, she was a girl and leaving her in the hands of four assholes was not something he was proud of.


    Well, Xander did a lot of things he wasn''t proud of at all, but at least he didn''t want to add this one to the lot too.


    Thus, with a growl that overpowered the sound of his motorcycle, he changed directions and returned to the deserted parking lot where he left the strange girl along with the four other men.


    Xander swore he would just kick the four men out and then leave immediately. He had no obligation to drive her home or anything like that.


    After he chased away the four men, then he would surely leave.


    And with that thought, Xander rode his motorbike back to the parking lot and saw the girl was a crying mess, while the four men grabbed her hand.


    Xander''s jaw clenched tightly and he got off his motorbike not far from them, turned off the engine and took off the helmet he was wearing.


    "Let her go," Xander said calmly. A moment of serenity you should be wary of and apprehend.


    The man wearing the yellow shirt, walked forward and pushed the girl to her three friends who were standing behind.


    "Go away you asshole," he said mockingly. "She has agreed to play with us."


    "Help me¡­" Selena said in a trembling voice full of fear. Her big, beautiful blue eyes were flooded with tears.


    Xander would always feel a headache coming whenever he saw a woman cry. He did not like it. Not in a sweet sense, of course. He really hated women who cried, because they looked and sounded annoying.


    "Let her go before you guys regret this," Xander said, this time walking up to them. The sooner this problem was resolved, the better.


    However, the four men did not respond well to his threats and preferred to take the hard road.


    And when the man in yellow approached Xander quickly, while throwing his fists, Xander moved swiftly and kicked the man''s lower abdomen in a very fast motion.


    It sent the man falling to the ground with a groan of pain.


    Seeing his friend being kicked down, the three men immediately let go of Selena. They surrounded Xander while throwing insults and curses before attacking him simultaneously.


    Oh, shit. He didn''t expect himself to be in trouble again tonight, but this was the problem he was looking for, wasn''t it? Xander could have gone and ignored this. But no, he just had to come back and become the girl''s hero.


    Sometimes what he knew and what he wanted, did not run synchronously.


    It didn''t take long for Xander to finish off the three men, and they fell one by one after being hit for just one time.


    Receiving a single blow from Xander, felt like being punched hard for at least a dozen times. Was there a human who had such ability?


    Too bad they didn''t know that Xander wasn''t human...


    When the four men fell to the ground while groaning in pain, Xander didn''t want to spend too much time there, so he quickly left, without even checking the girl''s situation or saying anything to her.


    However, as soon as he started the motorbike and put his helmet back on, he saw someone moving on his left and this made his heart beat faster as the handlebar of the motorcycle he was holding heated up, as if on fire.


    His hands let out those damn flames again when he felt surprised or threatened, but luckily, Xander could control this much better now.


    "I''m afraid to go home alone," Selena said in a low voice, and without permission, she climbed onto the back of Xander''s motorbike, tightened her grip on the man''s waist, hugging him from behind.


    "What are you doing?!" Xander exclaimed in annoyance, finding the girl already on his motorbike. "Get down right now!" he ordered.


    But, instead of getting off the bike, Selena buried her face in Xander''s back and shook her head violently. "I''m scared."


    "That''s your business, not mine," Xander growled, but instead he heard the girl cry. And the only option to get rid of this girl was to throw the girl off his motorbike and drive away from there.


    =================


    Xander didn''t end up throwing Selena off his motorbike, but instead he drove her home, or not...


    "This is your house?" Xander asked, looking at a small restaurant in front of him, meanwhile, Selena got off the motorbike and tidied her hair which was messed up by the wind. She looked so cute with his black hair that now resembled a bird''s nest.


    "No," Selena answered lightly. "I haven''t eaten yet, so I want to stop by here to buy some food, I''m hungry," she said.


    Xander didn''t know whether to cry or laugh when he heard that. Did this girl think that he was her personal chauffeur? Didn''t she think it was too late? But, apparently not so with Selena.


    "Have a good meal," Xander said sarcastically, he then started the two wheeler again and was about to leave.


    However, Selena quickly turned it off and pulled out the key. "Let''s eat first, I will treat you to repay your kindness for saving my life and my pride as a woman," Selena said, using exaggerated words.


    "Give me back my keys," Xander tried to contain his emotions, he gripped the handlebars tightly, so he wouldn''t lose control, but sadly, it didn''t help enough, because Selena could see that.


    "Or what? You''re going to burn me?" she asked boldly, nodding at Xander''s hand which was now puffing up a thin layer of smoke.


    Following Selena''s gaze, Xander immediately came to his senses and took a deep breath.


    Witnessing that, Selena just laughed cheerfully. "You''re too hot, you need to cool down," she said in a naughty tone. "I think they have plenty of cold water inside to cool you off."

 Chapter 1190: Selena (4)

    Selena ordered a bowl of spicy noodles for herself and a hot tea. But, her mate only ordered a bottle of mineral water and didn''t order anything else, even though Selena had said that this time it would be her treat. But apparently, he didn''t heed it at all.


    "Indeed a cold bottle of water is what you need right now," Selena said nonchalantly, actually she was quite happy because this man agreed to accompany her to eat.


    Actually Xander wasn''t doing this voluntarily, but this girl in front of him was crazy enough to put his motorcycle keys in her shirt pocket close to her chest.


    Then she casually told Xander if he wanted he could take it himself.


    Xander had stolen, beat people and even killed, but of course he wouldn''t lower himself to molesting a woman. It wasn''t in his life dictionary.


    "My name is Selena, what''s your name?" she asked as she stretched out her hand after she finished eating the noodles she ordered and took a sip of her tea.


    Selena put away the empty bowl calmly and looked at Xander intently.


    "At least tell me your name," Selena said in a low voice, sulking.


    "Give me the keys to my motorbike," Xander said impatiently.


    "Your name," Selena insisted at her own pace and when Xander closed his eyes, a mischievous smile bloomed on her lips. "I don''t know what you are, but I think you should hold back your emotions."


    Xander then opened his eyes and glared at Selena fiercely, but then the girl looked at his hands and her facial expression turned into one of panic.


    "Your hand!" she cried, whisper-shouting at him.


    Automatically, Xander turned to look at his hands. He thought that he was burning something again, but there was nothing to fret about, so he looked back at Selena, who was grinning.


    "Your hands are so beautiful, I mean," Selena said lightly, then leaned over and stared at Xander intently. "You look really tense."


    Xander couldn''t stand being around this girl anymore, he couldn''t get used to seeing a smile on her lips or her demeanor being so calm and carefree, like she had nothing to worry about.


    Maybe there was nothing to worry about, because she was not the kind of person to burn people when she was upset or angry.


    Therefore, Xander immediately got up from his chair and walked away.


    Seeing that, Selena let him be, because she knew Xander couldn''t have gone far, as long as the keys to his motorbike were with her.


    Selena sat there for about a minute, drinking her drink, then she left, but when Selena was about to pay for her food, the waitress there told her that Xander had paid for the food.


    "Your boyfriend has already paid for it," the servant said.


    Hearing the words ''your boyfriend'', Selena''s mood improved, she then smiled sweetly at her before leaving.


    Outside, she found Xander sitting on his motorbike smoking a cigarette. Not many people were passing by in this area, or maybe it was because it was already late into the night.


    "Where are my keys?" Xander said as he breathed out a thin puff of white smoke into the air.


    "Your name." Selena is still stubborn.


    Xander took a deep breath, before he finally said, "Xander."


    "Lie."


    Xander narrowed his eyes, as if Selena had just insulted him.


    "So, your name is really Xander?" Selena then said the name again, feeling the way it rolled off of her lips. "Xander¡­ Xander¡­. Beautiful name¡­."


    "My keys." Xander didn''t want to join Selena''s creative imagination and make things warmer between the two of them, because he had no intention of being around this girl.


    Reluctantly, Selena handed over the keys to Xander''s motorbike and immediately jumped onto its pillion seat.


    "What else now?" Xander frowned.


    "Take me home¡­"


    "Get down! I am not your personal chauffeur!"


    ===================


    Sean often said that Selena always got what she wanted. His twin sister had her own way of getting what she wanted, by any method.


    Selena seemed to have her own spell to make others submit to her wishes, a spell like a magician.


    And it proved to be true.


    When Xander emphatically said that he wasn''t going to take Selena home, he ended up breaking his own words and now he was in front of the girl''s house.


    "Thanks for driving me home," Selena said as she looked at Xander. "But, there''s one more thing I''m curious about you."


    Xander stared at Selena silently, as if to say; what else do you want to know?


    "Are you a magician? You can get fire out of your hands." Selena raised her finger, stopping Xander from interrupting his sentence. "Don''t dodge, I saw you light a cigarette with your fingertips smoldering. So, are you a magician?"


    "No." Xander didn''t understand why he was responding to Selena, maybe the same reason why he agreed to take her home. A reason he still didn''t know.


    "No?" Selena tilted her head. "Then what are you?"


    It might also be because this was the first time he had met another supernatural being who didn''t immediately consider him an enemy. Because most of them would see it as a threat if he stumbled into their territory.


    "I don''t know," Xander answered honestly. "I can control fire."


    "So you''re a firebender?"


    Those blue eyes flashed with enthusiasm again and maybe it was because of those beautiful eyes that stared at him without judgment, that Xander felt a little comfortable around her.


    "I don''t know what my kind are called." Then there was silence between them, while Selena seemed to be in thought. "Are you a shifter?" Xander asked. This time it was his turn to ask.


    "Yes, I''m a lycan," Selena replied proudly.


    Xander nodded slowly. Lycan¡­ a powerful shifter¡­


    "Then why are you following me around?" Xander asked, he could see Selena''s face immediately turned red.


    "That¡­ hmm¡­" she looked shy and hesitant when she was about to finally say it. "This is something related to shifters¡­" She didn''t know where to start. "You know, that every shifter has a mate¡­"


    Xander''s brow furrowed, but saw how Selena''s demeanor turned shy and remembered the sensation he felt when they touched. Xander had to admit that he liked the sensation.


    "Oh, no¡­" he mumbled. "Don''t say that..."


    "You''re my mate," Selena said, finishing Xander''s sentence.


    Xander''s eyes narrowed when he heard that. "Impossible," he hissed.


    "Of course it''s possible," Selena replied firmly. "You are my mate."


    "This is crazy¡­" Xander whispered.


    "Of course not, it''s amazing!" exclaimed Selena excitedly.


    Xander shook his head again.


    "So, since you''re not a shifter, may I mark you now?"